A total of 142 Raiders. Their ranks were completely unknown, their information clearly disguised beforehand. All he knew was that two raid parties had appeared on the Revived Plains simultaneously.

“Hey, Baron Momonte. Was there another party that received a raid permit after the Bones Raid Party?” Taehyun asked into his communication device.

“What nonsense is that? I haven’t heard anything,” the Baron’s voice crackled back.

“Is that so…”

Even Baron Momonte didn’t know. If they had come without going through the western association branch, they had violated the Raider’s Association regulations. In other words, this was an unauthorized raid.

Taehyun briefly considered Count Dinen, then shook his head. There was no way he would send a raid party while he was in the middle of developing the western lands. It was more likely they were sent by someone who didn’t fear Count Dinen.

‘Duke Peyton? No. After the Eleonora Raid Party, Count Dinen has been putting pressure on the imperial family. Then is there only one answer?’

A third faction. Raiders who could come to Balak while ignoring even the Raider’s Association. When he thought about it, the answer was simple. Taehyun took out his exclusive items and prepared for battle. The Raiders on the screen were all wearing thick coats, hiding their identities, but he would find out who they were soon enough.

[?]

[Rank: ?]

[Level: ?]

[Class: ?]

[Title: ?]

[Affiliation: ?]

[Stress: ?]

[Status: ?]

[Relationship with Comrades: ?]

[Description: ?]

‘They’ve completely hidden themselves with information disguise. The fact that the rest are the same means they came with a plan.’

As always, hiding information was a tactic to force him to use True Identity from the start.

“Who are those Raiders?” Riel asked, her voice laced with concern. “To come without going through the Raider’s Association… Are they not afraid of the consequences?”

“Why would they be? They’re the type who don’t care about the Association in the first place.”

“They don’t care? What do you mean?”

“A faction that doesn’t even mind Count Dinen. People who belong to the Raider’s Association but aren’t truly part of it. The answer is obvious. They’re affiliated with other Dungeon Masters.”

There was only one type of Raider who could avoid friction with the Raider’s Association: those attached to the Tarantula faction. They were more than capable of hiding within dungeons. This raid on Balak was undoubtedly carried out under Mihye’s orders.

‘So that’s why she had no reaction after losing the Faction War. She’s going to screw me over like this?’

To her, this raid party was nothing more than a disposable pawn. While fighting between factions was forbidden during the Faction War, that rule didn’t apply to Raiders. He knew that and had been on guard, but he had never imagined she would try to mess with him so directly.

Taehyun gritted his teeth and deployed his soldiers. Since they were sent by the Tarantula faction, they were bound to be A-rank or higher.

[The A-rank familiar, Eater Eye, has died.]

[The B-rank familiar, Red Eye, has died.]

[The B-rank familiar, Crow’s Eye, has died.]

The screens gradually went dark. Their first move was to blind him. Taehyun summoned his main forces through Rabiz and glared at the encroaching raid party.

‘Fine. Let’s do this, you bitch.’

—

[Crow’s Eye has been struck by an arrow.]

The last remaining familiar fell from the sky. With that, they had secured complete vision over the Revived Plains. All the Dungeon Master would know now was the class of their ranged attackers. So far, things were proceeding smoothly.

“Did you bring the Peacock?” Tarik asked.

“Right here,” a raider confirmed.

“Good. Preparations are complete. So, this is all Balak’s territory?”

This was the Balak he had only heard about in rumors. He had come on her orders, but it was certainly different from ordinary dungeons. From the residents he saw while entering the passage to the Raiders camping comfortably within the territory, it was less a symbiotic relationship and more like they were all living together.

‘Balak isn’t the simple dungeon you think it is,’ Mihye’s voice echoed in his memory. ‘If you don’t believe me, go and see for yourself. Who knows? If you succeed, I might even acknowledge you.’

Tarik scowled and surveyed the terrain. A vast plain flanked by isolated, steep cliffs. It wouldn’t be easy to turn back from here.

‘That must be the labyrinth, and the area in front must be the Silent Forest.’

He was already well-informed about Balak. Since the dungeon was open to all Raiders, information was easy to come by. The greatest threats here were the siege soldiers and the rock-throwing golem. They had secured vision first, but they didn’t know how Balak would attempt to bombard them. Tarik began searching the vicinity for markers when Charon, the leader of the second raid party, made a suggestion.

“We came without a permit, so we didn’t have time to set up markers. How about we take the cliffs first?”

“The cliffs?” Tarik questioned. “There will be flying soldiers. Will that really help?”

“Of course,” Charon said with a confident smile. “I’m suggesting it precisely ‘because’ there are flying soldiers. Balak will surely try to reclaim its vision using them. You’re also keeping the siege soldiers in mind, right? Now, what’s our advantage? It’s that we know more about dungeon soldiers than other Raiders.”

“…Indeed.”

No matter how experienced, no Raider knew everything about dungeons. In contrast, they had betrayed the Raider’s Association to join a Dungeon Master’s faction. It was only natural they knew more. And the best counters to flying soldiers were Trackers and Infiltrators. Our party will inevitably have to give up some vision.

“I-I see. We’ll have to cede some of our vision because of the flying soldiers. But using a single-use skill just for that seems like a waste.”

“Exactly,” Charon agreed. “We’ll end up using a Vision Expansion Scroll to take care of the siege soldiers first. And Taehyun Yoo will probably see right through that. Now, the problem is their means of movement. They won’t appear on the cliffs from the start; they’ll come from the Silent Forest. So, how will he move or recall his soldiers?”

“Hmm… Position Shift and return items are all that come to mind.”

“No, not those,” Charon dismissed. “It would be too wasteful for him to use them here. He’ll use other means. For example, soldiers with movement skills.”

Exclusive items with movement effects were a last resort. Yet, countless raid parties had suffered heavy damage on these plains. They should have been able to deal with the siege soldiers from the Silent Forest, but if they couldn’t, there were only two possibilities.

“Either he moved the damaged siege soldiers somewhere else, or he protected them with barrier skills. But I think Balak is capable of both.”

Charon’s eyes gleamed. He had deciphered Taehyun’s strategy just by analyzing past raid data and the terrain. Tarik, standing opposite him, was deeply impressed.

‘To predict this much before the battle has even started… Charon is amazing. It was definitely worth bringing him.’

Charon was known for his sharp mind within the Tarantula faction. Though often overshadowed by other Raiders, his skills were widely recognized.

“In that case, we should also prepare in advance,” Tarik said.

“That’s it. We don’t know where the harpies will appear, but we can at least deal with the siege soldiers. Besides, Balak isn’t the only one with movement skills, right?”

Charon’s gaze shifted to one of the Raiders, who nodded and cast a skill.

[?-rank Raider ? has cast Spatial Movement.]

[?-rank Raider ? has been moved to the top of the cliff.]

A moment later, the Raider waved from atop the cliff. Charon gave a light signal and issued a new order.

[?-rank Raider ? has cast Movement Tunnel.]

[A tunnel has been created that can move Raiders to the top of the plain’s cliff.]

[Movement Tunnel Usage Limit: 1/1]

Movement Tunnel. It was a single-use skill, but it was a small price to pay if it meant they could eliminate the siege soldiers. Tarik checked the message and frowned.

“The tunnel is a good idea, but what about the barrier? If you’re right, he also has a way to protect his siege soldiers. What if we can’t break through it at once?”

“Tarik, don’t worry,” Charon said, the corners of his mouth stretching into a wide grin. “I’ll take care of everything.”

Tarik hastily nodded and ordered the raid party to advance.

—

“Preparations complete, Master,” Rabiz reported from atop the cliff.

With that, he had a counter for the siege soldiers who were outside the range of Inhye’s barrier. He would manage their damage, then move them to the cliff to create a pincer bombardment. Taehyun finished his confirmation and revealed his soldiers from within the Silent Forest.

“Uwooooooo!”

The plain echoed with Deshkar’s roar. Inhye, standing beside him, calmly covered her ears and cast Divine Precepts.

[A-rank Raider Eleonora has cast Divine Precepts.]

[A barrier with infinite durability will be maintained until all divinity is consumed.]

[Divine Precepts Usage Limit: 1/1]

A barrier materialized, covering a wide area. Some of the Catapult Drakes were outside its range, but it didn’t matter.

“Harpies, get out there now!”

The harpies that had been hidden inside the Ice Palace took flight, and at the same time, the dark screens lit up again. The raid party belatedly tried to intercept the harpies and cut off his vision, but the Catapult Drakes had already begun their bombardment.

‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’

Cannonballs rained down, aimed at the Raiders.

[B-rank Raider Palsai has cast Earthen Barrier.]

[B-rank Raider Kent has cast Sacred Barrier.]

[B-rank Raider Cruster has cast Barrier of Guidance.]

The two raid parties stacked dozens of barriers to block the assault. Taehyun let out a bitter smile and gave an order to Deshkar.

‘Throw rocks, Deshkar.’

“Uwooooooo!”

Now, rocks joined the cannonballs hurtling through the air. His vision had already been reclaimed by the harpies. No matter how many barriers they stacked, it would be difficult to withstand the rock-throwing as well.

“Everyone, aim for the catapults outside the barrier’s effect!”

“Ranged attackers, open fire!”

“Use all your skills!”

As expected, the ranged Raiders used their expanded vision to target the unprotected Catapult Drakes.

[Elite Catapult Drake (Modified) has been hit by Scattering Blades.]

[Catapult Drake (Modified) Damage Rate: 4%]

[Elite Catapult Drake (Modified) has been hit by Celestial Javelin.]

[Catapult Drake (Modified) Damage Rate: 6%]

The damage rate of the drakes was slowly rising. The Raiders were trying to mitigate their losses by taking out the unprotected soldiers, but it was useless.

“Rabiz, begin the summon.”

“Understood.”

The siege soldiers whose damage had reached its limit began to vanish, reappearing on top of the cliff. The raid party panicked and hurried their attacks, but the soldiers were already gone. Taehyun let out a sneer, about to issue another order, when one Raider charged to the front.

[Top-tier A-rank Raider Barrett has cast Precise Shockwave Strike.]

[Lifts the ground in the designated area.]

It was a top-tier A-rank Raider. He stomped the ground, sending a shockwave directly toward Inhye.

“W-What is this?!” she cried out.

The ground beneath her feet shot upwards, lifting her into the air on a massive chunk of earth. The Divine Precepts barrier rose with her. Taehyun shot up from his seat in alarm.

“They’re getting her out of the barrier’s effect like that?!”

“M-Master, the soldiers on the cliff!” Riel shouted.

“What?!”

He belatedly saw Raiders appearing on the cliff.

[Top-tier A-rank Raider Kalos’s Movement Tunnel has transported the Raiders.]

[B-rank Raider Bremen has cast Steel Sword.]

[A-rank Raider Roundime has cast Gale Slash.]

They were instantly slaughtering the siege soldiers and occupying the high ground. Taehyun saw the gaping tunnel entrance on the ground and broke out in a cold sweat. The soldiers he’d moved to the cliff were already at their damage limit; they were being mercilessly cut down.

‘They predicted I would move them to the cliff and set up a Movement Tunnel there in advance?!’

Barrett’s Precise Shockwave Strike, Kalos’s Movement Tunnel… They had seen through everything, from Inhye’s barrier and the harpies’ abilities to his plan to reposition the siege soldiers.

[A-rank Named Guardian, Ruler of Space Rabiz, has sustained a critical injury.]

[A-rank Hero Soldier, Rock-Throwing Golem Deshkar, Damage Rate: 69%]

In the blink of an eye, two of his main forces had suffered heavy damage. Taehyun saw Rabiz surrounded by Raiders and shouted urgently.

“A marker! Set a marker, now!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep