The Deike family was one of the most distinguished houses in the southern Pesahant Empire. Its patriarch, Count Kairan Deike, had only one interest: war. He was a man who had relentlessly waged territorial conflicts to expand his domain. To him, his three sons were both a concern and a new source of amusement.

There could be only one heir. Except for the one who would inherit the Deike countship, Kairan had no interest in the others. A father’s duty is to raise his sons to be strong. Kairan entrusted each of his three sons with a territory, the reason simple: to judge their qualities as lords. As a result, the three heirs each developed their lands, laying the foundations that soon set them at each other’s throats.

The first victim was Karen Deike. He had developed the commerce of the Midikan territory and brilliantly secured its finances, but his military strength was lacking. In the end, he was overwhelmed by Karun Deike’s soldiers, and the Midikan territory was swallowed up in a single day. His sole focus on managing the territory meant he failed to expand his private army, a fatal mistake.

“B-Brother Karun, please, spare my life.”

“Father said he wouldn’t mind if I took your life. You are a competitor, so it is only natural to eliminate you.”

For the loser, Karen Deike, the only outcome was death. He became a cold corpse, his severed head displayed within the territory. Having eliminated a competitor first, Karun Deike managed two territories and set his sights on the final one. However, the youngest, Charon Deike, abruptly renounced his right of succession. He abandoned his territory and fled. As a result, Karun became the sole heir and was able to pass Kairan’s test with ease.

—

Meanwhile, Charon, who had renounced his succession, felt a sense of relief. ‘As I thought, being a lord doesn’t suit me. There’s no need for me to get involved in a bloody war.’ He had never been interested in the honor of the Deike family to begin with. Even if he had become the heir, he would have abandoned the position and run away long ago.

Now, the name Charon was erased from the family records. Branded with dishonor, Kairan would surely not let him be. But Charon didn’t care. In fact, he was happy to be free. ‘Being a raider suits me better than playing annoying political games.’

After that, Charon became a raider. Hiding his family name, Deike, he became an adventurer like any other, traveling through various dungeons. He had a few near-death experiences, but it was an enjoyable life. Exploring unknown dungeons and getting rewarded for his efforts—what could be more exciting? It was a life on a different plane from sitting on the throne of a lord he had no interest in, looking down on his subjects. And so, Charon traveled the lands with his comrades, making sure to never set foot near the south.

“We’re proper A-rank raiders now. No one can look down on us wherever we go.”

“I think we were able to come this far thanks to you, Raid Captain Charon. Thank you.”

“What should I do? I got an offer from the General Guild. I’m sorry, but I think I have to go. It’s too good an opportunity to pass up.”

As their rank rose, so did the interest in them. His comrades naturally scattered, heading to different raid parties. Charon felt a sense of emptiness and betrayal, but he considered it inevitable. However, as it happened again and again, it became a pattern he could no longer stomach. He had become a raider purely in pursuit of freedom, but even here, being bound to something felt all the same. The desire for higher rewards, the pursuit of honor at the expense of dreams and joy, and those who never had a sense of camaraderie to begin with—it was no different from before.

Charon belatedly realized his mistake and wandered, deeply disappointed. It was then that a woman came to find him.

“You’re the A-rank raider Charon, right? It seems you haven’t been active lately. May I ask why?” she asked, getting straight to the point. At first, he thought it was just a simple offer and continued the conversation with predictable answers to predictable questions. But the longer they talked, the more flustered Charon became.

“Join our Dungeon Master faction. The Tarantula Faction will be a very interesting place for you.”

“A-Are you telling me to side with the demons?!”

“Hmm. You have prejudices too. That’s a little disappointing. Just because you’re a raider, what’s stopping you from siding with the demons? Don’t you think?”

It was a whole new world. On one hand, he felt a deep sense of skepticism, but Charon had always been indifferent to the world’s prejudices. His answer was yes. Perhaps her final words were what swayed him.

“The Tarantula Faction has no rules. How you operate is entirely up to you. We will go to the end together.”

And so, Charon stepped into a world of unknowns.

—

Day 3.

The raid party, having passed through the Forest of Silence, had just finished camping in the Valley of Silence.

“We’ve reached the entrance of Balak, but the damage is too severe,” Taric said. “The ones who were sent to the other side of the dungeon are out of contact, so they must have all been wiped out.”

Taric was right. Within Balak’s territory, movement between dungeons was possible. There was no way Taehyun would have left the teleported raiders alone.

“How many items do we have left, Charon?”

“…Vision Priority, a Save a Comrade Coin, a Return Item, buff items, an Effect Reversal Card, and the Radar.”

“Can we really succeed in this raid with these numbers?”

“You’re the one who organized this raid, Taric. It’s not good to say things like that now. Our stress levels are already quite high, and there’s no point in lowering morale any further.” He knew Taric’s reasons for attempting the Balak raid. That’s why he had come along to help, but the raid leader himself was having doubts. The situation was not good. Charon first checked the raid party’s average stress index.

[Taric Raid Party Average Stress Index: 34/100]

[Charon Raid Party Average Stress Index: 41/100]

The damage from the Forest of Silence was too great. Perhaps because they had lost comrades, their stress index was considerable. ‘Thankfully, we have enough food and supplies, but we’re running low on one-time skills. We have about forty A-rank raiders, but we won’t be able to muster proper firepower like this.’

Maybe he should have used the Effect Reversal Card from the start. If he had responded after getting out of the forest, the losses wouldn’t have been so severe. Charon gritted his teeth as he thought of Taehyun. He had been thoroughly played.

“How long are you going to space out? Taric, we have no time to waste. We’re entering immediately.”

“Uh, yeah. We should.”

“Don’t worry too much. We still have the Peacock, and we have some important one-time skills left.”

“Yeah. I’m counting on you, Charon.” Taric relied on him, knowing his own shortcomings. Charon, however, simply led the raiders and entered in silence.

—

[Taric’s raid party has entered Balak.]

[Charon’s raid party has entered Balak.]

Forty-seven A-rank raiders entered the dungeon. It seemed they wouldn’t give up on the raid after all.

[The joint raid party has entered the first room.]

He had already grasped the raiders’ general information. Taehyun looked at Charon leading them and cast Breath of Death.

[B-rank Dungeon Master’s unique skill ‘Breath of Death’ has been cast.]

[For a set duration, the raiders’ health will be chipped away.]

[For a set duration, the raiders’ fatigue will accumulate.]

A sinister aura spread through the dungeon’s interior. It consumed two hundred mana, but he still had plenty to spare.

“I won’t let a single one of them leave alive.” Alone in the Master Room, a chilling killing intent dominated the space.

—”Slow the pace slightly. Prioritize managing health and fatigue until the duration ends.”

Charon adjusted their pace to one battle, one camp. Since he would have figured out the number of rooms with the high-performance radar, they would have enough food and supplies.

[A-rank Raider Ellua has dismantled a Flame Trap.]

[Ellua’s stress index decreases by 2.]

[Ellua’s achievement score increases by 150.]

It seemed only two bounty hunters remained, as a man and a woman were dismantling the traps. Taehyun’s eyes gleamed as he expertly deployed his soldiers.

—

Day 4.

[You have entered the fourteenth room of Balak.]

Although their pace had been slowed by Breath of Death, they smoothly arrived at the fourteenth room. Balak had a total of forty-one rooms. Considering the corridor split into two paths, their progress was going well.

[B-rank Dungeon Master’s unique skill ‘Breath of Death’ has been cast.]

[For a set duration, the raiders’ health will be chipped away.]

[For a set duration, the raiders’ fatigue will accumulate.]

Just then, the second Dungeon Master skill was cast. Charon quickly organized his thoughts. ‘A skill like Breath of Death consumes 200 mana. Typically, an average A-rank dungeon has a mana limit of about 600. That’s only three uses. There’s no way Taehyun Yoo would use the second Breath of Death in the fourteenth room without a reason. If he divides the rooms into sets of ten, that’s four uses. That means he has at least 800 mana.’

He still had a nullification item, so he should be able to cancel their return items. Taehyun would use Breath of Death four times in a row to lower their health and fatigue. And by raising their stress index, he would aim to create discord within the raid party. Right now, Taehyun was essentially trying to bait him into using the Effect Reversal Card.

‘The Effect Reversal Card is the only way to remove debuffs aside from buff items. It’s obvious what he’s aiming for. But is that all he’s after?’ Charon’s gaze shifted to Ellua and Zembel. ‘Absolutely not. The two bounty hunters, Ellua and Zembel, will be the primary targets. What I need to decide here is the timing of the Save a Comrade Coin.’ By using Breath of Death twice, Taehyun had already shown that he had given up on preventing their return. The remaining nullification item would surely be used on their return items. In that case, he could save at least one bounty hunter with the Save a Comrade Coin.

[Shield Bearer Panteric’s block was successful.]

[Lancer Grenore follows up with a switch.]

[Warrior Small Golem’s core has been destroyed.]

The battle in the fourteenth room finally concluded. The raiders caught their breath and slumped to the ground.

“This battle really took a toll on my stamina.”

“For now, we’ll have to make do with the camping incense we have left. By the way, Taric, what about your one-time skill?”

“I still have mine saved. Why?”

“Never mind. Just don’t use it for now.” As he prepared to camp, Charon thought about the duration of Breath of Death. With their slowed pace, eight rooms. That meant Taehyun would target the bounty hunters around the twenty-eighth or thirtieth room. ‘Too bad for you, but your attempt won’t work. All it did was put me on guard, Taehyun Yoo.’

—

Day 5.

Around the time the raid party entered the twenty-sixth room, Riel returned. “Her condition has improved significantly. With enough rest, she should regain consciousness within three days.”

He was too stunned to speak.

“Master?”

Taehyun, who had been focused on the screen, had a grim expression. He seemed to be counting something. Riel tilted her head and approached him. At that moment, Taehyun snapped out of it. “Nine of them.”

“What are you referring to?”

“I rechecked the ones who haven’t used their one-time skills. It’s nine, for sure.”

“D-Don’t tell me you’ve been counting since the Forest of Silence?” It wasn’t easy to distinguish who hadn’t used their one-time skills among so many raiders. And yet, Taehyun remembered the exact individuals. Riel looked at the deployment for the twenty-eighth room and couldn’t even bring herself to speak. Taehyun was now exuding a ferocious aura she had never seen before, glaring at Charon.

‘I’ll pay you back several times over for what you did.’

—

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep