Chapter 211: Episode 211

The clatter of bones echoed as two Death Knights on skeletal horses galloped across the plains. The Knights of the Abyss followed them, raising their swords high. Their morale was already boosted by the Lord’s Aura; for them, defeat was not an option.

“Ignorant humans! I will cut you all down!”

“For the Bryant Royal Family… wait, no. For Balak!”

Their red gazes turned toward the humans. The Raiders fighting the Ancient Skeleton Soldiers quickly sent their shield bearers to the left flank.

“The undead are aiming for our core!” the raid leader, Urgon, shouted. “If the core is breached, our formation will collapse! Priests, focus your buffs on the shield bearers!”

At his command, the shield bearers’ bodies began to glow. They hurriedly raised their shields, trying to cut off the Death Knights’ mobility. However, it was impossible to stop the knights, who were attempting a bold frontal assault.

“Out of the way, you brats!”

“Get lost!”

“Ugh. S-Switch!”

Melee Raiders swapped in, desperately trying to mitigate the damage. Mages slowed the knights down with freezing magic, and archers aimed for their legs to restrict their movement. As the gap between them widened, the Knights of the Abyss could no longer advance. Now, they only had to focus on the two Death Knights. But they couldn’t relax just yet. Urgon wiped away his cold sweat and stared ahead.

’Dammit. We’ve stalled for a significant amount of time, but it’s not disappearing. What the hell is that black fog?’

While they faced the Doom Skeletons, the black fog showed no sign of dissipating. The expected duration had already passed. As if it were a permanent skill, long-range attacks were still ineffective. Now, the Skeleton Mages hidden within the black fog were even starting to provide support.

[An Ancient Skeleton Soldier has cast Chilling Grasp.]

[Doom Mage Haguru has cast Corridor of Flames.]

[An Ancient Skeleton Soldier has cast Focused Fire.]

As arrows rained down in succession, the raid party was on the verge of madness. Urgon thought of his exclusive items and made a decision.

“Sand, you take the left. I’ll take that side.”

“Long-range skills don’t work in the black fog,” Sand reminded him.

“Single-use skills still work, don’t they? Use it now!”

“Got it!”

Soon, the gloves of the A-rank top-tier Raider, Sand, began to emit mana.

[A-rank top-tier Raider Sand has cast Lapis Light.]

[Consumes 5 Lapis to convert the attribute to Divinity.]

[Lapis Light usage limit 1/1]

The Lapis gems in his possession vanished. Sand stretched his hand toward the Knights of the Abyss and unleashed a torrent of divine power. An immense light filled the area. The bodies of the Knights of the Abyss melted away, and even the two nearby Death Knights cried out in pain.

“Kuaaaargh! Such a level of divinity!”

“Ugh. Father, I believe it is time to retreat!”

The soldiers that had penetrated the raid party’s core were annihilated. Even for Death Knights, it was impossible to inflict significant damage with just the two of them. With the help of a summoning skill, the two immediately returned to Balak. Meanwhile, Urgon, who had plunged into the black fog, spun his body around and began a dance of blades.

[A-rank top-tier Raider Urgon has cast Dance of Blades.]

[Hundreds of explosive blades spread out into the surroundings.]

[Dance of Blades usage limit 1/1]

Blades shot out from him at the center. The soldiers in the black fog tried to stop them, but it was useless. A chain of explosions erupted. The blades launched into the air caused a chain of explosions. The Lich, positioned at the very back, assessed the massive damage and retreated with the Doom Skeletons. As the black fog disappeared, the remaining soldiers were quickly dealt with.

“It seems like there’s a Guardian with a teleportation skill.”

“It wasn’t an exclusive item, so that must be it. For now, we’ve pretty much won on the Revived Plains.”

Fortunately, the raid party’s losses were less than expected. If they set up camp here and then headed for the original Balak, their chances of success would be that much higher. Urgon looked at the other A-rank Raiders with confidence.

’With the west in chaos, raiding Balak now is a golden opportunity. When else would we get a chance like this? The Urgon Raid Party will use Balak as a stepping stone to soar to new heights!’

He could already see Balak’s crystal core shimmering before his eyes.

—

[You have entered the dungeon, Balak.]

Their chances of conquering Balak were indeed high. The fact that they had already made it inside was proof enough. They had even broken through the Forest of Silence, their biggest concern, with ease by properly fending off the ambushes. All that was left was to conquer the inside of Balak. Urgon checked his remaining exclusive items and curled his lip into a smile.

’We can do it. We can do it! We will be the ones to conquer Balak!’

Although he had used his location-shifting item, he still had his trustworthy comrades. All of them had saved their single-use skills as much as possible. The A-rank Bounty Hunters had also survived, so there was no chance of failure. Urgon activated his radar detection and entered the first room.

“All of Balak’s rooms are forest environments! Don’t let your guard down for a second and prepare for ambushes. We’re not far from conquering Balak now. We will be the first to conquer this place!”

“Waaaaaaah!”

“Long live the Urgon Raid Party!”

Their morale was at its peak. Urgon strode forward confidently. At that moment, a massive teddy bear appeared before his eyes.

“Intruders will not be forgiven. Kuma!”

“W-What? What the hell is this thing?!”

The sword scar over one eye, the ferocious gaze, a body that filled half the room—an unbelievably powerful being for a soldier in the first room had appeared. The teddy bear grinned as it spotted the women scattered among the raid party.

“I see wenches too. Kuma!”

“Dammit! Shield bearers to the front! Priests, cast your barriers quickly—”

“Not a chance. Kuma!”

Then, the teddy bear leaped high into the air. Urgon looked up at the soaring creature and despaired.

“Aaaaaargh!”

“The barrier was destroyed! Recast it, quickly!”

“What are the shield bearers doing? Q-Quickly!”

And so, the Urgon Raid Party was facing annihilation.

—

[Tyrant Kumakuma has cast Jumping Jumping.]

[The Urgon Raid Party’s barrier has been destroyed.]

[A-rank top-tier Raider Medallic has cast Kill Confirmed.]

[The power of Kill Confirmed is reduced due to Tyrant Kumakuma’s defense.]

A single Keeper was sweeping through the raid party. Even the A-rank Raiders’ single-use skills weren’t landing. Kumakuma was nothing short of despair itself.

[Tyrant Kumakuma]

[Rank: S (Named)]

[Level: 32]

[Race: Doll]

[Class: None]

[Title: Ruler of the Doll Empire]

[Affiliation: Balak]

[Loyalty: 62]

[Favorability: 41]

[Obedience: 53]

[Skills: Jumping Jumping, Snatch, Crush, Body Inflation]

[Special Ability: Advent of the Tyrant]

[Strength: 52] [Endurance: 71] [Agility: 5] [Stamina: 93]

[Mana: 1] [Divinity: 1] [Affinity: 62] [Luck: 38]

[Status: Excited]

’This is a complete massacre,’ Taehyun thought grimly.

It was only level 32, but as an S-rank Named Keeper, its stats were monstrous.

“You wench will be my concubine from now on. Kuma!”

“Aaaah! N-No!”

“Scream more. Kuma!”

Its tendency to get excited over attractive women was a problem, but bringing it from Heimdal had been worth it. Taehyun sighed as he looked at the female Raiders captured by Kumakuma.

“Tell them to lock those ones in the underground prison later.”

“I will,” Riel replied. “By the way, Master, did you know?”

“Know what?”

“Ever since Kumakuma came here, there hasn’t been a single quiet day. Whether it’s a soldier or a dungeon resident, he approaches any female-looking being. The complaints are already piling up because of it.”

Taehyun’s face scrunched up. If what Riel said was true, it meant he was hitting on every single woman who visited Balak.

“That perverted teddy bear bastard…”

“…Actually, he approached me too, telling me to become his concubine,” Riel admitted. “Of course, I refused immediately.”

And he was even hitting on his own supporter. Taehyun’s head instinctively turned to the screen. Kumakuma, having just captured the Raiders, was now hitting on Loqueen, who had stopped by Balak. With a chillingly cold gaze, Taehyun gave an order.

And that day, Kumakuma was trapped in the Ice Palace field, shivering from the cold.

“It’s too cold in here! Kumaaaaaaaah!”

—

“Taehyun. As you instructed, I have pledged myself to the royalists. That bastard Leon was very suspicious, but I think I managed to get by somehow.”

Baron Momonte had sided with Leon as planned. He was now a double agent, feeding information about Count Dinen to the royal family. Listening to his report, Taehyun grasped Leon’s intentions.

’So he wanted the Raider Guilds too. What the royal family lacks is resources and military power. He’s probably planning to use the Anslake family’s guilds to drive the final nail in the coffin.’

They were currently in a standoff over the Lichten and Ventner territories. Rather than rashly mobilizing soldiers, Leon would be looking for a way to catch his enemy off guard. Taehyun first sent iron and war materials to the Anslake family. While Zen couldn’t be traced, other resources were a different story. All of the Anslake family’s resources flowed through Count Dinen. If he supported the royal family directly, he would be discovered by Count Dinen’s faction.

“Indeed, if the support comes from Balak, there’s no risk of being discovered,” Momonte confirmed.

“I heard Viscount Crowell already set up a teleportation circle for you. From now on, send all the iron and supplies through that circle. We can’t let Count Dinen find out yet.”

“Understood. By the way, Count Dinen’s movements have been unusual lately, so you’d better be careful. I hear he’s planning to raid Balak, so you can expect at least S-rank Raiders to show up.”

“Raiding Balak in a situation like this? He wouldn’t raid without some kind of motive…”

It was Dinen who had consistently developed the west through Balak. He had even set rules through the Raider’s Association and personally blocked the Peyton Dukedom, so it was strange.

’It’s almost as if he was protecting Balak. What could his objective be? If he’s attempting a raid now, it must mean his plan is in its final stages.’

The five Raiders he had seen during the coronation ceremony. Although they were pushed back by the two superhumans, they were undoubtedly S-rank Raiders. Taehyun checked the dungeon information and asked Momonte, “So the next raid party is the one Count Dinen prepared?”

“No. Fortunately, it seems there was a raid party that received permission to raid before them. They’ll probably arrive in Balak’s territory within the day. I’ll give you information on them for now.”

“Hmm. Alright, I get it.”

The communication then ended. The A-rank raid party arriving before Count Dinen’s would soon reach Balak’s territory. Taehyun checked the crystal core’s mana levels and felt satisfied.

’If I can get enough A-rank mana stones from this raid party, I can upgrade to an S-rank dungeon right away.’

The other A-rank Dungeon Masters in his faction were also on the verge of reaching S-rank. Narae and Songyi were no exception, and neither was he. He would probably face this raid party and then immediately enter the final Faction War. As planned, Balak could reveal itself as an S-rank dungeon as soon as the Faction War ended.

[A raid party has entered Balak’s territory.]

Finally, the Raiders who would serve as the stepping stone to S-rank had appeared. Taehyun checked the screen and began deploying his soldiers. Just then, a question popped into his head.

’Hmm? This seems a little different from the information Momonte gave me. Didn’t he say there were 84 Raiders?’

The number of Raiders on the screen was well over 150. Taehyun took out his communication device again and contacted Momonte.

“What is it?”

“Hey. Were there reinforcements for the Gonadu Raid Party?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? There are exactly 84. Not a single one more.”

“Then why are there over 150…”

Just as he was about to argue, a new message appeared before his eyes.

[The Yuda Raid Party has entered the passage.]

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