Chapter 219: Episode 219_Consciousness

The second single-use skill, powerful enough to surpass an S-rank Raider, exploded high in the sky, its disappearance sending shockwaves across the entire western region.

“What was that?”

“It looked like it came from Balak’s territory. I wonder what happened.”

“Whatever it was, the aftershock is incredible. The vibrations are reaching all the way here.”

That day, the explosion became the talk of the continent, and rumors spread like wildfire. Amidst speculation of a plot by the Holy Kingdom, a disaster in Balak, or even the wrath of a god, two men had entirely different reactions.

“It seems they failed,” Leon van Noah said calmly. “No matter. We will subjugate the Minus territory as planned.”

“Did the Yuda Raid Party fail?” Dinen Pradio mused. “Whatever the result, the fact that Balak still stands means an opportunity has arisen. Schedule an attack for after the demon gathering and start pressuring the Anais Kingdom!”

These two men—Leon van Noah and Dinen Pradio—heralded the full-scale clash between the royalist and aristocratic factions.

Leon immediately appointed Duke Centrix as his commander and mobilized his soldiers. The Minus territory, located directly opposite the Ventner territory, was effectively the front line. Duke Centrix moved first, cutting off Count Dinen’s supply routes and preventing any chance of a long-term defensive siege.

“No! How could they know the location of our supply routes?” Viscount Bohuden demanded.

“Viscount, a message just came in!” a soldier cried. “The supply units have been completely wiped out!”

“What?!”

As enemy soldiers closed in from all sides, their supplies dwindled and food ran out. Viscount Bohuden had no choice but to abandon the siege and attempt a standoff, but he was no match for them. His soldiers hadn’t received proper supplies in days, their morale was at rock bottom, and most of the Raiders they had hired had already deserted.

In the end, the Minus territory fell just three days into the standoff.

—

Meanwhile, Count Dinen attempted to use the swapped raid party as a pretext to pressure the royal family.

“Damn them all! What in the world do they mean, ’impossible’?!” he roared.

“W-well, sir, please take a look at this.”

The moment he saw the request form his staff member handed him, his attempt was thwarted. The document, which had clearly named the Gonadu Raid Party, had somehow been altered to list the Yuda Raid Party instead.

“Grrrk! They even forged the request form with magic?!”

His only chance to leverage the entire continent’s Raider Association was gone. Every Raider in the west was currently under contract. No matter how influential he was within the Association, he couldn’t mobilize them all for personal reasons. He had hoped to use the Yuda Raid Party as leverage, but even that was now a lost cause.

“The only silver lining is that the Yuda Raid Party failed, Count Dinen,” his aide offered.

“And what good does that do? The Minus territory has already fallen! Dammit, how in the world did they pinpoint our supply routes?!”

“…There are some suspicious elements, but we have no concrete evidence yet. I will have it investigated immediately.”

“Be quick about it. The day we raid Balak, the tide of this war will turn. We must prepare thoroughly. I will take that bastard Leon’s head with my own hands!”

The royalist faction was rapidly expanding its military, centered around two superhumans. They even had an intelligence organization called Goldenfish, giving them an edge in intelligence, but their finances were another story. Without proper funding, their Zen and war supplies were bound to run out. In a prolonged war, the aristocratic faction held the advantage.

Count Dinen hastily moved his plans forward, gathering Raiders in the Demolan territory, a region nestled between deep canyons.

—

[The Yuda Raid Party has been annihilated.]

[You have captured Hiklu.]

[You have captured Yuda.]

Thanks to Sieghardt’s sacrifice, the Spear of Longinus had missed its mark. A single-use skill combining divine power and mana, its power was truly immense, considering that even Kumakuma hadn’t been able to withstand it.

“Master, we even captured Yuda while he was still alive! Judging by the mana stones, an S-rank dungeon is… Master?”

Riel, who had been rejoicing, froze. Taehyun, who had been sitting in his command chair just a moment ago, was now collapsed on the floor.

“M-Master! Master!”

She rushed to his side and shook him, but he showed no signs of waking. Riel urgently cast a healing spell, but it had no effect; there was nothing physically wrong with him. Instead, he was covered in a cold sweat, his breathing ragged and shallow. Riel belatedly called for soldiers and had him moved to his bed.

—

In his fading consciousness, Taehyun saw a maze. One moment he was fending off a raid party, the next he was walking through an endless labyrinth.

’Where am I?’

His feet moved forward against his will. He just kept walking, hitting dead ends, but it didn’t matter. He found himself enjoying the sensation of wandering a path with no known exit. Perhaps he knew the way out but had already given up on finding it.

’This reminds me of Balak’s Labyrinth.’

He observed the maze with vacant eyes. It did, in fact, resemble his own. Suppressing a flood of questions, he looked around as phantoms began to bleed from the walls.

“So what? The important thing right now is your…”

“Drink up. If something’s pissing you off, just drink and let it go…”

“This is unpleasant, so please don’t act like you know me…”

They were all silhouettes, their faces obscured. Their voices were staticky and indistinct, fading remnants of his memories from Earth. Taehyun looked them over one by one and let out a bitter laugh.

’You can chatter all you want. I can’t even remember who you are.’

He had been trying to recall them ever since the Demon Realm Auction, but nothing came to mind. He sighed, frustrated by a body that moved on its own. He tried to stop, but it wouldn’t obey.

’Come to think of it, I’ve done nothing but run forward since I started managing this dungeon. Tsk. Maybe I never had the luxury to look back.’

Balak was on the verge of becoming an S-rank dungeon, its territory now the center of the west. It was the result of nearly two years of walking the line between life and death. He had endured it all to return home, but the road ahead was so long that his original purpose felt meaningless. The endless goal of a Dungeon Master, the fierce competition to become the Demon King, the enemies on the continent targeting Balak—nothing was easy.

He fell silent.

He suddenly recalled the day he was first summoned. Back then, he had been consumed by denial and a sense of injustice. Now, he was an A-rank Dungeon Master, a survivor who had clawed his way here through countless desperate struggles. No, soon he would be an S-rank Dungeon Master.

’Thud.’

His steps finally came to a halt. Taehyun scratched his head and glanced back. The phantoms of the past were still shouting from within the walls.

’Why was I so hung up on my past? I think it started bothering me after I brought Hyena here.’

The emptiness and futility he had felt then were unforgettable. He stared back for a long moment before finally turning away.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.”

It was a path he had already walked. There was no need to go back.

And so, Taehyun began to wander once more through the maze with no known exit.

—

“We will now begin the tenth and final Faction War,” Duke Nikunbel’s voice boomed. “The Faction Wars have entered their final phase. Only three factions will survive today. The rest will have their Dungeon Master qualifications revoked.”

The members of each faction began their preparations, the fear of death hanging heavy in the air.

“All mission points for this Faction War will be tripled,” the Duke continued. “When a lower-ranked faction is matched with a higher-ranked one, the losing side will have all their Faction War points taken by the winner.”

As expected, Duke Nikunbel was giving the underdogs a chance.

“We lose all our points?! Then what was the point of collecting them?!”

“Isn’t this giving the lower ranks too much of an advantage? This is unfair!”

“Change the rules, Duke Nikunbel!”

The higher-ranked factions erupted in protest. However, Nikunbel’s tone was firm.

“Of course, if the higher-ranked faction wins, they too can take all the points. You are on equal footing. I fail to see what is unfair. From now on, any faction that protests will be immediately eliminated.”

Once a rule was set, it would never be changed. This had always been his way. Only then did the Dungeon Masters fall silent.

Meanwhile, the Resistance faction noticed an empty seat in their ranks and grew flustered.

“Hey, where’s Taehyun Yoo?”

“Did he not show up?”

“What are you talking about? You can’t skip a Faction War. You’re automatically transported, so that’s impossible.”

With the final battle about to begin, Taehyun was nowhere to be seen. Players were forced to participate; no matter the circumstances, they had to be in the arena. A troubled Seonghwi called out to the Duke.

“Excuse me! One of our members is missing. Could you please explain?”

“Of course,” Nikunbel replied. “Hmm. The absent player would be Taehyun Yoo. He is currently unconscious. In such cases, transport is impossible, even for a mandatory event like the Faction War.”

“…And if he regains consciousness?” Seonghwi pressed.

“It would likely become possible then.”

A stir went through the arena. Taehyun had been one of the most dominant players in the Faction Wars. The news of his absence was met with mixed reactions.

Seonghwi scowled, his thoughts turning to the Yuda Raid Party. ’I’m sure they stopped the raid, so why is he unconscious? What in the world happened?’

According to Seunghun, two weeks had passed since the raid. That meant Taehyun had been unconscious for just as long. Seonghwi turned to Narae and Songyi.

“You two didn’t hear anything for two weeks and just sat there?”

“I-I just figured he’d be busy with the cleanup, since it was the Yuda Raid Party,” Narae stammered. “So I waited.”

“…Me too,” Songyi added quietly.

Neither of them knew any more than he did. Seonghwi sighed and looked at the main screen, where the matching for the first battle was already underway.

“This is a huge problem.”

Of all times, it had to be the final Faction War. Seonghwi, who had been counting on Taehyun to secure another victory, felt his face tighten.

And so, the tenth Faction War began.

—

At that moment, Balak’s core members were gathered in the master room.

“It’s been fourteen days,” Riel said, her voice strained. “The final Faction War has already started.”

“Is healing impossible?” Mederia asked.

“Healing skills don’t work at all. I even tried an intermediate potion, but it had no effect. I think it’s a mental issue, not a physical one.”

Riel’s gaze fell upon the bed where Taehyun lay, having been unconscious for two full weeks. No matter what they tried, he wouldn’t wake, and the dungeon’s key members grew more worried with each passing day.

Mederia noticed Riel’s hollow eyes and urged her to rest. “You should go. At this rate, you’re going to collapse, Riel.”

“No, I’m fine. I have to stay here until he wakes up…”

As she spoke, Riel swayed. Mederia quickly caught her and turned to Grai.

“Take her to her room, quickly. She’s been watching over him for days without sleep; her body can’t take any more.”

“Understood,” Grai rumbled.

“The rest of you should return to your dungeons for now,” Mederia said to the others. “Raiders are still coming. I will look after the Master for a while, so please don’t worry. Just protect the dungeon.”

Most of the leaders left, leaving only Balak’s original core members behind. Mederia gently stroked Taehyun’s hand, her face crestfallen.

“Please wake up soon, Master.”

—

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