Chapter 228: Episode 228

After summoning the guardian and keeper, Taehyun quickly moved on to the soldiers. The S-rank soldiers came in various types he’d seen during the Holy Kingdom’s invasion—Hydras, Large Golems, Drakes, Giant Ballista Drakes, Ogres, Gryphons, and Unicorns. From these, Taehyun chose three.

[You have summoned a Hydra.]

[You have summoned a Giant Ballista Drake.]

[You have summoned a Gryphon.]

The Hydra and the Giant Ballista Drake were massive monsters, each consuming ten soldier population slots, but they were incredibly useful. The Gryphon, with its innate magic resistance, was particularly effective against mages.

’The Hydra’s size is a drawback, but its potent acidic poison can easily melt through shields. As long as it’s not up against High Priests, it should have no trouble breaking through.’ He had already seen the Hydra’s power firsthand through Kanghyuk and Chahnjae. Though it had been stopped by a High Priest’s shield then, things would be different inside his dungeon. ’The Giant Ballista Drake is also highly efficient at breaching shields. It’s even capable of siege warfare, so it’s a must-have.’

Taehyun sent the newly summoned S-rank soldiers with Grai to Yuslan’s Ice Palace, then returned to his spot.

“Master, where did that bat go?” Hyena asked.

“I sent it with the other soldiers. If it wants to live, it’ll figure it out. It’s still a Named S-rank guardian, after all.”

“It’s a shame I can’t see it in action. By the way, aren’t you summoning any other S-rank soldiers?”

“Ogres are too stupid, and Drakes don’t have enough unique advantages. Large Golems aren’t even worth mentioning, and while Unicorns have a charm skill, it’s not particularly useful. Now, I just need to summon the main forces.”

Regular soldiers formed units, but the core of those units were the main combatants. Guardians, Keepers, and Raiders were like commanders on the battlefield. Although the Dungeon Master held ultimate authority, it was up to them to react dynamically in the heat of battle.

Taehyun checked the Random Shop first. He had a good track record of summoning Named-grade or higher soldiers from here, so he was hopeful.

[Titan Tribe Soldier Summon Card.]

’Giants are too big. No.’

[Undead Slime Soldier Summon Card.]

’They have something like this? Pass.’

[Pargal Tribe Soldier Summon Card.]

’This one looks quite useful.’

A card depicting a humanoid figure brandishing various weapons caught his eye. Taehyun examined the Pargal Tribe Soldier Summon Card.

[Named Pargal Tribe Soldier Summon Card]

[Rank: S]

[Restriction: S-rank Dungeon or higher]

[Description: A summon card that can summon a Named Pargal Tribe soldier.]

Its sub-grade was Named, a cut above regular soldiers. Taehyun purchased all twenty remaining cards.

[You have used the Named Pargal Tribe Soldier Summon Card.]

[A summoning circle is being generated.]

[The summoning circle is generated near the Crystal Core, stabilizing the mana.]

Dozens of summoning circles materialized. Judging from the card’s art, the Pargal Tribe soldiers were likely proficient with all weapons—mercenary specialists. Taehyun watched with anticipation as the summoning began.

Suddenly, the interior of Balak began to tremble.

[The mana of the evolved Balak is fluctuating.]

[The Crystal Core’s mana is running rampant.]

It was the same mana surge he had experienced several times before. The dwarves, who had been engrossed in crafting ancient artifacts, flew into a panic.

“Wh-what’s happening?!”

“Dammit, you demon! What have you done now? All the parts we painstakingly assembled are falling!”

“Tsk! Today’s a wash. Let’s just call it a day!”

The violent tremors sent their delicate components crashing to the ground. Shouting in anger, the dwarves began to return to Myol one by one. Larkan, left alone, collapsed to the floor.

“Th-this will only delay the work further! Sob. What in the world do you want from me, Taehyun Yoo?!” the tragic prince of Brynhart wailed.

Meanwhile, Taehyun watched with satisfaction as figures emerged from the summoning circles. They looked like barbarians, wearing crude skulls on their heads, their bodies exposed save for loincloths, and bristling with an arsenal of weapons. They were definitely mercenaries.

[Great Success!]

[Forced Movement!]

[Forced Contract!]

[Thirty S-rank Named Pargal Tribe soldiers have been summoned.]

Although their sub-grade hadn’t increased like the High Elves’, ten extra soldiers had appeared. The moment they opened their eyes, they raised their weapons and cheered.

“A miracle of the gods! A miracle of the gods! A miracle of the gods!”

“Huh?”

“The gods have called! We have been summoned! Master! We follow the Master!” The thirty members of the Pargal Tribe knelt on one knee in a show of respect. It seemed they had been transported from another dimension entirely, for they revered the Dungeon Master as a deity.

Taehyun was flustered by the unprecedented situation. At that moment, Hyena poked him in the side. “Master, since you’ve become a god, you should act like one.”

“Now I have to act like a god, too?”

“Hurry.”

As the newly deified Dungeon Master hesitated, the Pargal Tribe members began to tilt their heads in confusion. Taehyun quickly cleared his throat and spoke. “I have summoned you. From this day forward, you shall pledge your loyalty to Balak. Do you understand?”

“WHOOHOO!”

“…What a hearty response.”

And so, the S-rank Named soldiers of the Pargal Tribe joined the ranks of Balak.

—

-Everyone, get lost!

[High-grade Ice Spirit Cecilon has cast Snowball Roll.]

[The trolls are being sucked into the snowball.]

Cecilon cast her skill, just as before. The trolls in the vanguard were swept up into the massive snowball as it rolled toward the rear.

“Hydra! Block it with your bodies!” Taehyun commanded.

’Kyaaaak!’ The seven-headed Hydras moved to intercept the snowball. Unlike golems, their skin was thin, but they were still massive monsters. They began to spit acidic poison, melting the surface of the snowball.

’Kuuuoooorgh!’ Some of the trolls trapped inside screamed, but their superior regenerative abilities meant it wasn’t a serious problem. Taehyun pressed the attack, sending the Hydras forward to pressure Cecilon.

“Hunt the monster!”

“She threatens the god! No, the wench! Kill her!”

“Exterminate! Exterminate!”

The Pargal Tribe swarmed in behind them. They took up positions and drew their bows.

[Pargal Tribe member Komelu has activated Hunting Instinct.]

[Pargal Tribe member Valkuman has cast Poison Arrow.]

[Pargal Tribe member Kentimos has cast Focused Fire.]

Skills activated in rapid succession, and a volley of arrows rained down on Cecilon. It was a continuous barrage from over thirty warriors, but they weren’t finished.

They drew saw-toothed swords and charged into close combat.

[Pargal Tribe member Jubako has cast Sever.]

[Pargal Tribe member Mandrisa has cast Hellish Pain.]

[Pargal Tribe member Bobonte has cast Critical Strike.]

The serrated blades tore into Cecilon again and again. Their fighting style was utterly barbaric, but their firepower was immense. The Pargal Tribe soldiers switched seamlessly from bows to swords, swords to spears, and spears to maces, rapidly chipping away at Cecilon’s health.

[High-grade Ice Spirit Cecilon has died.]

The battle ended before the Gryphons even had a chance to join in.

“They’re not just useful; they’re a jackpot,” Taehyun mused. “To fight so effectively with such a variety of weapons… they’re all-purpose soldiers who can fill any role.”

“They do seem amazing,” Riel said, looking slightly sulky. “By the way, aren’t you going to test them against the raid parties?”

As she said, a raid party was the perfect opponent to gauge the true strength of his S-rank soldiers. However, Taehyun had no intention of revealing his new rank. He knew Count Dinen was only delaying the inevitable, and the truth would eventually spread across the continent.

“I’m not revealing that Balak is S-rank just yet. Count Dinen is kindly keeping it a secret, so I should accept his favor. Right now, factions are more important than raiders. With the Faction War ending, everyone will be moving to eliminate the remaining competition.”

No faction would tolerate the existence of another. Taehyun decided to prepare for the impending three-way war. ’It doesn’t matter if it’s the Tarantula Faction or the Secret Faction. I’ll use the Resistance to ensure I’m the last one standing.’

—

[You have used a Random Mercenary Summon Card.]

[A summoning circle is being generated.]

[The summoning circle is generated near the Crystal Core, stabilizing the mana.]

His temporary contract with the black magician Raimond had expired. While he could have hired him again, he wanted to see what other mercenaries were available first.

[Great Success!]

[S-rank mercenary ‘Darkblind Lord Ashuanin’ has been summoned.]

[Great Success!]

[S-rank Named mercenary ‘Demon of the Abyss Solian’ has been summoned.]

[Great Success!]

[S-rank mercenary ‘Great Spirit of the Lake Manuria’ has been summoned.]

The results of a fifteen-million-Zen investment appeared before him: three S-rank mercenaries. Now that even demons were being summoned, each possessed unique traits.

“I shall await your employment,” said Ashuanin.

“You can review our information at any time, so think it over carefully. The others are beneath my level, anyway,” Solian declared.

“If you hire me, I will do my utmost to protect Balak,” Manuria offered.

They all seemed eager to be hired, but unfortunately, he could only have one direct mercenary. Taehyun dismissed them and began examining their information one by one.

“Hmm. As expected of beings from other dimensions, their skills and special abilities are all excellent.”

“Couldn’t you just pick the one with the highest sub-grade?” Riel suggested.

“No. No matter how high the sub-grade, it’s useless if it’s not helpful to me right now. I have to choose the one that will benefit Balak the most.”

“Still, you have Lady Eclat, so please take your time.”

His gaze fell on Eclat, who was happily eating a cake, grinning at the sweetness melting in her mouth.

“Hmm. Right. She doesn’t inspire much confidence looking like that, but she is a permanent mercenary and an angel. I suppose I can take my time.”

“Yes? Were you just talking about me?” Eclat asked.

“No. Keep eating.”

“Okay!”

Whether she knew how important her role was or not, she just kept devouring her cake. Taehyun sighed and reviewed the information on his S-rank soldiers again.

[Elite Intermediate Hydra]

[Rank: S]

[Level: 29]

[Class: Shield Bearer]

[Title: None]

[Affiliation: Balak]

[Loyalty: 55]

[Favorability: 33]

[Obedience: 46]

[Skills: Acidic Poison, Gas Breath, Endure]

[Special Ability: None]

[Strength: 35] [Endurance: 24] [Agility: 14] [Stamina: 52]

[Mana: 12] [Divinity: 1] [Affinity: 33] [Luck: 29]

An Intermediate Hydra that had class-changed to Shield Bearer. Its level was still low, so its stats hadn’t reached their full potential.

[Elite Intermediate Gryphon]

[Rank: S]

[Level: 28]

[Class: Infiltrator]

[Title: None]

[Affiliation: Balak]

[Loyalty: 54]

[Favorability: 35]

[Obedience: 47]

[Skills: Rapid Descent, Harsh Cry, Mana Barrier]

[Special Ability: Magic Resistance]

[Strength: 21] [Endurance: 15] [Agility: 54] [Stamina: 12]

[Mana: 41] [Divinity: 25] [Affinity: 19] [Luck: 10]

A Gryphon that had class-changed to Infiltrator. Possessing a special ability from level one, it was resistant to all magic.

[Elite Intermediate Pargal Tribe Komelu]

[Rank: S (Named)]

[Level: 28]

[Class: Ambusher]

[Title: None]

[Affiliation: Balak]

[Loyalty: 65]

[Favorability: 55]

[Obedience: 71]

[Skills: Hunting Instinct, Sever, 15-Shot Spear Barrage]

[Special Ability: Mercenary Mastery]

A Pargal Tribe soldier that had class-changed to Ambusher. Each had different skills, but most were proficient with all weapons. Like the Gryphon, it was a Named S-rank soldier with a special ability.

’The Pargal Tribe’s favorability is abnormally high. Is it because they praised me the moment they were summoned?’

Though their favorability was baffling, the general framework for his S-rank army was now in place. All that remained was to gradually increase his numbers and build his strength. Taehyun checked the special ability materials he had gathered so far.

[Warrior’s Soulstone × 3]

[Tough Soulstone × 2]

[Fierce Soulstone × 1]

[Mage’s Soulstone × 1]

[A-rank Manastone × 34]

[B-rank Manastone × 99]

He was steadily accumulating a variety of materials, but it still wasn’t enough. ’To get more special ability materials, I need to face more raid parties. That means killing a lot more A-rank raiders.’

Since Count Dinen had postponed the raid, A-rank parties would soon be heading for Balak again. He would use them as stepping stones to gather what he needed.

“Alright. Now, let’s start strengthening the dungeon’s interior…”

Just as he was about to get to work, his communication device rang.

“Newbie. Been doing well?” Seonghwi’s voice came through the communication device.

“Well enough, I suppose. What’s this about?”

“The Secret Faction started moving before the Tarantula Faction. Looks like they’re planning an all-out war with our Resistance.” The Secret Faction, third-place finishers in the Faction War. As expected, they were making a move to eliminate a rival. Seonghwi’s tone was a warning, predicting a war that would engulf the entire continent. “You’d better be careful. The Secret Faction’s leader, Sohee Jeong, is heading west to deal with Balak herself.”

“The Secret Faction’s leader… she must be an A-rank Dungeon Master, then.”

“She’s not just any A-rank. In raider terms, she’d be at the very top. Plus, she’s bringing other faction members with her, so it’s going to be tough. Of course, we’re sending Narae and Songyi, along with anyone else who’s free, but you should still be on your guard.”

“Hmm. Understood.”

“Oh, and Seokwoo Yoo of the Secret Faction has personally declared war on you, so you can look forward to that. You remember him, right? Seokwoo Yoo. The other star player who was just as active as you during the Faction War.”

“N-no way?!” Taehyun’s expression hardened as he gripped the device. Riel and Eclat, sensing the gravity of the situation, grew tense.

“That’s right. That son of a…”

“Who is Seokwoo Yoo?”

Seonghwi fell silent on the other end.

Taehyun was simply flustered because he had no memory of the man.

And so, the all-out war between the Secret Faction and the Resistance Faction was about to begin.

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