Chapter 230: Episode 230

[Dungeon Master Sohee Jeong of Ganeisha has visited.]

[Dungeon Master Seokwoo Yoo of Haias has visited.]

[Dungeon Master Miri Hyun of Ronjeul has visited.]

Three Dungeon Masters had arrived, all from the Secret Faction. Including the two waiting outside, five of them had come to call.

“So, you want to pass through the Collard Mountains?” Geonsun asked.

“In a nutshell, yes,” Sohee replied. “The A-rank dungeon, Rivixion. Even though it’s in the West, we’ve heard the rumors. You’re Geonsun, the one who rules these mountains. If we were to clash, it would only result in needless casualties for both sides.”

He fell silent.

“We’re asking you to simply let us pass. Ah, and since we don’t know the way, it would be even better if you could provide a guide. Surely you won’t refuse, will you?”

Sohee’s request was simple: let them pass through the Collard Mountains without conflict and provide soldiers to act as guides. By visiting first instead of launching a preemptive attack, they were making a deceptively friendly plea.

However, the fact that three of them had come at once made it clear this was no simple request.

“Yawn… Is that a threat?” Gunsun asked.

“This is no time for yawning, Gunsun,” Sohee said, her voice deceptively sweet. “We’re asking you nicely. If you’re thinking of refusing, I’d advise against it. You don’t need to make enemies of five A-rank Dungeon Masters, do you?”

Sohee’s smile revealed a slight dimple. On the surface, it was a breathtakingly beautiful expression, but to Gunsun, it just made his stomach churn.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Get lost. This is my territory. It’s bad enough you’re asking me to clear a path, but you want a guide, too? There’s a limit to how shameless you can be. How would you like it if someone woke you from a deep sleep to make a request that was really a threat?”

“I think you’ll regret that choice.”

“We’ll have to see who regrets what. Anyway, my answer is no. Do whatever you want.”

“That’s a shame,” Sohee said with a sigh. “Then we’ll have to clear a path our own way. I hope you won’t have any regrets later.”

Her request denied, Sohee left the dungeon with her faction members. Left alone, Gunsun let out a long yawn and took out his communication device.

“I did what you said. This should be enough, right?”

—”What was their reaction?”

“Doesn’t seem like they’re after Rivixion. They’ll probably just kill my soldiers and pass through, cutting down anyone who gets in their way.”

—”That’s good enough. You just wait until I give the signal. And don’t fall asleep.”

Gunsun’s expression immediately soured. Now that Taehyun had given an order, even a short nap was out of the question.

“Master, Master! What happened? Did you kill them? Or spare them?” a voice chirped beside him.

“Don’t be so jumpy. I’m dead tired, and now you’re bothering me, too? Yawn. I wish the Secret Faction, the Resistance, all of them would just fall apart!”

After a period of quiet, he was now caught up in a faction dispute. For Gunsun, bound to Balak by a forced contract, it was nothing but a headache.

—

The first battle zone: the Kollad Mountains. To cross the treacherous mountain path and reach the Kantt Gorge, one had to pass through four distinct terrains.

[The hillside path at the entrance]

[The narrow path below the cliff in the middle section]

[The entrance to the crystal cave]

[The Hest Bridge for adventurers]

It was a layout once revealed during an attack on Balak. This time, however, the Secret Faction members were entering through the initial path. They led an army of some thirty thousand soldiers onto the hillside.

[A-rank Familiar Summon, White Eyes, has died.]

[A-rank Named Soldier, Blue-Clawed Gnoll, has died.]

[B-rank Named Soldier, Large-Bodied Rage Bear, has died.]

The soldiers stationed throughout the mountain range spotted the intruders and charged, only to be cut down one after another. Against an army of over thirty thousand, the defenders stood no chance, no matter how advantageous the terrain.

“What’s the plan?” one of her members asked. “Should we push all the way to Rivixion?”

“I’m thinking,” Sohee replied. “Not a single person who has refused my request has ever survived.”

“Then there’s nothing to think about. I didn’t like that guy one bit. I’ll go wreck his dungeon myself.”

“No. Let it go for now. There’s no need to waste our soldiers. We can deal with him after we’ve eliminated Balak. It won’t be too late then.”

The Resistance Faction was the priority. With Balak as their immediate destination, she didn’t want to suffer any unnecessary losses. And so, Sohee proceeded into the middle section, clearing out Rivixion’s soldiers as she went.

[You have entered the narrow path below the cliff in the middle section.]

The path, set precariously beneath the cliff, was incredibly narrow. To cross the mountains, however, they had to follow it upward. Seokwoo looked up at the cliff with a sense of unease.

“A path like this is the perfect place for an ambush. If a boulder were to fall, it’d be a one-way trip to the afterlife.”

“Nah,” another member scoffed. “You think that guy would dare to target us? If he attacked us here, he’d have to face all five of us. He’s probably trembling in his master’s room right now.”

“That may be true, but it’s better to be prepared.”

Although Seokwoo was the youngest member of the Secret Faction, no one complained. During the Faction War, his sharp eyes had seen through numerous tricks. There was no harm in trusting his judgment. Seokwoo ordered the slave raider Minerva beside him to cast a mobile shield.

“Cast a mobile shield now. Make the range wide enough to cover all the soldiers, and pay special attention to the Faction Leader’s troops.”

“T-To extend the range that far… I don’t have enough mana.”

“I don’t care if you suffer from mana exhaustion. Pour out every last drop of your mana until you collapse!”

“B-But… but!”

Continuing to use mana after reaching exhaustion brought immense pain. Having experienced it several times, she couldn’t help but hesitate. Seokwoo grabbed the whimpering Minerva by her hair and threatened her.

“If you don’t want to be dragged across the floor like last time, hurry up.”

“Sob. I understand.”

Soon, the shield began to form. Following Seokwoo’s command, Minerva expended every last drop of her mana and finally succeeded in creating a shield that enveloped all the soldiers.

’Thud.’

But the price was immense pain, and she collapsed on the spot.

“Ahahaha. Is the bitch dead?” Sangjun asked with a laugh.

“No. She’s merely incapacitated. She’ll recover quickly once we restore her stamina at camp later.”

“I see. By the way, she’s quite a looker. Can I borrow her sometime?”

“Of course. Just say the word whenever you need her, Sir Sangjun.”

A slave raider was just a slave. To the Dungeon Masters, they were nothing more than convenient toys.

“M-Minerva, wake up!”

“Sister, sister!”

The other slave raiders rushed to Minerva’s side, but it was useless. She had already fainted, the whites of her eyes showing. They turned to glare at Seokwoo.

“What’s with those looks? Get back to your positions, now!” he snapped.

“Seokwoo, your slaves are quite rebellious,” Sangjun noted. “You should train them when you get back to your dungeon. Drive them mad with pleasure until they can’t even think of defying you.”

“Sigh. I suppose I’ll have to do as you say, Sir Sangjun.”

“I’ll help you out later, so give it a try.”

And so, the Secret Faction members passed through the narrow path, casually chatting about their slaves.

—

[A-rank Named Guardian Ragna’s Insight is being cast.]

[Vision is being shared through Ragna.]

The Secret Faction members could be seen passing through the narrow path. They had even cast a mobile shield, seemingly wary of the cliff above. Hyunjun, observing the soldiers through Ragna, was thoroughly impressed.

’An attack from the clifftop seems possible. One of my Keepers can create boulders. I’ll use him.’

—”No. It won’t work anyway,” Taehyun’s voice came through the communication device. “The area below the cliff is an exceptionally narrow path. There’s no way Yoo Seokwoo, who was so active in the Faction War, wouldn’t notice. He would have cast a shield in advance.”

Just as Taehyun had predicted, a shield was in place. Hyunjun looked inside the crystal cave and marveled.

“It’s amazing that you saw through Yoo Seokwoo’s response, but to think you’re also allied with Rivixion. If we use the permanent transfer magic circle inside the crystal cave, we can definitely inflict some damage.”

Unix’s soldiers had already moved into the crystal cave. All that was left was to block the entrance to the narrow path as per Taehyun’s instructions. Hyunjun watched the movements of the Secret Faction members and positioned his shield soldiers.

—”Is one soldier, Pluton, really enough?”

“I don’t know the details myself,” Junhyun replied from his position. “But if what Taehyun said is true, it should be enough.”

—”I can never figure that guy out. Alright, I get it.”

A-rank Named Guardian Pluton. He was Rivixion’s main force, now fighting alongside Unix’s soldiers on Taehyun’s orders. Junhyun looked down at the narrow path from the top of the cliff. The path sloped upwards from the entrances on both sides, meaning they could easily secure the high ground with shield soldiers.

“Preparations are complete.”

—”Are you prepared to intercept their flying-type soldiers as well?”

“Aren’t you underestimating me, Taehyun Yoo? Everything is already in place.”

—”Excellent. Then let’s welcome them. The first round of chipping away begins now.”

“Chipping away, eh? I like the sound of that. Let’s do this!”

Slowly, the Secret Faction’s soldiers began to ascend the hill. Hyunjun quickly cast buffs on his shield soldiers, signaling the start of the battle.

—

[Unix soldiers have been spotted.]

Just as they were about to exit the narrow path, they spotted the shield soldiers. They were machine-race soldiers, precisely blocking the entrance to the hill. It was clear that Hyunjun, who was based in the south, had joined the fight. Hyuntae, at the front of the column, scoffed and gave orders to his soldiers.

“He thinks he can stop us with that handful of shield soldiers? Break through immediately!”

“Kwoooar!”

“Kraaaah!”

A-rank Orcs carrying large spears charged forward. The muscular strength of the Black Hound Orcs was top-tier among A-ranks. Although the path was narrow, the force of their charge was immense.

’Clang! Clang!’

The machine soldiers were pushed back in an instant. After just one clash, the durability of their shields had already dropped by half.

“Ahahaha! I don’t know how you got to the mountains, but to come alone? You’ve got some serious nerve!” Hyuntae jeered.

“H-How can this be? My soldiers were pushed back in a single blow?!” Hyunjun exclaimed in feigned shock.

“It’s too early to be surprised. Kalbent, Flame Strike!”

While Hyunjun was reeling, Hyuntae’s main force entered the fray. The Guardian, wielding a massive greatsword, gathered its mana and cast its skill.

[A-rank Named Guardian Kalbent has cast Flame Strike.]

[The machine soldiers in front explode.]

[Flame Strike Usage Limit 1/2]

With a loud explosion, the machine soldiers were blown to smithereens. Panicked, Hyunjun sent in more shield soldiers to block the entrance, but it was no use. Kalbent was already casting its limited-use skill again.

[A-rank Named Guardian Kalbent has cast Flame Strike.]

[Portions of the machine soldiers in front explode.]

[Flame Strike Usage Limit 2/2]

As Flame Strike was cast in succession, even the soldiers in the rear began to take damage. The Black Hound Orcs didn’t miss the opportunity and broke through the line of shield soldiers.

’Crackle.’

The machine soldiers, already missing parts of their bodies, couldn’t hold on and ceased to function. The shield soldiers at the entrance were annihilated in an instant. Hyuntae let out a sneer and sent in more troops.

“D-Dammit! How are they so strong? I shouldn’t have come!” Hyunjun cried out.

“Where do you think you’re going? Kalbent, Preisha, finish him!”

“Ugh! I still have shield soldiers left!”

“Not even close. We have flying-type soldiers, too. For now, I’ll give you a taste of despair with my soldiers first!”

Soon, the A-rank Hero Guardian Preisha joined Kalbent in the assault. The newly deployed shield soldiers couldn’t withstand the firepower of the two main forces and were cut down one after another. The Secret Faction members in the back casually watched the spectacle. Hyuntae, basking in the attention, moved to the final phase.

“Preisha, finish it!”

“W-Wait! Just wait a moment!”

“Wait for what? It was your mistake to come here alone in the first place!”

“I-In that case, I’ll use a return item!”

Hyunjun pretended to take out a return item. Since a hostile relationship had been established, each type of exclusive item could only be used once. If he returned now, Balak would be wasting a valuable item.

’It’s suspicious that I can’t see Unix’s main forces, but I can make him waste an item as planned,’ Hyuntae thought. ’That idiot. He fell for it after just a little scare. The Resistance must be pretty pathetic.’

Just looking at him trembling in fear was a sight to behold. Hyuntae watched the situation with a smirk. Just then, Hyunjun’s expression changed.

“…Is what you thought I’d say?”

“What?!”

“Pluton!”

A square cube fell from the sky. The vanguard soldiers, who had been busy killing the machine soldiers, couldn’t evade in time and were trapped inside. The main forces, Kalbent and Preisha, were trapped along with them. Hyuntae panicked and tried to break the cube.

“W-What is this? Why won’t it break? What the hell is this skill?!”

“I’m under no obligation to tell you,” Hyunjun said, a slow smile spreading across his face as he revealed the main forces he had been hiding all along. “From now on, I’ll show you how much stronger I am.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep