Chapter 243: Episode 243

Chapter 66: Rule Maker

The Forest of Silence, once home only to the High Elves, was now teeming with life. The birth of the new World Tree had drawn a massive migration of Elves to the region. The value of a single High Elf was in the tens of millions of Zen. While ordinary Elves were worth less, there were hundreds of them. Furthermore, the branches of the World Tree itself were magical reagents worth over a hundred million. For hunters, the forest had become an irresistible beacon.

“Forget it,” one hunter warned his companion. “It’s hard enough dealing with the High Elves. How are we supposed to handle all these Elves, too?”

“But capturing just one would set us up for life!” the other argued. “Who’d be stupid enough to pass this up? If we’re lucky, we can snag one. Let’s head to Balak now!”

“Did you hear?” a third chimed in. “The Ashlan Kingdom and the eastern Magic Towers all want branches from the World Tree. They’re offering a fortune to anyone who brings them one.”

Hunters and raiders alike began to flock to the Forest of Silence. Hundreds had already been killed by the High Elves, but those blinded by greed refused to give up. Soon, the forest was attracting as many raid parties as any high-level dungeon.

—

While slave hunters swarmed the woods, the number of A-rank raid parties in the region also surged. Most were employed by Count Dinen for the civil war in the Enais Kingdom, but that was not the case elsewhere. News of the World Tree had spread across the continent, and with kingdoms and Magic Towers promising immense rewards, A-rank raiders saw no reason to hesitate.

The bell on the door of the Partren Raider’s Association branch rang incessantly. Kolden, the clerk on duty, looked up from his paperwork, his face a mask of exhaustion. Another raid party had arrived.

“How may I help you?” he asked wearily.

“I’m here to recruit for a raid party,” a man stated, sliding a request form across the counter. The formidable gauntlets on his arms alone marked him as a powerful individual. Kolden nodded and examined the form.

’Balak, huh? If he’s targeting the original dungeon, he must be an A-rank raider,’ Kolden thought. ’And with the World Tree nearby, that’s probably his real target.’

Raiders without a formal party could recruit members through the association. With the recent buzz around dwarven equipment, filling a party with B-rankers would be easy.

“I’ll process this immediately,” Kolden said. “The registration fee is 20,000 Zen.”

“Here,” the man said, placing a pouch on the counter. “You can gather enough A-rank raiders, correct?”

“Excuse me?” Kolden blinked.

“…Tsk. Read the form carefully,” the man said, tapping the paper.

He wanted to recruit A-rank raiders. Kolden stared, dumbfounded, before picking up the form again. To recruit members of a certain rank, the party leader had to be of a higher rank. Recruiting A-rank raiders required an S-rank leader. If the man standing before him was not S-rank, the request was impossible to accept.

’Seriously? What a bluffer. As if he’s an S-rank raider. He’s probably just some high A-rank from another region… wait.’

His eyes caught the official seal engraved on the back of the form. Unless he was seeing things, it was an S-rank insignia. Kolden rubbed his eyes and looked again. And again. There was no mistake.

“H-huh?! An S-S-rank raider?!” he stammered.

“I asked you a question,” the man said, his voice flat. “Can you gather enough A-rank raiders or not?”

“Th-this is above my authority. I’ll have to forward this request to the main headquarters.”

“Haa. So you’re telling me to wait,” the man sighed, his interest clearly gone. “Forget it. It would be faster to just take over another raid party and recruit that way.”

An S-rank raider was one of the most powerful beings on the continent. A formal recruitment request would take a considerable amount of time to process. The man turned and walked out, leaving Kolden staring blankly at the swinging door. After a moment, he shakily reached for his communication device.

—”Th-this is Kolden, from the Partren Association branch. It’s about…”

—

That day, the news spread like wildfire: an S-rank raider had appeared in the western city of Partren. His destination was Balak, and he was recruiting A-rank raiders for his party. Though he had vanished from the association office, the impact was tremendous.

“Did you hear? An S-rank raider showed up!”

“They say he’s recruiting A-rankers. Think we should try to join? He might come back to Partren.”

“If he’s S-rank, he should be able to clear the A-rank Balak without a problem.”

The Raider’s Association soon confirmed his identity: Vesta, the Rule Maker. He was a legendary figure who had been the talk of the continent until his disappearance three years ago. Drawn by his fame, A-rank raiders from all over began to gather in Partren, and soon, the message they were waiting for arrived.

A notice was posted on the public bulletin board.

[I intend to conquer the original Balak. I have already secured a raid party by assuming leadership. Recruitment is limited to A-rank. Sub-rank is irrelevant. All who wish to participate, come to the Bernaleon Inn.]

The message was concise, but it radiated absolute confidence. Raiders who had been eagerly waiting descended upon the Bernaleon Inn, much to the owner’s delight. The crowd was a who’s who of powerful A-rankers, all drawn by the legend of the Rule Maker.

“Look, over there! It’s Kaid the Falcon Hunter, one of the top A-rankers.”

“Not just Kaid. Remberd the Gravedigger is here, too. And—is that Maximus, the Shield Captain of the Niflheim Kingdom?!”

“Even Maarin, the archer with the Dragon’s Breath, showed up! It looks like every major A-ranker on the continent is here.”

Balak had long been deemed unconquerable, but with an S-rank raider leading the charge, everything was different. Vesta began personally selecting his members, accepting them one by one.

“You are qualified. You will be the main archer, Maarin.”

“An obvious result.”

“You have the skill. I will accept you as the main spear knight, Pletine.”

“It is an honor.”

He carefully selected skilled individuals from diverse fields, assigning a main role for each class to ensure a balanced party. The only strange thing was the size of the team he was assembling. He was clearly aiming for a small, elite force.

[Archer Raider: Maarin]

[Hunter Raider: Kaid]

[Spear Knight Raider: Pletine]

[Mage Raider: Golvers]

[Summoner Raider: Remberd]

[Shield Bearer Raider: Maximus]

[Knight Raider: Falkaden]

[Priest Raider: Merdes]

[Thief Raider: Nero]

[Raid Leader: Vesta]

Ten raiders in total. The recruitment for the party that would conquer the original Balak concluded with just ten members. News of Vesta’s raid party spread with astonishing speed.

—

—”I heard Vesta the Rule Maker formed a party to conquer Balak,” Momont’s voice came through the communication device. “They’re all experts in their fields. You need to be careful.”

“I’m sure they are,” Taehyun replied. “By the way, how’s Count Dinen taking this? The prize he was after is about to be snatched from under his nose. Isn’t he doing anything?”

Count Dinen had already lost priority to Leon’s faction once before. Now, with an S-rank raider appearing just as he was preparing his own assault on Balak, he had to be feeling anxious.

—”It seems there’s friction with the Raider’s Association,” Momont explained. “His usual line of support has been cut, so he’s likely weighing his options.”

“True, the civil war must be keeping him from giving the association his full attention.”

Count Dinen was the real power behind the Raider’s Association, having funded it by developing the west into a raider’s paradise. But now, he was fully engaged in the war with the royal faction and had no time to spare for association politics. His continued unreasonable demands were undoubtedly causing a headache for the association president, Anderno.

Taehyun looked at the report on the raid party, a frown creasing his brow. “He’s coming to conquer Balak with just ten people?”

—”Don’t underestimate him. Vesta the Rule Maker has a history of conquering an S-rank dungeon with that special ability of his.”

“So he’s another one with a special ability.”

—”I believe most S-rank raiders have one. For now, my family cannot make a move. Just know that.”

With Leon’s faction watching their every move, the Anslake family could not risk offering direct aid. Taehyun ended the call and looked up the information on the Rule Maker ability.

[An ability that creates the rules of a dungeon raid. Most witnesses are deceased, so further information is lacking.]

The description was short and chilling. Vesta must have eliminated all witnesses before joining the Tarantula faction. Taehyun stroked his chin, lost in thought, when Riel burst into the master room.

“M-Master Taehyun, we have a huge problem!”

“What is it?! What’s wrong?”

“The price of Minotaur horns has skyrocketed! The Magic Towers just announced they have extraordinary effects, not just as magical materials but in the refining process as well!”

“Damn it.”

Only two Minotaurs remained in Balak, and neither of them was an ordinary specimen. Grinding his teeth, Taehyun sent a furious message to all the Magic Towers contracted with Balak.

—”Damn it all! If you knew something like that, you should have told me immediately!”

—”W-we didn’t expect this to happen!” one Magic Tower Master replied.

—”Please, don’t reduce our supply of magical materials! We urgently need them for the gate project!” pleaded another.

—”One of my disciples has a loose tongue and let it slip!” a third confessed.

Their apologies did nothing to quell his rage. If Balak had gotten the information first, he could have monopolized the market. Taehyun threw the communication device aside and opened the system shop.

“M-Master Taehyun, what are you doing?!” Riel cried.

“It’s the only way,” he said, a wicked smile spreading across his face. “If we need a large quantity of Minotaur horns, then we have no choice but to summon a large quantity of Minotaurs!”

“Master Taehyun, the soldier population! Your population limit!”

“It’s fine,” he said, already purchasing Minotaur summoning cards in bulk. “We’ll just cut off their horns and butcher the rest.”

—

’MOOOOOOOOO!’

A faint cry echoed from the distance. The raiders and onlookers gathered at the entrance to Balak’s territory turned in unison.

“They’re coming.”

“It’s the elite Vesta raid party. Even top-tier A-rankers are with them.”

“What do you think will happen? I bet Balak gets conquered. It’s still just A-rank. How can it possibly hold out against an S-rank raider?”

At last, the Vesta raid party appeared. The S-rank raider, who had been a font of confidence since his arrival, had finally reached the territory’s edge with his chosen comrades. Vesta threw back his deep hood and issued a command.

“Everyone, remove your robes. Balak already knows everything about us.”

“Does that mean someone is feeding information to Taehyun Yoo?” one of his party asked.

“I haven’t confirmed it, but it’s a possibility,” Vesta replied. “Regardless, the raid we are about to begin requires no information.”

He had conquered dungeons across the continent with his special ability. It did not matter what Balak knew. Vesta pushed through the crowd of onlookers and pulled on his gauntlets.

[You have equipped the S-rank Crimson Flame Gauntlets.]

[Fire attribute power doubles.]

[The aura of crimson flames spreads to the surroundings.]

Flames erupted, cloaking his entire body. The gauntlets were forged from the now-extinct Crimson Flame Gem, their power drawn from fire itself. His party members watched him with awe and reverence. Standing at the forefront, he gestured forward, signaling the start of the assault.

“The raid on Balak begins now. All of you, wait here.”

“What? What do you mean?” one of them asked, confused. “Are you planning to go in alone?”

“I am not,” Vesta said, his eyes fixed on the dungeon entrance. “This is merely a preliminary step.”

A storm of magical energy began to swirl around him. He stepped across the border into Balak’s territory and muttered softly, his voice carrying on the wind.

“I create the rules of the dungeon raid.”

—

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