Chapter 289: Episode 289

He set aside the two items in his hand. The Effect Reversal Card and the Nullification Item had been prepared with foresight, but now they were useless.

[The raider Burpure has lost sight in one eye due to the venom.]

[The raider Dmalion’s left leg has been paralyzed by the venom.]

[The raider Runzen has lost hearing in his right ear due to the venom.]

The number of casualties mounted. The raid party was still trapped by the Immobility debuff. Walter, their leader, had made the most logical—and most brutal—decision, sacrificing some to save the rest.

“He’s certainly sharp,” Taehyun commented. “But why reveal his objective so openly?”

“Maybe he wants something from you, brother,” Hyena suggested, her head resting on his shoulder. “You saw his information. He’s heading for the Silent Forest.”

“Hmm, that’s possible. But if that was his goal, he should have made a request back in Myol. The fact that he came with a full raid party suggests it’s not a simple visit.”

Hyena was right; the man had revealed his purpose. Having contracted with a spirit from the elves’ former home, he obviously had a specific goal. But leading a raid party was not the approach of someone asking for a favor. His target might be the elves, or even the World Tree itself. If that was the case, annihilating them was the only logical response.

“Those blinded by greed always fight the hardest to survive,” Taehyun murmured. “Shall we send in the next wave?”

“Wow, brother. You look really evil right now.”

“I’ve always been evil. You didn’t know?”

“I knew,” she said, “but I just realized it all over again.”

On this continent, anyone could become a villain. As a Dungeon Master facing raiders, he had to be more ruthless than any of them. Taehyun began deploying the Abyssal Hunters and his other main units, preparing for the finale.

“You little brat,” he said, flicking her forehead. “The things you say. Are you sure you’re my sister?”

“Oww! That hurts!”

“You deserve a few more!”

Of course, he never forgot to punish his sister.

—

[Immobility Debuff: 14:38]

It was a skill-based debuff, not from an item or special ability, and the duration was agonizingly long. They had finally escaped the venomous field, but they were far from safe. Walter took a grim tally of the dead.

’Twenty-seven down. Damn it, poison of all things. We came prepared for every other element. Does he have a main unit that specializes in poison? All his skills seem focused on status ailments.’

The Sea of Venom had cost them more than just lives. The party’s morale, stress levels, and stamina were plummeting, while their injuries mounted. They had to get out of the Revived Plains and make camp immediately. The sight of their fallen comrades was shredding their resolve.

“We’re returning to Hylon’s Forest now! Everyone, stay sharp!”

“…Leader,” a raider choked out. “Why didn’t you use the Effect Reversal Card?”

“Think rationally,” Walter snapped, his patience worn thin. “We have only one counter item. If I had used it, he would have countered, and nothing would have changed. You know it’s useless to question me now!”

The raider said nothing.

There was no one else to blame. The moment they entered a dungeon, everything within it became the enemy. If they turned on each other, they were truly lost. The raiders fell silent and followed his orders. Just as they neared the forest’s edge, the ground before them erupted.

[Abyssal Hunters have appeared from tunnels created by Demonic Moles.]

[The Abyssal Hunters have cast Intense Gaze.]

[Several raiders fall into a state of confusion.]

It was another new S-rank soldier. The Abyssal Hunters unleashed their skill, firing poison darts from their mouths. The shield-bearers raised their defenses, but it was too late for those already afflicted with confusion.

“Wh-where am I? Who am I?!”

“Gah! Paralysis poison! I can’t move!”

“Demonic Moles! They’re digging tunnels for them!”

They were ambushed with the forest just in sight. The rear guard fired off single-use skills, but the Abyssal Hunters were too cunning, and the Demonic Moles provided them with endless escape routes. Dealing with enemies that could hide underground was nearly impossible.

[A-rank top-tier raider Fractal has cast Shock Resonance Wave.]

[Stops the movement of enemies in front.]

Fractal tried to catch them off guard, but it was useless. The Abyssal Hunters had already fired their darts and vanished back into the earth. Walter glanced at the debuff timer and made a desperate choice, summoning his spirit.

[Summoned high-level dark spirit, Dakenbaus.]

[Due to Dakenbaus’s special ability, the skill cooldowns of all raiders are periodically reset.]

Dakenbaus was the only spirit that had remained in the forest the elves abandoned, a dark entity forsaken by its own kind and unable to return to the spirit world.

’Krawwwwwwr!’

It let out a guttural roar. The essence of a dark spirit was despair and fear, but for Dakenbaus, abandoned and alone, its essence was pure rage and hatred. Walter saw the monster straining against the magical chains that bound it and barked an order.

“Javess, Earth Slam again!”

“Grrrk, understood!”

“Now!”

Javess had lost his right arm to the venom, but he had no time to hesitate. Crying out in pain, he slammed his weapon into the ground.

[A-rank top-tier raider Javess has cast Earth Slam.]

[The ground in the designated area shatters.]

[All tunnels created by the Demonic Moles have been destroyed.]

The ground buckled. The Abyssal Hunters, caught in the middle of an attack, scrambled to retreat underground. With the earth shattered, they could no longer surface. Walter turned to his next raider.

“Setropi, make a path!”

“Y-yes!”

Setropi, who had been hesitating at the rear, quickly gathered frost energy.

[A-rank top-tier raider Setropi has cast Ice Path.]

[A path of ice has been created over the destroyed earth.]

The ground froze solid in an instant. The raiders scrambled onto the narrow ice bridge, trying to reach the forest. But as they did, the ones at the front began to fall.

“What?! Where are those arrows coming from?!”

“The forest! Someone’s shooting from the trees!”

“Damn it, get out of the way!”

They had been crossing in an orderly line. Now, with the front collapsing, the middle was trapped. Their escape routes were cut off, and panic set in. Meanwhile, Walter watched in horror as the chains binding Dakenbaus began to snap, a cold sweat beading on his forehead. He remembered the spirit’s vow.

“I want the elves. Their ruin. That is my wish. If you want a contract with me, promise me.”

“…What promise?”

“Conquer Balak. Let them know I have come, and subjugate the Silent Forest!”

The spirit’s deep-seated resentment was a power he could barely control. He had come to Balak to fulfill his end of the bargain, but the spirit was on the verge of breaking free.

’If I drag this on, it will devour me first. I was saving this for the Silent Forest, but I have no choice.’

With the Immobility debuff still active, he couldn’t use items. Without further hesitation, Walter unleashed his trump card.

[Sealing Zone has been cast.]

[Seals the skills and special abilities of all enemies within the designated field.]

[Balak’s Dungeon Master has used an Effect Confusion Card.]

[The effect of the Sealing Zone is transformed.]

[Raises the morale of all enemies within the designated field to its maximum.]

“What?!” Walter cried out in disbelief.

The effect of his ultimate skill had been twisted into its opposite. He desperately tried to use an Item Block, but the threat of a Forced Position Change card gave him pause once more. All the while, his comrades were being torn apart by the Abyssal Hunters, who had reappeared and were inflicting them with a fresh wave of debilitating debuffs.

“Damn it! What is the captain doing?!”

“Shit, now I can’t see! My body’s moving backward against my will!”

“Captaaaaaaain—!”

Every second he hesitated, the damage grew worse. For the first time in his life, he was paralyzed by indecision.

’What do I do? Should I wait for the debuff to end? No, they’ll be wiped out before then. The Effect Reversal Card? But that will just be countered!’

There was no solution. Every path led to a scenario orchestrated by Balak’s Dungeon Master. Walter stood frozen, unable to act. Just then, a wave of demonic energy washed over the battlefield.

[The special ability of the S-rank Named Soldier, Moduel, the Knight of Corruption, ‘Corrupted Zone,’ has been activated.]

[The field around the caster has been declared their domain.]

[For a set period, the demonic energy will decrease the raiders’ stats.]

It was the new main soldier. Moduel appeared at the head of the ice bridge, cutting down the front-line shield-bearers as he let out a triumphant war cry.

“How dare you attack Balak! I, Moduel, the Knight of Corruption, will slaughter every last one of you!”

“Th-that guy’s aura is insane! He must be under the effect of that morale boost!”

“This is no time for that! Use a one-time skill, do something to stop him!”

The raiders were trapped. Hunters of the Abyss advanced on one flank, a volley of deadly arrows rained down from the forest, and Balak’s main army stood before them, morale soaring. With the monstrous Dakenbaus blocking their retreat, there was no escape. They scrambled to use their single-use skills to break free, but before they could, despair descended.

[The Dungeon Master of Balak has used Location Shift.]

[The location of Balak’s soldiers will be swapped with the previously saved location.]

A sigil flared to life behind them, pulsing with the unmistakable energy of a Location Shift. If Balak’s army materialized there, they would be caught in a pincer, utterly surrounded. Walter reacted instantly.

[Item Block has been used.]

[Location Shift has been blocked.]

[The movement of Balak’s soldiers is canceled.]

The half-summoned soldiers flickered and vanished. Walter let out a shuddering breath, his eyes darting to the debuff timer.

[Immobility Debuff: 3 minutes 38 seconds]

’Still over three minutes left? I don’t have time for this!’ he thought frantically. Summoning Dakenbaus reset his skill cooldowns, but the beast’s uncontrollable rampage was a double-edged sword. The chains anchoring it to the ground were already groaning, threatening to snap. He had to unsummon it quickly, but his raid party was in dire straits. Without Dakenbaus’s special ability, they would be wiped out. As another protective barrier shattered, Walter reached for a Double Amplification item. At that exact moment, an unexpected item entered the fray.

[The Dungeon Master of Balak has used Skill Steal.]

[Stealing Sealing Zone from S-rank Mid-tier Raider Walter.]

[For a certain period, Bellamichi will cast Sealing Zone.]

It was Skill Steal. From her hiding spot in the forest, Bellamichi immediately cast the stolen ability, blanketing the raiders in an oppressive aura that nullified their powers.

“M-My skills won’t activate!” one of them cried out in panic.

“My barrier ability is gone! Wh-what do we do?”

“Dammit! The immobility debuff is still active! This is why I told you we should have used an Effect Conversion Card!”

A raider stripped of their skills was practically defenseless. They made a desperate break for the Revived Plains, but it was futile.

[S-rank Hero Soldier Lucienne of the Blue Moon has cast Acrobat’s Lament.]

[Lucienne displays incredible agility as she weaves through the raid party.]

The dark elf, one of Taehyun’s elite soldiers, appeared among them, her blades already beginning their merciless slaughter.

“Gyaaaah!”

“Suffer a little more,” Lucienne purred. “You need to scream a little louder!”

“R-Run… ’Gack!”

“Yes. Louder. Scream louder for me!”

Walter’s raid party was annihilated in a matter of moments.

—

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