If Draxler thought he would only use the Catapult Drakes once, he was sorely mistaken. With their powerful single-use skills gone, they had no way to harm soldiers waiting in a recall portal. Draxler’s only option was to use his Vision Priority Pass to locate and destroy the siege engines. This would force Taehyun to use a recall item to save them, effectively trading Draxler’s pass for a recall item—a poor exchange, since recall items were useless once inside the dungeon. Taehyun readied his own recall item as the system message appeared.

[Top-tier B-rank Raider Draxler has used a Vision Priority Pass.]

Since Taehyun already controlled the area’s vision, their use of the pass was immediately revealed. The raiders, aiming for another vision battle, locked in their numbers on the die.

[The vision of Balak’s soldiers clashes with the vision of the Draxler raid party.]

[The Win/Loss die is being rolled.]

A spectral die spun in the air. As expected, the victory went to the Draxler raid party, who held more numbers.

[C-rank Archer Doll Jeluna’s Focused Shot has been cast.]

[Top-tier B-rank Raider Draxler begins to continuously hurl javelins.]

[C-rank Mage Raider Montreal has cast Spear of Wind.]

With their vision restored, the raiders targeted the familiars in the sky, throwing the Catapult Drakes’ aim into disarray. Draxler unleashed a furious barrage of javelins at the siege engines.

[An Elite Catapult Drake (Modified) has been hit by a javelin.]

[Catapult Drake (Modified) damage rate: 7%]

[An Elite Catapult Drake (Modified) has been hit by a Wind Cutter.]

[Catapult Drake (Modified) damage rate: 4%]

As the other raiders joined the assault, the drakes’ health plummeted.

“Taehyun, at this rate, they’ll all be destroyed,” Riel warned.

“I know. Just wait a little longer.”

“But their damage rate has already fallen below seventy percent.”

She was right; the drakes were taking heavy fire. But Taehyun held back, his eyes fixed on the rapidly dropping damage rate. He was waiting for the perfect moment. Even with their familiars gone, the drakes’ random bombardment was still landing near the raiders, occasionally picking one off.

Just as their damage rate dipped below twenty percent, Taehyun acted.

[Dungeon Master exclusive item ‘Soldier Recall’ has been activated.]

[The designated soldiers of Balak are being recalled.]

A recall portal shimmered into existence among the Catapult Drakes. The raiders scrambled to destroy it, but the chaotic, random explosions hampered their efforts.

[Catapult Drake (Modified) damage rate: 95%]

[The Catapult Drakes (Modified) have successfully recalled.]

They had escaped with a sliver of health remaining. Riel finally understood his timing.

“You waited until the last possible second,” she realized aloud. “Even without direct targeting, the random bombardment was still inflicting damage. You squeezed every last drop of value out of them.”

“Right,” Taehyun confirmed. “I estimated the rate of damage and used the recall at twenty percent. It was a close call, but they got out at ninety-five percent. I can’t use siege soldiers anymore, so I’ll just have Larkan repair them.”

“You intended to keep hurting them right up until the moment of recall. That’s amazing, Taehyun.”

He had once again used the Catapult Drakes to kill C-rank raiders. Their swift response had minimized the casualties this time, but he had still taken out eight of them. ‘Only sixty-five C-rank raiders left.’ The drakes were out of commission, but he had traded a useless recall item for their Vision Priority Pass while still inflicting losses. The enemy was weakened, and the item battle inside the dungeon would now be much easier. Taehyun began preparing his unique Dungeon Master skills for their arrival.

—

“Aargh! My leg! My leg!”

“Four people with moderate injuries or worse… Damn it. We thought if we just killed the familiars, the bombardment would stop.”

“This is bad. Eight dead! We completely underestimated the random shelling.”

The air was thick with the screams of the injured and the bitter curses of those who had lost comrades. They had reacted quickly and used their Vision Priority Pass, but the cost had been steep. Even after taking out the familiars, the random bombardment had taken a heavy toll.

‘To think he’d calculate the damage rate before using a recall item,’ Draxler fumed internally. ‘He used every second of the recall time to inflict more pain.’ He had gritted his teeth, barely managing to force the recall, only for the siege engines to escape at the last second. He’d made the Dungeon Master use a recall item, but it was a hollow victory. In contrast, the Vision Priority Pass they had lost was invaluable inside a dungeon. They had traded items, but the raid party had clearly lost the exchange.

“Eight C-rank raiders dead, and four more seriously injured,” Loquin reported. “What’s the plan?”

“Why ask something you already know?” Draxler’s voice was flat. “We leave the bodies. And the wounded.”

“I thought so. I’ll talk to the others.”

It fell to Loquin to placate the survivors. The Draxler raid party abandoned their fallen and pressed on toward Balak.

—

[The Draxler raid party has entered Balak.]

They were finally inside. Taehyun, watching from his Master Room, activated the skill he had prepared.

[B-rank Dungeon Master unique skill ‘Death’s Breath’ has been cast.]

[Balak’s Crystal Sphere mana is consumed by 200.]

A malevolent, chilling energy seeped through the dungeon’s interior. Death’s Breath, a unique skill for B-rank Dungeon Masters, slowly drained the life from any raider within the dungeon. As time wore on, their stamina would dwindle and fatigue would set in, crippling their combat effectiveness.

‘I couldn’t use this before because my Crystal Sphere lacked the mana, but since Balak evolved, it’s now available.’ Taehyun had a single objective. ‘Now,’ he thought, watching their health bars tick down, ‘will you use your Effect Reversal card? Or will you try to tough it out?’

The choice was Draxler’s. On the screen, the raiders were already feeling the effects of the draining curse. If they tried to push through, they would be forced to camp much earlier than planned. Draxler had to be weighing his options: save the card and endure the debuff, or use it now and risk a counter.

[The Draxler raid party has entered the first room.]

He chose to endure. Taehyun smirked, signaling the soldiers he had placed in advance. “Right. You think you can just push through. But I wonder how long you’ll last in this environment.”

As Balak had evolved, so too had its environment. This was no longer a simple forest; it was a dense, suffocating jungle reminiscent of the Amazon. Some raiders tried to light torches, but the damp, magical wood refused to catch. The upgraded forest was resistant to fire. Without oil, a fire-based attack was impossible.

[Elite High Evil Goblins draw their bowstrings.]

[Accuracy: 70%]

[Elite Warrior Werewolves use Track Prey.]

[Elite Archer Centaurs prepare for mobile shooting.]

His soldiers readied their attack. Taehyun planned to start whittling them down from the very first room. Just then, the equipment on Draxler’s dolls began to shift and reform.

[Top-tier B-rank Raider Loquin has used the Doll Job Change skill.]

[The jobs of the 14 dolls have been changed to Scout.]

It was Loquin’s Doll Job Change skill. The dolls, once a varied group, all transformed into scouts and fanned out into the jungle.

“She can change their jobs?!” Taehyun stared at the screen, stunned.

One by one, the scouting dolls began to uncover his hidden forces.

[C-rank Scout Doll Dekend has discovered soldiers preparing an ambush.]

[C-rank Scout Doll Makdria has discovered soldiers preparing an ambush.]

[C-rank Scout Doll Keluna has discovered soldiers preparing an ambush.]

The ambushes of his Werewolves, Evil Goblins, and Centaurs were all exposed. Draxler and his party immediately launched an attack, forcing Taehyun to hastily order a retreat. But it was too late for some.

[C-rank Warrior Raider Belbert’s Aim for Vitals has hit an Evil Goblin.]

[Top-tier B-rank Raider Draxler’s javelin has hit a Centaur.]

[C-rank Scout Doll Makdria’s Rapid Fire has hit a Werewolf.]

His fleeing soldiers were being picked off.

“Taehyun, I should heal them right now—” Riel started.

“No. We can’t reveal that there’s a priest in the dungeon. Not yet. Besides, you need to conserve your mana for the rooms ahead.”

“I understand.”

He had lost more than ten B-rank soldiers, but revealing Riel was not an option. Suppressing his frustration, Taehyun reviewed the traps and installations in the upcoming rooms. ‘It’s fine. I still have B-rank traps, and I can keep trying to ambush them.’ This was only the first room. He had plenty of soldiers left, and the jungle environment was perfect for repeated ambushes. Plus, his modified traps were more than enough to cause them serious trouble.

[The Draxler raid party has arrived before a forked corridor.]

The party paused at a fork in the path. Taehyun recalled the corridor’s modifications and watched intently.

“This is where the Sit raid party got hit, wasn’t it?” Riel asked.

“That’s right. I used the corridor’s length to drain their torch gauge. If I play this right, I can deal some real damage here.”

He had already positioned soldiers in the corridor. The moment the raiders entered, their dwindling light source would make them vulnerable to attack.

“Doesn’t the Draxler raid party still have a radar item?” Riel pointed out. “If they use it here, they’ll spot our soldiers.”

“They probably do,” Taehyun conceded. “But using it now would be a huge waste, and Draxler knows it. This is a B-rank dungeon; the number of rooms is massive. He’ll want to save it for later. And even if he does use it, I can just pull my soldiers back.”

They had already used the Radar Detection Net, leaving them with only a standard radar. Using it this early in a B-rank dungeon would be foolish. Just then, two dolls at the front of the group took torches from the raiders.

[C-rank Scout Doll Keluna has entered the corridor leading to the 2nd room.]

[C-rank Scout Doll Heinz has entered the corridor leading to the 3rd room.]

‘Don’t tell me they’re using the dolls as scouts,’ Taehyun realized with a jolt. ‘That clever bitch!’

The two dolls sped down the separate corridors. Taehyun hastily withdrew the soldiers he had hidden there. They hadn’t been spotted, but his plan to ambush them in the corridor was now impossible.

“Damn it!” he snarled, grinding his teeth. “That damn puppeteer!” He glared at the screen as the dolls returned to the main party, their reconnaissance complete.

—

On the third day, the tables turned. As soon as Loquin began to actively use her dolls, the raid party’s advance became relentless.

[C-rank Scout Doll Lorone has been hit by a Rolling Boulder trap.]

[C-rank Scout Doll Makdria has detected a Flame Trap.]

[C-rank Scout Doll Keluna has discovered soldiers preparing an ambush.]

They sacrificed dolls to trigger traps, scout installations, and uncover every ambush Taehyun had prepared in the dense jungle.

[14 C-rank Scout Dolls are standing watch.]

[14 C-rank Scout Dolls have cast Night Vision skill.]

[Vision has been secured even in areas untouched by torchlight.]

They even used the dolls to stand guard, allowing the raiders to camp in perfect safety. Taehyun watched them reach the tenth room, his fists trembling with rage. ‘That son of a bitch, Draxler. This was his plan all along. That’s why he never used the Effect Reversal card.’

The duration of Death’s Breath had long since expired. By using the dolls, Draxler had managed his party’s health perfectly, all while Taehyun’s forces were being systematically slaughtered.

“What do we do now, Taehyun?” Riel asked, her voice laced with worry.

“Taehyun?”

He didn’t respond, lost in thought, desperately searching for a way to reverse the situation.

“…Dolls.”

The word echoed in his mind. The fourteen dolls flashed before his eyes. He frantically began scrolling through the system messages.

“Taehyun, this isn’t the time to be checking logs…”

“Found it.”

“What?”

A slow, predatory smile spread across his face. “I found it,” he whispered. “I found a way to crush that goddamn puppeteer.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep