Chapter 17 - The Onslaught of Raid Parties (5)

　　Because some parties attacked the fortress first, he had upgraded the barricades to stage two and installed a double gate to increase its Endurance. The labor of the men from Dallas village had been invaluable, cutting construction time nearly in half. Taehyun’s Dungeon Balak was steadily evolving, inching its way toward C-rank.

* * *

　　"I believe I’ve extracted all the information I can from the prisoners. There’s nothing more to be gained from torture. How should we proceed?"

　　"Master Taehyun?"

　　"Huh? Oh, right… What did you say?" Taehyun, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to attention.

　　Riel tilted her head, puzzled, before repeating herself.

　　"Hmm. Keeping them around consumes Zen for food, but the population is maxed out, so I can’t even turn them into soldiers. It’s a complicated situation."

　　He was earning a steady income of Zen from defeating raid parties, but his expenses were just as significant. Keeping the prisoners was a drain on resources, and forcibly converting them would require a further investment he couldn’t afford. The decision was agonizingly difficult.

　　"In that case, I will handle it at my discretion," Riel offered.

　　"…Alright."

　　In the end, Taehyun left the grim task to his supporter. Riel bowed her head slightly and exited the master’s room.

　　Left alone, Taehyun stared blankly at the empty doorway.

　　I will handle it at my discretion. He knew what she meant. Disposal. She would kill them and sell their corpses to the shop. The old Taehyun would have hesitated, would have tried to stop her. But not anymore.

　　He was becoming accustomed to this life. Though a part of him still wrestled with the morality of it all, he didn’t intervene. The guilt was fading, as if his own emotions were slowly drying up.

　　I’ve changed so much since the beginning. I wonder if others would see it, too. Killing to survive. It had once been a necessary evil, but now it felt like a hollow excuse.

　　"Hah… I don’t even know if I’m doing the right thing anymore."

　　His thoughts grew more tangled. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

　　An alert chimed. It was a call from the maid, Mary. A sixteen-year-old girl from Dallas village, who worked alongside her mother.

　　"G-Good day, Sir Dungeon Master."

　　Granted permission, Mary entered the room, bowing her head deeply as she always did.

　　"Hello, Mary."

　　"I-I’ll go brew some tea right away!"

　　"You can take your time…" Taehyun started to say, waving a hand, but she had already scurried into the kitchen, preparing black tea with practiced efficiency.

　　He watched her, a strange feeling twisting inside him. This life, this deference—it wasn’t his. It was a role forced upon him when he was dragged into this world. I don’t know what’s what anymore. His empty gaze drifted to the cup of tea Mary placed before him.

* * *

　　[You have thwarted a D-rank raid party’s raid 10 times.]

　　[You have achieved the Dungeon Master’s achievement ‘Thwarting Raids is a Rough Business’.]

　　[You will be given a D-rank Random Reward Box as a reward.]

　　As the tenth raid party fell before his Minotaurs, a new type of system message appeared. Ten raids already? In the beginning, every attack had been a nerve-wracking struggle, but now he handled them with relative ease. His growing knowledge of raiders and his own experience were the biggest factors. He checked the achievement he’d just earned.

　　[Achievement: Thwarting Raids is a Rough Business.]

　　[Description: You have thwarted a D-rank raid party’s raid 10 times. It can be said that you have become a worthy D-rank Dungeon Master.]

　　No special effects, I see. Since it was an achievement and not a title, it offered no tangible benefits. Taehyun opened the D-rank Random Reward Box in his inventory.

　　[Using the D-rank Random Reward Box.]

　　[The box has yielded 50 D-rank Mana Stones.]

　　Oh, this is pretty good. Mana stones could be used to empower his Crystal Sphere or even upgrade its rank. They were also a versatile resource for mana-powered installations and fortress upgrades. Later, I can either increase my soldier population or aim for a C-rank dungeon by upgrading the Crystal Sphere. He stored the pouch of mana stones in his inventory and began sorting through the loot from the latest party.

　　[Riden’s Hard Leather Armor]

　　[Rank: D]

　　[Restrictions: None]

　　[Description: A magic-grade leather cuirass. It is imbued with a faint aura of flame, slightly increasing fire attribute resistance.]

　　A magic-grade item!

　　Among the pile of mundane equipment, a single piece of armor glowed with a faint blue aura. It was the first magic-grade item he had ever obtained. Fire resistance will be useful against mages. Most D-rank mages learned fire magic first. He equipped the armor on the most suitable candidate.

　　"Moo! It is cumbersome, but I will obey the Master’s command!" the Minotaur boomed.

　　"It suits you."

　　"Thank you. Moo!" The armor magically resized to fit the Minotaur’s massive frame perfectly.

　　"I’m jealous. Moo!" the other Minotaur grumbled, looking on with envy.

　　"I’ll give one to you when another one drops," Taehyun promised.

　　"That is a promise. Moo."

　　Having placated the beast, Taehyun finished by disposing of the raiders’ corpses scattered across the floor.

* * *

　　Balak’s soldiers now average level twenty. They’ve all been promoted to elite status and are equipped with gear appropriate for their level. After nearly three months of management, his army’s combat power had improved significantly.

　　"Everything is proceeding smoothly," Riel reported. "At this rate, we should be able to upgrade to a C-rank dungeon soon."

　　"I suppose we can thank the fortress and our two Intermediate Minotaurs for that," Taehyun replied.

　　"Yes. Aside from their occasional rampages, the Minotaurs are flawless."

　　As long as the two reliable shield bearers held the line, the fourth room was an impenetrable wall for any D-rank party.

　　"How are the villagers?"

　　"They had many complaints at first and tried to escape, but they seem to have adapted. They’ve been quiet lately."

　　"And the soldiers?"

　　"They remain satisfied."

　　"It seems Balak has stabilized, at least for a D-rank dungeon."

　　Things had progressed remarkably fast, thanks to his early acquisitions. Such smooth sailing was extremely rare, even among D-rank Dungeon Masters. In a way, Taehyun had been incredibly lucky. The fortress quest, for instance, had been designed to make him fail and alter its parameters. But by a stroke of luck, he had summoned a Minotaur and succeeded on his first try.

　　"Now that the dungeon is stable, perhaps you should consider participating in combat yourself, Master," Riel suggested.

　　"You mean in the next raid?"

　　"No. I mean you should join the next exploration party into the undiscovered areas beyond the Arid Plains."

　　"Hmm."

　　It was true. Since becoming a Commander, he’d been so busy defending the dungeon that he hadn’t participated in a single direct battle. Riel had gained some levels fighting alongside the Minotaurs, but Taehyun had not. He hadn’t even had a chance to properly use his Commander skills.

　　"In the future, you may face large-scale invasions, not just small parties," she reasoned. "It will be difficult to command effectively just by watching a screen. Even if you delegate command, your presence on the battlefield would be a great boon to morale."

　　"That’s true," he conceded. "But first, I need to see how this plays out. Ten parties have been annihilated. The Partren Association must be planning something."

　　He had already gleaned some information about the Raider Association from his prisoners. After so many failures, they were bound to change their approach.

　　I’ll be watching to see how Gelix, the branch manager, handles Balak. Even for a low-tier dungeon, destroying so many parties was bound to attract attention. If he wasn’t careful, C-rank raiders might be the next to arrive. A knot of tension formed in his stomach as he waited.

* * *

　　At that moment, the Partren branch of the Raider Association was in an uproar.

　　"Branch Manager! We have a problem! The lord of Partren, Viscount Crowley, is here!"

　　"Ugh. So he’s finally come," Gelix groaned, pressing his fingers to his temple.

　　Viscount Crowley Lawrence, lord of Partren, was the only neutral noble in the west and had never interfered with the Association’s affairs. But the D-rank dungeon, Balak, had changed everything.

　　His son is dead, so of course he’d show up. This is bad. This is really bad. The cause of his visit was the disappearance of Crowley Riden, who had participated in the tenth and final raid party. They formed that party without telling us a damn thing, so how was I supposed to know? I need an excuse, fast.

　　Cycling through various justifications, Gelix made his way to the reception room.

　　"Ahem."

　　"…Welcome, Branch Manager Gelix." Viscount Crowley was already seated, his expression as hard as granite.

　　"A pleasure to see you, my lord. What brings you all the way here?"

　　"I came here assuming you already know."

　　"What do you mean by—"

　　"Do not play dumb with me!" the Viscount roared, slamming his fist on the table and splintering the wood. "It has been four days since Riden went to raid Balak! His continued silence makes his fate painfully obvious, does it not!"

　　Crowley’s face was purple with rage. Gelix stared at the broken table, a cold sweat trickling down his back. "S-So that’s what this is about. In truth, my lord, Sir Riden’s party departed without notifying our branch. We only recently learned of the situation, so a delay in our response is unavoidable."

　　"…Hmph." The Viscount took a deep, shuddering breath. "I apologize for the table. I lost my temper."

　　"It’s quite alright. It’s understandable, given the lack of news about your son. Please, trust our Association and wait. We will take action as quickly as possible."

　　"No. I have already summoned someone from another city. I will leave the rest for you to handle."

　　The Viscount produced a piece of paper from his coat and slid it across the ruined table to Gelix.

　　"Th-This raider is…?!"

　　The paper contained the profile of a C-rank raider. Gelix’s hands trembled as he looked up at the Viscount.

　　"He was the only C-rank available nearby, so I had no choice. You will understand."

　　"B-But, this one is…!"

　　"Enough," Crowley cut him off. "All I want is the conquest of Balak and confirmation of Riden’s fate. I will take full responsibility for everything else. See that it is done."

　　With those final words, the Viscount swept out of the room. Left alone, Gelix ground his teeth and hurled the paper to the floor. "Damn it! Of all the people to call, it had to be him!"

　　A rookie who had stunned the Association by reaching C-rank in a single month. That was the raider who would be arriving in one week.

　　This is no time to panic. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Gelix scrambled back to his office.

* * *

　　Two days had passed since the tenth party’s annihilation. There was still no word.

　　The lack of an immediate follow-up means they’re preparing something big, Taehyun concluded. With so many raiders dead, they had to be taking this seriously. He quickly ran through the possibilities. According to my prisoners, very few raiders in the small city of Partren ever reach C-rank. And those who do usually move to bigger cities. That means Partren is filled with D-ranks. Gelix would either have to summon a C-rank raider from another city or attack Balak with his own military forces.

　　There’s nothing more I can do for now. I need to rebuild my Zen reserves, and the dungeon is as fortified as it can be. All he could do was wait. He recalled Riel’s suggestion that he join an exploration. She’s right. I need to get some direct combat experience. I have scrolls that allow for an instant return to the dungeon, so exploring shouldn’t be a problem.

　　He was about to form an exploration party when an unexpected system message flashed before his eyes.

　　[An Elite Low-Rank Scout Goblin passing through the Arid Plains has discovered a fissure leading underground.]

　　[Great Discovery!]

　　[You have discovered the entrance to an Ancient Ruin.]

* * *