Chapter 7 - Preparations (1)

　　[Switching to Manager Mode.]

　　[View expanding to the entire interior of Dungeon Balak.]

　　The installations came with a management function that offered a complete overview of the dungeon. As Taehyun entered Manager Mode, the world unfurled beneath him like a tactical map, the ground seeming to fall away until he was looking down from high above. The expanded view was breathtaking, making him feel as if he were playing a management simulation game.

　　This is incredible, he mused. Now, where should I put them?

　　Checking the structures in his inventory, Taehyun scanned the dungeon from the first chamber all the way to the fifth, the Crystal Room.

　　It’s probably best to place them consecutively in the first three rooms.

　　Scattering them about had its merits, but to effectively wear down the raiders’ stamina and morale, a sequential assault from the very beginning seemed far more effective. With his plan set, Taehyun placed the Landrozel in the first room, the bookshelf in the second, and the spider egg in the third.

　　[A device has been installed in Dungeon Balak.]

　　[Installed Devices: 3/3]

　　So there’s a limit based on rank, he noted. After exiting Manager Mode, Taehyun completed the quest, leveled up, and immediately received the next.

　　[Helper Message]

　　[14. Increase the soldier population within Dungeon Balak to 50.]

　　[Warning: Failure to comply within one hour will result in the destruction of the Crystal Sphere. The destruction of the Crystal Sphere leads to the Dungeon Master’s death.]

　　"This one’s easy," he said, relieved. A rare, simple quest had appeared. He already had forty cost-effective soldiers in his goblins and imps. Including the minotaurs, his forces numbered forty-two. Filling the remaining eight slots would be trivial. He quickly purchased Goblin and Imp Summoning Cards from the shop and summoned them.

　　[Helper Message]

　　[You have cleared the fourteenth tutorial quest.]

　　[Reward: 140 EXP.]

　　[Reward: 1,700 Zen.]

　　[You have reached a soldier population of 50 in Dungeon Balak.]

　　[Current Soldier Population: 50/50]

　　Okay, done. The fourteenth quest was completed without a hitch. Taehyun dispatched the newly summoned goblins and imps toward the fortress and turned his attention to what lay ahead.

* * *

　　On his twentieth day as a Dungeon Master, Taehyun found himself stuck on the eighteenth tutorial quest.

　　[Helper Message]

　　[18. Promote at least one soldier to an Elite Soldier.]

　　[Warning: Failure to comply within one hour will result in the destruction of the Crystal Sphere. The destruction of the Crystal Sphere leads to the Dungeon Master’s death.]

　　This is proving trickier than I thought. Taehyun sighed, staring at the stagnant quest. To become an Elite Soldier, a unit had to accumulate combat experience through exploration or raise its rank through dedicated training. To save Zen, Taehyun had opted for the former. Yet, despite numerous victories, the combat experience they gained was pitifully small. The only thing growing was his pile of mana stones.

　　The mana stones are useful, sure, but raising their rank is the priority right now.

　　Over the past few days, he had installed a trap or two and even invested a small amount of Zen to make the passages between rooms as winding as possible. The tutorial was nearing its end, but this elite soldier objective was holding him back. To make matters worse, the thirty-day dungeon protection period was almost over. He couldn’t help but feel a knot of anxiety tighten in his stomach.

　　"Ugh, what am I supposed to… Huh?"

　　His thoughts were cut short by a warning message that flared to life before him.

　　[Dungeon Master Taehyun’s Balak Fortress is under attack.]

　　"Balak Fortress is under attack?!" The fortress was the former habitat of the Blue Tribe Orcs, a territory he had conquered in a previous quest. After renaming it, he had been using it as a valuable outpost. But now, for some reason, it was being assaulted.

　　Taehyun shot up from his seat, his eyes fixed on the feed from the Blue Eye he’d stationed at the fortress.

　　"What the—? Who are those guys? They’re people!"

　　The figures on the screen were all human. Wielding crude spears and iron swords, they were cutting down his monsters.

　　"Those bastards!"

　　Rage flared in Taehyun’s eyes. To them, his forces might just be monsters, but the goblins and imps were soldiers of Balak. He immediately dispatched the minotaurs and his remaining soldiers to the fortress.

* * *

　　Meanwhile, the humans who had breached the fortress gates were swiftly eliminating the goblins and imps, who were reeling from the surprise attack.

　　"I knew something was off when the monsters around here vanished!" one of them roared. "It was these bastards all along!"

　　"Monsters like these have their own pecking order," another added grimly. "They must have driven out the old ones and made this their den."

　　"Then we’ll use this chance to wipe them all out!" a third declared.

　　They were the residents of a village at the edge of the arid plains. The villagers had been puzzled by the recent decline in monster attacks until a hunter discovered the fortress, leading to this assault. While they should have been grateful that the previous monsters had been driven out, they saw this as an opportunity. If they could eliminate the monsters in this fortress too, the arid plains would finally know peace. Convinced of this, they had armed the village’s young men with swords and spears.

　　"Kieeeek! Humans!" a goblin shrieked.

　　"Kaaak! Kak!" an imp screeched.

　　The goblins and imps were in a frenzy. They had been patrolling the area as ordered, but the humans had struck, stabbing and slicing at the very moment their guard was down. The attack had come without warning. Pinning their hopes on reinforcements from the main dungeon, they fought for their lives to defend the fortress.

　　"Kieek!"

　　"Kaaak!"

　　But the battle was one-sided. Unprepared, the soldiers fell one by one.

　　"Aaargh! You damn beast!" a villager yelled, fending off a desperate lunge.

　　They managed to fight back with long-range support from the imps, but it was clear they couldn’t last. Their numbers dwindled rapidly, and the fortress was on the verge of collapse.

　　Just then, from the entrance to the plains, Balak’s main force appeared. The villagers froze in terror while the surviving soldiers roared in triumph.

　　"Damn it! More of them! Take them down first!"

　　"It’s no use! There’s a minotaur!"

　　"Everyone, run! We’ll all die if we stay here! We’ll live to fight another day!"

　　At the sight of the imposing minotaur, the villagers scrambled to escape.

　　Don’t let them get away! Pin them down, whatever it takes! Taehyun commanded through his connection.

　　But he wasn’t about to let them flee. His surviving soldiers threw themselves in the path of the retreating villagers, blocking their escape with their very lives. The humans frantically tried to push past them, but it was too late.

　　"MOOOOOOO!"

　　Two minotaurs now stood guard at the entrance, a tide of thirty more goblins and imps swarming in behind them.

　　"Eek! Fight!"

　　With no other choice, the villagers raised their weapons in a final, desperate stand.

　　"That tickles. Moo!" one of the minotaurs grunted.

　　"MOOOOOOO!" the other bellowed.

　　The presence of the minotaurs was overwhelming, and the sheer number of reinforcements was too great.

　　"Gah!"

　　"Argh… save me!"

　　"Ugh, I don’t want to die!"

　　Hopelessly outnumbered, the villagers quickly crumbled. The battle ended in a decisive victory for Balak’s soldiers. That day, they defended the fortress, and their triumphant roars echoed across the plains.

* * *

　　[You have successfully defended Balak Fortress from the villagers of Dallas.]

　　[The experience of Balak’s soldiers increases by 10.]

　　[The goblins’ combat experience has slightly increased.]

　　[The imps’ combat experience has slightly increased.]

　　[The minotaurs’ combat experience has slightly increased.]

　　[The minotaurs’ combat experience has surpassed its limit.]

　　[Two minotaurs have been promoted to Elite Soldiers.]

　　[You have captured approximately 20 villagers from Dallas.]

　　Watching through the Blue Eye, Taehyun finally let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Half the soldiers stationed at the fortress had died, but he had managed to protect it.

　　"Phew, that’s a relief," he muttered. "Not only is the fortress safe, but the minotaurs were promoted at the perfect time."

　　He had been stuck on the eighteenth quest, but now, thanks to their promotion, he could finally move on. He reviewed the rewards and checked the next quest.

　　[Helper Message]

　　[19. Invade the village of Dallas in the arid plains.]

　　[Warning: Failure to comply within one week will result in the destruction of the Crystal Sphere. The destruction of the Crystal Sphere leads to the Dungeon Master’s death.]

　　"Hmm, an invasion this time," Taehyun mused. "I’d rather not kill fellow humans if I can help it."

　　"That won’t be a problem, Master," Riel assured him. "You can simply capture the villagers as you did today. Humans are a valuable resource for constructing facilities within the dungeon."

　　"A valuable resource?" he repeated, the words tasting strange.

　　"Yes. You can use captured humans as labor to reduce construction times."

　　"Hmm."

　　Taehyun pondered her advice. Using the captives would certainly benefit the dungeon. But this wasn’t about usefulness; it was about the guilt that gnawed at him. No matter if they were NPCs, they looked just like him. It wasn’t a decision he could make lightly. For now, he decided to imprison them.

　　"Riel, is there a place to lock them up?"

　　"There is. However, if we imprison them in the dungeon, we will also have to provide them with food. Otherwise, they will simply starve to death in their cells."

　　"Haa, so it costs more Zen," he sighed. "Fine. Please take care of it."

　　"As you wish."

　　After checking on his returning soldiers, Taehyun dismissed the Blue Eye’s feed. Before he could think about the invasion or the captured villagers, redeploying his forces at the fortress was the most urgent task.

　　Ugh, I just summoned those soldiers. Now I have to spend more Zen to replace them.

　　He couldn’t afford to feel relieved just because the fortress was safe. He had no idea when he might lose soldiers again, and he needed to be prepared.

　　I don’t have the resources to upgrade the fortress right now, so I’ll just fill the empty slots.

　　With a heavy heart, Taehyun spent the Zen to bring his soldier population back to fifty.

* * *

　　At that moment, Riel, having left the Master’s room, was greeting the captured humans.

　　"Tsk! You devil woman! I’ll curse you for the rest of my life!" one spat.

　　"Untie me at once, you monsters!" another demanded.

　　"Please, save me! Please!" a third begged.

　　The twenty-odd villagers reacted with a mixture of defiance and despair. Riel scanned them with a blank, emotionless expression before gesturing to the goblins.

　　"Take them to the underground prison."

　　"Kiek."

　　Her demeanor was a complete one-eighty from how she acted around Taehyun. The goblins promptly nodded and dragged the humans away. Left alone, Riel sighed as she watched them go.

　　He’s performing well for the most part, but Master Taehyun is far too soft, she thought, a flicker of concern in her eyes. A typical Dungeon Master would have either killed the humans outright or threatened them into servitude immediately. Yet, Taehyun had chosen a middle path that only consumed more Zen. As his Supporter, she couldn’t help but worry.

　　He mustn’t be so swayed by human sentiment. I’m already concerned about what will happen when the protection period ends.

　　More than anything, Riel hoped Taehyun would become the ruthless Dungeon Master he needed to be.

* * *