Dungeon Balak had become the primary source of income for the raiders of the West. Though it had expanded its influence by dungeonizing four territories, the path to its heart remained wide open. Taehyun had even named the various sectors of his new domain to help raid parties organize their schedules.

The former Bedon territory was named Ones. Perna became Twos, Behetl became Threes, and Lemagal became Fours. The area around the small city of Myol was designated Fives. Raiders now had to pass through these five zones to reach the dungeons.

"Hey, let's camp for a bit in Twos. We need to rest if we want to stay on schedule."

"Won't the dungeon soldiers attack?"

"Hah. Is this your first time in Balak? The soldiers don't attack unless you start a fight first."

Raid parties now came and went without hesitation, even camping within Balak's territory. To maintain order, Balak had designated specific paths for entry and exit.

"Hey! Don't cut in line! We were here first!"

"What are you talking about! Our party was a step ahead!"

"We're all going to get in when the time comes, so let's not fight. How can you call yourselves raiders? Look, even the goblins are laughing at us."

And so, the integrated B-rank Dungeon Balak continued to attract raiders, cementing its position as the center of the West.

---

"Ones, Twos, Threes, Fours, Fives," Riel recited. "I don't know what it means, but don't you think you named them a bit carelessly?"

She was right. The names, modeled after modern English, reeked of being hastily chosen.

"No, these were very useful names where I used to live," Taehyun countered. "They're easy to memorize and convenient to say."

"Hmm. Still, it feels a bit out of place. This is Balak's territory, after all."

"Don't worry about it. As long as it's easy to say, it's fine. By the way, how's the second Balak?"

The second Balak was the C-rank dungeon created on the former site of Lasten, now managed by the supporter Kinjo the Schemer.

"I hear its reputation isn't good lately," Riel reported. "Apparently, it's a place that raiders in relationships absolutely avoid. There are widespread rumors that even if they return alive, they break up with their partners and comrades."

Kinjo was following Taehyun's orders, letting some raiders live to earn Zen, but for some reason, nasty rumors had begun to spread. If this continued, the number of raiders heading to the second Balak would plummet.

Taehyun scowled and rose from his seat.

---

Lasten—now known as the second Balak—was located between Threes and Fours. Along with the Labyrinth, it had been a popular destination for raid parties, but its reputation had recently soured.

"Did you hear? Another raider couple who went to the second Balak broke up after they got back."

"I heard someone was violated by tentacles right in front of their party."

"They say just entering that place ruins relationships between comrades. It's best to avoid it."

The second Balak was a place that shattered not only romantic relationships but also the bonds of camaraderie. Raiders were now avoiding it, heading instead to the Labyrinth or the original Balak, regardless of the difficulty. At the same time, anticipation for the opening of the four newly created dungeons was growing.

---

"Eeek! Don't look. Don't loooook!"

"Eni, Eniiii!"

The screams of the raiders echoed from the monitor. A woman was bound by tentacles, her clothes stripped away, while her comrades could only watch, helpless. The man who appeared to be her lover struggled desperately to save her, but the rest of the party just stared, their faces flushed. Even if they managed to save her, their bonds would surely be ruined.

"You bastards! What are you looking at?! Look away!"

"W-when did we look?"

"That's right. Let's just hurry and save her!"

The raiders belatedly cut away the tentacles and rescued the woman. Her lover covered her with a blanket and tried to console her.

"Are you okay?"

"I was violated… and everyone saw me naked. How am I supposed to live now?" She cried.

"E-Eni."

Eni couldn't even lift her head, consumed by deep shame. The man ground his teeth and began to argue with his comrades, and a brawl soon broke out.

[C-rank Raider Eni's stress index increases by 60.]

[C-rank Raid Leader Rosus's stress index increases by 30.]

[The stress index of all C-rank Raiders increases by 30.]

Soon, the raiders were red-faced, grabbing each other by the collar. Kinjo, watching from his control room, was immensely pleased. Another raid party was on the verge of disbanding.

"Muahaha! This is why I love managing a dungeon. I, Kinjo the Schemer, am greatly enjoying myself."

"Having that much fun?" a cold voice cut in.

"Indeed! If I violate that woman one more time, it will create the perfect scenario… Huh?" Kinjo trailed off as the familiar voice registered. He broke out in a cold sweat and slowly turned his head.

"Having a grand old time, aren't you?" Taehyun stood there, his eyes blazing with fury.

Kinjo plopped onto the floor in shock. "M-Master Taehyun!"

"I told you to gather raiders. When did I tell you to drive them away?"

"B-but I was greatly inspired by your method of thwarting raids!" Kinjo stammered. "I've been dealing with them this way ever since. I've even developed the dungeon quite a bit."

Not long after the second Balak's creation, the Garpilder raid party had attacked. Taehyun had flawlessly thwarted them by exploiting the relationship between Garpilder, Rone, and Philip. For Kinjo, it had been a deeply impressive display, and he had been emulating the method ever since. But Taehyun looked anything but pleased.

"What's the point of developing the dungeon if it has a reputation for being trash?" Taehyun snarled.

"I-is that so?"

"Yeah. Because of you, the raiders who used to come are all going elsewhere. You want to die?"

"I'm sorry!" Kinjo slammed his head on the ground in apology.

Taehyun sighed and glanced at the monitor. The raiders Kinjo had been tormenting were now all dead. A wall of flames surrounded their corpses—Mandra's handiwork.

'Come to think of it, she's a B-rank Named soldier.' He hadn't visited the second Balak much lately, so he was unaware of Mandra's or Mederia's status.

[Named Flame Fairy Mandra]

[Rank: B]

[Level: 46]

[Class: Mage]

[Affiliation: Balak]

[Loyalty: 71]

[Favorability: 46]

[Obedience: 65]

[Skills: Wall of Flame, Continuous Flame Cannon, Fire Attribute Enchant, Blazing Steps]

[Mana Bullet Marksman Mederia]

[Rank: B (Named)]

[Level: 52]

[Class: Archer]

[Affiliation: Balak]

[Loyalty: 85]

[Favorability: 56]

[Obedience: 76]

[Skills: Rapid Shot, Quick Reload, Homing Arrow, Aerial Shot]

[Special Ability: Mana Bullet]

'They've both grown a lot. Gained plenty of skills, too. Huh? Wasn't Mandra in a rebellious state?' As he noted their progress, he realized Mandra's negative status was gone.

"Kinjo. Mandra. Did you fix her personality?"

"Muahaha! Lady Mederia has been intensively educating her lately, and she has improved considerably."

"Wow. What did she do to fix that temper?"

"Every time she caused trouble, Mederia shot her with a magic bullet, treating her like a raider. It's mellowed her out a lot."

Despite her appearance, Mederia was one tough woman. Thanks to her, he could handle Mandra more easily now. More than anything, Taehyun was pleased that Mandra's rebellious streak had been cured.

"By the way, you said the dungeon has developed a lot? How far have you taken it?"

"Muahaha! It's about to become a B-rank dungeon. If we just had more magic stones, it could happen right now."

"Really?"

Currently, the original Balak was his only B-rank dungeon. Adding another would surely expand his influence. With the new mines, he had more than enough Zen. Taehyun nodded thoughtfully.

"I've sent the villagers to the mines, so keep developing the dungeon. And if I hear any more bad rumors, you're dead. Handle it."

"I-I'll keep that in mind!"

Taehyun issued one last stern warning and was about to return to the main dungeon. Just then, Mederia, having finished off the raid party, entered the room.

"Ah, Master Taehyun. You were here."

"I just came to check on things. I'm done, so I'm heading back."

"Are you leaving already?" For a fleeting moment, disappointment flickered in her eyes, but Taehyun didn't notice.

"I think I'm going to be busy," he said, nodding. "See you later."

He returned to Balak, leaving Mederia to let out a soft, belated sigh.

---

The dungeons of the Astral Continent were concentrated in different regions. A-rank dungeons were mostly found in the South and North, while the East had an even distribution. The West, however, had almost no A-rank dungeons, only a sparse collection of B to D-ranks. Raiders rarely ventured there.

But with the emergence of Balak, raiders from all over had gathered, and now most of them were heading to Taehyun's territory. The other B-rank Dungeon Masters in the West were not pleased. Balak had not only stolen the raiders from their sphere of influence but was also maintaining a symbiotic relationship with them, cutting off their Zen income entirely. Now, raid parties were a rare sight. The B-rank Dungeon Masters were sharpening their claws, preparing their own countermeasures.

---

[B-rank Dungeon Master Min Kyunghee has visited.]

An unexpected guest arrived at Balak. It was Min Kyunghee, a fellow member of the Resistance and a B-rank Dungeon Master from the West whom he had met at the previous gathering. She stormed in, glaring venomously.

"You're really crossing the line now," she spat. "If you became an integrated dungeon, you should have just quietly developed your territory. A symbiotic relationship with raiders? Are you telling the rest of us we shouldn't even make a living?"

As expected, she was here because of his business model. Taehyun dropped all pretense, his mask of civility gone.

"I don't give a damn what happens to you, bitch," he said flatly. "If you don't like it, go form your own symbiotic relationship with raiders."

"What? What did you just say?" she shrieked. "You're a newbie, and you're dropping formalities with me, your senior?!"

"Do you think this is some kind of university, you crazy bitch? Shut up and get lost."

"You… you… just you wait!" Kyunghee bit her lip and stormed out.

Left alone, Taehyun sat down and examined the message that had appeared before him.

[A hostile relationship has been formed with the B-rank Dungeon Leviathan.]

He was now enemies with Kyunghee of the Resistance. With the order to eliminate Dungeon Masters from other factions looming, this kind of internal trouble wasn't ideal. But for Taehyun, it was a welcome development. He was bound by the rules of the Resistance, unable to fight his comrades. But if she attacked first, he could devour her without consequence.

'Seonghwi said we shouldn't fight, but what can I do if she attacks first? This isn't my fault.' Taehyun planned to use this opportunity to eliminate all the B-rank Dungeon Masters in the West. His contract with Junhyun was ending soon, and it would be convenient to clear the board of any potential hindrances.

"Alright," he murmured, a manic glint in his eyes as he stared at the World Map. "It's time to become the ruler of the West."

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