There's Always Someone Better. Balak had surpassed the level of an ordinary B-rank dungeon. It would never lose to an opponent of the same rank. Against A-rank and above, it would be difficult, but he believed there was a chance. S-rank beings, however, were completely out of reach. He had already experienced the Raider's overwhelming power firsthand—a power so immense that even struggling was impossible.

'If only we were outside the dungeon, I could have looked for an opening and used Roquin's To a Faraway Place,' Taehyun thought grimly.

Allowing the man to enter the dungeon while he was away had been a critical mistake. He should have been spotted by the territory's watchtowers, yet he had made it all the way to the original Dungeon Balak. Riel had likely let her guard down, trusting in the True Identity skill. As a result, the Raider had single-handedly broken through to the twentieth room.

He had thrown his entire army into a single, overwhelming barrage, but the man hadn't even flinched. If anything, only Mederia had been wounded in the exchange. Taehyun belatedly ordered his shieldbearers forward for another assault, but the outcome was already clear. Worse, the raider had tossed aside the wooden sword and now gripped his true weapon. At this rate, a single man was about to conquer his dungeon.

Just then, a figure appeared from behind him. Was it hope, or a new form of despair? It was Seonghwi.

'So this is what it looks like when two S-rank monsters meet,' Taehyun thought grimly. Seonghwi was undoubtedly here to interfere with the Dungeon Master hunt. All he could do was watch and see how the situation would unfold. The raider and Seonghwi were already locked in a silent standoff, their gazes clashing across the ruined chamber. 'How long are they going to keep this up?'

---

The Holy Sword, Ludwig. He had infiltrated the Ainkart Holy Kingdom just to obtain this weapon. After several years, he had risen to the rank of Holy Knight Commander and been bestowed the sacred blade. Now, he could annihiDivinitylate any foe in a single strike. It was the result of his innate Divinity fusing with his unique mana—a combination inherently fatal to monsters and demons. With the S-rank holy sword in hand, he could instantly pinpoint the location of any enemy.

And yet, he hadn't sensed the young man who appeared behind him. He only registered his presence when a hand rested on his shoulder.

'If he'd attacked from behind, I'd have been finished,' Wigeon realized, a cold sweat breaking across his brow. How many years had it been since he'd felt such tension?

He took a sharp step back, raising his holy sword defensively.

"Who are you? A raider?"

"You could just check your radar, couldn't you?" Seonghwi replied with a lazy grin. "Anyway, the Holy Sword Ludwig. What brings the Holy Knight Commander of the Ainkart Holy Kingdom all the way out here?"

Wigeon remained silent.

The moment he drew Ludwig, his identity was exposed. He had planned to conquer Balak to erase the evidence, but an unexpected witness had appeared. He had to eliminate the young man before him, no matter the cost. Wigeon activated his skills.

[Holy Will has been activated.]

[Divinity is amplified.]

[Blessing of the Battlefield has been activated.]

[Stats are temporarily amplified.]

[Consecration has been activated.]

[The efficiency of Holy Knight class skills is doubled.]

Divinity surged through him, radiating in an oppressive wave. The nearby Balak soldiers were already writhing in agony. Wigeon lunged, thrusting his holy sword toward the young man's neck.

In that instant, a mysterious woman materialized before him. She blocked the holy sword with an effortless grace, a seductive laugh escaping her lips.

"My, it's been a few hundred years since I've seen a holy sword. What a pleasant surprise."

"A mercenary?" Wigeon deduced, his eyes narrowing. "Then the bastard behind you must be a Dungeon Master."

"Oh, right," the woman said, ignoring him completely as she clung to Seonghwi's arm. "Seonghwi, my contract is almost up. You're going to re-hire me, right?"

Wigeon's eyes widened as he retreated another step.

"Seonghwi… Seonghwi Hyeon. The S-rank Dungeon Master. Now I see."

"If you know who I am, then come at me for real," Seonghwi challenged, his cheerful tone gone. "Don't hold back on your single-use skills. Or you can just get out of my way."

"I choose the former," Wigeon declared.

An ethereal form materialized behind him—the avatar of Behel. Wielding dozens of holy swords and radiating an immense Divinity, the avatar fixed its gaze on the woman.

"This looks a little dangerous, don't you think?" she purred.

"Use one of your single-use skills, too," Seonghwi instructed calmly.

"Will do."

At his command, nine tails erupted from the woman's back. Foxfire blazed to life, and the mana around her churned violently. She began weaving spells with both hands, preparing to meet Behel's avatar head-on.

'BOOM. BOOM. CRACK!'

The chamber was instantly on the verge of collapse. The lush forest environment was rapidly turning into a desolate wasteland. Taehyun, watching from a safe distance, had already ordered his soldiers to retreat, minimizing the damage. And so, in the twentieth chamber, the battle of monsters raged on.

---

'So this is a fight between S-ranks,' Taehyun thought, awestruck. The massive form of Behel pulverized the ground while the nine-tailed woman shattered the ceiling. The entire dungeon trembled each time the dozens of holy swords clashed with spells of the 7th circle or higher. This was no longer a battle between ordinary beings.

From within Angelina's protective barrier, Taehyun scowled. 'These crazy bastards are having a war in my living room. If you're going to fight, do it outside!'

Seonghwi's perfectly timed arrival had saved him from being conquered, but now the dungeon itself was about to be destroyed.

"Divine Judgment!" Wigeon roared.

"Maelstrom of Ruin!" the woman countered.

"Celestial Sword Strike!"

"Blizzard!"

Soon, they were unleashing area-of-effect skills, blasting gaping holes throughout the chamber. Watching the room slowly crumble around him, Taehyun took refuge in the hallway. Just then, Seonghwi appeared at his side.

"Been doing well, rookie?" Seonghwi asked cheerfully.

"I 'was' doing well, but I don't think that's going to continue," Taehyun retorted dryly.

"Ahahaha! Can't be helped. This is what a fight between S-ranks is like."

The clash of S-ranks truly defied imagination. Throwing his entire army at an opponent like that would only result in instant annihilation. But that aside, his dungeon was on the verge of collapse, and Taehyun couldn't hide his displeasure.

"I'm grateful you saved me, but could you please take this fight outside now?"

"A bit harsh, don't you think? I came all this way just to see you."

"You came to stop the Dungeon Master hunt, didn't you? As for that…"

"Your entire dungeon is about to fall apart, though," Seonghwi cut in, his smile never wavering.

Taehyun had no response.

Seonghwi had already seized the upper hand, using Wigeon as leverage. Taehyun had no choice but to be indebted to him. It was obvious Seonghwi's goal was to protect the remaining Resistance members in the West. The hunt was nearly complete, but now he had to let it go.

'Damn it,' Taehyun cursed internally. 'An S-rank raider shows up out of nowhere, and now I'm forced to accept his help.' He had anticipated Seonghwi's arrival and even prepared an excuse, but a single S-rank raider had turned the tables completely. Seonghwi would undoubtedly use this incident to get him under his thumb.

Taehyun bit his lip and gave a reluctant nod.

"…Understood. I'll stop the Dungeon Master hunt here. However, if they remain hostile after I've stopped, I won't stand for it."

"Don't worry about that. I'll have a talk with them," Seonghwi assured him. "You just focus on growing your dungeon. At this rate, Balak will become a landmark in the West."

With a bright smile, Seonghwi turned away. Now that he had Taehyun's promise, it was time to deal with the raider. He pulled an item from his pocket.

'Is that an S-rank exclusive item, too?' Taehyun wondered. It looked similar to a teleportation scroll but was subtly different. First an S-rank raider, and now an S-rank Dungeon Master's personal items—it was quite the spectacle.

"Well then, see you next time. Good work," Seonghwi said.

In a flash of light, Seonghwi, the raider, and the mercenary vanished. He had likely transported them all outside, just as promised. Taehyun finally let out a sigh of relief and surveyed the room. In less than an hour, his forest had been turned into a barren wasteland.

"It'll cost millions of Zen to restore this," he muttered.

"But you avoided being conquered," Riel reminded him gently. "This is a good outcome."

"That's true." This incident had given him a stark understanding of an S-rank's power. He thought he had grown considerably after upgrading to an integrated dungeon, but he still had a long way to go. The skill to toy with Balak single-handedly, the rare items, the devastating power of their abilities… S-rank beings were on a completely different level. "Riel, heal Mederia first."

"Understood." Riel immediately moved to Mederia's side, who lay crumpled on the floor.

Taehyun stared down at the deep crater gouged into the earth, his thoughts returning to the raider. 'A Holy Knight wielding immense Divinity. Was he hired by the Holy Kingdom? Or perhaps…'

Mihye Han came to mind. If that man was the colleague who had plotted with her during the Holy Kingdom invasion, then this was a serious problem. 'They might be a more dangerous faction than I ever imagined.' Mihye had been the top-ranked B-rank Master. Her dungeon might be A-rank by now, but he had no clue how she had built her power base. A growing sense of crisis washed over him as he began the costly process of restoring Balak.

---

"Seonghwi Hyeon. S-rank Dungeon Master and leader of the Resistance. Am I correct?" Wigeon's voice cut through the air on the Field of Pain, at the western edge of the continent.

Across from him, Seonghwi's cheerful expression hardened, and his narrow eyes opened wide.

"An S-rank raider and the Holy Knight Commander of the Holy Kingdom knows who I am. Well, I'm honored. But I have to ask, where did you hear that I'm the head of the Resistance?"

"You must have already guessed. Since we've met, let's consider this our formal introduction."

"You know," Seonghwi began, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone, "the only reason I didn't kill you earlier was because I had no business with you. But now, it seems I do."

A palpable killing intent radiated from him. The Holy Kingdom's demon hunts, the Resistance members who died during the invasion, and now this man's knowledge of his faction—it was all starting to connect. If their rivals had managed to recruit a raider of the Holy Knight Commander's caliber, they could easily gather intelligence and keep the Resistance in check.

Seonghwi took a coin from his pocket and flipped it into the air.

[Companion Summoning Coin has been used.]

[Dungeon Masters who were previously marked are being summoned.]

In moments, dozens of Dungeon Masters materialized around Seonghwi, all of them skilled fighters of A-rank or higher.

"Well, well. I suppose I should call my people too," Wigeon sneered. The act of summoning companions was a clear declaration of war. He smirked, produced a summoning scroll, and tore it in half.

[A Summoning Gate has been opened.]

[Previously marked Raiders and Dungeon Masters are being forcibly summoned.]

Hundreds of raiders and Dungeon Masters flooded the field, A-rank experts ready to face the Resistance.

"Hmm. Starting a Faction War already?" A woman's voice, dripping with amusement, cut through the tension. Mihye Han pushed her way through her allies to stand beside Wigeon. "I heard you were planning to attack us soon, so I was really looking forward to it. And here we are."

Across from them, a man named Seunghoon scowled. If she knew that, it meant their information had leaked again. There was a traitor within the Resistance.

"Seonghwi, as I thought…"

"No. It doesn't matter," Seonghwi interrupted, raising his hand with absolute confidence. "That faction will be dismantled today. The impurities will be filtered out naturally."

Mihye looked thoroughly delighted and was about to give the order to attack when a new figure appeared between the two armies.

"My, my. This is quite troublesome," the figure said. "The Faction War system hasn't even been implemented yet. I would prefer such battles not take place until then."

It was the high-ranking demon, Duke Nikunbel. He glanced between the two factions with a troubled expression.

"See, Wigeon? I told you Nikunbel would know," Mihye sighed. "There's no way that meticulous bastard wouldn't."

"…Duke Nikunbel," Wigeon acknowledged stiffly.

"Hoho. Such a warm welcome from everyone. I'm overwhelmed," the Duke chuckled. "However, the party ends here. I ask that you all return quietly. I will be summoning you to my estate again soon. We shall meet then."

At a gesture from the Duke, the raiders and Dungeon Masters on the field began to teleport away. As they vanished one by one, Seonghwi's and Mihye's eyes met.

"Let's meet again, Seonghwi," she purred. "I'll be sure to play with you properly then."

"I do hope you manage to stay alive until then."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Because I have to be the one to wring your neck, you bitch."

"Kyahahaha! I'll look forward to it. Well then, bye-bye!"

Soon, the field was empty. Left alone, Duke Nikunbel smiled a cryptic, meaningful smile before leisurely departing for an unknown destination.

---

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