A massive passage was constructed across Balak's territory. Designed through Larkan's transmutation circle, it connected the areas from 'Ones' to 'Fives' in one go, bringing order to the chaos. Raiders could now stick to their schedules, and with designated areas for rest and camping, travel became far more convenient.

'What kind of demon builds a highway inviting people into his own dungeon?'

'I can't believe there's a dungeon in the West that actually cares about raiders. What's he going to do if he gets conquered?'

'This is great for us, isn't it? The demon earns Zen, we get easier raids. It's a win-win.'

Balak had become synonymous with the West itself. Raiders now traveled its passages with ease, navigating the branching paths to their various destinations.

---

[A passage has been created in Balak's territory.]

[A passage is opened from the entrance to the Arid Plains.]

[A passage is opened from the entrance to the second Balak.]

Four days after Larkan began construction, the passage was complete. The alchemist, who had boasted he would finish it in a single day, collapsed from overwork the moment it was done.

"…Don't look for me for a while," he had rasped.

He hadn't emerged from his room since, but there was still much to do. The day would come when he would be needed again.

[Iron ore is continuously supplied to the Grondz Merchant Guild.]

[Low-purity, low-grade iron ore is priced at 70,000 Zen per piece.]

The contract with the Grondz Merchant Guild was a success. They would buy low-grade iron ore at 70,000 Zen a piece, regardless of purity or weight.

"Muahaha. First, you hit them with an absurdly low price, then you gradually lower it," Kinjo explained gleefully. "The other party feels relieved, and only later do they realize they've made a terrible mistake."

It was safe to say Kinjo's special ability had been the key to their success.

[B-rank Hero Guardian, Orc Swordsman Grai, devotes himself to training.]

Meanwhile, ever since the incident with the S-rank raider, Grai had thrown himself into his training with renewed fervor. He had even put his duty of training the soldiers on the back burner, a sign of his deep resolve.

"Him not training the soldiers is a bit of a problem," Taehyun mused. "Their stats and levels were rising steadily, which was nice."

"But it seems he made a great resolve after being defeated by the S-rank raider," Riel offered. "It might be best to leave him be for a while."

Guardians and Keepers grew just like the soldiers. It wasn't just about leveling up; they could surpass their limits through intense training. If things went well, the evolution system might even be triggered. Taehyun decided to take Riel's advice and let Grai be.

[C-rank Raider Bermot begins selling food within the first passage.]

[D-rank Raider Lariwell operates an equipment repair shop in the second passage.]

[C-rank Raider Kontan begins selling items at the passage entrance.]

Before long, raiders were setting up illegal stalls within the passage. They had neither sought permission nor paid for their spots. If they had offered a portion of their profits, he might have looked the other way, but he would not tolerate such blatant freeloading.

"Have the harpies throw them out," Taehyun ordered.

"Understood."

Riel quickly dispatched the harpies. The raiders, who had been conducting their business without a care, were snatched up and unceremoniously dropped outside the territory.

"Oh, no! The harpies are killing people!" one of them shrieked.

'No, monsters harm people. What else are they supposed to do?' Taehyun thought with a roll of his eyes. The raider had become so accustomed to Balak that he didn't even consider the dungeon soldiers to be monsters anymore. Feeling particularly vindictive, Taehyun had the harpies confiscate all of the man's equipment as well.

After that, the illegal peddling stopped, but a new problem arose.

"Master Taehyun," Riel began, "it seems some raiders need to buy supplies within the passage due to scheduling issues. The same goes for items. I'm worried complaints might arise."

"They came here risking their lives to conquer a dungeon, and they're still this demanding? Hmm. Leave it for now. The villagers from Myol will be setting up proper shops soon enough."

"But we lack supplies, don't we?"

"Once the villagers settle in Myol, we'll establish a merchant guild and acquire supplies through trade. At first, they'll dismiss us as dungeon residents, but eventually, they won't be able to ignore us."

Balak was steadily becoming the heart of the West. It was evolving from a simple dungeon into a city, and those who could smell the Zen in the air wouldn't stand idly by. Even the kingdoms and cities of the West were seeing an influx of people thanks to Balak. An alliance with a demon was unheard of, but if he offered a simple, profitable agreement, they would surely accept.

First, Taehyun had Rabiz install a teleportation magic circle.

"It is complete," the Guardian reported.

"Good. Riel, summon all the villagers from each dungeon."

"Understood."

Riel contacted Kinjo and Edchan, and soon, villagers began appearing through the shimmering portal. A crowd of nearly 2,000 humans gathered in the original Balak. Most had already heard the news from Melden, so there was no panic. Taehyun stood before them and spoke.

"You've all heard. The small city of Myol is complete. From now on, you will move there. I will provide initial settlement funds and arrange for your housing. I won't be collecting taxes for the time being, so don't worry."

"Ooh! As expected of the Dungeon Master of Balak!"

"See? What did I tell you? He's nothing like those other demons!"

"We can finally live in a normal place! The dungeon was fine, but people are meant to live in cities."

Everyone reacted positively to his consideration. He was providing homes, tax-free living, and even start-up funds. No other city offered such benefits. Even those who had lived their entire lives in small villages understood the opportunity and cheered enthusiastically.

"But before that," Taehyun continued, his voice cutting through the noise, "I will be appointing people to positions in various fields. You will all sign a contract as members of Balak, and you must be responsible. Competence is a plus, and hard work is even better. I will make the final decision, but if you're confident in your skills, speak up now."

Taehyun began to sort the residents. They formed lines, and one by one, they approached him.

"What are you good at?"

"I have some experience as a merchant."

"Move to the left."

Those selected for the merchant guild were sent to the left.

"What are you good at? Any experience?"

"My father worked in city administration, so I learned a bit about it."

"Move to the right."

Those destined for administrative roles were sent to the right.

"What can you do? Any experience or training?"

"I learned some swordsmanship from the knights."

"Move to the back."

Those who would serve as soldiers were sent to the back.

"What are you good at? Speak up."

"Nothing!"

"Wow. I like your confidence."

"You do?!"

"Yes. Next."

Those with no particular skills were sent back to the main group. Once the residents were sorted, Taehyun assigned them their roles.

"For now, everyone sign a contract and return. I'll call for you again soon."

After signing their contracts, the villagers returned to their respective dungeons. Left alone, Taehyun sighed, a wave of fatigue washing over him.

"Master Taehyun, it's not good to overwork yourself," Riel said softly.

"Ah, thank you." Taehyun drank the water she offered, his thoughts drifting back to the S-rank raider. He was a true one-man army. Soon, he would have to face A-rank raiders, and the level beyond that was still completely out of his reach. The second Balak would soon be B-rank, and the Labyrinth was getting close. With the original Balak also aiming for an A-rank upgrade, he had to be thoroughly prepared.

"Master Taehyun," Riel said, her tone serious, "is there any point in just developing Balak's territory? Shouldn't we be focusing on the raiders? The low-rank raiders of the West come here for their livelihood, but many B-rank raiders attack the passages. Our soldiers are dying because of them. You mustn't forget the primary duty of a Dungeon Master."

"You're right. I've been too busy playing a city-builder lately. It's doubtful A-rank raiders will obediently use the passages anyway. But developing the territory like this isn't a bad move. The other Dungeon Masters in the West foolishly believed that simply stopping raids was enough. Their Zen income was naturally limited, and they could only rely on their dungeon's inhabitants to fight. In the end, they couldn't escape being conquered."

It was a world where you could die at any moment, not just from raiders but from other Dungeon Masters. Factions offered a sliver of protection, but they could shatter at any time. In that context, the West was a land of opportunity. The Dungeon Masters who had failed to seize it and had simply nurtured their dungeons were nothing but fools.

'If they thought they could live forever by just blocking raids, they were gravely mistaken,' Taehyun mused. 'If I can transcend the very concept of a dungeon and form my own power base, conquering the continent won't be impossible. If I just sit here and wait for raiders to come to me, I'll never escape this place.'

He pulled up the Dungeon Master objective window.

[Dungeon Master's Final Objective]

[Defeat S-rank or higher raid expeditions 0/1000]

[Defeat Named rank or higher raiders 4/1000]

[Raise the dungeon's rank to SSS 0/1]

[Raise the dungeon's crystal sphere's rank to SSS 0/1]

'This isn't something I can achieve by just passively growing my dungeon. But that bastard Nikunbel wouldn't have created an impossible task. He must have prepared something else.'

Dungeon Masters didn't age or get sick. The system was designed for them to live for a very long time. The choice was simple: be killed by raiders or rivals, commit suicide, or invest decades to clear the objective. Seonghwi must have realized this, which was why he created a faction with the audacious goal of conquering the Demon World. Of course, Duke Nikunbel was likely aware of everything but chose not to intervene, preferring to watch events unfold.

'What is Nikunbel's purpose? Who is giving him orders? Why was this world created? I'll only find out the answers in time. But I can't afford to wait. I will survive, no matter what, and I will escape this damn place.'

He had done whatever it took to survive, to find a way out. That goal hadn't changed. He was still desperate for an escape.

'There has to be a way to clear the final objective more easily, or another way to leave this world entirely. Until I find it, I will not die.'

He had already awakened as a predator. Reaching A-rank was only a matter of time. Dragging his tired body, he started toward the Master Room. Just then, the very air seemed to crackle and shatter.

[The contract period has expired.]

[Morpina, the God of Contracts, grants freedom to Players Taehyun Yoo and Junhyun Cha.]

The contract he had made with Junhyun was over.

Taehyun instinctively reached for his communication device. Junhyun must have noticed too, because a call came through the instant he touched it.

"It's been a year," a familiar voice drawled. "A long, long year. Don't you think it's time we met again?"

The voice was familiar, yet tinged with an unsettling edge.

"I'll be by soon to see how much you've grown. Hehehe. You can look forward to it."

Taehyun remained silent.

"Hey, Taehyun. Why so quiet? Are you chickening out?"

An enemy from his past. A full year had passed—the period he had set out of fear of repercussions from the Peyton Ducal Family was finally over. He might regret it later, but he had grown tremendously in that time. His opponent had undoubtedly grown into a monster as well, but he felt no fear. Instead, a thrilling sense of anticipation coursed through him.

A smile touched with madness spread across Taehyun's face.

"Right. You were still there. Junhyun, you're standing in my way. And I'm standing in yours. The day we finally meet… one of us will trample the other and ascend to the next stage. You are my trial, my wall. And I will devour you to move forward."

The two rivals, bound by a contract for so long, were finally entering their final chapter.

"Hehehe. Well then, I'll be looking forward to it, Taehyun."

"Yeah. Me too," Taehyun replied, then added, "Ah, hey. When you come, make sure you use the proper passage. Don't go breaking something I worked my ass off to build."

"…You crazy bastard," Junhyun's voice crackled back. "Your wish is my command."

And so, the stage for their clash was set: the Arid Plains.

---

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