The acrid smoke began to clear, revealing a gruesome scene. Gobbets of goblin flesh were strewn across the ground, and the sharp, chemical tang of gunpowder hung heavy in the air.

It had been a completely unexpected suicide attack. Every raider had sustained significant damage.

"…Heh. Heheh."

Junhyun had been certain Taehyun would send at least B-rank soldiers to scout them. Instead, he'd been hit with disposable D-rank Goblins that had blown his party to pieces. The absurdity of it was starting to become strangely enjoyable.

He scanned his comrades as they staggered to their feet. They were all wounded, but they were alive. All except two. The raiders he'd brought as sacrifices for his Pardon skill were dead.

'He was aiming for this from the start, using the Location Transfer item as bait.'

The random bombardment was a feint. The item was a misdirection. The suicide-strapped Goblins were the true trap, layered beneath the obvious ones. Taehyun had read his mind and turned his own assumptions against him.

Now, Pardon was useless. He couldn't afford to sacrifice a top-tier B-rank Raider, not when he'd brought such a small, elite force. Losing anyone else would be catastrophic. To make matters worse, the siege units had vanished from the Silent Forest, recalled by some method other than a return item.

"Everyone alright?" Deriman called out, jogging back to the group. "That explosion came out of nowhere."

"Hey, Deriman! How did the siege soldiers disappear?" another raider asked.

"From what I saw, they just vanished one by one. No special effects or anything. Are you okay, Sebastian? You look like hell."

Having been closer to the blast than anyone, Junhyun had taken the full force of it. Yet, he was laughing, a manic glint in his eyes. Deriman couldn't fathom it, but he put his shield away and moved to help him up.

"No, I'm fine," Junhyun waved him off. "Let's make camp first. We can't enter the Silent Forest like this."

"Right."

They had brought more than enough camping supplies. It would set them back a day, but recovery was the priority. As Deriman and the others began setting up, Junhyun stood alone, staring down at the two corpses, his mind racing.

'The items Taehyun has left are his buffs, Vision Priority, a return item, True Identity, Item Nullification, and the Effect Reversal Card. The information items are useless against raiders, so I can ignore those. Now… how will he play his hand?'

Taehyun had only used one of his exclusive items. Junhyun still had all of his, save for the information camouflage he'd already dropped, but the suicide bombing had put him at a severe disadvantage. Taehyun still held Item Nullification, Deriman's identity was exposed, and he now knew about the archer. Worse, with his sacrifices dead, he'd be forced to use his precious Effect Reversal Card to deal with any debuffs. If they pressed on, the psychological war over their items would undoubtedly turn against him.

'I have to inflict some real damage in the Silent Forest—cripple his forces or force him to burn through his items. I'll have to accept some losses to do it.'

Deriman was exposed, but the others were still unknown. With their one-shot skills still in reserve, he had to win the next engagement, even if it meant revealing his entire hand.

Junhyun activated the camping items he'd brought.

[You have used Warm Camping.]

[The raiders' fatigue will recover quickly during camping.]

[You have used Comfortable Camping.]

[The raiders' natural healing rate will increase during camping.]

[You have used Pleasant Camping.]

[The raiders' stress levels will decrease during camping.]

They were the same expensive, high-grade buffs he'd used at Balak's entrance. Considering their injuries, the cost was trivial. He'd brought two of each set, so they'd be covered for the next camp as well.

Decision made, Junhyun turned, only to find the archer standing right in front of him.

"You were right, Sebastian. This Balak is different," the archer said. "I never expected him to hit us like this."

"Ah, right. You went to the second Balak, didn't you? What was it like?"

"Pathetic. It was easily conquerable, but I didn't care for the other raiders and couldn't be bothered to lead, so I just left on my own."

"Hehehe. A Supporter is probably running that sideshow. Don't waste your thoughts on it. By the way, Shape, didn't you say Draxler and Roquin went to the original Balak?"

The four top-tier B-rank Raiders hired by Gelix. Junhyun didn't know how the branch manager had recruited them, but he knew they had been split into three parties to attack Balak. According to his intel, all contact with Draxler and Roquin had been lost after their attempt. It was unlikely they were alive, but if a contract was involved, things could be complicated.

The archer—Shape—nodded. "That's right. I heard contact with Draxler was lost, and Roquin was captured by a Guardian. They're probably dead."

"Wait. Contact with Draxler was 'lost'?"

"Yes. The raiders Gelix sent with him said he just vanished."

"Hehehe. And you believe that? It's obvious Gelix had some dirt on Draxler and used the opportunity to get rid of him."

A top-tier B-rank Raider like Draxler doesn't just 'vanish'. Unless he was taken down by a Guardian like Roquin, there was no reason for communications to be cut so cleanly. Gelix must have simply reported him as a casualty of the raid. The simplest explanation was that he'd used the very raiders assigned to Draxler to eliminate him.

That old fox. His methods for tying up loose ends were on another level. The fact that he was already cozying up to another noble while still under the patronage of the Peyton Ducal family proved it.

'I don't know who he's latched onto now, but he's a fascinating creature. He must be climbing the ranks like a monster himself. I can't afford to fall behind.'

Taehyun, Gelix, and him. The three of them were bound by a strange thread of fate. This raid would sever that thread for one of them.

Junhyun thought of Roquin, the puppeteer who feared death so much she'd changed her entire class for it. If a Guardian had captured her, she would have undoubtedly begged for her life. A slow smile crept across his face.

"So that's what happened to the soldiers in the town of Myol. It must have been Roquin. If there's a contract in play, I'll have to keep her in mind."

"A contract could certainly force her to serve Balak," Shape agreed. "For now, you should rest. We can worry about the rest later."

"Yeah, let's do that."

---

On Day 2, there was still no sign of the raid party. With Taehyun's familiar summons destroyed, his vision on the Arid Plains was gone, and no new system messages had appeared.

"They must be camping, surely?" Riel wondered aloud.

"No, they should be done by now," Taehyun countered. "They're likely in front of the Silent Forest, preparing their next move. Or finalizing their strategy."

The standard time for camping had long since passed. Considering they had used powerful buffs during their last rest, their recovery would have been swift. Taehyun watched the forest where his soldiers lay in wait, contemplating his options.

Finally, the message he'd been waiting for appeared.

[A ?-rank raid party has entered the Silent Forest.]

They were on the move. Taehyun immediately activated his trump card for the forest.

[Using Vision Priority.]

[You have secured five pips on the Win/Loss die.]

With five pips, victory in a vision battle was practically guaranteed. With Grai, Roquin, and Raviz leading his B-rank soldiers, he could inflict devastating damage the moment he secured line of sight.

He sent his scout, Evil Goblins, creeping toward the raiders' position. A moment later, a die materialized in the air.

'Here it comes!'

Taehyun's heart leaped, and he prepared to give the order to attack. But the message that followed stopped him cold.

[The vision of Balak's soldiers and the Peacock's vision are clashing.]

[The Win/Loss die is being rolled.]

'Wh-what is this?!'

On his screen, a single, ornate bird was flying into view. The vision clash wasn't with the raid party—it was with this peacock.

Taehyun frantically tried to order a retreat, but a volley of arrows was already streaking through the trees.

"Agh! Th-that's the same arrow from the second Balak!" Kinjo shrieked. He remembered it well—the one-shot skill that had annihilated dozens of fairies in a single strike.

[?-rank Raider ? has cast Storm Arrow.]

[All of ?'s information camouflage and manipulation are released.]

[Top-tier B-rank Raider Shape has cast Storm Arrow.]

[Storm Arrow uses remaining: 1/1]

The system messages confirmed his fears. Shape, the archer from the second Balak raid, had returned with Junhyun.

[Elite Mid-rank Werewolf has died to Storm Arrow.]

[Top Elite High-rank Evil Goblin has died to Storm Arrow.]

[Elite Mid-rank Centaur has died to Storm Arrow.]

The Storm Arrow tore through his ranks, killing dozens of soldiers in an instant.

"Damn it! Grai, use Earth Shatter, straight ahead!" Taehyun roared.

"Understood!"

Grai, at the head of the formation, slammed his weapon into the ground to buy time for a retreat. As the earth split apart, Taehyun tried to pull his forces back, but two more raiders burst from the flanks.

[Top-tier B-rank Raider Ruach casts Piercing Gaze.]

[Ruach discovers Roquin among the puppets.]

[Piercing Gaze uses remaining: 1/1]

Ruach lunged for Roquin while the other, a warrior named Chieftain, drove his spear toward Raviz.

[Ruach's scimitar has slashed Roquin's upper body.]

[Chieftain's spear has pierced Raviz's waist.]

The ambush was so sudden they had no time to react. Taehyun slammed his fist on his console and activated his escape plan.

[Dungeon Master exclusive item 'Soldier Return' has been activated.]

[The designated soldiers of Balak are returning.]

A shimmering portal opened amidst his retreating forces. Grai threw himself in front of the two assassins, his massive frame buying precious seconds.

"Looks like a B-rank Guardian," one of the raiders said.

"Seems so. Let's fall back," the other agreed.

They hadn't managed a killing blow, but the damage was done. Without a second thought, the two assassins melted back toward their party.

Balak's army escaped, but the cost was immense.

"M-Master Taehyun," Riel reported, her voice trembling slightly. "We've lost 78 B-rank soldiers and 121 C-rank soldiers."

"Hiek! Raviz and Roquin are moderately injured! Potions won't be enough for a quick recovery!" Kinjo wailed.

"…We've lost Vision Priority, the return item, and two of our core units are out of commission," Edchan concluded grimly. "The losses are staggering, Master Taehyun."

He had suffered a staggering defeat. Taehyun ground his teeth, his eyes fixed on the static-filled screen.

"You damn bastard!"

---

While Dungeon Masters had familiars, Raiders had Peacocks. These summons, capable of sharing their vision, cost millions of Zen each, but Junhyun had come prepared to conquer Balak at any cost.

'It was obvious he'd use Vision Priority in the forest. He planned to use Roquin to split our forces, but that's too bad for him.'

By sending the Peacock in first, Junhyun had made it the target of the vision battle. While Taehyun's system focused on the summon, Junhyun's party used a Vision Expansion scroll, allowing them to spot Balak's army first. Then, he sent his assassins to flank them. It had all gone according to his plan.

He'd burned two one-shot skills, but in return, he'd severely wounded two of Taehyun's key assets and wiped out over a hundred of his soldiers. It was more than a fair trade.

Junhyun chuckled softly, picturing Taehyun's face.

"The second round is my win, Taehyun Yoo."

---

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