The voice was deep and resonant, but its edges trembled with a barely suppressed rage. The man on the other end could only be Duke Peyton.

"Hehehe. Is this bastard toying with me? Hmm. I don't have anything else to say, but you better watch your back from now on. You know who makes a move if I die, don't you?"

Junhyun's final words echoed in his mind. He'd sensed it from the very first raid, but it was now undeniable: Duke Peyton had cared deeply for Junhyun. Why was a noble so obsessed with a mere raider? The question lingered, but Taehyun forced his mind to go cold. As a Player, Junhyun must have had his own story.

Composing himself, Taehyun replied calmly, "Then you must be Duke Peyton."

—"It was only after the contract expired that I heard the truth from Rudin. How dare a demon like you threaten my son with a worthless contract?!"

"…Hold on. Who are you talking about?"

—"Junhyun! You killed my son, Junhyun Cha! You, Dungeon Master of Balaaaak!"

The device vibrated with the force of a lion's roar. Taehyun's jaw dropped in genuine surprise before he snapped it shut. Junhyun Cha, a Player from modern Earth, transported to the Astral Continent. It was impossible for him to have a father here. And Duke Peyton was no Player; he was just a knight. It meant their bond was forged from some past connection, something akin to family.

'Of course, judging by the way Junhyun spoke, it was a one-sided sentiment.' Still, for the Duke to know his real name meant their relationship must have been the closest he had. Listening to Duke Peyton's ragged, furious breaths, Taehyun let a cold sneer spread across his face.

"Since you know his real name, you must also know where he came from. Your son? Please. That bastard has a real father of his own. Don't play a role that doesn't suit you. It doesn't seem like you ever formally adopted him, yet you call a raider your son? That's quite a spectacle. What, was his status as a raider too inconvenient?"

—"That was because Junhyun refused! I never intended to force such a heavy burden on him. Do you have any idea what a pitiable child he was, Dungeon Master?!"

"I couldn't give a damn about his tragic backstory. Stop spewing pathetic excuses and get to the point."

—"Grrr. I will tear you to shreds. I swear on the name of the Peyton Duchy, I will subjugate Balak! I will burn it to the ground!"

As expected, the Duke's rage was uncontrollable. He cared for Junhyun so deeply he'd even promised support to Gelix, a man merely associated with him. He sounded like a true father, willing to do anything for his son. Taehyun thought of Count Dinen and scoffed.

"You can't come now anyway, thanks to Count Dinen occupying Haven Territory. He has the entire Raider Association in his grip; do you really think the Empire can oppose him? A single word from Dinen could mobilize every raider on the continent."

There was only silence from the other end of the line.

"Well? Am I wrong? The Imperial family only formed an alliance with him for that very reason. They can't possibly ignore his warnings. You must have heard as much at the capital."

—"…Please."

"What?"

—"Please, just send me Junhyun's body. I want to bury my son here, so he can finally rest in peace."

"Ha. First threats, now begging? What a shame. I've already burned the body to ash."

—"You… you bastard! You… you demon!"

A final, agonized roar echoed from the device before Taehyun stomped on it, shattering the crystal and severing the connection.

Duke Peyton would now mobilize everything he had to destroy Balak. His path was blocked for the moment by Count Dinen, but the second an opportunity arose, he would march without hesitation.

"Sir Taehyun, in our current state, it will be difficult to stop the Peyton Duchy, won't it?"

"It will be. I was planning to ask Seonghwi for help, but thanks to Count Dinen, I won't have to go that far. For now, we need to raise the dungeon to A-rank before they can attack."

"I see. By the way, you haven't touched the raiders' corpses yet. Were you deliberately provoking him?"

Riel was right. He hadn't disposed of the bodies. He had lied to the Duke about burning them, but they remained where they had fallen. Ignoring her question, Taehyun gave his orders.

"The bodies in the dungeon. Burn all of them. Except for Junhyun's."

"Understood. And what of Junhyun's body?"

"…I'll take care of it."

---

[You have entered Yuslan's Ice Palace.]

The chamber, carved entirely from ice, materialized around him. He was on the tenth floor, a place he hadn't visited since clearing it on Normal difficulty. He still had no intention of challenging Hard, but he had come alone for a different reason. Carrying the corpse in his arms, Taehyun approached the central ice prison.

[Would you like to challenge the Hard difficulty of Yuslan's Ice Palace?]

"No." He dismissed the familiar message and gently laid the body down. While it wasn't cold enough for a blizzard, the ambient chill from the prison would preserve the body perfectly.

A bitter smile touched Taehyun's lips as he looked down at Junhyun's corpse. "Junhyun. I might have to use even your body in the future. It's unfair, I know, but just bear with it. I have to be the one to survive and get out of this hell."

"Right. The dead tell no tales. Hah. Why is it that our fates remain tangled even after I killed you? This is all your fault for getting involved with the Peyton Duchy, you bastard."

A large scythe materialized from his inventory. It was Junhyun's weapon, the one he had hung on the wall of the Master Room.

"Here. I just brought it along. Keep it with you, even in death."

Taehyun propped the scythe against the side of the icy throne and turned his back. The living departed, leaving the chamber filled with the silent, heavy presence of the dead.

---

"Sir Taehyun, the villagers are asking again when they can move in."

"Tell them it's been postponed. How can I possibly move them in when Balak is in this state? Restoring our forces comes first."

"Yes, I understand."

"Oh, and…" Taehyun retrieved the B-rank raiders' equipment from his inventory and handed it to Riel. "Contact Lugo and tell him to buy all of this. Make sure to mention it was worn by top-tier B-rank raiders."

"Leave it to me." Riel immediately took out a communication device to contact Lugo.

Taehyun stood and moved to the summoning chamber. Balak's structure was restored; now it was time to replenish his army.

'I have enough Zen, but I need to reserve funds for the town of Myol and the second Balak. I'll have to summon the most cost-effective units possible.'

Through the recent defensive battles, he'd confirmed that some B-rank soldiers were actually less effective than certain C-rank monsters. Despite utilizing their racial classes and skills, they simply weren't worth the cost. Excluding those units entirely, he began purchasing summon cards.

Just then, a card for a humanoid soldier appeared in the Blind Shop.

'Long, pointed ears. A dungeon soldier… must be a Dark Elf.'

Dark Elves, with their natural agility, were masters of scouting and fighting in forested terrain. They were also versatile, skilled in archery, magic, spirit arts, and assassination. They would be a tremendous asset to Balak. Without hesitation, Taehyun purchased the card.

[Named High Elf Summon Card]

[Rank: B]

[Requirement: B-rank Dungeon or higher]

[Description: A summon card that can summon a Named High Elf.]

'What the hell? It's not a Dark Elf?!' A dungeon soldier should have been an evil-aligned Dark Elf. But the card in his hand depicted a High Elf. Finding it utterly absurd, he decided to summon it anyway.

[You have used the Named High Elf Summon Card.]

[A summon circle is being generated.]

[The summon circle is generated near the Crystal Sphere, stabilizing the mana.]

A summoning circle materialized near the Crystal Sphere. Taehyun watched, a flicker of anxiety in his eyes. Suddenly, the entire dungeon began to tremble violently.

[The mana of the evolved Balak is fluctuating.]

[The Crystal Sphere's mana is running rampant.]

The mana of his newly evolved dungeon was in turmoil. Taehyun stared in shock as the Crystal Sphere pulsed, growing in size. "W-what? What's happening? Dammit!" Nothing like this had happened, not even when he'd summoned the A-rank Hero, Deshkar.

"S-Sir Taehyun, all of Balak is shaking!"

"What have you done now, Taehyun?"

"The interior is in an uproar, my Lord."

In an instant, Riel, Grai, and Larkan rushed to his side, their presence confirming the severity of the situation. Taehyun struggled to keep his balance, his eyes fixed on the figures emerging from the blinding light of the summon circle.

[An incredible Great Success!]

[Forced Teleportation!]

[Forced Contract!]

[Fourteen B-rank Hero High Elves have been summoned.]

The High Elves, now numbering fourteen, looked around in utter confusion. Taehyun stared blankly at the system messages before crying out in disbelief. "F-Forced Teleportation?! Forced Contract?!"

---

At the southernmost tip of the Astral Continent lay the Spirit Forest, a place forbidden to humans. It was the sacred domain of the elves, home to an ancient, slumbering temple and the World Tree they were sworn to protect. They had always repelled intruders.

Then one day, a magic circle tore open the sky.

"W-what is that?!"

"Everyone, be on your guard! I feel a wicked power!"

"Aaaah! Elder!"

Before they could react, the elves were being consumed by the immense and corrupting mana. Realizing the gravity of the threat, the High Elves tried to counter it, unleashing a wave of pure energy. For a moment, the two forces clashed in a desperate struggle. But the magic circle's power was too vast. Slowly, the High Elves were overwhelmed.

"Aaaaaaaah!"

"You must protect this forest in our stea—Aaaah!"

"World Tree, protect us—Aaaah! No!"

In the end, fourteen High Elves were ripped from their home and dragged into the magic circle, sacrificing themselves to save the others.

---

[Hero High Elf Saphaella]

[Rank: B]

[Level: 1]

[Class: None]

[Title: None]

[Affiliation: Balak]

[Loyalty: 0]

[Favorability: 0]

[Obedience: 100 (Forced Contract)]

[Skills: None]

[Special Ability: Footprint Walk]

[Strength: 1] [Endurance: 1] [Agility: 9] [Stamina: 4]

[Mana: 8] [Divinity: 1] [Affinity: 6] [Luck: 3]

He had purchased a B-rank Named card, yet they had been summoned as Hero-grade. Taehyun noted their Obedience was at 100 and turned to face them.

"Grr! You filthy, despicable demon!"

"W-where did you send us?!"

"Our mana, our skills… they're gone! Our strength is a shadow of what it was! What have you done?"

The High Elves were seething with hostility, utterly bewildered. It seemed that being forcibly bound to Balak had stripped them of all their original abilities.

'So this kind of summoning is possible.'

Taehyun ignored their protests and scanned the Blind Shop again, but there were no other unique soldier cards available.

"Demon! I'll kill you!"

Saphaella, the fiercest among them, charged at him. To run a simple test, Taehyun issued a command.

"Kneel."

"Ugh?!"

Saphaella's legs buckled, and she collapsed to her knees. Her expression was one of pure shock, as if her body had betrayed her.

"Hoh?"

The forced contract, with its absolute 100 Obedience, made them obey any command unconditionally. In fact, their bodies seemed to react before their minds could even process the order. A sly smile spread across Taehyun's face as he approached her.

"D-don't come any closer, you demon bastard!"

"Hmm."

"Eeek!"

She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for an attack. She was completely helpless, having even dropped the sword she was holding.

Taehyun was thoroughly pleased, the corner of his lip curling into a grin.

"What a stroke of luck."

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