Episode 129

The Dungeon Masters wandered in confusion, unsure where to go.

Then, two massive screens appeared in the center of the arena.

—"The rules of the faction battle are simple. Each month, a mission will be assigned, and two factions will either compete or clash through that mission. All members of a faction may participate, or only some may be selected. The number of participants will be randomized for each mission, and the remaining members may watch through the screens. Once your faction's battle is complete, you are free to leave or stay. After all, you'll be able to check the rankings on the same day once the faction battle concludes."

As the explanation ended, faction names appeared among the seating rows.

—"Now then. Seats have been prepared for each faction. Please take your seats and enjoy the viewing. From this point onward, any Dungeon Master who causes a disturbance will have their qualifications revoked immediately. Keep that in mind."

That single warning was enough to silence the entire arena. Grinding their teeth in frustration, the Dungeon Masters nonetheless moved to seats assigned to their respective factions.

Once all fourteen factions had taken their places, two blank slots appeared on the screens.

—"I'll say this once more. Missions are randomized by day. Participant numbers are also random. The mission content itself is random as well. Now, let us draw the factions for the first battle."

Duke Nikunbel, standing in the arena, snapped his fingers. Letters were engraved into the empty slots on the screens.

In that instant, joy and despair split the room.

[Black Alliance]

[Resistance]

Some let out sighs of relief. Others smiled faintly. And still others scowled deeply.

---

"Taehyun, your faction's up first. And the opponent is the Black Alliance?"

"Tsk. So this is how the faction battle works. I thought it'd be Dungeon Masters fighting each other directly, but they've rigged it so no one can back out. If it's the Black Alliance, then it's those guys."

Seated opposite the Resistance was the Black Alliance, a faction composed mostly of B-rank Dungeon Masters.

As if crushed beneath Seonghwi's overwhelming presence, every one of them wore a shadowed expression.

Even so, Taehyun couldn't fully relax.

The gap between the two factions was undeniably large, but faction battles were fundamentally mission-based.

With both the mission content and the number of participants randomized, it was difficult to decide the outcome based on rank alone.

—"The first faction battle will be between the Black Alliance and the Resistance. The Black Alliance may be feeling anxious due to the presence of S-rank Dungeon Master Seonghwi, but please don't worry. As stated earlier, faction battles are strictly mission-based. That means missions unrelated to rank may also appear."

As expected, there were missions where rank didn't matter. At Duke Nikunbel's words, the faces of the Black Alliance members brightened with joy.

At that moment, the entire coliseum plunged into darkness.

—"Now, we will select the participants for this faction battle."

Lights swept across the arena, finally settling on members from both factions.

Seven Dungeon Masters were chosen from the Resistance, including Seonghwi. The Black Alliance likewise had seven selected.

Squinting against the harsh lights, Taehyun cursed his luck.

'I didn't want this kind of fortune.'

---

[The first faction battle between the Black Alliance and the Resistance is preparing to begin.]

[Black Alliance: Naeul Han, Donghun, Jangchan, Taewan, Danbi, Changshik, Hyuncheol]

[Resistance: Seonghwi, Hyunjun, Geonwoo, Songyi, Narae, Injong, Taehyun]

Soon, the selected members from each faction were transported to the mission area.

The Dungeon Masters remaining in the arena speculated about the outcome, anticipation thick in the air.

With an S-rank Dungeon Master and several A-rank Dungeon Masters participating, it was only natural for most eyes to turn toward the Resistance.

However, Mihye of Tarantula was interested only in Taehyun's participation.

"Hmm. Our Taehyun got picked as a starting member. I wonder what kind of performance he'll show this time."

"He's certainly the Dungeon Master who monopolized the western region. Still, compared to the other members, the gap is significant. I'm not particularly hopeful."

"Then watch closely. Taehyun's a monster who always proves my expectations wrong."

Taehyun Yoo, Dungeon Master of Unified Balak. The man who had dominated the western region with nothing more than a B-rank dungeon.

Having survived by devouring the Sabastan raid party, the Rexner raid party, and even C-rank alliances, there was no way expectations wouldn't rise.

—"We will now reveal the mission."

At last, Duke Nikunbel displayed the mission details on the screen.

[Those Who Defend the Dungeon, Those Who Conquer the Dungeon]

1. The two factions will flip a coin to choose their position. One will defend the dungeon, and the other will attack it.

2. If defending, one member becomes the Dungeon Master, while the rest act as the dungeon's elite soldiers.

3. If attacking, one member becomes the raid captain, while the rest act as elite raiders.

4. If the raid is repelled, the dungeon side wins. If the raid succeeds, the raiding side wins. Any player who dies during the mission will observe until the mission ends.

5. The winning side earns two faction points. At the end of the mission, individual rankings are determined based on performance, and rewards are distributed accordingly.

A mission no one had anticipated. The first faction battle was a direct clash between raiders and dungeon defenders.

The Dungeon Masters in the arena cried out in shock, thrown into confusion.

Defending a dungeon was familiar territory—but attacking one was not.

If they lost the coin toss, a Dungeon Master would be forced into the role of a raider, an absurd situation.

"A Dungeon Master becoming a raider?!"

"You're telling us to take the role of the people we've been stopping all this time and conquer a dungeon? If we end up on the raiding side, we're at a huge disadvantage."

"It'll all come down to the coin toss. As Dungeon Masters, defending is way more comfortable."

Winning the coin toss meant getting first choice. Any Dungeon Master would naturally choose the dungeon side.

As they voiced their opinions and predicted outcomes, anxiety rippled through the crowd.

"If a mission like this pops up right at the start, the next ones won't be any better."

"Everything depends on the mission now. Rank doesn't really matter anymore."

"What if we get something like that during our faction battle?"

Amid the swirl of emotions, the progress screen appeared. Naeul Han and Seonghwi stood facing each other with a coin placed between them.

The remaining faction members watched their leaders with tense expressions.

---

'Of all times, I had to be pulled into the very first faction battle.'

Taehyun was currently in the mission waiting room with the other Resistance members.

The Black Alliance members stood across from them, and at the center were the representatives of each side.

Then Seonghwi turned his head, cold sweat running down his face.

"Uh… I'm really bad at this kind of thing. Anyone want to switch?"

Though he pleaded earnestly, clearly weak when it came to luck, the Resistance members avoided his gaze entirely.

Letting out a belated sigh, Seonghwi looked at Naeul Han. Her expression was stiff with tension.

"Heads or tails?"

"……I'll decide myself, so don't interfere."

"Hmm. Okay."

Their gazes dropped to the coin. A coin toss was a game left purely to chance.

Depending on which side the opponent chose, the other was forced into hesitation.

Once decided, it couldn't be changed.

The moment the coin was flicked into the air, the outcome would be sealed. Stroking his chin, Seonghwi pondered before choosing tails.

"Then I'll take tails."

"Hmm. Wait. I'll take tails. You take heads."

"That works too."

Shrugging, Seonghwi looked toward Duke Nikunbel as he approached.

When their eyes met, the duke smiled faintly and picked up the coin.

"Have you both made your choices?"

"I'm heads. Naeul Han's tails."

"Understood. Then I'll toss it."

The decisive moment arrived. Depending on this result, even the mission's outcome could be affected.

Who claimed the dungeon side first was what mattered most.

'Ting!'

The coin was flicked into the air. Everyone watched it fall, holding their breath.

'Tap.'

Duke Nikunbel caught the coin lightly on the back of his hand and checked the result.

"Tails. The Black Alliance has gained priority."

"Yes! We did it!"

"Damn it."

The two representatives reacted very differently as they returned to their groups. Seonghwi scratched his head and laughed brightly.

"Told you I'm bad at this stuff. Hahaha!"

"You're laughing right now? Do you want to die?!"

"Damn it, you useless leader. We're about to become raiders!"

The Resistance members erupted in anger, snapping at him. This meant they would be attacking the dungeon.

For Dungeon Masters who had always repelled raiders, it couldn't be more disadvantageous.

Taehyun frowned as he looked at the Black Alliance members across from them. They were already celebrating as if they'd won.

'Attacking as raiders… this won't be easy.'

Dungeon Masters and raiders differed greatly, from exclusive items to available resources. Now that their roles were reversed, rapid adaptation would be crucial.

[The Black Alliance has chosen the dungeon side.]

[The Resistance has been automatically assigned to the raiding side.]

[Please select a class for each member.]

[The class list consists of your current dungeon troop classes.]

A class list appeared before their eyes.

According to the message, the list was composed of the classes currently held by Balak's troops.

Thinking of Kadum, Taehyun selected Hunter.

[Updating information to A-rank Hunter Raider.]

[Player Raider Taehyun Yoo recognized.]

His equipment changed instantly, a bow and quiver settling across his back.

Seeing Taehyun choose Hunter first, the others selected their classes accordingly.

'Did he let me go first on purpose? Figures it'd be him.'

Seonghwi's bright smile flashed through his mind. Taehyun ignored it and moved to check his information.

Then he felt an intense stare from behind.

It was Songyi, who had been selected alongside him. Her cheeks were puffed out as she glared at Taehyun.

'I wondered why she was missing at the meeting. So she was sulking.'

Since they hadn't contacted each other once after the Resistance gathering, it made sense.

Taehyun awkwardly raised a hand in greeting, but Songyi immediately turned her head away.

[All faction members have completed role and class selection.]

[Transporting to the mission area.]

With every choice finalized, the members of each faction were moved to the mission field.

---

[The dungeon occupied by the Black Alliance, Guatomala, is an A-rank dungeon.]

[The Resistance is an A-rank raid party.]

Perhaps to maintain balance, both the dungeon and the raid party were set to A-rank.

'The field is a desert. I can't see the dungeon yet.'

The Resistance raid party began in the middle of a desolate desert. Taehyun quickly assessed the situation and checked his status.

[Taehyun Yoo]

[Rank: A]

[Level: 61]

[Class: Hunter]

[Title: None]

[Affiliation: Resistance Raid Party]

[Skills: Hunter's Eye, Silent Steps, Danger Sense, Wild Instinct, Precision Shot]

[Special Ability: Prey Tracking]

[Strength: 11] [Endurance: 10] [Agility: 35] [Stamina: 15]

[Mana: 20] [Divinity: 4] [Affinity: 15] [Luck: 25]

While some skills were similar to Kadum's, the rest were unique to the Hunter class.

'At least I still have Hunter's Eye.'

Among the many classes available, that skill alone was why he chose Hunter.

Having already learned its effects through Kadum, Taehyun knew Hunter's Eye would be invaluable to a raid party.

With a bow for ranged attacks, he could provide solid long-distance support as well.

"So, who's going to act as raid captain?"

Injong, who had chosen Priest, wanted to select the raid captain first. The members glanced at each other, hesitant.

Then Seonghwi pointed at Taehyun and shouted.

"I vote the newbie—"

"No."

"—the newbie—"

"Absolutely not."

Shut down immediately, Seonghwi slumped, looking dejected.

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