Episode 131

[Vision Expansion Pass has been used.]

[The Resistance raid party's vision is expanded.]

He had spent so much time trying to break through expanded vision; now he was the one using it. They were scheduled to reach Dungeon Gwadomalla today. With their location confirmed on the map, they now had to press forward under the scrutiny of their own enhanced sight.

"So, we have to think like Dungeon Masters, huh?" Seonghwi mused.

"We need to anticipate their ambush," Taehyun explained. "Their first target will almost certainly be the Priest or the Bounty Hunter."

"Couldn't they come after you instead?" Seonghwi countered. "Or am I wrong?"

"If someone in the Black Alliance understands the value of a Hunter, they might target me," Taehyun conceded. "But the most logical choice is one of those two."

Seonghwi had a point; targeting the Raid Captain was a valid strategy. He was, after all, the one giving the orders. But the swiftest way to cripple a raid party was to eliminate its healer or its trap specialist. Seonghwi nodded at Taehyun's logic and glanced at Narae.

"Injong is one thing, but Narae's figure is a masterpiece. I can see why they'd target her first."

"...What part of my explanation did you just hear?" Taehyun asked, deadpan.

"Ahaha, just kidding, just kidding," Seonghwi chuckled. "So, does that mean I should protect Narae?"

"No. The frontline cannot be breached," Taehyun stated firmly. "You have two single-use skills, so your priority is to hold the front. In a wide-open desert like this, ambushes other than burrowing creatures are ineffective. They will have to challenge us head-on."

He was right. The terrain was a vast, open expanse. With no hills or dunes to provide cover, a conventional ambush was impossible. Even with a Vision Priority Pass, any engagement would become a direct confrontation.

[A-rank Raider Songyi Han is beginning to feel thirsty.]

Taehyun handed Songyi his waterskin and activated Hunter's Eye again.

[Mark]

[Desert Lizard]

[Sandstorm]

[A glaring gaze]

'A mark out here? I don't see a Familiar Summon, so how are they maintaining vision? And that glare…'

His head turned slowly. For some time now, Narae had been shooting daggers at him. The moment their eyes met, she whipped her head away, but he knew that glare was hers.

'It's her. I'll ignore it for now and focus on finding their eyes.'

If they walked into that mark, they would take damage. Taehyun calmly brought the party to a halt.

"What's going on? Why are we stopping?" Narae demanded. "You're ignoring me, aren't you? You are!"

He tuned out her rising irritation. The priority was locating the source of their enemy's vision. It was likely listening in on their conversation right now through a shared feed. He scanned the area again.

'I can't see it even with the Vision Expansion Pass, which means it's disguised as something completely unexpected.'

Something they had walked past without a second thought. Something his Hunter's Eye had registered but he had dismissed.

'That's it.'

The desert lizard. Taehyun studied the mark, his mind racing. The soldiers brought in by Position Shift alone would not be enough to cause significant damage. Disguising the summon as a lizard meant they needed another force to draw attention and spring the trap.

'They aren't visible from the front yet. Are they planning to use Position Shift as a diversion while another group of soldiers appears?'

Their goal was to take out at least two members, or at the very least, the Priest and the Bounty Hunter. The enemy force was likely in the hundreds, and the terrain was wide open. His enhanced vision still showed no sign of other soldiers. Unless they sent more Sandworms, a surprise attack was impossible.

'Is that their only option?'

Having made his decision, Taehyun repositioned his comrades. Seonghwi and Geonwoo to the front. Injong and Narae in the center. The rest to the rear. They shot him confused looks, but he simply ordered them into combat stances.

"Hyunjun," Taehyun said, his voice low. "I heard you're a Mage. What is your single-use skill? Answer as quietly as you can."

"...It's a spell called Priest Nova," Hyunjun whispered back. "It deals cold-attribute damage to all enemies within a certain range."

"Perfect. When I give the signal, cast it immediately."

"Understood."

With his trap set, Taehyun drew his bow. His target was the small desert lizard. It was agile, but with Precision Shot, hitting it was simple.

The arrow flew true, piercing the lizard, and in the same instant, the mark on the ground flared to life. Without pausing, Taehyun pulled out another item.

[Radar Detection Net has been activated.]

[The detection net will remain active for a set period.]

[All beings entering the net's range will be automatically detected.]

As the net spread, the hidden enemy forces were revealed. Taehyun's lips curled into a smirk as he watched hundreds of Harpies materialize in the sky. The dungeon side, clearly not anticipating this, had not used a neutralization item.

"Now!" Taehyun roared.

"So that was your plan!" Hyunjun exclaimed.

A wave of intense cold radiated from Hyunjun's staff. The Harpies filling the sky froze mid-flight, their cries silenced as they began to plummet to the ground like stones. Just then, a larger Harpy—clearly a Named unit—dove for Narae.

"If I can just kill the Bounty Hunter, I can still salvage this!" it shrieked.

"H-Heck! What is this thing?!" Narae cried out.

"Die!"

Sharp talons aimed for her throat. In a flash, Taehyun launched himself from the ground, his scimitar slicing clean through the creature's wing.

"Where do you think you're going?" Taehyun growled.

As its remaining wing flapped uselessly, he leaped onto its back and drove his scimitar down again and again.

Under the merciless assault, the Harpy crashed to the earth. Taehyun landed lightly beside the corpse and looked down. A message shimmered into existence above it.

[Named Harpy Jangchan]

It was one of the Black Alliance members. Taehyun flicked the blood from his blade, a grimly satisfied look on his face.

"Got one."

---

[Position Shift has been used.]

[The position of the Desert Tribe Warriors will be changed to the saved previous location.]

Naeul had expected the lizard's vision to be cut. She had even placed the mark in an obvious spot, knowing the Desert Tribe Warriors might not be enough. But now, her screen was filled with hundreds of Harpies. Normally, they would have been spotted, but they were cloaked by the Named Harpy Jangchan's stealth skill.

"Clever of you to notice, but it's useless," she murmured to the screen. "The Harpies can inflict damage regardless of the raiders' positions."

She had already used her Vision Priority Pass to inflict a penalty for losing the vision battle. This attack would eliminate the Priest or the Bounty Hunter, at the very least. A confident smirk touched her lips as she gave the attack order.

Just then, the Raid Captain, Taehyun, used an item.

[The Resistance raid party has activated a Radar Detection Net.]

[The detection net will remain active for a set period.]

[The Harpies that had entered the net's range are automatically detected.]

A Radar Detection Net. Flustered, Naeul fumbled for a neutralization item, but it was too late. The Harpies were completely exposed.

"I-It doesn't matter!" she stammered. "They can't stop them all! Jangchan, attack!"

"Understood!" Jangchan's voice replied from the screen.

At his command, the Harpies swarmed from both sides, leaving the raid party with no room to escape. But in that instant, Taehyun's shout turned the tables.

"Now!"

"So this is what you meant!" Hyunjun cried out.

A blast of arctic cold erupted from Hyunjun.

[A-rank Raider Hyunjun has cast Priest Nova.]

[The surrounding Harpies take cold damage.]

[Priest Nova uses remaining: 1/1]

The Harpies filling the sky began to freeze and drop from the air.

"N-No way!" Naeul gasped, her eyes wide with horror. Hundreds of her elite troops had been rendered useless in a single moment. The Named Harpy, Jangchan, had managed to resist the full effect but was still suffering from the cold damage.

"I-if I can just kill the Bounty Hunter, I can deal some damage!" Jangchan shrieked.

"H-Heck. What's this Harpy?!" Narae cried.

"Die!"

Jangchan dove for Narae, but Taehyun was already there, his blade tearing through the Harpy's wing and thwarting the desperate attack.

"Where do you think you're going?" Taehyun's voice was cold.

Jangchan tried to flee, but Taehyun leaped onto his back and began to butcher him mercilessly.

The Named Harpy crashed to the ground, and just before the screen went dark, Naeul heard Taehyun's voice, cold and final.

"Got one."

The words sent a shiver down her spine. Naeul bit her lip and switched to another screen, only to see the Desert Tribe Warriors being systematically wiped out by the Resistance.

[You have been defeated in battle.]

[325 A-rank Desert Harpies have died.]

[549 A-rank Desert Tribe Warriors have died.]

[A-rank Named Harpy Jangchan Min has died.]

Over eight hundred of her soldiers were gone. All of them A-rank. Factoring in the cost of the Position Shift item, the loss was staggering. In contrast, the raid party had only expended a single-use skill and a Radar Detection Net. Her entire plan had been utterly dismantled by one man.

"Naeul, what happened? We lost contact with Jangchan!"

"What about the ambush? Did you at least inflict some damage?!"

"Don't tell me you failed?"

Her comrades stormed into the Master Room, their avatars still in the form of their main soldiers, their faces etched with panic. Naeul sat frozen, then slowly shook her head.

"...It was a failure," she said, her voice hollow. "We lost over eight hundred A-rank soldiers, and Jangchan is dead."

"What? That's impossible! How did he figure it out?!"

"Taehyun Yoo, their Raid Captain, saw through the Harpies and used a Radar Detection Net. He'd already instructed his Mage to use a single-use skill, which means he anticipated everything."

The party's positioning, the radar, Hyunjun's spell—Taehyun had prepared for every contingency with terrifying split-second judgment. Naeul recalled his final words and bit her lip until it bled.

"From now on, we fight inside the dungeon," she declared, her voice regaining its edge. "The losses were heavy, but the advantage is still ours. Everyone, return to your posts and await my command."

"Hoo… right. We still have the home-field advantage," one of them agreed.

"That bastard Jangchan is probably spectating from the grave. We took a hit, but we'll pay them back tenfold. Let's go!"

As her comrades filed out, Naeul was left alone. Her fists trembled with rage as she pictured Taehyun's face.

"I will not lose next time."

---

"Whoa. He really is incredible. He predicted all of that?"

"I apologize for underestimating you," Hyunjun admitted. "You are more than qualified to be our Raid Captain."

"Ahahaha! See?" Seonghwi crowed. "I told you he was a monstrous rookie."

He had thwarted the second ambush just as decisively as the first. Praise washed over Taehyun as his companions' skepticism finally melted into genuine acceptance.

'This should make giving orders easier.'

Dealing a massive blow to the enemy was one thing, but earning the trust of his own party was just as crucial. They had questioned his every move before, but now, they would follow without hesitation. Taehyun looked down at the Harpy's corpse, a faint smile on his lips.

'Six faction members left. And with over eight hundred A-rank soldiers dead, their forces have taken a significant hit. The dungeon still has the advantage, but this buys us some breathing room.'

In the distance, the grand silhouette of the Gwadomalla Dungeon was finally visible. The next stage of the battle was about to begin. Taehyun ran a final check on the party's condition, preparing himself for the assault.

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