The journey to the dungeon was surprisingly smooth. Although the terrain itself—with its steep slopes and numerous rolling hills—was highly advantageous to the enemy, no ambushes occurred. Instead, the soldiers passed comfortably through the quiet valleys. ’This is duller than expected. Did they just get scared and give up entirely?’ Aside from the occasional Familiar Supporter, there wasn’t a monster in sight.

Darun exhaled sharply, his expression deflated.

"They made such a fuss about a rift, but it’s nothing special. There aren’t even any dungeon soldiers around. What’s the point of bringing an army for this?"

"It seems the Dungeon Master has lost his will to fight and already given up, Your Grace," an aide replied.

"Even so. This makes coming all the way out here feel pointless."

"It appears the monsters all fled because you are simply too powerful, Duke Darun."

Even such transparent flattery sounded pleasing today. It was fine to enjoy light conversation like this once in a while. He felt even more emboldened since there were soldiers selected from the Imperial forces present, not just those belonging to his own household.

"Well, it can’t be helped. We march straight to the dungeon."

"Your Grace, what do you plan to do with the Exclusive Items we brought along?"

"Such junk. They’re nothing but cheap tricks used by lowly mercenaries at best. Deal with them yourself." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"U-understood."

The commander, who had gone out of his way to bring the items, hastily put the bundle away. Then, as usual, he assisted the duke and led the soldiers. Before long, reinforcement troops began to appear from the rear.

"That’s the standby unit that was guarding the barracks. Why did they come all the way out here?"

"I-I’m not sure, Your Grace."

The soldiers were all raising their spearheads with grim expressions. Darun frowned, unable to understand the situation. He soon demanded an explanation from the commander of the standby unit that had just joined them.

"Pardon? We definitely received a letter requesting reinforcements."

"The only letter sent earlier was regarding supplies. What nonsense are you talking about?"

"N-no. It clearly says in this letter... H-huh?!"

The commander’s face stiffened as he opened the letter to show them. Even a quick glance confirmed it was definitely about supplies. Darun glared at him with cold eyes.

"Are you playing a joke on me right now?"

"I-it was definitely about requesting reinforcements..."

"Shut your mouth. I will hand down a separate punishment for this later, so keep that in mind."

The entire reinforcement unit trembled, their faces pale. The situation was dire; one of the four great dukes had spoken of punishment. One wrong move, and they would be thrown into prison to rot the moment they returned to the Empire. Thus, due to a misunderstanding over a letter, the reinforcement unit was forced to trudge back to the barracks. Meanwhile, the mercenaries who had accompanied them eliminated the roaming Familiar Supporters to cut off the enemy’s vision.

"Hey, the Red Wolf Mercenary Company, was it? You lot head back as well."

"Your Grace, if you continue to expose our position like this, you will be ambushed..."

"Did you not hear me tell you to head back?"

The surrounding air instantly grew heavy. It was the aura of the ’Mad Dog’ Darun, a suffocating pressure they were experiencing for the first time. Cliff, who stood at the forefront, couldn’t possibly withstand it.

"U-understood. Your Gra—"

A series of deafening explosions erupted. With the blasts, shrapnel scattered in all directions. Suddenly, Siege-type Soldiers appeared on the hill and began firing a barrage of cannonballs.

"Damn it, it’s an ambush! Everyone, prepare to return fire!"

"Scatter according to your squads! What are the shield-bearers doing? Hurry and protect the archers!"

"Infantry and spearmen, prepare to charge! We break through the hill path immediately!"

Despite the unexpected ambush, the commanders issued orders with perfect discipline. The number of enemies was roughly two hundred. The Siege-type Soldiers, holding the advantage in vision, continued to rain down cannonballs and stack up damage, but the Imperial Army didn’t just sit still either. The sharp ring of drawn steel cut through the chaos.

"Right. This is how it gets a little interesting."

Finally, Commander-in-Chief Darun drew his sword, announcing his entry into the battle.

---

The ground trembled. Along with the roar of cannons echoing around them, the bodies of soldiers were blown apart. This was truly a festival of madness.

"Ahahaha. Shock and awe, you ragged bastards!"

How long had it been since he tasted war like this? Facing a large-scale enemy after so long, Taehyun naturally felt his excitement rise.

Arin stared in silence, giving him a pitiful look, but he didn’t really care. Instead, he happily designated bombardment coordinates while admiring the upgraded range of his Siege-type Soldiers. In the midst of this, the door flew open, and a short, stout man barged in.

"You damn Demonic King, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Whoa. When did you get in?!"

"Grr. To treat the proud technology of the Rough Rock Tribe as mere consumables like that... I won’t forgive you!"

The bushy-bearded dwarf, Tuperus, began swinging the crowbar he was holding. A loud crash echoed through the room. In an instant, the room turned into a mess. Taehyun, who was urgently running away, ended up clinging to Arin.

"C-calm down, Tuperus. This is just a stepping stone for the big picture. Think of it as a noble sacrifice!"

"Don’t make me laugh! I’ve been fooled by you for hundreds of years. Do you think I’ll fall for it again?!"

"...I would appreciate it if both of you calmed down."

It was always the Supporter’s job to defuse the situation. Moreover, since this happened so often, the two men naturally followed her words. Belatedly stepping away from Arin, Taehyun cleared his throat and pointed at the screen.

"I’ll show you the reason right now, so just wait."

"What are you going to show me?"

"Here, this is the current situation."

Four large screens popped up before their eyes. First, the infantry and spearmen units entering the hill path. Second, the archer unit returning fire under the protection of the shield-bearers. Third, the magic corps gathering their mana. And finally, the mercenary company sandwiched between the soldiers, putting up a protective barrier.

Anyone could see it was a battle situation that would soon turn disadvantageous, but the ones to pay attention to were actually the mercenary group.

[Cliff]

[Rank: B (Named)]

[Class: Swordsman, Archer]

[Stress: 32]

[Description: The leader in charge of the Red Wolf Mercenary Company. Having recently risen to a B-rank mercenary, he has a track record of conquering Northern dungeons through excellent commands. He is an excellent mercenary in terms of experience.]

"Right, this guy. He’s definitely the leader of the mercenary company that came with the army. But doesn’t something seem strange?"

"Hmm. He just seems to be giving appropriate orders to the mercenaries. What’s so strange about it?"

"Tsk, tsk. That’s why you always get teased by Larkan for being a blockhead."

"What?!"

The entire room was about to be flipped upside down again, but before Tuperus could swing, Taehyun brought up Cliff’s status and explained.

[Status: Anxious, Nervous, Worried]

"Does this look normal to you?"

"They were ambushed, so it’s possible. Besides, from what I know, that A-Rank Hero guy isn’t cooperative at all. He only insists on his own skills, so it’s understandable to be anxious..."

"Wrong."

A twisted smile spread across the lips of the Demonic King, who was sitting with his legs crossed. A mercenary leader with excellent experience, mounting stress, and a psychological state typical of a beginner. Not to mention the cold sweat trickling down his neck as he gave orders. If it were the real Cliff who possessed items, he would never act like that.

Instead, he should have trusted Darun’s skills and merely looked for an opening to use a counter item in an advantageous situation.

’There’s no way experienced mercenaries wouldn’t know the guy who once spread his name widely across the continent with just his swordsmanship. They must have accepted the request in the first place because he had the skills and the pay was good. A situation like this is very easily resolved with Darun here.’

No, the tide of battle had already leaned towards the Paslan Imperial Army to the point where Darun didn’t even need to step up anyway. And in the midst of this, the so-called mercenary leader is anxious and nervous?

"It makes no sense. Anyone can see he’s a faker—no, a fake."

He could roughly picture in his head what had happened. All that was left was to add melee-type soldiers among the Siege-type Soldiers. Naturally, the shadow behind Taehyun began to squirm.

"It’s your turn now. Get going."

"Hehehe. It’s finally time for my grand entrance," a voice echoed.

The unidentifiable silhouette vanished from the room. At the same time, the green markers on the map window headed towards the valley. And then...

"Ahahaha. Is this all you’ve got? Entertain me a little more, Dungeon Master!"

Amidst the Catapult Drakes being swept away in all directions, Darun began to run wild to his heart’s content. Taehyun broke into a cold sweat as he checked the rapidly multiplying damage.

"Um, Tuperus. This is..."

"I’ll kill you, you Demonic King bastard!"

"Aaaagh!"

---

A massive explosion rocked the battlefield. It was a swift sword technique that the eyes simply couldn’t follow. With dazzling movements as if dancing, the Siege-type Soldiers on the hill were split in half. Cliff, who had been staring blankly, swallowed hard.

’The Mad Dog, Darun Solodos. I’d only heard the rumors, but seeing him in person is even more incredible. Just how many wars do you have to go through to become like that?’

A maddened wild dog of the battlefield. With him directly participating in the combat, the situation became even more advantageous, and the soldiers rode that momentum to begin seizing the hill. And when the mercenaries joined in, the situation was nearly wrapped up.

"Additional monsters have appeared from the rear!"

Heads turned at the commander’s shout. Gnolls, orcs, trolls, and other B-rank dungeon soldiers were charging in, aiming for their backs. The Imperial Army, having just seized the hill, began firing comfortably, but the mercenaries were a different story.

"D-damn it. Hurry up and shield—no, shoot first!"

"What are you saying, Captain? The shield-bearers aren’t just for show!"

"Damn it. I get it, so just do something!"

There was a brief clash of opinions, but no disruption in their actions. The shield-bearers belatedly stepped to the front and blocked the advance of the orcs and trolls. However, unlike usual, when no further orders were given, errors began to appear in the mercenaries’ movements.

"What are the mages doing? Prepare binding magic first!"

"Why are the priests so slow with the heals? Focus your healing on the shield-bearers!"

"Ugh. I almost got hit by a stray arrow. Where are you shooting?!"

Minor mistakes repeated, tangling the flow of battle. Eventually, the shield-bearers guarding the front gave the gnolls an opening, and a charging troll let out a bizarre shriek and began collapsing their formation. A deafening roar tore through the air.

"Aaaagh!"

High-pitched squeals echoed across the battlefield.

"S-save me... Urgh!"

The death toll rose in an instant. Cliff, who was in the rear, trembled, his complexion pale.

’A-at this rate, we’ll be wiped out.’

Suddenly, he thought of his family waiting for him back in his hometown. Even if he secured the payment, it would mean nothing if he returned as a cold corpse. Regret washed over him belatedly for taking on such a responsibility for nothing. At that moment, the massive trolls were cut in half and split apart with a sickening sound. Their heavy bodies hit the ground with a thud.

"You’re making me lift a finger unnecessarily."

The Lord of Madness, whom they had completely forgotten about, glared fiercely. At the same time, lines were drawn across the bodies of the dungeon soldiers pouring in like a tide. A sharp slash cut through the air. A single strike. As the rapid sword draw swept past in all directions, the battle ended instantly.

Cliff just blinked blankly. Darun exhaled lightly, sheathing his sword.

"To think a so-called mercenary leader just stands there watching while his comrades die. It’s beyond pathetic. Hey, you lot just hurry up and head back."

With those words, the soldiers on the hill assembled below. The mercenaries, suddenly the center of attention, received pitiful glances and miserably cleaned up their surroundings. They recovered the bodies and joined the standby unit returning to the barracks, slowly beginning to check on the wounded.

"We have three critically injured over here. Medren, come over here."

"Our squad only suffered minor injuries. We’ll apply some herbs later."

"Over here... Hmm?"

While the priests were moving busily, one person approached, clutching his abdomen. It was a young man with a slender build and brown hair, Pulse, the new recruit who had recently joined the mercenary company.

"Hey, Pulse. Are you okay?"

"Ugh. I think I suffered internal injuries. Please heal me."

"Don’t worry. I’ll heal you right up."

"Ah..."

Divine Power was transmitted through the priest’s touch.

"Truly."

"Huh?"

Suddenly, goosebumps erupted all over the priest’s body. Focusing on the healing, he cautiously raised his head. And then...

"Thank you so much."

He saw Pulse looking at him with a bright smile. The priest looked around just in case, but there was nothing unusual elsewhere.

’Ah, what am I thinking?’

It seemed to be his own misunderstanding. Just like that, the priest began treating the other mercenaries after Pulse, and the Red Wolf Mercenary Company continued back to the barracks with the standby unit.