A day had passed since the large-scale ambush.

The reserve troops, who had mobilized due to the incorrect letter, returned to their original barracks. They began packing their belongings and preparing wagons for resupply.

Meanwhile, the Red Wolf Mercenary Company, who had headed to the gorge together, exuded a tense, volatile atmosphere in the aftermath of the battle.

"That order was completely unbecoming of a captain. Why did he suddenly do that?"

"I don’t know, but since he called us all here, he’ll probably offer some sort of excuse."

"Just how many died? We must have lost well over thirty men."

The mercenaries gathered inside the large barracks.

Some were still wrapped in bandages, their injuries barely treated, while the officers waited for the captain in heavy silence.

However, when the tent flap was pulled back and someone entered, no one dared to speak.

"T-There are two captains?"

"What the... The officers multiplied too!"

They were identical, like doppelgangers.

The confusion escalated even further when the two captains entered side by side.

"There’s no need to make a fuss. It’s just an item effect."

As the Cliff on the right snapped his fingers, a change occurred.

The officers who had been waiting, along with the Cliff on the left, suddenly regained their original appearances and silently bowed their heads.

"What the... What happened to you guys?!"

"Wait. Then the officers and the captain we’ve been with all this time were fakes? Why on earth did you disguise them?"

"Explain yourself, Captain. Otherwise, I might just lose it!"

A few hot-tempered mercenaries pressed him.

Only then did the real Cliff calmly reveal his camouflage and disguise items and begin his explanation.

"You all know the letter was forged. When the reserve commander first ordered us to group up, I suspected the Dungeon Master was using an information manipulation item."

"...No way."

"That’s right. From the start, that bastard’s intention was to pick us off. We weren’t ambushed on the way, but I used the decoys to ensure we didn’t lose our heads. From the Dungeon Master’s perspective, the primary targets would be me and the officers carrying items."

The truth was finally revealed, but the mercenaries’ anger did not subside.

In short, Cliff had prepared to sacrifice the tail to save the head.

It was a far too extreme stratagem to deploy against a mere B-grade Dungeon Master.

"That makes no sense. Duke Darun is here, and it’s only a B-grade dun—"

"Think realistically. The Mad Dog and his Imperial Army might be safe, but we aren’t. Do you really think they’ll look out for us?"

"Then you should have at least told us beforehand!"

"What point would there be in telling you? Aren’t we mercenaries? We always put our lives on the line." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Having silenced their rebuttals, Cliff didn’t lecture them any further.

Instead, he maintained a brazen attitude and simply tossed a pouch in front of the men grinding their teeth.

"This is the payment I intended to distribute once the mission was over. If any of you are still dissatisfied with me, take your cut and leave the company."

"Tch. Fine. Then..."

"Ah, of course, leaving in the middle of a commission will immediately mark you as a deserter."

To them, desertion was a stigma that would follow them to the bitter end.

If they walked out of the barracks now, they would have to leave the mercenary underworld entirely.

At Cliff’s thinly veiled threat, silence fell over the barracks. The tension broke only when Pulse belatedly made his appearance, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Pulse, where the hell have you been?"

"I-I apologize. I was just scouting the area to ensure no Familiar Supporters were left behind."

"Tsk. We’ve already secured the perimeter. It’s a needless worry, so hurry up and—"

Suddenly, the ground shook as a deafening explosion rang in their ears.

The mercenaries immediately threw open the tent flap. They were horrified to see fire spreading in all directions outside.

"Damn it. It’s an ambush!"

"Cover your mouths! The ash is blowing in!"

"We have to put out the fire! Where are the mages?!"

It was an unexpected second ambush.

However, the mercenaries had to face the monsters storming the outpost without even having the time to extinguish the flames.

Seeing the dungeon soldiers, which appeared to be roughly B-grade, Cliff’s head naturally snapped toward Pulse.

"...Pulse, where exactly were you just a moment ago?"

"Ah, well."

The corners of his mouth slowly stretched into a wide grin.

Pulse, who had merely been a new recruit, lifted his chin with an arrogant expression.

"I was setting up a Position Transfer mark for my spectacular stage."

---

Dozens of barracks were burning.

As the pillars supporting the tents collapsed one by one, the outpost instantly turned into a chaotic mess.

The soldiers who appeared to be the reserve troops urgently tried to extinguish the fire, but they were completely overwhelmed by the swarming monsters.

Deafening roars, explosive rumbles, and piercing screeches filled the chaotic camp.

An ambush was always most effective when the opponent let their guard down.

Taehyun, who was happily peering at the screen, pointed at the fleeing soldiers one by one and issued orders.

"Uh-uh. One’s running away over there. Finish him off."

"Do you not know your left from your right? Ah, I guess you might not since you’re a monster. Then just charge straight ahead."

"Oh, that looks like a wagon loaded with supplies—crush it. And look for the barracks where they’re storing the rest of the supplies."

Under his skillful command, the enemy casualties rapidly piled up.

Now, all that was left was to find the leader of the mercenaries.

But even that was already going smoothly.

"To think you’d infiltrate the outpost disguised as a mercenary. Then the real Pulse must have died in the gorge a long time ago."

"Heheheh. Correct. Just as you said, that mercenary met his destiny of death."

"I’ll cut you down right here in a single strike!"

The undercover spy sent from Radik had just found the mercenary captain.

Pulse had hidden a Familiar Supporter inside his clothes.

No, as Krodin revealed his true form, the battle immediately began. It didn’t take long for the difference in their levels to show.

"This can’t be. We should both be B-grade. How is this happening?!"

"Heh. The Black Flame Dragon in my hand is running wild. Even now, I can see the lines of death on your body."

"Ah, that crazy bastard. He’s on his bullshit again."

He was a Main Force Guardian who suffered from eighth-grader syndrome.

Taehyun, who was quietly watching the screen, couldn’t help but feel his frustration boil over.

Meanwhile, the officers who had gone to extinguish the fire returned to the barracks. Krodin, who had been deep in his narcissism, was pushed onto the defensive.

"I knew it. Tsk, tsk," he sighed.

"Y-Yare yare. You underestimate me too much."

"I can clearly see you sweating bullets."

"Ugh. How dare you, you mere ningen!"

He was freely spouting the foreign language(?) he had learned in Balak Land.

Ultimately, Taehyun shook his head and ordered a retreat.

"Wasn’t taking care of that mercenary the main objective?"

Arin asked from beside him.

She was right; taking care of Cliff, who possessed the items, was the highest priority.

However, Taehyun already had another idea in mind.

’He figured out my intentions and tried to abandon the body and the tail. In a way, he took extreme measures. A way to use that guy even more... would be making him come into contact with Darun.’

A mercenary who knew the importance of items, and a powerhouse who could be considered a one-man army.

It was obvious that Radik would be in even more danger if the two joined forces, but it didn’t matter.

Rather, Taehyun was targeting their individual attitudes and psychological states.

And the rest of the mercenaries who had almost become scapegoats.

"Ugh. I will definitely repay this debt!"

"Damn it. Hurry up and chase—"

"You can’t, Captain. We must flee for now!"

While Krodin transformed into a bat and fled, saber-toothed tigers barged in.

The officers stopped Cliff and began to buy time, while the rest of the members gathered their scattered comrades.

The moment a rough number of personnel had gathered, a magic circle appeared beneath their feet.

[Cliff has used Position Transfer.]

The mercenary company escaped the blazing outpost in an instant.

It seemed the fake Cliff had set up a mark in advance when they arrived at the gorge.

"Well, I actually expected the mark too."

"Pardon?"

"It’s nothing. Now, let’s get some rest."

Fatigue was slowly creeping in.

Taehyun let out a long yawn and stood up. With that, the second day came to an end.

---

The new area they encountered after passing through the rugged gorge was none other than Medes Forest.

As they entered the third day of the expedition, the unit’s morale was even higher than before. The casualties from the ambush had also been treated by the priests of the Order.

’Everyone would faint if they knew the Order’s roots lay in black magic.’

Duke Darun Solodos thought to himself as he scanned the far edges of the land.

It had been a while since he ordered the additional supplies for the soldiers, but the supply wagons were still nowhere to be seen.

"Commander Rambert, has Pakaru not returned yet?"

"No, sir. Seeing as we haven’t even heard his cry, he seems to be staying at the barracks for a while."

"Hmm. That shouldn’t be the case."

Pakaru was a falcon he had trained since it was young.

It acting independently without listening to his orders was absolutely impossible.

’I’ll have to wait a little longer for now.’

They had been advancing steadily since early morning, so taking a light rest would be fine.

Once the order was given, the soldiers busily set up temporary barracks and took turns standing guard around the perimeter of the forest.

Fatigue was inevitable even for Duke Darun, so he spent his time comfortably maintaining his sword inside his tent.

However.

’What are those guys doing?’

No matter how long he waited, not even a reply to his letter arrived, let alone the supply wagons.

Reaching the limit of his patience, Duke Darun stood up, exuding a fierce aura.

He gathered his commanders and conveyed his intentions.

"I felt it when they misunderstood the letter, but there’s simply no hope for them. We will enter the forest as we are."

"B-But what about the reserve troops?"

"Those bastards are no longer part of our Paslan Imperial Army. I will have them beheaded the moment we return, so keep that in mind."

"...Understood."

Being quick on the uptake, they immediately nodded without offending his temper.

Having angered a Duke of the Empire, the reserve troops would definitely not survive.

The commanders immediately lined up the soldiers. The moment all preparations were complete, they began to enter the forest.

Once again, the vanguard was the supreme commander, Duke Darun.

Revealing his nature as a warmonger, he stepped forward without hesitation.

A barrage of arrows rained down with a sharp swoosh, as if waiting for them.

"It’s an ambush! Everyone, don’t panic and raise your shields—"

Trees came tumbling down before the order could even be fully given.

In an instant, the goblin archers who had been lying in wait plummeted to the ground.

The goblins shrieked in panic.

"Perfect timing. I needed a place to vent this foul mood, and you showed up at just the right moment."

Duke Darun, having already drawn his sword, displayed madness as he began to slaughter the goblins.

The Duke of the Empire rampaged, truly living up to his moniker, the Mad Dog.

He was gleefully slicing through monsters as if venting his previous stress.

The commanders, who had been watching blankly, belatedly snapped back to reality and soon followed with the rest of the troops.

"Follow His Grace the Duke!"

The soldiers roared as they charged.

The large army advanced alongside endlessly echoing roars.

But that was only for a moment.

Unidentified dolls appearing from the bushes began to dig into their rear.

"W-What the... What are these marionette dolls?!"

"Stay calm! They’re just dolls at best!"

"These bastards are each holding different weapons! Respond carefully!"

The hands of the spear-wielding soldiers became frantically busy against the procession of dolls surging forward one after another.

However, they continually reassembled no matter how many times they were smashed, and the casualties gradually mounted.

Eventually, Duke Darun stepped in himself and cleaved the dolls in half with a single breath, but the situation remained the same.

"This is ridiculous. To think they endlessly reassemble no matter how much I cut them."

"Your Grace, Duke Darun. It appears there is a caster controlling the dolls hiding nearby."

"Good. I’ll be right back."

"Y-Your Grace?!"

Duke Darun vanished before even hearing the rest of the explanation.

With additional monsters swarming in from the front, the commander’s complexion turned pale.