SSS-Rank Overlord: Defend the Dungeon or Die-Chapter 156: Episode

Day two. A full day had passed in the Mind Field. There was no hunger, no thirst. Just a relentless battle of nerves against the raider sitting before him.

[The Eleonora Raid Party has appeared at the edge of the Revived Plains.]

The raid party, having passed through the Hylon Forest, entered the plains. Kadum and the high elves still hadn’t found Eleonora’s real body. He had no choice but to begin the defense.

Taehyun and Inhye each grabbed their communication devices and began issuing orders.

“Position Deshkar and the Catapult Drakes near the Silent Forest. Have Raviz on standby to summon them immediately if needed.”

“Sihwan, an A-rank Hero Golem and ten Catapult Drakes are on standby near the Silent Forest. The golem has a Rock Throw skill, and the drakes have been modified for increased range and firepower. And the guardian named Raviz...”

“The A-rank raider Sihwan is at the far right of the vanguard. He’s a magic swordsman who uses a short sword, and his main skill utilizes waves...”

“The class composition of Balak’s soldiers is...”

They each gave orders based on information gleaned from the questions and their shared screens.

“Spread the familiar summons in all directions...”

“He’s trying to gain vision with familiars. In that case...”

One person formed a plan, the other instantly deciphered it and prepared a counter. The stalemate continued.

[Deshkar has thrown a rock.]

[Sihwan blocks the rock.]

[B-rank Familiar summons spread across the Revived Plains.]

[The Eleonora Raid Party retreats.]

The situation unfolded with neither side taking any damage. The raid party retreated and began killing the familiars to cut off his vision. Taehyun bit his lip as he watched the screen. If this continued, the dungeon was at a disadvantage. Even if neither side took damage, the raiders would continuously press forward. The battle would proceed without either side giving an inch until, inevitably, he was conquered.

“Have you finally realized the true terror of the Mind Field?” Inhye asked, a faint smile on her lips.

“...Shut up.”

“Now, hurry and give your next order. So I can prepare accordingly.”

Taehyun gritted his teeth. “You fucking bitch.”

Day three. Kadum and the high elves still hadn’t found Inhye’s real body. As he gradually ran out of questions to ask, the raid party arrived before the Silent Forest.

’Plink.’

The item fell from his hand. He opened his palm to reveal it was slick with cold sweat. In front of him sat Inhye, smiling. On the screen, Sihwan was engaging his core forces.

[A-rank Raider Ceder has cast Wave Splitter.]

[A-rank Guardian Grai has cast Surging Wave Sword.]

Two powerful wave-based attacks collided in mid-air, but the difference in power was instantly obvious. One was immediately overwhelmed. The winner, naturally, was Ceder—no, Sihwan. There was no way he, a high-tier A-rank, would lose to an ordinary A-rank like Grai.

[Knight Grai has sustained a critical injury.]

Grai dropped to one knee, collapsing. Mederia and Angelina, who had been fighting raiders on either side of him, hurriedly switched their targets to Sihwan. But he lightly deflected their magic bullets, his own attack piercing through Angelina’s defense.

Taehyun was too stunned to speak. Even with three guardians ganging up on him, they were no match. Balak’s soldiers were also engaged, but it wasn’t a simple difference in skill. It was an inability to fully utilize their abilities. With the opponent knowing everything—terrain, positioning, strategy, items, and every order—perhaps it was inevitable.

“You should hurry and use that guardian Raviz’s summon skill to recall your core forces,” Inhye advised coolly. “Otherwise, they might all die along with the soldiers.”

“...Riel. Summon the three of them.”

“Sihwan, three of the core forces are being recalled via summon. Just finish off the remaining soldiers. Taking out four hundred of them is more than enough of a gain.”

Once again, the orders were exchanged. An injured Grai, Mederia, and Angelina were summoned back to Balak while the raid party finished off the remaining soldiers. With this, Balak had lost over eight hundred troops. He had managed to save his core forces, but at this rate, there was no chance of winning. Normally, he would have used a surprise attack to eliminate the B-rank raiders first before taking on Sihwan, but the Mind Field made even attempting that impossible.

Taehyun gritted his teeth as he assessed the damage. ’I can’t afford to needlessly sacrifice any more soldiers. Calm down, Taehyun Yoo. Don’t be a fool and let that bitch get to you. Don’t rush.’

The mercenary Raimon was still available. Including his new ally, Katarniak, he had two dungeons he could call on for support. Taehyun calmly opened the Faction Community window.

Inhye watched with amusement. “The Faction Community window? I can see that too, you know. Are you opening it anyway?”

“Shut up,” Taehyun snapped, ignoring her as he requested help from Songyi and Narae.

—I’ll send Badon.

—Sorry. I’m busy fending off a raiding party right now. I don’t think I can help at the moment.

It seemed Katarniak was also under attack, so Narae was out.

’That leaves Songyi. But if I summon Badon, can I handle the aftermath?’

Support from an allied dungeon only lasted for one hour. After that, any summoned guardian or keeper would return to their original dungeon. Besides, summoning Badon was a risk; he was hesitant because of Larkan.

Of course, even if he summoned another Guardian, they would be no match for Sihan. It was a difficult position, but for now, he needed Badon’s help.

“I’m counting on you,” Taehyun sent.

“Okay. I’ll send him right over,” Songyi replied instantly.

A moment later, a summoning circle materialized inside the Master Room.

[A-rank Hero Guardian Badon from the A-rank dungeon Antelos has come to provide support.]

[Support will be maintained for one hour.]

A powerfully built man appeared on the screen—the A-rank Hero Guardian, Badon. He looked thoroughly displeased, but perhaps because of Songyi’s request, he remained silent.

“Riel,” Taehyun commanded, “move Sieghart, Raviz, Roquin, and Badon to the Forest of Silence with the soldiers.”

“Yes, Master. Understood. Should I use any other items?”

“That bastard Sihan has a peacock, so we don’t need to prioritize vision. Just engage them head-on. Strategy is useless at this point.”

“Understood. I’ll dispatch them immediately.”

On the screen, Riel was briefing the scowling Badon. He gave a belated nod before moving toward the Forest of Silence with the rest of Taehyun’s main forces.

Taehyun let out a sigh of relief as he watched Inhye. Flustered by the appearance of an A-rank Hero Guardian, she was hastily ordering a retreat.

’She won’t get away that easily.’

Inhye must have seen that Badon was only there for an hour. He couldn’t let the raiding party escape unscathed.

“Riel, order Badon to pursue them.”

“He says... not to order him around.”

“Remind him that he’s only here because of Songyi’s request.”

“He says he understands.”

With that, Badon began his pursuit. A pugilist by trade, he shot through the forest, a solitary blur of motion as he chased the raiding party alone.

“Sihan, a Guardian named Badon is heading your way alone.”

“I just saw him,” Sihan replied. “What’s the plan?”

“Engage him. If you don’t think you can win, use Position Shift immediately.”

The raiding party had set a marker before departing. Taehyun knew this thanks to the Mind Field; if Badon’s time limit was only an hour, they could potentially escape without taking any damage.

Inhye lowered her communication device and studied Taehyun. The man who had been visibly anxious just moments ago now seemed remarkably composed.

’I suppose it’s a win for him either way,’ she thought. ’He either damages my party or forces us to use Position Shift to buy himself more time.’

From Taehyun’s perspective, escaping the Mind Field was his top priority. By asking his faction for help right in front of her, he was signaling his allies to force the raiders’ hand. He was trying to find her real body to neutralize the Mind Field, but as long as he couldn’t decipher the trick behind her ability, his efforts were futile. Inhye kept her expression carefully neutral as she stared at the screen.

---

Meanwhile, Badon scowled as he launched himself through the air. In the distance, the raiding party came into view.

’To think I have to help a guy like this,’ he fumed internally. ’How absurd. If it weren’t for my Master’s request, I never would have come.’

He recalled Songyi’s stern warning. She had ordered him to assist Balak to the best of his ability, but he couldn’t shake his irritation.

’I’ll just chase them off and get back as quickly as possible.’

The raiders were still fleeing, not having used any items yet. Badon closed the distance in an instant and prepared to cast a skill, but the swordsman at the head of the group moved to block his path.

“Looks like you’ll have to get through me first,” Sihan said.

“Hmph. You’re no S-rank Raider. In that case, words are unnecessary!”

An intense chill erupted from Badon’s body—it was the Frost Storm he had used when leading the Frost Queen’s army. He unleashed the tempest, aiming it directly at Sihan.

“So this is the power of an A-rank Hero Guardian,” Sihan muttered, bracing himself. “This is going to be close.”

He countered with a flurry of skills, but even the powerful wave attacks that had wounded Grai were useless against Badon.

“Ugh. It’s no use.”

“Then use Position Shift!” Inhye’s voice came through.

Sihan nodded and activated the item.

[The Eleonora raiding party has used a Position Shift item.]

[The Eleonora raiding party’s location will be changed to the previously saved position.]

The raiders vanished, and the Frost Storm tore through empty space. Badon deactivated the skill with a sigh.

“That should be enough.”

Riel had already told him they’d set a marker. Even at top speed, it would take a day to catch up to them now. With only an hour on the clock, he was no longer of any use. Badon lay down on the forest floor to rest for the remainder of his time.

---

[The Eleonora raiding party has used a Position Shift item.]

[The Eleonora raiding party’s location will be changed to the previously saved position.]

The raiders reappeared near the entrance to Once, ready to head back toward Balak through the passage.

’Back to square one,’ Taehyun thought. ’They used Position Shift, and I bought some time. I couldn’t damage them with Badon, but I knew about the marker, so I wasn’t expecting much. Now, all that’s left is to find that bitch’s real body, escape this place, and kill Sihan with my remaining forces.’

If he could just break free of the Mind Field, his main guardians could handle a high A-rank Raider. Taehyun dismissed the troops from the Forest of Silence and replayed Inhye’s words in his mind, searching for a crack in her deception.

“I see trees. I see bushes, too. And right in front of me, pretty flowers are growing.”

“Mind Field and Invisibility are active.”

Her first answer about her location and status had clearly suggested a forest. Taehyun had immediately sent Kadum and the High Elves to search, but they found nothing. He had them sweep the entire territory again, just in case, but came up empty. It didn’t match her second answer, where she had specified two active skills.

’Every time, she’s answered truthfully. The system messages confirmed it, so she can’t be lying. What forest is she talking about? Since she cast Mind Field, she has to be within my territory.’

The mystery deepened. If she were merely invisible, the Hunter’s Eye should have spotted her.

“Mind Field is activated at the cost of my life force. Once active, it drains continuously until the raid is over. If we succeed before I die, my life force returns, but a portion of it is lost forever. That’s why I try not to use it.”

“Keep talking.”

“It also increases the skill restriction penalty on the raiding party, including penalties on exclusive items. To explain in detail...”

Taehyun recalled her explanation of the penalties. He’d felt it then, too—the penalties imposed on the raiders were slightly more severe than he’d expected.

’Did I miss something?’

A nagging feeling persisted—he was missing something crucial. But no matter how hard he wracked his brain, the answer remained elusive.

[The second effect of Mind Field has been activated.]

[An opportunity to ask each other questions will be given at regular intervals.]

[The person who receives a question must answer truthfully.]

As the question time returned, Taehyun resolved to dig deeper into her location.

---

Day four. The raiding party had entered Thrice once again. Taehyun sighed and picked up his communication device.

“We still can’t find her. What should we do now?” Even the ever-composed Riel sounded anxious, her voice trembling.

“Don’t get worked up. Calm down,” Taehyun said, his voice steady. “As you can see, the party is re-entering Thrice. We still have plenty of time.”

“Do you really?” Inhye cut in. “Search for a hundred days. You’ll never find my body.”

“Shut up. I’m talking with my partner. God, you’re rude.”

“...You seem awfully relaxed for someone in your position.”

Inhye turned away, looking fed up. Taehyun finished calming Riel down and ended the call. As he did, he noticed how pale Inhye had become, a clear side effect of the Mind Field.

’So the side effects are real, at least.’ Her occasional violent coughing fits confirmed it wasn’t an act.

[The second effect of Mind Field has been activated.]

[An opportunity to ask each other questions will be given at regular intervals.]

[The person who receives a question must answer truthfully.]

The system announced the return of question time, and Taehyun immediately pressed the button. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

“First question. What do you see right now?”

“I already told you. I see trees and bushes. And right behind me, I see pretty flowers.”

“Second que—Wait, what did you just say?”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve already answered the first question. Please proceed to the next one.”

A faint tremor in her eyes—Taehyun saw it and seized the opening.

“Fine. Second question. What do you see right now?”

“Sigh. I see trees and bushes. Birds fly by occasionally. And there are a lot of pretty flowers all around me.”

A different answer. But it still painted the picture of a forest.

’So there are just a lot of flowers around her? I pushed because her answer changed, but maybe that’s all it was.’

It was possible she was just being clever, but her explanation was plausible. For now, he had nothing to go on. Feeling like he was back where he started, Taehyun considered his third question.

’I’ve been asking about the raiding party since the first session, and she’s told the truth every time. There’s nothing more to learn there. I have to keep pressing on her location.’

---

Day six. Two days had passed since Badon was summoned. The raiding party was already deep inside Balak, and her body was still missing.

’Cough, cough!’

As Inhye’s condition visibly worsened, Taehyun’s anxiety grew.

[The Eleonora raiding party has entered the 24th room.]

They were already in the twenty-fourth room. Since Inhye could see all his traps and their placements on her screen, a Bounty Hunter’s skills were useless.

“Sihan,” she instructed, “five Nightmares are hiding behind the rock on the right. In the bushes opposite, there are twenty-four Centaurs and fifteen Werewolves. Vision priority is gone, so you can take them out immediately.”

She was feeding them intel on every room, making a counter-offensive impossible.

’If she couldn’t see my screen, I could have used some kind of code to talk to Riel.’

The time to summon Raimond was fast approaching. Since the raiders had advanced with minimal losses, he had to use his remaining guardians to kill at least a few of them.

’Damn them. They even brought triple the food and camping supplies. With their stress levels stable, I have to at least slow them down.’

Taehyun decided to use Death’s Breath to disrupt their pace.

[The B-rank Dungeon Master’s unique skill ‘Death’s Breath’ has been cast.]

[For a set time, the raiders’ health will be gradually depleted.]

[For a set time, the raiders’ fatigue will accumulate.]

“Sihan, he cast Death’s Breath. I’m still fine, so slow your pace.”

“You don’t look fine at all,” Taehyun remarked.

“Weren’t you the one who just called me rude for interrupting your call, Taehyun?”

“Tsk.”

Ignoring her own deteriorating state, she slowed the party’s advance. Her coughing grew more severe, revealing her sheer desperation to conquer Balak. Taehyun clicked his tongue and stared at the screen. He’d slowed them down for now, but the situation would soon repeat itself.

’Location. Location. Location. Where is her location?’

His leg began to tremble. Prone to anxiety, Taehyun bit his nails as he sifted through his memories. Suddenly, he recalled Inhye explaining the rules.

“Of course, asking about my location is impossible according to the rules. It’ll be easier for you if you know that in advance. Now, who wants to ask first? There are three chances in total. You’re required to answer everything truthfully. It’ll activate at regular intervals, so take your time.”

She had explained the rules herself. Taehyun froze, rereading the system message that appeared during question time.

[An opportunity to ask each other questions will be given at regular intervals.]

[The person who receives a question must answer truthfully.]

’It doesn’t say anything about the number of questions. She might have just explained it for convenience, but it can’t hurt to check.’

Even when he’d asked about the penalties, something had felt off. If there were other disadvantages stacked against him, Inhye was surely concealing them.

[The second effect of Mind Field has been activated.]

[An opportunity to ask each other questions will be given at regular intervals.]

[The person who receives a question must answer truthfully.]

As question time returned, Taehyun quickly pressed the button.

“Asking first again, I see. Go on.”

“First question. How many men are in the raiding party?”

“...Forty-seven.”

“Second question. How many women are in the raiding party?”

“I don’t know why you keep asking these things, but there are thirty-three.”

“Alright. Then the final, third question.” Taehyun paused for effect before speaking again. “How many men are in the raiding party?”

“That’s...”

“How many men are in the party? Answer me!” Taehyun shouted.

Across from him, a flustered Inhye glanced at her screen, but the raiders’ appearances were concealed, making it impossible to distinguish their gender. Realizing her mistake, she broke into a cold sweat.

“Well? How many?”

“...Forty-eight.”

The answer to the third question was different from the first. And if he had to guess which one was the truth...

“The third answer is the truth,” Taehyun stated, a cold smile spreading across his face. “When you formed the party, you only sorted by class, so you never paid attention to gender. You only looked at the screen just now as a precaution, didn’t you?”

He had his confirmation. “I’ve finally found it. The secret to your Mind Field.”

---