The northern Paslan Empire was a historic nation with a legacy spanning hundreds of years. It had once aimed for continental conquest, spreading the name of Paslan far and wide, but those days were long gone. Following the ascension of the new emperor, sweeping policy changes were implemented. Internal affairs were now governed by four dukes who served as the empire’s pillars.

Any dissenting nobles and factions were promptly beheaded. By embracing a new religion, they ushered in the era of the New Paslan.

"...Or so people think, but the reality is quite different."

New Paslan? What a joke. The Crown Prince had been nothing more than a puppet from the very beginning. If anything, the empire was having its deep-rooted traditions systematically erased from the inside out.

"Hehehe. Are you dissatisfied?"

The mastermind behind this entire scheme spoke to me. Dissatisfied? Not at all. I had been intrigued the moment he first made the proposal. I was destined to be shackled to the imperial family as their loyal dog anyway.

Rather than remaining a half-baked duke, joining their cause was a far better option.

"Not at all. I’m actually grateful. Gaining my freedom is a massive reward in itself."

"That is a relief, then."

"So, what brings you here today?"

"Hehehe. It is nothing major. One of the Rifts installed in the North has been destroyed. Seeing as a nearby city was attacked by monsters, it seems a new Dungeon Master has appeared and tampered with it."

The man in the black robe let out a sinister laugh and held out the Crystal Sphere. Honestly, Rifts and monster attacks had nothing to do with me, but his point was clear.

"You want me to go take care of it. But considering the empire’s stance, we can’t just blindly launch an expedition, can we?"

"Do not worry. Most of Paslan’s citizens have already converted to the Behemoth Cult. If you were to set out for a sacred ritual, the New Paslan would welcome it with open arms."

"Judging by that look on your face, you’ve already sweet-talked the imperial family. Fine. What’s the Dungeon Grade? Even for me, anything above an A-rank dungeon would be a hassle."

"Hehehe. Please do not worry about that either. I have already taken measures; they should be struggling with all sorts of Curses right about now. I have stored the rest of the information in this Crystal Sphere, so you may prepare for the expedition at your leisure."

As expected, the man was extremely dangerous. On the outside, he looked like nothing more than a moldy old man, but on the inside, he was a bastard harboring thousands of venomous snakes. I skimmed the words floating in the Crystal Sphere before turning away. Regardless, it had been a while since I had real work to do, so I needed to get ready. A blade slid from its sheath with a sharp ring.

I was once known as the Mad Dog to the surrounding kingdoms. Even if the opponent was incredibly weak, it would serve as a decent warm-up.

"Then I will leave it in your capable hands. Darun—no, Your Grace, Duke Darun Solodos."

"Ah, hold on. Come to think of it, I never caught your name. What is it?"

The man fell silent.

A red glint shone from within the shadows of his hood. He curled the corners of his mouth into a slight smile and answered.

"My name is Balak."

---

Day 20. All the soldiers guarding Radik had been reduced to corpses. The warehouse that had been slowly filling up was completely empty. Even the dungeon’s interior, which had been upgraded by investing Zen, had reverted to its original, familiar state. What in the world had happened?

It was a situation that hadn’t occurred even under the Previous Master, leaving me extremely bewildered.

"Damn it. Is it because I messed with the Rift? I’m so dumbfounded I can’t even speak. I need to check again. Arin, wait here."

Taehyun had gone down to the Basement as soon as day broke. It seemed he referred to the giant hole he had sealed with Grai as a Rift. However, he didn’t explain the details to me. I simply waited quietly as ordered.

I stood there in silence.

Suddenly, the corpses of the soldiers scattered across the floor caught my eye. Their entire bodies were dyed black and rapidly decaying. Taehyun had called it the Black Plague and explicitly told me not to touch them, but I couldn’t help but keep looking. Eventually, I manifested my mana and levitated the bodies into the air.

"Phew. Anyway, that’s how hard it was. So you guys need to do better. Right?!"

’Psst.’

"Hey. Aren’t you punks going to clap?"

As I moved the corpses to a corner, memories from a few days ago surfaced. Normally, I wouldn’t have cared about mere soldiers, but today felt different. After finishing the simple cleanup, the first-floor hallway was spotless once again.

"What’s this? When did you clear away all the corpses?"

Just then, Taehyun appeared, scratching his head.

"The inside of Radik looked cluttered, so I used my mana to clear them away."

"Hmm. You didn’t go near them, did you?"

"I did not." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Really?"

"Yes."

As he stared intently into my face, I felt a little self-conscious. I wondered if there was something on my face, but as someone who possessed cleansing magic, that was highly unlikely. Rather, it seemed he had some other concern, as he soon let out a deep sigh.

"I forgot that you’re a Homun... Phew. Anyway, I forgot your body is immune to diseases."

"I am fine."

It was obvious what word he had omitted, but I didn’t bother pointing it out. For some reason, I didn’t want to hear it either, and this new feeling was entirely perplexing to me. However, I didn’t let it show and calmly asked about Radik’s current situation instead.

"It seems the Basement isn’t the problem. A Curse like this is likely a conditional activation spell prepared in advance by the caster. I want to hunt down the culprit right away, but I think I need to go somewhere first."

"What about the A-Rank Hero coming to Radik...?"

"Ah, that’s exactly why I’m going. I have things to prepare, and I figure I’ll check on the guys while I’m at it."

"In that case, I will guard the dungeon until you return. Please tell me your exact schedule in advance."

There was no need for a reason. Guarding the territory when the master was away was a given for a Homunculus. But why was I feeling so anxious? I already knew what his answer would be, yet before I knew it, I was hoping for a different one.

"Will you be okay on your own?"

"Of course."

"Hmm. I guess it can’t be helped, then."

Taehyun slowly walked away. If he left like this, I would have to guard Radik all by myself for a while. At that thought, an urge to hold onto him suddenly washed over me.

’No.’

I forced myself to grip my own arm and turned my head away. If the master wasn’t here, who would guard the dungeon? Considering the swarming Adventurers, accompanying him was out of the question.

"What are you doing?"

Just as my mind was growing complicated, Taehyun’s voice called out from afar. He was gesturing toward me.

"Why are you just standing there instead of getting ready to leave?"

"...What do you mean?"

"You’re coming with me, Arin."

Seeing him flash a slight smile, I couldn’t say a word.

---

That day, a massive golem was summoned at the entrance of the cave. It was a new soldier of Taehyun’s that had appeared after Raviz. Its sheer size aside, its roar was incredibly loud. It was so booming that I sometimes had to cover my ears, making me anxious that it might unnecessarily attract more Adventurers.

"Deshkar, guard the house well."

The golem let out a deafening roar.

"Phew. You’re all volume."

Deshkar was a special Titan Golem, even among golems. Unlike other soldiers, its summon duration lasted about half a day. Taehyun was confident that it wouldn’t budge for a while, but honestly, I couldn’t gauge its true strength. However, that question was answered when a group of Adventurers appeared right before our departure.

A massive boulder crushed the middle of the forest.

The Adventurers heading toward Radik using a map died instantly without even knowing what hit them.

"How did it do that without sharing vision with a Familiar Summon?"

"It’s because he naturally has a wide field of vision. With Deshkar around, we won’t flinch even if hundreds of S-rank heroes invade."

Taehyun gave it a very generous evaluation. It probably meant he trusted Deshkar that much. For some reason, my mind grew complicated with an unknown feeling.

"Alright, shall we get going then?"

"Where is our destination?"

"Ah, over in the Divine Realm."

"Pardon?"

I asked again, wondering if I had misheard. But it seemed I had heard perfectly right.

"I said the Divine Realm."

In an instant, a massive door appeared behind him. The golden door was tightly bound by chains on both sides, but before I even had time to panic, the entrance swung wide open, pouring out bright light. As I blankly blinked my eyes, Taehyun bowed deeply and offered his hand.

"Let us go, milady."

"...Milady?"

"It means I’m giving you a special escort today. Follow me."

As I stood still and tilted my head, he simply took my hand and led the way. The first thing I saw upon entering the massive door was a giant castle. And a colorful city sprawling out with the castle at its center. A horse neighed in the distance.

"Bear, bear!"

Birds cawed and creatures shrieked. Horses and Bear Dolls I had never seen before in my life were running all over the city. I also saw familiar wyverns in the blue sky, but for some reason, their cries sounded strange.

"Let me introduce you. This is the world I created, Balak Land."

I was completely speechless.

Why did the mood shatter the moment I heard the name? It seemed Taehyun had absolutely no talent for naming things.

’Still, it’s amazing.’

To be able to create a world like this meant he was just that incredible. I looked around the city, taking in the streets.

Humans, dwarves, elves, orcs, and more—residents of all races could be seen. It seemed they had spotted us too, as their gazes gathered in our direction. Taehyun naturally cleared his throat and waved his hand.

"Ahem. Has everyone been doing well?"

The crowd responded with dead silence.

He offered a greeting, but no one reacted. Rather, they were glaring viciously, each picking up a stone. I sensed that something was going wrong and quickly stepped back.

"You useless lord! Where have you been wandering around this time?!"

"Hey, look at that. Looks like he laid his hands on another woman. What a womanizer!"

"There are already so many people who have fallen into his arms, isn’t this too much?!"

The residents grew fiercely angry and started throwing stones.

"Waaah! I’m innocent. I’m innocent, I tell you!"

"Get him! Everyone, chase him! Don’t let him get away!"

Ultimately, Taehyun chose to flee and was soon chased by the mob. Only then did I realize I had been left alone on the now-quiet street.

I stood there, dumbfounded.

Was he really the master of this world? The thought suddenly crossed my mind, but finding him was the top priority right now. The problem, however, was that I didn’t know the geography of this city. I slowly took a step and looked around.

"Damn it, I thought it was quiet for a while, but he comes back and causes a ruckus already. Hm?"

I happened to lock eyes with a young man coming out of a building. A handsome young man with blue hair and golden eyes. He had all sorts of tools hanging from his clothes and was scratching his head as if annoyed.

"I’ve never seen your face before. Who are you?"

"I followed Taehyun here, I am A—"

"Tsk. Must be a guest. Follow me. I’ll guide you to the castle."

And so, before I even had time to refuse, I followed the nameless man toward the center of the city.