A deafening roar echoed from the screen as thick trees toppled over. A man emerged through the slowly clearing smoke. It was Darun, swinging his sword wildly like a madman.

"They call him the Mad Dog. Turns out he relieves his stress with his sword when he’s pissed off."

—"Um, Taehyun? I’m being chased right now."

"For an A-rank hero, he sure likes to act tough for no reason."

—"Waaah! I said I’m being chased!"

An urgent voice rang in his ears. Only then did Taehyun turn his gaze toward the Puppeteer, who was running away in tears. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Ah, right. You won’t die anyway, so don’t worry. Sure, it’ll hurt a bit when you get reverse-summoned, but you can handle that much. Right, Roquin?"

—"Aaagh! I hate you, Taehyun!"

Roquin was always the one suffering, but it couldn’t be helped. Not only had she already been spotted by the sharp-sensed Mad Dog, but her dolls were absolutely necessary to hold back the Imperial Army. Besides...

"You really have a mischievous side, Taehyun," Riel sighed. She was sitting beside him, healing the dolls through the screen, and was also essential to this battle.

"Hey, this is nothing. During the last request, you were summoned as an F-rank due to a penalty. Stop whining when you’re already a B-rank."

"I recall you wandering around crying just like that back then, too."

He cleared his throat. "Let’s drop that subject."

He recalled his memories of wandering through countless dimensions as a Dimensional Traveler. Even with the body of a Demonic King, there were many times he had suffered like a dog. However, Arin, oblivious to the details, tried to step out of the room as she watched the two converse so intimately. Taehyun grabbed her hand.

"Where are you going? Stay here."

"I..."

"It’s fine. Stay here. I actually prefer having you around, Arin."

Pulled by Taehyun’s hand, Arin belatedly nodded. It seemed even she was helpless before Riel’s bright smile. Just as the atmosphere in the room shifted, Darun’s sword, which had been making a mess of the forest, aimed straight at Roquin.

—"Eek! Save me, Taehyun! I don’t want to die!"

—"You rat-like bitch. I’ll cut you down in a single strike!"

At the moment of crisis, the goblins waiting in the bushes threw themselves forward.

The suicide bombers exploded in a chain reaction. It had been worth planting the suicide bombs in advance through the merchant guild.

"Now. Use it quickly."

—"Ugh. You’re so mean!"

While their vision was obscured by the smoke, a large hammer materialized in Roquin’s hand.

[Puppeteer Roquin has activated To a Faraway Place.]

[Mad Dog Darun Solodos is returned to Hype Gorge.]

Although the effect was halved due to a penalty, it worked perfectly. Taehyun slapped his knee as he watched Darun fly far away.

"That’s it. It’s a home run!"

"Oh my, it really is. Anyway, what will happen to the duke now?"

"He’ll probably regroup with the remaining mercenaries. Now we can just comfortably chip away at the Imperial Army left in the forest."

Having lost their commander-in-chief, there was no telling how long the Imperial Army’s momentum would last. Since Darun had flown toward the mercenaries exactly as planned, the dungeon soldiers could more easily harass the Paslan Empire’s soldiers.

"Good. Keep pumping out those dolls, Roquin!"

—"Waaah. I don’t want any more unpaid exploitation!"

"Ahahahaha!"

At the Demonic King’s wicked laughter, the two women beside him shook their heads.

---

The mercenaries had escaped the Outpost. Now, they were forced to make a choice. Whether to run away and live a life chased by the Paslan Empire, or to regroup with the main force in the forest.

"The Paslan Empire is a powerful nation. We can never outrun them. We’ll be caught quickly, and our heads will roll on the guillotine. It’s better to explain the situation to Duke Darun Solodos in the forest and regroup with them for now."

Cliff stood at the center, coaxing the mercenaries to head back into the forest, but the problem lay elsewhere.

’Do we really have to listen to the guy who tried to abandon us?’

’Damn it. If it weren’t for this situation, I would’ve run away ages ago.’

’Mercenary Captain, my ass. I’m quitting the Red Wolf Mercenary Company the moment we get back!’

Their trust and loyalty had plummeted after nearly becoming scapegoats. The mercenaries silently followed their captain, but glared at him with resentment. As this atmosphere persisted, Cliff finally realized that their gazes were less than friendly.

’At this rate, a riot will break out before we even regroup. We should be arriving at Medes Forest soon; this is a huge problem.’

They had almost made it out of Hype Gorge. The officers, who had received separate instructions, kept giving the men pointed looks, but the mercenary company was in a state where a mutiny could happen at any moment. Just as they were anxiously trying to leave the gorge... A heavy thud echoed as something fell from the sky.

"Ugh. That damn Puppeteer bitch. Where did she send me?"

"Duke Darun Solodos?!"

"You lot?"

It was the commander-in-chief with familiar blonde hair. It was none other than Darun. Cliff, the first to notice, hurriedly began to explain the situation.

"...So that’s what happened. And the surviving soldiers?"

"Unfortunately, it seems they all died in battle. The only survivors are us, the Red Wolf Mercenary Company."

"Tsk. Figures. You all just tucked your tails and ran away by yourselves during the ambush."

"That’s unfair. We—!"

Cliff hurriedly tried to argue back, but Darun had already waved his hand dismissively and turned his back. Watching this, the mercenaries gritted their teeth, and Cliff hung his head in frustration.

"Enough. Everyone, follow me. We’re heading back to Medes Forest first."

"...Understood."

In a situation with a clear hierarchy, there was nothing more to argue about. The mercenaries were forced to follow Darun, and an increasingly tense atmosphere settled over their already deteriorating relationship. Stress built up in the uneasy silence. They gnashed their teeth even more at the Duke’s gaze, which looked down on them as if they were pathetic.

"Duke Darun Solodos, how about utilizing the Exclusive Items from now on?"

"Are you telling me to rely on that kind of trash right now?"

"T-This isn’t trash, it’s..."

"You’re looking down on me just because I fell for a cheap trick once. Fine. I’ll cut off your tongue entirely so you can’t spout such nonsense anymore."

As the vicinity of Medes Forest slowly came into view, a fierce aura was directed at the mercenary company. Cliff swallowed dryly as he looked at the blade touching his neck, while the mercenaries trailing behind him glared at their captain in annoyance.

’He should have just stayed quiet. Why does he keep provoking the Mad Dog?’

’Who doesn’t know the importance of items? Is he trying to get us all killed?!’

’He used to be a reliable captain; why is he being so tactless!’

It was only natural to aim for the Dungeon Master in one fell swoop since their supplies were practically cut off, but the atmosphere didn’t allow for it. Especially since Darun was rumored to have a vicious personality, the mercenaries just hoped to escape with their lives. Fortunately, with a sharp ’clack’, he sheathed his sword and let out a sigh.

"No. There’s no need to do this to you lot. But remember this. If you mention items one more time or use an item in front of me, your heads will roll."

"...I will keep that in mind."

Perhaps due to his exceptionally strong pride, he unconditionally tried to handle things with his own strength. The mercenaries were relieved that they had at least saved their lives, and Cliff didn’t bring up the subject anymore.

’Damn it. Things are getting more and more twisted because of his arrogant personality. I should just quietly follow along while taking out the Familiar Supporters.’

The enemy might have already grasped their psychological state and relationship through their vision. However, precisely because of that, he had to eliminate their eyes even more thoroughly from now on.

"We’re finally back. Hmm. Are they still fighting?"

Upon entering the forest, the voices of soldiers could be heard from afar. Darun headed toward the location of the engagement without hesitation, and the mercenaries followed him. When they arrived at the source of the noise, they saw a small unit surrounded by werewolves.

"What the... Where did the other units go?!"

"D-Duke!"

"Damn it. This is getting more and more annoying."

Amidst the corpses of the werewolves chopped to pieces in a single strike, the furious Darun’s eyes grew terrifying.

---

A day had passed since they entered the forest. Due to the dolls that suddenly rushed in, the soldiers had long since been scattered into small units, and the unit he was in charge of had also lost its way in the vast forest.

’We’re playing right into the Dungeon Master’s tricks. We need to regroup with the other units quickly!’

In the commander’s experience, being scattered like this would only lead to them being defeated one by one. Dispers quenched his thirst with the water in his pouch and checked his emergency rations. He sighed inwardly.

’To think this is all that’s left when our supply lines are cut. Two days at most. The soldiers are exhausted too, so we’ll have to move while resting as much as possible.’

Of course, they were always keeping a strict watch. Because it was a forest where monsters could ambush them at any moment, they were still thoroughly scanning their surroundings.

"Commander. We still can’t see the other units. Could they have all been taken out?"

"Don’t talk nonsense. Even if Duke Darun isn’t here, we aren’t that weak. Besides, seeing as we haven’t heard any screams, we can assume we’re just far away."

"That would be a relief, but still."

"Anyway, at this rate..."

Just as he was reassuring the soldiers, a rustle came from the nearby bushes as they shook. At the same time, footsteps echoed around them. It didn’t seem like it was just the wind blowing.

"...Everyone, stay alert."

"Understood."

Although they were separated from the main force, they still had twenty soldiers on their side. Amidst a strange tension, Dispers tightly gripped the sword in his hand and slowly headed toward the source of the sound at the front, preparing for any unforeseen situations.

At that moment, two soldiers in the rear collapsed simultaneously.

"W-What the... Where are you hiding?!"

"Don’t panic. The arrows flew from the front. It seems an enemy archer is hiding."

The soldiers had lost their lives with arrows lodged exactly in their foreheads. Judging by the trajectory, they had definitely flown from above and in front of them. Dispers quickly ordered his archers to return fire, and he charged forward, deflecting another incoming arrow.

’That’s the one!’

A single silhouette was faintly visible through the gaps in the trees. Without delay, he swung his sword in a swift trajectory, heading straight for the target. No, it ’should’ have headed for it.

A sickening squelch echoed as a blade pierced flesh.

’T-This... There’s another one...’

His vision gradually blurred. It seemed a blade thrust from behind had pierced his heart. Dispers’s consciousness slowly faded away along with the successive screams of his soldiers. And just before he drew his last breath, he could hear a man’s voice.

"I was dragged here without even being able to keep the promise I made to my daughter, you see. I’m sorry, but I need you to die quickly."

It was a final remark he couldn’t understand at all.