The morning mist slowly lifted from the lands of the Etravia Kingdom.
Five adventurers resumed their journey toward the royal capital. On the small cart they took turns pulling behind them lay the severed head of a giant Wyvern. Its scales still gleamed under the sunlight.
Every time they passed through a village or along the road, the people who saw them stopped in their tracks.
"…Is that a Wyvern?" "That's a Wyvern, right?" "They actually killed it?"
Whispers followed them the entire way.
However… Reind and his four companions felt no pride at all. Because they knew the truth — they were not the ones who had slain the monster.
By midday, they finally arrived at the Adventurer Guild in the capital. As expected, the guild here was far busier than any other branch, being the headquarters. Adventurers crowded the mission boards, some drank at the tables, while others argued over quest rewards.
But the moment the guild doors opened, all conversation died.
The five adventurers walked in. Behind them, the small cart came to a stop. Then—
Thud!
The Wyvern's head was placed heavily right in front of the reception desk.
"…"
The entire room fell silent. A female receptionist even dropped her pen.
"…W-Wyvern?"
Reind nodded. "Proof of quest completion."
Several adventurers immediately rushed closer.
"Wait…" "That's an adult Wyvern." "It's almost three meters long…" "No way…" "Their party only has five people."
Not long after, the Guild Master of the Etravia Capital Branch, Gilbert, emerged from his office. He was a sturdy old man with white hair, yet his eyes remained sharp and piercing.
He crouched in front of the Wyvern's head and ran his hand across the wounds on its neck.
"…"
He stayed silent for a moment, then stood up.
"These wounds…" "They weren't made by a single type of weapon."
Everyone turned to look at him.
The Guild Master continued, "There are spear marks. Sword cuts. Arrow wounds. And…"
He narrowed his eyes. "…Heavy blunt force trauma from metal."
"There were a lot of attackers."
He looked at Reind. "Did you bring an army with you?"
Reind shook his head. "It wasn't us."
The Guild Master frowned. "Then who?"
The room fell silent once again.
Reind let out a slow breath. "…The Black Fortress in the western region."
The name instantly filled the entire hall.
"…Black Fortress?" "What is that?" "I've never heard of it."
Freya stepped forward. "Even a month ago… that place didn't exist."
Anneliese added, "But now… there stands a black fortress larger than most noble castles."
Some adventurers chuckled. "That's impossible." "In just one month?" "Don't joke around."
However, no one from Reind's party laughed.
The Guild Master carefully studied their faces one by one. "…You're serious."
Reind nodded. "Unfortunately… that's not even the hardest part to believe."
The Guild Master crossed his arms. "Go on."
Reind stared at the Wyvern's head. "The entire Wyvern pack… was wiped out. Not by an army. Not by the Knight Order. And not by adventurers either."
He paused for a moment.
"Then?" the Guild Master asked.
Reind took a slow breath. "…By a maid."
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
Then the entire guild exploded.
"…What?!" "A maid?" "Bullshit!" "That's a Wyvern, not a Goblin!"
Some people even burst into loud laughter.
But the Guild Master didn't laugh at all. He knew Reind well. In all the years he had been an adventurer, the man had never exaggerated his reports. If he said it… it meant he had seen it with his own eyes.
The Guild Master asked again, "Then… who owns that fortress?"
Reind slowly shook his head. "We only know one name." "…Sir Hax."
The Guild Master quietly repeated the name. "…Hax…"
He searched his memory. Slowly, a recollection surfaced.
A knight in black armor who had once come to this guild to exchange materials from a Red Dragon.
"You mean that black-armored knight from another country?!"
Reind nodded. "That's right. The black-armored knight… who once fought alongside Hero Seraphina in Eisenvald City."
Gilbert fell silent.
He remembered the man in black armor—the one who had come to his guild a few weeks ago, selling Red Dragon scales as if they were nothing more than ordinary wolf pelts.
"...Sir Hax."
He repeated the name quietly.
"So he built a fortress in the western region..."
"I need to report this to the palace."
----
At almost the same time…
Inside Black Fortress.
Hax stood alone on the castle balcony. Down below, life was slowly beginning to bloom. Thin columns of smoke rose from the chimneys of the houses. Several women were hanging laundry to dry. Children ran and played along the stone-paved streets. Their laughter gradually replaced the heavy silence that once blanketed the fortress.
Not far away, Cain and Arven were repairing a wooden fence around one of the houses. Several Puppet Soldiers helped lift the heavy beams. Meanwhile, the other residents busied themselves with tasks they had chosen themselves. No one was given orders. No one was forced to work. Yet everything still moved forward.
…
Only two people had yet to return.
Nocelle. And Lyra.
Hax's gaze slowly shifted toward the mountains in the northwest — in the direction of the still-active dungeon.
Before him floated a transparent screen, its surface resembling clear glass. Inside it, the stone corridors deep underground were clearly visible. Hundreds of Puppet Soldiers moved in formation. Nocelle gave commands. Lyra fought at her side. Everything was visible, as if the dungeon itself were right in front of him.
…
He watched silently, without saying a word. The battle was still under control. His intervention wasn't needed yet.
However… at some point, his eyes had stopped leaving the screen even for a moment.
The System then displayed several updates.
[Puppet Army Remaining: 87%] [Lyra Status: Normal] [Nocelle Status: Normal]
Hax read them slowly, then gave a small nod.
"…Good."
His voice sounded flat. Even so, he only looked away from the screen after confirming that both of them were truly fine.
Even the System seemed to understand what its master was thinking. A small window appeared again.
[Action Recommendation] No Intervention Required
Hax closed it. "…I know."
He turned his gaze back to the settlement below the fortress. Children were laughing. Residents were working. Kitchen smoke drifted gently into the twilight sky.
Meanwhile, far away in the capital… the names of the Black Knight Hax and Black Fortress… were beginning to spread from mouth to mouth.
And Hax himself… was completely unaware of it.
----
The dungeon's core corridor was filled with the sound of clashing metal.
CLANG!BOOOM!
A Puppet Knight was blasted backward, slamming hard into the stone wall. Cracks spiderwebbed across its armor.
But even before its body could hit the ground, two other Puppet Knights had already taken its place.
The Dullahan spun its sword. Black flames exploded outward in a wide circle. More than a dozen Puppet Spearmen were instantly shattered into pieces. Fragments of wood and steel flew everywhere.
It laughed loudly. "Hahaha!" "How many dolls do you even have?" "A hundred?" "A thousand?"
Nocelle remained standing calmly. "Not enough."
The Dullahan frowned. "Not enough?"
Nocelle raised one finger. "Skill: Puppet Production."
From the Dimensional Rift came the sound of thousands of gears turning in unison. The clinking of metal. The hiss of steam. It was as if… a massive factory was operating behind that rift.
Grrrr…
Lyra glanced over. "…?"
Several Worker Puppets pushed large crates out from the Dimensional Rift. The crates opened. Dozens of Puppet Knights stood in neat rows. Their red eyes slowly lit up… one by one.
The Dullahan froze. "…What?!"
Lyra was also stunned. "…They're…" "…assembling an army inside that rift?"
Nocelle answered briefly. "Production facility."
---
On the other side of the screen…
A small chuckle could be heard coming from behind Hax's black helmet.
"…As expected."
He still remembered it clearly.
In the game world he once owned, Nocelle was the nightmare of every Holy Knight Army. They would struggle desperately just to defeat this one enigma member.
Players had given her a nickname…
The Walking Battlefield.
Not because she was unbeatable, but because… every time she appeared, the entire battlefield came with her.
---
The Dullahan stared at the Dimensional Rift.
Then… it let out a dry laugh.
"…I understand now." "You're not a fighter." "You are a battlefield itself."
The Dullahan finally realized. "So that's how it is…" "I will never win if I keep fighting your army."
Its gaze moved quickly — Puppet Army, Worker Puppets, Dimensional Rift.
…
It vanished.
WHOOSH!
It wasn't heading toward Nocelle. Instead, it charged straight toward the Dimensional Rift that had been continuously spitting out puppets. It wanted to destroy the supply line.
"…Too late."
Hundreds of mana threads instantly changed direction. All the Worker Puppets dropped their tools. Their iron hammers slowly rose. Foldable saws opened. Drill bits began to spin.
The Dullahan immediately realized.
"…" "…Even your workers…" "…are weapons."
On the other side, Lyra was no longer just watching. She was starting to understand how Nocelle thought.
When she saw a group of Ogres trying to break through the right wing, she acted immediately.
"Skill: Thorny Swamp."
Dozens of spear-sized thorns erupted from the ground. The thorns didn't chase the enemies. They didn't fill the entire room either. They simply grew… right in the path the Ogres were about to take.
The Ogres that stepped on them were instantly impaled from below. Their massive bodies were forcibly lifted. Black blood flowed down the length of the thorns.
The thorns kept appearing without end, turning that entire path into an impassable zone of death.
Nocelle glanced over briefly. "…Good."
Lyra smiled. "I'm starting to understand." "Miss Nocelle doesn't fight monsters…" "…she controls the battlefield."
Nocelle smiled faintly. "…Correct."
However, before Lyra could say anything else, the Dullahan slowly lifted its own head. The red eyes on that head began to glow.
Then… the head floated up. And started chanting a spell.
Meanwhile, its body continued fighting with the sword.
Lyra froze. "…He's…" "…using two bodies?"
Nocelle answered, "Two minds." "That's why he became a commander."
The floating Dullahan head laughed softly.
For the first time, Nocelle's eyes narrowed slightly. "…"
"So that's it."
Lyra immediately realized. "…Miss Nocelle?" "Is that its true ability?"
Nocelle nodded slowly. "From now on…" "The real battle begins."
The Dullahan raised its sword. "If that's the case…" "Skill: Undead Arise."
All the corpses of Orcs, Goblins, and Flame Vipers that had previously filled the dungeon… slowly began to stand up once more. Their eyes turned red.
---
The monsters' corpses slowly rose.
One by one.
Orc.
Goblin.
Flame Viper.
Even...
The Ogre that had been impaled by Lyra's thorns earlier...
was now standing again.
Their eyes glowed with a deep, crimson light.
There were no more roars.
No more rage.
Only...
silence.
A silence far more terrifying.
Lyra unconsciously took a step back.
"...They..."
"...they're alive again?"
The Dullahan chuckled softly.
"Alive?"
"No."
"They're already dead."
"What's moving now..."
"...is nothing but empty shells."
He raised his head a little higher.
Black aura continued to flow from his mouth.
Countless threads of dark mana stretched out...
connecting to every fallen monster.
Like a puppeteer...
controlling hundreds of dolls.
Nocelle watched it all.
"...Necromancy."
The Dullahan smiled.
"Finally, someone who understands."
Lyra turned sharply.
"Necromancy?"
Nocelle nodded slowly.
"He's not reviving them."
"He's..."
"...replacing their will."
Those words made Lyra freeze.
That meant...
these monsters...
would never feel fear.
They would never stop.
They would never retreat.
"Interesting."
For the first time...
the Dullahan looked at Nocelle with genuine interest.
"You control an army."
"So do I."
"It seems we're the same."
Nocelle replied flatly.
"No."
The Dullahan frowned.
"What's the difference?"
Nocelle raised her right hand.
White threads spread out once more.
Connecting...
to her entire Puppet Army.
"They..."
"...chose to follow me."
For a moment...
the Dullahan was silent.
Then...
he burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahahaha!!"
"Dolls..."
"...chose?"
"How amusing."
Nocelle didn't respond.
But Lyra turned her gaze toward the Puppet Army surrounding her.
She remembered.
The Worker Puppet that helped her water the trees.
The Puppet that carried children the night before.
The Puppet that repaired the survivors' houses.
They...
weren't just war machines.
They...
also built lives.
Only now did she truly understand the difference.
"All units."
The Dullahan's voice echoed.
"Attack."
Hundreds of monster corpses immediately charged forward.
But this time...
it was different.
They attacked without formation.
Without feeling pain.
Even when their arms were severed...
they kept running.
Lyra's eyes widened.
"They won't stop!"
"Normal," Nocelle said, raising her hand.
"Shield Unit."
"Wall."
BOOOOM!!
Dozens of shields slammed into the ground.
But this time...
the monsters didn't try to destroy them.
Instead...
they climbed.
They stepped on their own kind.
Climbing higher and higher.
One.
Two.
Ten.
Dozens.
They formed a mountain of living corpses.
Lyra shivered.
"...They're..."
"...using their own bodies..."
The Dullahan smiled with satisfaction.
"In war..."
"Numbers."
"...are power."
Nocelle shook her head slowly.
"Wrong."
She snapped her fingers.
"Unit Eight."
"Collapse."
All the Puppet Knights on the left side...
retreated in unison.
The monsters climbing lost their footing.
BRAAAKK!!
The mountain of corpses collapsed.
Before they could rise again...
dozens of spears descended at once.
Not to pierce their bodies.
But...
to sever the black mana threads connecting them to the Dullahan.
Slice. Slice. Slice.
Instantly...
dozens of corpses fell silent once more.
Lyra froze.
"...The threads..."
Nocelle nodded.
"That's the source of his control."
For the first time...
the Dullahan's smile vanished.
"..."
"You can see them?"
Nocelle didn't answer.
Instead...
hundreds of Puppet Archers slowly raised their bows.
Not aiming at the monsters.
But...
into the air.
The Dullahan frowned.
"What are you planning?"
"Volley."
SHIIIIIIIIING!!
Hundreds of arrows shot forward.
But...
not a single one flew toward the Dullahan.
Not one struck a monster.
All of them...
sliced through the black mana threads filling the chamber.
Slice. Slice. Slice.
In the blink of an eye...
more than a hundred monster corpses collapsed again.
The room suddenly fell silent.
The Dullahan stared at the scene without blinking.
"..."
"...Magnificent."
It had been a very long time...
since he'd met someone...
who could read the structure of his magic in mere minutes.
In the distance...
Lyra slowly smiled.
"...Miss Nocelle."
"I understand now."
Nocelle didn't turn.
"What?"
"Miss Nocelle..."
"...always strikes at the root of the problem."
Nocelle nodded gently.
"That's the fastest way to end a war."
Silence once again filled the core chamber.
But this time...
for the first time...
the Dullahan gripped his sword tighter.
Black aura began to envelop his entire body.
Cracks of darkness spread across the floor.
The black crystal behind him pulsed faster and faster.
DUM!
DUM!!
DUM!!!
The mana throughout the entire dungeon suddenly surged many times over.
Even the Puppet Army...
froze for a split second.
Nocelle stared at the crystal.
"..."
She finally understood something.
Her expression gradually turned serious.
"...So that's how it is."
Lyra turned to her.
"What is it?"
Nocelle answered without shifting her gaze.
"As long as that crystal remains intact..."
"...this dungeon will keep supplying him with mana."
The Dullahan smiled widely.
"Correct."
"Welcome..."
"...to my domain."
A black aura exploded, filling the entire underground chamber.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Dust and stone flew everywhere.
The whole dungeon shook violently.
Above ground...
trees swayed wildly.
Birds burst from the forest in panic.
Even...
far away in Black Fortress...
the transparent screen in front of Hax trembled.
He stared at it for several seconds.
Then...
slowly rose from his seat.
"..."
For the first time since the battle began...
his expression changed slightly.
"So..."
"...you're finally getting serious."
---
The silence only lasted for a moment.
Then...
every monster corpse began moving again.
"Finish them."
The Dullahan's voice echoed throughout the core chamber.
Hundreds of undead monsters charged forward at once.
However...
Nocelle didn't even change her expression.
"Archer Unit."
"Target."
"Not the monsters."
Hundreds of bows were raised once more.
"Crystal."
The Dullahan's eyes widened.
"...What?"
Only then did he realize.
From the very beginning...
Nocelle's gaze had never truly been fixed on him.
It had always been...
on the black crystal behind him.
"That's the mana core—"
The Dullahan shouted desperately.
"Don't let them get close!"
All the undead turned at once.
They formed a living wall in front of the crystal.
But...
Nocelle had already raised her hand.
"Formation Shift."
The entire Puppet Army moved in perfect sync.
Shield Units advanced from the front.
Spearmen split the formation into two.
While the Archer Units stepped back several paces.
Their firing lanes...
now wide open.
"Volley."
SHIIIIIIING!!
Hundreds of arrows shot forward simultaneously.
Not toward the Dullahan.
Not toward the undead.
All of them...
struck the ceiling of the chamber.
CRAASH!
Massive chunks of rock came crashing down.
Dust filled the air.
The undead's vision was instantly blocked.
Lyra's eyes widened.
"...Smoke?"
Nocelle shook her head.
"Visual obstruction."
"Lyra."
"Yes!"
"The crystal."
Lyra immediately understood.
She slammed her staff into the ground.
"Skill..."
"World Tree Spear."
Green mana exploded from the floor.
Cracks spread across the stone.
A moment later...
a gigantic root, thick as an ancient tree trunk, burst up from the dungeon floor.
The root shot straight forward...
piercing through the cloud of dust.
The Dullahan's eyes bulged in horror.
"No—!"
CRAAAAAAASH!!
The black crystal shattered.
Cracks spread across its entire surface.
In just seconds...
the crystal broke into countless pieces.
DUM...
The entire underground chamber fell deathly silent.
The black aura that had filled the dungeon...
vanished.
The mana threads connecting the Dullahan to all the undead...
snapped at the same time.
One by one...
the monsters collapsed.
Completely motionless.
The Dullahan stared at his own hands.
"...My mana..."
"...it's gone?"
For the first time...
panic appeared on his face.
Nocelle stepped forward.
Her dress fluttered gently.
"The war..."
"...is over."
The Dullahan gritted his teeth.
"You think this is a victory?"
He let out a weak laugh.
Even as cracks began spreading across his body.
"His Majesty Thanatos..."
"...has created dozens of dungeons."
"If one is destroyed..."
"...another will be born."
Lyra fell silent.
"...There are more?!"
The Dullahan looked at them one last time.
"You..."
"...haven't stopped anything."
"Soon enough..."
"This entire world..."
"...will belong to the Demon King Thanatos."
His body slowly turned into black particles.
Little by little.
Until finally...
he vanished into the wind.
Silence returned to the core chamber.
However...
this time Nocelle looked far more irritated than she had while facing the Dullahan.
"...Demon King?!"
Her eyes narrowed.
"...Don't casually use that title."
"...In front of me..."
"There is only one Demon King."
Nocelle stared at the remains of the crystal for a moment.
Her gaze was as cold as ever.
But...
a faint anger could be seen behind her crimson eyes.
"...An insult that cannot be tolerated."
Lyra was slightly surprised by the change in Nocelle, who had been calm until now.
She looked at the shattered crystal on the floor.
Not long after...
a mechanical voice echoed inside their minds.
[Dungeon Core Destroyed]
[Dungeon Collapsing]
The entire corridor began shaking violently.
Rocks started falling from above.
Lyra's eyes widened.
"...Eh?"
"...The dungeon is collapsing?!"
Nocelle nodded briefly.
"Let's go home."
She snapped her fingers.
The entire Puppet Army moved in unison.
Without panic.
Without chaos.
The hundreds of puppets retreated in the same neat formation they had arrived in.
Lyra quickly ran after them.
Behind them...
the dungeon's core chamber slowly crumbled.
The shattered black crystal...
finally turned to dust.
That evening...
the first dungeon in the Black Fortress region...
was officially destroyed.
However...
the name Thanatos...
remained etched in their minds.
At that moment...
a new resolve was born in Nocelle's heart.
Anyone who dared to take her master's title...
would be erased without mercy.