Dream Thief
『 Today, as per your requests, I’ll be covering the ‘Xenocrates Invasion’.
The final content of the most divisive ‘DLC: Age of Madness’.
While the first ‘Resonance’ and second ‘Succession’ focused on hunter development and the league, the Age of Madness delves into the dangers of this world and the role of hunters…….
……
Moving on to the quest, it splits into three major operations.
First: Persuasion. Second: Blockade. Third: Stabilization.
The first stage, Persuasion, involves convincing the Bureau—whose attention is locked on the Champions League when the quest triggers. Various metrics are evaluated to determine the ‘time’ and ‘ranker support’ you receive. For beginners, this is where…….
……
The second and third stages, Blockade and Stabilization, run simultaneously.
The expedition must hold back the Crains until Bureau reinforcements arrive, while also stabilizing neighboring countries thrown into chaos by Crain schemes. With already limited forces stretched thin, and stabilization carrying extra conditions, the difficulty is extreme…….
……
Lastly, just in case, I’ll leave this note.
If you manage to shorten persuasion time to one day or less and secure support from seven or more rankers—
And if you fully understand each ranker’s traits and combat power while possessing the tactical insight to handle deployment and movement routes—
Then there’s a play worth attempting.
A trump card that seizes the initiative the enemy thought they owned and forces the burden back onto them!
That play… is the Saint……. 』
― From Lee Shin’s GM Beginner Must-Read Guide: ‘Xenocrates Invasion’
― “Follow my instructions while listening. Our target is the 4th Corps Commander, the ‘Saint’.”
Even as he spoke, Lee Shin’s orders continued through the in-ear comms.
At the mention of patrol units ahead of Team 4, Swordmaster and Chang-gwi shot forward like arrows, silencing the Crains.
At the order for Team 3 to advance under cover, Hwarang, Cross, and Guardian slipped through the forest, bodies low.
― “You can see it from the situation. Xenocrates is currently creating a Level 9 Gate.”
Following Lee Shin’s commands, Fist King and Gwang-geom struck the occupied camps, instantly silencing the waiting Crains. Black Star, using her necromancer abilities, raised skeleton decoys dressed in Crain uniforms.
― “A Level 9 Gate that reverses the moment it appears. In all of history, a Level 9 Gate has opened only twice, each time causing astronomical casualties and erasing nations from the map. The disaster we’re trying to stop right now is that very Level 9 Gate.”
Divine Archer was positioned in the second line to leverage the entire expedition’s synergy, while Sanwang—possessing vision closest to Lee Shin’s—was kept nearby to respond to any variable.
― “Why am I telling you all this? Because the disaster we must stop isn’t the Crains in front of you. It’s the Level 9 Gate.”
― “So if we can secure the 4th Corps Commander—the Saint—who is creating that gate, the entire board flips.”
It was a common mistake.
Fixating on what was visible and forgetting the true objective.
Xenocrates, the Crains—those were secondary.
The core was the Level 9 Gate. If they could slam the brakes on that, the enemy would have no choice but to stop!
― “Team 4, advance and begin sector clearing. Team 3, follow up. Rear guard is Hwarang alone. Team 2, handle Camp 30 on the Brazil side. Divine Archer and Sanwang are on free roll.”
Under Lee Shin’s split-second commands, Swordmaster’s blade flashed, Guardian leapt, Black Star summoned skeletons, and Divine Archer loosed arrows.
Though none of the orders were easy, the gathered rankers proved why Korea’s top-ranked hunters were considered the world’s best.
In an instant the battlefield shifted to Lee Shin’s liking. While everyone caught their breath, his voice continued.
― “Listen while you rest. Right now the Crains are only watching the Bureau. They think their numbers have worked and that buying time until the Level 9 Gate is complete is enough. We’re going to flip that script.”
Xenocrates was targeting the Bureau, whose eyes were glued to the Champions League.
But because their own attention was fixed there, they never imagined Lee Shin and the expedition would appear.
Therefore—
― “There’s exactly one window. A single timing where we can pierce a perimeter of tens of thousands and strike straight at the enemy’s heart.”
The razor-thin window that appears only when the Bureau is persuaded in under twenty-four hours.
― “In my judgment, the minimum force required to exploit that timing is seven rankers.”
Evaluations based on relationship scores, careers, and social stats could earn an S-rank rating.
But—
― “Now look at the force we actually have. Why don’t you take a look around?”
The expedition members, crouched low in the forest, glanced at their comrades and smirked.
Strategic weapon Divine Archer, Swordmaster the pinnacle of the blade, Fist King the close-combat genius, and alongside them Chang-gwi, Guardian, Cross, Gwang-geom, Hwarang, Black Star—
And finally, the eternal legend, Sanwang Kim Jong-phil.
Nine rankers and one living legend.
Yes. These were the results Lee Shin had built.
The legend he had forged, the flawless career of the Genius Representative, and the unparalleled Charm stat of 101 that had assembled Korea’s strongest dream team at this very moment.
― “I’ll be honest. I’m extremely excited right now. I’m not joking. I’m actually about to lose it.”
Normally he would have had to twist and scrape together seven people in minimal time……
But look at them now—plenty of time and an absurdly luxurious force.
― “Getting to command this kind of power… I could die right now with no regrets~!”
Ihit! Yuhut! Ehet!
Arrr――!
The bizarre, cheerful sound effects and lively ad-libs left the rankers wearing dumbfounded expressions.
Who pulls this kind of showmanship in such a serious situation?
“That guy…… is the Genius Representative?”
“Hahaha, just like Park Su-bin said—our representative is quite the character.”
Swordmaster found himself reconsidering the definition of ‘genius,’ while Chang-gwi simply laughed in amusement.
“Wow, exactly what Ri-ra described.”
“Is that guy mentally ill or something?”
“O-our representative is always this cheerful.”
Guardian marveled that such a human actually existed, Cross genuinely suspected bipolar disorder, and Hwarang scratched his head.
“That man sees the same things as Master?”
“Cough, cough.”
Divine Archer shot her respected master a look of unprecedented irreverence, while Sanwang merely muttered, “The air’s gone bad,” and coughed pointlessly.
Yet—
“Pfft!”
“Kekeke.”
“Not bad at all.”
The suffocating tension—villains, disasters, the end of the world—lightened considerably.
Even rankers were still human. The thought that the world might collapse had weighed on them.
But that weight vanished, washed away by Lee Shin’s ridiculous laughter.
― “Everyone feeling a little less tense?”
The Charm that could make people smile in any situation.
The man who could draw out peak performance at any moment.
That was Lee Shin’s true ability.
― “Then let’s do one final confirmation. We penetrate the exact point, charge straight into the center, secure the 4th Corps Commander—the Saint—who is carrying the gate, and exfiltrate. Signal if you understand.”
From Divine Archer to Sanwang, every member of the expedition tapped their in-ear comms.
All preparations were complete.
Then let’s go have some fun!
― “Move to the point!”
Lee Shin’s order dropped. The forest rustled, and all ten rankers burst forward at once.
BOOM―!!
Hyeol-bong kicked the door open and stormed into the watchpost, seizing a subordinate by the collar. The man flailed pitifully.
“What the hell is going on?”
“C-Corps Commander, sir.”
“Answer.”
“The perimeter…… the perimeter has been breached.”
“Breached? By whom? When? Where? How? Why??”
“We don’t know. We’re still investigating.”
“You useless bastard!”
Hyeol-bong hurled the man aside and sprinted out of the post, racing through the forest.
His personal guard quickly fell in beside him.
“Status report?”
“Detailed intel is still incoming. It appears the intrusion came through the 2nd Corps sector.”
“2nd Corps? That bastard Hama? Basis?”
“The casualties there are overwhelmingly higher than in the 1st or 3rd Corps sectors, and every trace of the intrusion route points there.”
Even groups sharing a common goal were not free of internal conflict. Xenocrates was no exception.
They shared the grand cause of opening a new world, yet each pursued their own interests.
For example, 1st Corps Commander Belphegor sought to plunge the world into chaos so he could reign as the supreme lord of all magic, while 3rd Corps Commander Hyeol-bong desired to slaughter countless humans and place even more beneath his feet.
But the 2nd Corps was different.
Despite being villains, they cried out for ‘freedom’ and sought a ‘god.’
“The intruders timed their entry precisely for the 2nd Corps’ ‘prayer hour.’”
“They slipped through the blind spots as if they knew the exact prayer points.”
“They also crossed between the 1st and 3rd Corps boundary lines multiple times.”
It was only natural that the 1st and 3rd Corps—driven by primal desires—clashed with the 2nd Corps, who sought freedom and god. The 1st and 3rd Corps called the 2nd Corps fanatical savages, while the 2nd Corps dismissed them as directionless butchers.
Lee Shin had exploited the deep rifts within Xenocrates and deliberately routed the intrusion through the 2nd Corps sector.
Of course, neither the Crains nor Hyeol-bong could have known that.
“So you’re saying the intruders know our internal situation inside out?”
“……I don’t know for certain, but they seem aware that we have difficulty communicating with the 2nd Corps.”
“You think that makes sense?”
This was the first time Xenocrates had committed its full strength.
1st Corps in Europe, 2nd Corps in Africa, 3rd Corps in Asia.
The members who had operated on separate continents were gathered together for the very first time.
What did that mean?
Even the Crains present here had only learned of this problem when it was already upon them!!
“Yet the intruders supposedly knew about an issue we only discovered recently and built an operation around it?”
“……I’m wondering the same thing.”
“No, wait. I’m thinking something else. What if that bastard Hama from the 2nd Corps betrayed us?”
“!!”
The subordinate stared at his corps commander in shock.
Exactly as Hyeol-bong said—if the 2nd Corps had betrayed them, then the perfect timing, the mysterious intrusion route, everything made sense.
“Then deploy all forces and surround the 2nd Corps.”
“You still have much to learn. Is the 2nd Corps the priority right now?”
“Then what is……?”
“The Saint!!”
“!!”
Hyeol-bong immediately changed course, sprinting not toward the 2nd Corps but toward the center.
Even if that bastard Hama had betrayed them, that wasn’t the most important thing.
They had to protect the Saint—the wielder of 「Gate Transport」 who could create the Level 9 Gate.
“These intruders know our internal situation in detail. They know our routes, formations, and objectives. The only thing worth this much effort is the Saint.”
“Huff, huff!”
“We poured countless hours and resources into obtaining the Saint. We can’t lose him! We must protect him at all costs!”
“R-Right away, I’ll call in every available unit.”
“All of them!! Contact the 1st Corps as well!!”
The 3rd Corps activated its communication network through magic swords.
At the same time, Crains of the 3rd Corps scattered throughout the forest all turned and raced toward the center.
The 1st Corps, having received the message, also began rushing inward using magic, and Crains spread across the entire Amazon Gate danger zone sprinted through the forest to catch the intruders.
When the desperately gathered Crains finally entered the 4th Corps’ ‘holy ground’—
What they found was—
“Bull Shit! You goddamn――!!”
Belphegor screaming at the sky.
And Hyeol-bong, trembling as he stared at a note.
The short message written on the fluttering slip of paper:
Tables Turned lol
Yes.
When you held the Level 9 Gate, time was on your side. You controlled every initiative and could shape the battlefield to your liking.
But…… if the Saint who creates the Level 9 Gate is gone……
Whose side is time on now?
“On my side, you idiots!! Lee Shin’s side!! Krahaha!!”
In the flickering darkness of the monitor room, Lee Shin laughed like a demon king.
And Hyeol-bong, whose dream had been stolen right before his eyes, clawed at his hair with shaking hands and roared.
“Catch him…… Bring that bastard to me right now!!”