Lamda and Ellie looked into each other's faces before turning to Ray, “We are going to The Spider’s Nest.”

Rays’ eyes widened when he heard that name. The Spider’s Nest, although officially a D-ranked Gate, due to the nature of the dungeon, was only accessible to Level 2 or above hunting parties. And each party must contain at least four raiders.

Like how hunters were divided into levels, Gates (monoliths that act as accessways to these closed spaces with monsters) and monsters also had a distinct division. While dungeons were ranked by alphabetical order, monsters were ranked as stars.

Spider’s Nest was a D-ranked, one of the lowest-ranked dungeons around. But, it was a bit special. The monsters inside this gate were all arachnids class beings. Spiders were what inhabited this dungeon. The reason why only level 2 raiders and above were allowed to hunt in here was because of the unique trait of this dungeon.

‘No wonder no one wanted to go with them. Even if they paid fifteen thousand, no one will agree.’ Ray now understood why they weren’t taking newbie porters. He also realized why some experienced porters were not agreeing to accompany them. Spiders could easily jump to the backline and attack from there.

No place is safe when you have arachnids as your enemy. It was a famous saying famous among people involved with gates.

Ellie and Lamda looked nervously at Ray. They had this talk with many porters before Ray, and all of them had refused after knowing their destination. It’s not like they couldn’t understand why they were being refused. Surrounded by spiders from all sides, who will grow stronger the more time one would stay inside, who would agree to such a death trap?

Ray looked thoughtfully to the table as he weighed his options. Firstly, he had enough physical stats of a specialized raider at level 2. The second, his ability. Its DoT was overwhelming. He could now deal at least 30k damage in ten seconds, which was more than enough to take down even four-starred monsters. And finally, his trump card, the ??? ability.

In conclusion,

‘I can do this!’ Ray balled his fist and decided on the spot. It’s an opportunity for him. “I will do it. But, my condition still stands. You must allow me to hunt together with you.” Ray shifted on his seat, looking directly into the eyes of his gawked companions. “Of course, I will do my job as a porter and will not come in your way.”

“Thank you.” Ellie nodded her head at Ray, wearing a smile on her face.

Ray proceeded to have small talk with Ellie and Lamda until the rest of the Northerners appeared one by one. Two men, twins from what Ray could see, as they both had an almost identical physical appearance. The only difference was their hairstyles and eye color. Following them was a young girl around her late teens. She had her short brown hair combed in a neat bun.

‘Those twins must be fighters. And that girl.. she must be the ranger!’ Ray assumed as he studied the new arrivals. On the internet, no private detail of anyone except for their team leader was given.

Ellie stood up and walked over to the new arrivals before facing Ray, “meet the rest of our team. They are Kramer twins, Rob and Bob. Rob is a fighter and Bob is a ranger.” Ellie wrapped her arm around the young girl, pulling her to a hug. The girl blushed a little as she tried to bury herself into her hoodie. “She is Clara, a fighter, but she is more of a tanker than a fighter.”

“Tanker? Her?” Ray couldn’t quite believe it. His eyes landed on Bob and Rob as he inspected their bodies. Thick muscles filled their being, outlining even through the baggy shirt they wore. More specifically, his eyes lasted a few seconds more on Bob’s body as he wondered, ‘how the hell can he be a ranger with that kind of body?’

“Hah! We get that a lot. But don’t worry, once you see her in action, you will understand.” Elie laughed before returning back to her seat. Now that everyone gathered, a round of introduction went. Clara was ever silent, not joining in the conversation, as so was Bob, the ranger. It was Rob who started talking after breaking the ice.

“Ray, we have seen your work record. And frankly, you have an excellent track record. I’m not doubting your job as a porter. But, what you have requested from us… kinda put us in a bind.”

“I understand what you mean, Mr. Rob.” Ray smiled. He didn’t feel offended by this. It was normal to be questioned when the request was so absurd. “I don’t want you guys to babysit me. I will do my job as a porter as well. I just want to experience a bit of hunting, that’s all. You don’t have to worry. I have enough equipment and ability to secure my survival.”

Rob looked at his teammates, especially Ellie and Lamda. After exchanging looks with them he sighed and offered his hand for a shake, “Well, since it's decided, let’s work hard and return alive.”

Ray smiled and took his hand. Ray’s eyes narrowed when he touched Rob’s hand. His palm was full of callouses.

‘Strong!’ Ray narrowed his eyes.

Bob and Clara also nodded their head approvingly. All in all, the meeting ended on a warm note. The time for the dungeon dive was settled to happen on the early morning of the next day. Ray returned to his room on a happy note.

Next morning.

Ray stretched on the ground, securing the bag behind his back. The [Wyvern’s Breath] was now sheathed in a nice wooden sheath and hung loosely from his waist. On his body, below his clothes, he wore a standard issued porter’s gear. All in all, it took a chunk out of his savings.

“Everyone ready?” Ellie asked as she faced all the members of Northerners. She wore a black vest over her tracksuit. On her hands, she held what looked like a short stick. However, Ray knew that was an important item for spell casters. She also wore a circlet with a yellow gem embedded in the middle.

“Yes!” Lamda laughed as he matched Ellie’s enthusiasm. Ray observed no visible equipment on his body. He wore a typical salaryman's suit and pants. But, he would be a fool to believe Lamda doesn’t have equipment. Healers were a very rare and valuable part of any raider party. They were always in high demand. Even if they don’t go to dungeon, just healing rich people would earn them a huge sum of money.

Rob held a double-edged ax with a purple edge. He wore thick armor made from some kind of leather, designed to look like a bulletproof vest. Metallic gauntlets adorned his both hands. At the moment, he too was stretching beside Ray. His brother, Bob, wore a light jacket over his tracksuit. A crossbow as big as half of his body was strapped to his back. However, he couldn’t see arrows or quiver.

The biggest surprise was none other than Clara. She was covered from head to toe in a medieval-looking steel-plated armor. She held a round shield on her left hand and a hammer on her right. Looking at her, Ray couldn’t quite believe that she was the same person as the shy and introverted girl he met last night.

“Since everyone is ready, let’s go!” With that said, Ellie touched the monolith. A golden bubble emerged from the stone tablet and wrapped around everyone. A bright light flashed on their eyes, forcing everyone to close them as the feeling of vertigo hit hard.

A moment later, they found themselves standing in an enclosed hallway.

[You have entered The Spider’s Nest]

[Gate Rank: D+]

[Clearance: 0%]

This info flashed before everyone’s eyes.