Into the F-Rank Goblin Dungeon

A porter's job is one of the most unpopular positions in a party. Although their presence is crucial, they weren't as needed since they only carry the party's items.

That's why it was commonly accepted that porters barely scrape by, and they jump from one party to another in order to earn enough money.

Some porters could be seen lingering right outside a guild, waiting for a party to take them in on their next raid or expedition.

"Leader, let's take him in. I'm certain we can help each other out. We need a porter, and he needs a job." Sylvia spoke in a monotonous tone as usual, but the hint of concern in her voice was evident.

"A-uh, sure," Hex agreed. Seeing Albrecht reminded him of the past when he was still unemployed.

(Yukina returned to the Summoner's ring when she detected people in the vicinity. That's why no one saw her.)

Cautiously, Sylvia approached Albrecht to wake him up. She had no idea what kind of person Albrecht was, so it was best to be wary of him.

Once she got within arm's reach, she repeatedly poke on his shoulder. "Oii~ oii~" She whispered.

It took a full minute for Albrecht to wake up since Sylvia's voice was too light.

Licking his drool, Albrecht's eyes fluttered open to see an unfamiliar girl in front of her. She had yellow hair, and her face was the most unexpressive face he'd seen in his lifetime.

'Then again, she's not lacking in the curve department, so I guess there's that.' Albrecht said to himself.

Slowly, he sat down, rubbed his eyes, and wiped the drool off his face.

He was then approached by a party of adventurers, and for a moment, he thought that they were there to rob him.

Out of panic, Albrecht grabbed his bag and held onto it as tightly as he could (even though there were no valuables in it).

"Ou, we didn't mean to scare you. We're the Spiderweb Party and we need a porter for our next raid." Hex extended his hand. "I'm Hex Cruxio, the leader of this party."

"I'm Sylvia, Sylvia Heartcross." Sylvia introduced herself. Somehow, her face was too close to Albrecht, making him conclude that she didn't have a sense of personal space.

(She really didn't.)

"Ah, you need a porter?" Albrecht asked in a professional manner. To be fair, he didn't need to go around joining other parties. With his current skill, money was not a pressing problem anymore.

But then again, they went out of their way to ask him. Besides, he didn't want to leave them alone since they were kind enough to give a mere porter a job.

"Yes, our porter is currently on vacation, that's why we're lacking in that department." Hex forced out a chuckle. "Would you like to join us?"

There were no disadvantages to their offer. In exchange for being their porter, he'd be able to go inside a dungeon which was a bought property of the guild.

If it were only him, he'd have to spend a fortune to buy a dungeon. That's why he couldn't miss this opportunity.

Adding to that, he couldn't just leave them alone. They needed a porter, and he got enough rest to go on another adventure.

'Conquering the Outerlayers could wait. Let me have my fun.' Albrecht said in his mind.

Before Hex could change his mind, Albrecht pulled a contract in his spatial storage space. It was a contract to ensure that he would be a part of the team until the dungeon was cleared.

Hex signed it without any questions since this wasn't the first time he saw the contract.

Formally, they welcomed Albrecht to the team, and he was introduced to the other party members.

"Which dungeon are you going to conquer?" Albrecht asked.

"It's just an F-Rank Dungeon. We're Gold-Rank Adventurers but we're not that good. That's why we're only assigned F-Rank and E-Rank Dungeons." Hex replied.

Initially, Albrecht believed that Hex was going to complain. However, he did nothing of the sort.

Hex was quite content with their party, and they didn't particularly want to put themselves in danger by attempting to conquer higher-ranked dungeons.

"Ah, I see," Albrecht let out, there was a hint of disappointment in his voice since he wanted a challenge.

"You're a Bronze-Rank Adventurer, right? You shouldn't put yourself in trouble by going to C-Rank or B-Rank Dungeons." Hex advised.

"Don't worry, we'll pay you properly once we clear this dungeon. We'll divide our earnings into five, equally."

Albrecht nodded his head. He didn't tell Hex that his assumptions were off the mark.

"Let's go," Slyvia didn't hesitate to grab Albrecht by the hand.

A smile appeared on Albrecht's face. Despite her expressionless face, Sylvia was actually the enthusiastic type.

—

An F-Rank Dungeon is usually on the smaller side of the spectrum. Compared to C-Rank or B-Rank Dungeons, F-Rank Dungeons could easily be cleared by a team of Gold-Rank Adventurers.

Even a full party of Silver-Rank Adventurers could clear an F-Rank Dungeon, but the chances of casualties are high.

In particular, the F-Rank Dungeon assigned to the Spiderweb Party contained goblins.

Goblins are pretty easy to kill, but they could be smart, and they know simple tactics. In groups, goblins could be dangerous.

"And there's a chance that a Goblin General or a Goblin Commander is leading them... so we should be careful." Hex continued.

Gulps could be heard from the party before they stepped into the Zecian Portal.

In an instant, their surroundings changed completely, and they seemed to be in an underground sewer system— or so that's what it looked like.

"Everybody, put your guards up, we're going in." Hex declared.

As if on cue, Albrecht handed Hex a torch. "And let me get all your things. I can carry all of them by myself." Albrecht offered.

Before Hex could say anything, Albrecht handed each of them a torch so they won't have a hard time dealing with the darkness.

Just from that gesture alone, Hex and everyone in the party knew that Albrecht was an expert porter. They were glad that they pulled him into the raid with them.

"Uh- thanks, Albrecht," Hex said, putting the torch up to light up their path.

The moment he did so, they heard countless skittering around them. In their peripheral vision, movements could be seen, but they disappeared in an instant when Hex swung his torch around.

"I got a bad feeling about this..." Hex uttered under his breath.