3 Mutant Species

"Are you...joking?" One of the group member asked.

"...No. Sorry to disappoint but I truly am level 7." The boy was already expecting the sarcasm that was about to come.

Level seven. It was a nice level to be at for an genius 10 year old, for a 17 year old. It was... you can guess.

(The boy who first came to Helkep was a level 31. A genius.)

"...Ha-Ha! Well... good thing we didn't need a member to fight than, huh!" The boy who first approached Helkep betrayed his awkwardness through his laughter.

"What do you mean?" Helkep questioned, not quite understanding the meaning behind the words.

"Amm! Let me explain from the start. You know the dungeon 'Wild Cage' from which an outburst is expected?" The same boy asked.

"Yes."

"Ok. So, to stop that outburst, the guild chose to hire our party to clear that dungeon. But on the way, one of our party member, said that he can't come due to an emergency. Since the guild doesn't allow an incomplete party to go inside a dungeon, so, you can guess the rest." He explained but the fact that truly amazed Helkep was that he couldn't find couldn't any contempt from him.

"I see but once again very sorry to disappoint you but I don't even have a hunter licence." Helkep just wanted to get out of this.

"...N-no problem, I am certain that a guild can make an exception, since this is an urgent request." The boy seemed dead-set on getting him to come.

"Can't you find someone else?" Helkep was also dead-set on rejecting.

"I would if I can but... the guild is saying that if we can't find a new member soon than they will assign a new party to clear the dungeon." The boy was also helpless, it wasn't that he found something special in Helkep or anything.

"Amm! I really are--" One of the girl in the party of the boy interrupted him.

"Let's just try looking for someone else. There is no need for tra-, ahem ahem, for us to force him now, is there?"

Her scorn didn't go unnoticed by Helkep but hearing her words, he was simply reminded of his place in the world.

'Loser. Do you know, the proud young master has now become a trash. You are shit, making sure to act like it. This loser, just go die, you are a waste of air. This shit, maybe his pretty face can sell for a high price. Hahahahaha, you are shit now.' As these thoughts emerged in his mind, he remembered the scorn and disdain that people gave him throughout his life. Yet, in the midst of these thoughts a certain one stood out. 'WHY DON'T YOU TRY.'

'Try... if I could I would have. `Knowing you will lose and you don't care and head right in is what's called... TRYING`.. But what if it's all pointless? `That's what I said before, trying is not knowing you will win but knowing you will lose and you still don't care`'.

(The words inside this `` are not spoken by the mc.)

"...If you really don't mind than... I can help you." Helkep's voice was quiet, even more than before.

"Brilliant, I assure you we will not let your help go un-awarded." The boy who first approached Helkep said.

At the same time, a mechanical voice spoke in his voice along with a transparent screen appearing in front of him. 'The leader of the Fuller party Joans has sent you a team invite.'

On the screen in front of him was the option accept or decline.

Looking at the accept option, Helkep was hesitating. Knowing after clicking that button something would flip in his life.

"Is there a problem. Did you not receive the invite." Joans asked. He was also the boy who came to him first.

"Huh?... Oh, no,no I received it. I was lost in thought for a second." Helkep replied seeing he had spaced out for a second.

Finally with some hesitation he chose to accept.

«Ding! You have become a member of the Fuller party.» The system which had not spoken for who-knows how many years. Finally spoke again.

"Brilliant! Alright, lemme introduce you to the other party members. This is Nill, he is the tank. This is Tina, she is the mage. This here is Selar, he is scout and lastly this here is Shila, she is a priest and the healer of the party." Joans introduced his party.

There were a total of six people including Helkep. Nill was a man, with a large shield on his back.

Tina, wore a hood; blue in colour along with a wand, in her hand.

Selar looked like a schemer, with his narrow eyes.

Shila the priest was the one who called Helkep trash, with her white robe and white staff, it made Helkep think just what kind of a person could she be?

"Mind we know your name as well?" Nill asked, his heavy voice could be expected from his appearance.

"Everyone call's me Hep." Helkep replied. His nickname was only used by those who were close to him though.

"Nice to meet you than, Hep." Nill said with a big smile.

"Alright, since the introduction are over, lets not waste time and finish our job." Joans said while clapping to get the party's attention.

Without waiting for a reply he started walking towards one of the receptionist desk. The group walked along, behind him.

In the end, Selar walked towards the receptionist desk as well. The rest of the party waited behind.

As Joans and Selar were taking their time. Nill started chatting with Helkep. But was disappointed to see the un-amuseable face of the other party.

After some time Joans and Selar finally returned. "Ok, all set to go. Lets go grab our stuff than we will head for wild cage." Joans said again started walking towards in another direction.

Helkep thought that for some reason, Joans wasn't looking towards him at all.

The party once again started following Joans. Soon, they came to a place where a few big bags were placed with a boy guarding them.

"Here's your tip." Selar threw a coin towards the boy. After catching it, the boy thanked the party and took his leave.

The party took their things and started heading towards a section of the guild called 'Dungeon door' or 'DD' for short.

After heading inside, a few receptionist desk came into view. The party headed towards one.

"Were would you like to go brave hunters?" The receptionist asked.

"The Wild Cage. We are on a guild mission, please try to make it quick."

Joans replied, his voice betraying a tad bit of emergency.

"Alright, please follow me." After making a phone call. The receptionist led the party to a portal.

After placing a card in front of the portal, it activated and the party walked through accompanied by the receptionist words. "May you return safely, brave hunters."

- - -

'Destination Centre' or DC for short. Was shop of portals were portals were sold as well as they were used as public transport.

Inside one of the DC shop a special portal which was reserved for hunters or adventurers, activated and walked out a party of six. This party was of course the Fuller party.

Every portal was placed inside a small room. Excluding those for sale, they were all located in the same selling sections.

Opening the door, the party walked out and a guard hurriedly, who was sleeping outside the door, came to greet them.

"Esteemed sirs, what may your business be here?" The guard asked with a fawning smile.

"We are here for the dungeon wild cage." Joans replied, with a helpless sigh for the careless attitude displayed by the guard.

"Oh! Finally, you are here, why don't you take a rest for awhile, before cleaning the dungeon. We can also throw a celebration party after your successful victory over the dungeon." Happiness was beaming from the guards face, as a resident of the area, he knew the trouble the area was in.

"No, there is no need for a celebration. Besides who knows what can happen in a dungeon? When one sets foot in a dungeon, only fate knows his fate." Joans started walking away midst talking, causing the party to follow suit.

The party headed towards the garage inside the building, where cars were present especially for hunters.

They chose a car which could house six people and started moving towards their destination; the wild cage.

After an half-hour drive they stood in front of a circular building with a wall surrounding it, along with some guards guarding the entrance, of the wall.

The party walked towards the gate and the per their duty a guard stopped them.

"This dungeon is currently under red threat. If you wish to entre, please show us your badge." The guard doing his job, cautioned the party.

The term 'red threat' is used to describe a dungeon which is currently over-flowing with monsters due to not being cleared for awhile.

"We are the F-rank party Fuller. We are sent here on the orders of the guild to clear the wild cage." Joans gave the party's introduction.

"The F, F-rank party. The Fuller. Unbelievable, to believe I have the honour of meeting you." The guards shock was reaching the roof.

The ranks were like this H, G, F, E, D, C, B, and finally A, from the weakest H to the strongest A.

Though F-rank was the party rank not the individual rank. The party members were only at G-rank.

"It's not that amazing. Now is it?" Tina couldn't help but ask embarrassedly.

"No, no it's very amazing. You don't have to be modest. I can't even imagine the amount of effort you had to put in, to gain what you have today." The over-enthusiasts guard's mouth would not moving.

Finally Joans got a bit tired and asked if they could go inside now. The guard was happy to accompany the party to the wall gate.

Inside the wall, the open area was housing a tall obelisk which stretched to about 10m.

(Though a dungeon shouldn't be judged by its outer appearance. A dungeon could look about 5m and from inside be 20m.)

This tall obelisk was the wild cage. Which was giving off a faint red light. Due to it currently being under red threat.

The party approached the dungeon gate, which was closed. The gate was quite tall, but not too big either.

The moved and stood in front of the gate as their system gave out an announcement.

«Ding! Would the party fuller like to enter the dungeon wild cage?»

A transparent screen appeared in front of them with the accept and reject option.

After all the party members clicked on accept, a complex formation appeared beneath them. And they vanished into air.

---

In a place which looked like a forest. A complex formation formed and slowly the figure of six people could be seen.

"A forest type setting. I wonder which of the three paths, which the dungeon could take is this?" Joans wondered out loud.

"Since the first stage is in a forest setting than it might be the second path. With the final boss monster the tree man." Helkep gave his opinion, though he wasn't quite sure since this was the first.

(Dungeons are divided into stages or some people call them floors. The more high tier a dungeon is, the more stages/floors it is expected to have.)

"You seem quite knowledgeable about dungeons Hep." Shila said, surprised as she didn't expect it.

"Really!?" Helkep didn't expect that having information about dungeons would make him... weird.

But the looks of some of the part members made him realise that it was for some reason surprising to them.

"Wel—" "Giggh!" Joans was interrupted by, what might be the surprised voice of a... monster.

It stood there with its hear tilted a bit to the side. It was curiously eyeing the party.

It had green skin. With two large fangs coming out of his mouth. It's only one eye was located on the centre of its hideous face. Its body was quite bulky with thick wide arms and legs. It belly was a bit big. It's bald head was very big as well.

Tins couldn't help but find it utterly hideous, she decided to see what it was and chanted a spell which made the status of the monster to appear in front of her.

Name: None

Type: Mutant Goblin

Rank: 0

Level: 23

Skills: Roar, Strengthen claws, ???

"A mutant, huh! I guess this is all I can see with the amount of mana invested." Tina was quite surprised, seeing a mutant.

There was only one-in-a Hundred chance to find a mutant in 100 attempts of a dungeon.

"A mutant? It's our first monster too. Why am I thinking over luck is very bad today?" Shila couldn't help but show her shock.

"What's its le- -" Joans was interrupted by the monsters voice yet again.

"Garhhh!!!!" The monster started rushing towards the group, the more it ran the more faster it become and a red colour started covering it.

"Shit! It's using rush and barge at the same time." Nill quickly realised what the monster was doing and took his place in front of everyone smashing his shield in the ground to braced himself for the impact.

The monster not caring for the shield kept charging.

Though the monster didn't seem to be entirely stupid as it instead used his claws instead of barging right into the spike filled shield.

Screech! Along with the sound of the claws hitting the shield, large claw marks were on the shield.

The monster jumped back and looked on with excitement at his prey, while Nill stood there with cold sweat dripping from his forehead as he noticed the large dents in the shield.