Ryusei stepped out of the Hunter Association building, her newly issued Hunter's License tucked safely into her pocket. The cool evening breeze brushed against her skin as she took a deep breath, letting the reality of her situation settle in.
"Alright," she muttered to herself, pulling out her phone. "Now I just have to see if there are any low-ranked gates that need a carrier."
Her fingers scrolled through the job postings on a Hunter's forum. Most were taken by now—D and E-rankers were always scrambling for jobs. But then, one particular listing caught her eye.
[C-Rank Gate - Carrier Needed - Immediate Departure]
"Nice," Ryusei smirked. A C-rank gate wasn't the safest option for a mere E-rank carrier, but she could handle herself. She had no intention of drawing attention to her true strength just yet, but that didn't mean she couldn't make some easy cash.
After getting changed out of her school uniform, Ryusei is now wearing a dark grey shirt, a blue unzipped jacket, and jeans with black high-top shoes.
She arrives at the C-rank gate where eight people are waiting. Six of them are grown men, possibly in their thirties, while there are two teenage boys around Ryusei's age. The taller one is wearing a black school uniform with his blazer opened, showing his purple shirt underneath, and his black hair is tied up in a man bun. The other boy had brown hair and was wearing a suit of flashy armor that looked a bit too big on him.
"Ah, you must be the E-rank carrier. I'm Hayato Ukyo."
Coming up to her is a muscular man with spiky black hair, neatly trimmed facial hair, and several scars on his left arm. He wore a simple black shirt, black gloves, brown pants, and blue armor on both his right shoulder and lower legs.
"That's me, sir," Ryusei says and shook his hand.
"I hope ya don't mind the two extra people. Those two over there will be keeping you safe while we handle the magic beasts." Hayato says, bringing Ryusei over to the two teenagers.
This one is Aoi Todo." Hayato motions to the black-haired young man.
Todo walks over to Ryusei and squints his eyes, looking down at her with a serious face. "What kind of girls do you like!?" His facial expression changed drastically.
Ryusei blinked in confusion. "H-huh?"
Todo then grabs her shoulders.
"I said, what kind of girls do you like!!"
"U-uh- I like pretty girls with a nice personality! Big tits and a soft ass-!" Ryusei yells out and instantly covers her mouth. 'Did I really say that shit out loud..?' she thought to herself.
Todo laughs and pats her back hard, almost making her fall. "I like you! A much better answer than scrawny over there!" Todo points at the brown-haired teen behind him wearing the flashy armor.
"H-hey!"
"My name is Kenta Morobishi, and I'm a D-rank hunter! It's nice to meet you! I promise to keep you safe for the entire time while inside the gate." He rapidly shakes Ryusei's hand.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Okkotsu Ryusei."
"Now that that's done, we need to hurry up and go on through." Hayato says, leading the group inside the C-rank gate.
Once inside the dungeon, Hayato and his five other members started taking care of the magic beasts, while Todo and Kenta handled any strays, leaving Ryusei to pack up the mana crystals from the dead corpses.
As they continued through, they eventually reached a series of tunnels.
"Should we split up?" Koji Sawada, the C-rank fire/light mage of the group, asked.
"Wait a sec." Ryusei stepped forward.
"We need to find the boss room, correct?" Ryusei asked.
Hayato nodded.
Ryusei's eyes glowed a vibrant blue as she activated [Six Eyes], scanning for any trace of the boss's mana.
"The boss is in the right tunnel," she said. "There's also some ant-type magic beasts heading straight for us. Look up."
The group instinctively looked up. From the dark ceiling of the dungeon, chittering noises echoed as large, insect-like creatures began crawling down the rocky walls—sharp mandibles clicking hungrily. Their black carapaces gleamed under the dim dungeon light, their red eyes locking onto the hunters below.
"Shit, they were hiding in the shadows!" Koji cursed, summoning flames into his hands.
"Everyone, get ready!" Hayato ordered, drawing his massive greatsword.
Todo cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Good call, Ryusei. Now, let's squash some bugs!"
The moment he finished speaking, the ant-type magic beasts dropped from the ceiling, lunging at the group with deadly precision.
Koji was the first to act, unleashing a wave of fire that incinerated several of the creatures mid-air. The remaining ones screeched and charged forward.
Todo leaped into action, his sheer strength allowing him to crush an ant's skull with a single punch, sending its lifeless body skidding across the floor.
Kenta, despite the clunkiness of his flashy armor, moved swiftly, slashing through the exoskeleton of one of the creatures with his sword. "There's more of them coming!" he shouted.
Meanwhile, Ryusei remained in the back, gripping the dagger she carried just in case. While she wasn't directly in combat, her [Six Eyes] allowed her to track every movement of the battle.
"Three more coming from the left side!" she called out.
Hayato reacted immediately, dashing forward with expert precision. His greatsword cleaved through the enemies in a single, clean strike. "Good job, kid!" he said with a grin.
As the last of the ants were slain, the group took a moment to catch their breath. The dungeon fell silent again, the only sounds being the distant dripping of water and the faint hum of mana in the air.
"Alright," Hayato said, rolling his shoulders. "Now that the pests are dealt with, let's move. The boss is waiting for us down the right tunnel."
As they made their way down the right tunnel, the air grew thick with an eerie stillness. The dim dungeon light barely illuminated the walls, which were now covered in layers of sticky, silken webs. Each step they took was met with the faint sound of their boots sticking slightly to the ground.
"Ugh, I hate spider-type monsters," Koji muttered, using a small flame to burn away some of the webs in their path.
Eventually, they reached a massive cavern—the boss room. The space was vast, the ceiling stretching high above them. At the very top, nestled within the webs, was a colossal, sleeping arachnid. Its enormous legs twitched slightly, its deep purple body pulsing with mana.
However, what caught their attention even more than the beast was the sight scattered throughout the cavern—giant mana crystals, shimmering in hues of blue and violet, embedded in the walls and floor. The sheer quantity of high-grade mana crystals was beyond anything they had expected.
Hayato let out a low whistle. "Well, this just turned into a jackpot." He turned to Ryusei, Todo, and Kenta. "You three stay out here. We're gonna head back and grab the mining equipment before we do anything."
Todo raised an eyebrow. "You're leaving the three of us behind with that thing up there?" He gestured to the slumbering arachnid.
"It's asleep," Hayato said firmly. "And as long as you don't make any sudden loud noises, it should stay that way. Just sit tight and don't do anything reckless."
Ryusei crossed her arms, glancing up at the spider with a skeptical look. "No promises."
Hayato sighed but didn't argue. "We'll be back soon. Just hold your ground."
With that, he and the rest of his group carefully made their way out of the cavern, leaving Ryusei, Todo, and Kenta alone in the boss room.