The brown-skinned man stepped forward and said, "I'm John, a Level One Swordsman. Since we're all planning to conquer this dungeon together, let's get to know each other." He stretched his hand forward for a handshake.
Mr Jonathan stepped forward and shook his hand. "I'm Jonathan. I'm a Level One Warrior."
The third man stepped forward. "My name is Kelvin. I'm a Level One Healer."
"I'm Vanessa. I'm a Level One Spearwoman," the second woman stepped forward.
"I'm Cynthia. I'm a Level One Archer," the first woman, who was the last person to step forward and introduce herself, said.
"A Swordsman. A Warrior, a Healer, an Archer and a Spearwoman," John said. "Considering the kind of dungeon this is, we might be able to complete it easily."
"Does everyone know about the perfect dungeon run for the Abandoned Orphanage dungeon?" he asked.
The Abandoned Orphanage instance dungeon was Level One survival-riddle-based. It was also a beginner dungeon that had been conquered countless times by other Hunters.
There were so many tutorials on how to conquer it, from animations to well-written notes, as long as one took the time to study them. It was very popular among early Hunters striving to grow stronger, because it was the easiest way to increase their strength.
So every month, several Hunters in the city would apply to conquer the dungeon.
Since the selection was random, they would only know who they would be working with after agreeing to be summoned into the dungeon. So even if someone chose to back out at the last moment, they would be instantly replaced by someone else.
They all nodded in understanding.
"I did my research before coming," Vanessa said.
"That's good. It seems that everyone did their research before coming," John nodded.
"To clarify, the only way to conquer this dungeon is to enter the fifth door on the second floor and set a trap for The Caretaker. Once he's trapped in there, we rush out and quickly head to the office. Underneath his desk is a box we're meant to destroy, killing the final boss and conquering the dungeon," John explained.
"The faster we clear it, the more bountiful the reward. Currently, the fastest dungeon clearance time for the Abandoned Orphanage is twenty minutes, and the person who achieved it has now become a Level 5 Hunter. If we're able to clear it before that time, it shows that our potential is high, and we might have the chance to get accepted into an official Hunter's Guild." He glanced at Mr Jonathan as he finished speaking.
The group nodded in understanding. They grasped what he was saying, as that was one of their main purposes for challenging this dungeon as well.
"Did everyone bring the White Illumination Stone?" John said, bringing out a white stone from his pocket and displaying it before the group.
Mr Jonathan nodded in response. He pulled out a similar white stone from his pocket and held it in his hand.
John nodded, as though he wasn't surprised. In his view, Jonathan looked like one of those people who had challenged several Level One dungeons but was still stuck at Level One, while their peers continued growing stronger.
"I also have one," Vanessa said.
"I don't have one. It was too expensive, so I couldn't afford it," Kelvin said. He looked at John, Jonathan, and Vanessa, who were holding the White Illumination Stone, and smiled. "I wonder if you guys can help me out."
"HUMPH! What do you mean by 'helping you out'? Don't you know that within a dungeon, it's every Hunter for themselves? Challenging a dungeon means putting your life on the line, and yet you didn't bother purchasing the item that might grant a shred of protection, or even help you preserve your life, before choosing to challenge it," Jonathan said, his tone and expression stern.
"He's right. To challenge a Level One Dungeon Instance like the Abandoned Orphanage without the Illumination Stone is complete suicide. Aren't you aware that it's one of the reasons it has a 99 per cent completion rating?" John said, looking at Kelvin with disappointment.
He understood that Kelvin seemed like the kind of person who was full of himself.
At this point, he believed that having someone like Jonathan was much more reliable than having someone like Kelvin. No matter how talented an individual was as a Hunter, if they were so careless as to make such a mistake, they surely wouldn't last long.
One of the reasons talented Hunters were so rare was that many got too far ahead of themselves and died carelessly before achieving their full potential.
He turned to look at Cynthia.
"I don't have one either. I couldn't afford it," Cynthia responded after a brief hesitation, noticing his gaze.
She knew how vital the item was for completing this dungeon, yet she hadn't purchased it because she didn't have the money. If she could have taken a loan to buy one, she would have, but the White Illumination Stone cost thousands of rubies, none of which she had.
She had already taken several loans just to survive, and no lender would approve another loan for a debtor like her, especially considering that dungeons, no matter the completion rating, were death traps.
"Since that's the case, you're all on your own," John said.
He wasn't so foolish as to act like a knight in shining armour and tell Cynthia that she could join him. Now was neither the right time nor the right place to do so.
He had already made a goal and plan for completing this dungeon and didn't want any variables that might disrupt it.
"Wait a minute! I'm a healer! I might not have the item, but I can be of help if any of you get hurt, especially if you don't want to waste any elixir," Kelvin stepped forward and said, as the group was about to walk through the hallway.
The moment they stepped out of the perimeter of the light illuminated by the light bulb, the dungeon would commence, so Kelvin knew he had to present his usefulness quickly, or else he would be left out there to die.