Fennel looked at me with worry written all over his face. “What do you mean, the queen? Is she the guardian of this floor?” he asked.

Grizmar’s eyes narrowed at me. It was clear he still wasn’t fully on board with trusting me, but he didn’t interrupt.

“Yeah, she’s the guardian of this floor. The boss of the Arachnid Weblands.”

"If your friend wasn’t killed during the ambush and got dragged off like you've said, she’s probably been taken to their nest. The queen has this weird habit of feeding live adventurers to her newborns—no idea why, but that’s her thing. So, chances are, they’re keeping your friend there as a snack until the next batch hatches."

“What! T-Then what kind of boss are we talking about here? Big, nasty, and loaded with venom?”

“Not exactly,” I replied, shaking my head. “She’s... different. Most bosses you’d face are strong in the conventional sense—powerful attacks, varied abilities, stuff like that. But the queen? She’s not like that at all. In terms of offensive capability, she’s practically non-existent. She’s static, predictable, and can barely fight back.”

Fennel’s brows furrowed, clearly confused. “Then what makes her the boss? Sounds like a pushover to me.”

I exhaled sharply, my tone growing serious. “What makes her dangerous isn’t her strength. It’s her numbers. The queen has a unique ability called [Birth Mother]. It lets her constantly produce spider eggs—rapidly and endlessly. She doesn’t fight because she doesn’t have to. Her army does it for her.”

Fennel blinked, processing my words. “Wait… you’re saying she can just keep pumping out spiders? Like… an infinite swarm?”

“Pretty much,” I confirmed grimly. “Her whole thing is creating a defensive network. The more time she’s left alone, the bigger her army grows, and the harder it is to get to her. ”

Grizmar crossed his arms, his jaw tightening. “And you know all this... how?”

“A lot of the lower-level floors that have been explored are recorded and archived in the Adventurer Hall library. It’s free for all adventurers to browse through,” I explained. “I just happened to study and prepare myself in advance, that’s all.”

Grizmar didn’t look entirely convinced, but he didn’t press further.

Fennel, on the other hand, grinned. “You’re one of those over-prepared types, huh?”

I gave a small shrug, deflecting his teasing. “Something like that.”

Of course, most of my knowledge didn’t come from books or archives. It came from my time playing the game.

I’d faced these lower floors countless times as a player. But that wasn’t something I would share with them. As far as they knew, I was just an adventurer who did his homework.

Fennel’s ears twitched as he glanced between me and Grizmar. “Well, whatever the source, it’s useful. So let’s not waste time questioning it.”

Grizmar grunted, clearly still skeptical, but he didn’t argue further. His focus shifted back to the task at hand, and the tension in his shoulders eased slightly.

“Alright, bookworm,” Fennel said, flashing me a cocky grin. “What’s the next step? You seem to have all the answers.”

I paused, letting my thoughts catch up with the situation. Charging in blindly wasn’t an option.

This wasn’t a boss fight for glory or loot—it was a rescue mission. That changed everything.

First, the people involved.

Having Grizmar was a massive advantage. The queen’s strength came from her overwhelming numbers, and Grizmar was built to counter exactly that.

His Savage Protector ability and sheer tankiness meant he could hold the line against her children. He would, without a doubt, be the designated bait.

But here’s the thing: even with Grizmar’s Savage Roar drawing aggro, it would only buy us a few minutes at best. His durability wasn’t infinite.

The plan couldn’t involve fighting our way to victory. This had to be a hit-and-run. Or, more accurately, a bait-and-rescue.

But to plan anything effectively, I needed information—specifically, the skills and abilities of the people I was working with.

“Alright, If we’re going to do this, I need to know what all of you bring to the table. What are your classes and abilities?”

Grizmar’s jaw tightened, and he crossed his massive arms. “You don’t need to know that. I’m here. That’s all that matters.”

I sighed, already sensing the argument brewing. “Look, Grizmar, this isn’t about questioning your capabilities. This is about strategy. The more I know about what we can do, the better I can plan how we’re going to get her out of there alive.”

Stolen story; please report.

Grizmar opened his mouth to retort, but Fennel wasn’t having it.

“Oh, for the love of—shut it, Griz!” Fennel snapped, his usually tone replaced with frustration. “We don’t have time for this stubborn crap! Tasha’s life is on the line, and you’re standing here playing the ‘trust me’ card? Get over yourself.”

Grizmar glared at Fennel, his tail twitching angrily. “You don’t get it—”

“No, you don’t get it!” Fennel shot back, his voice rising. “This isn’t about you. This is about her! If sharing a little info helps us save her, then stop being stubborn and just do it!”

Grizmar growled low in his throat but didn’t argue further.

“Fine,” Grizmar said reluctantly. “You already know about my skill and inherent ability, so I’ll skip over those. My class is Guardian, and it grants me the trait [Aegis]—a passive boost that increases my overall defense based on the proportion of my physical stat.”

Man, this guy really knows his stuff.

I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of respect for Grizmar’s choice of class. Guardian wasn’t just a fitting class for his skill set—it was the perfect complement to his inherent ability. The Aegis trait, which boosted his defense by 0.5% for every point in his physical stat, made his already impressive tanking capability even more formidable, in particular when he reaches a higher level.

https://i.imgur.com/yzazdxO.png [https://i.imgur.com/yzazdxO.png]

[Aegis - Guardian Trait]

[Aegis provides a passive enhancement to the user’s defensive capabilities, increasing overall defense by 0.5% for every point of physical stat. This trait is always active, reinforcing the user’s durability and resistance to damage regardless of circumstances. Aegis is unique to the Guardian class, embodying their role as the ultimate protectors in battle.]

[Usage: Aegis excels in pure tanks, especially high-level Guardians fully built around their physical stat, maximizing durability for enduring intense assaults.]

Every time I learned more about Grizmar, the more impressed I became with his capability and decision-making. His entire setup wasn’t just well thought out—it was purpose-built.

Everything about him screamed dedication to his role as the protector, the tanker, the unshakable wall standing between his team and certain death.

He was prepared for everything: large groups, single enemies, prolonged battles, short bursts of chaos. Grizmar wasn’t just a tank—he was the tank.

Even if he wasn’t particularly fond of me, I couldn’t deny the admiration i had for him. The guy was a natural at what he did, and it showed.

Back on Earth, I thought, if Dungeon End was still just a game, I’d have easily spent a fortune recruiting someone like him into my party.

People like Grizmar didn’t come around often, and when they did, you held onto them like a lifeline.

Of course, I wasn’t going to tell him any of that. His already massive ego didn’t need any more boosting. Instead, I gave him a small nod, keeping my tone neutral.

“Guardian, huh? Makes sense. You’re built for it.”

Grizmar grunted in acknowledgment, his bear-like tail flicking slightly behind him. It was hard to tell if he appreciated the comment or just tolerated it.

I turned to Fennel. “What about you? I know you’ve got speed and agility, but what’s your class?”

Fennel smirked, some of his usual cockiness returning. “I’m a Striker. My class is all about quick, high-impact damage. I hit fast, I hit hard, and I don’t stick around long enough to get hit back.”

"A Striker?!"

Internally, I couldn’t help but have mixed feelings about Fennel’s class.

A Striker, huh? That explained a lot about his fighting style—quick, precise, and flashy. But it also came with some glaring challenges.

Striker was one of those classes that wasn’t for the faint of heart. Sure, it sounded cool on the surface. But the reality? It was tough to make it work effectively, especially in unpredictable situations.

The class relied heavily on it core trait, [Momentum Flow].

The idea was simple. Every time a Striker landed consecutive hits, their damage output increased by 2.5%. Miss even one attack? The effect reset, and you had to start from scratch.

https://i.imgur.com/dq1Jatm.png [https://i.imgur.com/dq1Jatm.png]

[Momentum Flow - Striker Trait]

[Momentum Flow passively increases damage output by 2.5% for every consecutive attack that successfully lands on any enemy target. The effect resets if an attack misses or if there is a prolonged pause between attacks. ]

[Usage: Momentum Flow excels in agile combatants who can maintain relentless focus on a single target, maximizing damage potential through uninterrupted attack combos.]

In theory, it sounded amazing—endless scaling potential for massive damage. But in practice? It was a nightmare to maintain.

For one, you needed insane agility and precision. Not to mention the ability to stick to your target like glue, no matter how much it moved or retaliated.

And then there were the weaknesses—ones that could cripple a Striker.

Take reach, for instance. Strikers most of the time needed to stay up close and personal to deal damage, which was a problem against enemies that kept their distance or could fly. And then there were those ghostly or ethereal monsters immune to physical attacks.

A typical Striker would have a hard time even touching them.

But as I thought about it, I realized something: Fennel might’ve made a smart, although risky, choice when it came to his build.

His Predatory Claw skill covered a lot of those weaknesses.

For one, the claws weren’t purely physical. They dealt a mix of magic and physical damage, meaning he could bypass the usual immunity barriers—ghosts, specters, or anything immune to just one type of attack.

And the fact that he could extend the claws based on his mental stat? That gave him a surprising amount of range for a melee fighter. If he invested enough into that stat, he could effectively counter airborne enemies too.

Combine that with his feline agility and acrobatics, and you had someone who could leap, slash, and reposition faster than most enemies could react.

Was it a risky approach? Absolutely. But for someone like Fennel, who thrived on speed and precision, it might just work.

Kael was still on the ground, looking like he was barely holding himself together .But we needed him focused. Turning to him, I waited for him to pull himself together. Slowly, he did. After a deep breath, he looked up at me, ears twitching slightly.

“I guess… Its my turn,” he muttered, his voice low but steady.