Bald Brigade's Giant Giant Spider Raid
The Giant Giant Spider Raid Dungeon shone brighter than ever before.
Sunlight blazed from every direction, as if symbolizing the indomitable spirit of the explorers pushing through the dark dungeon's trials.
Goseongji was flustered by the overwhelming sight.
"Where the hell did all these people come from...? The raid tickets were supposed to be lottery only...."
A few minutes earlier.
Evan, an explorer active in mid-level dungeons, had just entered the Giant Giant Spider Raid Dungeon.
"...Finally, my chance has come."
He'd beaten insane competition to join the new raid dungeon experience team.
Ever since watching the hot spring dungeon broadcast, Evan had waited for this day alone.
The broadcast had focused mostly on adventurers who broke through walls and underwent complete physical reconstruction.
The gallery had buzzed for a while with debates on just how valuable the Elixir Bath was for explorers.
Most folks fixated on realm boosts, ignoring everything else.
But Evan zeroed in on just one thing: the hair loss treatment bath. It wasn't a realm booster, but it was exactly what he needed most.
Was shelter life just a bad fit for his body? Or was the massive stress making his hair fall out?
When he first noticed, there wasn't much he could do in the shelter. The root cause was the shelter life itself, after all.
Cramped shelter days, watching hair fall, stressing more, hair falling faster. Endless vicious cycle.
'It got so patchy, like rats had gnawed it—ended up shaving it all off.'
Stress-induced hair loss supposedly regrows with good care. But for Evan, it'd gone on too long.
Even after the Dungeon Master showed up, improving shelter life, and he started park walks for stress relief—still no regrowth.
'Maybe the follicles are already dead...'
Rumors said even the Elixir Bath couldn't revive dead follicles.
Reviving them was god's domain. Worst-case scenario, but he wouldn't give up hope.
Not letting go of that one strand of possibility. The will to save even one follicle. That's what makes a baldie.
"...Guess I'm the only baldie here..."
Evan muttered, glancing at the other explorers entering around him.
Then someone tapped his shoulder.
"Not true, brother."
"You...?"
"Look at that guy over there. Seems lush at first glance, but check the part line—off, right? Wig."
...Yeah, now that he mentioned it, something felt weird.
"And that one. Helmet to hide it, but male pattern baldness progressing. Feel the thickness difference in the exposed hair?"
...Focusing hard, yeah—thinner strands mixed in!!!
"Who are you? How do you even know this stuff?"
The man casually ran a hand through his lush hair...
Click—
The whole wig came off in one piece.
"......"
"...Ah... aaa..."
Evan couldn't bear to look, squeezing his eyes shut and turning away.
Temples and nape aside, not a single strand left. No peach fuzz even—too late to save.
He looked surprisingly young for his calm tone. Early 30s maybe. But hair like that meant...
'Losing it since childhood!!!'
Brutal... too brutal.
"Chin up, brother. I haven't given up. Know there's complete physical reconstruction twice?"
"...Second reconstruction is a mythical realm only heaven-blessed talents reach, right...?"
First complete physical reconstruction: expel waste, optimize muscles and bones.
Second: rebuild the entire body structure from the ground up.
Not impossible, but even deepest-layer explorers who claimed it could be counted on one hand.
"But why bring up reconstruction all of a sudden...?"
"Second reconstruction... rebuilds follicles too."
"...Gasp!!!"
This guy hadn't quit even with fully dead follicles. He didn't become an explorer to get strong... he became one to reach that supreme realm and regrow his hair!!!
Did their talk carry? Heads turned.
"...Young guy too... poor bastard..."
"But with that hair and ambition... gallery lord material."
Click— click—
"See? You're not alone."
"Yeah, we'll cheer you on!!"
Newly bared scalps reflected sunlight perfectly, no fuzz in sight—pure shine.
It spread like contagion, one by one, everywhere.
Click— click—
Sudden lid-popping everywhere left non-baldies panicking.
"Wtf is this shit now?"
"Aaa... they're glowing."
"You bald fucks!!! Planning flashbangs in combat?!?!"
"Quit bitching and lid up, you shiny assholes!!! Too bright waaaaaaaaaah—!!!!!!!!!"
Thirty minutes since entry. Giant Giant Spider respawn incoming.
Experience team shook off the flashbang chaos, quickly setting terrain plays.
High hill for mages and archers to snipe. Offset charges from breakthrough mobs if any.
Pit traps to slow massive trash mob waves.
"Prep done."
Warriors up front. Archers/mages on hill. Minimal shieldbearers block entry.
Familiar Giant Slime raid formation.
Raid leader checked time.
Exactly 30 minutes: massive light cluster formed in the air.
"Mages, secondary cast prep!!!"
"It's finally starting."
Goseongji kicked off the raid broadcast proper from the mage hill. Beside him: the veteran Padak trio as safety officers for the experience.
The light cluster morphed into a colossal spider over 20 meters.
Thud—
Eight legs absorbed impact—less shake than Giant Slime.
But long legs put the massive body dizzyingly high.
"That's JaJaS...!!!"
"......Body too high—hard to land damage?"
"Jeonbung-i eating it again..."
"Trash duty for you, Jeonbung-i."
Raid leader confirmed mage casts done, pointed at JaJaS.
"Fire—!!!!"
Flame magic arced toward the giant spider in unison.
Boom— boooom— bang—
Fireballs exploded on impact... but
"Tch... high flame resist for an insect? Damage underwhelming."
Flame magic lacked punch despite landing hits.
"Mages, secondary cast and brace for patterns!!!"
JaJaS, struck first, catapulted its body like a trebuchet—something launched from its back at the rear hill.
Hundreds of projectiles targeted ranged DPS, raining from the sky.
"Boss ranged attack!! Mana barriers up!!"
Thud thud thud thud— thunk thunk— thunk—
Round things bounced off or stuck to barriers.
Barriers held the skyfall... but teams panicked at the reveal.
"Th... this!!!"
"Insane...!!"
"Leader, call warriors NOW!!!!"
Hundreds of human-sized spider monsters drooled venom atop the barriers, eyeing prey.
"NO ONE drop the barrier!!!"
"Leader, one minute max at our level!!!"
But mages couldn't hold forever...
Barrier shattered—spiders poured down.
"Looks like the clear failed."
Goseongji, watching close-up, said grimly.
Mages tilted barrier last-ditch, shoving spiders to edges—success, but situation dire. Main DPS mages swarmed by man-sized spiders? Clear over.
Dozens maybe survivable, but hundreds up close? No cast time, shieldbearers couldn't cover all.
Current shields max two directions.
"Shame... didn't expect phase 1 wipe... Giant Slime formation the fail cause...? Hm?"
But mid-broadcast, Goseongji noticed oddity. Should be chaos with spiders swarming—why so quiet?
He shifted gaze, froze at the sight.
Not just him. Mages, archers... even shieldbearers halted.
Some mages/archers held formation gaps, spiderwoman-riding like circus acrobats, enduring scythe-leg stabs.
Man-sized spiders stabbed relentlessly—no budge.
It looked just like...
"Iron bar."
Red Giant Set jelly fully absorbed the spider attacks.