"To be honest, we've waited quite a while and have finally assembled the team. Let me first introduce you to the other four members. Oh, and my name is Ma Han," the burly man said with a smile.
Ma Han's four teammates were not all at the Ninth Layer, but all at the Peak of Eighth Layer. Their strength might not absolutely guarantee the successful hunting of a Ninth Layer two-headed snake king, but with adequate preparation, like having anesthetic bait and other things ready beforehand, their chances of success were still pretty high.
However, these matters had little to do with Lin Feng. He was here, secondary to gaining experience, primarily to find the exact location of the treasure indicated by the treasure map.
"Captain, is this the newcomer? Just a little brat, isn't he?"
As Lin Feng walked over, he saw four people standing opposite him, three men and one woman, with a sarcastic voice coming from amongst them.
Ma Han said, "This young brother here is someone I brought to do miscellaneous tasks at the back ranks. The five of us are sufficient for the fight. We've prepared thoroughly this time, the two-headed snake king definitely won't escape."
"Miscellaneous tasks at the back?"
A young man with a long face gave Lin Feng a once-over and chuckled, "Kid, if you're going to die, don't expect us to come save you."
Lin Feng just smiled back and assured, "Don't worry, I won't need your rescue."
The long-faced youth was taken aback, then he sneered disdainfully and didn't bother saying anything else. Seeing the mood turning sour, Ma Han quickly smoothed things over, "Alright, Wang Dako, even if your wife ran off, don't bring that attitude into battle. It can bring disastrous impacts to the team."
So this was about his wife running away with someone. No wonder.
"The latter snorted coldly, "Bringing along dead weight, this mission is probably a wash."
Ma Han was very frustrated with him but decided not to engage further; instead, he introduced the others to Lin Feng, "Lin Feng, that round-faced young man is Wang Wei, our team's archer, also at Eighth Layer. Next to him is Zheng Han, responsible for restraining or ambushing, and the only female in our team, Lu Keke."
Ma Han introduced them one by one.
Apart from Wang Dako, the rest of the team greeted Lin Feng with friendly smiles. After all, as Ma Han said, whether they knew each other beforehand or not, they would be teammates once they entered the mountains, and harmony among teammates was a must. Otherwise, the outcome of any battle would be no joke.
After getting a basic understanding of everyone, Lin Feng had a sense of the team's setup, which seemed pretty good. Lu Keke was a doctor, familiar with basic medical treatment and bandaging. Archer Wang Wei was responsible for long-range attacks, while Wang Dako and Ma Han would adapt their tactics according to the situation, either providing cover or attacking. As for Lin Feng, he was relegated to doing chores and guarding the rear.
Speaking of chores, that included dissecting demon beast carcasses. Although their target was the two-headed snake king, they would also deal with any other demon beasts they encountered along the way, because they were all worth money.
Naturally, the task of skinning fell to Lin Feng.
Swish!
Wang Dako took the lead, striking down a Fifth Rank demon beast with one blow, then he turned around and disdainfully said, "Menial worker, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and skin it; don't delay us."
Lin Feng shrugged and approached the corpse, a common and aggressively territorial Black Horn Hound. Its strength was only average, but it was notably aggressive. Floating beside him was a miniature version of a Black Horn Hound, which was its soul. Only Lin Feng could see it, and absorbing it would incrementally raise his Demon Dragon Star's grade.
Thinking this, Lin Feng reached out to grab the soul, and instantly, a special force surged into his body.
Wang Dako saw Lin Feng staring at his hand like an idiot and sneered with arms folded, "Could it be that you don't even know how to do such a lowly task, or did you get so scared seeing a dead demon beast for the first time that you nearly wet your pants?"
The other team members also frowned. If Lin Feng couldn't handle this simple task, they might have to consider finding someone else.
After all, although the demon beast had been killed, its skin and fur were valuable and needed to be removed intact. If it was clumsily damaged during skinning, it would directly affect their interests.
Lin Feng ignored them. The Black Horn Hound was too weak to provide much energy; probably another twenty or so would be needed for his Demon Dragon Star to break through to the Second Grade Star level.
As for Wang Dako's claim about peeing in his pants? Lin Feng scoffed at the thought; even the weakest demon beast he had encountered before was a Demon King. He produced a dagger in his hand and swiftly made a cut, peeling off the skin in one neat piece.
This skillful display of saber technique left Wang Dako, who was about to comment, speechless. Being able to skin so cleanly indicated an expert.
"Not bad, didn't see that coming. Lin Feng's saber technique is quite sharp."
"And he's also quite knowledgeable about the anatomy of demon beasts. That cut didn't damage the internals, impressive."
Ma Han and team member Zheng Han both nodded in surprise.
Wang Dako was taken aback as he watched Lin Feng handle the carcass with ease. He hadn't expected the guy to have some real skill. With this kind of ability, if word got out, many teams would probably invite him.
"Whatever, he's still just a lackey. No matter how skilled at menial tasks, he's still just a lackey."
Wang Dako muttered discontentedly, while Ma Han and the others exchanged looks and helplessly shook their heads.
The strength of this team was quite remarkable, and having an archer like Wang Wei was advantageous. Generally, unless they encountered particularly troublesome demon beasts, Wang Wei wouldn't fire arrows, since his equipment was expensive. One arrow, if converted to money, was worth three hundred silver leaves.
Fortunately, they didn't encounter any dangers along the way, sweeping through and continuing until nightfall. The team found a safe cave to set up a campfire and started chatting.
Spending the night in the mountains is a truly nerve-wracking affair, with the sounds of beast roars echoing in the ears as if they were relentless. Those who are faint of heart might shiver with fear, but for veterans like Ma Han and Wang Wei who had experienced numerous nights in the mountains, it was just another day.
Even the only girl on the team, Lu Keke, didn't show any sign of fear. As she roasted venison, she noticed Lin Feng sitting afar in a daze and passed one to him.
"Here ya go, just roasted and still hot. Eat something. It can get pretty cold in the cave at night."
Lin Feng turned to look at Lu Keke, whose face was a bit plump and babyish, gave a light smile, and readily accepted.