Even though Shi Feng's team was fully assembled, the Level 2 players watching from the sidelines were all amused.
Not because the players Shi Feng had recruited were all Level 1, but because the classes they'd chosen were so absurd, it was hard not to burst out laughing.
"This rookie's a real character, I'm actually kind of impressed. He's basically running a suicide squad."
"I actually feel sorry for that expert—bringing along a bunch of oddballs like this and even agreeing to let him be team leader."
The Level 2 players waiting in line started chattering, and quite a few of them clutched their bellies, roaring with laughter.
"Show-off." Zhao Yueru furrowed her delicate brows slightly, glanced at Shi Feng, then turned her head away, feeling a bit irritated. Everywhere she went, she used to be the center of attention. But today? Everyone was focused on Shi Feng, that unremarkable rookie. Sure, they were all mocking him, but still—he was the center of attention.
"All right, Yueru, let's hurry up and fill our roster. If we waste any more time, we'll fall behind the top players." Bai Qingxue had a faint impression that Shi Feng might be skilled, but judging from his level, his team selection, and everything else, he was a far cry from what she'd call an expert. The idea of inviting him to join their guild? She'd already dropped it. Venomous Serpent only recruited the best.
"Got it." Zhao Yueru turned to the Swordsman standing in front of her and, almost vindictively, said flatly, "Your stats are decent, but sorry—we don't need a Swordsman."
The Swordsman's expression immediately wilted. He wasn't dense enough to miss what Zhao Yueru meant. He spun around and glared at Shi Feng in the distance, his eyes burning with hatred.
Meanwhile, completely oblivious, Shi Feng was activating the Silent Forest.
System: Please select a difficulty level.
System: Normal, Hard, Hell.
Without a moment's hesitation, Shi Feng chose Hell. Instantly, the teleportation gate before the Silent Forest shifted from silvery gray to pitch black, and a skeletal head with its jaws wide open flickered in and out of view.
At the same time, every member of Shi Feng's team received a message.
System: Hell difficulty Silent Forest has been selected. Death penalty increased by 100%.
The team members' faces drained of color in an instant. A 100% increase in death penalty? That meant dying inside the dungeon would cost them 20% of their experience—and that was experience that would take one or two hours of grinding to recover!
"Brother Feng, you picked the wrong one! Weren't we supposed to run Normal?" Heizi hurried over and whispered urgently.
"No mistake—I chose Hell. If I wasn't going to run Hell, why would I even come here?" Shi Feng replied, annoyed.
The drop rate for forging blueprints was extremely low. On Normal, the Werewolf Ferot had only a 1% chance of dropping one. Hard was only 5%. Only Hell offered a 30% chance. Sure, you could run Normal as many times as you wanted each day, but who had that kind of time? Hard was limited to five attempts per day, and the odds still weren't great. Hell was once a day, but it offered the best hope.
"Bro—Brother Feng, what are you saying? Hell difficulty Silent Forest? Just look at our team—getting through Normal would be a challenge, let alone Hell!" Heizi panicked. He'd already watched several elite teams wipe. According to them, the monsters in the Silent Forest were incredibly strong and absurdly intelligent—without at least Level 4 or 5, you didn't stand a chance. Every one of those teams had given up and left.
Now, with a bunch of rookies like them attempting a Hell difficulty dungeon? They'd literally be going to hell.
"Relax. I wouldn't do this if I wasn't confident." Shi Feng smiled faintly and patted Heizi on the shoulder. "I've got a plan."
"All right, let's head in."
Shi Feng led the way through the gate first. Heizi followed close behind, and Jimo Ruxue walked in with a blank look on his face, fully committed to walking this path straight into the dark.