"Should I join the Ice Flower Adventure Team?"
Lin Da fell into deep thought.
Objectively speaking, the captain of Ice Flower was enthusiastic and highly capable, having led the team through eleven levels.
During the Attacker's conference, Lin Da had seen the members of Ice Flower a few times, and he could sense that their adventure team had a great atmosphere.
In comparison to the Snow Goose Adventure Team, it was like heaven and earth.
But.
Lin Da accessed his personal panel.
Beyond basic information, there was an option on the left called "Squad Module."
Clicking it would prompt: To unlock this template, you must form your own squad.
In the game Mystic Continent, the Squad Module provided many attribute bonuses, and lacking this module meant incomplete system functionality.
Moreover... Lin Da looked towards the towering lush tree in the distance.
The person who reached the top of the World Tree would receive the strongest Brave's Sword and a chance to make a wish to the World Tree Goddess.
The person who obtained the Brave's Sword was the team leader, and the person given the chance to make a wish was also the team leader.
To vanquish the Demon King, the Brave's Sword was indispensable.
Lacking the "Anti-Demon" trait, the game's difficulty would increase by tens of times.
Thinking this, Lin Da shook his head and declined politely, "Sorry, I plan to establish my own adventure team."
Isa frowned, thinking Lin Da was making excuses, "You think the salary from the Ice Flower Adventure Team is too low? What does Lia give you? I guarantee to increase it by twenty percent based on that."
Lia only gave junk, believing that a level 15 Healer didn't deserve good equipment.
Lin Da didn't have the heart to say it out loud, it was too shabby, and he feared being laughed at.
"It's not about the pay." Lin Da smiled, "I have certain reasons that I must create my own team, and besides... I've turned back to level 0, joining the Ice Flower Adventure Team would only hold them back."
"Ah, level 0?" Isa looked at Lin Da in surprise, "So that's it, no wonder you were kicked out by that Lia..."
Isa completely misunderstood.
She thought that Lin Da encountered an accident inside the World Tree, which was why Lia kicked him out of the team.
Lin Da didn't explain further, humbly stating, "That's how it is, thank you for your kindness."
While the invitation from the Ice Flower Adventure Team was tempting, Lin Da still wanted to create a team of his own.
After bidding goodbye to a regretful Isa, he hadn't walked far when Kafni curiously approached him.
"What's going on with the Snow Goose Adventure Team? Who is Lia? Why does your expression change whenever she's mentioned by Isa?"
"None of your business." Lin Da said irritably.
But Kafni didn't give up on getting to the bottom of things; she smelled a juicy story on Lin Da and was determined to get it clear.
"Aren't we partners in fighting the Demon King? What can't be shared?"
"Spill it, come on!"
"This Deity is asking you!"
The more Lin Da refused to talk, the more Kafni persisted.
Annoyed beyond tolerance, Lin Da finally briefly relayed the story about the Snow Goose Adventure Team.
A moment later.
"Ha? You're totally a lickspittle, right? Doing their laundry, cooking for them, even preparing strategies for free? Dogs aren't even as fawning as you!"
After hearing Lin Da's story, Kafni was dumbfounded.
She envisioned a troublesome trio and one man playing house.
Team leader Lia often clashed with other adventurers, rendering their lives unmanageable, all dependent on Lin Da's mediation.
The Mage Young Lady had leg issues that required daily massages.
The heavy armored warrior was just an immature brat who also had a foul mouth, loving to call Lin Da a "useless Small Fry Uncle."
If Lin Da didn't cook her specified meals three times a day, she would refuse to eat, forcing Lin Da to always give in to the kid.
I've seen good guys, but I've never seen anyone quite like Lin Da.
Serving dogs would be easier than serving that bunch of young ladies!
"Lickspittle, lickspittle hero, how did I choose someone like you to be a hero? Ah, I really want to switch to a hero that respects me, is strong, and isn't a lickspittle."
Kafni, with hands behind her back and chest out, glanced sideways at Lin Da's darkening face and taunted him with a hateful expression akin to that of a Female Lady.
"Shut up already, will you!"
Lin Da was somewhat annoyed, "You don't have OO, so of course you don't understand men's thoughts! Besides, when we first formed the team, Lia was normal, it was only after the team got famous that she began to change."
Kafni retorted unbowed:
"Who do you blame for me not having OO? By the way, I think the abnormal one is actually you, weren't you the one who spoiled them like that?
If someone cooked me meals every day for a year and then suddenly stopped one day, of course, I would curse them out.
Why would they stop now after having done it before?
They don't take you seriously, purely because you are too subservient!"
Lin Da frowned, "Your lack of OO is none of my business. You said earlier that a deity must fulfill the hero's wish when it's made, why would I make such a useless wish?
Moreover, I am not subservient; I just do what I need to do. I can't just let them starve, can I?"
"That's why I said you are a lickspittle!"
Kafni burst into laughter.
She thought becoming a lady was miserable enough, but Lin Da seemed to have it even worse.
The group that Lin Da called teammates didn't really consider him a teammate; they were just using him, knowing that if they pushed him, he would back down.
After backing down so many times, Lin Da got used to it and felt that doing those things was his duty and responsibility.
In other words, Lin Da got played!
A grand hero, and yet he couldn't figure this out!
Kafni conveniently addressed another of Lin Da's remarks: "What do you mean by saying I'm useless? If I had told you earlier that I need to fulfill the hero's wishes to the best of my ability, you, being a subservient type, would definitely wish for something even more absurd, like licking someone to gain favor or something, haha!"
"What? Don't underestimate others, you damn deity!"
Lin Da was completely infuriated, and the two of them started a big fight in the street.
Passers-by looked on in surprise at this odd pair.
A tall, dark-haired man angrily chasing after a gold-haired woman.
With an aura that seemed to say he wouldn't stop until he caught her and thrashed her thoroughly.
The latter was not afraid at all, standing at the edge of the fountain's pool, arms crossed, taunting the former: "Lickspittle, lickspittle hero!"
"Darn it!"
Lin Da almost burst his lungs from running, yet he couldn't catch up to the thief-profession Kafni.
He wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and panted heavily.
Despite being tired, oddly enough, after all that frantic running, he felt somewhat refreshed as if he had vented all the frustration and gloom in his chest.
This made Lin Da recall the early days when the Snow Goose Adventure Team was first established, with members laughing and playfully chasing each other just like this.
Indeed, it was somewhat nostalgic.
Lin Da sighed softly.
Leaving the team he had helped to establish over three years, it definitely felt sad.
At that moment, he looked ahead at Kafni standing on the edge of the fountain, arms akimbo and a smug look on her face as her soft panda toy fluttered in the wind.
It felt like a return to the carefree days three years ago.