"Great kindness should not be repaid just with words; these are our group's points... If you ever need our help in the future, just call upon us..."

"I am Nanfeng, and this is my contact ID."

Snow was slowly falling, and the sky had completely darkened; the forest was silent.

The young man limped through the knee-deep snow, approaching Fang Hong, extending his hand. Though he was still recovering from a major injury and looked a bit unsteady, his expression was very serious.

He looked at Fang Hong, with an inexplicable expression in his eyes, gazing at this 'Veteran Adventurer' who was even younger than himself.

"Thank you..." The archer beside him added, "If it weren't for you, we would have definitely been wiped out this time. We all know we couldn't have been a match for that Undead Wizard."

Fang Hong felt a bit embarrassed and shook hands with both of them. He understood that this was just a coincidence; if not for the opportunity presenting itself, he would not have chosen to confront a Level 25 BOSS, let alone save these people.

Of course, it was also because the Fire Giant's damage perfectly broke through a Level 25 character's defense. If the opponent's level were higher—like the Black Knight he encountered before—once their shield was up, no amount of Fire Giants would be effective.

After all, a single Fire Giant has a damage ceiling and a low energy level; when encountering higher-level defensive skills, the damage reduction is quite severe. Against a BOSS below Level 20, nineteen Fire Giants, plus a Fire Claw Swordsman, wouldn't even be necessary; possibly less than half would be enough to turn the BOSS to ashes.

Still, defeating a Level 25 BOSS gave rewards far greater than the cost; not just potential spoils of war, but the experience was enough to get Gita halfway to Level 6, and Fang Hong himself gained a quarter of a level's worth of experience.

Of course, the two main participants gained the most experience, while others received relatively less, but the entire team, including those who did not participate in this quest, received some experience.

Altogether, it was a rather generous amount of experience—even without mentioning the portion taken by the 'Shield of Lufu' team.

Then there was the bounty and points from the Adventurers' Guild; the 'Mountain Kou Ke' Wanted Order was as high as fifty thousand Lycel, and three thousand points, three years ago. Recently, it was said the reward had increased by half; combined with the discrepancy between the Guild's information and the BOSS's actual level, certain compensation could be applied for, totaling a possible eighty or ninety thousand just in bonuses.

This money was more than enough to cover the costs this time, with some profit as well.

Elisa and Gita both recorded the moment the BOSS was defeated as evidence—while outside, Xiesta and the Big Catfolk also recorded the slaying of Mountain Kou Ke. With the recordings and the disgusting head of Mountain Kou Ke, securing the bonus was almost a certainty.

In comparison, the three hundred points given by 'Shield of Lufu' as thanks seemed trivial; if not for the customs, Fang Hong wouldn't even have wanted them. After all, 'Shield of Lufu' was in poor shape after the battle, and sometimes a few points could mean the difference between life and death.

But for this, the other party was quite generous.

Nanfeng glanced at the vast white mountains in the distance and sighed lightly: "Our Adventure Group initially came together for the goal of making money. This task's failure only proves that my abilities as Captain are lacking; it's only natural some would leave because of it."

"...However, some will always stay, and these few hundred points are not that significant to those who stay. It's better to earnestly summarize our experiences and lessons for a successful task next time."

Upon hearing this, Fang Hong nodded slightly, considering himself a half-Captain—and transitioning towards a true leader of an Adventure Group, he naturally understood the significance of these words.

He was not perfect, often acting blindly and making impulsive decisions—just lucky enough that every time, things turned out okay. But luck doesn't always stay; if he ignored the warnings these experiences brought, one day a poor decision could end his Adventure Group's future.

This is no exaggeration. In Eteliria, there are thousands of Adventure Groups registered and unregistered with the Adventurers' Guild, people gathered for various goals, but such groups form and disband rapidly; sometimes simply due to the failure of a mission or a wrong decision, they end up falling apart.

Like the Morning Dawn Star—wasn't it the same?

Fortunately, they still had the chance to summarize their experiences and lessons, which is the greatest gift given to any Adventure Group. As the other had said, nothing is more important than the opportunity to reflect.

Fang Hong lightly inhaled; this journey to Aimumu Fortress had numerous faults, such as insufficient preparation, which nearly cost him and Gita their lives during the chaotic underground battle.

There were good points as well, like the final BOSS combat, which went exactly according to his plan—somehow, Fang Hong realized a crucial issue—being well-prepared might be the first lesson a competent Captain needs to learn.

Ordinary people might feel intimidated by repeated failures, but Fang Hong understood that every legendary Invoker's journey was never smooth sailing.

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