Traveling through the game world, starting out as a third-rate villain

"Uh, I'm Fred Nelson." He introduced himself with a slightly trembling voice, as if trying to hide his nervousness. "I'm... uh, the therapist for your expedition. This is... uh, my first mission, so please bear with me."

He stuttered as if he was inexperienced. Even though I knew him from the game, with my [Perception], I could see his tiny movements that hinted that he was lying.

Of course, some might think that I noticed these details because I was wary of him, but that's not true.

I always watch people's body language when they are talking. Unless they are experienced enough to be in complete control of themselves, this always gives me enough information.

"No problem, Mr. Fred. Everyone has a first try. By the way, can I call you Fred?"

"Uh... yeah, you can call me Fred, that's fine."

"Very good. Fred will be the healer for our expedition." Anya said, taking the lead as the captain. "Now, I will begin the mission briefing."

Anya projects a map of the "Rainforest" on the holoscreen and continues with the briefing.

"The dungeon we are about to enter is a forest-type dungeon - 'Rainforest'. According to the analysis of the power fluctuation, the level of this dungeon is intermediate level 4, which you should have already known. The boss monster is 'Ember Spirit', a top level 4 monster. It is a powerful enemy, so we must be careful."

She marked some areas on the map. "Our route will pass through various terrains, including dense forests, rivers, and caves. We will encounter different monsters along the way, so be sure to stay alert."

Anya pointed to the team's formation and continued, "Now, regarding our team formation: I will be the tank in the front to lead the way. Faye and Harry, you two are the main output. Ethan and Emily, you are the auxiliary output and are also responsible for the rear defense. Morse, you are the archer, responsible for reconnaissance and protecting our healer Fred, who will be in the center of the team."

As she spoke, she looked at everyone in the team. It seemed that she was evaluating everyone's strength one by one. This was a routine procedure that the captain usually carried out, because the tactical examples in the textbooks often did not work perfectly in the real dungeon.

"Of course, this is just a formation on paper. Depending on the actual situation, we will adjust and adapt to the environment. Any questions?"

Seeing her ask this, no one else asked questions. In the game, this part is where players can choose dialogue options, but I didn't have any questions. After all, I knew most of the content of this dungeon well.

"Well, let me give you one last reminder." Scanning everyone with her penetrating eyes, Anya released her aura, putting pressure on us from the very beginning.

"I am the leader of the team, and I expect your complete obedience. You must listen to whatever I say, and never act alone. Do you understand?"

This is one of her starting traits. Anya is one of the reasons why Emily's Guild was able to rise. She is a very talented leader with excellent situational awareness. Therefore, I have no problem following her instructions.

Also, this will be a good example for me to reference when exploring more underground cities in the future.

"Understood."

Everyone accepted her words without hesitation. After all, this is the charm of being a leader in the future.

I saw Ethan looking at Anya with admiration in his eyes, clearly impressed by her. Unlike his other conceited geniuses, his intentions were pure.

That's why he's a good character, someone who appreciates others, not an arrogant brat.

Even though he was not fully mature yet, he could appreciate the good in others, and that was enough.

"Then let's go."

After saying these words, she stood up and walked out.

Later, we arrived at the Guild entrance and saw a waiting van, the engine humming softly.

Anya sat in the front row and the others sat in the back.

boom!

As the engine started, the vehicle started moving.

......

"Hey," Ethan said, his tone suggesting he was ready to start a conversation, but Morse ignored him, staring out the window at the scenery passing by.

"Morse, I'm talking to you," Ethan insisted, not wanting to give up easily.

Morse turned his head slightly and glanced at Ethan. "What?"

Ethan moved closer, apparently not fazed by Morse's cold response. "I didn't expect to see you here." He said with a hint of surprise in his tone.

"Tsk... this guy will definitely say next that he didn't expect me to participate in the dungeon exploration."

Morse muttered under his breath, unable to hide his impatience any longer. "So? The last place in the academy can't participate in the dungeon exploration?"

Ethan frowned, but still didn't give up. "I mean... it's just a little unexpected. You struck me as someone who prefers training. To be honest, I thought you would hone your skills in the academy first."

Morse snapped back impatiently. "Listen, Ethan, not everyone has the luxury of staying in the academy forever. Some people need the money, and they need it now."

He crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat with an unhappy look on his face. Morse was well aware of his position in the academy, and he usually didn't care. However, considering that Emily was also here, she might have unnecessary thoughts about it.

"So, what you mean is that you participate in dungeon crawling purely for money, right?" Ethan asked, seeming to be very interested in Morse's motives. There was a hint of smile on his face, and he seemed to enjoy Morse's answer.

Morse replied briefly and directly: "Yes."

Ethan continued to ask, with some genuine concern in his tone. "Then why do you need money? Maybe I can help you."

Morse's impatience broke out again, and he shot back, "None of your business."

Ethan sighed and said helplessly, “You know, you are so stubborn. You won’t be able to make friends if you continue like this.”

Morse retorted quickly and forcefully, "Who said I need friends? I'm doing fine on my own."

"......"

After a moment's silence, Ethan pondered over Morse's words, and finally compromised reluctantly, but still with a hint of reluctance.

"Okay. Now shut up and focus, we're not here to chat." Morse interrupted him with the last sentence, turning his eyes to the map of the dungeon.

Emily finally lost her patience and decided to interrupt, a hint of harshness in her tone.

"Morse, do you have to be so rude?" She spoke directly, with obvious frustration, and stared at him sternly.

She then turned her attention to Ethan and found that his slightly helpless smile was still on his face.

Morse returned her stern look with a defiant one. "I'm not rude. It's the people who are rude who meddle in other people's private affairs."

Emily sighed helplessly, but her tone remained firm as she said, "Morse, we are a team now, and teamwork requires collaboration and respect. Being rude to your teammates will not help us succeed in the dungeon."

"..." Morse looked up, thought about his behavior, and realized that he had indeed gone a little too far.

'etc?'

Bang

Just then, his heartbeat suddenly quickened, just like before.

'This bastard.'

He immediately realized why and quickly glanced at Fred, who was snickering.

'He has already started using his skills.'

After observing the others, he found that they seemed to be unaffected.

'It's probably because the other people's attributes are higher.'

He understood why his emotions had become more agitated than usual, but in order not to expose this, he still chose to pretend to be angry.

"I don't need you to lecture me about teamwork. I have my reasons for being here, and I don't expect anyone to understand."

'This is so embarrassing.'

I complained silently in my heart but still acted like I was angry.

Emily's patience was completely exhausted. She took a step back, her expression becoming even colder, and finally said to Morse, "It's up to you." There was a decisive tone in her voice. "If you insist on acting like a child and pushing everyone away, then it's up to you. I won't waste my time trying to reason with you anymore."

She turned away from Morse and returned her attention to Ethan, who was awkwardly caught in the middle of the conflict between the two of them and shook his head. She muttered under her breath, "Some people are really hopeless."

Ethan's face twitched slightly, and he found himself extremely awkward in the tense atmosphere between the two of them. He had no idea how to mediate this situation, especially between Morse's stubborn attitude and Emily's obvious frustration.

Yet, amid the tension in the ranks, there was one man who seemed secretly delighted by the drama - Fred. His sharp mind quickly caught on to the situation and saw an opportunity.

'Sooner than I expected.' Fred thought to himself, observing the conflict in the carriage. He carefully analyzed everyone involved in the conflict and soon realized the root cause of the conflict.

'This guy is the weak link.' He concluded, referring to Morse. According to his skills, the purple-eyed young man was the first to show emotion.

Although he felt a hint of chill in Morse's gaze, Fred confidently put it aside.

'An ordinary college student can't possibly threaten me.' Fred thought, dismissing any possible concerns.

He heard the conversation about Morse's low ranking and need for money, which made him more confident in his plan.

'Perhaps I can convince him to join us.' Fred thought to himself, using his emotion amplification skill [Wave] to formulate a clear strategy.

Fred's mind raced with excitement. 'Today is my lucky day. I never thought I would have the chance to win over the heir of the Hartley family to our side. If I can seize this opportunity, I can also gain a rare "seed of anger" for this achievement.'

As the van continues its journey in an unknown direction, Fred’s mind races, eager to exploit the rift in the team to his own advantage.

However, the look on Fred's face did not escape Morse's attention.

The rift that was forming in the team was just the bait he threw to Fred.