After gathering all the spoils, everyone left the area and found a suitable clearing to settle down for rest.

While there was still some daylight left, the team's ranger Sheila went hunting nearby under the protection of Huck and Benny.

The remaining members began setting up tents, building campfires, and placing traps...

Nowadays, starting fires was naturally handled by Lin Mo, who could easily ignite a fire pile by mobilizing the destruction element magic power within his body.

Ellie had already chopped a pile of firewood to add to it, and soon a large fire was burning brightly.

As Lin Mo set up the tent, he took this opportunity to check the gains from the subsequent battles earlier.

First was the skill 【Rushing Punch】, which was originally only level 1, so it leveled up quickly and naturally progressed directly.

"Skill 【Rushing Punch】Lv1 (10/10) upgraded!"

"Current skill 【Rushing Punch】Lv2 (15/20)"

Not only did it level up, but it was already close to reaching level 3. Once it reached level 3, that would mean another point of strength.

Additionally, there was the Backstab skill. Although it hadn't leveled up, it had accumulated considerable proficiency and was currently at Lv3 (31/40).

Other skills close to leveling up included Shadow Strike Lv3 (19/40) and Lightness Lv1 (8/10).

But none of these skills had higher priority than 【Ice Spike】.

Although it still needed 51 proficiency points to level up, this skill had already reached level 4. Leveling up meant evolution, which meant a new excellent-grade spell and an increase in magic power.

By that time, Lin Mo's magic attribute should reach 28 points! Only 2 points away from level 3.

Once he reached level 3, it would mean his mage level had finally caught up with his warrior level, truly becoming a main combat force.

After closing the panel, Sheila and the others returned with their prey.

They had brought back a Rock Armor Pig, which was quite a pleasant surprise.

The Rock Armor Pig was considered a fairly powerful magical creature. The pig before them was as tall as a person, with a massive body that required both Huck and Benny to carry it back.

Judging by its size, this Rock Armor Pig's threat level was at least around 1.5.

This was the benefit of cooperating with a capable team - everyone in the team was highly skilled, and even the prey they hunted was more impressive.

Everyone gathered around to skin and dismember the pig, but they couldn't eat all that meat. Magical beast meat contained much more energy than ordinary ingredients, and even Professionals couldn't consume too much.

Taking it with them wasn't practical or necessary, especially since they already had so many spoils to carry.

So they simply selected the best cuts of meat and left the rest aside.

Lin Mo cut the highest quality meat into small pieces, skewered them on sharpened branches, and made kebabs for roasting.

When he had shopped in the city earlier, he had specifically bought some inexpensive seasonings for exactly this kind of situation.

Placing the meat skewers over the fire to roast, Lin Mo's skewers had particularly large chunks of meat that looked extremely satisfying.

The high-quality pork sizzled under the fire's heat, with fat occasionally dripping into the flames, spreading a rich aroma throughout the area.

Meanwhile, Ellie and Sheila placed meaty bones into a small pot, adding some vegetables they carried and mushrooms gathered from the forest - of course, as experienced adventurers, they knew these were non-toxic.

With these ingredients in the pot, only simple seasoning was needed to create a delicious soup.

Finally, adding some wild berries they had gathered, tonight's dinner was exceptionally sumptuous.

The group sat together, eating and chatting merrily.

"Don't let Benny's honest and simple appearance fool you - he actually has two wives at home..."

"And they're both quite beautiful. Tsk tsk, why don't I have such good luck with women?"

Huck shook his head and sighed while eating roasted meat.

"If you visited those places less often, you might have better luck."

Sheila teased from beside him.

"Speaking of me? Don't you have a young boyfriend yourself, Sheila?"

The conversation gradually turned into mutual teasing, but in this joyful atmosphere, it was easier to understand each other better and deepen their bonds.

For novice adventurers, temporary teams were more common, but as their adventure experience grew and their talents and abilities stabilized, they needed to find more permanent, stable teammates.

This helped develop rapport and better coordination in battles. When everyone understood each other, there was no need for hidden agendas, allowing them to focus more on missions and reduce uncertainties during tasks.

This was why Lin Mo wanted to form his own team.

Previously, he had worried about his rapid power growth outpacing his teammates, but since obtaining the 【Joint Cultivation】skill, much of that concern had eased.

Moreover, Ellie's natural talent wasn't poor at all - it just wasn't as outrageous as his.

As for Finnie, there was no need to even mention - as adventures increased, Lin Mo could clearly sense her progress.

She wasn't a newly promoted Priest Professional to begin with, and now she was probably approaching level 2, right?

Ellie was the same, just one step away from reaching level 2.

Lin Mo had considered teaching his skills to Ellie later, but without skill scrolls, relying solely on teaching probably wouldn't be very efficient.

After all, not everyone had his level of absurd comprehension.

He hoped that after 【Joint Cultivation】leveled up and evolved, it would have more effects that might solve these problems.

.......

After chatting for a while, everyone grew tired and prepared to rest.

At this point, the advantage of having more people became apparent.

Each person's night watch duty was significantly shortened, allowing everyone to get proper rest.

As a half-mage, Lin Mo was scheduled for the last watch.

Landon chose the first watch, which provided similar benefits.

Finnie was scheduled just before Lin Mo, which was also good treatment.

Lin Mo returned to his tent but didn't rush to sleep. Instead, he sat cross-legged and entered a meditative state.

After a while, when the 【Primary Meditation Technique】proficiency increased and his mind felt clear and relaxed, Lin Mo finally lay down in his sleeping bag and fell peacefully asleep.

This sleep was particularly sound.

"Mr. Lin Mo... Mr. Lin Mo?"

Approaching dawn, Lin Mo was awakened by Finnie's voice. Opening his eyes, he saw her adorable face before him.

Finnie's face was inherently endearing, and combined with her innocent, somewhat confused eyes, it evoked a strong protective instinct.

Lin Mo sat up and looked outside.

Summer days were longer, and the sky was already slightly bright, so he stepped out of the tent to stretch his limbs.

He had slept very well last night, perhaps because of the meditation session before bed... this skill seemed to have some sleep-inducing effects as well.

This was an unexpected bonus.

After getting up to check the traps and finding no issues, Lin Mo returned to the campsite area where Finnie was quietly sitting under a tree waiting for him.

"Not going back to sleep for a while?"

Finnie shook her head: "It's almost dawn."

Lin Mo remembered that she seemed to have a bit of "sleep inertia" - she tended to be somewhat dazed right after waking up.

He had seen that dazed state before... well, it was even cuter.

"By now, you should be getting used to adventuring, right?"

Finnie nodded: "Mr. Lin Mo and everyone have been taking good care of me."

"Do you plan to continue being an adventurer in the future?"

After all, initially, when Finnie's mother agreed to let her become an adventurer, it felt more like letting her try it out.

Normally, as the daughter of the Lavelle family, Finnie would be groomed to become the next lord of Silverstream City.

"I want to continue!"

But Finnie didn't seem to think this way. Her eyes now sparkled with brilliance, filled with longing and anticipation for more adventures.

As a rare Priest Professional, if Finnie truly intended to remain an adventurer long-term, Lin Mo certainly wanted to keep her in his team.

He just didn't know if Lady Bessie would agree to her daughter wandering around outside constantly.

From their previous interactions, Lin Mo felt she was a kind and considerate lady, but regarding such important matters, she might have her own convictions.

They would have to take it one step at a time...

As Lin Mo pondered these miscellaneous thoughts, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. Turning to look, he saw Finnie had closed her eyes and was leaning against his shoulder, breathing evenly.

Her large white hat had tilted to one side, so Lin Mo gently removed it to prevent it from getting damp from dew dripping from the leaves.

Her golden hair cascaded naturally, and the girl's flawless appearance made Lin Mo pause for a moment before he suddenly felt his scalp tingle, sensing someone watching him.

It must be Sherfilia...

Looking around, given the considerable gap in their abilities, unless she revealed herself voluntarily, Lin Mo would have difficulty detecting her location.

But he hadn't done anything wrong - Finnie had leaned against him on her own. Surely that didn't warrant such an aggressive glare?

Feeling somewhat wronged, Lin Mo shrugged, but only the shoulder Finnie wasn't leaning on.

The feeling of being watched gradually faded, clearly indicating that Sherfilia didn't actually intend to disturb her young lady's extra sleep.

Thus, Finnie slept until everyone else woke up.

Ellie rubbed her eyes while yawning as she emerged from the tent, still somewhat sleepy.

However, upon seeing the scene before her, she immediately became alert as if she had splashed water on her face.

Looking at Finnie leaning against Lin Mo's shoulder, honestly, Ellie felt somewhat conflicted.

Ellie wasn't stupid - the little wolf-girl actually understood everything. Her good friend Lena, including Miss Finnie... perhaps she herself wasn't fully aware yet, but she had clearly developed feelings for Lin Mo.

Ellie didn't want to expose these things, hoping that the time when Lin Mo belonged only to her could last a bit longer.

But when she truly had to face these situations, Ellie wouldn't choose to evade either.

This was something she had already decided long ago...

Lin Mo was a very gentle, kind person - a rare good man who held no prejudice against half-orcs.

Ellie acknowledged that she had received much help from Lin Mo, so she certainly couldn't sabotage his relationships and romantic prospects.

That's why her feelings at this moment were so complex.

"Ellie... you're awake?"

Lin Mo also noticed the little wolf-girl who had emerged, and seeing the subtle expression on her face, he felt somewhat awkward.

"Yeah."

Surprisingly, Ellie just nodded, appearing almost no different from usual.

Wasn't she jealous?

Of course that was impossible...

Although he didn't fully understand Ellie's thoughts, Lin Mo could roughly guess that she didn't want to cause him trouble.

What a wonderful girl!

After Ellie, the others gradually emerged from their tents and witnessed this scene one by one, each with strange expressions.

Huck and Sheila communicated with their eyes, making exaggerated facial expressions at each other with mischievous grins that made Lin Mo feel like hitting someone.

Sid showed no interest in such matters, proceeding with his usual simple washing routine and preparing for breakfast.

Benny and Landon just glanced over, offering awkward yet polite smiles.

"Mmm~"

Under everyone's gaze, Finnie slowly opened her eyes.

The newly awakened girl remained somewhat dazed, even nuzzling against Lin Mo's shoulder as if reluctant to get up.

Then she realized something was amiss, slowly raised her head, saw Lin Mo's face so close to hers, and her face instantly turned bright red.

"Lin... Lin Mo, si... oww~"

She bit her tongue.

How could someone be this adorable?

Lin Mo's face was full of "auntie smiles," then he stood up to help her save face: "It's getting late. Today is our last and most difficult mission. Everyone, quickly eat something and prepare to depart."

With these words, the team quickly returned to its proper form.

They organized items, packed things up, took out food from their backpacks, either warming it over the fire or eating it directly.

Twenty minutes later, all team members were ready to go.

Landon held the mission map and pointed to the location of their final task.

"Our current position is still some distance from the area where that cold corpse is frequently sighted. It will probably take most of the morning to get there. After that..."

Landon slightly frowned.

Undead creatures were different from magical beasts. Magical beasts, including goblins, usually had their own habitats and typically didn't venture far from them.

But the movement patterns of undead creatures were unpredictable, so the area marked on the mission map was quite large.

Just the search work alone would likely take a long time.

If things didn't go smoothly, they might not even encounter their target within the day.

"Finding the corpse shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

Lin Mo looked toward Ellie.

Ellie had an extremely sharp sense of smell, and corpses had very distinct odors.

Like when that flaming corpse approached earlier, Ellie had detected it in advance and informed them, allowing for a smooth retreat.

Otherwise, Sherfilia would have probably been forced to reveal herself prematurely, letting Finnie know of her presence.

In any case, with Ellie around, they should be able to save considerable time in locating their target.

"So that's how it is..."

After a brief explanation, Landon's eyes also lit up.

Indeed, cooperating with the Silver Radiance Team was a very correct decision.

One member had exceptional combat strength, one was a priest healer, and another came with built-in super scouting abilities...

With them around, this mission's difficulty was reduced by at least half.

With this concern resolved, everyone felt completely at ease, quickened their pace, and headed toward the area marked on the mission map...