"Don't worry, Chief. We've been here seven or eight times. We could find our way out with our eyes closed."
It was Monkey who answered. The team's scout was in his early twenties, lean and nimble as an actual mountain monkey.
He carefully strapped a alloy dagger to his calf, then checked the magazine in the pistol at his waist.
"Keep talking. Who was it that nearly fell into a mud pit last time?"
Big Bear's deep voice cut in as he wiped down a broad, heavy two-handed greatsword.
He was a burly man and the team's main attacker.
The greatsword had no flashy special effects. It was simply heavy and hard, and when swung with the brute force of his 200 points of Source Energy, it worked well against low-level Abyss Beasts with tough hides.
"I just wasn't careful! Besides, Nightingale was the one who pulled me out!" Monkey retorted, chin raised.
The woman called Nightingale said nothing. She quietly sorted through the odds and ends in the pouch at her waist: highly durable alloy wire, trigger-activated mini alarms, and first-aid bandages.
She looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Her features were delicate, but her eyes were wary. She was the team's trap expert and second scout.
With gentle movements, she clipped a small Source Energy sensor to her collar—the best early-warning device their team could afford.
The last to get out of the vehicle was Bamboo Pole.
True to his name, he was tall and thin. He handled ranged support and served as the team's "technical officer." On his back was a modified sniper crossbow, its arrowheads glimmering faintly with Source Energy, which gave them a slight boost in penetrating power.
The five quickly assembled. Their gear wasn't especially fine, but they checked it meticulously. A glance