Hell Roar

Although Shi Feng's party was complete, the level 2 players watching the spectacle all laughed.

It wasn't because the players Shi Feng had recruited were all level 1, but because the team composition was so bizarre that it made people want to burst into laughter.

"This rookie is really something. I'm almost impressed; this is practically a suicide squad."

"I really pity that expert. To think he'd bring along such oddballs and even agree to let him be the leader."

The level 2 players waiting in line began to gossip, many clutching their stomachs in fits of laughter.

"Grandstanding." Zhao Yueru frowned slightly, glanced at Shi Feng, and then looked away, feeling somewhat annoyed. In the past, she was always the center of attention wherever she went, but today, everyone was focused on Shi Feng, this unremarkable rookie. Even if it was just mockery, it was still the spotlight.

"Alright, Yueru, let's hurry and finish recruiting. If we waste any more time, we'll fall behind the top-tier players." Although Bai Qingxue felt Shi Feng seemed like an expert, judging by his level and his choice of teammates, he was far from that title. She had already abandoned the idea of inviting him to join their guild; their Snake of the Void only accepted experts.

"Understood." Zhao Yueru turned to look at the Swordsman player in front of her and, out of spite, said directly, "Your stats aren't bad, but unfortunately, we don't need a Swordsman."

The Swordsman's expression immediately wilted. He couldn't fail to understand Zhao Yueru's intent, and he turned to glare at Shi Feng in the distance, his eyes filled with hatred.

Meanwhile, an oblivious Shi Feng was currently opening the Dead Silence Forest.

System: Please select the difficulty level.

System: Normal, Hard, Hell.

Shi Feng chose Hell without a second thought. Instantly, the portal in front of the Dead Silence Forest changed from silver-gray to pitch black, and a flickering skull with its mouth wide open appeared within it.

At the same time, all members of Shi Feng's party received a notification.

System: Hell-mode Dead Silence Forest selected. Death penalty increased by 100%.

The party members' faces turned deathly pale. A 100% increase in death penalty meant that dying in the dungeon would result in a 20% loss of experience—experience that would take an hour or two of hard work to regain.

"Brother Feng, you chose wrong, didn't you? Weren't we supposed to run the Normal dungeon?" Heizi hurried over and whispered a reminder.

"I didn't choose wrong. It's Hell mode. Why else would I come here if not for Hell mode?" Shi Feng replied nonchalantly.

The drop rate for forging blueprints was extremely low. In Normal mode, the drop rate from Werewolf Ferrot was only 1%, and in Hard mode, it was only 5%. Only Hell mode offered 30%. While Normal mode could be farmed infinitely every day, who had that kind of time? Hard mode could only be run five times a day, and the odds weren't great. Hell mode was limited to once a day, but it was also the most promising.

"Br... Brother Feng, what are you saying? Hell-mode Dead Silence Forest? Look at our team. We'd struggle even with Normal mode, let alone Hell." Heizi panicked. He had already seen several elite parties die and exit earlier. According to them, the monsters in the Dead Silence Forest were incredibly strong and possessed high intelligence; they were impossible to beat without reaching level 4 or 5, so everyone had given up and left.

Now, with a bunch of rookies like them entering a Hell-mode dungeon, it was truly going to be hell.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't do it if I wasn't sure," Shi Feng said with a faint smile, patting Heizi on the shoulder confidently.

"Alright, let's go in."

Shi Feng led the way inside, followed by Heizi. Lonely As Snow also dove in blindly, prepared to see it through to the end.

As for the remaining three, they hesitated for a long time.

"Let's just go in. The expert has already entered; what do we level 1 rookies have to lose? Besides, we're running Hell-mode Dead Silence Forest—that's something to be proud of," Kele said.

The other two agreed, feeling it made sense, and followed them in.

In front of Bai Qingxue's party, there was silence. All the level 2 players were stunned—not out of shock, but because they were completely floored. Level 2 elite parties couldn't even clear Normal mode, yet a party consisting mostly of level 1 players dared to enter Hell-mode Dead Silence Forest.

"Qingxue, I didn't see that wrong, did I? That was Hell mode, right?" Zhao Yueru asked.

Bai Qingxue nodded, her beautiful eyes fixed on the flickering skull, her expression turning extremely serious.

"That guy must have given up on himself. Thinking he couldn't clear Normal mode, he decided to run Hell mode. Let's see how they die and come crawling out in a bit," Zhao Yueru said with a chuckle.

"We don't have time for that. The team is ready, let's go."

Bai Qingxue walked toward the Dead Silence Forest dungeon first and set the difficulty to Normal. If there were no issues with Normal, they would attempt Hard mode later.

Inside the Dead Silence Forest, the dungeon was a dark, gloomy woodland. A cold wind blew from time to time, causing one to shiver. Thick, black clouds pressed down from the sky, with thunder and lightning rolling within them, as if it were the end of the world.

Aside from Shi Feng, who stood a bit further from the dungeon entrance, the rest of the party huddled tightly by the door, not daring to move an inch for fear of aggroing some mob and getting wiped out.

"Brother Feng, why do I keep feeling a chill down my back?" Heizi asked, very worried.

"Heizi, you need to project the aura of an expert; that's the only way you'll become one. It's just Hell mode. It's nothing more than higher intelligence, more complex combat patterns, and slightly higher attack, defense, and HP. Oh, and there are more monsters, too. That's all there is to it." Shi Feng thought for a moment and decided there was nothing else to add.

The entire party immediately cast looks of contempt at him.

In a dungeon, even the slightest difference in attack, defense, or HP could lead to a party wipe, yet Shi Feng brushed it off so casually. And what did he mean by "slightly higher intelligence"? Having fought monsters in God's Domain, they knew that with the same stats, higher intelligence meant their strength would increase by one or two times.

"Alright, alright, don't sweat the small stuff. I'm about to explain the dungeon strategy. You'd better listen carefully; if you don't follow it, you'll lose your lives." Shi Feng waved his hand, preparing to begin the briefing.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew through the dark forest, causing the trees to sway violently.

"Awoooo!"

Following the gale, a wild roar echoed throughout the entire Dead Silence Forest, scaring countless birds and beasts into the sky.

Heizi and the others were completely stunned by the sheer pressure of the sound.

They were just young people around 20 years old who hadn't experienced any major hardships, let alone life-or-death trials. This was their first time encountering such a soul-shaking roar; it was even more intimidating than the legendary tiger's roar in the mountains.

"This is the thing we need to watch out for," Shi Feng said calmly.

The biggest difference between Hell mode and Hard mode was this roar.

Although it had no official name, players from his previous life called it 'Hell Roar'.