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At the respawn point in Wynwater City.

Three pillars of white light flashed in succession. Looking at his teammates who had just respawned, Shiu tried to defend himself. “Actually, I shouted that because I wanted to bait the monster into missing. I just didn’t expect him to be that straightforward.”

“You were the one who ran straight into it!” DumbCitrus couldn’t help pointing out.

Yoyo and Dukeette nodded in agreement.

“Can’t you at least back me up a little?”

**

At that moment, the plaza buzzed with the noise of countless players.

“Easy difficulty Frostcrystal Dungeon, party of four looking for two more! Need two Knights, level 27 or above, with over 500 physical defense!”

“Come on, man, that’s asking too much. Where am I supposed to get that much defense at level 27? Lower your standards a bit and I’ll join your party.”
“Oh? How much lower are we talking?”
“Level 25 with 375 physical defense. That’s not that much worse.”
“No way. A level 25 gets suppressed by ten levels, and your defense isn’t that great. You’d probably be squishier than me.”
“Come on, just work with it. You’ve been shouting here forever and nobody’s joining anyway.”

“…” Watching the two players beside him haggle as if they were bargaining over vegetables at a market, Shiu was left speechless.

But there was no helping it. Without enough tanks, their shared quest had completely stalled. Nangong and the others were still busy clearing the dungeon, so the only option left was to recruit people here in the plaza themselves.

“A-Rank six-player shared quest! Looking for a high-level tank! Level 28 or above, 300+ magic resistance is enough!”

“A-Rank six-player shared quest! Looking for a high-level tank! Level 28 or above, 300+ magic resistance is enough!”

“…”

“Isn’t that asking a bit too much?” Dukeette asked in confusion. At this hour, every decent tank was busy running dungeons. Finding a high-quality free agent was practically impossible.

“Not really. Even my magic resistance is over 300. If the tank’s defenses aren’t even better than mine, there’s no point bringing them,” Shiu replied helplessly.

Just then, the group beside them seemed to lose their patience. “Hey, brother, wait!”

“Huh? Didn’t you guys say you didn’t want me?”

“Ahem… Well, your stats are a bit lacking, but as long as you know the mechanics, it should still be doable. Interested? If you join, we’ll have a full party.”

“No problem!” With that, the entire group set off together.

Shiu watched them leave, his eyes filled with bitterness. ‘How long are we going to have to wait like this?’

“How about we settle for a weaker tank?” DumbCitrus suggested.

“No. This isn’t a dungeon. If you die here, you lose levels. Bringing along an underqualified tank is just asking to get everyone killed. And another thing… stop wandering around and come help me recruit!”

“Hold on, I just spotted a really beautiful necklace. It’s only 200 gold!” Dukeette exclaimed excitedly.
“I’m restocking alchemy materials. I used up quite a lot just now.”
“I…” YoyoPink hesitated, unable to come up with a good excuse. Then inspiration struck. “I’m a little hungry. I’m going to buy some snacks.”

Black lines spread across Shiu’s forehead. “Yoyo and Dukeette, get back here and help me recruit! Hurry up!”

***

After the two girls joined him, recruiting people became noticeably more efficient. After all, none of the girls in their party were lacking in looks. Even if someone only joined them temporarily, having such attractive teammates was already pleasing to the eye.

Within ten minutes, three Knights and one Swordsman had already come over to ask. Unfortunately, none of them had reached level 25, so they had to turn them all away.

It made sense. If they had already reached level 25, they’d be running the Frostcrystal Dungeon instead. Farming two or three pieces of the Frostcrystal set was far more reliable than slowly grinding monsters in an unfamiliar map.

“Come on, man, you’re only level 15. Don’t tell me you’re here to join the fun too?” Shiu said speechlessly as he looked at the young Swordsman standing before him.

“So what if you’re high level? Fortunes change over time. Those who are on top today may fall tomorrow, while those who are weak today may rise in the future. Don’t look down on a poor youth! Just you wait!” the young Swordsman snorted before turning and walking away coldly.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me! What kind of people are these?” Shiu rolled up his sleeves, looking ready to cast a spell right there in the city.

Fortunately, Dukeette hurriedly grabbed him.

“Sigh… Should we just wait until Endless Sea finishes?” Shiu asked hesitantly.

Before the girls could respond, a shadow suddenly fell over him.

“Um… excuse me, are you looking for a tank?” Looking up, they saw a Swordsman player clad in silver armor approaching. He looked no older than seventeen or eighteen, and even sounded a little shy as he spoke.

“That’s right…” Shiu nodded. “Though our requirements are a bit high. We need at least level 28, with over 300 magic resistance.”

Without another word, the young man sent over screenshots of several of his attributes. Shiu froze, his expression gradually turning blank.

A level 30 Swordsman! Those stats… either he was benefiting from a full set bonus, or he already had a Unique weapon.

“Are these stats good enough?”
“Good enough? They’re more than good enough!” Shiu exclaimed, utterly dumbfounded.

***

Meanwhile, after Starry regrouped with Windblossom…

“I’m Inkseason, though you can just call me Ink.”

“Ink…” Windblossom sized him up. To her, players from the Dark Faction were still something of a rarity. She had heard a little about them from her master before, but seeing one in person still felt unbelievable. How did they even manage to change factions?

“I’m Windblossom. Everyone who knows me just calls me Windy.”

“Oh!! You’re Windblossom!” Inkseason’s eyes lit up as though he’d just met a celebrity. Brimming with excitement, he said, “I’ve only ever seen you in gameplay videos before. I never imagined I’d actually run into you here!

“I’ve watched every one of your Prime Finals matches, the National Solo Championship, and the Team Championship! I’m a huge fan!”

“I see… thank you.” Windblossom quietly took a step back, clearly not very good at dealing with this kind of enthusiasm.

“Let’s leave that for later,” Zane interrupted, steering the conversation elsewhere. “We’re about to reach the next arena. Who’s going up first?”

Starry had already secured the title of Small Arena Champion, so she could no longer challenge another arena. Which also meant their little “free points squad” had lost one member.

Furthermore, every time one of them claimed a Small Arena Champion title, that person could no longer deliberately throw matches. By the end, the last remaining participant would have to defeat five opponents in a row.

Of course, that wasn’t absolutely necessary, but if they could secure more Small Arena Champion titles, it was still worth doing.

“Starry can’t go up anymore,” Windblossom reminded him.
“Right… then Windblossom should go first,” Zane said after a moment’s thought. His original body was barely stronger than an average weakling, relying almost entirely on equipment to prop up his combat power. Here, the only transformation he could still use was Swiftshadow Wolf.

If he relied only on potions, it would be difficult for him to fight continuously the way Starry had. So, while they still had two “actors” available, letting Windblossom, who possessed healing abilities, take the stage first was the better choice.

“Ink, what do you think?”
“Me? No problem. I was only here to give it a try anyway. Let Windblossom go first. I’ll take the stage after her.”

‘The kid has a pretty good attitude.’

“Alright, it’s settled then. Let’s go!”

***

The third arena was much farther away from the second than expected. They walked for a full half hour before finally arriving.

“We’re here. This is the place,” Ink said as he came to a stop.

At that moment, the two competitors on the arena seemed to have reached a stalemate. Well… to be more precise, it had become a feeding contest.

On the left, the Necromancer’s skeletal hand trembled uncontrollably, as though his mana was nearly exhausted. More than ten summoned Skeleton Warriors on the battlefield were being swallowed one after another by the giant man-eating flower across from him.

“Nom!” The enormous maw snapped shut once more, and yet another steadfast Skeleton Warrior met its end as plant food.