Pug

Su Ran's fingers paused, and he replied, "I understand. Stay safe. Take care."

"Thanks! You take care too! Let's team up again if we get the chance!" Shield Guard replied promptly.

Su Ran put down his terminal and sighed softly, feeling somewhat helpless. For the time being, he no longer had a regular teammate.

His plan to farm [Crouching Tiger Slope] consistently for [Tiger Bone Wine] would have to be shelved. Run it solo?

The efficiency was too low, and without a melee teammate to keep the enemies occupied, the risk would rise sharply.

It looked like he would have to find a new team.

He gathered his things and headed back to the instance wilderness.

This time, his destination was not a particular instance entrance, but an area known as Pug Plaza.

It was a relatively open clearing where professionals without regular teams gathered to form temporary parties, holding up signs or using their personal terminals' projection functions to display their needs and requirements.

"3=2, need a tank and a healer for [Darkwood Forest (Normal)]! Must be Lv.3 or above. Relevant experience preferred!"

"Powerful Lv.4 Berserker looking for a party! Can tank and deal damage, willing to go anywhere!"

"[Depths of the Mine (Hard)] progression team looking for one reliable ranged damage dealer, Mage or Archer. Must meet gear requirements and have good awareness!"

The cries and projected messages mingled, making the place somewhat noisy, but full of life.

Su Ran did not rush up and strike up a conversation.

He first walked to the edge of the plaza, opened the local party-finding channel on his personal terminal, and browsed the recruitment posts.

His filters: target instance level between Lv.3 and Lv.5 to suit his current needs, a team missing a ranged damage dealer or Mage, and preferably one with some knowledge of the instance rather than tackling a high-difficulty progression run.

Several posts soon caught his eye.

One of them drew his attention:

"[Abandoned Watchtower (Normal)] speedrun team, 4=1, looking for a reliable magic damage dealer. Leader is a Lv.4 Shield Warrior, off-tank is a Lv.3 Bladedancer, healer is a Lv.3 Priest, and there's also a Lv.3 Rogue to scout ahead.

"Must be a Lv.3+ magic user with a basic attack skill, follow orders, and not play recklessly. Gear and attributes will be inspected before entering. Interested applicants, contact ID: Iron Shield."

[Abandoned Watchtower (Normal)]?

Su Ran recalled what he had read on the forums. It was a standard Lv.3–Lv.4 instance, populated mainly by humanoid undead—rotting sentries and wandering ghosts—as well as mechanical traps. Its environment was relatively complex and required a certain degree of coordination.

The rewards were decent, with a chance of dropping fine-grade weapons or armor, as well as some undead-type materials.

The team composition looked reasonably sound: a tank, a healer, a melee fighter, and a scout. It needed a magic user to round out its AOE damage and provide attacks effective against undead—light, fire, and positive-energy spells had additional effects on them.

His own [Energy Missile] had the arcane attribute and was only moderately effective against undead, but [Light Spell] and [Lesser Healing Spell] might make up for it.

Most importantly, pugs that clearly stated their composition and requirements were often more reliable than teams that were vague about them.

The leader was a Lv.4 [Black Iron Tier professional Heavy Warrior], one level higher than Su Ran, and should have some experience leading a team.

As for safety... Su Ran was not too worried. There was a widely recognized unwritten rule for parties formed in the instance wilderness and at officially recognized instance entrances.

There was even a kind of world rule restricting them: if a professional deliberately attacked teammates in the same instance and caused them injury or death, the next time that professional entered any instance, they would be forcibly sent into a punishment stage or a death stage.

These punishment stages were extremely difficult. Monster attributes skyrocketed, the environment was brutally harsh, and the rewards were meager. Survival was a one-in-ten chance at best.

Thus, unless there was a blood feud or an irreconcilable conflict of interests, few professionals would backstab temporary teammates inside an instance. This guaranteed pugs a basic level of safety to some extent.

Of course, people still sabotaged their teammates, slacked off, left others to die, or quarreled over the distribution of loot, but those were more a matter of personal character and how well the team worked together, and were foreseeable risks.

Su Ran thought it over, then sent an application to the ID "Rock Shield":

"Lv.3 Mage, proficient in [Energy Missile Lv.1], [Light Spell Lv.2], and [Lesser Healing Spell Lv.2]. I have a crowd-control skill.

"Fully equipped and available for inspection. Applying to join the [Abandoned Watchtower] team."

Not long after he sent the message, the other party replied, "All right. Meet us on the east side of Pug Plaza, under the old oak. We'll check your basic details."

Su Ran closed his terminal and headed toward the conspicuous old oak on the east side of the plaza, said to be over a hundred years old.

Four people were already standing beneath it. At their head was a tall, burly man wearing partial metal plate armor, with a kite shield on his back and a mace at his waist. He was probably the team leader, Iron Shield.

Beside him was a lean male Bladedancer with two long sabers hanging at his waist. There was a young woman in white priestly robes with gold trim, holding a short staff—a [Black Iron Tier professional Priest].

There was also a short, agile-looking Rogue in dark leather armor, playing with a dagger.

All four turned their gazes on Su Ran as he approached, sizing him up.

When they got a clear look at Su Ran's obviously valuable outfit, their expressions subtly changed.

There was the [Cloth Robe (Fine)] made of exquisite fabric, with patterns of energy faintly flowing across it, and the supple, lightweight [Rabbit-Skin Boots (Fine)] on his feet.

At his waist was the [Oak Staff (Fine)], made of sturdy wood and bound with copper, and especially the [Tiger Might Headband (Rare)] on his forehead, set with tiger fangs and radiating a faint pressure.

There was also the [Mind-Calming Jade Pendant (Fine)] around his neck, with its warm, lustrous appearance, and the [Mana Ring (Fine)] on his right index finger, flickering with a pale blue glimmer...

Never mind ordinary Lv.4 Awakened—even some Lv.5 or Lv.6 veterans might not be able to put together a set of equipment this complete, with every piece a quality item.

Iron Shield, the team leader, raised the thick brows on his square face slightly.

He had seen plenty of people with good equipment, but a complete set of fine and rare gear like this, which also looked brand-new...

Either he was a young master being heavily nurtured by some power behind him, or a lucky fellow whose heaven-defying luck had brought him a windfall.

Whichever he was, he warranted a little caution in a pug. The former might be delicate or look down on everyone, while the latter might lack experience working with others or rely too heavily on his equipment.

The lean Bladedancer licked his lips, his gaze lingering an instant longer on Su Ran's ring and headband. He said nothing, but his grip on his saber seemed to tighten.

The short Rogue gave a silent whistle, deftly spun the dagger around his fingertips, and regarded Su Ran with a little more curiosity and amusement.

The young woman in priestly robes calmly swept her gaze over Su Ran's equipment before settling on his face, seemingly observing his expression.