Temporary Team

Lan Yu's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea. Expert, if you can state the requirements for clearing the first boss, that proves you definitely know this dungeon's details. We'll have a much better chance of clearing it."

"You little rascal." Lu Yang laughed.

Xia Yuwei had been thinking the same thing. After failing five times in a row at the dungeon's first boss the previous night, she knew that clearing this dungeon was beyond her current abilities.

Even if their warrior's defense had reached 71 points and they could beat the first boss, what about the next two? Were they supposed to keep wiping again and again while searching for a strategy? Or wait until they truly couldn't find a way to clear it, then have Lan Yu beg Lu Yang for help?

By now, Old Twilight had already become the first to clear the dungeon, while Xiong Ba and the other major guilds had cleared it as well. Xia Yuwei wanted to compete with them, and in her anxiety not to fall too far behind, this was the only idea she could think of.

Lu Yang said to Xia Yuwei, "I can run the dungeon with you, but I have two requirements when I do dungeons."

"What requirements?" Xia Yuwei asked.

"First, I command the team. Second, all mage equipment goes to me, and the final boss Angolo's head must go to me as well," Lu Yang said.

"Fine." Xia Yuwei had intended the same thing. Since she was asking Lu Yang for help, it was only proper to meet his demands regarding command and equipment.

The others in the party immediately began whispering among themselves. Zhang Zibo and the other four classmates were unfamiliar with Lu Yang. Not only would they have to listen to a stranger's commands, but he also wanted all mage equipment after the clear. Their expressions toward Lu Yang turned somewhat hostile.

"Yuwei, I don't agree. Why should we work so hard to clear the dungeon while he takes all the equipment?" Zheng Yuan walked over from the side, his face full of hostility.

The intimate way Lan Yu had acted around Lu Yang earlier had given him a strong sense of crisis. Moreover, among the seven classmates, he was the only mage. Any equipment that dropped should have been his, yet now he was being asked to give Lu Yang equipment that should have belonged to him. Zheng Yuan was already furious.

Xia Yuwei had expected Zheng Yuan to react this way. She said apologetically to Lu Yang, "Can you give me a little time? I need to talk to my teammates."

"Of course." Lu Yang did not mind. He was waiting for Old Twilight's people to deliver his materials anyway.

"It won't take long. Five minutes." Xia Yuwei led Zheng Yuan and the others to a secluded spot and said to Zheng Yuan, Zhang Zibo, and the rest, "Trust me. Since he managed to obtain so much top-tier equipment this early on, there's a very high chance he was a closed-beta player. Even if he wasn't, the fact that he knows the minimum requirements for clearing the dungeon's first boss proves he understands this dungeon to some extent. Having someone like that lead us is better than blindly fumbling around ourselves."

Zhang Zibo and the others understood as well. When they had seen Lu Yang selling equipment before, they had known there was a high chance he was a closed-beta player. If he were an ordinary player, the odds of having such luck were simply too low.

The reason they had not agreed immediately was merely for show—partly for Lu Yang's sake, partly for Zheng Yuan's. They all knew Zheng Yuan was a mage and were afraid that agreeing at once would hurt the feelings between classmates.

Zheng Yuan was no fool and understood that too, but he simply did not want Lu Yang joining the party.

"No. I just don't agree," Zheng Yuan said.

Xia Yuwei immediately frowned. "Zheng Yuan, I thought you were a reasonable person. Letting Lu Yang join benefits all of us. Although he's taking all the mage equipment the dungeon drops, we can run it with you afterward. This matter is settled. I don't want anything that affects the team to happen."

Seeing Xia Yuwei's angry expression, Zheng Yuan did not dare continue arguing. He could only mutter, "Then I'll see whether he really has what it takes. If he doesn't, just watch how I deal with him."

Xia Yuwei said nothing. She led the team back to the entrance of the bank to find Lu Yang.

At that moment, Lu Yang had already spotted Fierce Wine Clear Wind. The two were trading inside the bank.

"Task complete." Fierce Wine Clear Wind spoke happily. A single transaction involving 600 stacks of Darkwater Spider Silk was quite troublesome as well.

"Thanks," Lu Yang said.

"No need to be polite. In fact, we should be thanking you, brother. If you hadn't given us the shield early, we never could have secured the first clear or gotten so many rewards." Fierce Wine Clear Wind was delighted.

"Oh, looks like you got quite a bit of equipment," Lu Yang said.

"Heh heh, I got lucky. Almost all the equipment that dropped in this dungeon run was for defense warriors," Fierce Wine Clear Wind said.

"What's your defense at now?" Lu Yang asked.

"About 102 points," Fierce Wine Clear Wind said.

Lu Yang did the math. With that level of defense, clearing the expert-level dungeon should not be a problem.

Just then, Xia Yuwei walked over and said to Lu Yang, "My people have all agreed. We can enter the dungeon now."

Fierce Wine Clear Wind said, "You have something to do? Then you talk first. I won't disturb you."

Seeing Fierce Wine Clear Wind about to leave, Lu Yang said, "Wait, don't rush off. I need to say a few words to your boss."

He gestured for Fierce Wine Clear Wind, Xia Yuwei, and the others to wait, then placed a call to Old Twilight through the game.

"Little brother, what do you need?" Old Twilight was personally recruiting people outside the guild headquarters. At the beginning of the game, if he wanted to conquer the world, he had to put on an approachable front.

Lu Yang said, "I need a favor. Are you free?"

"Sure. Tell me." Old Twilight had been wanting to repay Lu Yang's favor.

Lu Yang said, "I'm planning to run a level-three dungeon. Can you lend me your vice guild leader?"

"No problem. Do you need more people? I can find a few elite guild members to go with you too," Old Twilight said.

Lu Yang glanced at Zheng Yuan and the others in Xia Yuwei's party. "That may not be necessary. If I need anyone else, I'll definitely ask you."

After ending the call, Lu Yang said to Fierce Wine Clear Wind, "I've spoken with your boss. I'm borrowing you for a while to help us run a dungeon."

Fierce Wine Clear Wind had already received Old Twilight's message. He said generously, "No problem."

Lu Yang looked at Xia Yuwei.

Xia Yuwei said, "We have no problem on our end either. We can form the party anytime."

"Don't rush. I'll form the group first. Once you join my party, report your stats one by one. Also, I'm calling one more person over. Then we'll be able to clear the dungeon."