Chapter Six: The Crossroads of Staying and Leaving

The clock hands slowly ticked towards eight o'clock. The brightly lit plaza was deserted at this hour. The NPCs, usually seen milling about, seemed to have gone to sleep early. Of the ten thousand players, more than half had already retreated to their inns, deep in slumber, hoping tomorrow's sun would be as familiar as ever.

Only a select group, with foresight, were diligently preparing supplies. These individuals were undoubtedly Beta Testers, aware that leveling at night came with both risks and rewards. Thus, they prepared the necessary provisions to mitigate those risks, thereby maximizing their gains.

Only a group like Arthurslin's possessed such drive and capital. Furthermore, due to the team's small size, internal disagreements were minimal. The plan was met with virtually no obstacles upon its proposal and was executed with decisive efficiency.

Arthurslin's team was quite famous in the Beta Test, known as Sword and Fire. Their greatest achievement was undoubtedly clearing the fifth-floor boss as a small team.

After more than an hour, the members of Sword and Fire tasked with preparing supplies finally arrived, fashionably late. Leading them was a Sword and Shield user, with a square-shaped face, tall and burly, sporting a buzz cut. He looked like a middle-aged man. However, it was precisely because of his age that he had become the captain of Arthurslin's team. It was worth noting that as the captain, the Sword and Shield user was absolutely competent. It could be said that half of Sword and Fire's excellent achievements were attributable to this captain.

Upon arrival, this middle-aged Sword and Shield user didn't glance at Wang Yang. Instead, he first looked at a somewhat flustered Arthurslin and said in a deep voice, "Xiao Lin, the game now is not like before. You understand that if there's a burden in a team, it will lead the team into danger."

Blatant slap in the face. The meaning behind his words was the same as the look from the Spear user earlier, unhidden, or rather, disdainful of hiding it. He spoke directly in front of Wang Yang.

Wang Yang's entire face darkened and sagged. He had already suppressed immense anger from enduring the Spear user's prolonged glares for over an hour. Now, someone even more direct had arrived, disregarding his feelings and plainly labeling him as a burden.

If it weren't for Arthurslin, he would have turned and left on the spot.

"Captain, you!" Not only was Wang Yang furious, but Arthurslin, who had brought him along, also showed displeasure upon hearing these words. She understood that the captain's starting point was for the entire team's consideration, but her own perspective was entirely different.

Her captain believed that the current game was equivalent to reality, so all matters could not be considered with a gaming mindset. Arthurslin, on the other hand, believed that precisely because the game had become this way, they should help the novice players even more.

For example, Wang Yang, who didn't even know how to open the menu, should be helped. Otherwise, only death awaited Wang Yang, Arthurslin thought.

Moreover, the standard configuration for a team was six people, and her team happened to be short one member.

The Spear user had long tolerated Wang Yang. He immediately seconded, "I think the captain is right. The game now is not like before where you could just play around. Especially at such a crucial time, if we bring a dead weight, we will lose our huge early game advantage."

Sword and Fire had five members: three men and two women. Their class configuration was complete: two front-liners, two attackers, and one substitute.

The front-liners were the middle-aged Sword and Shield captain, whose in-game name was Kadi. In the Beta Test battles, he bore the greatest responsibility, shielding the team from danger time and time again.

The other front-liner was the Spear user who was very displeased with Wang Yang. His in-game name was Sparrow. He was a young man with a somewhat handsome face, but his nose was covered in dense freckles, making his already not-so-ugly face look like a mess. Therefore, Sparrow had always disliked handsome people, and Wang Yang was currently a handsome guy, so he was tragically targeted from the beginning.

One of the attackers was the Great Sword user Arthurslin. The other was a Short Sword user, a man who looked quite mature. His eyes were either squinted or so small they were just slits. His in-game name was Thor. After the Spear user and the captain unceremoniously pointed out the drawbacks of Wang Yang joining the team, Thor maintained a detached, indifferent expression.

The remaining member was the Long Whip user, responsible for filling the gaps in combat. This was the most crucial position in the team. This Long Whip user was a charming and mature woman with narrow, phoenix-like eyes that were captivating. Her figure was like a ripe peach, making it difficult to suppress one's desires.

This woman's in-game name was Star Envoy. Although she hadn't spoken, she nodded when Sparrow spoke, clearly agreeing with his words.

Arthurslin looked at the teammates she had fought alongside for months and suddenly felt like they were strangers. She realized how much people could change when their lives were on the line. In that moment, her heart felt heavy with sadness.

As if sensing her momentary estrangement, Kadi frowned slightly. He didn't want the team's core members to develop friction because of an irrelevant novice player. He couldn't help but say in a deep voice, "Xiao Lin, if you insist on letting him join, I won't stop you. After all, you are an indispensable part of the team."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Yang was very surprised, and Arthurslin smiled happily. As for Sparrow, who disliked Wang Yang intensely, he excitedly shouted, "Captain, you'll ruin the team like this! A novice like him who knows nothing is only a harm to the entire team, not a benefit!"

At this point, even Star Envoy couldn't remain silent and advised, "Kadi, although I don't want to disregard Xiao Lin's kindness, as the captain, you need to consider the entire team."

Two members of the team firmly voiced their opposition. The other, Thor, still maintained his indifferent expression. Kadi glanced at him, shook his head helplessly, and then looked at Arthurslin, who was clearly displeased by Sparrow and Star Envoy's remarks.

"Xiaolin, I'll ask you one thing: are you sure you want to bring him into the team?"

Arthurslin froze for a moment, then nodded firmly. She had already made up her mind when she decided to bring Wang Yang along.

Kadi pondered slightly, then nodded and said plainly, "Alright."

Sparrow was anxious and about to loudly object when the short sword user, Thor, suddenly grabbed his arm and said calmly, "Quiet. The captain has his own judgment."

Sparrow looked at Thor, his lips moving a few times, but he ultimately quieted down obediently.

Hearing the captain agree, Arthurslin's previous dissatisfaction vanished. She turned to look at Wang Yang, who was stunned, and said happily, "That's great! The captain agrees to let you join the team. Um... uh."

She stopped halfway through, her face filled with embarrassment, and asked in a low voice, "What's your name?"

"..." Wang Yang opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word. Not only was he mortified by Arthurslin's question about his name, but he also didn't know his in-game name!

In contrast, the four members of the team stared blankly, even Thor. They all looked at Arthurslin, wondering what to think.

Is someone who doesn't even know their own name worth doing this for?

Kadi inwardly gave a wry smile. Although he had already figured out how to get Wang Yang out of sight without making Arthurslin dislike him, this farce of Arthurslin asking for his name left him speechless and even more convinced that he had no obligation to keep Wang Yang.

Neither Wang Yang nor Arthurslin knew Kadi's thoughts at this moment...

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