The hands slowly crept toward eight o'clock. The brightly lit square was nearly deserted now. The NPCs usually seen around town seemed to have gone to bed early, and more than half of the ten thousand players were already fast asleep in their inns, hoping tomorrow's sun would look just as familiar as ever.
Only a group of far-sighted people were busy preparing supplies. Without a doubt, they were all Beta Test players. They knew that leveling up at night brought both risks and rewards, so they needed to prepare the necessary supplies to reduce the risks and increase the rewards.
Only a group like Arthurslin's had the resources and funds to act this way. And because they were a small team, there weren't many disagreements within the group. Almost as soon as the plan was proposed, it met with virtually no resistance, and they carried it out decisively.
Arthurslin's team was quite famous during the Beta Test. They were called Sword and Fire, and their greatest achievement was undoubtedly taking down the fifth-floor boss on their own.
After more than an hour, the members of Sword and Fire Squad who had gone to prepare supplies finally returned. At their head was a Sword Shield User with a square face and a tall, burly build. He had a close-cropped haircut and looked middle-aged. It was precisely because of his age that he had become the leader of Arthurslin's team. It was worth mentioning that he was a thoroughly capable leader. Half of the credit for the team's achievements could be attributed to him.
As soon as the middle-aged Sword Shield User arrived, he didn't even glance at Wang Yang. Instead, he looked first at the somewhat uneasy Arthurslin and said in a low voice, "Xiaolin, this game isn't what it used to be. You understand that if there's a burden in a team, it'll put the whole team in danger."
It was a blatant slap in the face. His meaning was as clear as the look the Spear User had given Wang Yang earlier. There was no attempt to hide it—or perhaps he simply didn't care to. He voiced his opinion bluntly right in front of Wang Yang.
Wang Yang's face darkened. He had already been suppressing his anger for more than an hour under the Spear User's hostile stares. Now this newcomer was even more direct, not caring about his feelings at all as he plainly called him a burden.
If he hadn't been thinking of Arthurslin, he would have turned around and left.
"Captain, you!" Wang Yang was furious, and Arthurslin, who had brought him there, was also visibly displeased. She understood that the captain's concern was for the whole team, but her own perspective was completely different.
Her captain thought that since the game had become reality, they could no longer approach anything with a gamer's mindset. Arthurslin, however, believed that now more than ever, they should help new players.
Someone like Wang Yang, who didn't even know how to open the menu, needed help even more. Otherwise, all that awaited him was death. That was what Arthurslin thought.
Besides, the standard team setup was six people, and her team happened to be one member short.
The Spear User had been fed up with Wang Yang for a long time, so he immediately chimed in. "I think the captain's right. This isn't some game we can just play around with anymore. Especially at such a crucial time, bringing along a deadweight would cost us a huge early-game advantage."
There were five people in Sword and Fire Squad: three men and two women. Their classes were well balanced, with two vanguards, two attackers, and one reserve.
The first vanguard was the middle-aged Sword Shield User, the captain. His in-game name was Kadi. During the Beta Test, he had shouldered the greatest responsibility in battle, shielding the team from one crisis after another.
The other vanguard was the Spear User, who was very unhappy with Wang Yang. His in-game name was Sparrow. He was a young man who was rather handsome, but his nose was surrounded by dense freckles. They made his already unremarkable face look downright ugly. Sparrow had always hated handsome people, and Wang Yang was a handsome man, so he'd been targeted from the very beginning. It was a very unfortunate situation for Wang Yang.
One of the attackers was Arthurslin, a Greatsword User. The other was a man with a rather mature-looking face who wielded a Short Sword. His eyes were either narrowed or so small they looked like slits. His in-game name was Thor. Even after the Spear User and the captain bluntly pointed out the downsides of letting Wang Yang join the team, Thor kept a detached, indifferent expression.
The last member was a Whip User, responsible for filling the gaps in combat. It was the team's most important position. The Whip User was a mature, alluring woman with a pair of long, narrow phoenix eyes that captivated people. Her figure was like a ripe, juicy peach, stirring up desire in anyone who saw her.
Her in-game name was Star Envoy. She hadn't spoken, but she'd nodded while Sparrow was talking, clearly agreeing with him.
Looking at the team she had fought alongside for months, Arthurslin suddenly felt that they were strangers. So people really could change this much when their lives were at stake. For a moment, her heart sank.
Kadi seemed to notice that fleeting sense of estrangement. He frowned slightly. He didn't want the team's core members to become divided over an unrelated new player, so he said in a low voice, "Xiaolin, if you insist on letting him join, I won't stop you. After all, you're an indispensable member of the team."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Yang was surprised, while Arthurslin smiled happily. Sparrow, who couldn't stand Wang Yang, immediately burst out, "Captain, you'll ruin the team like this! A newbie like him, who doesn't know anything, can only harm the team. He's no use to us!"
Now even Star Envoy couldn't stay silent. She tried to persuade him. "Kadi, even though I don't want to reject Xiaolin's kindness, as the captain, you need to think about the whole team."
Two of the team members firmly voiced their opposition, while Thor remained as indifferent as ever. Kadi glanced at him and shook his head helplessly, then turned to Arthurslin, who was clearly upset by Sparrow and Star Envoy's remarks.
"Xiaolin, I'll ask you just one thing: are you sure you want to bring him into the team?"
Arthurslin paused, then nodded firmly. She'd already made up her mind before bringing Wang Yang over.
Kadi thought it over briefly, then nodded and said calmly, "All right."
Sparrow was frantic and was about to object loudly when the Short Sword User, Thor, suddenly grabbed his arm and said indifferently, "Quiet. The captain knows what he's doing."
Sparrow looked at Thor. His lips moved a few times, but in the end, he obediently fell silent.
When Arthurslin heard that the captain had agreed, her earlier displeasure vanished. She turned to Wang Yang, who was staring back in astonishment, and said delightedly, "That's great! The captain agreed to let you join the team. Um..."
She suddenly stopped halfway through, then asked awkwardly in a low voice, "What's your name?"
"..." Wang Yang opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word. It wasn't just because Arthurslin asking his name now made him feel utterly embarrassed. He didn't even know what his in-game name was!
The four other team members looked stunned. Even Thor was the same. They stared blankly at Arthurslin, not knowing what to think.
Was someone whose name you didn't even know really worth doing all this for?
Kadi couldn't help but smile wryly. He'd already figured out how to get Wang Yang out of the team's sight without making Arthurslin dislike him. But the farce of Arthurslin asking his name left him both amused and even more convinced that they had no obligation to keep Wang Yang.
At that moment, neither Wang Yang nor Arthurslin knew what Kadi was thinking...
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