When Priest Bu Yu Xia Ye said that, Lonely As Snow didn't argue. He simply lowered his head, turned, and left, chasing after Shi Feng.
Ranger Tian Wang Hui Hui narrowed his eyes. Thinking of Shi Feng's lousy gear, he couldn't figure out what trick Shi Feng had used to get Lonely As Snow to follow him—so much so that he no longer cared about clearing Dead Silence Forest.
"Boss, forget about that idiot, Lonely As Snow. We can just recruit someone else. There are plenty of level 2 players now." Shield Warrior Yi Zhan Dao Di looked at Lonely As Snow's retreating figure with disdain.
Ranger Tian Wang Hui Hui nodded. Lonely As Snow's departure meant no loss to their team. And as for a level 1 player like Shi Feng trying to form a party to run Dead Silence Forest, nobody would join him, let alone clear the dungeon.
In front of the entrance to Dead Silence Forest, Shi Feng and Heizi kept calling for recruits.
"Forming a party for Dead Silence Forest! Experienced players only. No strict requirements. Two slots, level 4." Shi Feng shouted.
After hearing him, quite a few level 2 players ran over. After all, Shi Feng's requirements were low. Many parties judged players by their gear, requiring them to have at least a few pieces of common equipment to qualify. But how could there be that much common gear this early in the game?
"Take me! I'm a Priest, and I'm already level 2."
"Take me! I'm a level 2 Shield Warrior, and I've got a level 1 common plate gauntlet."
Before long, Shi Feng had recruited four players.
At first, the four were quite pleased. Out of more than ten people there, they were the only ones who'd been picked. But once they saw their party leader Shi Feng's level, they flew into a rage and quit.
"Damn, you're a noob? You're only level 1 and you're trying to run Dead Silence Forest? If you want to enter the dungeon, go by yourself. I'm not going to waste my time."
"No wonder you had no requirements. You wanted us to carry you? Not a chance."
The four were furious, and their voices were nearly shouts. Every player in Dead Silence Forest could hear them.
"Heh, a mere level 1 player dares to boast about running Dead Silence Forest? He's obviously trying to leech experience and gear. Good thing I didn't go over."
"With so many people around, you get all kinds. Who'd be stupid enough to party with a level 1 noob for a dungeon run? That's just asking for trouble."
The other level 2 players mocked Shi Feng for overestimating himself and acting foolishly.
"If you don't want to party, then get lost. We never begged you to join us." Heizi was furious. Shi Feng's skill had already won him over. These people were calling Shi Feng a noob? A noob couldn't kill a level 2 Rare Elite while at level 2, or take down a level 5 Leader at level 0. They were a bunch of idiots, looking down on people with their dog eyes.
"Damn, you really do learn something new every day. A level 1 noob forming a party can still be this arrogant. I'd like to see how you manage to fill it." The Priest who had just left the party sneered.
Just then, Lonely As Snow hurried over and said to Shi Feng, "Big brother expert, take me! I want to run Dead Silence Forest with you. I've got two pieces of common plate armor, and my Defense is 24."
"Sure." Shi Feng immediately sent him a party invite.
Heizi hadn't expected Lonely As Snow to leave his original party and come over to join them. He instantly felt a little more favorably toward him, clapped him on the shoulder, and laughed. "At least you've got good judgment. Don't worry. You can't go wrong following Brother Feng."
"Not at all." Lonely As Snow was still a little worried. He couldn't understand how the grinding spot Shi Feng had casually pointed out had gotten him to level 2 so quickly, while Shi Feng himself hadn't reached level 2 and had terrible gear.
The players watching from the sidelines were dumbfounded. Someone had actually joined a level 1 noob's party for a dungeon run—and he even had decent gear. The brand-new plate armor on his body and the new shoes on his feet were definitely common equipment, not junk.
Although Lonely As Snow had joined the party, Shi Feng had spent more than ten minutes recruiting without a single other player showing up. There was no way three people could run a dungeon.
Just then, Ranger Tian Wang Hui Hui led a group of people over.
"Heh, Brother 'Expert' still hasn't found enough people? We've recruited three more strong teammates, each with two or three pieces of level 1 common equipment." Priest Bu Yu Xia Ye looked at Shi Feng mockingly.
Ranger Tian Wang Hui Hui only glanced at Shi Feng before turning his attention to Lonely As Snow. "You won't get anywhere following him. Think it over while we're running the dungeon. Join us, and I promise you won't regret it."
Then Tian Wang Hui Hui looked at Heizi beside him. He'd been focused entirely on Shi Feng before and hadn't paid Heizi any attention. Now that he looked more closely, he saw that Heizi's clothes were brand-new and he was carrying a Blackwood Staff. His gear was probably good, and he was level 2 as well, so his skill was probably decent.
"You're not bad either. Why not join our party? You know we're an elite team, nothing like an ordinary party. It'll be easier for all of us to level up, hunt monsters, and run dungeons together." Ranger Tian Wang Hui Hui smiled at Heizi.
"Get lost. Your team thinks it can poach me?" Heizi pointed the Blackwood Staff at Tian Wang Hui Hui and cursed. At the same time, he displayed the glow from his Bronze Equipment. "You've got two or three pieces of common gear? I've got three pieces of Bronze Equipment and two pieces of common gear."
Tian Wang Hui Hui and the others were taken aback. They hadn't expected Heizi to be so powerful that he had three pieces of Bronze Equipment. These days, having two or three pieces of common gear made you a high-level player. Just one piece of Bronze Equipment was enough to mark you as an expert—guild parties would fight to recruit you. But Heizi had three.
The other members of Tian Wang Hui Hui's team were stunned too. When they saw the glow from the Bronze Equipment, their eyes nearly popped out.
No wonder Shi Feng acted so boldly. He'd found himself an expert to back him up, so he had nothing to fear.
Lonely As Snow, standing beside Heizi, gaped at him in disbelief. He'd thought Shi Feng was already a rare expert, but it turned out Heizi was the truly formidable one.
"Brother, running a dungeon with a noob like him will only drag you down. You probably won't even clear it, and you'll end up dying. Why not join us instead? You can pick any spellcaster gear the dungeon drops." Though Tian Wang Hui Hui was angry at being shown up, getting Heizi to join them would greatly improve their chances of clearing the dungeon.
"I agree with you. Running the dungeon with a bunch of noobs like you would definitely drag me down." Heizi grinned.
"You..." Tian Wang Hui Hui's face flushed red with rage. "Then let's see which of us clears Dead Silence Forest first."
With that, Tian Wang Hui Hui turned and left. He didn't believe a party with a noob in it could clear Dead Silence Forest.
"Hmph, so what if they have one strong damage dealer? They really think they can clear it?" Priest Bu Yu Xia Ye muttered sourly.
"Exactly. We're all experienced players. We'll definitely be better at running dungeons than they are." The Shield Warrior curled his lip.
After Tian Wang Hui Hui's team left, players suddenly began signing up to join Shi Feng's party.
The main reason for this change was Heizi's gear.
At this stage, Bronze Equipment was proof of an expert. Even with a noob for a party leader, having an expert with three pieces of Bronze Equipment meant one person could count as two. Their advantage over an ordinary party was enormous.
This time, however, Shi Feng was more selective about whom he recruited. The players who had left earlier regretted it bitterly. Why had they been so impulsive? Now they wanted to join, but Shi Feng wouldn't give them the chance.
Just as Shi Feng was busy recruiting members,
a commotion suddenly erupted southwest of the Dead Silence Forest dungeon entrance. Many players rushed over, their faces alight with excitement.
"No way. We actually ran into them here?" Heizi's eyes widened.
Shi Feng was also taken aback. He couldn't believe that a place as small as Red Leaf Town could have such a big shot. Could Red Leaf Town really be a hidden dragons and crouching tigers kind of place? Had he simply never noticed?