Dozens of level 1 players came over, and things got lively in front of Shi Feng's team.
"That guy's something else. He's so desperate to get into a dungeon that he'll take anyone, even level 1 newbies. Doesn't he know that a level 2 elite team already went into Dead Silence Forest and came back dead?"
"Who cares? A newbie's still a newbie. We can't understand what goes through their heads."
The level 2 players waiting in the long line all laughed at Shi Feng's actions, eager to see him make a fool of himself.
"That guy's pretty amusing. Even I'm not confident that I can get through Dead Silence Forest, yet he's trying to do it with a bunch of level 1 players." Zhao Yueru looked toward Shi Feng, the corners of her mouth lifting in a faint smile. There was a hint of mockery and disdain in her voice.
Bai Qingxue glanced at Shi Feng in the distance as well. He looked calm and confident, showing no anger at the crowd's ridicule. His every movement seemed composed and mature, much like some of the God's Domain experts she had met. But she couldn't understand where his confidence came from. Dead Silence Forest was Red Leaf Town's first dungeon, and it was everyone's first time experiencing a God's Domain dungeon. Its difficulty was unknown. Even a guild's elite team would carefully select its members, yet Shi Feng didn't seem to care at all. It was as if he only needed to gather six people.
"Maybe I'm overthinking it. He's only a level 1 player. How could he possibly get through Dead Silence Forest?" Bai Qingxue brushed a hand over her hair, putting Shi Feng's strange behavior out of her mind as she looked at the player information displayed before her. "Level 2 Summoner. Spell damage: 28. Health: 150. Defense: 8. Movement speed: 4. Not qualified. Next."
A Cursemancer then stepped forward, nervously sending his attributes to the Ice Goddess, Bai Qingxue.
Meanwhile, Shi Feng was also checking the players' stats.
Although he hadn't logged off, he still had standards.
The level 1 players here were far behind the level 2 players Bai Qingxue's team was recruiting in terms of both equipment and level. Still, they were players, and as long as they hadn't wasted their eight starting attribute points, there was a good chance that a team of six could clear Dead Silence Forest.
As for Shield Warriors and Guardian Knights who had put all their points into Strength, and weapon-wielding classes that had neglected Agility, he wouldn't take any of them.
"Big brother, please let me join. I'm only a level 1 Guardian Knight, but I have one piece of level 0 common equipment. I've still got all eight of my free attribute points, so I can allocate them however you want." A young man named Kele looked at him expectantly as he made his request.
Shi Feng was slightly surprised. A Guardian Knight who hadn't spent even one free attribute point had somehow reached level 1. That was quite a feat. Guardian Knights had low attack power and struggled to kill monsters, so they usually hunted in teams. For the sake of efficiency, they'd normally put a few points into Strength. Otherwise, leveling up would be painfully slow.
Guardian Knight Kele?
"Kele... Kele." Shi Feng studied Kele's face, tall frame, and well-developed muscles. He felt that the young man looked familiar, and fell into thought. It seemed he remembered someone like this.
That's right, Tyrant Bear!
Shi Feng remembered. Tyrant Bear's name was Kele. He was the main tank of the first-rate guild Glorious Stars. Early in God's Domain, Tyrant Bear had been unable to find his footing and was kicked out by the third-rate guild Crown of Heaven. Later, he joined Glorious Stars and immediately began to shine. He went from being the tank of an ordinary team to the tank of an elite main force group. He ranked fifteenth among Guardian Knights in the Star-Moon Kingdom and was renowned for both his ability to take hits and deal damage. Shi Feng hadn't expected Tyrant Bear to come over on his own, or to be so shy. He was nothing like the Tyrant Bear of ten years later.
Shi Feng immediately had an idea.
Tyrant Bear hadn't joined Crown of Heaven yet, much less Glorious Stars. If Shi Feng could recruit him as his main tank, wouldn't future dungeon runs be a lot more enjoyable?
"Big brother, I promise I'll follow your orders in the dungeon. Please reconsider." Kele's voice was pleading.
Shi Feng almost laughed. Who would have thought the mighty Tyrant Bear would be so humble, all for a spot in a dungeon run? Still, he held it in.
The level 1 players who came here were all hoping to get lucky. Other teams couldn't clear Dead Silence Forest even with level 2 players, let alone level 1 players like them. But if they got to run the dungeon once and were lucky enough to get one or two pieces of equipment, it would greatly help them develop. It would also make joining a major guild much easier.
"All right, I'll let you join." Shi Feng put on a serious expression. "But you should understand that taking a level 1 newbie like you through Dead Silence Forest won't be easy. I can't take you through the dungeon, only for you to get some equipment and then leave to join another elite team. That would mean all my effort was wasted."
As soon as Shi Feng said this, quite a few level 1 players gave him disdainful looks. Weren't you a level 1 newbie too?
Shi Feng ignored their reactions and continued, "I'm putting together a team that I want to keep stable. Stability comes first. If you want to run dungeons with us, you'll have to make a long-term commitment. Whenever I call you for a dungeon run, you have to show up. You can't refuse because you have something else to do. What do you choose?"
Everyone fell silent at Shi Feng's words.
Shi Feng's meaning was clear. If they wanted to join the team, they couldn't join another team later, and they couldn't join a guild either.
Everyone knew that joining a guild was the best way for players to quickly improve their strength.
They weren't qualified to join any of the good guilds yet, which was why they'd come to try their luck, hoping to get one or two pieces of equipment and maybe earn a spot. Why would they give up the chance to join a good guild just to run a dungeon?
Kele hadn't expected Shi Feng to make such a demand. It was harsh, but fair. It wouldn't do for someone to train him, only for him to leave as soon as he got stronger. Even so, Shi Feng's words lacked a certain persuasiveness.
At that moment, Heizi stepped forward, furious. "You bunch of newbies can't even find a team to take you into a dungeon, yet you're already dreaming about joining a good guild and enjoying its benefits. Do you really think you're experts, or do you take us for suckers?"
Kele had been hesitating, but he thought the "expert" Heizi made a good point. Even this level 2 expert, who had three pieces of Bronze Equipment, was on the team. What right did a newbie like him have to complain?
"Thank you for setting me straight, big brother. I'll do my best to pull my weight." Kele quickly turned to Heizi and thanked him.
Heizi felt a little awkward being thanked and called an expert. He was a complete fake, but being called one made him want even more to become a true God's Domain expert.
"Heizi, nice work!" Shi Feng gave him a thumbs-up and praised him quietly.
He hadn't expected Heizi to win Tyrant Bear over just like that. Kele even looked up to Heizi and called him big brother.
Heizi was confused. He didn't understand what he'd done to deserve Shi Feng's praise, but he was still happy. At least he'd done something for Shi Feng, even if he had no idea what it was.
More than ten minutes later, Shi Feng had finally gathered all six players. They could start the dungeon run.