Strange Party

Xiao Ling glanced at the equipment of the remaining three players. Their gauntlets, staves, robes, and weapons were covered in enchanting magic circles. Xiao Ling had the feeling that he was about to faint. The total cost of their equipment would be at least 30,000 gold coins!

That was an amount of money most players could only dream of. The four of them had to be supported by some large guild. With their equipment, they would be practically unstoppable in any leveling ground with monsters around their own levels.

It was possible that their equipment belonged to their guild. Guilds usually had a selection of low-level equipment which the low-level players could use so that they could level up quickly and catch up to the progress of the raid quests. Some guilds would even provide a whole range of equipment from low-level ones to SSS-ranked enchanted ones. Naturally, the players were subjected to a rigorous selection process before they were allowed to use the equipment.

Xiao Ling was silent for a moment. He was thinking about his own way forward. He realized that it would be difficult for him to rise above all the other players. Some of them had a head start, some of them had financial support, and some of them had a fixed and powerful team. On the other hand, Xiao Ling had nothing. He had to work hard for himself. He was also friendless, which meant that he would not be given any information about the game. However, Xiao Ling was not a person who would resign himself to such a lowly fate. He could allow himself to fail, but he would never allow himself to be mediocre.

"Excuse me, is the seat taken?" A gentle and clear voice came. Xiao Ling looked up to the speaker and saw the four players who had just entered the inn. It was the female Thief who spoke.

Xiao Ling scanned the inn. The other tables were fully occupied; his was the only one with empty seats. Xiao Ling nodded, and the four players sat down. Xiao Ling sized them up. The Dark Priest was a man in his 30s, with a sturdy build, chiseled face, and a stubble, which gave him an overall air of steadiness. The Frost Mage and Destruction Warlock looked younger and were quite handsome.

However, Xiao Ling was not used to spending time with strangers.

The five of them sat at the table. Xiao Ling felt awkward sharing a table with strangers.

He was about to get up when the female Thief spoke with a smile, "What's your name, little brother?" Her smile was polite, and so were her actions. She left a good impression on him.

"Xiao Ling," Xiao Ling replied out of helplessness.

"My name's Lin Fei, you can call me Sister Lin," said Lin Fei. She continued to introduce the others. "This is my husband, Tian Kuang. These two are Tian Fei and Tian Xin, our party members."

Lin Fei made the introductions heartily. Xiao Ling was slightly at a loss, he was unsure how he was supposed to react.

Tian Kuang nodded toward Xiao Ling. He was a steady middle-aged man. It was difficult to picture such a person bearing such a name.

Tian Fei and Tian Xin shot Xiao Ling polite smiles.

They were kind. The two youngsters were well-behaved as well. Xiao Ling's impression of the four of them was not bad. However, Xiao Ling did not usually mingle with strangers out of choice, nor was he used to exchanging pleasantries.

"Little brother, are you here to level up by killing monsters, or are you here for quests?" Tian Kuang, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin did not say much, and Xiao Ling had no intention of being the person to initiate a conversation. Lin Fei saw that the atmosphere was slightly cold, and she attempted to warm it up by asking questions.

"I'm here for quests and to level up by killing monsters while I'm at it." Xiao Ling was careful not to say too much. He was slightly guarded against them.

Lin Fei nodded, and said, "We're heading to Alterac Valley to kill some monsters and do some leveling ourselves. Will you be interested to join us, little brother?"

Alterac Valley was beside the Scarlet Monastery. There were several camps of Scarlet Warriors and Scarlet Mages there; the place would be teeming with them. Anyone intending to farm monsters at spots where they aggregated in such high densities would have to pick their teammates carefully. Xiao Ling was only a level 10. Lin Fei was only inviting him out of courtesy.

"I have another quest to complete tomorrow. I might not have the time to join you," Xiao Ling turned down her offer politely.

"Oh, very well, then," Lin Fei replied. She glanced at Tian Fei beside her. "Fei, you can go and recruit the others now."

Tian Fei nodded. He stood up and went to the inn's counter.

To make forming parties easier, the players had a customary convention. The inn at nighttime was where players gathered. There would usually be a dedicated counter where players recruited party members and discussed the next day's plans.

As he looked at Tian Fei's receding back, Xiao Ling could no longer restrain his curiosity any longer. He wanted to know why there were only four of them. He asked, "Is there someone from your party who isn't here yet?"

"There are only four of us in this party." Lin Fei's words did nothing to quell Xiao Ling's curiosity. Parties supported by large guilds should have had fixed members. This did not explain why they were short of a main melee player.

"So, are you thinking of recruiting a melee class player?" Xiao Ling ventured.

Tian Kuang and Lin Fei looked at each other and smiled. She shook her head, but did not explain herself. It seemed as if it was an important matter that had to be kept secret. Although he was still curious, he knew better than to pester them when they had no intention of telling him. Perhaps the reason for their silence was because this concerned some secret. Xiao Ling would be rude to press for an answer.

"I'll be heading upstairs now. Goodnight." Xiao Ling stood up and addressed them.

"Goodnight," replied Tian Kuang and Lin Fei with faint smiles. They could tell that Xiao Ling did not like to mingle with strangers.

Xiao Ling navigated through the crowd toward the wooden stairs.

"Our party's recruiting a Fire Mage or Destruction Warlock with 100+ dps and AoE skills to farm monsters in the Alterac Valley. We'll be heading there at fixed times for three days. Anyone interested, please whisper me." Xiao Ling could clearly hear Tian Fei's voice over the din of the crowd. He paused in his tracks.

Dps referred to a player's damage output. Xiao Ling was puzzled. They already had a Frost Mage and a Destruction Warlock, so why were they recruiting another DPS instead of a melee class player? Xiao Ling found this odd. They also wanted a player who knew AoE skills. Were they planning on farming hordes of monsters at once? How would the Thief cope with that?

Xiao Ling was puzzled, but he knew that this had nothing to do with him. If they did not want to tell him, it was not his place to ask. Xiao Ling turned to the stairs and headed up to his room.