Farming

The searing clouds were toasting the mist around them. The mist evaporated instantly. 

The rain of flames had a terrifying grandeur. It could be clearly seen even from a few kilometers away. Xiao Ling could imagine what would happen if he found himself in the thick of that fiery downpour.

'That must have been a Destruction Warlock's Meteor Fire!'

The sheer might of the spell inspired awe in Xiao Ling. He longed for the day where he would master a destructive spell with a wide AoE such as that one.

The formidable spell was worth several thousand gold coins!

'Who would farm monsters here with Meteor Fire? Could it be them?' Making the connections with what he had seen and heard yesterday, Xiao Ling found it highly possible that this was the work of Lin Fei and her companions. He was curious. How would they farm monsters? They were a party of a Frost Mage, Destruction Warlock, Shadow Priest, and a Thief. Could they farm monsters with that lineup?

His curiosity got the better of him. Xiao Ling moved closer under the cover of the trees. 

He saw a few figures standing there. If they discovered that they were being spied on, things would get awkward. Xiao Ling inched carefully toward the edge of the forest, and finally saw what was happening.

The sight made his jaw drop; he was horrified. Corpses of Scarlet Warriors were strewn all over the place. There were dozens of them on the forest floor. The Scarlet Warriors all showed signs of being burned. They were clearly bombarded to death by the Destruction Warlock's Meteor Fire. 

White ice crystals glittered at their feet, the origin of the spell that conjured them unknown. Gold coins shone on the ground. There were even several pieces of equipment. Lin Fei was clearing the place. Tian Kuang, Tian Xin, and Tian Fei were sitting on the ground and having a drink of water. 

How did they do it? They were too formidable! To think that they were capable of killing dozens of Scarlet Warriors in one go!

What a scary efficiency! Xiao Ling could not even bring himself to imagine such a rate of killing monsters.

Lin Fei picked up the items and stood up. She spoke to Tian Kuang, "I'll go attract more monsters."

"Alright." Tian Kuang nodded. He continued drinking spring water to replenish his mana.

Lin Fei ran toward the Scarlet Encampment in the distance.

Xiao Ling made some guesses about their monster farming procedure. However, he did not know the details of their operations. He wondered what was the meaning of having a Frost Mage and a Destruction Warlock in a party.

Xiao Ling remained where he was. He stood there silently while he waited to see how they farmed monsters.

There was another bird's call in the air. It was that Condor again. He reckoned that the Condor had noticed the situation here.

Tian Kuang looked up at the Condor. He opened up a voice channel. "Come back now. He's coming."

Lin Fei looked up at the Condor and walked back slowly. The Condor was the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior's eyes. The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior was sure to be here soon. If they attracted more monsters, they would be in trouble. It was safer to take care of the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior first.

Xiao Ling was disgruntled. If it were not for the Condor, Xiao Ling would have been able to see how they farmed monsters. Judging by their reactions, that Scarlet Barbarian Warrior should be appearing at any moment now. The components of their party were not suitable to take on a Boss. However, with their abilities, it should not be a problem for them to deal with a small-time level 13 Boss.

Xiao Ling gave it some thought. It was meaningless for him to stay here and watch them fight a Boss. He decided to head toward the Boar Mine for the quest.

Xiao Ling scanned the area. Where did Lin Fei go? She was here just a moment ago, where did she disappear to? He saw Tian Kuang, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin looking in his direction. Xiao Ling knew that this could mean nothing good. He made to slip away.

Then, he felt a tap on his shoulder. His heart skipped a beat. He turned around to see Lin Fei looking at him with half a smile.

Xiao Ling felt his hair stood on ends when he saw Lin Fei's "leer".

"I've invited you to come with us, and you've rejected. What're you doing sneaking around here, then?" Lin Fei asked him with a soft giggle.

Xiao Ling felt his cheeks burn. He mustered as much conviction as he could, and replied, "I'm here for a quest, and ran into you guys coincidentally."

"Oh, really?" Ln Fei eyed Xiao Ling suspiciously. She gave it some thought before speaking, "You've just arrived, right? What quest are you doing?"

A Thief was an expert in countertracking. If Xiao Ling kept following behind Lin Fei, there was no way that she would not notice. The only explanation was that Xiao Ling had truly just arrived in this place and ran into them unintentionally. However, why would a level 10 player be here on a quest in the first place? Was Xiao Ling that confident in his own strength?

If Xiao Ling had said that he did not know how to use the map, Lin Fei and her companions would not have believed him. Xiao Ling was too poor to afford a map and did not socialize with other players. With his limited sources of information, it was only natural for him to have no idea where he should or should not go. He practically stumbled upon this place.

Tian Kuang and the others made their way here. When Tian Kuang saw Xiao Ling, he first appeared shocked, but he quickly regained his calm expression.

Xiao Ling felt that there was no need to hide that. After all, they did not seem to harbor ill intentions. This was also a good opportunity for him to clarify his reason for being here. Xiao Ling told them, "I'm going to the Boar Mine to farm Crazed Boar Fangs.

Tian Kuang's expression changed. He exchanged a look with Lin Fei, and they saw the shock in each other's eyes. Xiao Ling was going to the Boar Mine for a quest on his own, at his level!

Xiao Ling did not plan on completing the quest soon. He merely wanted to try his luck at the Boar Mine and see if he could dig up something valuable. Xiao Ling was completely oblivious to the amount of shock his innocent words had given Lin Fei and the others. Xiao Ling did not know that they were aware of his level. That was why he answered their question carelessly.

"Do you need help?" asked Tian Kuang. "We have a quest at the Boar Mine as well." Tian Kuang was also curious about Xiao Ling's strength. He was filled with interest in Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling gave it some thought. Teaming up with them would only be beneficial for him. He could even see how they go about farming monsters. Since he was given the offer, he was sure that there would be hard feelings if he turned it down again.

Xiao Ling nodded.

System: Tian Kuang invites you to join his party. Will you accept?

Accept!

System: You have joined Tian Kuang's party.

When Xiao Ling joined the party, he concealed his own level. This was a right for the members of any party. When Tian Kuang and Lin Fei saw Xiao Ling conceal his level, they exchanged a meaningful look and smiled.

Xiao Ling looked at the levels of the others. Lin Fei was level 17, Tian Kuang level 19, and Tian Fei and Tian Xin were level 16. Their levels were slightly lower than Xiao Ling expected.

"Do you have any AoE spells?" Tian Kuang asked.

Xiao Ling's face reddened as he said, "I only have Force Blast."

Force Blast was a beginner level spell. Every Destruction Warlock knew it.

Tian Kuang eyed Xiao Ling's equipment. With his experience, he could certainly tell that Xiao Ling's equipment were cheap items that cost several gold coins apiece.

Tian Kuang nodded understandingly. "You can be in charge of dealing with the stragglers while we farm."

"Alright." Xiao Ling was still curious to see how they farmed monsters.

There was a sharp whistle from afar. It was the Scarlet Warrior's. The Condor flew over toward it.

Tian Kuang smiled, and said, "Scarlet Barbarian Warrior. Let's have an appetizer, shall we? We can take this opportunity to get to know each other as well." Finding a suitable party member was hard work. If Xiao Ling had good operating skills, Tian Kuang would love to have him stay as a party member.