Dozens of level-1 players came running over, and the area in front of Shi Feng's party grew lively.
"This guy's really something else. He's so desperate to run the dungeon that he's taking anyone — even level-1 noobs. Doesn't he know that a level-2 elite party already got wiped in the Silent Forest?"
"Who cares? Noobs are noobs. We'll never understand how they think."
The level-2 players lined up nearby all started mocking Shi Feng's actions, eager to watch him make a fool of himself.
Zhao Yueru looked toward Shi Feng, the corner of her lips curling upward in a delicate smile laced with mockery and disdain. "That guy's really interesting. I'm not even confident about clearing the Silent Forest, yet here he is rounding up a bunch of level-1 players to give it a go."
Bai Qingxue also glanced at Shi Feng in the distance. His expression was calm and confident, showing no anger at the crowd's ridicule. Every move he made was composed — much like some of the Divine Domain powerhouses she had encountered. But she couldn't figure out where his confidence came from. The Silent Forest was Red Leaf Town's first dungeon and everyone's first encounter with a Divine Domain instance. The difficulty was unknown, and even a guild's elite party would be extremely careful about their lineup. Yet Shi Feng couldn't care less, as if simply rounding up six people was enough.
"Maybe I'm overthinking this. He's just a level-1 player. How could he possibly clear the Silent Forest?"
Bai Qingxue brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, pushing Shi Feng's strange behavior from her mind, and looked at the player data displayed before her. "Level-2 Summoner. Magic attack 28, HP 150, Defense 8, movement speed 4. Doesn't qualify. Next."
Then a Warlock stepped forward, nervously sending his stats to the Ice Goddess, Bai Qingxue.
On the other side, Shi Feng was also reviewing player data.
He might not have set the bar high, but he absolutely had a bottom line.
The level-1 players here were far behind the level-2 players that Bai Qingxue's party was recruiting, both in gear and level. But they were still players — as long as they didn't waste their initial 8 attribute points, assembling a full party of six made clearing the Silent Forest very possible.
As for those Shield Warriors and Guardian Knights who had dumped everything into Strength, or weapon classes that hadn't put a single point into Agility — none of them would do.
"Please invite me, big bro. I'm only a level-1 Guardian Knight, but I've got a level-0 normal-quality item and all 8 of my free attribute points are still unspent. I can allocate them exactly however you want." A young man named Ke Le asked, his eyes filled with hope.
Shi Feng was mildly surprised. A Guardian Knight who hadn't spent a single free attribute point yet had still reached level 1 — that was practically a gem. Guardian Knights had pathetically low attack power, making soloing monsters nearly impossible. They typically grouped up to grind, and for efficiency, most would add a few points to Strength. Otherwise, leveling was painfully slow.
Guardian Knight… Ke Le?
"Ke Le… Ke Le." Shi Feng studied Ke Le's face, his tall frame, and his well-developed muscles. Something felt familiar. He sank into thought, searching his memories.
That's right — Tyrant Bear!
Shi Feng remembered. Tyrant Bear's real name was Ke Le. Tyrant Bear was the main tank of the first-rate guild, Glorious Stars. In the early days of the Divine Domain, Tyrant Bear had been constantly overlooked. He was driven out by the third-rate guild Crown of Heaven before eventually joining Glorious Stars, where he immediately shone — rising from an ordinary party's main tank to the main tank of their elite raid team. He was ranked fifteenth among Guardian Knights in the Star Moon Kingdom, famous for his ability to both tank and deal damage. Shi Feng hadn't expected Tyrant Bear to show up on his own, and so shy at that — completely different from the Tyrant Bear of ten years in the future.
An idea immediately formed in Shi Feng's mind.
Tyrant Bear hadn't joined Crown of Heaven yet, let alone Glorious Stars. If Shi Feng could poach him and make him his own tank, future dungeon runs would be a breeze.
"Big bro, I promise I'll follow your every order in the dungeon. Please, reconsider." Ke Le's voice carried a pleading tone.
Shi Feng nearly laughed out loud. The great Tyrant Bear, reduced to such humble begging — all for a spot in a dungeon party. But he held it in.
The level-1 players who had come here were all clinging to a sliver of hope. Other parties couldn't even clear the Silent Forest with level-2 players, let alone these level-1 noobs. If they could get one run through the Silent Forest and luck out with a piece or two of gear, it would give them a huge boost going forward and make it much easier to join a major guild.
"Fine. I'll add you." Shi Feng said with a serious expression. "But you should know — bringing a level-1 noob like you through the Silent Forest isn't easy. I can't very well get you through it, have you grab some gear, and then watch you immediately leave to join another elite party. That would make all my effort for nothing."
The moment Shi Feng said this, quite a few level-1 players shot him contemptuous looks. Aren't you a level-1 noob yourself?
But Shi Feng couldn't have cared less about their feelings. He continued: "I'm putting together a stable team here. When I recruit, stability comes first. If you want to run dungeons, you need to be in it for the long haul. When I call you to run a dungeon, you show up — no excuses, no turning me down for something else. What's your decision?"
The crowd fell silent the moment they heard Shi Feng's terms.
Shi Feng's meaning was crystal clear: if they wanted to join his party, they couldn't join any other party afterward — and certainly no guild.
Everyone knew that joining a guild was the fastest way for a player to grow stronger. Right now, they didn't qualify for the good guilds, which was why they were here trying their luck — hoping to snag a piece or two of equipment that might get them in. Why would they give up the chance to join a good guild just for one dungeon run?
Ke Le hadn't expected Shi Feng to make such a demand. It was harsh, but reasonable. You couldn't expect someone to invest in you, only for you to leave the moment you got strong. But when Shi Feng said these things, he still lacked a certain convincing power.
At that moment, Hei Zi stepped forward and said angrily, "Look at you noobs — nobody even wants you for a dungeon run, and you're already dreaming about joining a good guild for handouts. Do you really think you're experts, or are you just treating us like suckers?"
The hesitant Ke Le felt that "Expert" Hei Zi had a point. Even this level-2 expert with three pieces of Bronze Equipment was in this party. What right did a newbie noob like him have to complain?
"Thank you for the guidance, Expert. I'll make sure to do my job well." Ke Le looked at Hei Zi and quickly expressed his gratitude.
Being thanked by Ke Le and called an expert left Hei Zi feeling a bit uncomfortable. His expert status was completely bogus. But being called that by someone else made him all the more determined to become a true Divine Domain powerhouse.
"Nice one, Hei Zi!" Shi Feng gave him a thumbs up and praised him in a low voice.
He hadn't expected Tyrant Bear to be tamed by Hei Zi so easily, looking at him with admiration and calling him "big bro."
Hei Zi was completely confused, not understanding what he'd done to deserve such praise from Shi Feng. But he was happy anyway — at least he'd done something for Shi Feng, even if he had no idea what it was.
Another ten-odd minutes passed before Shi Feng finally assembled a full party of six and could begin the dungeon run.