“Since that’s the case, I’ll start giving orders now. If anyone has any complaints about me being the team leader, feel free to speak up. I’ll accept any reasonable requests,” Nie Yan said. With what he had said earlier and Yu Lan’s capable leadership, the team should have no major issues entering the dungeon.
“Everyone report your name and stats, starting with the shield warriors,” Nie Yan continued. Without meeting the minimum equipment requirements, even the most skilled player would struggle to complete the dungeon. Although Nie Yan knew exactly how to clear the Tree Spirit Grove dungeon, the team’s stats still needed to meet the basic requirements.
“Bai Kaishui, shield warrior, defense 61, HP 230, attack 27,” said a burly man in his thirties. He was the person who had supported Nie Yan earlier and was the team’s main tank. His muscular build resembled a bull, clearly marking him as a warrior.
“Feishui Zhu Jiao, just call me Jiao. Shield warrior, defense 51, HP 160, attack 28.”
“Liye, fire mage, magic damage 32.”
…
“Bai Kaishui, go buy an acceleration scroll. Nangua, buy a strength scroll…” Nie Yan issued orders to the team members.
The team members exchanged uneasy glances. Among ordinary players, they were considered quite skilled. However, they each possessed no more than a single silver coin’s worth of assets. Acceleration scrolls, strength scrolls, intelligence scrolls, etc., often cost dozens of copper coins each, which was a significant expense. Even after clearing the Tree Spirit Grove dungeon, it was uncertain how much profit each person would gain.
“Buying so many scrolls? Even if I were the leader, I could still clear the Tree Spirit Grove,” Chen Bo muttered discontentedly.
Chen Bo had repeatedly opposed Nie Yan, and Tang Yao, standing nearby, had long been annoyed by him.
“You don’t have the money, do you? If you can’t afford these scrolls costing just a little copper, I can lend you some,” Tang Yao mocked Chen Bo.
“Twenty copper coins? Come on, I can afford it. He’s clearly being biased. Why doesn’t he ask you to buy an intelligence scroll? Why make us spend money?” Chen Bo retorted rudely.
The other team members looked at Nie Yan with doubts. As teammates, if Nie Yan was playing favorites and intentionally making them spend more, it would be quite unfair.
Tang Yao couldn’t immediately think of a rebuttal, and Chen Bo smirked, saying, “Speechless now, aren’t you?”
All the team members were waiting for Nie Yan’s explanation. If Nie Yan couldn’t provide a satisfactory reason, he might lose the team’s support.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. My brother is wearing a complete set of Zhu Huo Zhe gear, his magic damage is already fifty. Does he really need an intelligence scroll? He’s trying to control his magic damage output, not increase it. Do you want him to attract the boss’s aggro and get killed?” Nie Yan mocked mercilessly.
Nie Yan’s implication was clear: Tang Yao’s gear was so good that he could easily join elite teams from major guilds in dungeons. Joining their team was practically an honor, so how could they complain?
Upon hearing Nie Yan’s words, the team members felt ashamed. They looked at Tang Yao’s gear differently now. That was a complete set of Zhu Huo Zhe gear, a symbol of glory! Proof of conquering the Black Flame Forest! Tang Yao had already cleared the Black Flame Forest, so he had no real need to clear the Tree Spirit Grove again. Yet he was helping their team, which was a huge favor!
Seeing the team’s changed expressions, Tang Yao instinctively straightened his posture. It felt quite good being admired by others. Tang Yao silently resolved that, since he was wearing such great gear, he couldn’t embarrass himself. At the very least, he should act like a top-tier player.
Chen Bo was momentarily speechless, unable to reply. Nie Yan had the upper hand, and he couldn’t find a counterargument.
Yu Lan glanced at Tang Yao, noticing his gear. She hadn’t expected this unattractive, chubby guy to be such a skilled player.
“Those who were named should go buy the scrolls,” Yu Lan said. She was wondering whether buying so many scrolls would be worth the cost, even if they successfully cleared the Tree Spirit Grove.
The team members gradually went to the store to purchase scrolls. They had already prepared various consumables, so buying a few scrolls wouldn’t take much time.
“Nie Yan, do we really need this many scrolls for the Tree Spirit Grove dungeon?” Yaoyao asked, looking at Nie Yan with her beautiful eyes. From her memory, several major teams hadn’t used this many scrolls when clearing the Tree Spirit Grove.
“You’ll see soon enough. I wouldn’t ask them to buy scrolls if it were a waste of money,” Nie Yan replied. Even elite teams from major guilds had likely only cleared the normal difficulty of the Tree Spirit Grove. But the version Nie Yan intended to tackle was the expert-level dungeon! Without scrolls, it would be impossible.
“Mm.” Yaoyao blinked her eyes, studying Nie Yan. Although she had only known him for a few days, she was certain Nie Yan was a capable person who never acted without reason.
After a while, the team members returned with the scrolls.
Nie Yan counted the members—nineteen people, all present.
“Can any of you bring in a strong mage? Having a mage with higher magic damage would increase our chances,” Nie Yan asked Yu Lan and others.
“This… might be a bit difficult to find,” Yu Lan replied hesitantly. Mages with high magic damage usually had fixed teams. Where could they find one?
“I can find someone. I have a classmate who’s in the elite team of Guang Ming Sheng Yan. They’re preparing for the Black Flame dungeon recently, and he happens to be free today,” Yaoyao offered.
“Male or female? How skilled is he?” Yu Lan asked.
“A male classmate. He’s very good,” Yaoyao replied.
“Guang Ming Sheng Yan? Forget it,” Nie Yan shook his head.
“Why?” Yaoyao asked curiously.
“I’ve taken down several of their teams, and now they’re hunting me,” Nie Yan said without hesitation. Even if the Guang Ming Sheng Yan players knew he was here, what could they do?
“Last time I was blocked by a whole team from Guang Ming Sheng Yan, and my brother soloed seven or eight of them,” Tang Yao proudly boasted, eager to tell everyone that Nie Yan was his brother.
“They were just a bunch of noobs,” Nie Yan said indifferently.
“That’s right. You think you’re so great for beating a few noobs. I’ve even beaten an entire team by myself,” Chen Bo coldly mocked.
Tang Yao was furious at Chen Bo’s words. The people Nie Yan had defeated weren’t just any noobs—among them was someone wearing a complete set of Zhu Huo Zhe gear! Just as he was about to retort, Nie Yan stopped him, leaving him to fume silently.
Yu Lan crossed her arms, observing Nie Yan. Nie Yan wasn’t the kind of person to boast. It seemed that what Tang Yao said was probably true. If someone had managed to corner Tang Yao, they must have been formidable opponents. It appeared Nie Yan was not only skilled in dungeons but also in player-versus-player combat.
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