Chapter 39

"I'll go and attract some monsters," said Lin Fei.

Lin Fei ran along on her own toward the Scarlet Encampment in the distance. The monsters there gathered in massive numbers. Xiao Ling could not help but feel worried for her. Would she run into any danger?

Tian Kuang and the others seemed casual about it, though. They found a clean spot and sat down. With a smile, Tian Kuang said, "There's no need to worry about her. She'll be alright. This is how we usually work. By the way, the spells you've cast just now, they're an Affliction Warlock's Corruption and Searing Pain, am I right?"

"Yes," Xiao Ling replied.

"You can cast a Destruction Warlock's Force Blast?" Tian Kuang eyed Xiao Ling inquiringly. He did hear Xiao Ling saying that he knew Force Blast.

Knowing the skills of both an Affliction and Destruction Warlock would certainly raise some eyebrows. It seemed wrong to withhold this information since they were party members now. The problems of the fine details would often affect the survival of the entire party. Moreover, there was no way to conceal these things while fighting monsters. If he kept this from them on purpose, it would only create more rifts between them.

Xiao Ling was not an honest person, but he knew certain basic rules of treating other people. Tian Kuang, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin did not seem the type who would blabber about another person's secret.

Xiao Ling gave it some thought before saying, "I know skills of all three warlock specializations.

"They're all ordinary skills," he added awkwardly.

Tian Kuang was slightly surprised that Xiao Ling knew spells from all three warlock specializations. Tian Fei and Tian Xin could not conceal their shock as well, especially Tian Fei. As a Destruction Warlock, he knew the value of the three warlock specializations the best. Possessing the curses of an Affliction Warlock, the summoning skills of a Demonic Warlock, and the destructive power of a Destruction Warlock at the same time... What kind of a freak would that give rise to?

There was a limit to the number of skills a player could learn. It was impossible to learn every skill of all three warlock specializations. However, merely picking certain classic spells would be enough to create a substantial blast.

Tian Kuang seemed to accept this revelation more readily than Tian Fei and Tian Xin. He nodded slightly, and said, "I'm amazed that you can learn the skills of all three warlock specializations. Our party is looking for some permanent members to fight Bosses. Would you like to join us?"

After learning about Xiao Ling's ability, Tian Kuang held him in higher regard now. If Xiao Ling could level up further, he would certainly be able to shoulder the role of a main force.

Xiao Ling mused for a moment before saying, "I haven't thought it through."

"On normal days, you can do whatever you want. You'll just have to gather when we're raiding a Boss, and you can take whatever drops you need. How does that sound? After all, you can't get any good items when you're going solo. Our current lineup isn't suitable to take on a Boss yet, so we'll need another Warrior or a Druid. If it's a massive raid quest, our numbers are far from enough. We can work that out slowly, though." Tian Kuang was now looking at Xiao Ling eagerly.

Xiao Ling did not know why Tian Kuang was so interested to have him as a permanent party member. With their strength, it would be very easy for them to join ordinary parties. However, Tian Kuang's conditions did not sound bad to Xiao Ling. He considered it briefly and nodded. "I'm okay with that."

"Very good." Tian Kuang finally smiled.

Xiao Ling asked, "Aren't you guys from a guild? Why aren't you joining the guild's party?" Judging from the looks of their equipment, Tian Kuang and the others seemed to be treated well by the guild. He wondered why they decided to spread their wings outside the guild.

Tian Fei sighed, and said, "It's not easy being in a guild."

Tian Fei did not elaborate. Tian Fei and Tian Xin were not talkers. Since he did not want to talk about it, it was clear that he did not want to explain.

Tian Kuang managed a smile. He looked slightly desolate as he spoke, "It's complicated in the guild. Also, conflicts about equipment, money, and power are the sources of a guild's feud. There's no end to them. We're better off out here on our own. However, it's troublesome to break off from the guild. We'll have to pay 500,000 gold each if we want to leave the guild. The higher your level, or the more resources of the guild you used, the higher the price you'd have to pay."

Xiao Ling was flabbergasted. 500,000 gold was a harrowing concept to him. However, Xiao Ling found it logical. If the price to pay was not high, the elites would certainly be snatched away by other guilds. Xiao Ling could understand why the guild made it this difficult for its members to leave.

"What's the name of the guild you guys are in?" Xiao Ling asked. They did not display their guild's crest. It seemed as though they did not want to show it. Hence, Xiao Ling could not tell which guild they belonged to.

"Dragon Flame," Tian Kuang replied.

"Dragon Flame, that's the second largest guild in the Angelic Alliance!" Xiao Ling gasped. It now made sense why their equipment was flashy. Only a formidable guild such as Dragon Flame would have enough resources to draw upon to supply good equipment to the low-level players.

However, Tian Kuang, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin did not show any sign of being proud. Instead, they were smiling wryly. They were like locusts tied onto a rumbling war machine. When the guild moved forward, they would have to follow suit. They did not have any freedom.

Xiao Ling made some judgements about the personalities of Tian Kuang, Tian Fei, Tian Xin, and Lin Fei. Tian Kuang and Lin Fei were easy to talk to, and though Tian Fei and Tian Xin seldom spoke, they all seemed to be good people. Xiao Ling did not mind working together with them for now. If it did not work out in the end, they could still part on friendly terms.

After all, he was on his own. He made his plans on the go. Nobody could threaten him, nor would anybody ever have anything to be used against him.

He did not expect that there would be such raging politics under the shiny façade of a guild. He was now convinced that not joining a guild and maintaining his status as a free man was a wise choice.

"She's back. Let's farm some monster," Tian Kuang reminded everyone.

Xiao Ling looked up. He stared for some time. He could only see Lin Fei running toward them. Her nimble body was a blur over the land. Dozens of Scarlet Warriors were on her heels.

'They can't be thinking of wiping all these Scarlet Warriors out at once.' Xiao Ling swept his gaze across the land. There were more than 30 Scarlet Warriors behind Lin Fei.

Tian Fei and Tian Xin were prepared now. They wielded their staves and readied themselves to cast spells.

Lin Fei sprinted toward Tian Xin, who began droning the incantation as he calculated the distance between himself and the Scarlet Warriors.

Ring of Frost!

Tian Xin gave a cold shout. Rings of icicles swept across the land, instantly conjuring blocks of ice where they hit the horde of Scarlet Warriors.

The feet of the more than 30 Scarlet Warriors were now covered in thick ice. Their movements were impeded. Every single one of them was rooted to the ground.