Tiger Glades Dungeon (2)

"F*ck! You're just a newbie!"

A Beastman wearing leather armor cursed when he discovered that the mysterious expert they were talking about was only a level 5 mage.

That was three levels lower than his!

The other two who were with him also left the party in rage.

"Damn, I almost carried this jerk."

"Don't bother joining this scum here, guys. This person is only level 5!"

They muttered in a loud voice as if to warn the other players before leaving.

As a result, some of the players who were frantically running over to Ethan came to a halt and cursed.

"What the heck? It's just a noob coming to die in Tiger Glades."

"No wonder he's still wearing novice equipment. Maybe he just got lucky to get that spell!"

They all exclaimed and left the line. Some players even send a look of disdain to Ethan.

Ethan, on the other hand, appears unconcerned about what they are saying.

He just keeps looking for his party's members.

He was well aware that this would certainly occur. Even if he demonstrated a powerful spell, players will not join his party if they discover he is only level 5.

But he still did it for another reason.

A typical player only sees what is directly in front of them. Smart players, on the other hand, can reflect what's truly going on.

This means that less perceptive players will only see his low level. Meanwhile, those with enough wits could see his true significance, especially in dungeon-diving.

'I'm even grateful because, without them, I wouldn't have been able to quickly decide who to choose from such a large crowd.'

Ethan thought to himself as he watched the people leave.

He then turned his gaze to the front.

When it comes to judging people, the remaining people in front of him are, at the very least, decent players.

Despite the fact that he is only a level 5, these people believe that the skill he just cast is a useful weapon in clearing the Tiger Glades dungeon.

But Ethan was also aware that some of them were only interested in using him. It was just a simple deduction.

In their eyes, his spell was the only important thing, and not him which is the user.

Hence, before they could give their respective conditions, Ethan sent invitations again, but this time they were different from the previous one.

"Huh? What are these conditions? Brat, even if you have a spell like that, you're still a level 5. You, becoming the party leader is just a plain suicide!"

A large man from the demon race exclaimed, his voice slightly irritated.

Based on the double-headed ax resting on his shoulder, he was a Berserker.

The other players besides him also nodded their heads and expressed their exasperation after reading Ethan's invitation.

The first condition is that Ethan will not partake in loot distribution from normal or elite monsters, but he will receive all of the Witch's equipment and boss rewards in return.

It was a reasonable and acceptable condition. Especially since they are still unsure if they will be able to clear the dungeon's difficulty.

But in case they cleared it, it was still a better reward than the boss drops because their name would be listed on the Tiger Glades dungeon leaderboard.

That alone would help them gain fame, and who knows how many major guilds would be interested in them after that.

However, another condition that Ethan imposed was that he will be the one who'll lead the party.

A level 5 player ordering them during a difficult dungeon raid? Pride aside, it was simply a suicide run!

They must recruit this noob right now or he will uselessly become a corpse inside the dungeon.

They simultaneously shared their terms to Ethan.

The majority of them were as sweet as honey, but Ethan didn't even give them a second glance before declining.

"I will not join a party; instead, I am forming one, so if you disagree with my terms, please respectfully step aside."

Unbothered by the irritant looks around him, Ethan said with a calm face.

"Hehe, this greenhorn's ambition was as high as the mountains, a bird without wings dare to touch the cloud, pitiful!"

An elf archer, who for some reason was speaking in a poetic tone laughed mockingly at Ethan.

He gracefully flips his blonde hair as he leaves the spot.

The others also followed him.

"Hmph. What a waste."

The demon berserker said in full indignation as he walked away with haughty steps.

The players surrounding Ethan quickly dwindled until there were only about ten people left.

Ethan looks at them and inquires about their skill level. He discovered that they are all level 5 players.

In the end, his party will still consist of fresh graduates.

'Well, in the first place I just want to find a party to command.'

Ethan thought to himself.

It didn't matter what their levels were, as long as he could enter the dungeon, it was enough.

But Ethan still has a borderline on what kind of members he will take. After all, the Tiger Glades is still a special dungeon.

Excluding their levels, he still needs to consider their stats. That's why he went back on asking about their respective profession and attributes.

Over five minutes later, Ethan finally gathered five players. They could start Dungeon-diving now.

"Hello, since the five of you have already agreed on my terms, I assume you all have no qualms about me being your party leader, am I correct?"

Ethan asked, looking around at the five players in front of him. Their race and profession were quite diverse.

There are two human Warlocks, one Dragnil Spearman, one Dwarf Shield Warrior, and one Pixie Cleric.

With him as a Demon Witch, their party becomes a little more exotic.

However, based on the strategy he devised, this is the closest combination he can form.

"Yeah, we don't have a choice in the first place," one of them replied. He was a man in his early twenties and one of the two Warlocks.

"It's been two hours since we arrived here, and we still can't find a proper party!"

Another young man exclaimed. He was the Cleric of the group.

Except for the woman Warlock, the remaining members nodded in agreement.

Their words were easy to understand because Ethan had previously experienced this treatment in his previous life when he was still a newbie.

Tiger Glades is truly not an appropriate place for average level five players. The vast majority of them were still in the city, completing menial quests or running basic dungeons.

That's why Ethan can't tell whether the people in front of him were brave or stupid for running straight into the Tiger Glades dungeon.

Nevertheless, Ethan felt no pity for them.

He looked at them before turning his head to the final member of his party, the second human Warlock.

Her name, as he recalls, was Solemn Rain.

She was the only level 7 player in the group

Ethan looked at her and noticed that this woman has a lovely face, paired with her short lavender hair and amber eyes, she can be considered a beauty.

Because of this, Ethan slightly tilted his head, and confusion can be seen in his eyes.

Solemn Rain noticed Ethan puzzled expression and spoke up before he could ask a question.

"Why am I here despite my level, you ask?"

'No, that's not it. Though that's also one of my questions.'

Ethan thought, wanting to know why a beauty like her was here.

She could easily find a decent party because many players would recruit a player like her regardless of their level.

But this girl instead chooses to join a party of novices.

He couldn't help but be confused.

"It was because all the men here are babysitting me and treating me as if I am some kind of princess."

Solemn Rain said. Her face is flushed with clear annoyance as she speaks.

When he heard this, Ethan quickly understood what she meant.

Some people only play Utopia for pure entertainment. They are not like those who wanted to become famous or earn a large sum of money.

'This woman is exactly like me. She wanted to have fun with the game as well.'

However, she was unable to enjoy the game because she was constantly carried by the people she used to party with.

Hence, she purposefully joins a novice team so that no one can pamper her inside the dungeon.

Ethan shrugged his shoulders as he think about these.

'Is this what they called beauty problems?'

He chuckled inwardly before opening his mouth.

"You're in luck, then. Because I treat everyone the same, whether they're a beauty or not."

"That's good to hear; if you're going to treat me like some Imperial princess or whatever, I wouldn't hesitate to leave the party," Solemn Rain said, slightly nodding.

"Roger."

Ethan responded curtly before addressing the entire party.

"All right, let's go; I'll explain the strategy once we get inside!"