Chapter 88 Forming a Party
The two Rogues and the Sorceress guarding the Waypoint watched from beginning to end, startled and surprised. What kind of play was this? However, seeing how well we seemed to get along later, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
The four of us sat down on the ground. After chatting for a while, I realized that these three people were actually quite easy to get along with. Druv's personality, just like a rigorous Paladin, was steady, mature, and wise. He was a bit like Lars, but his personality was more reserved, unlike Lars's unconventional cunning. As for his wife, Yihana, as I just said, she was like the Older Sister next door. Approachable, her gentle and kind smile was her Mark. And that cautious Assassin, Mardon, actually wasn't bad-hearted. He wasn't cold and icy like other Assassins; instead, he was a bit like Doug. At first, he was sulking and refused to speak, but later, seeing us chatting happily, he couldn't help but chime in.
In short, this was a Party that easily made people feel good about them. They were worth befriending.
During this time, as I gradually got to know them, they also told me frankly that they planned to kill the Countess. Druv's Fire Resistance Gear was quite good. Although not as good as Lars', but with the Resistance Aura, it could reach around 60. Moreover, the Party's overall Strength was much greater than Lars's, so there shouldn't be any problem.
However, speaking of this, Druv extended an invitation to me. His meaning was that one more person meant one more measure of safety. However, I had a somewhat mischievous guess. Was he afraid that I would sneak up again and snatch their Boss?
After careful consideration, my biggest concern now was the fear of exposing my Bugged Amulet. However, if I could control it well, there shouldn't be any problem. Moreover, there was also a Level 15 Druid, Yihana, beside me. She primarily focused on Summon. Her Oak Sage had also reached Level 4. This way, if she cast Oak Sage, this Skill that was most likely to expose oneself could be concealed. (Oak Sage increases Maximum Life. Experienced Class Changers can easily deduce a teammate's Skill Level from the increase in their Life.)
After thinking it over, I still accepted their invitation. After all, I also wanted to try the feeling of being in a party. Last time, seeing how exquisitely Lin Ya's party coordinated had made me incredibly envious.
Then, I announced my abilities to them—primarily focusing on Summon and Shapeshifting. As for Elemental, I hadn't learned any. When they heard about my unconventional Skill point allocation, they were all stunned for a while. Yihana even kindly advised me that I absolutely must learn some Elemental Magic. Because in the later stages, the difference in Strength between Class Changers often lies in Custom Skills. And among Custom Skills, 90% are Elemental Skills. If you don't even learn Elemental Skills, how can you talk about creating your own?
Thus, the temporary party for hunting the Countess was formed. Everyone chatted for a while longer, deepening their understanding of each other. When Yihana learned that my Ghost Wolf had not died even once up until now and had been fighting continuously until now, and had become even more valiant and skilled in combat (To conceal some of the Ghost Wolf's abilities), she was extremely shocked. Because she had also wanted to train her Ghost Wolf this way. The research on Druid Summoned Creatures that Cain told me about, it seemed she also knew about it. It was just that their starting points were different. Her Ghost Wolf was very fragile in the early stages; how could it be trained so easily? Therefore, regarding my perseverance, she could only express her heartfelt admiration.
The next day, we got up early. After carefully checking our Equipment, we officially Departed towards the Forgotten Tower. Our Lineup was now as follows: One Assassin, one Paladin, two Druids. Yihana would summon a Level 4 Oak Sage and two Level 2 Ghost Wolves. I had Level 3 Ghost Wolves; the ones summoned were Little Two, Little Three, and Little Four. Then, when necessary, I could provide Level 3 Werebear Transformation, Level 3 Werewolf Transformation, and Level 3 Shapeshifting. From their perspective, my Shapeshifting specialization and Yihana's Oak Sage were absolutely an exquisite combination. Because the common advantage of both Skills was—they both increased Health. At a crucial moment, I could transform and replace Druv as the Party's Tank. Moreover, if I used Werebear Transformation and Druv cast Resistance Aura, then my Defense would also be the highest in the Party. Damn, having a party is just so damn good! If it weren't for the Bugged Amulet and the Redeemer's abilities, you couldn't kill me to make me train alone.
Another advantage of being in a party was not having to be constantly cautious, always guarding against Enemy attacks. Because Mardon, the Assassin, was doing the scouting. Although his personality wasn't like an Assassin's, his skill as a scout was impeccable. Along the way, large groups of Monsters were bypassed, and small groups of Monsters were all killed. There hadn't been a single mistake yet.
Since I was a new addition, I didn't immediately jump into combat. Instead, I first carefully observed their Combat Style, and then gradually Integrated into their fighting. Slowly, Little Two and the others also began to join the fighting. To prevent them from seeing any Weakness, I told them to try their best to hold back. Although they were extremely confused by my strange command, they still obeyed unconditionally. Their control over their Strength was very precise. Their Damage and frequency indeed decreased. Even so, Yihana was full of praise for their exquisite coordination, claiming that after her Ghost Wolves' Level increased, she would definitely train them well too.
When she saw that I could control the Ghost Wolves to Teleport, she was even more surprised and speechless. Seeing her Appearance, I smiled inwardly. Actually, regarding the Ghost Wolves' Teleport, I had already asked Cain about it. He told me it was feasible. However, generally only highly skilled Druids could do it. When I heard Cain say this at the time, I knew that I must have a great Talent in communicating with Summoned Creatures. Therefore, I wasn't afraid to display this ability. At most, I would earn the title of a Summoning Prodigy. On the contrary, it could better conceal the things I couldn't expose. Of course, I wouldn't be foolish enough to demonstrate Airdrop Encirclement. That would be too shocking. I just told them that I could only barely control one Ghost Wolf to Teleport and the accuracy wasn't very high.
Alright, alright, after they go back, my title of 'Genius Druid' will become even more resounding. This is the effect I want. Cain's suggestion was absolutely correct. Paper cannot wrap fire. If you want to conceal the things you don't want to expose, you must first let others gradually form the Viewpoint in their minds that 'this Druid is very Powerful'. Then, even if I act a bit out of the ordinary, I believe they will naturally think, 'He was already very talented and Powerful, so having this Strength is only natural,' and won't suspect other aspects.
Walking and observing like this, I also learned a lot of basic Druid Knowledge from Yihana. And Mardon and their Combat Skills also benefited me greatly. Gradually, I also began to fully invest myself in the combat. Although I still couldn't Command Little Two and the others to coordinate with the others, blocking a few Enemies and easing their burden was still more than enough.
Before long, we had already arrived below the Tower. Heavens, I finally understood why the Tower was so famous. It wasn't because it was tall; there were definitely many buildings taller than it. It was because it was truly too large. Standing below and looking up, it was like being blocked by a tall city Wall. I finally understood why Doug and the others would get lost inside. In the over three hundred years it took to build this Castle, at least one-third of the time was spent building this Tower. I really don't know what those Lords were thinking.
After arriving outside the Entrance of the Tower, Mardon first scouted around the Entrance. Then he nodded slightly at us. Only then did the four of us cautiously step into the first level of the Tower.
The entire Tower was built from Stone. The structure inside hadn't been plastered or decorated, so it was mainly Stone Walls. The Walls were also carved with various strange reliefs. And those large supporting Stone Pillars. They were also covered in Runes, giving off a gloomy and eerie Feeling. It felt as if we hadn't entered a Tower, but rather the Stone Tomb or burial chamber of some important figure.
Thanks to this massive Tower, the Passages inside were very wide. The Rooms on both sides of the Passages were also very spacious. It was just that this winding feeling made me extremely uncomfortable. —Why make it so big for no reason? Making it like a maze. Can't you see I'm Directionally Challenged? But luckily Mardon and the others were there. I just had to follow behind them. This feeling of reliance was actually quite good. It suited a lazy person like me. Sigh, party, oh party, when will I find a party that truly suits me!
The first wave of Monsters we encountered was a large group of Shamans. They were gathered in a very large Room. There were probably over a hundred of them. Inside, there was also an Elite Level Imp Sorcerer. These were Monsters I usually wouldn't even look at, Monsters I could easily kill with a wave of my hand, yet Druv insisted on explaining the Combat Style to us in detail several times before starting. Being a Captain is really tough. The lives of the entire Party rested on his shoulders. If the plan went wrong even slightly, it could lead to Teammate Casualties. With great responsibility, the Pressure naturally increased.
The Operation began. Druv activated a Level 2 Resistance Aura, +80% Defense. The entire Party immediately became invigorated. With Druv at the front, the entire Party formed a Cone Formation. Yihana's Ghost Wolves guarded the rear, and the Oak Sage was protected in the very center, and then 'drilled' straight towards the Imp Sorcerer.
To show my effort, I let Little Two and the others loosen up a bit. I also transformed into Werebear Form. The Other World Tank was officially activated. My control over Strength wasn't as precise as the Ghost Wolves'. So, to lower my Attack Power, I had to switch to a Normal Dagger. Anyway, after Integrating into the Body, they couldn't tell what Weapon I was using. Hehe.