Chapter Forty: I Am Lu Yang

"What?" Zheng Yuan widened his eyes and said, "You want to bring someone else? Who do you want to bring?"

Lu Yang asked, "Is there a problem with that?"

"Of course there's a problem! We've already given all the Mage equipment to you. How can you still want to bring someone along? Do you think our team is here to work for you?" Zheng Yuan gestured toward Lu Yang.

"Yeah, if it's just some low-level player, you really shouldn't bring them. We already have 24 people here, and they all want to get into the dungeon."

"You might be the raid leader, but you can't just do whatever you want. We need to level up too."

...

The others in Xia Yuwei's team immediately began to jeer. These were all hired players who took their cues from Zheng Yuan.

"You guys are going too far." Liejiu Qingfeng knew Lu Yang's true identity and was also aware that Chimu wanted to recruit him. Seeing this, he stepped forward to defend Lu Yang.

Before he could finish, Lu Yang patted Liejiu Qingfeng on the shoulder, signaling him not to act rashly.

Liejiu Qingfeng looked at Lu Yang, confused; he didn't understand why Lu Yang wouldn't let him continue.

"Expert, if you need people, my boss said he could send an elite guild group to help you run the dungeon at any time. Why bother with these people?" Liejiu Qingfeng sent a private message to Lu Yang, not wanting to reveal to Xia Yuwei and the others that he was the vice-leader of the Chimu Guild.

Lu Yang didn't want to deal with Zheng Yuan and his group either. If it weren't for Lan Yu, he would have long since let Chimu's elite group join him—the dungeon run would have been much easier and without these petty troubles. But to help Lan Yu, the little sister he had been closest to in his past life, Lu Yang had no choice but to endure it.

"Don't worry, let me see," Lu Yang replied to Liejiu Qingfeng, then turned his gaze toward Xia Yuwei, his eyes filled with a silent inquiry.

Xia Yuwei felt incredibly embarrassed. She turned and glared at Zheng Yuan, saying, "Shut up! Can you stop embarrassing me?"

"I... what did I do?" Zheng Yuan argued.

"You know what you did," Xia Yuwei's eyes turned icy.

"Fine, fine, I surrender." Zheng Yuan immediately wilted, not daring to continue.

Xia Yuwei's expression softened slightly. She turned to scan the others, and those who had been echoing Zheng Yuan quickly clamped their mouths shut.

"From now on, Lu Yang is the leader of this team. Whoever doesn't accept him, doesn't accept me. Do you hear me?" Xia Yuwei stated firmly.

"Understood, we will follow your lead," Zhang Zibo and the others replied.

"Oh," Zheng Yuan replied listlessly, though he muttered under his breath, "Let's see what kind of person he brings. If they don't have the skills, I won't let them off easy."

Xia Yuwei, not wanting to bother with Zheng Yuan, turned to Lu Yang and said, "I'm sorry, please forgive the scene. You can have your friend come over; I have no problem with it. If they need gear, we can even yield some to them."

Lan Yu walked up to Lu Yang and pouted, saying, "Expert, you aren't angry, are you?"

Lu Yang thought to himself: If it weren't for your sake, I would have left long ago. These people aren't even worth a second glance.

"How could I be? Wait for me, I'm calling my friend over," Lu Yang said.

Opening his communicator, Lu Yang contacted Xiao Liang, who was already online and killing Orcs in the cave hall. "What level are you?"

Xiao Liang looked at the pile of Orcs he had just slain and said, "Boss, I'm already level 8."

"How's your gear?" Lu Yang asked.

"I didn't expect the Orcs to drop level 8 gear. I've managed to put together a full set, though it's all white-tier," Xiao Liang said.

In the settings of *Second World*, the gear dropped by monsters in the world map fell within a range, typically fluctuating by about 8 levels.

"Give me your stats," Lu Yang said.

"HP 576, Defense 109," Xiao Liang reported.

Lu Yang did the math; with Shield Wall, these stats should be more than enough to tank a hidden boss.

"Head back to the city and meet me at the bank. We're going to a dungeon," Lu Yang commanded.

"On my way." Without a second thought, Xiao Liang used a Town Portal scroll and flew back to Saint-Gall.

The walk from the Saint-Gall square to the bank in the East District took only a minute, and soon Lu Yang spotted Xiao Liang running toward him from a distance.

"Boss, I'm here!" Xiao Liang shouted when he saw Lu Yang from afar.

Lu Yang smiled and waved.

Seeing how Xiao Liang spoke, Zheng Yuan and the others immediately assumed he was someone incompetent. A capable person, they reasoned, wouldn't call someone else "Boss" or speak in such a tone.

"Sure enough, just another leech looking for experience and gear," Zheng Yuan said with annoyance.

Zhang Zibo and the others looked displeased, and the rest of the team shared their grim expressions.

Just as the atmosphere turned awkward, Lan Yu suddenly asked, "Expert, what is your friend's name?"

A hint of a smirk appeared on the corner of Lu Yang's mouth. "Why do you want to know his name?"

Yesterday, while they were grinding, Lan Yu had heard Zhang Zibo's analysis regarding Lu Yang and the Black-Armored Warrior. She knew Lu Yang was the Mage standing before her, and she had suspected that the person Lu Yang was bringing was the Black-Armored Warrior. Seeing Lu Yang's expression now, she knew she had guessed correctly.

"I knew you were up to something," Lan Yu said, looking at Lu Yang with her beautiful, wide eyes.

Lu Yang shrugged and said, "I have no idea what you mean."

"Then tell me his name!" Lan Yu pressed.

Xia Yuwei was curious about why Lan Yu would ask that, and Zheng Yuan and Zhang Zibo watched intently as well; they knew Lan Yu wasn't usually one to meddle.

Seeing everyone watching him, Lu Yang realized he didn't need to keep up the charade anymore. He was tired of playing the fool, thinking to himself: "Playing the pig to eat the tiger really isn't for everyone. The buildup is exhausting; I won't do this again."

"Boss, I'm here," Xiao Liang said, having just reached Lu Yang's side.

Lu Yang patted Xiao Liang on the shoulder and said, "Come, introduce yourself to everyone. They were asking me who you are."

Xiao Liang looked at the twenty-plus pairs of eyes staring at him. Having never been the center of attention like this, he blushed, scratched the back of his head, and said, "Hello everyone, my name is Black-Armored Warrior."

Xia Yuwei, Zhang Zibo, and the others were stunned. Zheng Yuan’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

"You're the Black-Armored Warrior?" Xia Yuwei asked.

"Yes."

"The one ranked second on the level leaderboard?" Zhang Zibo asked again.

"Yes," Xiao Liang replied, feeling that these people were acting quite strangely.

"Pfft!" Liejiu Qingfeng, Zheng Yuan, and the others couldn't hold it in anymore. They covered their mouths, struggling to contain their reactions, looking at Lu Yang with a mix of shock and awe.

Lan Yu "angrily" punched Lu Yang in the chest with her small fist and said, "You big meanie!"

Xia Yuwei and Zhang Zibo immediately caught on and turned their gaze to Lu Yang.

"If he is the Black-Armored Warrior, then you are... Lu Yang?" Xia Yuwei felt her throat go dry and couldn't help but swallow hard.

Lu Yang said, "That's right. I am Lu Yang."