Divine Glitch: I Regressed With Endgame Knowledge-Chapter 36: Assembling the Party

The username Featherlight glowed brightly in the air, catching the attention of nearby players. Murmurs rippled through the crowd as they turned to look, curious eyes scanning the small group in the field.

"So it was you. I was wondering who’d be bold enough to come over here," Evelyn said casually, her tone indifferent. Without breaking her stride, she aimed and fired an arrow at a distant Bone Miner. It hit cleanly—a critical strike dealing 330 damage.

Her in-game name floated above her: Tyrant Queen. An audacious name, fitting for her Hunter class, which allowed her to tame beasts as battle companions. That powerful shot was unmistakably the Hunter’s Level 10 skill—Aimed Shot. Ryan had seen her channel the attack for a few seconds. No doubt about it.

"Even in a game, you need bodyguards?" Ryan asked, glancing around. "Players from the same faction can’t even attack each other. Seems kind of excessive."

As he spoke, a nearby Bone Miner respawned. Ryan rushed over without hesitation, his sword flashing as he whittled down most of its health. The two girls standing beside Evelyn exchanged surprised glances.

Paladins didn’t have many moves at this level—Judgment, Fist of Light, and a basic attack. After using them, there was a lull with no real damage output until the cooldowns reset. If he had already chosen the Retribution path, he could’ve chained other attacks seamlessly. But even so, he handled the monster efficiently.

Just then, the Bone Miner retaliated. Ryan had no choice but to channel Radiant Light, standing still as the mob hammered away at him. The girls giggled, covering their mouths. Whatever awe the name Featherlight might have carried a moment ago, it evaporated in that awkward scene.

"Ryan, I’m Level 10!" Mia called out suddenly.

Ryan turned, eyebrows raising in surprise. While he’d been dealing with the Bone Miner, she’d gained enough experience to level up.

"Nice. Go back to town, accept your main quest, and visit the skill trainer. You’ll need to choose your specialization," Ryan instructed. "If you like control, go Frost Mage. For high damage and crits, pick Fire. As for Arcane..." He hesitated for a moment. "Well, you can decide for yourself."

He didn’t sound too enthusiastic about Arcane Mages, and for good reason. Sure, they could unleash insane burst damage later on, but their crowd control wasn’t as strong as Frost, and their overall DPS didn’t quite match Fire. Not the most balanced option.

Some Arcane Mages did earn the "Slayer" title in battlegrounds, but usually through clever tricks and heavy team support. On their own, they were sitting ducks. A solo Arcane Mage getting ambushed by a Rogue, Druid, or Hunter? Practically a death sentence.

"Okay! I’m going to learn my skills!" Mia said cheerfully, then turned and sprinted off without another word.

Evelyn didn’t seem bothered by her sudden departure. She watched Mia disappear into the distance, then looked back at Ryan. "You planning to bring her into the dungeon?"

"Yes," Ryan nodded. His gaze shifted to the two women standing beside Evelyn. "Didn’t you say you had five people? Besides Mia, I only see three."

"The others are busy," Evelyn said with a faint smile. "I didn’t arrange for them to come."

She didn’t elaborate—and she certainly wasn’t going to admit that she’d left the other two out on purpose.

"Perfect," Ryan said, returning her smile. "Then we won’t need to fill the party with randoms. You three can join me for the dungeon run."

He then turned toward the two unfamiliar women standing nearby.

"Aren’t you going to introduce them?"

"This is Faded Leaf Kitten, a Rogue," Evelyn said after a short pause, pointing to a female player clad in tight-fitting leather armor. Her soft curves and delicate face suggested she was another player using her real-life appearance in-game.

"And this one," Evelyn continued with a mischievous grin, "is Heavyblade Vina—a Paladin, just like you!" She winked and made a few exaggerated gestures behind Vina’s back, clearly teasing her.

Ryan stepped forward, eyeing Heavyblade Vina with interest. "Are you planning to specialize in the Holy build?"

He wasn’t trying to be nosy. He just didn’t want to enter a dungeon without a healer.

"Ah, yes... I’m a Holy Paladin. I’ve already accepted the quest," Vina replied softly, her voice unusually sweet and shy—like a sticky rice dumpling, sweet and a little too tender for her imposing in-game name.

Timid and soft-spoken, she seemed more like a nervous kitten than someone called Heavyblade Vina.

Faded Leaf Kitten tilted her head and looked at Ryan curiously. "Alright, what about you? What’s your specialization?"

"I’m going Protection Paladin," Ryan said casually. He unequipped his two-handed sword and replaced it with a one-handed hammer and a small shield, both purchased earlier in Goldmine Town.

The hammer gave +1 Stamina, and the shield added +1 Strength—small boosts, but together they increased his health by one additional point. Still, that one point was the tip of the iceberg.

At present, Ryan’s health was absurdly high for this stage of the game. Even though he wore only a few Uncommon-grade items, his health pool was significantly higher than most tanks.

Before this run, he’d spent a small fortune in Goldmine Town, buying gear from merchant players shouting their wares in the square. In total, he’d spent four gold—a massive sum for early-game players—on a full set of Uncommon equipment focused entirely on Stamina. The final tally? +12 Stamina, or 120 extra HP.

Add that to the 70 bonus health from his Glorious Achievements, and Ryan’s health had hit a staggering 533.

And with this newly equipped gear?

653 HP.

When he shared that number, the girls stared at him, dumbfounded.

He couldn’t help but enjoy the reaction.

"Can we form a party now?" Ryan asked calmly.

Evelyn was speechless for a second, then her eyes lit up. "Party up, party up! With a meat shield like you, clearing the dungeon will be a breeze!"

Ryan smiled but kept one detail to himself: ’I haven’t even spent the attribute points from my Glorious Achievements yet. That’d be another 30 HP.’

After forming the party, Ryan opened his friends list and invited Mia. She accepted immediately and messaged him that she was already on her way back.

He gestured toward the entrance of the mine up ahead. "Let’s go."

Goldmine Town wasn’t far from the Abandoned Mines, but it still took over ten minutes to run. Mia had smartly used her Hearthstone to teleport back to town after leveling up. Without it, she’d probably still be halfway here.

The group made their way down the winding trail, eventually reaching the entrance to the Abandoned Mines. Deeper in, a faint blue shimmer lit the end of a stone corridor.

It was the dungeon gate.

According to Evelyn, the dungeon had already been unlocked by Sky Dragon Roar—a member of the increasingly famous Sky Dragon Family. Their name had been making waves lately.

The group paused for a few moments, waiting for Mia to arrive. Not long after, she came rushing into view, her staff bouncing against her back as she ran.

Unable to contain her excitement, Evelyn shouted and charged through the portal first.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by fr(e)ew𝒆bnov(e)l.com