At noon, Gabryell uploaded a full-clear tutorial video of The Deadmines to the guild's TS server. He didn't encrypt it or restrict sharing, allowing guild members to spread it freely.
From one to ten, ten to a hundred, the video spread rapidly through various World of Warcraft TeamSpeak servers. Before the Azeroth National Geography Forum was established, this helped build up the Fearless Guild's reputation first, laying the groundwork for promoting the forum later.
"Susie and I have formed two groups in the guild. We're studying the The Deadmines video now and planning to run it this afternoon."
Following Gabryell's guidance, David broke up the original five-man team and recruited five like-minded guild members to form a new party for The Deadmines.
David's group consisted of the Warlock DesertWanderer, the Priest DontPanicHealz, the Rogue DeathScum, and the Hunter OneShotCrit.
Susie's group included the Warlock FirstDate, the Mage OliveDrab, the Paladin SevenDays, and the Druid MushroomHunter.
The MT is the core of any team. A tank with strong awareness and skill can make a dungeon significantly easier. A mature team should have at least four tanks: one main tank, two off-tanks, and one backup tank. Ideally, there should be one or two additional substitute tanks as well.
In his previous life, Carlos's Warrior had been a core tank in the guild, and his skills were reliable. Among the other tanks, Gabryell intended to train David and Susie. If their skills surpassed Carlos's, they could serve as main tanks. If not, they could take on off-tank roles.
"Don't waste too much time in The Deadmines. Run it once or twice, then head to Redridge Mountains for quests."
Becoming familiar with the map and gameplay through questing was more important than grinding dungeons for levels. Once they reached level 45, Gabryell planned to select five elite players from among them to tackle Maraudon together.
After settling things with David, Gabryell took Hugo and Lunatori out to quest. Meanwhile, he multiboxed Carlos's Warrior and Igor's Paladin, trailing behind the Mage to leech experience and quest progress.
Carlos was currently holed up working on the Azeroth National Geography Forum, and Gabryell didn't want to disturb him. Igor had gone to the Student Government and still hadn't returned. It was unclear whether his World of Warcraft gaming club had received their support.
There were five elite quests in Redridge Mountains. Gabryell deliberately avoided them for now, prioritizing simpler, high-XP kill quests.
For solo players, the most frustrating area in Redridge Mountains was Stonewatch Tower. Either the elites were too strong to handle, or the area was packed with players, making it hard to even tag a mob. The Blackrock Shadowcaster, in particular, had an absurdly low spawn rate. Once the main player base arrived, that area would become a nightmare.
By carefully optimizing their quest route, Gabryell's five-man team quickly reached level 21 with 90% experience. One more quest would push them to 22.
Gabryell opened his friends list. Dreamshade was still online, but not in Redridge Mountains. Instead, he was in Loch Modan. It seemed the person leveling the account was playing it safe, sticking to level 15–20 quests there.
"Level 24. Way too cautious."
At level 24 in Loch Modan, mob XP was pitiful. Progress relied almost entirely on quests.
Judging by the pace, Dreamshade wouldn't reach level 25 until nighttime.
There was still time to catch up. As long as he hit level 22, Gabryell could close the gap within half a day.
BAM!
The dorm door burst open as Igor rushed in, panting heavily.
Without a word, he strode to the desk, grabbed a bottle of mineral water, and chugged half of it.
"Igor, did it work out?"
Gabryell asked while casting Frostbolt.
Igor caught his breath.
"Of course it did. When I step in, how could it fail? Student Government's backing us—we're getting the WoW club approved ASAP."
Hearing the news, Carlos set aside his work. "That easy? Did you bribe the higher-ups?"
Igor snorted. "Do I look like someone who'd use shady tricks like that? They were won over by my personal charm."
The three of them, long used to his shamelessness, said in unison, "Tell us the truth."
Igor took another gulp of water and coughed lightly. "Alright, fine. At first, the Student Government President didn't support it. He thought gaming was a waste of time."
Gabryell had some impression of the university Student Government President. A bespectacled, mild-mannered academic type with top grades, a love for writing papers, and plenty of awards.
It was perfectly reasonable for someone like that to look down on gaming.
"So why did they change their stance?" Gabryell asked.
Igor grinned. "Do you guys know Danielly?"
There wasn't a single student at university who didn't know Danielly. Despite being a year younger than Gabryell and the others, she was already a junior. Her academic performance was exceptional. She had skipped two grades in middle school, jumping straight from seventh to ninth grade.
But grades alone weren't what made her famous. Her real claim to fame was her stunning looks. She had ranked first in the university's campus beauty contest for three consecutive years and was the late-night fantasy of countless male students.
Gabryell didn't know Danielly personally. He had only caught a few glimpses of her, but she was undeniably striking. "If I remember correctly, she's the vice president of the Student Government, right?"
Igor nodded. "Exactly. What no one expected was that our campus queen and vice president is actually a World of Warcraft player. After hearing my pitch, she became very interested in our club and supported its establishment."
"Holy crap."
Carlos and Hugo spoke in unison. "The goddess plays World of Warcraft too?"
Gabryell laughed. "Why are you so surprised? World of Warcraft is incredibly appealing. There are plenty of female players. Our Lunatori is one too. She might even be prettier than Danielly."
Carlos smirked. "If Danielly plays World of Warcraft, the Student Government President is definitely going to start sucking up to her."
Everyone knew he had a crush on Danielly. If she liked WoW, he'd flip his stance instantly. He might even start playing a game he once despised just to get closer to her.
Igor snapped his fingers. "Exactly. The moment he heard Danielly plays WoW, he did a complete 180. Now he's fully supporting the club and even said he wants to experience the game's appeal firsthand. He's planning to lead the Student Government into the game."
Gabryell chuckled. So that's what a simp looks like in this era.
"Which server does she play on?" Hugo asked.
Igor rolled his eyes. "Didn't you say Lunatori was your one and only? Why are you suddenly interested in Danielly?"
Hugo grinned. "One's virtual, one's real. Who says you can't have both?"
Igor raised his middle finger. "If you want to know, go ask her yourself. I bet a pack of spicy strips you don't have the guts."
Hugo wanted to argue back but ended up mumbling a few words before giving up. It was true. In real life, he turned red just talking to girls and could barely get a sentence out. There was no way he'd dare approach Danielly.
Gabryell understood his personality well. He was the type who thrived online but struggled in real-life interactions, especially with girls. He stepped in to ease the situation.
"Finding out her server isn't hard. Once the club is established, we can organize a gathering. Everyone introduces themselves. Server and ID. Problem solved."
Hugo lit up. "That's why you're the brain, bro. If you go after the goddess, you'll definitely succeed."
Igor sat down and logged into the game. Gabryell had kept his account online, so there was no queue.
"Gabreyll's not as handsome as me, doesn't have grades as good as Carlos, and doesn't get as much allowance as you. No chance he's landing Danielly."
"He's better-looking than you," Hugo shot back.
Igor turned to Gabryell. "Hugo, grab a mirror. Let's settle this."
Gabryell shook his head. "Enough messing around. Let's quest and push for level 25 so we can go to The Stockade."
He had no interest in the goddess. Right now, his only goal was to hit level 22 as quickly as possible, leave the party, and start solo AoE grinding. He wanted to overtake Dreamshade and become the first player to reach level 45.
After he left, the other four would continue questing in Redridge Mountains as a team. Once they reached level 25, they would regroup and head to The Stockade for the elite quests.