For Fang Zhen, Jilenna wasn't really an option—she was a necessity.
Of the three combat partners offered, Jilenna was the only one who was obviously a melee fighter.
In the Ancient Castle Caverns instance, Fang Zhen's teammate Gwendolyn was clearly an agility-focused Swordsman and Archer with some Magic ability, while Mark acted as the pack mule, a Combat Servant type.
When Gwendolyn activated his Gang Zan Seal, he could barely hold the front line, but that wasn't his specialty.
Fang Zhen also knew the Gang Zan Seal, and he was aware that activating it repeatedly was extremely draining.
No matter how skilled Gwendolyn was in combat or how experienced he was, he was old, after all.
You couldn't expect a man in his sixties to have incredible stamina; it was already impressive that he could maintain his current level of performance.
Gwendolyn could only be considered half a front-liner.
