Chapter 337 – Underworld Trip
Ghost Wolf and the others were dumbstruck. They never expected the surrounding Bloodthirsty Porcupines to also turn against them. Everything far exceeded their expectations.
Were these Bloodthirsty Porcupines also the pets of that Thief? They were like hills with legs as they thundered toward Ghost Wolf’s group.
The four players were surrounded with nowhere left to hide.
There was no way they stood a chance against the lineup of a Golden Dragon and five Bloodthirsty Porcupines.
“Wily Six, save yourself. Go on without us,” Ghost Wolf anxiously ordered. The only player in their group who could escape was Wily Six. It was impossible for the rest of them.
“No! I won’t go!” Wily Six solemnly declared.
“Y-y-you fool! Get out of here!” Ghost Wolf glared at Wily Six. If he delayed any longer, all of them would die here. What was the point of throwing his life away when he could survive?
Wily Six gritted his teeth. He entered stealth and slowly melted into the darkness.
At this moment, a Bloodthirsty Porcupine rammed into Ghost Wolf and sent him flying.
The five Bloodthirsty Porcupines under Nie Yan’s control were far more terrifying than ordinary mobs. These cloth-armoured casters had no hope of surviving.
Bloodthirsty Porcupines normally didn’t pose much of a threat. But after becoming Nie Yan’s pets, they would move according to his will. They could flank, encircle, ambush, and use all sorts of battle tactics.
Ghost Wolf used a blink skill and reappeared over 30 meters away, only to be greeted with another Bloodthirsty Porcupine. It launched a hail of quills which resembled steel needles toward him.
「Put! Put! Put!」Ghost Wolf was turned into swiss cheese as the quills pierced his body. A string of damage values floated up above his head, and he was also inflicted with the poisoned status effect.
Ghost Wolf collapsed dead on the ground. The remaining Undead Raider and Dark Incantist also failed to escape. One was trampled to death by the Bloodthirsty Porcupines while the other was incinerated by Lil’ Gold’s Dragon Breath.
Glory Kill! You have obtained 5 Glory for killing an enemy civilian.
Glory Kill! You have obtained 3 Glory for killing an enemy civilian.
…
The amount of Glory a player gained differed according to the strength of the opponent. An equal levelled opponent granted 1 Glory, a higher levelled opponent granted more, and a lower levelled opponent was worth nothing. If a downed opponent was revived in the middle of combat, a corresponding amount of Glory would be deducted.
Nie Yan gained quite a bit of Glory since his opponents were higher levelled than him.
Only the Spectral Thief remained alive. Nie Yan didn’t know where that fellow ran off too, but he could still sense him in the vicinity.
Wily Six wasn’t willing to just leave after his comrades were slaughtered. So he lurked in the area, waiting for the perfect opportunity to avenge them!
Nie Yan suddenly sensed something as he turned his head toward a certain direction.
Eye of Truth!
Nie Yan’s eyes blossomed out with a mysterious light. His piercing gaze locked onto a silhouette in the darkness, whereupon he pounced forward like a bolt of lightning.
Shit! I was discovered! Wily Six was frightened by the sudden change in Nie Yan’s eyes which made him resemble a demon. He immediately crushed a Haste Scroll and fled for his life. He knew he was no match for this opponent in a direct confrontation.
Despite Wily Six’s best efforts, Nie Yan caught up to him in a mere 7 seconds and struck out toward the back of his head with Smothering Strike.
He’s fast! Wily Six inwardly exclaimed.
Gale Step!
Wily Six avoided the stun with the initial seconds of invincibility from Gale Step as he activated all his speed buffing skills.
The two players were like cheetahs sprinting through the wilderness. No matter how much Wily Six increased his speed, Nie Yan kept up with him.
How is this guy so fast!? Wily Six was badly frightened by Nie Yan’s speed. He was one of the top Thieves in the Night Empire guild. His amazing equipment and speed boosting skills allowed him to look down on all his peers.
But in front of Nie Yan, his speed became a joke.
When Wily Six recalled Nie Yan also had that Golden Dragon as a pet, he couldn’t help but admit that this human Thief was truly astonishing.
Nie Yan was also somewhat amazed by Wily Six’s speed. This Thief was actually quite fast. He had no choice but to activate Shadow Waltz, whereupon his speed immediately eclipsed that of this Spectral Thief.
Nie Yan closed the gap in an instant and stabbed Wily Six from behind with Backstab, causing blood to gush out like a fountain.
−737
What the hell! Wily Six was scared out of his wits. He had lost nearly half of his health in only a single attack. Just as Nie Yan was about to follow up with Lacerate, he drank an Intermediate Health Potion and turned around to parry.
「Klang!」The two daggers clashed.
The moment Wily Six parried the attack, Nie Yan slashed out with Zennarde’s Sword in his other hand.
Vital Strike!
Wily Six had no time to react before a red line streaked across his neck.
Nie Yan’s Vital Strike struck Wily Six’s throat without the slightest suspense.
Wily Six’s pupils fiercely contracted as he revealed an expression of disbelief. He had no idea how he died since he failed to see Nie Yan’s movements.
His body limply fell to the ground.
Nie Yan bent down and picked up a piece of Gold-grade equipment with Dexterity +52, Strength +56, and Focus +7 from Wily Six’s corpse. Unfortunately, it could only be equipped by players from the Evil Faction. After thinking for a moment, he put it away in his bag.
Nie Yan returned to Lil’ Gold’s side and collected the equipment Ghost Wolf and the others dropped.
He had to leave quickly or risk getting caught. These players probably belonged to a guild. He would be in danger if they sent a large force over for revenge. After all, he was all alone in the Underworld.
Nie Yan’s journey in the Underworld had only just begun. He continued levelling with Lil’ Gold and his Bloodthirsty Porcupines while trying to search for a village. During this time, he encountered around 70 players from the Evil Faction of whom only a few managed to escape from him.
He accumulated a ton of loot, the vast majority of which he discarded. He only kept a few pieces of equipment with decent properties in his bag for the time being.
Nie Yan was unrivalled. Legends of a powerful human Thief who massacred countless players began rapidly spreading in the Undead Empire. Weak players didn’t dare to roam in areas with reported sightings of him, while experts began seeking him out and searching for his traces. Furthermore, the Mercenary Guild put up a bounty on his head.
Mission: Kill the human player, Nirvana Flame, that appeared in the Fesso Cold Wasteland.
Reward: 200 Gold
A 200 gold reward was quite tempting to many players. Some teams were even more eager to give it a try as they set out for the Fesso Cold Wasteland.
Most players didn’t know Nie Yan’s exact position. He emerged sporadically in different places, killing two or three players before disappearing. Otherwise, they would’ve long since hunted him down.
Although no one could locate Nie Yan, there were already players specifically tasked with collecting his information.
Nirvana Flame (Thief): Level 38
Health: 2,300
Equipment: Unknown, top quality weapons
Attack Power: 600–800, high critical rate
Highest Critical Damage: 1,700
Pets: Golden Dragon, Elite Bloodthirsty Porcupine, 2 Leader Bloodthirsty Porcupines, and 2 Bloodthirsty Porcupines.
These stats were quite shocking. Perhaps only a 20-man team could handle him.
Everyone in the Undead Empire wanted to see who would send this unwelcome intruder back to the surface and just how long he could last!
Before long, the day was over and it was about time to log off. Nie Yan glanced at the five Bloodthirsty Porcupines beside him. They would be gone by the time he logged back on. Even though it was a pity, there was nothing he could do about it.
Nie Yan unsummoned Lil’ Gold and released the five Bloodthirsty Porcupines before logging off.
Nie Yan finished breakfast and made a trip to his father’s company. The War God Tribe was able to get off the ground in part thanks to the 60,000 gold from Asskickers United. Furthermore, Father Nie invested a large amount of funds to absorb over 30 well-known gaming organizations. Just like in the previous timeline, their debut was as dazzling as ever. Not long after their establishment, they captured their first stronghold.
What Father Nie required was precisely strongholds. Their real world business districts were priceless. He could open recreational facilities, shopping malls, and so on. Players who didn’t play the game like children and the elderly would visit these places for leisure. What’s more, they paid to use these facilities with real world credits.
This was also why so many financial groups sought to invest in Conviction.
The War God Tribe had begun to expand their operations. The gold farming groups Father Nie employed were also starting to get into gear. They no longer needed to rely as much on Asskickers United’s support. Under Ah Chen’s leadership, they could already start lessening the burden over on Nie Yan’s side.
Nie Yan received a notice that the enrollment for the Top Military Academy would start in two hours. If he passed their evaluation, he could receive an acceptance letter from them in advance.
Such an important event would be attended by many people, including Xie Yao and Liu Rui.
In the previous timeline, Nie Yan had participated in the enrollment exams, but his performance was appalling. He still remembered the disappointed look on his father’s face when he returned home. It was something that would forever stay in his mind.
Thinking to this point, Nie Yan couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh. That was one of the many regrets in his past life.