Chapter 1 Go to Linghuan Pool

"I'll go take a look at Linghuan Pool. There are a few treasure chests there, with some decent items. I wonder if anyone has taken them already," Nie Yan thought to himself. As he was pondering, a system notification suddenly popped up.

System: Player Yaozi has added you as a friend.

"Nie Yan, it's me, Tang Yao," Tang Yao said anxiously.

"What's wrong?" Nie Yan asked, frowning. He could hear the anxiety in Tang Yao's voice.

"I'm being blocked in Rein Hills," Tang Yao said dejectedly. At this point, Nie Yan was the only person he could think of.

"Who's blocking you?"

"People from the Holy Light Flame guild. There are over twenty of them. My five teammates have all been killed. I'm the only one who escaped. If it weren't for Lei Zi covering me, I would have been finished too. Now they're blocking the two exits from Rein Hills," Tang Yao said. Lei Zi was a classmate of Nie Yan and Tang Yao's back in middle school, and Nie Yan only contacted Lei Zi occasionally.

Holy Light Flame, Nie Yan had heard of them. It was a large guild. When everyone was level sixty, the main system had a guild ranking, and Holy Light Flame was in the top sixty. Even later, they never dropped out of the top one hundred.

"Hide well, I'll be there in a bit," Nie Yan said. If he was a step late, Tang Yao might get killed, and getting killed meant losing a level, which was extremely frustrating.

Nie Yan went into the scroll shop and bought five Return Scrolls, five Novice Acceleration Scrolls, and five Novice Strength Scrolls. As long as he could get a Return Scroll to Tang Yao, Tang Yao would be able to return safely. As for the Novice Acceleration Scrolls and Novice Strength Scrolls, he would keep them for emergencies.

A Return Scroll cost as much as thirty copper coins, and the Novice Acceleration Scrolls and Novice Strength Scrolls were slightly cheaper, at twenty copper coins. The Novice Acceleration Scroll could increase movement speed by 20%, and the Novice Strength Scroll could increase Strength by 5 points, lasting for thirty seconds.

Scrolls were something that only the particularly wealthy could afford. No one dared to buy so many at once like Nie Yan.

Nie Yan also bought some low-level Instant Recovery Potions, just in case.

Nie Yan pocketed the scrolls and sprinted towards the teleportation point. With his bronze equipment and the 5 points of Agility and 2 points of Speed he had added, his movement speed was already far beyond that of ordinary players.

He reached the teleportation point at top speed and teleported to Link Town. After leaving Link Town, he headed north.

"How did you guys get into a fight with them?"

"We ran into a level-three elite monster while leveling. We were the first to attack it, but then those guys, relying on their numbers, insisted on snatching it. In the end, a Thief in our team managed to steal a piece of bronze equipment. They weren't happy about it, so a fight broke out. Three of them are red names," Tang Yao said, slightly out of breath. He was still evading those people.

"How long can you hold out?"

"Luckily, Rein Hills is big enough. I'm just running circles around them. Plus, there are fewer of them, so they won't be able to catch me within an hour, unless they call for reinforcements."

"An hour is enough. I'll have some fun with them," Nie Yan said, feeling a little eager. He had changed into a set of bronze armor and learned so many skills, and he hadn't had a chance to test them out on anyone yet.

"What do you want to do?"

"I'm going to vent some anger for you, bro," Nie Yan said confidently.

"How many people do you have?" Tang Yao asked suspiciously. Had Nie Yan found a lot of people to come help?

"Just me."

"You're not kidding, are you?" Tang Yao found this unbelievable.

"What do you think?" Nie Yan said with a smile. Right now, players' strength was generally low. It had only been a little over a week since the game started, and everyone was a newbie. Even a large guild like Holy Light Flame wouldn't be able to find many who could match Nie Yan, let alone the average player. "I can't kill them all, but taking out a few shouldn't be a problem."

Nie Yan had played Thief for ten whole years (previously corrected), and he knew the skills, PK techniques, and tactics of every class like the back of his hand. What did it matter if they had more people?

"Don't get yourself caught up in this. If it's too much, just forget about it. I'll only lose a level if I die."

"Don't worry. Just stay hidden and watch."

The entrance to Rein Hills was a narrow canyon, only allowing three or four people to pass through at a time, with steep cliffs on either side.

Three players guarded the entrance to Rein Hills: a level-three Berserker, a level-three Elemental Mage, and a level-two Holy Priest.

The Elemental Mage was a red name.

Everyone else had gone into the valley to hunt down Tang Yao, leaving these three to guard the exit.

Poor Tang Yao was trapped like a turtle in a jar.

"Damn it, that guy's as slippery as an eel. We haven't caught up to him yet. I wonder when my red name will disappear. I can't return to town until my red name is gone," the Elemental Mage cursed, looking at the party chat.

"Dian Cang, don't get angry. As long as you don't get killed before your red name disappears, everything will be fine. Besides, we earned a lot. We killed five of them and got five pieces of equipment," the Berserker consoled.

"Those five pieces of trash equipment aren't worth a thing. If those little brats hadn't dared to steal our equipment and pissed me off, I wouldn't have bothered fighting them," the Elemental Mage named Dian Cang said disdainfully.

"Dian Cang is simply brave and invincible. He took out three of them all by himself. That Scorching Inferno was executed so perfectly," the Holy Priest flattered from the side.

"Those three noobs were weak. One Scorching Inferno took away most of their health. With that little magic resistance, they still dare to go around," Dian Cang said, slightly smug.

The Berserker and Holy Priest next to him were very deferential to the hot-tempered Elemental Mage, which indicated that he held a high position in the Holy Light Flame guild.

The three of them chatted casually.

"Red name, huh? Today's meal will be good," Nie Yan said with a strange smile from a distance. If a big red name like that Elemental Mage got killed, he would lose every piece of equipment he was wearing.

Moreover, the red name Elemental Mage seemed to have decent equipment, wearing a set of fiery red robes, like flowing flames, and holding a dark red Phoebe staff with flames swirling around it. It seemed like the Fire Chaser set, but Nie Yan wasn't sure.

This Elemental Mage was following a high-attack fire-based path. The high magic damage of fire-based magic was indeed a bit troublesome. The Berserker next to him was also quite difficult to deal with. As for the Holy Priest, he could basically be ignored. Early-stage Holy Priests hadn't even learned healing spells yet, and were basically just tagging along with the team to gain experience.

Scanning the surrounding environment, the slopes of the nearby mountains had a somewhat complex color, but Nie Yan had learned the Stealth Enhancement passive skill, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Nie Yan entered stealth mode and crept towards the three players.

His right hand held the dagger in a reverse grip. He was getting closer and closer to the three players, about five yards away. He could see every expression on their faces very clearly.

The Elemental Mage, Dian Cang, felt a slight anomaly and scanned his surroundings warily. Nie Yan quickly stopped and held his breath. That Elemental Mage seemed to have very high Perception.

"Dian Cang, what's wrong?" the Berserker asked, puzzled. He looked around, but there was nothing there.

Dian Cang stared intently, but found nothing. He shook his head and said, "Maybe I was seeing things."

Nie Yan frowned slightly. This Dian Cang was clearly an experienced PK player. He had sensed his presence from so far away.

The stronger a player's Perception, the easier it was to detect Thieves in stealth.

"I can't underestimate him," Nie Yan warned himself. The countless painful experiences from his previous life told him that underestimation was often the beginning of failure.

Nie Yan lightened his footsteps, changing his gait. After calming his mind, he gradually entered the Thief's stealth state, completely blending into the background.

"Dian Cang, that arcane mage hid in the hills somewhere. Bai Mao and the others have lost track of him," the Berserker said, glancing at Dian Cang's expression.

"Oh," Dian Cang replied casually.

"That b*stard is pretty smart. He almost killed Dong Zi earlier," the Holy Priest said, looking at the party chat.

"Yeah, Dong Zi's defense is too low," Dian Cang responded, seeming a little absent-minded.

The Berserker and Holy Priest were both puzzled. What was wrong with Dian Cang? He seemed so distracted.

Nie Yan was behind Dian Cang, unable to see his expression.

He was only two yards away from Dian Cang. Staring at Dian Cang's back, he calculated the distance to the Berserker and Holy Priest. They were both about three yards away, which was about right. He was like a cheetah that had been lying in wait for a long time, suddenly exploding into action and pouncing towards Dian Cang.

"Boy, I've been waiting for you," Dian Cang said with a sinister smile, stepping back. He waved his staff with his right hand. Explosive Fire Ring!

He had already discovered Nie Yan! His Perception of 8 points wasn't just for show.

It was very difficult for a Thief in stealth to be completely undetectable in front of an expert.

He wanted to lure Nie Yan closer, then work with the Berserker and Holy Priest to kill him!

"You're eyeing my equipment? Do you have the life to take it?" Dian Cang sneered. He thought that Nie Yan was just a Thief passing by who had taken a fancy to his equipment. Plus, he was a red name, which aroused his greed. He didn't connect Nie Yan to Tang Yao at all.

After Dian Cang finished casting the spell, a ring of fire spread out.

He quickly retreated after casting Explosive Fire Ring.

Flames rushed towards him!

Nie Yan's heart skipped a beat. This Dian Cang was reacting too quickly.

"It's a Thief!" The Berserker and Holy Priest next to him reacted and immediately took action.

Turning around and running away at this point would be very dangerous. If the Berserker charged at him, plus the damage from the Elemental Mage Dian Cang and the Holy Priest behind him, Nie Yan would definitely die!

"Kill him!" Dian Cang wanted to force Nie Yan back with Explosive Fire Ring. The Berserker would take the opportunity to hold Nie Yan back, and he could create some distance and calmly cast spells.

How could Nie Yan not know Dian Cang's intentions? Retreating at this point would be like putting himself under Dian Cang's fire.

Nie Yan's left hand flicked, and a Speed Scroll appeared. Although he felt a little heartache, he crushed the Speed Scroll without hesitation.

Movement speed +20%!

Nie Yan's movement speed was already high to begin with, and with the 20% bonus, he was incredibly fast, charging towards the sweeping flames.

With a bang, the Explosive Fire Ring hit Nie Yan, taking away 35 points of his health.

System: Dian Cang's team attacked you first. You can engage in legitimate defense against them for half an hour.

The time for legitimate defense in a small team battle was half an hour. When encountering large teams and guilds, the time for legitimate defense was even longer.

Dian Cang's magic damage was very high. If Nie Yan hadn't just changed into a set of bronze armor, that Explosive Fire Ring would have taken away at least half of his health!

Sparks flew everywhere. Nie Yan broke through the flames of the Explosive Fire Ring and quickly approached Dian Cang. The dagger in his hand stabbed straight at Dian Cang's chest.

Dian Cang had fought Thieves head-on before, but this was the first time he had felt so much pressure. Nie Yan's attack was very high, and his movements were incredibly fast.

"He used a scroll!"

Dian Cang quickly retreated, tore off a magical scroll, and quickly backed away, preparing to chant Scorching Inferno.

The elements required to cast Scorching Inferno were five syllables, two gestures, and one magical scroll. Fortunately, magical scrolls were sold in stores and weren't expensive.

The Berserker flanked from the side, leaping up and slashing down with a Flame Slash, covering Dian Cang's casting of Scorching Inferno.

The two of them coordinated very well, with perfect timing.

Red fire elements quickly gathered. Scorching Inferno was Dian Cang's highest damage fire magic spell. If the opponent's magic resistance was low, it was possible to kill them with one blow.

The magic resistance of the Thief class could only be considered average. Their magic resistance was equal to their defense multiplied by a 0.6 modifier.

Scorching Inferno had a five-second casting time.

Seeing the Berserker pouncing from the side, the sharp blade close at hand, Nie Yan's dagger flashed like lightning and blocked the attack.

The dagger, about three inches long, collided with the Berserker's greatsword with a crisp sound. Both figures shook, and the Berserker's greatsword couldn't advance an inch further.

Dian Cang retreated while uttering obscure syllables, his voice filled with a low, explosive power.

That was the sound of summoning elemental magic.

Bang, a holy light exploded on Nie Yan's body, taking away 13 points of his health. The Holy Priest's attack was quite limited, but he was still constantly dealing damage to Nie Yan.

The instant Nie Yan blocked the Berserker, he pounced towards Dian Cang at top speed.

Faced with such a fierce attack, Nie Yan remained undaunted, which shocked Dian Cang. What a fearless Thief!

Nie Yan understood that he didn't have a moment to hesitate. A slight hesitation could cost him his life. He could only fight with his life.

Fortune favors the bold.

The countless PK experiences from his previous life gave Nie Yan an extremely keen instinct for combat. He wouldn't lose!

Three seconds, four seconds, the scorching flames quickly condensed on Dian Cang's staff. It was as if the scorching fire elements were about to transform into a violent force of destruction.

Nie Yan pounced to Dian Cang's side at his fastest speed.

"Stun!"

Dian Cang was ultimately a step slower. Nie Yan's dagger stabbed into Dian Cang's head. The fiery light of the Scorching Inferno quickly dissipated and disintegrated in the air.

Stun had the effect of interrupting attacks. When Nie Yan hit Dian Cang, Dian Cang's Scorching Inferno was interrupted.

The tense strings in Nie Yan's heart relaxed slightly. It was a close call. If Dian Cang had released Scorching Inferno, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The Berserker's Flame Slash was blocked. Before he knew it, Nie Yan had left his attack range and controlled Dian Cang.

So fast! The Berserker was shocked. Nie Yan's speed was much faster than any Thief he had ever seen. But he didn't have much time to be dazed. He raised his greatsword and charged forward, crushing towards Nie Yan like a tank.

"Vital Strike!" Nie Yan completely ignored the Berserker. While Dian Cang was stunned, the dagger in his hand struck with a Vital Strike, piercing Dian Cang's heart.

System: Vital Strike completed. Attack position deviated by 5%, causing additional attack check damage bonus.

Dian Cang's remaining sixty-odd health points were instantly depleted, and he fell to the ground. With a bang, everything on his body, from the headgear and robes to the gauntlets and leggings, all the way down to his boots, dropped to the ground, scattered everywhere.

System: You killed a red name and gained 1 Reputation.

According to the game's settings, players could gain one point of Reputation for killing a red name once. Killing the same red name more than three times would not award Reputation. Reputation could be obtained by killing red names and completing missions. The higher the Reputation, the easier it was to receive missions, and there would also be some discounts in cities.

Nie Yan killed Dian Cang. The Berserker charged up and slashed down with his greatsword. Nie Yan sidestepped, dodging the Berserker's charge and brushing past him.

The Berserker was about to attack Nie Yan, but unexpectedly, Nie Yan suddenly flashed aside, causing him to miss and charge far away.

"Dian Cang's equipment all dropped! Quickly grab it back!" the Berserker said anxiously. Dian Cang was an important figure in the Holy Light Flame guild and often participated in guild dungeon missions. His equipment was outrageously good and ranked among the best in the entire guild. That set of equipment was worth at least ten silver coins!

But he was far away from the equipment on the ground. By the time he turned around, Nie Yan had already started picking up the equipment.

The Holy Priest ran towards the place where Dian Cang had died. He had been releasing attack magic from a distance to avoid Nie Yan, so how could he have had time to grab the equipment!

Nie Yan bent down, picked up two pieces of equipment, and threw them into his backpack. A holy light landed on Nie Yan's body.

-17, a damage value floated up from Nie Yan's head.

One-Line Slash!

The Berserker pounced and slashed at Nie Yan.

Nie Yan ignored the Berserker's slash and continued to throw pieces of equipment into his backpack.

"Done," Nie Yan thought to himself. Picking up equipment was such a pleasant thing. When he looked up, the Berserker was already in front of him.

Bang, the Berserker's sword qi slashed onto Nie Yan's body, taking away 22 points of his health.

With only 23 points of health left, Nie Yan remained calm and quickly retreated, downing a bottle of Novice Instant Recovery Potion.

"Bastard, I'll hack you to death!" Dian Cang had been killed. If he didn't kill Nie Yan, it would be difficult to answer to Dian Cang. The Berserker's eyes turned red, and he frantically chased after Nie Yan.

~~Five thousand word chapter requesting recommendations... Recommendations are flying everywhere...