Nie Yan sent a message to Guo Huai. He had his eyes on several pieces of equipment in the guild warehouse, some of which were even better than what he was currently wearing. These items came from either the Sos Valley or the Medusa’s Nest. There were also some pieces suitable for an Arcane or Holy Word mage, perfect for Tang Yao and Yaoyao to use. Upgrading their gear would make their monster farming more efficient, and Nie Yan also needed someone to transport some items for him.
Some of Nie Yan’s best items, such as trinkets or special items, were unavailable on the market. However, his gloves, shoulder guards, and other frequently replaced gear weren’t very good—actually worse than those owned by players from Triumph.
“Star Pharmacy has produced several bottles of Intermediate Instant Recovery Potions. Send someone reliable to pick them up, preferably a thief,” Nie Yan told Guo Huai. Thieves had a distinct advantage in transporting items due to their speed and stealth capabilities.
“Alright, give me your coordinates and I’ll have someone from the guild bring the items back to you.”
“Coordinates 38528, 59683.”
“Got it. I’ll send someone over. His name is Sun, so make sure to receive him. Don’t stay in one place too long, or you might run into Triumph players.” Guo Huai was deeply concerned about Nie Yan and Tang Yao’s safety. If anything happened to them, it would be a devastating blow to the Bull Tribe.
“Wait, what did you say? Say it again,” Nie Yan asked, startled by the name “Sun.”
“I said I’ll have Sun bring the items over, and also reminded you to be cautious and stay hidden. What’s wrong?” Guo Huai asked, puzzled.
“Are you sure the person’s name is Sun?” Nie Yan questioned.
“Yeah, why? He’s one of the first members we recruited after establishing the guild. He was the first to accumulate 600 guild contribution points. He’s only 15 years old and said he really admires our guild leader for being able to defeat a thirty-level monster. He’s been eager to meet Tang Yao. He was originally level ten, but dropped back to level seven after joining us on a trip to Idan Bedo. Despite that, the kid is pretty strong—he managed to defeat three elite players from Triumph. I plan to nurture him. Is there something wrong?” Guo Huai asked in confusion. Sun was young and simple-minded; he couldn’t possibly be a spy from another guild.
“It’s nothing. Just send him over,” Nie Yan replied calmly. He wondered if this was the same Sun from his past—the brilliant thief who had won the Shadow Dance Arena Challenge for three consecutive years and was hailed as a prodigy. At the time Faith was first launched, Sun was about 15 years old. Just two months after entering the game, Sun had already displayed extraordinary talent. Many videos of Sun battling other players were released on the official website, and he became known as the “Bible of Thieves,” the go-to reference for thief duels. Nie Yan had learned a lot from watching Sun’s videos. Yet now, Guo Huai had messaged him saying that Sun was now his subordinate, and would soon be delivering some items. It was hard to imagine that a genius thief had become a delivery boy.
Nie Yan hadn’t expected Sun to join the Bull Tribe and attract the attention of Guo Huai and others with his exceptional PVP skills.
There’s an old saying: “Gold will shine no matter where it is,” and it seemed this piece of gold had landed in Nie Yan’s pocket.
Sun was just a 15-year-old kid now, but sometimes talent was an innate gift that couldn’t be changed. Sun was one of those people.
Faith was full of prodigies—young players whose skills were admired even by seasoned veterans. They were the darlings of heaven: 18-year-old Mages, 19-year-old Guardian Knights, and the genius thief Sun. Their names were etched into Faith’s annals.
These exceptionally gifted individuals would become formidable forces in Faith’s future. If Sun could be brought under their wing, it would be of immense significance to the Bull Tribe.
Nie Yan, Tang Yao, and Yaoyao had hidden themselves and were chatting.
“I noticed two pieces of equipment in the guild warehouse with +1 Ignore Level. They’re not as good as Arcane Elves, but still somewhat useful. You should equip them when farming monsters later,” Nie Yan said. Suddenly, an idea struck him—perhaps he should assemble a full set of Ignore Level gear specifically for monster farming.
Generally, when a player reached a later stage, especially over a hundred levels, leveling up became difficult. They would then start searching for various types of gear: farming gear, PVP gear, fire resistance gear, lightning resistance gear, and so on.
Tang Yao was still upset about the Arcane Spirit incident. His mood hadn’t recovered yet, so he just nodded in agreement.
“Yaoyao, how are Yulan and the others doing now?”
“A few of them lost their gear and dropped in levels. They’re still upset. They asked me to apologize to you,” Yaoyao said to Nie Yan.
“Apologize? For what?” Nie Yan was puzzled.
“Because this whole incident was caused by us. The information about you going into Black Flame was leaked by one of our team members, who has since been expelled.”
“It’s not your team’s fault. It was just that player’s individual action,” Nie Yan smiled. They were overthinking it. But for many players, team honor was very strong—it was like being part of a single entity, where success and failure were shared. “I’ll allocate 3000 guild contribution points to your team. If you need any gear, just go to the guild warehouse.”
“Thank you, Nie Yan,” Yaoyao said gratefully. With this, Yulan and the others wouldn’t have to worry about gear anymore. Their levels would recover in a few days with normal leveling.
Nie Yan smiled. Yulan’s team was now an important force in the guild. Only with better benefits could they stay in the guild long-term and continue to contribute.
As Nie Yan chatted with Yaoyao, he suddenly felt an odd sensation—he sensed a thief nearby.
His gaze locked onto a patch of distant grass. His high perception allowed him to roughly pinpoint the opponent’s location. He entered stealth mode.
A player with average perception could vaguely sense a thief’s approach and alert themselves accordingly. A more alert player might prepare a defense, but they couldn’t determine the thief’s exact location. With improved perception, surpassing the thief’s stealth ability, they could roughly detect the thief’s direction. Further improvement, far exceeding the thief’s stealth, allowed precise location tracking.
Nie Yan had already identified the opponent’s approximate location, though he couldn’t see clearly yet.
“True Sight!”
Nie Yan’s eyes glowed with a divine light, blood vessels spreading across his pupils. A blurry figure appeared in his vision.
Nie Yan slowly approached, his figure completely hidden in the darkness.
The thief seemed to be searching for something. Nie Yan silently circled behind him. The opponent’s perception was far below Nie Yan’s stealth ability, so he couldn’t detect Nie Yan at all.
Nie Yan struck the thief’s head with a sneak attack.
The thief reacted quickly, sensing something amiss from behind and attempting to roll away. Nie Yan’s dagger moved like a venomous snake, following him. Before the thief could complete his roll, the sneak attack hit his head, causing him to stagger into a stunned state.
The thief who was knocked out looked very young. Nie Yan circled around to face him. The face was vaguely familiar. Nie Yan had watched many of Sun’s videos in his past life and recognized him immediately. Though younger and more immature now, his features hadn’t changed much.
Nie Yan sheathed his dagger and stopped attacking. Sun regained consciousness and, upon seeing Nie Yan, quickly raised his dagger to prepare for another attack.
“I’m Nie Yan,” Nie Yan introduced himself, observing Sun. Sun had a pale complexion and a short student-style haircut, clearly still a student.
“Oh! So you’re Nie Yan! Boss Turtle asked me to deliver some gear to you,” Sun said, slightly nervous.
Perhaps few would imagine that this slightly shy and reserved Sun would, in seven or eight years, become a genius thief admired by countless players.
“Thanks,” Nie Yan smiled.
“No need to thank me, Nie Yan. That sneak attack of yours was amazing. Could you teach me?” Sun asked with a mix of awe and admiration. Nie Yan was the only thief in the server who had completely overwhelmed him without giving him a chance to fight back.
“I have high perception and stealth, which allowed me to detect and track you,” Nie Yan smiled.
Sun shook his head seriously. “High perception and stats alone aren’t enough. Complete invisibility is impossible. Thieves aren’t gods. When you attacked just now, I could tell from your movement the direction I was trying to escape. You quickly adjusted your dagger’s attack direction. That’s the real essence of it.”
During PVP, Nie Yan naturally incorporated some of the movement and attack techniques he had mastered in his past life. Thieves were a class that required precise control, but these small details were the hardest to master. Nie Yan had spent countless hours honing these skills, which had become second nature to him. In his past life, at least twenty or thirty thieves could perform such techniques, but to the newly entered players of today, these were incredibly impressive.
From Sun, Nie Yan faintly saw the brilliance of the genius thief from his past life. It was precisely this incredible observational ability and serious attitude that allowed Sun to rapidly grow in PVP and become an unparalleled genius.
Suddenly, Nie Yan thought—Sun’s appearance might be an opportunity for him. In his past life, he had been just one step away from becoming a Shadow Dancer, but his skills had stagnated. He couldn’t progress further, especially lacking the right approach. However, Sun possessed unparalleled talent and would surely grow into a revered genius thief one day. If Nie Yan could grow alongside Sun, he would definitely learn many techniques from him.
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