“Well, Offa only has a few tricks. Wear a set of Zhuhuo gear, practice more, and your strength will rise accordingly,” said Nie Yan.
“Speaking of which, they are more than twenty people. How are you planning to deal with them?” Tang Yao asked. No matter how strong Nie Yan was, he was still just one person.
“That’s where the difference lies between a rogue and other classes. A rogue doesn’t necessarily have to fight head-on!”
Rogues were best at ambushes.
Hearing Nie Yan’s words, Tang Yao understood slightly. Nie Yan was planning to attack unexpectedly, ambush them, and defeat them one by one. However, this was quite difficult. If caught, it would almost certainly result in death. Was Nie Yan being too confident?
The Leiyin Hills were covered with dense woods and rugged boulders on their low slopes, while streams and scattered stones lined their foothills. The terrain was complex, no wonder Tang Yao had managed to hide here for so long without being found.
On the opposite hilltop, several vague figures could be seen. Nie Yan sprinted toward them.
Tang Yao was hiding in a cave on the mountaintop across from him.
These people really didn’t know when to give up. Tang Yao and his group had conflicts with them, and they were willing to waste so much time just to wipe them out completely. It was too ruthless. They dared to act so viciously because they had identified Tang Yao’s group as unaffiliated free players without a guild’s backing. Even if they were killed, they had nowhere to appeal. Now taking down Tang Yao’s level and controlling their progression ensured they wouldn’t become more troublesome later on.
Nie Yan weaved through the dense forest, now only about a hundred yards from the cave where Tang Yao was hiding.
“I’m almost there. Don’t come out yet,” Nie Yan messaged Tang Yao.
“Be careful. Their strength isn’t weak,” Tang Yao knew what Nie Yan intended to do and couldn’t help but feel worried.
“Don’t worry. With their level of skill, I can easily defeat them,” Nie Yan replied. With a bag full of healing potions, a set of bronze gear, a collection of skills, and a mid-level combat bandage which was considered an extraordinary ability at the current level, defeating one or two of them would be absolutely no problem.
Tang Yao felt Nie Yan had changed so much that he was almost unrecognizable. The timid Nie Yan from before would never have dared to say such things.
Nie Yan had become more confident, giving off a sense of reliability and trust.
As Nie Yan was speaking with Tang Yao, rustling sounds came from the distant woods.
“They’re here,” Nie Yan raised his eyebrows, hiding behind a tree.
A five-man squad passed through the woods.
Nie Yan glanced at their class composition: an elemental mage, a holy mage, a berserker, a shield warrior, and a holy knight. Two ranged and three melee. It was a fairly standard setup. Their equipment wasn’t particularly impressive. At the current level, few players could afford bronze or silver gear.
The woods were filled with protruding branches, making movement extremely inconvenient for the squad. They had to crouch and weave through the gaps between the trees. The berserker slashed his sword, cutting down a branch blocking their path.
“Pointcang is dead,” the shield warrior checked the party chat and said.
“What? With Pointcang’s strength, there are very few who could beat him,” the holy knight exclaimed in shock. Pointcang’s strength was widely acknowledged among them. With a full set of Zhuhuo gear, his magical damage ranked at least top ten in the guild. Plus, his skills weren’t weak either.
“Pointcang was still flagged red. So his equipment…” The elemental mage looked up at the others, noticing their somber expressions, and didn’t dare to continue.
“All of it dropped,” the shield warrior sighed. Today had been a huge loss.
“Who did it?”
“They must be a large group, right?” The elemental mage naturally assumed the attackers must have had numbers on their side to defeat Pointcang. “Which team or guild did this? We’ll destroy them!”
“Just one rogue,” the shield warrior replied. After hearing the news, even he found it unbelievable.
“Weren’t there three people in Pointcang’s group?”
“There were three, but all three were killed by a single rogue.”
How was that possible!
“What level was the rogue?”
“Level 3.”
A level 3 rogue defeated Pointcang and his two companions. This world was going crazy. Everyone found it hard to believe.
“Are you sure?”
“This information was confirmed by Pointcang himself.”
Then there must be no mistake. After all, getting wiped out three versus one wasn’t something to be proud of for Pointcang. If it wasn’t true, he wouldn’t have announced it publicly.
“What’s the rogue’s name?” The elemental mage asked. At the current player level gap, being able to defeat two was already impressive. Winning against three was practically godlike.
“His name is Nieyan. The Bright Holy Flame guild has issued a bounty on him. Killing Nieyan once rewards five silver coins. Everyone should be extra cautious when encountering him. Pointcang said that person has many skills. Teams of three or fewer should avoid provoking him,” the shield warrior said. Although the bounty was generous, they had to survive to claim it. If even Pointcang had been defeated, how much more so for them.
“Five silver coins, that’s a lot of money,” the elemental mage and others were amazed. Five silver coins could buy them several sets of bronze gear.
As the group spoke, Nie Yan had quietly approached them.
“A bounty from the Bright Holy Flame guild? Interesting. I’d like to see how you plan to hunt me down,” Nie Yan scoffed, trailing behind them and confirming each of their positions.
Closest to him was the holy mage, about three yards away, followed by the elemental mage at five yards. Leading the way were the berserker, the shield warrior, and the paladin, clearing the path ahead.
Occasionally, a level 3 antlered deer would appear nearby, but it was quickly cut down by the five. With three strong melee fighters and two high-damage spellcasters, their monster-killing speed was quite fast.
Nie Yan waited for the right opportunity, following them leisurely from behind.
The holy priest seemed to sense something and glanced back.
Nie Yan quickly ducked behind a tree. Without activating stealth, he relied purely on instinct to avoid the holy priest’s gaze. The tree shade concealed his body. The rogue’s natural stealth ability automatically took effect.
Everything remained calm. The holy priest found nothing suspicious. Strange, was it just my imagination?
“There’s a monster ahead. Hurry up and follow,” the elemental mage turned to the lagging holy priest.
“Okay, got it,” the holy priest replied, quickening his pace to catch up.
Hearing their conversation, Nie Yan’s mind stirred. The opportunity had come. He activated stealth and slightly quickened his pace.
“We’ve spotted an antlered deer leader. Everyone, stay alert,” the shield warrior shouted, raising his wooden shield and cautiously advancing.
“Aren’t we looking for that mage anymore?”
“That kid ran off somewhere. Anyway, we might as well defeat this antlered deer leader first!”
The five of them should be more than capable of handling a single antlered deer leader.
Ahead, a large antlered deer appeared, about the size of a water buffalo, covered in white spots. A pair of massive antlers, resembling coral growths, extended down to its knees.
As the antlered deer leader moved, its front leg muscles trembled continuously, exuding explosive power.
Noticing the approaching shield warrior, it lowered its antlers, emitted a warning growl, and slowly advanced.
Antlered Deer Leader: Leader monster, HP 200/200.
“Are you ready?” The shield warrior called out nervously. His wooden shield was only a few inches away from the antlered deer leader’s antlers. He could feel the powerful aura emanating from its muscular frame.
“Ready.”
“We must defeat this antlered deer leader before Feisha and Xiaku arrive!” The shield warrior said. If they five defeated the antlered deer leader, they would split the loot equally. If more teammates arrived, their share would decrease.
The berserker and holy knight flanked from both sides, while the holy and elemental mages took their positions.
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