The ancient city walls were covered with mottled marks; many sections had already collapsed into ruins, faintly narrating the desolation of history.
This was an ancient city square in shape, covering approximately 5000 by 5000 yards, its former grandeur still faintly visible. In his previous life, the Triumph Empire first captured this mid-tier fortress, cleared out all the monsters inside, completely destroyed the city walls, and then rebuilt the city.
The former glory of Krips Fortress was hailed as a commercial miracle, astonishing everyone.
Nie Yan had to continuously strengthen himself and the Bull Tribe, gaining more leverage for the future confrontation with Century Syndicate. Capturing the Krips Fortress was a must.
In this life, the Century Syndicate had withdrawn most of its funds from the Glinlan Empire, focusing all its energy on Angel Dominion. Still, Nie Yan sensed some crisis. This financial giant’s power in virtual industries could not be underestimated by any other faction or individual.
Nie Yan rode the Volkhavaar Warhorse like a gust of wind, arriving outside the Krips Fortress. He dismounted and glanced toward the fortress. The fortress contained many complex buildings; exploring it thoroughly would be no easy task.
Nie Yan walked forward into the fortress. Inside was a street paved with bluestone, very wide, about a hundred yards across, enough space for a hundred people to advance abreast. On both sides were some dilapidated shops, faintly evoking the past prosperity of Krips.
On the street wandered some swordsmen clad in black armor.
Phantom Swordsman: level 50 elite, HP 35000/35000.
Even the most ordinary monsters inside the fortress were elite level, with many being lord-level, occasionally including some super mutated or demonized lords. Facing these powerful monsters, only overwhelming numbers could bring them down.
Nie Yan entered stealth mode and stealthily moved deeper into the fortress. Inside, wide streets crisscrossed, occasionally opening into small plazas large enough to accommodate five or six hundred people. These places were often occupied by lord-level bosses, ranging from levels fifty to sixty.
Nie Yan marked each street and each boss location, beginning to create a map, marking all spots where lord-level bosses appeared. His stealth and hiding skills were very strong; along the way, no monster detected his presence.
Continuing toward the central area of Krips, avoiding the Phantom Swordsmen on the streets, Nie Yan passed along a severely damaged street. Not far away, a golden treasure chest caught his eye. The chest was placed in a corner of the street, guarded by a wandering Phantom Swordsman.
Only one Phantom Swordsman, which should be manageable, Nie Yan thought. He definitely needed to get that chest.
Nie Yan crept up behind the Phantom Swordsman.
The Phantom Swordsman wandered, occasionally stopping to look around before resuming its patrol.
Level 50 elites, especially humanoid creatures, had very high awareness.
Nie Yan was very cautious, slowly approaching the swordsman from behind. He adjusted the direction of his Zaynarde Sword and suddenly leapt forward, launching his body toward the swordsman’s back. His Zaynarde Sword struck swiftly toward the swordsman’s head.
Nie Yan was extremely fast, swooping down like lightning. Just as his Zaynarde Sword was about to hit the Phantom Swordsman…
Suddenly, a golden glow erupted from the Phantom Swordsman.
Nie Yan’s Zaynarde Sword struck the swordsman’s head, but instead of being stunned as expected, the swordsman countered with a whirlwind slash.
Nie Yan was startled; he hadn’t expected the Phantom Swordsman to be this strong. He quickly blocked, and with a clink, he was pushed back several steps, taking over 800 damage.
After repelling Nie Yan, the Phantom Swordsman charged again.
Nie Yan cast Black Obsidian Shield on himself and quickly retreated.
The Phantom Swordsman slashed downward, releasing a burst of sword light.
Nie Yan shifted his footing slightly and attempted a counter-attack backstab!
His footwork wasn’t very nimble; executing a counter-attack backstab was difficult to control. At that moment, the Phantom Swordsman had already struck. With a thud, he hit Nie Yan. Nie Yan’s Black Obsidian Shield trembled, and over 300 damage floated above his head.
Regarding the counter-attack backstab, there seemed to be some trick to its execution. Without mastering the technique, the movement would not flow smoothly, and the skill might fail.
The Phantom Swordsman kept pressing the attack, launching another cleave straight at Nie Yan.
Nie Yan used Swift Step to dodge the swordsman’s attack and stabbed his dagger at the Phantom Swordsman’s head, stunning it.
The dagger hit, and the Phantom Swordsman was stunned. Nie Yan circled behind him, launching a backstab followed by a crippling strike. Blood gushed from the swordsman’s back.
-539, -538, -288, -100…
Damage numbers floated above the Phantom Swordsman’s head as Nie Yan unleashed his skills relentlessly, continuously dealing damage.
Just as the Phantom Swordsman was about to recover, Nie Yan detonated an explosive on its back. With a bang, the swordsman was blown backward, falling to the ground and struggling for a while before getting back up.
The Phantom Swordsman adjusted and charged at Nie Yan again.
To avoid attracting other Phantom Swordsmen, Nie Yan couldn’t use items like Flash Dust that made too much noise. Seeing the swordsman approaching again, he activated Swift Retreat and quickly pulled away.
This area was too narrow; running too far would alert other monsters. Nie Yan had no choice but to endure the fight with the Phantom Swordsman.
As the Phantom Swordsman charged toward him, Nie Yan moved his feet.
Shadow Phantom Strike!
His steps shifted sideways, his body creating several illusions, then another sidestep. His Zaynarde Sword slashed across the Phantom Swordsman’s neck, splattering blood.
The Phantom Swordsman’s attack still hit Nie Yan but slightly off-target, dealing 239 damage.
System: Shadow Phantom Strike completed 35%, dealing 52% attack damage, combo point consumption 0.
Every free skill often had some unique techniques. Without mastering the technique, even a Shadow Dancer-level expert couldn’t execute it smoothly. Nie Yan’s first attempt had already yielded excellent results.
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