Chapter 9: Fishermen

A berserker leaped high into the air, using the downward momentum to slash his great sword toward Nie Yan.

The great sword whistled toward Nie Yan’s forehead as he watched it approach.

Nie Yan tilted his body sideways, narrowly dodging the berserker and passing him by.

In Faith, ranged attacks have auto-targeting, requiring players to dodge by rolling, while melee attacks can be evaded by sidestepping.

Dodging an incoming slash like this required quick reflexes and precise timing. Nie Yan had mastered this maneuver in his past life. After dodging the swordsman, Nie Yan sprinted toward the lake.

The berserker’s sword had missed, and he hesitated in surprise. That person was incredibly fast to dodge his strike.

As the berserker turned his head, he noticed Nie Yan had already run a considerable distance away. He raised his sword and gave chase.

“Brother Three, what’s wrong with you? Can’t even stop someone properly,” a sword-and-shield warrior complained as he rushed over.

“That rogue is too fast. I couldn’t stop him.”

The sword-and-shield warrior glanced thoughtfully at the corpse of the elemental mage Zihuo nearby. Zihuo had been a loner, but his skills were formidable. To have been killed by that rogue showed just how formidable he was.

“Let’s stop him together!”

The sword-and-shield warrior and the berserker picked up speed.

As Nie Yan neared the lake, only five or six yards away, he pulled out a low-grade potion of underwater breathing and drank it.

“He wants to escape by diving into the water!”

“Don’t let him get into the water!”

The sword-and-shield warrior and the berserker lunged simultaneously. Both being warriors, their momentum after a heavy jump made their attacks much faster than other melee classes.

“Assault!”

“Blazing Slash!”

The sword-and-shield warrior charged forward with his sword, aiming at Nie Yan.

The berserker swung his blazing sword downward.

They were still a short distance from Nie Yan when he turned to face them. Flames and sword strikes approached, but Nie Yan’s lips curled into a strange smile. He leaped backward, diving headfirst into Randuo Lake.

Ripples spread across the calm surface of the lake.

The sword-and-shield warrior and the berserker reached the lakeside. As the berserker was about to jump in, the sword-and-shield warrior grabbed him.

“Forget it. Don’t chase a desperate foe. Besides, we don’t have potions of underwater breathing,” the sword-and-shield warrior said, recalling Nie Yan’s strange smile. That was why he dared not enter the water, fearing that Nie Yan might have some trick planned underwater, which could cost them their lives.

“Just like that?” The berserker was frustrated.

“Zihuo was just unlucky. Who told him to act on his own and separate from the team? It’s a lesson for him. There are still many strong players out there.”

Several victorious players panted as they ran up, mostly mages and priests. Their movement speed was slower than warriors, so they had been left behind.

“Did you get him?” A mage asked.

“No, he jumped into the lake,” the sword-and-shield warrior shook his head.

The mage looked at the sword-and-shield warrior and the berserker in surprise. Ziyan and Ziming were two of the top warriors in the guild. If that rogue had first defeated Zihuo and then escaped their joint pursuit, who exactly was this rogue?

“What’s that rogue’s name? Let’s ask Zihuo. He’s already resurrected at the graveyard,” the mage said.

“Ziming said the rogue’s name is Nieyan,” a name he had etched deeply into his memory.

“Tell our members to be careful. Report immediately if they encounter Nieyan,” the mage said with concern. They had all faced Nieyan and failed to gain an advantage. If ordinary guild members encountered him, the outcome was obvious.

After diving into the water, Nie Yan swam deeper into the lake. The water of Randuo Lake was very clear, with shafts of light piercing down from the surface. Refracted by the water, the light created a colorful, dazzling scene. The underwater plants swayed with the current, forming a surreal and beautiful landscape.

As he swam along the lakebed among the plants, Nie Yan suddenly recalled that there was supposedly a chest somewhere in Randuo Lake, although he was a bit uncertain of its exact location. His memory was vague.

It should be around here. That chest contained a secondary skill book—Gathering. Although not a rare skill book, it was scarce at this level. Players who learned Gathering could earn extra income. Every team needed at least one, and solo players also required it. The high demand and low supply had driven the price of Gathering skill books very high.

Finding that chest would be great. Thieves’ class traits allowed them to reach places others couldn’t, making Gathering even more effective.

The low-grade potion of underwater breathing only lasted fifteen minutes. Nie Yan regretted not buying more potions if he had known he would need to search underwater.

Something approached from a distance, slowly descending from the surface. In the sunlight, Nie Yan finally saw it clearly—a level-three merling. It had a fish’s body, its limbs constantly paddling, giving it incredible swimming speed. It also carried a steel trident.

Nie Yan quickly hid among the aquatic plants.

One-on-one, Nie Yan could easily defeat a merling. However, merlings had a nasty trait: once attacked, they would emit a sharp cry that attracted all nearby merlings.

For safety, Nie Yan decided not to provoke these troublesome creatures.

The merling swam past not far from Nie Yan, pushing aside the plants and diving in.

As the merling pushed aside the plants, Nie Yan’s gaze passed through them and spotted something vaguely hidden within.

After ensuring the merling was far away, Nie Yan cautiously swam over. This was a merling’s territory, and it would be very dangerous if he were discovered.

Nie Yan pushed aside the plants and searched around, finally discovering a wooden chest, the lowest-tier white chest. He wasn’t sure if it was the one he remembered.

Opening the chest, Nie Yan reached inside. Unexpectedly, instead of a skill book, he found a pearl.

Nie Yan checked the item’s attributes.

Merling Water-Repelling Pearl: A special item. Grants the skill Underwater Breathing. Underwater Breathing: Activates the ability to breathe underwater for thirty minutes. Skill cooldown: 12 hours.

It was the lowest-tier special item. Although not particularly valuable, it could at least save Nie Yan some low-grade potions of underwater breathing, which would be useful in the future.

It seemed there was more than one chest here. Thinking about it, the mainframe wouldn’t set only one chest in such a large lake area. Nie Yan continued his search, weaving through the plants. With a Water-Repelling Pearl, he now had much more time to search underwater.

The plants nearby rustled slightly, causing Nie Yan’s heart to race. He quickly hid among the nearby plants.

A merling emerged from the plants, slowly swimming through the gaps not far from Nie Yan.

Soon, another merling approached in Nie Yan’s direction.

One after another.

The frequency of merling appearances increased.

Damn it, had he accidentally entered their nest? Or was it just a group passing by?

One merling was getting closer and closer. Nie Yan’s heart pounded in his throat. He tightly gripped his dagger. There was no way to hide now. He could only look for an opportunity to escape. However, his swimming speed couldn’t match the merlings’. Whether he could escape was uncertain.

There were too many merlings nearby. If they surrounded him, Nie Yan would have no chance of survival.

He only had himself to blame for being too greedy, forgetting the danger in his search for treasure.

The merling approached to within about three yards. It seemed to sense something, stopped, and raised its steel trident.

“Zizi,” the merling made strange noises.

Nie Yan looked in other directions. At least a dozen merlings were approaching his hiding spot, their gleaming tridents completely blocking his escape routes.

He was done for. He couldn’t defeat these merlings. In the water, merlings swam incredibly fast. Once their sharp teeth latched onto an opponent, they wouldn’t let go until the opponent was torn apart.

There was no way to run, and no way to fight back.

Nie Yan mentally prepared for death, scanning the merlings’ bodies. Their weak spot was the red spot on their bellies. Even if he died, he would at least take one down!

Just then, a sharp horn sounded from the distant lakeshore, its rhythm tense and the loud sound carrying far into the distance.

It was the alarm signaling an attack on the merling tribe!

The dozen or so merlings surrounding Nie Yan immediately stopped swimming, listening intently. They chattered among themselves, then all turned and swam rapidly toward the lakeshore.

The merlings swam farther and farther away. Dozens of merlings from all directions gathered toward them like a school of fish.

The merlings disappeared from Nie Yan’s sight.

Lucky escape, Nie Yan thought with a shudder. The sequence of events had been unexpected but made sense in hindsight.