Chapter 443: You’ve got me there!

In the duel against King’s Domain, victory was the only option; defeat was unacceptable!

With so many powerful skills and unmatched defensive and offensive attributes, Nie Yan’s capabilities were formidable. As long as he wasn’t stunned by King’s Domain, no ordinary thief could match him in a straight-up fight. However, if he were stunned, things would become dangerous. Any high-level thief could string together two or three stun abilities, keeping him immobilized for six or seven seconds. Given that King’s Domain had excellent gear, dealing continuous damage for that duration would likely be enough to defeat Nie Yan.

Nie Yan cast a Black Obsidian Shield around himself, creating a dark shimmering barrier surrounding him.

King’s Domain lunged forward, and the two exchanged several skill-based attacks, mostly evasive and probing, without unleashing their most powerful techniques.

King’s Domain suddenly struck with a stun via his dagger, aiming straight for Nie Yan’s forehead.

Nie Yan blocked, and with a metallic clang, their daggers clashed.

Suddenly, King’s Domain intensified his assault, flashing sideways with a spinning strike aimed at Nie Yan’s back, delivering a fierce and deadly blow, as though it were a life-or-death struggle in the real world.

In reality, Nie Yan would stand no chance against King’s Domain, but this was a game! Every character in the game was bound by stats and skills.

As King’s Domain’s spinning strike was about to land, Nie Yan dodged it using Shadow Dance, slipping past the attack in an instant.

Night Owl Perception!

Just as Nie Yan disappeared from his line of sight, King’s Domain suddenly activated a powerful sensing ability, locking onto Nie Yan who had just moved a short distance away.

Assault!

Suddenly, King’s Domain closed in from behind, driving his dagger into Nie Yan’s back, splattering blood everywhere. The blow dealt over 1,200 damage to Nie Yan.

That’s some serious damage; truly worthy of a Grand Thief skill! Nie Yan activated the basic Berserk ability from his Murderer’s Medal, sharply increasing his movement speed. With Zeinald’s Blade, he executed an Illusory Strike straight at King’s Domain’s throat.

Such close-quarters combat between thieves was a true test of skill, where victory or defeat could be decided in a second or two.

King’s Domain dodged the attack with a Quick Step, swiftly retreating to create distance between them.

After executing his Quick Step for one second, two seconds, three seconds, his invincibility faded. Nie Yan locked onto King’s Domain’s position using Perception and suddenly used Supreme Intimidation, freezing King’s Domain mid-run.

King’s Domain’s heart sank. What was this skill? His entire body stiffened, completely unable to move!

He had been running away from Nie Yan, so when stunned, his back was facing Nie Yan directly.

At that moment, Nie Yan activated a Storm Assault state, lunging onto King’s Domain’s back and driving his dagger straight into his opponent’s head.

King’s Domain quickly cast a shield, hoping it would hold off the attack momentarily, and also applied Shadow Enhancement from Grand Thief, granting immunity to control spells.

With a thud, Zeinald’s Blade landed a stunning blow on King’s Domain’s head, but the stun effect was nullified by the Shadow Enhancement state.

Even without the stun, what could he do? Taking advantage of the Storm Assault boost, Nie Yan slashed Zeinald’s Blade across King’s Domain’s back, landing a devastating Backstab. Damage numbers of -1,208 and -1,392 floated above King’s Domain. His shield shattered instantly into fragments, and small continuous damage numbers of around 200 to 300 began floating above his head.

Finally regaining movement, King’s Domain activated Tier-3 Haste and sprinted away, his heart filled with dread. Nie Yan’s attack was just too overwhelming. “Crazy Thief Nieren,” revered by players as a god-like thief, truly lived up to his reputation. Such terrifying attack power was simply beyond what ordinary players could withstand—even heavily armored tank warriors couldn’t endure it!

King’s Domain desperately tried to escape, but Nie Yan quickly caught up, his speed astonishingly fast. King’s Domain hastily gulped down an Intermediate Instant Recovery Potion.

The two had been locked in battle for fifty to sixty seconds, both of them having exhausted their skills, now reduced to basic melee attacks without abilities.

As Nie Yan lunged forward, King’s Domain slashed at his chest. Suddenly, Nie Yan executed an Illusory Dance Step, instantly appearing behind King’s Domain, his Zeinald’s Blade now at his opponent’s throat.

Just as King’s Domain tried to react, he felt the cold edge of the blade flash across his throat.

“I win,” Nie Yan said with a slight smile. King’s Domain had barely over a thousand health points left; one more strike would end him.

King’s Domain realized he had struck what turned out to be an illusion. A shadow flickered past him, and Nie Yan had already appeared behind him. What an odd skill!

“What is that skill?” King’s Domain asked in astonishment, curious about the technique.

“It’s not a skill—it’s a Shadow Dancer technique. If you’re interested, I can teach it to you,” Nie Yan replied with a cheerful grin. He was in a good mood. According to their bet, King’s Domain—in truth, Dagger—would now be joining him.

King’s Domain smiled. He had been defeated by Nie Yan, and he accepted it wholeheartedly. He could tell during the fight that Nie Yan had held back some tricks, including the techniques he used to defeat Hei Zhuo in the Magma Forest.

“As agreed, I’ll join Bull Man Tribe,” King’s Domain said. A defeat should be acknowledged gracefully, and he intended to honor the agreement, having his group join a branch of Bull Man Tribe. Though it might seem a bit unfair to them, Bull Man Tribe shared their guild warehouse, which would benefit their development. Once they grew stronger, they could join Bull Man Tribe directly.

“That’s not all—report to my company. Here’s the address…” Nie Yan said, sending the address of the Nie Corporation to King’s Domain.

“Your company?” King’s Domain was momentarily stunned. Why would he report to Nie Yan’s company?

“As per our agreement, if you lost, you would serve under me. That was our original deal,” Nie Yan said with a grin, clearly pleased with himself.

King’s Domain suddenly recalled Nie Yan’s earlier words: “If I win, you’ll serve under me, and the doors of Bull Man Tribe will be open to you…” He hadn’t realized that Nie Yan had already identified him as Dagger, so naturally, he assumed Nie Yan was referring only to the game. He hadn’t expected Nie Yan’s words to include the real world!

Nie Yan had set a linguistic trap, and King’s Domain had unknowingly fallen into it.

“I thought you meant the game…” King’s Domain tried to explain. He hadn’t expected such a small wager to bind him like this. But the bet had indeed been agreed upon!

“What I said included not only the game but also reality. I once told you that if you ever had nowhere else to go, come find me. You’re a mercenary; Nie Corporation will definitely offer you a satisfying deal. Surely you won’t go back on your word?” Nie Yan countered, feigning disappointment as he looked at King’s Domain. “Of course, if you don’t acknowledge the bet, we can forget it.”

King’s Domain was caught between a rock and a hard place. There was no way to explain this clearly. He finally understood—he had been outsmarted by Nie Yan!

As King’s Domain was about to say something, Nie Yan cut him off: “After I die, the four Order Scrolls will go to you. Please deliver the Evil Orb and the dropped equipment to the Bull Man Tribe branch in Carol City.”

With that, Nie Yan committed suicide, turning into a flash of white light. Four Order Scrolls and several items were left behind. He gave King’s Domain no time to explain.

Nie Yan had left too quickly, not even giving King’s Domain a chance to speak. After a moment’s hesitation, King’s Domain picked up the items, intending to return the Evil Orb and Nie Yan’s dropped equipment.

Though he had assumed Nie Yan’s words were only about the game, he had indeed agreed to the bet—something that couldn’t be denied. He couldn’t take back words already spoken!

Caught in a dilemma, King’s Domain realized that honoring the bet meant truly serving under Nie Yan. Breaking the bet would mean betraying his honor. A mercenary’s code was built on trust above all else—he was a true mercenary.

A trivial bet in a game had unexpectedly bound him, a situation he found both amusing and frustrating.

In truth, who he served wasn’t that important to King’s Domain. As a mercenary, he served whoever paid enough. If Nie Yan was willing to offer enough to support him and his comrades, what was wrong with serving him? Years of surviving in gunfire had taught him that dignity was worthless—it couldn’t put food on the table. Sometimes, ending a life required only a single bullet.

Thinking about it, Nie Yan wasn’t a bad person. He hadn’t completed his employer’s mission and had been hiding with his comrades, making life even harder. If Nie Yan was willing to take them in, that wouldn’t be so bad.

King’s Domain gave a faint, lonely smile. Perhaps this wasn’t such a bad thing after all. It might be a chance to end his wandering mercenary life and settle down a bit.

With a sigh, King’s Domain chuckled and muttered a curse: “Damn it, Crazy Thief Nieren, you got me good. I’ll give you that!”

Meanwhile, Nie Yan was pacing around the Bull Man Tribe branch office in Carol City. He trusted his judgment of people—King’s Domain would likely honor the bet. Whether he would actually come to Nie Corporation, however, remained uncertain.

Nie Yan was taking a gamble. If King’s Domain honored the agreement, he would gain a valuable asset!

Dagger was an elite mercenary, a master who had survived countless firefights. He was more than a match for Nie Yan. Nie Yan estimated that if Dagger went all out, he might barely survive three moves against him. What Nie Yan had learned were martial arts techniques, while Dagger had learned techniques for killing!