Nie Yan glanced at the rewards for the Decurion rank: Defense +5%, Health +7%. Compared to the previous rank of Centurion, it added an additional 2% Defense and 2% Health. Although the increase in attributes wasn’t significant, every 1% increase meant a substantial boost for Nie Yan personally, considering his already high base Defense and Health.
He would have many more opportunities to explore underground in the future, Nie Yan mused, wondering whether he could raise his rank all the way to High Overseer. As he walked forward, a group of Chaotic Evil players scattered far away. Nie Yan’s overwhelming presence chilled them to the bone. Along this path, the Chaotic Evil players had suffered heavy casualties.
Just as Nie Yan had finished off a few thieves, a cold flash suddenly shot toward the back of his head.
Finally, he thought with a slight smile. He had been waiting for this guy for a long time.
Les charged from behind Nie Yan, delivering a powerful sneak attack with his dagger.
“Wind Step!”
Nie Yan activated Wind Step, dodging Les’s attack. With his right hand, he stabbed his dagger toward Les’s forehead.
At that moment, Les suddenly shifted his stance. He twisted his body sideways, performing a spinning dodge, moving to Nie Yan’s flank. He quickly switched his dagger to a reverse grip and stabbed toward Nie Yan’s back.
This was the Free Skill of the Rogue class—the Reverse Backstab!
Whether in the Undead Empire, Glinland, or other nations, all players who had advanced from the Rogue class shared similar combat techniques passed down through generations.
Nie Yan now got a clear look at his attacker—it was actually the Undead Rogue who had once come to assist him on behalf of Angel’s Descent. Kuang’ao Zhanqiang had mentioned that this Undead Rogue had already been expelled from Angel’s Descent to demonstrate their sincerity toward Nie Yan.
It seemed this guy still hadn’t accepted his fate and had come seeking revenge.
Nie Yan didn’t mind sending him back again!
The blade in Les’s hand gleamed with a green glow—poison!
Les’s expression turned fierce. The poison smeared on his dagger was his treasured Romano Viper venom. Ranking 36th among the deadliest venomous snakes in the underground world, the Romano Viper’s venom could paralyze the victim completely for three seconds. While poisoned, players could still use passive abilities but were unable to activate any skills.
If Nie Yan were even slightly poisoned, he would be doomed!
Nie Yan hadn’t expected Les to use Reverse Backstab. But as soon as Les executed it once, the entire motion was deeply imprinted in Nie Yan’s mind.
Since mastering the Shadow Dance techniques, Nie Yan’s comprehension ability had improved drastically. In his previous life, he had seen others perform Reverse Backstab before, but the memory was somewhat blurry. Now, seeing Les perform it again, the memory resurfaced clearly in his mind.
As Reverse Backstab was about to land on Nie Yan, he made no move. At that moment, a zombie nearby suddenly swung its hammer down with a loud thud, striking Les and causing him to stagger backward.
Nie Yan raised his dagger and blocked Les’s attack.
Struck by the zombie’s massive hammer, Les staggered back, shocked. Nie Yan could still control zombies amid such an intense battle—this was simply incredible.
In fact, in his previous life, after ten years of Faith’s release, this technique had become common among high-level players, and they could use it with great proficiency.
Faith could significantly enhance a player’s reaction speed and mind control abilities. No previous virtual game had ever managed to alter human physiology through bioelectricity. Faith had achieved this, which was precisely why it received federal support.
Nie Yan’s current skill level was nothing short of breathtaking.
Nie Yan glanced at Les, as if he were completely insignificant. He continued commanding the Golden Earth Dragon to attack other targets while three zombies surrounded Les.
The three zombies were slow. Their attack interval with the hammers was about two seconds. In theory, they posed no real threat to a nimble Rogue, who could easily dodge their attacks. However, things were about to change.
These zombies were large and wielded long-handled hammers, giving them a wide attack range of about five to six yards.
They swung their hammers rhythmically and in perfect coordination, making their attacks surprisingly dense—on average, one zombie attacked every 0.7 seconds.
Hammer after hammer rained down!
Les used Wind Step to dodge one zombie’s attack. As he tried to flee in one direction, another zombie blocked his path. He quickly changed direction, but another hammer came crashing down with a loud thud, hitting him and dispelling his stealth.
A damage number of over 500 appeared above Les’s head.
He quickly drank a mid-tier instant healing potion, but before he could escape, another zombie swung its hammer down.
With another loud thud, Les was sent flying.
As Les landed, he hadn’t even had time to steady himself when the first zombie’s attack cooldown was already over. Another hammer struck him down, flattening him on the ground.
A top-tier Rogue like Les was simply overwhelmed and killed by three zombies!
Nie Yan glanced at Les’s corpse on the ground and smiled faintly. Les’s skills were quite impressive among Rogues, but he had met his match in Nie Yan. With proper coordination, even three zombies could defy the odds!
A distant Rogue recorded the entire fight in which Les was defeated and uploaded the video to the Undead Empire’s forum.
Although Les was skilled, he was still overwhelmed and killed by three zombies. The footage sent chills down viewers’ spines. Throughout the entire fight, Les had no chance to resist. The zombies’ attacks came in perfect unison, creating a powerful visual impact.
“Damn it! Nie Yan is such a monster!”
“Who was that Rogue?”
“He looks like Les from Angel’s Descent!”
“We recently heard that Les left Angel’s Descent.”
If someone else had been defeated by three zombies, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But Les was a well-known figure in the Undead Empire, ranked high on the Rogue leaderboard. Many players admired him. Even after leaving Angel’s Descent and suffering a significant drop in equipment, his strength was still formidable. Yet, even he was overwhelmed and killed by three zombies. Nie Yan’s ability to control multiple units and precisely time each unit’s actions was simply breathtaking.
As a result, no one in the Undead Empire dared to provoke Nie Yan anymore. A Rogue with such incredible control and mastery over techniques was simply beyond ordinary players’ reach. Even some top-tier players in the Undead Empire couldn’t help but feel impressed.
Nie Yan continued on his way unchallenged until he reached the outskirts of a residential area. There, rows of white tents stretched endlessly. Many players moved about, and occasionally, large bats carried one or two players into the sky, flying toward distant islands.
It was a Flight Post!
Flight Posts functioned like relay stations. Players could pay a small fee to ride flying creatures to the next station, a cheaper alternative compared to using teleportation arrays. In his previous life, Flight Posts only became widespread in the seventh year after Faith’s launch.
Currently, Flight Posts were still relatively rare.
If a Flight Post was frequently used, many players would naturally gather around it, setting up stalls and tents, gradually transforming the area into a bustling commercial zone.
Nie Yan guessed this Flight Post would be filled with numerous Chaotic Evil NPCs. He recalled the Golden Earth Dragon, activated his stealth, and bypassed the Chaotic Evil players’ sightlines, disappearing into the dark jungle.
His Deception skill was still on cooldown. Although the Disguise Orb could make him appear as a Chaotic Evil player, it wouldn’t allow him to interact with Chaotic Evil NPCs or converse with Chaotic Evil players—any speech would reveal his disguise. Nie Yan had no choice but to wait until the Deception skill on his Deceiver’s Necklace was fully recharged.
He spent a day leveling up at nearby locations, marking the end of a natural day.
The next time he logged in, Nie Yan used the Deception skill, transforming into the appearance of a Chaotic Evil player, and headed toward the Flight Post.
One by one, Undead Empire players entered and exited the tent area. This commercial zone was bustling with street vendors selling various goods, even extending to the roadside outside the tents.
Most of the passing players were around level forty, heading toward the Yan Zhuo Archipelago.
The Yan Zhuo Archipelago consisted of thirteen islands at the center of the Lava Sea. Their exact location was known only to the Beast Tamers at the Flight Posts.
Nie Yan wore a black cloak, concealing his face. Fortunately, many Undead Empire players also wore black cloaks, so he didn’t stand out.
At the entrance of the tent area stood two level-70 Skeleton Guards. They failed to notice Nie Yan among the crowd. He blended in and followed the stream of players toward the Flight Post.
“Got two gems yesterday—profitable! Let’s go back to that spawn point today. They say if you camp at a monster spawn point, you often get good drops.”
“Who knows? Yesterday was just luck.”
Nie Yan overheard nearby players chatting and felt a sense of familiarity. In his previous life, he had often spent days camping at one spot grinding monsters. Back then, even a random piece of gear or gem drop could excite him for a long time. He would never have dared to solo elites or explore uncharted territories like he did in this life.
Compared to his previous self, his current attributes and equipment were incomparable.
The Flight Post was now within sight. Occasionally, massive bats flew overhead. These bats had wingspans of up to three yards, weighed hundreds of pounds, and were covered in fine fur. Their flapping wings stirred gusts of wind, causing the mages’ robes to flutter. Occasionally, a female mage would let out a startled scream.
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