Chapter 378: Foreign Players

Nie Yan’s Shadow Illusion Strike inflicted 321 points of damage on the Phantom Warrior, followed by a series of bleed and poison effects.

He used both Reverse Backstab and Shadow Illusion Strike partly for testing purposes, trying to figure out how to execute these two free skills. These skills were quite unfamiliar to him, as in his past life he had only ever mastered three free skills in total.

Previously, he would have had to stay in one spot and practice free skills continuously, taking one or two months before gaining any real understanding—they were skills that required gradual mastery.

Successfully executing Shadow Illusion Strike immediately was extremely difficult.

Nie Yan had grasped the Shadow Dance technique, and with years of gaming experience, upon using Shadow Illusion Strike, he began to understand its mechanics. Although he had only just scratched the surface, getting the initial grasp of a skill was a crucial step. Once he got the hang of it, he could gradually become more proficient and eventually use it skillfully.

The Phantom Warrior charged forward with an Impact skill, which could stun opponents and, when combined with abilities like Cleave, dealt significant damage.

As the Phantom Warrior swung his greatsword downward, Nie Yan sidestepped using Shadow Step to dodge the attack, then slashed across the Phantom Warrior’s chest with Zeinard’s Sword.

Nie Yan passed by the Phantom Warrior and quickly retreated.

At that moment, the Phantom Warrior’s throat vibrated slightly, emitting a low, guttural roar.

Demoralizing Roar!

The Phantom Warrior’s Demoralizing Roar could cause opponents to become paralyzed.

Nie Yan sensed something was off and immediately activated the Death Immunity skill from his Honor Medal of the Grand Thief.

A heavy wave of sound swept over Nie Yan, but a “MISS” floated above his head.

Death Immunity had nullified the Demoralizing Roar.

Nie Yan glanced at the Phantom Warrior’s health bar; it had been reduced to about 70%.

It was probably only Nie Yan who could take on a level 50 elite solo and bring it down to this point.

This Phantom Warrior had extremely high combat intelligence and used many control skills. Even a small team of five or six top-tier level 50 players might find it difficult to handle this opponent.

The Phantom Warrior swung his greatsword again and charged at Nie Yan, who quickly retreated.

Continuously dodging and running, Nie Yan’s health dropped to 22%, so he quickly drank an Intermediate Instant Healing Potion.

Nie Yan generally avoided direct confrontation with the Phantom Warrior, instead attacking and then immediately dodging away, wearing down the enemy’s health through bleed effects. The Phantom Warrior’s attacks were too fierce, and Nie Yan was under immense pressure.

Gradually, the Phantom Warrior’s health dropped to around 20%, roughly six thousand hit points.

The Phantom Warrior began to grow more aggressive, his veins bulging, his face contorted in a terrifying snarl, and his movement speed surged dramatically.

Nie Yan quickly retreated and checked his health, which was down to 13%. He quickly applied a combat bandage.

+200, +200, +200…

At that moment, the Gust Step ability finished cooling down.

Charge! Devastating Strike!

The Phantom Warrior’s greatsword transformed into a blazing inferno as he swung it down at Nie Yan.

Gust Step!

Nie Yan dodged the Devastating Strike using Gust Step, and Zeinard’s Sword, like a bolt of lightning, slashed across the Phantom Warrior’s throat.

Garrote!

Blood sprayed as a damage number of 1735 floated above the Phantom Warrior’s head.

A critical hit!

The Phantom Warrior growled and used Shockwave, unleashing a devastating force across a 2×2 yard area.

But Nie Yan had already used Gust Step to retreat seven or eight yards away.

His health steadily increased; the effect of the Advanced Combat Bandage was highly effective.

The Phantom Warrior turned around, his health now reduced to just over two thousand points, but he still charged furiously at Nie Yan.

-328, -100, -218…

The Phantom Warrior’s health continued to drop, now down to around six or seven hundred points.

Nie Yan quickly retreated, watching the Phantom Warrior approach as it swung its greatsword downward.

His pupils constricted sharply—Shadow Illusion Strike!

Nie Yan’s figure created several illusions, narrowly evading the Phantom Warrior’s greatsword, then Zeinard’s Sword slashed across the enemy’s throat, piercing through its neck.

System: Shadow Illusion Strike completed at 39%, dealing 63% of attack damage, combo point consumption: 0.

A damage number of over five hundred floated above the Phantom Warrior’s head. It staggered a few steps and fell to the ground, its body gradually dissolving and vanishing.

This was the Purification effect.

The Phantom Warrior dropped two items: one was a level 50 golden equipment item for Berserkers, with decent stats, but something Nie Yan wouldn’t give a second glance. The other was a potion recipe.

Advanced Instant Healing Potion: Requires Advanced Alchemist.

Seeing this Advanced Instant Healing Potion recipe, Nie Yan felt pleased—he would now have access to these potions.

Nie Yan placed the Advanced Instant Healing Potion into his bag. The Starry Sky Pharmacy already had five Advanced Alchemists, so anyone could learn and craft this potion.

Nie Yan collected the Phantom Warrior’s loot and walked toward the nearby golden treasure chest.

He crouched down and began opening the golden chest.

With a click, the chest opened. Nie Yan reached inside and pulled out two books.

He examined the first one—it was a worn, paper-based skill book.

Meteor Fireball: Summons a meteor to strike a 20×20 yard area, dealing an additional 200% magic damage. Casting time: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 10 minutes. Class restriction: Arcane Mage, Elemental Mage.

This was a decent area-clearing skill, suitable for Arcane and Elemental Mages.

The other book had golden thread edging and was exquisitely crafted, likely a valuable item.

Upon inspection, it turned out to be Rogue Skill Cooldown Removal.

Cooldown Removal was an extremely rare skill. In his past life, it rarely appeared on the market, and even when it did, it was far beyond Nie Yan’s reach.

Cooldown Removal: Removes the cooldown of a specific Rogue skill, but the skill cannot be used for 2 seconds afterward. Does not apply to advanced skills. Can be used once every 15 minutes.

Nie Yan glanced at his skill bar—it was nearly full already. He had learned over twenty passive skills that increased Agility and Strength. Learning more skills would require him to forget some others.

Skills that only increased Agility or Strength by two or three points were negligible to him.

Nie Yan learned Cooldown Removal and continued exploring the fortress for map data, occasionally eliminating isolated monsters to practice Reverse Backstab and Shadow Illusion Strike. These were relatively complex free skills, and he couldn’t fully master them in a short time.

Free skills generally required a significant amount of time to gradually learn. Nie Yan wasn’t in a hurry.

Gradually, Nie Yan approached the central area of the fortress. He hid inside a building over ten yards tall and looked toward the central plaza in the distance. The plaza was vast, with thousands of Phantom Warriors gathered. In the center, a massive bear over five or six yards tall roamed the square, its body like a small hill, appearing quite terrifying.

Nie Yan recalled that the final boss of Krips Fortress was level 70. He had heard about it in his past life.

He checked the time—Brotherhood of the Bull should be arriving soon. He jumped from the building’s window, using his Feather Fall gem to land safely, and quickly made his way toward the fortress entrance.

Nie Yan arrived at the entrance of Krips Fortress and received a message from Guo Huai—they were already on their way.

In the distance, a massive group of players approached, all mounted on horses, forming a dark, dense wave. Upon reaching the plains in front of Krips Fortress, they dismounted and began organizing their formation.

Nie Yan issued commands, and they immediately adjusted their formation. Cui Can Dao Guang, Leng Ao Ying, and others had already entered Krips Fortress and stood on the central street. Cui Can Dao Guang, Leng Ao Ying, and Yi Yan attracted the Phantom Warriors’ attention and damage, while the Priests behind healed them, clearing a couple of Phantom Warriors to warm up.

The remaining troops gradually advanced, entering Krips Fortress one squad at a time.

Such a large-scale operation by Brotherhood of the Bull naturally drew the attention of many guilds. They had all received news that Brotherhood of the Bull was going to clear Krips Fortress. Currently, only Brotherhood of the Bull dared to attempt clearing an intermediate fortress.

Although Triumph Empire wanted to stop Brotherhood of the Bull, they were powerless. Neither Holy Blue Temple nor Holy Roman Empire would allow them to dominate Carol City. War Blade Bloodthirsty was struggling to survive himself, while Mage Alliance and Divine Guardians were too far away to send help—sending people to Carol City would be a suicide mission. Brotherhood of the Bull had deeply entrenched itself in Carol City; without an army of hundreds of thousands, no one could shake their dominance.

Under Nie Yan’s command, the five thousand players of Brotherhood of the Bull began systematically clearing Krips Fortress.

Carol City remained unusually calm, with little commotion caused by Brotherhood of the Bull’s fortress-clearing operation.

At that moment, five players appeared at the teleportation pad in Carol City. As soon as they arrived, they drew the attention of all nearby players. Some had towering, muscular frames like beasts, with blue skin—Orcs from the Saturn Empire. Others had fair, delicate features and pointed ears—Elves!