Chapter 20: Killing the Red Name

“Let’s go check out the Linghuan Pool. There are a few treasure chests over there, and the loot isn’t bad. I wonder if they’ve been taken already,” Nai Yan thought. As he was pondering, a system notification suddenly rang out.

System: Player Ya Zi has added you as a friend.

“It’s me, Tang Yao,” Tang Yao said anxiously.

“What’s wrong?” Nai Yan asked, frowning. He could tell from Tang Yao’s voice that something was urgent.

“I’m stuck at Laiyin Hills,” Tang Yao said unhappily. At this moment, the only person he could think of was Nai Yan.

“Who’s blocking you?”

“Some people from the Holy Flame Guild. There are more than twenty of them. My five teammates were all killed. I barely escaped. If it weren’t for Lei covering for me, I would’ve been killed too. Now they’re blocking two exits of Laiyin Hills,” Tang Yao explained. Lei was a classmate of Nai Yan and Tang Yao from middle school. Nai Yan only occasionally kept in touch with him.

Holy Flame. Nai Yan had heard of them before. They were also a major guild. When reaching level 60, there was a guild ranking by the main AI. Holy Flame ranked within the top 60, and even afterward, they never dropped out of the top 100.

“Stay hidden. I’ll be there soon,” Nai Yan said. If he was a moment too late, Tang Yao might get killed. Dying would mean losing a level, which was extremely frustrating.

Nai Yan entered a scroll shop and purchased five Return Scrolls, five Basic Acceleration Scrolls, and five Basic Strength Scrolls. Sending a Return Scroll to Tang Yao would ensure his safe return. As for the Basic Acceleration and Strength Scrolls, he decided to keep them for emergency situations.

A single Return Scroll cost as much as thirty copper coins. The basic Acceleration and Strength Scrolls were slightly cheaper, priced at twenty copper coins each. The basic Acceleration Scroll could increase movement speed by 20%, while the basic Strength Scroll could boost strength by 5 points for thirty seconds.

Scrolls were something that only the particularly wealthy could afford. No one dared to buy so many at once like Nai Yan did.

Nai Yan also bought some low-level instant recovery potions for emergencies.

With the scrolls in hand, Nai Yan sprinted toward the teleportation point. His bronze equipment, combined with +5 agility and +2 speed, made his movement speed far exceed that of ordinary players.

He reached the teleportation point at an extremely fast pace, teleported to Link Village, and then headed north after leaving the village.

“How did you end up fighting them?”

“We encountered a level-3 leader while grinding. We attacked first. Later, those people, relying on their numbers, forcibly tried to snatch it. In the end, a thief from our team stole a bronze piece of equipment. They weren’t happy about it, and a fight broke out. Three of them turned red-named,” Tang Yao said, slightly out of breath, as he was still evading their pursuit.

“How much longer can you hold out?”

“Fortunately, Laiyin Hills is large enough for me to keep running around. They’re few in number, so they won’t catch me within an hour unless they call for more help.”

“An hour is enough. I’ll have some fun with them,” Nai Yan said eagerly. After changing into bronze gear and learning so many skills, he hadn’t had a chance to test them out yet.

“What are you planning to do?”

“Bro, I’ll help you get revenge,” Nai Yan said confidently.

“How many people do you have?” Tang Yao asked in confusion. Did Nai Yan bring a lot of people?

“Just me.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Tang Yao found it unbelievable.

“What do you think?” Nai Yan laughed. At present, players’ overall strength wasn’t high. It had only been a little over a week since the game started, and everyone was still a beginner. Even a major guild like Holy Flame couldn’t find many players who could rival Nai Yan, let alone ordinary players. “I might not be able to take them all down, but knocking off a few should be no problem.”

Nai Yan had played as a rogue for a full decade (previously modified), mastering the skills, PK techniques, and tactics of every class. Even if they had more people, so what?

“Don’t get yourself killed too. If I die, it’s just a level loss anyway.”

“Don’t worry. Stay hidden and watch,” Nai Yan replied.

At the entrance of Laiyin Hills, there was a narrow canyon, wide enough for only three or four people to pass through, with steep cliffs on both sides.

Three players were guarding the entrance of Laiyin Hills: a level-3 Berserker, a level-3 Elemental Mage, and a level-2 Holy Priest.

Among them, the Elemental Mage was marked in red.

The others had entered the valley to pursue Tang Yao, leaving these three to guard the exit.

Poor Tang Yao was caught like a fish in a barrel.

“Damn, that guy’s as slippery as an eel. We still haven’t caught up with him. I wonder when my red name will disappear. Until it does, I can’t return to the city,” the Elemental Mage cursed while checking the team chat.

“Leader Pointcang, don’t be upset. As long as we survive until our red names fade away, everything will be fine. What’s more, we made significant gains—we took down five of them and secured five pieces of equipment,” the Berserker reassured him.

“Those five pieces of junk are worthless. If it weren’t for those brats daring to steal our equipment and pissing me off, I wouldn’t even bother fighting them,” the Elemental Mage named Pointcang said disdainfully.

“Pointcang Leader is simply invincible. He solo-killed three of them. That Heat Blaze earlier was used so exquisitely,” the Holy Word Priest flattered him.

“Those three little brats weren’t strong enough. One Heat Blaze drained most of their health. With their low magic resistance, they shouldn’t even be out here,” Pointcang said proudly.

The Berserk Swordsman and the Holy Word Priest were submissive to the hot-tempered Elemental Mage, seemingly indicating that he held a high position in the Holy Flame Guild.

The three chatted idly.

“Red name, today’s meal is quite good,” Nai Yan, hiding far away, smirked maliciously. A big red-named player like that Elemental Mage would lose all his equipment if killed.

Moreover, the equipment on that red-named Elemental Mage didn’t look bad. He was wearing a fiery red robe that resembled flowing flames and wielded a dark red nanmu wooden staff with swirling flames. It appeared to be the Fire Chaser set, though Nai Yan wasn’t entirely certain.

This Elemental Mage specialized in high-damage fire magic. The intense magical damage from fire spells was indeed somewhat troublesome. The nearby Berserker was also difficult to handle, while the Holy Word Mage could basically be ignored. In the early stages, Holy Word Mages hadn’t even learned healing skills yet and were essentially just tagging along with the team to gain experience.

Nai Yan scanned the surrounding environment. The nearby steep slopes had a complex color palette, but since he had learned the passive skill Stealth Enhancement, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Nai Yan entered stealth mode and crept toward those three players.

His right dagger was already in a reverse grip. He was getting closer, about five yards away now. He could clearly see every subtle expression on the three players’ faces.

Pointcang the Elemental Mage sensed something unusual and cautiously surveyed the surroundings. Nai Yan swiftly halted and concealed his presence. That Elemental Mage appeared to possess keen perception.

“Pointcang Leader, what’s wrong?” the Berserker asked in confusion, looking around at the empty space.

Pointcang focused his gaze, saw nothing, and shook his head. “Maybe I’m just seeing things.”

Nai Yan frowned slightly. This Pointcang was clearly an experienced PKer who could sense his presence from this distance.

“Don’t underestimate him,” Nai Yan warned himself inwardly. From countless painful experiences in the past, he knew that underestimating an opponent was often the beginning of defeat.

Nai Yan lightened his footsteps, changed his pace, calmed his mind, and gradually entered the state of a rogue’s stealth, completely blending into the background.

“Leader Pointcang, that Arcane Mage fled into the mountains, and we’ve lost track of his whereabouts. Baomao couldn’t keep up with him,” the Berserker said, stealing a glance at Pointcang’s expression.

“Oh,” Pointcang replied indifferently.

“That kid was quite sharp. He nearly took out Dongzi earlier,” the Holy Word Priest said, glancing at the team chat.

“Yeah, Dongzi’s defense was too low,” Pointcang responded, somewhat absent-minded.

The Berserker and the Holy Priest were both puzzled. What was wrong with Leader Pointcang? He seemed so distracted.

Nai Yan was behind Pointcang and couldn’t see his expression.

He was merely two yards away from Pointcang, staring at his back. Nai Yan calculated the distance—he was roughly three yards from both the Berserker and the Holy Priest. It was about time. Like a crouching cheetah poised to strike, he suddenly lunged toward Pointcang.

“Kid, I’ve been waiting for you,” Pointcang sneered, stepping back and waving his staff. “Violent Fire Ring!”

He had already detected Nai Yan! With a perception as high as 8 points, he wasn’t someone to be taken lightly.

A rogue’s stealth, trying to be completely undetectable to an expert, was extremely difficult.

He intended to lure Nai Yan closer, then capture and kill him alongside the Berserker and the Holy Priest!

“You’re after my gear, huh? Do you have the guts to take it?” Pointcang sneered, thinking that Nai Yan was just a passing rogue who coveted his equipment. Since he was red-named, Nai Yan had developed greedy intentions, but he didn’t connect Nai Yan to Tang Yao at all.

Pointcang finished casting his spell, and a ring of flames spread out.

After casting Violent Fire Ring, he quickly retreated.

The flames surged toward Nai Yan!

Nai Yan’s heart skipped a beat. Pointcang reacted quickly.

“It’s a rogue!” The Berserker and Holy Priest nearby realized the situation and immediately sprang into action.

At this moment, turning to run would be extremely dangerous. The Berserker would charge in, and behind him were the Elementalist Pointcang and the Holy Priest—two magic-based damage dealers. Nai Yan would undoubtedly perish!

“Kill him!” Pointcang intended to use the Violent Fire Ring to drive Nai Yan back, while the Berserker would seize the opportunity to close in on Nai Yan. This would allow Pointcang to maintain his distance and cast spells at his leisure.

Nai Yan knew exactly what Pointcang’s intention was. If he retreated at this moment, it would be equivalent to placing himself under Pointcang’s firepower.

Nai Yan’s left hand moved slightly, revealing a speed scroll. Although it pained him a bit, he decisively crushed the speed scroll without hesitation.

Movement speed +20%!

Nai Yan’s movement speed was already high. With the 20% bonus, he became incredibly fast. He charged forward against the sweeping flames.

Boom! Violent Fire Ring hit Nai Yan, reducing his health by 35 points.

System: Pointcang’s team has attacked you first. You can defend yourself legally for half an hour.

The legal defense time for team battles is half an hour. In large-scale battles involving major guilds, the legal defense time is longer.

Pointcang had high magic damage. If Nai Yan hadn’t just changed into a set of bronze equipment, this Violent Fire Ring would have taken nearly half of his health!

Sparks flew as Nai Yan broke through the flames of Violent Fire Ring and quickly approached Pointcang. His dagger aimed straight at Pointcang’s chest.

Pointcang originally expected Violent Fire Ring to force Nai Yan back, but he didn’t expect Nai Yan to attack so decisively, not retreating but advancing instead, moving even faster than before. Moreover, the damage from Violent Fire Ring was lower than Pointcang had anticipated. Normally, his magic damage should have caused around fifty points of damage.

Pointcang quickly retreated, launching a small fireball.

“Assassinate!”

Puff! Blood sprayed as Nai Yan pierced Pointcang’s chest with his dagger while dodging the small fireball.

In close combat, the dagger gleamed coldly.

Pointcang wasn’t the first time facing a rogue in direct combat, but this was the first time he felt such immense pressure. Nai Yan’s attack was powerful, and his movements were at their peak.

“He used a scroll!”

Pointcang quickly retreated, casting a magical inscription, rapidly withdrawing to prepare to chant Heat Blaze.

Heat Blaze required five syllables, two gestures, and one magical inscription to cast, none of which could be missing. Fortunately, magical inscriptions were available for purchase at stores and were not expensive.

The Berserker circled around from the side, leaped into the air, and unleashed a Flame Slash downward to cover Pointcang’s casting of Heat Blaze.

The two worked together very skillfully, with perfect timing.

Red flames gathered rapidly. Heat Blaze was Pointcang’s highest-damage fire magic. If the opponent had low magic defense, it could potentially kill them in one hit.

The rogue class’s magic defense was only average. Their magic defense equaled defense multiplied by a 0.6 modifier.

Heat Blaze had a casting time of five seconds.

Seeing the Berserker approaching from the flank, the sharp blade already in front of him, Nai Yan’s dagger moved like lightning, blocking it in front of him.

The roughly three-inch-long dagger clashed against the Berserker’s greatsword, emitting a sharp metallic ring. Both figures shuddered slightly from the impact, and the Berserker’s massive blade couldn’t advance another half-inch.

As Pointcang retreated, he uttered one obscure syllable after another, his voice filled with deep explosive power.

That was the sound of summoning elemental magic.

Boom! A holy light erupted on Nai Yan, dealing 13 points of damage. The Holy Word Priest’s attack was rather limited, yet he persistently inflicted damage on Nai Yan.

At the moment Nai Yan blocked the Berserker’s attack, he swiftly shifted his focus back to Pointcang.

Faced with such fierce attacks, Nai Yan remained fearless and kept pushing forward, which shocked Pointcang. What a fierce rogue!

Nai Yan understood that he couldn’t afford even a moment of hesitation. A slight delay might cost him his life. Only by fighting with his life could he win.

In a narrow road encounter, the brave wins.

Countless PK experiences from his past gave Nai Yan an extremely sharp instinct for combat. He wouldn’t lose!

Three seconds, four seconds. Intense flames quickly formed a ball at Pointcang’s staff, and the scorching fire elements were about to transform into violent destruction.

Nai Yan reached Pointcang at his fastest speed.

“Stun!”

Pointcang was a step too slow. Nai Yan’s dagger pierced Pointcang’s head, and the fiery glow of Heat Blaze quickly dissipated into the air.

Stunning had the effect of interrupting attacks. When Nai Yan hit Pointcang, his Heat Blaze was interrupted.

Nai Yan’s tightly wound nerves relaxed slightly. It was just in time. If Pointcang had managed to release Heat Blaze, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The Berserker’s Flame Slash was blocked. In an instant, Nai Yan had already evaded his attack range and seized control of Pointcang.

So fast! The Berserker’s heart tightened. Nai Yan’s speed far surpassed any rogue he had ever encountered. But there was no time to be stunned. He raised his greatsword and charged forward like a tank, barreling straight toward Nai Yan.

“Critical Strike!” Nai Yan completely disregarded the Berserker. Seizing the moment while Pointcang was stunned, he landed a critical hit with his dagger, driving it straight into Pointcang’s heart.

System: Critical strike completed. Attack position offset by 5%. Additional attack roll damage bonus applied.

Pointcang’s remaining 60+ health points dropped to zero in an instant. He fell down with a bang. From his headgear, robe, gloves, down to his leg armor and boots, everything was dropped, scattered all over the ground.

System: You have killed a red-named player and gained 1 reputation.

In the game’s setting, players could gain one point of reputation for killing a red-named player once. Killing the same red-named player more than three times would no longer grant reputation. Reputation could be obtained by killing red-named players or completing tasks. The higher the reputation, the easier it was to receive tasks, and there were also some discounts in cities.

After slaying Pointcang, the Berserker charged forward, brandishing his greatsword. Nai Yan swiftly sidestepped, evading the Berserker’s assault as she darted past him.

The Berserker was about to strike Nai Yan when he suddenly dodged, causing the attack to miss and sending the Berserker stumbling forward.

“Pointcang Leader’s equipment has all been dropped. Hurry up and retrieve it!” the Berserker said anxiously.

Pointcang was a key member of the Holy Flame Guild, frequently taking part in guild dungeon runs. His gear was top-tier, ranking among the best in the entire guild. That set of equipment was worth at least ten silver coins!

But he was already far away from the dropped equipment. When he turned back, Nai Yan had already started picking up the equipment.

The Holy Word Priest rushed toward where Pointcang had fallen. Earlier, to avoid Nai Yan, he had been casting offensive spells from a distance and couldn’t reach in time to retrieve the equipment.

Nai Yan bent down and picked up two pieces of equipment, throwing them into his backpack. A holy light fell on Nai Yan.

-17, a damage number floated up from Nai Yan’s head.

“One Word Slash!” (Horizontal Slash)

The Berserker charged forward and slashed at Nai Yan.

Nai Yan ignored the Berserker’s slash and kept tossing the equipment into his backpack one by one.

“Done,” thought Nai Yan. Gathering equipment was indeed a delightful task. As he raised his head, the Berserker was already standing before him.

Bang! The Berserker’s sword energy struck Nai Yan, reducing his health by 22 points.

His health was now down to only 23 points. Nai Yan remained composed, swiftly retreating and consuming a初级 Instant Recovery Potion.

“You little brat, just wait till I take you down!” With Pointcang dead, if he couldn’t kill Nai Yan, he’d have a hard time explaining it to the Pointcang Leader. The Berserker’s eyes turned bloodshot as he frantically pursued Nai Yan.