Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed The World - Chapter 184
Chapter 184 Splitting Edge
Chapter 184 β Splitting Edge
βThose Ash Cloaked Heretics are Level 32 Elites,β Nie Yan informed. He reappeared in front of Tuoba and Forthright after sneaking back.π§π³πβ―ππ¦ππ―ππ―eπΉ. coπ¦
βLevel 32 Elites…? We definitely canβt deal with them.β Tuoba wrinkled his brows. It was impossible for them to deal with three Level 32 Elites with their current line up. He estimated theyβd all be wiped out after a single round of spells.
βShould we head back and find some more party members?β Forthright asked, putting away the greatsword in his hand.
βNo, let those bunch of scoundrels be. They definitely wonβt come. All of the Withered Leaf players are preoccupied with running dungeons. Iβm guessing they probably wonβt have any free time until the day after tomorrow. Besides, weβre going to have to log off in thirty minutes anyway. So letβs call it a day. Weβll bring more people with us next time,β Tuoba suggested after checking the server time.
βYouβre right. There isnβt enough time left today,β Nie Yan said. Thirty minutes wasnβt long enough for him to explore the central hall. He was better off finding a safe place to log out.
βAre you planning to return to Calore?β Tuoba glanced at Nie Yan and asked.
Nie Yan shook his head. βIβm going to explore a bit deeper before logging off.β
βReally? You still want to go further inside?β Forthright asked in surprise. Exploring the depths of the Light Monastery by himself… was he looking to die?
Tuoba was also bewildered. Although Nie Yanβs strength could be considered decent, he absolutely was not a match for these Elites.
βDonβt forget, Iβm a Thief.β Nie Yan smirked.
Tuoba stared blankly, then let out a clear laugh. βYouβre right, I almost forgot!β
The Thief class had the innate advantage of being able to go where other classes couldnβt. An ordinary Thief absolutely wouldnβt dare to explore particularly dangerous areas, but Tuoba made the mistake of judging Nie Yan as an ordinary Thief.
Tuoba and Forthright had witnessed Nie Yanβs capabilities for themselves. Maybe he really could sneak into the central hall by relying on his skills.
βIf you find any Paladin equipment, save them for me,β Tuoba said. He was a bit impressed by Nie Yan for daring to explore such a dangerous place.
βMe too! I need Warrior equipment,β Forthright loudly chimed in from the side.
βIβm just going inside to take a look. I canβt guarantee that Iβll be able to bring anything back,β Nie Yan replied. He was also going there for the sake of retrieving the Chapter of Justice. As for other things, theyβd be truly difficult to obtain. But who could know for certain? He might just find some amazing treasure inside.
βNo problem, just keep it in mind. Weβll be heading back now,β Tuoba said. There was no point in them staying here any longer.
βMhm, sure!β Nie Yan nodded. Tuoba and Forthright definitely couldnβt progress any further today, unless they were somehow able to bring some people back here to clear out the Ash Cloaked Heretics in a short span of time.
βSee ya later, pal! Remember to get me a few pieces of Warrior equipment,β Forthright said with a wide grin.
βDonβt worry. If I find any Warrior equipment, Iβll definitely save them for you.β Nie Yan chuckled. He felt Forthrightβs character truly matched his name, straightforward and without any hidden schemes. He had a good impression of Tuoba and Forthright. They were certainly people worth befriending.
Although Nie Yan had reincarnated, he didnβt feel his skills would allow him to triumph over everyone. Even so, having knowledge of the future possessed one very large advantageβand that was the ability to recruit various heaven-defying talents to his side. With Tuoba and Forthright in the guild, Asskickers United gained two more experts.
Taking out a Return Scroll each, Tuoba and Forthright began activating them. Twenty seconds later, they were whisked away with two brilliant flashes of light.
Nie Yan glanced at the ceiling of the monastery. He spotted wooden beams about five meters above his head. They were carved with all sorts of designs which looked detailed and elegant on closer inspection. If he wanted to get past those three Elites, he had no choice but to climb over them by using the ceiling beams. However, there was too little time, and it was dangerous for him to log off in the central hall. He left the corridor to do a bit of grinding outside. After which he found a safe spot to go offline.
Setting aside the game helmet on top of his bedside table, Nie Yan walked out of his room to discover numerous large boxes sealed with tape blocking the hallway. It seemed much of the furniture and items in the house had already been packed away.
Nie Yanβs mother called out to him after spotting him walk out of the room. βLittle Yan, weβre going to move to the city in two days. Your dad just registered his own company, so weβre moving closer to his office. Weβre planning to transfer you to a high-class prep school in the city as well. I hear theyβll be able to teach you a few things you canβt learn here, and youβll get a better education. When you have the time, you should say goodbye to your classmates.β
βSure, I understand. Mom, let me help you pack.β His motherβs words reminded him of the previous timeline. His father had moved the whole family to the capital around this time as well.
While helping his mother pack, Nie Yan heard his father writing away in the study room. He guessed it probably had something to do with the company.
Summer vacation was coming to an end, and the new school year was about to start. Nie Yan thought of Xie Yao. Heβd finally get to meet her again. He wasnβt sure what she was up to lately. An intense sense of longing washed over him, like the pleasant burning sensation of a strong spirit going down his throat as he recalled her pleasant smile in his mind.
It had been ten long yearsβan entire lifetime for him even, yet the feelings he had for her never faded. In fact, they had only grown stronger over time.
During his last year of high school, his heart had been thoroughly snatched away by her. But back then, he had been a hopeless coward, muddleheaded and incapable of confessing his love. All he could do was hide behind a corner and timidly sneak glances at her. Yet the fact that he could even catch a glimpse of her every day left him content to go about his complacent life.
This life, however, would be different. He would never repeat the same, disastrous mistakes.
Nie Yan helped his mother pack away various household items. Anything that they needed would be stored inside a box.
βMom, we donβt need to bring these things. We wonβt have any use for them anyway.β Nie Yan pointed at a medium-sized box full of antiques. He remembered that in his past life, all they did was collect dust and take up space in the basement of their villa.
βItβs no problem. We can bring a little extra. Iβm fine storing them in the basement. We could probably put some of them on display,β Nie Yanβs mother replied with a faint smile, a hint of nostalgia in her voice. She wore an expression full of reminiscence as she took out some of the items from the box to examine.
Spotting the wrinkles that had formed near his motherβs eyes as she smiled, Nie Yan was beset with a feeling of melancholy. His mother had grown old before he even realized. She got engaged with his father when she was in her early twenties, giving birth to him less than a year later. Afterwards, his father left to serve in the army for five years, but she had never once complained. When the family reunited later on, they lived in constant poverty. She toiled endlessly from morning to late evening every day to help support the household. Her youth quickly faded away. Yet despite the bitter hardship, she went about her life with no complaints.
Even when the family became wealthy later on, the relationship between his parents had always stayed strong.
His father very rarely expressed his feelings, but he was a man who deeply cared for his family, an aspect about him that Nie Yan respected the most.
Shabby as those items may be, he now understood why his mother wanted to bring them along. They carried the memories of the past and a lifetime of countless trials and tribulations, when she along with his father struggled to create a family. Even though those times were full of hardship, they represented a simple kind of happiness.
Recalling that his mother had suffered even more hardship in the previous timeline, partially because of him, Nie Yan couldnβt help but feel guilty. A strong desire to take responsibility arose from deep within his heart. Whoever dared to encroach on the happiness of his parents in this life, heβd make sure they would forever disappear from the world.
βYour Uncle Lin and his family will also move with us. We bought a large villa on the outskirts of the city. Itβs quite spacious,β his mother warmly explained after noticing that he had gone silent.
βI understand.β Nie Yan nodded and smiled. He carefully packed away all of his motherβs things, wrapping them in cloth to prevent them from getting damaged to some extent before storing them in a box.
βYour father is planning to give some shares of his new company to your Uncle Lin and Uncle Liu, my youngest brother; your cousin, Ah Chen; and some of our other relatives. Although our situation has gotten a lot better, we mustnβt forget those whoβve helped us out. Remember, if it werenβt for them, who knows where our family would be right now?β Nie Yanβs mother earnestly reminded.
Nie Yanβs father was a deeply sentimental man. He always kept in mind those who had treated his family well in the past. When his father had asked Old Lin, Old Liu, and his youngest brother-in-law for money, they insisted on not taking interest. The people who did only agreed to because his father was being stubborn. Even then, it still wasnβt very high.
As for Ah Chen, needless to say, he had done the most for the Nie family. Thanks to Ah Chen running all over the place on his fatherβs behalf, the company could finally be started. So, naturally, he would receive the largest share of the company. As for Luo Ming and his group, they had acted no differently from loan sharks when his parents had asked to borrow money from themβnot to mention they had hounded him on numerous occasions to pay back the debt despite knowing full-well that his parents werenβt home. His parents were greatly disappointed that they had such contemptible relatives.
Suddenly, there was knocking on the front door.
As his mother got up to answer the door, Nie Yan quickly stopped her. Grabbing hold of her wrist, he shook his head and said, βMom, no need… Let me go answer it instead.β
Nie Yan was now much more thoughtful than he was in the past. His mother showed a gratified smile. She nodded her head and sat back down.
Nie Yan opened the door to the sight of who else but Luo Ming and his loathsome face?
βLittle Yan, are your parents home?β Luo Ming asked with an awkward yet somewhat ingratiating smile.
βScram!β Nie Yanβs expression frosted over. Back then, his father had only given Luo Mingβs group some shares in the company because they had begged shamelessly. Who couldβve guessed that theyβd plot against his father later on, leading to him committing suicide out of depression after losing all control of his company? He absolutely wouldnβt allow these events to repeat themselves in this life.
βHow can you speak to me like that!? Iβm your uncle!β Luo Ming attempted to use his seniority to restrain Nie Yan, but his confidence faltered after seeing the icy glint in Nie Yanβs eyes.
Just as Nie Yan was about to slam the door shut on Luo Ming, his motherβs voice came from behind. βLittle Yan, whoβs at the door?β
βSis! Itβs your big brother! Little Yan wonβt let me in. I just want to talk for a bit. Iβll leave right after,β Luo Ming shamelessly called out.
Nie Yanβs mother furrowed her brows. βLittle Yan, let him in.β
Although Nie Yan despised Luo Ming, he didnβt dare disobey his mother and stepped aside.
After Luo Ming entered the house, he was followed by his wife and the other relatives who clung onto him.
Luo Ming took a quick glance at the study room, then let out a forced laugh. βIt seems my brother-in-law is pretty busy these days, huh?β
βWhat do you want? Speak.β Nie Yanβs mother thought back to the time when she and her husband asked them to borrow money. Luo Mingβs group treated them like strangers and even responded with hostility.
βAbout the matters in the past, we were in the wrong… Little Sister, donβt get angry at us. We came here today to apologize,β Luo Mingβs wife explained. Her grating voice sounded like a squawking duck, making her unpleasant to listen to.
βSure, we acted coldly, but we still lent you the money. Now that youβve gotten wealthy, youβre just going to hang us out to dry? How is that reasonable? You can argue your logic with anyone, and theyβll still say it doesnβt make any sense!β Nie Yanβs other aunt sneered.
βLittle Yuβs words are a bit crass, but theyβre still reasonable. A person mustnβt forget their roots!β Luo Mingβs wife added. It seemed one was tasked to play the role of a villain while the other played the role of the hero.
Nie Yanβs mother frowned. βYou were more like loan sharks than family. When we asked you to borrow money, did you act like family?β
Luo Mingβs wife and the other auntβs expressions flickered with embarrassment.
βBased on your familyβs financial situation at that time, who would dare to lend you money? Even real loan sharks wouldnβt take the risk of loaning you money. They wouldnβt believe that youβd be able to pay it back! It all worked out in the end, right? Well, youβre all well-off now. So you suddenly decide to cut all ties with us?β Luo Mingβs wife shouted in a harsh tone.
βExactly! We can find anyone to be the judge! No one in the world would agree with your reasoning!β Nie Yanβs other aunt pitched in, adding more fuel to the fire.
βHow is it fair that outsiders like Old Lin and Old Liu get shares in your company and we donβt!?β By now, Luo Ming started fuming.
Nie Yanβs mother was naturally mild-mannered. She wasnβt a match for the two aunts when it came to quarrelling, nor was she used to dealing with such a stream of slurs. Red-faced and teary eyed, she shouted, βAsk yourselves! Old Lin and Old Liu might be outsiders! But have you people ever treated our family as well as they have…?β
Nie Yan clenched his fists. Staring at their ugly, repulsive mugs, he wanted so badly to rush up and beat the tar out of them.
βTell your husband to get the hell out here! If he gives us each a three percent share of his company, weβll drop the matter! If he doesnβt, weβll find people and let them judge!β Luo Ming threatened, directing his voice toward the study room.
Nie Yanβs father walked out of the study. He stared coldly at Luo Mingβs group.
Luo Ming immediately shut up. He still felt a sense of dread toward this brother-in-law of his who served in the army.
βAre you just about done? Get out of my house! I donβt care how many thugs you bring. Youβre not getting a cent out of my company.β Nie Yanβs father walked to his wifeβs side and wrapped his arm around her waist. This simple gesture was enough. Her shoulders dropped, relieved from the weight of a crushing burden. Tears rolled down her face as she leaned against her husband.
βSister, we came here today to have a civil discussion, but your family is simply too out of line!β Luo Ming said, wrinkling his brows.
βScram! If I hear any more nonsense out of you, Iβll kick you of the house myself!β Nie Yan stared daggers at Luo Ming.
βLook at your son! Is that how you teach him to talk to his elders!?β Luo Mingβs anger had reached its peak. His hand moved to slap Nie Yanβs face. Lost in his rage, he forgot that Nie Yan was no longer the same cowardly boy he knew from the past.
Nie Yan recalled the unhappy experiences that he had with Luo Ming in his childhood. He had been beaten by Luo Ming more times than he cared to remember, quite ruthlessly too. Many times, heβd been left with deep bruises. His mother would always burst into tears, her heart aching deeply whenever she saw the abuse that she was helpless to stop.
Nie Yan grabbed Luo Mingβs wrist like a vice grip and fiercely twisted his arm backwards.
βLet go! Let go now!β Luo Ming screamed out in pain.
Nie Yan carried Luo Ming to the front of the house. Opening the door, he threw him out.
βWell, are you going to get the hell out? Or do I have to throw you out?β Nie Yanβs eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness as he swept his gaze over Luo Mingβs wife and the others. Ever since he had shot Cao Xu dead, he was no longer the same weak, timid boy.
Luo Mingβs wife and the others were badly frightened by Nie Yan. They quickly vacated the premises while letting loose a stream of curses.
γBang!γNie Yan slammed the door shut.
βMom, donβt cry. Theyβre not worth your tears.β Nie Yan consoled his mother.
Although Nie Yanβs father found his aggressive actions just a moment ago to be a little strange, he quickly realized something. Presumably, while they were out of town, Nie Yan probably suffered quite a lot under the harassment of Luo Mingβs group. It was only natural for him to change.
Nie Yanβs mother seethed with anger. She felt helpless that she had such a man for an older brother.
Nie Yan spent the entire day helping his mother pack. As dusk approached, she went out to buy groceries in preparation for dinner. Soon, the whole family sat at the table, enjoying a warm meal.
βIβve heard the prep school weβre sending you to is very nice, but the academic requirements in the capital are much higher. Little Yan, keep up with your studies. You musnβt fall behind your peers,β Nie Yanβs father patted him on the shoulders. His relationship with his father now seemed much closer in comparison to what it was in his past life.
βYes, Iβll try my best,β Nie Yan replied, simply to please his parents. As for the need to actually study, passing his senior year of high school with full marks wouldnβt be a problem.
βWhile I was out buying groceries, I heard Little Yu has been going around to our neighbours, telling them that weβve forgotten our roots, and abandoned the relatives whoβve helped us after becoming rich,,β Nie Yanβs mother said, sounding quite vexed about the matter.
βHmph! Let them prattle on. Clear is clear, and muddled is muddled. As for whoβs in the right, anyone with a discerning eye can tell,β Nie Yanβs father said in an annoyed tone.
βMom, Dadβs right. Donβt let them get to you,β Nie Yan comforted.
Nie Yan chatted with his parents for a while after finishing his meal. They would be moving to the capital the day after tomorrow. After they settled down in their new home, school would start a few days later. Just the thought of being able to see Xie Yao again left him feeling somewhat excited. A stream of memories flooded his mind. He recalled that Xie Yao should still be single at this time. She wouldnβt enter a relationship with Liu Rui until university. Even so, they were all going to be fellow students in the same school.
In other words, there was still a chance left for Nie Yan to win her heart. As he thought about this matter, Nie Yanβs mood became complex. He entered his room and put on his virtual reality helmet.
As he logged back in the game, Nie Yan found himself near the respawned Ash Cloaked Heretics. Taking advantage of the spawn immunity from the opening of the server, he found a hidden place to blend into his surroundings, activating Stealth. From a safe position, he looked cautiously at the three Elites to confirm that they were still in the center of the hallway.
Nie Yan slowly advanced until he was directly beneath a ceiling beam. He shot a web line from his Silk Spinner Ring which stuck on the beam. Confirming that the line was secure, he jerked his arm back as his body was flung upwards toward the ceiling. Once he neared the beam, he immediately activated the Crawler Ring and clung on. With the combined abilities of his two rings, he was more than capable of climbing under the beam like a spider.
Nie Yan hid behind the ceiling beam while still in stealth. He quietly crept right over the heads of the unsuspecting Ash Cloaked Heretics. Since they were still in their passive states, it was clear that they had yet to notice him crawling above them.
Nie Yan entered the central hall after getting past the Ash Cloaked Heretics. He was greeted by an ornate and magnificent room with a row of massive pillars on each side and a red carpet laid down the middle. The pillars in each row were about six meters apart from each other, with a hundred of them in total stretching far into the distance. Inside the hall were a few humanoid monsters in silver armor. They carried huge swords as they patrolled, and were clearly melee attackers.
On each side of the hall, in the far corners, a dark gold chest quietly flashed with a metallic light. Nie Yanβs pulse suddenly started racing. These were dark gold chests!
He hadnβt expected this hall to provide loot as good as two dark gold chests. This was the benefit of being a pioneer exploring a new area, because a latecomer would never be able to find these treasures. Ordinary chests would respawn after a random period of time, but dark gold chests would disappear forever!
Sadly, each chest had over a dozen monsters guarding it. Ignoring them for now, Nie Yan noticed that one of the patrolling silver-armored monsters was about to reach his hiding spot behind a pillar.
Health: 5,000/5,000
After seeing the Corrupted Silver Paladinβs stats, Nie Yan felt a chill run down his spine. There were over thirty of these Corrupted Silver Paladins in this hall, all of which were level 33 Elites! If that was true, then he felt that this would be difficult to deal with. Paladin-type monsters usually had high health and attack. Some of them even had specific anti-Thief skills! On top of that, these level 33 Elites were much higher level than him. He had no chance facing off against them!
Creasing his eyebrows, Nie Yan helplessly pondered his options. Using stealth to bypass them as he had the Ash Cloaked Heretics was impossible: these Corrupted Silver Paladins would certainly notice him. His gaze happened to fall on a certain pillar in front of him, causing him to have a sudden flash of insight. He could make use of these pillars! He smiled at the simplicity of his method, but if he could do things the easy way, then why not?
Nie Yan used his Crawler Ring to deftly climb up a pillar, then dropped down like a spider with the line of webbing from his Silk Spinner Ring. Hanging about five meters from the ground, he took out his Crossbow of Blood. He carefully selected and then locked onto a Corrupted Silver Paladin. Suddenly. three bolts flew out in succession. They all hit their mark, dealing thirty points of damage each. Looking at the damage values, he realized that his attack power had truly grown.
After being struck, the Corrupted Silver Paladin quickly noticed Nie Yan hanging from the pillar. It tried to rush at him to attack, but all it could do was run in circles around the pillar with no way of getting to him. Since it couldnβt jump high enough to reach him, it could only fruitlessly attempt to find a path to him.
After the Corrupted Silver Paladin entered the range of Intermediate Demon Hunterβs aura, it began to take fifty damage per hit from Nie Yanβs steady stream of bolts. Making things even worse for the helpless mob, some of the bolts would proc the Armor Pierce property and deal over one hundred and fifty damage.
Under the constant damage and with no way to retaliate, the Corrupted Silver Paladinβs health quickly fell to thirty percent within a short five minutes. At that point, it raised its sword and summoned a grey beam of light from above. To Nie Yanβs dismay, the mobβs health began to rise until it was full.
These things have healing skills… thatβs annoying.
Nie Yan continued his one-sided assault. This sort of monster usually had limited mana pools that could only sustain two or three spells at most. Heβd have to deplete it of all of its mana before he could start dealing any meaningful damage.
If only I had a weapon with the Mana-Siphon property…
With such a weapon, heβd be able to deplete the enemyβs mana with every attack. It was the bane of Paladins, Priests, and Mages. Sadly, that sort of property only appeared on weapons of at least Sub Legendary-grade.
As the Corrupted Silver Paladin once again fell to low health, it cast another self-heal, restoring itself to fifty percent health. Apparently, it could only perform a Greater Heal once before only having enough mana to cast a Lesser Heal. Finally, under Nie Yanβs unceasing assault, the monsterβs health fell bit by bit down to zero. At long last, the defeated corpse collapsed onto the ground.
Nie Yan had successfully killed a Corrupted Silver Paladin! Elated, he jumped down from his position five meters in the air and collected the loot dropped by the monster. The item was a rather special one.
The Splitting Edge appeared here?!
Nie Yanβs heart thumped in shock and excitement. No one knew better than him just how amazing the Splitting Edge was. In his past life, he had used this exact weapon all the way until Level 60. Even though part of the reason for this was his inability to find a suitable replacement, the great properties of this weapon were still the main reason that he could use it for so long.
This very Splitting Edge was renowned as the best Thief weapon under Level 50!