Chapter 209 – Skill of a Shadow Dancer (1/2)

Chapter 209 – Skill of a Shadow Dancer

“You guys should stay here a while longer to clear your red names. When we’re all good, I’ll take everyone to go levelling with me,” Nie Yan said. He could only wait until they were no longer branded as PKers to bring them to Everlasting City; otherwise, they would be besieged by guards as soon as they set foot in Calore.

There weren’t enough Sub-Elite and Elite Scaled Frogs to go around, so many of them could only hunt the ordinary Scaled Frogs.

“Boss, you have a red name too. How come you can enter the city without being attacked?” Summer Bug voiced out his doubts.

“When your Influence in Calore reaches 30 points, you can walk around freely with a red name,” Nie Yan replied. A person would have to complete many high-difficulty quests to accumulate that much Influence. He felt such an undertaking was too difficult for the vast majority of players at the current stage of the game.

“It’s that difficult…? My Influence in Calore is only at 2 points. I got them from helping an NPC in a quest, but completing that damned thing nearly drove me mad!” Undying Scoundrel couldn’t help but lament, rolling his eyes back in shock.

The others also felt exasperated at Nie Yan’s revelation. Unless they encountered some sort of quest with amazing rewards, getting 30 Influence was temporarily out of the scope of their ability.

“Keep farming Scaled Frogs. We’ll set off when you’ve all cleared your red names,” Nie Yan said. He specifically bought 1,000 Magic Bombs to power level them directly to Level 30. It was enough to let them level to their heart’s content.

Most of the group dispersed to continue grinding on Scaled Frogs, leaving behind Nie Yan, Yao Yao, Yu Lan, and Bai Kaishui.

Nie Yan chatted with them for a while about the previous incident outside of Black Flame Forest. Because Yu Lan had died as a PKer after killing multiple players, she dropped several levels as well as her all her equipment. The guild was able to provide her with a new set of equipment, and she was now Level 23 thanks to the efforts of Yao Yao. With this, the strength of the Blue Feather Team also slowly recovered.

“I still haven’t personally thanked you for last time,” Nie Yan said to Yu Lan and Bai Kaishui.

“It’s nothing, Boss. The incident last time only happened because a member of our team sold you out. Even though that person is gone, it was still our fault to some degree,” Bai Kaishui said in a serious tone.

Yu Lan nodded in agreement. The calamity that befell her team—especially the betrayal—caused her to be deeply aggrieved. Fortunately, her team had fully recovered by now, and with the backing of Asskickers United, they achieved even more success than before. Joining Nie Yan’s guild could also be considered a good outcome birthed from a setback.

“Alright, let’s not linger on unpleasant matters.” Nie Yan laughed. He glanced at the surroundings, then turned to Yao Yao and asked, “Why didn’t I see Sun?”

“He went scouting for Sub-Elites and Elites. I’ll send him a whisper,” Yao Yao replied. Only now did she realize that she hadn’t seen him in quite a while.

“It’s fine. Let’s go hunt Scaled Frogs for the time being,” Nie Yan said. He wanted to see if he could get a Killer’s Demonic Medallion to drop.

The group of players scattered around the map to hunt monsters. With their strength, they were picking off the ordinary Scaled Frogs like it was child’s play. However, this was only to be expected. After all, the quality of their equipment wasn’t any bit inferior to that of the top players from the large guilds!

Nie Yan found a corner where he holed himself up in to fight Scaled Frogs. After comprehending the mysteries of a Shadow Dancer, he started applying some of the techniques he had seen from his past life in combat.

Under the frightening onslaught of Nie Yan’s attacks, Scaled Frogs collapsed to the ground one after another. He was simply too fast, leaving behind only after-images whenever he attacked. None of them could even get close, let alone land a hit on him.

After downing his sixteenth Scaled Frog, Nie Yan moved toward a clearing up ahead where he discovered five Scaled Frogs gathered in close proximity. He pondered for a moment before revealing a fearless smirk. He switched to a forward grip with the dagger in his hand, then dashed toward them.

Nie Yan suddenly reemerged behind one of the Scaled Frogs. He struck it in the back of the head with Smothering Strike, then followed up with Assassinate and Lacerate. The Scaled Frog let out a miserable croak, as a huge chunk of health was shaved away, before turning around and pouncing on its assailant

Alerted by Nie Yan’s presence, the other four Scaled Frogs sprung on him as well.

Nie Yan’s silhouette was ethereal like a ghost as he passed through the opening between the five Scaled Frog. With a Vital Strike followed by a combo of stabs and slashes, he took down the already less than half-health Scaled Frog.

“One down!” Nie Yan spun around, dodging the attacks of the four remaining Scaled Frogs in quick succession as he darted forward. Locking onto a target, he smashed one of them in the forehead with a Concussive Blow. His silhouette blurred into motion, then reappeared behind the stunned Scaled Frog. Backstab! Eviscerate! Without pause he sped back a few paces, avoiding the tongue lashes of the other Scaled Frogs.

Despite being surrounded on all four sides, Nie Yan effortlessly evaded the attacks of the Scaled Frogs. His face showed no trace of panic. It was almost as though he were merely taking a leisurely stroll.

The four Scaled Frogs hadn’t landed a single hit on Nie Yan. He was as slippery as a louch, perfectly taking advantage of every opening between each attack to evade.

The difference between a Shadow Dancer and a Great Thief was that while a Great Thief could display 100% of their ability, a Shadow Dancer could display 200% or even 300%. They were able to utilize every single stat point to its fullest to bring about the greatest effect.

Even with the same speed, level, stats, and gear quality, a Great Thief wouldn’t even hold a candle against a Shadow Dancer!

Damage values continuously floated up above the Scaled Frog’s head until only a small chunk of health was left. The creature collapsed to the ground as Nie Yan finished it off with a few attacks.

“Two down!” All of Nie Yan’s skills were already on cooldown. He employed simple steps to avoid the attacks of the remaining three Scaled Frogs, simultaneously stabbing and slashing as he left behind several wounds on them before rapidly retreating again.