Chapter 730 - Old Friend (1/2)

Nie Yan didn’t know much about the Shadow Strifer. Whoever obtained this title in his past life had never revealed themselves. So, he had no clue what skills or innate abilities it possessed.

Shadow Strifer was the second high rank title to come out after Luminous Dancer. Nie Yan had no idea what the differences were.

Mistaken Smile obtaining the Shadow Strifer title was a type of fate. With Nie Yan obtaining the Luminous Dancer title, destiny made it up to him in some other way.

Nie Yan went to meet with Mistaken Smile right away.

Mistaken Smile had just completed his quest. He was still in the guild headquarters stocking up on supplies, preparing to set out to do some levelling. He had fallen too far behind the others in level due to his long time spend class advancing.

The two bumped into each other in the main hall.

Mistaken Smile wore completely different equipment from last time. Shockingly, he wasn’t wearing leather armour but rather light armour. The Thief class was restricted to only wearing cloth armour or leather armour. They couldn’t wear any type of metal plate armour. However, the Shadow Strifer had clearly broken this rule.

Mistaken Smile was clad in silver ashen metal armour. Even though the colour was fairly reserved and the armour itself looked somewhat dated, the craftsmanship was sublime and elaborate. Every joint was reinforced with all sorts of ancient runes which glowed with a faint blue light.

This was a runic light armour. They were known for having the highest defense among all light armours, rivalling that of some heavy plate armours. Not to mention since it was so light, it had very little impact on the wearer’s speed. This was certainly a rare find. Mistaken Smile’s light armour was at least Sub Legendary-grade, maybe even higher.

“I heard you became a Shadow Strifer. Not bad, not bad. Congratulations!” Nie Yan grinned. Mistaken Smile looked quite valiant and imposing in his light armour.

“Thank you. I think this class really suits me. An ordinary Thief’s defense has always been too low for me. So, I’m really happy with the defense of a Shadow Strifer. It’s roughly on par with a Knight-errant, but my powerful crowd control isn’t negatively affected in the slightest,” Mistaken Smile said.

The two chatted for a while. Mistaken Smile didn’t hide anything from Nie Yan. Shadow Strifers inherited some of the traits of a Warrior. Their health and defense sharply increased, and they gained some speed boosting skills like Charge and crowd control skills like Tendon Break. If he used these skills in battle, they were almost guaranteed to catch the enemy off guard.

Seeing that Mistaken Smile was quite satisfied with the Shadow Strifer title, the slight guilt Nie Yan felt in his heart completely disappeared. After all, in this life he had snatched away the Luminous Dancer title which should have rightfully gone to Mistaken Smile. If Mistaken Smile was a stranger, he wouldn’t have cared. But after becoming guildmates and friends, he would always feel apologetic when he thought of this matter.

“While you were away, Summer Bug became a Magister. She, Sun, King of the World, and the rest went to the underworld together. When they come back and find out you became a Shadow Strifer, Sun and King of the World will definitely feel the pressure.” Nie Yan chuckled. He recalled Sun had been a Shadow Stalker in the previous timeline. He wondered if it would be the same in this life.

“I’m going to do some levelling first and familiarize myself with the skills of a Shadow Strifer. I’ve fallen too far behind. The others are almost 20 levels ahead of me,” Mistaken Smile said. Thinking to this point, he felt a bit depressed. He had really spent too much time doing the Shadow Strifer quest. It’d been incredibly difficult.

“Not a bad idea. That’ll also allow you to get used to your new title. I’m guessing a Shadow Strifer’s playstyle is pretty different from that of a regular Shadow Dancer.”

“Everything in the Viridian Empire has more-or-less settled down. What are you planning to do next?”

“I’m about to make a trip to the Satreen Empire.”

“The Satreen Empire?” Mistaken Smile knitted his brows. This was the territory of Angel Corps. “Are you sure about going there by yourself? Want me to come with you?”

“No need. I’m only going there for a quest, not to get payback on Angel Corps. Focus on raising your level. Go get some Inferno Bombs from Violet Mist and use that levelling method I told you about previously. Trust me, you’ll be amazed.” Nie Yan smiled.

Mistaken Smile though for a moment, then said, “Alright, be careful.” Nie Yan probably wouldn’t have any problems going by himself. At this stage of the game, no one could kill him. Even other Masters didn’t dare to PvP with him. Because it wouldn’t be an even fight but rather a one-sided beating.

The two bid farewell. Mistaken Smile went to pay a visit to Violet Mist to get Inferno Bombs for levelling. Nie Yan packed some essentials and prepared to head to the Satreen Empire.

Before Nie Yan set off, he received a message from Guo Huai. A mysterious tribe in the Abernathy Great Grasslands called the Zala had opened up a secret shop in the north district of Okoron. The requirements to purchase from this shop were extremely high. One had to be at least an Earl to enter.

The Zala weren’t orcs, but they were much burlier than ordinary people. They wore bizarre clothing with necklaces made out of human bones around their necks. Their bodies were covered in white, red, and green dyes. They were a small tribe. However, no NPC dared to look down on them, all those visiting the shop showing their utmost respect.

After hearing Guo Huai’s description, Nie Yan recalled a certain race, barbarians!

It was War God Kelo’s race. Barbarians were divided into many branches. These Zala were likely one such branch.

As he walked along the streets of Okoron, Nie Yan put on his cloak. He headed in the direction of the secret shop.