Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World

King of the World held Nie Yan in high regard. Only a few short months ago, Asskickers United was nothing more than a small obscure guild. But now, after ousting Victorious Return, they were the de facto ruler of Calore.

When he first started playing Conviction, he had improved by leaps and bounds as a Thief after coming across several of Nie Yan’s videos. Ever since, he considered Nie Yan half his master. That’s why he had refused to act against Assskickers United during their bounty war with Bloodlust Blades. He would never return kindness with enmity.

But the circumstances were different this time around. He wanted to issue out a challenge to Nie Yan. This was him testing himself out against a skilled opponent, not carrying out a vendetta. There existed an intrinsic difference between these two things.

Nie Yan was undoubtedly a mythical figure in Calore.

King of the World’s eyes were ablaze with excitement. As a mercenary who trod the line between life and death, his greatest joy was finding a worthy opponent.

After travelling to Glory City to hunt down players from Bloodlust Blades, he had honed his skills to a whole new level. He had touched upon the true essence of a Thief and learned the class could be played in many unimaginable ways.

As someone who had spent most of his life roaming from battlefield to battlefield, having never touched a video game until recently, Conviction was a completely new experience to him. Nevertheless, as time passed, his frightening comprehension ability for the game became apparent.

He had killed a total of 2,872 Bloodlust Blades players during his time in Glory City, putting him way ahead of the pack on the mission board of the League of Assassins. The person in second place had only recently surpassed 1,000 kills. He was promoted to an earl thanks to his accomplishments and wasn’t that far off from becoming a marquis.

King of the World’s fame had also risen accordingly. Many players knew of him.

Asskickers United had once tried to recruit King of the World but were rejected by him. The reason being that he wanted to bring his close brothers along with him. However, their levels and the quality of their equipment were too low. Guo Huai of course didn’t agree since that wouldn’t be fair. No one had ever joined through a special backdoor. Every member had to go through stringent screening.

Asskickers United had their rules, and King of the World had his principles. Like this, the matter of him joining the guild was indefinitely put on hold.

King of the World dashed across the plains at top speed toward Nie Yan’s location. This was a clash between Thieves where either side could come out on top. He was burning with anticipation for the upcoming battle. He had no quarrel with Nie Yan. But how often did someone get the opportunity to challenge a legendary figure like the Mad Rogue?

...

Nie Yan was a bit more knowledgeable on King of the World than most others. He was still curious about what happened between King of the World and Heaven Breaker back then.

Nie Yan dismounted from his Faulkner Warhorse. This grassland was full of Level 70 Minotaurs. They were three meters tall, brimming with muscles, and wielded giant broad axes.

Hmm… King of the World should be arriving right about now. Let’s grind a bit of experience first… Nie Yan snuck behind one of the Minotaurs and struck it in the back of the head with Smothering Strike. He followed up with Backstab and Lacerate, unleashing blow after blow until the Minotaur collapsed dead on the ground. These monsters were a cakewalk compared to the Bloodshadow Warriors.

Just as Nie Yan bent down and picked up the 3 silver droppped from the Minotaur’s corpse, he felt a slight chill at back of his neck. The feeling though fleeting didn’t escape his notice. It appeared King of the World had already arrived.

Nie Yan tossed the 3 silver into his bag while trying to detect the other party’s location. He suddenly sensed a direction and focused on a flat patch of grass ahead of him.

Eye of Truth!

Nie Yan’s eyes flashed with a sharp light. He carefully scanned over the area. To his surprise, he failed to discover anything. His enhanced Eye of Truth was fairly high rank. It should easily unveil any Thief at this stage of the game. So, why did it fail?

King of the World felt cold sweat running down his back. He never expected to already be noticed by Nie Yan after only approaching within 13 meters. What high Awareness!

An eye skill! King of the World’s heart trembled after seeing the demonic red light blossoming out of Nie Yan’s pupils. He hurriedly activated Hide, granting him immunity to detection for 3 seconds.

King of the World felt Nie Yan’s sharp gaze sweep over him. When the effects of Hide wore off, he would be laid bare by Eye of Truth.

It was do or die! King of the World dashed in a half moon around Nie Yan before closing in from behind.

Sensing the sharpness of a dagger approaching the back of his head, Nie Yan quickly sidestepped the Smothering Strike. With a flick of his wrist, he retaliated with a Reverse Grip Backstab.

As King of the World’s attack missed, his figure gradually materialized. He couldn’t help but take notice of Nie Yan’s incredible reaction speed!

King of the World’s footsteps blurred as he evaded the attack. This was the Freedom Skill of a Great Thief, Phantom Step! He quickly retaliated with a Puncture to Nie Yan’s flank.

After this initial exchange, all traces of arrogance vanished from King of the World’s mind. Nie Yan’s combat style was quite overbearing. He couldn’t help but feel stifled.

The Mad Rogue really did live up to his reputation.

Nie Yan had an air of absolute confidence about him, as if he could keep his cool no matter what kind of danger he ran into. Like this, he could display even more power.

Nie Yan evaded with Gale Step, then reemerged from stealth 15 meters away. He turned around and glanced back at King of the World. The Phantom Step and Puncture just now gave him a strange sense of deja vu.

This was why he chose to disengage instead of resuming the offensive.

As Nie Yan met eyes with King of the World, something in his mind suddenly clicked. Bayonet?

The similarity of their fighting styles couldn’t help but raise Nie Yan’s suspicions. He recalled that both Bayonet and King of the World had a close band of brothers. It was also rumoured that King of the World’s disappearance in the previous timeline was due to the cold-blooded murder of his brothers at the hands of Heaven Breaker, who was later assassinated by a mysterious assailant. Lastly, based on the dialogue Bayonet had with Wisp during the kidnapping attempt on Xie Yao, Nie Yan clearly remembered that his circumstances were roughly the same as King of the World’s.

He couldn’t help but wonder if Bayonet and King of the World were one and the same.

“Care to make a little wager?” Nie Yan made his decision. He was determined to recruit King of the World to his side, regardless of whether or not he was Bayonet!

“What kind of bet?” King of the World asked warily. What startled him was that the Nie Yan he had met the day prior was actually Nirvana Flame. Of this he was absolutely certain. After their previous exchange in real life, Nie Yan’s movement and subtle habits were still vivid in his mind. This was something he had picked up after more than a decade of fighting in war stricken territories.

Nirvana Flame’s identity in real life had always been a mystery to players. He had never revealed this information to the public, so very few people knew.

In only a brief exchange, King of the World determined Nirvana Flame was Nie Yan!

“We’ll PvP right here. Everything within 100 meters will be our arena.”Bayonet was a mercenary, and every mercenary had a price. Nie Yan was confident the Nie Family Financial Group could afford to hire him.

“What happens if I win or lose?”King of the World asked. He wanted to find out just what Nie Yan was scheming.

“If I win, you’ll have to promise me your loyalty. Furthermore, Asskickers United’s doors will be open to you, and I’ll also give you the four chapters in my possession. As for your brothers, I can let them join the branch guilds first. When their levels and equipment are good enough, they can join Asskickers United. If I lose, not only will the four chapters go to you, but I’ll throw in the Evil Gemstone that allows you to class advance into a Luminous Dancer,” Nie Yan explained with a smile. Just from the expression on his face, anyone could tell he was plotting something.

As long as King of the World agreed to this bet, he would obtain four chapters from the fifth volume of the Book of Order. Who could refuse such an enticing offer?

“What’s in it for you?” King of the World asked. Regardless of the outcome, Nie Yan would still have to hand over his four chapters.

“What’s in it for me? You, of course! As long as I win, you’ll become a part of Asskickers United. So what if I gift you these four chapters? Items are only material at the end of the day!” Nie Yan said in a straightforward manner. He could obtain countless amazing items any time he wanted. Why would he care about four measly chapters? Besides this, he had successfully laid out his trap. King of the World hadn’t noticed the pitfall in his words.

Based on the fact that King of the World had been willing to kill Heaven Breaker to avenge his brothers in the previous timeline, Nie Yan was confident he wasn’t someone who broke his promises.

“Alright. I accept the bet. Don’t forget your words. I’m not someone who holds back. You better not regret it when I take those four chapters and the Evil Gemstone from you. Of course I’ll fulfill my end of the bargain if I lose,” King of the World said. Nie Yan had won him over. He also finally understood why Nie Yan was admired by so many. Even if he ended up beating Nie Yan today, he decided that he would still join Asskickers United.

What King of the World really wanted to know was why Nie Yan trusted him so much. If he went back on his word and fled with the four chapters, wouldn’t Nie Yan be shit out of luck?

Nevertheless, King of the World was still moved by this display of good faith. He naturally wouldn’t throw it back in Nie Yan’s face.

“I’m making my move!” King of the World declared, pouncing towards Nie Yan with his dagger raised.