Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World

Nie Yan had a deep influence on this group of players. In every war Asskickers United fought in so far, no matter how desperate or hopeless things seemed to get, he always stood up to the test and never showed any sign of wavering. This inevitably rubbed off on the entire guild.

Asskickers United was forged through the flames of war!

Smoke Stub and the others had picked up a thing or two from Nie Yan, and that was the willingness to stake their life and risk everything.

“It would’ve been better to have Stone Splitter come. You’re still a bit too wet behind the ears,” Smoke Stub said derisively. Stone Splitter was an Orc Warrior who gained overnight fame throughout the Satreen Empire after slaughtering a group of 30 elites all by himself. He was later personally recruited into Angel Corps by Soaring Angel and quickly rose to the top of their ranks. As for Mad God, he was a bit lacking.

Mad God might have the advantage over Smoke Stub in terms of gear quality, but that alone didn’t determine victory. Skill, awareness, and resolve were just as important in PvP!

“Hmph! Let’s fight and find out!” Mad God charged toward Smoke Stub with his greatsword raised.

「Klang!」Sparks flew as the two greatswords clashed. Smoke Stub was pushed back several steps.

Mad God rained down a torrent of blows, unleashing a multitude of skills in quick succession.

The two were locked in a heated melee.

Smoke Stub’s defense was rock solid. He calmly met every blow head-on and never wasted his skills unnecessarily. Before long, he found an opening. As Mad God went for a wide cleaving slash, he avoided it with an exquisite sidestep and retaliated with a stab toward the chest.

Mad God wanted to continue his offensive, but hurriedly pulled back and parried with his greatsword.

As though he expected this, Smoke Stub followed up with a leg sweep.

Mad God suddenly felt something hook onto his retreating foot. He quickly activated Defense Stance to regain his balance.

Although Smoke Stub failed to trip Mad God, he did make him lose his momentum as well as waste his skills.

Charge!

Smoke Stub rushed forward and slashed down on Mad God with his greatsword. The positions of the two sides were instantly reversed.

This exchange only lasted a few seconds. Those in the crowd with even a little bit of eyesight let out cries of admiration. Mad God liked to suppress his opponents with overwhelming strength, building up his momentum with all sorts of flashy skills before going in for the kill. On the other hand, Smoke Stub was shrewd and ruthless, preferring to save his skills whenever possible. He would lure the opponent into a false sense of security before striking out with a flawlessly timed attack.

Mad God could easily dominate a weaker opponent. However, since they were more or less evenly matched, he couldn’t break past Smoke Stub’s superior defense.

Mad God was frustrated none of his attacks got through. After losing his momentum and being forced on the back foot, Smoke Stub’s offensive left him feeling helpless. If worse came to worst, he would have to use those powerful skills he had been saving up.

“Seems like Smoke Stub has the upper hand… ”

“He always attacks at the perfect time. It’s like watching art! Now this is a Warrior! Knowing when to advance and when to retreat, balancing offense and defense, not like Mad God who only knows how to blindly swing his sword!”

...

The crowd quietly chatted among each other, when a loud roar suddenly shook the square. Mad God’s muscles fiercely bulged out as he grew several times in size. His skin transformed from a greenish hue to the colour of stone, his eyes turning bloodshot.

This was the Berserk Transformation of an Orc Warrior!

Seeing Mad God’s transformation, Smoke Stub also let out a roar and activated Barbarian Strength.

「Boom!」It was as if two titans were clashing. The fighting on the stage grew fiercer and fiercer. The spectators couldn’t help but back away in fear. The brutal all-out brawl and tyrannical display of strength shook their hearts to the core. Now this was a true battle between Warriors!

“Damn! That Mad God is no joke! A berserk Orc Warrior is terrifying!”

“Smoke Stub’s Barbarian Strength is strong too! It must at least be at Rank 3!”

...

“Mad God isn’t bad, but it looks like Smoke Stub has already won,” Bladelight declared to the shock of the crowd. Right now it didn’t look like either side had the upper hand.

“How are you so sure?” Lustboy curiously asked. He held Bladelight in high regard. After all, it was thanks to his guidance that he had gone from an ordinary expert to a top expert. Bladelight’s level of insight wasn’t something ordinary players could hope to achieve.

“You’ll see.” Bladelight smiled, not bothering to explain further.

Lustboy looked a bit doubtful as he shifted his attention back to the fight. Suddenly, a huge change occurred on the stage.

Just as Mad God looked like he was running out of steam, with Berserk Transformation nearing the end of its duration, Smoke Stub threw out a kick and struck him squarely in the gut.

Smoke Stub’s kick was superbly timed. It arrived the exact moment Mad God finished an unrelenting tidal wave of slashes. He never expected Smoke Stub would attack him with this skill! Kick was normally only used to interrupt Mages from casting spells. However, many players forgot it also had a stunning effect.

Kick could halt a target’s movements for a brief moment. The skill’s effects were relatively weak, so players rarely used it, nor could most use it well anyway.

However, in the hands of Smoke Stub, this skill was used to stunning results.

Gazing from the sidelines, Depraved became anxious after seeing Smoke Stub use Kick. He wanted to whisper a warning to Mad God, but it was already too late.

Mad God let out a heavy groan and staggered unsteadily. Smoke Stub didn’t let this opportunity slip by and followed up with a Tendon Break.

Mad God was incapacitated!

Flame Slash!

Great Cleave!

...

Smoke Stub chained one skill after another as brilliant arcs of light trailed the path of his slashes. The dazzling display shook the audience to their core.

When Mad God was about to recover, Smoke Stub slammed down with Seismic Slam and stunned him once more. Seconds later, he was sent flying out as his body heavily crashed into the ground.

The battle was over. Smoke Stub won just like Bladelight predicted!

The crowd exclaimed in cheer. The scene of Smoke Stub plunging his foot into Mad God’s gut was destined to become a classic that would be viewed by players over and over again. Every person had a different understanding of every skill. But Smoke Stub showed the crowd true skill. Even ordinary skills such as Kick could be deadly in the right hands. It was precisely because they were viewed as ordinary and unremarkable that they could be so deadly!

Smoke Stub sheathed his greatsword. Glancing at his skill bar, he hadn’t even used half his skills.

After a while, Mad God revived with a dark, gloomy expression on his face. He had many skills he still hadn’t used. However, Smoke Stub’s kick came too far out of left field. That one little slip-up snowballed into his defeat. He didn’t even get a chance to reveal his trump cards.

“Alright, a deal is a deal. Hand over your shoulder guards,” Smoke Stub said. This was his spoil from the battle. He could tell Mad God’s shoulder guards were a piece of Sub Legendary-grade equipment.

After examining his gear, Smoke Stub concluded Mad God had no less than three pieces of Sub Legendary-grade equipment. This fellow was truly rich.

Mad God reluctantly unequipped his shoulder guards.

“Wait, how about another round? I’ll have another person go up. If you lose, you’ll have to fork over another piece of equipment. If we lose, we’ll return these shoulder guards to you,” Smoke Stub suddenly proposed.

“You’re sure?” Mad God asked in a menacing tone. He was glaring daggers at Smoke Stub, wanting nothing more than to rip him to shreds.

“Of course. I’ll let you keep these shoulder guards for now. I don’t want people saying we bullied you by making you fight with a handicap,” Smoke Stub answered. He scanned his eyes over the equipment on Mad God’s body.

Mad God felt conflicted. He really wasn’t willing to hand over his shoulder guards. However, since their bet was made through the system, reneging was impossible. The only way he would get to keep his shoulder guards was to win them back! Though he would have to hand over another piece of equipment if he lost. He could accept his loss to Smoke Stub. But what if any other of these players from Asskickers United were stronger than him?

Mad God believed himself to be at least within the top ten players of Angel Corps. Those who could beat him in the guild were limited to only Stone Splitter, Soaring Angel, and a handful of others. Angel Corps was the hegemon of the Satreen Empire. Compared to his guild, Asskickers United was nothing!

「What a poor sap. He’s really going to be in for a rude awakening!」Bladelight chuckled, sending a whisper to Smoke Stub.

「Mad God, get down! If we lose, so be it. Don’t give away another piece of equipment!」Depraved warned, sensing the situation turning south.

「Screw that shit! I refuse to believe Asskickers United has that many strong players! I swear I won’t lose again!」

Mad God‘s judgement was already too clouded with anger.

“Fucking hell! You think I’m afraid to bet? Come on then, let’s bet!”

“Alright, if you say so.” Smoke Stub faintly smiled. He turned to Bladelight and the six others below the stage. “Which one of you wants to go up next?”

Smoke Stub’s gaze fell on Bladelight.

“Sure, why not.” Bladelight chuckled. He leaped onto the stage. If he won, they would obtain two pieces of Sub Legendary-grade equipment. Having him go up was the safest choice.

“We’re counting on you.” Smoke Stub felt reassured after seeing Bladelight come up. It looked like Mad God was going to suffer another tragedy. Even he didn’t dare to go head-to-head with Bladelight. A Great Fighter with over 6,000 health and 1,800 defense was no joke. It was like chopping at a solid block of metal.

“No worries, I’ve got this,” Bladelight said. It would be incredibly difficult for any melee class to beat him.