Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World

Nie Yan could imagine how many players in the previous timeline wanted to experience ascending the tower using the stairs, but ultimately abandoned the thought due to the jeering of those riding the elevators. It wasn’t until later on that an unremarkable Thief made the trek and received an astonishing reward. Only after the publication of this news did others start to realize this was a hidden quest set up by the system. Many players wanted to try to get some easy benefits, but when they finished climbing the stairs, the quest had long since disappeared. The reward was only available to the first to climb the stairs. Those who followed after would receive nothing.

In this life, Nie Yan would become the first. It hadn’t even been half a week since the Thief Association’s tower was built, and with how fast the magic elevators were, very few players would choose to take the stairs. As a result, these past few days not a single soul had persevered and climbed all the way to the top of the tower using the stairs.

The seconds and minutes ticked away. Nie Yan patiently continued climbing up. Every now and then, his vision would drift out the window and fall upon the crowd below, who looked like roving ants. Constant jeers came from the players riding the elevators. However, he ignored them and continued on.

After roughly 10 minutes, Nie Yan finally reached the top floor of the tower.

Many players happened to notice his arrival. They all focused their gazes on him.

“Look, it’s that idiot who didn’t ride the elevator. He actually climbed the stairs all the way from the bottom to the top.”

“Haha, what a dumbass. Just looking at him makes me feel smarter!”

At this moment, Nie Yan lit up with a dazzling radiance. It resembled the visual effect for levelling up, but it was actually the one for completing a quest. Everyone on the top floor was flabbergasted. There were no NPCs in the immediate vicinity. Could it be that he had received a reward for climbing all the way to the top using the stairs?

The clues clicked together in their heads. Everyone instantly realized this was a hidden quest! Why else would that cloaked fellow waste more than 10 minutes climbing over 2,000 steps!?

No longer was there anyone making fun of Nie Yan. Some people quietly slipped away into the magic elevators going down. They planned to copy him and also climb to the top of the tower using the stairs. They couldn’t allow others to snatch this opportunity away!

Nie Yan checked his notifications after the system jingle rang in his head.

A Fool’s Reward. You have obtained 10 Willpower. In the dull drabness of life, even when confronted with the mockery of countless people, may you be as you were today. Stay true to your convictions. Perseverance is the key to success.

Willpower was a fairly rare stat. Most players had around 50 Willpower at most. High rank Mages might have a bit more, with a lucky few reaching as high as 100 Willpower. Equipment that increased Willpower was quite rare. Of course, Nie Yan was an anomaly. His Willpower had already reached over 200.

Willpower was an important stat. It increased a player’s resistance against Mind Magic. Even if they were affected, the duration would be greatly reduced. There was an abundance of other uses for Willpower, a decrease in subsequent damage taken after hit by Mind Magic, an equipment requirement, and a scaling factor for certain high level spells, to name a few. Even though it seemed insignificant, it could potentially be a lifesaver in dangerous situation.

This reward of 10 Willpower was quite good.

“Stay true to your convictions. Perseverance is the key to success...” Nie Yan muttered to himself. He suddenly realized something and cracked a faint smile. “Looks like the Willpower wasn’t the only reward.”

Nie Yan checked his character window. Beside ‘Brave’, ‘Just’, ‘Benevolent’, ‘Sincere’, and ‘Selfless’, ‘Unwavering’ was added. Never compromising on one’s convictions with an unshakeable will, that was unwavering.

Nie Yan didn’t expect to receive another character property. He already had six. He guessed that after obtaining a certain number of them, he’d receive a reward.

As for what this number was, Nie Yan couldn’t say.

In Conviction’s lore, seven was an unlucky number since it represented the end of the week. Beside things related to celestial bodies, it generally wouldn’t appear anywhere else. Eight or nine was a possibility, even 10 or higher.

Collecting all the character properties would probably take a long time.

Looking around the hall, Nie Yan noticed everyone staring at him. He ignored their gazes and walked over to the balcony, inciting their comments.

“Holy shit. That crazy bastard isn’t planning to jump, is he?”

“No way, this tower is at least 300 meters tall!”

Nie Yan didn’t listen as he jumped off the balcony. He rapidly descended in altitude as the wind whistled past his ears. He was getting closer and closer to the ground. When it looked like he was about to go splat, he activated the Featherfall Jewel and made a gentle landing.

Those who spoke up rushed over to the balcony and looked down to see Nie Yan had already safely landed on the ground. They then watched him dash away and disappear into the crowd of people in the Thief Association.

“Damn, it’s the Featherfall skill. That bastard sure is rich.”

At this stage of the game, few players possessed items with the Featherfall skill. A bidding frenzy would erupt every time one was put up for sale in the marketplace.

Nie Yan’s emergence and disappearance was only a momentary distraction for these players. No one knew what he received as a reward. This would forever remain a mystery. Many tried copying him, climbing from the bottom of the tower to the top using the stairs, but they all came up empty handed. Some refused to give up and repeated the same trek five or six more times.

The foolish one wasn’t Nie Yan, but them!

Nie Yan planned on visiting the Enchanter and Jewelcrafter next to upgrade his equipment and Special Items. He also had to make some preparations to obtain the Life Crystals he needed to hatch his Darkwing Dragon egg. Besides this, he also needed to find a Life Emerald to craft the Wish Necklace.

Asskickers United was smoothly growing without any problems as of late, having recently captured another Intermediate Stronghold and 10 more Basic Strongholds. Furthermore, Sapphire Shrine, Holy Empire, and Radiance Sacred Flame had evenly divided 12 strongholds between themselves.

Aside from the strongholds, Guo Huai and the other highers up had started excavating mines, dispatching Miners to dig up ores and other valuable materials. Footing the bill, Asskickers United had a great interest in successful expeditions. So, when Angel Corps ambushed them on several occasions, leading to the fruits of their labour going up in smoke, action had to be undertaken. Guo Huai dispatched Sun, Undying Scoundrel, and several others to dish out payback.

That said, Asskickers United wasn’t in a position to enter another conflict right now. It was better to solidify their foundation first.

After Nie Yan finished upgrading his equipment, he made another trip to the Underworld. He had Fallen Angel’s people help him find a suitable levelling spot and grinded for five days straight, raising his level to Level 76. The equipment he brought back sold for a total of 800,000 gold.

「I just heard rumours of Gryphon Woodlands opening in 10 days,」Guo Huai informed Nie Yan.

Nie Yan’s heart trembled. He had never visited Gryphon Woodlands in his past life, but he had heard a few things about it. Before his assassination attempt on Cao Xu, only a total of five flying mount maps had been released, Gryphon Woodlands, Wind Serpent Gully, Dragonfly Everglades, Phoenix Lair, and Dragon Valley. These places were all extremely dangerous, requiring at least a team of 20 to enter. But with possible rewards such as a flying mount egg or a Gryphon Chick, it was well worth it. This was an outcome all players dreamed of.

Gryphons, Wind Serpents, and Dragonflies were all high rank existences. As for Dragons and Phoenixes, they only appeared in legends and myths. No one had actually gotten one of them.

These maps were located between the borders of the Satreen and Viridian Empires and were classified as unregulated zones. No nation could bring these places into their territory. In the previous timeline, after Gryphon Woodlands was released, countless guilds dispatched teams to explore this place. Many returned beaten black and blue, having nothing to show for their efforts. However, some teams did manage to obtain a few good things. When the expedition team of Victorious Return obtained a Gryphon Chick, for example, their entire guild erupted in celebration.

Even if it meant wiping countless times, the allure of a powerful flying mount was simply too great. Many of these guilds still advanced dauntlessly.

“It’s time to explore the Gryphon Woodlands, huh…” Nie Yan’s eyes flashed with a peculiar light. “I wonder if the Magic Association will start selling Dispel Fog Scrolls now.”

In the previous timeline, the Magic Association had started selling Dispel Fog Scrolls at the same time Gryphon Woodlands was released.

Dispel Fog Scroll was a special type of scroll with a very specific use. Their effective range was quite large. Five Great Mages activating a single Dispel Fog Scroll could clear away all fog within a 3,000 meter radius for six hours. Generally, if you went searching in the rooms of the Magic Association, you could find an ordinary-looking NPC Great Mage that sold these scrolls. When players found him, they wouldn’t know what he was selling. It was only after exchanging dialogue with him that he would explain the use of Dispel Fog Scrolls and offer to sell it to them.

In the previous timeline, when Dispel Fog Scrolls started being sold, many players would shake their heads and leave with their money. Such a lousy looking scroll was being sold for 500 gold. This was basically a scam! It wasn’t until later that they realized how useful it was. The Gryphon Woodlands dungeon was completely covered in fog. Without a Dispel Fog Scroll, it was practically impossible to get through. At that time, the Magic Association of every city would only sell 5 Dispel Fog Scrolls every 5 days at 12 o’clock sharp. Due to the scarcity, many guilds fought over them. As soon as they appeared, they would be snatched up instantly. There simply wasn’t enough to go around. It got to the point where every major guild stationed players around the clock in Magic Associations. It was all for the sake of buying Dispel Fog Scrolls. With it, they could run Gryphon Woodlands!