Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World

Skyrocketing to prominence shortly after the release of Conviction, Asskickers United was legendary among ordinary players. They gathered only the most outstanding players, and had the best equipment out of all the large guilds.

Being the owner of a Brilliant Sun Set was enough to propel you to a first-rate Warrior in any ordinary guild. But in Asskickers United, you would barely count as a second-rate if not a third-rate player.

Xu Yan had a proud look on his face. Most Asskickers United players felt a strong attachment to the guild. So much so even former members, who departed on the promise of greener pastures, would still reminisce about their days in the guild every so often. To truly consider yourself a part of a greater whole, to stand together in both shame and glory… such sentiments weren’t so easy to erase.

Take Dark Hero for example. Even if the guild was nothing more than an empty husk, many former members still thought back to its glory days.

Loyalty was also a type of conviction.

As Xu Yan enthusiastically talked about his piece of equipment, Nie Yan gave a wry smile. Given what he knew of Xu Yan’s personality, he likely wouldn’t move away from this topic for the rest of the day.

Nie Yan could relate with Xu Yan. In the previous timeline, he would often get just as excited over obtaining a piece of Gold- or Dark Gold-grade equipment. Nowadays though, even Legendary equipment didn’t spark much emotion in him.

Seeing Xu Yan like this, Nie Yan couldn’t help but recall his past life.

“Getting all excited over a measly Level 85 chestplate. Hah! What more can you expect from trash?” Fu Guangtao interjected as he happened to walk by.

Nie Yan furrowed his brows. He really didn’t like Fu Guangtao’s tone.

Xia Tianyu, Xu Yan, and Fei Zhe all snorted, ignoring Fu Guangtao.

Nie Yan had heard from Xu Yan that Fu Guangtao had found a wealthy backer inside the game. He was provided the Adherent Set, a Level 80 Dark Gold-grade set. In the entire class, he was only second to Bai Jun in terms of gear quality. This was why he kept showing off in front of them.

Fu Guangtao glanced over at Nie Yan. The two locked eyes.

“Nie Yan, what level are you? You know, I don’t think I’ve ever once heard you talk about the game. Well, whenever you’re not quote unquote busy, you’re always welcome to join us in our dungeon runs. We’ve already reached the Level 80 dungeon, Mysterious Cavern. Don’t worry. If your level is too low, we can always carry you. Heh.” Fu Guangtao chuckled, his voice laced with venom.

During these last few weeks, many people had asked Nie Yan what level he was, what class he played, and so on. However, he would always avoid answering by changing the topic, incurring the ridicule of some classmates. They believed he was too embarrassed to tell anyone because he was a low level nobody. So, he kept his ingame persona tightly under wraps.

“I’m in the middle of a quest right now. I probably won’t be out for another month or two. But sure, why not? I don’t see any harm in running dungeons with you guys,” Nie Yan said with a placid smile.

“Tsk, what kind of quest takes two months to do. I’ve heard five year olds come up with better excuses…” Fu Guangtao muttered to himself in a voice just loud enough for Nie Yan and the others to hear.

“This motherf-” Xia Tianyu, Xu Yan, and Fei Zhe shot up from their seats, anger flaring from their eyes.

Fu Guangtao immediately shut his mouth, knowing not to push things too far. He shot Nie Yan’s group a look of disdain and then walked past. If Nie Yan actually had any real clout inside the game, he would’ve long since retaliated after such provocations. Fu Guangtao refused to believe he had this much composure, which was why Zhao Shiyu and the others were convinced he was low level trash in the game.

Fu Guangtao knew he was no match for Nie Yan’s group. However, fighting was strictly forbidden in the Top Military Academy. Any student caught breaking this rule would be harshly punished. So, he wasn’t the slightest bit worried about them attacking him.

At present, the command faculty was divided into several cliques. One was led by Zhao Shiyu, Fu Guangtao, and Bai Jun, numbering around a dozen or so people, which was about half the students in the class. Another comprised Nie Yan, Xia Tianyu, Xu Yan, and Fei Zhe, who were the frequent targets of bullying. As for the remaining 10 or so students, they kept to themselves. Though they disliked Zhao Shiyu and her cohort, they didn’t mingle with Nie Yan and the others either.

Zhao Shiyu and the others feared Nie Yan’s strength, so they weren’t willing to enter a direct confrontation with him. However, they targeted him in plenty of other ways, like excluding him from the basketball team, soccer team, and fighting team. Nie Yan didn’t really mind since he had no interest in standing in the limelight anyway.

“God dammit. I really want to give that bastard a beating!” Xu Yan gritted his teeth. He glared at Fu Guangtao’s back with clenched fists.

“Tell me about it! That smug look on his face always pisses me off,” Xia Tianyu chimed in.

“Forget it. Let’s not do anything rash,” Fei Zhe dissuaded.

Xu Yan took a deep breath. “I know…”

Xia Tianyu, Xu Yan, and Fei Zhe had no outlet for their pent-up frustration. Because of the Top Military Academy’s rules, Fu Guangtao was untouchable on school grounds. At the same time, they were too weak to retaliate against him and his group within Conviction.

Nie Yan withdrew his gaze, his eyes flickering with a cold light. He previously couldn’t be bothered to deal with Fu Guangtao, Zhao Shiyu, and their lot. However, these fellows kept trying to push his buttons. Even saints have a limit to their tolerance!

Nie Yan turned to his three friends and asked, “What level are you guys right now?”

“I”m Level 80, why?” Xu Yan gave Nie Yan a puzzled look.

“Level 83,” Xia Tianyu replied.

“Level 81.” Fei Zhe also looked on in surprise. Nie Yan previously didn’t show any interest in the game. Why was he suddenly asking this question now?

Xia Tianyu, Xu Yan, and Fei Zhe were all fairly high level. Even if Undying Scoundrel and the others carried them, it wouldn’t make much difference. In terms of levelling speed, they would have to rely on themselves. Nie Yan thought for a moment. He could probably gift them some equipment.

Asskickers United’s treasury was filled to the brim with high quality equipment. Giving away a few pieces was nothing. A single hair from Nie Yan’s body would provide them a lifetime of good fortune. Even if they couldn’t become peak experts, it would at least allow them to go toe-to-toe with Fu Guangtao.

“I’m in the middle of a quest right now. So, I’ll get someone to deliver you guys some equipment. When you guys finish levelling up, you can return it to me,” Nie Yan said.

Xu Yan and the others stared at Nie Yan with strange expressions on their faces.

“Nie Yan, it’s fine. Don’t take Fu Guangtao’s words to heart. It’s just a game. It doesn’t really matter. There’s no need to bicker with them,” Fei Zhe comforted. He also didn’t really believe Nie Yan was stuck doing a two-month long quest. If he really was low level, there was no need to keep hiding it like this.

“Right! Who cares what Fu Guangtao and those others say! Self-absorbed pricks! So what if they’re a bit higher level than us!” Xia Tianyu said. “We’ll work hard and quickly surpass them!”

“I’m with Fei Zhe and Xia Tianyu here. Just ignore Fu Guantao. Even if you really are low level, it won’t change anything. I’ll still admire you all the same. If it weren’t for you teaching us fighting techniques these past few weeks, we’d never be as strong as we are now. In my eyes, you’ll always be our boss!” Xu Yan said sincerely.

Xia Tianyu and Fei Zhe also nodded.

Xu Yan had occasionally called him boss in the past. Nie Yan didn’t really pay it any mind and simply took his words as a joke. This time, however, he was truly moved.

“Since you guys see me as your boss, it’s only right that I look out for you too. No need to worry about me. I couldn’t care less about trash like Fu Guangtao. When you guys enter the game tonight, head to the personal storage area. I’ll have someone find you.” Nie Yan chuckled, patting Xu Yan’s shoulder.

Seeing how earnest Nie Yan was, Xu Yan, Xia Tianyu, and Fei Zhe were at a loss.

“Alright, we’ll head to the personal storage area first thing tonight,” Fei Zhe said after thinking for a moment.

In the end, they all decided to put their faith in Nie Yan.

Apart from class, Nie Yan followed his usual routine of working out in the gym. He could still feel himself getting stronger every day. Before long, evening arrived. He entered Conviction and continued doing his Luminous Dancer class advancement quest.

…

Calore, personal storage area.

This was a bustling district. There were shops all around and people walking to and fro from the square.

Xu Yan, Fei Zhe, and Xia Tianyu looked at the people walking around. They were waiting for the person Nie Yan was supposed to send over.

A bit of doubt still existed in their hearts. It wasn’t that they didn’t believe Nie Yan, just that they worried he might be doubling down too hard. If he really was a low level nobody, trying to prove a point like this was meaningless.

“Let’s just tell Nie Yan to forget it. There’s no need to lower ourselves to Fu Guangtao’s level,” Fei Zhe said with a worried look on his face.

“The issue is… can we actually convince him? I don’t think we can win against Zhao Shiyu and them. Hah…” Xu Yan sighed.

“Since Nie Yan called us all the way over here, let’s just see what he has in store for us,” Xia Tianyu said. Since the start, he always felt a sort of reverence for Nie Yan. He didn’t know why.

While the three chatted, Xu Yan’s voice chat rang. A player called Illegal Immigrant was contacting him. He answered with a look of suspicion.

「Hello, I was sent over by Nie Yan. May I ask where you three are right now. Tell me your coordinates. This place is a bit too crowded,」Illegal Immigrant said.

「We’re in the square, 385,285,28,」Xu Yan replied.

「Alright, I see you guys.」

Xu Yan, Xia Tianyu, and Fei Zhe raised their heads. They saw a person in the distance waving at them before running over. He wore decorative clothing and looked to be around 26 years old with a somewhat boyish appearance.

Xia Tianyu, Xu Yan, and Fei Zhe’s faces fell. It was a different matter if the person coming over was a high level expert. But this Illegal Immigrant didn’t look reliable at all. He was clearly Level 0!

“Sorry, I’m late. Talk about bad foot traffic, am I right? Haha…” Illegal Immigrant gave an apologetic smile, appearing slightly out of breath.