Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World

Liu Rui’s pride was deeply wounded. He gritted his teeth in anger and humiliation. He already hated Nie Yan to the bone and could barely hold himself back after seeing such a cocky display.

Now the shoe was on the other foot. Liu Rui had used even nastier methods in the previous timeline. Nie Yan planned to thoroughly pay everything back!

Nie Yan’s lips curved into a smile of contempt. Liu Rui would never again have the qualifications to compete with him!

Seeing the look of disdain in Nie Yan’s eyes, Liu Rui’s fury erupted like a volcano. There was only so much he could take. A blazing Arcane Fireball condensed in his palm.

Liu Rui felt confident his teammates wouldn’t stand idly by if he took action. At worst the situation would devolve into a full-out battle. It was much better than taking this humiliation lying down!

“Shit! What the fuck are you doing, Sky Piercer!? Stand down, now!” Fresh Fish hollered. But it was too late. Liu Rui shot the Arcane Fireball at Nie Yan.

Lil’ Gold stepped forward and blocked the fireball, which exploded into a shower of embers on his golden scales.

Fresh Fish felt his stomach drop like a stone. They had attacked first, meaning Nie Yan could retaliate against them without facing any repercussion. He raised his staff in preparation for an imminent slaughter.

“Nirvana Flame, I’ll crush you beneath my feet one day!” Liu Rui flared as his face distorted with fury and vitriol.

“You’re welcome to try. Let’s see if you have the skill.” Nie Yan couldn’t even be bothered to spare a glance at such a hollow display. Liu Rui was all bark and zero bite.

At this moment, Lil’ Gold turned his head and shot out a Dragon Fireball. Before Liu Rui could even react, the blazing attack engulfed him in flames.

How could a cloth-armoured Mage withstand a single hit from Lil’ Gold?

Naturally, it was an instant kill!

Liu Rui fell dead to the ground. His clothes were burnt black, and smoke rose up from his corpse.

Lil’ Gold snorted a few flames from his nostrils after making short work of Liu Rui, then looked around, almost as if he were asking if there were any other takers.

The players from Victorious Return felt their blood run cold. Only now did they have an understanding of Lil’ Gold’s terrifying power.

Nie Yan’s expression remained unchanged after killing Liu Rui. However, the players from Victorious Return were shaking in their boots.

Still no one else dared to attack Nie Yan. They were all waiting for Fresh Fish’s command.

Liu Rui actually thought he could instigate everyone into battle. This was simply wishful thinking!

Nie Yan was almost 10 levels above them at Level 54 and was decked out in amazing equipment. Add this to the fact he also had a powerful Level 50 Golden Dragon by his side, and it was no wonder they were hesitant to act.

The Warriors and Berserkers were prepared to rush forward.「Everybody, remain calm. Don’t attack without my orders!」Fresh Fish commanded in voice chat.

Fresh Fish’s forehead seeped with cold sweat. He felt like he was walking on a knife’s edge. It was still possible to maintain a standoff at this moment. But if things escalated any further, all hell would break loose, at which point no one could predict what might happen. Nie Yan was simply too frightening. Fresh Fish had no idea how to guard against such a Thief.

Everyone’s nerves were stretched taught. They would dogpile Nie Yan as soon as he took action.

Fresh Fish raised his staff before lowering it down again in the end. As long as everyone simultaneously attacked Nie Yan, they could obliterate him. He predicted the Golden Dragon wouldn’t fare much better off against such an intense barrage of attacks.

But Fresh Fish ultimately didn’t dare to take action. Nie Yan was bound to have some aces up his sleeve. Why else would he act so brazenly?

Nie Yan always had assurance. He would never allow himself to fall into a dangerous situation.

Fresh Fish feared they might end up similar to Liu Rui, getting crushed like ants.

Nie Yan and Lil’ Gold continued walking forwards as the players from Victorious Return stepped aside and let them pass.

The tension in the air was palpable. They were ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

However, Nie Yan didn’t show any signs of making a move. From his perspective, thoroughly destroying the fighting spirit and confidence of the enemy was far more effective than simply killing them.

There was no need for him to take action.

Nie Yan and Lil’ Gold leisurely strolled past the crowd, getting further and further away before disappearing into the horizon. Fresh Fish and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Their backs were drenched with cold sweat.

This was the deterring power of Nirvana Flame. His presence alone on the battlefield caused players to feel chills at the back their necks. No one knew where his Zennarde’s Sword would come down next.

Fresh Fish’s expedition team could boast about being elites in Victorious Return. But in Asskickers United they didn’t amount to anything!

Level 45 players were nothing rare in Asskickers United; there were at least 2,000 of them. Victorious Return would be hard-pressed to find even 300.

At Level 54 Nie Yan was already an untouchable existence.

Their confidence was thoroughly crushed. All of them had dispirited looks on their faces.

“Come on, let’s go home.” Fresh Fish sighed and started to understand why Nie Yan walked through them but didn’t attack. He did something far more cruel than slaughtering all of them. Once a person’s spirit was crushed, there was no getting back up.

Everyone started teleporting back to Calore with their Return Scrolls, feeling as if they had just escaped the jaws of death.

Many of the players in the expedition team quit Victorious Return, including Liu Rui. They no longer saw a future in staying there, save for being the targets of ridicule.

Before long, a video of this incident was posted up on the forums. It spread like wildfire.

This was the arrogance of the Mad Rogue, looking down on the whole world in disdain! He could even frighten an elite expedition team from Victorious Return into submission! The scene of Liu Rui being instantly killed by the Dragon Fireball from Lil’ Gold was also hotly discussed.

There was a flood of comments below the video.

「I prostrate myself in worship! What a god!」

「Does anyone know the stats of that Golden Dragon? It’s so strong!」

...

Players with nothing better to do with their time started guessing Lil’ Gold’s stats. Just what sort of attack power was required to instantly kill a Level 44 Mage at full health?

The video became another classic, forever remaining in the minds of the players. Were there ever a day where they could act as brazenly as Nie Yan, they could die happy!

Liu Rui became the biggest laughingstock on the forums. He was ridiculed for overestimating himself, an ant trying to topple a great oak. This fellow actually dared to attack Nirvana Flame. He was practically asking to die!

Players also started taking notice that Victorious Return’s glory days were long over. Their players were more cautious and reserved, no longer daring to act as unbridled like in the past where they would close off entire maps from the public. Could this once prestigious guild survive such a fall from grace?

Many players quietly withdrew from Victorious Return. Only the weaker low level players that no other guild would take stayed. The experts left. Since they were once sworn enemies, they couldn’t join Asskickers United, so they would try their luck in Sapphire Shrine and Holy Empire. At worst, they would spend a bit of gold to migrate to another city. They might join the newly arisen War God Tribe or a well established guild like Alliance of Mages, Divine Protectors, or Battle Crazed Alliance. Bloodlust Blades was teetering on the verge of collapse, so no one in their right mind would go there.

Nothing could stop Asskickers United’s rise to power. They crushed every enemy in their path without exception.

Even Victorious Return and Bloodlust Blades had become stepping stones for Asskickers United.

Nie Yan took a look at the video while on the road and couldn’t help but smile. He wasn’t actually the person who had posted it to the forums. Rather it was a disgruntled player over on their side who still felt Victorious Return hadn’t lost enough face. Heaven Breaker was probably seething with rage right now.

Victorious Return had eaten a bitter fruit. At this moment, Guo Huai informed Nie Yan that Radiant Sacred Flame and Battle Crazed Alliance had taken the initiative to restart negotiations about a collaboration. They could no longer sit still after recent events, with Asskickers United raising their benefits and the Starry Night Potion Shop upgrading all their branches. After displaying such wealth, it was obvious Bloodlust Blades would be the one to lose!

If they waited for Asskickers United to defeat Bloodlust Blades before reopening negotiations, it would already be too late, and they would have lost all leverage. Asskickers United would recover from their losses far stronger than before, and their position as the overlord of Calore would be even more unshakeable. This was especially true for Radiant Sacred Flame. Since they were based in Calore, they could only beg Asskickers United to show mercy. It would be extremly easy for Asskickers United to devour them.

After receiving the news from Guo Huai, Nie Yan gave his word. They could decide the terms of their alliance right now, but the investment wouldn’t come until at least half a month later. Furthermore, Asskickers United would control a 60% stake in both guilds, not any bit less! There were also finer details that needed to be discussed, but he left that in the hands of Guo Huai.

Guo Huai was more than willing to negotiate with these terms. Asskickers United was absolutely in a stronger position, so they held much of the sway during talks. Even if the other side wasn’t willing, they had no choice but to accept!

By acquiring Radiant Sacred Flame and Battle Crazed Alliance, Asskickers United would have a super alliance which also included the War God Tribe, Holy Empire, and Sapphire Shrine. They would be an unstoppable powerhouse in the Viridian Empire!