Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed The World - Chapter 730

Chapter 730

Chapter 730 - Old Friend

Nie Yan didn’t know much about the Shadow Strifer . Whoever obtained this title in his past life had never revealed themselves . So, he had no clue what skills or innate abilities it possessed .

Shadow Strifer was the second high rank title to come out after Luminous Dancer . Nie Yan had no idea what the differences were .

Mistaken Smile obtaining the Shadow Strifer title was a type of fate . With Nie Yan obtaining the Luminous Dancer title, destiny made it up to him in some other way .

Nie Yan went to meet with Mistaken Smile right away .

Mistaken Smile had just completed his quest . He was still in the guild headquarters stocking up on supplies, preparing to set out to do some levelling . He had fallen too far behind the others in level due to his long time spend class advancing .

The two bumped into each other in the main hall .

Mistaken Smile wore completely different equipment from last time . Shockingly, he wasn’t wearing leather armour but rather light armour . The Thief class was restricted to only wearing cloth armour or leather armour . They couldn’t wear any type of metal plate armour . However, the Shadow Strifer had clearly broken this rule .

Mistaken Smile was clad in silver ashen metal armour . Even though the colour was fairly reserved and the armour itself looked somewhat dated, the craftsmanship was sublime and elaborate . Every joint was reinforced with all sorts of ancient runes which glowed with a faint blue light .

This was a runic light armour . They were known for having the highest defense among all light armours, rivalling that of some heavy plate armours . Not to mention since it was so light, it had very little impact on the wearer’s speed . This was certainly a rare find . Mistaken Smile’s light armour was at least Sub Legendary-grade, maybe even higher .

“I heard you became a Shadow Strifer . Not bad, not bad . Congratulations!” Nie Yan grinned . Mistaken Smile looked quite valiant and imposing in his light armour . 　

“Thank you . I think this class really suits me . An ordinary Thief’s defense has always been too low for me . So, I’m really happy with the defense of a Shadow Strifer . It’s roughly on par with a Knight-errant, but my powerful crowd control isn’t negatively affected in the slightest,” Mistaken Smile said .

The two chatted for a while . Mistaken Smile didn’t hide anything from Nie Yan . Shadow Strifers inherited some of the traits of a Warrior . Their health and defense sharply increased, and they gained some speed boosting skills like Charge and crowd control skills like Tendon Break . If he used these skills in battle, they were almost guaranteed to catch the enemy off guard .

Seeing that Mistaken Smile was quite satisfied with the Shadow Strifer title, the slight guilt Nie Yan felt in his heart completely disappeared . After all, in this life he had snatched away the Luminous Dancer title which should have rightfully gone to Mistaken Smile . If Mistaken Smile was a stranger, he wouldn’t have cared . But after becoming guildmates and friends, he would always feel apologetic when he thought of this matter .

“While you were away, Summer Bug became a Magister . She, Sun, King of the World, and the rest went to the underworld together . When they come back and find out you became a Shadow Strifer, Sun and King of the World will definitely feel the pressure . ” Nie Yan chuckled . He recalled Sun had been a Shadow Stalker in the previous timeline . He wondered if it would be the same in this life .

“I’m going to do some levelling first and familiarize myself with the skills of a Shadow Strifer . I’ve fallen too far behind . The others are almost 20 levels ahead of me,” Mistaken Smile said . Thinking to this point, he felt a bit depressed . He had really spent too much time doing the Shadow Strifer quest . It’d been incredibly difficult .

“Not a bad idea . That’ll also allow you to get used to your new title . I’m guessing a Shadow Strifer’s playstyle is pretty different from that of a regular Shadow Dancer . ”

“Everything in the Viridian Empire has more-or-less settled down . What are you planning to do next?”

“I’m about to make a trip to the Satreen Empire . ”

“The Satreen Empire?” Mistaken Smile knitted his brows . This was the territory of Angel Corps . “Are you sure about going there by yourself? Want me to come with you?”

“No need . I’m only going there for a quest, not to get payback on Angel Corps . Focus on raising your level . Go get some Inferno Bombs from Violet Mist and use that levelling method I told you about previously . Trust me, you’ll be amazed . ” Nie Yan smiled .

Mistaken Smile though for a moment, then said, “Alright, be careful . ” Nie Yan probably wouldn’t have any problems going by himself . At this stage of the game, no one could kill him . Even other Masters didn’t dare to PvP with him . Because it wouldn’t be an even fight but rather a one-sided beating .

The two bid farewell . Mistaken Smile went to pay a visit to Violet Mist to get Inferno Bombs for levelling . Nie Yan packed some essentials and prepared to head to the Satreen Empire .

Before Nie Yan set off, he received a message from Guo Huai . A mysterious tribe in the Abernathy Great Grasslands called the Zala had opened up a secret shop in the north district of Okoron . The requirements to purchase from this shop were extremely high . One had to be at least an Earl to enter .

The Zala weren’t orcs, but they were much burlier than ordinary people . They wore bizarre clothing with necklaces made out of human bones around their necks . Their bodies were covered in white, red, and green dyes . They were a small tribe . However, no NPC dared to look down on them, all those visiting the shop showing their utmost respect .

After hearing Guo Huai’s description, Nie Yan recalled a certain race, barbarians!

It was War God Kelo’s race . Barbarians were divided into many branches . These Zala were likely one such branch .

As he walked along the streets of Okoron, Nie Yan put on his cloak . He headed in the direction of the secret shop .

After passing by the auction house, Nie Yan glanced inside . There were people streaming in and out . It was bustling .

Nie Yan was about to continue forward, when a familiar voice entered his ears .

“Level 100 Warrior Dark Gold Crotia War-Axe, Level 115 Paladin Dark Gold Glorious Sword, trading for equal level Mage equipment only!”

This voice couldn’t be more familiar to Nie Yan . He halted his steps, a look of pleasant surprise on his face .

Nie Yan turned his head toward the source of the voice . A burly Mage in azure robes entered his vision . The fellow had set up a stall outside the auction house with a Level 100 Dark Gold war-axe and sword on display . These items were of pretty decent quality .  

Seeing Han Lei’s crude appearance and gruffy beard, memories of the previous timeline flooded back into Nie Yan’s mind .

Nie Yan had many close friends in his past life . He’d tried his best to track them down, but most he couldn’t find . Even as the leader of Asskickers United, it was still extremely difficult to find one specific person among these millions upon millions of players . Not to mention how would he even approach them? Those people no longer knew him . If he publicly announced he was looking for them, others might think they were people being hunted down by Asskickers United . Even if they reunited, he might know them, but they wouldn’t know him . So, what was the point?

However, this Mage before Nie Yan was a special case . He was called Han Lei . His in-game ID was Ever Lively . He was a close friend back in his younger years . They went to middle school together in Ninjiang . However, he transferred away in the second year, and they lost touch . It was only in his third year of university that Han Lei bumped into Tang Yao, and they got back in touch . The two eventually ended up talking about Conviction, and they met up inside the game . Later on, he joined their team .

Han Lei was a burly fellow . He was clearly more suited to be a Warrior, but he insisted on playing a Mage . Even so, he was quite skilled as a caster . Back then, everyone believed he had the highest chance out of all of them to become a Master . But that never came to pass . His equipment was of too low quality . He never stood a chance .

When Nie Yan first entered the team, he was only Level 80 or so . At that time, Han Lei was already Level 120 . Han Lei spent almost a month helping him slowly raise his level . If it wasn’t for Han Lei’s help, he wouldn’t even have had the qualifications to remain in the team . Later on, he was still in Han Lei’s care . They chilled together, levelled together, and were even hunted down by Victorious Return together . That period of time was something he would never forget .

Han Lei always set his voice chat on do not disturb . Nie Yan also had no idea how he would get in touch with Han Lei . He didn’t expect to bump into him right here of all places . Complicated emotions welled up in his heart .

In this life, many things had completely changed . Even though this former bosom friend of his was right in front of his eyes, he seemed like a distant stranger .

What should I do?

Nie Yan hesitated for a moment . Turning around and leaving like this wasn’t his style .

Even if Nie Yan gained riches and honour, he would never forget those who helped him along the way . This was a true brother!

Right now, he was Nirvana Flame, the guild leader of Asskickers United . His status might be completely different in this life, but his core personality hadn’t changed one bit!

Even if they were separated by a lifetime, Nie Yan didn’t want to let these previous bonds disappear! After thinking for a bit, he walked over to Han Lei .

“Hey, you remind me of someone I once knew,” Nie Yan said . He couldn’t help but inwardly facepalm at his botched greeting . But there was no going back .

“Didn’t you hear me before? I’m only trading, not selling . No exceptions . ” Han Lei raised his hand, cutting Nie Yan off . He looked Nie Yan up and down . Seeing this person hiding their appearance in a black cloak, his eyes were filled with vigilance .  

Nie Yan was stunned . He suddenly realized Han Lei had mistaken him for someone coming over to haggle . He couldn’t help but wryly smile .

“I’m not here to buy anything,” Nie Yan explained with a smile .

Han Lei stared intently at Nie Yan . Conviction was full of scammers . They’d strike up a conversation with stall owners, acting like they were the best of friends . They’d show their interest in buying, but when it came time to pay, they would suddenly realize they’d forgotten their gold or be short on funds . A promise to pay them back later, a loan in the form of the item . . . they would come up with the craziest of ideas . Those gullible enough to fall for this swindle often wouldn’t realize their items had been scammed until it was already far too late . These scammers would often approach their would-be-victims just like Nie Yan, with their appearances completely hidden .

Seeing Han Lei’s expression, Nie Yan immediately knew what this fellow was thinking . He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry . Thinking for a bit, he pulled back his hood, revealing his appearance .

When Han Lei’s gaze fell on Nie Yan’s face, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and his mouth gaped open so wide you could stuff a chicken egg in there .

“N-nirvana Flame? W-what? Do I know you?” Han Lei stuttered . Seeing Nie Yan’s face, he felt like a mine had been set off in his head . He really wanted to give himself a hard smack to make sure he wasn’t dreaming . To randomly meet Nirvana Flame while running a stall, what kind of world was this!?