With so many people present, Nie Yan couldn't possibly be familiar with every single face. But of the individuals he did recognize, he knew them as some of the very top elites of the game in the previous timeline. He naturally didn't believe his charisma was enough to convince all of them to willingly serve him without complaint. However, so long as they integrated into the tight-knit community of the guild, they would inevitably turn into comrades who would go through thick and thin with him. Beyond the sentiment, they were also bound by contracts so none of them would dare betray the guild.
The crowd of players quietly discussed among themselves about their guild leader, Nirvana Flame. They had long since heard of the Mad Rogue whose name rang through the ears of all players like thunder. Even so, as top elites in the game, none of them felt they were lacking in ability. Yet when they recalled the scene of him killing Hei Zhuo, all of them had no choice but to admit that they were not his match.
Just as Nie Yan wanted everyone to introduce themselves so he could get more familiar with each of them, over a hundred players from Holy Empire entered through the arena entrance. They were led by none other than Sleepy Fox who was clad in golden armour.
Holy Empire had arrived!
Nie Yan evaluated the crowd of new arrivals. Even the weakest among them wore equipment that was Level 20 Gold-grade. Impressive… It seems like that guy brought over all the elites of Holy Empire.
Although this was only an exhibition match between two allies, the smell of gunpowder could still be smelt wafting through the atmosphere. The top hundred players of both guilds were entering the stage, after all.
The guild leaders of Holy Empire and Asskickers United brought over a hundred players to meet in the arena. How could the intentions of both of them not be moreobvious?
Nie Yan swept his gaze over his own players, only to see every single one of them rubbing their palms with eager expressions.
The clash between the elites of Holy Empire and Asskickers United was drawing near!
Bladelight walked over to Nie Yan's side, then said in a low voice, "I recognize several familiar faces over on Holy Empire's side. Do you see the two players standing beside Sleepy Fox? The one to the left is a powerful Elementalist called Eternal Phoenix. He belongs to the Holy Empire gaming organization. The one to the right is called Undying Battle Fervour. He's the Chief Fighter of Holy Empire."
Nie Yan heard of them before in the previous timeline. Battle Fervour was the Champion who tanked the Lava Titan for Holy Empire, while Eternal Phoenix was a Magister who ranked among the top three of all Magisters in the game.
Sleepy Fox brought with him numerous other elites along with these two.
"Guild Leader, are we going to fight Holy Empire?"
"Of course we're going to fight! Why else would we be in the arena?" several other members in the crowd chimed in.
"No, not really a fight," Nie Yan replied. "More like a friendly exhibition match. But that doesn't mean you guys should hold back. If everyone performs well, I'll reward you all when we get back." If he truly was able to get a 30% stake in the small stronghold, he could obtain enough funds to improve the equipment of these guild members.
"Don't worry, Boss! We'll definitely do well!"
The crowd of Asskickers United players was instantly fired up. Almost all of them were fiercely competitive individuals who loved to PvP; how else could they have honed their skills to such an extent? They were more excited about the upcoming match with Holy Empire than the reward Nie Yan promised them for excelling.
Sleepy Fox met eyes with Nie Yan as he walked up to greet him with Battle Fervour and Eternal Phoenix in tow. Not to be outdone, Nie Yan had Bladelight and Young Seven follow closely behind him as well.
"You've finally arrived." Nie Yan revealed a faint smile.
Sleepy Fox nodded in acknowledgement, then scanned the crowd of players behind Nie Yan and judged that their equipment wasn't bad. When his gaze fell on Bladelight who wore the Everlasting Silver Set, he couldn't look away.
"Is that a Metal Storm Set?" Sleepy Fox asked in surprise, mistaking the Everlasting Silver Set as being part of the Metal Storm Series.
From shield, chestplate, helmet, cloak, gauntlet, and so on, every piece of armour on Bladelight's body shared the same design; they were clearly part of a set. The mysterious runes engraved into their surface emitted a strange, stifling aura. With a glance, anyone could tell this gear was extraordinary.
"No, it's the Everlasting Silver Set. So what do you think of our Fighter?" Nie Yan asked with a light smile. At the current stage of the game, where could you find a Fighter stronger than Bladelight?
The Everlasting Silver Set was mediocre at best among Level 40 equipment sets. However, what was so great about this set was that you could equip it at Level 30 as long as you owned the chestplate. If you were to compare all the equipment sets that could be worn at Level 30–35, the Everlasting Silver Set was one of the very best, better than even the Gold Storm Set!
"Everlasting Silver Set?" Sleepy Fox asked with a vacant look. He opened the official website to search for the properties of the Everlasting Silver Set, only to discover it was a Level 40 set which could be equipped at Level 30. Its properties were absolutely outrageous for players at their level range. "You really never fail to impress. You're actually able to get a hold of such high-level equipment!"
"I can get you a set for the price of 700 gold. Interested?" Nie Yan joked. The actual cost for him to farm an Everlasting Silver Set was 200–300 gold at most.
"Lower the price by 200 gold, and I'll be willing to buy. If you can help me secure the stronghold, even paying the full 700 gold isn't a problem," Sleepy Fox replied in an earnest tone. Holy Empire didn't lack gold, so he didn't mind spending a few hundred to improve Battle Fervour's gear. With a much beefier main tank, they would be able to challenge even stronger Elites and Lords, ensuring that their profits wouldn't merely stop at 700 gold!
Sleepy Fox could actually afford such a steep price? Nie Yan suddenly had the idea of allowing Holy Empire to pay for his powerlevelling expenditures! How could he not go through with a deal as sweet as this?
Sleepy Fox looked at Nie Yan and asked, "So do you have another set?"
Nie Yan shrugged his shoulders. "I was only joking. Do you think I can just pull another full set out of nowhere?"
"..." Sleepy Fox was speechless. Nie Yan was just toying with him?
Nie Yan took back the offer right after whetting Sleepy Fox's desire.
Sleepy Fox could clearly tell Nie Yan was holding out for a higher offer. However, he couldn't beg Nie Yan to just sell the Everlasting Silver Set to him, and Holy Empire wasn't really in a position to be spending 700 gold either; he only had about 900 gold available to him. It seemed the matter of buying the Everlasting Silver Set would have to wait until after he seized the stronghold, when the guild's financial stability was secured. Besides, Battle Fervour was only Level 26 right now. He was still a long ways off from Level 30.
"Let's talk about the upcoming stronghold battle." Sleepy Fox changed the subject.
This cunning fox… Nie Yan thought. However, he wasn't worried. When Sleepy Fox wanted to buy the Everlasting Silver Set, he would naturally send a whisper. At that time, they could decide which one of them could endure the longest.
"I'll let my subordinates test out the skills of the players from your guild," Sleepy Fox said. This matter was directly related to the outcome of the stronghold battle. He couldn't be careless.
"Follow me, then," Nie Yan replied.
Everyone walked over to the spectator seating area.
As Sleepy Fox and the other Holy Empire players followed behind, Battle Fervour whispered near his ear, "They have some really strong players."
"How do you know?" Sleepy Fox asked.
"I'm acquainted with a few of them. You know that Fighter with the Everlasting Silver Set from earlier? His name is Resplendent Bladelight." Battle Fervour couldn't help but recall some past events.
"Who's stronger? You or him?"
"We're roughly the same in terms of skill. But if we were to truly compare, then I'm probably slightly weaker. With his current level and gear, I'm definitely not his match," Battle Fervour said with a wry smile.
Sleepy Fox was taken aback. Very few Warriors in Calore were capable of rivalling Battle Fervour. As for those who could make Battle Fervour himself acknowledge his inferiority in skill, there were even fewer; perhaps, the only such person was Resplendent Bladelight.
"You see that girl walking beside Bladelight? She's called One Strike Vow. She's a very strong Thief player. I nearly died to her once. I didn't expect her to join Asskickers United," Battle Fervour said. As he looked over the crowd ahead, to his amazement, he found there were many more familiar faces.
It appeared Asskickers United was truly the gathering place of the strong!
Suffice to say, Undying Scoundrel, Blowhard Summer Bug, Blue Yarn Thread, Monochrome, Edgeless, and the others who took part in the Kiln Fire Woods operation didn't need introductions.
Just what sort of influence did the guild leader of Asskickers United have to be capable of gathering so many top-notch players?
Would he still have boasted so confidently if he didn't have so many strong players by his side? Sleepy Fox mused. However, he couldn't help but feel unwilling at the thought of having to concede a 30% share of the stronghold. Nevertheless, he would let his subordinates test the players of Asskickers United first.
Standing beside Nie Yan, Bladelight said, "Want me to go up?"
"Of course! If we give them a huge shock, we can sell off the spare Everlasting Silver Set!" Nie Yan laughed. Even at the peak of its price in the previous timeline, the Everlasting Silver Set didn't sell for more than a little over 100 gold. Later on, its price fell down to 40 gold. After all, its drop rate couldn't really be considered low. Many Level 40 players could grind out a full set in five or six days. However, since even the vast majority of the top players in the game were currently below Level 30, there was basically no one capable of levelling in Everlasting City. This was why the Everlasting Silver Set appeared so precious.
Since they could obtain one to two Everlasting Silver Sets after a day of grinding Mechanical Golems with Basic Magic Bombs, selling off one or two of them was extremely cost efficient. The profit could then be used to fund more powerlevelling trips for other guild members.
Bladelight couldn't help but admire Nie Yan's cunning.
"I can handle seven Holy Empire players by myself. Even ten won't be a problem," Bladelight said in a confident tone. He was already Level 30, while the players on the other side were only around Level 25. Add this to his frightening defense, magic resistance, and health, along with his Rank 6 Shield, even if he stood out in the open and allowed the Mages from Holy Empire to freely hit him, it would still take them at least two minutes to shave away all his health.
"Why not ten then?" Nie Yan chuckled. He had full faith in Bladelight. Beyond that, he had a very devious idea. One versus ten, even if they lost, it wouldn't be considered a humiliation.
"Alright, I'll try my best. It shouldn't be a problem," Bladelight replied. He wasn't the boastful type. He would only say such words if he had a card up his sleeve.