Zennarde's Sword quickly became a legend within Asskickers United, just like the Grimmar Soul Staff.
These were two pieces of unrivalled equipment!
Zennarde's Sword was nothing more than a large beatstick to Nie Yan. However, since he could raise the influence of Asskickers United by waving it around, he would. He just had to make sure no one snatched it away from him.
A picture of Zennarde's Sword was posted online. Its valiant properties immediately shocked the players on the forums.
It was a piece of equipment every player would drool over.
The description of the six seals placed on Zennarde's Sword had people's imaginations running wild. This sword was equivalent to a growth-type weapon. For every seal that was removed, its properties would increase dramatically!
A picture of Nie Yan posing with Zennarde's Sword also circulated around. He looked intense with both his dark leather armour and brooding expression illuminated under the flickering glow of the sword's black flames.
When this picture hit the forums, it spread like wildfire. Although Nie Yan couldn't be described as handsome, his icy demeanor paired along with his breathtaking equipment made for a stunning sight.
Even though there was no caption, the players recognized Nie Yan almost immediately as the guild leader of Asskickers United, Mad Rogue Nirvana Flame!
Nie Yan was practically synonymous wtih Asskickers United right now. He was an unshakeable legend! Any respectable player would've at least heard of him. His appearance had long since been seared into everyone's minds after accomplishing so many spectacular feats.
There was a lively discussion ongoing below the picture.
「Holy shit! Look at his gear! And here I am still using Silver-grade trash, fuck… Orz.」
「Poster above, don't feel too bad. The player in the picture is a god!」
There were countless similar comments spanning across many pages.
Nie Yan rarely ever paid attention to the forums. Save for some posts related to the major guilds, he ignored everything else.
Nie Yan returned to Calore through the transfer point in the guild headquarters, then teleported to Glory City.
「Who's keeping an eye on Faded?」Nie Yan asked Guo Huai as he rode out of the city gates on horseback and headed for the location.
「Tyrannical, he's a member of our Hundred Thieves,」Guo Huai replied.
Tyrannical?Didn't I see him back in Sinful Gorge? He wasn't too shabby if I recall correctly... Nie Yan felt slightly reassured.[1]
Nie Yan galloped through the rocky wastelands that surrounded Glory City. His destination was the mountain range in the distance. The scenery here was very different. While Calore's territory was full of fertile plains and grasslands, this place was bone dry like the Gobi Desert. The mountains up ahead were also barren. The only signs of flora were a handful of plants sporadically sprouting here and there.
After entering the mountains, Nie Yan unsummoned his Faulkner Warhorse and started making his way towards Tyrannical.
「Where are you?」Nie Yan contacted Tyrannical.
「Boss, you're here?」Tyrannical exclaimed in a daze. He never thought Nie Yan would personally come.「I'm at 238.289.280!」
As Nie Yan moved toward the coordinates, he soon found Tyrannical hiding behind a large boulder.
A group of 15 players were hunting Level 50 Desert Pythons up ahead. Their mobbing speed was pretty fast. The Fighters pulled aggro while the Mages in the backline bombarded the Desert Pythons with magic, clearing them quickly and efficiently.
Nie Yan glanced at Tyrannical. He looked much better off compared to the last time they met. He was Level 41, and the quality of his gear had risen greatly. For him to be able to snag himself a Level 40 Pursuer Set was quite impressive.
With Nie Yan right beside him, Tyrannical couldn't contain his excitement. Nie Yan was without question a godly existence in the eyes of every Thief. Each of his battle videos was an instant classic that everyone referred to for guidance. But so far, not a single player could mimic his ghostly movements.
Tyrannical often studied videos of Nie Yan's battles. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Nie Yan was his idol!
"What's the situation over there? How many players are there?" Nie Yan asked. His eyes narrowed like a hawk's as he observed the players in the distance.
Even though this sharp soul-piercing gaze wasn't directed at him, Tyrannical gulped down a mouthful of saliva and broke out in a cold sweat. It was precisely this type of domineering air that allowed Nie Yan to shake countless hearts.
Tyrannical took a deep breath. "They have 13 players in total: 2 Fighters, 1 Berserker, 1 Paladin, 5 Mages, 2 Priests, and 2 Thieves. All of them are highly skilled, especially that Fighter named Faded. The Arcane Mage called Casual is no pushover either. 11 of our brothers have fallen at their hands!" His voice trembled with anger and grief near the end.
Tyrannical had closely bonded with his fellow members in the Hundred Thieves. Even a slightly eccentric fellow like him found a spot among them. They regularly carried out missions together, with everyone working towards the same goal. Add to that all of them shared the honour of belonging to this exclusive force within Asskickers United, and it was no surprise they developed a strong sense of comradery among themselves. Their hearts stung when one of their companions fell.
Nie Yan understood Tyrannical's feelings. This sort of brotherly bond was forged after countless battles together. It was the deepest sentiment a person could experience in their lifetime, created from facing off against a greater foe, keeping watch over each other's backs, developing an understanding that transcended words, and the confidence to entrust their lives into the hands of their companions!
Nie Yan patted Tyrannical's shoulder. "Remember their names. Learn from these setbacks and boldly face the challenges ahead, so that you can avenge them later on!"
This was a principle Nie Yan personally adhered to. It was the moral backbone of a man!
Tyrannical nodded with a determined expression.
"Let's take them on together," Nie Yan suggested. He wasn't sure how skilled the 13 players up ahead were. But for them to kill multiple members of the Hundred Thieves, they definitely couldn't be weak.
"Yes!" Tyrannical enthusiastically exclaimed. Fighting alongside Nirvana Flame was the dream of countless players in Asskickers United.
Nirvana Flame has sent you a party invite. Will you accept?
Yes! Tyrannical hurriedly accepted.
Nie Yan received a notification.
Tyrannical has joined your party.
"Let's go," Nie Yan said. His body merged into the surroundings as he entered stealth. He slowly slunk toward the group of players up ahead.
Tyrannical quickly followed suit. His heart was beating with excitement as he tagged behind Nie Yan.
Gusts of wind regularly blew over from the mountainside, blotting out the sky and carrying an ocean of sand across the rocky landscape. This type of environment was advantageous to Thieves. Nie Yan was completely untraceable within the blowing sands.
...
A Fighter clad in crimson armour charged into a crowd of Desert Pythons. He activated Taunt, instantly drawing their aggro, then hunkered behind his shield. Right then, an Arcane Mage in the backline finished a chant. With a wave of his staff, he rained down a shower of fireballs on the Desert Pythons.
「Bang! Bang! Bang!」A curtain of damage values floated up into the sky.
The Priests shielded the Fighter with a Radiant Barrier, then kept his health topped off with Heals, allowing him to brush off the damage from the fireballs.
The Desert Pythons quickly shifted aggro and pounced toward the backline. Right on cue, the Fighter roared out with a Demoralizing Shout and halted them dead in their tracks. After which a second volley of fireballs rained down from the sky and swept them all away.
When the dust and smoke settled, only the Fighter remained standing. Scattered across the ground were the corpses of over 60 Desert Pythons. Web-like cracks spread throughout his Radiant Barrier before it shattered into shards of light. The teamwork displayed just now was impressive, to say the least.
"Faded, Casual, you guys are awesome!" the group members praised in a flattering tone.
"Mhmm, it wasn't too much trouble," Faded replied in a haughty tone.
Faded appeared to be around 25 years old. He was a large, burly man clad in crimson armour. His name was branded a deep red, signifying he had at minimum killed 60 players. He held his single-handed sword while walking back to the group.
"It was fun," Casual said to Faded with a smile.
Casual was an Arcane Mage. He was dressed in dark robes covered in mysterious runes which gave off a strange aura. He was about the same age as Faded. After playing together for so many years, the two of them could be considered old partners.
Casual sat on the ground drinking Spring Water to restore his mana, while the two Thieves departed to lure in the next wave of mobs.
"Say, why did those morons over at Asskickers United stop sending people over? My hands are getting itchy. I'm right here waiting for them. I'll kill as many as they send!" Faded arrogantly exclaimed.
They knew the Chapter of Peace was in Nirvana Flame's hands. However, his recent locations had been quite odd, so they had no way of predicting where he was going to be. Over these last few days, they had suffered repeated ambushes from Asskickers United. However, they successfully repelled the enemy every time, killing over 10 from the Hundred Thieves in the process.
"Don't let your guard down. That Nirvana Flame guy is pretty strong," Casual warned, though his tone didn't contain a hint of seriousness.
"That coward? He's a turtle hiding in his shell. All he dares to do is send people after us. Do you really think he has the guts to come over himself?" Faded sneered.
[1] Nie Yan encountered Tyrannical in Chapter 263 on the outskirts of Sinful Gorge.