Chapter 143 – Basic Magic Bomb
That single kick shook the hearts of everyone present. Despite the drastic change in his appearance and temperament, most of Nie Yan’s former classmates still viewed him as that same scrawny kid that looked like he could be toppled over by a gust of wind. However, now, they had just witnessed him send a 110 kg man flying. This huge discrepancy shattered any such notions they held of him.
Even Hao Cheng, who had trained in mixed martial arts since childhood, couldn’t say with absolute confidence that he would be able to throw out a kick with such force. Sending an average man flying with a kick was already quite difficult, to stay nothing of a tall, muscular basketball player like Chu Zhenfei who also trained in Muay Thai. Nie Yan had been so fast that Hao Cheng felt that if he had been on the receiving end of that kick, he wouldn’t fair much better than Chu Zhenfei and would have likely also been sent flying.
All of his former classmates stared blankly at the scene, their minds shaken by indescribable shock, and the same thought emerged in their collective mind. Was this person really Nie Yan?
As for Chu Zhenfei, after crashing into the table, he attempted to stagger back to his feet but soon collapsed back down. He felt as if his organs and bowels had been shifted by the force of that kick as he lay on a bed of shattered wine glasses and liquor bottles gasping in pain.
“Don’t bother trying to get up. You won’t be able to for the next half-hour anyway.” Nie Yan’s voice cut across the courtyard while carrying over a tone of cold indifference.
If it had been an ordinary person, his kick would have resulted in broken ribs and internal bleeding. More shocking was that he had actually held back. Chu Zhenfei frequently exercised, so his physique was pretty durable, not to mention he also trained in Muay Thai. If there was one thing Muay Thai practitioners were known for, it was the ability to withstand powerful blunt force impacts. Even then, Chu Zhenfei was lucky to get off with just minor bruising. For him to be able to stand up after thirty minutes was simply leniency on Nie Yan’s part.
A brief moment later, wait staff along with security came hurrying over.
Nie Yan turned to Guo Huai and patted his shoulder. “The way you and I handle matters is a bit different. With a small fry like him, it’s better to be direct and efficient. As for Shen Yue, if you don’t have the courage to start pursuing the woman you love now, how do you expect to accomplish anything in the future?”
He had spoken these words quite clearly, so the whole crowd was able to hear his advice.
Standing next to him, Shen Yue was at a loss. Even though she had a good opinion of Guo Huai, she had never once thought of the two of them being a couple.
Guo Huai glanced at her before contemplating these words in silence.
Nie Yan faintly smiled, then stared at the security and staff members who were coming over. “I’ll leave those guys to you.”
“It’s the least I can do,” Guo Huai nodded his head. He had been enlightened by Nie Yan’s advice as if a strong gust had blown in and cleared away all of his doubts. If he truly wished to become a formidable character, silently enduring wasn’t always the best course of action. Sometimes, he needed to be able to act unabashed and freely seize opportunities without a care for social trivialities. If he already knew what he wanted and needed to do, then he should simply go forth and do it already.
The security and staff members were initially walking toward them in an aggressive manner, but their attitudes instantly turned one hundred and eighty degrees when they noticed Guo Huai among the group,
“Young Master, when did you arrive?” one of the security personnel bowed and asked with a fawning expression.
“I came here with my former classmates for a reunion. Deal with the mess here, and help us change locations. As for him over there, send him over to the infirmary,” Guo Huai ordered in a deep tone that gave the impression of a lofty figure ordering a subordinate.
“Right away, sir. We’ll immediately prepare some new arrangements,” that security personnel replied.
All of his former classmates stared on with widened eyes. What kind of place was this? It was the Jadewater Dining Hall, the crown of the provincial capital and the most luxurious entertainment establishment of the city! Nearly every celebrity and high official would come here to host their gatherings. Just this place alone was worth well over several billion yuan while the financial powers behind it couldn’t even be assessed. They never expected that this dining hall was actually run by Guo Huai’s family. No wonder they had been able to host their gathering here! In the past, Guo Huai had never revealed his background and was usually quite reserved, so everyone always believed that he came from an average household. Who could have known that his family’s background would actually be so frightening!
“It’s fine. The reunion’s already ruined, and I assume everyone here is no longer in the mood to stick around much longer. Tang Yao and I should probably get going too. Let’s meet again inside the game. You can get in touch with me by messaging Tang Yao.” Nie Yan didn’t actually seem all too surprised. Then again, he had known this since long ago. In his past life, Guo Huai had attempted to use his family’s influence to protect Nie Yan. Unfortunately, even though his family was one of the most powerful in the province, they were nowhere near capable of resisting Cao Xu who had amassed an immense fortune in both the real world and Conviction. However, Nie Yan had still received Guo Huai’s favour.
“Alright.” Guo Huai nodded.
Since Nie Yan and Tang Yao were leaving, there was no meaning in making the rest of his former classmates stay, so many of them said their goodbyes and left one after another. A few snobbish classmates took advantage of the opportunity to approach Guo Huai and curry some favour. There were also several brazen female classmates who sought out Nie Yan before he left because his performance today was simply too shocking.
He had no interest whatsoever in these girls. However, for better or worse, they were still former classmates, so he put up an agreeable front and chatted with them for a while.
“We’re leaving.” Finally, Nie Yan and Tang Yao bid their farewells and left the dining hall as well.
They both entered the car, and after starting it up, the Taiga Black drove out of the parking plaza and took the exit to the highway where they sped along home.
Back at the parking plaza, several remaining classmates had seen the pair enter the Taiga Black and drive off.
“Wow, that’s a Taiga Black. I heard they cost upwards of several hundred million yuan. Not only Guo Huai, but it turns out Tang Yao and Nie Yan were rich too!”
“No kidding. How could we have missed this in the past!”
“Besides Hao Cheng, who likes to fight, and Zhao Li, who likes to make friends, I guess the rest of them really kept to themselves.” In fact, Zhao Li and Hao Cheng were the only two to catch their eye back in middle school. As for Guo Huai, Nie Yan, and Tang Yao, they were people that none of them ever bothered paying attention to until now.
“Nie Yan’s kick back there was really too fierce. Chu Zhenfei was actually sent flying. I’ve met several Taekwondo black belts before, and even they aren’t as amazing as he is.”
The group of girls continued chatting about what had happened today. For what should’ve just been a normal class reunion, the events that unfolded were simply too shocking.
What these former classmates thought about him was of no importance to Nie Yan. When he had been in dire straits in his past life, these people avoided him like the plague for fear of bringing trouble upon themselves. So, in this life, why would he pay heed to them? Nonetheless, he didn’t regret attending this reunion today. Not only was he able to reunite with his other brothers, they were also able to get together and finalize their plans for establishing a guild.
Tang Yao dropped Nie Yan off before heading off to work. After returning home, he spent the next few hours working out and studying. When the clock struck five, he put on his gaming helmet and entered the game once more.
Since he had almost depleted his supply from the day before, Nie Yan first headed through the transfer point to Tasoyi Village to restock on Smoke Powder.
After stepping out of the transfer point, he walked along the main street before stopping at a certain tree where he climbed up a wooden ladder. After reaching the top, he saw the entrance of a tree house and walked up to it. Its appearance wasn’t much different from how he remembered. After decades of erosion by wind and rain, the wooden door was filled with numerous cracks and marks. At the very top, hanging from a wooden nail, a sign read:「Tinkerer Mulberry Sandford’s Shop」
Tinkerer Mulberry was an eccentric old fellow. He always wore a black robe and often hid himself in the back of his shop, completely engrossed by his research. Among Intermediate Tinkerer NPCs, the items he created were unmatched. The Smoke Powder Nie Yan had made Tang Yao purchase yesterday was also created by him.
Most players would be Level 23 by the time they discovered this place. Moreover, the items sold here were excessively expensive, costing anywhere from several gold to upward of several dozen. These luxury items could only be afforded by a select few in the playerbase who were wealthy enough.
Nie Yan pushed the door open and entered the building. At the corner of the shop behind the counter, the door to the back room was open. There, he saw Tinkerer Mulberry working at his research desk. He couldn’t actually see the old man, only a pair of aged haggard hands resembling tree bark tinkering away.
“Excuse me, do you need anything?” A hoarse voice rang out from the back room. Instead of getting up to welcome his new customer, he stayed in the back unwilling to distract himself from his work.
Afterwards, a shop window appeared in front of Nie Yan’s eyes. After scanning through the list of goods, he saw that he could only afford several items on the first row. Smoke Powder and Intermediate Flash Powder, two relatively useful items, were among them. The former cost 5 gold for a batch while the latter cost 3. Intermediate Flash Powder was nearly identical to Basic Flash Powder except it was effective against monsters Level 30 and below. He bought a batch of each, setting aside the Flash Powder to use in case of emergency. As for the rest of the items he could afford, he wasn’t able to make use of them for the time being.
He took one more look at the window before his eyes fell on the last item on the list. It was a set of black metal balls. At first glance, they appeared completely ordinary, but he knew they were an item that would make levelling much easier.
Basic Magic Bomb
Requirements: 10 Intelligence
Description: Deals 200 damage in a 3-meter radius and applies the Tinkerer’s Curse. Effective against Ordinary, Leader, and Sub-Elite monsters Level 50 and under. Deal 300% bonus damage on Machine-type monsters. Warning: Do not use against other players. Otherwise, the user will receive the Painful Death Curse (Inflicts instant death. −10% All Stats Permanently).
Basic Magic Bombs dealt substantial damage, but they were quite pricey at 10 gold for a batch of twenty. For the time being, very few players were capable of affording such an expensive item. Even Nie Yan would be prudent about using them. He couldn’t afford them now, but when he had more money, he would come back to buy them. Even though using them on common mobs was a bit of a waste, they were quite effective against Machine-type mobs, especially if he was going to Everlasting City to level.
As for the Painful Death Curse, if these Magic Bombs were used to attack players, then the user would eat a bitter fruit like no other because the curse would never fail to activate. This was also a type restriction; otherwise, if this item could be used in PvP, it would be too overpowered.
After purchasing the Smoke Powder and Flash Powder, Nie Yan left the shop and headed back to Calore through the transfer point.
Upon stepping out, he received a call from Tang Yao.
「They’ve contacted me. Hao Cheng is called Violet Berserk Blade, Zhao Li is called Little Worm, and Guo Huai is called Watchful Snail. I had them establish the guild. We put it under your name, while I’ll be the guild leader. After creating the guild, they immediately started recruiting members. Oh, and I already managed to convince Yu Lan and her team to join.」
「Guo Huai is good at handling this kind of work, so it’s fine if we let him take care of it.」
「Go check the forums on the official website. Guo Huai already made a post.」
Hearing this, Nie Yan immediately opened the forums on the Conviction website, then entered the board for the Viridian Empire. There, he saw the top viewed thread was surprisingly for their guild. The title read:「Arcane Mage, Young Sparrow Hawk, Soars to the Heavens with the Sudden Emergence of His New Guild, Asskickers United」
There was a ton of discussion in the thread, many asking where Young Sparrow Hawk was levelling or if he would be able to overthrow Heaven Breaker on the leaderboards. It quickly reached several hundred thousand views, and many of them showed their support for Tang Yao in the comments section. Quite a few were tired of the endless injustices caused by Victorious Return. Even if they occupied the number one position in the Viridian Empire, there were countless players who suffered grievances under them, causing a resentment among the playerbase to bubble forth. If someone was able to gather these players, then they would be able to challenge Victorious Return’s rule.
「What’s our next step?」Tang Yao asked.「Are we going to go back and meet up with Guo Huai and the others? After all, we just created the guild, so there’s a lot of work to be done.」
「None of that is important to us right now. We’re going to focus on levelling first and foremost. The best way you can support them is by constantly raising your level and knocking Heaven Breaker off of first place on the leaderboards,」Nie Yan replied in a calm tone.
So I owe you guys an explanation about Awesome Tribe people changed to Asskickers United. I should’ve given it last chapter, but I was so tired that I completely forgot and passed out after posting it. Basically, I consulted Ren and he told me that the guild name would appear often in the future of the series while that line in chapter 141 was probably a throwaway. Also, Ren really wanted Asskickers United, so I guess I gotta suck up to the boss.