Chapter 199 – Names Red as Blood
The last of the three groups in the vicinity, which had 60 Unhindered players, rushed over while Nie Yan’s team was still picking off the survivors. They were here to provide support, confident that the other group would be able to hold out for a while against the attack. However, they didn’t expect that by the time they arrived, the situation would be completely different from what they expected. Over fifty members of Unhindered had been utterly annihilated by ten people.
The names of Nie Yan and the others were branded a deep, blood red. It was like walking into a murder scene.
Nie Yan suddenly disappeared. With his fastest speed, he dashed toward the group of reinforcements like a lightning bolt before emerging among their ranks. Under the gaze of over sixty pairs of eyes, he streaked the blade of his dagger across a Priest’s throat with a Vital Strike. The victim’s health bar plummeted to zero as they collapsed to the ground.
The crowd of players were badly frightened. Nie Yan was previously several dozen meters away. In the blink of an eye, he closed that distance and killed one of their Priests. It all happened way too quickly!
What shocked many of them was the deep crimson of his name. Just how many people did he kill!?
The immediate reaction of the nearby players was to retreat. The Mages cast a shower of spells, whizzing towards Nie Yan.「Bang! Bang! Bang!」They battered him ruthlessly, exploding on impact.
However, Nie Yan held an overwhelming advantage in both level and defense. The spells from the Mages couldn’t put a dent on him, dealing only ten or so damage each.
Nie Yan didn’t retreat in the slightest, enduring the concentrated bombardment of spells. He dashed forward and mowed down two Mages with the slash of his dagger. At this point, only a sliver of his health remained. Just as he was about to pull back to recuperate before reentering the fray, a Heal from Leader Young Seven enveloped his body, restoring his health to full.
Nie Yan was too accustomed to playing alone. He forgot that a powerful Priest was supporting him from the rear. With the aid of this limitless health pack, what was there to be afraid of? Giving his cooldowns a quick glance, he stunned a Warrior with Concussive Blow, then finished them off with a Backstab followed by Eviscerate.
Nie Yan’s damage was simply too ferocious. Was he really a Thief?
Edgeless, Monochrome, and the others finally caught up with him. Like a wedge, they drove themselves into the group of enemies, and commenced a slaughter.
When the Warriors of Unhindered ran into Edgeless, Monochrome, or Bladelight, they could only scatter!
Blowhard Summer Bug, Undying Scoundrel, and Miracle Dancer bombarded the enemy with spells, blasting numerous Unhindered players into the air.
“How many have you guys killed?” Blowhard Summer Bug asked as he fired an Arcane Flame Burst at a Warrior.「Boom!」The Warrior didn’t know what hit him as he was sent flying.
“22!” Monochrome replied, cutting down a Mage.
“I’m on 27!” Edgeless said after taking a glimpse at his kill count.
“I’ve killed 89! Haha! I’m the king of killing!” Undying Scoundrel proudly exclaimed. Freeze! He froze a nearby Warrior in place, then moved to finish him off with another spell. However, a Holy Smite blasted the him away.
“Fuck! Boss, they’re kill stealing me!” Undying Scoundrel whined.
Miracle Dancer shrugged his shoulders. With a smug look, he said, “You’ve already killed the most out of all of us. One or two less isn’t going to make a difference.”
Blue Yarn Thread cast Heal on Monochrome. He didn’t particularly care about who had the higher kill count. As a Paladin, he was fine with taking down the enemy while providing the occasional support with blessings and heals.
The tankiest member of the group, Bladelight, didn’t take down as many players. However, he more than made up for this by being a near immovable object, grabbing the attention of many Unhindered players. The more attacks he absorbed, the less pressure there was on his companions.
Nie Yan and Sun killed fewer players in comparison, but both of them still had kill counts of almost twenty.
After the slaughter was over, the battlefield was littered with the corpses of Unhindered players, and those who were lucky enough to survive had all already fled. It was now eerily empty.
“Boss, what are we going to do next?” Edgeless asked. The players they’d encountered so far were not part of the main force. They were stomping on weaklings. It was as simple as slicing vegetables.
“Pick up the loot and then we’ll leave!” Nie Yan said. Unhindered’s main force would definitely be arriving soon. They needed to withdraw quickly.
They moved across the battlefield, collecting the spoils of battle. Although the drops were all Level 15–20 equipment with mediocre properties, the lower-levelled guild members badly needed them. Asskickers United had plenty of high-level items, but it sorely lacked low-level ones, leaving the guild unable to satisfy the needs of the ordinary members.
The loot was quickly picked up, and Nie Yan’s group reentered the lava caverns.
Not much later, the post on the forums was updated.
「10:25, Players Killed: 257」
The ten-man strike force of Asskickers United was still killing. Moreover, the number of people they killed was steadily climbing higher and higher. Every time the kill count was updated, the players on the forums would be filled with shock and fear. It was truly too eye-catching.
Although Asskickers United was expanding at a rapid pace, they were still widely regarded as a newly established guild without a stable foundation. No one believed they could hold up against a behemoth like Victorious Return. However, today’s developments caused them to be seen in a new light. Asskickers United really did have quite some formidable players. They probably weren’t even all that far off from large guilds like Victorious Return.
Aside from Leader Young Seven who was a Priest, everyone else in the group was branded with appallingly red names. They were practically a bunch of killing gods!
The guild leader of Unhindered, Hei Zhuo, was burning with unimaginable fury. After Nie Yan’s group had forcefully taken back the initiative, he found himself in a very precarious situation.
Now the one stuck in a difficult dilemma was Unhindered!
They had no means of an out. If they abandoned their chase on Nie Yan’s group and returned to Calore, then Asskickers United could arrogantly proclaim that Unhindered had been scared into retreat by a mere ten players. Unhindered would lose all face!
Hei Zhuo’s only hope was to track Nie Yan’s group down and kill them to rid themselves of the disgrace. His anger reached sky-high levels. Under his orders, the area where Nie Yan’s group was located was completely sealed off and surrounded. Not even an ant would be able to pass through.
Since Nie Yan’s group was branded with red names, they wouldn’t be able to return to the city. If they were killed, they would drop all their equipment and many levels. Hei Zhuo’s eyes flashed with a cold light. Only with such an outcome would his hatred be abated.
The players from Unhindered quickly gathered at the inner regions of Kiln Fire Woods. They left no stone unturned, doing a thorough sweep of the area.
Almost eight thousand players gathered here. No matter how valiant Nie Yan’s group was, if they encountered such a large mob of bloodthirsty players, they would be exterminated.
These players inspected every inch of land, but after a full thirty minutes, they still came up empty. All they found were the remnants of the earlier battles. Most distinctly, the large crater created by Hellfire that had yet to recover.
The entire area was empty, lacking any trace of Nie Yan’s group.
“Where are they!?” Hei Zhuo roared in anger. His guild members cast fearful glances in his direction, none daring to reply.
They had undoubtedly scoured through every inch of the area. What did they miss? Where did Nie Yan’s group disappear off to?
Hei Zhuo was like an enraged lion, roaring at everyone around him, when he received a message Nie Yan’s group had appeared to the north. They fled after killing ten players.
“Surround them! I want them all dead! Tell the Thieves to follow them. No matter what, do not let them get away!” Hei Zhuo immediately led the large crowd of players north.
Nie Yan’s group travelled through the tunnels of the lava caverns, evading Unhindered’s forces. They would ambush an unsuspecting group, then quickly retreat, easily shaking off any pursuers.
“You guys go first. Wait for me up ahead! Sun, act as a lookout for me. If you see anyone approach, immediately report back to me,” Nie Yan instructed.
“Alright!” Sun nodded.
“Boss, what about you?”
“I’ll join up with you guys in a bit. Let me take care of those Thieves trailing us first!” Nie Yan replied before entering stealth.
Nie Yan looked at Young Seven who nodded his head in response.
Eight of them ran ahead, leaving Nie Yan and Young Seven behind to deal with the Thieves.
Nie Yan immediately sensed seven Thieves approaching. He quickly locked down on their positions.
When the group of Thieves arrived, they found a Priest, Young Seven, all alone. They stealthily moved toward him.
「To the left at 7 o’clock!」Nie Yan said to Young Seven in the intercom.
Young Seven cast illuminate. A shining ball of light floated up into the air. The dazzling radiance covered the sky like a pool of mercury. Under the flood of light, it revealed three silhouettes.
“Shit, we’ve been discovered. Kill him!”
Nie Yan suddenly appeared behind them. With Smothering Strike followed by Assassinate, he instantly killed one of them, then pounced onto his next target. A Backstab and Eviscerate made short work of them.
His methods were direct and efficient.
The third Thief rushed toward Young Seven. However, they came to a halt five meters from their target.
Nie Yan activated Shadow Steps. He was much faster than the enemy Thief. Within the blink of an eye, he caught up and plunged his dagger deep into their back.
The Thief didn’t expect Nie Yan to be so fast. They activated Stealth, disappearing from Nie Yan’s view. However, seconds later they reemerged as a body collapsing to the ground.
Both Nie Yan’s Splitting Edge and Scarlet Poison Ring inflicted debuffs that dealt damage over time. Even though they were merely DOT effects, these Thieves couldn’t endure them.
At this moment, four Thieves pounced toward Young Seven. Young Seven activated Illuminate, revealing their locations. He cast Fear, causing the closest Thief to involuntarily retreat. He cast Cripple and Ache, cursing one of the other Thieves whose speed was immediately reduced.
「Peng! Peng!」Two light arrows struck the Thief, chunking away half of their health.
The two other Thieves were still closing in on Young Seven. Very soon, he was going to suffer the attacks of both of them. Concussive Blow! Nie Yan arrived in time, stunning one of the two Thieves whom he finished off with Vital Strike.
Young Seven put up a Radiant Barrier, then self-cast a Resistance Blessing, blocking the fourth Thief’s Concussive Blow. With a Holy Flame Burst, he sent them flying.
Nie Yan raised his dagger, cleaning up the feared Thief.
The last remaining Thief wanted to run but Young Seven didn’t give them the chance. He handled the Thief quickly.
“Your PvP skills are pretty good,” Nie Yan praised. He was genuinely surprised. He didn’t expect Young Seven to be so strong. Who said Priests couldn’t PvP?
“It’s nothing.” Young Seven smirked, scratching his nose.