Chapter 1 After the Conversation

Having spoken, Sanjie Buliu took a roll of grey parchment from his backpack. The edges were somewhat tattered, and analyzing the material, it seemed to have been around for many years.

Sanjie Buliu unfurled the parchment, and a somewhat crude map appeared before Nie Yan’s eyes.

Nie Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. It was a treasure map.

The map depicted several locations within the Orc Mountains.

"We’ve been studying this treasure map for over a month and have basically pinpointed the location. We need a highly skilled Thief to cooperate," Sanjie Buliu said to Nie Yan. If he didn't tell Nie Yan about the treasure map, the team wouldn't be able to coordinate, and in the end, they would accomplish nothing because several crucial steps needed to be completed by a Thief.

"Why did you choose me?" Nie Yan asked. After all, he was just a stranger.

"It's a gut feeling. You're stronger than any Thief I’ve ever seen," Sanjie Buliu said seriously. Judging whether a Thief was powerful didn't necessarily mean looking at their stats and equipment; it could be determined from their posture and certain habitual movements.

Besides, Sanjie Buliu had a strange feeling when facing Nie Yan. It was as if Nie Yan didn't exist at all; he couldn't sense the slightest trace of his presence.

Sanjie Buliu believed his perception was already strong enough, but Nie Yan was right in front of him, yet he couldn't sense him at all. How strong must his Stealth be!

Sanjie Buliu had secretly asked Su Youyou to use Perception Enhancement. After Su Youyou cast Perception Enhancement, her Perception was over 600. But when she turned around, she still easily overlooked Nie Yan’s presence. This was extremely shocking. A Perception of 600 couldn't sense someone so close; that Stealth was astonishing.

After Su Youyou told Sanjie Buliu her findings, Sanjie Buliu was even more certain that Nie Yan was definitely not simple.

The truly skilled, like Su Youyou and Sanjie Buliu, possessed keen eyes, like Zi Ye. No wonder Su Youyou and Sanjie Buliu had always disliked him.

While unrolling the map, Sanjie Buliu had been paying attention to Nie Yan's expression. It confirmed his guess: ordinary players would be extremely excited upon seeing a complete treasure map, but Nie Yan only showed a slight hint of interest.

"This treasure map is related to the Paternoster Warhammer, a God-tier item, as well as three Legendary-tier items. It's the treasure of the Dark Elves," Sanjie Buliu couldn't help but add, seeing that Nie Yan was somewhat unmoved.

Nie Yan smiled faintly and said, "I'm only interested in the Paternoster Warhammer. If we obtain the treasure, I want the Paternoster Warhammer; you can divide the rest."

Nie Yan's words were truly shocking.

Everyone was stunned. Nie Yan was being a bit too greedy, asking for the best item in the treasure right off the bat.

"What makes you think you can? Who do you think you are!" Zi Ye cursed. From the moment they met, he hadn't liked Nie Yan. Just a human Thief; his skills couldn't be that great. Now he was making such an outrageous request.

"Strength," a murderous intent suddenly flashed in Nie Yan's eyes, disappearing as quickly as it came. The next moment, he was behind Zi Ye, a dagger in his right hand at Zi Ye's throat.

Before Zi Ye could even raise his staff, the chilling sensation at his throat told him that if Nie Yan had any intention of killing him, he would already be dead.

Nie Yan had only revealed a bit of his power, but it sent tremors through Sanjie Buliu and Su Youyou. Nie Yan's movements were too fast when he attacked. They hadn't even seen him clearly before he was behind Zi Ye. This astonishing speed was terrifying. If Nie Yan attacked any of them, none would survive the next second.

Zi Ye hadn't expected Nie Yan to be so strong, so strong that it was unimaginable. A hint of fear flickered in his eyes.

"How could you team up with such trash? If you don't mind, I can clean him up," Nie Yan's voice was devoid of emotion.

Zi Ye suddenly felt like he was a fish on the chopping block. He had no doubt that Nie Yan would really do it. He was scared.

"Please, spare him," Sanjie Buliu said. He still didn't want to see Zi Ye killed; after all, they had been teammates for so long.

Hearing Sanjie Buliu's words, Nie Yan sheathed his dagger.

Su Youyou's bright eyes shone even more brightly. She was even more curious about Nie Yan's identity. In the entire Glorious Empire, there probably weren't more than ten people with Nie Yan's skill. She carefully examined Nie Yan's appearance. Judging from his looks, he probably wasn't Mad Rogue Nirvana, she thought.

"We didn't have much hope of finding the treasure this time because the guardians are too strong. We've been wiped out several times. If you can help us open the treasure, we're willing to give up the Paternoster Warhammer!" Sanjie Buliu said. He was clearly more rational. The Paternoster Warhammer was a God-tier item, but it wasn't something they could possess. Even if they got it, they might not be able to use it. He guessed that the Paternoster Warhammer was probably a quest item. If they could get the remaining three Legendary items, they would be satisfied. At this point, they didn't even have one Legendary item, and three Legendary items were a considerable temptation.

Although Zi Ye was dissatisfied, he didn't dare to speak out. Nie Yan had scared him.

"Sorry, I came here this time for the Paternoster Warhammer. It's related to a quest of mine," Nie Yan said, explaining to Sanjie Buliu and Su Youyou that he wasn't a greedy person.

Sanjie Buliu nodded, indicating that he understood.

Su Youyou also understood. So there was a reason why Nie Yan specifically wanted the Paternoster Warhammer. They felt a hint of curiosity. Related to the Paternoster Warhammer, that quest must be quite difficult.

Nie Yan also had his own thoughts. Since Sanjie Buliu and the others had been preparing for this treasure for nearly a month and had gathered all sorts of information, cooperating with them should be much faster than doing it alone. After all, he wasn't familiar with this place. Even if he ran all over the map, it would probably take at least a week.

"Let's go," Sanjie Buliu said.

Nie Yan nodded.

The group set off into the depths of the jungle.

Along the way, they chatted for a while. Nie Yan concealed his identity, and the conversation turned to topics like grinding monsters, leveling up, and dungeons. Nie Yan's words were very insightful.

Su Youyou kept talking to Nie Yan, and Nie Yan occasionally replied, leaving Zi Ye out in the cold.

Zi Ye glared venomously at Nie Yan's back. Ever since Nie Yan had arrived, he had been completely overshadowed. Su Youyou, who was usually cold to everyone, was extremely enthusiastic towards Nie Yan.

After traveling through the jungle for twenty minutes, they arrived at a clearing. In the distance, a tall, two-headed giant was patrolling back and forth. It was extremely tall, about three yards or more, wielding a thick, nail-studded mace, its entire body covered in quivering fat.

"Level 180 Elite, Two-Headed Giant, Dark Elf Servant, 1.2 million health. After killing it, we can get a Key Fragment. If the Key Fragment isn't used within five hours, it will expire, and the Two-Headed Giant will respawn, so we need to hurry after killing the Two-Headed Giant," Sanjie Buliu said.

"Have you guys killed it before?" Nie Yan asked, looking at Sanjie Buliu and the others.

"This is the sixteenth time. Our best time was fifteen minutes. There are many more steps after this, so time is tight. This quest is very difficult. Although we've made progress over the past month, we're still far from our goal," Su Youyou said. She was still very confident in her team. Even if these people went to some large guilds, they could probably secure a spot among the top players.

For a team composed of level 110 to 120 players, being able to kill the Two-Headed Giant in fifteen minutes was already a very impressive feat.

However, they had encountered Nie Yan, who couldn't be measured by ordinary standards; he was simply a monster.

A long, long time ago, Nie Yan had already stopped taking these level 180 elites seriously.

"Tian Yuan, I'll tell you the method. You lure the Two-Headed Giant over. There's a kiting spot here," Sanjie Buliu said, gesturing to Nie Yan and explaining the entire process of fighting the monster.

Nie Yan casually scanned the terrain. It was indeed a kiting spot, and finding such a spot wasn't easy, but having to go through so much trouble to lure and kite a level 180 elite was so boring!

"I used to do this job. You're new here, so we need to test your skills. If you can't do it, I can do it," Zi Ye glanced at Nie Yan and said coldly. This was one of his proudest achievements. With long-range attacks combined with Blink, no one in the seven-person team could do it better than him.

"I'm not very good at luring or kiting, but it seems like we don't need to go through so much trouble to deal with that Two-Headed Giant!" Nie Yan said calmly, walking straight towards the Two-Headed Giant.

"What's he planning to do?" a teammate asked in confusion.

"I don't know, probably going to his death," Zi Ye sneered.

Sanjie Buliu and Su Youyou looked at Nie Yan's back and exchanged glances. Nie Yan shouldn't be that stupid, they thought. They really wanted to know what Nie Yan was planning to do.

Nie Yan walked with a calm gait, getting closer and closer to the Two-Headed Giant.

The Two-Headed Giant scanned its surroundings. Its two giant heads had a wide field of vision. One of the heads quickly spotted Nie Yan, and the other head turned as well. Two pairs of copper bell-like eyes focused on Nie Yan. It strode forward, letting out a heavy roar, and swung its mace, smashing a nearby tree away.

The ground shook violently as the Two-Headed Giant strode forward, its power awe-inspiring.