Compared to the five-yard-tall Celesto, the Dark Gladiator was like a malnourished child.

Clad in golden armor, Celesto resembled a resurrected titan from ancient times, exuding a heavy sense of oppression.

It would be dangerous if Celesto got close!

Under Nie Yan's mental command, the Dark Gladiator suddenly leaped high, pouncing towards Celesto.

Seeing the Dark Gladiator pouncing at it, the green fire in Celesto's eye sockets flickered, filled with contempt for the weak Dark Gladiator. It waved its left hand, sending the Dark Gladiator flying.

The Dark Gladiator rolled and landed, crashing into the corner of the wall, a damage number of -139 floating above its head.

Celesto's attack was truly terrifying. With such high defense, the Dark Gladiator instantly lost more than 20% of its health.

The Dark Gladiator staggered to its feet and pounced at Celesto again.

He needed the Dark Gladiator to hold back Celesto, so he would have enough time to escape.

It wouldn't be easy to summon a creature like the Dark Gladiator again. Although it was a bit of a pity, there was nothing he could do. Besides, the Dark Gladiator's summoning time was almost up.

The Dark Gladiator tightly hugged Celesto's waist. Celesto raised the greatsword in its hand. The light of the sword flashed, and one of the Dark Gladiator's arms flew off. Then, with an elbow strike, the Dark Gladiator was sent flying again.

Celesto was an undead, and like all undead, it moved clumsily, each action appearing extremely stiff. That was why the Dark Gladiator could dodge some of the fatal attacks.

The Dark Gladiator landed, with only 21% of its health remaining. It couldn't withstand another blow from Celesto.

Nie Yan's heart was extremely tense. The Dark Gladiator had only slightly hindered Celesto's steps, but it still couldn't stop Celesto from getting closer to him.

Eight seconds... Six seconds... Five seconds...

Celesto raised the greatsword in its hand, the sharp blade gleaming with a cold, bright light. It was a deadly butcher's knife!

Nie Yan seemed to see himself being dismembered. His eyes swept over the Dark Gladiator struggling to get up not far away. He was extremely anxious. Faster, faster, faster.

The Dark Gladiator got up and, without even standing firmly, charged toward Celesto.

Celesto's greatsword was about to slash at Nie Yan when the Dark Gladiator crashed into it. With a thud, Celesto staggered back a few steps. It angrily swung its greatsword horizontally.

A cold light flashed, and the Dark Gladiator was cut into two pieces, falling to the ground, shattered bones scattering.

Celesto hacked the Dark Gladiator into pieces, then turned towards Nie Yan.

Three seconds, two seconds, one second.

The Return Scroll finally finished casting. A white light flashed, and Nie Yan disappeared into thin air.

The scene changed, and Nie Yan reappeared in Calore. His heart was still tense. He had finally gotten rid of that guy. The only pity was that the Dark Gladiator was gone.

Oh well, there was nothing he could do about it. Even if it wasn't killed by Celesto, the Dark Gladiator would have died anyway.

But he had obtained the Sogote Boots, so his goal was accomplished. Next, he needed to figure out how to equip them.

"Where are you guys now?" Nie Yan sent a message to Big Brother Seven and the others.

"We're back already, at the pharmacy in Calore," Big Brother Seven replied. Sogote Ancient City had too many monsters, and they had run out of potions, so they had returned early.

"Come to the auction house," Nie Yan messaged Big Brother Seven.

"Okay."

After a while, Big Brother Seven and the others walked over from the east side of the street.

"Hello," Nie Yan nodded to them. If it weren't for them this time, Nie Yan wouldn't have been able to get that batch of gems and the Sogote Boots.

"Hello," Big Brother Seven and Forgotten also greeted him.

"Did you complete your quest?" Forgotten asked. He didn't ask what the quest was, as it was Nie Yan's privacy.

"I finished it," Nie Yan nodded and said, "As agreed, I'll give you a gold equipment piece."

"Forget about the equipment," Big Brother Seven declined.

"Two of your teammates died; we can't let you work for nothing. Otherwise, it wouldn't be right," Nie Yan said, and requested a trade with Big Brother Seven. He had a decent impression of Big Brother Seven and the others. These people were honest, and he could contact them in the future.

Big Brother Seven clicked confirm and was shocked to see the equipment placed in the trade window.

It was a warrior's shoulder armor. Although it could only be worn at level 10, it was definitely a good item: Strength +13, Resilience +17. Such equipment would cost at least 30 silver coins on the market.

Big Brother Seven thought Nie Yan would just give them a random piece of gold equipment as a token gesture. After all, even the most ordinary gold equipment was valuable, given its basic stats. But he never expected Nie Yan to give such good equipment. Big Brother Seven didn't decline this time. Refusing for the sake of face would be irresponsible to the team. A warrior's defensive gear was extremely important to the team!

"We won't stand on ceremony. If Brother Nie Yan needs any help in the future, we'll definitely go all out!" Big Brother Seven's tone was sincere, unlike before when it was more superficial.

Nie Yan originally thought of giving an ordinary piece of gold equipment as a token gesture, but later, seeing Big Brother Seven and the others wholeheartedly leading monsters for him and even losing two teammates, he couldn't let them lose money. Anyway, he couldn't use this warrior's shoulder guard, and he didn't care about the money.

If these people were coy and declined for a long time, Nie Yan would have been annoyed. He preferred straightforward people who were easier to associate with and not hypocritical. He glanced at the teammates behind Big Brother Seven and said, "If I need help in the future, I'll still look for you guys. Maybe I'll even ask you to team up."

"We'll definitely be happy to go," Forgotten chimed in from the side. They didn't have a fixed team, and although they had been thinking about forming one, they hadn't had time to implement it. If Nie Yan was willing to team up with them, they would be more than happy. It seemed impossible to pull Nie Yan into their team now. Their small temple couldn't keep a great god like Nie Yan.

The game had only been open for a week, and there weren't many people who could form a team. This was undoubtedly the best time for Nie Yan to recruit top players. He could often collect good things, farm high-level elites, and occasionally run dungeons with a team. It was a good choice.

Nie Yan chatted with Big Brother Seven, Forgotten, and the others for a while, and felt that these people were pretty good, so he added them as friends for easy contact.