Chapter 1 Nilan Arena

The Nilan Arena was a magnificent structure perched on a hillside. Built in the Common Era year 921, its style reflected that era. The walls were constructed of gray-white rock, reaching a height of twenty to thirty yards in an oval shape. It had dozens of levels adorned with intricate carvings. Due to its age, some parts had collapsed. The interior was complex, with rooms and corridors connecting to a massive central arena with spectator stands that could hold tens of thousands of people.

It had always been a place where the wealthy squandered their money. Real-life battles frequently took place in the arena, accompanied by betting.

As for the Evil Thieves, they were part of a quest. These thieves controlled the arena, and only by eliminating their leader could the place be restored to its original state. The Evil Thief Lord was a level 70 mutated lord, requiring a super team of level 70 players to defeat him. Until then, the arena would remain under the control of the Evil Thieves.

In the plaza ahead, thieves in black cloaks constantly passed by. Eerie red glints shone in their eyes as they scanned the vicinity. Finding nothing, they entered stealth, reappearing dozens of yards away.

These thieves seemed difficult to deal with. Stealthing creatures were troublesome.

Nie Yan activated Eye of Truth, scanning the surroundings and spotting a faint figure in the wilderness.

Suddenly, Nie Yan felt a strange sensation. A warm current gathered around his eyes, converging towards his pupils. The blood vessels in his pupils became thicker, and two beams of red light burst from his eyes before slowly fading.

Looking at Nie Yan now, one would see his pupils had become a pair of blood-red eyes.

Everything in sight became exceptionally clear. He could even see distant places clearly. Seventeen or eighteen more figures appeared on the open ground. The twenty-odd thieves stealthing nearby were all caught in his gaze without exception.

It turned out that the thief whose invisibility he had pierced earlier was only a small fraction of the whole. If he had rushed in rashly, he might have collided with these thieves while stealthed. It would have been an unavoidable fierce battle, as these Evil Thieves were level 70 monsters!

Eye of Truth seemed to have strengthened!

The improvement of Eye of Truth didn't depend on the number of times it was used, but rather on the number of times enemy players' stealth was detected in combat. To prevent players from farming skill proficiency, the main AI had strict criteria for the targets of Eye of Truth.

After so long, Nie Yan's Eye of Truth had finally improved.

Eye of Truth (Enhanced): After casting this skill, there is a certain probability to see through illusions and stealth. The probability depends on the level difference between the two sides. Instant cast, 120-second cooldown.

If Nie Yan used the enhanced Eye of Truth against a thief of the same level, he would have an 80% chance of seeing through their stealth. Moreover, some monsters and players could cast illusionary clones, which were very deceptive, but Nie Yan had a 70% chance of dispelling them.

The effectiveness of the enhanced Eye of Truth had greatly increased, but the probability of seeing through higher-level creatures was still relatively low.

Nie Yan had been troubled by the low effectiveness of Eye of Truth. Now, it had finally improved somewhat.

He guessed that even with the enhanced Eye of Truth, he was only seeing a portion of the stealthing Evil Thieves. There might be other thieves stealthing nearby that hadn't been detected.

After thinking for a moment, he realized he couldn't rely solely on his eyes. He also needed to rely on his senses and judgment!

Nie Yan entered stealth and moved towards the arena not far away.

These Evil Thieves were all level 70 creatures, and while they were strong in combat, their perception of stealth was weak. Therefore, Nie Yan could avoid them by stealthing.

After observing the Evil Thieves' routes, Nie Yan set a general course based on his own judgment, bypassing the group of thieves.

Nie Yan advanced a short distance and stopped. Several Evil Thieves passed near him, and he seemed to sense a trace of bloodlust.

After bypassing a few Evil Thieves, Nie Yan suddenly sensed something approaching him from the left. He used Shadow Waltz, leaping six or seven yards forward.

Where he had been standing a moment before, a black figure appeared. It was an Evil Thief. The thief looked around, found nothing, and re-entered stealth.

Nie Yan breathed a sigh of relief. He looked ahead. The entrance to the arena was only a hundred yards away: a dark iron gate. There were no monster guards, though. Not far from the iron gate, in the corner of a building, was a golden chest.

Advancing another fifty yards, there were fewer Evil Thieves nearby. He bypassed a few and stealthed towards the golden treasure chest, bending down and beginning to open it.

System: Chest opening in progress, 2%....7%.....

With a click, the golden treasure chest opened. Nie Yan bent over, reached inside, and pulled out an item: a blue pearl.

The pearl was about the size of a fist, able to be held in one hand. It resembled a huge sapphire, emitting a soft, light-blue glow. It was cool to the touch and perfectly round, with a small hole at the top just big enough for a little finger to fit through. He didn't know what it was for.

Nie Yan used Super Identification to appraise the pearl.

Magic Storage Pearl (Quality 2): Players can store magic power within the pearl. When casting spells, they can use it as a medium, using the magic stored within. Maximum storage capacity: 5000. Can be stored once every natural day.

It was a Magic Storage Pearl, and a Quality 2 one at that. His luck was pretty good, Nie Yan thought to himself.

A Magic Storage Pearl was equivalent to a permanent magic potion, with a storage capacity of a full five thousand magic points! It was equivalent to a high-level instant-recovery magic potion. Moreover, using the Magic Storage Pearl didn't conflict with using recovery potions. In a critical moment, the Magic Storage Pearl could save a mage's life.

In the later stages of the game, Magic Storage Pearls were essential for mages. Slightly wealthier mages would have one. Quality 1 Magic Storage Pearls were more common, while Quality 2 were rarer. Magic Storage Pearls only became popular around levels 70 or 80. Currently, there was nothing like Magic Storage Pearls on the market. It could probably sell for eight or nine thousand gold coins, if not more.

Nie Yan thought for a moment. The Magic Storage Pearl should go to a priest: Daidou Laoge Qi Zai, Shi Li Hua Sha, or anyone in Black Hell. Since they all signed agreements, he could just give it to them and let them figure it out themselves. These three had undoubtedly become the top priests in the Bullshorn Tribe, unmatched by anyone else. They were worthy of the title of divine priests from his previous life.

Equipping a Magic Storage Pearl would provide more security when grouping up to grind monsters.

Each time he explored a new map, he could always find some surprises. Nie Yan put the Magic Storage Pearl into his backpack and walked towards the distance.

He reached the entrance of the arena, put his hand on the iron gate, and pushed hard inward.

The iron gate slowly turned, opening inward. Nie Yan walked inside. The environment inside was somewhat dark. A cold wind blew from somewhere, making him feel chilly. Inside was a dark corridor with rooms on either side.

Nie Yan entered stealth and walked into the corridor, still scanning with Eye of Truth. He didn't detect any monsters active nearby.

This place was too dangerous to summon the Golden Earth Dragon.

He walked towards the distance, along the corridor. The furnishings in the corridor could be described as luxurious. A golden carpet stretched far into the distance, and oil lamps, carved entirely from crystal, hung on the walls. The flames flickered as the wind blew.

The doors to the rooms next to the corridor were tightly closed. Nie Yan stopped in front of one of the doors, hesitated for a moment, and pushed it open.

Suddenly, a cold light flashed before Nie Yan's eyes. A dagger struck straight for his face.

Seeing that he was about to be unable to dodge, Nie Yan used Gale Step, blocking the dagger's attack and rapidly retreating a few steps. A black figure appeared before him, wearing a black cloak. It was a thief!

It held a gleaming dagger in its hand, the blade faintly glowing green.

Nie Yan was shocked. The dagger was poisoned!

Nie Yan cast Detect on it.

Shadow Thief: Level 70 Elite, Health 13000/13000.

Humanoid creatures tend to have less health, but they are one of the most difficult types of monsters to deal with. Elite humanoid creatures usually possess some low-level intelligence, unlike other types of elite monsters that can be easily killed with kiting tactics.

The Shadow Thief lunged at Nie Yan, its dagger attempting to stun him, striking straight for his forehead.

Nie Yan sidestepped. His right-hand dagger used a Vital Strike, slashing across the Shadow Thief's neck. He brushed past the Shadow Thief and ran.

If he fought the Shadow Thief head-on, even if he used all his skills, he might not be able to kill it! If he ran out of skills, he might be taken down by the Shadow Thief.

After being hit by Vital Strike, a damage number of over 300 floated above the Shadow Thief's head. Then, damage numbers of one or two hundred floated above its head, all Bleed and Poison damage.

Nie Yan ran around in circles in the hall, using Bleed and Poison damage to slowly grind down the Shadow Thief's health. His Bleed and Poison damage was too terrifying.

After a while, the Shadow Thief lost nearly two thousand health.

Nie Yan stopped for a moment. The Shadow Thief immediately swung its dagger and charged. Nie Yan used Shadow Waltz, passing by the Shadow Thief. He used a Slice and a Eviscerate on the Shadow Thief's back, causing blood to spurt out. After attacking, he immediately ran, not daring to stop.