Chapter 639 - Dancer of the Shadows
After gathering 16 classmates from the command faculty, Xu Yan had filled the last four spots in their team with friends of his in Asskickers United. They had already ran through several dungeons together, which all went smoothly. Everyone’s gear rapidly improved. Furthermore, thanks to Xu Yan’s influence and their own skill, several classmates had joined Asskickers United.
Xu Yan, Fei Zhe, and Xia Tianyu’s popularity in the command faculty had risen accordingly. As for Zhao Shiyu, Fu Guangtao, Bai Jun, and the rest of their clique, they found themselves isolated off in a corner. They naturally were resentful, and the conflicts between both sides quickly escalated.
“Should we run Skeleton Mines in Netherworld Marsh?” Chu Chenghao suggested to Xu Yan. In the past, he would’ve never imagined himself running a Level 90 dungeon like Skeleton Mines. But now he was suggesting exactly that.
Over the past couple of months, the equipment of their team had undergone a heavenshaking change.
“We’ll run Skeleton Mines tomorrow!” Xu Yan said after thinking for a bit.
Like usual, the team prepared for their daily dungeon runs in Calore before setting out towards the north. Along the way, they passed by both solo players and small parties grinding mobs. As they passed through a forest, they noticed more and more players congregating towards them. There had to be at least a hundred!
Xu Yan immediately sensed something off.
“Everyone, let’s retreat.”
“It’s Fu Guangtao and those bastards!”
At this time, they spotted Zhao Shiyu, Fu Guangtao, and Bai Jun leading 100 players into surrounding them.
“Hah, let’s see where you punks can run off too now! You guys are completely surrounded. If I don’t kill you today, I won’t feel satisfied, especially you three, Xu Yan, Xia Tianyu, and Fei Zhe! Don’t think I can’t do anything to you just because you found a rich backer!” Fu Guangtao chuckled sinisterly. After eyeing Xu Yan’s group for so long, they had finally found an opportunity.
Zhao Shiyu crossed her arms with a contemptuous look on her face. “What are we wasting our time talking with them for? Hurry up and kill them. We still have dungeons to run.”
“The equipment on those three is pretty good. After we kill them, let’s divide it up between ourselves.”
Xu Yan, Xia Tianyu, and Fei Zhe glanced at each other. The situation wasn’t looking good for them. Fu Guangtao and the others had too many people on their side. They would be dogpiled to death.
“Everyone, follow me! We’re slaughtering our way out!” Xu Yan shouted. Leading a team was something you gradually got better at with experience. After commanding Chu Chenghao and the others around for the past two months, he finally had the air of a team captain about him.
Charge!
Xu Yan barreled toward the thinnest point of the enemy’s encirclement.
From behind, Xia Tianyu and Fei Zhe supported him with their firepower.
“W-what!? Stop them!” Fu Guangtao shouted in a fluster. He didn’t expect Xu Yan to take the initiative and attack them first.
The players under Fu Guangtao’s command immediately closed in on Xu Yan’s team. Magic whizzed over the battlefield as the sound of combat filled the air. Though Xu Yan’s team was heavily outnumbered, they didn’t give up so easily. Killing three at the cost of five, they broke through the encirclement and escaped toward the south.
“Don’t let them get away!” Zhao Shiyu’s shrill voice cried out.
...
As Nie Yan sped through the air on his Darkwing Dragon, he looked down and saw a large scuffle occuring at the edge of a forest below. Spells were flying left and right and exploding everywhere, illuminating the sky with dazzling lights.
“Hmm, that makes things easy. Guess they’re over there.” Nie Yan leaped off the Darkwing Dragon.
Nie Yan made a rapid descent and landed on the ground with a loud thud.
Xu Yan, Xia Tianyu, and Fei Zhe were on their last legs. The teammates around them fell one after another. Only seven of them were still alive. Although they’d killed 17 of Zhao Shiyu and Fu Guangtao’s people, they were too heavily outnumbered. There was practically no end to the enemies. They were quickly surrounded again.
“Don’t let those three escape! I want them dead!” Fu Guangtao shouted.
Close to 80 surrounded Xu Yan and the others again. No matter what they did, escape was impossible.
As the enemy slowly closed in on them, the noose tightening around their necks, they felt more and more pressure. Their hopes of getting out alive were quickly dwindling just like their health.
“Fei Zhe, Tianyu, it looks like we’re going to die here today.” Xu Yan bitterly smiled.
“It’s fine. Let’s take as many of them down with us as possible!” Xia Tianyu said. He activated Arcane Reset and fired out three Flame Bursts in quick succession, instantly obliterating a nearby enemy Warrior. His equipment was far superior to that of ordinary players. So, the damage he dealt to them was astonishing.
“I got one of these. One of you guys should take it and escape!” Chu Chenghao said, taking out an Unknown Transfer Scroll from his bag.
“Use it yourself. You can still get away. We’ll cover you!” Xu Yan said. Unknown Transfer Scrolls were still a precious commodity, even at this stage of the game.
Chu Chenghao forcefully shook his head. “My equipment is trash. Even if I die, it won’t matter. One of you take it and run, quick!”
Xu Yan, Xia Tianyu, and Fei Zhe were visibly moved. Xu Yan patted Chu Chenghao on the shoulder and said in a solemn tone, “Thank you. But we won’t run away. We’ll die fighting together! Besides, I want to at least take down Fu Guangtao with me! That bastard!”
None of them accepted Chu Chenghao’s Unknown Transfer Scroll.
“We can dwell on the melodramatics later. Now, we kill!” Xu Yan charged forward and sent a Warrior flying. Fei Zhe followed up with two crossbow bolts, piercing the Warrior's chest. Even though they were surrounded, the ferocity of their attacks didn’t wane.
Seeing the Warrior’s corpse flying past him, Fu Guangtao couldn’t help but curse, “Fucking bastards! Struggle all you want, you’re still going to die! Warriors, charge!”
Over a dozen Warriors rushed toward Xu Yan and what was left of his team.
At this point, even if Xu Yan and the others had three heads and six arms, they still couldn’t escape their fates. Fu Guangtao’s eyes lit up with excitement.
When all looked lost for Xu Yan and the other six, a silhouette streaked by and cut down three Warriors in an instant.
“W-what’s going on!?” Fu Guangtao’s heart shivered. Before he could figure out what happened, a string of notifications popped up in quick succession.
Your teammate Flashy Flash has died.Your teammate Dry Bark has died.
Your teammate Fatty Bacon has died.
Nie Yan killed to his heart’s content as if he had entered no man’s land. He reaped lives like harvesting fields of wheat. The enemy was simply too weak. There was no way their pitifully low health bars could endure a single one of his attacks as he left behind a trail of corpse in his wake.
Seeing a silhouette speed toward him, a Warrior brandished his sword.
However, Nie Yan was already one step ahead of him. He leaped up into the air and struck the Warrior’s throat with a flying kick, crushing their windpipe and sending them flying back.
Bracing his hand against the ground, Nie Yan then bounded toward a nearby Paladin several meters away, his body spinning as he executed a Reverse Grip Backstab mid-air.
Sensing the incoming attack, the Paladin panicked and attempted to retreat. However, before he had a chance to take even a single step, Zennarde’s Sword plunged into his back. THUD! He collapsed dead on the ground.
Heads rolled wherever Nie Yan passed. In a flash, more than 20 people died. All the enemies surrounding Xu Yan’s team were cleared away.
Xu Yan and the others’ eyes rounded in shock. Having already resigned themselves to death, they didn’t expect such a dramatic turn of events. As they searched for their saviour, all they saw was a blurry silhouette darting across the battlefield, felling one enemy player after another.
Even Xu Yan and the others felt a chill run down their spines. Just who was this mysterious figure? He was too frightening! Thankfully, he appeared to be helping them.
“Shit! Who is that bastard!? Blast him to death!” Fu Guangtao roared in a rage. Seeing his people getting killed left and right without even knowing who the other side was, he felt fear creeping up his heart.
A hail of spells arced through the air. But before they could land, the silhouette vanished.
Not a second later, blood curdling screams rang out as several more players collapsed to the ground.
No one could stop Nie Yan's massacre!
In a short time, the 100-man strong force was reduced to only 20, among which seven were students of the command faculty.
“God dammit! Who the hell are you!? Show your face you fucking bastard!” Fu Guangtao bellowed. As he looked around him, his surroundings were empty. It was like no one was ever there. The several Priests behind him tossed orbs of light into the air, illuminating everything within a 30-meter radius. But they still couldn’t find any traces of Nie Yan.
The atmosphere grew tense. They knew Nie Yan hadn’t left and was hiding somewhere within the shadows. He was the decider of life and death. Whoever he set his sights on would die. None of them had any hope of surviving his blade.
Their fates were already no longer in their control.
“W-who are you!? You’ve killed so many of my people, but you won’t even reveal your name!?” This was also the first time Zhao Shiyu had encountered such a situation. Assaulted by the pungent smell of blood in the air, her face paled in fright. She could only rely on Fu Guangtao to stay alive. At the end of the day, she was just a pretty face without any ability.
As for Bai Jun, he remained more level-headed. He activated Eyes of the Divine and looked around. However, no matter where he searched, he couldn’t spot the slightest trace of Nie Yan.
“Even Eyes of the Divine doesn’t work…?” Bai Jun muttered. What he failed to realize was that after becoming a Luminous Dancer, Nie Yan’s stealthing capabilities had risen to a whole ‘nother plane. Their low rank ocular skills were completely useless against him.
The surroundings were empty as a deadly silence filled the air. An instant later, two miserable cries rang out. A sharp light flashed by as two players beside Fu Guangtao and Bai Jun were instagibbed.
Hidden within the darkness, Nie Yan was like a god of death. No one could escape his reaper’s blade.
Against his absolute speed, these players were like lambs at the slaughter. This was the joy of dominating everyone and everything on the battlefield. Nie Yan’s understanding regarding the strength of a Shadow Dancer deepened even further as did the shock in his heart. Every movement he made, no matter how slow in his eyes, was lightning fast to ordinary players. When ambushing from the shadows, if the enemy couldn’t keep up in speed, their deaths were guaranteed. He was a dancer in the shadows—a Shadow Dancer!
“Didn’t you want to know my level? Well, today I’ll grant you the privilege of seeing who killed you!” Nie Yan dispelled his stealth, materializing into view.