Chapter 4

"Wait, what are the coordinates? There are really a lot of Stealth skill books there?" the Silenced Paladin asked, believing Nie Yan somewhat after hearing his words.

"22385.21338.23329. It's near the Fallen Mage Camp, but it's a safe distance away. After twenty minutes, a Fallen Mage will spawn every five seconds. The Silenced Paladin can grind there until level five. Kid, you’re still green. Just a bit of game knowledge from this master can benefit you immensely." Nie Yan patted the Silenced Paladin’s shoulder with a boastful air. "How about it, any discount?"

"Four copper coins, no less." The Silenced Paladin was somewhat skeptical of Nie Yan’s words, but he had indeed managed to get around six Stealth skill books a day by grinding Fallen Mages outside the camp. He had been to the Fallen Mage Camp and almost died there, so the coordinates Nie Yan provided should be outside the camp.

Nie Yan’s words were completely accurate, so they should be genuine. The Silenced Paladin pondered whether he should check out those coordinates.

"Three copper coins. If you don’t agree, I’ll leave. If you’re willing to give me one for free, I’ll reveal some secrets about the Fallen Mage Camp." Nie Yan said, seeing the Silenced Paladin still hesitating, he turned to leave.

Nie Yan was short on money and couldn’t afford to buy Stealth skill books, but this skill book was essential for every thief in the early stages. If necessary, he would go to a level one monster spawn point to earn some money.

"Wait." Seeing Nie Yan about to leave, the Silenced Paladin quickly called him back, picking up a Stealth skill book from the stall. "It’s just a Stealth skill book. I can grind six a day, here, take it. Tell me about the Fallen Mage Camp." He was planning to go there with his companions soon and wanted to know more about it. Nie Yan seemed to know a lot.

This Silenced Paladin seemed like a straightforward person. Getting a Stealth skill book for free made Nie Yan very happy.

"Since you’re honest, don’t go to the coordinates I mentioned earlier. If you grind there, three Fallen Mage Leaders will come within five minutes and blast you with fireballs." Nie Yan said casually.

The Silenced Paladin broke out in a cold sweat, feeling a chill down his spine. He had been considering going to those coordinates because Nie Yan said they had a fast spawn rate. He hadn’t expected it to be a fake and so dangerous. If he hadn’t stopped Nie Yan, the consequences would have been dire. Dying there would have been a real shame.

Nie Yan is really cunning, he tricks people without lifting a finger.

The Silenced Paladin had initially felt regret over the Stealth skill book, but now he was relieved. A Stealth skill book was insignificant compared to a life. Dying would result in losing a level and an item, so being honest had its benefits.

Seeing the Silenced Paladin look at him with a resentful gaze, Nie Yan chuckled. "You seem honest. The real coordinates are 22325.21383.23359. You can indeed get ten Stealth skill books a day there, and the grinding is fast. It’s a good place to level up. I’m not lying this time. As a thank you for the free skill book, consider this a reward. As for the Fallen Mage Camp, it’s a twenty-man dungeon. The Shield Warrior needs 72 defense, the Paladin and Priest have higher requirements. The Paladin’s Will needs to be 8, and the Priest needs to learn Minor Healing, with a healing amount of thirty. You must also bring enough health and mana potions."

"The requirements are so high. My Will is only 7. Can I enter? The Minor Healing skill book is too expensive, it’s been hyped up to an astronomical price and is hard to find. Our team only has one Priest with it. We’re going to the Fallen Mage Camp to get the Minor Healing skill book. Can’t we enter if we don’t meet the requirements?" the Silenced Paladin asked.

"You can enter, but you need a special strategy..."

"What special strategy?" the Silenced Paladin asked.

Nie Yan smiled but said nothing. He might need to enter the Fallen Mage Camp in the future, and he wouldn’t reveal the strategy unless the other party paid a sufficient price.

"All dungeons have five difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard, Expert, and Master. If you’re not confident, you can choose the Easy difficulty. It’s not that hard. If you don’t meet the requirements, just improve a bit more." Nie Yan changed the subject. He wouldn’t reveal the Fallen Mage strategy just for a Stealth skill book.

Although Nie Yan was only level one, he seemed very professional. The Silenced Paladin weighed his options and decided to trust Nie Yan.

"Thank you." The Silenced Paladin said sincerely.

Nie Yan laughed. This guy gave him a Stealth skill book and still thanked him. He was really cute. In his previous life, he was also very honest, but he became more cunning over time. Although he found the Silenced Paladin somewhat foolish, he had a good impression of him. Waving the skill book, he said, "We both got what we wanted."

Just as Nie Yan turned to leave, the Silenced Paladin called him back. "Expert, what’s your name? Let’s add each other as friends. If I have any questions in the future, I can ask you."

"I’ll charge a service fee." Nie Yan said, not wanting to be a free customer service.

"No problem." The Silenced Paladin agreed readily.

"Alright, I’m called Niy Yan." If the other party paid enough, Nie Yan could give some information, treating it as extra income.

"I’m called Flying Stone, my friends call me Stone." The Silenced Paladin, Stone, added Nie Yan as a friend.

"Alright, I have things to do, see you later." Nie Yan bid farewell to Stone and walked towards the teleportation point. He would unlearn Stealth, as a thief’s armor and health were inferior to other melee classes. In the early stages, he could only grind weak monsters of the same level, and only one at a time. Encountering stronger monsters or more than one would mean running for his life. Unlike warriors, who could handle two same-level monsters from the start, and better-equipped ones could handle three or more, thieves, unless in a group, would always level up slower than warriors and mages.

Currently, the highest level players were level five, and the highest level thief was a bit over level four.

Thieves needed to continuously earn money to buy skill books. Once their skills were more diverse, their strength would improve, and their leveling speed would gradually increase.

Now, Nie Yan had his first skill, Stealth.

Stealth was the most basic and powerful skill for a thief.

He teleported to Trak Town, a small town in the Carol Grasslands, a settlement of NPCs with mud-built houses, giving it a distinct grassland town feel. Many players leveled up here, making it lively and bustling.

The monsters around the town ranged from level 0 to 10.

The town was filled with level two or three players, either trading items or looking for groups to grind monsters, creating a crowded atmosphere.

If his memory served him right, there was a Silver Chest in the wild cat area of Trak Town, which he had discovered in his previous life. It contained an excellent Thief skill book. The area was a level five monster zone, and no one should have reached there yet.

Players who grouped to level up usually did so in small teams of three to five, as larger groups of ten or more would split the experience too thinly, making it inefficient. Small teams that could handle level five monster zones were rare.

Chests were graded from White, Silver, Gold, Dark Gold, to Legendary. The higher the grade, the better the loot. The items in chests were fixed, and they would disappear once taken.

Although he was only level zero, with the Stealth skill, Nie Yan decided to go for the chest.

~~ Seeing so many readers’ support, Snail felt much better. It seems that people still enjoy reading about online games, and there are quite a few of them. It’s been a while since I wrote about online games. I always thought writing about online games had no future, but with your support, I can see a ray of hope. Please give me a bit of sunshine to light my way forward.