Chapter 9

A berserker leaped high into the air, using the momentum of his descent to slash down at Nie Yan.

As the berserker’s greatsword whistled down, it was already at Nie Yan’s forehead.

Nie Yan sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the berserker.

In Faith, ranged attacks had auto-aim, so the only way to avoid them was to roll. However, melee attacks could be dodged by sidestepping.

The most important part of sidestepping a frontal slash was having quick reflexes and timing it just right. Nie Yan had practiced this to perfection in his previous life. After dodging the swordsman, he sprinted towards the lake.

The berserker’s slash missed, and he was momentarily stunned. That guy was so fast, he could even dodge that.

When the berserker turned around, he saw that Nie Yan had already run a considerable distance. He raised his sword and gave chase.

"Third Brother, what’s wrong? You can’t even stop him," a sword and shield warrior complained as he rushed over.

"That thief is too fast, I couldn’t stop him."

The sword and shield warrior glanced at the corpse of the elemental mage, Zihuo. Zihuo was a loner, but he was skilled. Yet, he had been killed by that thief, indicating that the thief was no ordinary player.

"Let’s stop him together!"

The sword and shield warrior and the berserker increased their speed.

As they neared the lake, only five to six yards away, Nie Yan took out a low-grade underwater breathing potion and drank it.

"He’s going to jump into the water to escape!"

"Don’t let him get into the water."

The sword and shield warrior and the berserker leaped in unison. Both being warriors, their momentum after a heavy jump was much more powerful than that of other melee classes.

"Charge!"

"Flame Slash!"

The sword and shield warrior lunged forward with his sword, while the berserker’s sword was enveloped in flames as he brought it down.

They were still a bit away from Nie Yan, who turned to look at them. As the flames and sword slashes approached, a sly smile appeared on his face. He leaped backward, plunging into Rando Lake.

Ripples spread across the calm surface of the lake.

The sword and shield warrior and the berserker reached the lakeside. The berserker was about to jump in when the sword and shield warrior held him back. "Forget it, don’t chase a cornered enemy, especially since we don’t have any underwater breathing potions." The sword and shield warrior recalled Nie Yan’s sly smile, which was why he didn’t dare to jump in, fearing that Nie Yan might have some trick up his sleeve in the water, potentially leaving them stranded.

"Are we just going to let him go?" the berserker was frustrated.

"Consider it Zihuo’s bad luck. Who told him to be so arrogant and leave the team? It’s a lesson for him. There are still many strong players out there."

Several triumphant players, mostly mages and priests, panted as they ran up. Their movement speed was slower than that of warriors, so they had fallen behind.

"What happened? Where’s that guy?" a mage asked.

"We didn’t catch him. He jumped into the lake," the sword and shield warrior shook his head.

The mage looked at the sword and shield warrior and the berserker in surprise. Ziyao and Ziming were two of the top warriors in the guild. The thief had first killed Zihuo and then escaped from Ziyao and Ziming. Who was this thief?

"What’s the thief’s name? Ask Zihuo, he’s already respawned in the graveyard," the mage said.

"Zihuo said the thief’s name is Nie Yan," Ziming said, remembering the name clearly.

"Tell our people to be on the lookout. If they encounter this Nie Yan, report it immediately," the mage said worriedly. They hadn’t gained any advantage against Nie Yan, and if ordinary guild members encountered him, the outcome would be even worse.

After jumping into the water, Nie Yan swam underwater. The water in Rando Lake was very clear, with beams of light piercing through the surface, creating a colorful and fantastical scene as the aquatic plants swayed with the waves.

Swimming to the bottom and weaving through the plants, Nie Yan suddenly remembered that there seemed to be a chest in the lake, though he wasn’t sure of its exact location. His memory was a bit hazy.

It should be around here. The chest contained a skill book for Gathering. Although Gathering wasn’t a rare skill book, it was scarce at their current level. Players who learned Gathering could earn a lot of money, and every team needed at least one, as did every solo player. The high demand and low supply had driven the price of the Gathering skill book up.

Finding the chest would be quite beneficial. As a thief, Nie Yan could reach many places others couldn’t, making the Gathering skill even more useful.

The low-grade underwater breathing potion only lasted fifteen minutes. If he had known he would be searching for a chest, he would have bought more potions. Nie Yan regretted this.

Something was slowly descending from the surface. Under the sunlight, Nie Yan finally saw it clearly—it was a Level 3 Murloc. It had a fish-like body, with its limbs constantly moving, allowing it to swim very fast, and it held a trident in its hand.

Nie Yan quickly hid in the aquatic plants.

If it were a one-on-one fight, Nie Yan could easily deal with a Murloc. However, Murlocs had a nasty habit of emitting a shrill cry when attacked, which would attract nearby Murlocs.

For safety, Nie Yan decided not to provoke these troublesome creatures.

The Murloc swam past Nie Yan, parting the aquatic plants and diving in.

As the Murloc parted the plants, Nie Yan noticed something hidden in the vegetation.

Seeing the Murloc swim away, Nie Yan cautiously swam over. This was a Murloc’s territory, and being discovered would be dangerous.

Nie Yan parted the plants and searched, eventually finding a wooden chest, the lowest grade of chest. He wasn’t sure if it was the one he remembered.

Opening the chest, Nie Yan felt around inside. To his surprise, he didn’t find a skill book but a pearl.

Nie Yan checked the item’s properties.

Murloc Water Breathing Pearl: Special item, grants the skill Water Breathing. Water Breathing: Activates underwater breathing for thirty minutes, with a 12-hour cooldown.

It was a low-grade special item, not particularly valuable, but it would save him a few low-grade underwater breathing potions and be useful in the future.

It seemed there was more than one chest here. Considering the size of the lake, the game’s AI wouldn’t have placed only one chest. Nie Yan continued his search, moving through the plants. With the Water Breathing Pearl, he had more time to search for chests.

The aquatic plants nearby stirred, and Nie Yan was startled, quickly hiding in the vegetation.

A Murloc emerged from the plants, slowly swimming through the gap a short distance from Nie Yan.

Soon, another Murloc swam towards Nie Yan’s location.

One after another, more Murlocs appeared.

The frequency of Murlocs increased.

Damn, did he end up in a Murloc nest? Or was it just a group of Murlocs passing by?

A Murloc was getting closer, and Nie Yan’s heart raced. He gripped his dagger, knowing he couldn’t hide any longer and would have to find a way to escape. However, his swimming speed was no match for the Murlocs, and he wasn’t sure if he could get away.

With so many Murlocs nearby, if they all attacked, Nie Yan would be doomed.

He blamed his own greed for searching for chests and forgetting the danger.

The Murloc swam to within three yards of Nie Yan, paused, and raised its trident.

Squawk, the Murloc made some strange noises.

Nie Yan looked around and saw at least a dozen Murlocs surrounding him, their tridents blocking all escape routes.

It was over. He couldn’t defeat these Murlocs. They swam incredibly fast in the water, and their sharp teeth would latch onto their prey and not let go until they were torn apart.

He couldn’t run, and he couldn’t fight.

Nie Yan mentally prepared for death, glancing at the Murlocs’ bodies. They had a red spot on their abdomens, which was their weak point. Even if he died, he would take one down with him!

Just then, a sharp horn sounded from the lakeside, the urgent and loud noise echoing far and wide.

It was the alarm for a Murloc tribe under attack!

The dozen Murlocs surrounding Nie Yan stopped swimming, listening intently. They chattered among themselves and then swam rapidly towards the lakeside.

The dozen Murlocs swam farther away, and hundreds more Murlocs converged from all directions, like a school of fish.

The Murlocs disappeared from Nie Yan’s sight.

Lucky, Nie Yan thought, the unexpected turn of events was both surprising and reasonable.

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