Chapter 18

Holding her chin with both hands, Hope stared at the young thief in front of her and chuckled, "You're called Fangkuai, right? In all the years I've been in Farview Town, you're the most promising kid I've seen. So—what do you think of our Astorian?"

This was a task, wasn't it? Could my charm have a +10 adjustment value? Fang Yi's mind raced with thoughts, but he didn't dare speak rashly and quickly replied, "Respected Captain Hope, I have always had a strong curiosity and the most sincere admiration for the largest thieves' guild in Thayshire!"

Hearing Fang Yi's tactful response, Hope nodded smugly, "In Thayshire, our strength is indeed top-notch. If only..." Hope's tone shifted, and his face darkened, "The Dark Night Mask gang would be a bit more obedient!"

Fang Yi sensed an opportunity. The Dark Night Mask was the most notorious thieves' guild on the Dragon Coast, with its base in the east of Thayshire, at the largest port—Ximen. Could the Dark Night Mask be interested in the small city of Thayshire? This would be quite a show to watch.

After cursing the Dark Night Mask for a while, Hope said to Fang Yi, "The Dark Night Mask has been infiltrating Thayshire very frequently recently. We urgently need some 'clever' guys to help in Thayshire. I think you are very suitable. What do you think?"

The system prompt: Do you accept the mission, Thief's Steps?

Fang Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly accepted.

Mission description:

"Thayshire has not been peaceful recently, kid!

I hate peace; peace means weakness and idleness for us, but—suppose these troubles target us—Astorian, our boss will be very dissatisfied.

The Dark Night Mask has infiltrated every corner of Thayshire and is spreading into Astorian! This is our home turf, adventurer, but if they get inside, we will lose this advantage.

Get to the Mistletoe Tavern in Thayshire and report to your superior as soon as possible. You will soon find out how exciting life here is."

Thayshire again, it seems this small port city is in turmoil lately, not very peaceful. It looks like the trip to Thayshire must be on the agenda.

Most of the Dragon Coast is flat terrain, with only a few low hills scattered around. Geographically, it is adjacent to the Fallen Star Sea and Dragon Lake, making transportation extremely convenient.

Starting from the port of Ximen on the southwest shore of the Fallen Star Sea, passing through the south shore of Dragon Lake or directly sailing across Dragon Lake to the westernmost part of the Dragon Coast, the Trader's Road, is the only route for trade between the Inner Sea countries like Cormyr and Sembia and the Western Lands. Therefore, it is called the "Golden Road" filled with the footprints of merchants, where gold coins roll constantly—also a paradise for pirates and thieves.

After learning Stealth, Fang Yi almost always activated it whenever he had the chance, even if it slowed down his leveling speed. Fang Yi knew that although many players on the level leaderboard were already in the teens, a significant portion would soon drop back to level 10. Players would start encountering tough monsters after level 10, far from the small wolves and dogs in the newbie village. Fang Yi knew that most new players were not well-prepared, just like he was at the time.

Fang Yi had already upgraded his maxed-out Stealth to level 2, and combined with his level 2 Hide skill, he could hide among the chaotic rocks with almost no flaws.

Looking up at the full moon and the faintly glowing Tears of Selûne—always accompanying the moon—Fang Yi felt he could only last another hour before the numbness in his legs would reveal his hidden state. However, the camp at the foot of the mountain was still brightly lit, and the bandits showed no signs of preparing to rest.

After saying goodbye to the Immortal Foot and others who were heading to the Western Lands, Fang Yi spent a silver coin to ask the town merchant for directions and left Farview Town, heading straight north to the small town of Pross, about forty miles away, where he could hire a carriage to go directly to Thayshire. However, not long after setting out, Fang Yi encountered this group of thieves unexpectedly.

Judging from their route, this group was heading the same way as Fang Yi. What truly interested Fang Yi was the emblem on their banner—a strange mask mostly hidden in the shadows—the symbol of the Dark Night Mask.

As the actual ruler of the unknown dark world of Ximen, the Dark Night Mask's strength was undeniable, but extending its reach here was quite risky. Thieves have a strong sense of territory, unless they had some action nearby.

Whether due to his personality or the mission "Thief's Steps," Fang Yi had no reason to let the enemies in front of him escape. Besides, in "Miracle," humanoid monsters drop armor more often than beasts, and most importantly, they drop money. The travel expenses to Thayshire might depend on these people.

After some reconnaissance, Fang Yi determined that the average level of the group in front of him was around level 7. He hadn't had the chance to approach their leader, but based on experience, the leader wouldn't be higher than level 9, within Fang Yi's capabilities.

Time passed, and Fang Yi felt he couldn't wait any longer. At the current speed, they would definitely reach Pross by morning. Tonight was the best and last chance.

Fang Yi carefully observed the people in the camp below, slowly moving his body out from between two large rocks. Despite the distance of over a hundred feet, Fang Yi carefully controlled his steps to make no sound, as he knew there were many fellow thieves—scouts of the thieves' guild—on the slope.

With 16 points in Perception, Fang Yi easily spotted the nearest Dark Night Mask scout, and his level 2 Stealth allowed him to approach without being detected.

Fang Yi stood behind the scout, and with his left hand, he swiftly slit the scout's throat. At the same time, he pressed the Night's Gift into the scout's back, immediately triggering the Throat Lock and Sneak Attack effects.

The crouching scout in the bushes didn't have time to react before falling into a coma. Fang Yi's dagger never left the scout's throat to prevent any noise, while his right hand's Night's Gift chopped at the back of the scout's neck.

It turned out Fang Yi's caution was somewhat unnecessary. In less than four seconds, the poor scout was killed, still in the coma from the Sneak Attack.

This period of outdoor adventure had given Fang Yi a more intuitive understanding of the Night's Gift's attack power. As long as the monster's Constitution wasn't too high, they were basically eliminated without resistance under Fang Yi's sneaky tactics.

The Dark Night Mask team had twenty-five members, with three scouts disappearing into the mountains after dark and two more on high ground. Fang Yi searched the body, then entered Stealth again, patiently hunting for more targets.

The thief's body was hidden under a small tree, well-concealed, at least Fang Yi thought so. But this body wasn't his.

Fang Yi discovered the scout's body on a high ground and immediately activated Hide, moving to a corner. The body was stripped of all loot—NPCs collect equipment but not this thoroughly. Fang Yi frowned, were there other players here?

The situation soon confirmed Fang Yi's suspicions. A faint scream came from the thief camp, followed by a chorus of battle cries. Fang Yi squinted and looked down at the foot of the mountain, muttering a curse, and quickly ran down.

The camp was already in chaos, with arrows and spells flying everywhere. The attacking players were well-organized, with warriors and knights leading the charge, thieves ambushing from behind, and mages, clerics, and healers protected by a group of monks and rear-guard thieves.

Fang Yi hid in the shadows, watching the players push the bandits back. He thought these guys were quite high-level. In the early days of the game, Fang Yi hadn't been obsessed with leveling up, and now the average level of "Miracle" players was around 9 to 10. However, he was too far to see the guild emblems of the attackers.

As the bandits were pushed back, the players' morale was high. Suddenly, a thunderous roar came from the main tent, and a tall figure charged into the front ranks like a whirlwind.

The attacking players were caught off guard, but any hesitation was fatal. Fang Yi saw clearly that it was a barbarian warrior. In the dim firelight, his two-handed sword glowed with a red magical light. The nearby bandits were instantly killed by the sword, and the rest were severely injured, losing their ability to act. Fang Yi sucked in a breath; if he were hit by that sword, he would be in trouble. Fortunately, these guys were the sacrificial lambs, but the Dark Night Mask had some tough members.

However, chaos was the best opportunity for opportunists. Fang Yi didn't care about the battle situation. Seeing the chaos, he sneaked into the camp from the back door and headed for the only building in the camp—the central tent.

Compared to the chaos outside, the tent was eerily quiet. Fang Yi gently placed the scout's body in a corner and began searching the small space. If the bandits were almost all killed, there must be some good loot left.

The tent was simply furnished, with a few small tables in the center, lit by candles providing limited dim light. The floor was covered with fine wool rugs, and a few patches of green grass were visible, filling the tent with the fresh scent of rain-soaked soil.

The tables were cluttered with drinking utensils and various sizes of parchment. Fang Yi quickly approached and examined the parchments, moving to the main table.

A tightly sealed black envelope lay on the table, standing out among the clutter. Fang Yi didn't have time to investigate further and quickly pocketed the envelope, his eyes scanning the corners of the tent. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he quickly moved to a corner.

A beautifully decorated sheathed longsword hung from a pole, still gleaming in the dim candlelight. Fang Yi removed the obvious decoration and tossed it into his bag. What interested him was the black cloth roll tied to the sword, now visible with a faint magical glow—previously hidden by the sword's metal reflection.

"False Blindfold"

Fang Yi only had time to see the name of this dusty magical item before hearing a light sound behind him. His scalp tingled, and his hair stood on end—there was a thief!

The magical armguard was now a burden, but in a split second, Fang Yi lunged forward and drew his left-hand dagger, narrowly avoiding the dagger aimed at his back. The attacker made a surprised sound, not expecting such a quick reaction. Fang Yi, however, was already enraged, having almost been caught off guard. He threw the cloth roll and drew the Night's Gift, charging at the thief.

The thief didn't take Fang Yi seriously, being level 11 and equipped with two new green daggers, giving him a significant advantage in attacks. Seeing the opponent charge instead of fleeing, the thief sneered confidently. However, his smile froze as Fang Yi's scimitar flashed and reached his soft throat before he could block.

Note 1: Most creatures lose the ability to cast spells when their neck is attacked, with the duration depending on their Constitution.

Casters with the ability to cast spells silently and instantly are not affected.