Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World

Chapter 206 - Unrivalled Godly Staff

While celebrations at the guild headquarters kicked into full gear, Nie Yan was leisurely attending to his own affairs. He glanced at his kill count—155. Before he sent Bladelight, Young Seven, and the others away, it had already surpassed 80. Later on, in order to draw the forces of Victorious Return to the center of Kiln Fire Woods, he killed no small number of players. At that time, he was consumed in a murderous frenzy. Coupled with his frightening attack power, almost no one from Victorious Return or Unhindered could survive more than three exchanges with him.

Nie Yan’s biggest harvest from the war with Victorious Return and Unhindered was the flash of insight which allowed him to finally understand the fundamental difference between a Great Thief and a Shadow Dancer. He broke through that layer of restraint, improving greatly in skill. 

In order to become the first to receive the Shadow Dancer title in the future, he would have to lay down a solid foundation. The first Shadow Dancer would receive additional rewards. 

It’s about time I start clearing my red name… Nie Yan mused. He still had to fulfill his promise of getting Bladelight, Young Seven, and the others to Level 30 as well.

Nie Yan sorted out his inventory. He tossed any unneeded equipment into the guild treasury, then took out the Grimmar Soul Staff to appraise.

It was exactly what you would expect out of a Legendary staff. Even Mages with above-average stats would still have wait until they were Level 70–80 before they could equip it. A thousand Intelligence was no joke! Its Magic Power was equally frightening too! However, so long the Lava Titan wasn’t slain, the staff’s properties were greatly reduced, making it no better than an ordinary high-level weapon.

The final line was also something to take note of: “Countess Alicia has the right to retake the staff.” In other words, whoever awakened Countess Alicia would be able to obtain the Grimmar Soul Staff. Nie Yan couldn’t truly be considered the owner of the staff. 

It couldn’t be equipped by anyone for now. Even the strongest Mages at present were a far cry away from meeting the 1,000 Intelligence requirement.

Nie Yan thought for a moment. He placed the staff in the guild treasury, then set its price to 3,000,000 merit points. 

As soon as the Grimmar Soul Staff entered the treasury, it was plastered right at the top, available for everyone in the guild to see.

The players immediately went into an uproar when they saw the properties of the staff.

“What the hell!? You can even get something like that!? My God! That’s a Legendary item!”

The Grimmar Soul Staff had a frightening requirement of 1,000 Intelligence. It was simply looking down on all Elementalists with contempt! As for the sky-high price, the players were rolling their eyes so much they could practically see inside the back of their heads! Just how much would they have to donate to amass 3,000,000 merit points?

The guild chat flooded with complaints.

「Boss! You’re really too much! A person really shouldn’t behave so shamelessly! You put up such a godly staff in the treasury, knowing full well that none of us can come up with the merit points to afford it! Isn’t that just plain bullying?」whined an Elementalist in the guild chat.

「Yeah! Boss, where did you get an item like that?」

「What a godly staff!」

「Guild Leader, you really can’t tease us like this!」

Ever since Nie Yan returned, the atmosphere in the guild showed drastic improvement. Add this to the fact that Guo Huai had swept through and booted out a bunch of people who harboured malicious intentions from their ranks, and the guild as a whole reached an unprecedented degree of unity. “After a nation weathers a storm, its people will grow ever stronger and united!” These words were perfectly suited for describing the current state of Asskickers United.

Nie Yan chuckled before replying.「I didn’t put the Grimmar Soul Staff in the treasury simply to tease you guys. It was to tell you all that if any Elementalist in the guild becomes a Magister, the staff will go to them. Getting the approval of Countess Alicia shouldn’t be anything difficult either. When the guild grows more powerful, we’ll even help that person collect the entire Grimmar Set. You have my word!」

The Grimmar Soul Staff was a Legendary Item, and despite being sealed its properties were still much higher than those of an ordinary Sub-Legendary Item. It fully deserved to be called a godly staff! If the seal was removed, it could unleash even more devastating might. Any Elementalist wielding it would possess the power to annihilate an entire city!

Geared up with a set of Legendary equipment, just how amazing would that be?

The properties of the Grimmar Soul Staff were seen and shared by the players of the guild. 

The Elementalists couldn’t help but feel their hearts throb. Their new goal was to become the first Magister in the guild! 

「Boss! These are your words! You better keep your promise!」

「I’ve already remembered the boss’ words. Magister, eh? Piece of cake!」

「...」

The players in the guild chat cracked jokes with one another.

「My word doesn’t only apply to Elementalists. As your guild leader, if any of you can reach the peak of your respective class, I will help that person obtain a set of godly equipment!」Nie Yan said in the guild chat. He understood full well the gravity of his statement. Although he knew where to get godly equipment, actually obtaining them was a different story.

If Nie Yan waited until players in the guild developed into Champions, Sword Saints, Magisters, Archbishops, Shadow Dancers, and so on, it still wouldn’t be too late for them to slowly amass godly equipment.

The potential of the players in Asskickers United was much higher than those in any of the other guilds. Back then, it was precisely because Holy Empire had a Champion and a Sword Saint that they dared to challenge the Lava Titan. When Asskickers United truly grew into a powerhouse in the later stages of the game, why would they fear not being able to deal with a mere Lava Titan?

「Nie Yan, should we organize an expedition?」Guo Huai asked. Now was the best time to start a guild activity. The conditions were ripe. Although they would probably suffer some damage, they would still make some decent gains, not to mention tighten the bonds between the guild members and improve everyone's cooperation.

Every so often, large guilds like Victorious Return and Holy Empire would set out on an expedition to hunt a Lord-class monster. Lord-class monsters often dropped decent Dark Gold-grade equipment or skill books which could greatly increase the strength of the guild’s top players. An expedition was also a good excuse for the guild leader to dish out some merit points. 

Asskickers United still hadn’t carried out a large-scale guild activity. So far, every time someone suggested one, they would immediately be shot down due to lingering fears of being ambushed by Victorious Return. However, at the present moment, the morale of the guild members was at its highest and new recruits were constantly flowing in. Their rising momentum simply couldn’t be contained! It would be a little inappropriate if they didn’t start a guild expedition now.

「Mhmm… No, not yet. Don’t worry, I’ll consider the matter. Tell the guild members to focus on levelling for now. Those who haven’t reached Level 25 by the time we set out won’t be able to participate. We start when 600 guild members have reached Level 25 or higher. Every participating player will receive 500 merit points. I’ll be taking part in the expedition as well,」Nie Yan replied. He already had an idea of which Lord-class monster the guild would hunt. As for giving out so many merit points, thanks to the efforts of the guild members, the treasury had grown to become as abundant as mother nature. The current Asskickers United didn’t lack gold or resources. 

「That’s a pretty good method. It’ll encourage the guild members to diligently level. When they find out you’re going to be participating in the expedition, they’ll definitely go wild with excitement!」Guo Huai smiled. He passed down Nie Yan’s words to the rest of the guild.

Guo Huai’s announcement immediately triggered shock waves throughout the guild.

「The boss is participating too!」

「The guild leader is taking part in the expedition. I can’t miss it!」

At present, very few players in the guild were Level 25 or higher. Even though many low-level guild members were far from reaching the cut off mark, they still held a little bit of hope in their hearts. As a result, the entire guild sank into a levelling frenzy.

「I’m still six levels away from Level 25! Which big brother wants to carry me!?」

「...」

The players of Asskickers United began levelling like madmen. Right now, the guild was far from having 600 players who were Level 25 or higher. It would take at least three or four days before the expedition could be carried out.

「What about Victorious Return’s main team? Did we catch them?」 Nie Yan asked. If Asskickers United could deal them another decisive blow, not even a large guild like them could recover from such a huge setback.

「No. After they were defeated in Kiln Fire Woods, they grew even more cautious. Our Thief Task Force had an almost perfect opportunity to surround them. But we still chose not to act in the end. We still aren’t at full fighting strength yet,」Guo Huai replied. They were still in the recruiting phase, and the entire framework for the Hundred Thief Task Force wasn’t completed yet. It wasn’t too suitable to act at this time. He was extremely prudent regarding this matter. If they didn’t act, they could always continue waiting. However, if they did act, they had to achieve their goal perfectly!

「Not acting right now was the correct decision. If we can’t ensure success, we’re better off waiting for another opportunity. Asskickers United is on an upward trend while Victorious Return is on a decline. Just hold in our resentment and keep waiting. Sooner or later, we’ll crush them. It’s not necessary for us to go at them with everything we’ve got right now,」Nie Yan said. Guo Huai was still quite reliable at handling affairs.

While chatting with Guo Huai, Nie Yan entered the Starry Night Potion Shop. Its size had grown larger and larger. Under his directions, Bird spent another 60 gold to upgrade the shop to Tier 5, adding another floor to the shop for a total of five floors and greatly expanding the size of every floor. It now resembled a magnificent mansion. The main floor was capable of holding 600–700 players. The second floor was turned into a warehouse. The third, fourth, and fifth floors were filled with workshops. There were now over 800 well-known Alchemists working at the Starry Night Potion Shop. Each one was given a 50 square-meter workshop. For the time being, it was already more than enough for them to use.

Nie Yan looked at the money inside the Starry Night Potion Shop. According to the report in the information window, the shop had made more than 500 gold over the past few days. He thought for a moment before withdrawing 300 gold from the shop. If he wanted to honour his promise to Bladelight, Young Seven, and the others, he would need to spend at least this much.