Rebirth of the thief who roamed around the world (BOOK 1)

Chapter 148 - Ambush

The news of the treasury opening soon spread like wildfire, sparking another massive surge in new players wishing to join their ranks.

Guo Huai, Zhao Li, and Hao Cheng's hands were practically going limp with exhaustion from accepting all the join requests. Even though they were letting anyone who fit the level requirements in, they would have to carefully comb through every one of them in the coming several days to ensure that the entire guild could function smoothly. As such, they still had plenty of work ahead of them.

With Guo Huai and the others at the helm, Nie Yan felt he could safely leave guild management to them. As for himself, it would be fine for him to simply focus on levelling and improving his gear.

「Nie Yan, where are you right now? We're already by the entrance of Black Flame Forest. Yao Zi (Young Sparrow Hawk) is here too. Do you remember Moon Child[1] from last time? She came as well. Everyone's just waiting for you now,」Yao Yao sent Nie Yan a message. They were all eagerly looking forward to running a dungeon with him.

"Hmmm, there's no harm in running it with them. Besides, it'll only take an hour at most, and if we do it on Specialist, I can get my hands on some treasure..." Nie Yan muttered to himself.

「Alright, I'll be there in a moment.」

Nie Yan walked over to the transfer point and teleported over to Tanbeto Town.

Located somewhere east of Calore, the town had an ancientness to it with many of its features dating back to the Era of Shared Governance. The carvings on the town wall, after centuries of corrosion from wind and rain, could barely be made out. With dilapidated building and age-old streets that had somehow persisted through the ages, it left players with a feeling that could only be experienced from visiting a historical site.

The clothing of the NPC guards here was also quite strange. They had a somewhat ancient air about them too. Wearing short, robed armour and horned metal helmets, they resembled the barbarian warriors of old.

As he walked along the main street, he came across a group of around seventeen players walking in his direction. Their gear was excellent. He recognized many pieces that could only be found from running Sosil Valley. He was flabbergasted. If they were already capable of clearing Sosil Valley, why would they be hanging around here?

Some were tall and sturdy while others were slightly built. There were players of every class. However, one trait they all shared was the same air of domineering arrogance that caused Nie Yan to furrow his brows. Just who were these people?

"Skinny Dog, your blade needs to be a bit faster when PKing," a tall Elementalist in an ash gray robe said with a cold smile. His eyes fell on Nie Yan, but it was only a quick glance.

"No need to worry. At the very least, my dagger is much faster than your staff," a short, scrawny Thief replied as he skillfully played with the dagger in his hand. His face was covered with a black cloak that made it hard to make out his appearance.

The group of players were chatting and laughing loudly as they walked. When they approached Nie Yan, they sized him up with a quick glance before brushing past.

This group of players seemed a little familiar, but their names were all hidden. His memory wasn't so great that he could remember every player that had crossed paths with him in his past. If they didn't possess any particularly notable features, he wouldn't be able to recall their name.

He probably didn't have many interactions with these players in his past life.

Nie Yan walked out of the town gates. Black Flame Forest was located north of Tanbeto Town. That place was a scorched ruin. Everything there was burned as black as soot. Legends told that during the Dark Era, the Black Flame Phoenix, Soros, fell over this place and transformed it into a region of endless black fire that would never be extinguished. After entering the dungeon, players would even be able to spot the massive skeleton belonging to Soros located inside the forest.