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

Chapter 180 - Recruitment

If not for the substantial boost in Awareness from the blessings, Tuoba wouldn't have noticed Nie Yan even if he had snuck up right behind him. Even then, he had merely felt a slight chill behind his neck, something the ordinary player wouldn't notice.

"Hey, buddy! I know you're there! Why don't you come out?" Tuoba stared at the blurry figure beside the wall and couldn't help but be taken aback. Just how high was this fellow's Cloaking? His Eyes of the Divine could see through the stealth of most Thieves. Yet all he saw of Nie Yan was a hazy outline, almost as if he were looking at a mirage that would wink out of existence with a simple blink of the eye.

Nie Yan knew he had been exposed when he saw the light shining from Tuoba's eyes.

He deactivated his stealth, revealing himself to them.

"It's you?" Tuoba stared in shock, recalling the time he had met Nie Yan outside the Starry Night Potion Shop. He never expected they'd meet again here, of all places.

He estimated around two weeks had passed since they'd last met. Back then, the Starry Night Shop had just barely opened its doors. Now, it was a colossus in the concoction market of Calore. Truly no one could've predicted this was how things would turn out.

If they had met again in Calore, Tuoba wouldn't have thought much of it. However, since Nie Yan had appeared in the Light Monastery, he had no choice but to take note of him. He was brazen enough to storm such a high level map all by himself, to say nothing of the fact he was only Level 17!

Nie Yan lightly shrugged his shoulders, and said, "I'm just passing through."

He wished for nothing more than to avoid coming into conflict with Tuoba and Forthright. As Paladins and Berserkers, they greatly inhibited his ability to deal effective damage, especially with the thick plate-armour protecting them. On top of that, the quality of their gear was quite high, and they were a good deal higher level than him. Although he felt confident in guaranteeing his own safety, it was impossible for him to take down the both of them.

"Hey! Didn't think we'd run into you here!" Forthright heartily laughed as he walked up to greet Nie Yan without thinking. "Looks like you've got a red name! ...Crap! It's that red!?" he cried out in shock. "Just how many people did you kill?"

Nie Yan brought up his guard. His name was currently branded a deep crimson, resembling the colour of blood. He couldn't discount the possibility that Forthright might act against him, especially if he was one of those greedy types who coveted the equipment of others.

Tuoba quickly stopped Forthright from getting any closer to Nie Yan. With a faint smile, he apologetically said, "My friend here didn't mean any harm. He just doesn't think when he acts. Please don't mind him."

Nie Yan's name was red, so a misunderstanding was bound to occur if Forthright rushed up to him.

Forthright realized the blunder he'd just made. He scratched his head and let out an embarrassed chuckle.

"Would you be interested in joining our party?" Tuoba offered. Nie Yan greatly intrigued him. He wanted to find out what exactly Nie Yan was doing here, and the simplest way to dispel any doubts between both sides was to form a party, since players within the same party, team, or guild were disallowed from attacking each other. This was a rule set by the game developers to ensure some trust during any activities that required cooperation. Otherwise, what was the point behind a partying system if anyone with vile intentions could force a run to fail by attacking fellow teammates during a dungeon run?

Nie Yan considered for a moment, then asked, "Are you guys planning to hunt mobs on the outskirts or explore inside?"

Entering the Light Monastery by himself posed a certain degree of difficulty. He could only rely on the Silk Spinner Ring and Crawler Ring to help him get past the hordes of Red Cloaked Heretics. However, with Tuoba and Forthright's help, he could probably directly rush into the inner hall. As for the central hall, those two wouldn't be able to enter; only he could access it.