Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed The World - Chapter 377

Chapter 377

Chapter 377 - Phantom Assassination

The ancient walls covered in cracks and moss, with many regions having collapsed into ruins, served as a testament to the bleak history of the Cripps Stronghold .  

This square-shaped stronghold which covered an area of 5,000 by 5,000 meters still showed traces of its former glory . In the previous timeline, after clearing out all the monsters, Victorious Return rebuilt it from the ground up .

Back then, the Cripps Stronghold with its renewed life and flourishing commerce was a marvel worthy of players’ admiration .

It was important for Nie Yan to continue making both himself and Asskickers United stronger . Only then would they stand a chance against the Century Financial Group . Securing the Cripps Stronghold was a must .

In this life, the Century Financial Group had withdrawn most of their capital from the Viridian Empire and redirected all their time and energy on Angel Corps in the Satreen Empire . However, Nie Yan still felt an impending sense of crisis . The Century Financial Group was a behemoth of an existence no one could rival in the virtual reality industry .

Nie Yan galloping like the wind on his Faulkner Warhorse arrived outside the Cripps Stronghold . He dismounted and slowly approached . From memory its interior was akin to a vast labyrinth with many buildings spread out in a complex fashion . Investigating such a place was going to be a huge pain .

Nie Yan entered the Cripps Stronghold, where he was greeted by a bluestone paved street about 100 meters wide, big enough to allow 100 people to walk side by side . On both sides were broken down shops, a small reminder of a once bustling populous .

Black armoured swordsmen roamed the street . Nie Yan inspected one with Transcendent Insight .

Even the weakest monsters in the Cripp Strongholds were Elites . Lords were far from rare, and Super Variant and Demonized Lords appearing was possible too . The only way to deal with such powerful monsters was with numbers!

Nie Yan entered stealth and proceeded forward . The numerous wide-open streets weaved and crossed with each other . He occasionally encountered small squares big enough to fit 600 players . These plazas were often occupied by Lords ranging from Level 50–60 .

Marking down all the bosses he encountered, Nie Yan started creating a map of the Cripps Stronghold . His stealth ability was unrivalled . Not a single monster spotted him .

Nie Yan slowly made his way to the center of the map, successfully avoiding the Phantom Swordsmen roaming the streets . As he passed by a run-down street, he happened to notice the unmistakable sparkle of a gold treasure chest not far away . It was tucked away in a corner patrolled by a Phantom Swordsman .

Only a single Phantom Swordsman, dealing with it will be a piece of cake! Nie Yan thought . How could he pass up on this treasure chest?

Nie Yan slowly crept up behind the Phantom Swordsman . It passively wandered about, occasionally stopping to look around .  

The Phantom Swordsman as a Level 50 humanoid Elite possessed high Awareness .

Nie Yan was extremely careful with his steps as he approached from behind . He adjusted his grip on Zennarde’s Sword and pounced forward with a Smothering Strike aimed at the back of the Phantom Swordsman’s head .

Nie Yan was as fast as lightning . But even so, the Phantom Swordsman lit up with a golden radiance at the very last moment . Although the attack landed, the Phantom Swordsman wasn’t stunned and retaliated with a sweeping slash .

“Crap!” Nie Yan cried out in alarm . He never expected the senses of the Phantom Swordsman to be so sharp . He hurriedly raised Zennarde’s Sword in an attempt to parry . A loud klang! rang out as a powerful force travelled down his arm and pushed him back several steps .  

−831

The Phantom Swordsman didn’t let up and charged after Nie Yan .

Nie Yan activated his Blackbright Barrier while quickly falling back .

The Phantom Swordsman slashed down its sword at Nie Yan . Its blade radiated a sharp sword light .

Nie Yan suddenly shifted his footwork .  

Reverse Grip Backstab!

Nie Yan stumbled mid-execution as he attempted to avoid the attack . The Phantom Swordsman struck him squarely, causing his Blackbright Barrier to shudder .

−307

Reverse Grip Backstab was a difficult skill to pull off . There seemed to be some sort of a trick he had yet to grasp . Clumsy movement would only lead to the skill failing .

The Phantom Swordsman refused to let up and hacked down at Nie Yan once more .

Nie Yan activated Gale Step to block the attack and countered with a Concussive Blow to the Phantom Swordsman’s forehead .

With the Phantom Swordsman stunned, Nie Yan circled around and unleashed a flurry of attacks .  

Backstab! 

Eviscerate!

Blood spurted out into the air like a fountain .

−539
−538
−255
−100 . . .

A string of damage values floated up into the air . Nie Yan continued his ruthless assault, dealing massive damage to the Phantom Swordsman .

When the Phantom Swordsman was about to break free from the stun, Nie Yan plunged Zennarde’s Sword into its back and activated Blast . 「Bang!」It flew out like a loose kite before crashing into the ground with a heavy thud, only struggling back to its feet after a long time .  

The Phantom Swordsman charged at Nie Yan yet again .

In order to avoid attracting the attention of other Phantom Swordsmen nearby, Nie Yan couldn’t use items like Flash Powder . Seeing the Phantom Swordsman closing in, he activated Gale Retreat and pulled back as fast as he could .

This alleyway was too narrow, but he ran the risk of attracting other monsters if he fled too far . He could only summon up the courage to duke it out with the Phantom Swordsman in here .

Just as the Phantom Swordsman arrived in front of him, Nie Yan’s footwork changed yet again .

Phantom Assassination!

Nie Yan transformed into a blur as his body started moving in an unpredictable manner . He slashed the Phantom Swordsman’s neck in the blink of an eye as blood splattered on the ground .

Despite Nie Yan’s erratic movements, the Phantom Swordsman still managed to graze him .

−239

Every Freedom Skill required some technique to execute . Without properly grasping these movements, even a seasoned Shadow Dancer would look clumsy . For Nie Yan to perform this well on his first try was an impressive achievement .