Chapter 344 - Three Hammers, Instant Death

“Let’s deal with his pets first, then have the Thieves search around. Nirvana Flame must be in the area!” instructed a Dark Shaman garbed in gray robes. He was called Obsessed, a veteran gamer who had squandered a fortune into popular virtual reality games over the years. He could only spend so lavishly thanks to his family’s wealth. However, he did leave his mark on every game he played, so many people remembered him.

Nie Yan observed Obsessed from in the shadows. He looked to be around 30 years old with a square jaw and thick eyebrows. He handed out orders to the players under him like a seasoned leader.

“Everyone, let’s do our best. We’ll all receive 50 gold each for killing that human Thief and looting his corpse!” Obsessed declared. The crowd immediately erupted into loud cheers.

50 gold was a wealth of riches to these players. Very few of them weren’t tempted.

They started rapidly carrying out Obsessed’s orders. Nie Yan instantly understood from observing their actions that they were merely a ragtag bunch who had temporarily teamed up together for a shared goal. Although they mostly comprised professional players, their skill were middling. True experts disdained from gathering in groups like this.

Nie Yan spotted at least a dozen different guild emblems, while even more weren’t affiliated to any guild.

Nie Yan figured information about him being in Falling Gully had already been disseminated to the outside. This was why this group of players had come here looking for him.

It appeared heading to the nearest village wouldn’t be as easy as he originally thought. If he had to constantly deal with players chasing after him, he would end up harassed to death.

The best way to keep these pests away was to give them a show of pure strength!

Think you can kill me with numbers alone? Wishful thinking!

Nie Yan observed the Spectral Knights nervously moving to surround his five Zombie Foremen with their shields raised.

“Kill!” Obsessed shouted.

The Spectral Knights immediately charged toward the Zombie Foremen.

Nie Yan snickered.

You think my Zombie Foremen will just behave like regular mobs? Too naive!

At this moment, two of the Zombie Foremen stepped out to act as obstruction while the other three singled out one of the Spectral Knights and simultaneously swung down with their hammers.

−785

−833

−812

It was direct and efficient with flawless teamwork. The Spectral Knight had a look of disbelief on his face as he collapsed dead on the ground.

The Dark Shamans in the back were speechless. These Zombie Foremen were simply too coordinated! They didn’t get a chance to heal that Spectral Knight before he died.

The group of players couldn’t help but wonder if this was just a coincidence.

As if to give them an answer, the three Zombie Foremen singled out another Spectral Knight and swung down their hammers.

−828

−793

−806

It was another instant kill!

These Zombie Foremen were already Elites. But their stats were bolstered even further after coming under the influence of Undead Rite. Each of their attacks could shave away over a third of the health of these Spectral Knights. The three of them coordinating their attacks perfectly together made for a shocking sight.

The Zombie Foremen straightened their backs and started moving towards another Spectral Knight with their bloody hammers raised.

Seeing the actions of the Zombie Foremen, the crowd quickly realized this wasn’t a coincidence!

“Shit! T-t-these Zombie Foremen, t-t-they...!”

Even the tankiest Spectral Knight among them was still instantly killed by the three-pronged attack of the Zombie Foremen.

The Dark Shamans were at a complete loss. What use was all the healing in the world if it couldn’t bring a player back from the dead?

Everyone was stupefied.

The Spectral Knights started ignoring orders and retreating in fear.

“I want two Spectral Knights on each Zombie Foreman. Don’t retreat! Stop panicking!” Obsessed cried out in rage. He ordered the casters to start firing their spells.

Unfortunately, this group was nowhere near as organized as one led by a guild. These players had only gathered for their own selfish interests. They wouldn’t just throw their lives away for nothing.

“I’ll compensate everyone who dies with 50 gold!” Obsessed announced after noticing everyone was still running away. “Now all of you get the fuck back in there! Hurry up and lock down those Zombie Foremen!”

These players thought for a moment. Even if they died to the Zombie Foremen, all they would be losing was a bit of experience. It could be easily grinded back. As for their equipment, it wasn’t worth much in the first place. What was losing one piece compared to gaining 50 gold?

The Spectral Knights stopped retreating. They followed Obsessed’s orders and formed a solid wall.

The three Zombie Foremen limped toward the wall and slammed down with their hammers, instantly killing one of the Spectral Knights.

The three Zombie Foremen breached the wall of Spectral Knights, giving the two other Zombie Foremen and Lil’ Gold access to the casters in the back.

The five Zombie Foremen and Lil’ Gold were an unstoppable force, carrying out a one-sided slaughter as blood-curdling screams filled the air.

Nie Yan meticulously commanded the Zombie Foremen and Lil’ Gold from in the shadows. He couldn’t afford to pay attention to anything else.

「Bang! Bang! Bang!」A dense hail of spells bombarded one of the Zombie Foremen and shaved away its last bit of health. It let out a mournful moan and collapsed to the ground.

The first Zombie Foreman had died.

Lil’ Gold blasted over 10 casters in the distance with Dragon Breath and roasted them to death.

They had lost over a third of their forces within minutes. Obsessed never expected events to develop in this way. The strength of these pets far exceeded his expectations.

The perfect coordination of the three Zombie Foremen was especially frightening.

A shower of spells rained down on the Zombie Foremen. Nie Yan ordered the remaining four Zombie Foremen to hold off the Spectral Knights while Lil’ Gold massacred the backline, with corpses littering the ground.

Another Zombie Foreman died. The three remaining Zombie Foremen didn’t have much health left either. However, Nie Yan didn’t appear particularly heartbroken. They were only temporary minions and would disappear after some time anyway.

Lil’ Gold wildly charged forward. As spells and weapons battered his scales, Explosive Counter activated and took out six nearby players.

These pets were too powerful. Obsessed estimated they would soon completely wipe if things continued down this path. He started ordering the players to retreat into an area filled with piles of rocks and boulders.

Since the complex terrain would greatly hinder the movements of the Zombie Foremen and Lil’ Gold, Nie Yan ordered them to return back to his side.

Even after seeing Lil’ Gold and the Zombie Foremen retreat, these players still had some lingering fear in their hearts. Obsessed looked at the players around him and let out a deep sigh. At the end of the day, a ragtag group was too unreliable.

These players could be considered decently skilled among the player base. They were familiar with ordinary battles. However, when they encountered Nie Yan’s unconventional tactics, they immediately descended into panic.

Obsessed recalled the battle just now. The combined attacks of three Zombie Foremen could instantly kill even the tankiest Spectral Knight among them, to say nothing of squishy casters like him!

To be able to control Zombie Foremen in such a way, this player from the surface definitely wasn’t simple. If there was an opportunity, Obsessed hoped to befriend Nirvana Flame.

The Thieves from Fallen Angel had witnessed the entire course of the battle from the shadows. They were waiting for Nie Yan to appear, but he unexpectedly never showed up. Everything ended not long after it started. They gazed at each other with lingering shock and fear in their eyes. The combined attacks of the three Zombie Foremen was too frightening!

When they recalled how Nie Yan had previously wiped out half of their team, it didn’t seem that strange anymore.

Nie Yan walked out of the darkness. He had Lil’ Gold and the surviving Zombie Foremen rest and recover their health.

He checked his own status. He had risen to the rank of a Soldier. It gave him 3% defense bonus and 5% health bonus which wasn’t too bad.

Just at this moment, Nie Yan sensed someone gazing at him from within the darkness.

Thief?

Nie Yan activated Eye of Truth. The veins around his eyes bulged out while his pupils blossomed out with a profound light. He started scanning his surroundings.

Persimmon and the other Thieves hidden in the darkness were badly frightened by the change in Nie Yan’s eyes. His gaze appeared to pierce through the darkness, carrying a terrifying killing intent. They didn’t dare to move an inch from their current positions.

Persimmon and the other Thieves held their breaths at the sight of these demonic eyes.

This was an eye skill!

Most eye skills could see through things like stealth. They were toast if Nie Yan caught them!

As time passed, Persimmon and the other Thieves felt like their backs were soaked in cold sweat.

Nie Yan withdrew his gaze after failing to discover anything. He led Lil’ Gold and the Zombie Foremen away.

Seeing Nie Yan’s retreating figure, Persimmon and the other Thieves breathed out a sigh of relief. Their hearts had been stretched taut. It felt like they had a brief encounter with death.

“Holy shit! I nearly pissed my pants. What was that eye skill just now?”

“It kind of looks like Demon Eyes.”

“It’s not Demon Eyes.”

“Did any of you record a video of the Zombie Foremen massacring those Spectral Knights?”

“I did.”

Persimmon collected the video. Everything that just happened would forever remain in their minds.