Rebirth of the thief who roamed around the world (BOOK 2)

Chapter 376 - Cripps Stronghold

Nie Yan walked out of the guild office. There was a vast crowd of players from Asskickers United gathered in the square outside. They excitedly greeted him in large waves.

"We're going to capture an Intermediate Stronghold, right? How confident are you?" Smoke Stub walked up to Nie Yan and asked. He was puzzled by Nie Yan's insistence on taking on an Intermediate Stronghold when there were so many Basic Strongholds available. They didn't even know what sort of monsters guarded an Intermediate Stronghold. However, Nie Yan had done his research. He wouldn't make a rash decision.

"Don't worry," Nie Yan reassured with a smile. He had read up on Intermediate Strongholds in the previous timeline. It shouldn't be too difficult for them to clear one.

Seeing the look of confidence on Nie Yan's face, Smoke Stub didn't say anything further. Nie Yan wasn't the type to act on impulse.

"Guo Huai, tell Sapphire Shrine and Holy Empire to closely monitor Victorious Return. We don't want them pulling anything funny while we're trying to clear the stronghold," Nie Yan ordered. Although Victorious Return's glory days were long over, even a dying viper could still deliver a nasty bite.

"Relax. I don't think Victorious Return will try anything. Even Sapphire Shrine and Holy Empire are stronger than them now. With so many guilds joining forces to take them down, they won't even know what hit them," Guo Huai reassured. Since Victorious Return had gone radio silent, with their members steering clear of trouble, Asskickers United couldn't be bothered to deal with them any longer. But if they tried anything funny, they would instantly face the combined wrath of Asskickers United, Sapphire Shrine, and Holy Empire. No matter how much of a fight Victorious Return put up, they would be crushed all the same.

"What's our headcount?" Nie Yan asked.

"5,020 players in total, with 532 of them here and the rest on standby in United City," Guo Huai answered. This was the most elite force Asskickers United had ever gathered together.

Nie Yan ordered Guo Huai to divide the players into 26 companies. He assigned at least one Priest with Junior Revive and a capable leader to each company. He also decided on some rules to follow when clearing the Intermediate Stronghold. All he had to do was pass down his orders to the company leaders.

There was also a special 20-man task force composed of 12 Fighters and 8 Priests, which included the likes of Bladelight, Lofty Shadow, Yi Yan, Black Heaven, Painted Muslin, Young Seven, and Moon Child.

This task force would serve as the shield of the expedition team. It was their job to engage powerful bosses.

It took an hour just to get everyone organized, but it couldn't be helped since there were so many players participating.

Nie Yan stood off to the side, waiting for the administrative team to finish sorting everything out.

Nie Yan was chatting with the others when Yao Yao dressed in her light blue robes walked over to him.

"Nirvana Flame, do you need my help with anything?" Yao Yao asked.

Nie Yan turned around to look at Yao Yao. Her equipment ranked among the top in Asskickers United. He had only gifted her one piece of Sub Legendary-grade equipment. She had gotten the other two all by herself. Furthermore, the rewards for completing the first two quests in the Karsi's Blessing quest line had probably raised her stats significantly.

Nie Yan had confirmed earlier in the day that Yao Yao and Xie Yao were one and the same. He couldn't help but think back to his past life. Yao Yao's previous timeline counterpart was nowhere near as strong as her present self. He recalled she kept her level roughly close to his, only ever really doing any levelling when he invited her to play, nor did she really care about her equipment. Given the Dragonsoar Financial Group's resources, she could've easily left him in the dust. But instead she chose to stay by his side.