It was a duel against King of the World! Victory was the only option!
Nie Yan had numerous powerful skills at hand, along with unequalled attack power and defense. As long as he didn't get stunned, he was confident no Thief could match him blow for blow. However, things might get tricky if he were stunned. Every high level Thief could chain stun a target for at least six seconds. Given the quality of King of the World's equipment, he could probably hundred to zero Nie Yan during this time frame.
Nie Yan activated his Darkbright Barrier, causing a membrane of black light to envelop him.
King of the World pounced toward Nie Yan. The two clashed, exchanging multiple blows. They dodged and weaved in an effort to probe each other out. Neither side revealed any of their trump cards.
Concussive Blow!
King of the World's dagger stabbed out toward Nie Yan's forehead.
「Klang!」Nie Yan parried the attack by raising his dagger.
Spinning Strike!
With a pivot of his foot, King of the World's figure blurred, then reemerged with dagger plunging towards Nie Yan's back.
Nie Yan might not be a match for Bayonet in reality, but this was inside Conviction! No one could escape the restraints of stats!
Just as the Spinning Strike was about to land, Nie Yan dodged with Shadow Waltz and disappeared into stealth.
Owl Sight!
King of the World immediately locked onto Nie Yan's retreating figure with his significantly enhanced senses.
Skewering Assault!
King of the World instantly arrived behind Nie Yan and pierced him through his back. Blood splattered the ground as Nie Yan lost more than 1,200 health.
What frightening damage! It truly deserved to be called a Great Thief skill! Nie Yan activated Berserk Transformation from the Slaughter Fiend Medallion, gaining a burst of attack power and movement speed, then slashed out with Phantom Assassination. Zennarde's Sword drew a cold arc toward King of the World's throat.
This sort of in-your-face clash between Thieves relied heavily on skill. Even a single moment could decide victory and defeat.
King of the World avoided Nie Yan's attack with Gale Step, then rapidly retreated to give himself some breathing room.
Three seconds... two seconds... one second, the invincibility from Gale Step finally wore off. Nie Yan quickly locked onto King of the World's position and targeted him with Intimidate. His fleeing figure froze in place.
King of the World's heart trembled. What kind of skill was this? His whole body was paralyzed! He was entirely exposed after being struck by Intimidate!
Gale Ambush!
Nie Yan's figure sped forward as he almost instantly arrived behind King of the World.
King of the World hurriedly protected himself with a barrier skill to offset some of the damage. He also activated the Great Thief skill, Shadow Form, which made him immune to crowd control effects.
−1,208
「Bang!」Nie Yan ruthlessly struck King of the World in the back of the head. However, the stun effect of Smothering Strike was negated by Shadow Form.
So what if the enemy couldn't be stunned? Taking advantage of the attack boost from Gale Ambush, Nie Yan followed up with Backstab.
−1,392
−279
−334
...
King of the World's barrier shattered into pieces. A string of bleed and burn damage values floated up from above his head.
At this moment, King of the World finally regained control of his body. He activated Level 3 Swift Retreat and quickly fled to safety. His back was drenched with cold sweat. Nie Yan's attacks were too frightening. No wonder players regarded the Mad Rogue as a godly Thief. His attacks weren't something ordinary players could handle. Even the tankiest of Warriors would be cut down!
Believing he could rely on his speed to escape, King of the World was shocked to find Nie Yan rapidly gaining on him. He quickly downed an Intermediate Health Potion.
Nie Yan and King of the World's battle had been going for about a minute. With both having used up all their skills, they'd have to rely on their regular attacks for now.
Just as Nie Yan was about to close in, King of the World swung around and stabbed him in the chest. Only to realize what he struck was merely an illusion. Nie Yan had employed Illusion Steps! King of the World felt Zennarde's Sword held across his throat.
King of the World gulped as cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
"It's my win." Nie Yan faintly smiled. King of the World only had a little over 1,000 health left. One more attack would finish him off.
"What skill was that?" King of the World asked in surprise. He had clearly felt his dagger pierce Nie Yan's chest just a moment ago.
"It's not a skill. It's a Shadow Dancer technique. If you're interested, I can teach you." Nie Yan brightly smiled. He was in a great mood right now. Since according to their agreement, King of the World-no, to be more precise, Bayonet would become his subordinate.
King of the World chuckled. He was thoroughly convinced of his defeat at Nie Yan's hands. He knew Nie Yan still had a few more tricks up his sleeve, such as the techniques he employed to kill Hei Zhuo (Black Amazing) during the battle at Kiln Fire Woods.
"Alright, I'll join Asskickers United," King of the World said. He would accept his loss magnanimously and fulfill his end of the bargain. Although he felt it was a little unfair for his brothers to be put in the branch guilds, the shared treasury would help them grow. When their equipment and levels were up to par, they could join the main guild then.
"Not just Asskickers United, also report in to my family's company. Here's the location..." Nie Yan said before sending his address to King of the World.
"Your family's company?" King of the World stared blankly.
"Did you forget? If you lose, you'll swear your loyalty to me. That's what we agreed on." Nie Yan's lips curved into a devious grin.
Only then did King of the World recall Nie Yan's words. Since he didn't think Nie Yan had figured out his identity as Bayonet, he thought they were only talking about the game when they were making the bet, not real life as well!
Nie Yan had set up a trap in his words, and King of the World had unwittingly walked right into it.
"I figured our agreement didn't reach outside the game..." King of the World tried to explain. He never thought a small bet would end up with him being bound. However, he had indeed agreed to the bet! He had even told Nie Yan not to regret it if he won!
"Of course I wasn't just talking about the game. I told you before, if you ever find yourself without a place to go, come and find me. You're a mercenary. The Nie Family Company will definitely give you a satisfactory offer. You're not planning to back on your word, are you?" Nie Yan looked at King of the World with a disappointed expression. "Well... if you're not willing to honour the bet, so be it."
King of the World was backed into a corner. This situation definitely wasn't as easy to resolve as it seemed. It suddenly hit him. Nie Yan had scammed him!
Just as King of the World wanted to say something, Nie Yan cut him off. "After I kill myself, the four chapters will be yours. As for the Evil Gemstone and piece of equipment I drop, help me deliver them to the Asskickers United guild office in Calore."
As soon as Nie Yan finished speaking, he committed suicide and transformed into a ray of light. Left behind on the ground were the four chapters, the Evil Gemstone, and a piece of equipment.
Nie Yan had left too quickly, not giving King of the World the chance to speak at all.
King of the World just stood in place for a while with a baffled expression on his face. He bent down and picked up the items on the ground in a daze. He intended to return the Evil Gemstone and piece of equipment to Nie Yan.
Although he believed Nie Yan was only talking about the game, it was indeed true that he had agreed to the bet. This was something nobody could deny. He couldn't take back his words!
King of the World had an internal struggle. Abiding by the bet meant he would have to swear loyalty to Nie Yan. Reneging from the bet would be going against everything he believed in. The mercenary code required he put his honour above all else, and he was a mercenary through and through.
A trivial bet inside a game had resulted in him being bought in real life. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Truthfully, swearing his loyalty to someone wasn't that big of a deal to King of the World. He was a mercenary. As long as his employer paid enough money, he would carry out his job faithfully. If Nie Yan could offer enough money to help his brothers recover, he was more than willing to give him his loyalty. The years of roaming war stricken territories had taught him that pride meant nothing. It couldn't buy food, and it could even cost someone their life at times.
After thinking for a bit, King of the World felt Nie Yan's character wasn't too bad. He had angered his previous employer by not carrying out the kidnapping of Xie Yao, putting his life and those of his brothers in danger. Now Nie Yan could shelter them. It was better than bringing them into hiding in Tibet like he originally planned.
King of the World wore a bitter smile. Maybe this wasn't a bad thing. He could finally put an end to his life as a mercenary, and instead enjoy a calmer lifestyle.
King of the World breathed a long sigh before letting out a chuckle. "Dammit, Nirvana Flame, you really got me good!"
Nie Yan had already revived and was pacing around in the Calore guild office. He trusted his eye for people. With King of the World's character, he would likely fulfill his end of the bet. As for whether or not he was willing to come to the Nie Family Company, it was hard to say.
Nie Yan was hedging his bets on King of the World being willing to come work for him in real life!
Bayonet was a world class mercenary. He was an expert that survived through hails of bullets. His skills were on a whole other level. Nie Yan estimated if Bayonet went all out, he would be lucky to even last three moves. What he learned was the art of fighting. What Bayonet learned was the art of killing!