Chapter 84 – Aggroing Monsters
As Young Seven observed Nie Yan’s taciturn appearance, a certain thought drifted through his mind. Why did he enter Sulgata all by himself? There must’ve been a reason… Maybe a quest of some sort?
“I assume you came here for a reason. Do you need any help?” Young Seven took the initiative to ask.
“Even with these undead servants, I’m still not confident I’ll be able to succeed. Are you certain you want to help?” Nie Yan stared at Young Seven and the others as he narrowed his eyes.
Upon hearing Nie Yan’s rather straightforward response, Young Seven and his squadmates felt their minds turn to mush. If he couldn’t accomplish his task even with that giant bone dragon by his side, then of what use would they be?
“Encountering each other here could be considered fate. At the very least, we’re not enemies, so if we can provide any assistance, we’ll do our best to provide it. Even if we can’t, we’ll have at least made another friend, right?” Young Seven replied in an affable manner.
Nie Yan slightly relaxed his mind. In his previous life, he never interacted with Young Seven, Forgotten, or anyone else in their group, so he wasn’t sure of their personalities. Right now, however, they seemed to be pretty easy to get along with. Perhaps they really could become friends.
He went on to ponder in silence. The Skeletal Executioners always seemed to move together. If Young Seven and his team could draw them away, then perhaps he’d have a shot at entering the pyramid. There would certainly be monsters guarding the interior, but he could just let Dark Gladiator and the Skeleton mages deal with them. If things went smoothly, he might actually reach the room where the piece of Sulgata’s Shadow was located.
While Nie Yan continued to ponder deeply , Young Seven, Forgotten, and the rest of the team shot meaningful glances at each other. Although they didn’t know exactly what he was thinking about, he was still a dangerous figure that could annihilate their entire team. If Nie Yan still declined their offer to help, they would have no other choice but to stay as far away as possible.
“If we can’t help, then let’s just leave,” suggested Forgotten.
Young Seven suddenly came to realization upon hearing Forgotten’s suggestion. Since Nie Yan definitely came here with a purpose, perhaps for a secret quest of some sort, their presence here might actually be a hindrance to him! If that was the case, wouldn’t they be worsening their relationship with him instead by attempting to help?
Even now, Nie Yan still hadn’t given a reply.
It’s best if we just take our leave then, Young Seven concluded. He turned to Forgotten and replied, “Since we won’t be able to help, let’s forget it. It’s about time we return to town anyway.” His voice just happened to be within earshot of Nie Yan. Their conversation dispelled any misgivings he might’ve previously held and informed him they were willing to leave.
“It’s not that you won’t be able to help. But first, how about we make a little deal?” Nie Yan suddenly interrupted.
“What kind of deal?” Young Seven asked.
“I need you to help me with a certain task. It’s quite dangerous, but if you succeed, I’ll give you a Gold-grade piece of equipment.” Nie Yan still had the shoulder guards in his bag. Although it was a Gold-grade item with decent properties, it was negligible when compared to Sulgata’s Shadow.
If Young Seven and the others were truly willing to help him, he wouldn’t be miserly when it came to rewards.
In the game’s current stage, Gold-grade equipment was fairly rare.
Young Seven, Forgotten, and the rest of the team privately conversed amongst themselves. To illustrate just how rare Gold-grade equipment was, their team had only managed to acquire two Gold-grade pieces of equipment since the game started. Not to mention, they had to go through hell and back each time just to retrieve them. Yet Nie Yan, a player unassociated with any guilds, was actually willing to give one out so easily. This meant his skill was clearly on another level. Young Seven made a firm resolve in his mind. They definitely had to befriend him!
“Brother, since you’ve asked this of us, we can only try our best. As for compensating us, you don’t have to bother,” Young Seven replied in a bright tone. A measly Gold-grade item was nothing as long as they could establish a good relationship with Nie Yan. If they helped him without accepting a reward, then he would owe them a favour.
“Accepting help without giving anything in return? That won’t do. So long as you help me here, I promise to pay back the favour in the future.”
“Sounds good. So, what do you need us to do?”Young Seven asked.
“Well, how about we introduce ourselves first. My name is Nie Yan (Nirvana Flame).”
“I’m Leader Young Seven, but you can just call me Young Seven.”
“As for me, I’m Forgotten.”
And thus, the rest of Young Seven’s team introduced themselves. Although their skills couldn’t be compared to Nie Yan’s, they were still all talented individuals who weren’t half-bad.
“We don’t have much time, so just follow me for now.” Nie Yan said as he headed deeper into the outer district.
Young Seven and the rest followed close behind.
The numerous Skeleton Executioners had wreaked havoc upon the outer district. The already eroded buildings had become even more ruined, and many of the walls were collapsed.
After Nie Yan and the others arrived at the limits of the outer district, they hid behind a collapsed wall and gazed over at the plaza which led to the pyramid. There they saw over thirty Skeleton Executioners roaming freely, each one a Level 13 Sub-Elite monster
He can’t possibly be thinking of having us fight these monsters, right…!? Young Seven and his team couldn’t help but have this thought as they felt their scalps turning numb. However, they didn’t voice out their concerns. They didn’t want to look weak in front of Nie Yan. Killing a single Skeleton Executioner wouldn’t be a problem for their team, but taking on a group this large was surely impossible.
“Let me explain the plan. There are thirty-three Skeleton Executioners total. They all move in one group, so if you attack one of them, the others will follow. What I want you guys to do is to lure them away,” Nie Yan explained. If Young Seven and his team could lead these Skeleton Executioners away, then he would be able to pass through the plaza and safely enter the pyramid.
“You only want us to lead them away, right?” Young Seven asked, mentally sighing a breath of relief. Thankfully that was all he was asking of them. Although the task was still dangerous, it was nothing compared to actually fighting them.
“Yeah, I only need you to draw them away. It doesn’t have to be for long either. Around thirty seconds will be enough,” Nie Yan replied. Half a minute was more than sufficient for him to pass through the plaza and reach the pyramid.
“Alright, that makes things a bit easier.”
“I want you guys aggro them from here. Let me move to another location first. When I’m ready, I’ll give you guys the signal. Dissolve your party and accept my invite,” Nie Yan instructed. With other players helping him, entering the pyramid was going to be much easier.
“Alright.”
Once Young Seven disbanded his party, Nie Yan promptly invited everyone into his own.
“Perfect, I’ll be leaving it up to you then,” Nie Yan said, his tone sounding much less colder than before.
“Rest assured,” Young Seven nodded his head and replied. Nie Yan was quite polite. It seemed this was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.
Nie Yan brought Dark Gladiator and the Skeleton Mages with him to another position.
His figure gradually became smaller in the distance.
“I just took a look. That bone dragon by Nie Yan’s side is a genuine Sub-Elite monster!” Forgotten exclaimed in shock. “What a godly player. Even a Sub-Elite undead isn’t out of his reach. I wonder how long it lasts. Maybe it’s permanent!”
“It shouldn’t be permanent. I was able to see more information when I used Inspect. That thing only has twenty minutes left before it disappears,” Young Seven replied. Still… even if that was the case, Nie Yan was still pretty incredible.
“No wonder he seemed to be in a rush. Hey, what do you think he wants to enter the pyramid for?”
“I think it’s probably a hidden quest.”
“Coming here to do a quest at this level, does he not care about dying?”
“Who knows?”
“He’s in position. I’ll go out and draw aggro,” Forgotten said after glancing at the team chat.
“You be careful now, we’re dealing with thirty-plus Sub-Elites after all,” Young Seven warned Forgotten.
“Understood. Heh, I can handle myself. You don’t need to worry.” Forgotten sheathed his dagger and took out a small crossbow, then walked closer to the square.
Young Seven and his team were positioned to the northeast of the square, while Nie Yan was positioned to the northwest. Coincidently, Nie Yan was able to see their situation from his position, so after he sent a message through the team chat, he saw Forgotten stepping out from behind a rock pile and slowly approach the Skeleton Executioners while crouching, crossbow in hand.
By the time Forgotten found an adequate position, the closest Skeleton Executioner was already within the range of his crossbow. He aimed at the Skeleton Executioner and fired.「Whoosh!」 A single bolt pierced through the air.
