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

Chapter 306 - Marquis

The surroundings were dimly lit by crystal ores. From time to time, Nie Yan and the others saw shadows dance along the cavern walls. They likely belonged to the monsters that lurked inside these caverns, Crystalline Nerubians!

Crystalline Nerubians dropped rare ores upon death!

Nie Yan’s group retreated deeper into the Crystal Caverns while the Thieves from Bloodlust Blades spared no effort in chasing after them. Up ahead was a large open chamber. It would be troublesome if they were allowed inside.

There were Crystalline Nerubians to the front while the Thieves from Bloodlust Blades were hounding them from the back. Nie Yan’s group was stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

“They just won’t give up. What do we do?” Smoke Stub and the others looked toward Nie Yan. It would be hard to deal with the Crystalline Nerubians up front with the constant threat of being ambushed looming over them.

Nie Yan pondered for a moment. “Let’s lure the Crystalline Nerubians into blocking up the entranceway.” 

“That sounds good and all, but we can’t guarantee the Crystalline Nerubians will do what you want. It’ll be troublesome if they end up turning on us instead,” Smoke Stub said.

Smoke Stub’s worries weren’t unfounded. There was no way all the Crystalline Nerubians would stay on the Thief that pulled them. They would surely split up and attack the other group members. Add this to the fact that the Thieves from Bloodlust Blades were nipping at their heels, and it would most likely lead to a wipe.

“The crux of the problem is aggro. Do any of you have Blizzard?” Nie Yan asked. His plan would be much simpler with this spell.

“I do,” Undying Scoundrel replied. Blizzard was one of the very first area-of-effect spells an Elementalist learned. How could he not have it?

“Good. Do any of you have a Basic Invisibility Potion?” Nie Yan asked. With this item, he would have everything he needed for his plan. Otherwise, he would have to think of another way.

Basic Invisibility Potions temporarily put the player in a state of invisibility. They would turn into a ball of mist, becoming immune to physical attacks. However, they would take 300% bonus damage from magic attacks and their movement speed would also be greatly reduced. This sort of potion was fairly rare. It would only show up occasionally in the hands of top-class experts.

“I have one,” Bladelight replied. His gaze fell on an azure bottle in his bag.

“I do too. I got it as a reward from a class-related quest,” Lofty Shadow pitched in. Luckily, he also had an Invisibility Potion. He kept it in his bag just in case it might be of some use one day.

“Give your Invisibility Potions to Undying Scoundrel. Scoundrel, follow me. The rest of you stay put,” Nie Yan ordered. Just the two of them sufficed to enact his plan.

Undying Scoundrel received the Invisibility Potions from Bladelight and Lofty Shadow, then followed behind Nie Yan. 

Nie Yan and Undying Scoundrel quickly approached the large chamber.

“Stay put for now. I’ll go aggro the mobs...” Nie Yan explained his plans to Undying Scoundrel before darting off. 

Nie Yan activated Shadow Waltz and dashed into the large chamber, passing one group of Crystalline Nerubians after another.

Crystalline Nerubians were covered in dark green crystals. Their heads were oversized while their appendages were wiry. They wielded pikes, and they moved around in groups of 50–60.

Crystalline Nerubian: Level 50
Health: 8,000/8,000

From what Nie Yan recalled, these mobs were naturally resistant to physical damage. Physical attacks couldn’t do much damage to them, but they were vulnerable to magic. For every strength, there was also a weakness. Because of this, it was easier for Mages to attract their aggro. An Elite or Lord-class Crystalline Nerubian abruptly shifting targets mid-battle would spell disaster for any team facing it. This was why no guild had cleared the Crystal Caverns yet.