Chapter 329 – Magical Device Book
Tang Yao didn’t know what kind of quest Nie Yan wanted to do, but he understood it was difficult. He decided not to pry any further and started reading out a Return Scroll. With a brilliant flash of light, he teleported away.
The Phantom Berserkers could see through stealth, so it was crucial for Nie Yan to get rid of them to proceed. This was also why he bought the Advanced Twisting Vines Scrolls, which would bind phantoms and inflict a weakening effect on them.
Nie Yan surveyed his surroundings, closely observing the countless wandering Phantom Mages up ahead. They were much smaller than the Phantom Berserkers, only about the size of an ordinary person, and wielded staffs with flickering black flames floating above the tip.
Phantom Mage: Level 60
Health: 2,000/2,000
Phantom Mages were ordinary monsters. However, they possessed a special characteristic. They were immune to magical attacks but took double damage from physical attacks.
Nie Yan paced back and forth at the outskirts of the area for quite some time. Seeing a lone Phantom Mage ambling towards him, he fired at it with his Cavalry Crossbow before quickly pulling back.
「Put! Put! Put!」Five bolts struck the Phantom Mage in quick succession.
Since Nie Yan was outside of its attack range, the Phantom Mage chased after him.
Nie Yan kept retreating, pulling the Phantom Mage along with him. When he felt they were far enough away, he activated Shadow Waltz, disappearing into stealth, and dashed forward like a bolt of lightning.
The Phantom Mage’s eyes lit up with a green glow. It quickly locked onto Nie Yan’s position.
However, Nie Yan was simply too fast.
The Phantom Mage waved its staff. Soul Pierce! An eerie energy rippled outwards. This sort of attack was undodgeable!
The Soul Pierce struck Nie Yan and penetrated deep into his body.
−626
What frightening damage!
With a level difference of over 20, it was only natural for the Phantom Mage to deal serious damage to Nie Yan.
Nie Yan immediately drank an Intermediate Health Potion to recover his health. In the blink of an eye, he circled behind the Phantom Mage and plunged his dagger into it with Backstab before activating Blast.「Bang!」It violently trembled as the powerful explosion wreaked havoc inside its body.
−543
The Phantom Mage waved its staff.
Soul Shockwave!
A powerful soul energy blasted out toward Nie Yan.
It was impossible to dodge at such a close range. Nie Yan wasn’t quite sure what category of magic Soul Shockwave belonged in, but he bit the bullet anyway and activated Mind Immune from the Medal of the Ten Holy Paladins.
The wave of soul energy slammed into Nie Yan’s body and shaved away half of his health. He felt as if his body was tightly bound by a rope, leaving him unable to move even the slightest.
The Phantom Mage retreated a good distance away, then started chanting as a black fireball condensed above its palm.
Time appeared to come to a standstill as the Phantom Mage continued to mutter out one strange syllable after another.
It chanted for a full five seconds!
If the Phantom Mage’s instant-cast spells could chunk Nie Yan for half his health, this was a sure-fire kill!
The black fireball whizzed through the air toward Nie Yan.
At this moment, Nie Yan regained control of his body.
Soul Shockwave dealt both Soul and Mind Damage, so Nie Yan managed to negate a portion of the damage with Mind Immune.
No matter how powerful Soul Shockwave’s crowd control effect was, it couldn’t lock him down forever.
Just as the black fireball was about to hit Nie Yan, he activated Gale Step, taking advantage of the invincibility to avoid taking damage. He pounced toward the Phantom Mage.
The Phantom Mage began condensing another fireball.
Nie Yan arrived in front of the Phantom Mage and slashed at its neck with Cut Throat, then followed up with a flurry of attacks. Hearing the final syllable being chanted, he delivered a powerful kick to its head and interrupted it.
Nie Yan circled around and finished off the Phantom Mage with another flurry of attacks.
Seeing the Phantom Mage collapse on the ground, Nie Yan breathed out deeply. The level difference was simply too large. Any powerful skill was lethal.
Only 3 silver dropped from the Phantom Mage’s corpse.
Nie Yan gazed at the area up ahead. It was filled with roaming Phantom Mages. From time to time, a group of them would pass by.
Nie Yan activated the Pearl of Disguise. His body gradually turned incorporeal while his appearance transformed into that of the Phantom Mage he just killed.
“Alright, so far so good,” Nie Yan muttered as he gazed at his ghostly hands.
Nie Yan lowered his head and started moving forward while mimicking the gait of the Phantom Mages.
The effectiveness of Disguise was also related to his ability to mimic the movements of his target. If he failed to properly imitate the Phantom Mage, he would be easily seen through.
Nie Yan was barely covering any ground. He would wander aimlessly for a while before inching towards his destination, one step at a time.
Like this, Nie Yan brushed past numerous Phantom Mages. He eventually encountered some ruins in the distance, where he spotted a figure that stood out from the masses.
This phantom had the appearance of a beautiful woman. She wore white robes and held a long scepter in her hand.
She was the Level 60 Lord, Phantom Princess Ina!
She was one of the few Lords that didn’t possess any direct offensive skills. However, if she was attacked, she would summon multiple Evil Mages to her side.
Phantom Princess Ina was difficult to kill due to the sheer number of them she could summon at once.
She was precisely Nie Yan’s target!
In the previous timeline, it was widely known that Thieves could steal precious items from Phantom Princess Ina. But the number of Thieves who could actually pull this off were few and far between. More often than not, a Thief making the attempt would be killed by a horde of Evil Mages. This led to Thieves having a love-hate relationship with her.
Nie Yan relied on his disguise to approach Phantom Princess Ina. He passed by one Phantom Mage after another. He could clearly see their faces. None of them looked alike, They kept their appearance from before they died.
Nie Yan was slowly made his way to Phantom Princess Ina. She glanced at him for a second but didn’t notice anything strange, so she remained in a passive state.
Nie Yan was drawing ever closer to his target. His heart was racing. If she saw through his disguise, he would be doomed!
There were still several Phantom Mages around him when he finally approached within 2 meters of Phantom Princess Ina.
Nie Yan activated Steal.
Steal was unsuccessful.
Shit, I failed!
Phantom Princess Ina grew a little restless.
After a while, Phantom Princess Ina settled down and returned to a passive state. Nie Yan activated Steal again.
Steal was unsuccessful.
Crap! Another failure!
Phantom Princess Ina became restless. After a while, Nie Yan activated Steal yet again.
You have obtained Ina’s Prayer Gloves (Sub Legendary).
Nie Yan’s eyes widened in surprise. He had gotten a Sub Legendary item just like that? This was too amazing!
But on second thought, perhaps this was the system giving him a Luck bonus due to the level difference. After all, he was a Level 30-something roaming around in a Level 60 map.
At this moment, Nie Yan noticed Phantom Princess Ina glaring at him.
“Despicable human! Wretched thief!” Phantom Princess Ina cursed Nie Yan. She had seen through his disguise. The nearby Phantom Mages started surrounding him.
Shit! I was discovered! Nie Yan noticed all the Phantom Mages in the surroundings staring at him. They waved their staffs and unleashed a shower of spells on him.
Just as Nie Yan was about to be blown to smithereens, he activated God’s Blessing from the Chapter of Peace.
Adjudicator of God was still on cooldown, so he could only use God’s Blessing.
A barrier of light enveloped Nie Yan.
「Bang! Bang! Bang!」The spells rained down mercilessly on Nie Yan, but he didn’t suffer any damage.
All the while Nie Yan kept using Steal nonstop on Phantom Princess Ina.
Steal was unsuccessful.
Steal was unsuccessful.
You have obtained a Soul Gem.
You have obtained a Soul Gem.
Steal was unsuccessful.
You have obtained Della’s Magical Device Book (Legendary).
…
Nie Yan finally obtained the item he had been looking for, a Legendary item! In the previous timeline, a player had stolen Della’s Magical Device Book from Phantom Princess Ina. It appeared this book was something for players to study. As for its uses, he had no idea. It was a pity he didn’t obtain a piece of Legendary equipment.
The book entered Nie Yan’s back. It was scarlet coloured with all sorts of geometric shapes drawn on the cover, making it appear distinct.
However, Nie Yan didn’t have the luxury to examine it right now.
One item after another was stolen from her, causing Phantom Princess Ina to become furious. She waved her scepter and summoned over 20 Evil Mages. They wore black robes with hoods that completely covered their faces.
Level 60 Elites!
However, they were Mages, so they couldn’t do anything to him. Furthermore, he had an Unknown Transfer Scroll in his hand, ready to teleport away the moment God’s Blessing wore off.
As the seconds passed, Nie Yan was bombarded with all kinds of magic.
Nie Yan appeared valiant, using God’s Blessing to endure such a concentrated barrage. God’s Blessing had a duration of 60 seconds. When it was over, the damage from any of these Evil Mages could kill him in an instant.
Nie Yan kept plunging his hand in-and-out and all through Phantom Princess Ina’s dress with Steal, trying to pilfer as much loot as he possibly could. All the while he tightly held onto an Unknown Transfer Scroll in his other hand and ignored the spells raining down on him.
Steal was unsuccessful.