With an expert like Bayonet present, the safety of Nie Yan’s family was basically assured.

As the two chatted, Nie Yan learned Bayonet had six brothers with whom he traveled from job to job, battlefield to battlefield. Though all of them were injured to some extent, two were inflicted with particularly nasty viruses which required copious amounts of medication to relieve their pain. The medical treatment required for them to make a complete recovery would cost at least ￥500,000,000. Moreover, a specialized military doctor had to perform the procedure. Bayonet would spend almost all the money he earned as a mercenary buying the medication necessary to help them live. By now, all hope for a full recovery had about vanished. Bayonet could only continue to persevere while praying for a miracle.

Nie Yan wondered if he should help Bayonet cure his brothers. Given Bayonet’s personality, he certainly wouldn’t forget the favour.

Bayonet was a person who placed great emphasis on trust and camaraderie!

This was something Nie Yan held in the highest regard.

After finishing his business at the company, Nie Yan returned home. When he walked into his room, Xie Yao appeared to be busy with something.

“I had my father order me a game capsule. What do you think?” Xie Yao pointed to the brand new game capsule in the room.

Nie Yan noticed a second game capsule in his room. It was the same model as his own, except the colours were different. One was silver white, and the other was light blue. These two game capsules were placed adjacent to each other against the wall.

Game capsules placed in close proximity of each other could be linked. If something happened to a person in one of the game capsules, they could directly communicate with the person in the other game capsule.

“Nice. It’ll be much more convenient with two game capsules.” Nie Yan chuckled. Like this, the two of them could know what the other was doing inside the game at any time.

Xie Yao pursed her lips into a smile. “Now we can talk with each other whenever we want.”

With the two game capsules placed together, even if they were in zones inside the game that sealed all communication, they could still talk to each other.

“How are your quests going?” Nie Yan asked in a guilty tone. He had been so preoccupied with his own matters lately that he never bothered to ask about her situation.

“The third part of the Karsi’s Blessing questline is too difficult. I need to wait until I’m at a higher level to give it a try. Do you remember the list you shared with our contracted members, the one with the locations of Sub Legendary and Legendary-grade equipment? Well, I’ve triggered the quest for the Saintess Christina Set. I’m already doing it right now. I have to take a trip to another city tomorrow,” Xie Yao said. One thing that bothered her was how did Nie Yan get his hands on such a list? It had the locations of more than 300 quest triggers, none of which could be found online. If the top players of Asskickers United could obtain the Sub Legendary and Legendary-grade equipment from these locations, they would become terrifying existences, leaving others guilds trembling in fear. Such equipment would help them reach the apex!

Nie Yan had spent quite a few brain cells sifting through the memories of his past life for the sake of recalling the locations of these pieces of equipment. Though many memories resurfaced bit by bit, some still remained fuzzy. So, he could only give general directions, having the players from Asskickers United find the exact locations for themselves.

In the previous timeline, what players loved to chat about the most was undoubtedly equipment, who had the better equipment, where it was found, whose equipment was Sub Legendary-grade, how much it was worth, its history, origin, and so on. Nie Yan took on a lot of hired work back then. He frequently ran dungeons with different teams. So, he got to hear a great many stories. He would also occasionally look at the equipment players posted on the forum. The vast majority of which were Sub Legendary and even Legendary-grade, and were already bound so the owners would never have to worry about them dropping. The stats of every piece were drool-worthy.

Nie Yan could only gaze enviously at the equipment of these people back then. However, things were different in this life. He finally had the ability to collect them for himself!

Nie Yan had no illusions about his people being the first to find every single piece of equipment on that list. But even if it were only a tenth of them, it would allow the top players from Asskickers United to skyrocket in power.

The Saintess Christina Set was one of the godly equipment sets of the previous timeline. The last two bosses at the end required thousands of high level players to defeat it. It was a notoriously difficult set to obtain. Back then, a famous female Holy Magister called Night Autumn Jade only managed to collect three pieces. The later stages of the questline were too hard for her to progress. Even then, she was still regarded as a peak existence. After all, three pieces of Legendary-grade equipment was nothing to laugh about. One could imagine how powerful she would be if she had the full set. She had shared the details of the later stages on the forums. Not being able to complete this godly set became her lifelong regret.

Nie Yan never thought Xie Yao would pick this quest. He could probably gather the players of Asskickers United to help her with the later stages of the quest. However, she was pretty much on her own with the initial stages since there wasn’t much they could do to help.

“Good luck. I hope you’ll obtain the full Saintess Christina Set,” Nie Yan cheered Xie Yao on. He felt completing this set would be an incredibly difficult task for her.

“Mhm! Nie Yan, you have to work hard too! I know you have a lot of things on your shoulders, with everyone in Asskickers United relying on you. You don’t have to worry about me inside the game. I can take care of myself. I just wish I could share the burden with you, even if there’s not a lot I can do,” Xie Yao said apologetically.

Xie Yao knew Nie Yan had to look for a large amount of equipment and items every day to increase his own strength as well as the guild’s. All the while he still had to scramble everywhere to gather the funds to support the guild. None of these things were easy. Although Asskickers United had gathered a large number of elites, they had yet to fully mature. Guilds like Alliance of Mages, Divine Protectors, and Angel Corps had risen to power without facing any hardship. They were established powers that had existed for five years or longer, some even for over ten. As they went from one virtual reality game to the next, they accumulated many loyal and dedicated fans along the way. Once Conviction was released, they joined as a collective. It didn’t take long for them to establish themselves, rapidly expanding their influence and recruiting players en masse. Asskickers United had only established themselves weeks after Conviction’s release. Their foundation was shaky, and they faced battle after battle. If it weren’t for Nie Yan keeping everything together, they would’ve long since collapsed. Only when Calore was unified did Asskickers United truly embark on a steady path, and only then did the elites of the guild obtain a stable growth environment.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Nie Yan had single-handedly kept Asskickers United afloat. Of course, Guo Huai and the other administrative members had also put in quite a great deal of work. But whether it was the battle at Kiln Fire Woods or the Cripps Stronghold siege, Asskickers United wouldn’t exist today if it weren’t for Nie Yan’s efforts. One could imagine how much he contributed to the guild.

“It’s not that bad. When I log in I just grind a few mobs, collect some equipment, occasionally get in a few fights, and every week or so I make a trip to the Underworld.” Nie Yan chuckled. Although it was true he didn’t have enough time to do all the things he wanted, it wasn’t as hectic and stressful as Xie Yao made it out to be.

Xie Yao cast a doubtful gaze. Everyone in Asskickers United witnessed daily all that Nie Yan did for the guild. Even if he himself claimed he wasn’t busy, no one would believe him no matter what.

Seeing Xie Yao’s expression, Nie Yan knew there was nothing he could do to explain. He glanced at the clock and said, “It’s about time to get back into the game.”

“Mhm.” Xie Yao nodded.

The two stepped inside their respective game capsules. When Nie Yan entered the game, he received a notification.

Yao Yao is playing Conviction

Nie Yan was automatically notified of Xie Yao entering the game.

Nie Yan faintly smiled. A warm feeling sprouted up in his heart from knowing Xie Yao was right beside him.

Nie Yan summoned his Faulkner Warhorse, then set off for the Hilton Stronghold, galloping across the wide open grasslands.

About 20 minutes later, Nie Yan received word from Guo Huai that King of the World had applied to join Asskickers United. From this day forward, Asskickers United would have another powerful expert among their ranks.

Nie Yan gave King of the World a call.

「When you have the time, go run dungeons with the others. I’ll introduce you to a team,」Nie Yan said. King of the World had only recently joined, so he was unfamiliar with the players of Asskickers United. He would have to slowly get to know everyone.

「I don’t have any interest in running dungeons with others,」King of the World replied.

Nie Yan recalled that King of the World was a loner in the previous timeline too. Although those brothers of his were skilled, they were far from being able to keep up with him.

「I see, so be it. How about we do quests together instead?」Nie Yan said. The best way to deal with people like this was to have them quickly develop a sense of belonging to the guild.

「My brothers have all moved into the villa in Jadewater... Thank you,」King of the Word said after a moment of silence.

King of the World sounded a bit stiff. He had never once thanked anybody. Nie Yan was his first.

「No need to thank me. Isn’t that what we agreed on in the contract?」

「As per our agreement, whether as Bayonet or King of the World, I will be your shadow from this day forward. If you need me to do anything, don’t hesitate to give out your command. This is my duty as a mercenary,」King of the World said. His words were frank. As long as Nie Yan had the money, he would carry out the work.

“Shadow... A shadow...” Nie Yan muttered. What he required the most was precisely a shadow! There were many things he couldn’t do due to a lack of time. A shadow could do those things on his behalf, along with the dirty work he couldn’t do himself!