“Watchful Snail helped prepare us. We’re almost ready to do our class advancement quests. We’re just worried that our equipment isn’t good enough,” Hapless Frog said. He didn’t dare to boast.

Nie Yan examined Hapless Frog and Tyrannical. “Your gear is good enough. Don’t worry. Give it your all, and I’m sure you two will successfully become Shadow Dancers.”

“Really?” Tyrannical’s eyes lit up with excitement.

A lack of confidence was the main thing stopping Tyrannical and Hapless Frog from attempting their class advancement quests. If they failed, not only would they waste a large amount of time, but they would also have to wait several months to try again. So, they worked hard on raising their levels and improving their equipment to improve their chances of succeeding. Nie Yan’s words had undoubtedly given them the last push they needed.

Both Hapless Frog and Tyrannical were decently skilled players. The reason they failed to become Shadow Dancers in the previous timeline was partially their lack of good equipment and partially their lack of guidance. The guild had provided them with a lot of good equipment. Combined with what they got themselves from questing, and the quality of their gear was already quite high. On the skill side, they far surpassed their previous timeline counterparts. Sun, King of the World, and Mistaken Smile would go all out teaching trustworthy brothers like them. They had learned many things.

In the previous timeline, they were only a step away from becoming Shadow Dancers. If they still failed to become one in this life even with all the support they received, there was no hope for them.

“Boss! What about us? What about us?” several nearby Thieves asked.

Nie Yan gazed at these people, Transcendence, Flying Meatbun, and many more. These names were all familiar to him. They were Shadow Dancers in the previous timeline, though they only class advanced around Level 170-180. All of them had been recruited into Asskickers United by Guo Huai. With the help and guidance offered by the guild, they’d improved their skills considerably. They would also be future pillars of the guild.

“Wait until you guys reach Level 150–160. Afterwards, find Guo Huai for some good equipment. You’ll be about ready to take on your class advancement quest then,” Nie Yan said.

“Level 150–160? That’s pretty quick!” Transcendence exclaimed. He was already Level 130. It would only take him a few months to reach level 150.

After hearing Nie Yan’s words, everyone felt hope and expectation overflowing through their bodies.

Ronin, Suyo, and the others’ hearts trembled. Was class advancing to Master class really that easy? Could they try as well?

Ronin suddenly recalled he had a skill that could peep on another player’s equipment. He secretly used it to inspect Hapless Frog and Tyrannical since Nie Yan said those two were ready to class advance.

After seeing their equipment, Ronin sucked in a breath of cold air. Hapless Frog had one piece of Level 100 Legendary equipment, five pieces of Level 100 Sub Legendary equipment, while the rest was all twinked Level 150 equipment. At the same time, he also carried around all sorts of special items and accessories with excellent properties. Tyrannical was pretty much the same, except he was up a piece of Legendary equipment and down two pieces of Sub Legendary equipment compared to Hapless Frog.

Thanks to the list Nie Yan previously provided that contained clues on the locations of Sub Legendary and Legendary-grade equipment, Hapless Frog and Tyrannical had found excellent equipment. This was why the quality of their gear was so high.

No wonder Nie Yan said those two could do their class advancement quests. Ronin could only dream about having equipment like this. It looked like he was still far off from tackling the Master class.

A moment later, the expedition team arrived outside the square. The six-meter high frame of the Demon Slaughterer entered their eyes. Its large fleshy, bat-like wings beat up and down continuously. But perhaps even more frightening was its greatsword burning green flames. They couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath of air. Thinking about how they were going to face a frightening existence like this, they lost complete confidence in themselves.

“This bastard looks like the damn herald of the apocalypse.”

“Y-yeah, you’re right. But what did you expect? All demons look like that. A Level 130 Demonified Lord. My sweet Jesus...”

“Do we know what skills it has?”

“I don’t think anyone knows, not even the boss. Why else would he call us over here?”

As everyone started chatting among themselves, Nie Yan turned to the Shamans and said, “We’ll be counting on you guys from here on out. Don’t hesitate to use the Resurrection Emblems. I’ve already had my subordinates purchase plenty from the various auction houses across the Satreen Empire. If you guys succeed, I’ll reward you with five Resurrection Emblems each.”

“Don’t worry. You can put your trust in us. To be able to work with you is our honour,” Downfall said.

All the Shaman were startled. They couldn’t help but admire Nie Yan’s generosity. Even the lowest quality Resurrection Emblem cost 150 gold. Five meant they would each be receiving 750 to upwards of over 1,000 gold.

20,000–30,000 gold was nothing to Nie Yan. Especially with a reward like Paternoster’s Warhammer on the horizon. He just hoped these Shamans would give it their all.

Nie Yan provided each of the Shamans with 10 Specialist Health and Mana Potions. A single Specialist potion could restore their health or mana to full. These should last them some time.

“Do you all have Hate Dispersal?” Nie Yan asked. Hate Dispersal was one of the most basic low-level skills of Shamans. Yet it was extremely useful at every stage of the game, since it reduced a monster’s aggro on the caster.

“Of course.”

“Good.” Nie Yan nodded. “Let’s get started.”

“Understood!”

The Demon Slaughterer flapped its wings as it roamed around. Its blood red eyes were enveloped in scorching hot flames.

After seeing the Demon Slaughterer’s eyes, everyone felt a chill run down their spine.

The 10 Shamans and 190 Thieves had already finished their preparations. Nie Yan had Lafus buff them with blessings that increased speed. As for the blessings that raised health and defense, he didn’t bother. Even if their health was increased by tenfold, they would still be instantly killed by the Demon Slaughterer.

Ronin, Suyo, and the others could only stand off to the side. They couldn’t provide any help in dealing with the Demon Slaughterer. However, they could at least serve as lookouts.

“Boss, we’re ready to go,” Hapless Frog said.

“Good.” Nie Yan nodded.

The Thieves and Shamans spread out across the square. Following Nie Yan’s instructions, they started making preparations to draw the Demon Slaughterer’s aggro. The initial phase was the most dangerous.

Gazing at the Demon Slaughterer, Ronin couldn’t help but ask, “Can’t we kill it with numbers?”

Nie Yan shook his head. “We deal too little damage. I estimate we wouldn’t even overcome its health regeneration. Not to mention these types of bosses all have powerful AoE magic. If we try to force it, not even all 300,000 players in Asskickers United will be enough.” This was a Demonified Lord. It was on a completely different level from an ordinary Lord. Using conventional methods to deal with it wouldn’t work.

As for whether his plan would succeed, Nie Yan wasn’t too sure. All he could do was try.

Before long, he received word from the Thieves and Shamans. They were all in position.

“It’s about time I go too.” Nie Yan disappeared into stealth.

“Be careful,” Ronin said.

「You guys as well,」Nie Yan replied. He left Lafus and Lil’ Gold with Ronin’s party. So, there likely wouldn’t be any problems. Even if Angel Corps dispatched 1,000 players, they still couldn’t deal with the man and dragon duo. As for a 10,000-man force, there was no way this settlement could fit so many players, let alone the square.

Nie Yan arrived in an area about 100 meters away from the Demon Slaughterer. Hiding behind a statue in the square, he gazed up ahead. The Demon Slaughterer entered his vision.

Nie Yan could clearly see the Demon Slaughterer’s gruff skin as well as the sharp fangs protruding from its mouth. Its large size gave off a heavy pressure.

Nie Yan had no idea how far they could lure it away.

「Everyone, report your coordinates.」

「238.259.」

「291.850.」

...

Nie Yan looked around. The square looked completely empty. They had hidden themselves quite well. Based on their coordinates, he could tell where they all were.

「Begin,」Nie Yan ordered.

After Nie Yan gave his order, nothing seemed to happen. Suddenly, in the corner of the square about 300 meters away from the Demon Slaughterer, a Thief appeared. He dashed straight toward the Demon Slaughterer.

It was Flying Meatbun. Even though he knew he was sacrificial cannon fodder, he still couldn’t help but be nervous when facing the Demon Slaughterer.

“A meatbun thrown is forever lost. The saying really is true.” Flying Meatbun chuckled in a self-mocking manner.[1]

The moment Flying Meatbun appeared, the Demon Slaughterer had noticed him. Even though he was quickly closing in, it didn’t show any signs of movement.

200 meters, 150 meters, 100 meters... Seeing the Demon Slaughterer’s large body, Flying Meatbun felt a cold sweat run down his back. He took out a Magic Bomb and threw it as hard as he could.

The Magic Bomb drew an arc through the air and landed 50 meters from the Demon Slaughterer.

BOOM!

The explosion finally got the Demon Slaughterer’s attention. It flapped its wings then shot toward Flying Meatbun at an astonishing speed, like a flaming meteor.

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!” Flying Meatbun cried out. He quickly turned tail and fled.

However, Flying Meatbun was too slow. the Demon Slaughterer slashed down with its greatsword, swallowing him up in raging flames.

?15,238[2]

Flying Meatbun’s health bar went from full to empty in an instant.

1. This is just a silly reference to the idiom 肉包子打狗, which literally translates to, “Hitting a dog with a meatbun. It’s based on a story where a man hurls a meatbun at a dog to hurt it. Well, obviously a meatbun won’t hurt a dog much. Not only that, the man will be out of a meatbun, and the dog will have a free meal. One interpretation of the idiom is what’s thrown/given away cannot be taken back or is gone forever. Another interpretation of the idiom is making a situation worse. A favourite localization of mine for the idiom would be, “Congratulations, you played yourself.”

2. This is the max health of the Thief. In other words, an instant kill. This isn’t the maximum amount of damage an attack of the Demon Slaughterer does.