The wind stopped, and Nie Yan planted his feet, standing firm.

Seeing Wei Kai approach, Nie Yan slowly circled behind him, increasing his movements only when Wei Kai could no longer see him, cautiously closing in.

Wei Kai turned, scanning his surroundings. Nothing seemed out of place; the grass rippled like waves in the breeze.

Where was Nie Yan?

This was the first time Wei Kai had encountered a Gale Thief capable of such sophisticated Stealth. Logically, the thick grass underfoot would easily reveal a thief’s location, yet Nie Yan’s Stealth was flawless.

Wei Kai held his greatsword before him. He assumed Nie Yan, to avoid detection, must be moving extremely slowly in Stealth, placing him somewhere ahead.

He didn’t realize Nie Yan had already circled behind him.

Barely three yards separated Nie Yan from Wei Kai’s back. A gust of wind roared.

The instant the wind howled, Nie Yan accelerated, his dagger striking like lightning, aimed straight at Wei Kai’s heart.

The wind and footsteps mingled, blurring together, making it impossible to distinguish sounds. The strong wind also greatly diminished Wei Kai’s perception.

"Assassinate!"

Nie Yan’s dagger pierced Wei Kai’s heart, dealing 35 damage.

Caught off guard, Wei Kai never expected Nie Yan to appear behind him. He raised his greatsword, sweeping it towards Nie Yan.

Nie Yan rolled away to evade, remaining behind Wei Kai. He leaped up, his dagger once again plunging into Wei Kai’s heart, reducing his health by 23 points.

With over one hundred sixty health points reduced to just over a hundred, Wei Kai still couldn't keep up with Nie Yan’s speed.

The Berserker's strength lay in direct charges, while the Thief's strength lay in agility. They excelled at different things.

Nie Yan moved quickly, maintaining his position behind Wei Kai, attacking three times in succession.

This guy was as agile as a monkey. Wei Kai roared, rotating his greatsword clockwise, sending out waves of sword energy.

"Whirlwind Slash!"

Wei Kai spun like a top.

The moment Wei Kai swung his sword, Nie Yan recognized the motion and knew he was executing Whirlwind Slash. He swiftly retreated two yards.

The greatsword whistled through the air, narrowly missing Nie Yan's chest, -9, a damage number floated above Nie Yan's head.

The sword energy from Whirlwind Slash still managed to inflict some damage.

Wei Kai completed three rotations before stopping, panting. Nie Yan was too quick!

The instant Wei Kai halted his greatsword, Nie Yan lunged at him, his dagger aimed at Wei Kai's throat—a vital attack!

Tang Yao, Li Yang, and the others watching from outside were dumbstruck. Nie Yan's movements were pure art. From evading Wei Kai's Whirlwind Slash to launching a vital attack as it ended, every moment was perfectly timed.

Through Nie Yan, they understood what PK (Player Killing) truly meant—not just hacking away at each other, but a battle of awareness and skill.

A realization dawned on Tang Yao. He understood why Nie Yan said his spellcasting timing was off. Whether the timing of an attack was right or wrong could produce completely different results.

He never imagined Nie Yan, whom he’d known since they were kids, possessed such skill. It opened Tang Yao’s eyes. The saying "A scholar who has been away three days must be looked at with new eyes" perfectly described Tang Yao’s current feelings.

Nie Yan’s dagger sliced across Wei Kai’s throat, -96!

Vital attacks were still as deadly as ever. After only a few moves, Wei Kai was left with just 7 health points, while Nie Yan's health was nearly full. The difference was clear.

Wei Kai finally understood the disparity between them.

"Flame Slash!"

Unwilling to accept defeat, Wei Kai seized the opportunity after Nie Yan’s attack to swing his greatsword, unleashing a Flame Slash that erupted in a fiery arc.

Flames rushed towards him.

Having experienced the power of the Berserker’s Flame Slash, Nie Yan knew better and decisively retreated, avoiding the brunt of the attack.

Wei Kai abruptly accelerated, catching up to Nie Yan. The Flame Slash struck Nie Yan’s chest.

-56, a damage number floated above Nie Yan’s head.

Nie Yan, barely able to regain his footing after taking a Flame Slash, saw Wei Kai raise his greatsword and charge like a heavily armored tank.

Linear Slash!

Wei Kai's sword energy formed a straight line as it descended.

The charge had a brief stunning effect. Nie Yan had only half his health remaining. If he were hit, the Berserker's explosive power would be enough to kill him in seconds.

Nie Yan quickly retreated, watching as Wei Kai's greatsword came within inches of his forehead. His pupils suddenly constricted. He sidestepped, evading Wei Kai’s attack, reversing his grip on the dagger and slicing it across Wei Kai’s throat.

Nie Yan was also grazed by Wei Kai's charge and sent flying backward.

Wei Kai, with his health depleted, collapsed to the ground. Nie Yan staggered to his feet, checking his remaining health: twenty-five points.

Level two against level three was indeed a challenge.

Seeing Wei Kai defeated, Nie Yan sheathed his dagger.

Both were teleported out of the PK map.

"I'm impressed. I didn't think you were so awesome," Tang Yao said, approaching Nie Yan as he emerged.

"It was a bit of a lucky win," Nie Yan replied. He was almost defeated by Wei Kai. Ultimately, he hadn't had time to equip himself with skills. If he had a few more, he would have won more easily.

"Still, you won, and you won at level two against level three. Do you know how to play an arcane mage? Teach me how to use an arcane mage when we get back," Tang Yao said, rubbing his hands together. It seemed Nie Yan really knew a lot.

"I don't know much about arcane mages. Different skill combinations lead to different tactics, but I'll teach you everything I know," Nie Yan said. He wouldn't keep anything from Tang Yao.

"That's great." After watching Nie Yan's PK, Tang Yao was completely convinced of Nie Yan's skill.

Nie Yan checked his bank card. The number displayed six thousand. He transferred three thousand to Tang Yao and said, "Sixteen hundred is what you lent me, and twelve hundred is what I helped you win back."

"It's just a few thousand yuan. Don't treat me like an outsider," Tang Yao said, sounding displeased. He didn't care about the money at all, but Nie Yan's insistence on settling the account made him unhappy.

"Clear accounts make long friends. You're treating tonight," Nie Yan said with a smile.

"You earned so much money tonight, and I barely broke even. You have the nerve to freeload? You're treating, no argument."

"Alright, I'll take a loss then."

"What are we eating tonight? Let's at least go to a restaurant."

"Five-yuan wonton noodles. Enough to fill you up," Nie Yan said, putting his bank card away.

"I have to say, you're a little too stingy."

"Same to you," Nie Yan said with a laugh. He and Tang Yao were indeed birds of a feather.

Wei Kai and the others came over from the next booth. Tang Yao's expression turned serious. Having lost money, wouldn't Wei Kai and the others be furious?

Nie Yan was still smiling, much calmer than Tang Yao.

"Hei Ren, you're not thinking of welching on the bet, are you?" Tang Yao subconsciously stepped in front of Nie Yan, still instinctively seeing Nie Yan as the timid and bullied teenager.

"Of course not. Losing is losing, and winning is winning. Wei Kai has that much honor. We can consider this a case of 'no discord, no concord'. When Young Master Nie and Young Master Tang have time, come visit my bar," Wei Kai said with a smile.

Having spent so many years in the outside world, Wei Kai had learned a thing or two about how to deal with people. He understood what kind of people were best left unprovoked and didn't mention their previous grudges at all.

"We'll go if we have time," Nie Yan nodded. Wei Kai was a man who knew when to advance and when to retreat.

"Then I'll take my leave first. Young Master Nie and Young Master Tang, enjoy yourselves," Wei Kai said cheerfully, leading his crew away.

"What's wrong with him? Why did he suddenly become so polite? This is too abnormal! I'm really not used to it," Tang Yao said, utterly bewildered.

"Who knows?" Nie Yan replied with a faint smile.

Wei Kai and the others left the PK bar.

"Boss, why were you so polite to that kid? Young Master Nie? Does he deserve that?" Li Yang asked, puzzled.

"There's a saying: 'Don't scorn a young man for being poor,' understand? When judging people, you have to look not only at the present but also at the future," Wei Kai said. He could tell that Nie Yan was a dragon who would soar into the sky sooner or later. It was better not to antagonize him.

Li Yang was somewhat confused, but the boss was always more insightful than them. It was always right to listen to the boss.

Nie Yan and Tang Yao got in the car and drove towards the restaurant.

"What's your name in the game?" Tang Yao asked. Nie Yan was a human thief, so he must be in the same faction as him, the Greenland Empire.

"Nie Yan, Nie from *Nirvana*, Yan from flames," Nie Yan said.

"I'll find you when I get back," Tang Yao said, feeling excited at the thought of leveling up with Nie Yan.

"I'm doing a quest. I can't go back right now," Nie Yan said. He still had to turn in the Archmage's quest, and he had plans for the future. He couldn't level up with Tang Yao.

"Oh, never mind. Then teach me how to play an arcane mage now. I'll practice more when I get back," Tang Yao said, feeling a little disappointed but quickly regaining his excitement.

"Arcane mages are basically divided into three types. The most common is the fire-type mage, who equips themselves with gear that increases spell damage and learns high-damage skills like Arcane Fireball. This type is most popular with teams. Another type is the agility-type mage, who equips themselves with gear that increases speed and agility. They have high movement speed, and since arcane mages generally have short casting times, they excel at PK. The last type balances both stats a little. Which path are you planning to take?" Nie Yan asked.

Tang Yao thought for a long time, then chuckled awkwardly. "Which one requires less skill?"

"That would definitely be the fire-type mage. As long as you have good gear and high spell damage, teams will want you. In team battles, you just have to focus on dealing damage, but that means you can forget about PK," Nie Yan said, seeing through Tang Yao's desire to slack off. The guy wasn't stupid, just lazy.

"No PK? That's too boring." If he had less of the exciting stuff like PK, his life would be at least half as interesting, Tang Yao thought with displeasure.

"Then choose the balanced type. Ask me every time before you allocate points," Nie Yan said. In Faith, players received five stat points, one talent point, and one skill point every five levels from level one to thirty, so every five levels before level thirty was a small watershed.

"Okay, got it," Tang Yao said happily. With Nie Yan's help allocating stat points, he could save himself a lot of trouble. He hated thinking about such complicated things.

"I have things to do when we finish eating. Let's contact each other in the game tonight," Nie Yan said.

"Alright."

After they finished eating, Tang Yao drove Nie Yan home and then went home himself.

He'd spent so much time playing and wasted a lot of time. Nie Yan immediately focused on his studies and training when he got home.