Almost every player who trains as a thief does so with the dream of becoming rich by stealing from bosses. However, to successfully steal from a boss, many conditions need to be met. Firstly, the skill level must be high, and secondly, the character's level must be sufficient. Before reaching the Master level in the Stealing skill, due to level constraints, the number of bosses that can be stolen from is limited, and the success rate is dismally low! More importantly, each failure results in the loss of 20% of experience. Whether the stolen items can compensate for the lost experience upon success is uncertain. In fact, many thief players end up losing more than they gain, sometimes even ending up in dire straits!
Therefore, now that the game has progressed, those who continue to play as thieves despite the difficulties either have mastered their skills or have switched professions. Those who have mastered their skills are few and far between, and the decline of the Thieves' Guild is largely due to the scarcity of thief players.
As the first player to upgrade the Stealing skill to the Master level, Xiao Hua has fared much better than the average player and thus was unaware of the hardships faced by other thieves. Although playing as a thief during the beta test was challenging, at least there was a five-fold experience bonus, which allowed him to level up relatively quickly despite being slower than other professions. Additionally, he didn't feel the need to compete with others, maintaining a calm mindset. Although he felt being a thief was tough, he never considered deleting his character and starting anew. Eventually, his luck changed when he stumbled upon a random world quest chain, revealing the secrets of mastering skills, leading him to gradually become established in the game.
After defeating the thief, Xiao Hua's PK value dropped to 33. He returned to Lina to turn in the mission. This time, the fugitive was a warrior, whose attack was high and defense was not low. More importantly, the range of skill judgments was significantly larger than that of players. Xiao Hua suffered a mishap when he underestimated the skill range based on his memory of player abilities. Fortunately, his high defense meant he wasn't severely injured.
After eliminating the third fugitive, Lina no longer had any PK reduction missions available. Xiao Hua inquired, "Miss Lina, when will those special missions be available again?"
"These missions can only be completed three times a week. You've already completed three. Great job! Please come back in seven days, and I'll have new missions for you then!" Lina replied honestly.
Xiao Hua's PK value was now only 28 points. In seven days, if he continued to grind normally, his PK value would be completely eliminated.
Calculating the time, Xiao Hua realized that it had been 26 days since he arrived in Black Mist City. In a few days, it would be a full month. During this time, he spent several days practicing attack and evasion techniques, resulting in fewer opportunities to grind and reduce his PK value. If he had focused solely on reducing PK value, he might have been ready to leave Black Mist City by now.
However, it was fortunate that he hadn't been able to wash away his PK value too quickly. Unless a large team from the Light faction's main quest appeared in the outside cities, he didn't want to leave too soon. He still wanted to know what Bella had to tell him.
Over the next three days, Xiao Hua dedicated himself entirely to grinding and reducing his PK value. With his greatly improved attributes, his efficiency in grinding had significantly increased. However, he also realized that the monsters killed by his illusion could not help wash away his PK value. Despite the terrifying speed at which he and his illusion killed monsters, he still only managed to reduce his PK value by about four points per day, roughly nine points every two days.
On the day he agreed to meet Bella, Xiao Hua returned to Black Mist City early and sought her out. His PK value was now only 12 points. In three days, he would be certain to leave Black Mist City. However, before that, if Bella had any special missions, he didn't want to miss them.
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"Aww, little darling, you're here. I was wondering if you'd forgotten about me," Bella was tidying up in the house where she issued bounty missions, seemingly preparing to leave.
"How could I forget someone as charming as Miss Bella!" Xiao Hua chuckled.
"Haha, you're such a sweet talker. I see you're curious about the information I mentioned last time. Don't worry, I promised to tell you today, and I'm feeling good today, so I will tell you. But please wait a little longer until my replacement arrives. I want to tell you outside to avoid suspicion. If the person finds out I leaked the information, they'll make life difficult for me!" Bella was clearly afraid of the person she mentioned and was hesitant to reveal any details yet.
Xiao Hua had no choice but to wait with Bella. Thankfully, her replacement arrived shortly after noon. The replacement was an old man, and after a brief conversation and handing over some items, Bella happily stepped out of the house.
"Miss Bella, can you tell me the information now?" After walking a considerable distance from the house, Xiao Hua asked, worried that Bella might forget to mention it.
Bella cautiously glanced around, ensuring no one was nearby, before whispering, "To the north of Black Mist City, under a cliff, there is a stone house. A young alchemist named Silfin lives there. Despite being younger than me by only a little, Silfin is not an ordinary alchemist. She has extensively studied skills, spending over a decade traveling across Arlen Continent to broaden her knowledge. If you want to upgrade any skills, she may be able to provide some guidance!"
"However, Silfin has a bad temper, and getting her help is difficult. But for you, it might be possible. Keep in mind, she doesn't offer free assistance, so prepare to be challenged. Keep this information to yourself and don't tell others, or she won't help you again. Also, don't mention that I told you... Oh no, Silfin will surely suspect it was me who told you. I need to leave quickly. Bye!"
Bella, fearing Silfin, immediately left Xiao Hua and hurried to the airship terminal, ignoring her image. Many blacklisted players on the street were confused by her behavior, some even thinking there might be a quest involved.
The information Bella provided was crucial for Xiao Hua. He had numerous skills he wanted to upgrade, especially the Real Illusion, a restricted skill. Upgrading it would be fantastic, and he had imagined countless scenarios of how it would improve. He was also eager to upgrade skills like Critical Poison, Infinite Stack Poison, and Witchcraft. Upgrading any of these would be a great benefit.
To the north of Black Mist City, Xiao Hua had never ventured. Although Bella only gave a vague direction, he was willing to spend a few days searching. Finding a Skill Master would be worth the effort.
Based on Bella's words, he suspected his high charm might have played a role in obtaining this information. It seemed that charm, which had previously seemed useless, could be valuable at critical moments.
After walking for nearly five hours north of Black Mist City, Xiao Hua reached a series of cliffs as described by Bella. This area was a spawning point for level 60 monsters, so Xiao Hua had to be cautious.
The map was vast, and Bella's description was vague, making the search difficult. To avoid monsters, he moved slowly. Finally, after more than ten hours, he found a stone house under a cliff the next day at noon.
The stone house was large and sturdy, built recently judging by the fresh stones. An NPC in their thirties was drying a silver powder on the rocks outside. Xiao Hua knew this person must be Silfin, as it was unlikely to find another NPC in the vicinity.
"Hello, are you Master Silfin?" Xiao Hua approached cautiously, knowing Silfin had a peculiar temperament.
"That's me. How did you know my name? Ah, it must be Bella! I told her not to tell anyone I'm here!" Silfin immediately suspected Bella, confirming Bella's prediction.
Silfin wore distinctive alchemist attire, adorned with intricate patterns and symbols unique to alchemists. The clothes were second only to those of priests in terms of elegance.
"Tell me, why are you here? Since Bella told you my location, you must be a decent person. If your request isn't too difficult or the information isn't too valuable, I might consider helping you or providing the information."
"Miss Bella mentioned that you have extensive knowledge about skills!"
"Do you want to know about upgrading a specific skill?" Silfin narrowed her eyes as she looked at Xiao Hua.
"Yes!" Xiao Hua nodded.
"That's not a problem. However, I can only provide information on one skill. Depending on the skill you're interested in, I'll need you to do something for me in return." Silfin stated directly.