Xiao Hua hadn't expected things to go so smoothly, achieving success on the first try with a 33% chance. He sneered and approached the archer. As long as it wasn't an area-of-effect attack, with his current agility, dodging arrows from a distance wasn't particularly difficult.
The archer was also an agile profession with exceptional movement speed and was used to kiting opponents. However, seeing Xiao Hua's ghost-like speed, he was shocked and his expression changed drastically! He had encountered all-agility characters before, but none as fast as Xiao Hua, far exceeding his expectations!
Within seconds, Xiao Hua closed the gap of a dozen meters. Rather than rushing to kill the archer, he simply aimed to prevent the archer from escaping, using the Scorching Thorn in his left hand to slowly grind down the archer's health.
"Kid, don't meddle in this! We have plenty of people in Black Mist City, and they won't let you off easily!" the archer said in anger and fear.
"Are you from the Madmen or Seven Wolves guild?" Xiao Hua, bored, asked casually as he attacked. If they were from the Madmen, he would let it go considering Tu Kuang's relationship.
"We're from Poison Scorpion. Although we're not as famous as those two guilds, it would be best to stay out of our way if you don't want trouble!" the archer threatened, barely evading Xiao Hua's attacks. It seemed that the group known as "Poison Scorpion" was somewhat notorious in Black Mist City.
"Sorry, never heard of you!" Hearing that they weren't from the Madmen or Seven Wolves, Xiao Hua replied lazily. He was about to leave Black Mist City, and even if it were the Madmen or Seven Wolves causing trouble, he was confident enough to hide for a couple of days, let alone an unknown group.
"You...!" The archer was speechless, almost unable to breathe. Poison Scorpion was a persistent group in Black Mist City with a motto of "revenge must be taken." Most people avoided them, but Xiao Hua had no social connections in the city and hadn't bothered to learn about the major forces, making him oblivious to their reputation.
"You'll remember us. Poison Scorpion will not let you off!" Chi Jue quickly dispatched the assassin nearby and then came over to finish off the archer whose health had been whittled down by Xiao Hua.
Threats like this were common for players with high PK values, neither Xiao Hua nor Chi Jue took them seriously. In such places, they were always cautious, regardless of whether they were targeted or not.
"Are you Ding Dong?" After dealing with the archer, Chi Jue looked at Xiao Hua with a hint of confusion. Xiao Hua's appearance had slightly changed since the beta test, but Chi Jue still recognized him.
Ding Dong was Xiao Hua's name during the beta test. Initially, he thought of naming himself "Qiong de Ding Dong" (poor but noticeable), but settled for just Ding Dong.
Chi Jue was one of the few people Xiao Hua knew from the beta test. As a thief, Xiao Hua had always joined parties when available or trained solo. At level 26, he met Chi Jue, and they often teamed up to level together.
Chi Jue was easy-going and valued friendship. He was skilled and never lacked party invitations. After teaming up with Xiao Hua for a while, he found them compatible and frequently invited Xiao Hua to join parties. When groups complained about the low output of thieves, they practiced solo together.
Xiao Hua's attack power wasn't low back then, having invested in strength and equipped with strength-based gear. In the beta test, he didn't lag behind assassins in killing monsters. Since Xiao Hua played the game for leisure, he enjoyed chatting with Chi Jue while leveling.
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Later, when both reached around level 35, Chi Jue had to leave due to real-life issues and didn't reappear during the beta test. Xiao Hua unexpectedly ran into him again in Black Mist City.
"I don't go by Ding Dong anymore." Xiao Hua smiled and sent a friend request to Chi Jue, who promptly accepted.
"Haha, why'd you change to such a silly name? Your old name was fine." Chi Jue was curious, as he liked the name Ding Dong.
"After you left, some unpleasant things happened, so I stopped using it." Xiao Hua said nonchalantly, "But you, I remember you didn't usually PK maliciously. How did you end up with such a terrifying PK value?"
"No choice. During a guild war, the battle was intense. I got carried away and killed countless enemies. By the time I noticed, my PK value was over a hundred, so I turned myself in." Chi Jue sighed with a troubled look.
"Wow, what kind of gear are you wearing?" Xiao Hua was amazed that a single guild war could result in such a high PK value, indicating impressive equipment.
"Hehe! An epic weapon, and almost a full set of purple gear!" Chi Jue grinned, showing a hint of pride on his honest face.
"Damn! Where did you get that?" Xiao Hua was genuinely surprised; such gear was rare for a regular player, even in a guild.
"Luck! Completed a quest chain and got an epic weapon. Later, defeated normal bosses, completed quests, and looted players to acquire several pieces of purple gear. Bought another with saved money, and here I am." Chi Jue scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.
Chi Jue's luck was indeed extraordinary!
Xiao Hua marveled, though his own luck wasn't bad either!
"Your gear looks even better." Chi Jue recalled Xiao Hua's sneak attack and chuckled.
"Hehe, seems my luck was a bit better!" This time, it was Xiao Hua scratching his head, a bit embarrassed.
"Tell me about it!" Chi Jue was eager to hear more.
So, the two men sat down and began sharing their gaming experiences.
"Really impressive! You must be the wealthiest thief in the game." After listening to Xiao Hua's almost legendary gaming journey, Chi Jue exclaimed, amazed by the thrilling tales.
"Haha, keep it between us. Don't tell others." Xiao Hua held back many details, mentioning only the general sources of his gear and omitting most of the process. He also hesitated but didn't mention the Illusion skill.
"Don't worry. I'm not one to gossip. Since you trust me enough to share this, I won't betray that trust." Chi Jue smiled, understanding that Xiao Hua's gear could attract envy and jealousy.
"How should we divide this loot?" They picked up two sets of blue gear dropped by the assassin and archer.
"You keep it as backups. I don't need it, and my PK value will be cleansed in a couple of days." Xiao Hua shook his head, blue gear no longer appealing to him.
"You spent 15 million on a bounty? Impressive!" Chi Jue admired Xiao Hua's boldness in spending so much on a bounty.
"Money well spent. That guy stepped on my toes!" After so long, Xiao Hua felt indifferent about the expense.
"How's the guild now?" Chi Jue was curious about the aftermath.
"Not disbanded but downgraded to second-tier. Rebuilding will be tough." Players who took the bounty quests started returning to Black Mist City, and Xiao Hua heard news about the Ice Seal Guild.
"When did you arrive in Black Mist City? Any news about the main quest?" Without word from Tu Kuang, Xiao Hua sought information from an acquaintance.
"Yesterday. You asked the right person. If not for the guild war bringing me here, I would've joined in." Chi Jue revealed surprising news.
"Someone has already received the main quest?" Xiao Hua asked anxiously, as this involved a pair of sub-artifact shoes and his levels.
"It happened a few days ago, but the news hasn't spread. I learned about it two days ago through a friend. They're in a medium-sized guild where someone received the main quest. It can be widely shared among guild members. The guild plans to recruit due to insufficient strength. My friend asked if I wanted to join as external support, requiring leaving the guild to receive the quest. I hesitated but ended up in a guild war the next day." Chi Jue recounted.
A few days ago, preparing for such a large-scale main quest would take time, meaning Xiao Hua still had a chance!
"Which guild? I want to try." Xiao Hua asked eagerly.
"Wan Oak City, Oak Forest Guild. If my friend's information is correct, they're publicly recruiting people with special abilities or strong power."