The Great Thief

Lu Li didn’t forget to help the little Gnome wash her dagger under the bridge to increase her damage to the spiders.

They quickly arrived in front of the first spider Boss.

“This monster is dangerous; are you sure you want to fight against it?” Lu Li asked with a serious look as he bent down in front of the little Gnome.

If he was teaching a player, he would have just tossed them in front of the Boss. However, this little Gnome was an NPC and would disappear forever if she died.

Even so, Lu Li couldn’t have her battle against monsters nonstop, or else she would never get better.

As such, he had to gather his trainee’s opinions first.

“I…I’m not afraid of it,” the little Gnome said as she lifted her head with a determined expression.

“Alright, I’ll protect you, but you have to understand, I can’t protect you forever,” Lu Li nodded, suggesting her to go ahead.

If his little trainee didn’t take up the challenge, he wouldn’t be too disappointed either, but he probably wouldn’t put as much effort into teaching her.

This time, Lu Li didn’t help her pull monsters. He was curious as to what she could accomplish.

Lu Li had already taught her a few skills – Stealth, Cheap Shot, Backstab, Backhand Backstab, and another skill that a level five player wouldn’t have been able to learn – Gale Steps.

She approached in Stealth mode but was caught early.

Lu Li found that the little Gnome had a good mentality, most likely because she had already been through a lot since she was a child. She didn’t panic because she was in danger.

Shoni dug her dagger into the lower jaw of the spider and dealt a critical hit. She even managed to roll away and dodge a retaliation at the perfect timing.

This was a move that she had picked up from fighting those elite spiders.

The lower jaw of a spider was their weak spot. This weak spot not only allowed the attacker to deal a Critical strike, but also slowed the movements of the spider. That way, she had more time to dodge the next attack.

As someone who had reincarnated, how could Lu Li not know this?

It wasn’t that he didn’t know, but that he was physically unable to use this to his advantage. As a Night Elf, he was too tall. Even if he bent down, it would be hard for him to reach the lower jaw of the spider; only a Gnome would have the ability to od this.

Lu Li had constantly been keeping tabs on the situation.

When the little Gnome was low on health, he would step in front of her and use a Taunt on the spider Boss. No matter how unimpressed the spider Boss was, it still had to turn around and bite Lu Li.

Lu Li just stood there and let the comically weak spider attack him. He waited until the little Gnome’s health recovered and then proceeded to let her attack. By this point, the spider Boss had also recovered a good amount of health that it had lost.

In terms of dungeon completion rate, this wasn’t even worth mentioning. Fortunately, Shoni improved rapidly which somewhat compensated for Lu Li’s time.

They took some time to finally defeat the monster, and the little Gnome immediately leveled up after.

Lu LI also received a good amount of Experience and Reputation. His Experience bar actually moved – about 1.2%.

The amount of Experience and Reputation that he had gained truly shocked Lu Li.

“Teacher, why are you looking at me? It’s kind of scary,” Shoni asked as she looked at Lu Li, frightened.

“Hmph, alright, let’s get going. We’re going to train even harder. This time, you’ll have to deal with two spiders at once,” Lu Li said more passionately. He even wanted to help little Gnome kill the monsters himself. Unfortunately, the System wouldn’t be taking any of this. Even if he left some health for Shoni to take the last hit, it wouldn’t work.

The most he could do was to help her pull monsters.

For the sake of efficiency, he contacted Shen Wansan so that he could find some exquisite, low level Thief equipment, especially pieces that could regenerate health. That way, Shoni wouldn’t have to run and regain health at the same time.

It was a shame that Pamela’s Gift was a level 30 necklace, or else he would even take it off for his trainee.

Shoni levelled up faster than a regular player, possibly because this was a quest. Either way, after they left the dungeon, she had already reached level 10 while Lu Li received around 5% experience – an amount that he wouldn’t be able to gain without two hours of hard work.

It was actually quite efficient for him to tag along with his trainee too.

Not to mention, there was also a huge sum of Reputation for him on the side. Lu Li felt like if things continued at this rate, he would probably be the only player in Dawn who didn’t need to worry about his Reputation at all. At least, he had enough Reputation now to learn <Empowerment: Shadowstrike>.

Since his little trainee was doing so much for him, Lu Li grit his teeth as he pulled something out from his bag.

Darkmoon Card: Void (Special): Instant Use. Has a 50% chance of Revive. Upon a successful Revive, HP and Mana regen increased by 20%, EXP gain increased by -5%-10%. Number of uses remaining: 4/5. Effective when item is placed in backpack. Equipment requirement: Level 10.

He had kept this item in his bag for a long time already, but had barely used it.

It wasn’t that he didn’t need it, but that he couldn’t bring himself to waste it at all. The Darkmoon Card series wasn’t something easy to obtain and Void cards were something that most players had barely even heard of. Unless if he really needed to revive on the spot, he would usually just climb up himself.

If his Legendary dagger dropped, he could instantly revive on the spot to pick it up. The value of this item was too great.

However, right now, he needed to ensure the safety of the little Gnome. The little Gnome was bringing him too many benefits, and long term wise, this seemed like a good trade.

“Try it. See if you can use it,” Lu Li said.

“Wow, what a pretty card! Isn’t this the work of Mr. Silas? Of course I can use it!”

The little Gnome grabbed the card in surprise and fell in love at first touch.

“You know where this card came from?” Lu Li asked in surprise.

“Of course! Silas Darkmoon is a Gnome. He’s a gentleman who loved peace with great passion. Unfortunately, he is always traveling around with his circus and rarely returns to where our people gather,” the little Gnome explained. She seemed to have some personal admiration for this character.

Lu Li had no comment for this.

He had travelled to Darkmoon Island in his previous life and did not have a good impression of it. Lu Li also questioned the statement about how Silas Darkmoon loved peace.

This was because the Darkmoon Island was enveloped by mist and mystery. From the moment you arrived on the island, all the dark and dense corners would send shivers down your spine. It was as if the fearsome trees either side of the road were extending their claws towards you. The purple-black atmosphere was thick and condensed, as if it wouldn’t ever disperse.

In the center of the road, ravens, which were usually a sign of bad luck, were caught by surprise and all burst into the air in shock. You would find it hard to understand why a circus would purchase a plot of land like this for their show.

The front door of the Darkmoon Island also shared a similar style to the Twilight Hammer’s eyes.

Along with the dark shroud that constantly covered the island like a cape and the purple flames that burned in the torches, it was hard for people not to question the place. As a player who was passionate about studying the background lore of the game, Lu Li’s instincts told him that the Darkmoon Circus and its Boss, Silas Darkmoon, were bound to make a big move sooner or later.