The Great Thief

Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales

The final Boss in Blackwing’s Nest was Nefarian, so naturally, it was expected that this would the most challenging stage. Though it had its difficulties, it was very different to when they were fighting the little Red Dragon. While that Boss could only be cleared through an impressive amount of luck, skills, and timing, there was some leeway to beating Nefarian – money.

Lu Li did not have much, but it was enough to clear an Instance Dungeon. On top of that, he only had to contribute about a third of the damage output during the battle. Drizzle Court and Peerless City were more than happy to help out financially.

As long as they had the funding to fully equip them with support items such as mechanical dummies, health potions, and a Shadow Resistance potions, Nefarian might be an easier Boss than the little Red Dragon was. Nonetheless, it would be unrealistic to think that they could beat Nefarian without wiping more than a few times.

The commanding positions were passed on to Sky Moon and Wandering. Since Lu Li had to focus on observing the Boss’ skills and mechanics, his leadership skills were not a necessity at the moment. Plus, Lu Li needed to take a trip down to Stormwind City to report to the Lieutenant Officer, by order of the military’s notice he had received three days ago. Though Lu Li knew the ranking of a Lieutenant Officer was nothing less of prestigious, he decided he would postpone the meeting until he had beaten the little Red Dragon. Now that they had cleared that stage while the other clubs were stuck there, he was more than happy to go down to Stormwind City.

Lu Li was greeted by the major officer. His mop of grey hair was befitting of his wrinkled features and the physique of a worn-down veteran. Lu Li assumed that it must have been a long time since he had touched a sword or gun.

“You’ll call me Major Finkle. I have two dispatch scrolls on me. Sir Bolvar Fordragon has given you the privilege of choosing the position you desire,” Finkle explained enviously. What a privilege it was to be favoured by the Regent! The positions given to Lu Li was ‘clerk of the seventh legion’; it was a desirable job and highly-paid position. Furthermore, it was a position that allowed Lu Li to hand out missions as an NPC. Players would go to him to receive quests where they had to return to him with a specific item in return for a generous amount of Reputation. It was a job that allowed him to give an advantage to his friends.

Lu Li opened the second scroll, which was for the captain of the scouting team, and also of the seventh legion. If he were to talk about ranking, the clerk position had the upper hand. Furthermore, Lu Li thought the scouting team was basically the human shield of the legion. Only when the scouting team was killed in the Wild did the rest of the legion know where the enemies were.

“It must be a difficult decision. A clerk is a favourable position on its own, so you must be thought highly of by the Regent to be given this position,” Finkle commented. He might have been only a Major, but he was of a much higher level than Lu Li. However, he was still a veteran, which meant that Lu Li thought of him no more than a messenger.

“Thank you, chief,” Lu Li sad as he shook his head, returning the scrolls to the messenger. “But I think I’ll be a scout instead. It will be a much better use of my skills. After all, I am a stalker, destined to walk in the shadows. A clerk? Well, I just don’t see it happening.”

Finkle opened his mouth, but no words came out. He was obviously shocked by Lu Li’s choice. Though a scouting captain was more befitting of the adventurous energy of the military, the position of a clerk was a privilege that could only be granted by nobles.

A scouting captain! Lu Li held onto his scroll and took a deep breath. This job might not be as well-paid as being a clerk, but there was no way he would settle for an office job. If he were to choose it, Bolvar Fordragon would only look down on him. If only Marshal Windsor was still here – he understood Lu Li more than the current Regent did, and was much more considerate of him as well. Being the first NPC that he considered a friend, Lu Li had always regretted that he was unable to save the Marshal from the flames of the Dragonflight. Remulos, one of the Keepers of the Grove, was always kind to Lu Li. However, many instances kept reminding Lu Li that he was only an NPC, who was both a demi-god and a kind senior.Read more chapter on NovelFull

“If this is your final decision, I’m sure Sir Bolvar will appreciate your valiance,” Finkle gloated with a shameful tone of sarcasm. He was sure that Lu Li must have been hit on the head not to choose to be a clerk.

“Thank you. May I ask whom I shall receive quests from?” Lu Li asked, hoping that he could obtain some worthy quests. The Alliance and Horde associations were teamed up to battle the spreading of the plague. While it was a battle of the NPCs, players could earn quite a lot just by showing up to it.

“The rune will be useful with that. This scroll will tell you what you needed to do at any given moment and will record your every action in carrying out missions.”

“Thank you. It seems that I need to recruit a companion,” Lu Li said as he glanced at the first mission on the scroll. Infiltrating the Western Plaguelands to disrupt a ceremony held by a cursed priest was not something that could be achieved by a lone Thief. The new story development written by the creators of Dawn was heavily centred in the Plaguelands.

A level-50 map?

Of course, it wouldn’t be that simple. After the game had updated, the Plaguelands and the few maps surrounding that area were forbidden zones for players. Many new monsters were spawned, while the original monsters had a minor upgrade, and more Bosses were dispatched. Gale Legion and Wings of Dawn were two clubs that naively thought that they could farm high-level gear by killing Bosses there, but failed miserably. The 200-men armies sent out by Gale Legion were annihilated, with only a few Thieves who were lucky enough to return. Wings of Dawn did a little better – they carried out battles on the sides of those forbidden zones and were lucky enough to be saved by a patrolling team of the Alliance.

“Of course, you may be assisted by four scouts in your team, but you may also recruit adventurers like you to carry out this mission,” Finkle explained, holding out a list of scouting members for Lu Li to choose from. Lu Li cursed under his breath upon seeing the list. Despite him being the captain of the scouting team of the seventh legion, none of the names on the list were from the seventh legion. The people on the list couldn’t even be called soldiers, but farmers, or peasants.