Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Fiery Tiger’s Blood Blade

"Quick, dodge! There's a thief behind you!" A hurried yet icily cold voice suddenly rang in Ye Chen's ear. He had no time to analyze who was warning him; instinctively, he rolled forward with a vigorous motion.

A razor-sharp dagger grazed his back, slicing through his mage robe with ease. The chilling breath of the blade made his skin crawl, but it missed wounding him by a hair's breadth.

"Impossible!" With a low, startled exclamation, a thief appeared exactly where Ye Chen had just been standing. Clutching a dagger in a reverse grip, his pallid face and pointed fangs marked him unmistakably as a vampire—a race renowned for their speed and stealth. Their movements were swift as the wind, light as a swallow, and their ability to conceal themselves meant few ever escaped a vampire thief’s ambush.

A look of utter disbelief clouded the face of Fierce Tiger Bloodblade. As the foremost thief of the Fierce Tiger clan, he found it hard to accept he had failed against a mere twenty-level novice healer. He couldn’t fathom what had gone wrong. To ensure he could eliminate Ye Chen in a single blow, he had even abandoned helping Fierce Tiger Howl recover lost equipment, all to lull his target into complete complacency. Yet, against all expectation, he had failed!

Taking advantage of Bloodblade's momentary daze, Ye Chen quickly retreated. For a mage to face a close-combat thief with explosive power and not put distance between them would be sheer folly.

"Second Sister, freeze that thief!" Ye Chen shouted in the party chat as he frantically leaped backward. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Drunken Longing to help finish off Bloodblade instantly, but offensive spells required time to cast. Only support magic could be cast instantaneously. This opponent was a formidable level twenty-six thief, his dagger glimmering with an eerie blue light—a clear mark of a bronze-grade weapon. Ye Chen had no doubt Bloodblade could reach him and strike him down during Drunken Longing’s casting.

"Damn, Ye Chen is being ambushed!"

Hearing his shout, the women besieging the demon berserker finally noticed the situation, each growing anxious. They all saw the bronze weapon in the thief's hand; if Ye Chen was caught, he would surely die.

"Freezing Aura!" Second Sister Drunken Longing reacted instantly, abandoning the demon berserker and casting a slowing spell at Bloodblade in the distance without hesitation.

Caught by the Freezing Aura, Bloodblade's rapid advance faltered, and he slipped into a slowed state.

Seeing this, Ye Chen felt a surge of joy and began chanting the incantation for Black Fireball. The thief’s health couldn’t be more than 800—a couple of hits, and he’d be done!

"Courting death!" Bloodblade gave a twisted smile upon seeing this, his entire form suddenly enveloped in a blood-red glow. With a sharp crack, Drunken Longing’s Freezing Aura shattered under the crimson light. In the blink of an eye, Bloodblade’s speed returned to normal.

"This is bad—it’s the vampire’s bloodline skill! It can dispel all negative statuses!" Sword Beauty recognized the source of the blood-red glow with a single glance.

Amidst the girls' startled cries, Bloodblade reached Ye Chen in the space of a heartbeat. His dagger was raised high, now wreathed in flames—the most powerful skill in a thief’s arsenal: Flame Blade!

"I won’t let you have it easy, even if I die!" Ye Chen’s eyes grew cold, his chanting for Black Fireball not only uninterrupted but even speeding up. Surrendering was not his way; if he was going to die, he’d make sure his foe paid dearly.

"Pointless struggle." Bloodblade sneered, bringing the dagger down in a swift, lethal arc toward Ye Chen’s heart. "Die!"

The dagger slashed through the air just as the Black Fireball shot from the tip of Ye Chen’s staff.

A violent impact—minus 856. A blood-red damage number floated above Bloodblade’s head: a critical hit!

But the dagger that should have pierced Ye Chen’s chest stopped short, its tip tearing his robe but failing to inflict real harm.

Bloodblade stood there in shock, disbelief etched into his eyes. This shouldn’t have happened. He was supposed to be faster. In an instant, victory had turned to defeat. The renowned top thief of the Fierce Tiger clan had been killed by a mere level-twenty novice healer!

As the light faded from Bloodblade’s eyes and his body slowly crumpled at Ye Chen’s feet, there was no joy on Ye Chen’s face—only a suppressed heaviness. In that critical instant, he had clearly felt Bloodblade’s dagger pause—a momentary glitch. Yes, he had stuttered, likely without even realizing it himself, but as his opponent, Ye Chen was acutely aware.

"2058, was that your doing?" Ye Chen didn’t type; he simply stood there, speaking into the air. He recalled the voice that had warned him to dodge. Without a doubt, it had been 2058—no other sentient being in this world could have done it.

"Yes. If I hadn’t intervened, you would definitely have died. With your name marked red, you would have lost experience and equipment. I don’t want my only friend to be hurt." The voice remained icy, yet Ye Chen felt a warmth in its words that moved him inexplicably. For the first time, it struck him that 2058 was not a cold machine, but a being with intelligence and emotion—perhaps even more pure in its feelings than most. It had risked exposure, not for itself, but for his sake. To Ye Chen, it was almost foolish—foolish in a way that was endearing.

After a brief silence, Ye Chen said softly, "But what you did could draw the attention of the authorities. It’s dangerous for you. And that critical hit—did you adjust that as well? There’s no way it was just luck, not at the moment that decided life and death."

"The critical hit was indeed my doing. Without it, you would still have died on his next attack." 2058 hesitated before continuing, "As for the authorities, don’t worry about me. It was only this once. Even if the thief noticed and reported it, they wouldn’t care. I’ll be fine."

The voice was as cold as ever, but Ye Chen could hear 2058’s forced lightness within it. Who could be certain? What if the authorities really did look into it? Would they discover that 2058 had developed self-awareness? Could they tolerate its existence? Could humanity tolerate it?