Chapter Fifty-Two: I Swear, I'm Not a Rising Power from Across the River

The earthy thief cast a resentful glance at Ye Chen’s retreating figure, gritting his teeth. “What’s so great about him, anyway? Just because he’s got good gear? I’ll buy a set of rare equipment for five hundred yuan someday, then we’ll see who’s laughing…”

As soon as he said this, the nearby players stared at him as if he were a fool. Many had lost the urge to mock him altogether. Five hundred yuan wouldn’t buy him a single piece, and the saying goes: ‘Summer insects cannot discuss ice.’ He was the very embodiment of that.

“That expert is impressive, sure, but fighting this Demon Witch isn’t about gear alone. The stronger he is, the faster he kills, the more curses he’ll get hit with. It won’t be long before his stats are crippled.”

While the crowd debated, Ye Chen had already reduced the Demon Witch before him to zero health. Yet, strangely, the Demon Witch didn’t die immediately, but began chanting the incantations for its curse spell. As the eerie, grating chant filled the air, the Demon Witch’s body radiated a bloody light.

“Ding! The Demon Witch is casting its Curse skill. It is in a zero-health undead state. This state will automatically disappear in three seconds.”

This was the truly disgusting aspect of the Demon Witch: even if you could instantly kill it, it would still cast its curse spell on you. Three seconds was precisely the spell’s casting time—after cursing the player, it would die automatically.

“Watch,” someone said, “this Demon Witch is about to curse him. No matter how strong he is, he can’t dodge the curse. If he keeps killing monsters like this, before long his stats will be worse than ours. Maybe then we’ll have a shot at his gear.”

Many players eyed Ye Chen’s equipment with greedy, heated gazes. They wouldn’t dare provoke a top player with full stats, but if this expert were weakened by too many curses, he’d become a toothless tiger—and they could make their move.

Ye Chen had no idea what the players behind him were plotting, but he was well prepared for the Demon Witch’s curse. As soon as he saw the monster begin its incantation, he activated the Silence Spell from the Mo Yan Ring. His right hand, adorned with the ring, flicked, and a watery blue aura enveloped the chanting Demon Witch.

“Ding! Player Night Dawn has successfully used Silence Spell on the Demon Witch. For five seconds, the Demon Witch is silenced.”

The grating chant abruptly ceased, and at the same time, the bloody glow around the Demon Witch quietly faded.

“Heavens, the curse was dispelled!” A player who noticed this scene couldn’t help but cry out. If the curse had worked, the red glow would have transferred automatically to the player. Its disappearance meant the curse had failed.

“It’s that blue aura! It has to be the effect of that item—what is it?” someone shouted in disbelief. Dispelling a curse like this was simply incredible.

“Silence Spell, it must be Silence Spell! No other magic can do that!” Some knowledgeable players chimed in.

“But Silence Spell is a skill learned only after the second class change by a Holy Light Priest, right? How could a level twenty-something secondary healer possibly know it?” asked a player familiar with class skills.

“Equipment—it must be equipment. He’s wearing gear with the Silence Spell!” This deduction sent the surrounding players into a frenzy. Equipment with second class skills—how powerful could that be?

“He’s a legend, truly a legend. Anyone got Detection Spell? See what this legend’s name is. Maybe he’s a famous expert from our Fierce Mountain City. If we know his name, we can brag to our friends later.” Detection Spell was a talent given after the first class change—not too rare. While there were no top players here, everyone had at least made the first change, so someone was bound to have learned it.

“Night Dawn—‘Night’ as in evening, ‘Dawn’ as in morning. Anyone heard of this shadow priest?” a player called out loudly, having detected Ye Chen’s nickname.

The crowd exchanged puzzled glances—none had heard of him. Many found it odd; how could such a formidable expert be unknown? Nobody realized that just a day ago, Ye Chen had been a rank fifteen rookie, naturally with no reputation. Yet the power of gossip is not to be underestimated, and someone soon revealed more about Ye Chen:

“I just remembered—my friend in the Fierce Tiger clan mentioned today that someone named Night Dawn trashed their clan’s turf, killed many of their elite team members, even took out Fierce Tiger Blood Blade, the clan’s number one thief. Fierce Tiger put out an internal bounty of thirty gold coins—kill Night Dawn once and you get thirty gold. Tonight, they’re all out hunting for him.”

This revelation provoked a storm of exclamations. The Fierce Tiger clan was a behemoth to them, its elite members figures to be looked up to. Fierce Tiger Blood Blade, the top thief, was ranked among the top five in Fierce Mountain City for the thief class, with gear and skill beyond anything ordinary players could imagine. Yet all those titans had been brought down by the expert standing before them—what kind of strength did that require?

“If you ask me, this Night Dawn must have come from another city. Of the five city regions, ours, Fierce Mountain, is the weakest. If he’s an expert from elsewhere, it makes sense.”

“Exactly. That explains why we’ve never heard of him. Yes, that must be it—he’s not a local hero but a dragon crossing the river. Maybe he’s been sent by a major guild or influential clan from another city to take down Fierce Tiger.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s probably true. I was thinking of tipping off Fierce Tiger, but now, forget it—let the gods fight, we’d best stay out of it.” Many shared the sentiment, quietly shutting off their friend communicators. Only the earthy thief, still full of resentment, continued to glare at Ye Chen, hiding behind a tree and secretly messaging a Fierce Tiger clan member.

Ye Chen heard the distant chatter behind him and couldn’t help but smile to himself. He almost wanted to turn around and shout, “I’m no dragon from afar—I’m a local tiger.” But on second thought, it was better this way; it saved him a lot of trouble. Even if someone did tip off Fierce Tiger, he wasn’t worried. He still had two Ghost Soul Pills in his backpack—if things got tough, he’d just hide.

Slaying Demon Witches on his way deeper into the plains, Ye Chen advanced with confidence. With Silence Spell at his disposal, he had no fear of the curses. His Abyssal Staff was powerful and brutal, and in just twenty minutes, he reached the Demon Witch Altar, gaining a fair bit of experience.

Because the quest prompt warned that strong Demon Witches might appear near the altar, Ye Chen carefully checked the mini-map. Confirming that only ordinary Demon Witches were nearby, he finally strode onto the massive blood-red altar.