Chapter 53 – Top Quality Round Shield

"Hmm… Oh that? That was nothing. I just spoke to them in Dragon Tongue, and they mistook me for a real dragon. The dark elves have been slaves to the dragon race since the ancient Dark Era. Even in the present, their society still considers themselves servants of the dragons which is why they were so respectful and fearful of me. Thanks to the information they provided, I also received a branching quest line so I'll be handing it in after we return to town," Nie Yan replied.

"Dragon Tongue? When did you learn the Dragon language?" Yao Yao asked. It appeared Nie Yan still held quite a few secrets since he continued revealing surprises one after the other.

"Yeah! I heard dragons were extremely rare," Tang Yao added. Nie Yan was truly becoming more and more outstanding; even the language of the dragons wasn't out of his reach.

In the same moment, Dusk's eyes sparkled as he thought of a certain possibility. Could Nie Yan's ability to speak Dragon Tongue be related to the emergence of that dragon in Link town?

Nie Yan soon realized his slip of the tongue and turned to look at Dusk. From the expression on the latter's face, he could tell this fellow had grasped onto some clues.

"Yesterday, actually. I ended up accidently stumbling into a ravine where I found an old book. When I turned the pages, I discovered it was actually an old history which recorded the events of past eras. Before I knew it, I received an announcement telling me I learned Dragon Tongue, Kasate Giant, and Ancient Common. Afterward, that dragon emerged and chased me around before I managed to make a lucky escape," Nie Yan replied in a casual manner.

This explanation was specifically directed towards Dusk. He felt it was better to partially tell the truth than to allow the existence of the Chapter of Courage to be leaked.

Dusk readily accepted the explanation. After all, he didn't feel too good sticking his nose so deeply into another person's secrets either.

"Truthfully, learning new languages isn't that hard at all. Head over to the library when your levels are higher, and if you pay one gold, you'll be able to learn the Ancient Common language. Also, if you head to the libraries belonging to the Giant race, you'll be able to learn the Kasate Giant language after paying three gold."

"How do you know all this?" Dusk and the others asked in astonishment.

"Head over to the library and look for yourself. Just browse through some of the books there, and you'll have an even better understanding of the entire Atlanta continent. There are various class-related books as well. If you manage to read them all, I guarantee you'll be experts as well."

"Ahhh? Who the hell goes to the library? An entire library has so many books. Even if you randomly pull one off the shelf, it'll still have up to million characters! If I had to read every class and history related book in the library, it would take me a month at the very least! Who the hell has that much free time on their hands?"

"Yeah! Who has the time to read those thick and heavy books?"

In his past life, Nie Yan often suffered setbacks while playing his Thief and developed an interest in reading as a result. After spending over a month reading at the library, he couldn't help but admit the history of the Atlanta continent as well as its stories were quite fascinating and engaging. From the origins of his class to the biographies of legendary Thieves and their abilities, he read it all without missing a single word. Thanks to his exceptional memory, he gained many insights. By the time he walked out of the library, he left with a thorough understanding of his class. After several more years of polishing his skills, he ranked as one of the top fifty Thieves and was somewhat famous.

"I've only read a few myself. The biographies there are pretty well written," Nie Yan said with a smile.

Nie Yan still had the leisure to go to the library and read? They had frequently risked life and death to reach their current level, yet they were still easily overtaken by Nie Yan. The crowd couldn't help but feel a little disheartened at such a thought.

Many of the team members sighed deeply and no longer had the heart to inquire any further.

"Who knows what sort of rewards you'll receive after turning in that quest!" Bai Kaishui (Plain Boiled Water) exclaimed, voicing out a similar thought among the crowd. Ultimately the topic everyone still cared for the most was the quest rewards.

"What was that flute that dropped just a moment ago?"

"It's a quest item called Einpat's Flute. We'll have to return it to that old man before we exit the dungeon." Nie Yan displayed the flute's properties for the rest of the team to see, whereupon everyone inhaled a breath of cold air. The flute's properties were simply astonishing. If it could be brought outside of the dungeon, it would most certainly cause every player to go crazy over it.

However, Nie Yan didn't feel too much of a loss regarding this flute because he already possessed the Chapter of Courage.

"Ahhh! It's such a pity! Why do we have to return it to the NPC?"

Many of the team members felt aggrieved.

Nie Yan opened the trade menu and traded the flute over to Bai Kaishui. This item had to be handed over to the team's main tank for it to be used to its fullest potential.

"Holy crap! I have over seven hundred health! Even if it's the Treant King, I'll have nothing to be afraid of!" Bai Kaishui confidently boasted after checking his improved stats.

"Don't underestimate the Treant King on Specialist. That thing is really difficult to deal with. Wait and see. You'll be eating your own words very soon." After splashing cold water over Bai Kaishui's parade, Nie Yan said, "Since our Priests aren't able to learn Revive yet, we'll have a much easier time if two of them can cast Lesser Heal. I know another location that drops a Lesser Heal skill book so we'll be heading there next."

"No way, right? Is the Treant King really that difficult to deal with on Specialist difficulty?" Bai Kaishui asked in shock.

After all, he had never faced the Treant King on this difficulty before. He quickly reigned himself in after listening to Nie Yan's words.

…

From the moment they entered this dungeon to now, the profits the team earned surpassed everyone's expectations. Even if they discounted the items Nie Yan took for himself, the amount of equipment and skill books they obtained still far exceeded their imaginations. They even thought it would be great if Nie Yan could continue carrying their team just like this. However, this was nothing more than wishful thinking. He was never part of their team in the first place, and his cooperation with them would end after this run. Furthermore, he would never join their team in another dungeon run again. When they thought back to his previous statements, they couldn't help but feel a little angry. They grumbled and voiced complaints in their hearts. Why did Chen Bo have to go and piss off Nie Yan? Originally, they too had felt somewhat dissatisfied when they witnessed Nie Yan driving Chen Bo out. After all, Chen Bo was still a member of their team and Nie Yan's actions at that time really did seem excessive. Yet at present, they were having a subtle change of heart.

Having obtained Einpat's Flute, Bai Kaishui became a genuine and formidable meatshield. With a Priest casting Lesser Heal from the backline, he became an unequalled tank that was able to contend against five Treants alone. After he equipped the flute, it became much easier for the team to clear the path ahead.

As they progressed through the run, the amount of equipment they looted quickly piled up. They obtained another Lesser Heal skill book and two pieces of Silver-grade equipment. One of them was a pair of Thief gloves which was given to Nie Yan. They increased Strength by three and Awareness by two. The other piece was a recently dropped round shield that raised defense by fifteen percent and increased Physique by five. When the shield dropped, everyone's eyes went wide with shock because it was the first time they had seen such a high-quality shield.

Round shields were fundamentally different from normal shields. Their defense was relatively lower compared to regular shields. However, their low weight meant they didn't hinder a player's movements as much as a regular shield would. Thus, round shields with high defense were a hot and very costly commodity in the marketplace.

"Damn! Even the round shield we got from Blackflame Forest wasn't as good as this one." Dusk widened his eyes in shock. What kind of drop rate was this? Good equipment was just dropping one after another as they progressed towards the boss. He didn't mind passing on the previous drops because they were only Bronze-grade. However, at present, such an amazing Silver-grade round shield suddenly appeared! "If you guys are willing to sell, I guarantee my captain would be willing to pay ten silvers or even higher for that round shield!"

Everyone present understood the significance of a Heavy Knight with a good shield. A tank that was able to withstand a boss' attacks ensured the survival of the whole team. Therefore, Heavy Knight equipment with high defense was extremely expensive on the marketplace. The bidding on this type of equipment in the auction house reached new records. However, even so, they remained targets for teams from the larger guilds.

"We don't plan on selling this shield!" Yu Lan took in a deep breath of air. This shield meant they could still try and take on higher level dungeons even without Nie Yan's help. Let alone ten silvers, even if it was for twenty silvers, she still wouldn't sell.