The Great Thief

Treasure Maps had their advantages and disadvantages. Their difficulties and rewards varied; some were much better than others. There were a few Maps that could get you rich overnight, while others would reward your hard work with a piece of rubbish.

However, this kind of Treasure Map that came with a Quest was usually quite worthwhile.

After reading the background information, Lu Li didn’t hesitate to use the Treasure Map. The System then started broadcasting that it had been activated.

Dawn was a big game, and there were countless players who received Treasure Maps every day. But once the map was activated, it was no longer a secret.

The same was true when Lu Li had received his first Treasure Map. The broadcasted information sent Lu Li and Water Fairy through many obstacles, but that was likely when their friendship had first formed. After all, being hunted together had a way of bringing people together.

There were groups of mercenaries who dedicated themselves to watching the Treasure Map channel. Once new coordinates appeared, they would rush in to take the spoils. This kind of player was called a Treasure Hunter.

Lu Li had been a Treasure Hunter in his previous life.

However, after he had been deeply moved by an experience, he vowed to never treasure hunt ever again.

At that time, he had almost grabbed his target’s treasure, but was attacked by another Treasure Hunter who killed both of them. In the end, neither Lu Li nor the original owner got the treasure, and they both lost EXP.

Lu Li had seen plenty of people cry before, male, female, old and young, but he had never seen a man cry like this.

He had spent a lot of time and energy on pursuing that treasure, and he had also pinned great hopes on it. He thought he could use it to pay the medical expenses of his old mother after he made the money, but it was now all gone.

You didn’t know the circumstances of the person you were robbing.

You also didn’t know how your actions could unintentionally affect someone else’s fate.

Since then, Lu Li rarely did that kind of thing again. Even if he did kill a player, he never robbed them.

Of course, even if he didn’t do it, it was likely that someone else would just take his place.

“Kill me. Or it might be too late!”

These were the last words on the Treasure Map and they were a little shocking.

No one had ever made a request like this, so Lu Li couldn’t help but pause. In order to figure out the context of the request, he quickly read the rest of the text.

“I am Hameya. When I was hunting with my companions, my brothers and I ate some corrupted meat… We are changing; we have been infected. I have feel the Lich talking, asking me to go to Zul’Mashar and to infect my companions. I am unable to resist his orders, so I am writing this scroll just before I lose my mind.

I have buried a box behind the crypt; there is a mound just behind it. But, only I have the key that can open it. The key is my hand, so if you want to get my treasure you have to come and find me.

Kill me. Or it might be too late!”

The message behind the Treasure Map wasn’t that difficult to understand. Hameya knew that he was dying and was about to be sent to infect his companions. He obviously didn’t want to do that.

As such, he thought of a way to stop it, putting his treasures in a locked box and hiding it away.

If the adventurer wanted to get the treasure, they had to get the key. If they wanted to get the key from Hameya, they had to kill him. After Hameya died, he wouldn’t be able to infect his companions.

This kind of Treasure Hunt was a bit different from looking at a map, but the outcome was the same in the end.

After understanding what his goal was, the problem that Lu Li had to deal with was finding Hameya among a group of Undead Trolls. The scroll also claimed that Hameya was one of the most powerful Hunter Trolls, which led Lu Li to doubt that he could kill him alone.

Of course, he had to be careful when attacking these hunters.

Lu Li knew about Zul’Mashar; there was an Altar of Trolls there and a cemetery below it.

Suddenly, an intercepting team appeared. He didn’t even dare to fight them because he knew it would delay him even longer. This meant that more and more players would arrive.

It seemed like the name ‘Hameya’s Plea’ had piqued the curiosity of many players.

However, the hunting party didn’t expect their target to be so slippery. Lu Li had disappeared so convincingly that they almost completely lost him. They had to wait for the coordinates to refresh before they could find him again.

A black crow flapped its wings as it flew through the dark red sky of the Plaguelands.

The ground was not safe for him, and having his coordinates in the air would shock some of the players. Perhaps they would be able to guess his identity – after all, not many players in Dawn could fly yet. However, this wasn’t important anymore.

Lu Li liked keeping things low-key, but not so much that he couldn’t do anything.

“How are the coordinates of this person so high up?” a Treasure Hunter who couldn’t work it out asked as he scratched his head.

“It might be on a mountain…” His companion wasn’t too sure either.

“It can’t be; we’re standing on the correct longitude and latitude. Do you see a mountain here? If the System isn’t lying to us, that means the player is 80 yards directly above us.”

If you were looking for a group of players who understood coordinates well, it had to be the treasure hunters.

They could still make mistakes, but they never made mistakes about the coordinates.

“Unless, that player can fly…that person can fly…”

“It doesn’t have to be him; there are a few other players who can fly. It could be anyone, so don’t scare yourself,” the other person sighed, suddenly feeling like this treasure map owner would be very difficult to steal from.

“Regardless of whether it is, we can’t deal with anyone who is able to fly.” The Treasure Hunter wasn’t afraid; he was just cautious.

These players were always cautious about provoking a major guild – after all, they were just looking for some money. If they attacked a small player or guild, there wouldn’t be any problems, but if they attacked a major guild, they had to be ready for retaliation.

“What do you think his goal is?”

“I think it is better for us to give up now,” said the more cautious player.

“If it really is him, aren’t you curious about what is in the Treasure Map that he has decided to work on?”

They both actually wanted this Treasure Map, because it had appeared in the hands of the number one player in the game.

Was it an Epic equipment?

An exquisite recipe?

An Enhanced Skill Book?