The Great Thief

Garona was somewhat surprised. Were adventurers not merely looking for enhancing skill books from their teachers?

Lu Li was perhaps the first person to seek a teacher to learn from. To most people, NPCs and players used two completely different systems.

"Alright, for 30 seconds, I’ll lower my strength to your level," Garona said as she removed her cloak.

This cloak that could twist one’s line of vision seemed to be quite special, and even she couldn’t limit its power. Lu Li was only able to see Garona’s appearance after she took it off.

Garona was of mixed blood – both Orc and Draenei.

She didn’t know who her father was, while her mother came from a prestigious house. From what Lu Li knew, Garona’s uncle was the Draenei called Maraad.

Maraad was no ordinary person.

He had witnessed many battles in which the world had resisted the Legion and was a role model to the Draenei people. With his incomparable battle skills and decisive displays of upholding justice, he earned the respect of the entire Alliance.

In his hands he wielded the Hammer of the Naaru, one of the ultimate weapons of the Paladins.

Garona, who was of mixed blood, had the physical characteristics of an Orc, but seemed much gentler.

Some had thought that she was part-human and part-Orc, because back then, the Tribes did not know of the existence of the Draenei people. This was because her appearance resembled that of a human’s as well.

After looking at Garona, Lu Li’s expression remained just as still and he did not reveal much shock, even though this was the first time he had seen someone like her.

Garona had long passed the age for which she would mind the gaze of others, and there was a probing look in her slightly red eyes.

This new student had surprised her.

Before Lu Li had even requested to meet her through an intermediary, he had already caught her attention.

Garona’s status within Ravenholdt was quite high, and it had been many years since she had appeared to anyone. She normally would not have taken notice of a weak adventurer, but Lu Li was the first person to enter Ravenholdt and had the ring of a Demigod, so nearly all of the high-level people were aware him.

Even though Cenarius was a demigod, he was the only son (albeit an adopted one) of Elune.

Out of his two rings, one of them had been turned by Malfurion into something that was more powerful than an ordinary Demigod.

There were actually many people who wanted to be Lu Li’s teacher. Someone who had openly expressed this was Mekgineer Thermaplugg, who was once the most powerful Tinkerer in the Dwarf Race and a powerful Assassin who had stepped into the Demigod domain. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was afraid of Cenarius’ revenge, it was possible that he would have killed Cenarius’ son, who was under the protection of Keeper Remulos.

However, Lu Li had chosen Garona.

After much thought, Garona had decided to give some priceless help to this Thief who had limitless potential.

Enhanced Stealth was her most famous skill, and she had never taught it to anyone before.

After giving that book to Lu Li, she felt like she had completed her role as a teacher.

Now, Lu Li was requesting more advanced teaching, and she did not refuse. She unsheathed her weapons that hung from her belt – a dagger and a hatchet. Thief players were unable to use hatchets, but Garona ignored the rules of the System.

"Be careful – I hope you won’t die in just one exchange," Garona said as she began to attack.

Lu Li had thought that Garona might use Stealth before he could, or cast Shadowstep to jump behind him. He never thought that she would directly attack him from the front.

Lu Li quickly raised his hand to parry!

This was a completely subconscious movement, developed through experience. In previous battles, this had always gone quite well for him. Within the Thief community in Dawn, his parry skill was regarded as textbook.

"You’re too inflexible; sometimes your eyes will lie to you."

As the half-Orc grandmaster teased him mockingly, her hatchet accurately sliced into Lu Li’s neck, resulting in a terrifying Critical Hit damage figure. Fortunately, she had weakened herself, or he would have died immediately.

"I saw you attack right here though..."

Lu Li couldn’t believe his eyes as he saw his parry miss.

However, he had no time to dwell on this, and his dagger followed through with his momentum to slash towards Garona, but she did not parry. Rather, she simply stabbed forwards and accurately struck Lu Li’s elbow.

Skill Completion 32%!

Even though he had only been lightly grazed, this resulted in the lowest Skill Completion level that Lu Li had ever dealt. Even from when he had first started playing the game, he had never performed such a low Skill Completion before.

"A technique that was learnt without proper guidance is hardly elegant," Garona reminded.

Garona sidestepped, not only dodging Lu Li’s next attack, but also smashing into his back. It was as if Lu Li had allowed her to attack him on purpose.

This attack dealt a massive amount of damage, and Lu Li suspected her Skill Completion was over 100%.

"Look, positioning isn’t simply to attack and evade."

Every time Garona would land a hit on Lu Li, she would give him some explanation and advice. These things sounded quite ordinary, but they provided a direction for Lu Li, who had reached a bottleneck.

Lu Li lasted for 30 seconds, only because he could use potions and had damage-reducing skills.

"Let’s stop here for today. If you want to find me again, just come here directly."

Garona was not very surprised. She had not used her full strength and had suppressed her level to Lu Li’s, but still had many ways through which she could surgically dispatch him.

However, she was very satisfied with the attitude that he had displayed in that short period of time.

As she tapped Lu Li on the shoulder, a dark green mark flashed before disappearing. Following this, Lu Li received a System announcement that he had received Garona’s Blessing.

Garona’s Blessing gave Lu Li a 5% Agility buff.

There were also two teleportation skills – one that allowed Garona to summon him to her side at any time, and another that was a request to be summoned by Garona. Garona could summon him whenever she wanted to, but there was a long cooldown time for Lu Li making a request to see her, which was 1 week.

Games always emphasised balance, so it would be impossible for Lu Li to receive teaching from a grandmaster whenever he wanted.

"Alright, you can leave."

Lu Li had profited greatly and did not have any reason to shamelessly stay here anymore. He nodded and transformed into a crow, then flew away. Because of his excitement, he did not see Garona’s shocked expression when she saw him transform.

The dark-red Blood Crow transformation was different to the Druids’ – it belonged exclusively to Medivh.