SPLASH!
A huge splash erupted in the cold, silent pool. In the pitch-black cave, the only sound was that of dripping water.
SWOOSH!
The Spirit Candle Fire rose from the center of his palm, illuminating the surroundings and allowing Luo Ge to see his environment.
It was a cold and spacious stone cave. The surrounding stone walls were extremely solid and damp. Above Luo Ge’s head was the Gray Mist, which flowed with a mysterious power.
Below him, water had collected into a pool that came up just past Luo Ge’s calves.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed slightly, as if he had sensed something.
He calmed his mind and focused on investigating and understanding the situation in this Near-Sea Cave.
A moment later, he opened his eyes, his expression grave.
The Near-Sea Cave was rejecting his presence—or more accurately, it was rejecting the Spirit Candle.
Since he was bound to the Spirit Candle, even though it was only his Candle Spirit Body that had entered this place, he was still being rejected.
Moreover, from the feedback the Spirit Candle was giving him, he had learned an extremely important piece of information.
’Space and even time within this Near-Sea Cave are in a state of chaos!’
However, due to the effect of the Traction Fire, time had been fixed in a certain phase. The most affected element was still space.
This meant that if multiple players entered the Near-Sea Cave at the same time, after passing through the Gray Mist barrier, each player would enter the Near-Sea Cave, but they wouldn’t appear in the same place together.
In short, this place was a... single-player instance. Every player who entered could only explore it alone.
"This is not good news..."
Luo Ge rubbed his temples. ’It seems even time and space in this world have shattered.’
’If that’s the case, these instances will be a huge challenge for the players.’
’After all, in solo exploration, they’ll lose the advantage of teamwork...’
HUFF... HUFF...
The Spirit Candle Fire in Luo Ge’s hand flickered continuously, and his body began to blur and stutter, like a video with a dropping frame rate.
’The rejection from this area is immense!’
Luo Ge frowned. After a moment of thought, he began to use the power of Wax Oil to try and calm this rejection.
Fortunately, he succeeded. Consuming Wax Oil could temporarily suppress the repulsive force.
Luo Ge let out a breath.
’If all the areas pulled in by the Traction Fire are like this, then the chaos and strangeness of this world are simply unimaginable...’
Having temporarily resolved the rejection issue, Luo Ge followed his senses and began walking forward.
Although his Wax Oil was constantly being consumed, this was the first area he had drawn in, so he had to investigate it for as much detailed information as possible.
About ten meters ahead, there was a cave exit emitting a faint light.
Luo Ge quickly waded through the pool and walked over.
GLUG... GLUG...
Beside the pool at the cave’s exit, a faint bubbling sound suddenly arose.
SPLASH!
"ROAR—"
The far end of the pool ahead suddenly exploded. A massive figure, hidden in the darkness with tangled joints, let out a terrifying roar. Its foul breath billowed out, staggering the senses.
SWISH!
An azure Firelight flashed past, and the monster’s roar came to an abrupt halt.
[You have killed (Unnamed)]
The monster’s severed body parts slid to the ground. Luo Ge sheathed his Broken Sword, calmly walked over, and crouched down.
"Screaming that loud... a more timid player would probably be scared half to death..."
Mumbling to himself, Luo Ge examined the monster’s body.
"It looks a bit like a Sea Anemone, but it’s pretty disgusting..."
Luo Ge observed it carefully.
But soon, the monster’s corpse dissipated, leaving only a few drops of Wax Oil.
Luo Ge looked at where it had appeared and extended his senses.
After waiting for a moment, the Sea Anemone-like monster reappeared as expected, essentially no different from the monsters on Candle Island.
After changing the monster’s name, Luo Ge looked back at the shallow pool where he had first landed.
After a moment’s thought, he made a decision.
Before long, a Milestone Spirit Candle appeared in his hand. He placed it in the center of the pool, the very spot where he had appeared earlier.
He had added a Resurrection function to this Milestone Spirit Candle.
The Milestone Spirit Candle flickered in and out of sight, as if it were an illusion.
Luo Ge touched the Spirit Candle, linking it to his Candle Spirit Body.
The next moment, the Milestone Spirit Candle solidified, and the power within it established a connection with Luo Ge.
Due to the spatial chaos and rejection, the Milestone Spirit Candle could only manifest as an illusion.
But if the Candle Spirit needed it, it could appear to restore the Candle Spirit’s status or provide Resurrection.
"Next, let’s see if there’s anything good in this single-player instance..."
Luo Ge had already figured out the basic situation of the drawn-in area, so what came next was simple.
Wielding his Broken Sword, Luo Ge walked forward.
...
On the Spirit Candle Forum, Guagua published a post.
My hamster’s name is Guagua: "Bros, I just saw the Candlekeeper touch that black and white fire at Spirit Fire Port. Then he took a Spirit Fire Raft and headed behind Candle Island. Is this some important cutscene?"
Even though it was a weekday, the Spirit Candle Forum was still quite active.
Iced Lemon Tea: "It’s Sister Guagua! Hey, wifey! *snuggles*"
Ba Yue Chang’an: "Why didn’t you follow him to see?"
I’m still waiting for it to get dark: "Probably. I felt like Candle Island had an earthquake just now while I was fighting mobs. Wonder if it’s because of what the Candlekeeper did."
Time to eat mushrooms: "What? Did some big news happen right as I was about to log on? Where’s the official announcement? @SpiritCandleOfficial"
The players all began to speculate and discuss.
Some thought this might be part of the Candlekeeper’s daily routine, meant to flesh out the world’s background. Others said it was a preview for a new version, a little Easter egg or something.
...
Meanwhile, Luo Ge, who was in the Near-Sea Cave, learned of the players’ discussion because he had been tagged.
But he didn’t have time to reply right now.
He was currently at the end of a cave branch, and before him lay the skeletal remains of a skeleton that were about to dissipate.
This skeleton wore tattered clothes, held a Dagger, and had fragments of a mask hanging on its face. It looked like a thief.
This thing had just been alive, moving around as a skeleton—a classic Skeleton Soldier.
Of course, it was no match for Luo Ge. After all, he had maxed out all his Attributes for the current stage.
It was worth noting that besides Wax Oil, Luo Ge had also obtained a key from it.
[Acquired: Rusted Small Key x1]
[Rusted Small Key]
[Type: Special Items]
[Explanation: A small key with a hint of rust.]
’This explanation is a bit boring...’
Luo Ge shook his head slightly and modified it.
He then continued forward, gradually figuring out the monster situation inside the Near-Sea Cave.
The monsters here were roughly divided into two types. One was humanoid monsters, like the reanimated Skeleton Soldiers of dead humans. From their tattered clothing, they seemed to have been members of a pirate ship or a merchant vessel.
Then there were the Sea Anemone-like monsters Luo Ge had first encountered, as well as some mutated algae...
Among them were many powerful individuals, scattered throughout the various caves.
Interestingly, if the two types of monsters encountered each other, they would attack one another.
Luo Ge didn’t know the reason for this yet.
Finally, at the end of the cave’s main path, was the largest, most spacious cavern of all...
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