Chapter 159 - 120: The Beginning of the Dark Journey (Part 2)

This left them stunned for a moment, then they erupted with excitement.

"Holy shit, they added new maps! I thought this was just a bug-fix patch!"

"Four new maps at once! These devs are incredible! Buying access to this game was the best money I’ve ever spent!"

"...Please, devs, slow down with the updates! We newbies can’t keep up. By the time I get to a new map, it’s already old hat..."

"Then you should grind more. If you can’t keep up, of course you’ll be stuck on the old maps."

"..."

The players were abuzz with discussion.

It takes all sorts to make a world, so naturally, some weirdos complained that *Spirit Candle* was releasing new maps too fast.

Luo Ge wasn’t interested in the thoughts of these peculiar players, however. He had other things to do.

As the number of players grew, more and more player suggestions appeared on the forums.

The most important of these was *Spirit Candle*’s "communication" function.

The game didn’t have a built-in chat function. This forced players who discovered something important and wanted to tell others to go through the incredibly inconvenient process of returning to a Spirit Candle to log off. Only then could they use the forums or their VR helmet’s proprietary chat software. It was a huge pain.

Thus, players had started threads on the forum, begging the developers to add a chat client.

But...

Didn’t he know that a built-in chat function within the dungeons would make exploration easier for the players?

Of course he knew.

So, it wasn’t that Luo Ge didn’t want to do it, but that it was extremely difficult. Otherwise, he would have done it long ago.

In reality, setting up a chat channel on Candle Island or within an already anchored region would have been quite easy.

The situation for players inside the dungeons, however, was completely different.

To put it this way, since every player entered a different dungeon, their location within it was like being in one of innumerable tributaries.

For Luo Ge to enable them to communicate with each other without issue, he would need to connect every dungeon, building a stable channel between all the various tributaries.

This was a completely different concept from establishing Milestone Spirit Candles in fixed locations within each dungeon; one could only imagine the difficulty.

That was why Luo Ge had considered the idea at first, only to abandon it.

But now, he had a few new ideas.

’Perhaps... I can take a different approach, tackle it from another angle?’

...

As soon as class ended, Li Miao opened his phone and glanced at the group chat.

He saw that quite a few players were discussing the new maps.

Storyteller: "Hmph, I just knew this so-called ’Dark Journey’ version would bring more dungeons."

"Bros, I did a quick scout of all four new dungeons. Guess what I found?"

Crafty Frog: "Shit or get off the pot. (Image of a husky pointing at someone)"

If it had been anyone else, Storyteller might have playfully added a classic cliffhanger, "To know what happens next..." But in front of Wa Zai, he didn’t dare act up. After all, the last time he did, the guy had shown up at his door and given him a swift real-world beatdown.

That forced Storyteller to behave.

Storyteller: "...Okay, I’ll just lay out the basic info and entry conditions for the four new dungeons."

Storyteller: "The first is the Unknown Islands, a two-person dungeon. The sea route to the islands is teeming with Sea Monsters, most of which are Ember Tier."

"The second is a small island, a solo dungeon. There’s a small village and some residents on it. It’s similar to Exile Island in terms of monsters, so not a huge threat."

"The third and fourth are the main event."

"First is the third one, a peninsula. It’s a solo dungeon! And, this map... is massive!"

"I haven’t even reached the peninsula yet. I landed on an island first, but I didn’t have time to explore it carefully. It’s worth noting that on the way to the peninsula, the monster Levels aren’t high, but their density is off the charts. It’s best to be fully prepared before you head out."

"Next is the fourth area, an ocean region. It’s a three-person dungeon... Bros, I can only say this is the most dangerous of the four maps. You have to give it 120 percent when you enter this map. It has no land, the Milestone Spirit Candle is extremely far away, and most importantly, combat must take place on and in the water, which is a huge restriction!"

"Also, you need to pay attention to the fact that in this dungeon’s ocean region, the Dark Boundary is no longer a circle surrounding the area. Instead, it’s a twisted shape, and some places are so narrow that a person can only squeeze through sideways..."

"In short, I suggest the veteran players focus their exploration on the latter two dungeons and leave the first two to the other players."

After Storyteller shared his insights and discoveries, the other veteran players also voiced their own opinions.

I do Bull’s Push-ups: "Tch, see, Storyteller? You *can* say it all in one go."

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "Four dungeons... To think they released so many maps at once."

Crafty Frog: "The peninsula map is huge? How huge?"

Storyteller: "Let me put it this way. The journey just from passing through the Gray Mist to the small island I mentioned is larger than the entire Seaside Town!"

My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: "...That’s ridiculous. How strong must the final boss of that map be?"

Storyteller’s news left the group of veteran players both surprised and full of anticipation, wondering what new things they might discover in these completely new locations.

Battle Bliss: "Say no more, bros. I’m taking my +4 Original Great Hammer to battle."

ItsMushroomTime: "Bros, good news! The Frost Seed from last time was successfully planted and turned into a Magic Potion! The Effect is powerful. Get it while it’s hot!"

Never Air Force Fisherman: "An ocean region? There’s actually a pure ocean dungeon? Then I have to go take a look."

"..."

Li Miao and Shore returned to their dorm. After putting down their phones and putting on their helmets, they immediately issued the command: "Spirit Candle, activate!"

Although they entered the game at the same time, Li Miao didn’t meet up with Shore. Instead, he went to see Noxia and used Wax Oil to buy a Long Lance of Excellent Quality from the Candlekeeper shop.

He then used the Teleportation function to get from Candle Island to Exile Peak.

Before class this morning, he had finally finished farming the Reinforced Wax Stones needed for the Frost Riding Spear. So, his next step was to craft a Frost Riding Spear using the blueprint in the Sin Furnace.

[Forging Requirements: Frost Attribute Item x1, Tier Five Reinforced Wax Stone x5, Iron Long Lance (Excellent), Wax Oil x50]

[Forging Success Rate: 85%]

[Consume the materials listed above to forge?]

Looking at the game prompt in his vision, Li Miao couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

Forget forging, he had even failed Enhancements with success rates over eighty percent before. It was rare, but the possibility was definitely there.

If he failed, he would have to go to the trouble of gathering all the materials again.

’Please don’t fail, please don’t fail...’

After repeating this in his mind for a moment, Li Miao gritted his teeth and confirmed.

After he confirmed, the phantom figure of the craftsman reappeared. It first activated the furnace behind it, then tossed the Frost Attribute Item, the five Wax Stones, and the lance inside together.

This simple and crude method made the corner of Li Miao’s eye twitch.

’This looks way too unreliable...’

The Temperature of the furnace rose dramatically, glowing brighter and brighter. The various materials for the Frost Riding Spear seemed to fuse at that moment.

A moment later, the phantom figure approached the furnace, reached in, and pulled out the mass of material—scorching red with a hint of ice blue. It then picked up a Forging Hammer and began to strike it, as the Power of the Spirit Candle helped shape the Weapon.

The shape of the Frost Riding Spear gradually took form.

CLINK... CLANG!

With the phantom figure’s final hammer strike, the Frost Riding Spear cooled completely. The scorching red disappeared, replaced by faint ice crystals and a touch of frost on the lance.

[Forging Successful!]

Li Miao’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly reached out and picked up the Long Lance.

[Acquired: Frost Riding Spear (Treasure Collection)]