Chapter 186 - 139: Appearance or Power?

Luo Ge placed his hand on Noxia’s forehead. After a moment of sensing with the power of the Spirit Candle, he let out a slight sigh of relief.

’It’s just a bit of temporary discomfort from her soul healing on its own. Nothing serious.’

However, Noxia definitely wouldn’t be able to continue "working" for a while.

After a sigh of relief, Luo Ge sent her into the Spirit Candle Space and then vanished himself.

He needed to find Burton Mage to discuss this new development.

...

Spirit Candle Forum.

After a series of revisions and adjustments by the Prison Players, a brand-new beginner’s guide was hot off the press.

[All-New Beginner’s Guide for the Dark Journey Update! Get a Molten Slag Level Summon, the Resentment Giant Monster, and Breeze Through the Tough Early Game!]

This post, co-authored by many renowned veteran players, naturally drew a great deal of attention.

Most new players were so excited after reading it they were practically dancing for joy.

Turkey-flavored Rice Crust: "Holy crap, this is awesome! You can get a Molten Slag Level Summoned Creature just by exploring the map? That’s an instant power-up!"

Iced Lemon Tea: "We’re saved! I don’t have to be a Prison Guard anymore!"

Hajimi: "Can we just swim there directly?"

Monkey with a baby: "Damn, kid, you’re even trying to save money on a Spirit Fire Raft? You refuse to struggle even a little, don’t you."

Mad Deer All Day: "Lol, I just started the game, picked Demon Summoner, and haven’t even gotten a single Magic Pearl to drop. And now you’re showing me this?"

Big Banana: "Epic nerf for Demon Summoners!"

Pai Daxun: "That’s just how it is for Elf Trainers. But... are you sure this is a nerf? If you add this thing on top of the minions a Demon Summoner already summons, you’d practically have a whole van full of fighters! You could just sit on the sidelines eating popcorn while they do all the work!"

"..."

This foolproof beginner’s guide didn’t just point new players toward a golden path; it also lit up the eyes of the many players still grinding away miserably in their "prisons."

As long as they could get this Molten Slag Level Summoned Creature, wouldn’t the early-game dungeons be a piece of cake?

Go forth! The beginning of everything is there. Once you obtain it, all your hardships will melt away!

And so, a single beginner’s guide sent countless new players surging toward the sea, one after another. Thus began the "Age of Little Rafts" on Candle Island!

...

Of course, during this eventful period, another post besides the beginner’s guide also garnered a massive amount of attention.

[Still struggling with tough bosses? Still making excuses because you can’t Dodge or Block? Still staring at the "YOU DIED" screen and weeping silently? Still held back by a build that’s all style and no substance?]

[A brand-new build! Insanely powerful! The ultimate cheese strat! A boss’s worst Nightmare!]

[Skilled veteran player Niuniu presents a brand-new, game-changing build that will go down in history—the Explosive Bull!!!]

The post’s author was, of course, Niuniu. He had clearly mastered the art of clickbait. Coupled with the series of popular cheese-strat guides he’d previously published—a godsend for lazy players—he had now successfully lured in another flock of victims...

Right at the start of the post, Niuniu went down the line, calling out and dissing every existing build in the game.

[Knights? Warriors? Close Combat Mages? All brawn, no brains!]

[Madman builds? Mages? Demon Summoners? Too high-cost!]

[Farming? Fishing? Filling out your collection? No ambition!]

[I, Niuniu, am here today to present a perfect build that’s both smart and strong, low-cost, and can go toe-to-toe with bosses—the Explosive Bull!]

[As we all know, in a combat game, the last thing we need to worry about is our appearance. After all, looking good won’t win you fights. The cooler your gear, the harder the grind!]

[And our Explosive Bull build casts aside that shallow, useless vanity in exchange for immense—Power!!!]

[The core of this build lies in the one Fire Seed that everyone universally despises—Fecal Corpse Adhesive! That’s right. Don’t overlook it just because its appearance is a little... unpleasant. It gives you Power! And that... is enough!]

[The special Charged Attack from the Foul-Smelling Fireworks Talent, combined with the trap-like deployment of the Foul-smelling Feces Qi Skill, is ultimately detonated by Explosive Flame to deal extreme, wide-area explosive damage in an instant!]

[The once-reviled Corpse Shell armor plays a vital role, as the Defense Power it provides significantly reduces incoming damage, giving you ample time to set up your combo.]

[Through my rigorous testing, I’ve discovered that even players at the mere Ember Tier can smoothly kill the S&M couple with the Explosive Bull build. The Mad Fallen Demon Ghost doesn’t even get a chance to spawn!]

[Brothers, art... is an explosion!]

[Do you want a pretty face, or explosive Power?]

Niuniu’s argument in the post was passionate and rousing. To top it off, he even attached a photo he’d had Storyteller take for him, showing the successful kill of the Lady of Tyranny and the Mad Fallen Lord, which made the entire post even more convincing.

And so, the moment the post went live, the forums exploded.

Xiaoma Pony: "Bros, I started this game three days ago and I’ve already cleared my way to Seaside Town. I’m making almost a hundred Wax Oil a day, no joke!"

Storyteller: "...As much as I hate to admit it, and despite the fact that the user of this build faces a massive risk of dying, it’s undeniably powerful..."

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "...I’m never using this. It’s completely unacceptable to me."

Poems and the Faraway Place: "It is indeed viable."

This "stamp of approval" from a group of Prison Players left everyone who read the post utterly shocked.

"Holy crap, that actually works?"