Chapter 191 - 141: The Firewood Thief Reappears

"A Firewood Thief? What the hell? What is that? A world boss?"

"Huh? Xiaoma Pony? Aren’t you running the Explosive Bull build? You couldn’t one-shot it? Just how strong is this Firewood Thief?"

"Multiplayer or single-player map?"

"Holy shit! An NPC is finally coming to attack! And here I was getting bored!"

"Heh heh heh, I wonder what the reward for killing a Firewood Thief will be..."

"Oh no, I haven’t bought any Candle Charcoal yet!"

"Hahahaha, here I come!"

"Don’t steal it! It’s mine!"

"First come, first served!"

The players instantly erupted into a frenzy.

...

「Ten minutes earlier.」

As the first player to pioneer the Explosive Bull build, Xiaoma had milked the strategy for all it was worth.

In just a few short days, he had successfully cleared several maps, pushed through the entire Casa Peninsula, and unlocked nearly all of the Spirit Candle’s functions.

Furthermore, his own level had reached the Molten Slag Level—a full Level 21.

The power of the Explosive Bull build was plain to see.

However, this also made his weaknesses glaringly obvious.

His focused stat allocation—maining Spirit and subbing Constitution—combined with his long-term habit of cheesing fights meant his fundamentals were terrible. If he couldn’t kill an enemy in one hit, he would be the one to die.

But Xiaoma was well aware of this, so he was planning to find the right time to change his ways and give up the build.

But before that, he planned to pull one more job.

’I swear, this is the last time. As soon as I’m done, I’ll go back and work on my fundamentals...’

Since the Deep Sea Worm was a hot topic lately, and a player happened to invite him to a party to take it on, he had gladly accepted.

"Once I’m done setting up, you guys pull the mob over. I’ll find an opening to nuke it."

The trio’s plan was simple but effective.

The plan went off without a hitch. Soon, a Frogman player took a deep breath, jumped into the ocean, and prepared to lure out the Deep Sea Worm.

But just then, the unexpected happened.

As a gust of wind swept across the waves, a uniquely shaped boat suddenly appeared from around a bend in the Dark Boundary.

Aboard the small boat sat a figure wearing a pot on his head and a white-and-gold Monk’s Robe. In front of him and behind him, two small Pottery Men were frantically rowing.

Seeing Xiaoma and the other player ahead, who hadn’t noticed him, Pot Head reached out a hand.

KNOCK KNOCK.

Though just two faint taps, they strangely drew the attention of the two players.

They turned their heads and spotted the Pot Head Cultivator on the hazy sea, their pupils instantly shrinking in shock.

But their reactions were far too slow.

The next moment, Pot Head had already sliced open his own chest, grasped his bloody heart, and crushed it without mercy.

"What... the..."

Unable to react in time, the two players were instantly overcome by a wave of weakness. The world spun around them as they collapsed onto their Spirit Fire Ship.

SPLASH!

"It’s coming! Quick, nuke it!" Just then, the player who had gone underwater surfaced, shouting frantically at the other two.

But when he saw the two of them suddenly collapse, he was completely dumbfounded.

Then, as if on cue, the Deep Sea Worm arrived and opened its vast, reeking maw...

SPLOOSH...

Witnessing this scene, even the Pot Head Cultivator seemed to fall silent.

But he quickly continued forward, arriving at the spot where the three had just been devoured—just as the Deep Sea Worm spat Xiaoma out in disgust...

"GLUG GLUG..."

In real life, Xiaoma couldn’t swim to save his life. He had learned how in the game, but he wasn’t proficient.

He had just managed to flounder his way to the surface and was about to trigger his Explosive Flame when a clay pot was slammed right over his head.

The next moment, Xiaoma’s Wandering Soul arose.

He could only watch as his body shrank smaller and smaller, until it was stuffed completely inside the pot.

[Your Candle Spirit Body has been stolen and is now being re-formed. Due to your high Level, please be patient...]

"Damn it, it’s a Firewood Thief!"

The other two players now recognized the attacker with shock.

"A sneak attack! How shameless!"

To his horror, Xiaoma discovered that not only could he not go to the Spirit Candle to resurrect anytime soon, but the Wax Ash that should have been left behind after his death had also completely vanished.

The death penalty for being killed by a Firewood Thief was far more severe than a normal death!

"Guys, before he gets away, hurry back to resurrect and call for backup!" Xiaoma hastily reminded them.

The other two players snapped back to their senses at his words and hurried toward the Spirit Candle.

Meanwhile, Xiaoma followed beside the Pottery Man in his Wandering Soul State, cursing up a storm.

"I’m so pissed! So damn pissed!"

He had planned to finish this one run and then go back to practice his fundamentals. He never imagined he’d have such rotten luck as to run right into a Firewood Thief—and the most dangerous kind, a Pot Head, at that!

Filled with grief and indignation, Xiaoma refused to simply log off.

However, this led him to an unexpected discovery.

He watched as the two players’ Wandering Souls flew toward the Spirit Candle. Afterward, the pot on the Pot Head’s head began to emit a strange glow.

Then, as if someone were giving him directions, he began to purposefully follow the path of the two players!

He was going to steal the other two players’ Candle Spirit Bodies as well!

Realizing this, Xiaoma was alarmed and quickly went to warn the two players, who had just resurrected.

The two players were stunned to hear this.

"This NPC is insane! It’s going to corpse camp us?"

"It’s not camping! He wants your actual bodies! Quick, call for help!"

Xiaoma was frantic.

Hearing this, the two players snapped to it, quickly pulling out a Signal Wax and using Warfire to light it.

FWOOSH—

In an instant, the Signal Wax flared to life, emitting a strange light.

[Signal Wax has been lit. Awaiting assistance...]

[This is a multiplayer instance. A maximum of three assistants may join.]

[Awaiting applications...]

[You have received an application for assistance.]

[You have received an application for assistance.]

[...]

In less than ten seconds, one application after another began to pop up in the player’s vision.

"Hahahaha, what’s there to be afraid of? Who cares if he’s a Pot Head? We’ll smash his damn pot in!" The player, who had been panicking just a moment ago, now felt his confidence surge.

"A single arrow pierces the clouds, and an army of thousands answers the call!" the other player laughed heartily.

Xiaoma breathed a sigh of relief at the sight, but still reminded them, "Pick the highest-Level players you can!"

"Got it, got it!" After a moment of selection, Li Si quickly accepted the three highest-Level players.

[You have accepted the assistance application from "Battle Bliss".]

[You have accepted the assistance application from "Bron Really Not Deaf".]

[You have accepted the assistance application from "Black Mountain Little Demon".]

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

On the surface of the sea, as three red arrays lit up, the figures of players emerged one by one.

However, their bodies appeared distinctly translucent.

[You have burned Candle Charcoal and entered the world of "Law-Abiding Citizen Li Si" as an assistant. Your Attribute caps are one-third of your main body’s.]

"Where is it? Where’s the Firewood Thief?"

"My Great Axe is thirsting for battle!"

Brother Mangzi summoned a Spirit Fire Ship and climbed aboard. He looked around eagerly, hefting a Natural Great Axe made of wood and stone.

"Brother Mangzi, this is the Sea Zone One map. This place is a tough fight!" Bu Long said hesitantly as he too climbed onto the ship, raising the Large Shield in his hands.

"Our Attributes are nerfed," the player with the ID "Black Mountain Little Demon," who was clearly a Demon Summoner, chimed in to remind them.

"Minor issue. We can still fight!" Brother Mangzi said, unconcerned, his gaze sweeping the surroundings, filled with fighting spirit.

The player who summoned them was about to exchange a few pleasantries, but Xiaoma’s voice cut them off.

"That thing is coming! Be careful!"

Sure enough, the moment Xiaoma’s voice faded, the Pot Head, clad in his white-and-gold Monk’s Robe, slowly appeared before the group from around a bend in the Dark Boundary up ahead.

And as he moved, he reached into the opening of the pot at his neck, pulled out several bloody objects, and placed them in the sea.

SPLASH!

The next moment,

several large clay pots rapidly swelled up, taking on a terrifying form.

They were black all over, their mouths facing down, and from them sprouted countless slimy, octopus-like tentacles. The tentacles were covered in sharp barbs, and on each one was a single, narrow, crimson eyeball...