Chapter 343: Tutorial Ends, Sea Star Merchant

‘Alright… I’ll use this Fishman Coach to test out the Curse Master bloodline’s combat strength.’

‘First, I’ll sneakily make a Cursed Wax Figure…’

Zhang Ming crept to the side of the Beach Fishman. After confirming he hadn’t alerted it, a teardrop once again trickled from the corner of his eye, coalescing into a Cursed Wax Figure.

Having successfully created the Cursed Wax Figure, Zhang Ming didn’t hesitate to violently snap its head off.

This time, however, he could clearly feel that snapping the figure required more Power. It was even a bit difficult.

But with a sharp SNAP, the Beach Fishman’s neck still twisted to one side, and it collapsed to the ground.

[You have killed a Beach Fishman]

[Acquired: Wax Oil ×2]

Zhang Ming excitedly picked up the Wax Oil.

‘This Curse Master class is seriously strong! The Fishman Coach didn’t even see me, and I could just curse it to death from a distance. If my Faith Value were high enough, couldn’t I just one-shot bosses?’

He was already daydreaming about the wonderful gaming experience that lay ahead.

After he finished picking up his loot, the game’s guidance prompt appeared again.

[Some weaker creatures will be resurrected after a period of time following their death…]

This was just an explanation of the game’s basic mechanics. Zhang Ming was already very familiar with it, so he gave it a quick glance before looking away and continuing excitedly toward the next room.

However, as he proceeded, Zhang Ming spotted something unusual on one side of the dimly lit corridor.

He squinted at it for a moment before suddenly realizing it was a hidden side path, concealed in the darkness. If you didn’t look closely, you could easily miss it.

‘Oho, a hidden path, eh? Let’s see what goodies are hidden inside.’

Without hesitation, Zhang Ming headed down the steps.

After rounding a corner, the path ahead suddenly widened. A few specks of light appeared in the darkness, standing out conspicuously.

‘Just as I thought, some good stuff!’

Zhang Ming’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly scampered over, bending down to pick it up.

[Acquired: Pathfinding Stone ×1]

CLICK!

Just as Zhang Ming was about to inspect the item’s information, three strange sounds suddenly rang out around him, making his heart skip a beat.

The moment he looked up, stone blocks descended on his left, his right, and in front of him. Three monsters called “Poisonous Mist Birds” flew straight out of them.

A trap!

I’m completely surrounded!

‘I’m so dead!’

Zhang Ming’s heart stopped.

“CAW—”

His mind went blank. The next moment, the three Poisonous Mist Birds screeched and attacked. The frail, low-HP Zhang Ming promptly bit the dust.

[DEAD]

Zhang Ming’s Wandering Soul rose, experiencing his first death in his gaming career.

“Son of a…”

Zhang Ming ground his teeth.

‘Putting a trap in a hidden path… who the hell designed this?!’

‘That bastard who designed this must have been born without an asshole!’

After he died, the game’s guidance prompt appeared once more.

[You can choose to resurrect at a Spirit Candle or remain here for now. However, after a certain period, the Spirit Candle will automatically absorb your Wandering Soul.]

[Tip: For a Candle Spirit, most deaths are not to be feared. What is to be feared is the arrogance that comes from immortality…]

[…]

Alright, he admitted he had indeed let his guard down a bit.

Although he had seen plenty of discussions on the forums about Spirit Candle’s difficulty before starting the game, his smooth experience so far had made him a little complacent.

Zhang Ming quickly returned to the Milestone Spirit Candle to resurrect.

Afterward, he cautiously used his Cursed Wax Figures to snap the heads off his enemies one by one, finally retrieving his Wax Ash.

Having learned his lesson, Zhang Ming became much more cautious. He then proceeded to the largest room yet, which appeared to be the final boss room.

Upon entering, he indeed saw a tall, burly, and ferocious figure.

[Beach Fishman Leader]

Level 8!

Zhang Ming’s heart couldn’t help but tighten.

[Skillfully use your Ability to defeat it, or proceed directly to the final location.]

[Tip: A temporary escape is no disgrace. Learning when to retreat is a required lesson for any Warrior, unless you want others to sing songs of your courage at your grave…]

“ROAR…”

The Beach Fishman Leader let out a low growl, not having noticed Zhang Ming’s arrival right away.

Zhang Ming now had two choices: either face it head-on or go straight for the small door behind it.

After all, given the Beach Fishman Leader’s size, it clearly wouldn’t be able to fit through.

‘…Screw it, let’s do this!’

In the end, Zhang Ming decided to grit his teeth and give it a try.

Then he discovered that he couldn’t snap the Cursed Wax Figure of the Beach Fishman Leader!

The Beach Fishman Leader’s power was clearly beyond what he could directly curse to death!

On the contrary, his attack on the Cursed Wax Figure immediately alerted the Beach Fishman Leader to his presence. With a furious roar, it hurled its spear, which embedded itself in the wall.

The final result was predictable.

[DEAD]

‘Damn it, I refuse to believe this!’

[DEAD]

‘…Again!’

[DEAD]

[Warning: Dying too many times in a short period will increase your Resurrection time and apply corresponding negative Effects.]

[…]

After arriving at the door for the nth time, Zhang Ming fell silent for a moment.

‘Forget it…’

He then silently began to circle around, finally slipping into the small door behind the Beach Fishman Leader under the cover of the wall’s shadows.

‘This feels a bit like crawling through a doggy door…’

Swallowing his sense of shame, Zhang Ming took a breath and lit the Spirit Candle before him.

On the edge of the wall here was a rare window. Zhang Ming leaned in for a look and saw the upper level of the Floating Island, illuminated by Candlefire…

[Congratulations, you have completed the newbie tutorial.]

[The newbie tutorial has ended. You will now be teleported to a random starting area…]

[World Chat unlocked.]

「…」

At this moment, the lower level of Candle Island was bustling with activity.

“Fam, you guys won’t believe how ridiculously strong this Curse Master bloodline is!”

“When I see a monster, I just find a good spot, roll up a wax figure like this, give it a snap, and hey, guess what? The monster’s dead! Now that’s what I call a pro-gamer move~”

“Gotta say, this new bloodline is seriously devious.”

“Pfft, what’s so fun about being a Curse Master? In a game with a Middle Ages setting, if you don’t try out being a Knight, you’re missing the point.”

“Why play a Knight? Mages are the only way to go!”

“Bullshit, the Demon Summoner just summons Pocket Monsters and doesn’t even have to lift a finger. Isn’t that sweet?”

“The Frogman Bloodline isn’t bad either…”

“Anyone who plays a Frogman, get out! Don’t you dare call yourself a Candleman.”

“Yeah, yeah! I second that, I second that!”

“Sigh, cut the crap, bros. Let’s hurry up and kill monsters to level. We can’t even afford a Spirit Fire Raft right now.”

“Man, there are too many people in this starting area on the lower level of Candle Island. I feel like Reef Desert Island is better. Qi Xin Chapel isn’t bad either…”

“…”

On the lower level of Candle Island, players gathered in small groups. Although this area was emptier than before, that was only because the Fish People were gone. Other monsters were still around, making it a suitable place for newbies fresh out of the tutorial.

Furthermore, from the players’ conversations and the world chat messages, it was easy to learn that besides the lower level of Candle Island, the [Starting Areas] also included some deserted islands with monsters suitable for leveling.

It seemed this was all new content that came with the latest major update.

As for Zhang Ming, the Curse Master, he had only been fighting Sand Worms for a short while before two other new players pulled him into their group to level up together.

After all, while the Curse Master bloodline was squishy, its Abilities were truly devious.

As long as you had a clear line of sight, you could create a wax figure to deal damage and apply control effects, making it perfect for team combat.

Zhang Ming was naturally more than happy to oblige and quickly started killing enemies in coordination with his new teammates.

He wasn’t sure if it was because of the big Spirit Candle update, but they seemed to be getting significantly more Wax Oil from killing monsters than players did before…

Just as Zhang Ming and his two teammates were taking a short break before continuing to grind monsters, a commotion up ahead caught their attention.

“It’s Faraway Lord and Brother Miaozi, and Storyteller too! And Shore and Brother Niu! Holy crap, Brother Niu is my idol!”

“Shouldn’t they be in the Candlefire Hall? What are they doing here on the lower level of Candle Island?”

“That’s the upgraded form of the Spirit Fire Raft, what’s it called again?”

“Spirit Fire Sail.”

“Looks like they’re setting sail. What are they getting ready to do?”

「…」

“Storyteller, are you really sure there’s something new in the sea near Candle Island?” Shore asked, looking to the side with some doubt.

“You think the CG in the Spirit Candle update announcement was just for show? They showed a fisherman on a lone island, so there’s definitely something there,” Storyteller said, rolling his eyes.

After basically figuring out the new content like the Fire Worship Ceremony, Candlefire Hall, the newbie tutorial, the Curse Master, and so on, Storyteller was still looking for anything he might have missed.

The Spirit Candle update contained a lot of new content, and most of it was only mentioned in brief.

For example, the Fire Worship Ceremony was described very simply, but the actual experience of it was a mix of heaven and hell for the players.

This made Storyteller absolutely certain that the scenes that flashed by in the update’s CG weren’t included for no reason.

And what he was looking for now was that mysterious black-robed figure.

“By the way, what’s Brother Yu been up to lately? Haven’t seen him in ages. He didn’t quit the game, did he?” Niuniu asked on a whim, subconsciously turning his gaze to a certain well-informed Succubus.

“Brother Yu… A while ago, he was away for a friend’s son’s wedding, and he took a little trip on the side. But he’s back now.”

“But then Old Yan caught an Epic Fish on the strait map, and that really set him off. Brother Yu spends all his time there now, only coming back when he runs out of bait.”

“I reckon he won’t show his face until he catches an Epic Fish himself…”

Li Miao thought for a moment before recounting Brother Yu’s whereabouts in perfect detail.

“Brother Yu catching an Epic Fish.” Hearing this, Niuniu couldn’t hold back his laughter. “The odds of that are probably about the same as me being able to kill a Candlekeeper…”

The others couldn’t help but chuckle when they heard that.

“Alright, we’re almost at the location. Let’s split up and search. If you find anything, notify everyone in the channel.”

After a bit more small talk, Storyteller quickly assigned directions to the group.

The group of players began to sail off in different directions, their goal being to find the mysterious black-robed figure from the CG.

Maybe his luck was just particularly good today.

Soon after splitting up from the others, Storyteller spotted a protrusion on the horizon. It was clearly a small island, and there was indeed a human figure on it.

This made Storyteller’s heart leap with joy. He sent a message in the channel and then sped toward it.

Soon, he arrived on the small, isolated island and saw the mysterious person in a black robe, fishing.

The black-robed figure also noticed Storyteller. It seemed as though he had been deliberating for a long time, because the moment Storyteller arrived, he spoke.

“…O Candle Spirit on your journey… can you do me a favor?”

[You have received a quest invitation from the Sea Star Merchant. Accept?]

[Yes/No]

‘Ooh, a side quest!’

Storyteller’s eyes lit up. ‘My guess was right after all,’ he thought to himself.