Chapter 235 - 165: Madman and Swindler
With so many players getting stuck at Tasolomo, more and more of them naturally shifted their focus to exploring another map.
Gael’s Depression.
A gloomy, dark sky, a foul, bubbling swamp, and... a small boat struggling to navigate it.
"Heh heh ha ha..."
Aboard the small boat, the man in the Blood Clothes suddenly convulsed, breaking into a neurotic laugh.
The commotion startled a venomous snake in the trees, which hissed and flicked its tongue, its crimson Snake Eyes fixed on the man.
CREAK... CREAK...
The man in the Blood Clothes’s expression returned to normal. He cracked his neck, then rubbed his face, which felt stiff from the spasms.
’Random fits of creepy, mad laughter, an uncontrollable body... This Madman Stream really isn’t for normal people...’
But Forgotten Dao was clearly not a normal person.
Or, to be more precise, not a normal player.
Although the Blood Robe Priest’s Warfire, combined with the corresponding weapons and equipment, caused his character’s Spirit to spiral out of control, he wasn’t disgusted by it like other players. Instead, he saw it as a great "feature."
SWISH!
A small splash suddenly erupted in the swamp as a monster with sharp fangs, resembling a crocodile, lunged at Forgotten Dao.
Without even looking, Forgotten Dao shot out a hand and grabbed it by the neck. He slowly turned his head and grinned.
Looking at the little crocodile-like monster struggling in his hand, Forgotten Dao didn’t kill it. Instead, he planted a hard kiss on it.
"Mmm-wah!"
Then, he grabbed the little monster by the tail, spun it around forcefully several times, and hurled it away with a WHOOSH.
With a SPLAT, the little monster landed back in the swamp. It didn’t dare look back, scrambling away for its life.
Then, Forgotten Dao’s expression grew placid once more... It was hard to tell if that was his character losing control or his true nature shining through.
’Mire Copper Serpent... Mire Copper Serpent... Where are you?’
Staring at the highly repetitive and barely distinguishable scenery, Forgotten Dao couldn’t help but scratch his head.
After countless players flooded the Gael Swamp map, this particular feature of the dungeon had them all scratching their heads in frustration.
Getting lost.
This was the very first challenge players encountered upon entering Gael’s Depression.
Even after players pooled their knowledge and gathered all available intel, they could only come to one helpless, shoulder-shrugging conclusion: there was no solution.
Every player who entered Gael’s Depression was affected by a mysterious, omnipresent Power that caused them to lose their bearings.
The guidance of a Spirit Candle could provide a direction and guarantee one would eventually reach a Milestone Spirit Candle, but... how long that journey would take was anyone’s guess.
Thus, most players could only rely on dumb luck.
Some lucky players might make a few turns and stumble right upon other Milestone Spirit Candles or find key items and monsters.
But some unlucky players could get lost for a very, very long time...
As a result, one player’s personal experience was of little reference value to anyone else.
Under these circumstances, many players once again found themselves "sending their regards" to the developers’ families.
RUSTLE!
A sudden noise from the swamp caught Forgotten Dao’s attention.
His eyes lit up when he saw the source of the sound.
Forgotten Dao held up the Human Skin Banner and hastily muttered a few words. A crimson light gathered, and a Sacrificial Living Corpse appeared on the Spirit Fire Sail.
Then, rolling up his sleeves, he took a deep breath and dove headfirst into the swamp, thick with sludge and filth.
After a huge splash, the swamp fell silent.
"Heheheh..."
But soon, a twitching Forgotten Dao resurfaced, his character’s loss of control forcing him to swallow a few mouthfuls of the swamp’s "thick tea."
"Pah!"
After spitting out the viscous filth, Forgotten Dao’s eyes narrowed. He waved his left hand, and a crimson, whip-like Blood Tongue shot out, instantly coiling around the monster.
The next moment, the Blood Tongue retracted, and the bound Mire Copper Serpent began to struggle and fight back wildly.
But Forgotten Dao wasn’t flustered in the slightest. Alternating between his Banner and his Blood Tongue, he launched into an all-out battle with it right there in the swamp.
But, in the midst of their fierce battle, a giant, dark-green fish monster suddenly erupted from the bottom of the swamp and greedily swallowed them both in one gulp.
With a PLOP, the muck exploded, and the swamp fell silent once again.
"Heh heh, got it!"
Having escaped with the help of a Sacrificial Living Corpse, a mud-caked Forgotten Dao weighed the Snake Eyes in his hand and chuckled.
After stowing the Snake Eyes, he glanced at the now-empty Spirit Fire Sail and scratched his head.
He then picked up his Banner and muttered again. Two more Sacrificial Living Corpses appeared.
Randomly picking one of the Sacrificial Living Corpses, Forgotten Dao rolled up his sleeves, grunted, and hoisted it up.
He scanned his surroundings, found a relatively sturdy dead tree, gave the corpse a couple of swings, and casually tossed it.
"So mortifying!"
He yelled as he threw it, startling a commotion from beneath the swamp’s surface.
SQUELCH! The Sacrificial Living Corpse was impaled through the abdomen by a branch, left hanging in a bizarre posture, its face completely numb and expressionless.
Seeing this, Forgotten Dao nodded in satisfaction, then wiped his hands on his rear.
’Anyway, these clothes are red. No one will ever know.’
As long as he set down a Sacrificial Living Corpse every so often, he wouldn’t have to fear monsters suddenly ambushing him from beneath the swamp like before.
Of course, the Sacrificial Living Corpse would automatically dissolve if it got too far away from him.
But Forgotten Dao didn’t care. A single Sacrificial Living Corpse didn’t consume much of his Faith Power, so he could toss them about as he pleased.
He had made it this far by doing just that, and he hadn’t messed up yet.