Bizarre Voyage: Summoning The Fourth Crisis

"Hmph."

"You know what’s good for you."

Hearing its response, a flicker of triumph flashed in Niuniu’s eyes. He casually lowered his sword and found a tree stump to sit on.

He was now certain he had a firm grasp on the creature’s weak spot.

"Since we can talk now, let’s sit down and have a proper chat. First, allow me to introduce myself."

"We are the Firelight of the Spirit Candle, the undying Candle Spirits, bearers of endless pain, unbound by Hell, pioneers who explore the darkness..."

A string of fancy, intimidating titles poured out of Niuniu’s mouth as if they were free. In any case, he never mentioned his own name or ID.

After speaking, he looked at the Hosted Bone and Blood Giant Statue, his gaze scrutinizing.

"So... what about you?"

And you know what? It actually seemed to work. At least, the Hosted Bone and Blood Giant Statue looked a little intimidated.

Then, before Niuniu and Mushroom’s astonished eyes, the Hosted Bone and Blood Giant Statue before them began to squirm. Its bone and blood receded like a tide.

Just a moment later, a figure with a swollen body and a blood-soaked, hideous face appeared before them.

"I..."

Hearing his question, a trace of confusion appeared on the Hosted Bone and Blood Giant Statue’s terrifying face, as if its memories were too ancient to be found.

It seemed to have forgotten even its own name.

"Can’t remember? Then I’ll just call you Host. You can just call us Candle Spirits," Niuniu said nonchalantly, scratching his face.

He didn’t actually care about the creature’s name; he just wanted to pry some useful information out of it.

"Fine, Candle Spirits."

Just like the receding bone and blood, the Host also seemed to have temporarily shed its Madness, giving them a peaceful response.

However, its voice was still a superposition of countless tones, making it sound strange and terrifying.

The conversation between Niuniu and the Host left Mushroom, who was watching from the side, dumbfounded and in disbelief.

’A player threatening a boss, telling it "if you don’t stop, I’ll die right in front of you"... something so utterly absurd...’

’It actually worked?’

’You can really do that?’

’That guy Niuniu... he’s a goddamn genius!’

’And from the looks of it, a game like Spirit Candle actually allows this kind of thing to happen, and it’s not even a bug!’

’I get it! This must be a hidden plotline from Spirit Candle!’

Mushroom’s eyes lit up.

His mind then rapidly connected the few elements he had.

’It all makes sense!’

’If Niuniu hadn’t been so trigger-happy and killed that NPC girl named Yina, the Hosted Bone and Blood Giant Statue wouldn’t have appeared right now.’

’And even if it did appear before the players...’

’...a player would still have to deduce from its words that this thing is different from a normal NPC.’

’And on top of that, they’d need to be as creative and bold as Niuniu to make all this happen...’

’It’s logical. Perfectly logical. It follows real-world logic to a T!’

’This... is just...’

’...brilliantly designed!’

’This world’s design is so fucking open!’

A keen light burst from Mushroom’s eyes.

But Niuniu didn’t notice Mushroom’s excitement. All his energy was focused on how to squeeze more information out of this creature.

"...So, Host, how about this? We’ll take turns asking one question at a time, how does that sound?"

Niuniu proposed.

"...Whatever," the Host said in a deep voice.

It didn’t seem to care about the questions. It was more interested in enjoying the feeling of interacting with someone.

Niuniu, of course, had noticed this long ago.

Based on the lore of Spirit Candle compiled by the Storyteller from the Candlekeeper and other sources, one could infer some of the reasons for this.

These chaotic worlds—in other words, the dungeons—are products of temporal and spatial chaos, mostly inhabited by monsters that act on instinct alone.

With that in mind, it was self-evident what it must feel like for a creature with a human-like mind, the Host, to live here.

Loneliness.

Endless loneliness.

Putting himself in its shoes, Niuniu thought that if it were him, even if he had complete control over this small world, he would probably be driven mad by the endless passage of time.

With no one to even talk to, it was no wonder the creature acted this way, even forgetting its own name...

"Alright, then. You go first. I’ll answer your question."

Niuniu said magnanimously, waving a hand.

Of course he was being magnanimous. It was all going to be bullshit anyway...

...

The abnormal players were making great progress.

Meanwhile, the normal players were also having a fruitful time.

However, among these players, there was actually another category.

Perhaps they could be called "semi-normal players"?

BOOM!

Accompanied by the shrill laughter of the Hosted Bone and Blood Giant Statue, a giant foot descended from the sky, relentlessly Trampling the two of them.

But Brother Mangzi and Bu Long didn’t choose to evade the brunt of the attack; instead, they braced themselves and met it head-on.

"Mangzi! Why’d you have to hit it so hard! You must have killed the NPC inside, I swear!"

Also in the Skeleton Forest, Bu Long, whose mental fortitude was usually quite good, was starting to lose it. He didn’t even call him "Brother Mangzi" anymore, roaring in anger as he withstood the pressure.

"I couldn’t hold back my strength!"

Hearing his words, Brother Mangzi was a little embarrassed, but not much. Looking at the Hosted Bone and Blood Giant Statue before him, his eyes began to gleam.

"Who gives a damn about some NPC!"

"I think we triggered a hidden boss!"

"Bu Long, if we’re the first to take it down, we can definitely wash away our shame!"

He roared, his fighting spirit blazing, as he dealt with the Hosted Bone and Blood Giant Statue’s Attack.