Bizarre Voyage: Summoning The Fourth Crisis

Venerable Lique: "Ugh, I’m gonna puke. The Deep Sea Worm is way too big, I’m getting turned into a pincushion. This map is impossible! (Crying hysterically)"

Crafty Frog: "...The Fire Seed form has its pros and cons. You’ll just have to fight without switching to it."

While the others chatted idly, Storyteller’s attention naturally fell on the item information that Faraway had posted.

Storyteller: "Hmm... The Combat Skills book is pretty good, suitable for both Knights and Warriors. The Lion’s Mane Cape’s Attributes are nice too."

Storyteller: "This Lion Serpent’s Fire Seed is actually for Power, Magic, and Constitution... Seems kinda meh. A jack of all trades, master of none. Attribute Points are already scarce as it is."

Storyteller: "The main event is this Whispering Stone Slab... Epic? Holy shit, a new Quality."

As he said that, the other active players also turned their attention to the item.

[Whispering Stone Slab (Epic)]

[Type: Accessory/Special Item]

[Effect: ① When carried, slightly increases Level-up speed (reduces Wax Oil required to level up), Skill learning speed, and Talent potency. Also provides a minor boost to all Attributes. ② (Effect Unknown)]

[Explanation: An ancient stone slab covered in scratches. Faint whispers echo from its cracks. The Lion Serpent regarded it as a priceless treasure.]

The others naturally knew about the information Forgotten Dao had gotten from Le Ti.

Crafty Frog: "Tsk tsk, as expected of an Epic Quality item. This accessory has so many buffs. Just getting this one thing makes the whole run worth it."

Time to Eat Mushrooms: "For real. Even if it was just for this one accessory, spending all that time running the map was worth it."

My hamster’s name is Guagua: "That stone slab doesn’t look small... When you equip it, do you just stuff it inside your body like other accessories?"

This Venerable Suppresses All Enemies: "Ah, noo, it’s so big, it’ll break... (Blushing)"

[This Venerable Suppresses All Enemies has been muted for 1 minute by the administrator, Storyteller.]

Time to Eat Mushrooms: "Lmao."

Storyteller: "Damn it, no dirty jokes. This large group chat is an official privilege. Don’t get it taken away."

Storyteller: "Anyway, back on topic... Based on the equipment and item Qualities we’ve seen so far, the order from lowest to highest is: Crude, Ordinary, Fine, Excellent, Excellence, Treasure Collection, and Epic."

Storyteller: "This is the first-ever Epic Quality accessory. It must be the ’trace of a god’ that Le Ti mentioned. My bold guess is that the so-called ’whispering’ comes from the gods of this world."

Storyteller: "So that unknown effect later on is probably related to this."

After Storyteller finished, the first one to pop up was Li Miao. It seemed he had just gotten out of the dungeon.

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "Fuck, this accessory’s effect is that insane? (Shocked)"

Storyteller: "Yo, the First Player of the Server is here. Did you beat the Lion Serpent?"

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "..."

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "...Didn’t beat it. The lower its Blood Volume gets, the more frequently it attacks. My Ghost Giant Monster got one-shotted, and I can only take two hits myself. I’ve died over ten times already. It’s seriously making me depressed..."

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "I have class soon, so I can only try again tonight. Sigh."

He followed up with a few bawling emojis, which was enough to show his frustration.

One could only say that not everyone was Faraway.

My hamster’s name is Guagua: "It’s okay, it’s okay, maybe you’ll get it next time (Patting head)"

Guagua’s comforting words made Li Miao feel a little better.

Then, his expression darkened.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Because that guy, Shore, also showed up.

My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: "Trash. Can you even do it? At this rate, how are you supposed to support me in my old age? (if-you-suck-practice-more.jpg)"

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "What are you barking about? Did you beat it?"

My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: "Nope. I’m not the First Player of the Server, I’m a newbie. (Hands on hips)"

’And he’s fucking proud of it!’

’A Level 30 newbie, huh?’

Li Miao snorted coldly as the two frenemies started bickering again.

The others were long used to this.

As morning approached, many players in the dungeons began to log off.

After all, most of them had to go to work or school and couldn’t stay in the dungeons forever.

However, after doing a quick tally, Storyteller discovered that even though this group was full of capable Prison Players, only one person had successfully defeated the Lion Serpent.

Battle Bliss: "???"

Battle Bliss: "Wait, how did you beat it? @Black Mountain Little Demon"

That’s right. Besides Faraway, the only other person to have successfully defeated the Lion Serpent was Black Mountain Little Demon.

Facing Brother Mangzi’s confusion, Black Mountain Little Demon quickly replied.

Black Mountain Little Demon: "Get help, pop potions."

Black Mountain Little Demon: "I maxed out my Level, then bought some Magic Potions. After chugging them, I went in and we ganged up on it until it died. (Picking nose)"

Black Mountain Little Demon: "Its damage is pretty high, though. I almost died."

Seeing Black Mountain Little Demon’s message, the first to speak wasn’t Brother Mangzi, but a stunned Mushroom.

Time to Eat Mushrooms: "Holy shit, dude, you used all those Magic Potions you bought from me in one go?!"

Black Mountain Little Demon: "Yeah, I bought them to be used, right? By the way, Brother Mushroom, your Magic Potions are pretty effective. I’ll be back for more. (Thumbs up)"

The others: "..."

Hearing this, they naturally understood how Black Mountain Little Demon had managed to beat the Lion Serpent.

One word—whaling!

While most players were still tight on Wax Oil, Black Mountain Little Demon had already used his "cash power" to max out his Level.

On top of that, he had also bought up tons of powerful Magic Pearls, including many Primordial Magic Pearls with immense potential. This made his "Pocket Monster lineup" incredibly strong.

And! He had also bought Mushroom’s Magic Potions!

And it looked like he’d bought a lot, so much that even Mushroom hadn’t realized he was going to use them all at once.

Well then, the Lion Serpent’s cause of death was now clear. Case closed.

It was defeated by Krypton Gold.

Time to Eat Mushrooms: "...Chugging Magic Potions like water. Even I’ve never done something like that."

Bron Really Not Deaf: "That poor Lion Serpent really suffered."

Battle Bliss: "..."

Battle Bliss: "Aaaah! No! From now on, the Shameful Trio will become the Shameful Duo!"

Brother Mangzi was filled with grief and indignation.

Without a doubt, the Lion Serpent’s difficulty was plain for all to see. As the second person to defeat it after Faraway, Black Mountain Little Demon could no longer be called things like "Brother One-Third Yu."

From now on, everyone’s impression of him would be that of a Krypton Gold whale.

As the saying goes, you hate to see your bro struggling, but you also hate to see him driving a Land Rover.

Now, Black Mountain Little Demon was really driving that Land Rover, while he and Bu Long were still running around naked. This undoubtedly put the two of them in the hot seat...

...

「Real-world time shifted to daytime.」 Most players went about their lives—off to work or off to school.

Meanwhile, the Spirit Candle officials punctually released an update announcement, followed by a live update that didn’t require server downtime.

[Spirit Candle: Dark Journey Version 0.81 Update Announcement.]

[Announcement: Esteemed Candle Spirit Warriors...]

[This update contains the following:]

[1. Game access slots will continue to be distributed...]

[2. Darkness is coming, and crisis approaches. The Firewood Thieves, whose purpose is unknown, have arrived from the borders, intending to extinguish the Candlefire. The Candlekeepers have already taken a series of countermeasures. As warriors of the Spirit Candle, you too shall fight for the Candlefire!]

[Note: A large-scale, region-based team war is imminent. All players, please make ample preparations in advance!]

[3. In crisis, there is also opportunity. The Shadow of Deceit does not seem to be on the same side as the Firewood Thieves. Although they may have ulterior motives, it might be possible for us to reach a mutually beneficial arrangement...]

[Note: A unique, limited long-term quest will become available. It may offer a completely different gameplay experience. You can consult with the Candlekeepers for more information.]

[4. New Spirit Candle Buildings have been added to each region and can be upgraded in the future...]

[5. Fixed some potential bugs...]

[...]

The moment this update announcement, which was completely different from all previous ones, was released, it sent the players into an uproar.