Chapter 158 120: The Beginning of the Dark Journey

The days went by, one by one.

As new players were steadily brought in, their total number gradually surpassed one thousand.

The more established veteran players began to focus their efforts on clearing the [Battlefield Relics] dungeon, using the various Battle Ashes, Magic, and Prayers found within to refine their combat styles.

Meanwhile, the mid-tier and rookie players were also constantly growing stronger. Thanks to the ever-increasing number of guides on the forums, they progressed rapidly, providing Luo Ge with a large amount of Wax Oil at every moment.

Furthermore, as the player base grew, their playstyles began to diverge, leading to the emergence of distinctly different builds.

The largest group was still the players dedicated to combat and exploration, with figures like Li Miao and Faraway being prime examples.

This group further subdivided itself into various combat builds based on different fighting methods.

For example, there was the Knight build, which prioritized Constitution over Power; the brute-force build, which focused on Power with Constitution as a secondary; the Strength and Agility build, which focused on Power with Agility as a secondary; the Mage build; and even the "Madman Stream," a build centered on the Blood Robe Priest and Warfire that could hit teammates at any moment...

Aside from these mainstream players who were passionate about combat and exploration, the various features within the Spirit Candle also gave rise to more casual players.

For example, there were the dedicated anglers who fished all day, the Magic Potion Experts who researched Magic Potions, the exploit-finders who loved studying monster habits to cheese fights, and the Candle Scholars who focused on uncovering the world's lore...

Luo Ge had even recently noticed a "Salvage build"—composed of anglers, Frogmen, and Demon Summoners—that was gradually gaining popularity. This group's favorite pastime was diving into the waters of anchored dungeons to search for treasure and explore...

Although treasure was extremely rare, it did indeed exist in the Ocean.

In short,

Thanks to the constant activity of these players, the entirety of Candle Island and its surrounding areas was teeming with life and vibrant energy!

Luo Ge also quickly finished anchoring three dungeons, but the rewards were all rather mediocre.

One was a piece of Treasure Collection Quality equipment, which he listed for a high price in the Candlekeeper's shop.

The second was a bestiary, which was worth a read. It gave Luo Ge a more fundamental understanding of this world.

The third reward was a blueprint for a Tier Two fishing rod. While Luo Ge wasn't particularly interested, the group of anglers led by Brother Yu was ecstatic. A sturdier rod meant they no longer had to worry about it constantly breaking.

After finishing up the day's update announcement, Luo Ge stood up, preparing to leave the Spirit Candle Space and head to the Spirit Fire Port to open a new dungeon.

"Luo Ge, Luo Ge, where are you going?" Seeing that he was about to leave, Xiaoluo, who was resting on her pink shell, quickly asked.

Under Luo Ge's patient guidance, Xiaoluo had outgrown the phase of constantly asking "what is what," but her curiosity was still boundless, and she had a thirst for knowledge about many things.

"I have to run an errand. You stay here for now, Xiaoluo," Luo Ge said.

"What about Nuonuo?"

Nuonuo was, of course, Noxia. Luo Ge had no idea why Xiaoluo called her that.

"She has errands to run, too."

"Oh..." Xiaoluo blew some bubbles, a little disappointed, but she didn't make a fuss. She knew Luo Ge would be back.

...

After confirming the announcement's contents were correct, Luo Ge sent it out. He then went to the Spirit Fire Port, touched the Spirit Fire, and began searching for new regions.

[Searching for regions...]

[Search successful. Four regions have been marked.]

[Region 1: Unknown Islands (Requires 1,914 Wax Oil to tow. Danger Level: Medium)]

[Region 2: Unknown Island (Requires 749 Wax Oil to tow. Danger Level: Low)]

[Region 3: Unknown Peninsula (Requires 4,147 Wax Oil to tow. Danger Level: High)]

[Region 4: Unknown Sea (Requires 5,179 Wax Oil to tow. Danger Level: High)]

[Note: The position of the Dark Boundary in certain special sea regions will be different from that of islands. They will contain only a single starting island and no other land. Travel by boat is recommended. Please choose carefully!]

The Wax Oil cost for anchoring these regions was generally higher because Luo Ge had searched more than once.

However, the feedback he received from the Spirit Candle this time surprised him.

The Spirit Candle's search had actually discovered a standalone sea region...

The amount of Wax Oil required to tow it was very high, and like the Unknown Peninsula above, it was rated as "High Danger."

'I wonder what's in this so-called unknown sea region...'

The thought crossed his mind.

Then, Luo Ge chose to tow them directly.

He didn't need to pick and choose this time; he had more than enough Wax Oil to tow all the islands he wanted.

[Confirmed towing of Region 1: Unknown Islands]

[Consuming 1,914 Wax Oil. Towing in progress...]

[Confirmed towing of Region 2: Unknown Island]

[Consuming 749 Wax Oil. Towing in progress...]

[Confirmed...]

RATTLE! CLANG!

Four immense, phantom anchors flew out from all directions of the Spirit Fire Port and plunged into the Dark Boundary.

Accompanied by wave after wave of spatial tremors, the four regions were soon successfully anchored.

Naturally, the players who were "on duty" developing their characters on Candle Island during the day also noticed this.

Within the Dark Boundary, the darkness was replaced by successive plumes of Gray Mist, which formed one spatial passage after another.

[Live update complete!]

[Attention: Four brand-new unknown regions have been unlocked and are now open to all players!]

[Please proceed to the regions to begin your exploration!]