Traction, Nearshore Cave

As time passed, the number of posts on the Spirit Candle Official forums continued to grow. The number of players active on the official site, eagerly waiting to secure a slot, had even far surpassed the number already in the game.

Whenever Rogue had nothing to do, he browsed the forums and read the amusing comments from these unfamiliar yet oddly familiar netizens...

"Looking for inspiration."

Rogue had something important to do tonight. Before that, he planned to see if there were any useful posts on the forums.

Spirit Candle Official: "Announcement: The game will undergo a non-shutdown update at 11 p.m. tonight. The update includes: a new starting weapon, the 'Wooden Staff'; an update to the Candle Keepers' collectibles..."

The top-liked comment below was from a player who had yet to enter the game.

Wangzai Milk Cow: "Wooden Staff? Does this mean I can play a mage now? Great! Even though I still haven't gotten into the game. (Sunglasses tears)"

Rogue could only smile at that.

The players who wanted to play this game were looking forward to working for him, while he was also looking forward to having the players work for him.

Though both sides were eagerly seeking each other out, the candle wax balance was a thick barrier between them...

Of course, Rogue was already planning to open the next round of player summons. But first, he had to finish what came next.

I Do Push-Ups with Niuniu: "Brothers, the detailed map is done. It includes the locations of identified monsters in the nearshore waters (image)."

Rogue took a look and was somewhat surprised. The map basically matched the situation around Candlewood Island. The player must have spent quite some time on it.

Poetry and the Distance: [Guide: Requirements for Unlocking Candle Keeper Collectibles]

Brother Miao Won't Fail: [Guide: The Proper Way to Use the Wooden Staff]

Non-Air Force Fisherman: [Guide: Fishing Catches by Area (Ongoing Updates)]

These three were practically Rogue's right-hand men now. Not only had they contributed a great deal of candle wax, they had also answered many questions and doubts for new players, greatly reducing his workload.

"I'll give them some commemorative rewards when I have the time."

Rogue thought.

Having played some classic single-player games before, Rogue knew very well how admirable guide-making experts were. Besides, this was truly a labor of love.

Beneath the three posts were plenty of players offering thanks and asking further questions. Naturally, there were also some trolls hopping around, but no one paid them much attention.

However, when Rogue opened the most-liked reply beneath Brother Yu's post, he could not help but laugh.

Ding Er Xiang Ding Dang: "The top three experts from launch have all posted guides. Only one unreliable guy hasn't, but I won't say who it is. (Dog head)"

Non-Air Force Fisherman: "You really know how to reply, don't you? (Smile) (Smile) (Smile)"

Nine-Tailed Shaking Pot: "How dare you! Who gave you permission to slander my Brother Yu?! (Snicker)"

Hook Literature: "You didn't let Brother Yu off either, kid."

After exiting the forum, the smile on Rogue's face gradually faded.

Although he had not found any particular inspiration, the entertaining remarks from the netizens still brought him a little joy.

It almost gave him the illusion that he was still in that peaceful world, where he did not have to face this oppressive world alone...

[Spirit Candle]

[Grade: Cinder]

[Remaining Candle Wax: 538]

[Spirit Candle Building: Spirit Fire Port (Tier 1)]

[Anchored Island: Candlewood Island (Small Isolated Island)]

[Summoned Candle Spirits: 31]

The influx of new players had greatly increased the rate at which candle wax accumulated. It was time to draw in a new area.

Rogue let out a soft breath, emerged from the Spirit Candle, picked up the Worn Sword, left the Reef Cave, and arrived at Spirit Fire Port.

It was daytime in the real world. Most players had their own things to do, so there were not many players on Candlewood Island.

Of course, there were also some who did not need to work.

"Huh, what's the Candle Keeper doing?"

Guagua, who was fishing on the Spirit Fire Raft, watched the Candle Keeper at Spirit Fire Port with some confusion.

Naturally, Rogue knew Guagua was nearby.

He was not afraid of the players seeing him. The reason he had chosen nighttime was, first, because there would be too many players during the day to interfere with him.

Second, he was afraid that the coming attempt might cause too much of a disturbance and affect those players.

[Searching for regions...]

[Search successful. Three regions marked!]

[Region One: Unknown Underwater Cave (Requires 128 candle wax to draw in)]

Rogue did not hesitate for long before directly choosing Region One.

It was the most cost-effective choice, allowing him to learn about drawn-in regions at the lowest possible cost.

[Confirmed region to draw in: Unknown Underwater Cave]

[128 candle wax consumed. Drawing in...]

With a boom, candle wax gathered and transformed into fuel. The Traction Fire instantly surged, blazing fiercely and illuminating the surrounding sea.

The next moment, a phantom gigantic anchor extended from the black-and-white flames. Flaming iron chains stretched beneath it, plunging into the sea in an instant and shooting straight toward some distant place!

Thud!

It was like a massive ship dropping anchor, fixing the entire vessel in place.

At that moment, the phantom giant anchor also let out a dull sound that shook the soul. The rings of the flaming iron chains clashed in turn, as though they had been pulled taut by an invisible force!

Bzzz—

The space across all of Candlewood Island trembled for an instant, marking the end of the traction.

"Wow... whoa!"

Guagua, who had been watching from the side, was utterly absorbed in the sight and full of amazement.

But the commotion that followed made her shrink back in fright.

[Traction successful!]

[Drawn-in region: Unknown Underwater Cave]

[Passage to this region has been constructed!]

Rogue closed his eyes, sensed for a moment, then stepped onto the Spirit Fire Raft.

The Spirit Fire Raft slowly sailed toward the waters behind Candlewood Island.

"What's the Candle Keeper doing? Is this some hidden storyline?"

"I wonder if following him would make the Candle Keeper dislike me. It'd be a pain if I lost favorability..."

"Ah! My Fishing Rod!"

Just as Guagua was confused and conflicted, a sudden bite nearly dragged away her Fishing Rod.

After dealing with it, she looked back toward where the Candle Keeper had been, only to discover that he had already vanished into the dark sea...

"I was so busy watching the storyline. I should've gone up and asked him earlier..."

Guagua felt a little depressed. It seemed she could only post about it on the forums and ask everyone else.

Rogue stood on the Spirit Fire Raft, Rootless Fire in hand, calmly watching the darkness ahead.

The waves in the deep sea grew increasingly restless.

Until a pitch-black ocean whirlpool, as deep as an abyss and leading to an unknown destination, appeared ahead.

[Unknown Underwater Cave]

Rogue renamed it "Nearshore Cave" within the Spirit Candle.

Then, the Spirit Fire Raft slowly moved forward until it reached the closest distance unaffected by the whirlpool, where it stopped.

Rogue withdrew his hand and looked at the pitch-black, abyss-like ocean whirlpool ahead.

The next moment, he bent his knees slightly and launched himself upward. Without the slightest hesitation, he leaped into the ocean whirlpool, completely disregarding the potential dangers within!

The players were indeed his advance force in exploring this world.

But for now, they were still far too weak...

As he plummeted at high speed, Rogue's gaze did not waver in the slightest. He carefully observed everything around him.

The rapid descent, the biting wind...

If there was solid ground below, he would definitely die from the fall. But there was nothing he could do about that; he had long since prepared himself mentally.

But soon, Rogue saw gray fog permeating below, with mysterious power flowing through it.

The instant he touched the gray fog, the force of his fall rapidly weakened...

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