The situation left Li Miao momentarily dumbfounded.
What the hell—did this thing not use an aggro system!?
The reef cave wasn't big enough to block it.
If that monster really got inside, he'd be trapped and beaten like a dog in a barrel…
"No—wait. It must be because I haven't touched the Spirit Candle yet!"
Realizing this, he sprinted straight toward the candle.
Rumble…
The moment he reached it, he heard the entire cave trembling.
The Murloc Chieftain had actually forced its way inside!
Li Miao's pupils constricted. Cold sweat poured down his back.
For a second, it felt like one of those horror games where a monster jumps right into your face—
and he had a strong urge to log out immediately.
Holy sh*t—too damn scary!
Just as he was about to make the shameful decision to panic-logout—
A deep, calm male voice sounded near his ear:
"Newborn flame… it seems you've run into a bit of trouble."
Instinctively, Li Miao turned around.
The man in broken armor stepped out from the candlelight, form slowly solidifying.
He raised his chipped sword horizontally—and traced two fingers along its blade…
Fwoosh—
Brilliant blue fire burst forth, instantly filling the gaps in the broken sword.
The radiance illuminated the cave, reflecting in Li Miao's eyes—
Clang—
Splurt!
Before the sword's ringing faded, the sound of ruptured flesh filled the air.
Thud!
The Murloc Chieftain's massive body collapsed.
Its fish-eyes still carried madness and savagery, even twitching slightly—
as though trying to understand why it had suddenly fallen…
The flames along the sword dimmed.
Rogge turned around, expression calm.
[You have slain: Tidemire Murloc Chieftain]
[Obtained: Wax Oil ×10]
[Obtained: Murloc Scale Armor ×1]
"Holy… damn…"
Only when the Candlekeeper's gaze shifted toward him did Li Miao snap out of his trance, hurriedly closing his gaping mouth.
This Candlekeeper… was insanely strong.
And—damn—absurdly cool looking.
"The Chieftain may have poor eyesight," Rogge said, setting the sword aside and sitting before the candle,
"but its instincts and frenzy far exceed normal murlocs."
"It won't stop chasing until it utterly loses track of its target."
He glanced at the dim flame.
"…The Spirit Candle itself doesn't repel monsters. Be more careful next time."
He wasn't blaming him—Li Miao had no way of knowing.
But if this fragment-candle were destroyed, Rogge would have to remake it,
and players wouldn't be able to recover or respawn for a while.
"I understand."
Li Miao nodded, letting out a long breath.
He had almost died of fright.
If he'd really gotten killed in that kind of situation, he'd probably develop trauma…
"You have talent," Rogge added, "but you still need to work."
He handed the newly dropped armor to Li Miao.
It wasn't better than what Rogge wore, so he had no use for it.
Besides—he'd killed plenty of Chieftains already; his candle storage had several spares.
As for players intentionally pulling mobs for him to kill so they'd get good loot…
Heh. If they tried it, he'd simply sit inside the candle and watch.
[Obtained: Murloc Scale Armor ×1]
[Murloc Scale Armor (Common)]
Type: Chest Armor
Description: Armor crafted from the scales of a Tidemire Murloc Chieftain. Reduces a portion of incoming damage.
"For me?"
"…Thanks!"
Li Miao was pleasantly surprised.
Judging from Rogge's earlier words, he thought he'd at least lose some NPC favorability for causing trouble…
But instead, Rogge encouraged him—and even gave him the boss drop!
The Candlekeeper was… such a good person…
Warmth welled up inside him as he equipped the scale armor.
Just then, a faint ringtone reached his ears.
Someone was calling him.
"Candlekeeper, I need to step out for a bit."
Perhaps due to the game's overwhelming realism, Li Miao instinctively bid Rogge farewell before logging out.
When he disconnected—
His body of wax melted into a pool, slowly flowing back into the Spirit Candle, awaiting his next return.
After he left, Rogge shifted his gaze to the candle.
With the Chieftain's wax oil added, he finally had almost enough.
[Spirit Candle]
Rank: Remnant Ash
Wax Oil Remaining: 93
Candle Structures: None
Anchored Islands: None
Summoned Candle Wraiths: 1
Just seven more…
He might as well go kill a few more murlocs.
Rogge picked up his chipped sword, rose, and walked toward the cave entrance.
…
After the phone call, Li Miao grabbed breakfast and returned to his dorm.
He originally planned to dive right back into Spirit Candle,
but his roommate stopped him to try out another VR game.
Minutes later, Li Miao removed the headset, frowning.
"Not fun. The freedom is way too low. Can't pick up rocks, lots of clipping issues."
"This game's already pretty good," his roommate shrugged.
"VR tech is new—none of the games feel totally real."
Hearing that, Li Miao immediately recommended Spirit Candle.
His roommate was intrigued and quickly searched for it—
But all he got was: 'Entry Unavailable.'
"Maybe it's not finished yet—probably still in testing?"
Li Miao guessed.
Even so, he had no intention of touching other VR games.
He'd tasted Spirit Candle's realism—
going back to buggy, low-freedom games was impossible.
With that in mind, he put his headset back on.
He had class in the afternoon—plenty of time to get back online.
"Spirit Candle—start!"
…
"Hm? Back already? This kid's diligent."
Rogge naturally sensed the player's return.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Perfect timing."
…
"Mmm~ hmm~ hmm…"
Li Miao hummed as he stretched.
"Hello, senior."
The sudden voice beside him nearly made him jump.
He turned to see a slim, gentle-looking male player watching him.
[PoetryAndDistance]
Judging from the faint ID, the newcomer must've just entered the game.
"Damn dude—you scared me…"
Li Miao exhaled.
Before the newbie could reply—
Rogge's figure slowly materialized.
He looked at Li Miao and said:
"Top-Student Miao, you've proven yourself a competent warrior.
Could you guide this newborn flame—teach him the duties of a Candle Wraith?"
A system prompt appeared in front of Li Miao.
[Teach the newborn Candle Wraith basic knowledge and combat fundamentals.]
Reward: Wax Oil ×10
Li Miao's eyes lit up.
Ten points of wax oil—not much, not little.
And he could still do other things while helping the newbie.
A free quest like this? Of course he'd take it.
He slapped his chest proudly.
"Leave it to me!"
"Good," Rogge nodded.
"The spared time will allow me to gather more wax oil."