Bizarre Voyage: Summoning The Fourth Crisis

The players on Candle Island were mostly new, so they were naturally thrilled to see a new map open up, and a buzz of discussion erupted among them.

Li Miao rubbed his chin and looked over at Shore. ”How’s your progress? Have you fused with a Fire Seed yet?”

”Obviously,” Shore said with a confident smile. He then took out an iron mask and placed it over his face, his posture straightening. ”Wanna team up? Try not to drag me down.”

Faraway had solo-farmed Gulard Warships near Exile Island many times, and he was guaranteed an Iron-faced Warlock Fire Seed drop every time. He hadn’t hoarded them, either, generously trading them with other players.

Shore had initially planned to seek out a Fire Seed from the Flower of Drowning, but once the Iron-faced Warlock Fire Seed became available, he naturally opted for that instead.

Even though he was a Mage who primarily invested in Spirit, the Iron-faced Warlock Fire Seed was still a good fit.

Li Miao rolled his eyes and shook his head. ”You’ve really gotten bold, talking to your father like that.”

”Let’s go check it out. If it’s a solo instance, then there’s nothing I can do about it.”

He had sent a message to the others in their group chat, but they were either on Exile Island or just hadn’t replied yet.

Since Shore was pretty well-geared now, it was a good opportunity to check out the instance with him and see what it was all about.

With that said, the two didn’t waste any time. They went straight to the Spirit Fire Port and boarded a Spirit Fire Ship.

Players had recently figured out all the functions of the Spirit Fire Ship.

It was indeed a massive improvement over the Spirit Fire Raft, the starter vehicle.

In addition to increased speed and defense, its regenerative capabilities were a major feature. Most importantly, it could carry two people at once without any loss of speed.

Any more than two, however, and its speed would suffer.

So, Li Miao and Shore decided to share a ship.

”Let’s check out the one on the left first.”

Li Miao wasn’t one to be overconfident; he believed in heeding good advice. The Candlekeeper had said as much, so there was no harm in scouting the left path first.

Shore had no objections. He might talk a big game, but he knew deep down that as a veteran player, Li Miao definitely had more experience.

Soon, the two arrived before the left-hand Fog Gate on their Spirit Fire Ship.

[Attention: You are approaching the entrance to the ”Unknown Island.” This is a multiplayer exploration zone that can accommodate a maximum of two players. Please prepare accordingly before entering.]

[Passing through the Gray Mist will grant you entry to the zone. The Spirit Candle will guide you.]

”Whoa, a two-player instance... Your luck is pretty good today, kid. Just wait, your father is about to carry you.”

Li Miao shot him a sideways glance.

He quickly logged off to notify the others in their group chat, then logged back on.

And just like that, the bickering ”father and son” steered their Spirit Fire Ship and vanished into the Fog Gate...

...

SPLASH!

The moment they entered the Fog Gate, they were hit with a rude awakening.

A dense sheet of rain poured from the sky, hammering against Li Miao’s armor.

A towering wave surged toward them, drenching them completely. The entire Spirit Fire Ship began to rock violently in the churning sea.

BOOM!

Lightning flashed and thunder cracked across the gloomy sky. After a brief moment that pushed back the darkness, the shadows swept in again.

Thunder, lightning, and a torrential downpour!

”Holy shit!” x2

Li Miao and Shore were both stunned by the sudden turn of events and couldn’t help but curse.

Li Miao was the first to react, shouting, ”Steady! Hold it steady!”

Amidst the massive waves, their Spirit Fire Ship tossed and turned; it was no exaggeration to call it a tiny leaf in a storm.

With its center of gravity so unstable, the ship was in constant danger of capsizing!

The two of them immediately focused all their attention on keeping the ship upright.

CRASH!

Just then, a wave crashed against them, and riding it was a shark with a cavernous maw and a rotting head.

Li Miao was at the front, bracing himself, so he didn’t immediately notice the monster lunging at him.

But Shore saw it. Without a word, he raised his Devil Fish Tail Staff, and a precisely aimed Blood Stone Burst shot straight into the Rot Head Shark’s mouth.

BOOM!

Flesh and blood exploded, splattering all over Li Miao’s face before dissolving into Ashes.

”Nice!”

Li Miao gave him a thumbs-up, inwardly surprised at his friend’s improvement.

Normally, Shore would have seized the chance to gloat, but they had no time for that. Stabilizing the Spirit Fire Ship was their top priority.

Fortunately, the waves weren’t overwhelmingly violent, and after a period of focused effort, they finally managed to bring the ship under control.

Now, Li Miao could finally spare some attention to feel for the Spirit Candle’s guidance.

”Over there!”

Li Miao pointed forward and to the right.

That was the direction the Spirit Candle was indicating.

Shore nodded, and the two began to fight their way through the surging waves and storm, heading toward their destination.

Along the way, they encountered many more Sea Monsters carried in by the waves.

[You have slain a Rot Head Shark]

[You have slain a Spiked Manta Ray]

[...]

Some were creatures they had seen before, while others were new, but none of them were particularly dangerous. For players like Li Miao and Shore, who had ignited their Warfire, they were no match.

Still, their situation was far from ideal.

They had to constantly fight to keep the Spirit Fire Ship from capsizing in the churning waves, while also staying vigilant against sneak attacks from the Sea Monsters.

But as difficult as it was, they had to admit the experience was thrilling.

”Miaozi, look! I think that’s a lighthouse!”

Shore had suddenly spotted a faint red glow in the shadows. Following it to its source, he was surprised to see a tall structure looming in the rain.

Hearing this, Li Miao looked over as well.

Sure enough, a lighthouse had appeared in his line of sight. Though obscured by the rain and mist, he could faintly make out a cluster of buildings behind it. It looked like a Seaside Town.

And the Spirit Candle was pointing right at it.

However...

Looking at the faint red light cast by the lighthouse, Li Miao felt a sense of foreboding.

Just as he was lost in thought.

Shore shouted again, pulling his attention back to the present.

He heard the faint whistle of something cutting through the air and subconsciously raised his arm.

The next moment, the crisp clang of metal on metal rang out from his arm, and a small, blood-stained knife clattered onto the deck of the Spirit Fire Ship.

Along with it came a hoarse, maniacal laugh.

”Hee hee heh heh heh...”

When they looked toward the source of the attack, their hearts skipped a beat.

An old fisherman, his body riddled with knives, was staring straight at them with crazed, scarlet eyes. He was covered in bloodstains and watermarks.

Behind him, a headless, disemboweled corpse was relentlessly rowing a small boat, steadily approaching them.

They resembled Living Corpses in appearance—shriveled and pale—but strangely, fresh blood still streamed from their wounds.

[Mad Fisherman]

[Tier: Residual Ash]

[Level: 9]

[Explanation: A mad fisherman who appears to be mentally unstable.]

BOOM!

”What the hell kind of monster is that?”

Whether it was the clap of thunder or the sheer grotesqueness of the scene, Li Miao felt the hairs on his arms stand on end.

”Who cares what it is? We just have to kill it.”

Shore frowned. Without another word, he raised his Devil Fish Tail Staff and unleashed a Blood Stone Burst.

Meanwhile, Li Miao didn’t just stand there. He raised his Law Knight’s Shield, blocking the incoming Flying Knife.

BOOM!

Shore’s Blood Stone Burst scored a direct hit on the Mad Fisherman. The force of the blast was impressive, blowing both the monster and its boat to smithereens.

Puzzlingly, however, upon death, the Mad Fisherman exploded into a cloud of exceptionally vivid blood-mist, which stood out starkly even in the heavy rain.

Li Miao and Shore exchanged a surprised glance, each seeing the confusion in the other’s eyes.

’Blood Stone Burst definitely isn’t that powerful.’

But before they could give it much thought, something else happened.

”SKREEE—”

An incredibly sharp, ear-piercing screech suddenly erupted from the direction of the lighthouse.

Along with it came the lighthouse’s faint red beam!

It swept over them, engulfing their Spirit Fire Ship completely!