Bizarre Voyage: Summoning The Fourth Crisis

After some questioning, they learned that the player in front of them was a lucky one who had gotten into the game without even looking at the forums. He hadn’t even chosen a bloodline!

”Damn, what a total waste!”

”Oh, the tragedy!”

”Go on, get outta here.”

The group of players was exasperated. Caught between laughter and tears, Li Miao pulled him aside and gave him a simple explanation of the situation.

Not long after, another new player appeared.

”Hahaha, I’m in! This game really lives up to the hype!”

This player, with the ID ”Pai Daxun,” was extremely excited. He clearly wasn’t a lucky player like Big Banana.

Furthermore, he had a feature that was different from the other players.

It was a sinister, gray-and-black gaping hole in his chest, within which an unknown power seemed to flow.

”Holy shit, that hole in his chest is so cool! It looks a bit like that demon skin for Lu Bu!”

”Oh snap, a *Glory* reference!”

”Cut the crap, ask the real questions.”

”Bro! Bro! Quick, tell us, what’s the Effect of the Demon Summoner bloodline?”

A group of players immediately swarmed him, asking excitedly.

Pai Daxun was taken aback by the players, but he was mentally prepared. He soon began speaking with them confidently, sharing all the information about the Demon Summoner.

[Pai Daxun]

[Tier: Residual Ash]

[Level: 1]

[Power: 3]

[Constitution: 3]

[Agility: 5]

[Spirit: 8]

[Faith: 8]

[Free Attribute Points: 5]

[Talent: Demon Summoner]

[Ability: Dodge]

[Skill: Demon Pearl Condensation]

[Demon Summoner: Place a Magic Pearl in your chest to summon a Demon. The Demon’s strength is determined by your Level, and the quantity is determined by your Tier. When a Demon dies, there is a chance the Magic Pearl will shatter. (Note: Special Primordial Magic Pearls are not restricted by strength. After acquiring this Talent, you cannot perform Fire Ignition, but the Talent will be enhanced as your Tier increases.)]

[Demon Pearl Condensation: When a monster’s Life Value drops to 10% or below, you can attempt to condense a Magic Pearl from it. There is a small chance of success. Failure will reduce its Life Value until it dies.]

Once the information on the Demon Summoner was revealed, the players present burst into an uproar and began a heated discussion.

”Eight plus eight... five minus three...”

”Does this bloodline start with two extra points from its Talent? That’s so OP!”

”These Attributes are great. It’s a natural Mage-style bloodline. It should be pretty comfortable for new players.”

”It gives you a Skill right from the start? That’s insane! Why the hell would anyone play a Frogman? Might as well reroll and get a Reshaped Body now.”

”So it really is a Summoner? You can summon monsters with Magic Pearls? Couldn’t you just summon a huge pile of cannon fodder and overwhelm your opponents?”

”Are you kidding, bro? Didn’t you see the quantity and strength limits? Are you dreaming?”

”Primordial Magic Pearl... What’s that mean?”

The players were all discussing animatedly, but the more sharp-eyed among them had spotted the key point.

”This bloodline can’t use Fire Ignition!”

”Well, that’s it then. It’s garbage.”

”Not necessarily. Do I even need to explain how OP the ability to summon backup is?”

”Being unable to use Fire Ignition cuts out more than half the gameplay experience.”

Everyone immediately realized the gravity of this point.

By now, most of Spirit Candle’s mechanics and power systems had been revealed.

And Fire Ignition was undoubtedly a very powerful mechanic that was a huge help to the players.

For example.

Before Fire Ignition, even a player who maxed out their Constitution would be taken down in just a few Heavy Strikes by a Law Knight.

But after using Fire Ignition on a Law Knight, with the addition of equipment and Skills, a player could truly withstand more than ten hits, greatly increasing their margin for error.

The most fundamental reason was that Fire Ignition not only granted a Talent, but also an appearance change and a corresponding Ability boost. For the players’ pitiful, Little Kalami-like Attributes, this was a massive improvement.

But the ”Demon Summoner” could not use Fire Ignition!

This was undoubtedly a massive drawback.

However, Li Miao, who was in the crowd, offered a different perspective.

”Although it can’t use Fire Ignition, this bloodline comes with its own Talent and Attributes. The stat bonus might be small, but the potential of its summoning ability is strong, which should make up for the shortcoming.”

As soon as Li Miao spoke, the veteran players who had been disparaging the Demon Summoner bloodline couldn’t help but start weighing its pros and cons more carefully.

Indeed, in combat, one plus one was often greater than two. An extra person meant a higher chance of victory. The long-rumored Three Dogs Godslaying Array and the couple in the underground space had already taught them plenty of lessons about that.

If the Demons summoned by the Demon Summoner could just tank damage or draw aggro, that would already be quite good.

The group discussed for a while longer.

Seeing this, the two newbies, Pai Daxun and Big Banana, were a bit bewildered. Although the former had diligently read guides and frequented the forums, his understanding of the game ultimately couldn’t compare to these veteran players.

”Alright, why don’t we just test it in practice?” Li Miao suggested.

Shore and Guagua both nodded in agreement.

”Good idea, Brother Miao has a point.”

”That’s right, practice is the sole criterion for testing truth! Let’s go!”

The other players also agreed. Once they verified the strength of this bloodline, they could give it serious consideration if they decided to get a Reshaped Body later.

And so, Pai Daxun and Big Banana were led away by the group of veteran players, looking utterly bewildered.

A short while later, another player popped into existence beside the Spirit Candle.

”Hahaha, I’m here! I picked Demon Summoner! Cheer for me, bros! This bloodline is super strong!”

...

The area was completely silent.

”...Where is everyone?”

The player was stunned.

...

「Candle Island.」

A group of players stormed noisily into the territory of the Beach Fishmen.

”ROAR!”

A group of Fish People immediately felt their territory had been violated and charged forward, roaring angrily.

But... these Prison Players were a far cry from who they used to be.

”Gimme that!”

”Die!”

”No, wait, don’t kill them! Leave them for Pai Daxun to use his Skill!”

BANG!

Li Miao transformed directly into a Law Knight. He didn’t even use his Greatsword. With his body clad in Iron Armor Gloves, he landed two heavy punches—WHAM! WHAM!—knocking the Beach Fishman Leader silly. He then dropped to one knee, pinning it firmly to the ground by its neck.

The same Fishman Leader that had once been able to chase Li Miao down now could only howl with uncontrollable rage beneath him. It struggled furiously, but only managed to get a mouthful of sand for its efforts.

At this point, not a single wandering Fish Person was left on the entire Beach Fishman coast; all of them had been brought under control by the players.

A small portion of the players had even been too slow to catch a Fish Person and could only watch from the sidelines.

”What in the...?”

Pai Daxun and Big Banana stared, dumbfounded, at the terrifying and ferocious appearance of the Fish People.

’Are all these veteran players this badass?’

”Come on, bro, try it on them one by one. Hurry, hurry,” Li Miao urged Pai Daxun.

”Huh?”

”Okay, pro, I’m on it!”

Looking at the neat rows of Fish People, Pai Daxun felt like he’d been hit by a sudden wave of happiness. He scurried over eagerly.

After composing himself, Pai Daxun took a breath and extended his palm toward the Beach Fishman Leader.

Gray-black power coalesced in Pai Daxun’s hand. The next moment, a phantom hand of the same color shot out, grabbing the Beach Fishman Leader and roughly merging into its body.

The Fishman Leader’s cry cut off abruptly as its body began to tremble uncontrollably.

But this Effect lasted for less than two seconds before it started struggling again, its already low Blood Volume decreasing further.

”Again,” Li Miao told him.

Pai Daxun didn’t waste any words, simply nodding before using Demon Pearl Condensation again.

But this time, his luck was still bad.

Furthermore, the Fishman Leader’s Life Value dropped directly to zero. Its head lolled to the side, and it died.

”Uh... sorry, pro,” Pai Daxun said, a little embarrassed.

”It’s fine. Keep going.” Li Miao wasn’t bothered in the slightest. The Skill had a high failure rate to begin with; it was already impressive that a newcomer could use it so smoothly.

Pai Daxun then began to ’call the roll’ on the other captured Fish People, one by one.

After killing three more unlucky Fish People,

A pearl flew back into Pai Daxun’s hand, and the crowd was overjoyed.

Success!