Chapter 312 - 203: His Front Teeth Are Glowing

This gave Ryan pause, so he didn’t make an immediate choice. Instead, he returned to the Shadow Cave to find the Storyteller. After all, his only friends at the moment were the Storyteller, Li Miao, and the others.

To inherit the Power and memories of a dead kinsman...

After listening to Ryan, the Storyteller frowned slightly, lost in thought.

’Ryan is a Firewood Gatherer, and this mysterious room is connected to the place where he woke up...’

At this thought, a theory began to form in the Storyteller’s mind.

’That is, Ryan’s "Yasumu" clan has a close connection to the Campfire.’

’And this connection manifests as... providing an endless supply of Warriors, just like Ryan?’

The Storyteller’s eyes narrowed at the thought.

He snapped out of his reverie and, rather than voicing his theory, asked, "After you returned, did you ask your Fire Witch about this?"

Ryan nodded. "She only recommended that I inherit the Power from the remains. She didn’t say much else."

"Did the Guardian Soul tell you anything else related to it?" the Storyteller asked.

Ryan shook his head with a slight sigh.

’It seems both the Fire Witch and the Guardian Soul just wanted me to inherit the Power and memories from the remains, and that’s it.’

’Maybe they know something, but they’ve chosen not to tell me.’

"Then what’s your gut feeling? Your first instinct about this choice?" the Storyteller asked, looking at him.

Ryan fell silent for a moment before answering, "I... I don’t like the feeling."

"I don’t want to inherit the Power and memories of a dead kinsman."

"I see..."

The Storyteller’s brow furrowed more deeply.

’Ryan clearly sees me as a trustworthy friend. If I recommend a course of action, it will almost certainly influence his final decision.’

’And as for this so-called "inheritance of the remains"... no one can be sure of the pros and cons.’

After a moment of deliberation, the Storyteller slowly gave his response.

"Ryan, I’m not going to give you a recommendation. I’ll just analyze the potential pros and cons for you. The final choice has to be yours..."

With that, the Storyteller began to seriously analyze the pros and cons for him.

Inheriting could grant him immense Power and useful memories, but it also came with significant risks. In a world like this, doing something like "inheriting remains" could easily land you with a Curse or something worse if you weren’t careful.

On the other hand, not inheriting was simple. Not a damn thing would happen.

Besides, as far as getting stronger goes, Ryan now had a connection with Candle Island. He could buy pretty much anything he wanted through the Storyteller.

And Candle Island, in turn, needed to get information about Firewood Gatherers from Ryan. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

So, from the Storyteller’s perspective, he definitely didn’t want Ryan to take the risk of inheriting the remains.

’After all, if Ryan died, this connection would be severed, right?’

’And that kid, Li Miao, is still counting on getting some one-of-a-kind gear from him...’

’Of course, that’s just thinking from the perspective of a dynamic-story NPC.’

’If it were one of the players... well, that would be a different story entirely...’

"..." After listening to the Storyteller, Ryan grew pensive, his tightly furrowed brow relaxing slightly.

A moment later, he thanked the Storyteller earnestly. "Thank you. I understand now."

He started to stand, about to leave the Shadow Cave, but the Storyteller’s quick reflexes caught his arm.

"Are you going back to inherit the remains?" the Storyteller asked, surprised.

"No." Ryan shook his head. "I’m going back to close that door."

"..."

The Storyteller’s mouth twitched. He was speechless.

’If you’re not going to inherit it, what’s the rush? It’s not like the room is going to eat you...’

"Then what’s the panic? Don’t go yet. You came all this way, so let’s talk a bit more. You can tell me about the dungeons you’ve been to this time, whether you found anything special..."

As he spoke, the Storyteller took out various Special Items and props from his inventory, restocking the wares on his stall.

"We sell a lot of good things here. You could take some back with you to try out..."

Just then, the Storyteller noticed Jama silently watching them from the side, so he took the opportunity to introduce it to Ryan.

"This is Jama, a friend of mine. It doesn’t sell many things, but they’re all very useful..."

...

「Night fell once again.」

Many Spirit Candle Players eagerly donned their helmets and entered the game.

Come to think of it, virtual reality games had actually helped a lot of players kick the habit of staying up all night.

Their phones? What could be more fun than a VR game?

Spirit Candle, activate!

"AGHGHGHGBLBLBLBL... Who the hell said Fission Scream was easier than Elegy of Death?! I’ve fucking died at least twenty times and I still don’t see any hope of clearing it..."

"*Relatively* easier. Do you not understand what ’relatively’ means?"

"...Guys, what do I do if I can’t even get past Xiali Milir’s first form?"

"Suggest you start over."

"My advice? Go haul bricks or be a fisherman."

"I’m cracking up. So I just finished my grunt work for the day, and now I’m supposed to put on my helmet and do more grunt work in the game?"

"By the way, how many top players have cleared the Mysterious High Platform now? I remember hearing that once ten people clear it, the regional war is supposed to start, right?"

"I think there are seven top players already."

"Then I’m screwed. I just barely beat the Side Stage Soloist..."

On the world channel, most players had their attention fixed on the Mysterious High Platform. However, it was clear that the vast majority of them had no chance of securing one of the spots.

Meanwhile, in the waiting area, several of the Prison Players who had already cleared it were gathered.