Chapter 333: Fire Worshipper

“Huh? Why are you ignoring me? Hey?”

“Bu Long, say something…”

Brother Mangzi poked Bu Long in confusion. When he saw the utterly dead-inside look on his friend’s face, it slowly dawned on him to look around, his voice trailing off.

Sure enough, everyone was looking at him, trying to hold back their laughter.

Seeing this, Brother Mangzi coughed. Not feeling particularly embarrassed, he just gave everyone a sheepish grin and scratched his head.

It all sounded rather convoluted, and to be honest, Luo Ge was getting tired of it too.

‘But have you ever seen an NPC use plain language during a story cutscene?’

‘He could guarantee that if he dared to speak plainly, this bunch of players would listen, then immediately turn around and call him an “illiterate NPC” or say he “has zero style”…’

Luo Ge shook his head internally, ignoring the two goofballs, and continued his explanation for the players.

This time, to accommodate the players who were a bit slow on the uptake, Luo Ge raised his hand. An illusory, simple sketch of a figure flickered in midair, illustrating his words.

“After Burning Fire comes Serving Fire.”

“Just like the first person in the Land of Burning who touched the Primordial Fire and revered it as a god… Fire Burners, at the opportune moment, also unite the Will of the Fire of Life with Warfire, and hold it high in worship…”

“Those who engage in Serving Fire thus obtain the Power of Fire from Warfire…”

“People admired their resilient Will and great Power, and so they were honorably called—Fire Worshippers.”

“For Fire Burners to become Fire Worshippers and master the Power of Fire, they must actively undergo this process.”

“This is the origin of the Fire Worship Ceremony.”

The players all looked up.

In the sky-blue, illusory sketch, a small figure placed a hand on its chest, drew a speck of light from its body, and raised it high overhead.

The next moment, a brilliant light flared, transforming into a burning flame that illuminated the surrounding gloom. Specks of light dotted the air like a field of stars.

“Hey, this story cutscene is pretty creative.”

The late-arriving Niuniu nodded in approval from within the crowd.

“The way the Candlekeeper is talking, I have a feeling Promoting our Tier this time is going to be difficult,” Mushroom said with some worry.

“Don’t jinx it,” Niuniu said, rolling his eyes. He then muttered under his breath, “This game is already hard enough. They wouldn’t make it harder just to Promote… right?”

Even as he said it, he started to sound unsure.

However, whether by coincidence or in direct response to Niuniu’s words, the Candlekeeper’s next sentence answered his question.

Luo Ge spoke slowly.

“However, successfully completing the Fire Worship Ceremony is no easy task.”

‘Holy shit?’

‘Did Mushroom’s jinx actually work?’

Hearing Luo Ge’s words, Niuniu’s heart sank.

“To succeed in Serving Fire, you must unite your Will with your Warfire. Your Warfire is like another self, hidden deep within your heart. You must tame it, and you must achieve Fusion with it.”

“Only then can you complete the act of Serving Fire.”

“For the living beings of the Land of Burning, this process is fraught with difficulty and danger.”

“Historical records are filled with accounts of those who failed the Fire Worship Ceremony and lost their Will. A considerable number have even died from it.”

“Even for those who survive… if they attempt the ceremony again, the difficulty will, in all likelihood, only increase…”

Luo Ge paused, his eyes sweeping over the motley crew of players—all different heights, weights, looks, and colors—before sighing internally.

‘Thank goodness… Thank goodness.’

“…However, you are Warriors of the Spirit Candle, extensions of the Spirit Candle’s Will.”

“Your physical forms are far less powerful than those of the common Fire Burners of this land. Therefore, the hardships you will encounter during the Fire Worship Ceremony will also be correspondingly reduced.”

Phew…

Hearing this, many players couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.

Of course, they weren’t worried about dying, but about how difficult it would be.

Now that the Candlekeeper had said that, it probably wouldn’t be too hard.

“Oh, good, good…” Niuniu’s face broke into a wide grin as he blurted out his thoughts, “It would be way too embarrassing to fail at something like a Promotion.”

The other players heard him and voiced their agreement.

‘So pathetic!’

Luo Ge took in their reactions and cursed them internally for their lack of ambition.

“As Candle Spirits, you will not be completely Extinguished… But be careful. The Spirit Candle protects your Soul, but your bodies can hardly escape the punishment of the rules…”

“Go now, Warriors of the Spirit Candle…”

Having said all that was necessary, Luo Ge couldn’t be bothered to say more. His figure gradually faded away.

‘Perhaps due to the Spirit Candle, my own experience with Serving Fire was exceptionally smooth.’

‘But knowing the true difficulty, he was certain the process was anything but easy.’

‘If these players didn’t take it seriously, they would probably get stuck on the Fire Worship Ceremony for a very long time.’

‘These players, with their weak Wills and dismissive attitudes, could just wait for the suffering to begin…’

…

「After the Candlekeeper left.」

The players were naturally eager to try.

Full of confidence, Shore rolled up his sleeves, sat down right next to the Spirit Candle, and shouted with great bravado, “Begin Serving Fire!”

[Yes]

The next moment, his body suddenly dissolved into specks of azure Firelight and vanished.

“Huh? Where’d he go? Where did he go?”

“That goofball Shore… he didn’t just Teleport away to mess with us, did he?”

“Or maybe you have to go to a special place to perform the Serving Fire ritual?”

The players were completely baffled, unsure if Shore was just messing around.

But soon, Li Miao stepped forward.

“Hah… I’ll give it a try.”

After taking a breath, Li Miao also stepped up. After painfully spending his Wax Oil, his body vanished as well.

After that, more players joined the process, disappearing in the same fashion.

Without a doubt, this was a necessary step for the Fire Worship Ceremony.

Seeing this, the players who intended to perform the Fire Worship Ceremony joined in one by one. Some were brimming with confidence, others were braced for a serious challenge, and still others were dismissive, believing a simple ceremony would be a piece of cake…

…

After watching for a while, Storyteller turned and left, his heart pounding with excitement.

Of course, it wasn’t because he was getting cold feet. It was because his Level wasn’t high enough yet…

Among the Prison Players, he had gotten a later start and usually spent less time on dungeons, so his strength was naturally a bit lower.

However, Storyteller didn’t feel discouraged by this at all.

After all, for him, the game’s appeal wasn’t just about combat and grinding monsters to level up.

Compared to that, what the Candlekeeper had just said was far more exciting to him.

The next step was to organize all this information and share it with the other players.

Then, he would check the Spirit Candle Shop for updates and, while he was at it, observe what the newbies were doing with the new bloodline, [Curse Master].

…

The players all went about their business.

Meanwhile, Luo Ge was discussing an important matter with Noxia, Burton, and the others.

“…Lord Luo Ge, I am only able to hang on to this day thanks to your grace.”

“Forgive me for being blunt, but you have the power to seize my flame, yet you chose to show respect. For that, Burton is already immensely grateful, to say nothing of sharing this trivial bit of knowledge.”

“Besides, the number of students increases by the day. Even with my Clone Skill, I’m finding it a bit overwhelming…”

“So, there is no need for further thanks.”

In response to Luo Ge’s inquiry, Burton Mage chuckled.

The matter Luo Ge was discussing with him was the creation of their “replacements.”

Of course, this wasn’t to replace Burton and Noxia, but because they were simply “not enough to go around.”

In terms of numbers, that is.

The player count was now approaching ten thousand. With the arrival of the new version, the increase in Spirit Candle Power, and the standardization of the new player tutorial, the number of players would only continue to grow.

Under such circumstances, NPCs like Burton and Noxia were becoming spread far too thin…

Burton, the Mage who knew Clone Magic, was managing, but Noxia, that simple Candle Guardian Witch, had been silently gritting her teeth and pushing through it all, never once mentioning it to Luo Ge.

Luo Ge had only recently noticed.

Hearing Burton Mage’s words, he nodded and said earnestly, “Thank you, Burton Mage.”

Then, he turned to Noxia and smiled.

“Thank you, too, Noxia.”

Hearing Luo Ge’s words, Noxia pursed her lips and shook her head gently.

“I’m sorry, Lord Luo Ge. If only I had a stronger Ability, perhaps I could have been of more help to you…”

She felt a pang of guilt.

Luo Ge fell silent for a moment. He opened his palm, and a book about the Burning Earth Race materialized. Noxia had always been the one helping him translate these books.

“Don’t think that way. To me, you have always been irreplaceable.”