Swish!
After a clean dodge-roll, Rogge neatly cut down another Tidemire Sandworm. While collecting the loot, he checked on the player's situation through the Spirit Candle.
Seeing Li Miao manage to counter-kill the Tidemire Murloc, he nodded slightly.
Though the kid made countless mistakes, used neither skills nor weapon techniques, relying solely on his high Constitution and a small accessory to tank through… at least he didn't die to the weakest murloc.
He should gradually get the hang of combat soon enough—becoming a passable player.
Puchi!
Lost in thought, Rogge casually stabbed the chipped sword into the sand beneath his feet, killing yet another sandworm trying to ambush him.
…
Although he didn't have an explicit HP bar, Li Miao could clearly feel that only a quarter of his life force remained.
It was obviously a miserable victory.
One more mistake and he would've donated First Blood right there…
"This game… is kinda hardcore…"
Li Miao muttered.
But when he saw the droplet-shaped Wax Oil on the ground, a bit of pride rose in his chest.
First battle and I counter-killed a strong enemy.
Not bad at all!
A truly exhilarating fight!
Nice—this game is great!
"Raaagh…"
A distant roar echoed from the shoreline.
Snapping out of his excitement, Li Miao saw the notification pop up:
[Acquired: Wax Oil ×1]
"Better go heal first."
He picked up the Wax Oil and headed back to the reef cave.
Sitting cross-legged beside the Spirit Candle, he could clearly feel his life force slowly recovering, and his wounds rapidly closing.
Maybe a minute or so and he'd be good as new.
The dim candlelight illuminated the dark cave, water dripping from the corners, while a battered warrior healed under its warmth…
"Kinda atmospheric…"
He couldn't help murmuring.
He began reviewing the battle.
"When it jumped at me, I should've rolled to evade…"
"I should've cut it with the blade—why did I end up fist-fighting instead…"
He smacked his palm, frustrated.
Honestly, his reaction was normal.
Before this, he was just an ordinary guy.
Forget killing intent—he barely had experience with regular fistfights.
Only repeated, hammer-tempered battles could forge a real warrior…
Soon enough, Li Miao was fully recovered.
Grabbing his blade again, his fighting spirit surged.
"This time I roll first, then finish it with one slash!"
Chest puffed out, he charged toward the shoreline once more.
…
Time passed—several hours in the blink of an eye.
Li Miao had transformed from a clueless beginner to a novice who at least understood the basics.
"Raaagh!"
A Tidemire Murloc leapt at him.
Li Miao performed a sloppy side-roll, dodging the attack, then sprang up with a slash across its back—tearing open a large wound.
Missed the head!
He cursed inwardly.
Attacking after a roll really was hard to control. He aimed for the head…
"Ghraa!"
Wounded, the murloc showed no sign of pain. It opened its mouth and sprayed slime at him.
Li Miao reacted quickly—forward roll.
He took the chance to chop again.
This time he didn't miss—he split the fish head clean in half.
[Acquired: Wax Oil ×1]
"Just a murloc—two hits, done!"
He chuckled proudly.
This was his first time killing one without taking any damage.
But just as he was celebrating—
Low growls echoed behind him.
"Ragh…"
"Ragh…"
"Raaagh!"
Several Tidemire Murlocs spotted him during their patrol and charged madly toward him.
Li Miao jolted in shock and quickly rolled away.
But this time, it wasn't just one monster targeting him.
With overlapping shrieks, one murloc after another lunged at him.
As the saying goes—three dogs can kill a god.
And Li Miao was still just a newbie.
No matter how fast he rolled, he couldn't dodge so many simultaneous attacks.
Very quickly, he was tackled to the sand, and the group piled onto him—tearing him apart.
His senses blurred as his body dissolved, turning into a small heap of faintly glowing ash.
[Death]
Stunned, Li Miao stared at the giant character on his screen.
It clearly said "Death," but somehow… he could only see the word "Noob."
"Got happy too early…"
He regretted it deeply.
He had rolled straight into the murloc patrol area and—busy celebrating—hadn't even noticed.
And just like that, his First Blood was gone.
A dull frustration welled up in his chest.
He examined himself and found that he was now a floating, transparent soul.
[Return to the Spirit Candle to reconstruct your body]
[Tip: After you die, your equipment and items remain temporarily in your "Wax Ash." Collect them quickly, or they will disappear after some time.]
"What the hell!"
The moment he saw the word "disappear," Li Miao panicked and flew toward the Spirit Candle.
Upon arrival, he immediately selected body reconstruction.
[Wax Oil -2]
[Reconstructing body…]
Darkness washed over him.
When he opened his eyes again, he stood before the Spirit Candle, alive once more.
He rushed back to his death spot and touched the pile of Wax Ash.
His familiar blade and Murloc Strange Scale re-equipped themselves.
He let out a breath of relief.
He had barely any belongings—he couldn't afford to lose them…
…
Rogge also noticed Li Miao's first death and chuckled lightly.
It wasn't surprising—this island was full of danger.
But the prompt wasn't as scary as Li Miao thought.
Wax Ash could persist for a long time, especially when closer to the Spirit Candle.
He added that warning simply to reduce unnecessary deaths.
After all, he had too little Wax Oil right now…
Next, Rogge examined the Spirit Candle's interface.
[Spirit Candle]
Burn Level: Remnant Ash
Remaining Wax Oil: 63
Spirit Candle Structures: None
Anchored Islands: 0
Summoned Candle Wraiths: 1
After several hours of fighting, Rogge had accumulated 63 Wax Oil—soon enough to summon the second player.
This amount included the Wax Oil contributed by Li Miao—after all, monsters like Tidemire Murlocs sometimes dropped two Wax Oils, but Li Miao only received one…
Rogge felt a twinge of guilt, but he had no choice.
Only by doing this could he use the excess Wax Oil to summon more players and develop more functions.
Otherwise, what would be the point of summoning players at all?