Chapter 190: Encounter
Li Wen was completely enveloped by this sudden suffocation and chill, as if the whole world had turned into icy seawater, ready to swallow her whole. The fear, originating from the unknown, began to take root and grow uncontrollably. Just as her consciousness was about to dissipate, those desperate feelings receded like a tide at a certain moment. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself miraculously standing on the deck, soaking wet, her breaths carrying a salty coolness that no longer instilled any fear in her.
Her surroundings were shrouded in a deep darkness. The ocean seemed to have lost its life, silent and dead, not even the slightest sound of waves could be heard. Li Wen looked down, and the ship beneath her feet was no longer the sturdy Adventurer, but a dilapidated, half-submerged abandoned vessel. The mast swayed precariously, and upon closer inspection, a tattered black flag hung from it, fluttering powerlessly in the wind. The pattern on it was blurry and eerie, exuding an indescribable gloom.
Unmoved, Li Wen took a candle from her pocket. This item could serve as a material for spellcasting and also as a ritual for some Glor, so she always kept ample supply. The moment the candle was lit, a gentle and warm light bloomed in the darkness, dispelling the surrounding chill, but it seemed unable to dissipate the strange and ominous nature of the depths of this sea area.
She scanned her surroundings, trying to find traces of the Twin-tailed Mermaid. The interior of the ship was in disarray, littered with various broken items, some still carrying the salty and fishy smell of seawater, as if they had just been salvaged from the seabed.
After pondering for a moment, Li Wen stepped into the ship’s cabin.
The instant she stepped into the cabin, a scent of decay and dampness hit her, as if she had entered another dimension in an instant. This half-sunken wreck, though appearing small from the outside, had a hidden world within. Its space was abnormally vast due to the distortion of some unknown power, with countless rooms densely packed, forming a complex three-dimensional structure like a maze. Li Wen was secretly wary, knowing this was undoubtedly the work of the Twin-tailed Mermaid. It seemed to not wish to confront her head-on, but rather to exhaust her patience and stamina in this manner.
“Do you like playing hide-and-seek?” Li Wen tilted her head, a cold glint in her eyes. She detested such time-wasting tactics, but this was, after all, a space controlled by the Twin-tailed Mermaid, and how to proceed was not up to her. Thus, holding aloft her candle, she began to search each room one by one. This was not only to find the Twin-tailed Mermaid statue but also to look for those who had gone missing—should they not have yet become the Twin-tailed Mermaid’s prey.
Most of these rooms were empty, or littered with some moldy and worn-out furniture, ship supplies, and sundries. Not to mention living creatures, there wasn’t even a Corpse. The rooms connected to other rooms, as if endless.
Continuing to search like this was undoubtedly a waste of time. There were too many rooms here, and the structure was too complex; finding anything of value was like finding a needle in a haystack. A thought crossed Li Wen’s mind. She closed her eyes and prayed. As the last syllable left her lips, a dark candle, already lit but with no flickering flame, floated before the Girl.
After that, deep darkness descended once more as all sources of light were consumed by that dark, dim candle. But in this almost absolute darkness, Li Wen could see things within the dark. While not as clear as in daylight, it was sufficient for combat.
The level 1 Candle of Giving Darkness could only last for 1 minute. During its duration, it dealt damage to enemies within a 15-meter radius every three seconds, meaning it could deal a total of 20 instances of damage. A full 20 instances within a 15-meter spherical range was enough for Li Wen to thoroughly search the entire maze for anyone. As long as she treated everything that moved as an enemy, when that being was scorched by the Candle of Giving Darkness, it would surely make a sound.
Although the skill description stated that the Candle of Giving Darkness dealt damage to enemies within the “candlelight”‘s range, the candlelight of the Candle of Giving Darkness brought not light but darkness. Darkness could not be blocked by anything, except light.
An invisible ripple spread outwards from the candle. After confirming there was no feedback, Li Wen activated Witch Form and immediately flew towards another location about thirty meters away. With such means, she could explore the entire maze in no time, as long as these rooms were not infinite.
Luck seemed to be on her side. Before Li Wen could try several times, she felt the feedback of the Candle of Giving Darkness hitting its target. Li Wen canceled Witch Form and changed direction, heading towards the room where the feedback existed.
Li Wen pushed open the door, and the cold, foul-smelling air rushed in, bringing an bone-chilling cold. Her gaze swept across, and not far away, a group of wet, distorted-faced creatures were attacking a few young people. Those creatures were bulky, their skin an unnatural pale green, their eyes empty and vacant, yet exuding a heart-stopping madness—these were Drowned Corpses, products born from corpses drowned and influenced by some Monster.
Although Drowned Corpses were not as sturdy as Walking Corpses, their attacks were more frantic and without pattern, a nightmare for ordinary people. Those young people were clearly not Transcendent. Facing the onslaught of the Drowned Corpses, although they fought back desperately, they quickly showed signs of being outmatched, and defeat was merely a matter of time.
Li Wen frowned. Without hesitation, she raised the dark candle in her hand. The Glor of the Candle of Giving Darkness quietly bloomed in the darkness, not a warm and bright light, but a deep, gloomy, darkness that seemed to devour all light.
She locked the target of the Candle of Giving Darkness firmly on those Drowned Corpses. Three seconds later, an invisible ripple spread rapidly from the candle. Wherever it passed, the Drowned Corpses let out piercing and terrifying roars. Their bodies seemed to be ignited by an invisible flame, and they began to burn rapidly.
The struggles of the Drowned Corpses were futile. Under the illumination of the Candle of Giving Darkness, they could not resist that deep, invisible power at all. In a moment, this large quantity of Drowned Corpses was struck down. Their already rotten and swollen bodies quickly turned to Ashes under the devouring of the invisible flame, leaving only a pungent smell of burnt odor permeating the air.
Only then did Li Wen gently blow out the candle in her hand and walk towards the young people. They were already stunned by what they had witnessed. It was not until Li Wen spoke that they snapped back to reality.
“Are you all right?” Li Wen’s voice was calm and indifferent, yet carried an undeniable authority.
