"Uh-huh, I really died,"
Chang Long said, starting to walk again, with Kitsune and Fluffy Head-chan following closely behind. Her spirits, anwhile, were safe, even without the guiding light of the fire.
"It happened while I was hunting beasts in the Purple Forest. I had the bad luck of running into the King of the Forest, and, well, you can guess what happened next."
Chang Long summarized the incident briefly.
"The King of the Purple Forest?!"
This ti, it was not just Oliang's voice. Everyone—Peach Blossom, Rafael, Draco, Siegfried, Lidded Wet Trash Can, Valentine, and even Aden, who had joined the conversation later—exclaid in unison, making Chang Long pull the watch away from her ear.
"Tone it down. Yeah, I ran into the King of the Purple Forest, level 130, and that's why I ended up dead."
As Chang Long responded, she suddenly heard the sounds of beasts howling behind her, followed by an overly familiar voice calling out to her. That caused several people's eyebrows on the other end of the call to twitch.
"Chang Long, wait for . I can't believe you'd travel through such a dangerous place without your personal bodyguard—!"
It was none other than Aswa. Despite being sowhat love-crazed, his skill remained sharp. After tripping over earlier, it had not taken him long to battle his way through the beasts and catch up to Chang Long. He had even gotten rid of the skull that had been biting his ear.
"Who's that? Since when does Master Chang have a personal bodyguard!"
Peach Blossom shouted so loudly that even Aswa, standing a fair distance away, could hear her.
"Huh? Is Chang Long chatting with a little sister? Maybe you should invite her to hunt beasts in the Purple Forest with us. That'd be fun. Don't worry, Chang Long. I'd be happy to protect your little sister, too!"
Aswa said confidently, puffing out his chest as if to seem more trustworthy.
"Eeeek. Who are you? And how did you end up with Master Chang? And for the record, I'm not her little sister. I'm her lover, got that!"
Peach Blossom screeched, her jealousy reaching a boiling point, causing everyone to step back from the conversation. The person who suffered most was Oliang, as he was using his watch to call Chang Long. All he could do now was cover his ears as Peach Blossom scread into his watch.
"Huh? Little sister, are you joking with ? You and Chang Long are both won—how can you be lovers? Anyway, Chang Long and I are doing just fine. Nothing can shake my feelings for her!"
Aswa furrowed his brow slightly as he responded. Those listening were stunned for the second ti, including Chang Long herself, who was left with her mouth agape. Aswa's delusions were truly sothing else.
"Eeeek. How dare you say your Chang Long?! She's my Chang Long, not yours!" Peach Blossom scread again, completely losing it.
Peach Blossom let out a furious scream at Oliang's watch, her face twisted in frustration, and unconsciously began hamring her palm repeatedly on Oliang's back in a fit of rage. Oliang's eyes was brimming with tears. He was tempted to hang up the call with Chang Long imdiately. anwhile, Siegfried seed lost in his thoughts, his expression grim, ready to confront anyone who crossed his path. He was radiating a dangerous killing intent, sothing his friends had never witnessed before.
"This is bad!"
Draco, who sensed Siegfried's intense malice, quickly pointed it out to the others while retreating a safe distance. All the while, Peach Blossom was still furiously venting her anger into Oliang's watch, oblivious to the mounting tension.
"You. Ah, he just hung up!"
Peach Blossom shouted in frustration as the call suddenly cut off, signaled by a dial tone. Oliang, seizing the opportunity, imdiately stood up and fled. Peach Blossom, her fiery anger quickly extinguished by her brother's overwhelming killing intent, hurried to join the others, now standing several ters away.
"Wow, this little sister of Chang Long sure is loud. I hope you don't mind hanging up on her, Chang Long? Honestly, her voice was grating. Plus, you didn't seem to enjoy it much either. Oh, where are you going, Chang Long?"
Aswa asked innocently, still unaware that Chang Long found him just as annoying as Peach Blossom's outbursts. He humd happily as he followed Chang Long, oblivious to her growing frustration as she mulled over how to get rid of him.
.....
In the wide courtyard of Pendragon Guild, Siegfried, the guild leader, was deep in thought. He was the first player in Adventure World Online to received the elf race, standing tall with a lithe fra, fair skin, and light brown hair that swayed gently in the wind. His pointed ears peeked through his hair, and his bright blue eyes—characteristic of elves—usually gave him an air of friendliness that drew the attention of players around him. But now, those bright blue eyes were filled with a vengeful glint as they stared into the empty space before him. His guildmates and friends had already retreated to the far edges of the courtyard, pressing their backs against the walls in fear, unsure of what had driven their leader to such a state of rage. He looked like he could burst out at any mont.
"My... Chang Long… huh!"
Siegfried muttered to himself. His hand reached for Caduceus, his weapon—a sword sheathed in what appeared to be a staff adorned with wings, with two snakes coiled around it. With a swift, furious swing, he slashed at the empty air in front of him, sending a visible wave of energy forward. The mbers of his guild, who had been in the line of attack, scrambled to dodge the blast, panicking. They had never seen their leader's true strength until now. But now, they fully understood—Siegfried was incredibly powerful. The energy wave from his swing had completely obliterated the building behind them.
"He's lost his mind,"
Peach Blossom spoke, clearly shaken. It was rare to see her brother this enraged. Normally, Siegfried was gentle and kind. For soone as calm and good-natured as him to lose control like this, it had to be over sothing incredibly serious.
"If no one stops him, we won't have a place to sleep tonight."
Draco observed grimly. Siegfried might just tear through the entire guild's buildings before calming down.
"And who's going to dare stop him? Just look at his eyes. If anyone gets close, they'll be sliced in half before they can say a word,"
Valentine added with trembling voice. Everyone seed to agree with her. Siegfried's level was nearing 80, while theirs ranged between 50 and the low 70s. None of them were brave enough to try stopping soone with his skill and fury.
"There's only one person who might be able to calm him down. But I'm not sure if she'll even want to help after, well... hearing soone's screaming earlier,"
Oliang suggested, glancing aningfully at Peach Blossom.
"How can you bla for this? You should be blaming that arrogant guy who thinks he's all that with Master Chang!"
Peach Blossom snapped at Oliang, though her voice was noticeably quieter, as she was feeling a bit guilty.
"Just call her. I'm sure Chang Long's voice will be enough to calm him down,"
Rafael suggested with a tone of apprehension. It seed Siegfried had started aiming his sword in their direction.
Oliang nodded and dialed Chang Long again. But she did not pick up. The group grew even more anxious. Chang Long might be angry at them for disturbing her, especially with all the shouting, which she hated. The accusing glares quickly turned to Peach Blossom, who could only shrink back without any retort. Even after trying again, Chang Long still did not answer. Oliang had no choice but to send her a ssage, briefly explaining the situation with Siegfried and begging her to call him—though they were not sure if she would.
.....
anwhile, Chang Long, who thought she had finally shaken off Aswa, was left with no choice but to massage her temple in frustration. To her surprise, Aswa had caught up to her in no ti. Just monts ago, he had been screaming about a skull biting his hand while surrounded by a horde of beasts. Yet here he was, standing in front of her, looking completely unscathed, this ti without a skull chomping on his ear.
"You walk so fast, Chang Long. If I didn't have my Qinggong skill, I wouldn't have caught up with you. But wait, you're not playing a martial artist profession, so how are you so quick?"
Aswa asked, now walking alongside Chang Long with ease. It was then that he noticed the two-tailed fox with orange-golden fur and the large lion walking beside her. He froze in realization—this was the sa annoyed little lion cub he had seen in the city. He recognized the tuft of golden fur around his mane imdiately.
"Why? Can only martial artist walk quickly?"
Chang Long asked, feigning interest. She rembered that only those in the martial artist profession could use qinggong, which allowed for faster and more fluid movent than other professions. However, other professions could also move quickly if they trained hard enough (since swift movent skill could be increased by running at a player's maximum speed).
"Well, yes... Other professions can move fast, but none can match the speed of the martial artist profession. The qinggong skill is the ga's fastest skill. But you're pretty quick yourself, Chang Long. Could it be that you're playing as a ninja? They have speed-enhancing skills too,"
Aswa said, studying Chang Long for the first ti. However, her outfit did not match that of a ninja at all. In fact, it looked oddly familiar to him. He was sure it had to be very expensive.
"No, I'm not—whoa!"
Chang Long quickly declined, ducking as several arrows flew toward her and Aswa. Unlike Chang Long, Aswa seed completely unfazed. He rely shifted his body slightly, effortlessly dodging all the arrows. Though she did not particularly like Aswa, Chang Long could not help but be impressed by his skills.
Noticing her reaction, Aswa smiled smugly, satisfied that he had managed to impress her, even though it was just an insignificant skill. He saw this as an opportunity to further showcase his abilities to impress her. Smiling confidently, Aswa misread Chang Long's wariness toward his smile as fear, assuming she needed his protection. He gripped his large sword tightly, and for the first ti, Chang Long noticed the bright red gemstone embedded in it. He whispered in a deep voice to his sword.
"Blaze,"
he commanded, and flas erupted from the red gem like waves, engulfing the entire length of his blade. He then charged into the dark area where the arrows had co from, his fiery sword lighting the way. It was the area that Chang Long's Guiding Fla's shine did not reach. The sounds of battle soon echoed, and Chang Long could tell there were several beasts lying in wait, as Aswa was taking his ti. Realizing this was her second chance to escape from the eccentric man, Chang Long quickly left him behind, bringing Kitsune and Fluffy Head-chan along as she swiftly moved away.
.....
At the Nine Moon Restaurant on the Starting Island,
the mbers of the Pendragon Guild sat crowded around a large dining hall. Their expressions varied—so looked disturbed, others weary, and a few excited—but most seed worried. Earlier, after their guild leader had finished his rampage, (reducing every building in the Pendragon Guild to rubble,) he had disappeared without a trace. No one dared to look for him. Now, the guild's two deputy leaders and close friends sat at a table by the window, discussing their most urgent task: finding temporary accommodations for the guild mbers for the night and calculating the enormous costs of housing everyone and repairing the destroyed guild buildings.
"Love-struck madman!"
That was the nickna everyone in the guild had given Siegfried.
After rampaging through the Royal Cliff, Love-struck madman now found himself sitting forlorn on the edge of the seventh floor, as if starring in a music video. The wind constantly swept across the cliffside, making it a terrible spot for romance (with hair flying into one's face, and so even needing to spit out strands of hair caught in their mouths). But Siegfried, consud by his overwhelming dismal, paid no attention to such inconveniences. He was lost in thought, replaying all that had happened. Had he never shown Chang Long how much he liked her? Had he never told her how he felt? And when she kissed him to break the curse, did she not feel anything for him at all? The more he dwelled on these questions, the more dejected and heartbroken he beca. As he stared into the void, Chang Long's face constantly surfaced in his mind, driving him to the brink of emotional exhaustion.
"Co what may!"
He muttered determinedly to himself, standing up. Siegfried began descending from the mountain, undisturbed by any beasts. His luck was due to the fact that he could switch his titles at will, unlike Chang Long, who was stuck with the title given by Devi-chan and could not change it. Currently, Siegfried was using his title King of the Royal Cliff, which he earned after his quest egg hatched into the Hoop Dragon Ring (a dragon devouring its own tail). Thanks to this title, none of the creatures on the mountain dared to attack him.
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Read 'Adventure World Online (AWO)' before anyone else with more chapters at sjinovel/en
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