"Go ahead and attach it to find out which Eye you got!"
Devi-chan urged. Chang Long was just as curious to see what skill this advanced Eye of Darkness in her hand held. She drew the Sovereign Sword from her waist (by now she was used to carrying it without its scabbard, so she kept the scabbard slung at her side.) Slowly, she pressed the Eye of Darkness against the blade, and a bright flash lit up, followed by an announcent from the system:
"Player Chang Long has acquired the Mausoleum skill from the Eye of Darkness."
If Chang Long had not known beforehand about advanced Eyes of Darkness, she would not have been able to tell how this Eye was any different from a regular one. Besides a faint glow, there was no swirling energy within the Eye, making it nearly indistinguishable from a normal one. Even the system notification rely called it an Eye of Darkness.
Chang Long sat down with frustration. She figured it was ti to leave the Purple Forest. The thought of the complication that ca from encountering Aswa again made Chang Long began retracing her steps to leave the forest. It would be impossible for her to get anything done if he followed her back in. Along the way, undead beasts wandered here and there, but none dared approach her, frightened by the Guiding Fla she carried. Although she regretted leaving the Purple Forest, the possibility of Aswa showing up again made her move on without hesitation.
"Hey. Wait up, traveler!"
A voice called out, startling Chang Long as she exited the inner section of the forest. She turned to see a familiar man, panting as he ran toward her, accompanied by a large tiger.
"Brother Jie!"
Chang Long exclaid, recognizing the man as Zhang Yijie, the Miracle Doctor NPC.
"Oh, it's you, Chang Long. What are you doing here?"
The Miracle Doctor Zhang Yijie smiled. He looked a bit roughed up but otherwise safe, as was his tiger, Tai Yang, who growled in greeting upon recognizing Chang Long.
"I should be the one asking what you're doing here,"
Chang Long replied with a chuckle, amused by his disheveled appearance. She also noticed he was holding a sack of sothing.
"Oh, I ca looking for herbs that only grow in the Purple Forest, but we had a bit of bad luck—our torch went out, and we had to run for it, as you can see,"
Zhang Yijie explained, laughing. His tiger, Tai Yang, let out a low growl as if in agreent.
"But what about you? What brings you here with that floating fla?"
"I ca to hunt beasts and gain experience, but I think I'm going to find a new spot. I don't know where to go, though, sowhere I won't be bothered again,"
Chang Long replied, looking annoyed, which made the Miracle Doctor chuckle softly.
"Seems like soone's really gotten under your skin. Who's been bothering you so much?"
He teased, making Chang Long force out a half-hearted laugh.
"Well, if you're looking for a quiet place to hunt, why not try Dragon's Maw Valley? It's on Mount Longshan. Not many travelers go down there because the beasts in Dragon's Maw Valley are pretty fierce. If you're not sure how to get there, Tai Yang can guide you."
Chang Long looked at the Miracle Doctor with gleaming eyes. This was exactly the kind of place she had been looking for. Without hesitation, she agreed to his suggestion. As they walked and chatted, they made their way out of the Purple Forest. By then, it was late afternoon, and Chang Long's stomach was grumbling. They decided to stop and eat before heading to Mount Longshan.
"Dragon's Maw Valley."
No matter how dangerous it might be, Chang Long was eager to go. At least it would be a new adventure, and she would not have to worry about stubborn Aswa pestering her again.
.....
anwhile, at the Dark Horse Guild, Aswa had just returned after serving his death penalty confinent. He walked back to the guild dejectedly, with his subordinates rushing to greet him and report the latest developnts. However, the reports went in one ear and out the other. Aswa was not paying attention to anything his subordinates said. His mind was preoccupied with heavier thoughts than ever before—thoughts of Chang Long and the mysterious beauty who had suddenly appeared in the Purple Forest!
The four companions, led by rlin's Top Protege, approached Aswa, intending to talk about Chang Long. But he ignored them as well, continuing to walk in a daze until one topic finally pulled him out of his thoughts.
"The Pirate King's treasure map?"
Aswa exclaid, excitent returning to his voice. At last, the thing he had been waiting for was within reach. But the player reporting to him hesitated before responding:
"Uh... it's gone, sir. It was... lost on the way back to the guild."
It felt like lightning had struck him again, just like when Chang Long had unleashed her thunderous attack. Aswa stood frozen, eyes wide, before roaring in rage, scaring the guild mbers around him.
"Lost? You said you had it, and now it's gone!"
"Calm down, Guild Leader. Even though we lost it, we found out where it is!"
another player quickly explained. Aswa, who had been furious enough to kill, cald down slightly and glared at the player, demanding an explanation.
"It's-it's not here anymore, sir. It's been put up for auction in the banking system."
The player, now more nervous than ever, answered.
"Who put it up for auction?"
Aswa's frustration mounted as he asked in a low, seething voice. He was getting more and more irritated, nobody was trying to explain why how the Pirate King's treasure map that he had ordered them to acquire ended up in the bank's auction instead of in his hand.
"Well... on the way back with the map, our n were ambushed by players from other guilds trying to steal it. There were a lot of them, most of them above level 50, and our n... But what's strange is that soone put it up for auction. We think it might be a player from the Doom Star Guild because our guy recognized one of their mbers as the one who killed him!"
The player explained, his voice tight with anxiety.
"Damn... Demos!"
Aswa clenched his teeth in fury. Since he had started playing this ga, the only player he had never been able to defeat in any aspect was Demos, the leader of the Doom Star Guild.
Aswa tried to suppress his anger and opened the auction window from the bank's special communication channel on his wristwatch. The map's price had already skyrocketed to fifteen million, leaving him dumbfounded. He had not expected so many bidders to join, and they were all throwing money around recklessly. From what he could see, no one from the Doom Star Guild had participated in the auction, which only made him more convinced that the person who had stolen his treasure map and put it up for auction was definitely from that guild.
"We'll enter the auction, and we will win that map. So, you think you can stop from rising to your level, huh, Demos? Well, mark my words—I, Aswa, will never give up. Watch . I'll get the Pirate King's treasure and bring you down. I'll wipe that smug grin off your face and make you scowl in fury!"
Aswa declared aloud. He then placed a bid of twenty million on the treasure map.
.....
On Mount Agaz:
"Achoo!"
The pale, thin man sneezed involuntarily, causing his claws to pierce straight through the body of an adult Diabolos beast. The beast, towering like a human with jet-black skin, thick armor, long shiny fangs and gleaming red eyes, coughed up a mouthful of blood as it struggled futilely to escape Demos's grip before finally succumbing.
"Ugh, what a sha. I was planning to capture you for Phobos. And here I thought I'd found a fully-grown one. But you're not that impressive after all. Just a few hits and a single stab, and off to the afterlife you go,"
Demos grumbled. He had co back to this place to train, as demonic beasts were known for their strength and difficulty to defeat. His desire to face Chang Long again had spurred him to hone his skills even further. He knew that Chang Long, too, would be growing stronger. Just thinking about their next confrontation excited him, making it hard to control his emotions. He wished the day of their next battle would co soon.
"Soone must be talking about . Oh well, I'll be here for a while. I'm sure I'll find another fully-grown Diabolos soon enough,"
Demos muttered to himself as he plunged his sharp claws back into the original wound of the now-dead Diabolos, even though it already lay still. Afterward, he discarded its body without a second thought and continued searching for his next opponent.
anwhile, Siegfried finally arrived at Aseana Island. He let out a sigh of relief. His journey had gone smoothly, without any storms or rough seas to delay him. It was late afternoon, and Siegfried wasted no ti, heading straight out of the city without bothering to pay attention to what was happening in the bustling town of Suvarn. As he walked, he passed a large crowd of players gathered around sothing, shouting cheers and laughter from ti to ti. But Siegfried did not care to stop and find out what was drawing their attention. He simply walked through the crowd without even glancing at the center of the commotion.
"Mr. Siegfried!"
A voice called out, causing Siegfried to turn around. A young male player was smiling widely at him. At first, Siegfried could not recognize him, but after focusing a bit, he finally rembered.
"Kimhant,"
Siegfried greeted, recognizing the player. Kimhant had changed quite a bit since Siegfried last saw him—his outfit, his walk, and his deanor were completely different from the timid boy who used to stick to Chang Long's side.
"Hello. I didn't expect to run into you here again, Mr. Siegfried. Are you here on so business?"
Kimhant asked, walking confidently toward Siegfried with a smile. It was clear that his manner had beco much more self-assured.
"I'm here looking for Chang Long. I'm currently heading to the Purple Forest,"
Siegfried replied seriously.
"Is master still in the Purple Forest?"
Kimhant asked, recalling that the last news he heard about Chang Long was that she had died there.
"Yeah, she's leveling up there, but so creep keeps following her around,"
Siegfried answered with irritation. Kimhant could not help but smile, knowing why Siegfried was upset.
"So, what brings you here, Kimhant? And is that Cat-Faced Angel?"
Siegfried asked, noticing Kimhant observing him. Looking around, he then saw why so many players had gathered. Cat-Faced Angel was performing a street circus show.
"I'm here on so business for my big plan, haha. But, Mr. Siegfried, why don't you try calling master first? She might have already left the Purple Forest. If you go without checking, you might miss her,"
Kimhant suggested.
"Right, good idea. Thanks, Kimhant. I have to go now. It was great seeing you, and say hi to Cat-Faced Angel for !"
Siegfried said, patting Kimhant on the shoulder before hurrying off. He found a quiet spot to call Chang Long, and she picked up almost imdiately.
"Hi, Siegfried."
Chang Long's cheerful greeting made Siegfried's heart swell with joy.
"H... Hello, Chang Long. Are you still in the Purple Forest?"
Siegfried quickly asked, fearing he might go there for nothing.
"No, I've already left. I bumped into Brother Jie, and he suggested a great spot for leveling up. I'm heading there now,"
Chang Long replied. Siegfried felt incredibly relieved that he had called first; otherwise, he would have missed her for sure.
"Can... can I co with you?"
Siegfried asked hopefully.
"Uh-huh. Sure, but don't you have guild business to take care of?"
Chang Long asked, surprised, as she rembered Siegfried had ntioned guild matters when they last parted.
"I'm free for now, at least until the next patch arrives,"
Siegfried responded.
"Well, that's great then! Having you around is definitely better than that pest Aswa. I'm heading to Dragon's Maw Valley on Longsan Mountain. But are you sure you can catch up before the new patch goes live?"
"I'll make it. I'm already on Aseana Island. Just one day of traveling, and I'll be there."
Siegfried replied, feeling optimistic.
"Uh-huh, et at the Longsan Mountain entrance. Brother Jie is sending his tiger, Tai Yang, to guide us, so if you're late, you'll have to find your way on your own,"
Chang Long said with a wide grin.
"No problem. I'll definitely make it in ti,"
Siegfried responded confidently. He could hear Chang Long chuckle softly before ending the call. This would be the first ti he truly got to travel alone with Chang Long. Even though they would still have her pets along, it still counted as being just the two of them. He needed to rush, especially since the new patch was coming soon, which would force him to part ways with Chang Long again to deal with guild matters. This was his chance to strengthen their bond—at the very least, he wanted to know if Chang Long had feelings for him or if she only saw him as a friend.
After ending the call, Chang Long continued her journey. Traveling with the Miracle Doctor, Zhang Yijie, was much more enjoyable than traveling with Aswa. Chang Long summoned Kitsune, who beca a companion for Tai Yang. Tai Yang seed quite surprised to see Kitsune, now just a small fox cub, yet carrying an air more noble than before. This made Tai Yang feel nervous.
Zhang Yijie had entered the Purple Forest to gather a certain poisonous mushroom. It was a small, black mushroom with purple spots on its cap. If consud—or even if its spores were inhaled—it would instantly cause the player to gain a zombie status. What made it even worse was that any player who killed soone under this status would receive loot and experience points as if they had defeated a regular beast. However, the loot and experience would co from the zombified player's own inventory and stats. What a truly wicked mushroom!
-----
Read 'Adventure World Online (AWO)' before anyone else with more chapters at sjinovel/en
User Comments
0 comments from readers