The man referred to as the Guild Master struggled to suppress his mounting fury. He picked up an old scroll, still bound with frayed black string that refused to co undone. At the center of the scroll was a symbol—a moon eclipsed by a Rahu. It almost resembled a peculiar flower. Below the symbol, words were inscribed:
"Only the true heir can read this."
His gaze bore into the symbol, a bitter reminder of what had been stolen from him. It should have been his. His most trusted subordinates had been tasked with locating a symbol identical to the one on this map. Eventually, they had discovered it engraved on a stone slab resembling a massive gravestone just outside the city.
The subordinates tried everything to open the stone slab but ultimately resorted to smashing it to gain access to a narrow, foul-slling tunnel that extended deep underground. After enduring traps and hazards, they reached a sealed chamber arduously. Before they could figure out how to open it, the door mysteriously slid open on its own, revealing soone already inside. That person had taken the treasure—the item that should have been his. The more he thought about it, the angrier he beca—not just at the player, but at himself. He should have gone personally. Trusting his subordinates with sothing so crucial had been a mistake. If he had been there, this would never have happened. The armor would be in his hands right now.
He had an intense suspicion that the armor was the key to unlocking the map. He would stop at nothing to reclaim it, even if it ant killing the player who had taken it. Yet, a troubling thought lingered: the armor required a contract. He knew that once a player ford a contract with an item, be it a weapon or armor, it beca bound to them for eternity. It could not be given away or transferred, then what if that player has already ford a pact with the armor.
"Grrr, if that's what happened Then I'll burn this map to ashes and make sure they can never play this ga again!"
His declaration echoed in the empty room, unheard by anyone else. He shoved the map into his bag and stord out. He had decided—waiting was no longer an option. He would hunt down the thief himself and end them with his own hands.
.....
anwhile, Chang Long and Siegfried continued along the gravel-strewn path, which seed to be transitioning into a stone forest dotted with clusters of dead trees. The path eventually widened into a broad, open expanse filled with little more than rocks and skeletal trees. Throughout their journey, they encountered occasional beasts challenging their progress. They scanned for a safe place to rest. Hours of marathon combat had pushed their fatigue ters dangerously close to exceeding the limit. If that happened, they would be at a greater disadvantage against the beasts within Dragon's Maw Valley. In this treacherous valley, even a minor mistake could lead to death.
At the clearing, where life seed absent, Chang Long and her companions remained vigilant. They had learned all too well how adept the beasts of Dragon's Maw Valley were at concealing themselves. Even the gravel beneath their feet could turn out to be lurking monsters. Moving cautiously, they tread forward. Even the spirits accompanying them noted how challenging it was to spot any beasts amidst the terrain. Chang Long paused near a large gray rock and took out her water bottle for a drink. Her eyes roved over the stone as it blinked.
"Huh?"
Chang Long blinked back and squinted at what she thought was a yellow, black-speckled bump protruding from the strange gray rock. To be sure, she stowed her water bottle and reached out toward the yellow bump. It blinked again. This ti, the odd protrusion shifted slightly. Chang Long realized that it was not a stone at all but a beast clinging tightly to the rock's surface.
"Stone-patterned Chaleon Beast, Level 50, has appeared."
Indeed, it was a chaleon, camouflaged so perfectly with the surrounding rocks that spotting it would have been impossible had it not moved. The creature loosened its grip on the stone, climbing down to the ground. It was enormous, roughly the size of a 900cc motorcycle. Its long tail coiled upward in a loop. It looked at her as though she were a long-anticipated snack. Opening its mouth wide, it revealed a coiled tongue tipped with a sticky pad, ideal for catching bugs. Its rotating eyes scanned the group, noting other potential als beyond Chang Long. Apparently, it deliberated too long, as nearly a dozen of its kind stirred from slumber and joined the scene, slinking out of hiding.
The group found themselves surrounded by Stone-patterned Chaleon Beasts. Though their movents were slow and lumbering, it was not their bodies that posed the real threat but their tongues. A single sticky strike could ensnare anyone, rendering them no different from an insect trapped and awaiting its fate as the beast's al.
Chang Long activated her Dinsional Shift skill, instantly teleporting herself out of the encirclent. She raised the Sovereign Sword and thrust it with all her might into the body of one of the creatures, testing whether their hide was as tough as the Rock-Scaled Tiger Cubs.
Squelch!
The blade sank deeply into the beast's flesh with surprising ease. The creature opened its mouth wide in pain, letting out only a low growl. Satisfied, Chang Long withdrew her sword with a small smile on her face. If their bodies were not as hard as stone, their chances of victory had just improved significantly.
Siegfried grinned as well, while Kitsune and Lycanth extended their claws, ready to fight. However, the team was forced to duck low as the beasts launched their tongues with incredible speed. The adhesive appendages darted from the mouths of seven beasts simultaneously. For a mont, they hoped the chaleons' tongues might get tangled together, sparing them a prolonged battle. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Even when the sticky tongues missed, they snapped back into the creatures' mouths with the sa remarkable speed, never once becoming entangled.
This was no ti for disappointnt. Blades and claws sliced swiftly through the bodies of the Stone-patterned Chaleon Beasts that stood in their way. The higher their levels, the more damage they dealt. Kitsune's level, in particular, had skyrocketed since they entered Dragon's Maw Valley. From level 21, he had now reached level 28—a leap that greatly satisfied Chang Long. She had already planned that once Kitsune reached its first evolutionary stage, she would summon all her pets to hunt beasts together, leveling them all up simultaneously.
The Stone-patterned Chaleon Beasts turned out to be easier to handle than expected—excluding the challenge of dodging their fast tongues. With their relatively high levels, the experience points gained from defeating them were very satisfying. The group scoured the entire rocky clearing, searching for more of the beasts, but instead encountered other types of creatures. This was not surprising, as there were fewer than twenty large boulders big enough for the chaleons to cling to, and not all of them were occupied.
Chang Long ntally marked the rocky clearing as a pri experience farming spot. However, their imdiate priority was to find a safe place to rest and recover their accumulated exhaustion levels. As they continued onward, scanning their surroundings for safety, they spotted sothing in the distance—a structure resembling a hut or pavilion perched on a high rocky knoll near a cliff. Hoping it could serve as a haven, they quickly moved toward it. Yet, on the way, they encountered strange creatures erging from the rocks. These creatures resembled bright red beans with vine-like legs—seven or eight per creature. In so ways, they looked like squids with bean-like heads and red vine-tentacles sprouting fine roots. Dozens of them crawled out from crevices along the rocky path as the system announced,
"Parasitic Bean Beasts, Level 30, preparing to attack!"
.....
The black half-armor with silver designs of a moon eclipsed by Rahu automatically fitted itself onto Thankhun's body the mont he completed the blood pact. The dark armor contrasted sharply with his vibrant red attire. Thankhun glanced down at the armor he now wore, his face calm but tinged with confusion. Then he looked up at Crown and his group, who watched him with satisfied smiles.
"And...?"
Thankhun finally broke the silence, prompting Crown to point toward the symbol on the giant bamboo.
Frowning, still unsure what to expect, Thankhun noted that nothing seed to have changed. He had made the pact with the armor, yet the path remained sealed as before.
"Touch it. Try touching the bamboo,"
Hero suggested, laughing at Thankhun's dumbfounded expression.
"Oh!"
Thankhun turned to the giant bamboo and reached out to touch the symbol. At first, nothing happened, making him feel foolish. But then a loud crackling sound broke the silence, and the massive bamboo trunk split apart, revealing a dark, shadowy passage ahead.
"It's pitch black…"
Jane peered hesitantly into the newly opened path. The darkness swallowed everything, making it impossible to see what lay ahead. Everyone turned to Thankhun, awaiting his decision. He locked eyes with Crown, who seed more knowledgeable about the symbols than anyone else, though even Crown did not seem to know what awaited in the oppressive shadows.
"Am I supposed to go in there?"
Thankhun asked, uncertainty thick in his voice.
"Yes, you have to push through countless grueling challenges in there. But don't worry, Duncan and I will be with you,"
Crown replied, his face breaking into a reassuring smile.
"Jane and I will help you too. Call it payback for distracting that white lion for us!"
Hero added, his excitent evident. Thankhun began piecing things together. Crown had just warned him about the trials, but why did he have to face them? And if he succeeded, what would he gain in return?
"Let's go, Thankhun. Are you guys coming too?"
Jane asked, turning to her friends, the Four Tao: NamTaoThongkam, TaoHuYee, TaoHuayNomSod, and TaoKaowNian. She did not bother asking White Tiger (her ex-boyfriend) and Fahsai (White Tiger's current girlfriend); their levels were too low for such grueling trials.
"What about those two, Jane?"
TaoHuayNomSod glanced at White Tiger and Fahsai, unease evident on his face.
"They can't co. With their levels stuck at 35, they won't survive,"
Hero interjected quickly, fearing Jane might say sothing cutting. White Tiger and Fahsai wore dejected expressions, while Thankhun jumped. Was this trial so dangerous that players in the mid-30s would inevitably et their end?
"Then you guys should use scrolls to return to Longshan City and wait for us there. Once we're done, we'll co back to help. In the anti, you can hunt beasts near the desert. Those ones don't mob,"
NamTaoThongkam advised. White Tiger and Fahsai nodded obediently and used teleportation scrolls to leave.
After preparing themselves, the group ventured into the path with Thankhun leading the way. He moved hesitantly, his unease palpable, unsure of what awaited him in the shadowy depths. The journey felt like days, though it had only been twenty minutes. Gradually, the oppressive darkness gave way to a dim light, revealing a bizarre, otherworldly landscape.
The ground was a deep brown soil, flanked by small ferns growing densely along the path. A massive, still green lagoon lay to one side. Towering trees, impossible to find in the real world, lood around them. The gigantic trunks resembled palms, topped with massive fronds that looked like fern leaves. So trees appeared more like giant green worms erging from the earth. They had no leaves, only towering, twisted green trunks with gnarled branches extending outward. Around the lagoon, fallen logs dipped into the water, overgrown with vibrant green moss. The moist ground was blanketed with this moss, resembling a lush velvet carpet.
Rustle.
A sudden noise shattered the silence. Everyone turned toward the source and saw a giant millipede casually erging from the fern bushes. Above its massive body stood a strange, pale green plant. It had no leaves, just a cluster of bright red, oval-shaped pods that resembled flowers at a glance. Between the branches of this plant was a web of white spider silk, where the web's owner busied itself with repairs.
"Where... are we?"
Duncan muttered softly, scanning the surroundings with awe, as excited as the rest of the group. This place looked like it had been plucked straight out of a docuntary about prehistoric life. Besides the giant millipede, there were giant centipedes, and now joining them was what appeared to be giant dragonflies with wingspans stretching up to four feet. They hovered nacingly like ard helicopters, ready to strike at any mont—and there was not just one of them.
"ganeura Beasts (dragonflies), Level 35, preparing to attack…"
In total, there were more than thirty of them. But it did not end there, as the system issued another warning:
"Pholidogaster Beasts, Level 45, preparing to attack…"
Five of them erged. These creatures resembled giant crocodiles with brown skin and slit-shaped black eyes that locked onto Thankhun's group with a glare.
Everyone drew their weapons, bracing themselves. The ganeura Beasts darted through the air with incredible speed, their bristled legs reaching toward Jane. She managed to duck just in ti. While the ganeura Beasts sward and harried Thankhun's group from above, the Pholidogaster Beasts approached them silently, taking slow, deliberate steps.
-----
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