"Hey, Devi-chan, is there no text or hint inside telling us how to open these wooden panels?"
Chang Long turned to ask Devi-chan again. Devi-chan shook his head but floated through the wooden panel to take another look.
"There's nothing. But honestly, I doubt there's anything interesting in here—it's dark and just full of broken weapons."
Devi-chan shrugged.
"Maybe it's the Tomb of Blades,"
Hisa-chan suddenly interjected. Both Chang Long and Siegfried turned to look at him in unison.
"The Tomb of Blades?"
They repeated the term simulteneously, prompting Hisa-chan to nod gravely before recounting a tale that lingered in his mory.
"Back when I was alive, I traveled far and wide, seeking both new things and worthy rivals to duel. But above all, I dread of visiting the Tomb of Blades. It's a place filled with countless weapons, each crafted by the hands of the Divine Blacksmith and left to slumber for hundreds, even thousands of years. I longed to be chosen by one of the extraordinary weapons hidden there. But alas, I perished before I could fulfill that dream..."
Hisa-chan's face grew somber, evoking a pang of sympathy in Chang Long. She rembered how both Devi-chan and Hisa-chan had lost their weapons during the battle against the Four Guardians of the Stone Altar in the Purple Forest, leaving them shattered and reduced to nothingness.
"Then let's go inside!"
Chang Long declared with a bright smile. Hisa-chan looked surprised but could not help feeling a surge of joy. Chang Long always considered his feelings and never failed to extend the sa thoughtfulness to Devi-chan, Alice-chan—despite her frequent bickering—and all her pets.
"How do you plan to get in, missy? Or have you found the chanism to open these wooden panels already?"
Devi-chan, too, smiled faintly, feeling a swell of pride for Chang Long. He could only hope that when the ti ca for the battle of the kings, Chang Long would not go easy on people she knew.
"There's no chanism, no instructions—so we'll just have to break it!"
Chang Long did not waste any ti. She unsheathed the Sovereign Sword and struck the wooden panel with all her might.
However, instead of the anticipated crash or splintering of wood, the blade sank into the panel as though it were re air. What was more, as soon as the blade pierced through, a powerful force began pulling her inward. Chang Long quickly disappeared behind the wooden panel amidst the clamor of her pets and Siegfried.
Thud!
"Ow, my butt... Wait, where am I?"
Chang Long groaned as she landed hard on the floor. Looking around, she saw a narrow pathway with cold stone walls on either side. The darkness was near complete, save for a solitary candle perched atop a jagged rock, providing a faint glow.
"How are you, missy?"
Devi-chan asked with concern. Siegfried's voice echoed faintly as he continued calling her na in worry, causing Chang Long to smile.
"I'm fine, Sieg!"
Chang Long shouted back, reassuring Siegfried, who exhaled a sigh of relief. She looked around, searching for the reason she had been pulled into this mysterious place. Tentatively, she reached out to touch the wooden panel again, only to find that she could no longer pass through it. Glancing down, she saw the Sovereign Sword lying haphazardly on the floor. A thought struck her. Picking up the blade, she pointed it at the wooden panel and thrust it forward with all her strength. Just like before, the sa phenonon occurred—except this ti, instead of being pulled in, an imnse force pushed her outward. It felt less like being expelled and more like being kicked out.
Thud!
Once again, Chang Long found herself sprawled on the ground. She quickly scrambled to her feet, offering Siegfried a sheepish laugh as he stared at her in stunned silence. Picking up the Sovereign Sword, she sealed Kitsune back into the ring.
"You should seal Lycanth, too. They won't be able to follow us in,"
she instructed Siegfried, who still looked utterly baffled by her actions.
"Why not?"
He asked, already lifting the hand with his pet-sealing ring in preparation.
"We'll need weapons to get inside. If you want to co along, just follow ,"
Chang Long replied. She stabbed the Sovereign Sword into the wooden panel again, disappearing from Siegfried's sight in an instant. Monts later, Siegfried followed, arriving in much the sa unceremonious manner as Chang Long had initially. Her quiet chuckle greeted him as she turned to follow Devi-chan, with Hisa-chan trailing behind, visibly thrilled. Alice-chan and Heaven brought up the rear—Heaven keeping as much distance from Chang Long as possible.
After walking through the dim passage for a while, the tunnel suddenly widened into a vast chamber. Silver light sparkled and reflected everywhere, montarily blinding both Chang Long and Siegfried, who instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes. When their vision adjusted, they lowered their hands. The star-like sparkle were actually countless weapons of various types embedded in stone pedestals, walls, and even the floor. The space was enormous, so vast that the far walls were invisible, only the shimring reflection in the distance were apparent.
"Wow…"
Chang Long breathed in awe as she gazed around. Countless types of weapons scattered about seed to reflect the light of candles positioned wherever a surface allowed. The silver sparkle felt like being surrounded by a universe of stars—hundreds, perhaps thousands. When she looked upward into the imasurable darkness above, the twinkling lights seed even more like distant celestial bodies.
Siegfried reached out to touch a sword nearby, only to find his hand passing through silvery, glowing motes. It was as if the weapon were untouchable.
"They're like spirits. They'll choose us, not the other way around."
Hisa-chan explained with a smile.
"Why did you two even co in here? Neither of you can wield another weapon,"
Devi-chan Jones asked, puzzled. Both Chang Long and Seigfried had already bound themselves to the divine weapons and could not use other weapons.
"For you two. I'm going to replace the swords that broke back in the Purple Forest. Spirit Realm,"
Chang Long replied, activating her skill that temporarily gave form and substance to all spirits within a hundred-ter radius. Even Heaven found himself affected by the ability. Unaccustod to the weight of a corporeal body after centuries of floating, he fell to the ground in an undignified heap as soon as his body materialized.
"Argh! My back. This hurts like hell. Who put a curse on !" Heaven shouted in indignation, making everyone jump in surprise before bursting into laughter. A ghost who did not even understand what had happened to him yet blaming it on sorcery—it was too funny to resist. Siegfried stared at Heaven, perplexed, and reached out. To his astonishnt, his hand not only touched Heaven's body but also felt the steady thrum of blood coursing through his veins.
"Why is Heaven..."
Siegfried murmured softly, clearly baffled. Devi-chan approached, suppressing his laughter.
"You're affected too, Heaven? Hahaha. Is it fun? Your first ti back in a body after a hundred years of being dead!"
Heaven looked up at Devi-chan, initially suspecting mockery. But when he noticed that Devi-chan now looked more solid than ever before, walking on the ground rather than floating, he scanned the room in confusion. Hisa-chan was weaving carefully through scattered stones on the floor, while Alice-chan stumbled over uneven ground and face-planted.
"Wh... what is going on!"
Heaven exclaid, still clueless as to what had happened to him. As he shakily rose to his feet, he realized that his legs were trembling—unsurprising after not having used them for over a century.
"I... I'm breathing!"
Heaven inhaled deeply, taking in the stale, tallic air of the chamber. Despite the unpleasant sll, he continued to breathe in greedily, again and again, as though it were an addictive pleasure he could not resist.
"Enjoy your brief return to life while you can. It won't stay long,"
Devi-chan quipped as he moved on to search for a suitable weapon, joined by Hisa-chan and Alice-chan.
Hisa-chan and Devi-chan reached out to many weapons only to have their hands pass through them, undeterred by the repeated failures. They continued their search with determination. Alice-chan, on the other hand, only wanted her claws to be durable and sharp enough to slice through a victim's throat in a single swipe. Her only request to Chang Long was for a nail file.
"Why are all the weapons here silver, Hisa-chan?"
Chang Long called out, unable to move much while maintaining the skill.
"I'm not sure. I don't even know if silver is their true color. Maybe, like , they're spirits waiting for a chance to be reborn..."
As he spoke, his gaze fell upon a strikingly beautiful katana. It was slightly longer than a typical katana and shimred brilliantly, growing brighter as Hisa-chan approached. It seed almost as if the weapon were calling out to him.
Hisa-chan reached out to touch the dazzling sword with a heart full of anticipation. The blade radiated a brilliant silver light, forcing him to shield his eyes. But when his hand finally touched it, he grasped nothing but air. Disappointnt washed over him as the sword dissolved into shimring silver particles that floated weightlessly in the air.
Yet, just as he began to withdraw his hand, the silver particles coalesced, gathering themselves into a new form. A hilt and sheath wrapped in fine sleek black leather appeared, adorned with polished silver accents. At the base of the hilt dangled a white tassel and a jade charm shaped like a shooting star. When Hisa-chan unsheathed the blade, it revealed steel of exceptional quality, glowing with a radiant silver brilliance.
"Player Chang Long has obtained a high-tier weapon: the Ryuusei Blade."
.....
After resting long enough for Big, Thankhun's pet, to recover fully, the group began to pack up and prepare to shift dinsions once more. Thankhun stepped onto the symbol on the ground, triggering an intense burst of light. No one dared open their eyes until they felt the brilliance fade away.
When they looked around, they found themselves in what appeared to be a traditional Japanese garden with stone bridge, pond, and bonsai trees.
White gravel paths wove through the garden. Surrounding them were walls resembling those of old-style Japanese houses. The group was so captivated by the beauty of the scene that they montarily forgot to breathe. Then sothing moved—so fast it seed to dissolve into thin air.
Alerted, the group ford a defensive circle, facing outward with weapons tightly gripped. The sound of sothing cutting through the air in rapid succession, followed by the soft thud of a landing.
They turned to see a figure dressed in a blue ninja outfit. The figure stood perfectly still, head bowed, arms crossed over its chest, legs close together, with the right foot slightly forward.
"Mummy Ninja Beast, Level 50, preparing to attack!"
As the system announcent ended, the mummy ninjas surrounding them lifted their heads, revealing hollow black eyes, then drew their tantou blades and lunged at the group from every direction.
The lee began once more. Although there were only about thirty mummy ninjas, they were far more challenging to deal with than the Baby T-Rexes.
The ninjas were fast and powerful and also fought with impeccable coordination. They swapped positions fluidly, retreating when injured and allowing fresher fighters to take their place. The relentless speed and tactical precision of their attacks left Thankhun feeling that surviving this battle unscathed was nearly impossible even with Big's help. His large size, usually an advantage, beca a liability against these smaller, faster enemies.
"Lunar Shadow Form!"
Thankhun activated the skill from his Rahu Shadow Armor. His body shimred, appearing like tattered fabric fluttering in the wind. He quickly started launching a series of rapid attacks on the mummy ninjas, fearing his ten minutes limit would run out before he could obliterate the beasts.
While the ninjas could not land a blow on his intangible body, Thankhun also found it difficult to hit them. He missed several strikes, causing his frustration to mount. Thankhun leapt into the midst of the enemy circle.
Thankhun struck several mummy ninjas, catching them off guard with his sudden shift in attack style. These creatures had no blood and showed no signs of pain, even as wounds appeared on their bodies. They leapt back and hurled shurikens at him, forcing Thankhun to dodge narrowly. One shuriken grazed past his head, leaving a shallow cut. It was then he realized that the Lunar Shadow Form only affected his body and left his head vulnerable.
Faced with the overwhelming number of enemies, everyone in the group began to unleash their class skills. Thankhun recognizing that he could not defeat all the mummy ninjas within the remaining ten minutes unless their movent was restricted.
"Everyone, gather here. Big, co here!"
He called out to his friends, signaling them to regroup around him. Though confused, they quickly converged on his position. Once everyone, including Big, was assembled, Thankhun activated one of his class abilities.
"Sandstorm!"
As soon as Thankhun triggered the skill, tiny particles of sand began to rise from the ground. They swirled gently at first, forming a small circle, before spinning faster and faster, becoming a powerful vortex. The mummy ninjas were caught in the sandstorm, unable to move as they wished. The sandstorm skill turned the once lightning-fast mummy ninja beasts, who could vanish in an instant, into slow moving turtle. From within the safety of the vortex just around Thankhun, Jane, Hero, and TaoHuayNomSod fired their weapons. Thanks to the intensity of their bullets' velocity, Jane and Hero's shots landed on target, albeit with minor deviations of a few milliters. However, TaoHuayNomSod's arrows were swept away by the sandstorm before they could reach their mark. While the Sandstorm skill could not kill the enemies, it continuously reduced the enemies' various statuses, such as stamina and health. Occasionally, it inflicted wounds as well. As the sandstorm subsided, the once-beautiful Japanese garden had vanished, replaced by a vast expanse of fine, pale sand covering the ground. The mummy ninjas were left in various states—so collapsed, others stumbling awkwardly as if they were rusted machines in need of oil.
-----
Read 'Adventure World Online (AWO)' before anyone else with more chapters at sjinovel/en
User Comments
0 comments from readers