The leading mber of the Pendragon Guild was currently en route by ship to Europa Island to et with their two allied guilds, Caesar and Immortal, and strategize their assault on the special territory located there. They would face fierce competition from nurous formidable guilds. Chief among their rivals on Europa Island was none other than Doom Star Guild, which had already claid the ga's first special territory.
"Have we heard anything from Destiny? It seems like they're rushing to join the fight too,"
asked Lidded Wet Trash Can. The group chatted to pass the ti, except for Siegfried, who remained silent by himself at the bow of the ship. Since logging into the ga, he had barely spoken to anyone, frequently glancing at his wristwatch instead.
"Is Siegfried all right? He's been so quiet this whole ti,"
Oliang remarked, glancing at the guild leader before turning to Draco and Rafael, Siegfried's closest friends. The two shook their heads, equally clueless about what was bothering their friend.
"Co to think of it, I haven't seen Master Chang online since the ga ca back up. I miss her so much. Why hasn't she logged in yet!"
Peach Blossom lanted. At the ntion of Chang Long's na, the others began to piece together what might have caused Siegfried's silence.
"Speaking of Chang Long, she has so much to deal with in this ga. I wonder if we'll ever get the chance to journey with her again,"
Valentine said wistfully. Many nodded in agreent. Traveling with Chang Long had always been a delight—not only did they encounter unusual events constantly, but the experience was far more entertaining than adventuring alone.
"For now, we can only reminisce about the good old days. Even if Chang Long invited us to join her, we wouldn't be able to go right now,"
Aden said regretfully. They all knew the heavy responsibilities awaiting them—managing allied guilds and conquering a special territory to serve as the Pendragon Guild's base of operations. It was a daunting task, even for the top guild, Doom Star, had barely managed to secure their own special territory.
Everyone sighed, resigned to the fact that they would not be adventuring with Chang Long anyti soon. Still, they felt excitent brewing for the challenges ahead: building an army to attack a massive fortress guarded by highly skilled AI soldiers. The wars brewing in Adventure World Online promised thrilling and unpredictable encounters rivaling any journey with Chang Long.
.....
It was impossible to tell how much ti had passed. Chang Long remained trapped in the pitch-dark realm, battling countless beasts day and night without rest. She had neither seen nor spoken. For the first ti, Chang Long felt an all-consuming loneliness, as if the world had abandoned her. She found herself irrationally angry at Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, Alice-chan, Fluffy Head-chan, Kitsune, Hulu, Brownie, and Anya in monts she felt like she was about to lose her sanity. Deep down, she knew her companions would never willingly leave her alone. They were simply unable to reach her because of the restrictions imposed by Wu Ming's Secret Training Ground. Chang Long glanced at the ti displayed on her glowing blue wristwatch, which shone like a tiny ghost. It inford her that she had been stuck in this secret realm for three full days since she had logged in.
"Ugh... How much longer until I can leave? I really feel like I've gone blind,"
Chang Long muttered softly to herself as she sat down to rest. Even though her Mind's Eye skill allowed her to perceive her surroundings in the darkness, it was the most difficult skill she had to level up. Despite using it constantly for three in-ga days, its level had not budged.
Chang Long stood up to explore the area again. She had been resting for quite so ti, but no new wave of beasts had attacked her as they usually did. Hearing the sound of sand falling, she walked toward the source. To her shock, soone was poking their finger into the stone wall, creating a hole. Bright light stread through, striking Chang Long's eyes and making her close them reflexively.
Turning back toward the darkness, Chang Long tried to slowly open her eyes. Pain and burning overwheld her vision, which remained blurry despite the absence of light. Her eyes were swollen, her pupils red like fresh blood. She blinked slowly, trying to ease the discomfort, and was astonished when her vision began to clear. She could now see the ground, rocks, and cave walls. What had been shrouded in darkness appeared vividly, as though illuminated by a large, blood-red moon.
"Player Chang Long has obtained the secret skill, Vampire's Eyes. This passive skill activates automatically when the player is in darkness or during nightti,"
announced the system. Chang Long's eyes widened in shock. She had feared going blind, but instead, she had gained a skill far easier to use than Mind's Eye.
"Who's there?"
A small voice called from the hole where sunlight had just stread in. Chang Long turned toward the voice and t a pair of bright green eyes staring at her curiously. The mont their gazes locked, the system issued another notification.
"Sacred Jade Fang Dragon Beast King, Level 145, has appeared."
Chang Long froze, again. She had no ans to contend with a Jade Fang Dragon. Strangely, the being watching her looked like a re child, but their level was undeniably 145.
"Uh..."
Chang Long stamred, unsure of what to say.
"Your eyes!"
The childish voice exclaid in shock, startling Chang Long.
"You invader. How dare you trespass into Master Wu Ming's domain? This is bad! This is really bad. If Master Wu Ming finds out, he'll punish severely. There's only one way to ensure he doesn't find out... I must eliminate all the evidence!"
The child muttered nervously to himself before fixing Chang Long with a chilling, murderous glare—completely incongruous with his youthful appearance.
With a deafening explosion, the thick stone wall shattered before Chang Long's eyes. When the dust settled, a person-sized opening appeared in the wall. The child, with short green hair and dressed in pristine white ancient Chinese attire, stood on the other side, glaring at her intensely.
"Die, enemy of Master Wu Ming!"
The child declared flatly, pointing a small finger at Chang Long.
"W... Wait. What enemy? I just accidentally wandered in here. I don't even know you, little brother,"
Chang Long protested, panic rising in her voice.
"How dare you call that, I may look like a boy, but I'm a girl!"
Her words only seed to enrage the child further. Without waiting for an explanation, the child transford into a massive green-scaled Chinese dragon, her body stretching over fifteen ters long. Moving with lightning speed that Chang Long could not follow, save for a bright flash of green light. The next mont, Chang Long found herself in the player penalty room—a place reserved for those who die in the ga.
"Player Chang Long has been slain by Sacred Jade Fang Dragon Beast King, Level 145. Due to the beast's special skill Soul Devour Curse, the player's level has been reduced by 100. As Player Chang Long's level was 68, it has been reduced to Level 1."
"Huh!"
Chang Long gasped, mouth agape in disbelief. She was lost for words about what had just happened—she had been killed before she could even realize, and without sensing any pain. Her precious levels, painstakingly earned, had dropped to one. It was a pain far worse than dying itself.
"Th... tha... that... that crazy kid. I'm going to hunt you down and make you pay. How dare you wipe out all the levels I worked so hard to earn," Chang Long fud, her frustration spilling out in a stream of grumbles. In her anger, she had entirely forgotten about any benefits she might have gained from Wu Ming's Secret Training Ground. All that filled her mind now was a burning desire for vengeance. She knew her hardship would double, or perhaps even triple, considering what awaited her ahead.
.....
In Longshan City, players bustled about, most wore expressions of excitent, though so seed tense. It was well-known that Longshan was ho to special territories currently being fiercely contested. Chang Long, having just been released from the penalty room after her death, exited the player service building with a resigned air. Her level was now back to one—just like a beginner's.
Shielding her eyes from the sun, she looked around at the lively crowd. Everyone seed animated. But Chang Long felt nothing but despair. There was no one to share her frustration with. She sighed, thinking about her pets and spirits and thought to unseal them.
"Unseal Kitsune,. Unseal Hulu. Unseal Brownie. Summon spirits."
"AAAAAHHHH! WAAAAHH! OH MY GOSH! A GHOST."
The mont Chang Long issued the spirit-summoning command without specifying nas, the area erupted in chaotic scream. Puzzled, Chang Long glanced around and imdiately realized what had happened. Spirits that had been invisible monts earlier had all materialized in response to her call. So appeared in stunningly beautiful forms, others looked gruesoly terrifying, and a few even scread in panic, no less startled than the players themselves.
Players, AI, and even NPCs fled in utter panic, leaving the area around Chang Long devoid of any living beings save for herself and her pets. All the spirits turned to stare at her in unison. After a mont of hesitation, they began to float toward her.
"Was it you who summoned us to appear before mortals?"
An elder spirit asked. Chang Long nodded, bewildered. From her experience, spirits outside her own dominion rarely paid attention to anyone. Yet here they were, flocking to her and acting unusually deferential.
"The Lord of Spirits..."
A drawn-out voice ca from one of the spirits. This one floated to the forefront, parting the sea of spirits to get a closer look at her. A buzz of murmurs rippled through the gathered spirits, their whispers eerie and unsettling. One by one, the spirits on the outskirts began to drift away, disappearing.
"What are you all talking about?"
Devi-chan, displeased with the spirits' cryptic behavior, asked bluntly. The elder spirit turned to glance at Devi-chan briefly before redirecting his attention to Chang Long and asked in a calm voice.
"Are you the Lord of Spirits? If you've summoned us, may we ask what service you require of us?"
"Service?"
Chang Long echoed, confused. She had used the summon skill countless tis before, but this was the first instance of spirits appearing to inquire about her needs.
"Indeed, Lord of Spirits. You are the master of all spirits. When you call upon us, we cannot refuse,"
the elder spirit explained.
"Oh... I didn't an to summon you all. I just wanted to release the spirits bound to my own soul tablets, oh god!" Chang Long started to explain, but her words trailed off when she noticed an incoming horde of spirits. The city of Longshan was filled with shrieks of terror and chaos. Players and AI alike bolted from the scene, scattering beyond the city walls. Even high-level players, did not dare stay as they did not know how to fight spirits.
The spirits all bowed to Chang Long in unison before lifting their gazes to her with expressions of eager anticipation. What did they want from her? This behavior was nothing like the spirits she had encountered before. Normally, spirits reacted with mild surprise when noticed, then vanished into their invisible state without engaging, not even with their summoner.
"What's going on? Why are you bowing to ?"
Chang Long asked, her voice tinged with unease.
"Lord of Spirits, have you co to claim our souls as your servants?"
The spirits asked in unison.
"Please, command us. No matter how difficult the task, we are ready to fulfill your wishes!"
Their combined voices bood, reverberating through the city, audible even to distant onlookers.
"But I already said I didn't an to summon you,"
Chang Long grumbled.
"It matters not the reason, Lord of Spirits. When one as exalted as you summons us into the mortal realm, you must assign us a task to complete. Until you do, we cannot return to our original state. We will remain bound to your side until the mission is given."
The elder spirit spoke with a serious expression.
Chang Long had never anticipated that simply summoning spirits as a Lord of Spirits class player could lead to such complications. She had no idea what kind of task to assign to the vast army of spirits, who floated in orderly formation, awaiting her command. After pondering for a mont, she finally asked:
"In that case, can I ask you all to search for a particular item?"
"That is within our capability, my lord. However, we can only locate and inform you of the position of the object in question. We cannot retrieve it for you, as we are but spirits without physical bodies."
The elder replied, Chang Long nodded in understanding and continued:
"The item I wish for you to find is likely immovable. From what I know, it's a portal—a door connecting to another dinsion. A land I must reach in order to reclaim the power that has been sealed away. That item is the Mirror of Truth..."
-----
Read 'Adventure World Online (AWO)' before anyone else with more chapters at sjinovel/en
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