It seed that Big knew danger was imminent. The White Cloud Lion quickly grabbed Thankhun in its jaws and took off running. However, its own severe injuries prevented it from moving at full speed. Q caught up effortlessly. His figure seed to blur into a streak of black light, the flas of dark energy coating his blade as he aggressively drove it downward, aiming for the lion's crown. No cry escaped the beast's mouth as its massive body collapsed and lay still. The black flas spread from the wound, consuming both the lion and his master, who was still clutched in its jaws. Q, cold-blooded and ruthless, watched the pair burn with a chilling gaze. Before he left, his battered figure turned back briefly to leave a parting declaration.
"You and I will et again!"
Chang Long erged from the player service building, having just visited her ho and her AI maid, Kiki. She had plans to hunt beasts to level herself up. Her pets and spirits eagerly followed, unwilling to return to their seals after being confined for so long.
Before her lay a massive figure, engulfed in black flas. Though not entirely lifeless, it was barely clinging to survival. She glanced around uncertainly. She did not know what had happened, but there were clear signs of a battle and two lives on the brink of death.
"What is that...?"
Devi-chan spoke first, moving closer to inspect the White Cloud Lion, whose body was slowly being consud by the dark fire, as did Hisa-chan and Alice-chan.
"There's soone in its mouth. It doesn't seem he would make it either," Alice-chan noted with a bemused smile as saw the limp figure of a young man inside the lion's mouth.
"Could these two have fought and ended up killing each other, master?"
Brownie speculated, though his nervous glances at the lion's enormous maw betrayed his fear.
"I don't think so," Fluffy Head-chan interjected, drawing everyone's attention.
"Look, the man's body doesn't have a single bite mark on it. And the way it's holding him? It's like how lionesses carry their cubs when they're relocating."
"So, this big guy was protecting him from sothing,"
Chang Long nodded, beginning to piece things together.
"Soone who used this black fire, perhaps?"
Kitsune suggested, to murmurs of agreent from the group.
"This isn't fire—it's a skill used by high-level ninjas. A technique where they'd use a poison that devours the enemy's body. The toxin evaporates into a dark mist, resembling flas,"
an unfamiliar voice chid in, startling Chang Long and her companions. They turned to see a stranger clad in high-level ninja attire, his face obscured save for his eyes.
Chang Long needed only a glance to realize this was no human. His body seed weightless, his feet hovering above the ground. He cast no shadow, and his form was translucent, visible only faintly.
"Who are you?"
Chang Long frowned and asked, sensing that this spirit was anything but ordinary.
"Kamaku Hayasa,"
Devi-chan interrupted, answering the question in a calm, flat tone. Chang Long had not even noticed when Devi-chan had drifted to her side, but the tension in his voice was unmistakable. It was clear that there was unresolved animosity between him and Kamaku Hayasa.
"Devi Jones."
The mont Kamaku Hayasa laid eyes on Devi-chan, his expression grew grimr. He studied Devi-chan for a mont before shifting his gaze to Chang Long.
"Is she your heir?"
"That's correct. Don't tell the young man lying in the lion's mouth is yours?"
Devi-chan glanced toward the bloodied man lying limp in the jaws of the White Cloud Lion, his brows furrowing as he posed the question gravely.
"He's still inexperienced. But this will be a valuable lesson for him,"
Kamaku replied, his empty gaze settling on his heir. It was clear he was disappointed.
"If that's not fire, then an antidote should work, right?"
Chang Long interjected. Kamaku turned his gaze back to her before answering.
"The poison from this skill is an exception. No antidote can neutralize it. The effects will dissipate after a set amount of ti, but judging from their condition, neither will survive long enough to endure it."
Kamaku answered in his sa indifferent tone.
Hearing this, Chang Long moved toward the unconscious man, whose body had been flashing black and red for a while—an indication that he was entering a coma state. She tried to pull the man's heavy body out from the lion's jaws. The mont she saw his face clearly, recognition struck her like lightning.
"Thankhun!"
Chang Long gasped in shock. Quickly, she fished out a blood crystal and placed it in his mouth, hoping it would dissolve slowly. But given the urgency of the situation, she crushed the crystal into smaller pieces and forced them into his mouth again. Then she staunched the bleeding and bandaged him up. Kitsune, sitting nearby as her assistant, sighed in relief that Chang Long had not wrapped Thankhun up so tightly that he would look like soone who had developed goiter from malnutrition.
Ten minutes later, the black poison resembling flas dissipated. Chang Long had managed to save Thankhun, now lying with his head resting on Fluffy Head-chan. Unfortunately, it was too late for the White Cloud Lion. All that remained was its lifeless corpse.
"Mm..."
"Hey."
Thankhun opened his eyes, the first sight being a familiar face looking at him with curiosity. When he recognized who it was, shock overtook him, and he shot up abruptly.
Thwack!
"Ow!"
The sound of their heads colliding echoed loudly, followed by simultaneous cries of pain.
"What the hell are you doing!"
Chang Long yelled, clutching her forehead with both hands, tears streaming from her eyes in pain.
"S... sorry,"
Thankhun mumbled softly, holding his own forehead, tears forming at the corners of his eyes as well.
"The pet White Cloud Lion Beast King has died due to being slain by another player. Player Thankhun, do you wish to resurrect your pet?"
A system notification echoed in Thankhun's head before he turned to look at the lifeless body of Big. The once majestic lion looked frail and worn, likely exhausted from protecting his weak master to his last breath. Thankhun stood up and gently stroked Big's head, his eyes filled with sorrow but remaining silent.
"That… is it your pet?"
Chang Long asked, noticing his actions. Thankhun nodded quietly without saying a word, even as the system repeated the notification about Big's death.
"Do you, uh… want to bring it back?"
Chang Long asked again.
"I don't have any resurrection potions,"
Thankhun replied softly.
"What if I do?"
Thankhun turned to her, disbelief etched on his face. Resurrection potions were incredibly rare, usually only obtained by high-level players through quests.
"Don't joke around. Besides, I already owe you twice now. I can't trouble you for such a rare item,"
Thankhun said, avoiding her gaze.
"Don't you feel bad about losing it? Look at it—it's beautiful, high-level too. And resurrection potions don't get used up all at once. I'm not counting this as a favor; think of it as a gesture of goodwill,"
Chang Long reasoned. Thankhun seed overly serious about everything, and she did not want him to lose such a loyal pet that died protecting him when there was a chance to save it.
"But…"
"You're so stubborn. Don't you value the loyalty this one showed you?"
Chang Long sighed, exasperated. Without waiting for his permission, she took out a resurrection potion from her bag, approached Big's lifeless body, and carefully dripped three drops into his mouth.
"What are you doing!"
Thankhun shouted in alarm as he saw her actions. He rushed toward her but tripped over his backpack, falling headfirst to the ground. His bag spilled open, and sothing rolled out—an orb he had obtained from the throne of the Pirate King, Kamaku Hayasa. The orb stopped right beside Big's mouth.
Monts later, Big began to stir, letting out a painful growl. The wounds on his body started to hea. However, so of the elixir dripped from Big's mouth onto the orb, which absorbed it rapidly.
As everyone focused on Big's revival, the orb began to shake and crack, revealing sothing inside—an egg-like, oval object adorned with swirling wind patterns.
"Player Thankhun has received a Wind Elent Beast Egg."
The system announcent startled Thankhun. He looked around in confusion, finally spotting the egg lying near Big's body. Beneath the egg were shards of shattered glass. Just as Thankhun reached out to pick it up, his eyes widened in alarm—Big began to stir, attempting to stand, and his front paw was about to crush the egg.
"Don't move!"
Thankhun shouted loudly. Not only did Big freeze in place, but so did Chang Long, her companions, and even Kamaku Hayasa.
Big stood frozen, his front paw suspended mid-air. He glanced at his master, startled and hesitant to move. anwhile, Chang Long, mid-step toward Kitsune and Hulu, found herself on the verge of losing her balance. What should have been Big crushing the egg suddenly seed like it might be Chang Long, tumbling over it instead. In a panic, Thankhun lunged to catch her just as she nearly stomped down on the egg.
Crack...
Thankhun froze in shock. Had he just tried every way to protect the egg only to crush it himself? Slowly, he lowered his gaze toward his own foot, still unable to accept the possibility that he might have destroyed the very thing he had worked so hard to save. But as he looked down, the egg was intact. What he had stepped on was rely a shard of the glass that had fallen earlier.
"Phew..."
He let out a long sigh of relief. The egg remained unscathed. However, he then felt weight pressing on him and looked up. Thankhun realized he was cradling Chang Long, who was frowning at him in confusion. He quickly released her and bent down to pick up the egg, placing it safely in his bag.
"Are you insane or sothing?"
Chang Long snorted as she turned to walk back toward her pets. They stood gaping, particularly Brownie, who seed utterly scandalized that his master had been embraced by a man but had no reaction whatsoever to it.
"Uh... sorry. I was afraid you might step on the egg. I didn't an to do that,"
Thankhun stamred, trying to explain.
"Whatever. I was just on my way to have lunch at a restaurant. Let's part ways here,"
Chang Long replied as she began to walk away.
"Wait,"
Kamaku Hayasa's voice halted her steps. When she turned back to look, Thankhun appeared utterly shocked. Kamaku Hayasa, however, seed entirely unfazed by his heir's reaction. His focus remained squarely on Chang Long as he asked her with curiosity.
"Why did you help my heir, who will be your enemy in the future? Why not let him die? If you had, he would grow even weaker, making it easier for you to defeat him..."
"Are you crazy? I'd help anyone in need unless it's soone I utterly despise," Chang Long replied, a scowl of irritation crossing her face as the thought of Demos entered her mind.
"If it were , I wouldn't have helped," Thankhun spoke up.
"That's your problem. I'm leaving, ah!"
Chang Long cried out in surprise as an unknown woman suddenly leapt forward and hugged her tightly.
Chang Long froze, as did everyone else who looked on in shock. No one had noticed this woman. Before anyone could say anything, the mysterious woman spoke first.
"Zhi Yuan, where have you been? I waited so long I thought I'd never see you again in this lifeti."
"Zhi Yuan, who?"
Chang Long repeated the na, utterly confused. At the sound of Chang Long's voice, the mysterious woman imdiately step back in alarm.
"You're not Zhi Yuan!"
"No, I'm Chang Long."
The woman stared back at her in disbelief. Though the person before her resembled her lost lover, her figure was more delicate, with flawless skin, and clearly female.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I thought you were Zhi Yuan, my lover who disappeared almost five years ago. I must miss him so much that I saw him in you,"
the woman said, her voice trembling as tears stread down her face in disappointnt.
"Stop crying. Tears won't solve anything!"
Thankhun, still standing nearby, grumbled. Both Chang Long and the mysterious woman turned to look at him in confusion. Thankhun rolled his eyes before continuing.
"If you want help, just say so. This is a quest, isn't it?"
The woman nodded slowly.
"I want to ask you to find Zhi Yuan and bring him back to ."
"Fine. Are there any other conditions for this quest?"
Thankhun replied curtly. The mysterious woman broke into a smile, relieved that soone was willing to help her. However, she appeared hesitant to reveal the quest's conditions. In the past, whenever she explained them, players would often decline the quest outright. Even those who accepted would fail due to a lack of cooperation among the participants.
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Read 'Adventure World Online (AWO)' before anyone else with more chapters at sjinovel/en
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