"Right, I heard that too. Who could've entered the Pirate King's treasure room before our guild master?"
Boron expressed his curiosity.
"Whoever they are, which Pirate King's tomb did they find?"
Lost Martial Artist mused thoughtfully.
"Forget about that for now. We should be celebrating with our guild master instead."
Ma clapped a firm hand on his junior guild mber's shoulder before signaling for fruit juice to be served to everyone.
The celebration comnced in a simple yet joyful manner. The highlight of the event was Aswa's recounting of his thrilling battle against the beast king guarding the treasure room entrance. The guild's female mbers listened with wide-eyed admiration, and even the male mbers could not help but look up to Aswa as a role model and true hero.
.....
Elsewhere...
"At last, the title of Pirate King's heir is mine. Id, do you even realize why I started playing this ga? I've worked so hard to climb my way up, to beco soone well-known in this world. But where are you? Why haven't you co to find yet?"
A young woman draped in a flowing crimson silk cloak muttered to herself, her voice tinged with frustration. She stood on a small stage, surrounded by three or four players, while a throng of male players gathered below, their eyes fixated on her as if waiting for a rare flower to bloom.
"The mont we've all been waiting for has finally arrived. Here we have the number one beauty in the rankings of the most trusted Journalists and Writers Association,"
the stage announcer declared with excitent.
"After taking so ti off, she has returned with a fiery new look that's more stunning than ever."
The crowd roared their approval, their cheers echoing loudly. The woman could not suppress a small, rosy smile. This was exactly what she had aid for—but not for the masses gathered here. The one person she wanted to captivate was not present. Perhaps he simply did not know. She could not bear to wait for him to co any longer. Once this tedious event was over, she decided she would be the one to seek him out.
"The number one beauty of Adventure World Online, Narada!"
As the announcer's voice rang out, the woman gracefully removed her cloak, revealing her full figure and features to the crowd. Narada was petite and delicate, with skin as fair as snow. Her sweet face, large round eyes, and full rose-red lips made her undeniably charming. Her long, glossy black hair cascaded down to her mid-back. She raised her small hand to wave elegantly at her fans. Each ti a player shouted her na, she responded with a sweet smile, leaving her admirers utterly enchanted.
Not far from Narada's stage, another stage was set up for female players. It was stage for the ga's most handso n. The screams and cheers of the female crowd there were equally loud, if not louder.
"The runner-up beauty—what a pity that we can't find their true in-ga na. Despite our efforts, they remain elusive. But I bet all of you have her picture saved sowhere. It's none other than Sleeping Beauty."
Cheers erupted from the male players, even though Sleeping Beauty did not appear despite their calls. Instead, they raised her picture high for the stage announcer to see, demonstrating just how much they adored the second-ranked beauty.
anwhile, at the stage for the handso male players, nas were being announced to the squeals of the female audience. The number-one-ranked male appeared to be a charming and carefree gentleman with flirtatious eyes. The second rank was a brooding man with sharp, intense eyes, clearly forced to participate under so condition. The third-ranked was Siegfried of Pendragon, whom everyone knew had no interest in this event and was likely preoccupied with his city conquest. The fourth-ranked was a mysterious player who sparked endless debates—was he a pretty-faced man, or a handso woman?
When Sleeping Beauty's na was announced on the male stage, players from both platforms turned to look at each other. Both groups raised pictures of Sleeping Beauty in their hands, glaring at each other, unwilling to back down. What followed was an uncontrollable war between the two groups over Sleeping Beauty's identity.
The first-ranked beauty, who had been maintaining a sweet smile, showed slight irritation and quietly descended from the stage during the commotion. She had thought coming here was ridiculous from the start. She should be out searching for the man she loved. The Sleeping Beauty war only added to her irritation.
"Miss Narada, wait. Are you leaving already?"
the male announcer called out.
"Yes, I've wasted enough ti."
Narada's curt reply left the announcer flustered.
"Bu..."
"Step aside. I'm not in a good mood."
Her sharp tone startled him. When her fans saw the incident, so moved to stop her. But Narada flashed them a sweet smile—a smile imbued with a magical allure that few, even AI, could use. It was a charm exclusive to dryads and witches.
"Grand Enchantnt."
Narada giggled in satisfaction, draped herself in her long crimson cloak, and walked away with the grace of a queen. Yes, this was how it should be. This was the tool that would make him—that man—fall for her. The Pirate King had gifted her this power willingly, and she was ready, gladly use it to finally capture his attention.
"Thank you, Shadin,"
she murmured softly. Then mounted the large unicorn, her loyal pet. Leaning close, she whispered to it. The majestic creature then galloped away like a streak of lightning, leaving behind a sea of srized gazes.
.....
The battle dragged on longer than expected. Although Crown's friend's guild had successfully destroyed the AI's supply and weapon depots, their limited numbers ant they were under heavy pressure. Fortunately, many had evolved pets that served as crucial keys, allowing Pantera Guild to continue holding their ground. anwhile, Chang Long found herself surrounded by a large number of AI soldiers. She eyed them warily, noting that they showed no intent to attack her. Instead, they appeared to be herding her away from her teammates.
"What are you trying to do?"
Chang Long asked warily. Duncan and the others were now far away, and she was not sure she could make it past the encircling AI soldiers to rejoin her friends.
"You'll find out soon enough. The commander is quite intrigued by you,"
one of the AI soldiers answered with a sneer.
"What?"
"Well, well, kid. Level 15, and yet you've survived this long?"
The AI commander, walked through the ranks of soldiers, who stepped aside to let him into the circle where Chang Long stood.
"AI Commander ,"
Chang Long muttered in surprise. She had not expected the AI commander to appear so close in person.
"The na's Haufen. How about a little duel? If you win, I'll give you this."
Haufen smirked, holding up a necklace with a gold pendant the size of a fist.
"A one-on-one duel?"
Chang Long asked cautiously.
"One-on-one,"
Haufen confird.
"What are the rules?"
She pressed, still wary.
"Use everything you've got to beat . I wouldn't ask a re level 15 player to fight barehanded,"
Haufen said with a chuckle. Chang Long nodded slightly. The surrounding AI soldiers began to retreat, widening the circle to create a makeshift arena for the duel.
"Use everything you have, kid. Don't waste a single trick, because my blade shows no rcy!"
Haufen drew his massive two-handed sword. The entire blade, hilt included, was a matte gray, resembling stone, yet its sharpness and deadly aura were unmistakable. Holding the hilt at chest height with the tip pointing upward, the blades of the surrounding AI soldiers emitted a faint whirring sound, as if responding in unison.
Chang Long felt the intensity and danger radiating from the man before her. Haufen seed like a bloodthirsty warrior, though his deanor remained composed. His eyes, however, glead with satisfaction as he prepared to strike.
"He's no ordinary foe,"
Hisa-chan, who was invisible and standing beside Chang Long, murmured. Chang Long nodded, every fiber of her being attuned to the overwhelming pressure emanating from her opponent. Haufen opened the duel with a ferocious diagonal slash aid at Chang Long's body. She spun out of the way, dodging by hair's breadth. The blade struck the ground with trendous force, leaving a small fissure in its wake.
"Nice dodge. But will you evade the next one, kid?"
Haufen grinned with satisfaction, following up with another powerful horizontal slash. Chang Long ducked under the blade just in ti, but the second wave of attacks ca imdiately. Haufen landed a brutal kick, sending her flying into the AI soldiers surrounding them. The soldiers erupted into cheers of delight, jeering at the apparent futility of Chang Long's efforts.
Using the Sovereign Sword, Chang Long braced herself and struggled to her feet. Wiping the blood from her lips and nose with one hand, she fixed Haufen with a steely, unyielding glare.
"Those eyes are decent, but your skills… looks like I overestimated you,"
Haufen shook his head in disappointnt.
"Tch… Hisa-chan, Spirit Possesion"
Chang Long summoned softly. Both Devi-chan and Hisa-chan widened their eyes in shock. They had not expected Chang Long to use such a taxing skill, especially since it placed a heavy burden on her body at her current level. With Chang Long at level 15, the effects of the Spirit Possession skill would be incredibly severe.
An imnse aura of power erupted from Chang Long's body, so overwhelming that even the AI soldiers behind her instinctively stepped back in fear. Hisa-chan's silhouette overlapped with Chang Long's, forming the image of a strikingly handso young samurai. His long, jet-black hair was tied into a ponytail at the back, and his sharp, piercing eyes locked onto his opponent, knowing how irked she was. His hand gripped the hilt of the katana at his side firmly. Haufen stared, eyes wide, at Chang Long, who had transford into a fearso samurai, radiating an air of danger that was visible to the eye.
"My turn to go on the offensive,"
spoke the dual voice, a haunting overlap of Chang Long's and Hisa-chan's tones. The eerie sound sent chills through those who heard it. Chang Long stepped forward with lightning speed, drawing the katana from her side in a flash. The movent was so fast it appeared only as a streak of blinding white light.
Haufen managed to raise his massive sword just in ti to block. The force of the clash made his hands tremble. The AI commander stared at Chang Long in astonishnt, baffled by what kind of skill could grant such a dramatic surge in power. Chang Long grinned defiantly at Haufen.
"Ready to face the real deal now?"
The battleground of the fortress on Mount Longshan, once filled with the chaotic clamor of fighting, had fallen into an eerie silence. The only sound that broke the stillness was the rapid clash of blades. Everyone's attention shifted from the larger battle for the fortress to the fast and fierce duel unfolding in front of them. One combatant was a man wearing a gold pendant the size of a fist. The other was a young samurai with a ghostly, shadowy figure enveloping his body, moving with supernatural speed and ferocity. The sight was haunting, as though a vengeful specter had descended to hunt its prey.
"Is that Chang Long?"
Crown, who had just arrived to join Duncan, asked without taking his eyes off the fight.
"I don't know. I've never seen her like this before. Is she really level 15?"
Duncan replied, equally unable to tear his gaze away.
"Both of them are terrifying—especially that AI commander. He's fighting without any concern for the soldiers circling them. None of them even dare step close to the radius of their battle now,"
a female player standing beside Duncan observed, her body shaking slightly. Sweat glistened on her forehead, and her wide eyes betrayed her fear of the combat she was witnessing.
"I've never seen anything like this in the ga before. It's incredible. Absolutely incredible,"
Pan, the guild leader of Pantera, exclaid, voice brimming with excitent.
"The AI commander seems to be at a disadvantage. At this rate, the fortress will be ours in no ti,"
a young woman started to speculate.
"No, I don't think so. Chang Long looks like she's running out of steam. Even though she's been holding the upper hand, her strength is clearly waning."
Duncan began to voice his concerns.
"This doesn't look good for Chang Long. If she goes down, we'll be wiped out in an instant. Just look,"
Crown pointed, showing how the number of AI soldiers was rapidly increasing in a short ti.
"Tch, they've repaired the barracks ridiculously fast. Crown, signal everyone to keep pushing, and make sure to support Chang Long. If she falls, they'll swarm her for sure."
Pan gave orders before leading part of the team away. The sound of explosions and the clash of battle erupted once more. Chang Long stood panting heavily, her body swaying after delivering a powerful slash that sent Haufen skidding across the ground for several ters. A deep gash now ran from the AI commander's chest down to his abdon.
"Missy, dismiss Hisa-chan right now before you collapse,"
Devi-chan shouted urgently.
"I… can't. If he's still standing, there's no way we can win."
Chang Long replied between labored breaths.
"But if you don't dismiss Hisa-chan now, you won't survive either!"
Devi-chan barked. Haufen pushed himself back to his feet, glaring at Chang Long. His condition was not much better than hers.
"Not bad, kid. But it looks like you're done for. That skill must have so severe limitations,"
Haufen smirked, watching Chang Long struggle to stay upright.
"Heh, you're not looking so great yourself, Hi... Hisa-chan, Spirit Summoning,"
Chang Long forced a smile before finally dismissing Hisa-chan from her body.
"But if you think I'm finished, you'd better think again."
"Oh, interesting. You still have enough strength left to stand against ?"
Haufen raised an eyebrow, eyeing Chang Long's trembling form and pained expression.
"Well, no matter. You've entertained enough. For that, I'll make sure you won't feel a thing when I end this."
The AI commander raised his sword high, ignoring his own injuries, and stepped toward Chang Long. She appeared utterly exhausted, unable to fight back as a sea of AI soldiers surrounded her. Crown and Duncan's group fought desperately to break through to help her, but the sheer number of enemies was overwhelming. As Haufen's blade drew closer and the cacophony of battle seed to fade into a distant hum, Chang Long pointed her finger at the AI commander and whispered a skill na under her breath:
"Mausoleum."
-----
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