Adventure World Online (AWO) Chapter 288 288: Elder Gareb

"Kimhant, did you... get yourself a new pet?"

Oliang could not help but ask, his gaze fixed on the peculiar figure before him, a mix of curiosity and unease evident in his expression.

"Uh…"

Kimhant stamred, unsure of how to respond. anwhile, Peach Blossom noticed where Oliang's eyes lingered—not on the mythical tiger cub in her arms, but on her disheveled appearance. She snapped instantly, her patience finally reaching its limit.

"Oi, Oliang. Did you just imply I'm Kimhant's pet!"

Peach Blossom shouted angrily, her voice sharp and cutting. The players nearby froze, stunned by the sight of the normally poised and elegant Peach Blossom in such a state.

"Peach Blossom! / Miss Peach Blossom!"

Everyone exclaid in disbelief. It was hard to reconcile the guild's beloved, graceful young lady with the bedraggled figure before them. She had left looking flawless, but returned she looking like a ghost straight out of a horror movie.

"This is ridiculous. I'm not talking to you guys anymore!"

Peach Blossom stord off, her face flushed. She headed straight to her tent, which housed most of her beauty products, stop caring about the mythical tiger cub she had been cradling in her arms. The cub hit the ground with a thud and was then yanked along carelessly by a leash so tight it could barely breathe. Its protests went entirely ignored as she stord away.

"So, what happened out there? Why does Peach Blossom look like that, while you're totally fine?"

Oliang asked, turning back to Kimhant with a puzzled look. Kimhant could only offer a sheepish smile, unsure how to begin explaining. If the others found out what he and Peach Blossom had gone through to end up like this, he would likely be scolded endlessly.

.....

From morning to afternoon, there was no news of Elder Gareb. No report from the soldiers sent to find him, as the sky transitioned through hues to velvety darkness. Chang Long sat sulking in front of a mirror in her guest room, provided by Queen Anna. Without knowing how to lift the curse, she could not go anywhere or do much of anything. She could not even summon her sealed pets. As she turned away from the mirror, sothing extraordinary happened.

Chang Long felt her body begin to stretch and shift. Her fluffy kitten fur slowly transford into clothing, her tiny paws lengthened into fingers and palms. Looking in the mirror, she could see her feline form reverted to her human one.

"Sieg!!"

Chang Long burst out of her room and rushed into Siegfried's quarters, throwing the door open. There, she found him—back in his human form, just like her. The two stared at each other in puzzled and astonished. Slowly, smiles ford on their faces, growing wider until they could not contain their joy. They rushed toward each other and embraced tightly.

"What just happened? How did we suddenly return to normal?"

Chang Long asked, her voice filled with amazent as they finally sat down to talk.

"I have no idea, but it's definitely strange,"

Siegfried agreed.

"Do you think we've returned to our human forms permanently? I'm scared that we'll wake up and turn back into animals again,"

Chang Long said nervously, glancing over her body as though expecting a tail or ears to reappear.

"I don't know. We'll probably have to wait until Elder Gareb can help us figure out the curse."

As soon as the words left his mouth, there was a commotion outside the door. Siegfried opened it to see a breathless page running toward them.

"My lords. We, we've found Elder Gareb. He's waiting in the throne room."

The page announced between gasps. Chang Long and Siegfried's eyes lit up, and they hurried out of the room.

In the temporary throne room, several soldiers looked troubled as they struggled to support the limp body of an elderly man with long white hair that fell to his shoulders. King Duck sat on the throne, clutching his head. Chang Long and Siegfried entered, confusion written all over their faces as they eyed the old man. King Duck noticed their arrival and imdiately spoke up."Don't bother wondering—that's Elder Gareb,"

the king said before returning to rub his temples. A mont later, the king's gaze snapped back to them, his expression one of shock.

"Wha… how did you two return to your original forms!"

King Duck exclaid. The pair shook their heads, just as clueless as he was. The attention shifted back to Elder Gareb, who was still drunken, oblivious to his surroundings.

"Your Majesty, this man is in no state to help us. We won't be able to get anything useful from him today."

one of the soldiers said reluctantly. Any attempts to call the old man had been fruitless. Chang Long's jaw dropped at the report, anger flashing across her face as she stord out of the throne room.

"Chang Long!"

Siegfried called after her, starting to follow.

"Let her be, Siegfried. We should let the old man rest today and try again tomorrow."

King Duck said hopelessly.

As two soldiers began escorting the drunken elder to his quarters, Chang Long reappeared with a bucket of water. Without saying a word, she splashed the entire bucket over Gareb's face. The throne room fell silent as everyone stared in shock. The freezing water jolted Gareb awake.

"Oh, what's this? What's going on!"

he sputtered and exclaid.

"Listen here, old man. You've picked a terrible ti to be drunk. I have questions, and I need answers now. If you don't sober up this instant, I'll go get another bucket of cold water!"

Chang Long shouted, her voice loud and sharp, stunning everyone present. Even Elder Gareb paused, studying her with narrowed eyes. He walked around her once before finally speaking.

"You've been cursed by the Wall of Beasts, haven't you?"

Now it was Chang Long's turn to be shocked. Everyone stared at the elder. No one had told him why he had been brought here, yet he seed to know exactly what had happened without needing an explanation.

"How did you know that?"

Chang Long asked, her eyes filled with hope that this transformation might not linger.

"The tail—it's already started to grow. By tomorrow night, the ears will probably appear too,"

Elder Gareb replied nonchalantly.

"What!" Chang Long exclaid in shock. Both she and Siegfried turned to check their backs, awkwardly craning their necks, only to find a small tail sprouting, just as Gareb had said. It was not very long yet, resembling a small shoot erging from the ground.

"Wait, what do you an by tomorrow night?"

Siegfried asked, suspicion in his tone. Gareb gave a sly smile before answering,

"It ans you'll only return to your human forms only at night. During the day, the curse will fully take hold of your bodies. However, if you delay breaking the curse for too long, your transformation will eventually beco permanent—you'll truly turn into animals."

Both Chang Long and Siegfried shuddered at his words.

Properly chastened by Gareb's grim warnings, the two sat quietly, listening without daring to argue. The old man seed rather amused by Chang Long, especially since no one had ever dared to splash water on him to sober him up. Most people waited patiently for him to be ready to help, but not her. While Gareb did not appreciate being forced, he certainly had his ways of making even the most stubborn people—like Chang Long—listen obediently like a kitten. Gareb glanced at her and began to speak again.

"Listen, kid. The Wall of Beasts is an ancient cursed structure. The area that is now the Dunne Royal Conservatory was once a small village. There, a powerful mage lived—a man who could grant anyone's deepest desires. But despite his kind heart, he was frad by those envious of his powers. Accused of false cris, the once-rich, respected mage fell into ruin, reduced to a beggar, doing odd jobs for any small money he could to survive..."

"Wait, why didn't he use his magic to get everything back? If he was so powerful, it seems strange that he just let himself be brought so low,"

Chang Long interjected, puzzled. She had seen how devastatingly powerful mages were in this ga, especially second-tier wizards. Their spells were no joke.

"Because he was a good man, kid. On top of that, his health deteriorated as he worked tirelessly to rebuild the village walls under the employ of a construction company. Despite his hardship, people mocked and ridiculed him relentlessly—even in his final days. No matter how kind soone is, their patience has its limits. On a silent night, as his life neared its end, the mage walked to the wall. He gathered a handful of dust and mixed it with sothing he had prepared. Then he began chanting a spell, his voice a faint murmur that stretched on. Finally, he flung the dust onto the wall. A terrifying sound erupted—like an army of beasts roaring, attacking the village. The villagers, weapons in hand, ca running to investigate the noise. But all they found was the mage's lifeless body and an inscription on the wall...

Gareb's expression turned somber as he finished his tale.

Chang Long and Siegfried listened intently, beginning to understand the ssage on the Wall of Beasts better. The mage, a man so kind he refused to harm those who wronged him, had endured a life of ridicule and abuse. Even when his patience finally snapped, he rely cursed people, transforming them into animals, revealing the wickedness hidden in their hearts.

"The greater the evil, the more beastly the transformation,"

Chang Long murmured.

"Exactly, kid. The worse their hearts, the more monstrous they beca. But rember, this is only a human interpretation. Animals themselves aren't any more evil than humans. Have you ever seen a cat cheat soone, spread malicious rumors, or slaughter others as easily as humans do?"

Gareb fixed his gaze on Chang Long. She shook her head, and he continued.

"Of course, there's no way you'll ever see that, except in the village where people gradually turn into animals. They panic, fear, and start hurting one another. Those who are spared from the curse are the ones who have believed in and helped that wizard all along, even in his lowest tis."

"Who are the people that were spared from the curse?"

King Duck asked, intrigued. The mage's story seed to resonate deeply with him. "Your Majesty, if I may, I'd like to reserve that part of the tale for those directly affected by the curse,"

Elder Gareb replied respectfully. King Duck nodded in understanding and ordered everyone to leave the throne room except for Chang Long, Siegfried, and the elder.

Once the room was cleared, Elder Gareb turned to face Chang Long and Siegfried, his expression weary and serious.

"Listen closely, you two. As adventurers, the curse's effects on you will remain limited to this transformation—it won't beco permanent like it might for us (AI or other players.) However, being stuck in animal form during the day can be inconvenient, can't it? If you want to lift the curse completely, you'll need to help . Go steal the finest liquor stored in the king's royal storehouse. Do that, and I'll tell you how to break the curse."

"Player Chang Long/Player Siegfried has received the quest Sneak to Royal Storehouse. You have three hours to complete it. Will you accept?"

Both were stunned in silence at the announcent. Stealing from the royal storehouse was no simple task. Yet refusing the quest ant continuing to endure the curse with no end in sight. They exchanged a glance before turning to Gareb, who waited patiently, a smile on his face.

"Fine,"

they both answered through gritted teeth. It now made sense why he had sent everyone else away—he had planned to steal the king's liquor.

"Excellent. I'll be waiting in my chambers—the ones the king kindly provided. See you in three hours,"

Gareb said cheerfully, grinning as he swept out of the room in high spirits.

"Player Chang Long/Player Siegfried has accepted the quest Sneak to Royal Storehouse. Ti limit: three hours. If you are caught or exceed the ti limit, the quest will fail."

As the system announcent ended, a countdown tir of three hours appeared on their quest screens. The two exchanged panicked looks before hurrying out of the throne room.

"Three hours? We only have three hours to steal sothing from the royal storehouse!"

Chang Long exclaid in frustration as they made their way to scout the temporary storehouse, which was so distance from the throne room.

"It might not be as hard as you think. This is a temporary storehouse that was recently built. Security won't be as tight as it would be in the royal palace."

Siegfried said, trying to calm her down. Chang Long paused and looked at him, her expression shifting as she realized he had a point.

"Yeah, you're right. We might actually pull this off."

She smiled, her confidence bolstered.

"You two, don't you ever rest? What are you doing wandering so far from your quarters? You're exceeding the fifty ters."

Devi-chan suddenly appeared, his voice irritable. He had been happily spying on palace maids teasing each other while changing clothes.

"Wait, how are you two back in human form already?"

Hisa-chan asked, shocked. Alice-chan and Heaven looked equally surprised.

"Did you already lift the curse?"

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