"Guild leader, may I ask what exactly we're doing in the middle of the night out here in the desert?"
whispered one of the n to his guild leader. His voice carried a note of confusion as they lay hidden beneath the sands, observing the movents of AI soldiers stationed at the Gobi Wall—a special territory known for its impenetrable defenses. No guild had managed to conquer it yet. Rumor had it that the commander of the Gobi Wall was as skilled as a master of the martial world, undefeated and untouchable. This was why the guild leader had brought his group to scout the area and assess their future opponent.
"How many tis are you going to ask, Ma? I told you already—I need to see this Gobi Wall commander with my own eyes to gauge their strength,"
The guild leader snapped irritably before returning his gaze to the tower perched atop the Gobi Wall.
"I get what you're saying, but why did we have to co at such an ungodly hour? They're probably asleep by now,"
Ma replied, his tone dripping with patience.
"That's a dumb question. If we ca during the day, they'd see us!"
the guild leader retorted angrily.
"But at night, we can't see them either,"
chid Rose, the sole woman in the group, her voice tinged with apprehension.
"Listen, Rose, we can't just charge in blindly without knowing what we're up against. That commander could be leagues beyond any other AI commander we've encountered. Look around—there are plenty of strong guilds on this island, yet not a single one has managed to topple this fort. We need to be ticulous. The Dark Horse Guild cannot afford to lose, especially when both Siegfried and Demos have already claid their respective special territories,"
Aswa explained patiently to the beautiful guild mber.
"Since the system discreetly inford the guild leaders about the identities of other heirs of the Seven Pirate Kings—(information only available to heirs themselves)—we haven't heard much about anyone other than Siegfried and Demos,"
remarked rlin's Top Protege, after hearing Aswa ntion two of the seven heirs of the pirate king.
"It doesn't matter about the others right now. But those two—Siegfried and Demos—they're ahead of us by too many steps. I won't let this slide,"
Aswa said, his tone turning sharp with irritation. The re ntion of Demos seed to spark his temper further.
"And that woman. Who would've thought she'd also be one of the Pirate Kings' heirs,"
grumbled the Lost Martial Artist, his voice dripping with resentnt.
"You an Miss Chang Long? I'm not surprised. Speaking of her, if we manage to conquer the Gobi Wall, I might try inviting her here as a show of strength—and maybe impress her while I'm at it. Heh heh heh."
At the ntion of Chang Long, Aswa's mood visibly improved, his face lighting up at the thought of his love at first sight.
"What!"
The four n and one woman exclaid in unison, even Boron—who typically remained indifferent.
"Guild leader, are you still thinking of wooing that woman? Have you forgotten how she killed us in cold blood in the Purple Forest?"
rlin's Top Protege asked indignantly, his voice laced with frustration as mories of their grueso deaths resurfaced. Though they had died before Aswa, who had been struck down by Chang Long's Calamity Thunder skill, the experience was no less haunting.
"Exactly. That's what makes her the woman of my dreams!"
Aswa responded dreamily, recalling Chang Long's fierce yet srizing deanor as she unleashed her deadly skills. His words left his guild mbers visibly nauseated at their leader's peculiar taste in won.
"By the way, weren't you all a bit too loud just now? We're dangerously close to the enemy. Don't make such noise again—it's too risky,"
Aswa warned, realizing their mistake. But it was already too late.
As Aswa turned back to continue observing the Gobi Wall's activities, he found a blade pointed directly at his face. What unnerved him most was the eerie silence—he had not heard even a whisper of movent from the nightly opponent.
"Well, well. I didn't expect guests this late at night at the Gobi Wall," ca a deep, calm voice from the person who was holding the other end of the blade. It carried a hint of curiosity, as if the speaker found the situation more intriguing than threatening.
The opponent's unexpected appearance left Aswa's team baffled. How had they been discovered so easily? They had concealed themselves expertly beneath the sand, suppressing even the faintest traces of killing intent—a skill that activated automatically when one held a malicious intent, or t with another's killing intent to avoid detection.
Yet this man had not only found them but approached without making a sound. It would be hard to believe that the noise they had just made had triggered their opponent. The group were hiding several hundred ters away from the Gobi Wall. Even if it was the case, this man being here right now, was incredibly surprising.
"Who are you?"
Aswa demanded, his tone sharp and tense.
"? I am the commander of the Gobi Wall,"
the man replied, sheathing his blade as he stepped back to allow Aswa and his team to erge from their hiding spots. As the group stood up, they scrutinized the man who claid to be the Gobi Wall commander. His appearance surprised them—he was not clad in the heavy armor of a soldier but instead wore white martial attire trimd with gold, which fluttered gracefully in the night breeze.
"Is it really okay for the commander to leave the fortress like this?"
Aswa questioned, still suspicious of the man who had claid to be the commander's identity.
"It's fine. I was just out on patrol. I never expected to stumble upon sothing peculiar like this. You do realize that the area within a one-kiloter radius of the fortress is under our jurisdiction. Anyone found here is deed to have... invaded!"
The mont the AI commander's words fell, soldiers who had been camouflaged in the surroundings began to erge, forming a circle around Aswa and his team.
"What the heck!"
Rose exclaid in shock, completely unaware that they had been surrounded. Her male companions, on the other hand, stood stiff with tension.
"Aswa..."
rlin's Top Protege whispered, clutching his staff tightly, ready to attack at a mont's notice.
"It seems that's all of them. So, they didn't co to attack... Return to the fortress!"
The AI commander, who had been enjoying himself for a brief mont, quickly ordered his troops back to the fortress. In the blink of an eye, he himself leapt away as if flying.
In re monts, Aswa and his group were left standing alone in the cold desert night, surrounded by silence. They exchanged bewildered glances, initially thinking they would et their end at the hands of the AI soldiers. But suddenly, the AI troops retreated without so much as a second glance. When the group looked back at the Gobi Wall, they saw the fortress under siege, the battle growing fiercer by the minute.
"I thought we were done for. Good thing soone decided to attack the fortress right now,"
Rose sighed with relief, though her face turned pale when she saw the expressions on the n's faces.
"That bastard,"
Ma growled through clenched teeth, his eyes locked on the Gobi Wall now engulfed in chaos and flas.
"This is an insult, guild leader!"
Lost Martial Artist shouted indignantly, turning to Aswa for a response. Aswa faced his team, his eyes gleaming with fury.
"Ma, gather as many of our guild mbers as possible. Distribute the divine [owder to them and have them assemble here. Tonight, we will storm the Gobi Wall, and I will crush that commander with my own hands!"
The Dark Horse Guild Leader declared, his voice filled with resolve. Ma imdiately complied, rushing off with Boron and Lost Martial Artist, both energized by the order.
"Aswa, the Divine Powder. It took our miracle doctor trainee a great deal of effort to develop it. You even told us to stockpile it for profit. Why are you planning to distribute it all to the guild mbers?"
Rose asked, clearly confused.
"Rose, a war is about to begin, and the Divine Powder can instantly restore all statuses when crushed and inhaled. I need everyone to be ready for battle, not groggy and unprepared. Do you understand?"
Aswa explained seriously. Rose nodded in understanding and began preparing herself for the imminent conflict.
.....
Chang Long clenched her teeth in frustration, angered by her misstep during such a critical mont. Siegfreid urged her to climb onto the roof as soldiers began pursuing them, so even circling outside to cut off their escape. Chang Long finally made it onto the roof, looking down at the approaching soldiers and at the countdown on her mission tir. She turned to face Siegfreid, who stood waiting with remarkable calm despite their increasingly dire situation.
"Spread wings,"
Chang Long instructed, activating her wings and grabbing Siegfreid. He had anticipated this move, and the two took off into the night sky. Below, the soldiers could only shout in confusion, unable to follow them. Chang Long flew far enough from the temporary camp to a dense grove of trees, using the foliage as cover.
"Let's go. Ti is running out. Can you run fast enough, Sieg?"
Chang Long asked urgently. Upon landing, the two raced back to the royal encampnt, their stolen bottles of liquor in hand for the elder, Gareb.
The clock seed to move faster than usual as the mission tir ticked into its final ten minutes. Chang Long and Siegfreid had just passed the guards at the main entrance but still had a long way to go to reach their tent and Gareb. When a misfortune occured, another would followed, a protruding root tripped them, sending both tumbling uncontrollably. By the ti they got up again, Chang Long realized she had twisted her ankle, and Siegfreid had sprained his wrist.
"We won't make it. There are only five minutes left,"
Siegfreid said regretfully. Chang Long let out a resigned sigh. They had tried their best, but if success was out of reach, she had no choice but to let it go.
Growl.
A low growl rumbled from the darkness, startling both of them. They could not believe they were facing yet another misfortune on the sa night. But when the creature stepped into the light, Siegfreid exhaled in relief—it was Lycanth, his loyal pet. The massive wolf-like beast approached his master, noticing his injuries. He effortlessly hoisted Siegfreid off the ground as if he were a stuffed doll.
"Whoa, Lycanth. What are you doing!"
Siegfreid cried out in surprise, but an idea suddenly struck him. He asked Lycanth to carry Chang Long over his other shoulder. The beast easily slung her across his broad shoulders.
"What are you thinking, Sieg? I'm exhausted, and I'm not in the mood for gas,"
Chang Long scolded after letting out a startled yelp from being picked up so abruptly.
"I'm thinking Lycanth should take us to Elder Gareb's tent. Let's see if he can get us there before ti runs out—let's go, Lycanth, three minutes left. I wonder if you'd make it in ti?"
Siegfreid's tone carried a playful challenge. Lycanth growled in agreent, charging forward with incredible speed, leaping over obstacles like a bullet.
10…
9…
8…
The final countdown began. Guards scattered in panic. The beast paused briefly, lifting his head to sniff the air before surging forward again.
6…
5…
4…
"We're not going to make it. We're lost!"
Chang Long cried out amidst the commotion of panicked AIs fleeing, mistaking Lycanth's movents for a rampage.
"No way. Why are you stopping, Lycanth? Keep going!"
Siegfreid urged. But instead of moving, Lycanth stood still, his ears perked as he listened to sounds coming from a large tent ahead.
3…
Rippp!
Thud!
"What is the aning of this!"
a startled old man exclaid as he stared at the torn tent. Behind the gash, the massive wolf-like figure of Lycanth lood, with two limp figures (dazed but alive) he thought were his midnight snack draped over his shoulders.
Roarrr
Lycanth roared so loudly that the old man jumped in fright, falling to the ground. His body trembled with fear as the werewolf stepped into his shelter and dropped the bodies of his two preys onto the ground.
2…
1…
"Elder Gareb. We've completed the mission!"
Chang Long and Siegfreid shouted in unison, just as the tir hit zero. They sighed in relief while the elder sat frozen in shock.
"Y... y... you two, a werewolf? What's going on!"
Gareb stamred quietly, his gaze fixed on the enormous beast.
Elder Gareb accepted the stolen liquor with glee, although he continued to glance at Lycanth, who now sat by the tent's tears. Chang Long and Siegfreid waited patiently, watching as the old man poured himself a glass, swirled it, and took a sip.
"Ah, excellent! You two are sothing else. I can't believe you dared steal liquor from the royal storeroom. Weren't you afraid of being caught?"
Gareb asked Chang Long, who replied with a roll of her eyes.
"Listen, old man. Just tell us how to lift the curse already. Dawn is almost here, and we don't want to be stuck in animal form when it's ti to ask questions."
"Fair enough. You've completed the mission, so I'll tell you how to break the curse," Gareb said with a frown, his tone suddenly serious. He poured another glass of liquor, sat back in a cushioned chair, and swirled the liquid as he gathered his thoughts.
"I ntioned before that there was one person immune to the curse of the Beast Wall, didn't I?"
Gareb began. Chang Long and Siegfreid nodded, giving him their full attention.
-----
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