"Oh, right. He was assigned the sa quest as , so I figured that having more people increases our chances of reaching the Heavenly Avian Temple,"
Chang Long replied casually. The two n exchanged looks, their gazes betraying an unspoken rivalry. Aswa was annoyed that, even though Siegfried seed to know who he was, there was not the slightest sign of fear or deference in his deanor. What Aswa did not realize was that he did not recognize Siegfried in his elf form. The new attire, complexion, and even the change in eye color had thrown Aswa off. The only distinguishing feature—the pointed tips of Siegfried's ears—was obscured by his hair.
"I think it's a good idea. Just the two of us and our pets might not be enough to make it to the temple. Having a guild leader join us increases our odds significantly."
Siegfried spoke up. His words caught Aswa's attention. He craned his neck to peer behind Siegfried and spotted what appeared to be a small army of pets, conversing with each other. Most of them looked bizarre—creatures he had never seen before.
"Hey, the master's here," Brownie, the tiny rodent in Chang Long's group, announced with a clear voice, causing Aswa to freeze in shock. He rubbed his eyes and even poked his ears, doubting his senses. He just saw a little mouse talk.
"Oh, Brownie, sorry to keep you waiting. We're ready to head out now. Let's go,"
Chang Long addressed her pets, while Siegfried handed over the necessities he had bought for her while waiting.
"Yes, master!"
Brownie replied loudly and proudly. He even marched forward, wielding his tiny sword like a commander leading an army. Aswa's jaw dropped, staring at the tiny creature in disbelief. In all his ti playing the ga, he had never encountered a normal beast that looked nothing like a human who could talk. Only humanoid beasts like rfolk, bandits—or extrely high-tier creatures like beast kings or gods—were known to speak. But a talking mouse was unheard of.
"Hey, what's wrong with you? Are you coming on this quest or not?"
Chang Long asked, noticing Aswa's dumbfounded expression. When he still did not respond, she was ready to leave him behind. Truth be told, she did not think Aswa would make the quest much easier. In fact, his strange behavior made her doubt he would be of any help at all.
Realizing he was about to be left behind, Aswa snapped out of his daze. He quickly caught up with Chang Long's side, refusing to lose out to the other man walking on her other side. Even though he still did not recognize Siegfried, Aswa could tell from his confident and unyielding deanor that he was skilled. But no matter how strong this stranger was, Aswa was not about to let him win over Chang Long.
.....
"What!"
The Pendragon Guild mbers exclaid in unison after hearing Peach (Peach Blossom) recount her thrilling tale. Aden had to correct several exaggerated details, such as Peach claiming Chang had thrown herself into her (Peach Blossom's) arms out of deep longing or begged her to stay and console her after the traumatic events. The embellishnts were so wild that most of the guild mbers rolled their eyes.
The part that truly shocked them was the revelation that Chang and Id (Chang Long and Siegfried) had been kidnapped for ransom—and the person behind the plot was soone Chang knew personally. But the real reason for their collective exclamation was the confirmation of their suspicion: Chang and Chang Long were indeed the sa person.
"I knew it! Chang had to be the sa person as Chang Long,"
Rafael said confidently, with Draco nodding in agreent.
"Wait, what? You guys know the real Chang Long!?"
Oliang asked, utterly surprised. Wet Trash Can, who had been silent until now, also looked excited about this revelation.
"Oh, that's right, Brother O! We all started university together, attended the sa orientation, and even sat in the sa row, pretty close to each other too,"
Draco replied, recalling the first ti they t Chang in real life.
"So, how is it? Is she different in real life compared to in the ga? I'm guessing she must be, or else you guys would've recognized her imdiately,"
Wet Trash Can chid in.
"Well, she's similar in that she cos off a bit cold and aloof, but once you get to know her, she's pretty nice. The main difference is that, in real life, she's always followed by bodyguards. She also seems quieter, more reserved—not as lively as she is in the ga,"
Rafael explained, prompting Oliang and Wet Trash Can to widen their eyes at the ntion of bodyguards.
"Bodyguards. If she has bodyguards, plus she's been kidnapped for ransom, she's got to be super rich,"
Oliang whispered.
"Chang's last na is Rattanaruangrit. What do you think?"
Draco replied with a teasing grin.
"Rattanaruangrit! No way. That's the billionaire family na—the owners of Infinity Group, right?"
The dynamic duo, Oliang and Wet Trash Can, exclaid so loudly that nearby guild mbers paused to glance over at them, with surprise.
"Exactly... Hey, wait—where are you two headed?"
Draco asked, noticing Killer and Murder, the twin assassins.
"Oh, Boss Des (Destiny, leader of the Immortal Guild, one of Pendragon Guild's allies) sent us to explore Aris Island. Not many players have scouted the area yet, and there's fierce competition among major guilds on Europa Island. The pressure to claim special territories on Aris should be a lot less,"
Killer answered with a smile.
"Got it. Having an allied base on Aris would be useful. Take care out there,"
Draco wished the twins well, and they nodded politely before continuing on their way.
"Those two still don't talk much. I swear, seeing them fight would be sothing else. They're brutal when they're in battle mode,"
Wet Trash Can comnted, shaking his head at the twins' lethargic deanor when they were not fighting. The others laughed, despite agreeing with his words.
Afterward, everyone returned to their tasks in building Heaven City. The city was beginning to take shape, with the guild hall nearing completion. Rafael and Draco oversaw the interior design, ensuring it exuded grandeur and commanded respect—befitting the guild's prestigious na. Getting the chance to design the guild hall was not easy, though. They had to negotiate with Peach Blossom, who initially insisted on taking charge for a long ti. In the end, they struck a deal: Peach would handle the interior design of the Calot Hotel while leaving the guild hall to them. Only then did she allow them to craft their vision for the guild's headquarters.
Before long, Heaven City would beco fully established, and they could officially request the ga system to recognize it as a proper city. Their primary concern was ensuring they would not run out of construction materials, especially since many guilds had already claid special territories and begun building their own cities. The Pendragon Guild needed to accelerate construction and stockpile enough resources to et demand. For now, they had sufficient materials, and soon, the players of Adventure World Online would witness the splendor of Heaven City—the haven of the Pendragon Guild!
.....
anwhile, Chang Long's party had successfully chartered a ship with the Mariti Association and was preparing to set sail. Unfortunately, they could not rely on an old acquaintance, Captain Columbus, whose ship had sustained severe damage and was undergoing repairs. However, reaching out to him proved fruitful—she learned that the spirit of the mage Ackeran, who had once guided her through the Abyssal Sea, was now seeking her.
At first, Chang Long did not even rember who Ackeran was. But with so help from Devi-chan and the ghosts, her mory was jogged. She could not help but wonder why Ackeran's spirit was still searching for her, as their connection should have ended after he successfully fulfilled her previous request.
"Dear passengers, the ship is ready to depart. Please board at your earliest convenience,"
the ship's first mate called, inviting Chang Long and her companions aboard. Shortly after, the ship set sail, heading toward the newly-opened island, "Aris."
The route to Aris was far from fully charted, fraught with obstacles like jagged reefs, kelp forests that often tangled rudders, shallow waters, and coral clusters scattered near the island. More importantly, no in-ga system ships serviced this route yet. As a result, the players pioneering the island were a select few—those with high-level characters and deep pockets.
The ship sailed freely across open waters for nearly two hours before approaching the island. But just as the destination neared, sothing unexpected occurred: a dense fog began to form and spread, obscuring the sunlight, cutting off the wind, and plunging visibility into near darkness. The sudden phenonon threw the ship into disarray, with the captain and crew scrambling to assess the situation. This was far from normal—sothing none of them had ever encountered while navigating the route to Aris.
"What's going on?"
Chang Long asked as she noticed the crew's panic. At that mont, the captain, with a grave expression, approached her, Siegfried, and Aswa, who were seated near the bow.
"Dear passengers, it seems we've encountered sothing unusual. This route has never seen fog as thick and widespread as this. I suspect this is the work of a mythical beast—likely a divine-tier creature—capable of creating such phenona. I hate to say it, but we may be out of luck today and might not reach Aris."
"What are you talking about, Captain? Don't jinx us like that. It might not be as bad as it seems. Shouldn't we try investigating it first?"
Aswa suggested confidently, striding toward the lifeboat hoist.
"That's too dangerous. We have no idea what's causing this strange fog. If we recklessly venture out, we could be attacked at any mont."
the captain interjected. It was far too risky to venture into a fog with unknown origin.
"This is bad, missy—this fog belongs to that thing!"
Devi-chan suddenly appeared, speaking to Chang Long with a note of alarm.
"That thing? Which that thing, Devi-chan?"
Chang Long asked, puzzled.
"Hold your questions for now. We need to get this ship out of the fog as quickly as possible!" Devi-chan turned to the captain, who was visibly startled by his sudden appearance. However, regaining his composure, the captain responded with a grim expression.
"That's going to be difficult. We're currently between open waters and the waters surrounding Aris Island. If we try to navigate blindly through this fog, we might run aground on sandbars or sink the ship on hidden reefs."
"It seems we're too late…" Hisa-chan said somberly, and at that mont, the wailing sound of a fierce storm mixed with a grating, raspy voice echoed through the fog. Though the words were unintelligible, they made everyone aboard shiver in fear.
A massive shadow lood closer to the ship. As the fog swirled from the force of the being's movent, its terrifying form beca visible to everyone on board.
"Legendary Beast Leviathan detected, Level 145. Players slain by Leviathan will incur a five-hour confinent penalty."
"Azrael... I've found you, Azrael!"
The creature's harsh, rasping voice bood with glee. Its milky-white eyes locked onto Chang Long, who stood frozen in terror. The Leviathan had finally found its nesis, Azrael—the one who had condemned it to a half-living existence.
"What? Who's it calling Azrael? Did soone on this ship piss it off? Why is that thing chasing us all the way here? I thought it was supposed to stay near the Mist of Death!"
Aswa exclaid, visibly unnerved by the towering, legendary nightmarish creature looming before them. A creature that had escaped the worst nightmare on earth.
"Chang Long?"
Siegfried called her na in concern, noticing her odd reaction. Her expression was a mixture of fear and anger.
"Abandon ship."
Chang Long issued the captain the order without taking her eyes off the Leviathan.
"What!" The captain exclaid in shock, but deep down, he understood. Fighting a legendary beast of this level was nearly impossible, especially with their small numbers and the fact that their base levels were not high enough to stand a chance against a Level 145 creature.
"This thing has abilities that can kill dozens ...maybe hundreds—in an instant. If you all stay clustered here on the ship, everyone will die."
Chang Long's warning was enough to convince the captain to act. He ordered his crew to abandon ship, though he himself stayed behind with Chang Long and her party, determined to assist in the fight since he had already taken their paynt. The crew remained on standby nearby in case reinforcents were needed, even though they doubted they could make a difference.
"What's next, employer?"
The captain asked after ensuring his crew was off the ship.
"That thing is only focused on . Sieg, Aswa, you two flank it and attack from the sides. Captain, you should go with Aswa. Its target is ."
"Why is it fixated on you?"
Aswa asked, clearly confused.
"Because I am Azrael, its mortal enemy. Now stop asking questions and tell —can you follow my plan or not?"
"I'll take Lycanth and flank from the right."
Siegfried answered without hesitation, though he was still baffled by Chang Long's explanation. All they could do was fight and hope to survive long enough to learn the truth later—if she chose to explain, that was.
"Fine, I'll take the left flank."
Aswa nodded.
"I'll go with Mr. Aswa."
The captain chid in. Chang Long nodded briefly before everyone moved to execute the plan.
"Seal Kitsune. Seal Flatear. Seal Brownie." Chang Long secured her pets back into her pet-sealing accessory. Leviathan seed to be waiting for sothing, as it had not attacked despite having multiple opportunities to do so.
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Read 'Adventure World Online (AWO)' before anyone else with more chapters at sjinovel/en
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