The raging current thrashed The Judgent's body until it was battered and broken. His body looked limp and lifeless like a doll, and he was coughing up blood in great quantities—shocking the three young n who had followed Chang Long. The young woman decided to revoke the skill once she saw that The Judgent was no longer capable of fighting back. Strangely, when she deactivated the skill, instead of the water dispersing or splashing ssily all over the area, it surged back into the Eye of Darkness.
The Judgent's body fell to the ground uncontrollably, in a state no different from a helpless infant. Even though he tried to reach for his weapon lying not far away, his arm had already lost all strength.
"Surrender and open the way for to place the Mirror of Truth without further resistance!"
Chang Long walked closer to The Judgent's body and spoke coldly.
The golden-haired man lifted his face. Through his fading vision, he saw for the first ti that Chang Long was wearing the Reaper King's traveling garb, and the weapon she held was the Sovereign Sword—a sword that could only be wielded by a single person: the one who had made a covenant with.
"Y... Your Majesty... You are the Reaper King!"
The Judgent exclaid in astonishnt, never expecting to see the ruler of the Land of the Dead again.
"P... Please forgive this lowly one. I never imagined you would pass through this path."
The Judgent tried to rise to his knees to pay his respects, but Chang Long raised her hand to stop him and spoke softly.
"Rest. I will place the Mirror of Truth and then I'll go."
"Please proceed. And once again, I apologize for the offense. If Lord Kearick hears of this, I will surely face heavy punishnt. However, only Your Majesty is permitted to enter. The others will need to wait here."
Chang Long nodded for the others to follow that instruction, then walked with her retainers toward the mirror's location.
Without The Judgent's illusions, even this single path still felt quite eerie. Eventually, Chang Long arrived at the base of the Twin Cliffs. The location of the mirror was set in the middle, between the split cliffs. Inside, it was pitch black—not even Vampire Eye could penetrate the darkness. Chang Long pulled out the miniature Mirror of Truth from her bag. She placed it on the symbol and stepped back to observe the transformation.
The Mirror of Truth rapidly expanded. The mirror surface extended upward to reach the height of the cliffs. Ancient symbols appeared along its fra, closely resembling the script of the Tribe of Darkness. The outer edge of the Mirror of Truth burrowed into the stone cliffs like living roots, anchoring it securely. Chang Long could not help but think that no one would ever be able to remove it again.
"Mirror placent quest is completed. The Mirror of Truth is now successfully positioned. Player Chang Long can now freely travel to the Land of the Dead via this mirror."
The system notification filled Chang Long with joy. At long last, one of her long and difficult quests had finally reached its end.
"Since player Chang Long has completed the conditions for traveling to the Land of the Dead, the system will now initiate the process known as: Reapers' Soul Selection Process, to choose which souls may dwell again in the Land of the Dead."
'It's begun, huh? Before long, you'll have an army ready to storm that fortress. I say you go ahead and issue orders now—have those four guardians sort out the best warriors for future use.'
Devi-chan spoke telepathically to Chang Long in excitent, barely able to wait for the day when Chang Long would have her own army.
'But if the spirit army is that large, and they step out of the Land of the Dead, they'll be just like us. And who knows how many spirits Master's Soul Resurrection skill can actually bring back? If there's a limit, that's going to be a problem.'
When Hisa-chan raised the issue, it made Chang Long start to feel worried. Originally, she had never considered relying heavily on the soul resurrection skill. If it had the kinds of limits Hisa-chan ntioned—or worse—how could she possibly build her own army in such a short ti?
Chang Long shook her head and stopped thinking about the Soul Resurrection issue for now. Now that the mirror placent quest was complete, she should move on to finish another pending quest. Siegfried, Aswa, and Captain Hicks were probably getting anxious, wondering why she had not returned to them yet—even though the mirror had been placed for quite so ti.
"Let's go. Once we're done with the Heavenly Avian Temple, we'll co back and talk about this again."
The young woman said to her retainers, then turned and walked back out to her friends who were waiting nearby, under the strict supervision of The Judgent, the Path Keeper.
"All done, Chang Long?"
Siegfried asked as she walked back to them. The young woman nodded and replied to him.
"Let's go. There's still another quest we need to finish."
When Chang Long started walking ahead, those with countless questions burning to ask had no choice but to follow, because they no longer wanted to stay in that gloomy place with the cold The Judgent any longer. At that mont, they desired the warmth of sunlight more than anything.
Chang Long and her friends set out once again to complete the redemption quest, which was nothing more than reaching the Heavenly Avian Temple and engraving their nas on a massive stone wall as proof of their visit. This ti, Chang Long had travel companions who had willingly volunteered to help—Siegfried, the ship captain from the Mariti Association whose ship had been destroyed by Leviathan's attack, and Aswa, the leader of the Dark Horse Guild, who hoped to win the heart of the fierce young woman known as Chang Long.
Aswa spread out the map to find the route to the temple's entrance. He found that the path was located in the center of Aris Island—an ancient, abandoned temple. Reaching it ant braving many obstacles, including savage beasts that no player had ever encountered before, since Aris Island had only recently been opened for players to explore. Only a handful had made it this far, as the island had no system-operated boats for transport.
"Are we close yet, Aswa?"
Chang Long asked after everyone had spent half a day trekking through the jungle following Aswa's lead, yet there was still no sign of the abandoned temple, which was the entry point to the Heavenly Avian Temple.
Along the way, they encountered many beasts: giant slugs, giant mosquitoes, Macawrus—large parrots that screeched piercingly when attacking enemies, and Capuchin Pickpockets—small monkeys that approached looking friendly but secretly reached into backpacks to steal things. Although the system allowed them to pick players' pockets, luckily they could only take one item at a ti. The scary part, however, was that the item taken would be random—there was a significant chance they could snatch an expensive rare item right out of a player's bag.
In so rivers they had to cross, they encountered giant red piranhas, each the size of a tray, and Slimy Salamander that liked to leap from the water unexpectedly, prompting Chang Long to smack a few away out of sheer fright. In the dense forest, there were also various kinds of man-eating plants—from palm-sized ones to those several tis larger than a person.
There was one mont when Chang Long approached a bright-colored giant flower, curious to examine it. Just then, a two-tailed tiger beast leapt in front of her, intending to catch her as a midday al. Everyone dashed forward in panic to help her, but the bright-colored giant flower suddenly whipped out a long stan and snatched the two-tailed tiger into its center in an instant. Then its petals closed and began chewing its midday prey alive—leaving Chang Long's group pale with shock. After that, everyone walked far more cautiously, never approaching another bright-colored giant flower again.
"I don't think we're there yet. The abandoned temple is located right at the boundary between this jungle and a vast desert in the northern region. If we start to feel the searing heat and see clouds of sand drifting into the jungle, then it's likely we're getting close. But again, Aris Island is massive—almost twice the size of the three major islands. We may need more than a day to reach it."
Aswa quickly explained. The young man removed his martial robe because the jungle's midday heat was quite stifling. Especially having to travel and fight at the sa ti like this—it drained their energy trendously. There were no ready-made trails in the jungle. They had to forge their own path forward through difficult terrain.
At last, the day ended, and they still had not co close to the path leading to the Heavenly Avian Temple. Chang Long's group had to quickly find a safe place to rest before the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. Unfortunately, there were no towns or native villages in the area, and they did not even know if there was a safe zone nearby.
Aris Island was still considered uncharted territory. Very few players had made it here, and of those who had, none survived long enough to identify any safe zones on the island.
"Do you think it'll be much longer before we reach the path to the temple?"
Chang Long turned to ask Siegfried, who was sitting nearby.
"Not sure. This island is huge, and there are plenty of obstacles. Even with pets helping us, we're still moving slowly. Are you worried, Chang Long?"
Siegfried replied, glancing at the little kitsune sitting on his master's lap. On her shoulder was the thieving field mouse, munching on sunflower seeds. To her left sat Fluffy Head-chan in his tiny lion cub form, resting his chin comfortably on Chang Long's leg.
"Not exactly worried. But Lycanth is so diligent—volunteering to stand guard like that. He deserves a reward or sothing."
Chang Long's words made the young man who had been secretly eavesdropping widen his eyes. If Chang Long was thinking of rewarding whoever volunteered for night watch, then he would like to volunteer too. Even better if he could choose the reward.
"Oh please~ You already know what that girl's like. Do you really think you'll get what you're hoping for so easily?"
Rogy appeared and spoke to the young man knowingly. Aswa let out a heavy sigh. He knew Rogy's warning was spot on—Chang Long would never fall for soone easily, especially with a rival as striking as that handso elf, the leader of the Pendragon Guild, a guild that was quickly rising to rival even his own.
"That's true. Chang Long is the hardest woman to pursue I've ever t. It's not about showering her with gifts or flattering words. I think she judges people by their actions. She won't believe anyone's words unless they prove themselves to her. Even giving her your whole heart might not be enough."
"So you really like missy that much, huh? Well, well, well! If you weren't the heir of the Pirate King, I'd be rooting for you all the way. You're funny, and you're absolutely crazy about missy. Anyway, do your best. But I'll say this now—Mr. Elf has already scored way more points than you."
Devi-chan floated over just in ti to catch the conversation and could not help but tease Aswa. Hisa-chan beside him was grinning, unable to hold back a smile.
"Still, it's not just this young lad who knows what missy's like. Heh heh heh. Isn't that right, Rogy~ Ahahaha. No matter how many tis I say that na, it cracks up! Let's go, Hisa-chan. Missy promised to offer my favorite treats for going out on patrol tirelessly."
Devi-chan continued laughing without refrain, even as he floated off into the distance, leaving Rogy grinding his teeth, face flushed red with anger.
"Aswa, no matter how much you like that girl, when the ti cos to battle for the title of Supre King, you must not hold back against her. Understood?"
Rogy's tone made it clear to Aswa that those words were not a request—they were a command. A command from the Pirate King himself, whose legacy stretched back a hundred years, just before he vanished into thin air, leaving Aswa alone.
The next day, everyone resud their journey under Aswa's lead, as he was the one holding the map to the abandoned temple—the path to the Heavenly Avian Temple. Although they continued to face many obstacles along the way, the fact that Little Jade had erged from hibernation and joined in the fight helped ease their burdens significantly. Thanks to their storm-like pace, they finally began to feel the heat—the searing heat one experiences only under direct sunlight at high noon.
And without Aswa needing to say a word, everyone began to see the tip of the abandoned temple through the thinning treetops—thinned because they were already very close to the desert. More and more sand was drifting into the forest as they advanced toward the abandoned temple.
Thuddd
A sound like sothing heavy crashing to the ground made everyone freeze in place. They looked around cautiously in all directions. Lycanth tensed into a ready stance and gave a low growl, as did Kitsune and Fluffy Head-chan. Their reactions made Chang Long's group realize that the sound had to have co from a massive, powerful beast.
Thuddd
The sound ca again in a steady rhythm, like the steps of sothing walking. Whatever creature was making the forest shake with each step had to be enormous and ferocious. The re sound of its roar, echoing thunderously, sent goosebumps rippling across all of Chang Long's companions in fear.
Not far ahead, as the dust suddenly settled, the massive body of the beast whose loud footsteps had been shaking the forest finally appeared before everyone's eyes—accompanied by a system notification:
"King of Reptile Beast King, Level 129 – has appeared."
Its level and sheer size left Chang Long's group stunned with wide eyes. It had to have been at least fifteen ters tall. Its massive body was packed with muscle, its skin rough, in a vivid red contrasting sharply with white. Its large yellow eyes stared at them, who were still frozen in place. It sniffed the air and let out a thunderous roar at Chang Long's group, who were standing not far away. All of them let out startled cries and scattered in different directions.
Amid the sounds of crashing trees, the surrounding beasts fled in panic no less than Chang Long's group. The King of Reptile charged after them, caring nothing for how many trees it knocked down or how many smaller beasts it trampled underfoot. Its sole objective now was to ensure that no one—absolutely no one—got close to the path to the Heavenly Avian Temple.
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