Adventure World Online (AWO)

"Ah!"

Taenkhun cried out as his foot slipped on a sloped patch of ground. He slid uncontrollably into a ravine, clutching the storage box containing fewer than twenty pieces of Heavenly Deer Meat. The White Cloud Lion King leapt after him, its piercing gaze fixed unwaveringly on the box. Taenkhun knew he could not afford to lose the box. If it slipped from his hands, his life would surely end—courtesy of the lion's massive claws.

He tumbled head over heels down the slope but refused to loosen his grip on the box. The force of the descent carried him straight toward a massive boulder. Taenkhun clenched his eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable impact. This was going to hurt—a lot. And after that, the White Cloud Lion would likely finish him off.

Thud.

Instead of the bone-crushing collision he expected, Taenkhun was surprised to feel something soft and gentle cushioning his fall. No sharp pain, no cracking bones, no blood spattering everywhere, his stats were intact. Confused, he opened his eyes to find himself in the softness. The lion's enormous fluffy paw had stopped his fall, shielding him from the boulder. Its huge head loomed mere inches from his face, its bright blue eyes locked onto his own. Taenkhun was out of options. He silently prayed that the lion would not decide to play with him before killing him—like its relative. (certain cats toyed with their prey before eating, as well as orcas that liked to play with seal before eating it up.)

Lick!

The White Cloud Lion's tongue suddenly swiped across his face, leaving Taenkhun stunned and nearly falling backward. The lion's saliva coated his face in a sticky mess, and then the system announcement rang out:

"Level 105 Beast King, White Cloud Lion, has accepted player Taenkhun. To claim it as a pet, please use a Beast-Sealing Ring for Beast Kings. If you do not wish to claim it, you have 15 minutes to retreat. After 15 minutes, the Level 105 Beast King, White Cloud Lion King, will resume its attack."

Taenkhun blinked, wiping the lion's saliva off his face. The White Cloud Lion yawned lazily and flopped down on the ground.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Jane's voice broke the silence. She and the rest of the group emerged from their hiding spots, cautiously approaching the still-dazed Taenkhun. Taenkhun turned to look at them, shaking his head to indicate he was unharmed. He was deep in thought about what to do with the White Cloud Lion now peacefully snoozing before him.

"What's wrong with it? Why's it lying down like that?"

Hero asked. None of the others had heard the system announcement, leaving them confused despite witnessing everything.

Taenkhun did not answer. Instead, he rummaged through his bag, which he had haphazardly packed earlier. He retrieved the Beast-Sealing Ring Box, a reward from a grueling quest that had nearly cost him his life twice. Initially, he had considered selling it because the ring's unique property allowed it to seal beasts of any level, from ordinary creatures to divine-class beasts. After weighing his options, Taenkhun realized that even with the 15-minute head start, there was no way he could outrun the White Cloud Lion. It made more sense to claim the beast as a pet—it could prove to be valuable in the future. He pulled the ring from the box and pressed it against the lion's massive body under the curious gaze of the others. The White Cloud Lion began to glow brilliantly, its form transforming into a stream of white light that vanished into the Taenkhun's ring.

Taenkhun and the group of new friends, who seemed quite impressed with him, walked along a narrow path in the ravine where they had fallen. The trail was just wide enough for one person, bordered on both sides by towering bamboo stalks. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, sending them fluttering to the ground along the shaded, tranquil path. They continued forward, searching for an exit, but eventually, they encountered a dead end. Dense, massive bamboo stalks grew so closely together ahead of them that passage was impossible. "Well, that's just great!"

Crown exclaimed, stopping in front of the barrier. The group, weary and hungry, settled down to rest near the bamboo wall.

"Come on, we've been walking half the day now. Hungry? I'll make us something to eat,"

Duncan offered. Not waiting to be asked twice, Crown jumped up and began gathering firewood. Jane and Hero, who had traveled with Duncan before, joined in to help.

Duncan pulled out his cooking equipment and ingredients from his bag. After conquering the Tomb of Pirate King Azlam, he had earned enough money to buy an entire set of top-tier cooking tools without breaking the bank. Like Chang Long, Duncan had purchased a house and land, as well as an AI maid to tend the crops he grew himself. This allowed him to stock his ingredient box for future trips without further needs to buy produce—some items cost so much that he felt it was not worth spending money on them. Plus, traveling with Crown rarely left time to forage for ingredients along the way. Despite his laid-back demeanor, Crown could be quite impatient.

Taenkhun watched Duncan cook, impressed and wondering if Duncan was as skilled in the real world. Considering how expensive fresh ingredients were, especially high-quality ones which might only be available only for the wealthy.

Everyone praised Duncan's cooking, eating more than usual and making the cook beam with pride. While the others enjoyed their meal, Taenkhun got up to examine the dense bamboo barrier. Turning back would waste an entire half-day. Then he saw it—a faint but unmistakable symbol etched into one of the larger bamboo stalks. It was identical to the emblem on the half-armor he had obtained earlier: a depiction of the moon being swallowed by Rahu. The giant bamboo with the symbol stood deeper within the grove, blocked by smaller bamboo stalks growing thickly around it.

Taenkhun rummaged through his bag again, pulling out the half-armor to confirm his suspicion. After comparing the two, he was certain the symbols matched. He wanted to investigate further but was unsure how to proceed with the thick bamboo obstructing the way.

"What's up, Taenkhun?"

Crown asked as he walked over, noticing Taenkhun's troubled expression while staring into the grove. Crown's question drew the attention of the others. Duncan, Jane, and Hero followed him, curious to see what had caught Taenkhun's interest.

"I found a symbol on one of the bamboo stalks—it's the same as the one on this armor. I wanted to check it out to be sure,"

Taenkhun explained cautiously. Although the group seemed trustworthy, he was aware that valuable items in the game often caused greed to rear its head.

"A symbol?"

Crown repeated and stepped closer to peer at the faint marking on the bamboo. It was so subtle that it would have been impossible to notice at a glance. After examining it to his satisfaction, he turned back to Taenkhun and the armor in his hands.

"Does it match?"

Jane asked.

"I'm not sure. It's far away, and the symbol on the bamboo is very faint. To be certain, I'd have to get closer."

Taenkhun replied truthfully.

"You want to check it up close, don't you?"

Crown asked while unsheathing his twin blades. Similarly, Duncan, Jane, and Hero drew their weapons. For a moment, Taenkhun thought these players were finally showing their true colors. But he quickly realized he was mistaken—they were not aiming their weapons at him but at the thick bamboo blocking the path.

The dense bamboo was difficult to cut through, and it took nearly an hour to clear a path to the massive bamboo stalk with the symbol. On top of that, the group had to contend with bamboo woodworms that emerged as they cut down the stalks. These white creatures launched sudden attacks, causing Jane and Fahsai to scream loudly, not caring about their image and retreat so quickly that even the men could not help but laugh. After much effort, they finally reached the massive bamboo stalk bearing the carved symbol. "Now what?"

Hero asked, panting as he accepted a water flask from NamTaoThongkam, one of the Four Tao who was traveling with them. Taenkhun carefully inspected the symbol on the bamboo and compared it to the one on his armor. Finally, he concluded that the two symbols were identical.

"This seems familiar, doesn't it?"

Duncan said. The last time he encountered a mysterious symbol like this was when he helped Crown search for the Wolf of Azlam (Crown's twin blades).

"You don't happen to have a map, do you?"

Crown asked, his tone suggesting he was onto something. Taenkhun shook his head, baffled. What did a symbol on a bamboo stalk and his armor have to do with a map?

"Why don't you try placing the armor's symbol against the bamboo's? Something good might happen,"

Hero suggested. Taenkhun thought it might be worth trying, even though he found it a bit silly—after all, the symbols were clearly identical without needing such theatrics.

"Player Taenkhun has not yet formed a pact with the Rahu Shadow Armor. The path cannot be opened."

The system announced when he aligned the symbol on the armor with one on the bamboo. There was a faint reaction between the two symbols, and a thin, seam-like line appeared on the bamboo, as if it were cut slightly. Other than that, nothing happened.

"What did it say?"

Jane asked excitedly. If their assumptions were correct, they were on the brink of another thrilling challenge.

"Uh..."

Taenkhun hesitated, unsure whether to reveal the information to this group. From their behavior, it seemed like Crown might know something about this mystery. Even Jane and Hero were acting a bit suspiciously.

"The system says I haven't formed a pact with the armor yet, so the path won't open,"

he finally admitted. He figured that if the group turned hostile, he could still rely on the White Cloud Lionsealed in his ring as a last resort.

"I knew it!"

Jane exclaimed with a wide smile,

"But it's strange, isn't it? This time it's not a weapon but armor."

Crown furrowed his brow slightly, eyeing the Rahu Shadow Armor in Taenkhun's hands.

"With just us, I'm not sure we'll make it to the final stage,"

Duncan muttered, glancing at everyone in their group. The Four Tao, White Tiger, Fahsai, and Taenkhun were all equally confused by the cryptic conversation. Finally, Taenkhun could not hold back his curiosity anymore. He turned to Crown, who was standing closest to him, and asked.

"If you want to know, just make a pact with the armor already,"

Crown suggested with a sly smile.

"Hey, what do you say? We're about to experience the excitement you've been waiting for."

Hero teased the Four Tao, who remained as bewildered as Taenkhun. Hero chuckled lightly at their clueless expressions, then turned to Taenkhun, who was now following Crown's instructions. He made a small cut on his palm and pressed his bloodied hand onto the Rahu Shadow Armor.

"Player Taenkhun has successfully formed a contract with the Rahu Shadow Armor, a divine-tier piece of equipment. Player Taenkhun can no longer wear any other armor. Player Taenkhun has obtained the special skill Lunar Shadow Form Skill from the Rahu Shadow Armor."

.....

The city of Kirisakura radiated a serene ambiance, with its cool air and misty mornings creating a romantic atmosphere—especially among the centuries-old cherry blossom trees scattered throughout the city. However, this tranquil environment did nothing to calm a particular player. In fact, he was barely holding his composure together, and each passing minute only stoked the fire of his anger further until it exploded.

"What the hell is going on? You mean to tell me you STILL haven't found him!"

The young man, clad in an elegant ninja-style outfit, sat on a carved throne-like chair. His patience had worn thin after waiting all night. Now the day was almost over, yet there was no news from the second search party he had sent out after the first group had been slaughtered without mercy.

"Um... the second unit just reported in, Guild Master,"

a trembling male player entered to deliver the news. The Guild Master's sharp glare cut through him, and the sheer intensity in his eyes made the messenger's heart race with fear. If his report failed to please the Guild Master, what would become of him? Unfortunately, he already knew the news he had to share would not sit well. When the Guild Master did not speak, the messenger hurriedly delivered the report.

"The second unit says, uh... they haven't found him yet, sir. But they believe he's heading toward Longshan City. He might be hiding in the city or somewhere on Mount Longshan."

"The armor,"

the Guild Master's voice was unnervingly calm.

"It's the item we've been seeking, the one connected to the symbols on the map that remains sealed. Do you know what I endured to get this map? I had to put up with that drunken old fool at the docks just to receive the quest. And do you have any idea how difficult it was to locate this map? And now, a simple order—to locate a symbol matching the one on this map and bring the item back to me..."

He took a deep, measured breath, clearly restraining himself.

"If the next report shows no progress..."

The trembling messenger did not wait to hear the rest. He bolted from the room, leaving the Guild Master standing alone by the doorway, glaring menacingly after him.

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