Adventure World Online (AWO)

Bang!

Hero's aim was as sharp as ever. He shot one of the Meganeura Beasts, its head exploding into pieces as the body plummeted to the ground. Taenkhun drew his dual daggers, opting for the agility they provided over a sword. He moved swiftly, deflecting the relentless, high-speed attacks of the Meganeura Beasts as they dive-bombed him in succession. Meanwhile, Duncan, Crown, TaoKaowNian, and NamTaoThongkam squared off against the Pholidogaster Beasts creeping in to ambush them. Jane, Hero, and TaoHuayNomSod darted away from the main battle, leaving Taenkhun momentarily stunned as it was now just him and TaoHuYee, a priest by class.

The sharp reports of gunfire echoed, followed by the whoosh of arrows slicing through the air. The bodies of Meganeura Beasts fell to the ground like oversized hailstones. Some were not quite dead yet, but Taenkhun and TaoHuYee swiftly delivered the finishing blows to send them to the afterlife.

With the Meganeura Beasts dispatched quickly, everyone turned their attention to the Pholidogaster Beasts. These five, five-meter-long beasts were giving Crown's group a hard time. Taenkhun was caught off guard by one of the creatures' powerful tail swings, sending him flying into the green waters of the pond.

Emerging from the water with a splutter, coughing up blood and water, Taenkhun began swimming toward the shore. But his path was blocked by a furious creature, its posture radiating anger and its jaws ready to snap him up at any moment. His face turned pale; he stood no chance if he had to fight in the water. He needed to make it to land—or his journey would end here.

"Wetland Serpent Beast, Level 72, preparing to attack!"

Taenkhun stared at the creature, now identified by the system as a Wetland Serpent. Its appearance was a mix of snake and lizard, with a massive body, jet-black eyes, and frilled gills like a lizard. Its segmented body was a mix of light and dark green bands. Opening its maw wide to reveal sharp, small sets of teeth, the Wetland Serpent softly hissed, like a warning. Unbeknownst to him, the creature's tail was slowly rising behind him, ready to coil around and crush its prey.

Bang!

Hero's gunshot roared, followed by the Wetland Serpent's anguished howl. Its tail was shot just before it could grab Taenkhun. Now enraged, the Wetland Serpent reared its head five meters out of the water, towering over the battlefield as it turned its attention to the shore, where Crown's group struggled against the Pholidogaster Beasts. Seizing this opportunity, Taenkhun pulled himself out of the water, guilt gnawing at him as he watched his new allies face the danger that was originally his.

"Unseal, Big!"

Taenkhun extended the hand wearing the beast-sealing ring, calling forth his White Cloud Lion. If there was ever a moment for an epic entrance for his stunning new companion, it was now.

"Big, take care of that serpent."

Taenkhun urgently commanded Big, the majestic White Cloud Lion, to intercept the advancing Wetland Serpent Beast. The serpent, over 15 meters long, slithered swiftly toward his new allies, and its massive size threatened to entangle the entire group in one strike. Obeying without hesitation, Big leapt into the serpent's path. The serpent paused, taken aback by the lion.

It started to retreat, intimidated by the lion's significantly higher level. However, sensing the opportunity as Big had turned to glance back at his master, the serpent took the chance to quickly strike, lunging at Big.

Thwack!

The serpent had made a grave mistake. Big did not leave a gap due to carelessness. As the serpent launched its attack, Big swung his massive paw, claws fully extended, slashing the serpent's face. The serpent's head snapped back violently from the impact, its body lifting several meters into the air before crashing onto the damp, brown soil with a resounding thud. The Wetland Serpent lay dazed, Big took the opportunity to strike immediately. The lion pounced, sinking his fangs deep into the serpent's neck. The creature let out an ear-splitting screech of pain as its green scales tore away, revealing crimson blood streaming from the wound. Taenkhun felt a mix of exhilaration and terror watching the battle unfold. He could not help but imagine his own grim fate if they were enemies. He would likely fare no better than the serpent—or perhaps far worse.

Big froze. The serpent, though gravely wounded, was not ready to succumb. Its powerful tail coiled around Big, squeezing with immense force. Seeing his companion in danger, Taenkhun instinctively moved to help, but his path was blocked by one of the remaining Pholidogaster Beasts, flung his way during the melee. The lion raised its head high with gaping mouth. At first, everyone thought it was writhing in pain from the squeeze. But then, Big plunged its jaws back into the serpent's previous wound, biting down with incredible force. The serpent's tail loosened instantly, and its body went limp. A soft white spirit departed.

"Amazing!"

NamTaoThongkam exclaimed, utterly awestruck. In less than ten minutes, Big had eliminated the Wetland Serpent Beast, a formidable level 72 creature. Meanwhile, the group had only managed to take down two of the Pholidogaster Beasts. With Big joining the fray, the remaining three beasts were quickly dispatched.

"I think it's about time I got myself a pet,"

Crown said seriously to Duncan, who walked beside him as they were heading towards the single narrow path. They had to be vigilant for surprise attacks from strange-looking beasts, especially the small ones that managed to escape Big's watchful eyes.

"Why the sudden decision?"

Duncan asked, curious.

"Look at the Pirate King's heirs—every one of them has some kind of awesome pet. That girl, Chang Long, you said she has two pets. Then there's Siegfried of Pendragon, who has a high-level werewolf as his companion. As for Demos of the Doom Star Guild, I don't know if he has a pet, but if he does, it's probably as vicious as he is. Now imagine me, standing alone and completely pet-less, during the Royal Clash tournament. What do you think will happen!"

Crown spoke in a serious tone, but his voice remained low enough for only Duncan to hear.

"Hmm, yeah, you'd probably be the first to bite the dust,"

Duncan replied, nodding thoughtfully.

"In that case, once we're done helping Taenkhun, why don't we look for a beast on Mount Longsan to tame? Or maybe check out Europa Island? The new island opening with the upcoming patch also sounds promising. Who knows, there might be some rare and powerful creatures to catch there. (Ameris Island was not accessible yet until the new patch arrived, and anyone who tried would face storms and swarms of sirens.)"

"Let's decide later… What's going on up ahead? Why isn't anyone moving?"

Crown asked Duncan in a hushed tone, before raising his voice to call out to the people in front, who had stopped in their tracks.

"There's the cave, but to get there…"

Jane replied, her voice heavy with apprehension. Curious, Crown and Duncan moved to the front to see what was weighing them down.

Before them lay a basin-like area densely packed with strange plants. Some of the trees bore vibrant, umbrella-sized flowers in various colors, with yellow stamens protruding from their centers. If their eyes were not deceiving them, which they doubted since everyone saw the same thing: whenever anything came close, the seemingly harmless stamens would lash out at lightning speed, pulling the unfortunate victim into the flower, which would then snap shut, trapping the struggling prey hopelessly inside.

Among the trees, there were also peculiar bird-like creatures. They stood on two powerful legs with long necks like ostriches but had sharp beaks lined with teeth, long snake-like tails tipped with feathers, and wings that resembled a bird's but featured visible claws. Covered in orange feathers, they looked more like giant chickens than birds.

"This tomb is weirder than all the others, isn't it? Mine never required me to cross into a strange dimension like this,"

Crown muttered in confusion, though a part of him was also thrilled by the bizarre sights. Taenkhun and the others were equally captivated. If their guess was correct, this was a prehistoric world, and the creatures before them were likely some type of dinosaur. The group scanned the area, hoping to catch sight of more unusual creatures (dinosaurs), but the forest below was too thickly overgrown to see much else. It almost looked like a jungle

"It looks like getting to that cave won't be easy,"

Hero said and checked his weapons for readiness—his knives, throwing weapons, and his primary weapon, a sniper rifle. Everyone else followed suit, inspecting their gear and checking the status of their crystals in the auto-slots to see how much remained. The battle with the Pholidogasters had taken its toll, leaving them injured and having expended many skills. Taenkhun sealed Big back into the ring, as the lion's massive size and distinctive coat would make them an easy target. Once everyone was ready, the group began to move, led by Duncan, Crown, and Taenkhun, with Hero and Jane in the middle and the Four Tao group bringing up the rear.

.....

The three-day wait was finally over, and the Pirate King's map that had been put up for auction was claimed by Aswa of the Dark Horse Guild. The final bid was a staggering 31 million coins. Someone had tried to compete with him, raising the bid to 30 million, but Aswa, unwilling to take any chances, given how broke his guild and himself was, placed his bid in the final seconds. Almost every player in the game was astonished by Aswa's exorbitant spending, but they understood the rationale. The treasure in the Pirate King's secret tomb was worth many times more than the map's price. The Dark Horse Guild was the largest guild on Aseana Island and the second largest in the game, so it was not surprising that they had the resources to secure the winning bid.

Most of the guild members were celebrating wildly, except for the senior leaders and the Guild Master himself. Aswa was preparing to retrieve the map in person to ensure that nothing went wrong this time. Surrounding him were ten high-ranking guild members, their somber faces mirroring Aswa's own seriousness.

"The guild treasury is down to just six million. We're in serious trouble if we can't recover that money soon. Meanwhile, the rest of the guild members are partying like there's no tomorrow."

One of the leaders said anxiously. Aswa silently lamented to himself, 'My personal treasury only has a million left.' Keeping his expression grim and authoritative, he responded,

"Send our high-level guild members to complete quests for the Merchant Association. They always pay well. It should help tide us over until I find the Pirate King's tomb."

It was a sensible plan, one typical of Aswa when he was calm and collected—a state he usually maintained except when dealing with Chang Long or Demos. Everyone agreed that it was the best course of action given the circumstances. The Merchant Association often hired skilled players to escort goods through dangerous routes. The generous compensation was enticing enough that high-level players who were short on funds frequently signed up to protect the goods. The only rule was that the goods had to arrive at their destination intact to receive full payment. If any escort members died en route, they would be compensated. However, damaged goods would result in reduced payments, and if the escort failed entirely, there would be no payment or compensation at all.

"That's a good idea. I'll contact the players who are online right away,"

one guild leader said, hurrying off.

"What about the celebrations, Guild Master?"

Another asked, his tone laced with concern.

"Call the guild members back. We'll hold the celebration at the guild. That way, we can control the budget better than if we were to celebrate at a restaurant or an eatery, where food would keep coming and risk bankrupting the guild even further,"

Aswa commanded sternly. The man who had asked, along with another guild member standing nearby, quickly left to carry out the order.

"Alright, I need to prepare myself. Please bear with me until I recover the Pirate King's treasure to stabilize our guild's situation. And make sure to keep the fact that our guild is broke a top-secret matter. I don't want our reputation to be tarnished, and I certainly don't want that Demos mocking us again!"

Aswa addressed the remaining high-ranking members. They all nodded firmly in agreement and left the conference room one by one.

Once Aswa was alone, the confident and commanding demeanor he displayed earlier quickly vanished, replaced by a look of deep worry. He now possessed the Pirate King's treasure map, but he was not sure if he could even open and read it. If the map could not be deciphered, what then? Would the 31 million coins he spent go to waste? If that were the case, he might find himself ousted from the guild leader position of the guild he had worked so hard to build from scratch.

Shaking his head to dispel the spiraling thoughts, Aswa resolved to focus on his preparations. Rising from his seat, his expression remained serious as he exited the room. Along the way, he encountered Merlin's Top Protege in the hallway.

"Brother Aswa, aren't you going to celebrate? This is a huge achievement for our guild!"

Merlin's Top Protege said, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"I have to prepare for the journey to retrieve the map tomorrow. You all enjoy the celebration without me,"

Aswa replied, maintaining his stern demeanor. He walked past Merlin's Top Protege and headed toward his private quarters. As he continued down the hallway, he overheard them talking about him with admiration, their voices brimming with reverence.

"Brother Aswa is so cool!"

Merlin's Top Protege exclaimed in awe, while the rest of the group nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

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