Adventure World Online (AWO)

"Take them down before they recover!"

Thankhun shouted at his group, who had a habit of freezing up in awe. This time, dispatching the mummy ninjas was relatively easy due to the severe damage they had already sustained from Thankhun's Sandstorm skill. After clearing all the level-50 mummy ninjas, the group collapsed to the ground, exhausted. However, their respite was brief. The eclipse symbol suddenly reappeared right beneath Thankhun's feet.

The group staggered, disoriented, as they were transported to a new dimension without warning. When the blinding light faded, they found themselves standing in a vast hall with no visible exits, staring an object that resembled enormous wooden coffin in the center, surrounded by towering stone pillars. Tied to the pillars were what appeared to be giant cocoons. Everyone scanned the area cautiously. Thankhun was reminded of when he found the Rahu Shadow Armor, falling inside a massive coffin in the Samurai Cemetary. Perhaps this was a similar situation.

"Should we split up to search?"

Crown suggested. The chamber was far larger than the previous one, with an ominous, stifling atmosphere and a strong, foul stench. The group nodded slowly and began spreading out to investigate. Thankhun, along with Big, approached the large wooden coffin in the center of the room. He attempted to lift the lid, but it would not budge.

Looking around, Thankhun noted the unusual silence. In their earlier encounters, the guardian beasts immediately appeared. Big growled in displeasure, his gaze fixed on a cocoon the size of a human tied to one of the pillars. Thankhun turned to look and noticed that the cocoon was trembling slightly, the vibrations gradually growing stronger. In fact, every cocoon in the chamber was showing the same symptoms. Alarmed, everyone quickly regrouped. Soon, the trembling cocoons began to split open, revealing what was inside.

The beings that emerged resembled pale-skinned human with oversized black eyes and wide mouths stretching to their ears. A pair of large fangs jutted past their lips. While their upper bodies were bare, their lower halves resembled spider abdomens with black with red streaks. Instead of human arms and legs, they had eight spindly spider legs. After stumbling clumsily for a moment, the creatures stood upright on their eight legs with stability, all fixing their gazes on Thankhun's group.

"Spider Demon Beasts, Level 50 are preparing to Attack!" Around thirty spider demons, each over two meters tall, closed in from all directions—even from above. Some spat silky white webs from their mouths at high velocity. The sticky, durable strands ensnared TaoKhaoNian, binding him tightly. His friends could not help him as they were too busy dodging for their own lives.

"Split up! If we stick together like this, we're toast!"

Thankhun shouted. Everyone nodded and quickly scattered. NamtaoThongkam, TaoHuYee, and TaoHuayNomSod felt a pang of guilt as they watched their captured friend being dragged across the ground by one of the spider demons. At least it had not killed him yet. They hoped TaoKhaoNian would be lucky enough to survive until they managed to defeat all the spider demons.

Roarrr!

Big let out an earth-shaking roar as one of the spider demons spat its web on him. His massive body was bound tightly by the resilient strands, rendering him immobile. Thankhun was stunned—he never imagined a beast king like Big could be subdued so easily. He sprinted toward Big, urgently trying to cut the web with his sword. However, no matter how much he slashed, the web would not break. Worse, his sword stuck in the sticky fibers.

"Tch!"

Thankhun cursed in frustration as he pulled out his twin daggers. Just as he did, another spider demon spat a web at him. He barely managed to leap out of the way, causing the web to hit Big instead. Thankhun's anger flared. He glared daggers at the spider demon before charging at it. The beast raised its front legs to block his attack, but Thankhun drove one of his daggers into the joint of its leg with all his strength. A clear fluid oozed from the wound, and the spider demon screeched in pain. As Thankhun yanked the dagger free, the beast lowered its wide-open mouth, aiming to sink its fangs into his throat. He sidestepped to the side of its body and stabbed his dagger into its cheek, pulling it out sideways. A chunk of flesh tore away, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth on that side of its face.

"B… brutal! He reminds me of Chang Long..."

Jane exclaimed in shock, catching a glimpse of Thankhun's battle before refocusing on the foe in front of her. The spider demons' carapaces were tough. It took three bullets to take down one, unless she shoot a critical point at close range, which would help conserve ammunition. Jane had no intention of engaging them in melee. While fighting from a distance increased her risk of getting caught in their webs, it was far easier to evade.

Thankhun had clearly angered his spider demon opponent. The creature staggered backward while Thankhun steadied himself for another strike. As the spider demon opened its mouth to spit webbing, Thankhun surged forward. Crossing his twin daggers in an X, he slashed at the creature's throat. Its eyes widened its head slowly separated from its body. Thankhun winced and clutched a wound on his shoulder, where the spider demon's fangs had grazed him during the attack. He retrieved his daggers from the ground and rushed over to Big, who was struggling and snarling, immobilized by layers of webbing. Suddenly, a loud noise reverberated through the hall, shaking the very ground beneath their feet. It emanated from the wooden coffin at the center of the cavern.

The group had almost finished dispatching the spider demons, thanks to Crown, Duncan, Hero, and Jane. The Four Tao, now reduced to three, bore severe injuries and had to rely heavily on TaoHuYee's healing abilities and blood crystals to survive. Thankhun swallowed several blood crystals and an antidote before focusing his efforts on freeing Big. He could feel an overwhelming sense of impending doom looming closer.

With the help of TaoHuYee and NamtaoThongkam, Thankhun successfully freed Big from the sticky webbing. However, the rescue came at a cost. His last remaining weapons—both daggers—were hopelessly entangled in the webbing, unable to be pulled out again. As well as TaoHuYee's two knives and NamtaoThongkam's spare short sword. Big's fur was matted and disheveled, and while he seemed irritable, he was otherwise unharmed.

When the final spider demon fell, everyone regrouped. They looked at the coffin, which began to open slowly. As the lid slid off with a thunderous crash, a skeletal black hand emerged, covered in taut, leathery skin. The hand gripped the edges of the coffin as a decrepit figure slowly rose to its feet. The figure stood tall, its glowing, orb-like eyes surveying the cavern. When it saw them, it let out a deafening roar.

"Fuuma Kotarou Beast King, Level 90 is preparing to attack!"

Before the announcement finished, the beast king vanished.

Thud.

"Aargh!"

A soft footfall behind them was followed by anguished screams from NamtaoThongkam and TaoHuYee, who had been standing at the rear of the group. They had been abruptly attacked from behind. As everyone turned, Fuuma Kotarou's form vanished again. Moments later, a heavy thud sounded in front of them, several meters away.

Thankhun, Crown, Duncan, and Hero fixed their intense gazes on the figure, while Jane and TaoHuayNomSod hurried to tend to their companions. The two wounded players bore grievous slashes across their backs, with blood pouring out uncontrollably despite their desperate attempts to stem the flow.

"Pointless..."

The beast king Fuuma Kotarou spoke softly, his voice faint and indistinct. He raised his bloodstained sword in his hand for everyone to see.

"This blade is coated with poison. Anyone struck by it will bleed endlessly until death claims them."

"This is tough opponent. If I recall, Fuuma Kotarou was a high-level ninja—the one who killed Hattori Hanzou, leader of the Iga ninja clan,"

Duncan muttered. Even though Thankhun and most of the group did not know the exact history of Fuuma Kotarou, it was clear that he was exceptionally skilled.

"You... seek entrance to the tomb, I presume? Unfortunately for you, Hayasa doesn't take kindly to intrusions. If you wish to proceed, you'll have to defeat me first."

Fuuma Kotarou sneered a spine-chillingly. He shifted into a combat stance. This time, he made no effort to vanish.

His gaunt, skeletal form beneath the tattered ninja garb exuded an aura so menacing that no one dared move for several seconds. Thankhun's arsenal was entirely depleted—he had no weapons left and could only rely on his bare hands and Big, the white cloud lion who was visibly agitated. One teammate was missing, his survival uncertain, while two others were gravely injured. Despite consuming numerous blood crystals, their health bars continued to plummet steadily.

Crown, Duncan, and Hero wore grim expressions. None of them could muster even the faintest smile now, facing a master-level ninja like Fuuma Kotarou.

.....

Meanwhile, the celebration for the new Caesar Guild leader was in full swing, even though the guild leader himself had quietly departed. Phiros led representatives of his potential ally guilds into a conference room deep within the guildhall, far removed from the boisterous festivities. Feather, his close friend, and the deputy guild leader followed closely behind.

The Caesar Guild's conference room was luxurious, with a polished marble table and plush, cushioned chairs. Destiny gaped in awe at the lavish decor, comparing it to his small guild of just over ten friends from the same school. Their guild treasury could not afford any furniture remotely this extravagant. Rafael, however, was unfazed, accustomed to such surroundings. Though the Pendragon Guild was not one of the listed largest guilds, its financial stability far outstripped that of Dark Horse Guild.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself once again. I am Phiros, the guild leader. This is my friend Feather, and here is the deputy guild leader."

Phiros said after everyone had taken their seats.

Once introductions were complete, Phiros continued, his tone warm yet measured.

"I've acquainted with you through Chang Long, whom I know to be a person of utmost integrity. As someone who owes Chang Long a great debt, I am delighted to establish an alliance with such reputable guilds, known for their virtue and justice."

The deputy guild leader nodded in satisfaction at Phiros' slightly theatrical speech. It was no surprise—he had personally written the script that Phiros had memorized. Meanwhile, Feather was visibly struggling to contain his laughter. Rafael offered a poised, diplomatic smile, while Destiny wore a slightly bewildered expression.

"I'm Rafael, representing the Pendragon Guild. I'm pleased to form an alliance with the second-largest guild on Europa Island,"

Rafael said formally.

"I'm Destiny, leader of the Immortal Guild. Compared to your guilds, mine is small and lacks the prestige of Caesar and Pendragon, but I'm honored to become your ally,"

Destiny introduced himself nervously.

"We've reviewed the draft of the alliance agreement you sent, Mr. Rafael, and we're very satisfied with it. The provisions for mutual support and assistance are quite fair. However, there's one concern. Although we'll be allies, the physical distance between our guilds may make urgent support difficult,"

Phiros said with a worried expression. While his guild could generally manage without assistance due to its size, the Pendragon Guild, considered a small guild with a little over a hundred members and especially the smaller Immortal Guild, with fewer than twenty members, might struggle.

"I don't think that will be a significant issue if we aim to secure a special territories on the same island,"

Rafael suggested.

"You're planning to claim a special territories? That's amazing!"

Phiros exclaimed, momentarily forgetting his composed demeanor from excitement. The deputy guild leader cleared his throat loudly—twice—prompting Phiros to quickly regain his guild leaderly posture.

"You two guilds might have the capacity for such a feat, but my guild is brand new. With less than twenty members, claiming a special territories would be difficult for us,"

Destiny said seriously.

"Come on, Destiny, did you forget we're forming an alliance? For now, focus on recruiting more members. With fifteen days left before the new patch arrives, you could easily reach 100 members. Meanwhile, we'll provide support as needed,"

Phiros reassured him. Rafael nodded in agreement, and Destiny could not help but feel deeply moved. He realized that without meeting Chang Long, he would never have experienced this level of camaraderie.

"For now, there's no need to worry about the alliance agreement until the new patch arrives. We'll have to wait for the official contract to be finalized anyway, and our guild leader has already gone adventuring. Since the draft agreement satisfies everyone, why don't we celebrate?"

Rafael suggested with a bright smile. The alliance agreement seemed flawless, and everything was proceeding smoothly. They had found good allies and forged strong friendships, thanks to one individual who served as the bridge connecting them. Chang Long likely had no idea about the ripple effects her actions had set in motion, fostering friendships and connections between players she brought together.

"That sounds good. Oh, Mr. Destiny, why don't you reach out to your friends and start recruiting more members? Let them know the draft agreement has been approved and we're just waiting for the official document to be printed and signed by all three guild leaders. That way, you can celebrate with peace of mind,"

Phiros suggested.

-----

Read 'Adventure World Online (AWO)' before anyone else with more chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en