Adventure World Online (AWO)

The gathered spirits flinched in unison upon hearing the name of the item Chang Long wanted them to locate. Many turned even paler than they already were, and the older spirits regarded Chang Long with an appraising gaze.

"The Mirror of Truth… Do you mean the mirrored gate that leads to the Land of the Dead?"

.....

Strange happenings unfolded again in Longshan City. An army of spirits suddenly emerged, driving players and AI alike into a panicked frenzy. People ran for their lives, fleeing the city in chaos. Some brave players attempted to fight the spirits that had inexplicably appeared, but their physical attacks and skills had no effect. Eventually, even those players were forced to retreat outside the city to regroup, joining the frightened masses.

Eyewitness accounts from over fifty players and AIs helped piece together the incident. Apparently, the spirits, whose origin remained unknown, were seen heading toward the Player Service Building. Many claimed to have heard the spirits speaking in deep, reverent tones to someone—or something—presumably connected to this strange event. No one could confirm whether this mysterious figure was an NPC, a player, an AI, or a high-level monster.

"But what's certain is..."

"Ahhhh. They're coming out again!"

"Run! The city's spirits are attacking outside the walls now!"

"Damn it. Why did this have to happen while I'm trying to finish my news piece?"

A man feverishly writing an article for publication suddenly found himself dodging the stampede of fleeing players. Spirits began sweeping out of the city, soaring through the air like shadows of death.

The incident quickly became the hottest news across the game. The communication channels buzzed with players recounting the scene—each adding their own embellishments, turning it into a ghostly horror tale in no time. Many players refused to return to the city, fearing lingering spirits, while one player stood alone in the now-deserted streets, still bewildered by what had just happened.

"So, this is how spirits travel..."

Chang Long muttered, astonished.

"I had no idea. I thought being a ghost meant being tied to one place..."

replied Devi-chan, quite stunned. In his century as a ghost, Devi-chan had never strayed far from his tomb. The same held true for Hisa-chan, who had spent his afterlife among the wandering samurai spirits, each as listless as the next. He had never knew ghosts could be this enthusiastic. Alice-chan, being a more recent ghost, had no opinion on the matter.

"By the way… my backpack has been twitching for a while now."

Chang Long placed her backpack on the ground and stared at it curiously.

"Are we missing someone, perhaps, master?"

Alice-chan asked, carefully scanning their group.

"Who could it be? Everyone seems to be here."

Devi-chan stroked his chin and surveyed the group.

"Master, me, Alice-chan, Kitsune, Hulu, the mouse (I'm Brownie!), hmm… I think we're missing someone. We definitely forgot someone,"

Hisa-chan muttered, furrowing his brow as he tried to figure out who they had left out.

"Oh, I know! It's the Fairy, Anya!"

Alice-chan exclaimed loudly, startling everyone who was deep in thought.

"Right… Summon Anya,"

Chang Long said quickly. When the fairy Anya materialized from Chang Long's body, Brownie, who had been standing there with a bored expression, suddenly turned ecstatic. Much to Hulu's annoyance, who seemed tempted to kick him away with his hind legs.

"No, not her. It's something like..."

"A lion, huff!"

The irritated voice came from Chang Long's backpack. All eyes turned toward it in surprise. Peeking out of the bag was the head of a scruffy little lion cub, glaring at them in frustration.

"Why do you always forget me, master? Why don't you take me out of this messy bag before summoning everyone? Do you enjoy making me claw my way through all this junk? If I were a real lion, I'd have died of suffocation many times before!"

Fluffy Head-chan ranted in a tirade, indignant that he was always forgotten.

"Sorry,"

Chang Long crouched in front of him, her gentle apology catching Fluffy Head-chan off guard. His anger melted into stunned silence, leaving him unsure of how to react.

"I'll make it up to you by carrying you around the city."

And just like that, Fluffy Head-chan found himself cradled in Chang Long's arms, his previous indignation replaced by a bashful, prideful expression.

At this time, Longshan City was eerily empty—completely devoid of life except for Chang Long and her companions. For the first time, she could leisurely admire the intricate architecture of the city without the bustling crowds. As they wandered, Chang Long's gaze was drawn to something glimmering at a street corner. It was a full-length mirror placed in front of a system-operated shop. Beside it was a newly added shop introduced in the recent patch update, its bold sign reading Furniture Store.

"A mirror..."

.....

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a tale passed down of a place, a distant island. On this island stood a grand mirror where souls were guided by four reapers. These reapers escorted the spirits to the massive mirror to meet someone. While the spirits trembled in fear, a figure appeared in the reflection. Towering and imposing, this figure exuded a chilling aura of authority. Their gray eyes sent shivers through the spirits, as if freezing them to their core. Unable to control their terror, the spirits began to tremble. The figure's unfeeling gaze swept across the gathering, and then a powerful voice rang out.

"O spirits who stand before me, you have been chosen to cross into the Land of the Dead—a realm where the departed may find rebirth. But only if you swear an oath before me and my reapers. Swear your loyalty and service to me, and when I summon you, you shall gain passage to this land where new life awaits..."

The spirits absorbed those solemn words. Each one had left the world with unfinished business—unfulfilled hopes, unresolved missions, family, or loved ones they longed to protect. Tears of blood streamed from their eyes as they made their oaths before the cold-faced man, the one called the Reaper King.

Yet, one spirit chose not to swear allegiance, so he could not cross through the mirror with the others. He watched the scene with doubt, questioning why the others trusted the words of a stranger and his reapers. Why would they willingly give up their freedom for a chance to be reborn? To him, death was the ultimate freedom—one that could never again be taken away. But as time passed—one day... one week... one month... one year... and eventually a century—he began to feel as if death was a prison. He could not speak, touch, taste, or smell. Even his mind seemed to wither away.

By some twist of fate, after countless years as a wandering spirit, he was summoned to appear once more. The summoner was called the Lord of Spirits by one of the gathered souls, but he sensed there was more to it. Within the Lord of Spirits, he felt a familiarity—an essence he remembered even after centuries. It was the same presence as that of the Reaper King.

This time, he decided to trust. He longed for a chance at rebirth, even if it meant joining the ranks of the undead army. More importantly, he needed to find the Mirror of Truth, which he had once glimpsed long ago but could no longer recall where it resided. He had to confirm if the Lord of Spirits truly shared the essence of the Reaper King. And he wondered if it would be worth trading the agonizing freedom of death for servitude to one who seemed so inexperienced.

This story, known by the young spirit, was also known among spirits, told of the Lord of Dead, the Reaper King, the Mirror of Truth, and the land where the dead could rise again...

.....

Chang Long stood before the mirror, reflecting on her last contact with Kearick, the leader of the Four Reaper Guardians. He had told her that all she needed was a full-length mirror to summon him, by drawing her blood on the mirror. Kearick would then bring the final weapon—the key to the Land of the Dead.

"Cedric, Henrik, Murik," she called out to the three guardians who were with her. Each wielded a unique weapon: the Blood Ruby Sword, the Guiding Halberd, the Carnelian Bow. The three appeared before her, kneeling in unison to show their respect.

"My Lord,"

Cedric greeted her in a solemn tone.

"My Lord, what is it you wish of us?"

Henrik inquired with professional formality.

"I'm going to summon Kearick here,"

Chang Long said succinctly. At her words, the three guardians visibly flinched, especially Murik, who looked more shaken than the others. They all adopted a solemn demeanor and immediately began to exude more dignified and imposing presence.

"My Lord, when do you intend to summon him?"

Murik asked, his voice betraying a hint of suppressed unease.

"Right now. I thought you should be here to welcome him, so I summoned you out of your weapons."

Chang Long responded, extending her palm and slicing it to create a wound. She smeared her fresh blood across the mirror. Her three Reaper Guardians, the spirits, and her loyal pets watched her actions with intense focus. As the blood coated the mirror, she uttered the name of the final Reaper Guardian, the one who would deliver the weapon serving as the key to the Land of the Dead.

"Kearick..."

The moment she called his name, her reflection in the mirror began to waver and distort, eventually morphing into the shadow of a different figure—a man with cold, gray eyes.

"My Lord."

"Kearick!"

The three Reaper Guardians immediately bowed to Kearick, who barely glanced at them, focusing instead on Chang Long, his master and the future Reaper King—the ruler of the dead.

Kearick extended his weapon to Chang Long—a long black scythe adorned with a black gemstone. Ancient runes were etched along the blade and the handle. The scythe emerged from the mirror as if it were a portal. Chang Long took hold of it as the system's announcement echoed:

"Player Chang Long has obtained the Reaper's Scythe, a special weapon. The Reaper's Scythe is a shapeshifting weapon."

As the announcement ended, something peculiar happened. Kearick's hand remained attached to the scythe, and the weapons of all four Reaper Guardians began to glow. Their once-ethereal forms transformed, gaining substance and a humanlike appearance. A swirling black wind emanated from the mirror, pulling all four Guardians into it. Inside the mirror, the Guardians were now clad in long, black cloaks that obscured their faces, each standing beside their respective weapon.

In Chang Long's hand after the commotion settled and appeared four keys within her grasp. Each key was shaped like a skeletal figure and adorned with gemstones identical to those on the Guardians' weapons. The keys were about a foot long. The system then announced that she had lost all her shapeshifting weapons and gained the Keys of Truth in their place.

"My Lord, it seems we can no longer leave the mirror. We shall await the day you return to the Land of the Dead."

Henrik informed after they had tried all they could and failed to leave the mirror. Chang Long nodded in acknowledgment. The four Guardians bid her farewell and left. The reflection reverted to her own image.

With the mission involving the mirror complete, Chang Long turned her attention to rebuilding her level, as it had reduced to one. She was still bewildered why the green-haired child was so angry that she had to kill her. Despite understanding that the child was a beast, her intellect should have allowed for reason and negotiation.

Chang Long could only sigh at her misfortune as she revisited the levels of the skills that had increased while she was in Wu Ming's Secret Training Ground. To her dismay, all of the skills usable in that place—most of which were passive skills—were now reset to level 1, matching her base level. Stunned, her mouth hung open in disbelief as she was lost for words. The only noticeable change was the color of the numbers indicating the skill levels, which had shifted from black to blue. Chang Long could only assume the game developers had changed the font color for variety.

'Master, where shall we go next?'

The majestic three-tailed fox, Kitsune, sidled up to her, communicating telepathically.

"Master, I'm hungry. Should we find something to eat first?"

Hulu chimed in, while Chang Long scrolled through her status panel. Nothing significant had changed except for the stats of her pets. Kitsune and Hulu, being pure-blooded sacred beasts, had a peculiar new skill listed in their skill sets.

"What's this? King's Shapeshifting Skill? Let me see the details!"

Chang Long exclaimed in surprise and quickly selected the skill to read its description.

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