Adventure World Online (AWO)

Inside the Rabbit Hole, Moddang, 16, and 17 carefully searched every corner, hoping to find any trace of Chang. However, it seemed as though nothing suspicious could be found, and they began to consider giving up. While Moddang was thanking the two amusement park staff members who had allowed them inside, 16 noticed something unusual. On the tea table, there was a teapot containing still-warm tea, and two out of the four teacups had tea stains inside. Curious, 16 picked up one of the cups and sniffed it. Then, his eyes scanned the ground, where he spotted faint signs of a struggle and two long drag marks, resembling the shape of human bodies. Intrigued, 16 began to follow the tracks while 17 and Moddang prepared to leave the Rabbit Hole.

Eventually, 16 discovered a hidden door concealed behind a bush. Behind the door, he found a pile of costumes—the rabbit with a pocket watch and the mad hatter's outfits. Beneath the pile, there was a mobile phone lying on the floor. He picked it up and was about to check who it belonged to when he heard footsteps approaching. Quickly, 16 left the area, pretending to examine other clues.

"Your friends have already left,"

one of the amusement park staff members said to 16 in a detached tone.

"Oh, right. I got distracted looking around. Thanks for letting me in. It's a shame we didn't find any leads. I'll report this to the missing persons department,"

16 replied with a smile. He walked past the staff member toward the door, where he found Moddang and 17 waiting for him. After thanking the staff once more, 16 nodded for Moddang and 17 to follow him. Once they were out of sight, he pulled out the mobile phone he had found to show the others.

"This looks just like Miss Chang's phone,"

Moddang exclaimed, her face pale. If this truly was Chang's phone, it meant something bad had to have happened to her.

"The phone has a fingerprint lock. We can't open it to confirm if it's hers. Moddang, try calling her number,"

17 suggested as he attempted to unlock the phone. However, the phone's security system would not allow access without the owner's fingerprint. Moddang nodded, pulling out her own phone to dial Chang's number. Before she could make the call, however, the phone in 16's hand lit up with an incoming call.

There was no ringtone, only flashing lights, along with the caller's name, photo, and phone number displayed on the screen. The three of them stared wide-eyed in shock at what they saw. Hands trembling, Moddang took the phone from 17 and hesitated for a moment before pressing the faint green button on the screen to answer the call.

"Hello, Chang. Meet up with us at the Ice Dome. Mek and I are going to play in the snow. Oh, and call Moddang and those two bodyguards too. I don't have their numbers. Hey, Chang, don't just stay quiet. Can you hear me?"

Mi's voice came through the phone the moment Moddang answered.

"M… Miss Mi..."

Moddang stammered, her voice trembling.

"Moddang, are you with Chang? Why isn't she answering the phone herself?"

Mi froze when she heard Moddang's trembling, tearful voice. She knew her best friend rarely let anyone near her phone, and for Moddang to answer the call instead meant something serious had happened.

"Miss Mi… Miss Chang has gone missing. All we found was her phone, lying in the Rabbit Hole, which had a sign saying it was closed for maintenance. What should we do?"

Moddang asked, her voice shaking, clearly at a loss.

"Stay calm, Moddang. Maybe Chang just dropped it by accident. I'll have Mek try calling Id since the two of them went off together,"

Mi replied, trying to maintain a cheerful tone to comfort Moddang, though she was beginning to feel worried herself.

After several unsuccessful attempts to reach Idsara, Mi arranged to meet Moddang and the bodyguards at the central fountain in the amusement park. They needed to discuss and plan their next steps to find Chang and Idsara, who had now vanished without a trace. On the way to the fountain, Mi and Mek came across a parade winding its way through the park. Fairy-tale characters and the park's signature mascots filled the procession, with staff dressed as royal guards ensuring that spectators did not get too close.

"Where did that carriage at the back of the parade come from? It's not listed in today's schedule,"

one of the royal guard staff asked a colleague. Mi, walking nearby, slowed her pace and leaned in to eavesdrop.

"I don't know. The team at the back said it just joined the parade out of nowhere and has been following along for a while now. Maybe the boss added it last minute,"

the other staff member replied, smiling and waving at some children nearby.

"That's so weird. A carriage with a sleeping prince and princess? What's the point of including them? They can't even wave to the crowd."

"Exactly. I was wondering about that too. But you know what? The team in charge of that carriage said the prince and princess look stunning—like movie stars. And get this, they're so protective of them that they won't let anyone else get close to swap positions or anything."

Mi considered following the staff to listen further, but she realized she and Mek had reached the fountain where Moddang and the bodyguards were already waiting. She waved to Moddang, then glanced back to check on the progress of the parade. She wanted to see the sleeping prince and princess for herself, curious to know just how beautiful they were. When she looked back, all she caught was a glimpse of the sleeping prince's side profile. He wore a black wig and had a mustache, and on his left wrist, he was wearing a steel-banded watch.

"Miss Mi,"

Moddang called out, hurrying toward her, eager to know if Mek had been able to contact Idsara.

"I'm sorry, Moddang. Id isn't answering,"

Mi said softly.

"This isn't normal. Miss Chang never lets her phone leave her side. Even I'm rarely allowed to touch it. Thank goodness she enabled other people to answer calls, or I might have assumed she was still with you all this time."

"Calm down. Maybe Chang just dropped her phone without realizing it. She and Id might be off enjoying themselves somewhere in the park. Once they're done, I'm sure they'll call us,"

Mi said, attempting to reassure both herself and Moddang. But when she turned and saw the serious faces of 16 and 17, who were making tense phone calls, she started to realize that the situation was not normal.

"Let's head back to the car. The Special Protection Unit is on their way. They'll begin locking down the amusement park in thirty minutes. We've agreed to use the parking lot as the command center."

17's words left Mi, Moddang, and Mek stunned. Wordlessly, they followed the bodyguards back to the parking lot at the entrance of the amusement park.

"What's going on? Why does the Special Protection Unit need to lock down the amusement park?"

Mi asked, her voice heavy with worry.

"We're dealing with an emergency. Miss Chayarin has been kidnapped."

.....

At a roadside tea shop in Longshan City, Aswa was sitting calmly, sipping tea while studying the map he had just received from the player service building. Most players knew that the Heavenly Avian Temple was one of the toughest dungeons in the game. It floated high in the sky on a massive, drifting cloud above Ameris Island, a newly introduced region from the latest major patch update.

There were four known ways to reach the temple. The closest route was in the heart of Ameris Island, a place notorious for being wild, barren, and extremely isolated. The other routes were scattered across islands in the surrounding sea: one to the east, near Kirisakura City; one to the south, not far from the starting island; and one to the north, near the Mist of Death.

Before Ameris Island was open to players, the northern route near the Mist of Death was considered the easiest. The only obstacle there was a swarm of sirens. Compared to the other routes—which were plagued with whirlpools, sirens, sharkmen, giant turtles, and even flying sharks—the northern route was a relatively safe bet. However, the easiest route has now become the hardest. Some reckless player had awakened the legendary beast Leviathan from its slumber.

Though countless players had attempted to challenge Leviathan, none had succeeded in defeating it. The beast now dominated the waters near the Mist of Death, killing players mercilessly. Survivors who had faced Leviathan all said the same thing: the creature appeared to be in a constant frenzy, repeatedly roaring a single phrase: "Azrael, I hate you. I despise you, Azrael."

"Damn it… how am I supposed to figure out which route Chang Long will take?"

Aswa sighed in frustration. He had a hunch that Chang Long would choose the route on Ameris Island. It was far safer and more convenient than the others, with villages and towns along the way to resupply.

"Ah, Guild Master. Didn't you say you had a redemption quest to do? Why are you still here relaxing with tea?"

Lost Martial Artist approached Aswa just as he was rolling up his map and preparing to pay for his tea.

"I'm just leaving. I just stopped to study the map I got for the quest,"

Aswa replied.

"Where are you headed? Should we come along to help? This type of quest probably allows party support,"

asked Merlin's Top Protege, his voice brimming with excitement.

"No. You all need to stay behind and oversee the construction of the city. Besides, I intend to do this quest alone. A guild master of my stature—the leader of number one guild of —doesn't need assistance,"

Aswa sighed in frustration. His words caused his subordinates' eyes to sparkle with admiration.

"You're so cool, Guild Master!"

Rose chimed in, starry-eyed. Aswa flashed her a charismatic smile, then continued, his tone filled with pride,

"I must be off. This quest is extremely challenging and may take some time, but I promise I'll return victorious."

With an air of elegance, Aswa departed, leaving behind a crowd of awestruck guild members and nearby players. What no one realized, however, was that behind his dramatic refusal to accept help lay a far simpler goal.

"Heh heh heh, finally, I'll get to spend time alone with Chang Long again. Back in the Purple Forest, her mood wasn't great because Merlin's Top Protege's group were hanging around. But this time, it's just the two of us working on a quest together… Just the thought makes me so happy!"

Aswa muttered to himself blissfully once he was out of earshot of Merlin Top Protege's group. Getting the chance to do a quest alongside Chang Long, the woman he adored, without any third wheels, felt like a dream come true. It might not be the perfect scenario he had envisioned, but this was a start. How could he build a deeper connection with her if they did not meet, talk, or even exchange numbers to plan future encounters? This time, he was not going to let the opportunity slip again. He would show her his coolest, most capable side until she fell head over heels for him.

.....

While walking back toward the parking lot, Mi shared with Mek a lighthearted observation about the sleeping prince in the parade. She laughed about how the prince forgot to take off his wristwatch, which made his role seem less authentic. Still, she believed most people watching were more focused on his handsome face than noticing a detail like that. Mek chuckled along with her but then asked, half-jokingly, if the prince's watch was a specific brand. Mi thought for a moment before naming the brand and model of the prince's watch. Mek immediately stopped laughing, his expression turning serious.

"What did you say the sleeping prince's watch was again?"

Mek asked, his tone tinged with urgency. Mi noticed his shift in demeanor and asked,

"Why, Mek? What's wrong?" Her face was filled with fright.

"Mi, that watch you mentioned—it's a limited edition. Only 150 were sold in this country. And I know for a fact that Id was wearing that exact watch today,"

Mek replied gravely. Mi gasped, covering her mouth in shock. The HIS watch was wildly popular among young people, especially, it was a limited piece, Astronaut. The chances of someone else coincidentally wearing the same rare watch at the amusement park on the same day seemed far too slim.

"Mek, maybe the person dressed as the prince is just wealthy. He could be a celebrity or a model hired to join the parade,"

Mi offered, trying to stay optimistic. Mek shook his head, voicing the same doubt that had already begun creeping into her mind.

"If they went through the trouble of hiring an expensive celebrity, they wouldn't cast him as a sleeping prince. It would make more sense to have him sit on a beautiful carriage, waving and smiling to the crowd. That would attract more attention than having him lie there doing nothing."

"That's true…"

Mi admitted, biting her nails anxiously. Everything Mek said made sense, and it aligned with her own thoughts. If the sleeping prince and princess were really Idsara and Chang Long, what would have happened to them? Had they already been taken out of the amusement park?

"We have to go back and check for ourselves. Let's find out once and for all if they're Id and Chang Long,"

Mek urged, his tone frantic. Mi nodded in agreement, and the two turned around and ran back into the amusement park, even though they were only a few steps away from the exit to the parking lot. Seeing the two suddenly run back, Moddang called after them.

"Miss Mi! Mr. Mek! Where are you going?"

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