Adventure World Online (AWO)

Before the Dark Chameleon Spit Fire could spew fire, there seemed to be a small sneeze first. Then, a fireball much larger than the creature itself—about one hundred times its three-inch size—shot out. Finally, Chang Long and the Dark Bear King found themselves trapped in the circle of scorching flames. The young woman nearly fainted when she realized she was caught in a fire trap with an adversary almost twice her level. Although the bear seemed somewhat bothered by the fire, it appeared to be relaxed about devouring her for lunch.

The Infernal Demons charged into the flame circle without fear. They did not wait for orders from Chang Long but immediately attacked the Dark Bear King. The young woman sighed in relief, grateful that the Infernal Demons were buying time for her. But even so, they were still far weaker than the Dark Bear King, and she did not want to risk her pets in such a situation.

"Well, there's no helping it. Having high-level spirits for Spirit Possession is precisely for situations like this. Hisa-chan, Spirit Possession!"

Chang Long muttered and called for Hisa-chan's possession. She then instructed her pets to help deal with the Dark Chameleon Spit Fire Beasts, which were only level 48. Though numerous, Chang Long's pets had all leveled up and worked well together, even if they occasionally argued. It was easy for them to fight.

After gaining an advantage, thanks to her level-up from Hisa-chan's possession and the help of the Infernal Demons, Chang Long was able to lure and strike vital points on the Dark Bear King. She caused it to bleed heavily and wound it severely, nearly pushing it into a coma.

However, the special berserk mode that Chang Long had just witnessed from a beast king activated when the bear's health reached critical levels. Its strength doubled, and it sent Chang Long flying, her still intact body crashing into a tree, snapping it in half as she coughed up blood. The Infernal Demons were also struck dead in a single attack.

The situation worsened again. Chang Long realized she was at a disadvantage, and it seemed unlikely she could survive the Dark Bear King's next attack. She ordered her wings to deploy and flapped them forcefully to lift herself into the air. Shockingly, the Dark Bear King moved quickly, grabbing her ankle. It roared loudly before slamming Chang Long back down to the ground with tremendous force, causing dust and dirt to scatter.

The giant black bear looked hungrily at the broken, bleeding body of the Reaper King. It was clearly ready to devour her instead of honey. Chang Long reached with trembling hands into her backpack, desperately searching for something that might save her life—even if only for a short while.

Thunk...

The honey jar fell from her weak, bloodstained hands. The Dark Bear King paused. It sniffed the air, then shifted its target from Chang Long to the honey jar lying next to her. The young woman sighed in relief. Even though she was on the verge of death, she still had enough presence of mind to escape disaster. Chang Long now fully understood that fighting the beast kings in the Dark Forest was far more difficult than fighting those outside. She quickly began to recover her energy before activating a skill.

"Everyone, get behind me."

Chang Long ordered loudly, calling her pets back from fighting the Dark Chameleon Spit Fire. Once all her companions were behind her, Chang Long took a deep breath, looking at the Dark Bear King, which stood up to face her, holding the empty honey jar in its front paw.

"Reaper Soul Harvest."

In the split second of horror, Chang Long saw the first glimmer of fear in the Dark Bear King's eyes. It groaned as its soul was being pulled from its body by the terrifying Reaper Skeleton, and even the Dark Chameleon Spit Fire beasts nearby—every one of them that looked at the Reaper Skeleton—let out a wail as their souls were dragged out as well.

The Dark Bear King collapsed to the forest floor, unmoving. The same happened to the dozens of Dark Chameleon Spit Fire beasts nearby. The area fell completely silent in an instant. The other beasts fled in all directions. The system's announcement of the deaths of the beasts only made Chang Long, who was still swaying, barely able to open her eyelids. Then, her consciousness faded away completely.

The young woman regained consciousness again when the sky was painted black, with millions of gems sparkling and shining. Chang Long stared at it in confusion. For a moment, she did not know where she was, but the pain in her body reminded her of the intense battle with the Dark Bear King. Her pets and spirits rushed forward to ask if she was alright when they saw that their master had regained consciousness.

"This place, master? This is the Night Rose Field, the flowers that bloom at night. It's the residence of the Night Fairies."

Brownie answered Chang Long's confusion. Since Kitsune could not use his transformation skill yet, the little mouse seemed to have no choice but to take on the heavy responsibility of looking after the severely injured master alone.

"Night Fairies? Anya's friend, right? So, did you meet any of them?"

Chang Long asked weakly.

"I met them, master. They seem to be quite interested in you. Probably because of Anya. She's been out of your body for quite some time now and has been lying still, like a very sick person."

Brownie pointed to the body of the Night Fairy girl, who was lying unconscious on Kitsune's body.

"Anya needs to evolve, but I don't know how. It would be great if any Night Fairy knew how to do it."

Chang Long responded, looking at Anya with pity.

"Of course I know. But are you ready to help her, though?"

A deep male voice came from behind them. When they turned around, they saw a Night Fairy sitting on a rose branch nearby.

"Who are you?"

Chang Long asked in surprise.

"I am one of the elders of the Night Fairies, the one who can help you and her ascend to the next level. The one who bound the contract."

The Night Fairy answered, staring at Chang Long without blinking.

.....

A long time passed as the twin assassins, Killer and Murder, arrived from their faction to find the ultimate person they had always dreamed of meeting face-to-face, to challenge them in a fierce duel. However, following the trail proved harder than expected. The two got stuck between a battle between Spanish colonists and indigenous people on Ameris Island, with the island's beasts joining the fray, causing utter chaos.

"It seems we've lost hope of meeting that person, Murder." Killer said in frustration. Murder shrugged unwillingly, sharing the same thought as his twin brother.

"With no leads left, I guess we'll have to go back and meet with Destiny, as we promised."

Killer said finally, reluctantly. They had contacted Destiny to search for the person they admired, after witnessing a battle by chance.

"Wait a minute, since we've come all the way to this island, let's not leave empty-handed. Even if we don't find that person, shouldn't we at least explore it a little?"

Murder suggested.

Killer immediately agreed. Not only was the cost of the boat ride to get here extremely expensive, but Ameris Island was considered an uncharted island that few players had reached. Not only were they curious, but the guild leader would surely ask for details about this island. If they came and quickly left without exploring anything, it would be a wasted trip and a huge loss.

"Then, where should we start?"

Killer turned to ask his younger twin.

"How about Dark Forest?"

Murder suggested, his eyes hiding some unspoken meaning.

"Dark Forest? The place the system just announced, huh? Interesting. Let's go there." Killer agreed, since the Dark Forest, which the system just announced had been created, had to have something hidden behind it. For example, someone who made it appear, or perhaps some strange creatures to see. Along the way, they might even encounter special territories or mines that no one had discovered. Even better, who knew—they might just run into the person they were looking for.

"The one who possesses the Nemean Lion, I definitely want to meet them."

The two brothers nodded at each other and walked out of the large battlefield, where many AIs were still fighting. They decided to walk along the beach, which was likely less crowded, though they might risk encountering beasts more frequently. But breaking into the combat area would likely waste more time and energy, especially since supplies and crystals were limited.

"Hey, if we really meet that person, what should we do first?"

Killer turned to ask Murder.

"Introduce ourselves."

Murder answered. The younger twin paused for a moment before speaking again.

"True, if we don't introduce ourselves, how will they know us? Right, right. Hmm, and after introducing ourselves, what should we do next?"

Killer asked again. Murder smiled slightly before answering clearly, leaving the younger twin stunned.

"Ask for their autograph."

"Huh! Uh... I'm not sure if we even brought any paper for that. Are you crazy! We're looking for them because we admire them and want to challenge them to a fight, and you still want to ask for their autograph."

"Well, asking for an autograph first and then challenging them wouldn't hurt, right?"

Murder responded, not understanding why his twin brother was upset about the autograph.

"We're going to challenge them to a fight. Who's going to be in the mood to give us an autograph? Ugh, you're unbelievable!"

The twin brothers laughed together, unaware that the person they were talking about had sneezed several times in confusion.

.....

One of the elders of the Night Fairy tribe stared at Chang Long without blinking. Even though she did not know what the conditions were to help Anya evolve, Chang Long accepted without hesitation. The elder smirked, thinking that once Chang Long heard the conditions for helping Anya, she would immediately change her mind.

"Are you sure? The method to help a Night Fairy evolve is difficult, long, and quite complex. It also requires a strong will and great sacrifice..."

"What do you mean?"

Chang Long asked. Before, she knew that the Night Fairy's evolution required help from the tribe's elders, but she had no idea it would also require her own strong will and sacrifice.

"Do you remember when you made the contract with her? It's similar, but more intense."

The elder's words made Chang Long's bulge. Of course, she would never forget the method of making the contract by stabbing a sword through her chest. Anyone would remember such a painful experience. Though it did not kill her, it was still incredibly painful.

"Wait, does this mean I have to stab my heart again?"

Chang Long asked softly. The elder nodded in affirmation before continuing.

"You must stab your sword through the heart and leave it there until the ceremony is complete, letting the blood flow to bathe her body, in the center of the magic circle that the elders of the tribe have created. During that time, no matter how much pain and suffering you feel, you must not leave the magic circle under any circumstances. The ceremony will begin on the night of the new moon, which will occur in the next night."

Chang Long swallowed her thick saliva, looking at Anya, who was unconscious, her face pale and seemingly in intense internal pain.

"If this will help Anya return to her former self, I'll do it."

The young woman responded firmly, turning back to answer the elder. In truth, if Chang Long had refused, he would not have been too surprised. In his eyes, Chang Long seemed to be someone lacking in many ways. However, her answer left the elder stunned. With this response, he no longer needed to explain the conditions of abandoning the fairy, as he knew Chang Long was already determined.

"Hahaha. If that's the case, then prepare yourself, Contract Holder. I will go inform the other elders to prepare as well."

After the elder of the Night Fairy Tribe flew off, everyone gathered around Chang Long with concern. Especially Devi-chan, who did not want Chang Long to lose another level due to death. After the previous death, it took a long time to level up to 62 (after defeating the Dark Bear King). It was not easy, as she had to share her experience with the three other pets. But he was not the type to be cruel. He knew well that his heir was not the kind of person who would abandon her companions. Therefore, he did not scold or stop her, but instead offered useful advice.

Chang Long spent her time waiting for the new moon by recovering her body. She allowed her pets to go hunt nearby beasts so that they would have something to do while waiting. Finally, the long-awaited night arrived. The elders from the Night Fairy Tribe appeared—five of them, both male and female. They formed a circle around Chang Long and Anya before sitting cross-legged in the air and beginning to cast spells quietly.

A brilliant purple magic circle appeared on the ground, with Chang Long and Anya at its center. The chanting stopped, and the Night Fairies all focused on Chang Long with intense gazes, making her realize what she needed to do next. The young woman drew the Sovereign Sword from her waist, pointed its tip at her chest, and pressed it firmly into the center of her chest until it pierced through her flesh and reached her heart.

The pain spread throughout her body, as red blood poured out of the wound, spilling onto the ground, gradually bathing Anya's unmoving body.

The chanting began again as the pain intensified. The young woman sat silently, not allowing herself to moan or groan. She focused on the body of the Night Fairy girl, watching for any changes that would occur, hoping it would help her forget the pain of the wound.

Chang Long's blood slowly seeped into Anya's body during the ceremony. The fairy's pale skin, like paper, began to gain color. Her hair spread out as if blown by a strong wind. Soon, it wrapped around Anya's body, making her look like a mummy. A radiant light, like that of a star, began to emanate from Anya's body. From a faint glow, it slowly brightened, and by dawn, the light had spread throughout, revealing something incredible that had been hidden by the bright glow.

"Night Fairy Anya, in the possession of the player Chang Long, has completed her evolution."