Adventure World Online (AWO)

Killer and Murder stood frozen stiff. They were desperately trying to figure out a way to survive the gang beating they were about to receive from Chang Long's minions. The conversation they had earlier resurfaced in their minds—what they had planned to do if they ever encountered Chang Long. At first, they had hoped to play it cool, but now, there was no other choice.

"H… hello, my name is Killer."

"A… and I'm Murder. We're twins."

The two young men introduced themselves nervously.

"Oh, stating the obvious, you two look exactly alike. But we don't care about that. What we do care about is how the hell you managed to show up here."

Devi-chan asked in a stern voice, looking like he was just about ready to throw punches.

"Better answer properly, boys. This land fully belongs to the master. If she doesn't lead you out herself, the only way out is for you to die and wait for rebirth."

Hisa-chan added to the intimidation, making the twins look even more dumbstruck. But then Killer suddenly looked excited and blurted out loudly:

"Amazing! We've been fans of yours since we first saw you, so we kept digging for clues and followed the trail until we finally got to meet you again in person. We just wanted to—we wanted to!"

"Wanted to what, punk!"

Devi-chan barked, after momentarily looking stunned.

"Get your autograph!!"

The twin brothers exclaimed in unison, leaving everyone there even more stunned than before—including Killer himself, who had not expected those words to come out of his mouth in the heat of the moment.

"What is it that you really want? Don't tell me you went through all that trouble just to ask for an autograph. You'd better start telling the truth."

Chang Long spoke up. It was then that the two young men finally got a clear look at her again. At first, they had thought the gloom of Dark Forest was what made her seem different, but the truth was—she had changed. She was no different now from the rest of the people dwelling in Dark Forest.

"Y… your skin tone looks a lot darker than I remember."

Killer blurted out before he could stop himself.

"What?"

Chang Long asked, as if she could not believe her ears.

"We really did want an autograph, I swear. We were hoping to challenge you to a fight at least once, but after seeing what you're capable of back in Dark Forest, we didn't even dare say it out loud. So we figured we'd just go for the autograph first."

Murder, who usually spoke so little he was practically mute, suddenly burst out with a whole speech—surprising even Killer, who knew him best.

"I don't have time to sign anything right now. I'm busy trying to take over a special territory."

Chang Long replied, looking a bit bashful—quite the contrast from Devi-chan, who now looked utterly thrilled. He walked up and put an arm around the two young men's shoulders, the hostility completely gone, and even praised Killer and Murder for doing exactly the right thing.

"A special territory conquest? In that case, could we join in? We've fought alongside the Allied Guilds—Caesar Guild, Pendragon Guild, and Immortal Guild before. We think we could be useful."

Killer offered eagerly. Even if they did not get to fight against Chang Long, just fighting alongside her made the whole pursuit worth it. Murder nodded in absolute agreement.

"Hey—wait a minute. You guys work under that Siegfried boy!"

Devi-chan tensed up again as soon as he heard the name Pendragon Guild Pendragon.

"No, not at all. Even though we were under his command, we're actually members of the Immortal Guild. Destiny is our guild leader."

Killer hurriedly denied it when he saw that Devi-chan did not seem too fond of Siegfried.

"You two really want to help?"

Chang Long asked, amused by their behavior, as she watched the twin brothers acting visibly nervous around Devi-chan. They grinned widely and nodded with firm determination.

"In that case, let's go see how ready our forces are here."

Chang Long let out a soft laugh. She led everyone out of the audience hall, heading straight for the mainland, where they were greeted by enormous tombstones the size of houses—dwellings for the souls that Chang Long had resurrected. At the center of the village stood a large plaza, with a training hall situated there for the newly reborn souls to adjust and train their bodies.

Killer and Murder looked absolutely amazed to witness an island in the middle of the sea, filled with strangely shaped houses. Even more astonishing was the presence of a giant demon—identified by the system as an Infernal Beast—engaged in constructing infrastructure, overseen by an elderly white-haired man.

The group walked along a beautifully paved stone path leading to the training hall. The newly reborn souls had gathered there to train their bodies. Since they had lived without physical form for so long, upon resurrection, most of them barely remembered how to live like humans.

Inside the training hall, it seemed that an NPC had appeared to serve as an instructor, teaching how to move the body—how to walk, sit, stand, perform light exercises, all the way to more advanced self-discipline. Chang Long's arrival drew the attention of all the newly reborn. No one could tell for sure whether Chang Long and her companions were resurrected souls like them or one of the reapers, because each of them already seemed completely comfortable in their own bodies.

"We offer our respects, my liege. We were unaware of your arrival and thus failed to prepare a proper welcome. Please forgive us."

A stern voice of a middle-aged man came from behind the group of newly reborn souls. He bowed in respect to Chang Long while delivering his greeting.

"And you are?"

Chang Long asked, unsure.

"I am the resident instructor of this training hall for the newly reborn. My name is Cidrick."

The middle-aged man introduced himself.

"Ah, I heard the number of the newly reborn has reached a hundred already. Your work must be quite busy."

Chang Long nodded.

"Not at all, my liege. Though the newly reborn may act feeble like infants at first, they develop very quickly. Within just a week, they're already able to wield weapons and train their own skills."

Cidrick replied and led Chang Long and the others on a tour around the training hall, which was spacious and filled with the newly reborn who were diligently training themselves. Outside, in the wide-open yard, there was an area spanning several hundred square meters. Inside, the space was divided into a physical conditioning room for those in their first days, a sword training room, a meditation room, a tea room, a steam room, and a bathhouse.

"Instructor, who is that person?"

One of the newly reborn asked after having been curious for a long time about who Chang Long was, why she had come here, and why Cidrick treated her with such deference.

"Oh, you all—how disgraceful. Hurry, gather here in front of me!"

Cidrick bellowed, and the newly reborn gathered before Cidrick and Chang Long in bewilderment.

"This person is the Sovereign of the Land of the Dead—the one who granted all of you new life. She is the Reaper King."

At Cidrick's proclamation, everyone was stunned, unsure how to react. No one had imagined that the Reaper King would be a slender, silent young woman. But the moment she cast her gaze toward the newly reborn, everyone began to shiver in fear, tremble, and then simultaneously dropped to their knees in reverent salute.

"We pay our respects, Sovereign—the one who stands above our lives!"

"Stand up."

Chang Long's voice was icy cold. Of course, Kearick had once advised her on how to carry herself with the dignity of a ruler—especially in front of the newly reborn. If any suspicion were to arise, they might not offer their lives in service, and might even rebel, just like what Captain Tautus did when the previous Reaper King vanished.

"O newly reborn souls, soon we shall enter war. It's not a massive war, but it is one that puts an entire city at stake—a war that will allow you to once again set foot into the outside world. Steel your resolve and stand with me, to seize the land that will lead you back into the vast world."

Chang Long spoke with a voice of commanding power—an unlisted skill of the Reaper King—to instill awe and loyalty in her followers in the Land of the Dead.

Killer and Murder had their eyes wide as saucers, gazing at Chang Long in this majestic form they had never seen before, overwhelmed with admiration. Her powerful voice and regal demeanor won their full, flooding devotion.

Devi-chan and Hisa-chan, too, could not help but feel proud of Chang Long. She had leadership qualities in her blood and could command respect and obedience from a crowd using nothing but her presence and tone.

"No wonder she's the one we wanted to fight with, right!"

Killer turned to speak to his twin brother in excited awe.

"Yeah! She's beyond cool."

Murder agreed.

The words of the twins were clearly heard by all of Chang Long's followers. Everyone smiled quietly, pleased by what the two young men had said. Of course, Devi-chan and the others were also proud of Chang Long. Who would have thought that following Chang Long would not just lead them on thrilling adventures across the world—but also let them witness such clear growth in everyone, especially their master.

Chang Long walked around observing the training of the newly reborn and could not help but be impressed by their abilities. Not only did they already have high base levels, but their combat techniques and skills were also unique and packed with power. The twin brothers, after seeing the newly reborn training, were fired up and wanted to show off their own skills. So, they asked Chang Long for permission to spar with the newly reborn. The two looked absolutely thrilled and had a blast. Eventually, Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, Kitsune, and Flatear also joined in as sparring partners for the newly reborn.

"Hey, look, my liege—there's a mage among the newly reborn."

Anya pointed out to Chang Long a young mage who was training by hurling energy at a target designed to absorb magical attacks and display the damage through color values. When Chang Long looked over, she found the mage strangely familiar, as if she had met him somewhere before—but she could not recall where.

As he noticed her gaze, the mage looked back. He held her gaze for a moment, then bowed his head and walked over. His steps were graceful, the hem of his robe barely stirring as he made his way toward Chang Long.

"It's been a long time, my liege. I am Ackeran, Sorcerer of the Northern Lands."

The young man introduced himself.

"Ackeran, Ackeran... your name sounds familiar,"

Chang Long repeated the name, trying to remember why the face and name of the mage in front of her felt so familiar.

"Forgotten me already? It's me—the one who guided you to the Abyssal Sea."

The young mage reminded Chang Long. Her eyes widened as if she remembered, and she smiled.

"Oh! So you're that Ackeran. After I found the Mirror, I completely forgot about you."

"I figured as much. But at long last, I've joined your army—since a reaper happened to pass by the place I was."

Ackeran shook his head as he replied. He had expected that Chang Long would forget him, even though he had been searching for her continuously, nearly losing hope as there were no clues to follow. But fate was still on his side—he encountered one of Chang Long's guardians, the reaper who led souls to the Mirror of Truth to make their vow and await rebirth in the Land of the Dead.

"But I'm glad, no matter the reason, that you've joined us. I give my subordinates a fair bit of freedom, so I promise there won't be anything that makes you feel uncomfortable—unless, of course, you think of rebelling. In that case, punishment would be very severe."

Chang Long said jokingly, but the young mage knew she meant every word. Though Chang Long appeared easygoing and did not act like the Reaper King, it was clear from the way her close followers treated her—with complete respect, and none dared disobey her in the slightest.

"Of course, my liege. Then, if you'll excuse me, I'll return to my spell training."

Ackeran responded and took his leave.

"That man's strange. He didn't seem to show you much respect, yet he also didn't seem defiant."

Anya spoke up, after observing Ackeran's behavior for a while.

"He's always been like that. For someone to truly respect me, I have to show them what I'm capable of first, right? Otherwise, no one would respect me from the heart."

Chang Long turned and replied to Anya, who smiled at her words.

"Oh right—Instructor Cidrick."

Chang Long walked back to Cidrick, who had been watching the newly reborn train with satisfaction.

"Yes, my liege. Please give your command."

"Please prepare them for the war that's coming. Within ten days, I'll be leading them into the outside world."

Chang Long ordered. She had other matters to attend to, having just recalled something The Judgment told her.

"Understood, my liege. May I ask—where are you going?"

Cidrick accepted the order but could not help asking in curiosity. With the upcoming war approaching, what could be more important than training one's own forces?

"I need to consult Gramp Furik about something. Take care of the lot for me in the meantime."

With that, Chang Long left with Anya, Brownie, and Fluffy Head-chan—none of whom could serve as sparring partners for the newly reborn.

"Hey, Gramp. It's me. Mind if we talk for a bit?"

Chang Long had not walked far before she reached the construction site. No need to be told—anyone could guess that the master builder in charge was Furik himself. He turned at the sound of her voice in surprise, since no one had called him Gramp in a long time. The last person who had called him that seemed to be the current Reaper King—and sure enough, when he turned toward the voice, he saw that familiar face approaching.

"My liege, the Reaper King."

Furik smiled warmly and greeted Chang Long.

"What are you working on, Gramp? You look pretty busy."

Chang Long greeted him cheerfully.

"Oh, I'm rushing to complete the permanent dining hall. It'll be a five-story restaurant-style facility with a supply depot. I've had to pick up the pace because the number of the newly reborn is increasing rapidly. Are you going to start a war soon?"

Furik answered with a troubled look. Thankfully, the construction workers were Infernal Beasts—creatures renowned for their superhuman strength. But using them for nonstop labor seemed to be wearing them down, and they were starting to grow irritable.

"Looks like they're getting tired. Why don't we take a break and have a chat?"

Chang Long suggested. Seeing that the Infernal Beasts had lost motivation, Furik gave the order for a break. He then began walking slowly alongside Chang Long to relax a bit. Meanwhile, Brownie, Fluffy Head-chan, and Anya were allowed to run around nearby. They immediately started chasing each other, playing happily.

"Is there something you need my help with, my liege?"