Adventure World Online (AWO)

"Sigh… I really wish the day to decide the Supreme King would come sooner."

The young man's comment made Heaven, the spirit of the former Pirate King, smile in satisfaction. Now this was a worthy heir. The one who would become the Supreme King had to be Siegfried—his invincible, powerful successor without equal.

"So I can have the chance to travel and adventure with Chang Long again. Maybe even forever."

As soon as he finished speaking, the young man opened his tent and went inside to rest, leaving the spirit of the former Pirate King—still invisible—frozen in place with a stiff smile, stunned expression, and twitching brow full of irritation.

Late the next morning, Siegfried stepped out from his tent and was surprised to see that the abandoned city was teeming with beasts ranging only from level ten to a little over thirty. Considering this was a remote and desolate area, he had expected only powerful, rare beasts to appear.

Most of the beasts found in the city ruins included clay warrior statues only a little over a meter tall, two types of stray dogs—brown ones that would attack first, and white ones that would not unless provoked. There were also jumping rats, desert snakes, and black scorpions. They were scattered around in decent numbers. From what he could see, it looked like no other player had ever set foot in this area.

"Master."

Lycanth returned to human form. He stood waiting for the young man at the entrance to the palace. The Hoop Dragon Ring had also reverted to a ring once again, now worn on Siegfried's finger just like before.

Siegfried followed Lycanth up toward the palace entrance. Inside, it was dim even though it was daytime—likely due to the debris and ruins inside blocking out the sunlight from outside. Fortunately, Siegfried had a light source, just like Chang Long, because of a haunted house quest they had done together. He summoned it to float and illuminate the path ahead, saving him the trouble of holding a torch.

Lycanth looked around the wide corridor that led to the throne room—a once-familiar place from long ago—with slow movements, as if the scenes from the past were playing out again before his eyes: soldiers, royal attendants, nobles, and courtiers, Luxurious Persian carpets and curtains, his forty-nine sons and one daughter, fifty children in total, precisely.

"...canth, Lycanth, where do we go next?"

Siegfried asked as he approached, noticing that his guide had fallen silent for a long time. Lycanth snapped out of his trance and turned to look at his master with a dazed expression. A moment ago, he had seen a vision of himself sitting on the throne as king. But now, he was merely the obedient pet of a human. For a brief instant, a surge of emotion made him want to hurt Siegfried—but thankfully, he suppressed it and quickly let the feeling go.

"This way, Master."

Lycanth replied and led the way deeper into the palace. Most of the private quarters had been used by Lycanth and his fifty children. Though abandoned for ages, many furnishings and items were still in their original places—the only difference being their decayed and weathered condition from the passage of time.

Lycanth led Siegfried down a spiral staircase into the lower levels. From what the young man knew, this was usually where the infamous dungeons were located—used for imprisoning and torturing captives. Especially in the Lycanth's case, the cruel king who was known for his love of torture and devouring human flesh—what kind of terrifying dungeon would he have had?

But along their path, they had not come across any prison cells at all—only bricked walls lining both sides. Down here, it was dark and so foul-smelling it made him want to vomit. Finally, just as the young man could no longer bear the stench, Lycanth led him to a large iron door sealed shut at the end of the hallway.

"Is this it? The place where the Book of Names is kept? It's been sealed shut for a thousand years—who knows if it can even be opened."

Siegfried asked.

"No matter how much time has passed, this door will open for the one who speaks the words correctly."

Lycanth answered.

"So that means there's a secret phrase. Do you have it? You're the owner of this palace, so you must know, right?"

Siegfried showed a worried expression, since he did not know what might be waiting inside this palace.

"That would probably be the name of the king, and the place he came from."

Lycanth replied cryptically, then sat down to wait—implying that the task of finding the secret phrase to open the door belonged to the young man alone.

Siegfried began to think. Of course, it was he who was doing the quest, not Lycanth. So it made sense that he would have to solve the riddle on his own. And it could not be too difficult for him to figure it out—because the king of this city was definitely Lycanth.

As for the place Lycanth came from, he had to think back to the event when Lycanth was cursed into becoming a werewolf—along with his offspring. The city had to have fallen into chaos. Maybe the townspeople banded together to drive them out. Or perhaps the werewolves hunted and devoured all the citizens. Once there was no more food, everyone dispersed and left—turning the once-inhabited city into a ghost town.

"I've read these legends before. Think, think, Lycanth's city was… Arcadia. That's right—Arcadia!"

After spending a long time reviewing the story, Siegfried finally remembered. The young man was overjoyed. He turned to the door with confidence, under Lycanth's curious gaze.

"Lycanth, Arcadia City."

The young man spoke to the door—but it remained completely silent. Lycanth chuckled softly as Siegfried began to grow tense. He went on to speak many more phrases, hoping one of them would be correct.

"King Lycanth of Arcadia."

"Royal Lycanth of Arcadia."

"Werewolf Lycanth of Arcadia."

"Lycanth of Arcadia."

And then—on the final phrase, previously invisible letters on the door lit up in bright golden light. The door swung open. Siegfried beamed with joy, while Lycanth rose to his feet, ready to lead the young man into that secret chamber. As they walked inside, Siegfried imagined a mountain of treasure—jewels and gems piled high over his head, stored for ages. But what he found was emptiness. The wide, open room contained only a tall stone pedestal, about a meter high, which held a single old book.

"There it is, Master."

Lycanth pointed toward that book—just as the young man had expected from the start. He approached it carefully, wary of any hidden traps. But he was able to draw close and pick up the book without triggering any traps.

"Book of Fifty."

The young man read the title on the book's cover, which was an old reddish-brown leather cover. This caused some mechanism within Lycanth's palace to begin working. Siegfried immediately realized it was a dungeon, and it seemed that the search for all fifty werewolves would not require traveling far—because the howls of the creatures echoed one after another, sending chills down his spine.

"Player Siegfried has entered the Werewolf Den Dungeon."

The system announcement echoed. A door in the distance within the darkness slid open. Siegfried flipped through the book and found that each page contained a line art of a different werewolf, with a name written beneath each illustration.

Siegfried closed the book and stepped toward the newly opened door. Even though he did not know what lay ahead, he had no choice but to move forward. Just as the young man was about to set foot inside the dungeon, a group of voices called out his name.

"Siegfried. Hey, Siegfried. Where are you? Answer us."

"That's Draco's voice. I'm over here—can you hear me?"

Siegfried shouted back, then walked toward the dungeon entrance. In front of him, lights floated in the air, illuminating the area, revealing several figures approaching.

Peach Blossom, Draco, Kimhant, Lidded Wet Trash Can, Oliang, and three pets—Firetail, Felon, and Hachi—all waved at him and hurried over joyfully. Siegfried smiled and shook his head slightly, not expecting his friends to come and help with his quest. It filled the young man with a warmth he could not put into words.

"Brother. I missed you so much—we haven't seen each other in months!"

Peach Blossom ran up and hugged her brother with longing. Siegfried ruffled her hair fondly, messing up her hairstyle and making her pout.

"Hello, Mr. Siegfried. I hope you don't mind me tagging along."

Kimhant greeted him, and his pet Felon gave a firm nod.

"You're coming to help with a quest—how could I mind? I should be thanking you instead."

Siegfried replied with a smile, then turned to greet his guildmates—Draco, Oliang, and Wet Trash Can.

"So, we're supposed to find all fifty werewolves in there, huh?"

Draco asked, gesturing toward the entrance of the secret room. Siegfried nodded and led everyone back into the chamber.

"Everyone got your crystals ready? This dungeon's called the Werewolf Den—probably full of nothing but wolves in there."

The young man checked everyone's readiness before heading into the dungeon.

"Been ready since I was in my mosquito net, buddy."

Wet Trash Can replied loudly with confidence.

"You still sleep with a mosquito net? Man, that's ancient, Can!"

Oliang teased, and everyone burst out laughing. The tension from the daunting task of hunting fifty werewolves vanished in an instant.

"If everyone's ready, then let's go."

Siegfried said and led the way into the darkness, followed closely by his loyal group of friends.

.....

Chang Long emerged from the underground path, her expression thoughtful about what the ferryman had said. Regardless, she intended to connect the Land of the Dead with the outside world anyway. Following the ferryman's advice would bring income to the Land of the Dead, allowing the newly reborn to earn money and buy what they needed—better than her handing out her own funds, which was steadily dwindling day by day.

Restoring the Land of the Dead was not a cost-free process. Purchasing goods and construction materials all require money. If she did not do something soon, she would surely go broke.

"Master, are you thinking about opening the Hell Dungeon?"

Fluffy Head-chan asked curiously, noticing Chang Long's serious demeanor.

"Uh-huh. It's definitely a good idea—but opening the Hell Dungeon means I have to challenge the kings in the dungeon. Each floor has one king. The Hell Dungeon has twelve floors. That means I'd have to fight twelve kings."

Chang Long grumbled in frustration after thinking over what the ferryman had said about the Hell Dungeon.

"Oh, with us around, what's there to be afraid of? The dead souls who've been revived can help swarm and take down that king in no time."

Brownie spoke up.

"That's true. You still have the dead and us with you. Don't tell me you're planning to fight alone?"

Anya smiled and agreed with Brownie's words.

"That's right. But for now, I must focus on securing the special territory first, because I've already asked the Dark Elves for help."

Chang Long responded. She then walked back to join Kitsune's group, who was happily helping the newly reborn with their training.

"How long do we have to wait until they're ready, master? If you want, I can switch to war mode and spar with them."

Fluffy Head-chan asked, but Chang Long shook her head and replied.

"No, your status is different from Devi-chan's and Hisa-chan's. If I used the Puppet Manipulation skill on you and it went wrong, I'd lose your soul just like I did with Alice-chan. Honestly, Fluffy Head-chan, I don't want to lose you."

"Ma... Master."

The little lion was moved by her words, almost unable to hold back tears. His master said she did not want to lose him, even though he was just a soul. Fluffy Head-chan felt deeply that he was ready to give his life for this master. Even if his soul were to be extinguished like Alice-chan's, on the day when she faced deadly danger and could not survive, it would be him who would protect her!

"Is something wrong, Fluffy Head-chan? You're looking at me like you want to jump into my arms or something."

Chang Long asked, puzzled, when she saw Fluffy Head-chan's sparkling eyes.

"W... well, if I wanted to do that, would it be okay?"

The little lion asked in a hesitant voice, with hope in his eyes.

"Hehehe, sure. Come on over."

Chang Long chuckled softly, opening her arms to let Fluffy Head-chan jump into them. The little lion happily leapt into her embrace. She lovingly patted his head, still laughing softly. Brownie, seeing the sweet scene between them, could not hold back any longer and spoke up loudly.

"Master, I want a hug too!"

He did not just say it, but also jumped and hugged Chang Long's arm tightly. Anya laughed joyfully and added,

"I want to hug too."

The fairy girl then rushed to embrace Chang Long, Fluffy Head-chan, and Brownie all at once.

'Ah... Oh, her breasts.'

Brownie blushed and froze in embarrassment as Anya's chest pressed against him, causing the little mouse to almost have a nosebleed.

"Hey. What are you guys doing? That's so unfair. Me and big bro are going for a hug too!"

Flatear led Kitsune's group over, exclaiming in mock surprise, and grabbed Kitsune's hand to pull him into a hug with Chang Long as well. Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, and the twin brothers who followed behind smiled, watching Chang Long get surrounded by her pets in a group hug, clearly enjoying the sight. Seeing that the two ghosts did not come over to hug her, Chang Long called them over.

"Come on, you guys, join in."

Chang Long smiled as the two ghosts walked over, eager to embrace her and the pets. She did not mind that they were men, seeing them all as part of one big family and hugging them without hesitation.

Hug!

"Oh, what a warm family we are, huh?"

Killer spoke up, as he and Murder subtly slipping into the group hug Chang Long, joining the circle and turning into a ball of huddled bodies.

"Smooth move, you two."

Devi-chan glared at the two young men.

"We want a hug too, Devi-chan!"

Killer said with an innocent look, and everyone burst out laughing. Meanwhile, the little mouse, buried in a pile of people, was struggling as Anya's chest pressed against him. Previously, making him so excited his nose almost bled, they were now crushing him flat.

"I... I'm not regretting this even if I die!"