Adventure World Online (AWO)

They kept chatting while fighting, but it was not long before a creeping sense of emptiness and unease settled over them. The wolves had all been eliminated without anyone realizing. The group stood spread apart, and an odd pressure began to creep into the air.

Shunk

"Argh!"

Kimhant cried out in pain. When everyone turned to look, they saw the young man collapsed on the ground, covered in blood. Deep claw marks stretched across his face and neck, the wounds gouged down to the bone. Just before he lost consciousness, Kimhant mouthed a single word: werewolf. But from the size of the claw marks and the sheer speed of the attack, it seemed everyone had already guessed as much.

Peach Blossom rushed to administer first aid and pull Kimhant out of combat. The others wore tense expressions—no one had seen the werewolf yet. The light from the guiding flames blurred its visual acuity somewhat, but it still instinctively knew who the weakest prey was. It had originally gone for the soft-skinned girl, but Kimhant had stepped in just in time.

"Better protect your sister, master. She's definitely the target."

Lycanth said to Siegfried, just as the werewolf launched its second attack.

Its fangs gleamed and claws flashed in the light as it leapt from above. As Lycanth had warned, its target was Peach Blossom. Hachi, her pet, let out a fierce roar and lunged at the werewolf, sinking its teeth deep into its arm. But being much smaller in size, Hachi was easily flung aside.

The werewolf roared as it landed on two feet. It stood tall and powerfully built—no less imposing than Lycanth himself. Its fur was a dark gray, nearly black, and it looked absolutely enraged.

"Why isn't the system announcing its name and level?"

Lidded Wet Trash Can blurted out in panic. Without that information, the odds of them defeating it looked slim.

"Because it's a quest,"

Siegfried explained.

"If we don't call out its name correctly, we won't be able to beat it."

"And how the hell are we supposed to know its name? Look at it. Nothing but shaggy fur from head to toe."

Wet Trash Can snapped, clearly frustrated.

"There has to be something. The system wouldn't give us a quest like this without a way through. I'm sure it's on its body somewhere,"

Oliang said, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder to calm him down as he started analyzing the possibilities. Then, all their eyes were drawn to something faintly glowing on the werewolf's body.

"A necklace—with a name tag."

Draco exclaimed, breaking into a wide grin.

"Well then, guess we'll have to make it tell us that name,"

Wet Trash Can said, now starting to enjoy himself a bit more, realizing they had a way to beat the creature.

"C'mon now, sweetie, be a good pup and tell big bro your name,"

Oliang said with a playful smile, darting straight toward their lupine adversary.

"Just your name, no need for your number."

Draco followed close behind. They did not know the werewolf's level, but one thing was certain: it could not possibly be stronger than Lycanth, the beast king himself. So with all three of them, averaging level seventy-two, engaging it at once, the werewolf was definitely at a disadvantage.

"Lycanth, go help those three. I'm not sure they can handle that thing on their own. Werewolves are notorious for their brute strength and incredible speed compared to other beasts of the same tier. At the very least, we need to find out its name first."

Siegfried gave the order. Lycanth nodded and joined the battle.

Thud Thud Thud

All three were sent flying in different directions, each sustaining injuries. But at least Draco managed to snatch the necklace and name tag in time. He tossed it toward Siegfried as everyone watched with bated breath—because the werewolf, too, was lunging through the air after the necklace. If Siegfried missed the catch, he could be gravely injured.

Snap!

Siegfried caught the necklace. But until he spoke the name aloud, the werewolf had no intention of halting its assault. Siegfried ducked just in time, the werewolf's claws slicing through the air a mere millimeter above his hair.

Peach Blossom hurled a fireball while the werewolf's attention was fixed on Siegfried, desperate to reclaim the name tag. Caught off guard, the werewolf was blasted away, letting out a furious roar. Smoke rose from its scorched fur, and its body smoldered with patches of fire damage. With a low growl, it lunged at Siegfried once more—only for its body to suddenly freeze mid-motion.

"Melenius."

The werewolf's eyes widened in shock as Siegfried spoke its name. The illustration of the werewolf in the Book of Fifty began to glow. The name beneath the image, previously written in cuneiform script, now appeared readable in English. As everyone started to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking the fight was finally over, Melenius—the werewolf standing before the book's wielder—suddenly moved again. Panic surged through the group. They were too far away to shield Siegfried, who was still holding the large book in his hands. Everything happened so fast, no one could react in time. They had assumed that once the werewolf's true name was spoken, it would completely freeze and cease its aggression. Instead, Melenius lunged at Siegfried—the very person who had uttered his name—with wild, frenzied bloodlust.

All Siegfried could do was raise the book between himself and the beast. Had it been any ordinary book, Melenius' claws would have torn it to shreds—and Siegfried with it. But the Book of Fifty absorbed the claws, and then the entire body of Melenius.

"What the hell just happened?"

Draco blurted, still stunned as the chaos settled.

"The book sucked the whole werewolf in!"

Wet Trash Can said, his voice trembling with a mix of shock and excitement. Everyone gathered around to look at the Book of Fifty in Siegfried's hands. The illustration of the werewolf had come to life, moving as if it were alive—and clearly furious. Below the image, its name flashed with a soft glow, pulsing slowly, as if the book was charging up some kind of energy.

"Looks like it's gonna take a little while before he's willing to play nice."

Siegfried let out a relieved sigh, and everyone nodded in agreement—including Lycanth. The threat from the first werewolf was now over, so they took the opportunity to regroup and prepare for the next one. They also tend to Kimhant's wounds, while his pet Felon was adorably pestering him for food.

"At least now we know how to end the fight,"

Oliang said as they all sat down to rest.

"True. But I still have one question—who's that old guy who keeps sticking close to you, brother? You never introduced him to us."

Peach Blossom's words made both Siegfried and Lycanth flinch. Come to think of it, Siegfried had told his friends over the phone that Lycanth had managed to break his curse by drinking the blood of an angel at the Heavenly Avian Temple. But he had never mentioned what Lycanth looked like after the curse was lifted. Clearing his throat to get everyone's attention, Siegfried gestured toward Lycanth, who was leaning against a pillar pretending not to care—even though his cheeks had flushed a bit under everyone's gaze.

"Everyone, this is Lycanth in human form, after breaking the curse. He used to be the king who ruled this ruined city—and he's the one who told me about the Book of Fifty quest."

"What!?"

Everyone exclaimed in unison.

"No way—this is Lycanth. Are you serious!?"

Draco was the first to speak, his face filled with disbelief.

"T... That old guy is really Lycanth?"

Peach Blossom stood there with her mouth agape, just like her pet, who was increasingly starting to resemble her in personality.

"O... Old guy?"

"O... Old guy."

Lycanth echoed softly, stunned that such a cute young girl could say something so emotionally devastating.

"You couldn't tell at all when he was a werewolf. I'd never have guessed he was older," Oliang added, having recovered from his shock.

"True. As a werewolf, he looked really cool. But as a human, he's got a kind of noble aura too,"

Wet Trash Can chimed in, agreeing with his best friend.

"I don't think it's that surprising. From Lycanth's demeanor, I kinda figured he'd be about this age,"

Kimhant said as he sat up with effort.

"Well, at least now everyone knows—this is Lycanth in his human form,"

Siegfried quickly interjected, hoping to cut things off before Lycanth lost his temper and went berserk on his tactless friends. Siegfried stood up, and the others hurried to follow. They resumed their journey deeper into the Wolf Den dungeon, continuing their quest to hunt down the remaining forty-nine werewolves.

"I wonder what the next werewolf will be like. Do you think it'll be stronger than the last one?" Peach Blossom mused as she watched Felon happily munch on a treat from Kimhant.

"No idea. But if they keep getting stronger, we're the ones who'll be in trouble,"

Draco replied, looking thoughtful.

"Still, do you think we should collect some of these guiding flames? There are so many that the brightness is blinding—I can hardly see what's around us,"

Oliang said, concerned that they might not notice an ambush in time.

"Instead of collecting them, maybe we should spread out a little more."

Wet Trash Can suggested.

"Wouldn't that just make it easier for us to get attacked? The farther apart we are, the more likely it is that either I or Kim ends up the target."

Peach Blossom spoke up with concern—she and Kimhant were the weakest members of the group.

"That's a good point. Actually, that works in our favor, master,"

Lycanth said, an idea forming in his mind after hearing the girl's words. The look he gave her made her skin crawl. And once she realized Lycanth planned to use her and Kimhant as bait, she broke into a cold sweat—overcome with guilt for having called him "old man" earlier.

"Th... That's probably not a good idea!"

Kimhant clearly sensed his fate was the same as Peach Blossom's. The others also caught on quickly to the implications of Lycanth's words.

"Come on, it's a smart plan. If only the two of you are the targets, the rest of us can focus all our attack on the werewolf. You two are actually being super useful now, don't you think?" Draco chimed in enthusiastically, even sounding a bit smug at Peach Blossom's frightened reaction. It was rare to see the feisty little loudmouth show this side of herself.

"Mm, that works. Don't worry, we won't let things go wrong like last time."

Siegfried stepped in and patted the shoulders of the two soon-to-be bait targets to reassure them.

With the team leader giving his approval, there was no room for further objections. The plan to lure the werewolf into a trap and swarm it was now in motion. Peach Blossom and Kimhant walked a short distance apart at the center, while the others—including their pets—formed a loose ring around them. But this setup did not make the two feel any safer at all.

. . .

The plan to assault the special territory was laid out carefully and executed with precision. It was agreed that the infiltration team would move in first. Composed of Dark Elves known for their silent, lightning-fast movements, they could sneak in without leaving a trace. With the Dark Forest steadily consuming the surrounding woods day by day, it became even easier for them to blend in and approach the fortress undetected.

The second team, a strike force made up of a hybrid mix of reborn npcs and Dark Elves, was tasked with breaching enemy lines to create an opening for teams three and four—the strategic demolition squads. Once the chaos began, the rest of the army would try to pull the battle toward the open plaza of the fortress, forcing the AI commander to reveal itself.

The day before the raid on the special territory, Chang Long logged off. Before the system auto-logged her out, she opened her eyes in the familiar gaming pod. She lay there for a moment, adjusting to the real-world lighting, before sitting up and grabbing her phone from the nightstand. That was when she saw a message from Id.

"Huh, a message."

Chang murmured in surprise, though a small smile bloomed on her face as she opened it.

"Hi Chang, I figured you were probably in-game. I just logged out but wasn't sure if I should call, so I thought I'd send a message instead. Right now, I'm headed to the ancient city in the Gobi Desert on Aseana Island, following Lycanth's lead. He asked me to recruit werewolves to join us. I still don't know much—the mission's conditions must be limiting what Lycanth can reveal. If I log out again, I'll tell you all about it. I might not be able to message you in-game once I enter the city. P.S. I miss you and worry about you a lot. If we ever log out at the same time, maybe we could go somewhere together."

Chang's face was hidden in the darkness of night, with only the soft glow of her phone screen lighting the room. But the most visible thing was her smile—a tender, radiant smile that she herself did not realize had formed. She tapped the reply button and began to type: "Your mission sounds interesting. I'm preparing for a special territory raid myself. We've got some amazing, unexpected allies, so I think we'll succeed. I just logged out at 8 p.m., and I probably won't log out again until morning. If you want to go out together, just set a time. That way, we can sync our logouts. P.S. Not that I'm hinting or anything."

After hitting send, she stood still for a moment, as if questioning whether the message was alright. But now that it was sent, there was nothing she could change. More pressing at the moment was the gentle growling of her stomach, demanding her to visit the kitchen.

As usual, Aunt Im had left her some food. A newspaper lay on the table, its front-page headline still revolving around her kidnapping. Though she briefly wondered how that man was doing, the thought quickly vanished. After everything he had done—hurting her, betraying the trust she and her father had placed in him—there was no room in her heart for sympathy. Someone who was supposed to protect her had instead been the one to inflict harm. There was no way Chang could ever forgive him. She pushed the newspaper out of sight and quietly resumed her dinner.