Adventure World Online (AWO)

No one knew who the figure before them truly were—only that they were terrifying. Just one step closer, and it was enough to make them want to turn and flee as far as they could.

Terrifying!

Terrifying!

That was the only thought echoing through their minds. The person before them was unspeakably terrifying. Everyone, no matter who they were, could only think the same thing—terrifying, terrifying beyond belief.

For a brief moment, time itself seemed to freeze—everyone stunned by the macabre sculpture of death that stood before them. The fear etched on the faces of the fallen was so vivid that even a glance made the living feel sick to their stomachs. Even the supreme commander himself—the AI Commander of the Fortress of the Cursed Cliff—was drenched in sweat, big beads forming across his face. His hand, still clutching the massive axe, trembled slightly without him realizing it. Though he was a seasoned leader, forged in countless battles, he had never known fear like this before. He was not afraid of dying. What he feared—was the way he might die.

Chang Long stood still, glancing sideways at Commander Tosh. The moment he sensed her gaze, he roared—to drown out the fear swelling in his chest. The giant man spun his axes and charged at her, his strength nearly doubled from before. A deafening blast rang out as his strike ignited flames throughout the fortress structures. But that was not what shocked the crowd the most.

Within a radius of a hundred meters around Chang Long, something began to move. At first, it seemed like flickering mist—barely perceptible, and no one paid it much attention. But gradually, it sharpened, became clear, until it took on visible form.

"No wonder. We killed so many, but not a single soul rose to the sky."

Killer stared, jaw slack, as something began to take shape before them. Murder nodded beside him, eyes gleaming with excitement no less than his twin brother's.

The souls of the dead had returned—resurrected by the skill Spirit Realm. All of them knew instinctively who they owed their fealty to. The temporarily revived spirits knelt before Chang Long with deep reverence and spoke in unison:

"My liege."

Chang Long gave a cold, sharp grin as she watched the growing horror on Commander Tosh's face. His expression became harder and harder to read as he realized what was happening: his own fallen AI soldiers had risen from the dead and pledged allegiance to the enemy—with unwavering loyalty.

"O ye who have been brought back,"

Chang Long said, her voice no louder than a whisper,

"Destroy all who stand in your master's way. Leave not a single one alive."

At her command, the resurrected spirits turned on their former allies without mercy. Even Commander Tosh himself was surrounded, his movements hindered to the point that he could barely swing his axe anymore. He looked between the revived soldiers and Chang Long in disbelief. Who was this person? Why were they so terrifying?

"Who are you!"

Commander Tosh bellowed, his voice loud. Chang Long had already unbound Devi-chan from the possession. Her followers barely needed to move at all—so many revived spirits now fought in her name. Her followers stood encircling her in a silent ring of protection, while her army cleared the outer area so thoroughly that not a single new AI soldier could respawn. Commander Tosh was now completely surrounded, alone—by enemies, and by his former allies who had turned against him

"You really want to know that badly?"

Chang Long chuckled softly. Tosh swallowed hard, suddenly unsure whether he truly wanted the answer. And with every breath, he became more certain of what stood before him—what they were, how powerful, and just how utterly terrifying.

"I... I."

Commander Tosh hesitated. His hand, still gripping the massive axe, fell to his side—he no longer had the will to fight. He was truly cornered, and all he could do was await his final moment at the mercy of the one they called My liege.

"You're interesting. Hand over the city emblem, and I'll spare your life. Oh, and I'll even appoint you as the city's general."

Chang Long spoke casually, her tone betraying no interest in continuing the battle either. She was not even sure what would happen to the AI Commander once she claimed the city emblem. He might vanish like the AI soldiers who disappeared into light upon a city's capture.

Commander Tosh fell silent. The hatred, rage, and bitterness he had felt—as a guardian defending his fortress against invading enemies—slowly gave way to respect. The person standing before him radiated a greatness that could not be denied. Power, integrity, compassion, and decisiveness made her truly worthy of becoming the ruler of the Fortress of the Cursed Cliff.

"As you command, My Liege."

Tosh removed the necklace bearing the golden city emblem and held it forward, kneeling in deference. Killer and Murder stood dumbfounded. They had never seen an AI surrender in the middle of war before. Usually, it was kill or be killed—no room for negotiation. None had ever achieved what Chang Long did before.

"Negotiation successful. AI Commander of Cursed Cliff Fortress has surrendered to player Chang Long."

The system announcement made Chang Long's eyes go wide like goose eggs. She stepped forward and accepted the golden emblem—the symbol of city rule—amid thunderous cheers from her hybrid army.

"Player Chang Long has successfully captured the special territory in the Cliff of the Death region on Ameris Island."

The system broadcast echoed throughout the game, stunning players everywhere. It only mentioned her name, without any guild affiliation—which was nearly unheard of—a solo player capturing a special territory. Even if Chang Long did rally other players without forming a guild, it would raise even more questions: How could an unknown, unaffiliated player gather enough force to take down an AI-controlled fortress? And even if they did, would that not lead to inner conflict over who would claim power later?

Yet the system clearly declared that this guildless player had taken a special territory—and not just any territory, but one on an uncharted island, recently opened for exploration after a major game update. Few players had even made it there, let alone stayed long enough to discover a special territory—and then capture it.

But among those who truly knew Chang Long—most of whom were AI rather than players—there was little surprise. Their expressions showed only agreement. They had seen her abilities firsthand and knew well enough that it was no stretch for her to own a city of her own. Even if no one knew how she had done it.

The fortress Chang Long had just conquered stood close to the entrance of the Mirror of Truth, and the surrounding forest was steadily being devoured by the Dark Forest. The tribes who had shown her kindness—the Dark Elves, and the inhabitants of the Land of the Dead—all seemed to dwell in a corner of the world untouched by light. So, Chang Long named her new city "Dark City."

With the grueling conquest of the special territory behind them, it was time to celebrate. The Emperor and Empress of the Dark Elves attended the celebration and offered their congratulations. Even representatives from Cuzca City's bank showed up, presenting her with the next steps she would need to take now that she had control of the city—everything from locating mines for building resources, to designing construction plans, and hiring engineers to oversee the work.

Chang Long thought of Furik, the aged engineer from the Land of the Dead. If she could use him, she would not need to rely on the system's engineers, who were probably real people. Unfortunately, Furik was currently tied up with ongoing construction projects in the Land of the Dead. City planning was not her forte, so she turned to the Dark Elf Emperor and Empress. In the past, they had likely overseen magnificent cities before their kingdom fell into ruin. So, she entrusted them with handling the discussions with the engineers—a task that delighted them beyond words.

"Master, what now, missy—should we head out and scout for mine locations next?"

Devi-chan asked excitedly, his eyes gleaming with pride as he looked at his heir.

"No need to rush, Devi-chan. We've got no competition on this island. Since landing on Ameris, we've barely seen another player. At this point, we could almost call the island ours."

Chang Long laughed as she replied.

"Well said. In that case, why don't we just claim the whole island for ourselves?"

Devi-chan's eyes sparkled at the idea of the entire Ameris Island falling under Chang Long's domain.

"That wouldn't be good. It's not just us in this game. We should leave space for others to play too—that way, it stays fun."

Her reply made the twin brothers smile. They agreed wholeheartedly. No one should hoard the world for themselves. The game was built for players to enjoy together—sharing knowledge, experience, and discovery. If people only played for selfish gain and refused to share anything, the game would quickly lose its charm.

"That's so true. Master Chang Long is the wisest of all,"

Killer declared, raising his glass high.

"To Master Chang Long. The greatest, kindest in all three realms!"

Chang Long was left speechless by Killer's proclamation. And it did not stop there—the entire crowd joined in cheerfully, following Killer's toast, leaving their so-called master blushing helplessly.

"But seriously—why do you keep calling our master as your master anyway?"

Brownie turned to Killer with a puzzled expression. Kitsune had once said that a traveler had been forced to call Chang Long Master after falling into her debt and being made to serve her. But these two—Killer and Murder—had no such debt. They had not been coerced. So why were they both calling her master so willingly?

"Because we decided we want to follow her. We volunteered to become Master Chang Long's subordinates,"

Killer replied with a big smile, clearly smitten with both her abilities and her personality.

"Yep. We've already declared ourselves her left and right royal guards,"

Murder added proudly. Their confidence made both Devi-chan and Hisa-chan smile. Without even realizing it, Chang Long had won over two more loyal followers.

"Hey now. Master's left and right guards are Devi-chan and Hisa-chan. And there's Lord Kitsune and Lord Flatear too. Plus me and Fluffy Head-chan."

Brownie protested hotly. How could these two come and swipe their positions. His fierce expression made the twins struggle to hold in their laughter. Even Herod, commander of the Dark Elf warriors, nearly choked on his wine when he heard Brownie's declaration.

"Haha. Well, come on! Someone as important as Master Chang Long ought to have lots of followers to show her prestige, right? Adding us would boost her greatness even more."

Killer grinned, still holding back laughter. Brownie narrowed his eyes in thought, then turned to Anya for second opinion, seated not far from Chang Long. Seeing her amused smile, Brownie's face became dreamy for a moment, then turned back to the twins.

"Fine. Have it your way."

With that, he trotted up and settled into Anya's lap, where she had juice and a bowl of mixed grains waiting for him.

"Your Majesty, Reaper King would you allow us to become your citizens?"

The voice came unexpectedly—from none other than the Emperor of the Dark Elves. Chang Long turned to him, completely stunned.

"Huh!"

"You heard right. We wish to become citizens of the newly born Dark City. Might you grant us that honor? I, Emilia, and my elder brother Hedrius, pledge our unconditional loyalty to you."

The empress added and bowed deeply. The entire host of Dark Elves dropped to one knee, offering Chang Long a formal salute.

"Wait. You can't do that. You're emperors—leaders of your people. This… this isn't right. That would bring shame to your status."

Chang Long blurted out, overwhelmed.

"We feel no shame—only honor. Please, allow us to be your citizens, Emperor Chang Long."

The Dark Elf sibling leaders spoke in perfect unison. Chang Long stood speechless, mouth agape. She could hardly believe what was happening. An ancient race—nearly extinct—was now pledging itself to her. Devi-chan grinned with satisfaction. Killer and Murder were just as stunned as Chang Long herself. And then there was Commander Tosh, standing silently in the background, unnoticed by most.

"But… Please don't refuse us. In return, we will give you our unwavering loyalty. You'll have our strength—completely."

Chang Long glanced at her two ghostly companions. When they nodded in silent agreement, she took a deep breath and accepted the offer.

"Incredible. I've never seen a player gain the allegiance of so many AIs before… Master Chang Long, you're seriously amazing,"

Killer exclaimed, still in awe.

"Totally fitting for someone whose autograph I've been dying to get."

Murder nodded in agreement, his expression as deadpan as ever. Commander Tosh slowly sank to the ground beside the twin brothers, visibly more stunned than anyone else present. While he had already acknowledged that Chang Long was worthy of becoming the city's ruler, he had never imagined that the Dark Elf tribe would actually pledge their allegiance to her. Killer noticed the commander sitting nearby and handed him a cup of wine, inviting him to join the celebration. And so, the festivities continued late into the night—there was simply too much worth celebrating.

The next morning, as Chang Long groggily awoke, she found her city already bustling with activity. AI citizens moved busily through the streets as though each had an urgent task to complete. As she sat up, rubbing her eyes, she was greeted by engineers from the city's bank—along with Emilia and Hedrius—carrying large sheets of paper. It turned out to be the city layout and architectural plans, leaving Chang Long speechless. She never imagined people would be this eager and enthusiastic to help build her city.

The designs were created by Emilia herself, maintaining seamless harmony with nature. Most of the buildings featured tall, steep-pitched roofs, adorned with creeping vines from the Dark Forest. The roads were paved with large bricks, and the entire city was designed to integrate naturally with the forest surroundings. The color palette leaned toward deep, earthy tones—black mixed with hues, such as violet-black and pink-black, creating an elegant visual that was strikingly cohesive.

It appeared that many Dark Elves had already moved their households into the city. Some, however, still chose to build homes outside the city walls—after all, the area beyond was still part of their native Dark Forest, their true home. As for the old hidden sanctuary where they once lived, it now seemed poised to become a quest zone for players seeking to change their race.