Adventure World Online (AWO)

The first test subject was none other than Commander Tosh, who was granted special permission by Emilia and Hedrius to enter the hidden location without having to take the usual quest. Killer and Murder were especially interested in race transformation, as they had long dreamed of joining this race. It was a perfect match for their class builds. Unfortunately, the quest givers—Emilia and Hedrius—were still busy helping build Chang Long's city.

After reviewing the city layout, Chang Long made a request for something outside the current city plan: the blueprint for external infrastructure. Specifically, she wanted to channel water from the cliff pass, leading it through the city wall and into a central well. The waterway would be expanded into a tunnel with a docking point for small rowboats. The young engineer found the idea strange, but told her it was possible—provided she had enough money. Chang Long also asked him to design a harbor, because Dark City was near the sea.

Even more impressively, Emilia had already dispatched Dark Elf warriors to scout out possible mining locations. With that, Chang Long could now focus entirely on overseeing city construction with ease. As for manpower, the citizens of Cuzca volunteered to help. The city had many skilled artisans who were eager to repay Chang Long for defending their home from the colonial hunters.

The sheer number of people willing to help was overwhelming. Chang Long shook her head to clear her thoughts, then gave the order to begin excavation of the waterway. That would be the first step. After all, she needed a route connecting Dark City to the Land of the Dead—and digging a water channel did not require many materials. Just a few shovels would do the job.

"Your Majesty, may I ask why you wish to dig a water channel, when we could just use the stream in the Dark Forest?"

Hedrius asked. The use of a royal address made Chang Long shiver.

"Please, just call me like before. That formal tone gives me goosebumps. As for the water channel—it's a special route. I plan to use it to connect to the Land of the Dead."

Chang Long replied as she stood watching the stone being carved into an arched tunnel above the designated waterway.

"The Land of the Dead. That sounds ominous."

Hedrius frowned. Despite being a Dark Elf himself, he clearly was not thrilled about connecting Dark City to such a place.

"Hehe, is that so? I think it's perfect. My army's stationed there, and they need a way to reach this world. Besides, that place has become a source of income for me—and I'm about to go broke if I don't do something."

"A source of income. You mean the Land of the Dead actually has something like that?"

Hedrius raised a brow as they walked over to a tent and sat down. A Dark Elf girl served them tea.

"Oh, definitely. But it'll take time before everything's fully set up the way I want. I also have to visit somewhere else first."

Chang Long said, sipping her tea. Hedrius was about to ask more, but she spoke again before he could.

"Lord Hedrius, please oversee the construction here and make sure everything follows the plan. Honestly, I'm not very good with this kind of thing. I'm going to contact a certain shop about moving into our city."

"Of course. But what kind of shop is it? That human (from the bank) said the basic necessities would already be set up."

Hedrius stood up and followed Chang Long, unable to hold back his curiosity. Chang Long waved her hand to call over her pets.

"This one's essential for a business I'm planning to open. And it's also very important for citizens from the Land of the Dead," Chang Long replied with a smile. When she saw Hedrius's bewildered expression and the way he opened his mouth to ask again, she quickly cut him off:

"It's a Spirit Shop."

Chang Long strolled along the road, heading toward the fork that would lead her to Cuzca City. Along the way, she passed many AI from Cuzca walking in the opposite direction—craftsmen she had hired to help build her city. Every one of them bowed respectfully upon seeing her. She stopped in front of the Spirit Shop, a tiny wooden shack that looked like it might collapse at any moment, located not far from the Cuzca city gate.

The daytime shopkeeper waved at her cheerfully as she approached. When she told him she had successfully claimed a city of her own, the man grew even more excited. He studied her with a knowing glint in his eye before asking:

"So you're here because you want something from me, aren't you?"

"Of course. I'd like to invite the Spirit Shop to move into my city,"

Chang Long said with a smile.

"Sharp eyes, I must say! You've got quite the vision. Naturally, it can be done. If you can complete my quest."

The shopkeeper laughed gleefully, showering her with praise.

"What kind of quest?"

As soon as she spoke, the once-bright sky suddenly dimmed. The scruffy-looking man transformed into a refined and spotless figure—a beautiful woman with a flawless face. The shopkeeper handed Chang Long a small wooden spirit tablet and began to speak in a slow, soft tone that was entirely different from her usual voice:

"That is the spirit tablet of the true owner of the Spirit Shop. He was a quiet, elderly man. While gathering materials to stock his shop, he was killed by a beast. His body lies rotting where he fell, in a place so deep in the Abyss that no one has been able to recover it. The area is swarming with savage beasts—no one has survived long enough to reach the remains."

She fell silent for a moment, then pulled something out from beneath the counter. It was a miniature Chinese-style shrine with a small pedestal base.

"If you can reach that place and successfully erect the shrine and place the spirit tablet, the quest will be considered complete."

Chang Long went quiet at the explanation, while Killer and Murder both gasped, clearly shocked by the idea of having to enter Hell to complete the quest.

"Player Chang Long has received the quest to bring peace to the Spirit Shop owner in the Abyss — Hell Dungeon. This quest has no time limit and allows the player to bring companions. Please confirm to accept the quest."

>

The system notification cut out abruptly, and Chang Long hesitated, unsure if she could accept the quest verbally. But the system chimed in again:

> "Hell Dungeon is a sealed dungeon accessible only to those with related quests. After system verification, Player Chang Long's status and class meet the requirements to unlock Hell Dungeon. Would Player Chang Long also like to accept this quest?"

Chang Long paused in thought for a moment and then accepted both quests aloud.

"M... Master, are we really going to do a quest in Hell!"

Killer asked, his shock from earlier quickly giving way to excitement. When Chang Long turned to look at Murder, she found him just as eager as his twin brother. The young woman smiled in amusement—she had not expected anyone to be excited about something so dangerous.

"Uh-huh. But it's just us, will that be enough? We don't even know how many layers the Hell Dungeon has, or what level the beasts in there might be."

Chang Long replied, clearly deep in thought. With just herself, a few pets, and the two assassin brothers, she was not sure how far they would get.

"Should we call Mr. Siegfried's team for backup, master?"

Brownie suggested helpfully—but was immediately met with a sharp glare from Devi-chan, who rolled his eyes.

"Well, it would be fun if we had them with us. But I heard they're busy building their own city. Besides, Siegfried is on another quest right now—I don't think they'll be able to help, Brownie."

Chang Long chuckled, gently patting Brownie's head.

"Then how about bringing some Dark Elves or reborn AIs to help us?"

Fluffy Head-chan offered another idea.

"That probably won't work. Most of these quests are meant for players only. Even if AIs can help, they usually need to be directly tied to the quest itself."

Killer replied before Chang Long could answer.

"Well, then we'll just do it ourselves. No need to rush. The city-building and mine-searching stuff is already being taken care of by others anyway."

Chang Long said, then started forming a party and invited the twin brothers to join. After that, she walked over to one of the AI craftsmen from Cuzca heading toward Dark City and asked him to deliver a message to Hedrius and Emilia, letting them know she had gone to complete a quest in the Land of the Dead—so they would not worry when they did not see her in the city.

"Let's go. Let's head to The Judgment first. That should be the safest place to set the mirror."

Chang Long said as she took the lead. The twin brothers followed with uncontainable excitement, along with a whole entourage of eager pets and spirits trailing close behind.

Even though they did not need to worry about food supplies, stocking crystals for the Hell Dungeon was another story. Killer volunteered to buy the necessary crystals and potions in Cuzca. He knew he was not as fast as Chang Long, but he was still impressively quick compared to players of a similar level. When Killer returned to the path toward the mirror, the group crossed the border using the mirror that Chang Long had kept with her since long before she found the Mirror of Truth.

They reentered the Land of the Dead. This time, a few more buildings had sprung up. Chang Long made her way straight to the underground waterway entrance to find the ferryman, hoping to ask him about the location and entrance to the Hell Dungeon. Brownie clung tightly to Anya, terrified of the ferryman's skeletal form. Before long, the group arrived at the underground dock, where the ferryman stood waiting as if he had known Chang Long would come. He bowed respectfully, then asked the reason for her visit.

"Ferryman, I want to ask you about the Hell Dungeon. This time, I've received a quest to unlock it, but I still don't know where the entrance is. I remember you mentioned it before. Can I ask you to explain the details?"

"My liege, please call me Fierik. The Hell Dungeon consists of 12 layers. Each floor is vast and labyrinthine, crawling with demonic beasts. They are filled with rage, hatred, and malice. The moment they see you, they will attack without hesitation. Each descending gate is guarded by a powerful keeper—cunning and merciless. You don't have to fight them head-on, not if you know the right way. Normally, they would offer their loyalty and allow passage. But this time, you must defeat them…

The deeper you go, the stronger the beasts become. The twelfth floor is the realm of the forgotten souls, a place of eternal torment for wicked spirits. There lies Lucifer. You must awaken him and earn his recognition. Only then will the Hell Dungeon be fully unlocked."

The ferryman—Fierik—explained, and Chang Long gave a small nod. So Lucifer was the boss of the Hell Dungeon she had to overcome.

"And the entrance to the dungeon?"

"Follow the waterway down this path. You'll come upon the gate soon enough. If you wish to go now, please board the boat. It is my duty to ferry you there."

Fierik gestured toward two rowboats moored at the dock, as if he had known they would need them. The twin brothers leapt in first. Fierik vanished from in front of Chang Long and reappeared at the sterns of both boats.

"Please, board."

His voice was dry and raspy. Devi-chan and Hisa-chan joined the twins in one boat, while Chang Long and her pets stepped into the other. Slowly, the boats began to glide across the still, black waters. A chilling silence enveloped the entire route, the kind that could easily break the spirit of a faint-hearted traveler.

After navigating through the winding waterway for some time, a soft, ghostly glow appeared ahead. They could all see it—a massive, arched stone gate looming in the distance. Though it was still quite far, its sheer size made them wonder if the beasts inside were as enormous as the gate itself.

The dock stopped about fifty meters from a wide, barren stretch of land before the gate's arch. Everyone seemed fully charged with anticipation—no one had ever set foot in the Hell Dungeon since the game launched. There was no data on the beasts or terrain within. They were walking in almost completely blind. And perhaps that made them all the more excited. Just as they reached the broad stone clearing before the massive gate— a roar exploded like thunder, shaking the air.

"Cerberus, Gatekeeper of Hell Beast King – Level 70 – Preparing to engage."

Chang Long's jaw dropped in stunned disbelief at the system announcement—but that shock was nothing compared to when she actually saw Cerberus arrive. Her followers wore identical expressions of horror—as if they had just seen a ghost.

Cerberus was a massive black dog with three snarling heads, each one growling and sniffing the air. Its gaping maws were filled with razor-sharp fangs, drooling thick saliva. Steam-like smoke puffed from its nostrils as it exhaled. Its crimson eyes glowed with vertical black slits, locked onto them with terrifying focus. Even though it was a beast king, they were at least relieved that its size was not overwhelming—no bigger than a large ox—which gave them a glimmer of hope that it could be defeated.

"What the hell? The first beast in the Hell Dungeon is already a beast king!"

Killer whispered, eyes wide with a strange sparkle, as though he had just fallen in love with Cerberus.

"This is gonna be fun—so fun!"

Murder did not just say it—he launched himself into the air, charging at Cerberus in a blur.

Killer's jaw dropped as his brother leapt ahead of him—but his shock turned to panic when he saw Murder instantly go flying backward from just a single whip of the hellhound's tail.

"Mur!!"

Killer screamed his brother's name. After seeing his body slam against the dirt wall with a loud thud and a storm of dust.

"Focus, kid. That thing has insanely sharp senses."

Devi-chan warned—but before he finished, Cerberus's massive claws swiped toward the clueless Killer, who only barely dodged in time thanks to his own quick reflexes.

"First one's a beast king—what's next, beast god?!"

Chang Long grumbled under her breath as she charged in to attack Cerberus, joined in perfect sync by Devi-chan and Hisa-chan.