Adventure World Online (AWO)

The Third Gatekeeper's body trembled, as though it was trying to resist something. But then, it suddenly froze—only to release a roar. Chang Long could sense the torment it was under, desperately struggling against whatever force was controlling its mind and body. For a brief moment, she saw it—an expression in its eyes that pleaded with her, begging her to end its suffering.

As the Gatekeeper opened its mouth again, preparing to unleash another blast of that thick black liquid, Chang Long unfurled her wings and shot forward like a missile. Sovereign Sword swept outward in a wide arc, then rose high above her head before slicing down with tremendous force at a diagonal angle. Her blade carved across the Gatekeeper's face—cutting through its right eye, nose, and lips. The thick, black liquid remained pooled in its disfigured mouth for a heartbeat, and then exploded violently.

"My Liege!!"

Everyone cried out at once. Chang Long had been in the blast radius at point-blank range. Black smoke choked the air, thick with an acrid, sulfurous stench. Her followers were forced to flee from the battlefield, coughing and tearing up. Even the Hell Dungeon's beasts scattered in panic, making the entire third floor feel suddenly abandoned.

Though their eyes burned too much they could barely keep it open; everyone searched for Chang Long through the dense sulfur smoke, worried if she had survived the blast. Nothing was visible through the haze, but then—they heard it: slow, steady footsteps drawing near. Finally, the familiar figure of the battered Reaper King emerged from the black smoke. She stood there, dirty but alive—with a black key fragment clutched tightly in her hand.

"Let's go. The path to the fourth floor is open."

Chang Long said simply. Everyone smiled with relief and nodded.

Chang Long and her companions pressed onward through the Hell Dungeon, spending nearly an entire day on each floor. Due to the game's automatic logout system, the group found their logout time unsync, making them waste time waiting for everyone to come back online before moving forward together. Traveling without the full party—leaving only one person logged back in to the same spot alone—doesn't seem safe. Especially the deeper they went, the beasts grew stronger and their attacks far more lethal.

Fortunately, they had discovered that each floor had a safe zone, marked by small shrines like the one Chang Long had used, doing the Spirit Shop owner's quest. They used these shrines as designated logout points.

Eventually, they faced and defeated the final Gatekeeper—the Twelfth Gatekeeper, who could not show any trace of loyalty to Chang Long. It was as though his body and mind had been completely enslaved. Starting from the sixth floor, the battles had grown more intense and brutal with each step.

The higher-level Gatekeepers boasted terrifying combat skills and devastating abilities. The blood and wounds they inflicted forced Chang Long's party to extend their rest periods. It was during these long rests that they came to truly understand just how valuable the talismans from the Talisman Shop were.

Without them, they would have died countless times. There was no way they would have made it this far—this deep into the dungeon. One surprising discovery happened completely by accident. The twin brothers were sitting in a safe zone, grumbling that they had not bought enough talismans. Bored during recovery, they glanced at one of the small shrines and got a mischievous idea. Just for fun, they knocked on the roof of the shrine and jokingly said:

"Hey, Shop owner. I'd like to buy some talismans!"

It was just a joke to kill time.

But then, the shrine began to grow. Moments later, it expanded into a full-sized Talisman Shop. The Shop owner popped his head out, chuckled at their shocked expressions, and kindly explained why the shop was able to appear there.

The Spirit Shop owner explained that the small shrines located in each floor's safe zone in Hell Dungeon were essentially his shopfronts. If summoned—regardless of the floor—the Talisman Shop would materialize in that safe zone. Before selling any talismans to the twin brothers, he even scolded them lightly:

"You know, my shop has a bell. Next time you want to buy something, ring the bell. Don't just knock like that—it's rude, got it?"

The twins glanced around and, sure enough, found a small bell attached to one of the shrine's wooden posts, just as he had said.

Back in the present, Chang Long was resting, completely drained. The battle with the Twelfth Gatekeeper was so severe—her body was seriously wounded and needed quite some time to recover. While she sat catching her breath, the twelve key fragments had already begun the process of fusing themselves into a single complete key. Thankfully, just before Lucifer's Chamber, a Talisman Shop had also been conveniently set up.

They had only just sat down when a system alert nearly gave them all whiplash. Several of them ended up sprawled out on the ground from shock. Chang Long's level had now reached 91, and her Sovereign Sword had maxed out at level 10, with an attack power of nearly thirty thousand. The twin brothers had each gained over ten levels and were so ecstatic that they forgot all about their injuries or fatigue, jumping up and down in celebration.

All of Chang Long's pets had also experienced massive level gains. Brownie reached Level 59, Flatear rose to Level 92, and Kitsune had grown an eighth tail and advanced to Level 75.

Even more impressive—Brownie had undergone his second evolution, growing slightly larger and unlocking a new skill: Fur Missile (Hair Barrage).While waiting for the key to finish assembling, there were still many things left to prepare. Physical readiness was crucial before facing Lucifer. Chang Long had never felt this much pressure from playing a game before. While it had not driven her into a panic, she had to consciously keep her nerves in check.

All of the crystals she had brought into the dungeon were now gone—completely used up. The only truly reliable resource left was the vast array of talismans from the Talisman Shop. Not only could they be carried in greater quantities due to their lighter weight, but healing talismans restored both health and mana at the same time.

The twins sat side by side, having stocked up on more talismans to their heart's content. But they seemed to be focused on something else—something small but exciting. Curious, Brownie, Kitsune, Flatear, and Chang Long's two ghostly followers gathered around to see what was going on. It turned out the twins were about to open their lunchboxes (wooden boxes roughly 10x10 inches in size).

Everyone looked eager. It was well known that these lunchboxes came from the corpses of grotesque Hell Dungeon beasts. Though the Spirit Shop owner had firmly insisted that the food inside would always look appetizing and taste amazing, they were still essentially random loot boxes. You never knew what you would get.

Killer slowly slid the lid open. A delicious aroma hit everyone the moment the box cracked open, making their mouths water.

"Spaghetti Bolognese!"

Murder exclaimed, stunned by how good it looked—and smelled. The savory presentation was miles apart from the hideous beast that had dropped it.

"Hey, Mur. Open yours already."

Brownie urged the older twin. Murder nodded, looked down at the lunchbox in his hands, and opened it all at once.

"This is!"

Hisa-chan gasped at what he saw.

"Whoa!"

Kitsune was stunned, too.

"Grilled Beef Sushi!"

Murder exclaimed. For someone like Hisa-chan, who adored Japanese cuisine, and Kitsune, a die-hard meat lover, it was no surprise that their mouths watered. Thick slices of beef, glazed in sauce, were laid atop steaming rice—sizzling hot and dripping with aroma. Murder blinked at their hungry stares before reluctantly offering it to them to share.

"Wow—this tastes better than anything at a luxury restaurant!"

Killer exclaimed after taking his first bite of the spaghetti.

"Oh come on, it can't be that good."

Devi-chan said, swallowing hard. But seeing Killer, Hisa-chan, and Kitsune devouring the food so enthusiastically made him want to try it for himself.

"Alright, let's open these too. I've got plenty stocked up. But keep in mind—it's all random what you'll get."

Killer pulled out the lunchboxes and handed them out to everyone, including Chang Long, because he wanted them all to try the flavors together. Soon, they were all sitting in a row—yes, even the Reaper King, Chang Long. They slowly began opening their lunchboxes together, a sense of excitement filling the air.

"Fresh fruit tart!"

Brownie's eyes went as wide as goose eggs when he opened his box to find a fruit tart topped with assortment of fresh fruits drizzled in honey. It looked absolutely delicious.

"I got flower pollen salad—this looks amazing!"

Anya's eyes sparkled at the sight of the salad, filled with multicolored flower petals mixed beautifully together.

"Whoa, what's this? Chocolate?"

Devi-chan opened his box to find several neatly arranged brown cubes that smelled sweet, like chocolate. He did not really want dessert, so he thought about asking to trade with someone else. But before he did speak up, his eyes caught a message printed on the inside of the lunchbox lid. It made him abruptly change his mind, and he quietly picked up his box and walked away to eat alone at a distance.

"Herb-roasted wild goose,"

Chang Long read aloud the name of her dish printed on the lid. The wild goose had been expertly sliced into neat pieces, giving off a delicate herbal aroma. It came with fresh vegetables and a bold dipping sauce on the side. As for Flatear, he got a tray of colorful, jewel-shaped crispy jelly that sparkled like precious stones—more like hidden treasure than food. Finally, Murder opened his box to find a large lamb steak. Kitsune's eyes lit up with excitement once again, but this time, the young man did not offer it up like before. He wanted to savor the lunch meal for himself this time.

Everyone gathered in a circle, happily eating from the lunchboxes they had conjured using the lunchbox talisman. They still had a little time left to enjoy themselves before the key to Lucifer's secret chamber would be fully assembled, ushering in yet another brutal battle. And perhaps—it might be a battle that would cost them dearly.

After the brief moment of rest passed, everyone gathered again, focused and expectant, waiting for all twelve key fragments to merge completely. During that time, Chang Long's group checked their gear and status repeatedly, their excitement mounting into something close to anxiety. At last, a notification chimed from the system:

The key has been fully assembled. It was a hexagonal black metal rod, roughly the length of a short sword. The end split into three prongs, like a devil's trident. Chang Long took the key in hand and walked straight toward the secret chamber's door—an unbroken black stone wall with a large circular indentation in the center. Inside the circle were three small holes.

"This is the keyhole?"

Anya asked in wonder, stepping closer for a better look—just like everyone else.

"Seems like it. The prongs line up exactly with the holes,"

Chang Long replied, glancing down at the large key in her hand.

"Hurry up and unlock it already. Let's get this quest over with."

Devi-chan muttered in a daze, like someone mildly intoxicated. Chang Long raised an eyebrow at him, puzzled. Why was the former nitpicky pirate king acting drunk, especially when she had not summoned him any alcohol? Still, she decided to ignore it and turned her attention back to the key.

Chang Long inserted the trident end into the three holes and pushed. It clicked into place, but that was all. Nothing else happened. Everyone looked at one another in confusion. Had they missed a step—that was why the door had not opened?

"Wait, look here—this circle's been carved out into a groove,"

Murder pointed out, noting that the lines of the circle were not drawn or etched, but precisely carved into the stone. The craftsmanship was smooth and flawless, with no cracks or chips—no wonder they had missed it at first glance.

"What are you trying to say, Mur?"

Killer turned to his twin brother, but it seemed like Chang Long, Devi-chan, and Hisa-chan had already figured it out.

"It means that after pushing the key in and hearing the click, we also have to rotate it to move the circle into its proper position." Hisa-chan stepped forward, volunteering to turn the key himself. He looked at Chang Long, and when she nodded, he reached out with both hands and began to turn it.

There were twelve audible clicks as he rotated it, one for each completed segment. Finally, the circular piece holding the key began to sink into the wall, revealing a tunnel just big enough to crawl through, one person at a time. Hisa-chan climbed in first, followed by Chang Long. Anya came next, with Brownie clinging to her shoulder. Then came Kitsune and Flatear, both now in human form. Killer and Murder followed closely behind, and Devi-chan—still a little dazed—brought up the rear.

All nine of them crawled through the dark passage. Thanks to Chang Long's Vampire Eye skill, she could tell they were moving forward. The tense, claustrophobic crawl only lasted about five minutes before they emerged into a vast square chamber. The space was plain and undecorated, save for a grand chandelier adorned with clear black crystals, casting a dim light fainter than a firefly's glow. Beneath it stood a massive wooden throne, intricately carved with unrecognizable patterns, inlaid with black pearls and upholstered in fine leather—almost like a luxurious sofa.

Everyone stood ready, bracing for Lucifer's appearance. Each of them imagined a hideous, terrifying, merciless beast—surely that was what awaited them. They scanned the room with Vampire Eye, allowing all members to see through the dark as clearly as Chang Long. But no matter how hard they searched, there was not a single trace of Lucifer—the ancient beast of legend—anywhere to be found.