Adventure World Online (AWO)

"Ah!"

Chang Long gasped in surprise as a massive flail came swinging at her out of nowhere. She dodged in time, landing on a nearby mound of earth to locate the source of the sudden attack.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Heavy footsteps echoed across the land, shaking the ground and drawing everyone's attention. What they saw was an enormous armored lizard, its tail thick with muscle and ending in a massive stone-like ball. It stomped forward, blocking Chang Long's path and preventing her from approaching the mine.

"What? There's the huge one too?"

Anya exclaimed in shock. The fairy girl huddled with Brownie and the twin not far from the group with Kitsune, Flatear, Fluffy Head-chan, and Luther.

"Master!"

Kitsune cried out in concern, but Chang Long raised a hand to stop him—he and the others were still fending off a swarm of beast and could not break away to help her.

"Stay there. I'll handle this one myself."

Chang Long ordered, knowing that if even one of her fighters left their post, burden on those left behind would intensify instantly.

"Siegfried never said anything about a big beast showing up. But no matter—I'll just take care of it."

She muttered, leaping into the air to dodge another strike from the giant beast. The system had announced it as a level 62 Ankylosaurus Beast King. At that level, it was not hard for Chang Long to defeat it alone—the only real obstacles were its lightning-fast tail strikes and the fact that its body was the size of a truck.

Ordinarily, mine zones would not spawn a beast king. Other mines had multiple entryways divided by mineral type, allowing players to compete over different sections. Those mines only spawned common beasts. But the mine Chang Long was targeting had only one massive entrance, situated in the middle of a vast open plain.

And that was not even the strangest part—it was also guarded by a beast king. This made Chang Long even more certain that this mine did not just contain the minerals she needed to build her city, it had to be hiding rare and valuable gems as well.

She summoned her wings and flew straight at the Ankylosaurus Beast King. The creature whipped its heavy tail flail at her with incredible speed—shockingly fast for something so big—but she dodged and slashed at the base of its tail. The area was thick and protected by a natural armor-like shell.

Even with the Sovereign Sword, it took strength to cut through that armored tail. Chang Long struck the same wound three times. On the third blow, the beast's tail severed completely and crashed to the ground. The creature let out a thunderous roar and began snapping at her with wild fury.

"Hahaha."

Chang Long laughed uncontrollably. The way the beast ran at her in a rage was so ridiculous, she could not help herself—even though it was frothing with fury, its clumsy gait was hilariously cartoonish. Her laughter was infectious; even the others fighting in grim silence were tempted to laugh along.

Now that it had lost its tail, the Ankylosaurus posed little threat. It still chased after Chang Long as she flew toward the mine, aiming to claim it and end the drawn-out battle.

As soon as she touched down atop a platform over the mine, the ownership sigil transformed into a winged skull—her symbol. In that instant, the endless tide of beast vanished into thin air. The surviving Spanish soldiers collapsed to the ground, completely spent. Chang Long's warriors, on the other hand, regrouped calmly and bowed respectfully to her as a system message rang out, officially announcing the Reaper girl's conquest of the mine.

"Big bro~!"

Luther ran up and threw himself into her arms, hugging her tightly. Lamia and Fangy followed right behind.

"Congratulations, master. At last, the mine is ours."

Kitsune, still as relaxed as ever, strolled over to Chang Long. The young woman smiled and affectionately ruffled his hair before turning to address all her fellow warriors.

"Thank you, everyone. Tonight, we'll rest and celebrate right here. Tomorrow, we'll begin construction on the smelting plant and start exploring the mine's interior."

The Reaper girl announced, her voice carrying confidently through the air. Cheers erupted from the crowd as everyone began tidying up the area in preparation to build a campfire. Some split off to hunt, while Chang Long pulled out the Horn of Abundance and conjured up a fine drink: smooth, sweet honey liquor.

Naturally, the role of army server still fell to Lamia, Luther's demon doll. He delivered drinks, seasoned meat for grilling, and even sliced and plated it for everyone. At first, he had felt extremely bitter—his current duties were a far cry from the life he had known. But in time, Lamia seemed to have accepted his fate and was now performing his duties with surprising competence, earning praise from many around him.

"Hey."

Chang Long approached the Spanish chief, now battered and worn, a mere shadow of his former self. He looked up at her for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.

"It's unbelievable that any of us even survived this."

The older man said. Fewer than ten Spanish soldiers remained, seated far from the festive gathering of dark elf warriors. Their faces were grim, eyes reflecting despair. No one could have imagined that taking the mine would come at such a cost. Though they had succeeded, the price in lives had been devastating.

"Don't be too down. Loss is a part of war."

Chang Long replied with her usual flat tone. The chief shot her a glare and spoke with bitter sarcasm, unable to contain his anger.

"Easy for you to say. None of your people died—not a single one. Meanwhile, mine are practically wiped out. How is that normal!"

"Heh, so you noticed. I guess you already knew. The gap between your soldiers and mine. If you're ok, you're welcome to join the celebration."

With that, Chang Long turned and walked away. She had not meant to mock him—she only wanted the Spanish soldiers to reflect on their own skills before strutting around and picking fights. In the end, it had come back to bite them.

"Tch. That damn girl—she thinks just because she's strong she can talk down to everyone!"

The grizzled chief muttered under his breath. Though angry, he knew better than to cross a woman capable of commanding warriors as powerful as demons.

That night, Chang Long and her group celebrated their victory with joy and laughter. The Spanish soldiers, however, did not join them. They had lost too much to feel like celebrating.

The next morning, Chang Long and her followers stood waiting at the mine entrance. The Spanish soldiers, too, wanted to join the exploration. After all, they had helped win the mine—albeit marginally. Chang Long did not object, but she made it clear: they were on their own now. No protection. If anything happened inside, her group would not intervene.

The mine's interior was dark, lit only by torches mounted on the walls. The tunnels split into winding paths, leading the group to break up into smaller units to map the area. Chang Long went with her pets, while Killer and Murder paired up. The Spanish soldiers stuck together and chose a path for themselves. The rest of Chang Long's warriors fanned out across the remaining routes.

They all went to their chosen path, agreeing to regroup in an hour. The mine's layout twisted confusingly between narrow tunnels and wide chambers. No deadly beasts appeared—only some pesky cave bats that tended to swoop down while people were mining. But the real surprise was that, there were no visible ore veins at all. None. Any player wanting to dig had to guess and dig blindly. Still, given the mine's vast, twisting network, it was likely the veins were buried deep in the soil.

After exploring for some time, it was nearly time to return to the rendezvous point—but then something unexpected happened. The ground beneath Chang Long's group suddenly gave way, sending everyone plummeting into darkness.

"Waaah. We're gonna die—we're definitely gonna die this time!"

Brownie screamed as his tiny body fell uncontrollably through. Chang Long's Vampire Eye skill activated, allowing her to see clearly in the dark. There was a vast underground lake lay below them, its water so clear it she could see something glowing faintly at the very bottom.

BOOMMM

Chang Long, Kitsune, Flatear, Anya, Brownie, Fluffy Head-chan, Luther, Lamia, and Fangy crashed into the underground lake with a thunderous splash. The water was freezing cold—so cold that Brownie's chattering teeth clacked loudly. Everyone frantically swam toward shore. Kitsune breathed fire to warm the group, and that soft glow revealed something, hidden in the shadows of the vast, dark cavern, for the first time.

"Oh... wow..."

"Th... This is."

What had been hidden in the cavern were multicolored mineral pillars, ranging in size from finger-length to as thick as a human leg. They shimmered brilliantly, stunning everyone, reflecting the firelight in dazzling hues. Even beneath the water, the lakebed was covered with these luminous crystals.

"Master. These are elemental gems!"

Flatear turned to Chang Long, still visibly shook.

"Wait—seriously?!"The moment she heard they were elemental gems, Chang Long's breath caught in her throat from excitement. Everyone knew elemental gems were rare and expensive. Magic-based professions used them to enhance specific elemental spells—and more importantly, they were food for some beast gods. Flatear, Chang Long's pet, was one of them.

"Incredible. The whole place is full of them."

Anya looked around, eyes shining with wonder. Brownie, who had finally scrambled back up onto the fairy girl's shoulder, also took in the magnificent beauty of the cavern for the first time.

"If we mined all of this and sold it, we'd be rich beyond belief."

Devi-chan floated in, having finished surveying the area.

"That's true. This mine is technically open-access, right? If anyone else finds this, they'll mine it all out."

Fluffy Head-chan voiced his concern. They had found a treasure trove, yet could not claim it as their own.

"Master, what do you think? This place is pretty deep under the mine. Maybe we don't have to count it as part of the main area."

Hisa-chan suggested slyly.

"Uh-huh. In that case, everyone—check if there are any other entrances or exits. Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, dive and search underwater."

Chang Long ordered. Devi-chan frowned in confusion—why did he have to search under the water?

"Hey, missy, why do we have to go underwater?"

"Because that water's freezing. No one's gonna dive in willingly. But you two are ghosts—you don't feel cold or hot. So you're perfect for the job."

Chang Long answered without missing a beat. Devi's expression shifted as realization dawned, drawing laughter from the others.

Everyone spread out to look for an alternate route in or out of the cavern, other than the hole they had fallen through. Despite thorough searching, they found nothing—except for Devi-chan and Hisa-chan, who still had not returned. The group gathered and waited anxiously until the two ghosts finally emerged, looking somewhat concerned.

"So? Did you find anything?"

Chang Long asked as the two spirits floated closer.

"Yeah. There's a tunnel down there. Long one. And really dark."

Devi replied.

"Where does it lead? Is it far?"

Chang Long asked, intrigued. But others shivered at the mere thought of it. The lake was already freezing, and swimming through a dark, lengthy tunnel sounded like a nightmare.

"No idea. We didn't reach the end—we hit the fifty-meter limit."

Hisa-chan said apologetically.

"So we still don't know if there's another exit." Chang Long muttered, visibly frustrated. She wanted to know if this cavern had its own access point or not.

"Actually, before we reached our limit, I did see a light up ahead. If you really want to find out, someone's gonna have to go themselves."

Devi-chan added.

"That's true. But if there's no exit, I'll drown, won't I?"

Chang Long said, troubled. Holding her breath through freezing water was not something she could take lightly.

"Master, can I ask—why are you so determined to find another way out?" Flatear asked, confused. They already had one: the hole they had fallen through.

"A question like that tells me you don't want these elemental gems to be our private stash. If you're not bothered, I won't be either."

Chang Long gave Flatear a side glance. He was stunned by her response.

Flatear had many favorite foods, but only elemental gems could truly satisfy his hunger. Until now, Chang Long had rationed his portions due to their rarity and steep market price. But stumbling upon a cave filled with them like this was the ultimate jackpot. The reason she was searching so hard for another exit was to protect this treasure—for him.

"Th... Then I'll go down myself! I can definitely hold my breath longer than you can. Devi-chan can guide me. I'll be back soon, I promise."

Flatear declared boldly, tears welling in his eyes from gratitude toward his master.

"Alright, but don't push yourself too hard."Chang Long replied. When someone gladly offered to brave the cold for her, a kind master like her could not possibly say no.

"You won't be disappointed, master."

Flatear vowed before leaping into the icy water with Devi-chan's guidance.

Devi-chan lit up with a soft glow to guide the way. The underwater path was like a dark, submerged tunnel. Without a guiding light, anyone could easily get lost and run out of air. But Flatear had meant what he said—he was a superb swimmer, could hold his breath for ages without a strain, and moved quickly even in tight, pitch-black spaces. It took him less than ten minutes to reach the spot Devi-chan had mentioned—just past the 50-meter limit from Chang Long that he could not leave.

Flatear swam through, following the light. There, nestled among underwater rocks, was an exit. Flatear swam up and broke the surface, finding that it led to the sea. And most shocking of all—when he looked back at the shore, he could see the silhouette of Dark City's castle not far away. The young kirin let out a satisfied laugh, then dove back into the water to bring the good news to his master.