Adventure World Online (AWO)

Her dress was a soft cream with a hint of gold. Off-the-shoulder with long sleeves, it was trimmed with pearly white lace along both the neckline and cuffs. The skirt flared gently, overlaid with delicate vine-patterned lace, and its hemline was finished with playful triangular scallops that gave it a sweet charm. And when she cast him a slightly sulky glance with those soft, expressive eyes, the young man's heart nearly melted.

"Happy now?"

Chang asked, clearly exhausted after resisting the makeup artist's efforts for so long.

"You look amazing. But, I think something's still missing."

The young man replied, staring at her without blinking, causing Chang's cheeks to flush uncontrollably.

"H... huh, you're complimenting me!"

She stammered, confused, her heart thudding so loudly she worried he might actually hear it.

"Well, you really are beautiful. While I was waiting, I picked this up—I thought it would match your outfit perfectly."

Id pulled out a lovely silver necklace adorned with tiny white gemstones, delicate and charming—holding it up to show it to Chang.

"May I put it on you?"

As Chang tried to process her jumbled emotions, Id stepped closer, lifting the necklace preparing to clasp it around her neck.

Chang had never felt this way before. Her face flushed, her cheeks turned a bright pink, and her heart pounded like it might leap right out of her chest. She stood frozen like a statue as he fastened the necklace with tender care.

"Huh, are you alright? Your face is all red."

His voice snapped her back to reality. She scowled at him, then turned abruptly and marched out of the salon. Id let out a soft chuckle at how adorable she was before quickly grabbing their things and following after her.

"Chang, wait for me!"

"You've got long legs. Catching up shouldn't be a problem."

She snapped back without turning around, flustered and annoyed at herself. She had lost her cool because of him again. She had let herself blush, dropped her usual aloof composure several times, and worst of all, she had even cried in front of him—not full-on sobbing, but still.

"That way doesn't lead to the parking lot."

Id's voice made her stop in her tracks so suddenly that he nearly ran into her.

"Then you lead the way!"

Chang shot him a glare. Id realized, any more teasing and she might give him the cold shoulder for real. So, he just smiled, nodded, and walked ahead quietly. Chang followed at a short distance of a few paces, trying to calm her heart and compose herself quickly.

The two strolled slowly through the mall, drawing the attention of nearly everyone around them. They stood out so much that onlookers could not help but stare and whisper. Among them was a girl as beautiful as a goddess—though her expression was now twisted with bitterness and resentment.

"Who is that girl? Why is she walking with Mr. Id!"

"What's wrong, Da? Oh, you're watching those two? They look great together. He's super handsome and she's gorgeous."

A friend of the beautiful girl approached, following her gaze and commenting without noticing her scowl.

"Great together. Don't be ridiculous! The one who should be walking next to him is me, not her. Not her, do you hear me!"

The girl suddenly exploded in fury, shouting at her friend. Inside, she was boiling with anger, jealousy, resentment—and sadness. Her fists clenched tight, her body trembling, before she turned and stormed off with her chin held high.

"What is with that girl? She's so pretty, but her attitude is awful. Just because she's a famous actress, she thinks she can snap at anyone, huh. Ugh! If I didn't have to rely on her, I'd never be friends with someone like that."

The friend she yelled at grimaced, then followed after her.

.....

At the Chadler Residence, a cute, biracial young girl in a white dress embroidered with red roses and green leaves stood on her tiptoes, craning her neck as she waited for someone. The house was steadily filling with guests—most of them her father's acquaintances. After all, today was the birthday of the youngest daughter of the British ambassador to Thailand. That meant most attendees were official guests. As for her own friends, they were far fewer. Her spoiled, temperamental personality did not exactly win people over, so she did not have many close friends. Only a few classmates had come—some dragged along by their parents—and the rest were mostly her older brother's group.

"Who are you looking for, Peach? Your neck's stretching like a long-neck ghost,"

Es—known as Rafael in the game—asked curiously, seeing the girl constantly peeking out the window as though expecting someone.

"My brother, of course. He went to buy me a present, and he's been gone for half the day. He still isn't back. Don't know if he'll ditch me."

The girl pouted as she replied.

"He'll be back. Chill out. It's only early evening. It's not even the time to blow out the candles yet."

Mon—aka Draco in-game—said to calm her down.

"Good evening."

A cheerful, sweet voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention. A charmingly cute biracial young woman with short bob hair stood smiling at them. Beside her was a young man all three recognized well.

"Mek, who's that you brought along? You're gonna get an earful from Mi, you know!" Peach scolded the man, not immediately recognizing the woman beside him.

"Aww, I'm so happy Peach is helping keep him in line for me."

The woman replied light-heartedly, making Mek—or Aden, as he was known in the game—smile sheepishly.

"Wait—keep him in line? Does that mean you're Mi?"

Peach's eyes lit up. Overjoyed to finally meet Valentine's real-life counterpart, she ran up and hugged Emy tightly.

"Mi! Since you're here, is Lord Chang coming too? Will she be at my birthday party?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Did you invite her? I bet if you had, she would've come for sure."

Emy replied kindly, leaving Peach momentarily stunned—because she had, in fact, forgotten to invite the very person she most wanted to see.

"Hahaha. That face says it all. You totally forgot to invite her, didn't you?"

Mon burst out laughing. Peach glared daggers at him and looked like she was about to chase him down—until the head butler stepped into the room.

"Miss Peach, you have friends from Adventure World Online who would like to see you."

Everyone turned toward the butler, curiosity piqued. Would her in-game friends look so different from their avatars that no one would recognize them?

The first to enter was a tall, slender young man with fair golden-toned skin and shoulder-length golden hair styled with soft layers. His light brown eyes sparkled mischievously, and a subtle smile played on his lips. A cross-shaped earring adorned his left ear. The second was a tall, muscular man with a close-cropped haircut, sharp features, and a slightly cocky air—like a full-blown jock. The third looked younger, with pale skin, large eyes, that gave him a hint of girlish softness. His short, black-green tinted hair and timid demeanor made him seem awkward.

"Why do I feel like these three don't look all that different from their game characters?" Peach said with a smile.

"Nice to meet everyone in person. I'm O."

The golden-haired guy spoke up first, his glinting eyes leaving no doubt he was quite the flirt.

"You didn't have to say. I can tell. The buzz-cut guy is Ben, and the bashful one must be Kim, right?"

Peach replied.

"Whoa, Peach Blossom—uh, I mean Peach—your memory is crazy good."

Ben—or Lidded Wet Trash Can as he was known in the game—burst out laughing. Peach's personality in real life was no different from her in-game persona, Peach Blossom, not one bit.

"H... Hi there. I never thought I'd get to meet everyone in person like this. But um, where's Mr. Siegfried—I mean, Mr. Id?"

Kimhant asked, clearly eager. Siegfried was the one he wanted to meet most, second only to Chang Long.

As soon as Kimhant asked, a murmur of excitement rippled through the party. Guests turned toward the house entrance, voices rising with admiration for the couple stepping out of the car. They looked so elegant they could have been celebrities. When Butler John gave a formal bow to the young man and addressed him by name, everyone learned that the handsome man was the ambassador's eldest son—the birthday girl's older brother. As for the woman by his side, whom he treated with great care, she was stunning and graceful, perfectly matched with him.

"That's got to be Mr. Id, right? But who's the woman with him? She looks familiar." Kimhant asked, utterly amazed. Id looked even more dashing in person than he did in the game.

"Don't tell me the woman he's with is…"

O—or Oliang, as he was known in-game—trailed off in disbelief.

"You'll find out soon enough. They're definitely heading this way."

Emy said with a smile, pleased by everyone's expressions. Today, her dearest friend looked more radiant and feminine than she had ever seen her.

And sure enough, just as Emy said, the pair were led into the lounge where Peach and her friends were gathered. The moment they arrived, Peach ran straight into the woman's arms, stunning the guys in the room.

"Lord Changggg. I'm so happy you came to my birthday!"

She said, clinging to her with delight. Mek, Es, and Mon already knew who the woman who came with Id was, but the three newcomers were completely stunned. Was this really the fierce Chang Long from the game? How could she be so sweet, so elegant, so stunningly feminine?

"Ma.. master—I mean, Miss Chang Long—wait, I mean, you're really Miss Chang!"

Kimhant stammered, wide-eyed, clearly thrilled to meet the real Chang Long.

"And you are?"

The beautiful woman's flat-toned question left no doubt whether this was the same person as Chang Long in the game. Her appearance may have changed, but her personality—not one bit.

Meanwhile, inside the lounge, the players who had just met face-to-face for the first time in the real world were busy chatting and getting to know one another with excitement and energy. Just outside the room, two curious young men happened to walk by—and caught snippets of the conversation. Ordinarily, they would have kept walking like well-mannered guests. But two names stopped them in their tracks: "Mr. Siegfried" and "Miss Chang Long." The moment they heard those names, their curiosity surged. After all, they were Adventure World Online players themselves—and they knew those names very well.

"Siegfried… you mean the Siegfried from Pendragon?"

The sharp-featured young man with dark brown hair scratched his chin thoughtfully. But just as he was processing it, he caught the gaze of another figure—a tall, lean young man with a short undercut, black hair, and thin-rimmed aluminum glasses. The guy was watching him out of the corner of his eye. When their gazes met, the bespectacled youth scowled and promptly turned away without a word, leaving the first man visibly annoyed.

"Oi! What the hell—who is that guy?! He's got the same nasty attitude as that jerk Demos!"

The young man grumbled. Just then, the group from the lounge emerged, heading toward the main event area. Among them were three particularly lovely young women—and one of them caught his eye so completely, he felt like he had just been struck by love at first sight.

The girl glanced at him briefly, sensing someone staring at her, then turned back to continue her conversation with the younger girl clinging tightly to her arm. The young man felt his face flush hot, his heart pounding like it might burst out of his chest. The sensation was eerily similar to what he had felt once before—when he had fallen for a female player in the game. He stood there, dazed and enchanted, until the group disappeared from view.

Inside the party, the birthday girl's group drew the attention of nearly everyone present. With such a crowd of beautiful and charming guests, it was hard not to notice them. Chang was asked to dance more than anyone else, followed by Emy and then Peach. But the birthday girl preferred to chat and laugh with her brother's circle instead. Meanwhile, Chang and Emy had protective presences making sure no guy could get close. Id himself asked Chang for a dance, and as they swayed to the music, he realized how well-versed she was in social etiquette, despite being a quiet, private person by nature.

Eventually, it was time to cut the cake and open the ambassador's gift. As the evening drew to a close, guests began to take their leave. Laughter echoed as the group of friends left the party together, full of cheer. Peach was genuinely happy, acting like the bright young girl she was meant to be. Even her father could not suppress a pleased smile. He leaned over and whispered to the butler, asking who the Peach and Id's group of friends were—wondering how they could make his son and daughter seem to enjoy themselves so much.

"I see. So, they're her friends from the game. Hard to believe there's still such genuine friendship in a virtual world."

"Indeed, sir. I've never seen either of the young masters look so lively before."

The two adults stood quietly, watching as the group began saying their goodbyes, promising to meet again in the game.

Peach and Id walked Chang out to the car. Her bodyguard's van was also there, but Id insisted on personally driving her home. After all, he had picked her up—he would feel ashamed if he just let her go back alone. Peach insisted on coming too, turning her older brother into a chauffeur, while she and Chang became the ladies of the back seat.

"Heh heh heh, and now they're in love with the same girl."

Their father chuckled, watching his children throw glances at each other over Chang. He turned back into the house, still laughing heartily.

Behind Id's car, the bodyguard's van followed at a careful distance. But trailing behind that was another vehicle. At first, the bodyguards did not think much of it, but as the car kept following them mile after mile, their suspicions grew. The two men quickly turned their van to block the road. When the trailing car slammed to a sudden stop with a loud screech, the bodyguards jumped out, approached it, knocked on the window, and leveled their weapons without hesitation.

"W... What's going on here?!"

The startled young man inside rolled down the window, hands raised high in alarm.

"Who are you? Why were you following us?"

17 demanded in a hard tone.

"I... I wasn't following you. I was following the car in front of you!"

The man cried out defensively. No way would he willingly follow two armed thugs—he was clearly tailing the beautiful girl he had fallen for at first sight.

"Following the young miss's car? That's even more suspicious. Who sent you? What do you want with her? Answer—now!!"

16 shouted, yanking the car door open and dragging the man out. 17 moved in to restrain him while 16 frisked him for any suspicious items. He found a wallet and pulled out the ID inside.