Adventure World Online (AWO)

"I'm sorry I didn't reprimand my sister earlier. But even so, your actions have brought harm to many innocent people. Please, stop this."

The elven man spoke gently, trying to reason with the woman. It seemed his gentlemanly demeanor pleased Narada—after all. Surely, that meant he would yield to her demands because of his concern for others.

"Fine. If you agree to date me—both in-game and in real life."

She smiled sweetly as she made her offer, fully confident that he would say yes.

"I must decline. You shouldn't use this kind of demand to justify your wrongdoing. Besides, there's already someone I love, someone I want to be with."

Siegfried refused without hesitation. Narada stood there, slack jawed. Her smug smile vanished instantly.

"Yay~ Serves you right. No matter how many times you try, he's never gonna say yes, you clingy pest!"

Peach Blossom shouted mockingly from afar, fueling Narada's fury. She had reached her limit. Between the Peach Blossom's rudeness and being rejected—again—by the man she loved, she snapped. She made a move to summon the rest of the beasts she had been waiting outside the city to launch another attack in the hope that they would utterly decimate Dark City beyond repair.

Clang!

Narada's body froze in place—she could not move a muscle, no matter how hard she tried. Even the beasts around her suffered the same fate.

"Did you really think I'd let you destroy a city I built with my own hands?"

A cold, curt voice rang out from above. Black feathers fell from the sky, a sign that whoever had spoken definitely had wings.

"W... What is that?! That giant magic circle!"

Narada's eyes went wide as she looked down and saw glowing lines forming a massive violet-black magic circle beneath her and the beasts she had summoned. That kind of magic could only belong to a high-level sorcerer.

"I don't care if you're heartbroken or rejected—but if you dare disturb the peace of my city, then you'd better be ready for what's coming."

As Chang Long spoke, thunder crashed and lightning split the sky. Black storm clouds began to swirl over the spell circle. Narada could already tell what was about to happen.

"W... Who are you!"

Narada shouted, fear creeping into her voice for the first time.

"I'm the Lord of Dark City—Reaper King, Chang Long."

"Huh, Reaper King!"

"Calamity Thunder!"

Before Narada could react, tens of thousands of pitch-black lightning bolts rained down on her body. Her agonized screams mixed with the howls of the beasts trapped within the spell's radius. Their bodies convulsed violently, thrashing jerking spasms, that looked like a strange dance, as the lightning relentlessly tore through them. The scene was nothing short of horrific.

"Oh… Miss Narada, what a shame."

One male player muttered in pity.

"I never would've guessed she was such a horrible person. Everyone always said she was sweet and charming."

Another player shook his head in disbelief.

"Seriously? Just a little heartbreak, and her true nature bursts out like that? What a letdown."

Because the true nature of the number-one beauty had been revealed, no one even considered stepping in to stop Chang Long's attack. Partly out of fear, yes—but more than that, some agreed that Narada had earned her punishment. When the magic circle finally vanished from the ground, the sky cleared once again. Nothing survived within the range of the spell.

The summoned beasts were all eliminated in short order, and peace returned to Dark City. The townspeople praised Chang Long, their city lord who had masterfully wielded the ancient magic of the Dark Elves. Peach Blossom clung to Chang Long's arm as she enthusiastically described just how satisfying it was to see Narada die so miserably, gushing over how cool and decisive Chang Long had been in handling the intruder. Peach Blossom was convinced that any players who had respawned in time to witness the incident would never dare challenge Chang Long for the city again.

"So, what should we do next?"

Peach Blossom asked sweetly as she clung to Chang Long's arm while they strolled through the city.

"Hm?"

Chang Long turned to her with a puzzled look, prompting the girl to giggle with delight.

"Well, since I'm here visiting Lord Chang's city, we should go sightseeing."

"That's right. Your level's been stuck for a while, missy!"

Devi-chan piped up, hinting that it was time for Chang Long to get back to training and level up.

"Hmm, where should we go? I'm still not that familiar with this island."

Chang Long replied thoughtfully.

"Lord Chang, if I may, I'd like to recommend the Grand Canyon."

A merchant from the city of Cuzca, who had come to trade in Dark City, spoke up. Chang Long and her companions turned to look at him interesting. Not only did he suggest a unique place, but he had also started calling her Lord Chang, just like Peach Blossom.

"The Grand Canyon? What kind of place is it?"

Chang Long asked with interest.

"Wait. Did that guy just call you Lord Chang too!"

Peach Blossom's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, yes. If Lord Chang doesn't mind, we townspeople would like to call you that too—just like this young lady here."

The man replied.

"Sure. It's got a nice ring to it. Now, tell me more about this Grand Canyon."

Chang Long approved of the name and asked again about the place the man had suggested.

"Of course. Here's an updated map of the entire Ameris Island, including the location of Dark City. The Grand Canyon is located just south of the path leading up to the Heavenly Avian Temple—not too far. The area is vast, with a wide variety of beasts of different levels. You'll never get bored exploring it." Chang Long looked at the spot he indicated on the map. The idea of a vast area with many enemies and lots of room to explore caught her attention immediately.

"Alright. Let's go explore it."

With the decision made, the entire group cheered loudly. Everyone was excited to go on another adventure with Chang Long. Each member rushed to stock up on supplies, since the Grand Canyon was far from Dark City and they could not be sure if there would be other towns along the way to rest.

"Chang Long, um…"

Since the Narada incident had ended, Siegfried still had not had a chance to speak to her privately.

"What, not stocking up with the others?"

"Oh, I was just about to."

He answered, flustered, unsure of how to read her mood.

"Then let's go together. I don't feel like running around like Peach Blossom." Chang Long invited.

The two began walking side by side at a leisurely pace, letting the pets and Anya—who had grown friendly with Peach Blossom—race ahead together. Siegfried nodded and smiled, clearly relieved. She was not mad. She seemed to understand him now—understand the kind of gentleman he was. Even if he was a little dense or irritating at times. She could see the sincerity in him, and that was probably why she did not pout like before--she was finally ready to believe in him.

The two walked together at a slow pace, chatting as they went—mainly about how Killer and Murder had gone to accept the race-change quest. They both wondered if the brothers would succeed. Even if they did not manage it this time, they knew that the twins would not give up easily. Another thing they were curious about was whether Killer and Murder would return in time before the group set off for the Grand Canyon—and if they did, what kind of new forms would they be reborn in?

.....

Somewhere in the scorching heat of the Gobi Desert, the guild leader of the Dark Horse guild had just logged into the game and summoned his two pets to begin leveling them up. He was especially eager for Bird Sage the Loudmouth to finally evolve out of his pudgy-bird state. As for Little Jade, who had become an exceedingly graceful and ladylike young dragoness, she was not exactly disabled—not asking for him to carry or escort her.

She actually had a higher level than her master and boasted extremely high offensive power. But while Aswa was training the pets, he seemed distracted, unable to focus. A certain woman's face kept swirling in his mind. No matter what he did, he could not stop thinking about her. He was determined to find a way to get to know her—but deep down, he feared she already had a boyfriend. After all, he distinctly remembered her being dropped off at home by a handsome guy that night.

"...Brother. Brother Aswa! I think something's wrong with Bird Sage!" Little Jade came flying over in a panic. Out of nowhere, the pudgy bird who had just been panting from exhaustion was now engulfed in flames, screeching in fear and running in frantic circles trying to put himself out. However, the more he ran, the worse the fire seemed to grow.

"What the—?! Why's he on fire like that? You didn't mess with him, did you, Little Jade!"

Aswa turned to the little dragon, who gave him a deeply offended glare.

"That's so unfair. I mean, sure, I don't like the guy, but I'd never hurt anyone that cruelly. He just burst into flames all on his own!"

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, don't cry. Let's just figure out how to put him out, alright?"

Aswa quickly tried to console her—because the moment Little Jade started crying, things always got complicated.

"Mmhm~"

The little dragon sniffled, then floated closer, hoping to find a way to help the screeching bird. Just then, Aswa heard a system prompt echo in his mind.

"Player Aswa has fulfilled the conditions to release the seal form of the sacred Pureblood Phoenix. Begin transformation sequence now?"

His jaw dropped. He stared in stunned silence at the screeching, flaming, panic-stricken bird flailing around like a headless chicken. This guy was supposed to be the legendary sacred beast of the Heavenly Avian Temple? Was that even possible? To him, a phoenix should be majestic, noble, and awe-inspiring. But this loudmouth fat bird waddling around like a roasted ball of fluff? It just did not add up. He stood there frozen for so long that the system repeated the question.

"Yes,"

Aswa replied. He was just as curious as anyone—what would Bird Sage look like after the transformation?

Once he gave permission, the flames engulfing the bird surged even higher. The pudgy creature let out a terrified screech. Little Jade tried to rush forward to help, but Aswa held her back. They watched as the screaming eventually fell silent. The bird stood motionless in the middle of the desert, burning down to a heap of ashes.

"Oh no, Bird Sage. Why didn't you help him? Look at him—he's just ashes now."

Little Jade sobbed. Even if she and the bird never got along, they had spent a lot of time together. She could not help but feel sad over his apparent death.

"Transformation process complete. Phoenix resurrection will begin in 5… 4… 3…"

As the system countdown began, a sudden gust of wind blew through, lifting the pile of ashes into the air. The ash swirled gently before coalescing into a magnificent bird with fiery orange-red plumage. It was not much larger than a hawk. Both Aswa and Little Jade stood dumbstruck, mouths agape, as they witnessed the complete transformation of Bird Sage into something utterly unrecognizable.

"Player Aswa has obtained the Sacred Pureblood Phoenix, Level 1. Please assign a name to your pet. If you do not wish to rename it, the system will retain the previous name."

"Phoenix,"

Aswa replied without hesitation. The system promptly updated Bird Sage's name to Phoenix, as per Aswa's command. He stepped forward, gently scooping the newly reborn phoenix into his arms and extending a hand to affectionately stroke its head.

Peck!

"OWW. Dammit, that hurts!!"

Aswa cried out, wincing as the phoenix bit his hand hard enough to draw blood. He nearly threw it away on reflex, but the creature clung stubbornly to his arm and refused to let go.

.....

Meanwhile, at the Grand Canyon, Chang Long and her group were in the thick of battle with beasts—and having a blast. All of her pets had practically become masters of combat. They could now face off one-on-one against beasts of equal rank with ease. Even Brownie, despite his tiny size, coordinated flawlessly with Anya to bring down enemies quickly and efficiently.

Because they no longer had to gang up on a single beast as a group, their experience gain flowed smoothly and steadily, with level-ups coming every two to three hours. Siegfried also used this opportunity to train alongside his sister, though after only a few weeks, both were reluctantly called back by their guild.

Today marked the 72nd day of their grinding expedition in the Grand Canyon. Flatear had reached his second evolutionary stage two weeks ago. While his appearance had not changed dramatically, his attack power had become so fearsome that even Luther found himself breaking into a nervous sweat. When they tested his signature skill, the damage almost reached 30,000. As for Kitsune, his body now constantly shimmered with a faint light—an indication that his ninth tail would soon emerge.

Killer and Murder had joined the group later, having stayed behind to complete the race-change quest. After two failed attempts, they finally succeeded—though only as Half-breeds—but they were still overjoyed. Upon rejoining Chang Long, they did not rest for a second. Instead, they enthusiastically showed off their new powers for everyone to see. By now, Chang Long had reached Level 98, and everyone was anxiously awaiting the moment Kitsune's ninth tail would finally emerge.

Everyone, from the lowest to the highest level, helped hunt beasts so Kitsune could absorb as many souls as possible. Though there was still no sign of the final tail, the fun of leveling up, the satisfying progress, and the vast unexplored terrain kept the group happily rooted in the canyon.

"I wonder how things are going back in the city. We've been away for so long,"

Chang Long murmured during a break, as everyone sat around resting.

"They're probably alright. If there were issues, Emilia would've sent someone to get us."

Anya reasoned.

"Yeah, from what I've heard, Dark City's buzzing right now. Players have been chartering ships non-stop to visit. Once word got out that it was a direct path to Hell Dungeon, boss hunters and merchants flooded in."

Killer explained that before they followed Chang Long to the Grand Canyon, the city had become packed with players—some exploring the town, others preparing to dive into the Hell Dungeon, and still more hoping to explore the Dark Forest.