Adventure World Online (AWO)

Throughout the journey, the female gunner could feel a pair of eyes fixed on her. Though she was fully aware of the gaze, she could not pinpoint the owner, the one responsible for the uneasy feeling creeping over her. In the end, she chose to ignore it, since there was no sign that whoever those eyes belonged to had any intention of doing her harm.

"Hey, Mur—stop just staring at her like that. She looks uncomfortable, you know. If you've got something to say, just go up and tell her already."

Killer, the younger twin brother of Murder, leaned in to whisper into his older brother's ear. The elder twin turned to glare at his brother, displeased that he had caught on to what he was feeling inside. And even though there really was something he wanted to say to her, he still was not ready—not just yet. It would be better to observe her attitude and personality a little longer.

"Look, that guy she's with—they seem awfully close. All that playful teasing and touching. Doesn't it seem a bit suspicious to you?"

Seeing his brother remain silent, Killer began to stoke the flames, hoping to provoke some kind of reaction from him.

"That's normal. Close friends often act like that. Besides, Lord Chang said those two are best friends both in and out of the game."

Murder replied flatly, showing no sign of concern, which made his younger twin visibly disappointed. But it was still too early to give up. Killer was not about to stop there, so he threw a little more wood onto the fire.

"Best friends. That's the dangerous kind. Friends that close can easily end up becoming a couple. Look, look. Hugging, ruffling each other's hair, no shame at all. And now they're even bickering like a couple!"

At first, the ever-indifferent Murder had planned to ignore his brother's words. But his eyes were still locked on that female gunner—he saw exactly what Killer had described. The intimacy between them was beyond what friends would normally display. That teasing, playful lovers' spat—he found it hard to bear, painful to just watch.

Murder quickened his pace, having walked at the rear of the group the entire time. Whatever their relationship was, he wanted to hear the truth from their own mouths. As he understood it, Chang Long had not seen the two of them for a very long time. In that gap of time, their status might have shifted from friends to lovers, just like Killer said.

"Heh! It worked. Murder's on the move."

Killer chuckled to himself, pleased that his fire-stoking had paid off. His world-weary older brother was finally about to make a move on a girl—and he would get a front-row seat to watch it all unfold.

"Excuse me."

Murder strode quickly, reaching them in under five seconds. He spoke, drawing the attention of everyone there, all of whom turned to him with surprised expressions.

"What is it, Murder?"

Chang Long asked, clearly puzzled. But when she saw the assassin's gaze fixed unblinkingly on Jane, she turned to look at the female gunner as well.

"Eh, uh... why are you both staring at me like that?"

Jane asked, a mix of confusion and wariness in her voice. She already knew Murder was an assassin—one with considerable skill at that. The way he was staring at her now left her unsure of his intentions. She could not read his expression at all.

"Miss Jane, are you and Hero involved?"

The assassin's question stunned everyone. They were both confused by the question and unsure why the usually indifferent Murder would suddenly ask something like this. Had they done something to spark his suspicion?

"Wait, involved? What do you mean? Are you asking why we act so giggly and touchy-feely with each other, or are you talking about our relationship status?"

Hero, who more or less understood what the question implied, asked back with a teasing tone. A sly smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. If it was the second meaning, then maybe Jane was about to be claimed. The only question was—would Murder be able to handle Jane's biggest secret?

"Huh, what did you want to know!"

Chang Long asked, nearly bursting into laughter.

"I'm talking about the relationship between the two of you. Even if Lord Chang says you're just close friends, your behavior seems a little too much for that."

Jane's face turned bright red the moment she heard that question. As for Chang Long, Hero, and Devi-chan, they all burst out laughing. But Murder did not seem to care about them laughing at all. His own face had also turned red after seeing the gunner girl's embarrassed reaction. Had he asked something too personal? Or maybe come across as threatening?

"Y... You're asking whether Hero and I are dating or something!"

The gunner girl stammered, her face flushing crimson under his gaze. Murder gave a slight nod, looking a little apologetic, but he still wanted to hear the answer from her mouth.

"We, Hero and I, we've been close since elementary school. But... but we're nothing more than best friends, really."

The assassin's eyes lit up, as if those words were exactly what he had been hoping to hear.

"I see. Hearing that from you puts my mind at ease."

The young assassin gave a faint smile at the corner of his lips as he spoke, then turned slightly, preparing to walk back to the rear of the group.

"Wait, you came all the way up here just to ask that?"

Hero asked, sounding disappointed—he was expecting a confession at the very least.

"Yes. That was all I wanted to ask."

With that, Murder walked away, heading back to Killer, who was now standing there holding his head in exasperation.

"Hearing that from you puts my mind at ease... huh."

Jane echoed his words softly, her face still tinged with a pink hue. She raised one hand and placed it gently over her chest, eyes trailing after Murder's retreating back. Was her heart really beating this fast because of him?

Crack!

"Huh, why does my heartbeat sound so weird?"

Jane looked puzzled. When she placed her hand over her chest, instead of hearing a thump-thump, she had heard a crack.

"Ah! My bad. I just stepped on a seashell."

Chang Long gave a sheepish grin. Up ahead of them, the ground was scattered with seashells of various sizes, mostly small ones, with a few larger ones here and there. The surrounding terrain had subtly changed—there were fewer corals, sea anemones, and sponges, and more rocks of all shapes and sizes.

"There's seashells all over the place up ahead."

Anya exclaimed, seeing the area ahead littered with all sorts of shells—some still slowly moving, others lying still as if dead.

"There aren't any beasts around here."

Chang Long remarked, cautiously making her way forward.

"Haha, awesome. That means we can explore without needing to be on guard."

Jane laughed cheerfully and skipped ahead of the group, even climbing onto a line of stones stacked like a low wall, running along them joyfully. The others followed at a slower pace, smiling knowingly. They could all guess what had her in such a good mood.

"Ah, I... I'm... slipping!"

Jane stepped on a rock slick with algae and slipped, falling over the other side.

Thud.

"Haha. So careless."

Hero burst out laughing, just like Chang Long, assuming this area was perfectly safe and there was nothing to worry about.

Boommm!

Aaaaaaahhh!

There was a strange explosion sound, followed by Jane's loud scream. Murder was the first to launch himself toward the source, landing at the site in an instant—only to find a large black hole, just big enough for a person to fall through. The assassin's face turned grave. He glanced over at Chang Long, eyes deadly serious.

"I heard her voice echo from inside that hole. I'm going in to find her."

Without waiting for a response, Murder jumped in after her, disappearing into the black pit beneath the sandy ground. He could only hope it was not too deep—and that he would find Jane still safe and sound.

"That guy's so damn impatient—Ah!"

Chang Long grumbled, just before one of her feet stepped on a purple-shelled mollusk, its body ringed with spines. What was more—The moment she stepped on it, a system notification rang out inside her head:

"Exploding Shell Trap."

Chang Long turned to look at the friends behind her, face paling slightly. But she saw that the others, who were some distance away, wore expressions not so different from hers.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Waaaaaahhh!"

Explosions erupted violently beneath Chang Long's feet—and those of the others—accompanied by clouds of bubbles. The sand beneath them collapsed rapidly, sucking their bodies down into dark pits below. All anyone could do was scream at the top of their lungs.

"Aaaahhh!"

Thud!

Crack!

"Oww!"

Chang Long had fallen far down into the darkness. Her mouth was wide open, screaming until her throat went dry. She finally landed sitting on cold stone, only to be whacked hard on the head by something that had rolled down after her.

"Sorry, master—it was too slippery, I couldn't control myself."

"Is that you, Fluffy Head-chan?"

Chang Long asked as she recognized the familiar voice.

"Yes, it's me. A bound spirit can't be more than fifty meters away from its master, after all."

Fluffy Head-chan replied, glancing around with curiosity.

"But where are we? It's like some kind of cave."

"I don't know. It's really dark in here. Ah!—Vampire Eye just activated."

Chang Long answered with concern. She could not see a thing in there—not even her own hands. But after just a moment, her Vampire Eye skill activated, allowing her to see in the dark.

The reaper girl looked up. The drop was so deep she could not even make out the ceiling. Massive stone walls surrounded them like a giant tunnel. Behind her was the chute they had tumbled down, with loose stones and sand still trickling from above. Ahead lay a single path—where it led, she had no idea.

"What about the others?"

Chang Long turned to ask Fluffy Head-chan, trying to decide what to do next.

"They probably got scattered. I say we go look for them. It's too lonely with just the two of us."

Fluffy Head-chan said, snuggling up to her in his lion cub form. Chang Long nodded and started walking forward—the only path available, even if she did not know where it would take her.

.....

"It's so dark in here. I'm really scared~"

The girl's soft, pleading voice stirred something heroic in the young man. The role of protector, seemingly granted to him by fate, felt perfectly suited for the pretty, delicate and helpless Jane to express her vulnerability without shame.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Murder replied. Even if it sounded melodramatic, the words came from his heart. He genuinely wanted to protect Jane from any dangers that might arise in this unfamiliar, pitch-black place.

"Thanks. You're really kind, Mur... Is it okay if I call you Mur?"

Jane continued with her soft, sweet tone, even casually addressing him by the same nickname his younger twin brother used. Though a bit taken aback by how quickly she had grown familiar, Murder gave her permission to call him "Mur."

"Let's try to find a way out of here. Alright, follow me slowly."

Murder, trying to shake off his embarrassment, began feeling his way through the darkness.

"Wait. It's so dark—I won't be able to keep up. I can't see anything."

Jane protested. Murder pulled a long cloth from his waist, tied one end around his own wrist, then reached out to find Jane's hand and tied the other end to her wrist.

"There. Now we won't get separated."

"Mhm~"

Both of them blushed—even though they could not actually see each other. Murder stood scratching his head. Jane squirmed bashfully in place. But then it hit them: This was not the time to flirt. They needed to reunite with the others—and fast.

Elsewhere—

"Hey. Hands off my Anya, you bastard!"

A voice that sounded adorable but was packed with menace shouted at a young man in the dark. Without mercy, the speaker stabbed a sword—no bigger than a toothpick—into the man's hand as punishment for daring to touch Anya, the fairy girl he loved more than anything.

"Arghhh. That really hurt, you know. And besides, it's not like I did it on purpose. It's pitch black in here—how was I supposed to see anything!"

The young gunner cried out, clutching the wound where Brownie had stabbed him with his tiny sword. Though the attack had not been meant to be fatal, Brownie's base stats were far above average field mouse, making Hero's HP drop by a considerable chunk.

"Do you have foggy eyes or something. Can't see a damn thing? Anya and I can see perfectly fine!"

Brownie turned to him and said with an exasperated tone.

"That's because you're an animal. I, on the other hand, am a human who lives in daylight. How could I see in the dark as clearly as you?"

"What did you just say? Are you trying to draw a line between humans and us, you weak human—grr! Should I just kill you right here!"

Brownie snapped, completely losing his temper. Truth be told, the little creature had never liked Hero. The guy always flashed charming smiles and made puppy-dog eyes at Anya—Brownie's one and only beloved. And now he was comparing humans and animals. That made Brownie hate him even more.

"Don't do it, Brownie. He's master's friend. If you hurt him, master will be mad for sure."

Anya's words cut through the rising tension, pulling Brownie back from the edge. The little creature, which had been just about to drive his toothpick-sized sword into Hero's throat, froze. Reluctantly, he sheathed his blade, then turned his head away in a huff—even though Hero could not see it anyway. Brownie clambered back onto the fairy girl's shoulder and said:

"Hey, Anya. Let's just leave this guy behind and go on without him. It's just the two of us here anyway. No one will know if we ditch him."

"Hey—no, don't! Don't leave me here alone. I'm sorry, alright? Sorry for making you mad about Anya. But I want to get to King Island too."

Hero's eyes widened in panic, shouting quickly to stop them.

"In that case, you're not allowed to come near Anya again. No clinging, not ever."

Brownie declared firmly.

"Fine, fine—I can live with that. But if I don't hold onto someone who can actually see where we're going, how am I supposed to move forward?"

"That's easy. Just follow the sound of our voices!"