Adventure World Online (AWO)

"Come on, if you're scared, I'll go first and show you how it's done!"

Crown responded cheerfully. He climbed up the dilapidated castle, where the stones had shifted from their original positions, making it look unstable.

"I'm not scared. It's just that dying the way I described is not cool at all. Think about it, dying because of being crushed by stones is embarrassing, man!"

Duncan rolled his eyes.

"You won't die, buddy. Hup! See, I made it in."

Crown shouted back with a smile, waving to Duncan after successfully climbing into the castle.

Duncan struggled to climb up because he was not as experienced climbing as Crown, so he climbed much slower. While waiting for Duncan, Crown took the opportunity to explore the interior roughly. Once Duncan joined him, they decided to investigate the parts buried in the sand together. The young man peeked below since the top where he stood only had a narrow balcony.

Boom!

Crown was struck violently and quickly by something, sending him flying out of the window, landing on the sand and coughing up blood. Duncan hurriedly jumped down to check on him, worried and shocked. The young cook stuffed three blood crystals into Crown's mouth before looking up at the window with concern, wondering what had hit his swift-moving friend so hard.

.....

Chang Long stared at the Night Fairy in bewilderment. Out of the blue, she was asked to stab her heart with a sword to prove her sincerity. Even though she had not asked the fairy to follow her, it was the fairy who requested to come along. So why did they need such a life-threatening test?

"Are you serious?"

Chang Long finally asked after standing in shock for a while.

"Yes... This is the ultimate test of sincerity because the fairy will only follow those who are truly sincere."

The Night Fairy responded seriously.

"Will you do it for me?"

The Night Fairy asked sadly when she saw Chang Long remain silent for a long time. Although sacrificing one's life seemed too much, gaining the fairy's loyalty was incredibly valuable.

"Sigh... I already agreed!"

Chang Long sighed through her nose. She drew the Sovereign Sword from its sheath. The Night Fairy looked both surprised and delighted that Chang Long was willing to comply. Another reason Chang Long agreed easily was that she was not too worried about dying since it was just a game. Most importantly, she was curious to see what would happen after making the contract.

Chang Long placed the sword's tip in the middle of her chest. Since the Sovereign Sword was longer than her arm span, she had to hold it by the blade. The Night Fairy looked at Chang Long with admiration and nodded slowly. Chang Long took a deep breath before forcefully plunging the sword into her own chest.

Shunk!

Red blood seeped from the wound. Chang Long pulled the sword out with trembling hands. Just stabbing the critical spot drained more than half her health bar, causing her body to flicker with red light rapidly.

Clang!

The Sovereign Sword fell from her hand. Chang Long's body collapsed to her knees, her face pale. The fairies in the flower field all turned to look at Chang Long and the Night Fairy, whispering to each other so loudly that even other players could hear.

"Someone made a contract with a fairy. Someone made a contract with a fairy..."

The tiny voices echoed throughout the flower field, drawing the attention of players from the Maritime Association and Chang Long's friends, who all turned to look in the same direction as the unblinking fairies.

The Night Fairy flew closer to Chang Long, so close that she disappeared into Chang Long's wound, under the astonished gaze of hundreds of onlookers.

"Player Chang Long has performed the Life Fusion, the ultimate contract with the Night Fairy, and has gained possession of one Night Fairy. This results in the doubling of all base stats for Player Chang Long."

"Please name the fairy in your possession."

The system's voice announced loudly in Chang Long's head, almost immediately after the Night Fairy disappeared into her body. The wound began to heal, and the bleeding stopped. All the pain vanished as if it had never been there.

"Anya," (a Japanese word meaning 'dark night', slightly altered for euphony)

Chang Long thought for a moment before responding.

"Does Player Chang Long wish to name the fairy in their possession as Anya? Confirm?"

"Confirm."

"Player Chang Long has completed the contract with the Night Fairy and can no longer release or trade her. The Night Fairy is now in a semi-independent state and can join in battles. The fairy will die when the player who performed the Life Fusion dies and can be reborn along with the player."

As the system's voice faded, Chang Long sighed in relief, thinking she had to actually die from this ordeal.

"Lord Chang, what were you doing? Peach Blossom heard the fairies in the flower field talking about some kind of contract?"

Peach Blossom ran over to ask Chang Long excitedly, but before Chang Long could respond, a shimmering silver light, like stars in the night sky, floated out from her body.

The silver light gradually formed into the shape of a small woman, about one foot tall, with long black hair, dressed in thin black cloth adorned with tiny crystals. She had fair skin and sharp features. When her black butterfly wings fluttered, even slightly, silver dust shimmered around her, leaving Chang Long's friends, who had followed Peach Blossom, staring in amazement.

"She's so beautiful…"

Kimhant could not take his eyes off Anya, the Night Fairy who had bonded with Chang Long, and kept complimenting her until Anya, sitting on Chang Long's shoulder, blushed. Wet Trash Can, and the men from the Maritime Association looked just as stunned as Kimhant.

"Aren't you guys going to explore?"

Chang Long asked sharply, starting to get annoyed at being stared at.

"Oh! We've... just finished exploring as the captain ordered, Chang Long."

One of the players from the Maritime Association answered sheepishly.

"By the way, how did you get a fairy, Chang Long? Can you tell us?"

Another player from the Maritime Association asked hopefully, as all the fairies in the flower field were stunning. They could die happily if they could possess even one.

"I don't know. Maybe the fairy needs to speak to you themselves. If they ask something from you, it might mean they want to follow you."

Chang Long shrugged, genuinely unsure how to make the fairies talk. Anya giggled at Chang Long's answer but did not say anything either.

Soon, others rejoined Chang Long in the fairy's flower field. They all reported that there was not much on the island besides rocky cliffs, large trees, kobold beasts, and fairies. Captain Columbus wanted to stay on the island for a night to explore it at night, so he ordered the crew to set up camp and rest first before beginning the night exploration.

With free time, Kimhant took out his notebook to draft an article for the newspaper, having gathered enough material for a second issue. Peach Blossom and Valentine walked around the flower field, trying to talk to every fairy that looked at them, but none of the fairies responded. The men in Chang Long's group also went to the camp to prepare for the night exploration with the Bloodied Angel crew.

Chang Long lay down in the flower field with Anya sitting with legs tugged back to one side on her stomach. She gazed out over the field, where a gentle breeze constantly blew, making it easy to drift off. The fairies in the flower field were visibly interested in Chang Long and Anya because one was the first to contract a fairy, and the other was a fairy that had been missing from the field for a while.

"Hey Anya, now that you've fused your life with mine, you'll never be free again. You'll have to follow me everywhere. Don't you think you'll regret it later?"

Chang Long asked after she had enjoyed the evening view enough.

"Not at all... You know, I've always wanted to explore other flower fields and see if they are as beautiful as this one. Maybe, out there, there are still some Night Fairies left."

Anya replied with a bright smile.

"And you won't miss this place?"

Chang Long asked further. After all, this flower field was Anya's homeland.

"...I don't know, maybe I will miss it. But I have no regrets about following you and making such a binding contract. You know, from the moment I first saw you, I wanted to follow you."

Anya replied, looking up at the azure sky with fluffy white clouds drifting above.

After a while, the casual conversation between Chang Long and Anya attracted other fairies in the flower field. One by one, they joined in until Chang Long was surrounded by dozens of fairies. Peach Blossom and Valentine, who had been trying to talk to the fairies, were stunned. They joined the conversation nonchalantly, and eventually, some fairies started talking to them, though none offered to make a contract.

As dusk fell, the players from the Maritime Association emerged from their rest, gathering around a campfire to have dinner, including the men from Chang Long's group. After eating and sitting around the fire for a while, the women in the group went to sleep. Chang Long continued to chat with Anya and the other fairies, as, if all went well, Anya would be leaving her homeland with her the next day.

.....

"What!"

Aswa jumped up from his chair when he heard the report. He clenched his fists, shaking with anger, and glared at the subordinate who delivered the news. His tightly pressed lips parted to release words filled with fury.

"Is this information verified?"

"Yes, sir. It's from our informant within the Doom Star Guild. Also, other players from the Doom Star Guild, apart from Orion's group, have started to move out of the shadows."

The man reported.

"That damned Demos has been keeping quiet, but having the guild members move like this, it won't be long before the news about them possessing one of the Pirate King's maps leaks out..."

Aswa gritted his teeth as he spoke. Although his guild was powerful enough to rival the Doom Star Guild, in reality, the Doom Star Guild was superior in many ways, especially due to the abilities of its leader... Demos!

"What should we do next, Guild Leader?"

"Pause the exploration of the newly discovered tomb. We need to find the remaining Pirate King's treasure maps. Have all our informants go undercover and gather as much information about the map they possess as possible. Don't worry about getting caught; I'll ensure a generous reward!"

Aswa instructed his subordinate.

"Yes, sir!"

The man acknowledged and immediately left Aswa's room.

"You will never stay on top forever, Demos. I, Aswa, will bring you down and crush you for what you did to me when we started this game!"

Aswa declared with a vengeful tone before grabbing his weapon and leaving the room as well.

.....

Doom Star Guild

Demos was sitting comfortably in the meeting room, humming a tune. Only he and Phobos, the Deputy Guild Leader, were present. Phobos looked at Demos and shook his head in exasperation before speaking.

"Master Demos, could you please be more dignified? None of the guild's leading members looks at you with any respect nor trust."

"Let them. I don't care about their feelings, Phobos."

Demos replied with indifference.

"No matter what, you are the Guild Leader. You need to be the core of morale and trust for all the guild members. Shouldn't you at least show them your skills?"

Phobos tried to persuade Demos to take an interest in the guild's affairs. Since the guild's formation, Demos had vanished, leaving Phobos to command, so much so that almost every member thought he was the Guild Leader.

"It's not the right time yet. Besides, no player can match me, not even that trash horse from the Dark Horse Guild!"

Demos' expression turned from indifferent to fierce for a split second before returning to his usual calm demeanor.

"But..."

Phobos tried to continue persuading, but Demos interrupted him.

"You seem to have too much free time. How about going to find more clues about the Pirate King who owned the map I obtained? You'll have something to do, and I'll command the guild myself."

Demos said with a smile, but his eyes remained cold.

"That might not be a good idea. You hardly know anyone in the guild. How will you command them?"

Phobos objected, considering it more dangerous to leave Demos in charge of the guild than with a horde of beast kings.

"I can learn quickly enough."

Demos replied.

"But…"

"Enough. This is an order. Phobos, go and gather information about this Pirate King!"

Demos spoke sharply, his patience wearing thin. His killing intent, a passive skill for players over level 70, filled the room, making those who felt it experience the sensation of being pierced by thousands of needles. Even the leading members eavesdropping felt it and began to fear Demos.

"Yes, sir!"

Phobos quickly complied, the oppressive feeling of Demos' killing intent vastly different from other players' intents, which only caused discomfort.

"Good."

Demos smiled broadly, and the killing intent vanished. Phobos bowed and swiftly exited the meeting room.

"Phew!"

Phobos sighed in relief. He looked at his uncovered arm and found blood oozing from every pore. He was convinced that Demos was still holding back his true strength.

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