Adventure World Online (AWO)

"This is totally you two! Even though your faces aren't shown, the outfits and guns give it away!"

a young man shouted excitedly when he saw his friends featured in the famous Adventure World Online newspaper. They looked so cool that their friends could not believe it was really them. If it were not for the fact that no one else had achieved the sniper profession, they might have thought it was someone else.

"Keep it down. Even though this is a private room, someone might hear us. We don't want other players hunting us down to force us into helping them get the profession,"

Hero scolded.

"Seriously, why do Hero and I have to go pick up Ten and his girlfriend from Starting Island with you guys?" Jane asked irritably. When their friends called, they only mentioned helping another friend get the sniper profession.

"Oh, come on, Jane. Ten requested it because he quickly wanted to show off his new school belle girlfriend to us,"

another friend answered, puzzled by Jane's irritation.

"We were having so much fun travelling, you know? And if we could follow that person further, it would be way more fun than picking up Ten!"

Hero, equally upset, tried to push Jane away from their four friends. If he had known the person they were supposed to pick up was Jane's old flame, he would not have wasted his time.

"Really. Take us next time!"

NamTaoThongKam, a fighter, said excitedly.

"No way. That person is quite selective about who they travel with,"

Jane replied almost instantly.

"Oh, Jane, don't be so stingy. We also want to adventure like you guys, kicking the Dark Horse Guild's butt. It's so satisfying,"

TaoHuYee, a priest, said dreamily, recalling the stories Jane and Hero shared about traveling with the player known as the 'Nameless Expert.'

"I get it. You're keeping us away because those experts are all handsome hunks!"

TaoHuayNomSod, an archer, teased knowingly.

"Or are you afraid we'll take a share of the loot?"

TaoKaowNian, a knight, asked slightly annoyed, thinking Jane was being territorial.

"Think whatever you want,"

Jane snapped, still in a bad mood. If he had wings like Chang Long, he would have flown away to avoid seeing his old flame, whom he dated secretly.

"The person we follow likes to do things their own way. We have to keep up with their moods because if they get angry, it's a big deal. You guys, who don't know them well, would find it hard to keep up and might end up in conflict,"

Hero explained, not wanting his friends to misunderstand. Chang Long was quite temperamental, especially when angry, and would not calm down until she had vented enough.

"It's no big deal. We can handle ourselves. Even without following that person you guys are so protective of, we find fun stuff every day!"

NamTaoThongKam scoffed.

"Yeah, we were just testing you guys. Our Four Tao's group is quite famous too. If we teamed up with the Nameless Expert, we would definitely get recognized anyway!"

TaoHuYee added immediately. They were proud of their group, working well together because of their long friendship. Joining other groups might not be as fun as staying with their group of friends.

"You two are always keeping secrets from us. Oh! Or are you two a gay couple!"

TaoHuayNomSod exclaimed in mock surprise, teasing Jane and Hero.

"You sinister mind!"

Jane hurled a pillow at her friend's head with all her might, but since it was a soft milk curd pillow, it did not cause any injury. Her friend stared at Jane in shock because, in the past, Jane would laugh off such teasing rather than get angry.

"Let's just say we'll take Ten to change his profession, and then we can go our separate ways,"

Hero cut in, changing the subject. He then started talking about other interesting topics in the game to calm Jane down. Their close friends only knew Jane had a somewhat soft, feminine personality, but they never thought Jane actually wanted to be a woman. If they knew, they might not accept Jane as she was, which could lead to conflicts. So Hero decided to keep it a secret.

.....

RIPPPPPP!

Aswa tore the newspaper, The Reaper's Whisperer into pieces with trembling hands, his face contorted with rage. His subordinates quickly backed away several meters, fearing their furious Guild Leader might lash out and send them to meet the Reaper unexpectedly.

"What is this? How could this kind of news come out again? Didn't we already bribe the Journalists Association to keep quiet?"

Aswa hissed through clenched teeth at his trembling subordinates.

"We... we really did bribe them. We even signed a contract with the system's seal on it..."

one of Aswa's subordinates replied, showing the proof to validate his claim.

"Then how did this news still get published without any breach of contract penalties!"

Aswa asked, struggling to contain his fury.

"Well... They said it wasn't their member's doing, so they don't have to pay the breach penalty..."

the same subordinate answered, his face full of fear, worried the Guild Leader would not like the answer.

"Then who did it, if not the Journalist Association, huh!"

Aswa's voice grew louder as he struggled to hold back his anger, causing his subordinates to step even further back.

"We... we don't know yet. But we are investigating and should find the culprit soon!"

the subordinate answered, making Aswa fume with frustration.

"Bring them to me. I'll punish them myself!"

Aswa commanded before leaping out the window, leaving his subordinates to sigh in relief.

"It's strange that the Guild Leader didn't call an emergency meeting."

"Yeah, and I really want to know what the newspaper said. The Guild Leader tore it up before we could read it, and there were so many interesting news items!"

"I have a backup,"

said a third member. Immediately, the senior members of the Dark Horse Guild gathered around to read the news about their guild.

"The battle between the Nameless Experts and the Dark Horse Guild was intense. The cause stemmed from the guild's ridiculous power trip, forcing the 10 Nameless Experts, who were on a quest for the Miracle Doctor, to face off against 200 guild members. Needless to say, the 200 were the skilled members of the Dark Horse Guild. However, with their superior abilities and unknown techniques, the Nameless Experts easily defeated the Dark Horse Guild. It remains to be seen what Guild Leader Aswa will do with the over 200 members who humiliated the guild in front of hundreds of players. Hopefully, he won't let them go wild again without the skills to back it up... read more on page two."

.....

Doom Star Guild

"Hahaha! This must have made that Horse trash dance with rage. I'm thrilled. Whoever wrote this article deserves a big reward!"

Demos laughed uproariously as he read the newspaper, which included clear photos exposing the event.

"Exactly. This only widens the gap between our guild and that low-tier one,"

said the player who brought the newspaper, smiling.

"They were never a match for us to begin with. That Guild Leader of theirs lost to me when the game first launched!"

Demos said calmly, flipping to the next page, shocking the listeners with his words.

"By the way, how is the investigation on the Manticore emblem going? Despite how I may seem, I'm quite impatient. If there's no progress soon, I might lose my temper..."

Demos' words made the man's eyes widen in fear, swallowing hard. He had previously felt Demos' murderous intent and knew how terrifying it was when he was eavesdropping Demos and Phobos' conversation.

"I'll expedite it immediately!"

The man hurriedly left the room, leaving Demos to smirk at a photo of a fairy alone.

.....

Chaos reigned outside as the Dark Horse Guild hunted down every player with a camera for interrogation, yet they still could not find the culprit. Meanwhile, the Doom Star Guild clashed with other players while searching for clues about the Manticore emblem, though no one dared to oppose them except for the Dark Horse Guild, provoked by the news in the The Reaper's Whisperer newspaper, leading to several skirmishes.

Most players flocked to receive quests from the King of Tatarus City, hoping to gain access to the island inhabited by beautiful fairies and possibly capture one as a pet. However, they were unaware that fairies had to willingly form a bond, and they needed to complete the arduous Magical Map Reading quest first.

Many players also searched for the Miracle Doctor Zhang Yijie on Mount Longshan, as well as NPCs offering the sniper profession quest, and those who had already obtained it. Duncan, constantly ogled by female players, had to lay low temporarily due to his bashfulness from being stared at for a long time.

Chang Long focused on training skills and combining the Eye of Ice (from the Queen's Cave in Kirisakura City) with the Eye of Darkness obtained from Siegfried with the Sovereign Sword. This granted her two additional skills: Ice Spear and Dark Wraith.

Ice Spear: Conjured ice spears from the void to attack a designated target. The number and power depend on the user's level, with double damage in cold or snowy areas. Dark Wraith: Summoned wraiths to aid in battle, up to a maximum of ten depending on the player's level. The wraiths' level and strength qwere half of the player's level.

Kimhant lay sprawled in Chang Long's house, too afraid to wander the city after hearing that the Dark Horse Guild was hunting him. He practiced a bit but not as intensely as Chang Long and Kitsune, who seemed to have progressed significantly.

Chang Long could now teleport within a ten-meter radius without feeling tired. However, her skill level remained at level one, likely due to insufficient mana. She planned to visit the market area to find accessories that could boost her mana.

Kitsune had improved his fire control. He no longer choked on his flames and could direct fire from his fingers or palms, albeit minimally and with little control. Their training continued until Chang Long's final day online.

Chang Long realized she no longer needed to summon her pets and spirits before logging off because Anya, her fairy avatar, explained the benefits of having a fairy as an avatar. One such benefit was that the avatar could take care of the pets in her absence. The game officials confirmed this when she went shopping for mana-boosting accessories.

Chang Long decided to leave Kitsune, Hulu, Davy-chan, and Hisa-chan under Anya's care, along with the spirit tablets, incense, elemental gems, and the Horn of Abundance. Kitsune, being the most reliable, was entrusted with these items. When her wristwatch alerted her, she logged off from her home without having to go to the offline building.

"Sigh!"

Chang got up from her gaming device. It was 7:45 PM. She went to the bathroom, then headed to the kitchen for food. Moddang, the housemaid, handed her an envelope as she came downstairs.

"What's this, Moddang?"

Chang asked, eyeing the envelope warily, fearing it might be another creepy love letter from an obsessive fan.

"It's a letter from the university. They're calling you to collect your code and keycard. I got one too,"

Moddang replied. Moddang was Chang's age, and Chang's father had sponsored her education for her to keep Chang company and act as her caretaker.

"When?"

Chang asked, ignoring the envelope and heading straight to the kitchen.

"Tomorrow,"

Moddang answered, following her, trying to hand over the envelope, but Chang refused to take it.

"Uh-huh. It's a pity Mi isn't going to the same university. We could have gone together... Aunt Im, I'm hungry. What's to eat!"

Chang mumbled softly, then called out loudly for Aunt Im.

"My dear, you've been gone all day. Is that game really so much fun?"

Aunt Im asked with a smile, placing a bowl of green curry chicken with rice noodles in front of Chang.

"Uh-huh,"

was all Chang could manage before she devoured the food in no time.

The food Aunt Im prepared came from the central market, where prices were no less than 200 baht per kilogram. Processed foods were capsule meals, typically distributed to police and military for their ease and high nutritional value, though equally expensive. Coin-operated meals, widely available, lacked nutritional value and were cheaper than freshly cooked and capsule foods. Various crises had prevented the government from controlling farmers, leaving them outside the influence of major investors.

Most middle to lower-class people had to rely on coin-operated meals because they were cheap and readily available, leaving fresh vegetables and fruits almost untouched. Agricultural land was limited, mostly supplanted by industrial factories, necessitating a new urban planning strategy over a decade ago. This drastic reduction in farmland led farmers to form central market organizations, distributing their produce directly to avoid middlemen and to have better bargaining power with investors.

Chang was fortunate to be born into a billionaire family, allowing her to eat nutritious, high-quality food reminiscent of what Thais used to enjoy when agriculture was abundant and Thailand was known as a global food source for many decades.

"What will you do next, miss?"

Moddang asked after Chang finished her meal.

"I'll read for a bit and go to bed around 10 PM,"

Chang replied.

"Yes, miss,"

Moddang said, then left. Chang walked to her private room, read a book leisurely until 10 PM, and then went to sleep.

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