Chang Long looked at the scene before her, feeling a mix of emotions. Even though she understood that the two were hugging to avoid the attacks of the One-Horned Oni Beast King, she could not help but feel a tightness in her chest, as if someone was squeezing her heart. She did not understand why she felt this way. As she tried to dispel the confusion in her mind, Davy-Chan, who was possessing her, suddenly shouted loudly.

'Missy, watch out!'

Boooom!

The giant club of the One-Horned Oni Beast King struck the spot where Chang Long stood, shattering the stone floor and creating a deep crater almost a meter wide. Blood sprayed everywhere, and Chang Long's body was thrown nearly ten meters away, blood spurting from her mouth like rain.

As Chang Long's consciousness faded, Davy-Chan was automatically ejected from her body. He looked at her blood-soaked form with concern before materializing his translucent body and rushing off to find others to help his heir urgently.

"Chang!"

Valentine's voice called out by her ear, but Chang Long heard it as if it came from a great distance, like Valentine was shouting from the edge of a cliff to her at the bottom, hundreds of meters away.

Severely injured and in a comatose state, Chang Long could not respond or move; she lay still as if in a deep sleep.

"Chang Long. Chang Long, are you okay!"

Siegfried's voice called out in panic as he gently shook her, but she still could not respond.

"Miss Valentine, take Chang Long to a safe spot. I'll handle the giant myself!"

Siegfried said in a low, controlled voice, suppressing his rage. The warm and gentle demeanor he usually had vanished in an instant. Valentine saw with her own eyes how menacing Siegfried's face looked now; it was so terrifying that she could not help but shiver.

"Can you handle it alone?"

Valentine asked worriedly, taken aback by the sudden transformation of the gentle man into someone so fierce, all because Chang Long was gravely injured and comatose.

"I'll be fine. The others will join soon. Just get Chang Long away from here!"

Siegfried commanded firmly, his eyes never leaving Chang Long's bloodied body.

"Alright. Be careful, Mister Siegfried!"

Valentine nodded, quickly taking Chang Long away from the area where the One-Horned Oni Beast King was rampaging.

Siegfried drew his trusty sword, ready for battle. At the same time, his Hoop Dragon Ring awakened, fluttering its wings lightly. As its eyes locked onto the enemy, the ring floated from Siegfried's finger, growing larger until it was the size of its master.

"What!"

Siegfried watched the transformation of his ring in shock. He had long wondered if the ring's status of increasing the wielder's attack power by ten thousand was true because, in many battles, his attack power had only ever increased by up to five thousand, and not consistently. The ring's awakening was unpredictable, and it had never floated off his finger or enlarged itself like this before.

The Hoop Dragon Ring hovered beside its master, not moving. Siegfried stared at it, unsure of what to do. Suddenly, the One-Horned Oni Beast King attacked, and Siegfried had to dodge quickly. Taking a direct hit from a beast king was bound to cause severe injuries, but his Hoop Dragon Ring did not retreat.

"Come here, Hoop Dragon Ring!"

Siegfried called out in alarm, as the giant's club was about to strike his ring.

Upon hearing its master's call, the Hoop Dragon Ring fluttered its wings and narrowly dodged the giant's club. Siegfried sighed in relief, starting to realize how he should handle the ring, which had suddenly become a weapon needing his command.

Chang Long's head rested on Valentine's lap, who had taken her far from where the One-Horned Oni Beast King was rampaging. Nearby, Kitsune, Hulu, and Kimhant gathered, anxiously checking on Chang Long. Kitsune fed her blood crystals continuously, knowing that Chang Long's Buppha Garland would help restore her body's fatigue with every breath. This allowed Kitsune to keep feeding her the blood crystals without interruption.

While her dear friends and pets watched over her, anxiously hoping she would survive, Chang Long felt as if she was walking on a path leading to a castle. The castle was entirely built of black marble, and the path she walked was also made of black marble, extending towards an island where the castle stood.

The atmosphere was gloomy, the sky filled with rain clouds, and a gentle breeze made the air feel cool. The sound of waves crashing against the shore was thunderous, and the dark blue sea sparkled like crystal sequins. Chang Long looked around but saw no one. Despite feeling uneasy about being in this strange, deserted place, she continued walking.

"The Castle of Death..."

Chang Long read the sign hanging above the large iron gate of the castle. She was now certain that she must be dead. But was this really where the dead had to go? Chang Long was not sure, as she had never died in the game before. This must be her first experience of death.

Creakkk!

The rusty old iron gate opened with a loud noise. Chang Long walked into the castle courtyard, which was still empty. She looked around and saw that the entrance door to the castle was also opening, so she walked inside.

A chilling atmosphere engulfed Chang Long as she stepped into the Castle of Death. Despite wanting to draw her weapon in readiness, she found that she had not brought any weapons with her. The throne room was vast and grand, but empty, with not a single soldier present.

"A throne?"

Chang Long noticed a throne made of dark hardwood, adorned with silver and gold, and encrusted with various colorful gems. It was both amazingly beautiful and melancholic.

Creakkkk...

The sound of a wooden door opening beside the throne drew her attention. A man in a black velvet robe trimmed with clean white fur stepped out. His skin was pale as marble. He walked gracefully and sat on the throne. Chang Long tried to see his face, but he kept his head down, hiding it.

"Greetings..."

The man's raspy voice addressed Chang Long as he slowly lifted his head. But before she could see who he was, the throne room suddenly vanished, replaced by the concerned faces of her friends.

"Mi..."

Chang Long weakly called out to her friend as she struggled to sit up.

"Chang! Oh, thank goodness."

Valentine exclaimed, throwing herself into a hug with her friend, overjoyed that Chang Long had come through safely.

"Master!"

Kimhant and Kitsune also rushed to check on her, delighted at her recovery. Even the usually aloof Hulu nuzzled close, refusing to leave her side.

"Where is everyone else?"

Chang Long asked softly, looking around for the others who had helped with the mission.

"They're probably with Siegfried, fighting the One-Horned Oni Beast King,"

Valentine replied, handing Chang Long a damp cloth to wipe the blood from her face and neck.

"Mm..."

Chang Long murmured, looking towards the sounds of battle. Her mind, however, was preoccupied with the dream she had just experienced and she considered asking Davy-Chan about it, though she doubted it would lead to much.

The Hoop Dragon Ring left Draco, Oliang, Peach Blossom, and Wet Trash Can astounded. It could attack enemies upon its master's command, spinning rapidly in a circular motion. With its speed and sharp scales akin to thorns, each attack from the Hoop Dragon Ring was extremely dangerous. Given the severe injuries of the One-Horned Oni Beast King, its attacks were so effective that neither Siegfried nor anyone else needed to fight arduously.

"Have you found the key yet? We're running out of time."

Siegfried asked his friends, who were watching the Hoop Dragon Ring battle the One-Horned Oni Beast King with excitement.

"Oh, I completely forgot!"

Oliang exclaimed, rushing off to find the final key. Despite his desire to watch the Hoop Dragon Ring's battle, he knew the importance of completing Valentine's quest. If they failed, they would have to start from the beginning. Realizing this, Draco, Peach Blossom, and Wet Trash Can reluctantly left the battle to find the fifth key.

"10 minutes remaining..."

the system's announcement echoed, jolting everyone to urgently search for the key. Despite their efforts, they could not find any trace of it.

"Where could the last key be?"

Peach Blossom asked as she regrouped with everyone else, exhausted from searching. She had used her elemental magic to dig, burn, and almost obliterate this prefinal area, yet still had not found the key.

"Maybe it's with that thing,"

Chang Long suggested, pointing at the One-Horned Oni Beast King, who was on the verge of collapse.

"You're right! We have no time to lose; let's help Siegfried take it down!"

Draco said, handing Firetail to Peach Blossom before running to join the fight. He used his knight's skill, "Red Crusader Sword," to attack the Oni Beast King immediately. Oliang and Wet Trash Can also joined in, using their class skills to assist.

"Ah! It's hot, hot, hot!"

Peach Blossom screamed as Firetail's tail burned her hands. She dropped it, causing the creature to yelp and spit small fireballs from its mouth.

When the One-Horned Oni Beast King finally fell, a key flew out of its body. Valentine, who had been watching intently, sprinted to grab it and rushed to the thick wooden door ahead, swiftly using all the keys to unlock it.

"Ten seconds remaining. Counting down...10...9...8..."

"Oh no, don't fall!"

Valentine shouted as she fumbled the last key, which slipped from her hand. She frantically picked it up.

"3...2..."

Click!

The keys turned just in time. Valentine and everyone else sighed with relief. As the door slid open, the system then announced that those not involved in the final task would be automatically transported back to the entrance.

Everyone blinked in surprise as they found themselves at the entrance to the first level, where the Ninja and Samurai NPCs were waiting, as the system instantly transported them out after the announcement. They had not even had a chance to gather the items dropped by the One-Horned Oni Beast King. The notification of experience points earned from defeating the beasts in each level made everyone feel dizzy.

"Hehehe, you guys are impressive. Judging by your appearances, I wouldn't have guessed you had such remarkable skills!"

The Samurai NPC complimented with a chuckle.

"Hm... usually, those undertaking this quest bring a large group to ease the burden before the final battle with the Ninja Master..."

The Ninja NPC said calmly, impressed that this small group managed to clear all 48 levels in time, despite the overwhelming number of beasts.

"Not even ten of you, but you managed to reach the final stage on time. By the way, you guys screamed louder than women. You made me laugh until my stomach hurts!"

The Samurai NPC teased, causing the young men to blush with embarrassment. Some of them pretended to cough loudly to cover up the teasing. Good grief, this was a dark side they wanted to bury deep!

"Can we leave now, or do we have to wait for our friend to finish fighting the Ninja Master?"

Chang Long asked, her mind clearly elsewhere.

"You can leave..."

The Ninja NPC replied. Chang Long immediately started walking away.

"Chang Long seems different, like she's angry with someone!"

Oliang observed cautiously, whispering in suspicion. He noticed the quiet demeanor and the untrustworthy aura emanating from her.

"Maybe she's mad about almost getting killed by that ugly giant,"

Peach Blossom suggested.

"Could be. She does get angry when things don't go her way,"

Draco agreed. From his observations, she often got angry enough to summon the Reaper when fighting tough beasts.

"I don't think she's mad at the giant. More likely, she's mad at someone around here!"

Kitsune said, his voice tinged with annoyance, making everyone jump. They all feared being the target of Chang Long's anger.

"Huh?"

Siegfried met Kitsune's gaze, stunned. The implication in Kitsune's words, along with his direct look, clearly indicated that Chang Long was indeed angry at him. But why? He could not recall doing anything to upset her.

"Well, if you realize it now, you better go apologize. I'll go after my master!"

Kitsune said, then dashed off to catch up with Chang Long, with Kimhant carrying Hulu close behind.

Siegfried lowered his head, his eyebrows knitted in confusion and unease. Was Chang Long really angry with him? What had he done to upset her? Kitsune was not one to lie and was more reliable than anyone because he was always close to Chang Long. If she was truly angry with him, what should he do...?

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