Kimhant ran to hide on a tree, fervently taking pictures of the others' battle. Aden and Valentine joined the fight, seeing their friends standing their ground. Chang Long was heavily pressured, retreating alone out of the circle. But their misfortune did not end there. Everyone suddenly experienced numb legs and arms, stumbled over rocks, or failed to dodge attacks throughout the battle. The status of the Succubus outfit set did not work as it should, leaving everyone exhausted from the fight.
"What the heck is this? My arm just went numb out of nowhere!"
Lidded Wet Trash Can weakly complained.
"Your arm went numb? I suddenly tripped, and there wasn't even anything in the way!"
Drago shouted, pushing himself up from the ground.
"Get down!"
Siegfried yelled to everyone when he saw the flame tail misfire, shooting flames at their group instead of the Young Bull Beasts. He used his free hand to push Peach Blossom, who was casting a spell, down. As a result, Peach Blossom's fireball slipped from her hand and flew towards Chang Long, who was not far away.
"Heyyy!"
Chang Long screamed, narrowly dodging the fireball. But the unexpected happened when the ground she landed on caved in, making her fall into a rapidly forming sinkhole.
"Master!"
Kitsune called out, rushing to help. He found Chang Long lying in a hole filled with water but still safe.
"It's fine, Kitsune. I'm okay."
Chang Long called out to the worried Kitsune standing at the edge of the hole.
"Alright, master!"
Kitsune responded and ran to block a Young Bull Beast charging towards the hole where Chang Long had fallen.
"Misfortune for 24 hours, huh? But how did this hole end up in this field?"
Chang Long grumbled, inspecting the hole she had fallen into. She discovered that it might be part of an underground stream, with clean water constantly flowing through it.
"But it's so dark in here... Ouch!"
Chang Long groped for a way to climb out, because it was not wide enough for her to use her wings. Her hand caught on something thorny, causing her to bleed.
"Player Chang Long has been cursed by Baby Mushroom, reverting her body to that of a 3-year-old child until the curse is lifted by receiving a medicine from completing a quest with the Miracle Doctor!"
As the system announced, Chang Long's mouth dropped open in shock. Before she could recover, she found her body rapidly shrinking. Water that had been thigh-high was now nearly over her head in less than a minute. Panicking, she tried to paddle to stay afloat, but her small limbs could not resist the current, quickly sweeping her away.
"Kitsune!!"
Chang Long screamed for Kitsune, but water filled her mouth and nose, nearly choking her.
"Huh? I think I heard someone call."
Kitsune looked around but saw no one calling him, so he returned to fighting the Young Bull Beasts, unaware that his master had been swept away by the underground stream.
'What the heck is going on!'
Davy-chan and Hisa-chan were frustrated to the extreme. Their bodies had rapidly become insubstantial again, rendering them unable to fight. The two screamed as they were inexplicably swept away by the wind for an unknown reason, and since they were invisible, no one noticed.
"Cough, cough, cough"
Chang Long choked on the water, her face turning red as the current swept her to a shallow pond, which seemed to be a popular tourist spot. Many players were gathered, spreading out picnic mats and eating. She finally managed to crawl to the shore, breathing heavily and too exhausted to get up.
"Oh my, a child. So cute. Is it a boy or a girl!"
A woman's voice made Chang Long look up.
"Oh dear, look at you, falling into the water. Come, let us help you."
Another female player, a friend of the first, immediately picked Chang Long up without waiting for permission.
"Let me go. Don't touch me!"
Chang Long shouted, swatting the woman's hands away. Instead of getting angry, she looked at Chang Long with utter adoration. Her small, sharp voice and haughty demeanor, like a little king, were irresistibly cute to them.
"Ah! So adorable."
A group of female players, probably no less than ten, squealed loudly. They vied to hold Chang Long, who, seeing the danger, tried to run but collided with a man running toward her.
"Ouch!"
Chang Long cried out, her small body falling hard on her bottom. The man who bumped into her looked down, squatting to face her with a frown.
"Hey lad, can't you see where you're running? I'm in a hurry, you know. Didn't you hear all the girls screaming?"
"You didn't look either. Don't blame me!"
Chang Long retorted with a glare, shocked that her own words sounded so childish. Her voice was small, sharp, and slightly whiny.
"Wow, such a little thing dares to talk back. Where are your parents? I'll teach them to discipline you!"
The man frowned, surprised at the boldness of this three-year-old.
"Hey boss, are you picking on kids now?!"
One of the man's subordinates spoke up in amazement.
"Grouper, why are you standing there? Go see why the girls are screaming!"
The man, called boss, scolded, picking up Chang Long.
"Let go. I'm not going with you!"
Chang Long shouted as she was lifted. She struggled to break free, but her small body could only manage to pry the man's little finger slightly.
"Anyone who dares to mess with Orion must be punished, even a cute little boy like you! Hehehe."
Orion laughed as he walked, proudly following the disheartened Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce.
"Hoo, Kitsune, Davy-chan, and Hisa-chan where are you...?"
Chang Long muttered softly, unable to resist Orion since her body had turned into that of a three-year-old.
By the time Siegfried's group realized Chang Long was missing, they had already defeated the Young Bull Beasts amidst loud cheers from the audience, who hoped to get a closer look at Firetail. They were disappointed to learn it was already owned by a high-ranking member of the Pendragon Guild. No one saw because Chang Long had sealed it before leaving the Land of the Dead. The crowd eagerly collected the leftovers from Siegfried's group, while a journalist who intended to interview them hesitated upon seeing Kimhant among them.
"That guy has a camera. He must be a journalist. Not sure if he's from the association, but he probably is, since most people with this job got it with the association's help. Guess I'll leave the news to him."
The journalist from the Journalists and Writers Association thought for a moment before deciding to leave, assuming Kimhant was one of his own.
"Where's Chang Long, Kitsune?"
Oliang asked as everyone gathered to rest, except for Chang Long, who was nowhere to be seen.
"Huh, master hasn't come up from that hole yet!"
Kitsune said, anxiously walking towards the hole where Chang Long had fallen.
"How did Master Chang fall in, and where did this hole come from?"
Peach Blossom asked, peering into the dark hole with a constant sound of flowing water, her face filled with concern.
"It was because of your fireball!"
Kitsune answered, looking down into the hole only to find the Sovereign Sword lying at the bottom of the stream.
"Are you blaming me!"
Peach Blossom snapped at Kitsune, but he ignored her, jumping into the hole to retrieve the Sovereign Sword and inspect the stream with worry.
"Kitsune probably didn't mean it, Peach Blossom,"
Wet Trash Can said, trying to defend Kitsune, who had already disappeared into the hole.
"Then how did this hole form, Wet Trash Can?"
Peach Blossom turned to ask him instead.
"There's probably an underground stream beneath us. When it met the explosive force of your fireball, it caused a collapse," Siegfried explained, preparing to follow Kitsune into the hole when Kitsune came back.
"How is it, Kitsune? Did you find Chang?"
Valentine asked.
"No, I didn't. There's a waterfall ahead. I don't know if the master fell down,"
Kitsune replied, easily leaping out of the five-meter-deep hole.
"Should we try calling her? Wait! Why are there question marks after Chang Long's name, and three of them at that?"
Drago raised his watch to call Chang Long, surprised by the question marks next to her name. Everyone, upon hearing this, checked their watches as well.
"I can't contact her!"
Siegfried said, worried.
"I think Chang Long must be in some kind of status effect, hence the symbols,"
Oliang speculated.
"Hope it's not a comatose status!"
Aden exclaimed.
"Probably not, because when Chang was in a coma last time, the symbol was a flashing red and black skull,"
Valentine countered.
"It seems the master's misfortune is worse than ours... Hey!"
Kimhant shouted as the ground beneath them gave way. Everyone fell into a hole caused by the collapsing earth, weighed down by their combined weight.
"Ahh, Kimhant, get off me now!"
Peach Blossom screamed, finding Kimhant sprawled on top of her, with several others piled beneath her. Kimhant, startled, stumbled into the water.
"You get off me too, it's heavy. Ugh! Cough, cough, cough,"
Drago, at almost the bottom of the pile, managed to shout before the strong current forced a mouthful of water into his mouth.
"I'll try to contact the master telepathically!"
Kitsune, who had managed to jump clear before the ground collapsed, said to Valentine and Aden, who also narrowly escaped. He then went to sit under a large tree to meditate and prepare to send a telepathic message to his master.
Chang Long, now a three-year-old, was just as frustrated as Orion. She was unable to move freely, being pampered by a group of women, leaving Orion ignored. Fortunately, the sword sheath had shrunk with her, or walking would have been even more difficult.
"Open wide, little Chang! Big sister will feed you,"
one of the female players in Orion's group offered a snack to the pouting Chang Long.
"I'm leaving now!"
Chang Long announced loudly, standing up.
"Where are you going? It's very late, and no one's come to look for you. Stay with us a bit longer,"
Fangkaew, one of the female players, held Chang Long's hand and smiled at her cuteness.
"I can take care of myself!"
Chang Long scowled, shaking off Fangkaew's hand.
"Giggle, you can't even shake off my hand, and you say you can take care of yourself? Come here, it's safe with us!"
Fangkaew laughed, gently pulling Chang Long back onto her lap.
"That kid's stealing all the girls' attention from me..."
Orion, sitting nearby, grumbled, feeling irritated. He had brought the girls here to win the heart of one in particular, but the little child who appeared out of nowhere had stolen all the attention.
"Why be jealous of a kid, boss? Try being a gentleman who loves kids. The girls will fall for you head over heels!" Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce, sitting next to Orion, suggested.
"Hm? Really!"
Orion asked, intrigued.
"Absolutely. Kids and cute pets are girl magnets, I'll tell you"
Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce replied seriously.
"Hehehe, alright. I'll use that kid to win over Fangkaew then!"
Orion said, getting up to join the group of women.
"Stop itttt!"
Chang Long shouted, pushing away a woman leaning in to kiss her cheek. The women, enjoying teasing Chang Long even more.
"What are you ladies doing?"
Orion's voice made the women turn to look at him. Taking advantage of the distraction, Chang Long ran away from the group.
"Ah, Orion, please catch little Chang!"
The women cried out in surprise as Chang Long fled, asking Orion to catch her.
"Gotcha. Ouccch!"
Orion yelled as Chang Long bit his hand.
"Serves you right!"
Chang Long taunted before running off, only to be caught by Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce.
"For such a little one, you're quite a handful!"
Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce remarked, carrying the kicking and struggling Chang Long back to the women.
"Oh, little Chang, why do you want to leave so badly? You're too small to escape us. If you go out alone, you'll be gobbled up by beasts."
Fangkaew said sadly, taking Chang Long from Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce. No one paid any attention to Orion.
"Hmp. You'll regret biting the great Orion! I'll make you cry for mommy, you little brat."
Orion whispered to Chang Long, who looked untroubled by his threat.
"We'll see!"
Chang Long grinned mischievously, leaving Orion stunned and wondering if this was really a three-year-old.
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