"Huff..."

Kitsune panted as he released his hands from the body of the young Faunus. Sweat beaded on his face from exhaustion. He collapsed to the ground, watching his handiwork as the golden aura fully absorbed into the Faunus's body. Chang Long nodded in satisfaction. She handed Kitsune a jar of rejuvanating crystals and led the newly transformed Faunus out from behind the bushes.

"How do I look? Tell me,"

the young Faunus asked uncertainly, unable to see his new face and body.

"Wait and see the girls' reactions for yourself. Ahem!"

Chang Long replied. She then cleared her throat loudly on purpose, just as the music quieted down. Every Faunus turned to look at Chang Long.

"Oh my. Who is that handsome guy!"

The Faunus girls whispered among themselves, clearly showing interest. The young Faunus, Kitsune had transformed blushed deeply, embarrassed by the attention.

"It worked perfectly. The girl you like can't take her eyes off you. Now you need to approach her confidently and ask her to dance. Then, talk to her about the wine, or offer her some to taste,"

Chang Long whispered, handing him a glass bottle filled with a clear purple liquid, resembling a gem. She had conjured it from the Cone of Abundance while waiting for the transformation to finish. The Faunus nodded, took the wine, and confidently walked towards the girl he liked. Whether he would succeed or not now depended on him.

The love of the young Faunus seemed to go well. The girl he admired agreed to dance and talk with him, barely able to take her eyes off him. Chang Long smiled with satisfaction, which grew even more when the system announced she had completed the mission. The young Faunus approached Chang Long with a map in hand, telling her it would lead her to another soul user he knew.

Chang Long accepted the map and stored it in her bag. When she thought about setting up her tent to sleep in the forest for the night, she remembered she had left her tent somewhere in the forest, making her grind her teeth in frustration. However, she did not complain much.

"Sigh... This is what it means to sleep under the open sky,"

Chang Long muttered to herself, then headed to find a place to sleep in one of the orc huts, which were still in decent condition. She needed to rest after the exhausting day and prepare for the journey ahead in the morning.

"Cedric,"

Chang Long called out to the Reaper Guardian spirit residing in her Blood Ruby Sword. A thin gray smoke drifted from the red ruby on the sword's guard, forming into a tangible figure.

"My lord,"

Cedric greeted respectfully, smiling at Chang Long.

"Tell me, how can you wield a sword and fight when you're just a spirit without a physical body?"

Chang Long asked, lying down on the rough mattress of the orcs.

"That's a good question. It's because the sword is my source of power. It's like an extension of my limbs, allowing me to wield it as if it were a part of my own body."

Cedric, explained.

"Uh-huh, so can ever have a physical body again?"

Chang Long asked, adjusting her position to get more comfortable.

"Yes, I can, but it depends on you, My lord. All four of us, and the dead who have sworn allegiance to you, can regain our physical forms when we step into the Land of the Dead. However, if you can open a gateway between the Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead, then I and the other dead who serve you could maintain our physical forms no matter where we stand,"

Cedric answered with a smile.

"And... you can't communicate with the other guardians?"

Chang Long asked, her eyes starting to droop from the exhaustion of eating and fighting all day.

"No, My lord. Each of them has sealed their final power and entered a deep slumber until you unseal them, as you did with me. However, if I am within the vicinity of where they slumber, I believe I might be able to sense them,"

Cedric explained at length. When he turned to look at Chang Long, he found that she had already closed her eyes.

"My lord, are you asleep?"

Cedric called out curiously.

"Uh... huh..."

Chang Long mumbled softly before drifting off into a deep sleep. Kitsune and Kimhant, after searching for Chang Long for quite some time, finally found her in one of the huts. They both stumbled in sleepily to join her. The players captured before Chang Long, the AI girls, and the Faunus themselves were all resting around the celebration area, too exhausted to move.

The next morning, Chang Long woke to an empty camp. No Faunus or players were left in the orc camp. Although she was a bit surprised, she did not dwell on it. She took out the map given to her by the Faunus and examined it. It was a map of this forest, with a red cross marking a spot at the way up to a mountain, some distance away from the orc camp. Eager to discover the identity of the soul user the Faunus had mentioned, Chang Long set off immediately.

During the journey, she did not encounter a single player. The path was desolate and eerie, with a light mist adding to the feeling of desolation. It seemed as though ghosts might appear at any moment or, worse, undead beasts. Despite the creepy atmosphere, Chang Long was not particularly afraid. It was only Kimhant who clung to Kitsune's arm, looking around nervously.

Sobbb~

"Yikes. What was that noise, master!"

Kimhant yelped as a wailing sound drifted on the wind.

"Probably just the wind,"

Chang Long replied, not paying much attention.

"R... really?"

Kimhant asked, his voice trembling, clearly unsure about Chang Long's answer.

"I'm not sure. Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, what do you think?"

Chang Long asked the two spirits floating ahead of her. Both merely shrugged without giving an answer. In truth, Chang Long could see everything around her clearly, just like Devi-chan and Hisa-chan, but none of them wanted to say anything that might scare Kimhant even more. So, they pretended not to know and continued walking along the eerie path, with unsettling sights on both sides.

"A warrior's graveyard..."

Hisa-chan said with a serious expression.

"Can those warriors attack us?"

Chang Long asked.

"Not sure, but if the person we're about to meet is a beast user, it's possible that some of these could be his beasts,"

Devi-chan answered. The three of them stood talking several meters away from Kimhant and Kitsune so that Kimhant would not hear the conversation. Kitsune, however, heard everything clearly due to his excellent hearing.

"Can't you check them out, Devi-chan?"

Chang Long asked, remembering that Davy-chan could identify the type and level of beasts.

"I'll give it a try,"

Devi-chan replied. He scanned the area and then turned back to Chang Long and Hisa-chan with a troubled look.

"There are three blocking our path, right at the base of the mountain we need to climb. They're armed to the teeth."

"Are they beasts, Devi-chan?"

Hisa-chan asked.

"No, they're demon puppets,"

Devi-chan replied solemnly.

"Looks like we're on the right track then,"

Chang Long nodded calmly. She began walking ahead, with Hisa-chan and Devi-chan following closely. Kimhant and Kitsune hurried to catch up, eager to leave the creepy atmosphere behind.

"What's your business here?"

One of the demon puppets asked hostilely as Chang Long stepped into their territory. The three puppets consisted of an ancient Roman warrior, a Templar knight, and the one who had spoken, an ancient Arabian warrior.

"We're here to see the beast user,"

Chang Long replied, causing the puppets to eye her suspiciously.

"What do you want with him?"

The Templar knight asked.

"I'm here to get the profession!"

Chang Long replied, suspecting that the beast user might be Elder In, the younger brother of Elder An.

"You already have the profession. Why do you need another?" The Roman warrior asked distrustfully.

"You ask too many questions. Isn't Elder In an NPC who gives out profession? I'm here to get the profession from him!"

Chang Long retorted, growing frustrated with the puppets' constant questioning and their refusal to let her pass.

"Come on~"

An elderly voice called out from the mist behind the three demon puppets. They turned to look, as did Chang Long's group.

.....

Chang Long sat on a hard cushion inside a cave with a shrine. Despite it being daytime, the atmosphere inside the cave was dark as night. Candle flames flickered with the gusts of wind blowing through the cave's many small openings, creating eerie whistling and groaning sounds. Kimhant did nothing but look around nervously, constantly on edge.

"Hahaha. Incredible. So you've met my brother?" Elder In asked while laughing heartily. Despite his age, he was still very energetic, unlike his elder brother, Elder An. He kept asking about his brother's affairs, leaving Chang Long with no chance to ask about the Beast User profession.

"And... what about the mission to unseal the Beast User profession?"

Chang Long asked quietly, sounding very frustrated.

"Oh, right, right. I got so excited that someone who has met my brother came to see me that I completely forgot about my task. Alright, now tell me."

Elder In said, chuckling with delight.

"What do you mean by 'tell you?'"

Chang Long asked, confused. Usually, NPCs who gave professions should tell the player what mission to undertake.

"Just tell me what you want?"

Elder In said with a straight face, as if he was teasing Chang Long.

"Ugh... I want you to help unseal the profession!"

Chang Long replied, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Oh, right. Seeing you already have the profession, I thought you might be here to buy puppets. Hahaha, sorry, sorry,"

Elder In responded, making Chang Long feel like crying.

'This old man might look younger than Elder An, but he seems much more senile. Even Elder An has a better memory!'

Chang Long complained inwardly. Just then, Devi-chan and Hisa-chan floated back from exploring the cave.

"You're lucky to have such high-quality spirits. I only have one of this caliber myself,"

Elder In said excitedly upon seeing Chang Long's spirits clearly.

"The mission, old man!"

Chang Long asked firmly.

"Oh, right, sorry, I forgot again. The task is simple. Look at this cave—it's dark from morning till night. We never have enough candles. Could you go to the nearby city and buy some candles for me?"

Elder In responded.

"Player Chang Long has received the quest 'Light in the Dark Cave' from NPC Elder In."

"A quest... to buy candles..."

Chang Long muttered softly.

"Yes, lots of them. Once you return, I'll unseal your profession immediately and even throw in ten free puppets!"

Elder In nodded enthusiastically, making Chang Long think that it had to have been a long time since someone came for this profession.

"Sigh... fine,"

Chang Long agreed, exhaling through her nose. She got up and walked out of the cave, her companions following closely.

Chang Long instructed Kitsune and Kimhant to stay behind, though they were far from pleased about it. They were uneasy with the spooky atmosphere, even though being with Chang Long often brought a similar chilly ambiance. However, they felt much safer with her around.

"I'll hurry back. Once I get close enough to use a teleportation scroll, I'll use it to return to city and save time. Stay here; I'll definitely come back,"

Chang Long ordered. Kimhant and Kitsune reluctantly agreed.

After settling that, Chang Long set off immediately, guided by Devi-chan, who scouted ahead and communicated through telepathy the route to her. This way, she did not waste time getting lost, which usually happened when she traveled alone. Chang Long regretted not finding an accessory with a special attribute to increase her mana. Otherwise, she could use Dimensional Shift skill, and getting lost would no longer be an issue for her.

"You've entered the territory of Ark City!"

Devi-chan sent a telepathic message after traveling swiftly for over three hours. Chang Long then took out her teleportation scroll and unfurled it. Her body gradually turned into white light and disappeared.

Ark City

Chang Long appeared in the central square of the city, the spot where players using teleportation scrolls and respawning players would appear. She looked around for a general store for a moment before heading straight towards it, ignoring everything else around her.

"Hello, customer,"

the shop assistant greeted cheerfully.

"I need to buy some candles,"

Chang Long stated her need to the shop assistant.

"Candles? What kind would you like? Scented candles, carved candles, or plain ones without designs?"

The shop assistant asked, still in a good mood.

"They all can be lit, right?"

Chang Long asked.

"Yes, of course. All our candles are of high quality and functional. We have customer reviews if you'd like to see them,"

the assistant answered with an unwavering bright smile.

"I'll take them all,"

Chang Long decided, unsure which type of candle Elder In wanted. Since all the candles in the shop could be lit, she decided to buy them all. After all, the quest did not specify the type of candles needed. Not just the type, the quantity was also not mentioned.

"All of them?"

The assistant repeated, uncertain if she heard correctly. She had never encountered a player buying out the entire stock of candles before. In fact, candles were usually a stagnant item in stock that barely any players were interested in hoarding them.

"Uh-huh, all of them,"

Chang Long nodded.

"That's ten thousand candles, dear customer!"

the shop assistant reiterated, emphasizing the quantity as what Chang Long asked for was not just one or two candles, but all candles they had which amounted to ten thousand. She wondered if her customer was buying them for a quest or simply had so much money he did not know what to do with it.

-----

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