Phiros and his friend were among the fortune-seekers, and they had the luck to acquire a high-tier sword. The young man had always intended to split whatever they earned with his friend, and this sword was something he really liked. He even paid his friend half of what the sword would fetch in the market, its full value.
What he did not expect was that the Caesar Guild, a powerful group based in Troy, with influence, fame, and wealth, would set their sights on his greatsword as well. When negotiations failed, the Caesar Guild members resorted to threats and even attacked them, forcing Phiros and his friend to flee. Unfortunately, his friend was captured and ransomed for the greatsword and his life. The young man did not know what to do, so he kept running, thinking that as long as they did not get the sword, they would not harm his friend.
Suddenly, the darkness in the swordsman's heart, who had been unable to find a way out, was dispelled by someone whose name he did not even know. All he heard from those around him—or perhaps her—was the title Master. Now, he was following this guiding light to storm the Caesar Guild, who had dared to extort and capture his friend, with complete confidence. The only catch was that this confident party heading to crush the Caesar Guild consisted of... well, just five people!
"Um... Master, are you sure this is really a good idea?"
Phiros asked Chang Long, who was leading the way, with uncertainty.
"Of course. What could possibly be wrong with it?"
Chang Long replied without a hint of worry. Kitsune and Hulu flanked the Caesar Guild player who was now their prisoner, ordered to lead them to his guild's headquarters. Along the way, they kept teasing the captive, making him cry like a child, much to Hulu's amusement.
"But, well, there's only five of us, while the Caesar Guild has no less than 500 members. Won't we be... at a bit of a disadvantage?"
Phiros continued to ask, not out of fear of the upcoming raid, but out of concern for dragging Chang Long into this, since the whole mess started with just him and his friend.
"Five is more than enough. My people aren't pushovers, I'll have you know!"
Chang Long responded with the same nonchalant demeanor as before. Eventually, they all stood in a line in front of a building made of white stone, adorned with Ionic columns, resembling a Greek-Roman temple more than the headquarters of a morally bankrupt guild like Caesar Guild.
"So, this is the Caesar Guild's base. It's quite grand,"
Chang Long remarked, before ordering Hulu to release the player who had guided them there. The player hurriedly ran back to his guildmates, all of whom were now staring at Chang Long and his group.
"Hey, that's the thief!"
One of the Caesar Guild members shouted as he got a good look at Phiros, making the young man flinch. He drew the greatsword for the first time, ready to defend himself.
"That's the guy who knocked out the entire 10th unit!"
Another player exclaimed upon recognizing Chang Long. This led to a flurry of activity as the guild members scrambled to gather reinforcements, causing Phiros to go pale with sweat pouring down his face. He began to wonder if he might die before he could even save his friend.
Before long, nearly three hundred Caesar Guild players who were online at the time gathered to surround Chang Long's group. Amidst the bloodthirsty guild members eager for revenge, a young man with long, flowing wavy golden hair, fair skin, sharp blue eyes, and a refined appearance—dressed in elegant Greek noble attire—stepped forward to face Chang Long.
"Here to surrender, I see,"
the man said with a drowsy expression as if he had just woken up.
"No, I'm here to get back the person you captured,"
Chang Long replied, scrutinizing the man.
"Who did we capture?"
The man asked, feigning confusion.
"Don't play dumb, Apollo. Your lackeys captured my friend and locked him up in your guild, demanding I trade this sword for his release!"
Phiros shouted, his patience worn thin at the guild leader's act.
"Oh, did that really happen?"
Apollo feigned exaggerated shock, then turned to his closest subordinate. The subordinate nodded and left with a few other guild members. Shortly after, Phiros' friend, who played as a thief, was brought out in a battered state.
"Feather!"
Phiros called out loudly, but his friend, who seemed unconscious, did not respond. The sight filled Phiros with rage, and he rushed towards his friend without hesitation, forgetting that they were surrounded by over three hundred Caesar Guild players.
With Phiros making the first move, Apollo signaled his subordinates to begin the attack. Chang Long glanced at her cute pets in human form Hulu and Kitsune, who, without a word, leapt to intercept the guild members charging at Phiros. They swiftly blocked the Caesar Guild players, allowing Phiros to reach his friend unharmed.
"Are you planning to leave your life behind here too, pretty boy?"
Apollo turned to ask Chang Long with a cheerful expression, safely behind his subordinates, as if dealing with a mere handful of enemies did not require him to lift a finger.
"You know what? I'm the one who brought that guy here and told him we were going to destroy your guild,"
Chang Long replied with a mocking smile. The Caesar Guild leader's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, menacing glare.
"Do you really think you can accomplish that with so few people? You don't know your place at all!"
Apollo sneered at Chang Long, his voice dripping with disdain.
"Numbers don't matter to me. Quality is what counts,"
Chang Long responded calmly, her easygoing attitude only further infuriating Apollo, who prided himself on being the most composed.
"Hmph. Listen up, everyone! Whoever takes that guy down, I'll promote you to two ranks and give you a 100,000-coin reward!"
Apollo shouted, pointing directly at Chang Long, who continued to stand there with a calm, slightly provocative expression. The Caesar Guild members, hearing the promise, immediately turned away from Phiros and Chang Long's two pets, rushing to attack Chang Long instead, eager for the double promotion.
"Time to test out the skills of this new class. Ready, Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, Alice-chan?"
Chang Long recalled that she had recently acquired new skills from a profession fusion and decided to try them out. But she did not forget to ask her spirits for their consent first. Judging by their eager and enthusiastic demeanor, they were more than ready for the fight, even without saying a word.
"Alice-chan, you stay in the back, alright? And I hope you'll get your fill of blood,"
Chang Long instructed her lone female spirit, who nodded reluctantly.
"Spirit Realm..."
As soon as Chang Long activated the Spirit Realm skill, a powerful gust of wind surged from her body, strong enough to send even the sturdiest men tumbling. A thick, dark mist rolled in, obscuring the sunlight and casting a gloomy shadow. Within a hundred-meter radius around Chang Long, a bright ring of light flashed and then faded. Then, from the void behind her, the translucent souls of the three spirits returned to tangible forms, appearing for all to see. They emerged with expressions of pure joy and excitement, like prisoners freed from bondage, ready to unleash their fury at any moment. The sight sent shockwaves of fear through the Caesar Guild players.
"What the hell!"
"Where did those three come from!"
"What kind of skill is that!"
The terrified voices of the Caesar Guild members echoed throughout the area, even reaching Apollo, whose face had gone pale. He looked like he was about to flee back into the guild building.
"Hey, Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, if you kill that guy, I'll treat you to a massive feast, all you can eat, no limits,"
Chang Long offered her two spirits, who had regained their physical forms through the Spirit Realm skill, mimicking Apollo's earlier command to his subordinates to kill her for a double promotion.
"Hah, too easy!"
Devi-chan scoffed disdainfully but agreed to the task for the promise of an unlimited feast.
"I'll have sushi and sake,"
Hisa-chan confidently placed his order in advance before swiftly launching himself at Apollo. With minimal hindrance, he quickly closed in on Apollo. Having already regained a physical form twice before, he was beginning to get used to moving like a human again. Devi-chan, not to be outdone, hurried to follow, fearing that Hisa-chan might steal all the glory. However, because he had not moved like a human in such a long time since leaving the Land of the Dead, he stumbled and face-planted once before quickly recovering, pretending nothing had happened, and sprinting after Hisa-chan.
Phiros, Feather, Kitsune, and Hulu managed to regroup with Chang Long without much difficulty. Meanwhile, Kimhant had disappeared to find a good spot to snap some pictures with unbridled enthusiasm. Phiros and Feather glanced at Chang Long with a mix of awe and apprehension, realizing how fortunate they were to be on her side. The mere thought of being on the opposite side... was terrifying!
Despite their fear of Chang Long's strange abilities, the Caesar Guild players still had their pride as warriors. They launched attacks at Chang Long, hoping to break her concentration and disrupt the skill. The battle became intense, and Chang Long quickly noticed that whenever she moved, the mana sustaining the skill would rapidly deplete, forcing her to remain perfectly still.
Alice-chan, meanwhile, seemed to be enjoying herself, teasing the male players—oddly, all the Caesar Guild members were men—and then slaughtering them to drink their blood with glee beside Chang Long. The sight of Alice-chan licking her lips, smeared with fresh, bright red blood, with a look of pure satisfaction, only amplified the horror among the male players.
"Whoa!"
Chang Long exclaimed as she narrowly dodged a player who was flung her way, avoiding him by a hair's breadth. The mana that had been steadily decreasing by one unit per second suddenly dropped by 500 units, causing Chang Long to quickly return to her stationary position.
Despite the passage of time, Devi-chan and Hisa-chan continued to toy with Apollo, refusing to kill him outright. This gave Apollo a chance to shout orders to his subordinates, directing them to focus their attacks solely on Chang Long. Although Chang Long's group demonstrated considerable combat skill, the Caesar Guild players still held the upper hand in battle tactics, leaving Chang Long's outnumbered party at a disadvantage. Naturally, Chang Long's safety, unable to move, was now hanging by a thread.
"Tch, these guys are really strong. I'll have to call for more reinforcements. Dark Wraiths..."
Chang Long reluctantly used the Dark Wraiths skill from the Eye of Darkness, even though the skill she was already using was consuming a significant amount of mana.
In the empty space before Chang Long, three human-sized whirlwinds—or perhaps slightly taller—suddenly appeared. From these swirling winds, the shapes of something cloaked in tattered, old black robes began to materialize. They had no legs, no faces, only dry, black hands that looked like skin stretched over bone. The wraiths stood silently, awaiting Chang Long's command, their eerie presence causing even more panic among the Caesar Guild players, who were now more terrified than ever.
Chang Long could not help but feel a twinge of fear herself as she observed her wraiths. They were frightening, even in broad daylight. Their raspy breathing echoed with a chilling dread that seeped from every fiber of their being—so much so that even Chang Long's own aura of intimidation paled in comparison. Naturally, no player dared approach her wraiths, so she ordered them to form a protective circle around her, preventing the Caesar Guild players from getting close enough to attack.
"Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, if you don't kill him already, the deal is off!"
Chang Long shouted at the two spirits in frustration, tired of standing still. On top of that, muscle pain was beginning to creep through her body.
"This can't be! I didn't even use Spirit Possession; why are there symptoms?"
Chang Long muttered to herself in alarm.
Fearing they might lose their promised feast, Devi-chan and Hisa-chan quickly finished off Apollo in one swift stroke. The head of the Caesar Guild leader rolled down the steps, coming to a sudden stop as the intense battle abruptly froze. Everyone's eyes followed Apollo's severed head as it tumbled down, their expressions filled with shock. Apollo's eyes remained wide open in surprise, even as his body and head disintegrated into white light, awaiting his next respawn.
"Paul!"
A male player's anguished cry pierced the air as he tiredly collapsed to the ground, tears welling up in his eyes. He watched, unable to believe it, as his guild leader's body faded into white light.
"Paul?"
Chang Long deactivated both of her skills and quickly sipped her black rose tea, repeating the name in confusion. She had not expected the proud guild leader Apollo to allow anyone to call him by such a familiar name.
"Oh, my dear Paul..."
The next words shocked not only Chang Long but also the nearby guild players. They stared at the guild's deputy leader in stunned realization, finally understanding why they had always suspected that the guild leader and his deputy seemed closer than just friends.
"Kill me too. Without Paul, I don't want to live anymore!"
The deputy leader shouted at Chang Long, leaving her speechless at the man's passionate love, despite the fact that in the game, they could simply respawn.
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