Several hours later, Destiny called Siegfried back with some news that surprised him.

"I overheard two male players who just returned to town talking about seeing a grim reaper in a huge cloak on a cliff several kilometers away from the city. I was thinking of checking it out myself,"

Destiny said excitedly. It was clear that this might be a significant clue—perhaps even the hidden location of the elusive Grim Reaper title everyone was searching for.

"Wait, Destiny. I'm coming with you. Where are you? Tell me!"

Siegfried yelled into the phone, panicking. He knew that if Chang Long had summoned the massive grim reaper using her skill, the battle had to have been extremely intense.

"Don't yell, Siegfried. I'm still where Chang Long was earlier. You can see the cliff from here,"

Destiny replied.

"Alright, wait for me. I'm on my way!"

Siegfried said hurriedly before hanging up and running to meet Destiny. Oliang spotted him and quickly followed after.

Siegfried met Destiny near the Nile River, just outside the western edge of Thebes. He urgently pressed Destiny to lead the way, sensing that something terrible might have happened to Chang Long. Although Destiny did not understand Siegfried's rush, he decided not to ask and assumed that things would become clear once they arrived.

Meanwhile, Hulu was struggling with a difficult task—opening the blood crystal jar using his deer-like hooves, which seemed nearly impossible. Frustrated, he considered just stomping on the jar and smashing it.

"Don't you dare. If you stomp on it, you'll crush the crystals too!"

Fluffy Head-chan quickly objected, noticing Hulu lifting his front leg, preparing to stomp on the blood crystal jar.

"Well, what else can we do? Your tiny paws can't open the jar either. Breaking would make shoving the crystals into master's mouth easier!"

Hulu argued. Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, and Alice-chan, being spirits without physical bodies, could not help, as they had no hands to handle objects like humans. Cedric and Murik were also in the same predicament as Chang Long's three ghost companions, so they could only suggest ways to keep Chang Long in a coma for the full twenty minutes.

Thud!

A small sound near Chang Long's still body caught everyone's attention. They turned to see Anya, Chang Long's fairy, in a similar state—soaked in blood and unconscious.

"This isn't good at all. Fluffy Head, pry master's mouth open. I'll stomp on this jar, break it, and stuff the blood crystals into her mouth myself!"

Hulu said in a panicked tone. At this moment, it seemed that Fluffy Head-chan was the only one who could understand Hulu in his rainbow-colored kirin form.

"Fine, but it's Fluffy Head-chan. Go ahead, stomp it. I won't object anymore!"

Fluffy Head-chan replied, walking around Chang Long's head to use his front paws to pry her mouth open, just as Hulu instructed. Before doing so, however, he made sure to wipe his paws clean.

"Really? Hygiene? Now of all times!"

Hulu muttered, before stomping down on the blood crystal jar with some restraint, fearing the crystals inside would shatter completely.

Crunch!

The blood crystal jar shattered, and some of the crystals broke along with it. Hulu did not waste a moment—he quickly grabbed a broken crystal piece with his mouth and shoved it into Chang Long's open mouth, which Fluffy Head-chan had pried open.

"One crystal might not be enough, don't you think?"

Fluffy Head-chan warned as he watched Chang Long's condition, which showed no signs of improvement.

"Yeah, but we have to wait about a minute before giving her the second one. If she wakes from the coma before the time is up, the mission will fail,"

Hulu nodded, glancing over at the still body of Kitsune, lying not far from his master.

Kitsune was not a Sacred Beast with pure blood, and he lacked any sense of pride. He was gentle and kind, always bringing warmth with just his presence. Thinking about how he would no longer hear Kitsune's stern voice stopping him and Fluffy Head-chan from bickering made Hulu feel an indescribable sadness.

"Big Bro, don't worry. Once master wakes up, she'll definitely help you. Master… loves you more than anything…"

"Hey, drop in another crystal, quick, Hulu!"

Fluffy Head-chan urged, snapping Hulu to take his eyes off of Kitsune. Hulu immediately grabbed another piece of broken crystal, bit down on it, and shoved it into Chang Long's mouth as Fluffy Head-chan held it open.

.....

Chang Long understood that when this Soul Fusion mission succeeded, she and the Reaper King would merge into one. The grim reaper skills she had would revert to the skeletal reaper form, as that was merely the appearance of the skills. The grim reaper aura would likely be replaced by a supreme killing intent. However, the cost of merging with the grim reaper was not just staying in a coma for twenty minutes. When she awoke, all of her grim reaper-related skills would be sealed until she found the final Reaper Guardian and opened a portal to return to the Land of the Dead. Once she sat on the throne in the Castle of Death, she would truly become the Reaper King.

"Look at that, you've lasted quite a while. Just five more minutes, and we'll merge completely. I might not be able to speak with you anymore, but you won't be lonely. We'll be one."

"I didn't say I was lonely!"

Chang Long snapped back, anxious about whether she would remain comatose long enough to complete the Soul Fusion. She wondered who had been helping her stay in a coma for so long without letting her die or causing her blood to replenish and bring her out of it too soon.

"Haha, true enough. There are always people around you, so losing me wouldn't make you lonely,"

the Reaper King chuckled softly. Although his words sounded melancholic, his demeanor was calm and untroubled.

"I've got plenty of friends. And if we're the same person, then you've got plenty of friends too."

Chang Long pouted. The countdown had begun—just ten seconds left.

10… 9… 8…

The Reaper King nodded, stepping closer to Chang Long. He raised both hands and locked eyes with her, signaling that she should follow his lead.

7… 6… 5…

Chang Long mimicked the movements of the Reaper King, placing her palms against his. The Reaper King smiled gently at her and spoke.

"You'll feel a little pain."

4… 3… 2…

"Huh!"

Chang Long exclaimed, startled. She had heard this line before, from the Magical Map Reader, Leevalas, and that little pain had nearly killed her last time.

1…

"Player Chang Long has successfully completed the coma mission. Please stand still. The system is initiating the Soul Fusion process between Player Chang Long and the Reaper King…"

As the system's message ended, Chang Long was shocked to see the Reaper King's hand disappearing into hers, as though her body was absorbing his.

The Reaper King continued to smile calmly, as if nothing unusual was happening. However, Chang Long began to feel her bones, veins, muscles, and even her internal organs moving. At first, it was tolerable, with everything shifting slowly, giving her time to adjust. But the more the Reaper King's body merged into hers, the faster everything spun, as if she had been thrown into a high-speed blender.

"Urgh... Blah!"

Chang Long collapsed, dry heaving, before lying flat on the ground, panting heavily as the system announced that the Soul Fusion with the Reaper King was complete.

"Player Chang Long has successfully completed the Soul Fusion with the Reaper King. As a result, you have acquired the profession: Lord of Death. Due to the compatibility with the player's previous Lord of Spirits profession, the King of Death profession has been granted... The Pure Dark Grim Reaper title has been advanced to the title Reaper King. You have received the following King of Death skills: Infernal Reaper Judgment (sealed), Soul Resurrection (sealed), Infernal Demon (sealed), Reaper Soul Harvest (sealed), and Reaper's Baptism (sealed)."

As the system's message ended, everything before Chang Long's eyes disappeared. The world turned into a blank white void, and then it faded into darkness. She could hear a cacophony of voices calling her from all directions. Frustrated, she tried to push herself up and tell them to quiet down, but she found herself unable to move. Her body felt paralyzed, though she thought she should at least be able to open her eyes.

"Mmmm…"

"U... Look, Fluffy Head. Master moved!"

Hulu exclaimed joyfully. It had been over twenty minutes, and he hurriedly shoved more blood crystals and rejuvenated crystals into Chang Long's mouth, almost choking her.

"Hey. Hulu, are you trying to help the master or kill her. If you keep shoving so many crystals in, she'll suffocate!"

Fluffy Head-chan yelled angrily at Hulu. But Hulu ignored him, so Fluffy Head-chan smacked the Sacred Beast on the head with his front paw.

"Ow! What the heck, Fluffy Head! That hurt!"

Hulu shouted back, annoyed. But Fluffy Head-chan acted as if nothing happened and pretended to focus on Chang Long's condition. In retaliation, Hulu gave him a hard kick to the crown of his head with his front hoof.

After that, the brief truce between the two squabbling creatures ended abruptly. They stopped feeding Chang Long blood crystals and turned to bickering with each other. The three senior ghosts could only hold their heads in exasperation, unsure how to break up the fight. But at least Chang Long was out of her coma now. They just needed to wait for her body to fully recover, and she would be able to get up on her own.

While the two rivals were arguing fiercely, a black mist began to envelop Chang Long's body. At first, it was faint and barely visible, but it thickened, completely covering her from view. Within the dense fog, flashes of silver light appeared intermittently, signaling that something was changing within. The two creatures, startled, turned to look but did not approach, as Cedric and Murik explained that it was a natural part of the transformation process following Soul Fusion.

When the silver light faded, the black mist began to move, gradually being absorbed into Chang Long's mouth and nose until it had disappeared completely. Her skin turned as pale as snow, and when she opened her eyes, they had turned cold gray, just like the eyes of the Reaper King. The first thing Chang Long heard as she sat up was:

"Pet in possession: Sacred Flame Fox Kitsune has died, killed by another player. Would Player Chang Long like to resurrect the pet?"

It was the system's voice, only triggering when the player was in a safe state. Moreover, Kitsune's body was still intact, with no missing parts, which was why the system had offered the option to resurrect it. If the body had been damaged, resurrection would not have been possible.

"Yes,"

Chang Long replied firmly.

"Player Chang Long has 24 hours to resurrect the pet. If the time limit is exceeded, the pet's body will disintegrate."

The system's voice faded. Chang Long picked up Anya, who was now looking much better, and sat her on her lap. She then gave the order to move out. She knew that twenty-four hours would not be enough time to retrieve water from the Sacred Water Pond, so she decided to head to the pet supply store to find a way to extend the time, hoping Kitsune would be resurrected and continue adventuring with her, now elevated to a greater status worthy of his achievements.

Chang Long rushed forward as fast as she could, aware that her time online was limited. On her way, she passed three familiar faces. The moment they saw her sprinting past, they immediately turned and ran after her. Siegfried and Destiny struggled to keep up with Chang Long's speed, as their jobs focused more on powerful attacks and high defense rather than agility. Oliang, on the other hand, was a wandering martial artist, a class that specialized in swift movements and strong strikes, so he was able to match Chang Long's speed, who was also using her secret skill, Mystic Gust.

"Chang Long, where are you going in such a hurry?"

Oliang asked, finally catching up and running alongside her.

"Pet supply store..."

Chang Long responded without turning to look at her conversation partner, maintaining her steady pace as she ran forward.

"Why are you in such a rush? Is it something really important?"

Oliang asked, still puzzled. Normally, Chang Long was not the type to act so hurriedly.

"I don't have much time left online, and I need to find out if the pet supply store has anything that can extend the time to resurrect a dead pet,"

Chang Long replied in the same straightforward manner. Oliang was so shocked by the statement that he abruptly stopped running.

"Extend the time to resurrect a pet! Wait, where's Kitsune?"

Oliang muttered to himself. He felt that something about Chang Long had changed, but he had not been paying close enough attention to pinpoint exactly what it was. What was clear, though, was that her tone seemed unusually tense.

"Why did you stop running, Oliang?"

Siegfried and Destiny, who had finally caught up, asked.

"Yeah, do you know why Chang Long's in such a rush?"

Destiny added.

"Chang Long said she's heading to the pet supply store..."

The two men exchanged confused looks, not understanding why someone would be in such a hurry to go to a pet supply store.

"She said she wanted to find out if they have anything that can extend the time for resurrecting a pet..."

Their jaws dropped. Asking about something that could extend the time to resurrect a pet could only mean one thing—one of her pets had died.

"What happened while we were out wandering the market? How could something so serious happen?"

Destiny exclaimed, his voice filled with concern.

"Which... pet of hers died? Do you know?"

Siegfried asked, feeling guilty for leaving Chang Long alone, even though it was not really his fault.

"I'm not sure, but I haven't seen Kitsune. We'd better hurry after her—maybe we can help somehow,"

Oliang suggested. Destiny nodded in agreement, while Siegfried said he would call someone in the city to ask for more information in advance. Oliang and Destiny quickly followed his lead, rushing to catch up with Chang Long.

-----

Read 'Adventure World Online (AWO)' before anyone else with more chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.