"Uh... thank you so much for helping us,"

one of the four unfamiliar players said. Chang Long turned to look at the male player, who appeared to be a knight based on his heavy armor.

"It's nothing,"

Chang Long replied, casually petting Kitsune. Her friendly tone seemed to put the group of strangers at ease.

"Are you here to farm experience in the Purple Forest too?"

The healer asked, sensing that Chang Long was approachable.

"Huh, wait... this place is called the Purple Forest?"

Chang Long's answer left the group momentarily speechless. It was common knowledge for anyone planning to come here, as there was a large sign at the entrance clearly written in bold red letters.

"Are you kidding us?!"

The female mage asked, stunned.

"Nope. I was just lost in thought, and the next thing I knew, I ended up here,"

Chang Long replied nonchalantly.

"But it's quiet here, so I think I'll stay and level up."

"If you're alone, you won't survive. We came with over ten people, and after three days, only four of us are left. If you hadn't helped, we'd all be dead by now,"

the archer said seriously.

"Yeah, this forest is full of undead beasts. Fire magic can hurt them, but light magic works best. Other elemental attacks are pretty much like using low-level weapons against them. To be honest, light magic is hard to learn, and weapons infused with elemental attributes are rare and expensive—especially light attribute ones. We couldn't afford anything like that,"

the knight explained.

"Light element, huh? I don't have the Eye of Light either,"

Chang Long muttered to herself, thinking about the elemental orbs on her Sovereign Sword.

"So, are you going to leave? You said you wandered in here by accident. If you're heading out, could we follow you? We're out of crystals, and if we stay, we're bound to die and lose levels,"

the archer said, clearly frustrated. They had come to the Purple Forest to gain experience, knowing that the beasts here gave more XP than those elsewhere. However, the difficulty of dealing with the beasts is much harder. This made the area unpopular with players, leaving it eerily quiet most of the time.

"Yeah, not many players come here often. If you slip up, death is inevitable—unless you can pull out a teleportation scroll and use it in the dark," the healer added, clearly liking Chang Long's demeanor and hoping they could leave together and get to know her better.

"Not many people come here, huh? Sure, I'll lead you to the exit,"

Chang Long said with a kind smile as she stood up and began walking, leading the group of strangers through the Purple Forest. Everyone hurried to follow her, as the Guiding Flame moved ahead of Chang Long without waiting for anyone to catch up.

As they reached the forest entrance, Chang Long waved goodbye to the group of players. She had finally found the peaceful place she had been looking for, even though she had to tolerate the stares of the beasts in the Purple Forest. At least now, she could accomplish many things without being disturbed by other players, as had been the case before. The female healer was disappointed that Chang Long did not leave the forest with them, but there was not much she could do other than ask for her name.

Chang Long ventured back into the Purple Forest, guided by the floating light that kept the beasts at bay. As she walked, she searched for a suitable spot to meditate again. This time, everything was quiet, though she still felt the sensation of being watched. Kitsune sat calmly beside her in the middle of the abandoned village square, patiently waiting as Chang Long began to focus her mind, preparing to contact Kearick once more.

In the Land of the Dead, the desolate landscape stretched endlessly. Most of the area was barren, covered only by short grass across the island. The sole imposing structure in this forsaken realm was a castle built entirely of pitch-black stone, known as the Castle of Death, the dwelling of the Reaper King who ruled over the Land of the Dead.

Kearick sat gloomily on the topmost balcony of the castle, his gaze drifting over the dark blue sea. Beside him was a matte long black scythe, adorned with black gems along the handle and inscribed with ancient runes across the blade and grip. The young guardian pondered the faint voice he had heard earlier—a distant sound, familiar yet unrecognizable, because it was too soft. As he sat there, deep in thought, the very voice he was hoping to hear again suddenly echoed in his mind.

"…rick… Kearick. Kearick, can you hear me?"

Startled, Kearick looked around anxiously. Ever since his master had returned, the island had been cleansed of all the dead, leaving him as the sole guardian of the Castle of Death.

"Who are you?!"

Kearick shouted. He had not even considered the possibility that the one contacting him might be his master, despite the familiar tone of the voice. The voice fell silent, seemingly startled by his outburst, but soon responded again.

"Are you Kearick?"

The voice asked, sounding more excited than offended.

"I am Kearick. But who are you, and how are you able to use such a high-level skill to contact me?"

Kearick responded, his tone slightly annoyed. The voice had dodged his question and asked one of its own instead.

"Chang Long,"

came the simple reply, yet it left Kearick utterly stunned.

"Chang Long? That name sounds familiar. Have we met before?"

Kearick asked, suddenly feeling foolish. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he began to realize that the person he was communicating with might be someone he definitely should not have yelled at.

"Uhhh-huh…"

Chang Long dragged out her response, sensing that Kearick had finally recognized her voice. She was not angry; in fact, she found the situation amusing. But she kept her tone a little stern, just to make Kearick even more anxious.

"Uh-um... My... My lord, is that you?"

Kearick's voice softened drastically, sounding like a completely different person. His current state was far from dignified. The once fierce and imposing guardian was now clinging to the balcony railing as if afraid the wind might blow him into the sea below.

"Uh-huh, sharp, aren't you? Who else would be contacting you if not me?"

Chang Long replied, keeping her tone firm. If the other three guardians could hear Kearick's voice and see the once-intimidating Head Guardian of the Reaper Guardians in this state, they would surely burst out laughing, forgetting their usual serious demeanor.

"Y-yes, my apologies, My lord. I was rude... How can I be of service?"

Kearick stammered, still unknowingly gripping the balcony railing tightly. Fortunately for him, he was the only one left in the Land of the Dead. If any others were around, they surely would never heed his order ever again.

"I need the key from you,"

Chang Long stated casually, getting straight to the point. Her relaxed tone helped Kearick regain his composure. He finally stood tall again, regaining some of his former presence.

"My lord, have you found all the other guardians already?!"

Kearick asked, his tone now serious but with a hint of excitement he could not hide.

"Yes, I've found Cedric, Murik, and... uh, Henrik. Yeah, Henrik too. I've found them all. Now I just need to locate the Mirror of Truth,"

Chang Long replied, her voice tinged with frustration. She had no clues about where to find the mirror, and even her guardians could not help her with its location.

"I apologize, My lord. I don't know where the mirror is either. But as for the key, just find a large mirror that reflects your full image. Touch it with your blood and call my name. I will bring the key to you immediately."

After the communication ended, Chang Long came out of her meditation and looked around again. She recalled what the group of four players had said:

"Fire magic can harm them, but light magic works best. Other elements are barely effective, like using low-level weapons. Light magic is hard to learn, and weapons with elemental attributes are rare and expensive."

"What does that mean? Fire can hurt them but not kill them? Then how did those players fight using only fire magic? And light magic is the best… how exactly?"

Chang Long pondered over the information. She knew she would not fully understand it without testing it herself. But for now, all she had was fire magic, and she believed that fire should be powerful enough to kill the beasts in the Purple Forest. The key was ensuring the fire was strong enough. From what she had observed, the forest seemed to weaken fire magic's effectiveness compared to using it outside the Purple Forest.

Chang Long continued walking deeper into the forest, with undead beasts resembling zombies watching her every move. The deeper she went, the higher the levels of the beasts, and their appearances became more skeletal. She stopped in a wide clearing where a large pile of wood sat in the center. Judging by its condition, it seemed other players had attempted to light it, hoping it would create a safe zone if ignited.

"Flaming Burst!"

Chang Long wasted no time in trying to set the pile ablaze, as she needed more light to clearly see her surroundings. Kitsune also joined in, breathing fire onto the wood. Minutes passed, but the wood showed no signs of catching fire. Still, neither Chang Long nor Kitsune gave up. Meanwhile, the undead beasts grew increasingly agitated, unsettled by Chang Long's actions. They repeatedly tried to approach her but were unable to withstand the light from her Guiding Flame. Their frustration grew, and they began shrieking and even fleeing in fear.

The smell of smoke soon told Chang Long that her efforts were paying off. A final burst of flame from the Eye of Fire shot toward the smoking woodpile, accompanied by Kitsune's brilliant golden fireball. Slowly, the massive pile ignited, and soon a roaring fire blazed to life, illuminating the clearing as brightly as midday.

"Player Chang Long has successfully lit the Guardian Fire. The entire clearing is now a safe zone,"

the system announcement confirmed what Chang Long had expected. Not only was the Guardian Fire burning brightly, but it also cleared away the dense leaves above, creating a large opening that allowed sunlight to pour through. The sky, with its blue hue and lazily drifting white clouds, became visible above the fire.

Exhausted, Chang Long sat down to catch her breath, as did Kitsune. Lighting the fire had taken considerable time and energy. As she put away her Guiding Flame, she noticed numerous pairs of cloudy white eyes glaring at her from the darkness, filled with resentment. While resting, she contemplated whether the burning Guardian Fire could kill the undead, since normal fire seemed ineffective. But, as always, Chang Long was not one to just theorize—she intended to test it. She picked up a nearby stone and placed it in the flames. Once it was heated to an intense temperature, she used her sword to scoop it up and flung it toward the undead in the shadows.

Thud!

The stone hit something in the dark. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then the flames caught onto the undead's body, quickly consuming it. The unfortunate beast let out a terrible scream before disintegrating into ash. A white soul orb floated into Kitsune, confirming that the creature was dead for good and would not rise again. The method had worked far better than she expected, but there was a catch—the area had very few usable items. Branches would burn to ash too quickly, except for the massive logs used for the Guardian Fire, each as large as four to five people encircling them. There also were not enough stones around. Chang Long realized this solution, though effective, wouldn't be enough to help her level up significantly.

Chang Long sat thinking for a long time before an idea struck her—to imbue the Sovereign Sword with the flames of the Guardian Fire. If she could pull it off, she would not have to exert much effort. She could simply walk into the midst of enemies, swing her sword a couple of times, and send them all to the afterlife with ease.

"I'm a genius,"

Chang Long muttered to herself cheerfully as she placed the Sovereign Sword into the Guardian Fire. Kitsune, however, watched nervously, concerned because the sword was adorned with several elemental orbs, all made of glass, which were not exactly fire-resistant. There was a real chance they could shatter from the intense heat.

The little fox voiced his worries to his master, but she did not seem the least bit concerned. Without a care in the world, she left the sword in the fire, showing no signs of anxiety. After a short while, a faint whistling sound emerged from the Sovereign Sword.

"What's that sound?"

Chang Long asked, peering curiously at the sword still nestled in the flames.

Pop!

A loud explosion startled Chang Long as the Eye of Fire, which had no more flames left inside, cracked first. It split along the blade, fell into the fire, and melted away quickly, much to Chang Long's shock. Before she could react, a second explosion followed—the Eye of Wind burst apart next. This time, it did not just explode; the breaking of the Eye of Wind unleashed the skill stored within it. A large whirlwind began to form, swirling violently as if a massive storm had been unleashed. The fierce wind shook the Guardian Fire itself, as though it might be swept away by the tornado. Chang Long froze, eyes wide with panic, unsure of what to do. Seeing this, Kitsune grabbed her sleeve and dragged her out of the "Tornado Wing" reach. Once she regained her composure, Chang Long scooped Kitsune into her arms and ran away."

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