A white-skinned young man with yellow undertone in a white leather shirt, black leather pants, and a long black coat, wearing a black cowboy hat, walked through the scorching Gobi Desert as if he were in an oven. He frequently took sips of water during his journey.

Fortunately, the desert's monstrous beasts mostly appeared at night, leaving him with only the searing heat and the long, grueling distance to contend with.

"Huff... System ships should offer inter-city travel services. Huff... Making us travel on our own like this is ridiculous. Huff... I'm going to die of exhaustion!"

He muttered as he walked, consulting his map of the Gobi Desert at regular intervals. Desert travel was notoriously disorienting, so he constantly had to check his compass and map. If he followed the right path, he would soon reach an oasis.

"Damn it, off course again!"

He muttered softly, realizing the landmarks on his map did not match his surroundings. He meticulously scanned the area, checking his position on his wristwatch. Seeing that his target was several dozen meters away, he shook his head tiredly.

"I should have rented a system horse. Ugh! But it's ridiculously expensive, and if it died in the desert, I'd be screwed!"

He kept grumbling, though his throat was parched. He refused to drink more water, needing to conserve it until he found the oasis.

"There it is, I'm saved!"

He exclaimed joyfully, nearly crying at the sight of the oasis not far away. He ran toward it, forgetting his earlier fatigue.

The first thing he did upon reaching the small oasis was search for water. He hurried toward the sound of water and, upon finding it, immediately jumped into the crystal-clear pool. He was so overjoyed that he forgot to check for any beasts that might inhabit the oasis or the pool.

After bathing and filling all his bottles, he continued his journey. Finding this oasis indicated he was near the border between Longshan and Persia. The area between these two kingdoms was crawling with sand golems. What was worse, nightfall would bring out sidewinder snakes, giant scorpions, and venomous lizards.

"The sun is setting; I'd better camp on a tree in the oasis for the night. Going out now would be suicidal!"

Seeing the sun dipping low, he decided to spend the night in the oasis rather than risk traveling in the dark. He looked for a shelter in a tree built by previous travelers to avoid the ground-dwelling beasts that would come to drink after sunset.

Upon finding shelter in a tall tree, he climbed up quickly. He could already hear the nocturnal beasts awakening, and they would be ravenous. He placed his backpack beside him, took out a can of food, and the parchment he could not yet open. He was not the only one hungry; the beasts were too.

Opening the can, he started eating while examining the wolf's head symbol on the parchment.

"Wolf's head... there are so many wolves. Why do I have to go to Persia?"

He murmured softly. Though wolves were common on every island, his instincts told him Persia was the key.

"The origin of werewolves is from that region... This is!"

He mused. As he was gathering his scattered thoughts, he noticed an Aramaic symbol on the wolf's forehead, small but unmistakable.

"A zero. If it's written in an ancient language, I might be on the right track. Or maybe it's just a dot. Sighhh!"

He sighed, unsure if he was on the right path. He put the parchment back in his bag and quickly finished his meal, planning to sleep early.

Meanwhile, the Bloodied Angel had been sailing for several hours and faced multiple beast encounters, but they were no challenge for the crew. Draco let Firetail fly freely, initially startling the crew with the sight of one of the game's rare monsters. Firetail had a peculiar habit of breathing fire on people, causing Draco to frequently scold it.

"Stop breathing fire on people randomly, got it! If you do it again, I'll punish you by withholding your food!"

Draco scolded Firetail. The creature nodded in understanding, but as soon as Draco turned away, it still sneezed a small flame at one of the crew members.

Even though the flames were small, the ship was made of wood, and no one wanted to risk a fire in the middle of the sea. So, the crew prepared buckets of water, ready to douse anyone Firetail targeted. As a result, every crew member was soaked, including the captain and the vice-captain of the Bloodied Angel.

"Firetail!"

Draco shouted in exasperation. The creature whimpered and slunk to the side of the ship, comforted by Siegfried's Lycan, which no one dared approach.

"I can't believe it keeps breathing fire randomly on everyone like this!"

Draco complained to Oliang. He could not understand Firetail's behavior. Was this some sort of dragon play?

"Probably because you had it breathe fire on Can that one time. It must have thought it was a good thing since we all laughed,"

Oliang mused.

"Oh no! Is it my fault Firetail got the wrong idea?"

Draco shook his head, watching Firetail quickly recover from its sadness and start chatting with Lycan.

"Oliang!"

Chang Long called out as she approached, the only dry person on the ship, carrying Kitsune in her small fox form.

"What's up, Chang Long?"

Oliang replied with a cheerful smile.

"Kitsune told me that the Dark Horse Guild was searching the port for a drunken old man who gives out the treasure map quest for the Pirate King's treasure,"

Chang Long reported, causing the others she had gathered to look tense.

"Really?"

Captain Columbus asked, excitement in his voice.

"Yes, it seems the old man disappeared before they could get the quest, which is why they were so frantic,"

Chang Long continued.

"Disappeared? How could that happen? NPCs are usually confined to their designated areas. Whether they're profession change NPCs, profession skill NPCs, or quest giving NPCs, they can't leave their set boundaries!"

Sea Breeze said in surprise.

"There are two possibilities: either he's hiding somewhere very well, or someone already completed the quest,"

Siegfried analyzed, now wearing a spare outfit made of dragon leather since his usual attire was ruined by Lycan.

"Could someone else have found the Pirate King's treasure? I hope they aren't affiliated with any guild, or the competition between guilds will get even more intense,"

Captain Columbus mused, stroking his chin.

"It's not easy to find it. Even with the map, it's not guaranteed you can enter the tomb,"

Kimhant interjected, prompting simultaneous questions from Captain Columbus and Sea Breeze.

"How do you know that?"

"I... I... I'm just guessing. I mean! It's the Pirate King's Tomb with tons of treasure. The game would make it hard to find and full of conditions. Otherwise, anyone could find it easily!"

Kimhant stammered, trying to backtrack under Chang Long's intense gaze.

"That's right. If it were easy to find, people would have discovered the second, third, and fourth tombs by now. So far, only one tomb has been found,"

Captain Columbus agreed. Kimhant, who had almost let something slip, sighed in relief. He had narrowly avoided the Reaper's trip to the underworld.

After exchanging more opinions, Captain Columbus and Sea Breeze excused themselves to give orders to their crew. Meanwhile, Chang Long's friends continued their discussion.

"How's it going learning the skill from that scroll, Chang Long?"

Lidded Wet Trash Can asked, suddenly remembering, making Oliang jump. If Chang Long had not succeeded, she would likely throw him overboard without hesitation.

"Hmm, I haven't tried it yet. I finished learning it just as everyone returned,"

Chang Long replied, recalling how she had followed the scroll's instructions, with Oliang confirming its effectiveness. The images and sounds from the scroll swirled in her head, leaving her dizzy. When they disappeared, the system notified her that she had acquired the first level of the Dimensional Shift skill.

"Show us, please?"

Peach Blossom asked excitedly.

"Yeah, Chang, show us. Rare skills like this should be seen by friends!"

Valentine agreed.

"Should I?"

Chang Long asked, though she was already considering it to see how far she could shift.

"Go for it, Chang Long!"

Jane and Hero cheered. The others nodded eagerly, anticipating a skill usually exclusive to certain NPCs, like the Goddess Veritas.

Chang Long placed Kitsune down and stood still for a moment, focusing before softly calling out the Dimensional Shift skill.

"Huh!"

Everyone gasped as Chang Long vanished for a second and reappeared in the same spot without much change.

"Moved one millimeter, huh?"

Chang Long sighed, rubbing her temples. No one dared to speak, fearing to upset her further.

"W... well, it's only level one. With practice, you'll be able to go farther. It's a divine-level skill, so it's naturally difficult to master!"

Kimhant tried to console her, but Chang Long shot him in a sharp look.

"Does this count as succeeding in learning the skill, Oliang?"

Chang Long asked sternly. Oliang paled and hurriedly answered.

"It's a difficult skill, Chang Long. No one else has learnt it before. You're the first. If you can use it, it means you've learnt it successfully. No! you've mastered it. It's a god-tier skill like the Sovereign Sword. It takes a long time to improve by continuous use."

"Hehe. Your face is as pale as a boiled chicken!"

Wet Trash Can laughed, amused.

"Serves him right!"

Peach Blossom was secretly pleased to see the usually suave Oliang cowering in front of the fierce Reaper, Chang Long.

"Uh-huhhh!"

Chang Long drew out her response as if she understood Oliang's explanation, but she kept her unblinking gaze on him.

"Everyone, beast at 12 o'clock!"

The lookout shouted from the crow's nest. The crew and Chang Long's group quickly turned to where the lookout was pointing.

"A beast...? Isn't that just a rock-covered island?"

Hero squinted, unable to see clearly. He took out an old-fashioned telescope and passed it around to his friends.

"No, that's a fully grown Hookjaw Turtle Beast. Its shell's radius is at least 50 meters,"

Sea Breeze joined the group, preparing to fight if the beast did not clear the way.

Splash!

The sound of water splashing echoed all around. The lookout's eyes widened as he shouted a warning.

"Hookjaw Turtle Beasts everywhere! They've surrounded the ship!"

"This is bad. We have to clear a path for the ship to move forward, or we're doomed!"

Sea Breeze began directing the ship's combat units. Chang Long's group prepared to join the fight as well, drawing their weapons and waiting for the captain's command.

"Focus manpower at the front to clear a path for the ship. Divide forces on the left, right, and rear to fend off their attacks!"

The captain ordered decisively. The combat units moved expertly, lowering four small boats into the water for attack and defense in each direction, then split up as directed by the captain.

Hero and Jane pulled out rifles and took positions at the bow, ready to shoot. The crew, holding their bows, were astonished at the sight of the firearms. It was the first time the Bloodied Angel's crew had seen players use guns in Adventure World Online.

"Captain, we'll help too!"

Chang Long called out to the captain, standing at the helm. She led her friends into the small boats, joining the combat units to attack the beasts blocking the ship's path.

The large Hookjaw Turtle Beasts did not surface their heads. Only the smaller ones, with shells about ten meters in diameter, were visible. Their hooked jaws, resembling sharp fishing hooks, grabbed everything nearby, making it difficult to approach them safely.

Bang!

Hero fired the first shot, making everyone pause to watch. However, the turtle he shot at showed no reaction. His bullet could not penetrate its hard scales. Hero was stunned, unable to believe his eyes. Since he started playing as a sniper, he had never missed a shot.

"Their scales are too tough. We need to hit the same spot repeatedly until the wound opens, then we have a chance to take them down!"

Sea Breeze shouted to his team.

"The shell is out of the question..."

Chang Long muttered. She saw how thick and hard the shells were, just like rocks. However, she also noticed a weak spot: the eyes, which seemed weak and unprotected. She quickly called Hero to relay this information.

"What's up, Chang Long? Found any weak spots?"

Hero answered almost immediately.

"Aim for their eyes, Hero. I'll follow up,"

Chang Long instructed succinctly.

"Got it,"

Hero replied with a smile, pleased. He ended the call and refocused.

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