The goblin archers exchanged panicked glances as they realized their predicament; they were completely surrounded with no escape. Kitsune stopped and turned to face them with a fierce glare, pointing his flame-forged sword towards them. Then, his figure vanished, replaced by intense flames in the same shape as him.

Shunk!

With a swift strike, the flame sword pierced the chest of one of the goblin archers from behind, causing a severe burn wound that quickly engulfed its body in flames, reducing it to ashes. The remaining archer barely had time to react before it too was impaled and burned to death by the relentless fire.

"Thinking you can match my speed? You're a century too early for that, ha!"

Kitsune boasted with a cool demeanor, regretting only that there were no girls around to swoon over him. He then glanced at his master, who was fighting off eight enemies, and hurried to assist.

"No need, Kitsune! Take that child and escape first. Davy-chan says dozens more reinforcement is coming this way!"

Chang Long shouted urgently before Kitsune could reach her.

"Yes, master!!"

Kitsune hesitated, not wanting to leave Chang Long alone, but after seeing her successfully take down one of the hunter goblins, he felt slightly relieved. He then picked up the child he hid in the bushes and quickly left the Fairy Forest.

Once Kitsune had taken the child to safety, Chang Long immediately dealt with the surrounding goblin beasts. The level of the spirit merged with her was extremely high, (possibly the highest in the game,) causing her body to start aching, though not severely yet. She used her Sea of Flames skill to attack them, but it was not enough to kill due to the dwindling fire in the Eyes of Fire, which Chang Long did not noticed.

Seeing that her enemies were not yet defeated, Chang Long used her mystic gust skill to approach and used her Sovereign Sword to slice through each of their throats, one by one. Then, she hurriedly followed Kitsune out of the Fairy Forest as she heard the sounds of additional goblin reinforcements approaching.

"Player Chang Long and her pet have slained 2 level 35 Archer Goblin Beasts, receiving 3500 experience points,3 level 35 Hunter Goblin Beasts, receiving 5250 experience points,5 level 38 Warrior Goblin Beasts, receiving 9500 experience points, and 1 level 50 Cheiftain Goblin Beast, receiving 2500 experience points and 35,285 coins."

"Player Chang Long has fulfilled the basic requirements for beginner profession. Swift Movement Skill has advanced to level 13...14...17. Her Evasion Skill has advanced to level 20...21. Mystic Gust Skill has advanced to level 8...10. Her Swordsmanship Skill has advanced to level 8."

"How's the child, Kitsune? Has she woken up yet?"

Chang Long asked after they had emerged from the Fairy Forest.

"Not yet master, but I've given her some blood crystals and Rejuvenating crystals. Her complexion is much better now,"

Kitsune replied while Chang Long expelled Davy-chan's spirit from her body.

After Davy-chan's spirit left her body, Chang Long collapsed to the ground in agony as pain shot through her entire body, almost wishing she could end her own life to escape the torment.

"Master! Are you alright!?"

Kitsune asked with concern but could not approach Chang Long due to the child lying in his lap.

"I'm...o...kay,"

Chang Long managed to say through gritted teeth, her face pale with sweat.

"I just need to rest for a bit,"

she said, lying back to relax her muscles as much as possible. She only merged Davy-chan's spirit with her body for just over half an hour, but she was already in so much pain. She wondered how much worse it would have been had it been longer.

Chang Long had barely rested for a moment when she had to dodge a volley of arrows shooting out from the Fairy Forest like rain, with Kitsune carrying the young child closely behind. Once they were out of the arrow's range, they looked back, and what Chang Long saw made her want to faint. A huge swarm of nearly a hundred goblin beasts was standing at the edge of the forest, glaring menacingly at her and Kitsune.

"Why aren't they coming out?"

Chang Long asked, puzzled as not a single goblin stepped out of the forest's boundary.

"I think they're afraid of the sunlight,"

Kitsune suggested after observing the goblins for a while.

"Afraid of sunlight? But it's past noon now. What do we do? It seems like they really want this child. They won't give up until they have her,"

Chang Long said, looking at the young child in Kitsune's arms with concern.

"Do whatever you need to do quickly. It's going to be dark in a few hours,"

Davy-chan warned.

"Then we have no choice. Once it gets dark, they'll definitely come out of the forest and beat us up for sure,"

Chang Long said, clearly frustrated.

"What should we do then?"

Kitsune asked, puzzled.

"Well... we have to head back to the town. There's no other choice,"

"That's a good idea,"

Davy-chan agreed.

Once they all agreed, they immediately set off back to the town, leaving nearly a hundred furious goblin beasts behind. If they delayed any longer until it got dark, they would have been in serious trouble before even making it back to the town. Despite Chang Long's body aching all over, she forced herself to move because she did not want to die a terrible death there.

"I'll try brewing tea with Elder An's recipe once we get to the town,"

Chang Long muttered as she followed Kitsune and Davy-chan.

Whoosh...

A flurry of arrows sliced through the air from behind. Though the sun had not set yet, dozens, perhaps hundreds, of enraged goblins emerged from the Fairy Forest. They chased after Chang Long's group, periodically stopping to shoot arrows at them, making their escape particularly difficult. Fortunately, the town was now in sight, not too far ahead. Unfortunately, other players hunting monsters in the area were killed without realizing what hit them. Those who reacted quickly enough ran towards the town after Chang Long, but none could match the speed of Chang Long and Kitsune.

"Why are they coming out of the forest so soon? It's not even dark yet!"

Chang Long grumbled as she dodged the arrows.

"Complaining won't get us anywhere. Let's hurry into the town!"

Davy-chan said. Among the group of players frantically trying to escape, he was the most relaxed since, being a spirit, he did not need to dodge arrows.

The players following Chang Long were all under level 30, screaming and panicking as they fled for their lives. Since every goblin beast was above level 30, anyone caught was brutally killed, creating a terrifying scene for any player witnessing the event. They all hurried, trying to reach the safety of the town as quickly as possible.

Siegfried was strolling through the town, feeling irritated. He had just been forced by his friends and sister to reveal an embarrassing secret. While walking near the northern city gate, he witnessed a group of players frantically rushing into the town.

"What's happening at the White Stone Field? Why are players running back into the town in groups like that?"

Siegfried wondered aloud before deciding to approach a player who was panting heavily at the town's entrance.

"It's the goblin beasts. They came in hordes, chasing and killing players who were hunting beasts near the White Stone Field. Luckily, my friends and I weren't too far from the town, so we managed to escape safely... Hey! I gotta go, it seems like they're about to invade the town too,"

the player explained before hastily running off to avoid the shower of arrows, disappearing into the town.

Siegfried easily deflected an arrow aimed at him and watched as the other players ran for their lives back into the town. Among the fleeing group, one player, who was significantly ahead of the others, caught his eye.

"Chang Long!!"

Siegfried shouted as he saw Chang Long sprint past. However, she did not stop talking and continued running, leaving Siegfried standing bewildered for a moment before he decided to follow Chang Long and Kitsune.

"A shrine? What's Chang Long doing here?"

Siegfried pondered as he followed them into the shrine, despite seeing the cemetery. Once inside, he saw Chang Long lying on the shrine's floor in pain. A handsome young man in martial artist outfit was gently laying a young girl with light green hair on a futon. An old man who looked like a ghost was approaching Chang Long with something for her to drink.

"Uh... Kitsune,"

Siegfried mustered the courage to address Kitsune, who was adjusting the young girl's sleeping position.

"Oh! Master Siegfried, you're Master's friend, hello,"

 Kitsune greeted with a smile, recognizing his Master's friend.

"What happened? How did you and Chang Long end up fleeing from the goblin beasts with those players?"

Siegfried immediately asked his question, then turned his attention to Chang Long, who was under the old man's care, with concern.

Kitsune narrated the entire incident from beginning to end to Siegfried, omitting Davy-chan's involvement due to Davy-chan's threatening gaze. Siegfried looked at the sleeping girl on the futon, who appeared to be about five years old. She had skin as white as bean sprouts and light green hair resembling freshly sprouted leaves, wearing a pale green dress almost white with leaf patterns.

Boom!!

An explosion resonated throughout the area, followed by the panicked shouts of players. Two young men, two ghosts... no, wait, one ghost and one elderly man resembling a ghost, managed to grasp the situation: goblin beasts were invading the town.

"What's happening!"

Chang Long exclaimed, startled awake. The young girl with green hair also sat up and stared intently at Chang Long without blinking.

"Big sister..."

The little girl whispered softly, drawing everyone's attention.

"Little one, you're awake?"

Chang Long smiled warmly at her. The girl swept her large green eyes over everyone present and then burst into tears upon seeing Elder An.

"Uh... I'll go put some black rose tea in a water bottle for you..."

Elder An said softly with a sad face before walking away.

"It's okay, little one. Elder An is gone now,"

Chang Long comforted the girl, patting her head until she calmed down and looked around cautiously again. Upon not seeing Elder An, she sighed in relief.

"Alright, little one, tell me who you are. What were you doing in that terrifying Fairy Forest, and why are the goblins relentlessly chasing you?"

Chang Long bombarded the green-haired girl with questions. She was sitting on Kitsune's lap to avoid seeing Old Master An, who was seated behind her.

"My name is Sabia. I am the spirit of Fairy Forest. I reborn every 100 years when the previous spirit's lifespan ends. I was weak and unable to fend for myself when I was first born. The goblins know this, so they attack Fairy Forest at this time,"

the girl responded clearly, surprising everyone listening.

"A spirit... Are you a ghost?"

Chang Long asked thoughtfully.

"No, I am not a ghost. I am more of a guardian of the Fairy Forest. I have been well protected by the elves living in the heart of Fairy Forest. They are in trouble now because they are heavily attacked by the goblins. They help protect my Tree of Life, which is currently a sapling and easily destroyed. If the Tree of Life dies, I and the elves will also die, and the forest will fall into darkness. The beasts within will go berserk..."

The girl explained with a solemn face.

"And... how do you want us to help you?"

Chang Long asked, with Siegfried and Kitsune nodding in agreement.

"Kill the Goblin King and take me back to the Tree of Life in the center of Fairy Forest,"

the girl replied with a sly smile.

"Player Chang Long has received the secret quest 'Guardian Spirit.' There is no deadline for the quest. The quest cannot be canceled. You can invite friends to join the mission. The disadvantage of accepting the quest is being targeted by every goblin beast until the mission is completed..."

The system's announcement left Chang Long speechless. Did she just trigger a quest by asking keyword questions?

"Wait a minute! I didn't agree with this at all. That's so unfair!"

Chang Long protested loudly as she was unexpectedly burdened with a high-risk quest by the system.

"What's the matter, Chang Long?"

Siegfried asked curiously.

"I just got saddled with a quest by the system..."

Chang Long replied with a sigh.

"What mission? Can I help in any way?"

Siegfried inquired again, guessing it probably involved the young girl, Sabia.

"It's the quest Sabia just mentioned. I hadn't even agreed to anything yet..."

Chang Long grumbled and went over to Elder An who was pouring black rose tea into her portable water bottle.

Seeing Chang Long walk away, the young green-haired girl began to cry loudly again upon seeing Elder An's ghost-like face, causing Kitsune to comfort her extensively.

...

The members of the Pendragon Guild were in a frenzy searching for their guild leader, as Siegfried had turned off his communication device. Rafael took charge in his stead, ordering the guild members to combat the horde of goblin beasts about to breach the town gates, with Aden, a level 50 new member, and Peach Blossom, now at level 53 after special training with her brother, leading the charge.

"Looks like Peach Blossom got over her obsession with Chang Long pretty quickly,"

Drago whispered to Rafael, watching as Peach Blossom no longer showed signs of her previous infatuation.

"Yeah, I thought she'd be hung up on that for a while, but it's probably for the best... Look, the male players in our guild seem more spirited now that they see that Peach Blossom has moved on from Chang Long,"

Rafael agreed.

Now cheerful and lively again, Peach Blossom was spreading her charm all around, having decided not to take her brother's words about Chang Long at face value until she could verify them herself. Peach Blossom was pretending to have lost interest in Chang Long's affairs, as she waited for the right opportunity.

"Let's go, Peach Blossom,"

Aden called. Nodding, she followed him towards the north gate, now under attack by over a hundred goblin beasts, backed by dozens of high-level guild members ready for battle.

-----

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