"Hmph! If our levels hadn't dropped..."

Lost Martial Artist said bitterly, clutching his injured arm and retreating slightly.

"Stay still. I'm not a healer, you know. I can't just make wounds disappear instantly,"

Rose scolded, panicked. She could not believe that the person who had previously escaped by having a Beast King chase them could possess such skill.

"Tch! The sparrow hasn't even started drinking,"

Chang Long sneered, making the Lost Martial Artist fume with anger.

"If you dare, let's fight one-on-one!"

Lost Martial Artist shouted angrily at Chang Long.

"I attacked you alone just now,"

Chang Long replied coldly.

"Yes! I and Master Siegfried haven't even done anything yet,"

Kitsune shouted indignantly. He and Siegfried had not even lifted a finger, yet these people accused his master of ganging up on them.

"Not you guys, that guy!"

Merlin's Top Protege pointed to the grim reaper standing calmly behind Chang Long.

"This is one of my skills, so his attacks are my attacks,"

Chang Long said, glancing back at the reaper before turning to address Merlin's Top Protege, whose face had turned pale with shock.

"W... what kind of skill is that, summoning a person... or whatever that is to fight for you? Stop spewing hot air!"

Rose shouted angrily, thinking Chang Long was lying.

"Believe what you want, but I won't explain further. Prepare yourselves!"

Chang Long finished speaking and launched another attack. This time, Boron intercepted her blow, giving his recovering comrades a moment of relief.

Kitsune did not care about any battle rules anymore. He lunged at Lost Martial Artist, considering the group had ganged up first. Siegfried turned to face Merlin's Top Protege and Rose, who were ready for him.

"You'll regret this, Siegfried of Pendragon. Your guild will suffer for this!"

Merlin's Top Protege threatened.

"My guild may be smaller, but our levels are not low, and we are united. I don't believe we can't beat you..."

Siegfried replied calmly, unshaken by the threat.

"Suit yourself!"

Merlin's Top Protege retorted, conjuring a fireball and hurling it at Siegfried. Meanwhile, Rose activated all her support skills to boost her group's stats, allowing them to fight on equal footing with Chang Long's group despite being out-leveled. The Black Horse Guild members were highly skilled fighters, while Chang Long's combat experience was only moderate, having played the game for just two days in real life.

Crash!

Chang Long sent Boron flying into a nearby building, causing onlookers to scatter to avoid the chaos. Boron struggled to his feet, looking at Chang Long in disbelief. How could such a slender figure possess so much strength, even with the help of the entity she claimed was a skill?

Kitsune and the Lost Martial Artist were locked in a battle of speed. Spectators' eyes blurred, unable to keep up with their rapid movements. Lost Martial Artist was stunned by Kitsune. He could not believe that Kitsune's speed was so fast that his eyes often could not catch up as his attacks missed several times.

"How is he so fast? Faster than the NPC who taught me light step!"

Lost Martial Artist exclaimed in astonishment, unable to believe someone could move faster than his NPC mentor.

"You were just too slow!"

Kitsune retorted, even from a distance, he could hear Lost Martial Artist's complaints. He widened his eyes, looking at Kitsune as if he were a ghost.

"Arghhh!"

Lost Martial Artist screamed as his body was flung far away, deep claw marks from Kitsune's attack covering his body. His comrades looked on in shock. They had never seen him so thoroughly bested. In the past, few players could match his speed, except for the leader of the Black Horse Guild and his mentor.

"What the hell are you!"

Lost Martial Artist cursed while trying to fend off Kitsune's relentless attacks. Sustaining many injuries and losing his composure, making defense difficult and counterattacks nearly impossible.

"A Sacred Fox,"

Kitsune declared proudly, his long, slit eyes glaring at Lost Martial Artist as he delivered a claw strike engulfed in golden flame with full force.

"What... what is that!"

Rose's voice trembled as she watched Lost Martial Artist hit the ground, rolling several times before lying motionless in a pool of blood. Thankfully, his soul did not leave his body. She moved to help him, but Kitsune was quicker, reaching the fallen Lost Martial Artist in a flash.

"Good dodge... but this is the end for you, thief,"

Kitsune said softly, plunging his sharp claws into Lost Martial Artist's chest, who was drawing his last breaths without mercy, causing his spirit to shoot up into the sky.

"Lost Martial Artist!"

Rose and Merlin's Top Protege screamed for their fallen comrade who could not hear them anymore, tears streaming down Rose's cheeks. Never before had they suffered such a humiliating defeat in this game. How could a few unknown players push them to such desperation?

"That's unfortunate..."

Chang Long remarked coldly to Boron, the silent knight who was staring at Lost Martial Artist's departure in shock. Rage boiled within Boron, making him want to kill.

"Red Crusader Sword!"

Boron activated his knight skill in a fit of anger. His body glowed red, and a crimson sword beam shot towards Chang Long. She looked at Boron with icy disdain. Did he think she would just stand there and let him attack her? She activated her own skill in response.

"Reaper Possession,"

Chang Long called out and pointed at Boron who was dashing in to attack her. The Reaper behind her grinned chillingly with pleasure and vanished into Boron's body with blinding speed.

"Ah. Urgh!"

Boron cried out in shock as his body froze, no longer under his control despite his desperate efforts that made veins bulge up all over his body.

"You're lucky. The Reaper himself will guide you to hell,"

Chang Long said with a cold smile, not even watching the Reaper's work as she turned to observe Siegfried's battle, where he seemed to be tormenting his opponent cruelly.

"Arghhh!"

Boron's massive sword fell from his grip as excruciating pain erupted in his forehead. He clutched his head, screaming as the agony intensified. Spectators looked on in confusion, unsure what was happening but too afraid to intervene, backing away dozens of meters to watch from a safer distance.

Boron's head slowly split apart as the Reaper's sharp scythe sliced through from the inside, spraying crimson blood like light rain. Many players turned away, unable to bear the gruesome sight. Boron's screams finally ceased, leaving only a large pool of blood behind.

Merlin's Top Protege and Rose could hardly believe their group had been so utterly defeated, and to make matters worse, the spectators were cheering for Siegfried. They wanted to disappear, but all they could do was delay their inevitable demise. Siegfried of the Pendragon Guild was truly formidable. They had underestimated him, thinking he was merely the leader of a small guild.

"Finish up and follow me. I'm taking Hulu somewhere quiet for its evolution. The system's repeated notifications are giving me a headache..."

Chang Long said softly so only Siegfried could hear, then disappeared into the Samurai Cemetery. Kitsune, receiving a telepathic command from Chang Long to stay and assist Siegfried, continued watching the fight.

Seeing Chang Long leave, Siegfried knew it was time to end the fight decisively. Merlin's Top Protege, recognizing the look in Siegfried's eyes, realized he would not escape another level drop. Rose, understanding as well, knew she could not do much; her attack power was minimal, and her defense was weak, leaving her unable to help Merlin's Top Protege.

"I'm sorry, but it's time for you to die,"

Siegfried told Merlin's Top Protege, who glared at him with resentment. Despite all his fruitless efforts to injure Siegfried, he had become nothing more than a helpless child before Siegfried.

"Wait! P... please, let us go! I heard Siegfried of the Pendragon Guild is kind and generous. Two of my friends have already been killed, and another is gravely injured. Isn't this enough!"

Rose pleaded, stepping between Siegfried and Merlin's Top Protege. Siegfried, momentarily softening, began to reconsider.

"...Fine, but let me warn you. Extorting other players like this makes you no different from thieves. Stop it, or you might not be so lucky next time,"

Siegfried warned before sheathing his sword and walking away. He followed Chang Long into Samurai Cemetery without paying any more attention to the two.

"You fool, ah!"

Merlin's Top Protege sneered and quickly cast a large iceball spell at Siegfried. The cool air of Kirisakura helped the ice form quickly, but he seemingly forgot about Kitsune. Seeing what Merlin's Top Protege was trying to do, Kitsune lunged, piercing his heart with his claws mercilessly, turning him into white light that shot up into the sky.

"And you? Will you try the same?"

Kitsune coldly asked the trembling Rose, who shook her head fearfully, trembling. Seeing she had no fight left, Kitsune joined Siegfried, and they both headed into the Samurai Cemetery.

Chang Long walked deeper into the cemetery, followed closely by Kimhant and Hulu. The further they went, the thicker the mist became. Kimhant, terrified of ghosts like Oliang and Lidded Wet Trash Can, hurried to stay as close to Chang Long as possible. When they reached the densest part of the mist, Chang Long had Hulu stay put, placing small elemental gems for it to consume.

"Sacred, Beast Rainbow Kirin of pure bloodline Hulu has reached threshold for the evolution stage 1. Player Chang Long, do you wish to commence the evolution?"

The system voice echoed in her head for the umpteenth time, and this time she agreed without hesitation.

As soon as she initiated the evolution, Hulu began to show signs of distress. It cried out painfully, shaking and glowing with a bright rainbow light. Hulu floated into the sky, encased in an ever-expanding rainbow aura. Chang Long and Kimhant watched in awe, joined shortly by Siegfried and Kitsune.

"I didn't want to draw attention..."

Chang Long muttered, hoping no other players had noticed this phenomenon. The mist around and in Kirisakura had thickened since she left Seiryu Castle.

"What are you doing!"

Chang Long asked, noticing Kimhant taking photos.

"I'm just documenting it. If any reporter players see and make news of it, we'll have our own story ready to share. Don't worry, it won't cause you any trouble, Master!"

Kimhant assured.

"Alright, but you have to show me the original before it gets published," Chang Long said, then turned her attention back to Hulu's evolution. Even if it did not make the news, it could still be a photo in his travel journal.

The rainbow light ball in the sky gradually faded, transforming into a beam that extended down to the ground. Hulu's slightly changed form floated down along the beam. Once on the ground, it resumed eating elemental gems as if nothing had happened. Chang Long noticed that Hulu had grown larger and now had a shimmering white horn, like a pearl, protruding from the middle of its forehead.

"The pureblooded Sacred Beast, Rainbow Kirin Hulu, has successfully completed its evolution, receiving the Sky Soaring Kirin skill," the system announced, informing Chang Long of Hulu's new skill.

"Sky Soaring Kirin?"

Chang Long repeated softly, looking at Hulu in disbelief. It now resembled a scaly unicorn.

"Hulu has grown so big. I can't carry it anymore, Master!"

Kimhant said, his voice tinged with sadness. He had grown accustomed to carrying it and felt a pang of sorrow seeing it too big to hold.

"Good! Now you can spend more time improving your own combat skills,"

Chang Long replied with a smile, making Kimhant's eyes widen. He had not expected Chang Long to push him to fight again so soon.

"Master,"

Kitsune called out, seeing Chang Long talking to Kimhant. He looked at Hulu curiously. During the rainbow light show in the sky, the thick fog and twilight had obscured its view.

"Is! Is that Hulu, Chang Long?"

Siegfried asked, pointing at the now unicorn-like Rainbow Kirin.

"Yes, that's its form after the first evolution,"

Chang Long nodded.

"If it's this big after the first stage, won't it turn into a horse by the second stage?"

Kimhant asked, noting that Hulu was now the size of a donkey.

"I don't know. Let's get out of here. I'm hungry,"

Chang Long said, shrugging as she started to lead the way out of the Samurai Cemetery. She quickly turned back to Siegfried and Kitsune, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Which way is the exit?"

-----

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