Game of the World Tree

【 THE VANGUARDFORCE SETS OUT 】

Southern Dark Mountains, near the outermost boundary of the players’ active map.

A wide, uncontrollable smile spread across Moon Jasmine’s face as she held a piece of dried beast meat while teasing the young blue dragon she had just formed a pact.

“Jasmine, congratulations! I knew you’d be chosen!”

Caesar watched the chubby little dragon frolicking around her, his tone tinged with envy. Though, whether he envied or Jasmine herself or the dragon was pretty unclear.

“I was just lucky,” she replied. “I only got picked this time because chromatic dragons seem to prefer combat players.”

Caesar sighed.

“Dragons really live up to their reputation as a golden race, huh? This one just hatched, and it’s already level 40? I heard Li Mu’s dragon reached Silver-rank in less than a month which was really insane.”

“That’s why they’re so coveted by so many players,” Jasmine said.

But just as they were bonding with the little blue dragon, both of them suddenly felt a shift in their hearts.

They looked up simultaneously, eyes locking onto their system interface.

A flicker of surprise crossed Caesar’s gaze.

“Huh? A system quest? This… is a large-scale war scenario?”

“It’s the Desert of Death storyline quest!” Moon Jasmine exclaimed in excitement.

At that moment, they heard cheers erupting in the distance.

They instinctively turned toward the source of the commotion, which was a gathering of veteran players who had been waiting at the edge of the Dark Mountains for the event to activate, just like them.

As they watched, many players hastily gathered their gear, their excitement spilling over like huskies let loose after being cooped up for too long. With shouts and laughter, they bolted toward the map’s boundary.

But this time, the once-impassable “invisible wall” was finally gone.

Cheers rang out as the surrounding players surged forward, crossing over into the newly accessible terrain, the final stretch of road leading from the Dark Mountains to the Desert of Death.

Some players disappeared from sight in an instant.

“The new map has been opened,” Jasmine murmured.

“Too bad… Only level 40 players can take part in the first phase of the questline. I’m still a bit short,” Caesar said with a wry smile.

“Don’t worry,” Moon Jasmine reassured him. “According to the quest description, it says the second phase’s level requirement starts at level 30. Just level up quickly, hit 40, and we’ll team up for the next part.”

“Guess that’s my only option.”

Caesar sighed.

His main class was Priest, and without storyline quests, grinding mobs wasn’t the most efficient way for him to level up, as preaching in the Ouros demi-realm was actually faster.

As they spoke, another wave of cheers erupted from the players around them.

The ground trembled slightly while a cloud of dust rose in the distance, before a force of over a hundred players charged into the newly opened map.

Their classes varied, but everyone in this group was above level 40, clad in dazzling equipment that shimmered under the sunlight as they rode an array of magical beasts.

At the forefront was an elven Silver-rank warrior, his silver-plated armor reflecting a cold brilliance. He sat atop a green dragon, its emerald scales gleaming as it exhaled wisps of mist, eyes surveying the land with an air of dominance.

Behind him, a player was holding a towering banner emblazoned with a two-headed black eagle, its wings spread wide in a symbol of conquest. The fabric rippled in the wind, marking the group’s allegiance for all to see.

“That flag… It’s First Legion’s vanguard team,” Jasmine noted.

During the War Underground, some large guilds had begun designing unique legion banners for their members and soon enough, others have followed suit.

The two-headed eagle belonged to First Legion, which was one of the four major guilds.

Caesar nodded.

He had seen plenty of guild banners here in the area while waiting. For instance, Autobots’ cube insignia, Heart of Nature’s iris flag, and Moe Moe Committee’s black dragon emblem, to name a few.

“So… are you also going solo this time?” Caesar asked.

“No,” Jasmine shook her head. “Heart of Nature reached out and invited me to join their vanguard team.”

“Heart of Nature, huh…” Caesar mused.

“Look, they’re coming,” Jasmine said, nodding in another direction.

Following her gaze, Caesar spotted several well-known veteran players.

A druid clad in Silver-tier robes, Li Mu, was mounted on a bronze dragon, with Demacia at his side astride a towering mountain bear. The latter was carrying an iris banner, his signature explosive red afro making him instantly recognizable.

Meanwhile, positioned slightly behind the two, was a rare female Silver-rank Priest, Dong Dong, who was also riding a bronze dragon.

Beside her, laughing and chatting, was the Archdruid, Meng Zhihan, mounted on a copper dragon.

Behind them, over a hundred players rode in precise formation, their movements disciplined and coordinated. Most were members of Heart of Nature, each at level 40, their ranks bolstered by a handful of invited independent players like Jasmine, who had earned a place among them.

This was Heart of Nature’s vanguard team, the game’s largest guild’s elite force.

Fully armed and mounted on magical beasts, they radiated an overwhelming presence.

Caesar couldn’t help but let out a sigh of admiration.

“So impressive…It really makes me want to join you guys,”

“Then you better level up fast,” Moon Jasmine teased with a smile.

“I’m leaving now.”

She waved at Caesar before rising gracefully to her feet and tossing a piece of dried meat to her blue dragon, which snapped it up in one bite. The dragon then lowered itself, waiting for Moon Jasmine to climb on.

“Good luck!” Caesar called after her.

Jasmine nodded.

“I’ll bring you back some souvenirs from the Desert of Death.”

With that, she patted the dragon’s back. It let out a low howl, picked up speed, and soon merged with Heart of Nature’s vanguard team.

Following the First Legion, Heart of Nature’s vanguard team also advanced into the newly unlocked map, their banners fluttering in the wind as they rode forward.

However, instead of following the First Legion’s route, they veered onto a different path, galloping off in another direction.

Caesar watched them slowly disappear into the distance, his face full of envy. Only when their figures were completely out of sight did he tilt his head slightly.

“…Wait, what does she mean by souvenirs from the Desert of Death?”

༺⟐༻

City of Florence, Elven Forest.

After returning to the real world from the virtual space, both the black dragon Meryer and the red dragon Tiberia once again found themselves reluctantly assisting the casual players in repairing the city’s damaged buildings

However, they hadn’t been working for long when a clear, excited voice suddenly rang out, cutting through the sounds of construction and catching their attention.

“Hey, Meryer! Drop what you’re doing and come with me to the Desert of Death. It’ll be fun!”

It was Little Salty Cat.

Meryer loosened his grip on the stone he had been holding before turning to look at the approaching, enthusiastic girl.

“Oh, the quest event is finally starting?”

“Mhm! Hurry up, the guild is waiting for us!”

Little Salty Cat nodded eagerly.

“Ahem…I want to but look, I still have lots of repairs to do,” Meryer coughed lightly, his tail swaying behind him.

“Tch! Like I don’t know what you’re thinking. If you don’t wanna do it, then don’t! Just leave it to the newbies—now come on!” Little Salty Cat rolled her eyes and yanked hard on the black dragon’s tail.

“Alright, alright! I’m coming!” Meryer quickly relented.

Then, turning to Tiberia, the black dragon coaxed, “So? You also wanna join in?”

Tiberia blinked.

“Join in? Join what?”

“For a battle in the Desert of Death!”

Little Salty Cat grinned.

A…battle?

Tiberia’s eyes lit up.

She glanced at Meryer, then at the unfinished repairs, hesitating for just a moment.

But before she could think too much, Little Salty Cat waved a hand dismissively.

“Forget about that! As long as you, Lady Tiberia, help out with Moe Moe’s actions in the Desert—uh, mostly taking down enemies—then my guild will handle all the repairs!”

“Deal!”

Tiberia agreed instantly.

Hmm… Assisting the Chosen Ones was part of her contract with Lady Zero anyway.

Besides, she was also genuinely curious about how those Chosen Ones had accumulated such a strong killing intent.

And what was this “infinite resurrection” that Meryer kept talking about?

Maybe by participating in this, she’d finally get some answers this time.

Of course, that wasn’t the real reason she wanted to go.

It definitely wasn’t just because she wanted to fight.

…Probably.

Still, what did “taking down enemies” mean?

She tilted her head in confusion.

Little Salty Cat dragged Meryer along while also successfully “persuaded” Tiberia to join in as well.

Then, under the envious and awestruck gazes of the surrounding players, she climbed onto Meryer’s back as the black dragon soared into the sky, leaving Florence City behind.

“Hurry up! Head for Rivendell!”

“Huh? Aren’t we going to the Desert of Death?”

“It’s hundreds of kilometers away! HootyBird just set up a teleportation array at the Dark Mountains’ border with help from the other guilds, so we’ll use that to save time instead. Oh, and don’t forget to transform when we get there! We’re only doing recon and ambush at this time, and you guys stick out way too much.”

“Oh, oh…wait, transform?”

“Yeah, turn into your human forms.”

“…Oh.”

Their voices gradually faded into the distance, carried away by the wind.

— 492 —

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