Elf Kingdom: Game of the World Tree

Chapter 16: Chapter 16 This is More Than Just a Game (Vote for Recommendation!)

Editor: Henyee Translations

In the blink of an eye, it was already dusk.

In the Elf Forest, ancient trees of various forms towered into the clouds, with interwoven branches, and lush foliage that blocked out the sun.

The golden sunset shone through the leafy canopy like twinkling stars, exuding an elusive tranquility.

A rhythmic chant slowly sounded, and several sturdy vines suddenly shot out from the soil, flying in from all directions to wrap around a towering ancient tree.

Li Mu put down the magic wand in his hand, let out a small sigh of relief, and spoke to the person behind him,

“It’s secured!”

...

“Nice! The Entanglement Technique really comes in handy!”

“Hey, now we don’t have to worry about the tree accidentally falling and crushing someone!”

“Pfft… Dema, you were just unlucky, standing in the wrong spot. Otherwise, why is it always you getting hit?”

“Get lost!”

“Hahaha!”

A few elves in linen armor bickered as they rushed forward together, wielding their wooden knives to start hacking at the base of the ancient tree…

“Honestly, this feels so strange… The Goddess being the World Tree, yet our task is to chop them down…”

“Maybe the Goddess isn’t in good shape, you see even the World Tree has withered.”

“But this forest has no shortage of timber; the Goddess probably doesn’t mind, right?”

“Hardcore Nature God Sect…”

“It’s just a game, don’t take it too seriously.”

“Ugh… I almost forgot this was a game if you hadn’t mentioned it…”

The players chatted as they worked.

They were Li Mu’s teammates.

After completing the first task, Li Mu teamed up with a few players to do daily tasks more efficiently.

Amidst cries of “one, two, three” and hacking sounds, the towering ancient tree shook slightly, then more violently…

“Push together! Quick! One! Two! Three…!”

“It’s breaking! It’s breaking!”

Amid cheers, the massive ancient tree wobbled slightly and finally fell, startling a flock of birds…

Several elves surged forward again with their wooden knives, and flashes of dazzling sword techniques broke up the ancient tree into segments as if they were dedicated lumberjacks.

“This tree is enough for us to complete our tasks, right?”

They wiped their sweat as they spoke.

“It’s more than enough. This tree is huge; I suspect we won’t be able to carry it all in one trip.”

Li Mu said as he and the others lifted the segmented trunk together.

This was already his sixth mission, and after teaming up with several other players, his efficiency had greatly improved.

Without realizing it, Li Mu had played the game for an entire day.

To be precise, he had chopped trees for a whole day.

Glancing at his character card, he smiled,

“After completing this mission, I should reach level 5.”

“Whoa! Master!”

“You’re grinding so hard! It’s only been almost a day, right? In Blue Star time, that’s just three or four hours, and you’re reaching level 5 already?”

“As expected of Brother Mu!”

A few players immediately looked over, full of admiration.

Li smiled sheepishly, his handsome face showing a hint of a smile, explaining,

“It was just luck. After the first mission, I found a sun cedar with light affinity, and Alice gave me 300 experience points directly.”

“Luck King!”

“Is it the gold one at the camp entrance?”

Envy and jealousy surrounded him.

“So nice! Why am I so unlucky? Previously, all my tasks were cleaning the temple, and the experience points were pitifully low. Finally got a task for collecting wood, only to be crushed to death by falling trees several times, resetting all my experience points.”

The elf with the tag “Demacia” above his head, said mournfully.

“Hahahaha, maybe you’re just unlucky! Hahahaha!”

“In some sense, getting crushed by falling trees every time makes you quite the talent.”

“You’re the only one who stripped at launch and even flirted with Alice, you’re the only one in the whole server I look up to.”

“I gotta ask, ‘Demacia,’ what’s your favorability with Alice now?”

Dema checked his system panel, and both his pointy ears drooped. He touched his wild red hair, saying weakly,

“Minus… minus one hundred…”

“Hahahahahaha!”

“You’re killing me hahaha!”

“No wonder you keep getting trash tasks, hahaha…”

“No, I think it’s just his bad luck…”

Amidst the laughter, the self-organized lumberjacking team carried the wood back to the camp under the World Tree.

The camp used to be a stretch of low shrubs, but now the players had cleared a large open area.

Dozens of players in groups of two or three were building homes with felled timber and collected stones.

Although the roughly-shaped wooden houses were simple, they had faintly taken shape; and some faster players had even built a two-story wooden building.

Looking at the composed structures, Dema couldn’t help but marvel,

“Such talent! Building a house in such a short time!”

“It’s because of the skills! To be honest, magic and sword techniques are indeed useful sometimes, and the higher your level, the stronger you are, allowing you to accomplish more…”

Someone explained.

“Of course, the design is crucial too.”

Saying this, he pointed to the center of the construction site, where a tall, pink-haired female elf in a robe stood, holding blueprints of unknown materials, discussing with a few other players. Above her head were the green characters “Cuckoo Bird”:

“See her? That girl named ‘Cuckoo Bird’ is the real pro. Apparently, she’s studying civil engineering in Jinghua, and several of these houses were designed by her. It seems she’s about to reach level 5 just from the construction tasks.”

Li Mu glanced over curiously, discreetly noting the name “Cuckoo Bird.” The other players were astounded,

“Oh my! Not even a day has passed!”

“Yes, and I heard they plan to design an Elf Town with some other players studying urban planning and gardening… and they’ve already received the Goddess’s divine mandate.”

“Wow, what talent!”

“In real life, knowledge changes destiny…”

“This is just too real!”

“Now I see, the real purpose of these tasks is probably to make us build the town, right?”

“Pfft, it really is about reviving the Elf Clan! Even the beginner village has to be built by us beta players.”

“Is the official team really this lazy?”

“It’s called involvement!”

“Honestly, I think tree hollows are more fitting for elves… besides, all this tree chopping doesn’t feel ‘natural’.”

“Maybe there’s a deeper meaning?”

“…”

There was no deeper meaning for Eve, she merely wanted to conserve power and absorb a little life force. After all, preserving her life took precedence over everything else now.

Besides, she wasn’t an idol God but an ancient God who directly controlled the Power of Nature with no strict adherence to divine duties.

Building a beginner village…

Listening to the players’ discussions, Li Mu was thoughtful.

He carried the wood and, with his teammates, went to the center of the camp.

A campfire had been lit at the center, with several elf players gathered around the fire, munching on fruits picked from somewhere, chatting and laughing.

Meanwhile, Natural Saintess Alice stood nearby, busily distributing and settling tasks with the players.

To move comfortably, she had her golden hair tied into a high ponytail; her expression was focused. Her fair face had a few smudges, and the sweat glistened under the firelight, making her look adorable.

The group approached the girl to settle their tasks.

Alice looked up, and upon seeing them, especially Li Mu among them, her eyes lit up a bit,

“Mission completed?”

She had a strong impression of this male elf. Though this Chosen One was frail, he always worked hard and even found a high-quality sun cedar.

Also, he was very polite, completely unlike some rude folks…

Her eyes flickered towards the red-haired individual in the group, and her smile faded, letting out a light hum, while Dema shivered and sheepishly hid behind Li Mu.

It seemed his streaking and flirting antics had left a lasting impression on the girl.

Li Mu coughed, speaking respectfully,

“Miss Alice, we’re here to turn in the mission.”

Alice withdrew her gaze, her eyes brightening upon seeing the timber they carried,

“High-quality pine wood!”

She nodded at them,

“Place it in the timber area; your mission is complete.”

As her words fell, they simultaneously received a system notification, bursting into cheers.

Seeing the 150 points of experience credited, Li Mu rejoiced internally.

He could level up!

After thanking Alice, Li Mu left the task area with the others.

Along the way, a few teammates chattered excitedly,

“Brother Mu, you’re amazing! Why does it seem like Alice treats you so well!”

“Brother Mu, what’s your favorability with Alice!”

Li Mu hesitated slightly before saying,

“Not much, just 20 points.”

Hearing this, the other players exploded.

“Whoa! That’s already high! I only have 2 points!”

“2 points? That’s nothing. I’m at negatives, and that’s after working hard for a long time.”

“Don’t even start, we also have negatives. We’ve done so many tasks, and logically, our favorability should have increased, but Alice has never smiled at us…”

“I’ve heard there are quite a few female players with positive points.”

“The favorability system is so tough…”

“Quit your whining! I’m at minus a hundred and haven’t said a word…”

“That’s your own doing; who told you to mess with her hair?”

“Brother Mu, how did you get your favorability with the Holy Daughter so high? I only gain 1 point per task!”

Li Mu didn’t answer immediately. He walked slowly to a stump, patted his backside, and sat down.

The sky had already turned completely dark, the night sky pure and fathomless, with a galaxy of stars painting a magnificent nightscape, splendid and mysterious…

The bonfire crackled and popped, flickering with flashes of light.

Most of the players gathering materials and wood had stopped, encircling the fire, eating fruits gathered from the forest, laughing and chatting.

There were also small groups of players partying around the fire, singing, dancing, and some even found a way to make bagpipes to play music as an accompaniment.

The whole camp was enveloped in a lively and joyous atmosphere, bustling and cheerful, as if celebrating a festival.

Staring at it all, Li Mu’s eyes blurred slightly.

He picked a purplish-blue berry that he had casually picked on the way and popped it into his mouth.

With a gentle bite, the milky white juice overflowed, sweet with a hint of sourness.

The evening breeze blew through the forest, casting shadows on the bonfire, with the players’ laughter ringing melodically, dreamlike…

*Everything felt like a remote, pure land away from the world.*

He sat quietly on the stump, *entranced as he gazed at everything before him.*

*This feeling was quite peculiar, unlike any other virtual games he had played before. Li Mu felt as though he wasn’t playing a game but attending a fun, large-scale outdoor camping trip in reality.*

*A group of strangers, far away from the hustle and bustle and real-world troubles, coming together here, to complete tasks and share happiness…*

*It all felt like an unreal dream.*

*Yet, this dream was so beautifully unreal.*

Taking a deep breath, Li Mu felt a unprecedented calmness wash over him, as if all his worries had been left behind.

After a moment of silence, he began to explain,

“It might be the sense of immersion.”

“Don’t you all feel like, even though this is a game, it’s also a world?”