Game of the World Tree

【 THE ORCS’ SHOCK 】

The annihilation of the four major orc tribes along the border region served as a triumphant opening, officially marking the beginning of the players’ invasion of the Desert of Death.

After leaving behind a team of rune specialists to construct and activate a teleportation array and guard the loot, most of the players belonging to the four major guilds quickly advanced deeper into the desert.

At this moment, the fruits of the first expedition group’s efforts over the past months became evident. After nearly three months of relentless raids and skirmishes, the smaller orc tribes in the central and northern regions of the Death Desert had been completely wiped out.

Those who managed to survive had no choice but to flee, seeking refuge in the larger, more fortified tribes.

Ironically, this very strategy that had once helped them escape the players’ raids had now become their death warrant.

Due to the first expedition’s limited strength, they had not been able to eliminate the medium and large tribes outright. However, through repeated attacks and scouting missions, they had mapped out their exact locations and gathered detailed intelligence on them.

Thus, after crushing the four major tribes on the border, the players swiftly turned their attention to these remaining orc settlements, swarming toward them based on the marked coordinates that the first expedition released to the public.

Due to the harsh environment of the Death Desert, the orcs had no choice but to build their settlements near oases, which were primarily concentrated in the southern and eastern regions.

The south and east, which are rich in oases, are home to numerous tribes and form the core territories of the orcs.

These lands, though still harsh, offer the most viable conditions for settlement. As a result, over 70% of the orc population is concentrated here. Their royal court is also located here but is situated farther south, along the central region.

In contrast, the central and northern areas are desolate, covered in vast stretches of lifeless sand and rocky terrain that offer little sustenance. With fewer orcs inhabiting these lands, the tribes here are generally more smaller and weaker.

The Golden Canopy Tribe, with a population that once peaked at over twenty thousand orcs, was the most powerful settlement in the region. However, even they were not invincible. This tribe, along with the four neighboring tribes that the players had just wiped out, were the only remaining large ones, and their destruction left the entire region vulnerable, shattering what little resistance remained.

Over the next day, the 100,000-strong elven army split into four groups, rampaging through the desert and crushing every mid-sized orc tribe they encountered with overwhelming force.

Whilst mounted on their familiars, the players fully utilized cavalry tactics to unleash an unprecedented blitzkrieg across the region.

Thanks to the elves’ unique adaptation, which granted them night vision, the players advanced nearly a hundred kilometers in a single night. Under the cover of darkness, they launched surprise attacks on unsuspecting orc settlements, cutting down defenders before they could even sound the alarm.

Any orc tribe in their path stood no chance against the tidal wave of elves.

One by one, each of them were destroyed overnight.

If their momentum continued at this pace and there was no interference from the orcs’ main army, Evé estimated that the players would reach Sandstorm City within four or five days.

As the area where the World Tree’s ‘Divine Kingdom’ and the orcs’ main army are stationed, there is no doubt that Sandstorm City will be the site of the final battle that will determine the outcome of this war.

Nevertheless, strategy was one thing—but the players were not machines. Their stamina had limits, and the relentless pace of their advance was beginning to take its toll.

After maintaining the blitzkrieg for an entire day, their momentum began to slow. More and more players started to lag behind, unable to keep up with the relentless march across the unforgiving desert terrain.

The initial 100,000-strong legion army had now dwindled to fewer than 80,000.

Casualties were also mounting.

So far, over 10,000 had already fallen in battle, respawning back in the Elven Forest and currently in the process of returning. Another 30,000 had either voluntarily or involuntarily withdrawn from the front lines. Some stopped to ransack the devastated orc settlements, unable to resist the allure of looting valuable spoils. Others returned to the Elven Forest to transport captured Orcs, seeing an opportunity to profit or contribute in other ways.

Meanwhile, a handful of players had thrown themselves into the charge with such reckless abandon that they lost their bearings entirely. Some wandered aimlessly in the vast desert before realizing they had strayed too far, before ultimately deciding to abandon the campaign altogether.

These lost or straggling players, rather than retracing their steps, simply resigned themselves to wandering freely across the Desert of Death.

Well, this was perfectly normal.

After all, the players weren’t a properly disciplined army.

Actually, the mere fact that they had maintained a blitzkrieg for an entire day and night was already beyond Eve’s initial expectations.

After another half-day of pushing forward, the players finally came to a complete stop.

It couldn’t be helped, as most of them were already exhausted by this point.

Although Elven Kingdom was a game, the players’ real-world bodies still need rest.

Unlike other online games, wherein players could grind for days and nights without sleep as long as they had enough energy in real life, Elven Kingdom made that nearly impossible. Forced marches and prolonged combat inside the game also drained their stamina, and even if they turned off their fatigue in the settings, their real bodies still felt the effects.

Therefore, taking a much-needed rest was essential.

Furthermore, another major reason they had to halt their march was simply that it was already morning back on Earth.

The previous operation had taken place during the night, with players logging in while asleep. But now that the sun had risen, over 70% of the participants which were mostly students and working adults, had to leave for school or work.

Thus, their first offensive had officially ended.

The major guilds ceased large-scale mobilization and settled in the captured orc strongholds to rest and recuperate.

Players who needed to log off did so one after another, while their avatars remained where they were, being looked after by their teammates who chose to stay online.

With the offensive temporarily on hold, the game entered a period of free activity.

The players either rested or replenished their supplies, while some drew arrays on the ground to offer their loot to the Goddess.

Meanwhile, those who still hadn’t had their fill of battle continued raiding nearby orc settlements in smaller groups, following the leadership of various minor guilds.

However, the intensity of these battles was far lower than before. Compared to the overwhelming force of the initial 100,000-strong main offensive, these skirmishes were little more than side engagements.

But Evé, who had once participated in faction wars in other online games that lasted for days and nights during her life on Earth, knew this was far from their limit.

“It seems that for a full-scale war like this, even 100,000 participants are still too few,” she mused. “If our side had more troops, there would still be enough active players to maintain a sizable force, even with some leaving for school or work.”

“Additionally, the number of players who dropped out during the first offensive was quite high. This suggests that while many were driven by enthusiasm, their combat effectiveness plummeted once that initial excitement faded.”

She pondered for a moment.

Still, while acknowledging these shortcomings, Evé wasn’t too concerned about the war’s overall progress.

Because it was currently Friday back on earth and the weekend was approaching.

With the two worlds’ time difference at a 1:4 ratio, the two days of Saturday and Sunday would equate to eight days in Seigües, providing players with ample time to fight to their hearts’ content.

“I should probably issue a new reward to motivate the players for the next offensive. Ideally, it would be best to schedule it for 9 PM Earth time so they can coordinate their schedules more effectively.”

“Hmm… let’s tweak the fatigue settings a bit to improve their combat efficiency.”

“Sigh, suppressing the fatigue of over a hundred thousand players will probably cost me quite a bit of divine power…”

Evé muttered to herself, feeling a twinge of pain at the huge expense she would soon incur.

It was currently 9 PM on earth, which meant three days had passed here in Seigües.

This was still within an acceptable waiting period.

With that thought, Evé quickly channeled her divine power and issued a new system announcement—

【❗】

【The first offensive has concluded. All participating players shall receive the following additional rewards—】

【40 Resurrection Coins, 3,000 Contribution Points, 10,000 Experience Points】

【The next offensive will commence in three days (in-game time)…】

【❗】

【Hidden Questline Triggered: Deep Strike】

【Quest Description: In the first offensive, everyone stood united, advancing as one. In less than a day, we elves secured a foothold in the Desert of Death…】

【Now, it is time to plan the next assault!】

【To claim ultimate victory, we must be like a razor-sharp blade, cutting deep into the enemy territory and strike at the very heart of the orcs!】

【Quest Objective: Lay siege to Sandstorm City in the second offensive】

【Quest Duration: 7 days (timer starts in three days)】

【Quest Reward: 3 Special Prize Lottery Tickets】

【❗】

【Special Mechanics Activated—】

【During the second offensive, all participating players will receive the “Goddess Eve’s Blessing of Vitality” and shall gain access to the “War Contribution System.” For every 500 war points earned, players will receive an additional Special Prize Lottery Ticket.】

【Goddess Eve’s Blessing of Vitality: For seven days, you will not experience fatigue, maintaining peak energy levels at all times. Mana regeneration and healing speed will be increased by 100%.】

【War Contribution System: War points are linked to the legion army a player belongs to and their legion’s battle performance. They are calculated based on participation time, the number of orcs killed or captured, the number of enemy tribes conquered, and will steadily increase over time.】

【Special Prize Lottery Ticket: A unique reward ticket available only during full-scale war campaign. It includes all items from the Lucky Prize Pool and offers a chance to win advancement class slots and lower Silver-rank Legendary-grade Equipment.】

【Give it your all! For the glory of the Goddess and the Elvenkind!】

Over 6,000 Iron-rank players had already reached the max level cap of 40.

However, advancing to the Silver-rank was a daunting threshold since the allotted slots were very limited and rarely became available.

Battle after battle had made the disparity between Silver-ranked players and the rest painfully clear. Even the healing-specialist Archdruid, which was considered to be the weakest among the advanced Silver jobclasses could easily overpower a level 40 Iron-rank Hunter, who were supposed to be their natural counters.

Thus, for those level-capped players, nothing was more enticing than the opportunity to advance to Silver-rank.

So when the new system announcement dropped, excitement swept through the whole playerbase once more.

“Holy crap! You can actually get a class advancement slot?! That’s insane!”

“Aaaaaah! The Silver advancement slot is finally available in the lottery prize pool! I swear, this time I’m gonna get it and become a top-ranked player!”

“This lottery prize pool looks pretty good… but I wonder what the drop rates are like?”

“Meh, I’ve been scammed by gacha mechanics too many times. At least we can grind extra tickets with war points, so it’s a small win for those unlucky players.”

“Wake up, bro. Even if you get 100 tickets, bad luck is still bad luck. Meanwhile, some lucky dude will snag it in just one pull, lol.”

“So true…”

“Enough talk! We have to go all out for the second offensive! I will get that advancement slot no matter what! Oh great Goddess Eve, please bless me!”

“Goddess Eve, bless me!”

The excitement was palpable among those who had yet to advance to Silver-rank, but even those elite players who already got promoted were intrigued.

“Damn… Lower Silver-rank Legendary-grade Equipment?”

“I’ve been waiting forever for a Legendary-grade gear drop since equipment for us Silver-rankers is so hard to come by. But now it turns out you have to win it through a lottery…”

“Hah! Well, time to test our luck I guess!”

“Nobody stop me! When I log in tonight, I’m charging into battle like a one-man army! My forty-meter-long blade is itching for action!”

“Pfft…Oh please Dema bro. You’re just setting yourself up for disappointment. Even if we give you 100 lottery tickets, you’ll probably end up with 100 pairs of apprentice-grade shoes again.”

“Wait, how many pairs of basic white shoes has this guy won already?”

“At least five hundred, by my estimate.”

“Pfft… Bro, I swear the system has it out for you. You should just open a shoe store at this point.”

“S-Shut up!”

“Hahahaha!”

༺⟐༻

The new system quest was like a shot of adrenaline, in which reignited the players’ enthusiasm.

No—more than that, it pushed their anticipation and fighting spirit to a whole new level.

Whether online or offline, every player who saw the announcement felt their excitement build, as if countless ants were crawling under their skin.

They wished they could fast-forward time to 9 PM just to log in and resume the offensive.

In fact, as soon as the announcement went public, the high-ranking members of each major guild had immediately convened emergency meetings to strategize for the next phase of the war.

Although the players’ overall momentum had momentarily slowed, their experience from the first offensive had given them greater confidence for the second.

And along with that, a growing sense of collective pride was taking root across the entire server.

The players were brimming with confidence and anticipation—

But on the orc side, their leadership was in turmoil.

“What did you just say?! The four major tribes on the border have fallen? The northern front has completely collapsed?!”

Hearing the scout’s report, Oracle King Bazaan’s expression twisted in shock and disbelief.

The other high-ranking elders in the royal court’s grand tent were equally stunned.

Their expressions froze in disbelief, their gazes unfocused as if questioning whether they had misheard the report.

“You… say that again for me. So you’re telling me that in just a single night, the entire northern region was wiped out? Are you kidding me!? That region had four major tribes and eleven mid-sized ones! There were at least eighty thousand people there! The elves couldn’t have captured them all in just one day!”

“Not to mention, how many troops could they have even deployed? Do they truly have an army of a hundred thousand?”

Oracle King Bazaan gritted his teeth as he spoke.

The scout, even more terrified after hearing their king’s words, stammered as he answered:

“I-It’s true! Those elves… they’re terrifying! they’re like mad men when they fight, and their speed and coordination…it’s even more frightening than a human army…”

“Not only that, but they also have dragons aiding them! Real, actual dragons—not just those hybrid draconic beasts! And their army… they easily number over a hundred thousand! I swear it’s true, my king! Maybe even more!”

“I… I speak not a single false word I swear! If Your Majesty doesn’t believe me, then please execute me! My homeland has already been trampled under those elves’ iron boots…”

The messenger spoke with grief.

Oracle King Bazaan frowned deeply.

But at that moment, the Chief Shaman suddenly entered the royal tent.

“What he says is true. I have also received a divine oracle from our Divine Father who had witnessed glimpses of the battle.”

As he spoke, the Chief Shaman raised the sacred idol in his hands and began chanting softly. In response, the statue of Uller shone with a brilliant radiance, revealing scenes of the battle—

The elves, their faces twisted with frenzied excitement, tearing through the orc forces with overwhelming might, crushing them as if they were dry twigs…

When the vision ended, the royal tent fell into a deathly silence.

The elders exchanged glances, seeing shock and terror mirrored in each other’s eyes. Even Oracle King Bazaan’s expression was grim.

After a long moment, he let out a heavy sigh and murmured darkly,

“Now I finally understand… why our Divine Father dreads these elves so much…”

“They’re monsters.”

Then, turning to the messenger, he asked,

“Where are the elves now?”

The messenger answered,

“They have halted their advance for now and seem to be resting in a settlement they destroyed. While some of their smaller squads continue raiding nearby settlements, they have ceased any large-scale offensives.”

Hearing the report, Oracle King Bazaan fell into deep thought.

After some contemplation, he declared,

“Send the order! gather the main army! I will take the initiative and show these elves the strength of us orcs!”

But just as he finished issuing the command, the Chief Shaman shook his head and stopped him.

“Your Majesty, you must not.”

“Why not?! The enemy is already at our doorstep!” Bazaan snapped in anger.

“This is the will of our Father.” The Shaman voice carried a deeper meaning.

“Our Divine Father’s will?”

Bazaan’s expression stiffened slightly.

The Chief Shaman nodded.

“Yes.”

“The elves’ true objective is acquiring the World Tree’s divine kingdom within Sandstorm City. That must be their ultimate goal.”

“Rather than gathering our forces to strike at an army riding magical beasts, we should conserve our strength and wait for them to attack Sandstorm City.”

“They have limits—we can already see that from their current actions. Though they took our northern region in just one day, they are clearly fatigued.”

“The vast expanse of the desert will provide us with strategic depth. Time is on our side, Your Majesty. We must wait for them to push further, stretch their supply lines thin, and drain their stamina… only then can we strike back. That is how we take the initiative in winning this war.”

Oracle King Bazaan’s eyes flickered as he listened.

After a brief silence, he gritted his teeth.

“But the elves can set up their teleportation arrays in the regions they’ve conquered! Stretching their supply lines thin means nothing!”

“My King, the central region is our Father’s domain. Here, they will find it far more difficult to disrupt His control over space.”

The Chief Shaman spoke calmly.

“…And what of the other tribes on the frontlines?”

Bazaan’s gaze bore into the Chief Shaman.

The Chief Shaman fell silent for a moment before answering.

“…Someone must hold back the elves and exhaust them.”

Hearing this, Bazaan’s expression grew complicated.

Seeing his hesitation, the Chief Shaman spoke with solemn finality,

“For the sake of our ultimate victory, necessary sacrifices must be made.”

“This… is also the will of our Divine Father.”

Bazaan fell silent.

After a long pause, he sank back onto his throne with a heavy sigh.

“Very well…”

Then, clenching his teeth, he spat,

“When they come here, I will make them pay the price!”

Thus, the royal court ultimately decided to hold their ground and wait for the elves.

And so, three days passed in the span of a heartbeat…

By Earth’s time, it was now 9 PM.

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