Game of the World Tree

How come there are so many elves?

As they watched the clusters of long-eared figures emerging from the forests on both sides, the two human mercenary captains instinctively glanced at each other, each seeing a hint of shock in the other’s eyes.

Eternal Lord Above!

Are we hallucinating?

However, their men falling on the outskirts, killed by arrows, assured them that this was certainly not an illusion!

“No! Impossible! The Elven Forest couldn’t possibly have so many elves! Furthermore, the elves I know wouldn’t be this aggressive! They must be impostors!”

Cynthia exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Keynes squinted, then glanced back at the only Silver-ranked mage in their mercenary group.

The Silver-ranked mage, catching the captain’s gaze, instantly understood his underlying meaning and began to chant a spell, casting an appraisal spell towards the approaching elves…

A few moments passed and astonishment flickered across the mage’s face.

“T-They… are indeed elves!”

Keynes took in a sharp breath.

Real elves?

To instantly surround their force of over five thousand mercenaries in just a short span indicates that the enemy clearly outnumbered them!

All these crazy looking guys… are real elves?

These long-eared beings that almost went extinct…since when have they become so common?

Where did all these elves come from anyway?

For a moment, Keynes’s puzzlement outweighed the gravity of being surrounded.

However, he also noticed that although these “elves” outnumbered them, the individual strength of each of these elves was limited as well…

Based on his estimates, most had just low or intermediate Iron-rank strength, with only a few upper Iron-rankers, let alone Silver-rank experts.

With a glint in his eyes, Kaynes quickly shouted, “Their rank strength is weak! Everyone, hold your formation and counterattack! Let’s crush and capture them all! They are a valuable treasures!”

Their captain’s command swept through the group, restoring order among the chaotic mercenaries, as their spirits lifted by his words.

Moreover, the excitement of seeing elves began to spread again among the mercenaries…

After all… these were elves!

And elves practically meant gold and riches!

If they could somehow capture one, then those who succeed in doing so could live lavishly for a lifetime!

And here in this remote location… there’s not just hundreds but thousands of them!

There was no need to consider where these elves came from, just as long as they knew they were real elves!

Although most of them hadn’t personally fought elves, it was quite common knowledge in their line of work that elves, in general, were weaker and averse to violence…

Thus, at this moment, the mercenaries who had fallen to the barrage of arrows were quickly overshadowed by the allure of gold.

Although the charging elves seemed to be ferocious, the mercenaries’ fighting spirit was just as equally high.

The rushing elves’ intense gaze hinted at ferocity, but the mercenaries’ hearts burned with a fierce fighting spirit.

Here on the borderlands, the mercenaries were all hardened desperadoes who thrived on danger and the pursuit of wealth.

Therefore… even though everyone now realized that something was off with these elves, they still became excited.

And soon after, the elves charging at the forefront finally collided with the mercenaries.

In that initial moment of engagement, the mercenaries at the front swiftly changed their expressions.

They felt as if these elves rushing towards them were like immensely powerful beasts, knocking them dizzy and almost causing them to vomit blood…

The elven vanguards charging ahead donned formidable armor, brandishing giant swords and shields adorned with shimmering enchantments. Their faces contorted into wild grins, exuding an aura of madness as they advanced.

They were the players who had chosen the tank warrior jobclass.

Different from the more balanced mercenaries, these elves almost exclusively focused on increasing their toughness especially in close range melee combat.

Though they somewhat lacked the agility and their attack output damage isn’t that particularly high, each individual was as hard as a rock.

Coupled with the various support spells from druid and mage players behind them, the mercenaries were shocked to find that they couldn’t break through the defenses of these elven tanks at all!

These were clearly elves, but more dressed heavily, looking like mountains of flesh. With thunderous steps, they surged into the midst of the mercenaries, leaving chaos in their wake.

They couldn’t defeat the mercenaries, but they didn’t engage in prolonged combat either, mostly just ignoring the attacks landing upob them, whilst laughing madly as they rampaged through the enemy crowd…

They were like tempests, stirring up the meticulously arranged formations of the mercenaries as the enemy’s blades fell upon them, splashing blood, with even some occasional stray arrows being shot by elven archers causing friendly fire.

However, these elven tanks paid no heed to their injuries, showing no pain nor fear and only laughing in joy as they slaughtered through the crowd at the forefront…

This surreal scene stunned the mercenaries.

By the Eternal Lord! Where did these reckless lunatics come from?

Meanwhile, the elves in the rear were invigorated after seeing how the tanks were performing, taking the opportunity to also charge into the enemy formation and engage the mercenaries in melee combat.

These guys… were the real damage dealers!

Their bodies glowed with vibrant energy, each flicker signaling a skill in action. Trailblazing behind the tanks, they surged into the fray, slashing at the mercenaries left dazed by the tank players’ onslaught.

Likewise, the mages and druids stationed in the rear also made their mark, fervently chanting incantations while hurling various spells such as fireballs or torrents of wind into the battlefield following the frontline tanks.

For a moment, clashes of blades flashed everywhere, as battle cries echoed throughout the battlefield whilst spells erupted in rapid succession, each explosion punctuated by the anguished screams of slaughtered mercenaries.

With just a glance, the elves unleashed devastation upon the mercenaries. Some were brutally slain, their bodies torn asunder by the elves’ swords, while others were mangled by their powerful spells. Strangely, the fallen bodies even vanished into ashes, leaving behind an unsettling mystery.

At this moment, the mercenaries finally realized that these peculiar elves were nothing like the peace-loving elves they had encountered or heard about in folklores.

They were truly fighting without fear of death!

That predatory gaze and that bloodthirsty grin were definitely not fake!

These elves… were a bunch of lunatics!

Seeing their formations crumbling almost instantly under the charge of the elves, the expressions of the two mercenary captains changed slightly.

It seemed that the overall strength of these elves exceeded their imagination.

However, even so, the two did not panic.

The number of both sides was simply too large.

In fact, those truly engaged in combat were only those on positioned at the forefront.

Moreover, the individual strength of these elves was not high, and the mercenaries’ side still had their silver-ranked experts who had yet to join the conflict.

The two captains exchanged a glance, nodding in agreement, preparing to command their silver-ranked subordinates to finally join the battle.

However, at this moment, the mercenaries’ formation suddenly erupted in cries of alarm…

On the hillside in the distance, huge boulders burning with flames suddenly flew up.

Amidst the piercing winds and billowing smoke, the boulders soared through the air, tracing an ominous path before slamming into the heart of the mercenaries’ ranks…

With the elves surrounding them, the mercenaries’ already compressed formation became even tighter at this moment.

Facing the descending boulders, they couldn’t dodge at all.

In a deafening eruption, the boulders shattered as it send forth a lethal barrage of flames and debris in its wake, reducing a cluster of mercenaries to mere carnage in an instant.

Even those not directly hit were unluckily ignited by the splattering flames, causing them to scream in agony as well…

As they struggled, they further disrupted the mercenaries’ formation and spread panic.

The two mercenary captains’ expressions shifted noticeably as they observed the imposing contraptions perched upon the hillside.

“Trebuchets!”

But immediately after, the mercenaries heard a sudden barrage of curses from the elves’ side:

“Fuck! Who allowed the use trebuchets!?”

“Idiots, don’t you know trebuchets don’t give EXP?!”

“Damn it… a lot of ’em died too! My experience points and contribution all wasted pointlessly like that!”

“My heart hurts! My heart hurts so much!”

“No trebuchets, okay? Like, seriously, can we please ban the use of these in this battle!?”

Their voices were filled with strong indignation and grievance.

Listening to the elves’ complaints…

For a moment, the mercenaries were left utterly dumbfounded.

— 319 —

【 NO TREBUCHETS ALLOWED 】

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