Game of the World Tree

Chosen City, Mansion of Moe Moe Committee.

Little Salty Cat reclined on a specially crafted wooden chair, idly swinging her legs as she browsed through various videos on the internet using the system’s built-in browser, pondering which movie to watch for the day.

With summer vacation underway and no one at home to supervise her, Salty Cat spent nearly all her time engrossed playing the game and pausing only to eat meals.

Thus, Salty Cat had practically become a Lazy Cat instead.

As a result, after so many days of playing, she had finally reached level 40, becoming the second player to reach the maximum level besides Boxlunch.

Of course, unlike Boxlunch, who is a hardcore gamer and follows the traditional leveling method, Little Salty Cat’s swift progress was solely achieved through the use of contribution points.

Essentially, she enlisted other players to grind monsters together with her in the underground dungeon, wherein they would kite and chip away at the mobs’ life while she on the other hand, will only deliver the finishing blow and took all the experience for herself.

Wealth begets capriciousness. ¹

Of course, there were rumors that this renowned “real estate tycoon” in the Elven Kingdom had already earned back all the contribution points she spent by selling some of her houses in the Chosen City.

Spending money isn’t a skill per se, but being able to spend and earn it back is what makes it truly remarkable.

After reaching the maximum level and equipping herself with the best legendary golden-class set from the current catalog of the exchange store, Little Salty Cat became even more of a couch potato.

Alas, the method employed by wealthy whales is so effortless yet equally just as dull.

As such, now the only things that can pique her interest are either the main questline that might come at any time or the various entertainment activities organized regularly by players within the game, as well as interacting with the NPCs.

“Ah, I wonder how long Meryer will continue to sleep on the World Tree… It’s become much more boring without him, since I can’t even fly up to the sky to play.”

Little Salty Cat sighed softly in the direction of the World Tree after choosing a movie to watch at random.

All of a sudden, she heard a chiming sound, alerting her to a new message in her chat inbox.

With one hand supporting her chin and the other stirring a cup of homemade milk tea, she lazily brought up the chat interface.

Immediately upon reading the message in the guild chat section, her mood quickly improved, prompting her to enthusiastically leap up from the recliner.

“What? Another round of closed beta? And this time they’re opening fifty thousand application spots?”

“Tsk tsk, it looks like things are about to get livelier now… Well, it’s a good thing ’cause it feels like, lately, there have been fewer people in the city ever since the map got bigger, and nowadays, only the bonfire parties can attract a crowd. Huh, I wonder what new storyline this next update’s gonna bring.”

Little Salty Cat eagerly opened the official website and looked at the newly released update notice for the fourth closed beta, feeling excited.

Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, Salty Cat slapped her thigh and stood up immediately, muttering to herself:

“Right! I should discuss the expansion of the residential district with Sister Hooty! When new players arrive, the houses in the Chosen City will definitely not be sufficient enough. Hehe, we might earn ourselves some considerable contribution points if we plan this properly!”

After finishing her milk tea in one gulp, Little Salty Cat immediately called out to HootyBird while excitedly rushing out of her mansion.

“Sister Hooty! A huge lucrative business is coming!”

Southwestern part of the Elven Forest, within a dense forest:

Several figures surrounded a massive triceratops, moving around it and attacking with fervor.

The monsters body was already stained red with blood, and its speed was also gradually slowing down.

Suddenly, one agile figure executed the skill [Flash] above the triceratops head.

It was Boxlunch.

With a flash of his dagger, he executed [Serial Stab] skill, dealing devastating damage to his opponent.

Accompanied by a deafening cry that echoed through the vicinity, the triceratops succumbed to a sudden, violent strike to its neck. Crimson streams cascaded from the wound, painting the ground in a macabre scene as the massive creature collapsed with a heavy, earth-shaking thud.

“Amazing! Captain, your stabbing speed is getting faster and faster! This is a lower silver-ranked defensive-type monster!”

Watching the fallen monster, Calabash, whose acting as a support looked visibly excited.

Boxlunch nodded slightly and replied, “It’s not dead yet, you finish it off.”

Calabash was slightly stunned, then smiled brightly.

“Thank you, boss!”

It’s a widely known fact that the individual who lands the final blow will gain the highest amount of experience points. Although Boxlunch had already reached the level cap of 40, Calabash had not yet attained the maximum level.

Clearly, Boxlunch was giving him an enjoyable bus ride.

Calabash cheerfully finished off the triceratops, but instead of maximizing the experience points gained, he kept the monster’s body intact.

According to the merchants in Maple Leaf City, the leather of these triceratops is perfect for making armor and can be sold at a good price.

In addition, some players have also found that the meat of this creature is delicious, making it a good choice whether for personal consumption or selling it to other players.

It would be a huge loss if all of it was turned into experience points.

Following the triceratops’s demise, the four members of Boxlunch’s team converged around the fallen creature.

They then began to dissect the carcass with their knives and meticulously separated the valuable resources. Together, they stored the spoils in a communal storage ring they had collectively purchased with their pooled resources.

Meanwhile, Boxlunch stood aside, quietly checking his mini-map.

Their purpose for this exploration wasn’t just to hunt monsters but to also scour the west of the Elven Forest for any ancient ruins.

Quickly, the group packed up the spoils as each member showed a look of satisfaction.

“Captain, what’s our next move?”

The team’s tank, the warrior known as “Optimist,” asked.

Boxlunch furrowed his brow slightly and shook his head.

“We’ll stop our exploration and head back.”

“Are we really gonna stop?”

The others were taken aback.

Boxlunch nodded, saying, “Check the official website.”

Hearing this, his teammates quickly opened the official website of Elven Kingdom and saw the update announcement displayed prominently in bold font.

“They’re actually having a fourth closed beta… and this time, it looks like the update duration is gonna take a whole day!”

Looking at the website’s noticeboard, Calabash appeared slightly surprised.

Now he understood why Boxlunch ordered to halt their exploration.

Drawing from past game updates, players had already learned that in-game time within Elven Kingdom still continued to progress even during updates.

In other words, even during the maintenance wherein all of the players are offline, time within the world of Elven Kingdom will still continue to progress.

Even if the update duration only lasts for ten minutes, forty minutes will pass inside the game.

It was said that this was because the developers used an entirely new game engine that’s totally different from other virtual MMORPGs…

Of course, some people also said that the developers intentionally designed it this way to create a truly immersive world, allowing players to subconsciously ignore that it’s just a game…

In any case, it would be fine if the update duration only took ten minutes, but if it lasted for a day, then Boxlunch and his team staying in the wilderness for the entirety of that duration would be very dangerous.

Since being offline for a whole day also meant that they wouldn’t be able to log in for four in-game days.

Normally, when they conducted remote explorations, they usually took turns going offline to rest, ensuring that at least one person could “stand guard” until they come back but this time, obviously, that wouldn’t work.

“Then let’s head back for now. Since our location has been recorded in the minimap and our storage ring is almost full too, let’s rest and recuperate for the time being. After the update, we’ll go back in this spot while riding our own mounts.”

Optimist sighed regretfully.

The other team members also nodded in agreement.

Maple Leaf Territory, a small border town.

Over a dozen figures clad in hooded cloaks stood in a secluded hut.

They faced a statue of a holy goddess, whilst continuously offering devout prayers.

Through the slits of their hoods, one could see their delicate, fair skin and faintly visible pointed ears.

They were all elves.

Amongst them, a certain male elf with jet-black hair and obsidian eyes, wearing a hood, stood at the back of the group.

Silently, he observed Selena Galewind as she delivered her sermon, her golden locks flowing and her piercing blue eyes holding the crowd’s attention. Concurrently, he meticulously transcribed her words onto paper with a pen.

Yet, if any local inhabitants were to caught a glimpse of what he was writing, they most likely wouldn’t be able to comprehend its contents.

Since it was an entirely series of unknown set of characters, with each letter neatly arranged, with a peculiar beauty.

The person that’s transcribing was Li Mu, who followed Selena back to the Oakhand organization.

During this period, Li Mu had been busy serving as Selena’s personal assistant, participating in the rescue of elven slaves, and the missionary work of the Nature’s Church within the vicinity of Maple Leaf City.

At this moment, he looked at the various notes he had written during this time and fell into deep thought.

“So it turns out that us players can convert NPCs into believers of the goddess by preaching to them…”

“Only the goddess’s believers will have a chance to receive the authority to issue tasks, but alas, most of them are just ordinary white-class NPCs…”

“From what I discovered, any players who can successfully convert someone will also receive contribution points and experience rewards, and the more devout the individual they converted, the higher the rewards will be…”

“Not only that, but if the NPC you convert really has a high favorability towards you, then there’s a good chance they’ll give you better tasks.”

“Moreover, it’s not just elves who can be converted; half-elves are also an option, and there have been successful cases among humans too…”

“Yet, the prime candidates for conversion is still elves, with the half-elves as a close second….as for humans, while there have been successful cases, they mostly involve human NPCs from the Oakhand organization who already lacked faith or only held shallow beliefs in other deities…”

“In short, preaching and converting someone… might also be an alternative viable leveling method!”

“Of course, from my current perspective, the benefits of this method are still subpar compared to grinding in dungeons and clearing field mobs, or even the chance of triggering the main questline…”

As he wrote this, Li Mu let out a sigh of relief.

Having abandoned a hidden quest, he finally gained something.

Not only did he discover new gameplay that lets a player become like a missionary in the game, but he also recorded a large amount of new map data.

He intended to compile all his findings as well as experiences dealing with the Oakhand organization, and create a video to upload online to earn himself some additional income.

Just as he put down his pen, he suddenly saw a notification that says he received a voiced message from Demacia.

Li Mu clicked the play button curiously, and Demacia’s highly recognizable loud voice immediately rang in his ears:

“Brother Mu! Bro! Check the official website! The fourth closed beta is here! This time they’re adding a whopping fifty thousand new players! Shouldn’t we take this opportunity to expand our guild’s strength?”

Li Mu was slightly stunned.

A new round of closed beta?

He quickly opened the official website and indeed saw the new announcement.

“Fifty thousand new people joining all at once… it seems like the quests involving widescale battles will be even livelier in the future!”

As Li Mu’s eyes scanned the announcement, a surge of excitement washed over him.

A new closed beta and the next update, who knows what new gameplay will be added this time around?

He was looking forward to it.

Demacia’s voice message continued, as Li Mu casually tapped on the next message, and Demacia’s voice echoed once more with a hint of mischief.

“Oh and also… I think we can integrate my Amway Trading Company into our guild…Bro lemme tell ya, making money from these NPCs is way too easy! C’mon let’s all make easy money together!”

Li Mu: “…”

Is your MLM organization short of manpower?

A subtle twitch danced at the corner of his mouth, betraying the silent ridicule brewing within his heart.

Demacia had recently struck it rich within Maple Leaf City’s black market and its a fact known to almost everyone on the whole server.

Closing his chat inbox, Li Mu’s desire to return back grew even stronger:

“I’ve been away from the Elven Forest for so long, I think it’s time to finally go back.”

“Little Salty Cat is already level 40, yet I’m still only at level 34…sigh, I’m falling too far behind.”

“With the next update, I’m going to drop this Oakhand Questline and return to Chosen City.”

Taking a deep breath, Li Mu looked out of the window.

The golden sun hung high in the sky, as its warm rays cascaded down upon him, enveloping him in a soft embrace of comfort.

Occasionally, the distant chirping of birds graced the air with their cheerful and lively melodies.

Li Mu sighed.

“Spring is here…”

——————

End of Volume Three

— 333 —

【 FOURTH CLOSED BETA IS HERE 】

¹ 有钱就是这么任性 – A Chinese Phrase that means having wealth can lead to a sense of entitlement or the ability to act without constraint.

— —