Game of the World Tree
Chapter 567

Chapter 567

【 THE PLAYER WHO LOVES MAGICAL BEASTS 】

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The golden sun hung high in the sky, with not a single cloud in sight.

Brilliant sunlight streamed through the gaps between the leaves, casting dappled light over the city of Grey Haven, which was nestled among lush forests and blooming flowers.

By now, summer had arrived.

Even in the Elven Forest, renowned for its perpetual spring, the heat under the blazing sun was becoming quite noticeable, especially within the city.

Fortunately, cities in the Elven Forest had always been rich in flourishing plant life, surrounded by dense, leafy woodlands.

Although Grey Haven was a relatively new settlement, it was an elven city blessed by the Goddess of Life. Thanks to this divine blessing, any vegetation planted there would grow rapidly, making the city’s green spaces already fully developed.

The dense foliage enhanced nature’s own cooling mechanisms as photosynthesis absorbed the sunlight, while transpiration released moisture into the air, creating a gentle, refreshing breeze. Nearby flowed the Vymur River, the largest river in the world of Seigües, its crystal-clear waters further tempering the climate.

And where there was water, there was coolness, and Grey Haven thrived in this delicate balance.

As a result, even though the sun’s scorching heat could be felt when gazing up at the sky from ground level, the city’s interior remained pleasantly cool, as if the very air was touched by the goddess’s grace.

In the residential district on the northern side of central Grey Haven, a player named Natsume stood before his newly built elven-style villa, admiring it with great satisfaction.

He was one of the players from the first-beta and a long-standing member of Heart of Nature.

After their guild established this new city, he decisively relocated here in Grey Haven, renting out his old home in the central district of Chosen City to earn some extra contribution points.

Drawing upon his prior experience residing in Chosen City, Natsume had substantially expanded the scale of his new villa.

In truth, it could no longer be described merely as a villa; its grandeur and scale now more closely resembled that of a private estate.

Behind his estate was a sizable garden area that he specifically designed to house his collection of magical beasts.

In fact, this was the main reason he chose to move here.

Natsume played as a Druid-Priest hybrid, with Archdruid as his primary class.

Like many other first-beta veteran, he had already advanced to the Silver-rank several months ago, reaching the peak of lower Silver—Level 50—around the time of Grey Haven’s founding.

He had become a relatively well-known Silver-rank Archdruid across the server.

However, his preferences differed from most other players.

Beyond the usual monster hunting and leveling, his greatest passion was raising magical familiars.

From unicorns and wind wolves to forest grizzly bears…

Many of the rare and powerful magical beasts known to exist in the Elven Kingdom had been collected by him, and they were now kept well-fed and pampered in his private garden.

He even owned a red dragon hatchling, which he had obtained through sheer luck in a lottery draw a few months prior, making him the envy of many.

In fact, his rapid advancement to Silver-rank was closely tied to that little creature.

The red dragon’s thirst for combat was insatiable.

Every couple of days, Natsume had to take it on a walk through the forest, where the hatchling would inevitably pick a fight with another magical beast.

It particularly enjoyed toying with its prey, often leaving opponents half-defeated.

In every case, Natsume would step in to finish the battle.

If he liked the defeated beast and it could be saved, then he would attempt to tame and raise it. If not, he would simply kill and gain it as experience points.

As a result, his collection of magical beasts steadily grew.

Since the red dragon’s rigorous “screening” process ensured that Natsume’s pets were all strong, he much preferred the joy of caring for and playing with them to actually using them in combat.

He had always loved animals.

After encountering a unicorn in the northern region of the Elven Forest, he found the magical familiar system in the game particularly compelling.

While magical beasts in the game were not as intelligent as NPCs, they were far smarter than pets in other games, offering a level of interactivity comparable to animals in the real world.

Moreover, if treated sincerely, they would respond with unwavering loyalty.

Natsume especially enjoyed the feeling of being surrounded affectionately by his magical companions.

Of course, sharing screenshots of his moments with his familiars on the forum and various social media was another of his favorite hobbies.

This unexpectedly earned him a significant number of followers.

He often received questions from other players seeking advice on how to capture or raise magical beasts.

Unfortunately, his “Red Dragon Taming Method” was not something everyone could replicate.

Still, he occasionally helped others catch magical beasts or acted as an intermediary for non-Druid players who wished to bond with them as he was quite skilled in this area.

Due to his love for magical companions, many of his chosen skills were related to beasts, such as [Whisper of Nature] for communicating with all creatures, [Sigh of the Forest] for calming beasts, and [Soul of Healing] for treating injuries.

Thanks to his proficiency in taming and communicating with magical creatures, he compiled his knowledge and experience into a guide and posted it on the game’s official forum. This unexpectedly led to the emergence of a new playstyle within Elven Kingdom, known as the Beastmaster Path.

Admittedly, the way this playstyle evolved diverged somewhat from Natsume’s original intent.

He simply loved magical creatures.

But many players who expanded on the “Beastmaster” style took it in a different direction, raising large numbers of familiars and unleashing them all at once in battle, thereby overwhelming enemies while the player merely stepped in to deal the final blow.

This became known as the “Familiar Mob Rush” strategy.

It was a testament to the immense freedom the game offered. In this virtual world, there is nothing players could not do—only things they had not yet imagined.

After feeding the various magical beasts in his garden, Natsume stretched contentedly.

He glanced at the in-game clock and realized that nearly an hour had passed.

“Raising more and more familiars is taking up more and more of my time. Maybe I should hire a half-elf or an elven NPC to help take care of them…” he muttered to himself.

Hiring NPCs was once considered an unattainable idea by most players.

However, as the player base grew and more individuals began experimenting with life-oriented gameplay, the universal currency of Seigües gradually started to circulate among players.

Although not as practical as contribution points, the universal currency served as the primary medium of exchange between players and NPCs.

Even the natives elves of the Elven Forest, through their interactions with players, began adapting to the practice of using this currency to purchase various goods from Chosen City.

This development would have been unimaginable in the past, as the elves hadn’t used currency in any meaningful way for nearly a thousand years.

Naturally, the currency held by these elves came in the form of “salaries” paid to them by players for services rendered.

It has now been a year since the official launch of Elven Kingdom, with four years having passed in-game. This period was sufficient for players to gain a firm foothold in the game and to deepen their interactions with the native inhabitants of Seigües.

In the early days, the taverns and shops established by players were typically manned by the players themselves. New players in particular were often recruited as free labor by veteran players to earn contribution points.

But now, it has become common practice to hire native elves or half-elves for these tasks.

This shift became especially prominent after a large number of purified-blood half-elves began entering the realm of Seigües from Ouros. These half-elves, having inherited elven traditions and instinctively revering the Chosen Ones, were much better suited than the players for roles such as shopkeeping or serving as attendants.

With the idea of hiring a half-elf NPC to help care for his magical beasts now firmly planted in his mind, Natsume decided to bring it up the next time he met with his guildmaster.

Li Mu was well-connected among many NPCs and would undoubtedly be able to recommend someone skilled and reliable for such a job.

“Actually, I might as well just send him a message now.”

After some thought, Natsume opened his chat interface, located Li Mu’s name, and sent over his request.

Before long, he received a reply from his guild leader:

“No problem. I’ll ask around for you.”

Seeing Li Mu’s response, Natsume sighed in relief.

He then whistled toward the backyard, calling over his little red dragon, which had been teasing a Forest Bear.

“Leylia, come with me to Chosen City.”

“Rua~!”

With a joyful squeal, a large red blur pounced on him and began enthusiastically licking his face.

Natsume: “…”

“Hey, stop licking! It’s sticky—hahaha—it tickles… Hey! Watch where you’re licking! Cut it out! Get off me!”

He spoke in a tone of helpless affection.

After struggling for a while, Natsume finally managed to pry the young dragon off of him.

Staring at the red dragon that now stood upright on two legs while wagging its thick tail, Natsume couldn’t help but wonder if he had raised it wrong or perhaps this dragon had been a dog all along in its previous life.

“Hmm, you’ve gotten heavier again. Dragons grow so fast.”

He patted the dragon affectionately on the head.

Back when Leylia was small, Natsume had needed to bend to reach its head. Now, he could do so effortlessly without bending down.

“I really look forward to the day you grow up to be Meryer’s size. A fully grown red dragon… that’ll be truly majestic.”

Natsume smiled.

“Rua~!”

Leylia raised its head proudly.

Tossing the little one its favorite jerky treat, Natsume climbed onto its back.

“Let’s go. We’ll teleport to Chosen City first, then head to the canopy of the World Tree.”

Recently, Natsume had been making a trip to the World Tree canopy every three days to clean the Supreme Temple of Life, which was located along the tree trunk.

This was part of his High Priest Trial quest.

In player-established cities, priest positions within temples could be officially appointed.

These appointments could be given either to NPCs or to players, but in both cases, certain criteria had to be met.

NPCs had to already possess the priesthood qualification, while players needed to have a high enough reputation and NPC favorability, in addition to completing a trial quest.

Although Natsume wasn’t the highest-level priest in their guild, he maintained an exemplary reputation and possessed exceptional favorability ratings among NPCs compared to other members.

Moreover, apart from catching and raising magical beasts, Natsume rarely wandered around and had long online hours. As a result, following a deliberation and voting among Heart of Nature’s senior leadership, he secured the position of Acting High Priest of Grey Haven by a narrow margin over fellow high-ranking priest Dōngdōng, whose inconsistent login schedule rendered her less suitable for the role.

Of course, this also had to do with Dōngdōng recently becoming obsessed with the newly launched “Shattered Divine Kingdom” dungeon. She firmly believed she would uncover a hidden quest related to the goddess there and thus, along with her best friend, had devoted nearly all her hours online to meticulously exploring every corridor and deciphering each ancient inscription within the ruins.

In any case, Natsume still had to pass the trial.

The trial itself wasn’t particularly difficult as it simply required him to regularly clean the temple on the World Tree trunk and attend the priest training sessions hosted by Saintess Alice. After completing the training, he could officially assume the role.

That being said, compared to most games, it was a rather cumbersome process, complete with exams and all the proper clerical procedures. As a result, it deterred many aspiring priest players from pursuing such a position.

But those who remained? They were true devotees.

Leylia was already very familiar with the route between the two cities.

Effortlessly, the young dragon carried Natsume through the sky. Amidst the envious and jealous gazes of new and veteran players alike, they arrived at the teleportation array and traveled to Chosen City.

While Chosen City had seen a decline in popularity due to the emergence of seven new cities, it remained the most populated location on the server and the center of commerce.

Riding his red dragon once more, Natsume entered a second teleportation portal and arrived at the Supreme Temple of Life on the trunk of the towering World Tree.

He dismounted and tossed another piece of jerky to the red dragon.

“Leylia, I’m going into the temple. Come pick me up in an hour, okay?”

“Rua~!”

Leylia nodded obediently.

“Don’t do anything bad, okay? Don’t mess with other players’ shops especially the barbecue stalls.”

“Rua~!”

The little red dragon hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly nodded.

“And no bullying other players’ magical beasts either.”

“Rua…”

The young creature gave a very human-like pout, seemingly just short of spitting in its partner’s face.

“Be a good dragon and I promise to take you to the Northern District later on.”

Natsume patted the dragon’s head.

“Rua!”

At the mention of the “Northern District,” the little red dragon’s eyes lit up, and with an excited cry, it swayed its hips and took off into the sky.

Watching the dragon depart, Natsume smiled, adjusted the ceremonial priest robe he had just changed into, and stepped into the temple.

The Supreme Temple of Life was vast, especially after its recent expansion, which had taken place following the World Tree’s growth. The expansion had been organized by Alice and other personnel from the Church.

It was during that time that Natsume learned a surprising truth: the original Supreme Temple had never been complete. It was merely a branch temple of the ancient sanctuary that once existed atop the World Tree a thousand years ago.

After the Thousand-year Holy War, the World Tree fell into slumber, and its main body rapidly withered. Even the old Supreme temple upon it collapsed, leaving behind only a single annex.

These secrets had been shared with him by Alice herself.

Although the enlarged temple was more troublesome to clean, with the help of magic and some supporting NPCs, Natsume was still able to complete the task efficiently.

An hour later, his assignment was finished.

After offering prayers before the goddess’s statue and bidding farewell to the NPC priests stationed there, Natsume exited the Temple.

Then, he whistled.

Of course, the whistle was largely symbolic. In truth, it was accompanied by a subconscious signal that traveled through his bond with Leylia to summon the dragon.

However, after he whistled, quite some time passed with no sign of Leylia’s return.

Natsume frowned slightly.

He opened the familiar interface to check Leylia’s status and was somewhat relieved to find her condition was normal.

He tried summoning her again.

Still, the little red dragon did not appear.

Natsume: “…”

“Where did this little rascal run off to now?”

He scratched his head, clearly exasperated.

Leylia was good in every way, except for its inherent mischievous nature, which sometimes manifest in playful antics and sudden disappearances from time to time.

Sighing, Natsume issued several more summons before he finally heard a familiar call from the young dragon:

“Rua!”

It came from above.

Looking up, he saw the crown of the World Tree trembling slightly. Moments later, Leylia emerged from the branches and flew down to meet him.

“Rua~! Rua~!”

The red dragon cried out gleefully.

Although Natsume could not understand dragon speech directly, his skill [Whisper of Nature] allowed him to comprehend the meaning behind a creature’s growls and rumbles, interpreting them into clear emotional impressions rather than literal words.

“Hm? You’re saying you found something interesting up in the tree canopy?”

Natsume was momentarily stunned.

It might be a cocoon of light from a newly born elf.

According to legend, the primordial elves were born this way. In fact, even the players typically resurrect at the World Tree before being teleported to the surface.

But Leylia shook its head.

“Rua!”

“Huh? It’s not the usual light cocoons, but small orbs of light? What’s more, there’s tons of them?”

Natsume raised an eyebrow.

The red dragon nodded affirmatively.

“Small, and in great numbers?”

Curiosity began to rise within Natsume’s heart.

He patted Leylia and said, “Alright, take me to the place you saw those small orbs of light.”

With a joyful cry, the little dragon wagged its tail and took flight, carrying Natsume toward the lush crown of the World Tree.

The World Tree’s canopy was unimaginably vast, stretching far into the clouds.

Here, even the clouds floated beneath their feet, which was a breathtaking and majestic sight.

As Natsume ascended into parts of the canopy he had never explored before, he was instantly struck speechless by the sight that greeted him.

“Oh wow…”

It was light—countless orbs of radiant light, each one shimmering in different colors, adorning the branches like fruit. They sparkled brilliantly across the treetop.

These orbs quivered gently, brimming with vitality and life.

“What… is this?”

Natsume exclaimed in astonishment.

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