Game of the World Tree

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ At the roots of the World Tree, within the Labyrinth of the Demon Lord.

A well-equipped group of players was clearing the area after having just finished a battle with a group of low-ranking demons, whose average strength barely reached the lower Iron-rank.

“Just where on earth is this Demon Palace? We’ve been wandering around this labyrinth for a whole day now yet we still don’t have a clue where to find it. At this rate, we’d be better off hunting monsters underground instead.”

Complained a female player dressed as a mage, whilst picking up a piece of demonic armor left behind by a slain demon imp.

She’s a silver-ranked player who had chosen elemental path as her specialization and was part of the Autobots guild.

With it being one of the four major guilds, Autobots had naturally also sent out their own raiding team, made up of 25 players.

Led by their guildmaster, Transformer Ji Gang, the raid team consisted of 10 Silver-ranked players, with the other 15 members being max-level Iron-rank players at level 40, which represented the Autobots’ strongest force.

As a guild that had only been formed during the third beta, the Autobots were somewhat disadvantaged from the start and had lower overall strength compared to the other three major guilds.

Fortunately, Ji Gang had a knack for gathering players.

Besides him, the other nine Silver-ranked members were actually much older players from the first and second beta, whom Ji Gang had worked hard to recruit into his guild.

“Yeah, and we haven’t run into any greater demons this whole time either… Aren’t they supposed to like ambushing players? I saw on the forums that a bunch of other raid exploration parties got caught off guard and was attacked by them,” said another silver-ranked warrior.

As a silver-ranker, he was no longer satisfied with just fighting low ranking demons and was eager to test himself against a greater demon.

All greater demons were of Silver-rank, and monsters of that level would definitely drop better rewards!

Hearing this, Transformer Ji Gang said with a hint of uncertainty, “Maybe it’s because our raid team is just too strong. From what I’ve heard, a lot of the parties that got ambushed didn’t even have any silver-ranked players. The greater demons in this labyrinth are pretty cunning—they apparently only go after weaker targets.”

At this, the other silver-ranked players could only sigh in frustration.

Indeed.

These greater demons are incredibly devious in nature, with a penchant for specifically targeting only teams with weaker members.

Moreover, the complex layout of the labyrinth has also allowed them to set traps in advance that often succeed time and time again.

Luckily enough, teleporting back to the Chosen City from the labyrinth was really easy since the players only needed to silently recite the goddess’s name within their hearts, and they would be instantly transported back, which highly mitigates the risk of dying.

And while many raid parties had indeed been ambushed, very few players had actually died, as most managed to teleport out in time.

This feature pleased the players, who appreciated the mechanic for significantly reducing their death rate.

Of course, they naturally had no idea that a certain divine being had implemented these features simply because she didn’t want to waste her precious divine power on resurrecting players in vain.

After all, most of these players exploring the labyrinth are high ranking silver-rankers which is far more costly to revive compared to their ordinary counterparts.

Hence, saving a bit of divine power where possible was a priority, especially since teleporting players from the roots of the World Tree back to the surface didn’t take much effort on Eve’s part anyway.

By now, the Autobots raid team’s enthusiasm had mostly waned after their extended exploration, which still yielded no tangible results.

Sensing that his party’s morale getting more lower and lower, Transformer Ji Gang quickly tried to boost their spirits:

“Don’t get discouraged! It’s only the first day after all. We can still snag ourselves a promotion slot, even if it’s tough to find! Plus, none of the other raid parties have also found the palace yet, so we still have a shot at being the first!”

The glory of being the first to find the Demon Palace wasn’t just for the sake of honor—it also meant having your name etched upon the illustrious wall that chronicles all the major events that transpired in Elven Kingdom.

Therefore, having one’s username etched into the game’s history was a massive draw for most players.

After all, what’s more satisfying than attaining fame and recognition?

Just as Ji Gang was busy encouraging his team, he suddenly sensed a familiar magical fluctuation nearby.

The others quickly noticed it as well, turning toward the source of the fluctuations.

There, in the corner of the labyrinth, light flickered and danced for a brief moment, before gradually taking form of a radiant, glowing treasure chest.

A Lucky Chest!

After defeating a few low ranking demons, they had encountered another Lucky Chest!

Each player within the team had their eyes light up, and the entire group’s morale instantly soared.

“Haha! Another treasure chest!”

“I wonder what we’ll get this time!”

“So, how should we do this? Who will open it this time?”

“Same rule as usual. If you’ve already opened one before, then you’re out. Only those who haven’t will get a chance to roll the dice and whatever comes out is theirs!”

The items from the Lucky Chest weren’t bound to whoever opened it. Therefore, whenever they found one, the team would usually roll a dice to decide who would open it and try their luck. Naturally, any items the chest produced would belong to the person who opened it.

So far, they had opened twelve treasure chests in total.

The luckiest player had scored a pair of Epic purple-class boots for Iron-rank, while the unluckiest had walked away with a mere 50 gold coins.

Of course, compared to some truly unlucky players on the forums, getting 50 gold coins was already a decent haul to say the least.

Rumor had it that Demacia from Heart of Nature had opened two chests in a row and, in both cases, had received only two pairs of plain white apprentice boots in succession.

Such results were so unlucky that he was practically questioning his existence at this point…

Talk about bad luck.

On the flip side, the luckiest reward a player received from a treasure chest reportedly contained a legendary golden item.

So far, only one person had managed to do that, and this golden equipment that they won was actually an auxiliary weapon for intermediate Iron-rank.

Even so, it was enough to make others green with envy, since such a weapon could be exchanged for tens of thousands of contribution points.

In short, these Lucky Chests were the most exciting loot one could stumble upon in the labyrinth.

And another one in front of them, the group buzzed with excitement and started rolling dice in the group chat to see who would open it.

This time around, Ji Gang had rolled the highest number on the dice.

A broad grin swiftly spread across their Guildmaster’s face, reflecting the team’s palpable excitement.

“Haha, it’s finally my turn!”

Rubbing his hands eagerly, Transformer Ji Gang whispered to himself, “Goddess Evé, please bless this chest with a golden shine!”

A chest that glowed with a “golden shine” upon being opened signified that it contained top-tier loot.

And the ElvKing community had discussed and summarized the signs associated with opening a lucky treasure chest on the forums.

According to these discussions, if the emitted light was white, then it indicated that the chest held the worst kind of loot—items of minimal value and utility.

Blue light was the next tier, representing the most common type of loot. Chests with blue light typically contained decent but modest rewards that were useful but not extraordinary.

Purple light indicated a higher quality of loot, often associated with epic gear items that were more powerful and desirable than the common rewards.

However, the pinnacle of loot was represented by the golden light, which players humorously referred to as the “golden shine.”

This type of chest contained the very best items available, offering the most valuable and sought-after rewards in the labyrinth.

After a brief prayer, Ji Gang slowly approached the shimmering Treasure Chest, feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself against the gravity of the moment, and reached out with his hand, fingers trembling with anticipation.

As his fingertips brushed against the cool, metal surface, a sudden surge of energy coursed through the chest, causing it to burst into a radiant, brilliant light that illuminated the entire room.

The dazzling brilliance was so intense that it temporarily blinded Ji Gang and his team. When the light finally began to subside and the color of the glow became clear, the awe-struck members of his raid team stared in disbelief.

“R-rainbow-colored?!”

Transformer Ji Gang froze.

The chest can actually glow a seven-color light?

The prismatic brilliance came and went quickly.

However, just as the treasure chest gradually disappeared out of existence, a ghostly key suddenly materialized in one of Ji Gang’s hand.

At the same time, a new information window about the key had promptly appeared within his field of vision:

【 Demon Palace Key: This key can summon the Demon Lord’s Palace. Hold the key and call upon the palace to summon it 】

“Whoa!? A key to summon the Demon Palace?!”

Ji Gang’s eyes widened in disbelief and joy.

So… this was how you locate the Demon Palace?

The other members of his team quickly gathered around him, fascinated by what their leader had obtained.

“What’s that?”

“The Demon Palace’s Key?”

“Wait, so we can summon the palace with this item? No wonder we couldn’t find its location all this time!”

“Quick, Guildmaster! Summon it!”

The team buzzed with excitement.

Similarly, Transformer Ji Gang could hardly contain his own.

The Demon Lord Palace can only appear once a day, which meant their guild was on track of being the one who could clear it out first!

Taking a deep breath, Ji Gang clutched the ghostly key and called upon the Demon Lord’s Palace out loud.

Then as he invoked it, the key suddenly emitted a dark red glow before slowly fading away.

In that moment, a massive palace gate suddenly appeared before the group.

At the same time, a new system notification popped up in each members field of vision:

【Congratulations to player ‘Transformer Ji Gang‘ for finding the entrance to the Demon Lord’s Palace!】

“Hahaha! So this is how you enter the palace!”

“Hurry! Guildmaster, let’s go inside before anyone else does!”

The team was ecstatic, and so was Ji Gang.

Whilst suppressing his excitement, he rallied his raid team and shouted, “Let’s go! We’re now gonna enter the palace!”

In response, all members of the Autobots raid team nodded eagerly, their faces illuminated by the glimmer of excitement and determination.

They moved forward together, stepping through the massive palace gate with synchronized precision.

Beyond the gate was an impenetrable wall of pure darkness, a void that seemed to swallow every trace of light.

As the team ventured further into the unknown, the massive gate behind them vanished as if it had never been there, leaving no trace of their entry.

Suddenly, the silence was shattered by a thunderous and enraged roar that reverberated through the entire surroundings.

“You pitiful ants! How dare you trespass in my territory!”

— 411 —

【 HOW DARE YOU TRESPASS IN MY TERRITORY 】

---

— —

---