【 THE TREE OF LIFE 】

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The colossal tree bore an appearance strikingly similar to the World Tree in Seigües, so much so that it could almost be said to have been cast from the same mold.

However, compared to the ten-thousand-meter-tall World Tree in Chosen City, the one before them appeared significantly more smaller.

Even so, it still seemed to rise at least a thousand meters high. In contrast to its surroundings, it remained undeniably majestic.

It stood atop a hill at the center of a basin, encircled by a vast city that seemed to guard it.

The entire scene was profoundly awe-inspiring.

From a distance, tiny flying magical beasts could be seen circling the great tree or weaving through the skies above the magnificent city.

With their exceptional eyesight, the players could even make out figures riding atop many of those airborne creatures.

The sight left them momentarily dazed, as though they had returned to the Chosen City before flight restrictions had been imposed.

Of course, unlike the Chosen City, whose architectural style bore strong influences from Earth, the city within the basin displayed a more distinctly fantastical, otherworldly aesthetic.

The gray-white spires and domed structures resembled the elven style familiar to the players, yet upon closer inspection, they also carried elements akin to the architecture of human nations in the world of Seigües.

At this moment, however, the players’ attention was not on the city itself but rather, they gazed upon the towering tree upon the hill, then instinctively turned their gaze toward the goddess in front of them, their hearts filled with curiosity.

In the end, it was Little Salty Cat who could not hold back and spoke first.

“Your Grace, is that… another World Tree?”

Demacia was even more direct, already typing in the chat:

“Huh? Does the Goddess have other relatives in the game?”

Fortunately, experience had taught him caution, so he only dared to joke in the chat.

Even so, he had the strange feeling that the Goddess’s gaze had briefly swept over him.

The ten players looked on in astonishment and curiosity at the distant tree, but Evé did not immediately answer Little Salty Cat’s question.

She gazed at the World Tree upon the hill, her eyes shifting slightly as divine power rippled around her.

Points of light flowed within her violet eyes as a subtle will emanated from Evé, sweeping toward the target on the hillside.

This was a mythical-rank appraisal ability.

At the rank of myth, however, it was no longer called “Appraisal,” but rather “True Sight.”

It was an ability possessed by all mythical beings. As long as one’s power could penetrate the target’s concealment, one could discern its true nature.

Under normal circumstances, however, mythical beings rarely used it against one another.

This was because beings of that rank could shield their secrets with the power of laws and divine power. Therefore, without exhausting the opponent’s divine power, even an enemy god could not pierce through such defenses with True Sight.

Thus, this ability was more often used to examine unfamiliar entities or demigods who had yet to ascend to true god.

The reason Evé employed it here was that she had already sensed that World’s Tree true strength had not reached the rank of a true god.

As her divine sense swept forward, she quickly encountered a familiar resistance, identical to what she had felt earlier in the village.

At the same time, a faint sense of rejection arose from the world itself, as though the entire realm were assisting in shielding the World Tree from her scrutiny.

Even so, Evé succeeded in piercing through the divine defenses and gleaned certain information.

That information soon manifested within her consciousness in the system format she preferred:

【Race: Tree of Life】

【Rank: Peak Demigod】

Evé paused in slight surprise.

Tree of Life…

She immediately searched through the knowledge she inherited from the World Tree, only to find no records related to such a being.

What was a Tree of Life anyway?

And what connection did it have to her?

Curiosity stirred within her.

She could clearly sense that she shared some form of connection with this tree. Upon arriving and perceiving its aura, the sense of familiarity had grown even stronger.

More than familiarity, there was even an inexplicable feeling of inherent closeness to it.

This remained true, despite the hostility the other party seemed to harbor towards her.

“Your Grace?”

Little Salty Cat’s voice rang out again.

Tilting her head, the petite mage looked curiously at the seemingly distracted goddess, while the other players also cast inquisitive gazes toward Evé.

Sensing their attention, Evé slowly shook her head.

“No.”

Her voice was calm and composed, as though everything lay within her control.

“That one is a Tree of Life.”

“A Tree of Life?”

The players exchanged glances, their curiosity deepening upon hearing the unfamiliar term.

At that moment, Eve’s expression shifted slightly as she turned her gaze into the distance.

After a brief pause, she spoke to the players:

“Chosen ones.”

“I have a new task that I require you to carry out.”

A mission from the Goddess!

The ten players were instantly invigorated.

Their curiosity about the Tree of Life, along with any thoughts of questioning it further, was immediately cast aside.

As she spoke, Evé turned her gaze toward the city below.

“I want you to enter that city and gather all kinds of information about this world…”

Accompanied by a soft system chime, a quest notification appeared before every player’s field of vision.

At the sight of the generous rewards, their breathing grew heavier with excitement, especially Optimist.

Little Salty Cat, on the other hand, had little interest in contribution points or artifact repair voucher, yet she was especially intrigued by the reward labeled “+1 Favorability with the Goddess.”

“We shall obey your divine will, Your Divine Grace!”

The ten players declared enthusiastically, imitating the tone of devout elven believers.

Once they finished speaking, they no longer lingered close to the Goddess. Leaving Evé behind, they eagerly mounted their wyverns and descended toward the city below, each vying to be first.

After watching them depart, Evé withdrew her gaze and turned once more toward the Tree of Life.

She lightly patted the wyvern beneath her, dismissing the summon, and then flew alone toward the mysterious tree.

Her movements were swift.

Bathed in a faint halo of light, she reached the hillside where the Tree of Life stood in only a few seconds.

Flying at a great height and concealing her aura, she went unnoticed by the patrolling airborne riders below.

However, the moment Evé approached the Tree of Life, she suddenly felt the inexplicable sense of rejection intensify sharply.

At that moment, it seemed as though the entire world had become her enemy, a sensation akin to standing within the domain of a hostile god.

As she attempted to fly closer, Evé discovered, to her surprise, an invisible barrier blocking her path.

The barrier was unusual, and its power appeared quite formidable. To her astonishment, even her incarnation’s strength could not break through it immediately.

Of course, the suppression of her incarnation’s power was also a contributing factor.

In the next instant, Evé sensed multiple faint presences in the distance rapidly approaching her.

She turned her gaze outward and saw numerous black specks rising around the Tree of Life. They gathered, formed ranks, and flew swiftly in her direction.

They were wyvern riders.

All of them wore silver armor adorned with floral patterns.

The distinguishing feature among them lay in the ribbons decorating their armor, some gold, some silver, and others pale green.

At the forefront were several wyvern knights with gold ribbons. They were striking in appearance, with pointed ears, which clearly meant they were elves.

There were over a dozen of them, most with black hair and dark eyes.

Behind them were the silver-ribboned knights, half-elves with partially pointed ears.

Their numbers exceeded fifty, forming the second rank behind the elves.

The largest group, however, consisted of the pale green–ribboned knights, numbering more than three hundred and positioned at the rear.

Their races were more varied, predominantly human, along with other non-elven humanoid species such as lizardfolk and halflings.

Every wyvern rider possessed strength at or above the Gold-rank, while the foremost elves had reached the upper ranks of Gold.

The leading figure, a shadow elf clad in a red cloak, exuded the strongest presence of all, likely at the peak of the Gold-rank.

Though such strength remained insignificant in Eve’s eyes, she was nonetheless filled with surprise.

This world known as Mindel possessed a very low concentration of mana. Thus, the upper limit of strength it could accommodate did not even reach the Legendary-rank. Yet here, hundreds of Gold-rank experts had suddenly appeared.

In the world of Seigües, this would be akin to being suddenly surrounded by hundreds of demigods.

In other words, the number of Gold-rank individuals before her far exceeded Eve’s expectations.

As Evé observed the approaching wyvern riders, they too studied her carefully.

Their expressions were stern, hands gripping their swords, ready for battle at any moment.

“Identity yourself! Unauthorized individuals are forbidden from approaching Her Exalted All-Divine Mother!”

The leading shadow elf spoke expressionlessly.

However, when he clearly saw Eve’s appearance, his gaze flickered, and a trace of surprise crossed his face.

Some of the wyvern riders also revealed a look of curiosity.

“Silver hair?”

“An elf?”

Silently watching them, Evé caught fragments of their whispered exchanges.

Then she noticed a shift. Particularly, the attitude of the non-elven riders softened almost instantly. Their gazes toward her no longer held hostility, but instead carried curiosity and reverence.

The half-elves, while not reverent, showed a degree of respect.

Only the elves at the front maintained composed expressions. Yet even their demeanor no longer contained hostility, having eased noticeably.

Observing these changes, and noting the hair colors of these elves, several thoughts quickly formed in Eve’s mind.

The elves of this world did not recognize her appearance.

The elves who had come to this world were not limited to the Shadowshade Clan alone. Members from other clans were present as well, though it seemed the silver-haired royal elves of Moonlight Clan was absent.

In this world, the status of elves was very high, and they were respected by other races.

“Esteemed one, according to the Church’s regulations, no one is permitted to approach Her Exalted All-Divine Mother lightly. Magic flight is also forbidden near the sacred grounds. Please depart at once.”

The leading shadow elf said.

Upon hearing the elf’s words, Eve’s thoughts stirred, and she prepared to respond.

However, in that very instant, these hundreds of wyvern riders before her suddenly began to convulse, their expressions twisting in agony.

Under Eve’s narrowing gaze, their skin rapidly withered, transforming into a texture resembling tree bark, while their hair mutated into branches and leaves.

In just the blink of an eye, these hundreds of riders of various races were instantly transformed into treants.

Even the wyverns they were riding underwent the same mutation, turning into plant-like forms, resembling dragon-shaped creatures woven from plants.

Faint red light flickered within their eye sockets, and their auras surged dramatically. Every one of them reached the peak of the upper Gold-rank.

In unison, they turned their heads toward Evé, and a heavy, synchronized voice slowly resounded:

“Leave this world.”

It was as though some unseen will has taken over their bodies and was issuing a warning.

At these words, Eve’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Her gaze shifted toward the Tree of Life behind the transformed riders.

“Soul Domination… Treant Guardians?”

There was a trace of understanding in her voice.

Soul Domination was a Legendary-rank mental spell capable of enslaving a target’s soul for one’s own use, at the cost of the target losing all sense of self.

Treant Guardian, on the other hand, irreversibly transformed the target into a treant warrior, greatly enhancing its strength at the cost of burning its life force.

Death would inevitably follow once the battle ended.

“Leave this world.”

The unified voice repeated once more.

Evé did not move.

In the next moment, hundreds of treants at peak Gold-rank raised their weapons in unison and charged toward her.

Looking at their hollow, crimson-lit eyes, Evé shook her head.

A faint divine power gathered around her and spread outward.

Specks of golden light dispersed into the air. As these particles came into contact with these treants, the latter trembled slightly before their forms collapsed abruptly.

Even though the power Evé could currently exert was only limited to the peak of the upper Gold-rank, a true god remained a true god.

A being who commands the laws of reality is not something these artificially enhanced puppets could contend with.

In but an instant, these hundreds of charging treants were reduced to ashes, merging into the drifting particles of light before vanishing entirely.

After their destruction, Evé sensed that the souls of those wyvern riders had already disappeared.

The great tree upon the hillside trembled faintly.

At that moment, Evé perceived an even stronger surge of hostility emanating from the Tree of Life.

In the distance, more wyvern riders began to rise into the air, flying toward her position.

Eve’s gaze sharpened.

She cast a calm glance at the colossal tree. After a rapid chain of thoughts, she let out a silent sigh and decided to withdraw for the time being.

The treant puppets formed from the wyvern riders posed no real threat to her.

However, the actions of the Tree of Life made Evé realize that it held no regard for the lives of the elves and other beings who worshiped it.

If push comes to shove, it clearly would not hesitate to transform anyone into expendable treant puppets.

Having heard their prayers, Evé had already, in her heart, regarded them as potential believers. So if possible, she wished to minimize the harm her actions might cause them.

As for this Tree of Life…

Evé could sense that although it possessed only peak demigod strength, it seemed to share a connection with the very core origin of this realm. To fight it would not merely be to battle a demigod, but to contend against the world itself.

At that point, what actions it might take would be difficult to predict. Moreover, the sealing power of this world did not appear as simple as it seemed. Otherwise, Leviathan would not have failed to subjugate this world even after such a long time.

Evé decided to withdraw for now and consider her next move carefully.

However, just before leaving, her expression shifted slightly.

Turning back, she cast a [Alignment Detection] spell upon the Tree of Life.

And when the resulting aura revealed itself, her gaze deepened.

The color was neither white which signifies good alignment nor the gray of neutrality, rather…

—It was black of evil.

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