The Will Of The World Tree

Chapter 13 Task

Alice felt her mind becoming increasingly muddled.

A moment later, a pulse of pale green light flickered on a branch of the World Tree, and a humanoid sphere of light slowly took shape. Seconds later, a figure shimmering with holy light and sporting a red afro emerged—it was Demacia, the unlucky soul Alice had just blasted away.

He gasped for air, his voice trembling with lingering fear.

"My god... that scared the life out of me. That NPC is incredibly strong... Thank goodness I turned my pain sensitivity down beforehand!"

Re... resurrected?

Alice stared blankly at the familiar figure.

"Do not be afraid, Alice. These Chosen Ones are immortal beings."

Suddenly, Eve's voice echoed in her mind, carrying a grounding, stabilizing power.

"Mother Goddess!"

Hearing that familiar voice, Alice's heart settled, but her eyes quickly welled with tears. She was on the verge of crying, though she wasn't sure if it was from relief or sheer frustration. "Mother Goddess... they... they..."

The young maiden was nearly incoherent.

"Ahem... do not be afraid," Eve cleared her throat, comforting her with a hint of a guilty conscience.

"They are residents of another world who have been oppressed by life. Because they are under immense mental stress, they need a way to vent. Becoming Chosen Ones is their way of escaping reality. However, despite their eccentricities, they are quite capable..."

Eve had expected that she might attract some rather neurotic players. According to her screening, these three hundred were either hardcore "grinders" or professional streamers. Long hours of gaming or "occupational hazards" had long since turned them into lawless characters who feared only a lack of excitement. It was perfectly normal for them to play outside the rules before they fully understood the game mechanics.

However, their abilities in-game would be equally formidable. In short: the pros were usually also the trolls.

Of course, none of this could be explained to Alice. After a moment of silence, Eve told the girl:

"Just consider them... mentally ill."

Alice: "..."

"But rest assured, they are not bad at heart, and they are exceptionally hardworking. You can put them to work without reservation. Furthermore, these three hundred are only the first batch; the Chosen Ones who follow will be much more normal."

Follow? Are there more coming? Alice was utterly stunned.

Sensing the girl's unease, Eve quickly added, "Don't worry, they won't stay like this forever."

With that, Eve manipulated her Divine Power again, transmitting a packet of information into the maiden's mind. "This is a list of daily quests. You can hand these out to them; it will greatly distract them."

Eve did not intend to micromanage everything. Since she had native followers, she would maximize their utility by making them NPCs for common quests. She would focus on the big picture and the key plot points. This was also her way of facilitating communication between players and native elves. In her vision, she wanted to build a new civilization with immense cohesion, uniting players and natives alike.

She positioned Alice as the "Newbie Guide" and "Daily Quest NPC," as well as the future candidate for class advancement for Priests. Eve's immediate goal was to have the players grind for levels through tasks while simultaneously building their own camp.

The rebirth of the Elven civilization would start here!

After a flash of light, Alice realized something new had appeared in her mind.

A quest list?

Alice checked the contents and began to murmur them aloud:

"Repair the Temple..." "Collect timber..." "Construct housing..."

Alice: "..."

This... is this just manual labor? Would the Chosen Ones actually be willing to do this?

Even when the Elven tribes were at their peak, such chores were usually left to low-level familiars. But these were the Chosen Ones! Besides, they didn't even seem to be followers of the Mother Goddess. Given how undisciplined and lawless they were, would they really be obedient? These tasks required teamwork!

Alice felt lost. No... I shouldn't think that way!

Feeling guilty for doubting her Goddess, she shook her head vigorously. The Mother Goddess is always right! I am the Saintess of Nature, the follower closest to Her. This must be a test, and I must complete it perfectly!

Taking a deep breath, she looked back at the players. They were still a chaotic mess, though no one was actively seeking death anymore. Seeing the buzzing crowd, Alice’s newfound resolve deflated slightly.

How do I even start? How do I make them accept these tasks willingly?

If what the Mother Goddess said is true, they are actually quite pitiful... Alice thought. To act so erratically, they must be under immense spiritual and soulful pressure. They must live very painful and repressed lives in their other world.

With this thought, the reckless group before her seemed slightly less annyoing. She even felt a twinge of guilt for her earlier actions. Was I too harsh just now? Even if that red-haired fellow was annoying, he is still chosen by the Mother Goddess. Perhaps I should apologize...

As she pondered, she noticed the Chosen Ones suddenly fall silent in unison. She looked up in confusion to find hundreds of eyes fixed on her, sparkling with an intensity she had only ever seen in greedy human merchants or death-defying adventurers. It made her shiver.

Among the players, whispers turned into excited chatter:

"Hey, hey! Did you get the system notification? We can get daily quests from the Saintess of Nature, Alice!"

"I got it! It called me a 'Hero who will save the Elven race'..."

"Me too!"

"Saintess! So the girl is a Saintess!"

"Get the quest! Hurry! Early quests are the fastest way to level up. I'm waiting to change class to Mage!"

Suddenly, as if receiving a command, all the Chosen Ones surged toward Alice simultaneously, giving her a fright. Did the Mother Goddess give them an oracle?

Alice tried to calm herself. She chose her words carefully and asked, "Do you... wish to receive your tasks?"

Countless eyes lit up as hands shot into the air.

"Yes, yes, yes!" "You're the best! Give me a quest!" "Lady Alice! I want to help!"

In the blink of an eye, the players had all turned into eager sycophants. Watching the elves fight over chores and leave with looks of pure excitement, Alice went completely numb.

"The Mother Goddess was right," she muttered. "They are definitely mentally ill."

Squeezing out of the crowd, Carl gasped for air and shook his head. "This game is too real. You have to fight through a mosh pit just to pick up a quest... it's going to be absolute chaos when the open beta hits."

Despite his complaining, his heart was pounding with excitement. Opening his system interface, Carl checked the quest he had randomly received from Saintess Alice:

[Random Daily: Collect Timber. Reward: 50–300 EXP.]

"Collect timber? It seems to be for building houses. That shouldn't be too hard—that's my bread and butter!" Carl had grown up near a timber yard and was intimately familiar with cutting wood.

"And I can get at least 50 EXP in one go! Plus, it's repeatable! It looks like I can grind this for quick levels, even if the task details are randomized each time..."

Curious, he headed toward the Temple of Nature's teleportation circle. According to the quest details, players could use it to teleport directly to the base of the World Tree, a thousand meters below.

The other elven players were also on the move. In an instant, hundreds of elves scattered, heading toward the Elven Forest in a grand, sweeping wave.