Game of the World Tree

“The Goddess? What goddess?”

The rest of the team looked baffled.

They could only watch as Optimist’s face displayed a myriad of expressions, ranging from awe to delight, to confusion, before settling into a look of sheer excitement, all flashing across his face like a chameleon changing colors.

He stood motionless in front of the crystal coffin, seemingly forgetting to launch his attack.

“What are you standing there for? Open the coffin already!”

Calabash urged him, darting to the crystal coffin as well.

But when he finally got a clear look inside, his eyes also widened in shock and he blurted out,

“What the…?! T-The Goddess?!”

“Captain! Chopin! Invincible! Get over here! You have to see who’s lying inside this coffin!”

He spoke excitedly, almost to the point of incoherence.

After hearing this, the rest of the team quickly stepped forward, and when they, too, finally saw the figure sleeping within the crystal coffin, even Boxlunch, whose typically stoic, couldn’t hide his astonishment.

Inside was an elven maiden, as tall as an average person.

She lay there peacefully, as though merely asleep, dressed in a white ceremonial gown adorned with floral patterns, with her long, silken silver hair flowing cascadingly behind her.

Her delicate, flawless curves were outlined by the thin gown she’s wearing, exuding an ethereal beauty that made it hard to look away.

Her eyes were closed, with long lashes resting softly against her cheeks, and her lips held a faint, delicate shine.

The sight was both mesmerizing and awe-inspiring, stirring a profound sense of reverence to anyone who happened to grace their eyes upon the sleeping elven maiden.

Around her rested an array of fresh, vibrant flowers, their soft hues complementing her alabaster, porcelain-like skin. She seemed so lifelike, so vivid, as though she might awaken at any given moment.

Seeing the sleeping maiden’s strikingly familiar appearance, the five players immediately recognized her identity.

This was none other than the most popular NPC within Elven Kingdom, their very own faction leader, to whom all the players were deeply loyal, and the incarnation of the World Tree—the Goddess herself, Evé Yggdrasill!

“She’s… so beautiful,”

“Haah…Isn’t her looks so stunning?”

“This has to be the Goddess, right? She looks definitely just like the Goddess!”

As they gazed at the sleeping elven maiden within the coffin, the five players showed a visibly thrilled expressions.

After all, who doesn’t love something so stunning?

Especially when it’s the very ‘Goddess’ herself, which all the players seemed to adore in-game!

However, alongside their excitement also came a wave of confusion.

“…But why is the Goddess sleeping here?”

“Didn’t Big Sister say that the Goddess couldn’t enter this demi-realm? So if that’s the case then… shouldn’t She be outside at this moment?”

As if on cue, a familiar voice echoed inside their minds:

“That figure inside the coffin is one of the Incarnation of the Divine Matriarch, a Sacred Vessel that once walked the earth.”

“Your mission is not only to obtain the Heart of Life but also to reclaim the Sacred Vessel of the Goddess.”

“Securing both is crucial to ensuring the final victory against the God of Creation.”

It was the voice of Godwarden Zero.

One of her Divine Incarnations and the Goddess’s Sacred Vessel?

Each of the five players froze for a moment before showing a look of comprehension.

So this basically means that this sleeping elven maiden is one of the Goddess’s avatars!

It was likely very similar to the Avatar of Uller that the players had once defeated in the past.

But the Goddess’s avatar was clearly on an entirely different level from that half-orc brute.

Just look at its appearance, as well as the stunning detail that exudes a really special effect!

prprprprpr…

“—Ahem.”

The five players coughed awkwardly and looked at each other.

“So… what now? Do we open it? Or not?”

Optimist swallowed nervously, looking at his teammates.

“Of course! Didn’t Big Sister—I mean, Lady Zero—say that we need to retrieve the Goddess’s avatar?”

IamInvincible said.

“Uh… but how do we open it? Should we just smash it? What if we damage the Goddess’s body?”

Optimist glanced at the coffin once more.

After all, this sleeping ‘Goddess’ looked so delicate and fragile, almost unbearably so…

He was genuinely afraid that breaking the coffin might somehow actually harm her.

At that moment, Zero’s voice echoed in their minds again:

“Worry not. With your level of strength, it is practically impossible for anyone of you to damage the Sacred Vessel of the Divine Matriarch.”

“Therefore you may attack without hesitation.”

Hearing this, the five players breathed a collective sigh of relief.

They then took the opportunity to snap several screenshots of the sleeping goddess inside before steeling themselves and reluctantly tearing their eyes away from the crystal coffin before attempting to break it.

With him being the team’s main melee expert, Optimist took the lead in attacking the coffin.

Yet, no matter how hard he struck—be it with knife slash or a sword stab—Optimist only managed to leave a faint scratches on the surface of the coffin.

It was utterly unyielding.

“Let me try!”

Calabash stepped forward.

Wielding his staff, he began chanting a spell in a rhythmic tone as a massive fireball materialized in his hands and shot toward the crystal coffin.

With a deafening boom, the fireball struck its target, before erupting into a violent explosion.

Flames erupted, whilst smoke billowed, and as the magical energy of the spell dissipated, rest of the players turned their eyes back to the crystal coffin.

This time, cracks finally appeared across its surface.

“It’s working! This crystal coffin doesn’t look like it have high magic resistance!”

Each of the players showed thrilled expressions.

However, Calabash frowned, his tone tinged with frustration.

“No, although it seems effective, the damage we’ve done is still too weak. We need to launch a more stronger spell.”

Hearing this, Boxlunch suddenly had an idea.

He opened his friend list and found the username of Little Salty Cat, and sent her a concise voice message:

“Were at the palace. Need backup.”

The others immediately caught on, shouting over his shoulder:

“Salty Cat! Get over here fast! We have something good to show you! “

“The Goddess! Come save the Goddess!”

“We need your fire spells!”

→⟐←

Little Salty Cat immediately arrived in just under a minute, trailed by a group of curious onlookers.

“What’s the big deal you guys are talking about? What’s this about saving the Goddess?” she asked, intrigued.

The five remained silent, only nodding toward the crystal coffin. As she followed their gaze, her reaction reflected the same shock they had felt when they first saw the figure inside.

“The…The G-Goddess?!”

The players trailing behind her were also no less stunned when they also see it.

“Holy crap! What the hell!?”

“That’s the Goddess, right?! Am I seeing things?!”

“She looks so…amazing!”

Of course, there were also those who reacted in a more outrageous manner:

“Wait, why is my wife here?”

“Get lost! She’s obviously my wife!”

“Adorable! I want to—”

“Shameless bastard! Shut the hell up!”

Faced with the breathtaking figure inside the coffin, the surrounding players collectively lost their composure.

Meanwhile, Little Salty Cat quickly got the full story from Boxlunch and his team.

“I see… Well, you indeed called the right person! A strong spell is all you need, right? Leave it to me!” she said confidently, her cheeks slightly flushed with excitement.

Little Salty Cat then raised her ornate golden legendary staff and began chanting an intricate spell, as a terrifying surge of magical energy gathered above the crystal coffin, coalescing into a massive magic circle.

When she finished chanting, the circle erupted in a brilliant lightshow, unleashing a massive, fiery orange beam as thick as a barrel, before it descended directly onto the crystal coffin.

The spell she used was a fourth-ring Spell—[Explosive Flames].

Sensing the terrifying energy fluctuations coming from the spell, the surrounding players’ faces quick shifted, and they all quickly scattered away for cover.

With a thunderous boom, the spell finally struck its intended target, triggering a violent explosion and sending a small mushroom cloud into the air.

For a moment, the entire underground palace seemed to shake.

Those closest to the explosion found their ears ringing as a blast of hot wind knocked them off their feet.

When the smoke finally cleared out, a quarter of the entire platform was destroyed.

“Oh shit!”

“Holy crap!!”

The surrounding players stared at Salty Cat in stunned silence, their gazes now filled with a mix of awe and fear, as if she were some sort of monster.

Little Salty Cat looked visibly drained after pouring all her MP into that single spell, which had the destructive power of a typical Sixth-ring magic.

But the result was undeniable.

The crystal coffin’s already prevailing cracks spread like a spiderweb before shattering with a loud crash.

At the same time, the invisible barrier protecting the Heart of Life that’s hovering in midair also dissipated.

“The barrier’s now gone!”

Boxlunch’s team exchanged elated looks.

“Chopin!” Boxlunch called out to their team’s druid.

Hearing his captain, Chopin nodded in response and swiftly cast [Vine Surge].

In an instant, a vine shot upward into the air, which then wrapped around the Heart of Life floating in midair.

This time, the process went extremely smoothly.

Chopin easily retrieved the last fragment of the Scepter of Life and held it in his hands.

“Haha! One of our quest objectives is finally complete!”

He said with a grin.

However, their celebration didn’t last long.

For right at the very moment the Heart of Life was taken, the entire underground palace immediately began to tremble violently.

In the next instant, the colossal figure of the God of Creation, which was depicted in the murals behind the platform suddenly opened his eyes.

— 449 —

【 SACREDVESSEL OF THE GODDESS 】

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