Before Kael could even make a move, the crowd recognized him.
"Dawnbreaker!"
"Boss, you made it!"
"What... what are you doing?"
"Stay calm, man! Don't do anything crazy!"
Panic rippled through the onlookers. Kael stood perfectly still, his left hand gripping Galeharrow, his right fingers resting lightly on the bowstring.
"Move! Get out of the way!"
"Who the hell is blocking Sir Dawnbreaker?"
"Are you blind?"
The dense crowd parted instantly, clearing a wide path. Kael silently slung the bow over his shoulder, gave a brief nod of acknowledgment, and walked expressionless into the forest. Behind him, players let out heavy sighs of relief, grateful to still be breathing.
Deeper inside, the forest opened up, free from the oppressive crush of the teleport nexus. The players here had already received word and backed away to the sides. Even the notoriously brazen players of Starlight Town didn't dare crack a joke as he passed.
Kael walked unimpeded into a massive clearing. In the center stood a magical barrier protecting a World Tree sapling, now over a yard tall and as thick as a man's arm.
A female elf stood outside the barrier, managing the swarm of players picking up and turning in essence quests. Periodically, she tossed glowing orbs of condensed essence into the World Tree, which visibly grew a fraction of an inch each time.
"Isilwen," Kael called out, but she didn't react.
Before he could step closer, a voice called from his flank. "I'm over here, Lord Dawnbreaker."
Kael turned to see Isilwen standing outside a hollowed-out tree. He walked over, and she ushered him inside. It was similar in size to the treehouse outside Starlight Town but far better furnished, decorated with rare flowers—likely the supplies Isolde had delivered from the registry.
"Isilwen, who is that out there?" Kael asked.
Isilwen smiled. "That's Ayna, my younger sister. When the old Aelindale World Tree was attacked, I teleported her to the Frostfall World Tree. She recently learned that the new Aelindale World Tree connected to the divine trees outside, so she finished her duties and came to find me."
Isilwen and Ayna are sisters... Kael finally made the connection.
In his past life, a player named Seraphina had completed a hidden quest related to Ayna. Back then, Ayna was known as "Avenger Ayna," and the quest involved uncovering the truth behind her sister's death. Isilwen had died in that timeline, but no one had linked the two elven NPCs separated by thousands of miles.
Seraphina hadn't revealed many details about the quest, but her Class Advancement turned her into a "Fallen." Her combat power skyrocketed, landing her at Rank 31 on the Top 100 Leaderboard and leaving Kael far in the dust.
Piecing it all together, the revelation hit him: Avenger Ayna was Isilwen's sister. But in this life, Isilwen was alive. The hidden quest was likely gone, meaning the Fallen class for Seraphina probably wouldn't trigger either. Remembering that player's nauseating skill set, Kael suppressed a shudder. He had zero desire to fight a woman like that.
Shaking off the memories, Kael focused on his immediate problem. "When will the World Tree reach maturity?"
"That... will take some time," Isilwen explained patiently. "Maturity requires many conditions: Hakpon's blessing, the growth of the Eye of Elunara, and the meticulous care of the elves."
What a nightmare. Kael's heart sank at the absurd number of restrictions. He had been overly optimistic. Given an elf's thousand-year lifespan, there was no guarantee he'd even live to see the tree mature.
"Some things require time, others require opportunity, so you cannot rush this, Lord Dawnbreaker. However..."
"However what?" Kael pressed.
"If you only wish for the World Tree to grow enough to establish a village, that is quite simple."
Kael exhaled sharply. Building a village within the World Tree was his only goal right now. Why didn't you lead with that?
"As long as I can build the village, the rest can wait. What do I need to do?"
Isilwen smiled. "It's simple. You have a bottle of Sap of Nature's Blessing, don't you? Just apply a single drop every day."
"That's it?" Kael asked, incredulous.
Isilwen nodded. "That is all. We can handle the rest, but you must apply the Sap of Nature's Blessing personally, or the Divine Tree will not recognize you as its master."
"Understood," Kael said, relieved. "How long do I need to keep doing this?"
She pointed outside. "That depends on the amount of essence they provide."
Kael looked out at the massive mob swarming Ayna. A wave of comfort washed over him. These players might be shameless degenerates most of the time, but they were reliable when it counted. He'd have to reward them well once the World Tree village was up and running. He'd reward Isilwen, too.
However, watching the massive bottleneck in the quest line, Kael's pragmatism took over. He immediately began sweet-talking the naive elf. "Ayna is overwhelmed out there. Why don't you go help her?"
"Oh, alright. I can finish decorating later." Lacking any guile, Isilwen dropped what she was doing and followed Kael outside.
The crowd erupted into cheers as Kael emerged with a second elf in tow.
"Whoa, Dawnbreaker is out!"
"He lasted longer in the treehouse this time!"
"He brought Isilwen out too!"
"Sir Dawnbreaker is the man!"
"Awesome, Isilwen is handing out quests too! Hurry, get in her line!"
The mob surged forward again, splitting into two lines. For the sake of the World Tree's growth, Kael ignored their banter. He stepped through the magic barrier, uncorked his bottle of Sap of Nature's Blessing, and let a single drop fall onto the sapling.
System: You have irrigated the World Tree with the Sap of Nature's Blessing. The World Tree's maximum growth potential has increased.
The tree didn't grow any taller this time, but its trunk noticeably thickened. Kael stared at the World Tree, praying silently.
Grow. Grow fast.