Child of the World Tree
"...Well, nothing I can do about it. I'll just chalk it up to bad luck."
I tucked the Heavenly Skewer into my subspace inventory with a bitter expression.
That's just how it goes, I suppose.
Kiki...
"So how much did that random box we just pulled usually go for?"
"Hmm... it's a probability-based drop item that can't be bought with money. For now? They're listed on the auction house for around 50,000 gold."
Fifty thousand gold.
That's a billion won in cash.
Kiki...
Lady Luck grown sulky, Kiki listlessly spun its slot reels while its little mechanical claw creaked back and forth.
I walked over and pressed the big red button in its center.
Ding-ding-ding-ring~♪
Ding! Ding! Ding!
"...Now it's pulling a 777."
Why does it only get lucky when it doesn't matter?
"Mm-hmm. Lady Lily?"
"Is it time to go?"
"Yes! Let's forget about the skewer for now and get moving!"
Leo hyped herself up and pulled out two leaves brimming with life mana.
With a crisp crack! the leaves shattered, releasing their power—
and carried us away somewhere.
"O Child of the great World Tree. Raise your head."
This was a story from some time ago.
The countless Children of the World Tree races living under the care of the World Tree, Elomandia, had gathered as one, all eyes fixed on a high dais.
Only two figures stood upon it.
An old man wearing a wooden crown that looked extraordinary at a glance, dressed in dazzling white robes, gazed down at a woman.
Before him, the woman knelt on one knee.
Slowly, she lifted her head and drew away the pure white cloth that had covered her.
Platinum-blonde hair and a breathtaking face. Emerald-green eyes. Even elegantly tapered, pointed ears.
Elves, dwarves, nymphs... sighs and glares crossed among the assembled races.
The already-murmuring plaza surged with unrest.
As if refusing to tolerate it, the old man with the wooden crown set the butt of his staff against the floor.
Kuuuuung...!
A heavy shockwave rolled through the plaza.
-......
In an instant, every mouth went silent.
"Silence. This is the investiture of the Child of the World Tree."
"......"
"Asuka. Declare your existence to the World Tree."
The woman's name was Asuka.
The second daughter of Elena Elfosis, leader of the High Elves and the spiritual pillar of all elvenkind.
By the age of seven, she had already surpassed her peers; by thirteen, she had overwhelmed fully grown adult elves.
And upon turning twenty, she stood at the very summit of the High Elves.
She declared:
"My name is Asuka Elfosis. Daughter of Elena Elfosis, Queen of the Elves, and the proxy of all elves."
"As the Child of the World Tree, are you prepared to offer your very body to the World Tree?"
"Of course."
An answer without a moment's hesitation.
The old man swayed his staff gently and nodded with benevolence.
"Excellent! Asuka Elfosis has become this era's Child of the World Tree! Bless her, everyone!"
WAAAAAAAHHH!!!
A cheer erupted, loud enough to lift the roof off the plaza.
The World Tree, too, seemed delighted, showering its blessings upon them.
The countless races set aside their anxieties about the future and enjoyed the day.
".....Asuka."
With a single exception.
[The World Tree has opened! You may now enter the heart of the World Tree.]
[A group buff for users has been granted — 'Blessing of the World Tree! (30 days)'.]
[You can receive quests from the 'Children of the World Tree' races to progress World Quests.]
[A 'World Tree Leaf' is required to enter the heart of the World Tree.]
"It's already this rowdy, huh."
"It's a festival!"
Leo and I made our way toward the base of the World Tree's roots.
We could have gone straight to the inner depths, but there was no rush, and since we'd come all this way, we decided to take our time looking around.
Even though we had used a consumable leaf to get in...
"The leaves are just for opening passage — once you've used one this era, you can keep coming and going freely."
"So it's like unlocking an area?"
"Yep! First let's look around a bit and—!"
Leo! Leo!
WAAAH!!
With strange cries, a swarm of little blobs came charging at Leo.
Things that looked like Leo — no, things that were practically Leo herself — threw themselves at her in hugs, their numbers swelling by the moment.
"W-wait! Quit iiiit!"
"Leo! We missed you!"
"Running off all alone? How could you?"
"Heehee... what story are you telling us this time?"
"Oh my? You've gotten even stronger?"
"Uhihihihi...!"
The little things clamored around her, glomming onto Leo for a good long while before finally turning their eyes toward me.
Dozens of innocent, unguarded eyes staring straight at me.
It had been a while since I'd felt this particular sensation.
"Wooow..."
"Sooo preeetty..."
"Whoa."
"She's sparkly."
"...A nymph?"
"Yes, yeeees..."
Leo finally wriggled free, let out a sigh, and came over.
"This is the nymph village. The nymph village of 'Naph'."
The very place where Leo had undergone her race change into a nymph.
Hey. Hey.
"Whewww..."
Leo, your skin's gotten even nicer.
No, wait! It was always gorgeous!
Nymphs of every hair color under the sun, bright-eyed and curious, circled around Leo and me, chattering away.
Even the high-energy Leo seemed to be running out of steam — apparently even she couldn't out-endure the real thing.
I figured I'd need to stay logged in another ten hours or so before I'd really get closer to them.
"...Anyway, this is where I got my 'race change.' This is the place where the hidden piece that turns a human into a nymph was."
"Leo, you were cute even as a human."
"Right?! She was embarrassed but loved every minute of it."
"Hehehehe."
"......"
I patted the head of a nymph who was staring up at me with fascination.
Hehe. The nymph grinned and snuggled in even closer.
Just like a puppy.
'It wasn't like this back then.'
Even the most good-natured nymphs turn into feral cats when war breaks out every single day.
"A race change. So are there other players who've become nymphs?"
"Probably... not? I dunno though. If anyone finds one. Eep! Hey! There might be one out there somewhere!"
"Here ya go~"
A red-haired nymph, taking tiny quick steps, came back with something that looked like freshly baked cookies and popped one into Leo's mouth.
Leo glared at the nymph, but true to her nature she couldn't hide it — she started munching away happily.
Leo's eyes went perfectly round.
"So, so good!"
"See? I knew you loved these~"
"Is there m-more?!"
"Over there~ there's plenty, but..."
Just giving them away is a bit...
You see...
Even Leo shouldn't get a free ride!
Gulp.
"Wh-what do I have to do?!"
"Just come hang out and play with us."
"Yeah! Hehe."
"Uh, uhhh..."
Leo looked at me with anxious eyes.
She'd already seemed uneasy a moment ago, but now it was clear she was struggling to keep herself under control.
"Go ahead, do whatever you like. You just reunited with old friends — of course you should play."
"D-don't saaaay that... I'm supposed to show you around the World Tree, Lady Lily..."
"We're just taking a look around, that's all. The passage is already unlocked, so there won't be any problems."
Leo deliberated.
But temptation was sweet, and her deliberation was short.
"Then..."
"There."
"Hnn...?"
I gave her cheeks one more squeeze before she left.
Mm. A classic is a classic for a reason.
Just as my hand left her cheek, Leo caught it and whispered softly, her face faintly flushed.
"I-if, by any chance, I'm still not out after three days..."
"?"
"Come pull me out then, okay...?"
I nodded to the blushing Leo and gently drew my hand away.
"Then I'll see you later."
"Yes!"
Leo gave a short reply, then went back to the nymphs without so much as a glance behind her.
Even as she walked away, her face was glowing with pure happiness.
...Maybe leaving her like this really is the better thing for Leo.
I walked through the plaza, taking in the sights around me.
It had looked crowded from outside, but once you actually got into the inner plaza, it was absolutely packed — players and other races alike.
Truly a sea of people.
"She asked me to come get her if she doesn't come out after three days. Apparently she has a feeling she won't be able to escape under her own power."
Leo boasts strength far beyond anyone else's, but her penalties are likewise several times more brutal than anyone else's.
To the point that she can't even control herself.
"For now... I thought I'd look around a bit and then meet some of the other races. Especially the el... Hm?"
Amid the sea of people, I spotted a familiar face.
A burly man with emerald-green hair, and a woman with a white bob cut streaked with black.
I had most of the crowd noise filtered out, so I couldn't catch the details, but the woman was sighing and saying something to the man, while the man just laughed it off with a hearty haha!
Hair colors like theirs weren't unusual to see in a fantasy world.
But it was their attire that caught my eye.
Dobok — martial arts uniforms.
"I wasn't planning on holding a lecture today, though..."