Chain Quest (1)

"So thou art the one, is it? The human who saw fit to feed my daughter such strange things."

A young woman wearing a crown — the one who was Iris's mother — addressed me directly. Cold sweat poured down my back like rain as I launched into a stammering, rambling excuse.

"I-It's not really anything strange...! It's just, um... ah, shit, how do I even put this...?"

"Judging by how long it takes thee to answer, I surmise it must be true."

"......"

The elf queen's words struck dead center. I gave up and answered in resignation.

"Yes... I fed it to her..."

The kind of line that practically begged for a mournful "wooooo~" BGM to start playing somewhere. Then, dropping my eyes to the floor, I began hamming up the pitiful act.

"B-But I had no choice...!! That elf snatched the medicine I made and gulped it down first, I swear...!!"

"Hoho? So that is how it happened, is it?"

"Yes...!! I barely survived the Ferum Flower by the skin of my teeth and made medicine from its essence to treat a sick mother, and then that utterly vicious elf appeared out of nowhere and—"

"...So thou did steal and devour a human's medicine for no better reason than that? Iris?"

At my lies pouring out smooth as water, Iris — who had been standing beside us — protested with a look of pure betrayal.

"Y-You've got it all wrong...! I would never—"

"I am disappointed, Iris. To steal the medicine meant for a sick human's mother, all for a fleeting pleasure... how art thou any different from a beast?"

"H-Human!! Say something!! My mother's got completely the wrong idea...!!"

The elf queen glared at Iris with open contempt while Iris, on the verge of tears, demanded an explanation from me. And just as I was about to reveal that this entire thing had been one absolutely hilarious prank, a familiar chime rang out, and a translucent window popped up before my eyes.

So the queen's name was Sylvia. Unlike Iris, it actually sounded like a proper elf name. That said...

'...Chain Quest?'

That was a new one on me. Move straight to the next floor? The Tower had a system like that...?

"Ah, Mom...!!"

"How strange... never have I kept a beast's whelp as mine own child."

"Q-Queen...?"

"...But what am I to do if thou insist on playing the ignorant beast."

"......"

Unable to contain my curiosity any longer, I tuned out the mother-daughter comedy routine and snapped a screenshot of the quest window to upload to the gallery.

Probably because I'd posted about the fused Black Sludge just minutes ago, the comments were rolling in faster than usual. And amid a flood of comments enthusiastically complimenting the elf mother-daughter duo's figures, a familiar username appeared.

A karaoke medley. It was an oddly geriatric metaphor, but I got the general idea.

Familiar faces had swarmed in droves, but I'd extracted the essentials. So basically, I was in the middle of a combo quest? I could cut it off midway, but chaining the floors without stopping earned a bonus.

With the options floating right in front of me, I mulled it over for a moment, then picked Yes. It wasn't as if I had anything to do if I went home now, and there was no reason in the world to turn down bonus rewards. Free loot was always serious business.

"Let us save the rest of this talk for when we reach the village."

The instant I made my selection, the elf queen finished her bickering with Iris and turned to look at me.

Vuuuum──

"Ugh...?!"

At the same time, my vision lurched once, and the surrounding scenery slowly began to warp and distort.

Vuuuum──

That brain-rattling sensation hit me all over again. A beat behind it, I came back to my senses and groaned, pressing a hand to my furrowed brow as the headache rolled in.

"Ugh... my head..."

And at that, a familiar elven voice drifted in from beside me.

"What's wrong all of a sudden? Are you feeling unwell?"

Iris peered at me, eyes wide with concern. When I finally got my bearings, I realized we were being escorted somewhere by the elves. Judging by the quest context, we were presumably headed to the elf village. My head still throbbing, I brushed her off with a vague non-answer.

"I-I'm fine... just a little motion sickness, that's all."

"Well... you do go zooming around like that every single fight. No wonder you get motion sickness."

"......"

Letting her self-satisfied rationalizations slide in one ear and out the other, I looked around at the scenery. Buildings hung in swaying tiers from towering trees like wasp nests, and between them stretched suspension bridges woven from planks and creeping vines. Where the bridges ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ended, woodpecker-hole windows and terrace-like boughs formed yet more architecture. It was a vista utterly unlike any forest I'd seen so far, and I couldn't help letting out a string of awed gasps, mouth hanging open.

"Wh... wow..."

"Fufu. What do you think? Smitten, are we? By the majestic splendor of the elf village?"

"No... that's not it..."

It really was a gorgeous village, no denying that — the kind of place you'd only expect to see in the cinematic trailer of a AAA RPG. There was just one thing bothering me, though.

Sniff... hooooo...

The sky was hazy. A little... no, a lot. Honestly, it was fucking hazy. You know that cloud of pure passion that forms over an otaku convention hall? The fog hanging over the entire forest was at pretty much that level. What the hell, seriously — since when was this London smog? Why were elves, of all creatures, all hotboxing the place?

"......"

I waved away the status window flickering at the edge of my vision and asked Iris.

"So... Iris?"

"Yes?"

"That stuff those elves are smoking..."

"World Tree Leaves. I gave you one before, remember?"

"...Figures."

A race of certified junkies. Getting high on a species-wide scale. Suddenly, Iris was starting to look almost normal by comparison.

Sniff sniff.

"Hehehe... smells so good..."

"......"

...Then again, maybe not quite that normal.

Tap, tap.

How long had we been walking with the elves by then? The closer we drew to the heart of the village, the faster the smog lacing the air thinned out. Sunlight was gradually bleeding through the canopy of leaves overhead, and then the forest broke open, the ceiling pulling back entirely — and high above, the colossal World Tree slowly loomed into view.

"...Whoa."

This time, even I could only gape in genuine awe. A gigantic trunk shooting hundreds of meters straight up into the sky. The body was as thick around as an entire football stadium, and its height looked like it could swallow three fifty-story apartment towers stacked end to end and still have room to spare.

A spectacle of nature's grandeur that reduced America's gleaming skyscrapers to shacks. ...Except I wasn't quite moved to tears by the sight. If that tree hadn't basically been one giant medicinal herb, it probably would've been a little more inspiring.

From there we descended toward the World Tree's roots, and stepping inside an enormous knot-hole, we emerged into a space like a vast throne room. The elf queen had already taken her seat on the great chair at its far end, and she spoke to me.

"Now, then."

A snow-white woman seated upon her throne, crown in place. Eyes so cold they bordered on blade-sharp looked down at me. An inexplicable chill ran through my gut, and I swallowed dryly as I gazed up at the queen before me.

Queen Sylvia continued.

"I have heard the whole of the tale on the way here. Quite the mischievous jest thou didst play."

"Haha... about that..."

"Well, no matter. I need not look to know it is nine parts Iris's doing. She may be mine own daughter, but... she is hardly a child who inspires trust."

At her words, Iris twitched visibly, itching to protest, but an elf at her side promptly seized her and shut her mouth. That one was probably Iris's personal secretary or lady-in-waiting. I could picture the daily suffering all too clearly, and felt a pang of sympathy.

Sylvia pressed on.

"I watched thee purge the filth of the forest."

"Filth? You mean the Black Sludge?"

"Aye. Is that what they are called these days? Creatures born of refuse, ensnared by the World Tree's mana, vermin that gnaw the forest from within."

That was news to me. I'd assumed they were just a Floor 5 boss that happened to show up in the Tower. Turns out the lore ran deeper than I'd expected.

"As thou knowest, most elves are sensitive to 'miasma' — so much so that the majority will not even approach the thing. That thou didst purge them in our stead, thou hast mine gratitude beyond measure."

"See, Mother? Lady A-yeon is amazing!"

"Of course, that does not mean I can simply overlook the matter of her cultivating ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the 'Getting-High Flower.'"

"......"

Scolded by her mother, Iris deflated and hung her head. Sylvia turned back to me.

"And so, I have a splendid proposal for thee."

Now we'd arrived at the main event. I gathered up the attention I'd let wander and focused.

"Wilt thou purge the filth of the forest for me?"

Ding!

Right on cue, a quest window materialized before my eyes. But Sylvia did not stop there.

"And shouldst thou but slay 'the biggest one of all' — the thorn in our side — my reward shall not be a stingy one."

The biggest one of all. I had no idea what that was yet, but when Sylvia added —

"Failing all else, I could offer thee... a 'Branch of the World Tree,' I suppose."

— I answered instantly, without a shred of hesitation.

"Say less. I'm in."

A World Tree Branch. I didn't know exactly what it was, but this had to be completely busted. If the leaf was an S-rank item, the branch had to be at least S-rank, right? Worst case, solid A-tier.

'Of course, seeing as I already ate the leaf, I can't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grind that trait any higher...'

Among Awakeners, S-rank items were so rare you named your own price. And one bearing the words "World Tree"? Mage-class Awakeners would lose their minds and come running. There was no way on earth I could refuse an offer like that.

▸ (Optional) Defeat the Sludge Blob. (0/1)

"...So, uh, what exactly is the biggest one?"

But with the quest details finally catching up to me, fear crept in late, and my voice came out a little shriveled as I asked Sylvia. The Sludge Blob? I didn't know what it was, but it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had to be an upgraded Black Sludge, right? She had said "the biggest one of all," so presumably something the size of a house was about to show up...

"Seeing is believing. Better to show thee with mine own eyes than to wear out my tongue with explanations."

And with that, Sylvia rose from her seat, looking oddly delighted.

"Follow me. I shall show thee the forest's biggest pile of filth myself."

"Uh..."

Why was she so happy about this...? Sniff... something about this felt ominous...

A short while later.

Gweeeegh, blublublub──

"That is the one."

"......"

I was standing face to face with an apartment-sized blob of waste.

"......"

"What ails thee?"

"...C-can I, um, not do this?"

"Wouldst thou renege on a pledge once given?"

"Ren~ege."

"......"

Sylvia fixed me with an icy stare. I did my best to dodge her eyes and looked at the massive mass of slime in front of me instead.

Glrrgl... bluuuuuurb...

"......"

I wanted to bolt so bad. Genuinely.