Game of the World Tree

The goddess’s body weighed much more lightly than expected.

Not only that, but her Holy Vessel also seemed to radiate a strange and extraordinary power, in which Optimist felt enveloped him the moment he hoisted the goddess onto his back.

This passive effect was so profound that he sensed his body’s recovery rate accelerating at a speed visible to the naked eye. Moreover, the injuries he had sustained earlier vanished rapidly, while his HP bar and depleted MP were gradually being replenished to its full capacity.

Even his experience points were slowly increasing!

This was the power of divine force of life.

Even though it was merely a vessel, the incarnation of the Goddess of Life still retained a significant amount of her divine force.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for this vessel to “sleep” for thousands of years and remained so full of life.

When the crystal coffin was destroyed, this divine-class holy vessel was exposed to the outside air after, thereby causing the residual life force within it to naturally begin dispersing.

The floral fragrance Optimist had smelled earlier was, in fact, a manifestation of this divine power of life.

Yet this fragrance Optimist smelled was simply his own sensory interpretation of the essence of life and nature, which leads him to have a subjective olfactory reaction to the goddess’s innate powers.

In fact, for any living being, this dissipating divine power imbued with the properties of life was an unparalleled boon, since it could easily heal injuries and restore one’s mana.

And the more you absorb this power, the greater the transformation it brings as it could enhance your physical attributes or even elevate one’s very existence to a higher level.

Nonetheless, Optimist had no time to focus on such things or even tried checking his own status screen at this moment, as his mind was entirely preoccupied with the goddess’s body he was carrying upon his back.

“Who would’ve thought that my first close encounter with a girl would be in a game… and with an NPC, no less,”

Optimist muttered as he sprinted forward, half-joking to himself.

Carrying the goddess on his back posed no burden whatsoever.

On the contrary, he even felt his body surging with newfound strength.

Still, the sensation of the goddess’s soft form, separated only by the thin fabric of her sacred gown, was a stimulation that constantly assaulted his nerves.

Even if she was just an NPC within the game, the Goddess was no ordinary NPC.

In every sense and from every perspective…the feeling she exudes was just too vivid and too enchanting, leaving him utterly distracted.

After all…

—Cough.

While Optimist himself was one of the top three tanks in the entire server, in reality, he was a 20-year-old shut-in otaku who had never even held a girl’s hand in his life.

Whilst running, he frequently found himself unsure of exactly where to place his hands in a manner that could be considered proper and not impolite.

At this moment, Optimist’s emotions were a chaotic blend of pride, confusion, excitement, and nervousness.

Especially when countless envious, jealous, and hostile gazes bore into him from all directions.

Unquestionably, by now, Optimist felt that he had stolen the spotlight from the current event’s original “boss” fight and become the center of attention.

The proof of this could easily be seen in his still-active livestream chat, which was being flooded with an overwhelming barrage of comments.

Normally, his viewership would have dwindled by now due to other players being summoned into the event. Yet, on the contrary, the number of his viewers was still steadily increasing.

Nevertheless, Optimist felt conflicted about it since his livestream’s comment section now a distinct smell of lemon.

⤷ Fuck! Opti, you bastard. You actually dare carry the goddess on your back?!

⤷ How is your luck this good? So jealous!

⤷ Me too +1

⤷ Me as well +2.

⤷ Opti my dude, how does it feel?!

⤷ Put down the goddess and let me do it instead!

If these players watching from outside were already this envious, then what more for those who were currently participating in the event and were actually inside the palace?

Just the mere sight of Optimist carrying the goddess on his back as he ran sent any players who happened to see him into a frenzy:

“Holy crap! Is that…the goddess?!”

“What the?!”

These were the reactions from some players who hadn’t even read the quest details before teleporting in.

“Whoa! The goddess! It’s the goddess!”

“She’s so beautiful! And her dress looks amazing!”

These reactions were from the goddess’s fangirls.

“Ugh! I’m so jealous! Why couldn’t it be me?”

“To hell with you, you lucky bastard!”

Whereas this was the cry of those envious players.

“Opti my dude, aren’t you already tired? Let me carry her for you!”

“Swap carriers! Please change with me!”

“Here, I’ll pay you 3,000 contribution points to take your place!”

“I’ll offer 5,000!”

“Hey, hey! Watch where your hands are!”

“Hehe, I’ve got new material for later!”

The surrounding crowd exclaimed in chaotic jest, yet amidst these commotion, Optimist mostly ignored them as he ran farther and farther away.

Seeing how he ignored them sparked further frenzy among the players as someone—no one could say who—began chasing after him.

Before long, a swarm of players had gathered behind Optimist, following in his wake like a rolling tide.

They surrounded him with excitement, running alongside him as though forming a protective escort.

Of course, most of them were simply just there to get a closer look at the goddess.

After all, compared to the previous time when she descended which was somewhat obscured by holy light effects, this was the closest they had ever been to her.

And she wasn’t just any other NPC too but rather, the Goddess herself who was considered the most popular character in the entire game!

In that instant, the entire palace descended into even greater chaos.

While the players focused on the goddess, the awakened God of Creation turned also his attention to Optimist.

Watching as the sacred vessel of the goddess was “stolen” by the players, the Creator let out a thunderous roar full of rage:

“Blasphemers, perish!”

With those words, his aura intensified, surging to new heights.

In that moment, even the surrounding space seemed to warp and distort around the Creator.

A couple of seconds passed, and a wave of black energy erupted from the God of Creation, spreading throughout the palace and shrouding it in a murky grayish-black miasma.

Immediately, every player within the vicinity felt an oppressive force weighing down upon them as their movements became more sluggish, as though restrained by an invisible force.

At the same time, they also sensed something draining rapidly away from their bodies.

The odd thing was that, although their status bars showed no significant changes whatsoever, an inexplicable exhaustion crept over them, and their stamina also began to slowly decrease.

What’s more, for those players closest to the God of Creation which includes Boxlunch and his team, the effects were even more shocking.

They discovered, much to their horror, that their bodies were aging at an alarming rate!

Amidst this chaos, only Optimist whose carrying the goddess, and a few players near him still remained unaffected.

This was the power of a domain.

Because this demi-realm lacks an abundance of mana, the God of Creation’s strength didn’t surpass the Silver-rank, though it was teetering on the edge of the gold-rank.

However, just because the power he exerted was not at the gold-rank, it doesn’t mean that the damage he caused was not as great as that of a golden rank expert.

All mythical beings all possess the power of a domain.

As a being whose essence transcended mortal limitations, the God of Creation wielded his domain with devastating effect.

Unlike demon lord Azazel, whose powers and divinity were heavily sealed, the Creator had no such constraints.

Thus, while unleashing his domain, the Creator could also amplify his strength by channeling the fundamental laws he commanded.

Through the players’ shared perspective, Evé frowned as she analyzed the The Creator’s attack.

“That looks to be a Corrupted Domain of Life… and it appears to be a Demigod’s Domain!”

By now, she had already discerned the corresponding laws for which governs the enemy’s power:

That is…

—The Law of Life!

The other party was able to siphon the life force of the inhabitants of this demi-realm not only through fragment of the Scepter of Life but also through the power of the laws that he has comprehended himself!

However, just because he comorehend it doesn’t mean that the other party gained control over these laws.

At most, no matter how much comprehension he gained, it could elevate him only to the status of a demigod.

Because only by mastering the laws and condensing the corresponding Divinity to attain godhood can one become a True God.

And since Evé herself already governs the authority over the Laws of Life, the universe itself naturally wouldn’t permit another controller to take control of this law.

Thus, the other party can only elevate himself to a Demigod.

A Demigod that comprehended the Laws of Life.

With him being able to exert a domain meant that this should be the other party’s True Body.

However, as the God of Creation unleashed his powers, Evé also noticed something unusual.

Even though the players had already taken the fragment of the Scepter of Life, thereby disrupting the Creator’s control over the demi-realm, the siphoning of life force still seemed to continue unabated.

This indicated that this God of Creation wasn’t relying solely on the Scepter’s fragments to extract life force but rather, he was doing it inherently.

This was perplexing, as having only a demigod’s power shouldn’t have been sufficient enough to influence an entire demi-realm.

Yet somehow, the entire realm seemed to be aiding the other party and assisting the Creator in his actions.

“This entire demi-realm…feels really strange,”

Evé thought warily.

Still, it was just caution on her part, not fear.

With her strength, the attacks of a mere demigod posed no threat to her at all, nor did the structural integrity of the demi-realm itself.

“Once I descend into this realm, I should be able to finally figure out what’s going on. Observing from afar can only reveal so much,”

She murmured as Evé began to channel her divine power.

The Heart of Life had already been handed over to Optimist, and she planned to use the game’s network, which is connected to every player, as a conduit to perform a divine descent.

With Optimist as a springboard, whose carrying her predecessor’s sacred vessel, she could cross the dimensional barrier via the fragment of the Scepter of Life and descend into the Holy Vessel herself.

Previously, the God of Creation’s control over the demi-realm had prevented her descent.

However, with the Heart of Life now stolen, the other party’s grip over it had weakened, thereby presenting her an opportunity to perform a descent.

Nevertheless, due to the low levels of mana within this demi-realm, her descent would only be partial.

Moreover, it will also take a certain amount of time for her to fully synchronize with that vessel and successfully perform partial divine descent into it.

Only when she gained full control of that vessel—when the “progress bar” reached its limit—the descent would be complete, and her power could manifest fully.

༺⟐༻

While Evé had begun channeling her divine power, initiating the descent process, the players continued their battle against the God of Creation.

The black miasma, which was the manifestation of the Creator’s domain, continued to spread across the battlefield.

Then as the miasma thickened, the God of Creation’s form gradually began to shrink.

Eventually, his body became no larger than the players themselves, yet his aura grew even more terrifying.

Whilst hovering in midair, the Creator raised his hand toward the oncoming players and flicked his wrist.

A couple of seconds passed before hundreds of black, thorned vines erupted from the ground.

These vines lashed out and coiled around any players near them, as their sharp spikes dig deep into its target’s flesh.

Even Boxlunch’s team was ensnared, unable to escape.

Then, whilst being accompanied by a terrifying suction force, the vitality of every ensnared player all began to dissipate rapidly and was absorbed by the corrupted vines!

[War Sacrifice!]

The God of Creation actually had unleashed a signature skill of the druids and nature-bound classes.

Being a former servant of the Word Tree, naturally such skill was within the Creator’s repertoire.

However, probably due to the corruption of the abyss, the War Sacrifice the Creator used was now far more aggressive and devastating.

Within seconds, nearly a hundred players who had surrounded the God of Creation were immediately reduced to ashes, leaving only a few pieces of unbound equipment on the ground…

In the blink of an eye, a wide clearing formed around the God of Creation just like that!

Even Boxlunch’s party, which had been at the forefront, was gone.

They, too, had been killed.

—Instantly.

Seeing this unbelievable scene, the surviving players all froze, staring in stunned silence.

“Fuck—!”

“Holy crap!!”

“Boss Box got one-shotted?!”

“How are we supposed to fight this?!”

“The difficulty of this boss fight is beyond broken! There’s no way to hold out!”

While players had faced some fearsome enemies in the past, those encounters often involved powerful NPCs from their faction taking the lead.

This time, however, they were alone, pitted against such a terrifying foe.

And the God of Creation’s overwhelming strength only reinforced their sense of insignificance—particularly for those players who had recently got promoted to silver-rank and felt overly proud of their progress.

As the players morale began to waver, Li Mu, who had only recently joined the fight, shouted:

“Hold him back! We have to stall for time! We need to buy time for the goddess to descend!”

“Guys! We just need to hold out a little longer!”

Hearing him, Tomato the commander of the First Legion, rallied as well:

“Take turns attacking! Call in reinforcements! Even if it costs our lives, we must hold it off!”

Even Transformer Ji Gang from the Guild, Autobots raised his voice:

“Keep pushing! Once the goddess descends, we’ll win!”

Seeing these three Guildmasters of major guilds encouraging the surrounding players, Little Salty Cat refused to be outdone.

She downed a vial of mana potion, activated [Amplify Voice] and shouted boldly:

“Members of Moe Moe Committee! Come on, everyone! As of today, all resurrection coins that you used will be reimbursed by the guild!”

Having these Guildmasters rally the troops made a huge difference.

With the motivational cries of the top guild leaders and the cooperation of their members, the players’ morale soared once again.

As if on cue, the background music also shifted at that moment.

The players’ ears were filled with the stirring, triumphant soundtrack from their previous major battle—the most popular and adrenaline-pumping BGM of all.

A rhythmic drumbeat, fiery and uplifting melodies.

In an instant, the players felt as though they were revitalized.

“Charge! Hold him back!”

“For the goddess! Long live the goddess!”

“Uraaa!”

With such battle cries, the players launched another assault on the boss.

Even though their attacks were largely ineffective, not a single one of them retreated at all as each players truly throw themselves right into battle, sacrificing their lives without hesitation.

Eventually, their relentless assault seemed to began hindering the God of Creation’s movements.

Despite wielding the power of a domain, the Creator’s maximum strength was limited to only the peak of silver-rank.

The players’ ‘human wave’ tactic gradually began to outpace the other party’s ability to kill them.

After being caught up in their relentless attacks, the God of Creation’s speed finally began to slow.

Meanwhile, Optimist, whose still carrying the goddess’s vessel on his back, kept running farther and farther away.

Alas, this stalemate didn’t last long.

The players’ persistence provoked the God of Creation’s fury once more.

With an enraged roar, the Creator raised both his hands.

The next moment, with a deafening rumble, the entire underground palace began to shake violently as the ground rose beneath their feet.

In mere moments, the whole palace broke through the surface, overturning the cathedral above it and emerging in the heart of the city!

Meanwhile, the players stumbled and fell amidst the sudden “earthquake.”

When the tremors subsided, they all realized their location had risen to the surface, greeted by daylight.

The damp chill of the underground was now gone, replaced by the warmth of the open air.

However, their relief was short-lived.

Their spirits sank as they noticed the countless NPCs surrounding them.

The numerous clerics of the Church of the Creation, along its retinue of guards, and even those ordinary townsfolk all stood encircling the players.

Their vacant eyes stared blankly at them, completely devoid of emotion.

Each held a variety of weapons with their bodies cloaked in black smoke. Some were even beginning to morph into monstrous forms, their aura growing increasingly oppressive.

And their numbers were quite staggering!

Tens of thousands, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Such surreal sight sent chills down to every players’ spines.

“Seize them!”

The God of Creation’s voice boomed with an unyielding authority.

At his command, the surrounding priests, guards, and citizens all transformed into grotesque monsters and charged toward the players in unison.

Meanwhile, the God of Creation leaped into the air, using the opportunity to dash toward Optimist.

Optimist felt an intense, inescapable sense of danger as the enemy boss personally locked onto him.

“Not good!”

There was no way for him to dodge!

His heart sank.

However just as the Creator was about to reach him, Optimist suddenly felt the delicate, pale arm resting on his shoulder shift ever so slightly.

In the faintest whisper, he thought he heard a soft sigh, while the once cold vessel he carried on his back suddenly became warm.

In the next moment, a radiant light erupted around him.

— 451 —

【 DESCENTOF THE GODDESS 】

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