Game of the World Tree

In the northern region of the Elven Forest, within a dense thicket…

A massive sub-draconic monster, about seven to eight meters tall, lay crouching on the ground, whilst savoring the freshly delicious meal it had hunted.

This creature was known as the Forest Armored Lizard, boasting nearly unmatched defensive capabilities beneath the Golden-rank. Typically, it is the first monster that players encounter after leaving the central zone of the Elven Forest, making it the ideal target, with its strength reaching the upper silver-ranks.

However, just as the Armored Lizard was leisurely feasting upon its prey, an excited roar suddenly echoed from the sky above.

Startled, the beast immediately shuddered and dropped its food before bolting away in a panic-stricken manner.

Alas, its predator was more faster.

With a rush of wind, a huge shadow blanketed the ground as a majestic black dragon swooped down from the sky…

Meryer’s crimson, slit-pupiled eyes gleamed with mischief as the black dragon puffed up his cheeks and opened his mouth wide before spewing out a stream of purple-black acidic breath.

The attack struck the fleeing Forest Armored Lizard in an instant as it let out a shrill, agonized scream as its armor—capable of withstanding even Golden-ranked attacks—dissolved under the highly corrosive acidic breath.

Meryer’s attack was so potent that even the lizard’s internal organs were corroded and quickly turned to mush…

After twitching a few times, the Armored Lizard finally collapsed, lifeless.

The black dragon then landed beside it, chest puffed out with pride.

“As expected, this lord is the strongest!”

Meryer declared, sounding like a boy of thirteen or fourteen years old, with a hint of youthful bravado.

But soon, a small figure appeared atop his head.

An elven mage, dressed in an ornate robe and wielding an intricate staff, raised her staff and gave the Meryer’s horn an indignant tap.

“Meryer! I’ve told you not to go overboard! Do you realize how valuable that monster’s armor was? Look, you completely ruined it! And…couldn’t you at least keep it alive? I was planning to finish it off!”

Her voice was crisp, with a slight edge of dissatisfaction.

It was Little Salty Cat.

Meryer’s expression stiffened, and he gave an awkward grin, baring his sharp fangs.

“Oops…my strength’s still a bit much for me to handle after I was promoted. I’m not quite used to it yet…”

Little Salty Cat: “…”

“Ahem, well… I myself didn’t expect to be this strong after I woke up. To think just a single breath of mine has such an effect… One could say this mighty Lord Meryer is simply too formidable now.”

The black dragon lifted his head high, pride radiating from his face.

Little Salty Cat: “…”

This rascal… After he was promoted, he had become practically untouchable, asserting dominance over all the lesser monsters within this area, which made his smugness seem to grow more and more.

She rolled her eyes at him with an exasperated look.

“Tch, you’re only at the intermediate Gold-rank… I’ve read in some ancient elven texts translated by Sister Birdy that the truly powerful dragons in history all have their strength broke past the Legendary-rank. Meryer, you still have a long way to go, so don’t get too cocky.”

Meryer shook his head.

“Pfft, that’s where you’re mistaken. Any dragons from our lineage who reach the Legendary-rank are known as mythical dragons, and only those old fogeys from ancient times have achieved that. Too bad such beings haven’t walked this land in ages.”

But just as he finished speaking, a strange, uneasy feeling stirred up within him for no apparent reason.

Suddenly, a flock of birds flew across the sky, seemingly fleeing from a great threat…

They looked so anxious that, even when they saw the terrifying black dragon on the ground ahead, they did not change direction but instead scattered in all directions as they fled in blind panic.

“What’s going on?”

Little Salty Cat murmured, momentarily stunned.

A flicker of surprise crossed the back dragon’s face as well.

However, just as he was about to speak, Meryer suddenly sensed a distant yet powerful aura pressing down on him, which stirred something deep within his bloodline.

Then, after a couple of seconds passed, darkness swept across the ground.

Under the astonished gaze of both Meryer and Salty Cat, an enormous shadow loomed above them, blocking out the sunlight and casting an eerie pall over the landscape.

It was a massive dragon, spanning at least two to three hundred meters.

Its dark golden scales shimmered as though it were forged from pure gold, and its sail-like wings stretched from its shoulders all the way to the tip of its tail.

As it swept across the sky, its mere presence alone was as imposing akin to a mountain, casting a vast overhead shadow that sent shivers down the spine of every creature that became aware of its existence.

As it passed above Meryer and Little Salty Cat, its massive wings paused mid-beat.

In that instant, both Meryer and Little Salty Cat felt a sharp gaze fall upon them, heavy and scrutinizing, whilst the air thickened with tension.

They stood still for a moment before a deep, ancient reverberating voice broke the silence, seemingly filled with surprise:

“—Hm?”

After a brief pause, a faint wave of magical energy descended from above, as it latched onto their bodies with an almost sentient force, wrapping around them like an unseen shroud.

Meryer and Little Salty Cat were struck with fear.

They wanted to move, to dodge, but found themselves nearly paralyzed under the dragon’s scrutinizing gaze.

The magical wave swept over both of them, leaving Little Salty Cat supringly unaffected, but a murky white aura appeared around Meryer instead.

This was a third-ring spiritual spell called [Detect Evil]

This type of magic examined the fluctuations of one’s soul, peeling back the layers of deceit and revealing truths hidden deep within them.

Essentially, it could display the target’s mental state in the form of a magical aura, and it’s particularly effective against creatures below the status of demigods, making it a favored tool for those seeking to uphold righteousness.

For those inclined toward justice and goodness, the aura would appear pure white, while for twisted or malevolent beings, it would darken towards black.

Such magic was often used by those who pursued justice and despised evil to distinguish friend from foe.

If a detected aura turned black, those committed to justice would not hesitate to attack.

For instance, amongst the various types of dragons, none held a stronger aversion to evil than the golden dragons.

However, upon seeing the aura around Meryer, a glint of surprise crossed the terrifying golden dragon’s dark-gold eyes:

“…Huh?”

“The Elf has no aura but that Black Dragon has a…white halo?”

It murmured unto itself, casting a lingering glance at Little Salty Cat and Meryer, before resumed its flight, whilst its powerful wings carried it far into the distance.

Gradually, the vast shadow which loomed over the land finally dissipated.

As the immense dragon’s oppressive aura faded, both Meryer and Little Salty Cat finally are able to move once more.

Both were completely awestruck as they stared after the mysterious golden dragon flying in the distance, awe still lingering upon their faces.

—Well, not quite.

While the black dragon was in shock, the elven girl on the other hand was pretty ecstatic.

“Whoa, a golden dragon! That was definitely a golden dragon, right!? It looks so big and beautiful, and it even has such an intense aura!”

Little Salty Cat exclaimed, brimming with excitement.

“H-Holy crap…a mythical dragon! That one was definitely a mythical dragon! How did I, Lord Meryer, end up running into a mythical dragon here in the Elven Forest of all places?!”

The young black dragon looked dumbfounded, even resorting to phrases he had learned from the chosen ones.

However, both of them suddenly wore looks of surprise when they finally noticed the direction the golden dragon was heading.

“Wait…”

“That direction… isn’t that where Florence is?!”

Little Salty Cat’s eyes sparkled as she eagerly shouted,

“Meryer! Let’s go! We have to follow it! That golden dragon must be the key to some major storyline unfolding!”

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ City of Florence

Various native elves from myriad of clans bustled about, while players went about their daily tasks and doing trades along the busy streets.

This newly rebuilt elven city was as lively as ever.

But in the next moment, a hovering figure suddenly swept across the ground, blocking out the sunlight and casting a massive shadow over the bustling city.

Elves and players alike paused, their laughter and chatter fading into silence as they all looked up in unison.

What they saw was an enormous golden dragon looming above them.

The dragon then circled once overhead before setting its gaze on the Temple of Life, which was situated at the heart of Florence.

It slowly descended from the sky, before landing gracefully in the vast square in front of the temple.

Whilst lowering its great head toward the temple’s entrance, the golden dragon respectfully announced:

“I, Alexius, the ‘Crimson Gold Blade,’ under the orders of the esteemed Platinum Dragon King Reinhardt, humbly request an audience with Her Excellency, the Goddess of Life, Eve!”

— 439 —

【 MYTHICALDRAGON ALEXIUS 】

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