World-Tree Online

by EA Hooper

  “So, you know the rules?” Quinn asked Vincent. “You can only bring one elixir or one ether into each battle. I guess you’ll choose ether since it’ll get you a second Void Gun shot, assuming you can chug the entire thing without getting killed. If I hadn’t been so surprised in our fight, you’d have never got off that second shot.”

  “I know,” Vincent replied. “Against most opponents in this tournament, I’ll only get one chance. According to the tournament listing, I have the lowest overall stats of anyone participating.”

  “Just means you have to fight even harder,” Quinn said. “Stats aren’t everything. Skills and good abilities are equally important.”

  “Only when the stat difference isn’t too great. There’s a point where someone’s simply too fast, too strong, and can spam too many spells for a weaker opponent to defeat.”

  “Unless you headshot them with Void Gun. Then you win no matter how much stronger they are.”

  “That’s the plan.” Vincent raised his glass and downed the rest of his drink.

  With their mana restored and drinks finished, the three players left the inn and traveled across Layrock. They arrived at the amphitheater built over a massive pit where the tournament would take place. Recording runes scanned the pit from multiple points of view to project fights to nearby worlds. Though the amphitheater itself was smaller than the coliseum in Knightrest, Vincent had no doubt that the fights in Layrock reached a larger viewing audience.

  “Good luck,” Xan called, splitting off toward the stands.

  Vincent and Quinn nodded at her, and then followed a passage into the backrooms. They talked to a few officials, and the guildsmen that ran the tournament checked them with runes to make sure their equipment followed tournament regulation.

  “Remember, no mega-elixirs, mega-ethers, ultra-elixirs, or ultra-ethers,” a guildsman said. “You only get to choose from one elixir or one ether per battle.”

  “Where would I even get any of those?” Quinn huffed. “I’ve only seen a few mega potions ever. Didn’t even know ultras were a thing.”

  “We just have to cover everything,” the guildsman said. “We had someone win several tournaments in a row because he kept bringing mega-ethers in with him.”

  I can recover most of my mana with one ether. So, I might be more outclassed than I thought. A standard-sized bottle of ether recovers about fifty Spirit levels worth of mana. Although, that’s not counting that at level one, you start with the equivalent of fifteen levels in your stats. The same-sized bottle of mega-ether is twice as strong. That would fully recover the mana of any player up to level eighty-six. As for ultras—I don’t even know how strong those are. You’d have to be insanely powerful to even need one.

  “Also, no runes,” the guildsman said. “However, enchanted equipment is allowed.”

  “Yeah, we know,” Quinn replied. “I’ve gone over the rules like twenty times.”

  “Hey, the first fight is starting,” Vincent said, watching a holographic screen.

  He watched the barrier come down, and the two combatants bombarded one another with attacks. They moved at speeds similar to Quinn, but both seemed to rely more on magic over close-quarter combat. It reminded Vincent a lot of the fight he’d seen his first day in Knightrest, however this fight ended much quicker since their potions were limited. One warrior got the upper hand, launched himself over his opponent’s barrier, and then shredded through the Mana Shield with repeated mana blasts. The victor drank an ether, and then finished off his mangled opponent with a Mana Gun to the face.

  “That was vicious,” Vincent remarked.

  “Better than letting his enemy suffer any longer,” the guildsman said. “It’s common courtesy around here to kill injured opponents. Faster than elixirs and Healing Light.”

  Quinn glanced at Vincent. “You sure you’re up for this?”

  “Yeah, at least I have a numbing pill.”

  “It’ll only cut the pain in half. You know that, right?”

  “I know.”

  They watched several more fights, and then Vincent got called to his first fight. After taking his numbing pill, he followed the passage and went through a gate into the large pit. He looked up at the stands hanging over him, and the crowd cheered. I probably won’t hit the crowd this time, at least. He equipped his oiron armor and Gazalblade1.

  His opponent, a man decked in full-plated armor, approached the barrier that divided them. He equipped a greatsword and held it over his shoulder. “Looks like they paired me up with a noob,” he said. “I’ll try to make your death quick and painless.”

  Vincent rolled his eyes and then Scanned his opponent and the man’s weapon.

  Name: Wrecker Rheagan

  Class: Fighter

  Real Age: 57

  Highest World: Farreach

  Vitality: Lv 54

  Spirit: Lv 42

  Resolve: Lv 45

  Perception: Lv 40

  Agility: Lv 50

  Strength*: Lv 58

  Destroyer+ - Total Rating: 200 (Material: 100 | Magic: 100) | A sharpened slab of oiron attached to an elegant hilt that glows with magical power. It’s an odd combination, but effective in battle.

  Rheagan charged his greatsword with Breaker, and when the barrier between them fell he darted toward Vincent. The man roared and raised his sword high, readying a killing blow against his lesser opponent.

  Vincent pointed his finger at Rheagan’s head and fired Void Gun through his skull. He sidestepped the body, remembering his last arena fight when Quinn had slammed into him.

  The crowd fell silent, but after a few seconds, whispers and chatter caught Vincent’s ear.

  “It—it looks like Noble Vincent has won,” the announcer stuttered. “With some kind of dark-looking Mana Gun. An interesting victory for this newcomer. I hope we see more of that spell in his next fight.”

  A few people in the crowd clapped, but most the viewers still seemed confused.

  Vincent ignored the crowd and left the arena. As he made his way back to Quinn, other fighters looked at him with expressions ranging from curiosity to outrage.

  “Nice job!” Quinn shouted as he sat beside her. “A second earlier, and you might’ve missed. A second later, you would’ve been dead. You might be gimmicky, but you’re a pro at it.”

  “I can already tell I’ll need to work on new abilities after this tournament,” Vincent said. “That one trick will only take me so far up the World-Tree.”

  Quinn nodded, then turned to watch the next fight. It lasted a little longer than the ones so far. Both men seemed skilled and powerful, but the one with a round belly ended up victorious. Quinn smiled as the fight ended. “That was a good one. Those two are really skilled.”

  “Well, it’s your turn,” Vincent said. “Hopefully, you don’t get someone like them.”

  Quinn left and appeared on the screen a minute later. She fought against a speedy opponent that always stayed on the move and attacked with small, rapid mana blasts. Quinn took numerous hits, but her Impact Shield kept any of them from being fatal. She finally finished the man with her signature spin kick, killing him with the last strike. After the Clerics fixed her up, she returned to Vincent halfway through the next bout.

  “Good job,” he told her. “Almost thought you might not get off that spin kick. And you call me gimmicky.”

  “I don’t always win with that move,” she defended. “Sometimes I just tap them with Breaker until they stop breathing.”

  After the last few fights finished, they watched the screen display the next order of matches. There were sixteen fighters remaining in the tournament, but Vincent sighed when he saw his opponent was the round-bellied man.

  “Looks like I lose this one,” Vincent said.

  “You going to forfeit?” Quinn asked.

  He smirked. “Nah, I’ll give it a shot.”

  Vincent watched several more impressive fights, including Quinn’s next match against a Mage subclassed as a Warden. It
turned into the longest fight yet, and both players used their ether in a battle of attrition. Eventually, the Mage ran low on mana, and Quinn snapped his spine with a few Breaker strikes to the back. Out of courtesy, she killed him with another strike to the temple.

  Vincent passed her on his way to the pit, and Quinn flashed him a thumbs-up. He stepped into the arena, and his body trembled with fear. He even missed his first attempt to Scan the large-bellied man, but he got the foe with his second attempt.

  Player: Big Keanu

  Class: Warden

  Subclass: Rogue

  Real Age: 29

  Highest World: Waimo

  Vitality*: Lv 66

  Spirit: Lv 54

  Resolve: Lv 42

  Perception: Lv 44

  Agility*: Lv 60

  Strength: Lv 52

  “That was a cool trick you pulled in your last fight,” Keanu said. “Never seen anything like that.” He looked around the stands at the chattering crowd. “They all want to see it again, and I sort of do too.”

  The barrier fell between them, and Vincent readied himself. He aimed his finger at the man, but waited for Keanu to make a move.

  Keanu stood still and smiled. “So, I noticed both you and Quinn are listed as part of the same guild on your tournament profiles. You two recently arrived from Teramor, right? I’m surprised anyone’s still traveling between worlds. I’m kind of jealous of your bravery.”

  This guy going to fight or talk? Vincent wondered. Maybe I should just take my shot. His muscles tensed, but he couldn’t bring himself to fire. I can’t shoot him if he’s only talking. That wouldn’t feel fair. Vincent lowered his arm.

  “Honorable too,” Keanu noted. “I like that. Hey, can you show me that spell from earlier? I’ll toss you my ether if you do.” A potion appeared in the man’s hand. “I understand if you don’t trust me, however.”

  Vincent tilted his head. Okay, he’s an odd guy. He doesn’t seem dishonest, though.

  “Alright,” Vincent replied. He pointed his finger at one of the boulders that dotted the pit. He shot Void Gun through the boulder, and it cut through the wall on the other side.

  “Wow!” Keanu said, tossing the ether to Vincent. “That’s really cool. Is that negative energy?”

  Vincent chugged half the ether, and then paused to answer. “Yeah.” He hurried to finish the rest, tossing the bottle aside once he was done.

  A big grin crossed Keanu’s face. “I didn’t know players could use that. That’s what I love about the World-Tree. I have new experiences every day. Or at least I did when it felt safe to explore. Maybe I’ll check out that guild of yours after the tournament. I’ve felt a little cooped up on Navrun the last fifteen years.” He took a fighting stance. “You ready?”

  Vincent readied himself again. “Yeah, let’s go.”

  In his last fight, I saw he used a lot of small barriers to bash his opponent and deflect attacks. He’s quick too, and took full advantage of Vanish and doppelgangers. I think he only used a normal Mana Gun, and that was just to break their shield.

  Keanu rocketed forward at a high speed. As Vincent aimed his finger, Keanu Vanished multiple times, creating three doppelgangers that charged Vincent from different angles. Vincent Scanned two back to back, revealing them as doppelgangers. However, the other two Keanus were moving too fast for him to Scan them all.

  Vincent dove backward. His eye caught the gleam of magic from the Keanu second to the left, and Vincent readied his shot as he landed on his back, knocking out his own Mana Shield. Jumping backward bought him just enough time to aim at the real Keanu and fire.

  The black bolt zipped through the air faster than even Keanu could move. However, Keanu’s gleam of magic had manifested into a round, floating barrier that he pushed against, throwing himself in the opposite direction. The Void Gun hit the wall of the pit, and Keanu landed on his shoulder on the ground. His Mana Shield likely had a Threshold because it didn’t flicker away, but his doppelgangers disappeared all at once.

  Vincent jumped to his feet, trying to drink his ether. He ran away from Keanu as the large man rose and charged again. Keanu sped toward him and projected a barrier in front of himself that smashed Vincent’s bottle to pieces before he was able to finish more than half of it.

  Backed against the wall and with only half his mana, Vincent fired at Keanu’s belly with Mana Gun. The spell knocked out his shield, but Vincent realized he was a little short of mana for another shot.

  Keanu grabbed Vincent by the shoulders. “We’re both out of mana, so maybe you should call it quits. We can switch to swords, but I promise that won’t go well for you.”

  Vincent chuckled and raised his hand. “I forfeit.”

  Keanu smiled and patted his shoulders. “That was a nice try, though. If you get more levels on you, you could be a real contender for future tournaments.”

  “I won’t be around that long,” Vincent replied, walking toward the gate. “My team is only staying here long enough to spread information on my friend’s guild. Then we’re heading up the World-Tree.”

  Keanu followed Vincent into the passage. “Oh, really? You know its tough up there. I couldn’t make it past Waimo before the update. I’m a little nervous to try now. Heard the monsters are reproducing like crazy on the Nature-Worlds.”

  “Well, that’s part of the challenge. It’s better than staying in one place for three hundred years.”

  “That’s true. If I joined your friend’s guild, I wouldn’t mind helping clear some of the monster camps between Navrun and the nearest worlds. I’ve got friends that help keep the monsters on Navrun from becoming overly populated. Our services could be useful for this guild. Would get me off this world too.”

  “That’d be fantastic,” Vincent said, handing him a rune leaflet. “The more people we get working together, the more we can ease travel between cities. That’s the goal of my friend’s guild.”

  “So, why’re you focused on going up the World-Tree? Wouldn’t it make sense to hit some of the closer cities before climbing?”

  “I was already on my way up when my friend started this guild. Helping him is only a detour from my real goal.”

  “Which is?”

  “To reach the top. I joined this game to challenge myself—not to live for centuries. Sometimes, I remember I put on that headset just minutes ago. I remember what I was doing, how I felt, and what I ate for breakfast. The last fifteen years will suddenly feel like a blur or a dream. Then it all rushes back to me, and I feel like this is the life I’ve grown accustomed to. In a hundred years, this will be the life I’ve known for most of my perceived existence. If climbing to the top makes that time go by faster, then that’s what I’ll do. If I only make it halfway before the update ends, then that’s fine too.”

  Keanu nodded. “I understand that feeling. It’s why I do these tournaments—just to pass the time until I see my family outside of this game again. That might be why I’m interested in your friend’s guild. Also, because I enjoy helping people. I’ll apply to this guild before my next fight. See you later, Noble Vincent.” He turned at a branch in the passage and headed the other way.

  Vincent returned to Quinn, and she shook her head. “Almost had him.”

  “Hey, he’s applying to Jim’s guild. That’s what we came here for, right? Jim needs people like him to help bring the cities closer together. He’ll make a good addition.”

  Quinn smiled. “We’ll see about that when I kick his butt in this tournament.”

  Vincent shook his head and watched the next fight. Over the next few hours, the tournament wound down until only Quinn and Keanu remained. Vincent had been surprised to see her make it all the way to the finals, especially after two very close matches where she required major healing afterward.

  He watched the last fight with wide eyes. He could even hear the cheers of the crowd from the passageway. The two combatants danced around one another, Vanishing and landing strikes. Keanu got in a few powerful hits wit
h barrier-projections that Vincent could’ve sworn were final blows. However, Quinn kept climbing to her feet and continuing, even when blood dripped down her mouth and bruises covered her body. She’d lost several teeth, and her eye swelled from a powerful blow. They both finished their ethers as the match drew to a close, and even Keanu looked battered and tired.

  Finally, Quinn went for her spin kick, but Keanu launched her into the air with a barrier. She flew fifteen meters into the air, and then crashed into the ground. The fall had knocked her unconscious, and Vincent hurried through the passage to the pit. Clerics worked to heal her as he approached, and Keanu had a sad look on his face.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to get so brutal,” the Warden said. “She just wouldn’t stay down no matter how hard I hit her.”

  Quinn opened her non-swollen eye and smirked. “Well played. Don’t forget to mention the guild in your victory speech.”

  Keanu scratched the back of his bleeding head, then glanced at Vincent. “You two are something else. Keep me updated as you climb the World-Tree. I expect big things from the both of you.”

  Vincent smiled. He looked at Quinn, and then turned and saw Xan in the crowd. The young woman pulled at her hair from the stress of seeing Quinn injured.

  There’s only three of us, but we make a great team. And they’re already two of the best friends I’ve made in my fifteen years here. The three of us might make it pretty far if we stick together.

  Year 35

  Chapter 17

  Player: Noble Vincent

  Location: Welisar (World) | Thundering Sea (Region)

  Class: Ranger

  Subclass: Mage

  Vitality: Lv 58

  Spirit*: Lv 68

  Resolve: Lv 61

  Perception*: Lv 73

  Agility: Lv 62

  Strength: Lv 58

  Their ship crashed over the roaring waves, and the bellow of rune cannons sounded all around them. Mana blasts collided with multi-layered barriers projected by the ship’s outer runes. Vincent, Quinn, and Xan fired back as Captain Elm shouted orders at his crewmates.