World-Tree Online

by EA Hooper

  “I’ll give you my items, and then float down,” Xan said. “If there’s nothing there, I’ll bite the capsule.”

  “You sure?” Quinn asked. “I could go instead.”

  “No, the guys will need your help if they find the World Boss,” Xan replied. “I’m the most dispensable. It’s only fair considering how many times you and Vince have sacrificed yourselves for me.”

  Xan handed Quinn most of her items, then dove into the darkness. She floated with the Lich’s Cloak until she disappeared from their sight. After a minute, the three remaining players saw the light of a rune appear on the ground. Vincent eyed his HUD as the local map filled with the shapes of stalagmites and walls.

  >Alexandria: I don’t see much but empty space and rock formations so far. Oh, here’s a narrow tunnel. It goes farther down. Hey, there’s another tunnel too.

  >Vincent: This cavern might branch off toward spriggan nests. Be careful.

  >Alexandria: I’m jogging toward the end of the cavern right now. There’s a dim light this way.

  >Vincent: Is it one of those glowing trees that make spriggans? You’re heading in the direction of the dungeon. These caves might connect to the ones we were at.

  >Alexandria: No, it’s glowing white. I think it’s another world magic leak.

  Vincent looked at Quinn and Jim. “Guess we need to go down there.”

  “That drop will break our legs for sure,” Jim said. “Even with our shields.”

  “I’ll try to stop my fall with Zero Field,” Vincent replied. “If it works, I’ll do the same for you two.”

  >Vincent: Hey, Xan. Can you come back this way and light up the ground?

  >Alexandria: Yeah. Give me a minute.

  Vincent waited until he saw the light far below. He jumped over the ledge and plummeted toward the bottom of the cavern. Just before he struck the ground, he slowed himself with Zero Field. His Gravity Shield absorbed the remainder of the impact, and he sipped a little ether to restore the mana he’d spent.

  >Vincent: That worked well enough. You two come one at a time. Hold lighting runes, so I’ll see you falling.

  >Quinn: I’m using the climbing gear to let a rope down first. If we throw Xan high enough, she can use the boots and cloak to reach the rope and escape.

  Quinn jumped after letting down a rope, and Vincent slowed her with Zero Field. She returned Xan’s items after landing, and then Jim leapt after a short hesitation. Even with a zero-frequency field slowing him down, Jim’s Mana Shield flickered when he landed.

  The Rogue sighed. “What’s the point of Threshold if something below the rating can still trip it by hitting you hard enough?”

  “The ratings are more like guidelines than absolute rules,” Vincent noted. “The closer to a one-thousand rating, the more indestructible it is. That’s why Mana Shields can’t go over three hundred, or they’d be too strong.”

  “Yeah, I know all that,” Jim replied. “I’m only venting because I haven’t had a drink in a while. It doesn’t help that everyone I know spammed me with messages and pictures about the fun parties they had while I was respawning.”

  “Then send them pics of your exciting adventure,” Quinn replied. She snapped an image of Jim with slumped shoulders. “There you go, another one for the team collection.”

  “So, the light is that way?” Vincent asked, wandering across the cavern. He followed Xan’s map and soon spotted a glow in the distance.

  “That’s the one,” Xan said.

  Their party hurried across the cavern, but they found it much longer than expected. They passed a dozen other passages, and the light grew larger and brighter as they neared.

  “It’s a bigger pool than the last,” Vincent noted, eyeing the wide, glowing shape. “Everyone, watch out for elementals.”

  As they stepped closer to the large pool of world magic, a buzzing noise caught their attention. They paused and stared into the dark passage beyond the glowing liquid. A long, stringy shape zigzagged toward the pool. Its massive, flexible wings looked full of holes.

  “Don’t let it reach the pool!” a voice screamed. A figure with an ice blade chased after the monster at superhuman speed, despite limping with an injured leg. However, the boss looked just as fast and had a head start.

  The four party members reacted at once. They fired a variety of mana attacks at the monster, and Vincent even used his Void Gun. Most of the attacks bounced off the monster, but Void Gun cut a hole through its body.

  The monster didn’t slow, however, and quickly reached the mana pool. It stretched out its body, revealing dozens of wire-like limbs. Vincent couldn’t tell where its body started and its limbs ended, nor could he make out a head of any kind.

  The boss stabbed dozens of wires into the world magic, and the pool shrank at a rapid pace. Its body glowed and enlarged, and all the missing chunks of its wings and body regenerated within seconds. It doubled in size by the time the figure with the ice blade caught up. The man jumped into the air and slashed through the monster, spraying world magic across the cavern.

  The creature’s injury healed almost instantly, and its body arched into an offensive stance. It stabbed at the man with a dozen wires, but he dodged and leapt for the world magic. He landed in the half-empty pool, cupped his hands, and drank from it to recover his mana and heal his leg.

  The monster readied all its wires at once, but the man raised his off-hand.

  A mountainous wall of ice appeared in an instant, encasing the monster. Vincent Scanned the mountain of ice and then the man’s ice blade.

  Greater Flash Freeze (Mage Only) – Mana Usage: High+ | Quickly forms a massive wall of ice.

  Super-Dense Ice Longsword (Mage Only) – Mana Usage: High | Material Rating: 500 | Creates a heavy blade made of super-dense ice.

  The figure in black chainmail drank once more from the mana pool. “You four, hurry and refill your mana. If we work together, we can kill this thing.”

  Xan, Quinn, and Jim drank from the pool. Vincent remembered he couldn’t touch world magic because of his Gravity Shield, so he equipped an ether. As he drank, he Scanned the World Boss and the man he presumed to be Zhang.

  Rayazar the Drinker (World Boss) – Monster Class: B+ | Ageless | Sex: Female | Respawn Time: Six In-Game Months | Personality: Thirsty

  Player: Ice Knight Zhang

  Class: Mage

  Subclass: Rogue

  Real Age: 34

  Highest World: Cryasal

  Vitality: Lv 201

  Spirit*: Lv 238

  Resolve: Lv 209

  Perception: Lv 205

  Agility*: Lv 225

  Strength: Lv 208

  “We need to hit this monster hard,” Zhang told them. “I’ve been fighting her on and off for days, but I can’t deliver a finishing blow. Rayazar doesn’t have a brain, and her entire body is one big nervous system. But she also has strong regenerative abilities. Every time I almost kill her, she gets to another world magic pool and restores herself. Not only that, but the world magic is increasing her speed, power, and regenerative abilities.”

  Everyone aimed their hands at the frozen boss. Zhang fired first with a powerful mana blast that burned a gaping hole through the ice wall and Rayazar. The other players launched their attacks, and Vincent fired Void Gun. He chugged his ether and recast the spell, but he also Scanned Zhang’s powerful mana attack when the Ice Knight used it again.

  Mana Cannon (Upgraded) – Mana Usage: High | Magic Rating: 400 | Fires a high-speed ball of mana from the user’s palm. | Upgrades – Weighted Shell: This attack expands upon hitting something, dealing a larger area of damage. | Splash Damage (300 Magic Rating): This attack explodes when it comes to a stop, dealing additional damage with corrosive mana. | Steady Aim: This ability no longer has kickback.

  I’ve heard of that spell. It’s the most common evolution of the Mana Gun after Mana Magnum. To someone like him, that’s only a regular attack. And those upgrades make it even deadlier.

 
Zhang drank world magic, fired Mana Cannon two more times, and then drank again. His bombardment left gaping holes in the World Boss, but Vincent eyed Rayazar healing almost as fast as they could deal damage.

  Rayazar sprayed sparking world magic from her string-like limbs, melting the wall of ice. The mana spread across the ground toward the players.

  “Look out!” Zhang shouted. He grabbed Jim and Xan and leapt away from the flickering magic.

  Quinn Vanished before the magic reached her, and she reappeared beside Vincent. They watched as the world magic left hundreds of holes in the ground around the pool.

  It’s converting the world magic into a weapon. No wonder Zhang couldn’t kill this thing. Between her rapid healing, her lack of a weak spot, and her ability to regurgitate world magic, I’m not sure how we can beat this thing.

  “We were so close,” Zhang yelled, watching as the boss’s wounds fully healed.

  Rayazar zigzagged into the air at a high-speed. She circled overhead, and the players watched and waited for her next move. However, the boss turned and rocketed across the cavern until she disappeared into the darkness.

  “How many fractures like this are there?” Vincent asked Zhang.

  “I’ve found five,” Zhang said. “Even caught that thing poking around, trying to find more sources of world magic. She’ll suck one spot dry and move to the next. I’ve tried blocking off the pools by creating avalanches, but she digs them back up the moment she loses sight of me.”

  Vincent waited for the regurgitated magic to vanish, and then he approached the pool. He hit it with a Zero Field, and then shoved the liquid down until the fracture sealed itself over.

  “There,” Vincent said. “Now if you knock the cave down on this spot, she shouldn’t be able to reach the world magic.”

  Zhang raised an eyebrow. “That ability—was that negative energy?”

  “Yeah,” Vincent replied. “You’ve never seen someone use negative energy in spells?”

  A look of intrigue crossed Zhang’s face. “One of my old teammates had been experimenting with it around the time of the update, but I haven’t spoken to him in years. It’s impressive you achieved that at such a low level.”

  “He was obsessed with it,” Jim explained. “Even when his spell development was stuck for years, he kept going. Quinn and I are at that point now, actually.”

  “Interesting,” Zhang said. “So, can you plug the other holes? If Rayazar doesn’t have a constant source of world magic, she’ll return to her normal size and strength soon enough. I think she only managed to reach other sources because the one my team uncovered allowed her to double her size. If she runs out completely, her wires won’t be able to reach that far.”

  “I’ll close the pools if you lead me to them,” Vincent replied.

  Zhang used his ice blade to cut through a rock formation, causing a collapse that buried the empty pool. He motioned for the other players to follow, and then led them through a series of tunnels and caverns. They branched off from the main path twice so Vincent could plug leaks at the end of smaller passages. After several hours of searching, Vincent had plugged four of the five, and Zhang led them toward a spriggan nest where the last was located.

  “This is the largest one,” Zhang told them. “It’s the one my team exposed. We were down here farming spriggans when the boss found us. My teammate Ezra released a powerful spell that broke the ground open.”

  “Ezra the Tempered,” Jim uttered. “So, what’s he up to?”

  “We haven’t talked in a few years,” Zhang replied with a sad tone. “We’d just reached the high-tier worlds when the update started. The angels appeared and blocked our passage, then slaughtered us easily. Our biggest problem was that leveling up hits a wall at two hundred and becomes increasingly difficult to go any higher. Even my specialized stats haven’t moved in several years. However, Ezra refused to back down and disbanded the team. He said he’d fight the angels alone if he had to. I left to find other players that showed promise. Figured if we had a larger team, we could keep going. Noah and Amelia stayed to develop new abilities and strategies for fighting the angels. However, after a few years, they ceased communication with me. I lost hope in finding new teammates and decided to focus on helping other people trapped in this game. Some old friends were in Midrun, so I came here.”

  “You were looking for new teammates?” Jim said. He flashed a grin at Vincent, Quinn, and Xan. “Because we’re trying to climb the World-Tree. We’ve even made unique abilities that might help against angels.”

  “You can’t beat the angels,” Zhang replied. “I had high hopes when I left my team, but my last few communications with Noah and Amelia made me realize how grim the situation had become. Those two were the heart and soul of our team, but the angels had completely demoralized them. I’ve heard from devs that it’s even worse beyond that point. ARKUS doesn’t want players to reach the top of the World-Tree—it’s hopeless to even try.”

  Jim lowered his head.

  “Maybe not,” Vincent replied. “Just because it’s hard to level up doesn’t mean it’s impossible. You just have to find the right challenge. And defeating the angels might come down to developing the right abilities. Everything in this game is beatable. I’ve seen enemies that seemed unfair, but there’s always been a way to win. And maybe ARKUS wants more players to work together to reach the top. Four players make a small team. What if you had ten players like yourself? A hundred? A thousand? Could you beat the angels then?”

  Zhang glanced at Vincent, and the older man thought he saw a look of admiration in the Ice Knight’s eyes.

  “Yes,” Zhang replied. “If I had a thousand players like myself, I’m sure I could reach the top. However, there are few people on this World-Tree with your outlook. Ninety percent are too afraid to leave the cities. More than ninety-nine percent are too afraid to leave the City-Worlds. A fraction of a fraction are willing to climb the World-Tree. And fewer dare to face the angels. And of the people that have faced angels, only a small percent are willing to try and try again.”

  “Give them time,” Vincent said. “When I left Teramor, most people kept to the safety of the city. However, Jim’s guild has spurred more travel between worlds.”

  “And my guild was inspired by you, Vince,” Jim replied. “See, Zhang, people just need the right inspiration. I didn’t want to leave Teramor at first, but Vince inspired me. In time, more people will get that call to adventure. And I’m sure even more people will want to leave with that moderator having a power trip.”

  “You mean Lucas?” Zhang asked. “I’ve met him. He’s childish and wields too much power. He’s part of the reason I’m afraid to leave Midrun. If his ever-growing forces try to attack, Midrun will need my protection.”

  “Can you really stand up to a mod?” Xan asked. “Can’t he ban you?”

  Zhang’s eyes narrowed into a hardened stare. “I wouldn’t give him the opportunity.”

  The glow of the last pool caught Vincent’s attention. He saw it sitting between two Source Trees. Rayazar sat over the pool, suckling at the world magic.

  “I’ll freeze Rayazar, and then take care of any spriggans that attack,” Zhang said.

  The Ice Knight rocketed toward the World Boss. Rayazar pulled away from the pool, but Zhang cast Greater Flash Freeze and encased her in a massive wall of ice. After drinking from the world magic to restore his mana, Zhang circled around the wall at superhuman speed and rushed the army of spriggans as they dropped from their trees.

  Vincent hurried to the pool and cast Zero Field, shoving the world magic down until the fracture healed itself. “Got it!”

  Quinn and Jim both readied their experimental attacks.

  “Let’s take out this World Boss,” Quinn said. “Or at least try to hurt her enough that she loses world magic and shrinks. That way, she won’t be able to create more fractures.”

  Vincent fired his Void Gun at the center of the boss’s body, leaving a hole. Jim cast his spe
ll next, struggling to control the direction of his void attack. It missed at first, but he forced his winged spell to circle around and cut down across the length of the boss’s body. Xan released several Light-Drain Butterflies to absorb mana from Rayazar’s wiry limbs as the boss tried to break out of the ice.

  Rayazar squirmed, spraying world magic from her limbs in a desperate attempt to escape. As the ice melted, Quinn leapt into the air and hit the World Boss with her gravity-warping punch. The attack blasted Quinn across the cavern, but it also smashed the World Boss into the ground as the half-melted ice wall collapsed.

  The World Boss writhed on the ground, trying to upright herself. Quinn’s attack had broken most of the monster’s wings, and Rayazar had lost a third of her size from spewing out world magic. The boss lashed at the closest players with her wires, but they easily dodged the sluggish attacks.

  Vincent drank part of an ether and fired another Void Gun. Mushy guts exploded from Rayazar’s chest, and his team attacked the exposed parts with Mana Guns. Vincent finished his ether and fired two Mana Gun blasts at the vulnerable spots.

  Rayazar squirmed and twisted, but finally collapsed to the ground. She released a sad cry before her body crumbled into dust.

  “We did it!” Xan shouted, grabbing the items.

  Jim pumped his arm. “Yeah! Nice work, World Knights.”

  Quinn limped toward them as she chugged an elixir. Once her leg healed, she tossed the bottle aside. “What about Zhang?”

  They peeked around the remains of the ice wall to find Zhang slashing through spriggans. With his insane speed and strength, he cut through dozens of the creatures in seconds. The World Knights all drank ethers, and then ran to help him. They cut down several spriggans with Mana Magnums, which were too strong for the spriggans’ magic defense, and then everyone but Quinn equipped swords.

  Vincent slashed through several spriggans until a few grappled him. However, Zhang cut him free before dashing back into the crowd. Several minutes of chopping down spriggans passed, and each time their team felt overwhelmed, Zhang reappeared to assist them. The Ice Knight moved at blinding speed, and even Vincent struggled to follow his movements. Sometimes Vincent would focus on a handful of spriggans, only to turn to find that Zhang had eliminated dozens.