The vast world of YGGDRASIL was simply beyond description.
Expanses stretched as far as the eye could see. Skies painted with shimmering auroras, endless forests pulsing with magic, and oceans that reflected the light of three virtual suns. In that digital space, where real time was exchanged for pure fantasy, players could live out what they never would in the real world.
It was more than a game — it was a refuge.
In Midgard, the realm of humans, the environment was warm and welcoming, crafted like a true medieval continent. Cities bustled with markets, taverns rang with artificial laughter, and NPCs had writing and voice acting so elaborate they could be mistaken for real people. There was freedom to explore, forge friendships, wage guild wars, create fiefdoms, craft exclusive items, or simply wander, marveling at the beauty of something that clearly could never exist outside that space. For thousands, YGGDRASIL was the perfect escape. A digital dream, shaped entirely by the will of the player.
But not all flowers bloom forever — eventually, they wither.
Six years later.
Inside a spacious hall adorned with pixelated tapestries of dragons and crests that once symbolized shared dreams, Ardluc's avatar sat on a throne carved from digital white marble. The grand hall felt too large for a lone player, and the echo of his solitary steps betrayed the absence of once noisy gatherings.
This was HammerFang, a guild Yuuto — now Ardluc — had helped found a year ago with his friends from YGGDRASIL. Back then, the spirit had been lighthearted, almost an inside joke between coworkers trying to escape the decaying reality of the physical world. Over time, the joke became commitment, and commitment turned into exhaustion.
Ardluc opened the Guild Management menu. Of the original 21 members, only 7 remained listed. All offline. As always.
"Not like I expected anything different..." he muttered to himself, his voice low, muffled by the game's lack of rendered emotion. His avatar didn't smile or frown — but if it could, perhaps it would. A sad smile.
He rose from the chair. His body was that of a human colossus — clad in a tight black shirt like a second skin, emphasizing his brutal physique. Reinforced combat gauntlets wrapped his fists, adorned with white lines and golden accents. His hakama pants, decorated with red and white flame patterns, contrasted with the ceremonial golden greaves that reflected the ambient light.
He descended the stairs of the main hall, passing by furniture left behind like frozen memories. Chairs, tables, paintings — all inanimate, waiting for voices that would never return.
HammerFang had never been a standout guild. They owned no territory, no castle, nor any World-Class Items. What they had was style, effort... and a story. Two of the most active members had designed the guild hall with such pride, they used to say it felt like playing Minecraft again. Ardluc remembered that fondly.
The GM interface opened with a gesture, revealing a floating display. He selected the world-transfer map, and the name Asgard lit up among the others.
"Time to work... I still need to finish those gauntlets," he grumbled.
Ardluc was still using a pair of generic Divine-Class gauntlets that clashed with the rest of his meticulously customized appearance. Aesthetic wounds were the hardest to ignore.
Asgard, the realm of the Norse gods in YGGDRASIL, was one of the most challenging zones to explore. Vast, with towering mountains, frozen plains, and floating sky ruins. But it was also a goldmine for Data Crystals, especially within hidden dungeons. Some players avoided fully exploring Asgard because it was among the most complex and demanding realms. But for the stubborn like Ardluc, it was a paradise full of Data Crystals.
He had discovered a new dungeon the day before — a small temple hidden on the back of a petrified, sleeping dragon. No one else seemed to know of it yet, so all the loot would still be untouched.
He opened his inventory and configured the necessary consumables and skills. A blue glow surrounded him as he teleported — alone, once again.
But unlike six years ago, he no longer played for friendship or fame.
He played for himself.
And that would be more than enough.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ♦♦♦
The spiritual forest of Asgard stretched like a dense green sea, every branch and leaf swaying in absolute silence, as if paying homage to the majesty of the virtual world manifested there. The ambient light reflected the simulated sky of that server, creating a dreamlike illusion of peace. Yet, beneath that serene façade, Ardluc walked with clenched fists, frustration gnawing at his thoughts.
The dungeon entrance he had discovered — a crack camouflaged on the side of a rocky grotto — was now lit up with flashy magical effects, guild banners, and arcane totems. Players were gathered there, three of them wearing black cloaks and elegant armor adorned with their guild's crest. There was no need to look twice to recognize the infamous 2ch Alliance.
Ardluc stopped at a safe distance, his blue eyes widening with a mix of disbelief and anger. The elite guild had once again taken possession of something they had no rightful claim to. It was their pattern. Elite explorers who didn't play the game — they devoured it. Owners of 53% of all YGGDRASIL content, yet still hungry for more.
"Damn it… Even here?" Yuuto muttered, watching the members laughing and chatting among themselves. "Those sons of bitches… always monopolizing everything."
His avatar remained expressionless, showing no trace of the fury he felt. But inside, Yuuto was burning. He tightened his combat gauntlets — the only non-customized pieces in his Divine Class set — and let out a sharp breath, spinning on his heels.
"I hope one day the other guilds band together and crush you all…"
He walked deeper into the forest, entering what the map marked as a neutral zone. The magical sounds of the 2ch Alliance faded behind him, replaced by the ghostly whisper of leaves and the soft glow of spiritual fairies hidden among the branches. The forest was beautiful, yes, but also dangerous. Spirit-type monsters and roaming elementals wandered in the shadows, and even a high-level player like Ardluc avoided unnecessary combat — especially without the right mindset.
The silence and solitude made his thoughts echo louder.
"It's been six years… Six years playing this crap…" he said, his voice a low whisper in his tired mind.
Yuuto's steps crushed the mossy ground beneath him. He vividly remembered the day he had awakened in this new world, overwhelmed by the euphoria and hope of having stumbled upon a fortune. YGGDRASIL had seemed like the dream of his past life come true: freedom, power, adventure… But instead of becoming someone, he had sunk into the empty repetitions of slow progress. The same thing he did in his old life, the same thing he had regretted on his deathbed. The friends he had made in this game? Gone. Some because of real life… others because they'd grown tired of his worldview.
He let out a heavy sigh.
"In the end… I came right back to the same pit. I hope Haruka's doing better than me…"
It was then, while lost in thoughts he didn't want to revisit, that he noticed the scenery around him change. The vegetation thinned, and the trees gave way to something new. A few steps ahead, a crystal-clear lake appeared — a rarity in YGGDRASIL — with a unique tree on its shore, its silver leaves reflecting the server's night sky as if suspended between time and space.
Yuuto stopped. Enchanted? Maybe. Tired? Definitely.
He walked to the shore, his ceremonial boots sinking slightly into the digitally rendered grass. He stood there for a moment, gazing at his reflection — Ardluc's reflection — in the lake. And there, staring at his own image, he made a rash, furious decision. He removed the golden gauntlets from his hands and, without a second thought, threw them into the center of the lake.
"Stupid game. Stupid world. And these damn things don't even match the rest of the armor!"
The gentle splash broke the lake's serene air, creating ripples that slowly faded away.
He sighed. Exhausted.
With a command, he opened the GM console, ready to log out.
But then…
"Oh, fuck…" he blurted out, eyes widening. "The drop rate was 0.01%!"
He slapped the console closed and dove into the lake, creating a vortex of shimmering water. It was cold — not really, of course, but just enough to trigger mild discomfort in the tactile feedback system. He swam with urgency, desperate. Those gauntlets were the result of months of effort. They were the most vivid memory of his days with the HammerFang crew. He couldn't lose them.
The breath gauge in the corner of his interface was already at 70%.
The cold water wrapped around Ardluc's body like a digital veil—muted, without the weight or resistance of real water—yet there was still that artificial chill, as if YGGDRASIL's tactile system insisted on reminding him it existed. He swam quickly, slicing through the crystal silence of the lake in search of the gauntlets he had thrown just seconds earlier. The interface blinked red: 30% breath remaining.
The lakebed was made of jagged stones covered in glowing moss, casting a greenish luminescence that blended with the silver light of the virtual moon. Eyes as trained as Ardluc's knew where to search for dropped items—between cracks, crevices, and ridges in the environment. And it was in one of those rocky fissures that he saw them: his Divine Class gauntlets, wedged between two stones, intact.
A wave of relief surged through him, even if his avatar's face couldn't express it. Ardluc stretched his arm, grabbed the gauntlets, and pulled them close.
"Never doing this shit again…" he muttered with a heavy voice, even within the silence of the deep.
But then… something flickered.
A golden glow. Subtle. Pulsing. Nestled in a crevice just below where the gauntlets had been. It was unusual. Ardluc narrowed his eyes and approached, breath down to 10%.
With a swift effort, he shoved his hand into the fissure. His fingertips touched something warm—not in temperature, but in presence. The interface pinged: "Item Acquired."
"I'll check it later…" he thought, kicking hard to rise.
His breath bar hit zero.
–2% HP… –3%... –5%...
Ardluc burst from the water like a golden specter ripping through the liquid darkness. His body dripped slowly as he dragged himself out of the lake, black hair falling heavy over his shoulders, blue eyes half-closed, gasping. His HP bar pulsed below 70%, flashing a warning of the danger he'd just faced. Sitting on the cold grass, he took deep breaths—but it wasn't exhaustion or lost health weighing on his digital shoulders now. It was the strange sensation that something far greater had just happened.
He opened his inventory.
At the top of the list, floating like a divine flame, was an item whose name shimmered in golden letters. Its icon glowed with a warmth that felt almost real. It was a seed. A large, oval seed with a translucent surface that emitted a gentle, almost spiritual light. Golden roots pulsed within it like veins of light dancing in a spiral.
Ardluc raised an eyebrow, briefly disappointed.
"A... seed?" he said with disdain, brow furrowing. His voice cracked with disappointment. "I nearly died… for this?"
But then he read the name.
[Lost Seed of Yggdrasil]
And beneath it, the description:
A pure fragment of Yggdrasil, lost after the coming of the Devourer of the Nine Worlds. Said to contain the power of Yggdrasil itself. Can be planted to grow a new Yggdrasil... or consumed to grant power beyond comprehension.
[Rarity: Unknown.]
Ardluc's expression froze.
He read it again. And again.
With each reading, his virtual heart pounded louder, as if it echoed into the real world.
"Seed of Yggdrasil...? Is this real? This... this can't be right."
He quickly opened the GM menu, typing the item's name into YGGDRASIL's main forum. He scoured topics, archives—even discarded admin files… but found nothing. No mention, no rumor. Not even a bug report.
It was as if no one had ever seen this item before.
He looked again at the seed in his hand. Its golden glow now seemed more alive. The description was straightforward, and that made it all the more unsettling.
To grow a new Yggdrasil.
Or...
Gain power beyond comprehension.
Those words echoed in his mind like ringing bells.
A unique item. An item of immeasurable value. One that could, without exaggeration, alter the course of the game's history.
He began to sweat, even inside the system.
The "Unknown" rarity wasn't unheard of. But in this context—with this seed—it could only mean one thing. If World Items—the game's most powerful and exclusive artifacts—came from fragments of Yggdrasil's leaves, then a seed from the tree itself was of an even higher class. Far more powerful. And that only made the weight of this discovery even more insane.
Yuuto considered reporting the find—but who in their right mind would do that?
He bit his lower lip—or tried to—lost in thought. His mind buzzed with countless possibilities. If he planted it… his name could be etched in eternity as the player who birthed a new Yggdrasil. A new World Tree. It might open a new continent, a new storyline. A landmark in YGGDRASIL.
But the other option...
To consume the seed.
To gain power beyond comprehension.
That sounded… insane. Tempting. Almost blasphemous. It was an invitation to ascension—or the fall of a new expansion.
And yet…
Ardluc, that broad-shouldered avatar with determined eyes and golden fists… smiled.
"Anyone smart would plant it…" he murmured, turning the seed between his fingers.
"But you know what? Screw that. I'm not 'everyone'!"
With a firm touch, he activated the item. The seed flared brightly, floating above his palm. Small golden roots stretched out from its center, waving in the air as if searching for soil. The interface flashed:
[Do you wish to consume → Lost Seed of Yggdrasil?]
[This action is irreversible.]
Ardluc simply stared at the screen.
Without hesitation, he clicked [YES].
Light exploded around his body, engulfing the entire avatar in a blinding golden halo. The surrounding vegetation swayed violently from the surge of energy. The tactile system was pushed to its limits, simulating a heat that pierced through his chest—as if roots were growing inside him—not painful, but with a divine, indescribable weight.
[The user has consumed the Seed of Yggdrasil.]
The screen trembled.
His vision filled with the dazzling brilliance radiating from his body.
And then, a single phrase appeared in golden letters at the center of his interface:
[The Seed has germinated… within you. Your potential has been extended and now reaches the heavens.]
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ♦♦♦
In the digital vastness of YGGDRASIL, across servers spread over continents and time zones, thousands—no, millions—of players were immersed in their own adventures.
Some fought deep within dark dungeons, others managed their guild halls, some traded rare items in overcrowded markets, and there were even those simply lying beneath a tree in Alfheim, listening to the songs of NPC bards.
Then, for the briefest of moments, time itself seemed to pause.
Every player's interface suddenly flashed before their eyes. Then, a global announcement appeared in golden, flaming letters above the GM window, automatically translated into each player's native language:
[GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT]
A player has consumed the Lost Seed of Yggdrasil.
Their power has ascended to the heavens.
The cycle of the Primordial Tree has shifted.
The world shall face no further expansions.
A hush fell over combat zones. In major cities, the chatter turned into a wave of murmurs. The world chat window exploded in a barrage of simultaneous messages:
[Yuusuke69]: WHAT??? Is this lore? New event?
[MorgannaTheVoid]: Never heard of a Seed of Yggdrasil...
[╳WyrmKing╳]: "Ascended to the heavens"? That's some next-level power creep, wtf.
[ShiroTenshi]: Wait... A player used it???
[LucaLucifer]: I'm shaking, lol, what the hell did that maniac do???
[Nina_Halberd]: Is this a new World Item? Is there a secret event going on?
[2ch-Leak]: 2CH IS IN CHAOS. GET ON TS RIGHT NOW.
Amid the storm of voices, in the throne room of the game's most notorious guild—the infamous 2ch Alliance—stood a lone player clad in radiant black armor, his mantle glowing with flaming runes.
His name was Dainsreth, the feared and arrogant guild leader who ruled over drop zones, raids, and dungeons with an iron fist.
"Any news on the bastard's location…?" he growled, his guttural voice echoing through the guild's conference chamber.
One of the guild officers tried to keep his composure:
"Sir, we're doing our best to track the player. We haven't found any prior logs of a Lost Seed of Yggdrasil. No NPCs, no specific event..."
"IMPOSSIBLE. That item DOES NOT EXIST in any public databases—or even in YGGDRASIL's official lore! This... this anonymous player must be cheating the system." Dainsreth spat, the red eyes of his helmet blazing with virtual fury.
He turned to the others:
"I want this player's location. NOW. Track affected regions, recent code anomalies, status irregularities, and behavioral patterns. Mobilize all tracking units."
"But sir, the notification didn't mention a name or a location… and it seems—"
"NO EXCUSES. I will NOT let some NOBODY become the new god of this world. That item should've been OURS. This BUG will be deleted—whatever it takes!"
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ♦♦♦
The golden glow that had enveloped Ardluc's body finally faded.
The light dissipated like golden mist, allowing Yuuto to see clearly once again. His vision focused on the serene lake landscape where it had all begun, but the tranquility didn't last.
With a soft plim, a new window appeared in front of him.
[Congratulations, Player Ardluc.]
[You have become a Demigod.]
The message shimmered at the top of the interface, followed by a large information panel that made Yuuto hold his breath.
The border of the window had a silvery glow and pulsed almost like it was alive. It was a kind of interface he had never seen before in all his six years of YGGDRASIL.
[New Racial Assignment: Demigod]
Overall Level Cap Increased: 100 ➝ 200
Base Racial Modifier changed: 2+1 (Class + Race) ➝ 30+6 (Racial Level + Race)
Yuuto's eyes widened, his fingers trembling slightly as he navigated through the panel. The number of modifiers was absurd — and as far as he knew, completely unprecedented.
"This is... totally broken…" he murmured, his voice muffled by the interface.
But the shock was just beginning. Below the modifiers, a new section expanded automatically:
[Active Passive Effects – Demigod]
Enhanced Regeneration: Constant HP/MP recovery, even during combat (+15%).
Immunity to Physical Attacks (level ≤ 35): All physical damage from enemies level 35 or below is ignored.
Total Immunity to Time Stop Magic.
Immunity to Physical Projectiles.
Physical & Magical Resistance: -50% physical damage; -45% magical damage.
Immunity to Spells up to Level 7.
Immunity to Mind Control.
Status Resistance: Grade IV.
Immunity to Instant Death.
Semi-Immortality: Automatically revives with 50% HP. (Cooldown: 1h)
With each new line he read, Yuuto seemed to slip deeper into disbelief. It was as if he had become a cheat-code character — but there were no hacks, no events, no forum announcements.
And then, came the line that made his heart leap:
[This racial state can evolve.]
"What…?" he murmured — yet the real heart behind the visor pounded as if facing a divine miracle.
Yuuto smiled like a child discovering Santa Claus was real. His avatar remained still, but in the real world, he had leaned forward on the NLS-Gear throne, his eyes gleaming.
"It… can evolve?!" he whispered through muffled laughter.
Yuuto's mind was already racing ahead. What if there's a next level? A God? A Transcendent? Each new possibility made him tremble. The sadness and frustration from just moments before evaporated. He was now on another level — literally.
But the interface wasn't done yet.
[New Racial Skill Acquired: Royal Guard]
[Eternal Parry]
Perfect Parry ➝ 0 damage received.
7s cooldown → instantly resets if perfect.
No parry = 15s cooldown.
[Rage Meter]
Each successful block = 1 charge (max 3).
At 3 charges ➝ Activatable Skill:
➝ Reflects 1100% of total blocked damage to the enemy.
➝ Auto-activates if used on Perfect Parry at 3 charges.
Yuuto froze completely. For a second, he thought it was a prank — or that the system had bugged out. But there was no doubt — the interface was solid, official.
"This is… GM-tier stuff. This is final boss NPC level…" he muttered, the emotion caught in his throat.
Yuuto was still staring at the interface, processing the absurd reality of having unlocked a new racial level and a broken skill — when another window opened. Unlike the previous ones, this one had a living, vibrant golden border that pulsed with light.
At the top of the screen, a new class was listed:
[Secret Class Unlocked: Avatar of Yggdrasil]
Yuuto's eyes widened, still breathless from the previous shock.
Description:The Seed of Yggdrasil germinates within your body, molding your soul as a vessel of the Primordial Tree.You are now its Avatar — a direct channel of its will and power.
Total Immunity to World Items.
+320% Damage to World Enemies.
+100% to all attributes when facing World Enemies.
Your attacks ignore 40% of the defense and resistances of World Enemies.
Can perceive and interact with World Spiritual Resonances.
Yuuto froze — and naturally, his attention went to the first line.
"Immunity to... World Items?!"
He whispered, his heart racing.
In all six years of playing YGGDRASIL, he knew of only one way to resist the overwhelming power of World Items — equipping another World Item. And even then, not everyone had one on hand.
— But why the double damage against World Enemies…?
Before he could ponder further, the screen trembled.
The environment gradually darkened. The background music faded. Everything froze.
[CINEMATIC SCENE INITIATED – SECRET LORE UNLOCKED]
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ♦♦♦
The darkness was absolute.
There was no sound. No shape. No space.
And then… a soft, living light emerged like a sprout growing in eternity.
Golden roots began forming before Yuuto's eyes, intertwining through the void, expanding in all directions until forming something immense — vast beyond comprehension. It was like witnessing a cosmic structure being born, a tree sprouting from the very fabric of eternity.
A voice echoed then. Not from any specific point, but from everywhere.
"Child… my beloved child…"
The voice was deep, reverberating… almost maternal. There was a millennia-old echo in every word — as if the leaves of time whispered secrets to the wind.
"I am the Tree that nourishes the Nine Worlds… The Origin and the End."
"I am Yggdrasil. And you… are my germinated seed. My child. My Avatar."
Yuuto was paralyzed. Even knowing it was just a game, his heart pounded uncontrollably. This wasn't just a cutscene — it was the greatest reveal of the decade.
"With your gesture, a new cycle has begun. For the first time since the Devourer, the world breathes hope."
Roots crossed constellations, leaves opened like galaxies. Amidst the vastness, a diagram was shown: nine leaves, nine worlds connected by golden veins of light.
"These are the Leylines. They spread life, order, balance. But now… they are sick."
The image changed. The lines began to flicker, darken. A pulsing purple shadow seeped into them, like venom corroding everything. Familiar figures appeared in the background, connected to the lines like parasites.
"It is them.The ones you call World Enemies."
The screen focused on one of them — a colossal, monstrous entity cloaked in chaotic aura, its hollow eyes glowing with hunger.
"These creatures have corrupted my veins.Even when killed… they return. Because their essences are bound to the Leylines, using the source of life as their immortality."
Yuuto felt a chill at the realization. That went against everything he knew from the original lore.
— So World Enemies… weren't supposed to respawn?
But his thoughts were cut by the voice:
"But that applies only to common hands.Only you, my Avatar, hold the power to sever them from the root. With your soul bound to mine, you are the first I grant the power to manipulate the Leylines. And through this power, you shall sever their bonds."
The image expanded. It showed the nine worlds one by one — Midgard, Asgard, Helheim… All slowly being consumed by corrupted roots.
"This is your mission. Not just a duty — it is now your destiny. You are reborn with my blessing… and my curse."
At last, the image froze on a single vision: the Tree of Yggdrasil with only nine leaves remaining. And the shadow — the Devourer of the Nine Worlds — waiting.
"Restore the lines...or watch everything rot."
The screen went black. The whisper of the tree faded into digital silence.
[SCENE ENDED – UNIQUE QUEST INITIATED][QUEST: Restore the Leylines of the Nine Worlds][Status: Incomplete – Progress: 0/9]
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ♦♦♦
Inside the Round Table Room of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the glow of the candelabras reflected off the polished surfaces of the grand war hall. The soft lights danced over the bony silhouette of Momonga, his skeletal body unmoving on the guild throne. His eyes — two blood-red flames — were fixed on a single system window.
[Global Announcement: A player has consumed the Lost Seed of Yggdrasil. Their power has ascended to the heavens.]
"This... isn't listed among the World Items," commented Punitto Moe, the creature made of entwined vines and leaves, his voice low and analytical.
He was typing across multiple game windows simultaneously, the interfaces floating around him like holographic panels. He had been there with Momonga for over half an hour since the announcement appeared.
"No mention on the Deep Dive forums. Nothing in the hidden archives of the Japanese wiki. No images. No theories. Nothing."
"A new discovery, then?" Momonga crossed his skeletal arms, his cape swaying softly with the game's physics effects.
"Not exactly..." said Punitto Moe, adjusting one of his menus. "At first, I thought it was some kind of new World Item, hidden behind an event. But the categories don't match. This object... it's not a fragment. It's not an echo from some destroyed world in the game's lore."
"What?"
Punitto Moe paused for a moment. His branches quivered. With the cursor, he highlighted a passage from the old YGGDRASIL lore:
World Items are made from the leaves devoured by the Corrupted Entity.
"World Items are ruins, Momonga. Ashes. Shards of leaves lost by the Tree to the Devourer of the Nine Worlds. But what is a seed?"
Momonga didn't answer, but he understood.
"A seed is the beginning," he murmured, impressed.
"Exactly. A beginning, not an end. While World Items represent loss... this seed represents rebirth. Growth. Raw potential power. Not a fragment of Yggdrasil... but something that could become Yggdrasil."
A long silence filled the chamber. Momonga remained quiet and motionless, like a funerary statue. His thoughts raced, and a tiny trace of envy bloomed within his hollow chest.
"Someone... received something even the GMs left no clues about. That's... terrifying," murmured the Overlord.
"Or brilliant," added Punitto Moe. "Maybe this was always the plan. A single secret route hidden right under our noses."
The door to the hall burst open with a loud bang.
"Yooo!" A high-pitched, energetic voice echoed. "So, are you gossiping about that player or already back to raid planning?"
Peroroncino appeared, spreading his wings as he entered. His bird-man appearance — with ornate feathers and an avian mask — contrasted with Nazarick's gloomy environment. With each step, golden particles scattered from his armor and vanished into the air. Bathed in that residual glow, he became an imposing figure.
"Peroroncino..." Momonga sighed. "We were just talking about the global announcement. I bet you saw it."
"It's the only thing the whole server's talking about! It was trending on 2ch, Reddit, the Chinese forum, and even the Russian servers! Who the hell managed that, huh? I bet even the devs forgot about this thing!"
"We have no information about the player. No class, no race, no public logs," Punitto Moe stated dryly. "He's likely hiding. And that's smart of him."
"Reasonable," Peroroncino said, crossing his arms. "If it were me, I'd be swapping avatars right now. After that 'Their power has ascended to the heavens.' they'll try to recruit him, stalk him, kidnap him, date him..."
"...or kill him in real life," Momonga finished, grim.
Silence returned. Even Peroroncino felt the gravity of the moment, though he soon changed the subject.
"Hey... did you guys see that little bit at the end of the announcement?" he said, breaking the tension with his lighter tone. "Something like... 'The cycle of the Primordial Tree has shifted.
The world shall face no further expansions.'?"
Momonga leaned back.
"Yes. I saw it. And to be honest... I didn't like it," he murmured.
"That's like... game over for new content. I was hoping for a new expansion full of pervy monsters! The current Succubi are outdated, come on!"
Punitto Moe swayed his branches as if scratching an invisible head.
"What did you want? An event titled 'Orgy of the Elf Queen'? This was an end-of-era event, Peroroncino. Something final. Unexpected... but inevitable."
"So no more patches? Not even a bondage slime mob? That sucks, man…"
"Honestly..." Momonga said calmly. "Even if it bothers me a bit... there's nothing we can do about it. That was the final key. And someone turned it."
"Yeah... just kinda sucks it wasn't one of us," Peroroncino muttered, gazing up at the Round Table Room's ceiling.
Momonga slowly closed the system windows.
"Whoever did this... just wrote their name into YGGDRASIL's history."
Punitto Moe looked at him and gave a slight, respectful smile.
"Yeah, and lucky for us... we still get to watch it unfold."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ♦♦♦
Three Burning Eyes Guild
At the heart of a shadowy structure wrapped in chains and floating obsidian towers, dozens of interface windows danced in a frenzied swirl of data and theories. The headquarters of the Three Burning Eyes resembled more a military intelligence center than a typical guild environment.
In the main chamber, sinister-looking players coordinated the search for information, while footage of the global announcement looped on large magical panels. Seated upon a throne of black glass and enchanted steel, the guild leader watched in silence.
With long hair as white as ivory, the player was based on the Dark Elf race and wore a heavy coat made of black furs, adorned with silver plates and symbols of forbidden knowledge. His lilac eyes glowed with cold intensity and unwavering focus.
"Lost Seed of Yggdrasil..." he muttered, stroking his chin. "No entries in the records. No references in the data logs, not even in the beta-testers' hidden archives."
One of the guild officers approached.
"Master Treval Zaar, we've already planted three spies in private chats of the 2ch Alliance. They're just as confused, but they've started offering real money for any concrete information on the player's whereabouts."
The Dark Elf raised an eyebrow.
"Hmph. If even the monopolists are desperate, it means this discovery goes beyond known domains. Double the efforts. Infiltrations, tracking recent zone logs, mining alternative IPs. Find out who he is, where he is... and what he plans next. If 2ch is willing to pay handsomely for this info, we'll be the first to sell it."
The dangerous gleam in his eyes revealed that, for Three Burning Eyes, knowledge had always been the greatest weapon — and now, the most coveted prize.
Seraphim Guild
In the celestial heights of the Citadel of Lumeniel, inside the main hall of the cathedral, the members of the Seraphim guild stood gathered. Their angelic avatars radiated authority and grace — yet tension lingered in the air.
Before them, the guild leader — a female avatar with an imposing figure, six radiant wings, and eyes as pure as crystal — stood before a floating altar where the global alert window remained open.
"Lost Seed of Yggdrasil…" she murmured, her fingers lightly touching her lips. "A player whose power… reached the heavens after consuming it."
A lesser angel stepped forward, hesitantly.
"Lady Celestia, do you believe... that this player might have somehow attained a divine race?"
She didn't respond immediately. Her hands dropped slightly from her lips, and the glow of her wings intensified.
"None of the records mention such a seed. But… from the narrative and the impact, it's possible that this marks the birth of a racial archetype. Something beyond even us, the heteromorphic angels."
"A secret elite race?" another member asked. "Above the angelic hierarchy?"
Celestia smiled — serene, but resolute.
"Perhaps he is an Avatar of Creation itself, due to his connection with Yggdrasil... He may be a divine being unlike any other."
She turned to all the gathered members.
"Send a delegation. Tell every member: find this player. Offer hospitality, alliance... and faith. Do whatever it takes. If he truly has reached a Divine state, he must have celestial guides at his side. And thus, the Seraphim Guild shall welcome him into its embrace."
World Searcher Guild
In the wide, brightly lit chambers of the central headquarters of World Searcher — a guild with over eleven affiliated branches — the atmosphere was ambiguous. Interface windows filled the space with images of frantic forums, discussions, theories, and speculations.
The guild leader, a tall and sturdy man with a gentle demeanor, rested his arms upon the oval table in the meeting room. His expression held a mix of excitement and melancholy.
— "...So, this is the end of expansions?" he murmured. "Right when we seemed to be on the verge of discovering the tenth world..."
One of his advisors, a green-haired elf in a researcher's outfit, gently touched his shoulder.
— "Master Jadewatch, think of it another way. Perhaps the reason there are no further expansions... is because this player is already triggering one. Something that could reshape YGGDRASIL's very reality."
Jadewatch raised his eyes.
"A new cycle in the story...?"
"Yes. A revolution in the lore. If that's truly the case, YGGDRASIL may be destined to undergo great changes at his hands."
The leader smiled, his eyes shining with hope.
"This changes everything. Absolutely everything."
He stood, his voice echoing through the hall with renewed vigor.
"Do whatever it takes to find this player. Not to interrogate him, nor to control... but to protect him. If he holds the game's fate in his hands, then World Searcher shall be his guardian. And if possible... let us join him in his journey into the unknown!"