18 Chapter 6: 1-5: The World Tree Burns part 4

In the final weeks of the game, the Developers released the very last event.

The World Tree Burns.

In it was every unused Boss, plotline, and story development the Devs never got around to. They believed that we should at least get a chance to try our luck against the remainder of the game's storyline.

I almost cackled with glee when I learned of the so-called 'Last Boss' that they finally released.

There was something a bit odd about their announcement, however, something they completely skimmed over with very little reference to.

If you look past what the lore outright says, reading runes hidden in difficult areas and researching on your own, you can gather something odd about the term 'Last Boss'. Because technically, there are three monsters that are killing the World Tree. The first two, Níðhöggr and Veðrfölnir, are bitter enemies that live to destroy one another. Níðhöggr is a serpent who lives at a roots of the Tree, and Veðrfölnir is an eagle who rests in the branches. On their own, the two are peaceful. But the squirrel Ratatoskr hates the Nine Realms with a burning passion, and so acts as the messenger between the warring creatures.

As near as anyone can tell, he was the one who devoured the Leaves of Yggdrasil and told the eagle that it was the work of the serpent. Then he stripped the Roots of the Tree to convince the serpent of the eagle's malice, sparking the feud. In order to get at each other, the two beings had to destroy the Tree between them.

Day and night, the two are whipped into a frenzy by the crazed Ratatoskr. Níðhöggr chews at the Roots of the Tree and Veðrfölnir tears away at the Branches. With no Leaves, Roots, or Branches, the Tree is slowly dying.

…Hey. No one ever said that it all had to make sense. The game company never got around to that part. I didn't really care about the plot anyway, what I was more interested in was the Bosses.

According to the Devs, the 'terrible monster' that is killing the Tree is Ratatoskr. By defeating him, one can technically clear the event and get the meager rewards. But since the Devs included the other two in the lore, I was willing to bet that you could get something extra by finding and killing all three.

Unfortunately, as evidenced by invisible barriers with very specific gaps in them, there seemed to be only one real way to get up and down the Tree.

You had to ride the giant squirrel.

…Fuck my life.

"THERE BETTER FUCKING BE SOMETHING UP HERE!" I shouted into the wind as my improvised mount screamed in the most annoying chittering squeal I had ever had the displeasure of hearing. "OTHERWISE I SWEAR TO CHRIST I'M GOING TO FIND A WAY TO NUKE YOU ASSHOLES!"

If there were any Developers watching my squirrel ride, they didn't comment.

I wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a very bad one.

My worries dissolved, however, once I started hearing the sound of branches cracking. A screech loud enough to drown out the torture of Ratatoskr's hideous noise for a few seconds.

It seemed that my gamble had paid off.

I summoned my Maidens to me the moment I stepped off, landing on an enormous branch giving me a perfect view of the giant eagle. It was nothing compared to Harold, honestly, but I didn't expect it to be. Harold's epicness will never again be matched in this world.

"[Trans Form: Dragon]." I chanted, immediately feeling my Avatar begin to shift.

I exploded into motion, tackling the eagle and pinning it down. Archer and Noa caught on, each sending down their most lethal attacks. The Branches of the World Tree came to life, curling around the eagle and holding it fast. Arrows buried themselves deep into vital areas. And all the while, I was tearing into it without restraint.

It lasted two minutes before letting out a dying screech.

Congratulations! For defeating the Hidden World Threat Veðrfölnir, you have gained access to the unique Job Class 'The Sky's Branches'!

I scooped up the loot without looking at it, knowing I could sort it all out later. Two more. I waited for the squirrel to return to the top before hopping on, holding on for dear life. A helpful pop-up appeared as I passed the hollow in the center of the Tree, interrupting my stream of mumbled curses.

Congratulations! For being the first Player to successfully ride a World Threat a total of 50 kilometers, you have gained access to the unique Job Class 'Fury of the Storm'!

"I… hate… you… so… much." I hissed at the screen. It ignored me.

The Squirrel Express arrived at the entrance to the tunnel system in incredible time, darting down into the depths of the darkest caverns and into a place full of blackened roots. Within curled a gigantic python, hissing at me as I approached. I leaped off Ratatoskr, skidding to a halt and summoning my Maidens on the spot.

This battle was a lot harder, the confined space preventing me from using my Transformation Skill. So I dug my heels in, gritted my teeth, and started beating a giant snake to death with my bare fists. Archer strafed it from afar, and Noa restricted its movements using numerous Spells designed to bind him and summon numerous trees into the area.

Fifteen minutes later, the giant snake collapsed with a final hiss of defeat.

Congratulations! For defeating the Hidden World Threat Níðhöggr, you have gained access to the unique Job Class 'The Earth's Roots'!

I exhaled. "All right. Wonderful. Now. I'd assume I'm going to the giant hollow in the trunk of the Tree next, seeing as it's obviously where the demon squirrel lives… you two ready for this?"

Silence.

"Wonderful. Let's go. [Greater Teleportation]."

In a flicker of movement, we appeared once more outside the World Tree. I ignored the squirrel this time, launching myself into a leap that arced me high into the air. I fell in a slow dive, catching hold of the edge of the tree's hollow and pulling myself up. Inside was a blackened hole the size of a superstore, stretching out in a perfect sphere in all directions.

"[Summon: Archer]. [Summon: Noa]." I whispered. The Maidens appeared, and I stepped into the center of the 'room'.

A terrible screech filled the air, Ratatoskr skittering angrily into the area.

I tensed for battle, waiting for something incredibly dangerous—

Archer's barbed arrow sunk into the squirrel's neck, and instantly its HP dropped to nothing. I blinked in confusion.

'…It couldn't possibly be that easy, could it? Did clearing the other two Bosses make this one much easier or something?'

The giant squirrel's body began to crack, rising into the air before shattering into a million pieces. But to my alarm, nothing dropped. Not a single speck of gold, not a glimmer of a Data Crystal.

Instead, an ominous message flashed in front of me.

By clearing all Hidden Event Bosses, you have unlocked a Hidden Event.

HE IS AWAKE.

I felt the entire Tree shudder as something heavy crashed into it. I turned and bolted out, dismissing my Transformation Skill midair and taking flight. Six kilometers of bulk barreled out of the World Tree as I turned, beholding the thing that had shaken the Tree.

It was a Dragon.

A giant, roaring, familiar Dragon.

Sure, it was smaller than me by about ten percent, but I knew exactly what it was from the very first glance.

"Oh, come on." I complained, taking a brief moment to shout into thin air. "You really did it, didn't you? Took my Avatar's textures off an unused Boss, eh? Well this is a fucking riot."

The other Dragon was me. Or, more accurately, it was what 'I' had originally been. A Boss's shape and skin, which had once been repurposed to fit me rather than this monstrosity.

Deep black claws were dug into the bark. An obsidian-black maw was opened wide, exhaling gouts of flame onto the cracked trunk of the Tree. It looked big, it looked dangerous, and it looked pissed.

"[Sight of Sage]." I rumbled.

[Devourer of the Nine Worlds]

[World-Class Enemy]

[Level 92]

I cringed.

This was not going to be easy.

Not in the least.

I inhaled deeply, then began spamming every buff Spell and Skill I had.

If all else failed… I could always summon my death turtle.

I finally dealt the final blow, holding my breath in anticipation. The bastard had already resurrected into a nastier form twice, but maybe this time…

Yes.

Yes.

Yes!

The body of the twisted monster cracked, scales falling off and skin beginning to glow. The death animation was soundly ignored in favor of the swarm of notifications that assaulted me.

Congratulations! For defeating all three Final World Threats, you have gained access to the unique Job Class 'Savior of Worlds'!

Congratulations! For being the first Player to defeat the World-Class Enemy [Devourer of the Nine Worlds], you have gained access to the unique Job Class 'Purveyor of Eternity'!

Congratulations! For being the first Player to kill every Dungeon Boss, Event Boss, and Quest Boss in the entire game at least once, you have gained access to the unique Job Class 'Sentinel of the Fallen World'!

Congratulations! For being the first Player to kill every World Threat in the entire game at least once, you have gained access to the unique Job Class 'Soldier of the Wastelands'!

Congratulations! You have completed every achievement in YGGDRASIL!

For being the first Player to complete every Quest, clear every dungeon, and combat every World Threat in the entire game, you have gained the World Item [Once in a Lifetime].

Congratulations, Player.

No…

Thank you, Miyagi-dono.

You're the only one who would ever make it here, the only one who ever come close to exploring every piece of this game's solo content.

Thank you for everything you have done for us, and thank you for enjoying our game to its fullest. You have helped so many others enjoy this game more than we ever thought possible. You worked tirelessly to explore every inch of the Nine Realms, you crawled through every last dungeon. Every bit of content we created, you took the time to examine and improve. You found every World Item there was left to find, spent tireless hours becoming the best Player you could be.

We hope that one day, we might return to this beautiful world, if only for Players like you who would enjoy it to its fullest.

We leave you with one last Item. One that we know you'll love. This is the last notification you will ever get, so be ready.

Congratulations, Miyagi-dono. For being, by default, the most amazing Player to ever finish this game, you have received the Final World Item: [Heart of a Dragon].

Thank you, you wonderful troll. You deserve this. Have fun with whatever time you have left in this game.

-The developers.

I stopped reading, honestly touched. I had no idea what I had been doing was so appreciated. Sure, I did everything they said I had, but it was out of self-interest rather than a will to explore. I supposed that they didn't really care what my motivations were, though, as long as I enjoyed myself.

For all that we Players complained and the Devs trolled us, we genuinely respected each other at the end of the day. And it's times like this that I can truly appreciate that.

And since they're definitely going to shamelessly rip off my idea for the World Sapling when they inevitably create YGGDRASIL II, I don't even feel like a dick about it.

"Come on, ladies, it's time to get the hell outta dodge."

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