-1624- [ World Tree ]

In Alfheim, the nine races occupy eight regions, spread across the continent's perimeter.

However, in the center of Alfheim, there lies a neutral zone.

Within this neutral zone, there is a rather large neutral city.

It is known as the central city — Alne.

Alne is built at the base of an enormous tree.

That enormous tree is none other than — The World Tree.

"The inside of the World Tree is a massive dome-shaped temple, with an entrance at the top. From there, you can climb up inside the World Tree, all the way to the top. Once you reach the aerial city at the summit and meet the Fairy King Oberon, your entire race will be reincarnated as Alfs, and the flight restrictions will be permanently lifted. Because of that, all the races aim to conquer the World Tree," Leafa explained eagerly.

"However, the temple within the World Tree is guarded by an NPC Knight Legion, which is extremely powerful. So far, every race has launched multiple attacks on the World Tree, but all have been annihilated by the Knights. Even the Salamanders, currently the most powerful race, have failed to conquer the World Tree or reach its top."

Leafa's expression darkened with frustration at this point.

"So, although it's been a year since ALO officially launched, no one has been able to reach the top of the World Tree or transform into a Alf. Last autumn, a major information site even gathered signatures requesting the game's operators, RECT, to adjust the game's balance and make it possible for players to conquer the World Tree. The company's formal response was, 'This game is being operated under appropriate balance,' which sparked complaints that 'The World Tree is impossible to conquer.'"

If no one can ever conquer the World Tree, no one will be able to become a Alf.

And without becoming Alf, the flight restrictions would never be lifted.

Players would remain bound by limited flight time and conditions, as though their wings were shackled.

For those like Leafa, who had experienced the joy of free flight, this was unbearable.

As a result, all races continued to strive toward the ultimate goal of conquering the World Tree, playing the game relentlessly in pursuit of this dream.

"I heard that the Salamanders are preparing another assault on the World Tree. They've been gathering money and items, equipping themselves with gear and tools, determined to reach the top this time."

Leafa's tone grew increasingly displeased.

"Because of this, the Salamanders' already aggressive tendencies have become even worse. They've begun targeting other races' players during field quests, robbing them of items and gold."

The strategy was simple: threaten players and force them to hand over their belongings to avoid being killed.

If killed, unless revived within one minute, the player would be sent back to their territory, with their skill proficiency reduced — a severe penalty.

Compared to the hard-to-earn skill levels, items and money were less valuable.

Therefore, unless it involved rare items, most players preferred to avoid death.

Moreover, when killed, players drop around 30% of their un-equipped items and money.

Thus, in the eyes of those intent on robbery, every player became a walking treasure chest waiting to be looted.

Of course, being in a party provided some insurance. Items stored in a designated slot would automatically transfer to teammates upon death and not drop on the ground.

But even that didn't deter attackers. If they could wipe out the entire party, the loot would be theirs regardless.

The Sylph and Salamanders, being neighboring factions, frequently clashed, with ongoing conflicts between their forces. As a result, the Sylph often fell victim to the Salamanders, experiencing significant hardships.

Leafa's voice was filled with indignation, reminding Rozen of his sister Suguha's anger toward the Salamanders before he logged in. He smiled wryly at the memory.

However, setting that aside…

"The World Tree and the Fairy King Oberon..."

Rozen stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Since it was the main objective for every player in this world, perhaps the World Tree held the clues Rozen was searching for.

It might even lead to something more…

"If the 300 missing players, including Asuna, are in this world, where could they be?"

Surely, they must be somewhere no one had found or reached.

If they had been discovered, the news would have spread across the entire network by now.

So, could the place mentioned earlier — a place no one had reached — be where they were?

Although no one had conquered the World Tree yet, precisely for that reason...

"That makes it interesting."

Rozen grinned.

He had made his decision.

"After gathering equipment and items in Swilvane, I'll head straight to the central city, Alne."

That was Rozen's next move.

"Speaking of equipment and items…"

Suddenly, Rozen recalled something and opened his main menu. He browsed through his item inventory.

What had once been almost empty was now filled with a variety of items.

Because Rozen had set his inventory to visible mode, Leafa could also see it.

"These… Are these the dropped items from earlier?"

Leafa blinked in surprise before realizing the truth, her expression shifting to shock.

Due to Rozen's overwhelming performance, she had forgotten that defeating monsters would yield money and items.

And since Rozen had single-handedly massacred the entire valley's monster horde, it was obvious that his rewards would be abundant.

"Such a rich drop! I can see several rare items! That's amazing!"

Leafa was thrilled.

Even though Rozen was a beginner in the game, his recent spoils could rival those of wealthy top-tier players.

However, this was before Rozen had even gathered his equipment.

Most players spent their fortunes on gear to increase their stats and abilities.

Back in SAO, Rozen's equipment alone had cost him an unimaginable amount. Sometimes a single piece of equipment could be as expensive as a house.

Top players knew how to spend money wisely; otherwise, they wouldn't become strong.

But with greater expenses, their wealth rarely lasted long.

In SAO, Rozen had only a few million col left after equipping himself. Most of his money had gone into developing familiars and players, with considerable upkeep costs.

If Rozen wanted to gear up now, he would likely use up most of his current fortune.

Still, with the right equipment, Rozen could become even stronger.

Knowing this, Leafa couldn't help but feel excited.

What she didn't know was that Rozen's wealth extended beyond today's loot — he had transferred millions of Yrd from SAO.

With that, he could fully equip himself with high-performance gear.

And…

"Huh?"

Rozen's hand paused as he browsed his inventory. He raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Looks like I got something nice to start things off."

With that, Rozen selected an item from his inventory and materialized it.