Chapter 6: 1-5: The World Tree Burns part 3

I really shouldn't have to tell you much about the Raid Boss we finally found the World Item at. It was a giant plant, and I'm a fucking Dragon. Even if most Bosses' Fire Resistance makes my Breath Weapon impractical, it took only a half a minute of white-hot flame to kill the giant thorn bush. The tendrils of thorns disintegrated along with the Boss, and the newest World Item was revealed.

Half-hidden in the dirt, the size of a pickup truck, a glimmering jewel-like peach shone to life. A label hoovered innocently above it, persisting even as it resized itself to Momonga's hesitant touch.

[The Fruit of the First Tree]

I blinked. Twice. "…Are you shitting me right now?"

Momonga examined it, the fruit fitting comfortably in his skeletal grip. "Ah… does seem to be what we're looking for."

I took the peach from his outstretched hand, numbly bringing up the Item's description.

[The Fruit of the First Tree]

World-Class Item

Removes Level cap upon use. Usable once only.

"To those heroes who dared venture out to seek it, the World Tree offered the last shreds of its power in the form of a blessing." -The Last Canticles, ? A.D.

"Is there a problem, Ancient-san?"

"No, no." I mumbled to myself. "Just… thinking."

This meant one of two things. One, they added this because they knew I would appreciate their attention to continuity. Or two… they were dropping a hidden Easter egg about their plans for a possible sequel to this game.

To be honest, I don't care too much which one it is, but the little detail of it being a peach gave me more than they could possibly imagine. Two things, things I never would've imagined before now.

The Fruit of the World Tree is a World Item.

The World Tree's fruit can remove the Level Limit.

And most importantly, by proclaiming Yggdrasil the first Tree, the Devs outright stated that Noa is going to succeed Yggdrasil once it dies.

This was big. This was huge. If I could just enter a simple sentence into Noa's text, I wouldn't have to duplicate this item at all to reap its benefits after the End, I would be able to simply pluck a peach off a branch. If I just stated in Noa's text that she would inherit all of the World Tree's abilities after it died, all of its' abilities…

Well.

Turns out that favorable circumstances have turned a long-term project into an infinitely perpetuating generator of world-breaking Items a good century ahead of schedule.

"Ancient-san?"

"Sorry, Momonga." I snapped back to reality, mentally shoving my plans into the back of my mind. I would still need to go over my Maidens' code and text one last time before the End, but that wasn't a task for right now. I reached into my Inventory, pulling out a Mirror and activating it with a thought. In a flash of light, a second peach that perfectly mirrored the first in design was sitting in my scaled palm. "Here, catch."

Momonga fumbled slightly as the World Item's size-shift mechanics lagged, but managed to avoid being crushed by a narrow margin. I activated my own World Item, which disappeared without much fanfare.

"All right." I mumbled, turning away from the empty clearing. "Time for some mob farming."

"Ah, Ancient-san, where do you plan to—Ancient-san wait, is that a Portal Scroll? No, no, wait, that's a Gate to the Demon—! …Aaand you're going in, aren't you."

I didn't dignify that with a response.

I was already halfway through the Gate, after all.

Momonga stared for a moment. "…What?"

I raised an immobile eyebrow. "I think it'd be obvious."

The lich continued to stare at the block of text. "…You're adding sexual traits?"

I shrugged. "Hey, it's not like I ever bothered before, and my other Maiden has them."

"I know, it's just…" He glanced up at the blank-faced NPC. "Why bother? You could use the free space for literally anything else."

I frowned. "I mean, I could, but then it just wouldn't be the same."

"…You made her love the taste of semen." He deadpanned. "Why?"

"Because." I stated simply. "It makes her a well-rounded character."

He huffed, gesturing to the NPC. "She's rounded enough already!"

I glanced at the Maiden. She had a doll-like face considered to be too beautiful and too well-crafted by human standards, red pupils that refracted light from within like diamonds, a bell-like, beautiful voice, fair skin, and long peach blossom-pink hair. She was at about my chest in height, and her long hair easily reached her waist.

…And, as Momonga had clearly referenced, she was extremely well-curved.

"…She's still technically innocent?" I volunteered weakly. "I gave her a personality and a background, just like my other Maiden. And distinctly remember having this conversation about her, too."

"You gave her a Goddess's Divine Core as a heart, which I can understand." The lich began slowly. "I can even understand making her an oppai loli in form, because it fits her stature and your tastes. You gave her Skill Levels high enough to put any other NPC to shame. You gave her enough Mana to fuel her main Spell a hundred times over. Her dress is almost a World Item in strength. Her weapons are at the same level, as is her invisible armor. So why." He stressed the word, emphasizing his irritation. "Why on earth would you do that to her personality."

I frowned slightly. It seemed as if my passion for realistic NPCs had rubbed off on my friend. "Um… because it's fun?"

Momonga cleared his throat and began to read.

"When the World Tree Yggdrasil realized it was dying, it made a choice. It knew that the terrible monster would die along with it, weakened by its countless millennia of struggle. While it would not survive, its only child would. To keep it safe while it grew, the World Tree entrusted the young Sapling to the oldest being alive—a Dragon simply known as 'Ancient One'." He began, rattling off the first paragraph of her flavor text.

"Through the years the Sapling grew and developed consciousness. It was to survive, it knew, but with the gentle Dragon guarding it, it didn't need to worry or fear, so what was it to do? To explore more about life and the world around it, the Sapling reached out and touched the mind of the Dragon, assuming a form it would find pleasing to better learn of life's true meaning."

"The Dragon grew to care for the young Sapling as he taught her all he had seen over his eons of existence, and in time the Sapling realized she craved his adoration. She decided to dedicate her life to the Dragon that stood watch over her, serving him for as long as he would protect her. She would not receive her full power until the great tree Yggdrasil died at last, so she spent her days sleeping or exploring the world within the safety of the Dragon's home. Because of her nature as a Divine Spirit, she does not age or require food so long as she has a supply of Mana, which the Dragon provides without issue."

He paused, looking up at me. "I can understand that. That makes perfect sense. It's wonderful, even. But this…" He started to read once more. "The Divine Nature Spirit of the World Tree Sapling is 150cm tall, weighs 52 kg, and her three sizes are…" He coughed into a hand, skipping a few lines of more exotic detail. "Anyway. She is almost completely devoid of emotion, typically wearing a blank expression and speaking in a soft manner. Having a gentle voice, Noa is a girl of few words, since at times, she herself is unsure of what to think, let alone say. She is quietly curious about the world around her, but she is content with her life serving her beloved in any way possible."

I nodded reluctantly. "I decided that she would naturally be curious, but since I don't exactly want her wandering away, I made that second to her love for me."

"Yes. I can see that." The lich exhaled, rubbing his nonexistent eyes. "But then you proceeded to insert enough kinks and 'curiosities' to put Peroroncino to shame."

I shrugged. "Look. Archer is my front-line fighter, she doesn't need the distraction of having a billion fetishes hindering her. If I made her a masochist she might not defend herself as well, and if I made her a sadist she'd play with her opponents. Both of those would go against her core character design, which is that of a brutally efficient killer."

"That… actually makes sense." The lich's voice held honest surprise at the declaration.

"…Which is why I'm making Noa the kinky one." I finished, crossing my arms. "She can heal herself from the worst of her 'needs', and she's durable enough to go for several days straight if she wants to." I shrugged. "And I gave her a personality, unlike Pero. She's not just a walking sex doll, she has a life, a history, thoughts and feelings. She just… has a lot of ways she can enjoy sex."

"You made the ultimate overpowered yet sex-crazed NPC." Momonga deadpanned. "I… don't know why that doesn't surprise me."

"Probably because I'm a bored gamer with a God complex." I deadpanned back.

"Oh. Right."

"I don't understand how you keep forgetting that." I muttered, shaking my head.

"Just… whatever. Can you help me look over my NPC now?"

"Sure." I agreed easily, slipping my hand into Noa's. "Just give me a sec." I turned to her. "Go find Archer." I commanded. She nodded mechanically and slipped away, heading towards my bedroom. I turned back to my exasperated friend. "You know I'm going to get my revenge for kink-shaming me, right?"

"Just… don't torture me too badly." He pleaded weakly. "I don't have much time left, and I want it to be fun."

I laughed, waving him off. "Oh, calm down. It won't be anything overt. I'll just… tweak the flavor text a bit."

"Whatever…" He grumbled. "Just don't turn her into an oppai loli. I don't share your tastes."

I gasped dramatically. "What? You don't like the idea of having both the youthful exuberance of a loli combined with the mature beauty of a woman? Sacrilege, I say!"

"Shut up, you old pervert." Momonga turned, calling out. "Come, Pandora."

I blinked in surprise as I saw a small girl step into the light. She was small and innocent-looking, but I didn't doubt that she could shred just about anyone she wanted to. She had black hair and wide, expressive yellow eyes. She was dressed in a pale white gown, and I could see the emblem of Ainz Ooal Gown woven into it in cream thread. I tapped her screen, bringing up her information. She was a Level 100 Doppelganger, with her stats heavily slanted towards the 'Special' stat.

"…I thought Rubedo and Innocence would get lonely." The skeleton muttered, embarrassed.

I nodded, examining her code. She was a fairly basic build, made to see Momonga as her father. I politely skimmed the rest, knowing that the lich was anxiously waiting for approval. The girl was made to utterly adore her 'father', being the perfect daughter for him. She was a proper young lady, but unafraid to show her childishness at times. I nodded once, looking up. "Looks good." I decided, tapping the flavor text screen and beginning to type.

Wants a mother, and supports her father having a harem because she loves the idea of having multiple 'mothers' to spend time with.

I hesitated for a moment, glancing at the nervous lich. 'Should I?' I paused, an evil grin stretching across my face. 'Ah, who the hell am I kidding? Might as well crank this up to eleven.' My fingers began to type once more.

Secretly has a daddy complex, since she was technically adopted. Is biding her time until her growth spurt hits, unaware of her true feelings.

I smirked, knowing that Momonga wouldn't be able to read the line in English. 'That oughta guarantee plenty of entertainment over the next few years.' "All right, revenge complete." I chirped smugly.

The lich shifted nervously. "Ah… why do I feel a chill down my spine?"

"Oh, no reason." I said innocently, faltering as I noticed something odd about her code.

Of the fifty slots available to transform into, the little Doppelganger had forty of them filled. The specifications of the forms were eerily familiar, telling me all I needed to know. My smile faded. 'He must really miss them…' I closed the screen, pretending like I hadn't seen it.

"Well, it looks like she's all good." I said instead. "So… did you want to see how far we can push the Level Limit?"

The skeleton sent a smiley emote. "I would, actually."

"How much time do you have?"

"As much as I need." He paused, visibly flinching. "That is, as long as we aren't going back to the Demon Realm."

My only response was a wide grin, which he was incapable of seeing.

Pity.

He apparently didn't know that the Demon Realm was quite tame compared to some of the Leveling spots I knew of.

Hmm… to spare or not to spare?

"Sure thing, buddy." I agreed cheerily. "No Demon Realm whatsoever."

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