Chapter 74: What the fuck?

I raced like my life depended on it. There was no way in hell I was missing a spectacular fight that would literally be life-changing for me.

I could already see the explosions and big lights and rumbles and quakes. A fight to the death some might say, but I already knew it was a strength test. Nobody had a reason to go that hard. This was just them sizing each other up in an excessive way and I loved that.

By the time I finally skidded to a stop at the edge of what used to be a forest, the worst of the immediate destruction had already settled. My lungs burned. My white hair was a mess from running. And the sight in front of me made me freeze.

"What the fuck?"

The terrain was completely wrecked. Trees that had been standing tall less than an hour ago were now shattered stumps or scattered like broken toothpicks. The ground itself looked like it had been punched repeatedly by something enormous. Craters, upturned soil, scorched patches, and in the middle of it all...

A massive tree.

It wasn’t just big. It was wrong. The trunk was thicker than some buildings I’d seen in Ravenport, roots thicker than my body snaking out in every direction, and the canopy stretched so high it blocked out chunks of the sky. Green light faintly pulsed along the bark like the thing was breathing.

I stared.

"This huge ass tree... who the hell planted this?"

The System answered immediately, calm as ever.

[The structure is a manifested World Tree. Designation: Engracia.]

[In the world of Eternal Genesis, a World Tree is not ordinary flora. It is a high-tier mystical construct that functions as a localized axis of life energy. Only individuals carrying a specific royal elven bloodline are capable of manifesting one. The bloodline traces back to the First Elf, an entity recorded in the oldest game lore as the origin point of elvenkind thousands of years ago. The ability is hardcoded. Non-descendants cannot produce a true World Tree regardless of mana capacity or skill.]

I blinked at the enormous thing.

"Well what if the World Tree just chose him?"

[Assumption flagged as incorrect. World Tree manifestation is restricted exclusively to verified descendants of the First Elf. This restriction is part of the foundational coding of the world. Probability of Candidate 002 possessing royal elven lineage is now significantly elevated.]

I let out a low whistle. Sweet, soft-spoken Lucien. The same guy who carried herb baskets and looked mildly distressed when people raised their voices. Royalty. Or at least close enough that the System was treating it as fact.

My eyes drifted upward to the lingering gold-white light still fading in the sky.

"And the huge ass lights I saw?"

[That was Candidate 004’s Mystic Ability: Astral Radiance.]

[In the original game narrative, Elias Crowe’s celestial light authority was a late-game revelation tied to a hidden bloodline fragment and a high-risk ritual he underwent years before the main story. The ability grants control over condensed starlight, short-range light-based movement, weaponized radiance, and large-scale destructive beams. It is intentionally contradictory to his established assassin persona.]

[Note: From the moment Host accepted the Veyrhold mission onward, multiple plot trajectories have diverged from original game data. Current events are classified as spontaneous. Pre-existing lore is being overwritten in real time.]

I processed that while slowly walking closer to the edge of the destruction. Around me, other adventurers were still gathered, talking in low, shaken voices. I slowed down and listened.

"This is the first time I’m seeing an SSS-rank in action. I’m terrified."

"I know not to engage in an altercation with one."

"But how would you even know? They literally always hide their real identity. It’s rare to see one openly admit to his powers."

They were right. Without the System I would have never guessed that soft, polite Lucien was walking around with that kind of firepower. Or that Elias could light up like a damn star.

A thought tugged at me.

Why didn’t he do any of this in Emeraldwood? Back then he’d been careful, almost restrained. He used alchemy and basic support magic. Nothing even close to summoning a giant mythical tree.

[Insufficient data for definitive conclusion. However, Host is reminded that Candidate 002 returned to his hometown after the Emeraldwood incident. It is possible additional authority was unlocked or fully awakened during that period.]

That tracked. Still felt insane.

I kept staring at the World Tree, trying to imagine soft-spoken Lucien commanding something that looked like it belonged in the endgame of a raid boss fight. The gold light in the sky flared again for a second, and I could just make out two figures still facing each other high above the canopy.

Then the pressure dropped.

It was sudden and heavy, like the air itself had been sucked thinner. My ears popped. Several adventurers around me staggered.

The System’s tone sharpened.

[Warning. Residual energy signatures are spiking. Both Candidates are preparing for the next exchange. Estimated destructive output will exceed previous levels.]

[Recommendation: Host should intercept before the next clash. Prolonged engagement risks further environmental destabilization and potential civilian casualties on the outer edges of the observation zone.]

[Suggested action: Ascend and make direct contact. Host’s presence has previously demonstrated a measurable calming effect on both Candidates.]

I looked up at the two glowing figures in the sky, then down at my own two feet still planted firmly on the ground.

"Ascend," I muttered. "Sure. Let me just grow wings real quick."

[Host currently possesses no flight capability. Alternative methods must be utilized.]

I exhaled hard, dragged a hand down my face, and started scanning the battlefield for anything I could use — a high root, a broken trunk, anything that could get me closer to the two idiots trying to turn the forest into a crater.

Above me, the light and the green aura both flared brighter.

They were about to go again.

And I was still on the ground.

"What the hell am i supposed to do now?"