i The rotting roots speak to the wind.
i The shadow of the World Tree harbors cracks.
i It shattered the mirror of Arseria.
i The master of all things exhales its final breath.
i The ancient souls raise the cup of vengeance.
i The chains of time are broken.
i The secret walls crumble.
i The lost wander astray.
i Even the souls won’t remember.
i To the one who inherits the blood of Salvamonium,
i The song of shadows awakens the dawn.
i Descend upon the land of Kaizen beyond the roots,
i Gather the beasts that devour the world.
i Rebuild the lost history.
[World of Arseria DLC: Chirality of Yggdrasill]
[Chapter 1: Hybris the Pride]
[▶ NoName]
[▶ Adella]
[▶ Monica]
*
In the main story of Wagal, the World Tree wasn’t chopped down but served as an energy source supporting the entire continent.
Our protagonists just so happened to send a bunch of Demon Worshippers off to prison.
The demon’s invasion plan via the World Tree was thwarted beforehand.
A fitting happy ending for a game rated for ages 12 and up.
But two years later, a massive event unfolds in the subsequent DLC.
Ta-da-da-da—
The three of us raced down the winding alleys of the capital.
At a brightening intersection, we encountered students in Remnant Academy uniforms.
In the past, I would’ve thrown the first punch, but not this time.
We were wearing the same uniforms.
“NoName, Adella, Monica! The prisoner seems to have escaped that way! We’ll set up a tight encirclement, so go keep watch. Don’t let him get away!”
“Have you ever seen such a despicable person! They laze around while we’re pushed into danger!”
“Whoa, whoa, Saetbyeol, hold it in.”
I stopped Saetbyeol, who wanted to pick a fight with the AI even in the game.
Monica extended her wand, pointing at the group of students.
“The direction they fled is clear, yet not following them? What a cowardly display of not practicing the noblesse oblige. Is this how you do it, Na-me?”
“Don’t overdo it. Just enough.”
“W-We’ll keep watch down this way. Okay?”
Raaaar-!
A two-headed hyena leaped out of the darkness, attacking the students.
“Ahhhh! What are these monsters! Form ranks now!”
“I got bitten on the leg! Heal, someone heal me…!”
Today, too, the Demon Beasts were committed to the campaign of good triumphing over evil.
I chuckled softly as we set off to find the escaped prisoner.
The name of the prisoner was Jin Chronicle.
He was the vice principal of Remnant Academy, a Demon Worshipper, and, according to the setup, even Adella’s biological father.
Fssss
Grrrrrr—
“Aren’t these the lower-tier Demon Beasts from Kaizen World?”
As a blue shockwave crossed from left to right,
Saetbyeol effortlessly sliced the demons and began collecting the fallen mana stones.
I gave a small nod.
The fusion of two worlds, the first evidence.
As we moved towards the Forest of Arseria, we encountered many beasts from Kaizen World.
Having skipped the tutorial, I began to explain Wagal’s features to Monica one by one.
[Forest of Arseria]
The forest is consumed by magic.
A grand and eerie BGM plays, giving the feeling of entering a dungeon.
The squelching ground, rising green smoke, a land of death where not a hint of life can be found.
“Wow, what is this…?”
A large amount of residue flowed like lava.
The congealed sludge rolled by, passing us by.
And as soon as we exited the Forest of Arseria, the beasts morphed into various forms, beginning to track human blood.
“Oh, it’s you again, you little rats.”
“!”
In the shadow created by the protruding roots of the World Tree,
Jin Chronicle, dressed in prison garb, spoke with a gloomy and cracked voice.
“This world will soon embark on the path of destruction. It would have been better to be ruled by demons. Hahaha!”
Jin Chronicle’s laughter echoed increasingly mad.
And thus began the boss battle of the DLC prologue.
Boooom—
As Chronicle waved his staff, purple light burst from the ground.
Our party swiftly jumped in three directions, easily dodging the first pattern.
Saetbyeol and I slashed at him while Monica unleashed explosive flames, quickly whittling down his health.
Occasionally, black magic waves were shot from the tips of his fingers.
But the attack pattern was another opportunity for retaliation.
Shuaaaak—
Just barely avoiding the magic wave, Saetbyeol swung her dagger in a stylish arc.
“Thinking of you as my father still makes me mad!”
She poured out ruthless attacks, infused with overwhelming emotions.
Black streaks marked Jin Chronicle’s body as smoke rose.
[How weak is humanity?]
[The more we explore the universe and nature, the uncontainable nausea of weakness washes over us.]
[We see ourselves as rulers, yet in truth, we are but pitiable creatures.]
[This world is useless. Kneel before the true calamity that even the Great One could not tame.]
Jin Chronicle’s once-empty eyes now shone with determination and faith.
[Cast: Thermal Conductivity Adjustment – Convection]
Whoosh—!
Monica’s wand conjured a powerful heat wave that scorched Chronicle’s legs.
He fell to the ground like any ordinary human, leaving behind experience points, currency, and assorted junk.
“No, dude, I wanted the last hit!”
“Oops, I shouldn’t have taken it, right? Sorry, it’s my first game.”
“It’s fine since we’re on the same party… Hehe, don’t worry about the last hit, just make sure to deal hard next time.”
“Yes! I’ll do my best!”
The girls, one year apart in age, were fired up with enthusiasm.
Considering it, Monica was the youngest among us.
Soon, control of the avatar shifted, and we watched the game cutscene.
Our avatars walked towards the toppled World Tree.
Billions of leaves were burning.
The inner column of the World Tree was empty, and even shining light magic couldn’t reveal the ground.
We circled the tree, which was dozens of meters in diameter.
[A powerful negative energy is continuously flowing below the World Tree.]
[They seem to be drawn to mana.]
[Wait, why can’t I feel the vibrations?]
Dudududu—!
A powerful tremor thudded against our feet.
[Get down!]
A language hitting our brains directly without needing to be heard.
A mysterious little girl in a black robe pushed us down with all her might.
At that moment,
KWA-BOOM—!
An enormous amount of magic erupted like a volcano.
The ground shook, and the sky was dyed black.
The magic stretching out from the roots of the World Tree expanded upward, forming a giant veil that enveloped everything.
The beasts that tormented the human world soared towards the clouds.
Birds turned into massive wings, land animals became bodies, all mixed up.
A chimera, if anything, too generous, a huge mass of magic transformed like a fallen angel.
[℅∂@&≛≬⊕ξψ⇔µ↔†§!!!]
The magic raised its arms like Atlas supporting the sky.
As if trying to bear the weight of the world, unimaginable energy gathered in his arms, aimed toward the Academy.
Impossible-to-attack Boss.
It seems the staff of Wearsoft reinterpreted the erosion of arrogance through the myth of Atlas.
For a moment, overwhelmed by the grandeur, at the moment of life or death, control returned to my body.
“What the heck, why am I back? How do we deal with that giant?”
“Whoa… it’s super massive… we’re definitely going to die…”
While everyone else panicked and flailed, I felt a sense of freshness instead.
“Yeah, this is it. This moment must not be skipped in a cutscene. Isn’t it thrilling?”
“Ahhhh, the Astral Andromeda Spirit Bomb is falling!”
“Hey everyone! This way!”
The girl in the black robe jumped and pointed.
If the sky is collapsing and there’s no hole to escape?
Then, just sink into the ground.
The girl pointed at the World Tree’s hole oozing with arrogance’s erosion.
It was a clear signal to jump downwards.
We would cut through to the World Tree as quickly as possible.
“Let’s go!”
“Let’s jump together, sister!”
“Is there a way?”
“Down there!”
[Cast: Elasticity Adjustment]
We tossed stones lying on the ground, bouncing the falling dead beasts away.
Peraeng—!
I feel like we need to request the Red Zone to be revealed earlier for beginners.
The erosion of arrogance paused mid-throw to look down at us.
Is it just my imagination, or is it feeling my gaze despite having no eyes?
[ξ&††≛@†@⊕≬ψ⇔µ℅§!!!]
“That fat one seems kinda angry!”
“Yeah, it does. Let’s run away.”
The girl beside the World Tree, waiting for us, tossed off her robe.
With black hair, black eyes, and adorably protruding white horns—
A young hatchling greets us in this new world.
“Luri.”
“We’re out of time. On three, jump right after one. One!”
We held hands tightly, leaping without delay into the depths of the World Tree.
As we fell, I turned around mid-air to look up.
In the original world, the sky gradually turned to black and white,
Until, in the end, time stopped.
Even the wizards flying in the sky and the mischievous erosion of arrogance stayed motionless.
Paaah—!
A brilliant flash streaked past my eyes.
When I came to my senses and stood up, the world had turned 180 degrees.
Chirp chirp chirp—
A vibrant forest overflowing with life spread out.
Flap—
Luri was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, an ornate papyrus fluttered and landed on the grass.
[Find Arrogance. Save her.]
Just a simple message made of four words.
“Woo, did time just stop back there? If we complete this mission, we might save the original world! We’ve been given an epic mission!”
Monica Ricci’s eyes sparkled like jewels in her first role-playing experience.
“Good, it’s matching my tastes.”
“Honestly, my heart was racing earlier, but this experience feels refreshing.”
The reason for including Monica in the early experience team was clear.
“Ugh, how bothersome. Is it time for me to step in again?”
Adella scratched her ear.
It’s hard to expect objective data from Adella, who had saved the world around a hundred times while streaming as a Virtual YouTuber.
