All morning, Li Wen busied herself in her room, enchanting the Raven Feather Dagger.
Granny Marsha still hadn’t returned, likely off wandering, watching some spectacle, or scheming something sinister in secret.
Li Wen stowed the newly enchanted dagger.
It was far superior to the Bone-Eroding Shortsword, which lacked the support of Marsha’s treasure pouch and was merely a mundane, white-tier weapon crafted by ordinary hands.
Both in enchantment and base quality, the shortsword paled in comparison.
Li Wen left the room, intent on gathering more intelligence.
As she stepped out of the tavern, she spotted a few figures in a corner who looked strikingly like players—their distinctive attire gave them away—whispering among themselves.
Li Wen wasn’t one to eavesdrop, but a sudden thought struck her: the number of players in Wilson Town seemed unusually low.
This was abnormal. Even in a place like Ark Town, you’d encounter one or more players every few steps.
Yet here, it was only now that Li Wen had finally spotted other players.
The only explanation was that no players were spawned in Wilson Town at character creation. When players created their characters, they were automatically placed near settlements of sentient beings.
If a settlement had no players, it could only mean one thing: the area was dangerous, with low or even zero player survival rates.
Li Wen’s senses sharpened instantly.
She had initially thought the anomaly here was Lord Wilson, but now it seemed the entire town of Wilson was off.
Since this wasn’t a player spawn point, all players present were outsiders.
For players to travel across regions to reach another location, it could only be for a quest.
So, those players were here for a mission.
With this in mind, Li Wen approached them.
A quest tied to Wilson Town might hold clues about Sir Wilson himself.
Noticing her approach, the group abruptly stopped talking.
“Are you guys on a quest?”
The players froze, then realized Li Wen was also a player.
“Scared the hell outta me…” one of them grumbled. He wore chainmail on his upper body, leather pants studded with iron plates below, and a small round shield strapped to his back—a clashing, mismatched ensemble.
“Hey, big sis, you stuck on a quest or something? I could spare a bit of time to help, but just a bit—we’ve got our own mission to handle.”
The player community had all sorts, and naturally, it didn’t lack kind-hearted folks like him.
Li Wen ignored his preamble.
“Can you share the details of your quest? I’d like to tag along. I can carry you guys—you can just lie back and do nothing.”
At her words, the group couldn’t hold back their laughter.
One player, whose face was deliberately crafted to look bizarre, chuckled and said:
“Little miss, this ain’t some small-time quest. It’s a super high-difficulty major side mission. There probably aren’t even a hundred quests of this caliber across the entire server.”
“Yeah…” another chimed in.
“We’ve got a beta tester big shot and a top streamer leading the charge. Without them, a quest like this wouldn’t even be on our radar…
When they show up, if there’s still a spot, we could maybe squeeze you in.”
Beta testers?
Li Wen’s interest was piqued.
World Tree: Origins had undergone a month-long closed beta before its release. Invitations were sent out to a range of players, from gaming pros and esports athletes to complete novices, with no clear selection criteria.
Rumor had it even WG Corporation didn’t know how the invite list was compiled.
Li Wen only knew that none of the beta testers were slackers, especially after the Great Crossing.
The Strategy Group, for instance—over eighty percent of its original members were beta testers.
“Then I’ll wait here.”
Joining another player’s quest could spark conflict with less agreeable types, but this group seemed laid-back… or perhaps they were tag-alongs themselves, so they were quite welcoming.
Taketori held a map, scrutinizing it left and right, unable to make sense of it.
She let out a hum of contemplation before declaring with certainty: “It’s just up ahead!”
The female archer player, who had fought in the Fire Mage battle, scoffed.
“You’re holding the map upside down, Bamboo Sis.”
Taketori nonchalantly flipped the map right-side up and repeated, “That Wilson Castle is just up ahead!”
“We can see the town already. No need for the map,” one of the others said.
The group sighed in exasperation.
There were four of them: Taketori, the archer, and two of Taketori’s long-time stream fans.
They had rushed here from the Ascant Mountains right after job advancement.
The archer had restarted her character, while the other two held dual classes—one mundane, one transcendent.
Their urgent trip was due to a friend of Taketori’s from a mage tower, who was coming to the Black Dragon Territory for a critical mission, possibly even the region’s main storyline.
The quest was extremely difficult, so they’d been roped in to help.
“He’s basically just giving me a free ride but won’t admit it outright. Acts like an idiot,” Taketori griped.
Though her friend had said the more people, the better, they needed to be Path-bound job holders—cannon fodder wouldn’t cut it.
Taketori knew plenty of Path-bound players, but location was an issue.
A few had likely already arrived, and with their group of four, they could probably muster seven or eight people.
Her friend had stressed that upon reaching the destination, they should rendezvous immediately and avoid acting alone.
So, as soon as Taketori’s group entered Wilson Town, they didn’t bother gathering intel and headed straight for the agreed-upon tavern.
As they approached, Taketori spotted a few figures whose attire or appearance screamed “not normal.”
“What’s with the shoddy gear? Didn’t you all advance your jobs?”
Unlike their patchwork outfits, Taketori’s group had just come from the Bard Whiteblade Order, decked out in sleek black soft armor from the Order.
It might not be powerful, but it was undeniably stylish.
The other players’ eyes widened, and one said sourly, “Where’s the coin for gear, Bamboo Bro? How ‘bout your streamer highness tosses us some scraps?”
Taketori burst out laughing. “Tch, you rebels love to troll me in my chat, and now you’re begging for scraps? No way—I’d feed a dog before I’d give you lot anything.”
After some familiar banter lightened the mood, the abstract-faced player suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, right, Bamboo Bro, there’s a player who wants to tag along for the quest. Haven’t asked her job or level yet. This place is so dead—no other players around—so we just said yes. What’s the call?”
“If she’s not a problem, bring her along,” Taketori said with a grand wave of her hand.
Then she noticed a figure lurking in the shadows, seemingly avoiding interaction.
Who goes out draped in a bedsheet?
That was her first thought.
Feels kinda familiar…
That was her second thought.
Holy crap, isn’t that my carry?!
That was her final realization.