Game of the World Tree
chapter-216

▪️RESCUE THE CAPTURED PLAYERS

In a dense forest, Crocodile Mercenary Camp.

A cluster of mercenaries gathered around several elves who were bound with anti-magic ropes, as their eyes gleam with excitement as they meticulously counted their exact numbers.

“One, two, three… fifty-seven, fifty-eight…”

“Fifty-eight! We actually captured fifty-eight elves in this operation!”

“They’re all young elves too! With most of them being female!”

“Haha! We’re going to make a fortune! Even if we split it equally, each of us can still earn hundreds of gold coins!”

“Captain, you’re so amazing! I’ve never seen so many elves in my life!”

The mercenaries exclaimed with excitement.

Crocodile took a sip of water that was handed to him by a mercenary, then proudly said,

“When have I, as your captain, ever failed to impress anyone?”

He had risen from a mere commoner to a renowned Silver-ranked Swordmaster, and had even gathered a thousand mercenaries under his command.

Even nobles had to show him respect!

After saying that, a hint of regret appeared on Crocodile’s face.

“It’s such a shame that the Dragon returned so soon. Otherwise, we could have captured even more.”

“…Even more?”

“Yes, at least a few hundred more!”

Crocodile sighed lamentingly.

Hearing their captain’s remarks, the mercenaries who hadn’t participated in the operation took a sharp breath.

“Hundreds of elves? Holy Eternal Lord! Where did that Dragon find so many elves, and all of them are so young too!”

“Who knows…maybe it enslaved all the remaining elves in this forest?”

Crocodile shook his head.

That was the only explanation he could offer to his subordinates.

However, even though this operation had gone smoothly, Crocodile couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

Thinking back to the teleportation circlesl used by those elves and looking at their captives who were curiously and excitedly observing them, Crocodile couldn’t help but feel that something was off…

If he had to put it into words, these captured elves were displaying a behavior that was quite different from his expectations.

Crocodile assumed that they would be afraid, angry, or even despair, and based upon his years of experience as a mercenary, he had worried that some of them might choose to commit suicide out of stubbornness.

But the reality was vastly different.

These dozens of captured elves were cooperating exceptionally well, as if they were strolling through their own garden. Their eyes were bright and curious, but strangely enough, there was no sign of nervousness nor fear at all.

What a strange group of individuals! Didn’t they know what fate they were about to face?

Crocodile was puzzled.

However, now that he thought about it, the fact that the Black Dragon could gather hundreds of young elves in the first place was already quite strange…

After pondering for a while, Crocodile couldn’t figure it out and decided not to dwell on it.

Sure, he felt uneasy, but perhaps it was because the whole plan had gone too smoothly?

But these captured elves were authentic!

He had used his Appraisal Skill, and these captives were indeed very real elves!

Now that their magical powers were sealed by the Anti-Magic Ropes, what tricks could they possibly do anyway in this situation?

However… this haul was too big.

To avoid any complications, he should hurry and return with his men as quickly as possible.

With that in mind, Crocodile took another sip of water and then gestured his hands to disperse the mercenaries ogling the captives.

“Alright you idiots, disperse! Keep an eye on these elves! No one is allowed to touch them! Just one of their fingers is worth a year’s worth of your wages!”

“Pack up your things. We’re leaving tonight to return back to the Empire’s border!”

After Crocodile gave the order, the fifty-eight captured players, including Little Salty Cat, were put under meticulous supervision.

They obediently followed the mercenaries’ orders while curiously inspecting the mercenaries’ camp.

On the surface, they seemed to be impressed by the sheer number of mercenaries, but in reality, the players were getting excited…

Within the game’s discussion channel.

Little Salty Cat formed a temporary party consisting of the fifty-eight players who had been captured by these human mercenaries.

Currently the party’s chatroom was already flooded with lots of messages.

-Mercenaries! These are human mercenaries!

-There’s so many of them! Could this be a hidden quest?

-Very likely! Just now, I overheard their conversation, and it seems like they were originally going after Meryer, but they ended up capturing us instead.

-They were really after Meryer? Could it be a follow up to what happened after Meryer went to a human territory?

-Who knows, but… it seems like they’re treating us like treasures.

-Of course, they’d treat us like treasures! You might not know it, seeing as you’re a third beta-player, but an elf in the black market is worth at least a thousand gold coins! And if you’re a female, then your value can even double!

-Why do you know so much about this?

-Lmao, when the devs first introduced the underground map, I sold myself twice to a slaver and made over three thousand gold coins! It’s incredible!

-What the hell?! You can sell yourself to slavery? That’s awesome! But…are these gold coins even useful?

-Of course! One gold coin is worth a hundred silver coins. That’s at least three hundred thousand silver coins! This amount is enough to commission a dwarven blacksmith to forge you thirty sets of blue-class equipment! In terms of contribution points, that’s roughly sixty thousand! At that time, resurrection were based on how much perfect revival you had, so dying twice would only cost two thousand contribution points.”

-Nice! Two thousand CP for sixty thousand gold! Is this a game exploit?

-Not necessarily. I sold myself twice, and the dwarf slaver went bankrupt afterwards. Also, the penalties for dying now are more severe since you need to use revive coins instead…¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-(°ロ°)

-Don’t underestimate your personal worth in the game! To sum it up, these mercenaries treating us like treasures is quite normal. According to the dark dwarves, bounty hunters who operate underground and make over thirty gold coins a year are considered wealthy individuals.

The captured players kept chatting amongst each other in the chatroom. At the same time, more experienced players like Little Salty Cat also contacted their own respective guilds.

-Cat, where are you guys?

-We’re in a forest, surrounded by many mercenaries. Look at your mini-map…we’re not far from Black Dragon Castle, but we’re also getting close to the map’s boundary. Wait a bit, I’ll add you to the chatroom.

-Wow, there’s so many people in this chatroom!?

-Well, everyone here is the one who got captured, and there are mercenaries everywhere, too many to count. I’ve also overheard some of their conversations…it seems like there are over a thousand of them.

-So many!? Our guild alone might not be able to rescue you guys…

-Then let’s also reach out to Nature’s Heart and First Legion! We can also include that newly formed guild ‘Autobots’ by that third-beta player. However, I’d like to wait a bit longer. If we consider how ElvKing’s devs usually operates, the official quest might be issued soon.

While the players communicated via chat, Evé also eavesdropped on their conversation and roughly understood the situation…

“So, it’s simply a human mercenary group targeting Meryer’s wealth. They are aware that there are elves under the Black Dragon’s command, but they’ve mistakenly taken the players as Meryer’s subordinates.”

Evé crossed her arms together.

“So these guys are called the Crocodile Mercenary Group? Their active members number around a thousand, not too few nor too many…”

“However, since they’ve already dared to intrude upon my territory, then I won’t let them leave at all. It just so happens that the players’ strength has greatly improved recently, so its the perfect time to see how they fare against a large army and assess their true strength.”

With that in mind, Evé calculated the mercenaries’ overall traveling speed…

“In about two days, they will completely leave the players’ maximum range of activity…”

The Mercenary’s camp was approximately 260 kilometers away from Eve’s main body, and they were heading in a slightly northward direction. Another 70 kilometers of walking would take them beyond the players’ maximum travel limit of 300 kilometers.

Even though the Crocodile Mercenary Group was carrying a large amount of goods and couldn’t move quickly, based on her estimates, two days would be enough for them to get away.

By that time, unless Evé expanded the players’ activity range, the mercenaries would be completely out of reach for the players.

However, Eve is not that worried because, even if the players couldn’t rescue Little Salty Cat and the others, the captives would still be forcibly teleported back to the World Tree the moment they passed the 300th kilometer mark.

Of course, Evé wouldn’t let any of these Mercenaries escape so easily.

After pondering for a moment, Evé decisively issued a new quest to the players…

【❗】

【Players “Little Salty Cat,” “Huludao the 1st,” “Huludao the 2nd,” and 55 other players have triggered a time-limited random quest.】

【Random Quest: Crocodile Mercenary Group Incursion】

【Quest Description: The activities of the Black Dragon have finally caught the attention of humans. A human mercenary group known as the “Crocodile Mercenary Group” has infiltrated the Black Dragon Castle and captured a large number of elves!】

【To save your fellow players and seek revenge, you have decided to pursue and attack the Crocodile Mercenary Group!】

【Quest Objectives:】

1. Eliminate the Crocodile Mercenary Group.

2. Rescue the captured players.

【Quest Time Limit: 24 hours】

【Number of Participants: No restrictions】

【Quest Level Restrictions: Only Level 11 and above. 】

【Quest Rewards: Experience points, contribution points, revival coins】

【Quest Tip no. 1: The Mercenary Group is heading north, and should the mercenaries leaves the 300 kilometer range, the quest will be judged to have failed, so players should act quickly.】

【Quest Tip no. 2: The Mercenary Group’s members are numerous, so players should form teams and coordinate your actions in a unified manner.】

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