Game of the World Tree

【 CHOSEN CANDIDATES 】

The players were envious, filled with resentment over Optimist’s unbelievable “good luck.”

Even Samuel whose overseeing the pact ceremony, looked utterly astonished. He could never have imagined that this one of the Chosen Ones in heavily armored warrior, would attract the favor of not one but five dragons.

As for Optimist himself, he was utterly dumbfounded, standing at the center of this unexpected event.

Yet alongside his confusion, a wave of euphoria surged through him, as though he had just won a grand prize.

However, he was also a rational person.

He didn’t believe in coincidences or good luck without reason.

If only one or two dragons had shown him goodwill, then he could have chalked it up to mere chance alone.

But for these five dragons to flock to him as eagerly as pups to their mother?

His mind worked quickly and almost instantly, he connected the dots to an event three days prior.

That day when he had carried the goddess in his back, Optimist remembered he felt a warm and soothing energy radiating from her that seemed to seep into his body.

He didn’t know what kind this energy was, but he had sensed it entering him.

In fact, even now, his status screen displayed a buff called [The Goddess’s Favor].

Of course, he had no way of knowing this was a feature of the game system. Any player whose body contained a sufficient amount of Eve’s divine power would gain buffs.

At lower levels, this manifested simply as blessings but it became favor at higher levels. And if the energy surpassed even that threshold, it would result in direct divine patronage.

But this was enough for him to make a reasonable guess.

Could it be… because I carried the goddess on my back that time and helped her a lot, so the goddess strengthened my luck?

Optimist speculated.

He wasn’t the only one thinking the same thing.

Among the other players, those who were observant and imaginative began connecting the dots as well.

“Wait a second… could this have something to do with him being in contact with the goddess?”

“Probably! Other than him touching the goddess, That Optimist dude doesn’t seem all that different from us…”

“Wake up, even if he haven’t had contact with the goddess, Opt’s still a legit Silver-ranker. Besides, please don’t use the word ‘touching’, it makes me feel like I’m being cuckolded.”

“Cuckolded? What are you even talking about?”

“Never mind that. Let’s stop arguing and focus on hunting down that bastard Optimist.”

“Hunt him down? Dude, he’s a Silver-rank tank with full silver-class gear. His health is so high it’s ridiculous—do you really think we can take him down?”

“…”

There was always someone who managed to kill the mood at the wrong time.

Quickly, though, the players shifted their attention back to the dragons, dropping the topic of hunting down Optimist entirely:

“Ahem… back on topic. One dragon showing him favor might be understandable. But for all five to act so intimately—licking his face, even—that’s definitely not normal!”

“Don’t say ‘might’—it’s just plain abnormal.”

“I think I heard him bragging in the guild chat yesterday about how he got a [Goddess’s Favor] buff after carrying the goddess…”

“Yeah, I heard that too. Apparently, the goddess’s energy entered his body while he was carrying her.”

“Hmm… so it is related to the goddess, then?”

“I heard the goddess is interactive. Do you think praying to her might yield a response?”

“…”

Another moment of silence fell over the group.

Then suddenly…

A wave of players stood up one after another. Under the baffled gazes of the elves, they surged toward the temple with sparkling eyes and excited expressions.

Bursting into the temple, they rushed to the statue of the goddess, dropping to their knees en masse, fervently praying and worshiping.

Some even dared to grab hold of the statue’s legs.

“Praise nature! Praise life! Praise the great Goddess Eve!”

“Praise the goddess! Please grant me strength—or better yet, a dragon companion!”

“Goddess, I’ll do anything! Take me under your wing! I’m low-maintenance, I promise!”

“I can even keep your bed warm! Please take me in!”

“Hahaha! This is killing me. Can’t you guys be a bit more serious with your prayers? Aren’t you worried about losing favor? Wait—hold up! You just broke the goddess’s leg! You’re done for!”

“What the—? I’ve never touched it before, but this statue seems… fragile?”

“…”

The novice elven priests responsible for maintaining the temple stared in stunned silence at the sudden intrusion of these Chosen Ones.

She watched as they prayed fervently, including one particularly zealous player who, in their excitement, accidentally snapped the leg off a backup goddess statue not yet blessed by divine grace. The player now sat on the floor, clutching the broken leg, their expression a mix of shock and bewilderment.

The novice priestess stared in stunned silence.

Clatter!

Her broom fell to the ground with a loud noise.

“T-They’ve… gone mad…”

“These Chosen Ones have completely lost it…”

Eyes wide and mouth covered in disbelief, the female apprentice priest muttered to herself.

In that moment, a system notification flashed across each player’s field of view:

Favorability -10.

Each and every one of them froze in unison.

“…”

༺⟐༻

The world of Elven Kingdom was never short on comedic mishaps.

Leaving aside the antics of these players praying to Evé for divine favor, Optimist whose standing atop the platform in the square finally came to his senses after having his face thoroughly licked by five newly hatched dragons.

An idea suddenly sparked within his mind.

On the other side of the platform, Samuel, the elf overseeing the ceremony, observed the scene with lingering astonishment.

Clearing his throat, he addressed the crowd:

“Ahem. It seems the dragons have made their choice. In that case, I ask Lord Optimist to—”

“Wait!”

Samuel’s words were abruptly interrupted by none other than Optimist himself.

The flow of conversation came to a sudden halt as the tank, still reeling from the unexpected onslaught of affection from the five young dragons, struggled to pull himself free.

Their enthusiastic licks had left him disoriented but with a determined grunt, he managed to break free from their grasp.

Taking a moment to collect himself, he straightened up and after wiping his face, declared:

“I’d like to forfeit my right to this pact! But in exchange, I want my four teammates to take part instead!”

Forfeit?

Samuel blinked in surprise.

“You wish to forfeit?”

Even his teammates, Boxlunch and the others, were visibly stunned.

But soon, Optimist grinned slyly.

While patting one of the dragon hatchlings on the head, he explained:

“I’ll be participating in the upcoming voluntary dragon pacts instead!”

The moment he said this, Boxlunch and his team instantly understood what he was aiming for.

Calabash’s eyes lit up as he gave Optimist a big thumbs-up.

“Clever! That’s real teamwork!”

After listening to their conversation, the other players spectating from the crowd erupted into chatter:

“What? So he’s forfeiting his predetermined spot and instead wants to join the voluntary pacts where the dragons get to choose their partner?”

“I see! With those five dragons already fawning over him, it’s almost certain that one will definitely choose him! So by doing this, he’s essentially giving his team another slot! Besides, at this rate, it’s just as likely the dragons will be competing for him instead of the other way around!”

“So that’s what he’s planning… Wait, does this mean Boxlunch’s team will end up with two dragons?”

“I’m so envious…”

“Ugh, so that leaves only three dragons for the rest of us…”

“That golden dragon will definitely be picked up, right? It’s so unfair…”

“Feeling sour now…”

The air was thick with envy as players lamented their misfortune.

Among the crowd, Evé raised an eyebrow at Optimist’s strategy.

Clever… but acceptable.

Luck, after all, was a form of strength.

With Optimist stepping back, the dragon pact selection resumed for Boxlunch’s team.

As determined by the ceremony’s rules, predetermined pacts took priority over voluntary ones. Despite Optimist’s nervous and longing gaze at the gold dragon, the selection proceeded as planned.

“It’s the bronze dragon,”

Samuel announced, holding up the slip of paper with the result.

Optimist exhaled in relief, though he quickly tried to mask his reaction by scratching his nose.

Once the decision was made, Samuel used divine magic to temporarily restrain the young dragons and began conversing with the bronze dragon in their ancient tongue.

The hatchlings, though too young to speak the dragon language, had already inherited its understanding. They could comprehend but not yet respond.

Samuel’s dragon tongue was, of course, a gift from the Goddess herself.

After a brief exchange, whilst being accompanied by a demonstration of divine magic, the bronze dragon nodded obediently.

Samuel lifted the restraint, and the dragon turned its attention back to Boxlunch’s group.

Its gaze swept across the four remaining players, who stood stiffly, visibly tense. Even Boxlunch whose normally calm and collected, clenched his fists tightly, betraying his nerves.

The dragon hesitated for a moment, its childlike face showing an almost human-like hint of indecision.

Sniffing the air, it moved closer to Boxlunch and his another teammate, Chopin.

Circling them both, it eventually stopped in front of Boxlunch.

Boxlunch’s expression froze, becoming almost comically stiff.

The other players looked slightly disappointed, though they quickly recovered and began congratulating him.

It was, after all, fitting for Boxlunch to be chosen.

He was the game’s top-ranked combat player, with unmatched experience and achievements.

But just as everyone assumed the bronze dragon had finally made its choice, something unexpected happened.

The dragon sniffed Boxlunch once more, then wrinkled its nose.

Pausing briefly, it then moved again, stopping in front of Chopin—who wore a stunned expression as though he were dreaming.

Whilst lowering its head slightly, the dragon activated a faintly glowing magical array that enveloped both itself and Chopin.

Moments later, a notification appeared in Chopin’s interface:

【 Dragon Companion: Bronze Dragon (Hatchling) 】

“It… chose me?”

Chopin asked, overwhelmed with joy.

༺⟐༻

The players watching at the vicinity were just as surprised.

“It didn’t pick Boxlunch?”

“What a shame…”

Even Calabash and I’m-Invincible looked taken aback.

Chopin was a druid specializing in healing—a support class, and arguably the weakest in their party.

Dragons, according to what Meryer had told Little Salty Cat, typically preferred partners with greater strength or attributes that complemented their own.

This was the general rule.

Of course, exceptions also existed.

Relationships with dragons could be cultivated over time, though most dragons weren’t interested in building bonds before forming pacts.

Little Salty Cat and Meryer’s bond was one such rare exception, made only possible because Meryer had already signed a contract with the goddess and couldn’t take another partner.

Returning to the present…

Given Boxlunch’s overwhelming strength, and the lack of lightning magic specialists in their team, it had almost seemed certain the bronze dragon would inevitably choose him.

But Evé who’s been monitoring the scene, quickly deduced the real reason behind the dragon’s hesitation.

“I see… it’s the aura of death around him.”

The players’ souls weren’t native to this world, so the dragons couldn’t judge their soul’s alignment.

But indulging in acts of excessive killing could affect one’s mental state and aura, creating an intangible yet perceptible “killing intent.”

This intangible quality, though not inherently evil, could unsettle sensitive creatures, especially young dragons.

The bronze dragon had initially leaned toward Boxlunch but ultimately hesitated upon sensing the heavy murderous aura around him.

For metallic dragons, while they don’t shy away from combat and some even relish fighting evil, it doesn’t mean they are drawn to the presence of killing intent.

Having such a strong aura of bloodlust doesn’t necessarily make someone evil, but it does indicate they’re far from harmless.

For these newly hatched dragonlings, having such an aura becomes a significant negative factor.

Thus, after some hesitation, the young bronze dragon ultimately decided against choosing Boxlunch.

As for why it picked Chopin instead…

In Eve’s view, it likely had to do with his class.

After all, these dragons were born from Eve’s divine influence, and among the players, druids shared the closest affinity with Eve’s essence.

For these dragons whose instinctively drawn to Eve’s aura from birth, a druid would naturally seem more appealing.

Moreover, Druids, as a class, are also inherently better at gaining the favor of magical beasts.

Given all this, it came as no surprise why Chopin became the lucky one.

Watching the scene unfold, Evé couldn’t help but muse:

“It seems druids will soon become the go-to class for players aspiring to become dragon knights…”

“Then again, once the priest class is fully unlocked, players who take that path might also find themselves favored by these dragons, whose bloodlines I’ve purified.”

“As for Boxlunch, it’s a shame. With his strength, bonding with a dragon would have elevated his power to an even greater level.”

“Alas, luck wasn’t on his side today. If there had been a chromatic dragon among these five, it surely would have chosen him without hesitation, since chromatic dragons are naturally drawn to auras laden with bloodlust and thrive in their presence.”

With the predetermined bonding complete, it was now time for the dragon’s themselves to freely select their partners among the remaining players.

Unsurprisingly, Optimist was the first player chosen by a dragonling—and not just one but all four unpaired dragonlings.

Of course, he could only form a bond with one.

Amidst a sea of envy and resentment from the crowd, Optimist ultimately formed a contract with the most beautiful and robust dragon of them all—the young golden dragon.

After the golden dragon was taken, the remaining dragonlings began wandering among the players to find their own partners.

With them unable to fly yet, the remaining hatchlings waddled around adorably, their movements both clumsy and endearing.

Evé had placed a protective blessing on the dragonlings, ensuring no player could approach them without consent.

Watching from a distance, Evé discreetly withdrew to avoid unnecessary attention.

After returning to the World Tree, she began spectating the event from the players’ perspectives, akin to watching a live stream.

The player presence in Florence had grown significantly.

Meanwhile, the dragonlings ambled through the crowd, undeterred by the players’ efforts to curry favor with them.

Many players even resorted to desperate measures, with some offering all sorts of delicacies—roasted meat, fresh fruit, even shiny gold coins and gemstones.

The dragonlings gladly ate the food and took the treasures, but after filling their bellies, they would simply wag their tails and leave.

The players could only watch in frustration, realizing their ploys had failed miserably.

Time ticked by, and soon the third dragon finally found its chosen partner—a brass dragon that chose a well-known player named Li Mu.

Li Mu was a renowned Archdruid, famous for his mastery of communication magic, Whisper of Nature.

To secure his bond, he went all out, bringing a cart of northeastern-style barbecued meat (with help from Little Salty Cat), donning a set of gleaming equipment, and piling up a mountain of gold coins sponsored by Demacia.

His efforts eventually paid off, and he successfully bonded with the dragon, earning the envy of countless onlookers.

In the wake of Li Mu’s success, the fourth dragonling, a copper dragon, chose Meng Zhihan—a druid specializing in feral transformations.

Meng Zhihan’s innate magic allowed her to shapeshift into a pterosaur, a creature with dragon bloodline ties, closely related to the copper dragon.

Upon transforming on the spot, she immediately caught the dragon’s attention and secured the bond, becoming the fourth player to partner up with a dragon.

The fifth and final dragonling, another brass dragon, made an unexpected choice.

Rather than selecting a powerful silver-ranked player, it chose a relatively unknown fourth-beta player—an intermediate lvl 29 iron-rank mage named Dongdong.

Coincidentally, this player, “Dongdong,” happened to be a close friend of Meng Zhihan.

At that moment, Dongdong was so ecstatic she could barely contain herself.

Heavens above, she had only come to join in the fun and never expected such a surprise—a dragon partner falling right into her lap!

“It actually chose me? Could it be that I have incredible potential? Or maybe I’ve been focusing on the right specialization all along?”

She was visibly excited.

Meng Zhihan, on the other hand, rolled her eyes at her friend.

“You’re just lucky, that’s all. A melee mage dabbling in fireballs and mental magic? You’re spells are all over the place. If you ever manage to pick a specialization path, then I’ll believe pigs can fly.”

Dongdong: “…”

“I-I can’t help it! These were the spells I started with! And mages should fight up close too, you know! Besides, Psychic Pierce from the mental spell tree is great for disrupting enemies in melee combat!”

“Only you would think of making a mage fight in melee. You’re a true genius, alright.”

Amid her friend’s teasing, Dongdong completed her contract with the brass dragon.

However, after the bond was formed, her expression turned peculiar.

“Huh…I think I know why it chose me.”

“Why?”

“Because its specialties are also fire magic and mental magic…”

Meng Zhihan: “…”

Perhaps this is what it means to be blessed by the RNG gods.

༺⟐༻

With the dragons finally bonded to their chosen partners, the five lucky players were overjoyed, while the rest were left disappointed.

Even so, most players began to notice a pattern:

These dragons seemed to favor druids or players whose attributes matched their own.

Fortunately, this was not the only time dragons could appear.

According to the announcement, more opportunities would arise monthly. Although disappointed, players remained hopeful for the future.

After the pact bonding were finalized, the five bonded pairs were invited to the platform by Samuel.

This time, he intended to teach these chosen players how to care for the their dragon partners, explaining their unique traits and preferences of each type.

Of course, this knowledge came directly from the goddess herself.

“Brass dragons enjoy sunshine and dry environments. Li Mu and Dongdong, you’ll need to ensure your dragon partner spend plenty of time in such areas. Additionally, brass dragons are sociable and love to chat, so make sure to talk to them often as well.”

“Now that the bonds are formed, you can communicate telepathically, so conversations can take place in your minds.”

“Bronze dragons love coral and pearls. Chopin, you might want to collect such treasures for your dragon. They also prefer a diet rich in fish…”

“Red dragons enjoy pranks, so Meng Zhihan, please be patient with yours. They also love stories and music and have a fondness for treasures tied to the earth, like precious metals and gemstones…”

Samuel explained carefully, while the players listened attentively, absorbing every detail.

The surrounding crowd, however, wore odd expressions.

“What partners? This sounds more like they’ve adopted some spoiled rich children. Are they becoming dragon caretakers now?”

“Tch, if I had the chance, I’d gladly become a dragon caretaker.”

The onlooking players whispered among themselves, their interest in dragon habits piqued. They paid close attention, hoping to use this knowledge for their own future opportunities.

Finally, after covering the other dragon types, Samuel finally turned to Optimist, who was grinning ear to ear while holding his golden dragon hatchling.

The elder elf gave an approving nod and said:

“First of all, congratulations, Optimist. That gold dragon is the strongest and most powerful of all the metallic dragons.”

“That said, caring for a gold dragon can be more challenging and will likely require significant effort and resources.”

“One of the most important things is its diet.”

“Gold dragons are sometimes called Wealth Devourers because they can eat just about anything, but their favorite foods are jades and gemstones.”

“Of course, they can consume regular food, but if you want them to grow stronger and bond more deeply with you, you’ll need to satisfy their hunger for jewels…”

Hearing this, the smile on Optimist’s face slowly faded.

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