In the deepest portions of the Elven forest, a hunting squad comprised of half-Orc mercenaries — who were led by a group commander — carefully progressed inch by inch.
"Hurry it up, you sloggards! If you let your target slip away, don't even dream of claiming any remuneration for this month!"
Captain Rick angrily shook his mace constructed from a wolf's femur, before kicking the rear of his subordinate, a grim expression on his face.
Upon turning around, Rick's gloomy visage suddenly vanished, his face turning into a joyful smile as he looked towards the majestic World Tree in the distance.
"Heh hehe, what the priest is right. As long as one is standing guard near the World Tree, you definitely will seize these long-eared idiots!"
While considering the next possibility to harvest, Rick's heart grew increasingly excited.
Considering that during the War of the Gods that had taken place thousands of years prior, the Elf Master , Mother Nature, had been defeated, causing the World Tree to wilt and wilt. The Elf's kinfolk — who had lost the blessings of the True God — their strength also had been diminishing, becoming the slaves of other races for thousands of years.
A youthful female Elf may fetch sky-high prices in the Human World!
Regardless if it is an adult male Elf, it would still attract an elite buyer in the form of a high-class slave vendor!
Indeed, the Half-Orc clan was originally situated in the fringe area of the Elven forest, and they further enhanced their economy by poaching members of the Elven ethnicity before selling them off to the Human world.
Moretheless, Rick — who has captured more than ten Elves, and even his kin from the Royal Family — is still wealthy, being regarded as prosperous even amongst the various tribes.
"Once this trek is completed, I would head directly to May and propose to her, subsequently purchasing a real estate property in the City of Chaos, totally putting a stop to my barbaric mercenary lifestyle" Rick pondered joyfully within his heart.
"Boss... Target detected, a pair of individuals! One is a female, most superior! No... She's exceptional-quality! Uh... It's the most valuable!"
Suddenly, the scout's shocked voice emerged from the front.
Rick was stunned and swiftly retrieved his Mace made out of wolf's bone:
"Silly team! Emerge, everyone! Surround them fast, or else we will risk getting disclosed. Those who dare to cause a disturbance? I will brutally crush their eggs!"
...
The two people departed from the Natural Divine Palace without uttering a single word.
The young Elf girl cautiously turned her head to glance at the decaying tree, her eyes were bloodshot.
This was the last time they would ever come here to pray...
In the past, she frequently harbored the hope of resurrecting her Mother Goddess, but each time, she noticed nothing more than insignificant mistakes.
In the current circumstances — even while she serves as a Saintess within the Natural Divine Cult, she was compelled to concede that the Elven Master God was indeed utterly decimated...
The Master God is still missing, the Royal family has been eliminated, the Elven kingdom has long vanished into thin air, the clans have dispersed in all directions, and their once-opulent silvery silver civilization has faded into the history...
Amid the threat of mercenary hunting teams, all of the clansmen were forced to hide and migrate in every direction.
With their future seeming dire, Alice was tempted to grind her teeth in anger.
When she contemplated those other people treating members of the Elven clan as though they were nothing more than valuable goods, she was almost tempted to lash out.
Regardless, Alice sensed profound desperation, considering that since the Elves had lost the Blessings of the Divine Spirit, their capabilities were no longer as potent as they once had been.
"I wonder if there'll be any clans alive in a hundred years..."
The young girl inhaled deeply, before weakly sighing.
Old Priest Samir remained silent.
A hundred years...
Could it possibly take that long?
The Elves belonging to each clan... The group that established the clans was no longer intact.
Even if their power is restored presently, in the absence of the Mother Goddess's favor, and without sufficient amounts of people, it would take a tremendous effort to revitalize the group's former glory.
As their hearts were weighed down with woe, the two of them tread quietly.
All of a sudden, Samir's facial expression altered slightly, his ears twitching subtly.
At that moment, he reached forward and snapped off a branch from a nearby tree, bringing it near his face and inhaling slightly.
"Oh No! There are Half-Orcs!"
Before the words were even completed, the bushes around then suddenly "roared" forcefully, accompanied by shouts of delight and screams with more than a dozen massive, repulsive figures emerging from the ambush position, imprisoning the two people with their tight and solid circle.
Ambushed!
As the two Elves took note of the Half-Orc group that had suddenly appeared, their facial expressions swiftly morphed into utter concern, promptly pushing themselves against the other while drawing out their staffs and weapons.
The numerous Half-Orcs regarded Alice's trembling frame with greedy looks, their eyes filled with wicked malice.
As the Half-Orc Hunters appeared before her for a second time, Alice's heart overflowed with countless waves of fury.
When Samir saw the Half-Orc group, he clenched his teeth and shouted:
"I will prevent them, you run swiftly!"
Soon enough, he shrieked aloud, performed a musical incantation, and transformed into a towering black bear that stood four meters tall.
This is his Druid ability, which grants him the ability to transform into another natural creature in a small amount of time, while also obtaining 70% of his rival's power.
He switched his form into this Black Bear, which is the only powerful Class 3 magical beast present within the Elf Forest, equipped with superior firepower on a par with Black Iron.
Noticing the momentum of the Black Bear, the Half-Orc mercenaries were moderately rattled, all of their expressions turning somber.
Before Black Bear could strike, however, the immense Mace made of wolf bone flew directly at the bear's upper body, striking his chest and abdomen.
A loud cracking sound was emitted upon contact, as the Black Bear let out a painful grunt, before spewing a mouthful of blood onto the ground, thereafter causing his entire body to collide with the ground, instantly transforming him back into a maturely-aged Elf once more.
By this point, Old Priest Samir had been rendered unconscious, having fallen into a pool of blood.
By just a single strike, the most significant source of combat power had been eliminated.
"Ha ha, truly feeble!" The Half-Orc exulted, and then walked away at a slow pace. An individual who stood at a height of three meters — identical to that of a mountain made of flesh — was approaching, a Half-Orc whom Alice discerned to be none other than Rick.
Rick bent down and collected the Mace, using his tongue to lick the blood-soaked bone spur.
Alice — who glanced at Rick incredulously — trembled her voice slightly,
"High... High Black Iron..."
High Black Iron indicated that this opponent was at least level 31, and could eliminate Samir with a single hit, demonstrating the fact that this rival's leader had most likely reached the peak of High Black Iron.
Alice's heart was momentarily overwhelmed with despair.
While she turned her head and looked at the ruined World Tree with tear-filled eyes, she wondered,
"Divine Mother Goddess... Is this your punishment for us?"
"Ha ha... Mother God?" Rick replied mockingly, glancing at the distant tree with disdain. As he licked the corner of his mouth, he dismissively shook his head.
Rick — having been greatly pleased with the recent ambush — had, just a few days prior, attained level 40, reaching the pinnacle of High Black Iron. Now, with the acquisition of this feat, he was equipped with a sufficient amount of resources to move forward with his promotion to Low Silver, thus allowing him to become exceptionally powerful within the Half-Orc populace.
When Rick gazed upon Alice from head to toe — with a hint of surprise gracing his expression — he spoke with mirth:
"Indeed a valuable product! This will make a substantial fortune!"
Once he was done talking, Rick — while staring at Alice with lustful intent — claimed:
"If you're a little more compliant, your suffering will be less... Otherwise, hey heh heh..."
"Huh huh huh..."
In addition to the Half-Orcs who surrounded the group, the Half-Orc who initially attacked Alice and Samir — the person who previously led the pack — also let out a few laughs.
Alice — who was completely enraged — inhaled deeply, then steadied her form as she spoke in a defiant tone:
"Despicable Half-Orc, I'm prepared to perish, but I won't enable you to do this!"
After saying this, she brought out her staff in preparation for battle, as she resolved to face her impending threat.
However, without even awaiting her action, Rick's visage quickly emanated a strange light, and just from the noise of "Bach" her weapon fell from her grasp.
"Tch, how pathetic... Just that sliver of strength has reemerged with the 'self-recognized' Silver race?" Rick's voice oozed with contempt as he mocked her.
Upon hearing the term "Silver race" from Rick's mouth, Alice's heart was touched yet again by sorrow.
In past times, when the Elven clan returned to the protective bosom of the Divine Mother Goddess, every adult Elven being was at least as strong as those of the Silver race.
Upon advancing to adulthood, this Silver race is defined as the Silver race.
In that period, how illustrious the Elven civilization was — with legends and demi-gods layered upon one another...
Not only that, the present Alice is even degraded by a Black Iron half-orc of the Half-Orc race!
"Hahaha, do you think you have an alternative choice?"
Rick jeerily taunted.
Alice regarded him with resentment and regret, being affected by something.
As she recalled the thieving, barbaric Half-Orcs who once ravaged the Elven clan's dwellings, while also envisioning the tragedies of those who were sold as servants, her heart grew even more despondent.
However, she gradually regained her composure.
Eventually, Alice's eyelashes fluttered shut, and she subtly spoke a few incantations, as her golden-locks radiated ripples of shimmering magical pressure.
As the leader informed Rick, "Not good, she wants to explode her magic source and perish! Hasten to halt her!"
In turn, upon hearing the command, the Half-Orc crew members swiftly exchanged confused looks.
Rick — who was growing more and more annoyed inwardly — was neither troubled nor concerned.
He could not tolerate this potential scenario where the Mid Black Iron magical source was squandered and destroyed.
An alive Elven girl was a precious resource, while a deceased Elven girl was merely a corpse and nothing more.
In this moment, the recollections of the past — which Alice cherished the most — resurfaced in her mind once more.
Two centuries earlier, she and her mother had spent a pleasant period in a particular area, while residing happily within the confines of the clan.
The altar of divinity was still intact, as those present showed their devotion towards the Mother Goddess.
When her mother succumbed to illness and passed away, Alice was chosen to be the sole representative of the Natural Saintess.
As sparkling tears trickled down her eyes, the lass recited her ultimate magic spell, setting her own faith ablaze!
Alice's body was encompassed by a luminous aura, exuding a lustrous brightness that was reminiscent of the dazzling rays emitted by the Golden Sun.
As Rick uttered that command in a loud voice — "Quickly! Stop her!" — a subtle movement occurred before his eyes, and as the girl's body was enveloped by that bright glow, almost as if a bubble had burst, she instantly returned to her usual demeanor.
Nothing seemed to have occurred in that short timeframe, like the girl had barely had a chance to blink, or like how a balloon suddenly popping leads to a deflation.
Rick also noticed the atmosphere's bizarre alteration, causing his emotions to suddenly be affected by the events he had just witnessed.
With a look of confusion, Rick looked over at Alice, then licked his lips as he spoke,
"There's no point in self-blowing up. You're such a pity and waste!"
Alice regarded her hands questioningly, muttering beneath her breath:
"Why is it that..."
"It seems that my recitation of the spell was not incorrect, but what happened..."
"My Lord Mother Goddess... Does this mean I cannot even control my own fate?"
As Alice uttered that line, Rick let out a sigh of relief, and then hummed to himself.
Upon observing the Elven girl's reaction, Rick exhaled in relief, then began to rhythmically murmur to himself:
"Tie up the elf girl! Be wary, or you shall suffer harm!"
Regardless of his words, the following Half-Orc — who was intended as his subordinate — took no action.
As Rick witnessed the inaction of his subordinate Half-Orcs and saw them retreating in confusion, he frowned and spoke:
"Why are you standing around motionless? Hasten and work!"
Contrary to his words, however, the Half-Orcs remained still, in addition to looking at Rick as if they were terrified, while they retreated further.
"What are you doing?"
He — with his mood slightly darkened — felt the sting of annoyance, as a flash of anger arose within his heart.
As the Half-Orc — with remarkable strength and bravery — turned around to peer behind Rick, he spoke nervously, while extending his hand,
"Boss... Behind..."
These words caused Rick's brows to crease, while a faint breeze of mud also blew from the direction indicated.
Rick felt his heart jump, and he experienced a sense of unease, his instincts telling him that danger might be lurking right behind him.
Rick — who spoke to himself in a subdued tone — turned his gaze with some level of apprehension, when suddenly, a towering, towering being stood behind him, its figure eclipsing the horizon.
The titanic presence emanated an intense, freezing pressure, causing the atmosphere to stagnate to an extent.
As Rick beheld that formidable figure, his eyes shrank slightly, and he felt a sudden wave of terror surge through his bones.
The Guardian's eyes were directed at the leader, as he gaped in horror, and opened her mouth in disbelief, his voice tinged with slight dryness and incomprehensibility,
"It's...the Lantana Guardian?!"
"How can this be...?"
The Berserker's eyes — which were cold and emotionless — swept through the scene, and when he uttered his words, his tone was even more indifferent than before:
"What did you just say now?"