The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

A not very large but clear and serene lakeside. Around it were lush forests and a suitable-sized plain.

“How is it?”

“Seems good.”

Raul and Rabel stood gazing at the clear lake. Beside them stood an empty power armor, which belonged to Raul’s mentor, Caldenas.

“Thankfully, it still looks just as I remember. It would’ve been even better if they were still around….”

This place was where Caldenas had once seen the lake fairies before he became a guardian. A small lake located in the western forbidden zone, to the east of the Monster Forest.

With a glimmer of hope, Raul and Rabel had previously visited this location, but this time, their visit had a different objective.

“Then let’s settle around here.”

Raul stood on a plain not far from the lake and took something out. A long wooden staff about 2 meters in length. At first glance, it appeared as an ordinary, unremarkable stick, but….

『S-Grade Town Tree Core』

Rarity: Epic

Grade: S

Effect: Unbreakable. Highest mana conductivity. ???

Description: The core that forms the heart of the Town Tree in the Elemental Jungle settlement. It cannot be separated without going through a special process. By itself, it may seem unremarkable, but with the touch of a master craftsman, it can transform into a top-tier item.

It was the core extracted from the S-Grade Town Tree in the Spirit Tree cluster.

‘And this thing has a hidden secret.’

Through extensive research and experiments conducted by numerous players in his past life with Town Trees. They had uncovered its true identity….

Shove.

Raul plunged the Town Tree core deep into the ground. And as he infused it with mana, crack. Rumble!

Something beneath the ground began to break, and the remaining 30 cm of the wooden staff started expanding at an alarming rate.

3 meters, 5 meters, 10 meters, ….

Finally, it grew to an impressive height of 50 meters.

“Wow, it’s more impressive than I thought.”

“Indeed. I thought half that size would be sufficient.”

The newly grown tree was significantly different from the existing Town Trees. None of the typical defensive features like palisades or defensive magic barriers manifested.

Unlike the hollow Town Trees, this one was solid and robust. As Raul’s eyes turned a golden hue, he peered into the tree, revealing its true nature.

『Sapling of a Sprouted World Tree』

Rarity: Legendary

Grade: C

Status: Sprouted. Growth limited. Traits limited.

Effect: ???

Description: A sapling of the World Tree sprouted from the core of the Town Tree. Having just sprouted, it has not awakened its special powers. Further growth is impossible as a stronger World Tree exists in the same dimension. Unless special conditions are met, it is just an ordinary tree.

As the description indicated, it was essentially just a sturdy and large tree. This was because the rule dictated that only one World Tree could exist per dimension.

‘The true World Tree is growing in the elves’ stronghold.’

According to Raul’s observations, it had already grown to a height of 150 meters, reaching an A-rank level. Yet, it was still far from the grandeur of the ancient World Trees.

“The World Tree of that time was so massive that it covered half the Elemental Jungle with its branches. If not for the concealment barrier, its presence would have been visible across the continent.”

Listening to Rabel’s explanation, Raul nodded. The last time he saw a World Tree in his previous life, it had already surpassed 500 meters in height.

“The key point is that the elves’ World Tree hasn’t fully matured yet. That’s what we’re aiming for.”

As stated in the description of the World Tree sapling, only the strongest individual can grow into a World Tree within a given dimension. But what if a sapling more powerful than the elves’ World Tree appeared?

Raul retrieved a second item from his inventory.

『Remnants of an Ancient World Tree』

Rarity: Legendary

Grade: EX

Effect: Rapid growth of the World Tree sapling. Inheritance of the World Tree’s memory and talents.

Description: The ancient World Tree, once the source of Connect, perished due to the aftermath of war. Prior to its demise, it left numerous saplings to succeed it, which evolved into the current Town Trees over time. Meanwhile, the tremendous energy and vitality it harbored were trapped in its remnants and buried underground. Those remnants will nourish and facilitate the growth of a new World Tree.

A black wood fragment the size of a forearm. Too small and plain to be believed as the remnant of a World Tree, and it seemed hard to believe such a charcoal-like piece would hold any power.

But as Raul buried the fragment of the ancient World Tree beneath the base of the newly sprouted sapling,

Rumble.

“Whoa!”

“Oh my!”

The ground trembled like a tidal wave, and the World Tree sapling began to surge skywards with tremendous force. Its girth seemed to combine that of multiple buildings, and its height had already surpassed 200 meters.

Boom.

A refreshing aura spread from the sapling, and a translucent veil enveloped it.

“Ah!”

It felt like a refreshing rebirth, enveloping their entire bodies. Rabel, Raul, even Caldenas, and the distant First Knight Order members on guard, all closed their eyes and savored the invigorating mana coursing through them.

‘So this is the blessing of the World Tree!’

Raul realized anew the power of the World Tree. Even someone like him, approaching the pinnacle of superhuman strength, felt his total energy—mana, spiritual power, and divine power—had increased by about 50%.

‘Not just the quantity, but the purity has improved!’

The time required to draw upon mana was reduced, and its efficiency seemed to have heightened. Feeling this immediate effect, Raul wondered how immense the power would be once the World Tree fully matured.

‘No wonder the elves never stray from the World Tree’s territory.’

He could now somewhat understand why the elves had huddled beneath the World Tree during the ancient war, seemingly like cowards. As the transformation of the World Tree sapling concluded, Raul looked at Rabel.

“Time to finish up?”

“Yes, indeed.”

Rabel glanced at a nearby open space and spoke gently.

“Open.”

Whoosh.

Fresh mana swirled, and a cute green portal appeared in mid-air.

“Waaa!”

“Your Majesty~!”

“Where are we?”

“Wow, look at that big tree!”

Whoosh.

Numerous fairies poured out of the portal. The young fairies, fascinated by the World Tree, swarmed around it excitedly, circling and playing.

“Your Majesty, is this our new home?”

“Oh my, that’s a World Tree? Are the elves nearby?”

The last to emerge were Princess Cora and the elders of the fairy race. They looked around, presumably concerned about the elves known as the World Tree’s caretakers.

According to Rabel, the elves had historically barred fairies from approaching the World Tree. The reason given was that the fairies’ spirited energy could negatively affect the World Tree.

‘Well. Was that really the reason?’

The fairies seemed a bit puzzled by the lack of elves nearby.

“Have you brought everything safely?”

“Of course! These little ones are crucial.”

They carried something small and precious in their arms. It was none other than the seeds of the Spirit Tree. Whether they crossed the gate to leave or to return, the fairies always carried Spirit Tree seeds with them.

“Alright, let’s plant them nicely.”

“Leave it to us.”

Flutter, flutter.

Cora, the elders, and the adult fairies spread around the World Tree, carefully planting the Spirit Tree seeds. Shortly after sowing hundreds of seeds,

Bulge.

Tiny sprouts pushed the soil aside and peeked out.

“Oooh!”

“Wow.”

The young fairies surrounded the sprouts, dancing excitedly. And unbelievably, the sprout quickly grew into a sapling over 1 meter tall.

With the World Tree’s blessing bestowed upon the Spirit Tree, it wouldn’t be long before a lush and vibrant Spirit Tree cluster flourished.

Thus, a new forbidden zone for the fairies, filled with the World Tree and Spirit Trees, was established near the lake to the east of the Monster Forest.

Probably, this would cause the World Tree sapling in the elves’ stronghold to cease growing.

‘Not my problem.’

What fate awaited the elves no longer concerned Raul. He had no need for their power and didn’t wish to help them. Raul watched the joyful fairies with a smile.

*

The spring, when new shoots appeared, had now turned to autumn, when leaves fell.

Rumble, rumble!

“Northwest direction, imperial cavalry!”

“Those bastards! Trying to interfere again?”

“Battle squads, what are you doing? Prepare for cavalry engagement!”

In the center of the western forbidden zone, known as the Monster Plains, a guild of players, trying to construct a makeshift fortress, was under attack by an imperial cavalry of about a hundred troops.

The players, seemingly used to such situations, stopped their work and prepared for battle.

Boom! Bang!

“Kill them!”

“Get out, you dogs of the kingdom!”

“What are you undead-loving imperial scum saying?”

About two-thirds of the imperial cavalry were undead or mounted monsters. The rest were knights and armor users, so they couldn’t be underestimated due to their numbers.

The players had grown strong enough that they were rarely defeated outright. After an exchange of sword qi and various skills, both sides suffered similar losses. But the imperial side suffered more significantly.

The reason was.

“What are you doing! Resurrect quickly!”

“Healers! Focus on the tanks, please!”

The priests among the players had progressed to the point where they could cast resurrection spells, and their numbers were incomparable to the past.

The players had enough conditions to reveal their characteristics, rivalling the undead. However, the guild leader didn’t look pleased.

Thump, thump, thump.

Roar!

“Damn, we drew aggro. Retreat!”

Cunningly, the imperial cavalry had lured a high-level monster from the Monster Plains. The operation to establish a foothold in the plains ended in failure.

‘Things have really gotten tough now.’

Many guilds were continually challenging to develop even a part of the Monster Plains, but few succeeded. Recently, in the past month, the pace of development had slowed even further, all thanks to those annoying imperial cavalry.

‘And the orc riders are just as bad.’

Half of the Monster Plains was already occupied by the First Knight Order and player guilds. About half of the remaining area was settled by orc tribes, while the rest was contested by the empire, orcs, and players.

The main issue remained the formidable monsters of the forbidden zone. Only the strongest monsters had survived in the forbidden zone, making it difficult to confront them without superhuman-level intervention.

Thus, development faced significant challenges.

Occasionally, large-scale faction wars erupted instead of small skirmishes, but balance had been somewhat achieved, resulting in no major territorial changes.

‘No, if the First Knight Order had been more greedy, they could have secured a wider area. Now that I think about it, why aren’t they more ambitious?’

At some point, the superhumans of the First Knight Order had stopped appearing in the plain battles. Rumors had it that they occasionally showed up in the northern ice mountains or the eastern Elemental Jungle, but they didn’t seem to be moving aggressively.

‘Nevertheless, this means there’s still an opportunity. In the next expedition, for sure!’

The guild leader, with a look of regret, retreated to their base with the guild members. A year had passed since the 『Forbidden Zone Opening – Encounter』 scenario began.

The power dynamics of the four forbidden zones had now somewhat stabilized. In the western forbidden zone, the Monster Forest territory had been established as Raul had desired.

The defensive line of the First Knight Order, occupying one-third of the plains, was now firmly in place. Player guilds’ pioneering cities lay before it.

A neutral zone and monster habitats centered around the northwestern plain. Orcs occupied the western part of the plain and forest area. The empire held the northern edge of the plain and forest.

Eventually, with a neutral zone in contention, each faction was solidifying its territory. The southern demon sea became firmly the domain of the sirens and mermaid races.

Humans didn’t risk sea expeditions and only maintained trade routes in coastal waters. Meanwhile, significant changes had occurred in the northern and eastern forbidden zones.

(To be continued)