"Hm? Where is my companion?" Draco asked with uncertainty.
The Wood Elves, who had been lost in their ecstasy, suddenly realized that a very conspicuous and troublesome Lion was missing. At first, they were worried and then they shrugged.
What was the worst the fellow could do? Their bonded Lionesses from the Savannah were in a secure location. Not to mention they were extremely arrogant and disdained most male lions.
If only they knew the kind of hot scene that was occurring in the tamed beast area… they might just lament their ignorance!
However, it shouldn't be much of a problem.
Why, you say?
Because their owners were about to consume the Lion's partner voraciously!
F.u.c.k!
Draco was spooked. The female Wood Elves who had gazed at him with mild interest were now staring at him with bloodshot eyes. It was as if it was all they could do to hold themselves back!
One should not be surprised though.
It was like a girl going to the club and nabbing a hot guy to take home and play with for the night. When that hot guy entered her home and saw her mother, he stopped, stated that she was sick and proved how.
The girl naturally fretted but the fellow smiled and said he could cure her mother. After a grueling process, he was clearly able to cure her mother, who the girl loved dearly.
Now, when she gazed at him, it wasn't just the simple one night stand to sate her needs that she wanted. Now, she want to f.u.c.k his brains out!
It was a similar thing.
No matter whether batman or a monk, once one was being gazed at by a bunch of beautiful women who were perfectly tailored to your taste in such a voracious and ferocious manner, one's scalp would tingle with fear.
Hey there, sisters. Why so serious? I only asked for four of you, so why are the whole lot of you looking at me like I was some piece of delectable meat?
F.u.c.k, why were you male fellows also giving me a similar look?
Draco smiled weakly and pointed to the HearthTree. "It might be best to enter the tree and continue with our business."
Once he said that, the crowd managed to rein in their feelings, but one could see that they weren't done here. Draco was free to go for now, but he shouldn't dare dream of leaving this place without dropping a few pounds of his seed!
Draco was led into a carved opening of the HearthTree, entering what seemed like a winding passageway. The walls pulsed with with greenish energy, numerous vines coating them. It formed a certain aesthetic that Draco found ethereal.
As they walked down the path, Draco noticed that there were a few branches here and there. They seemed to lead into various areas of the HearthTree.
In fact, one of the branches led to the area where Qiong Qi was now experiencing what was called cloud nine.
They continued straight down the path into a room where the space was almost endless. Apart from a few feet into the room, the rest was pitch black, as if it were swallowed into the abyss.
Draco frowned and tried to 'see' into the darkness. He was surprised to find that 'seeing' wasn't enough. He would need to 'see through' to pierce into the darkness.
Draco decided to read the memories of the Wood Elves to ascertain what was hidden behind there. He was surprised to see that… they had no idea! They were commanded by the HearthTree to bring Draco here, a place they had never been before.
Realizing that, Draco settled down and faced towards the darkness. Soon, a form came out of there, a handsome middle aged man with Elven features.
Unlike the others, he only wore a long white robe that looked unstained by dirt. His skin glowed with holiness and Draco swore that if an angelic choir was added, it would top off the entrance perfectly.
The Elven fellow smiled warmly at Draco, as if seeing a friend from a long time ago.
"Hello, Mr. Draco. I humbly welcome you into the abode of the Wood Elves."
Draco's expression changed. The fellow was able to see through his disguise that even Qiong Qi failed to spot. Clearly, he was a power that was on the same level as Richmond.
Thinking along those lines, Draco tried to identify him.
｢Name: Elf King – Rank 7 Spirit God
Level: 395
HP: 100,000,000,000,000/100,000,000,000,000｣
Draco's heart began to beat erratically.
Again?! First it was Qiong Qi, now it was this Elf King. Weren't such powerhouses supposed to be rare and elusive? Why the f.u.c.k were two of them present in a unique quest that only gave out a Legendary Treasure Chest?!
Look at the audacity of this fellow… just one Divine item and now Legendary Treasure Chests, which you had never even seen before just a few days ago, were now 'only'.
Draco calmed down as his logic center processed the information.
Obviously Qiong Qi and the Elf King existed because they weren't enemies. At best, they would be neutral parties unless direct provocation was made. In fact, an extremely astute person would realize that their presences were almost beneficial.
They started out as neutral, which meant that if the player in question was smart enough, these powerful entities could be turned into allies!
Wasn't that what Draco had done to Qiong Qi? And now, he had been brought here after vanquishing the parasite that was plaguing the HearthTree…
Hm?
Wait…
How the f.u.c.k could this entity not notice the parasite? The analogy of infection on humans only held for the Wood Elves, not a powerhouse like the Elf King. This fellow should have senses far sharper than any Control could grant Draco.
The Elf King had been watching Draco with amus.e.m.e.nt all this while, chuckling at the rapid change of expressions on his face. When Draco's attention returned to him, he spoke again.
"I know you have many questions, so I shall answer them for you. My name is the Elf King, which sounds like a title, which it is. I am not a real entity, but a projection of the true body of the Elf God that receded into the heavens. I am a leftover consciousness that watches over all Elven kind, making sure they do not expire unfairly."
No wonder Dorian Purple had dared not touch the Elves…
They had a huge backing!
Still, there were a few loopholes in all this.
"How could a remnant of a God remain in this realm?" Draco asked suspiciously.
The Elf King chuckled again. "Why are you surprised. Are your Dragon Soul and Divine Eyes not Godly Remnants too? Or did you think that every God just packed up and left the realm?"
Draco was startled then his face changed.
Of course! It made sense. Both the Dragon Soul and the Divine Eyes were fusion items, which meant they were living entities that belonged to living beings. If the Gods had truly receded into heaven, they should not exist!
Even the map to the Vault of the Deep was technically a Godly Remnant too.
Draco could be forgiven for not realizing this though, as this fellow hadn't even gained Legendary Chests, much less Divine ones in his past life. Lore on Divine items was extremely limited in-game and all he knew was what the Church allowed people to know.
Draco knew the answer to his next question, but he wanted to be sure. "How come you are mortal now, instead of being Divine?"
"That is due to the limitation of the world and the strength of my progenitor. Both your Dragon Soul and I come from Divine beings, but we could only be Legendary in this world at best. However the owner of your Divine Eyes is a Supreme God that is above everyone else and below none, so the world dare not suppress his remnant."
Draco had guessed as much. From the descriptions of both items, he realized that it was most likely due to a difference in State of Being that separated Godly Remnants into mortal limits.
The Elf King waved his hands at this point. "My aim in summoning you here wasn't for a Q and A, but to award you for your efforts."
Draco nodded, but injected one last question. "How did the parasite go unnoticed?"
He worded it carefully to make it seem like he wasn't questioning the Elf King's abilities, but the Elf King saw through it easily. He laughed in a soul cleansing manner, making Draco feel relaxed.
"It didn't. But my personal limitations do not allow me to interfere in this matter. I can only interfere when threats that are insurmountable to the Elves appear. However, threats that can be handled by them within reason are their own trials."
Draco understood what the Elf King meant. He was here to prevent fellows like Dorian Purple or Qiong Qi from ravaging the Elves. However, those like the Green Orcs, or even Draco himself, were challenges they should be able to overcome on their own, or any consequences were for the Elves themselves to bear!
Draco dropped his questions and returned his focus to the purpose as to why the Elf King summoned him.
"What do you think of Pair Dadeni?" The Elf King asked with a mysterious smile.
How could Draco not understand what was going on here?
"I think it's a fine cauldron. It's abilities are almost Divine if one considers effectiveness and its ability to grow." He answered calmly.
"Fine, then it shall be yours from now on." The Elf King stated with a smile.
Draco smiled as the Elves behind him dragged the cauldron up to him. He placed it into his inventory without any false modesty, nodding to the Elf King as he did.
"Thank you for your kindness, Elf King. What else did you want me to do for you?" Draco asked humbly.
"Nothing. I only have one more question for you." The Elf King smiled thinly.
Draco was a bit curious but tamped it down. "Please ask."
"What do you think about Archery?"
About…archery? It was such a random question that Draco had to pause for a bit before he answered truthfully and from his heart. He didn't bother to try to embellish and display pseudo-intelligence with his answer.
"I think Archery is an extremely useful field of combat that has potential but is very limiting. The right person can stop an army with his bow, but the wrong person would miss a sloth sleeping right in front of him. Still, regardless of both, Archery is weaker than close combat."
The Wood Elves, who were behind Draco, had a change of expression as they heard that. After all, what he said was right. They were gifted archers who could shoot better than almost any other, but they feared close combatants like Draco the most.
Once the distance was closed, they could only lie down to be killed at the melee fighter's leisure.
However, saying that straight to the Elf King's face was a bit…
The Elf King only laughed gaily. "An astute answer. I can tell from that alone that you have battled countless archers to be able to draw such a conclusion."
Of course! Draco had battle countless people of every class, not just archers. His guild had commandeered an archer battalion too, so he had to have a grasp on the field of combat archery in order to lead well during Guild Wars.
Of course, his battalion wasn't the best, far from it. None of his notable personnel were archers too.
"Why do you think I made the Wood Elves so good at Archery? Or more properly, how?" The Elf King asked with a sharp glint in his eye.
Draco was silenced by that, but after a bit of thinking, a beam of sharpness shot out from his eyes as he arrived at the answer.
"You bestowed them a unique trait that allowed them to master Archery with little to no effort." Draco replied with a solemn look.
"That I did. And now, you shall have that too!" The Elf King shouted as he threw out symbol made from whitish essence.
The symbol landed on Draco's forehead and entered his skin painlessly. The moment it did, Draco felt a strange feeling of… understanding. The science of archery that seemed so elusive to him now seemed like the stuff they taught at elementary school as an a.d.u.l.t.
｢Congratulations on completing: Hidden Quest (Wood Elves)
Reward:
Epic Rank Cauldron - Pair Dadeni
Epic Rank passive skill - Omnipotent Archer｣
｢Omnipotent Archer – Passive skill
Rank: Epic
Effect: Archery Mastery ꝏ｣
There were no complex descriptions to the passive, but having unlimited Archery mastery made Draco's heart pound. The direct benefit was that, like with fire magic, he could learn and utilize any archery skill in existence. An indirect benefit was that his ability with bows would be much better and he'd find it easier mastering the bow.
Of course, the skill didn't turn him into the reincarnation of Legolas, but he was much better than the average bowman. What was important was his ability to grow and the speed of it. They had both been enhanced to the maximum.
The Wood Elves were pleasantly surprised to see that their King favored Draco so much. It made the already enraptured elves much more passionate about his existence.
The Elf King smiled and started to disappear into the darkness. "Take these gifts and help my children if you can. I'd be eternally grateful."
Before he disappeared, he seemed to remember something. "Also, tell that Lion that his father misses him a lot. I was asked to pass that message if I ever saw him."
The Elf King completely faded away, leaving a bewildered Draco.
This fellow… did he not say he wouldn't interfere? Giving him these goodies and telling Draco to protect his children… how could Draco not understand?
......….
Qiong Qi, who was in another part of the HearthTree, had both his arms filled with satisfied lionesses who were purring with relaxation and contentment. He himself was feeling extremely fulfilled in life.
At this moment, if the grim reaper came to Qiong Qi and asked him to follow him to the afterlife , there was a 90% chance that he would go!
However, when he felt the aura of the Elf King, his expression changed.
'F.u.c.k, Uncle Elf God is still around? Damn, that means my dogshit pops will know where I am. F.u.c.k!'
Qiong Qi was very unhappy at this moment but his movement woke the sleeping ladies.
"Handsome Qiong, what's wrong?" Xaio Fei asked.
Not wanting to involve these lovely ladies in such issues, Qiong Qi smiled. "I was feeling a bit energetic, teehee."
The lionesses purred at that and pounced on poor Qiong Qi again, though the fellow definitely wasn't complaining!
......…
Draco was led to a tree house near the HearthTree by the Male Elf. The two made small talk as they went, discussing the Dao of Archery. Both sides profited from this as they both knew things that the other did not understand.
The tree house Draco was taken to was one of those on the top of the canopies. It had a pentagonal shape, much like the idealized aesthetic of medieval cottages. There was a chimney, two windows and one door.
The exterior design wasn't anything fancy, but it gave one an indescribable feel. Anyone who fantasized about returning to the medieval ages would find this alluring.
It wasn't small, but about medium in terms of size.
It was definitely good enough for Draco to use in the meantime while he digested his spoils.
"Oh yeah, what's your name by the way?" Draco asked the Male Elf.
"I am called Elkerithar'omarison. But you can call me Omar." He answered with a smile.
"Right, Omar. Thanks for everything, you've been quite the help, so far." Draco patted his shoulder with a gentle smile. He had come to like the honest and soft spoken Elf.
Omar smiled back, but his was a bit mysterious. "I do not think you will be thanking me soon, Lord Drake."
After dropping that cryptic line, he turned around and walked away briskly, as if scared to be around Draco for too long. Omar pulled out a bow and shot an arrow out, a thread attached to its end.
When it gripped a nearby tree, he used the thread to lower himself to the ground quickly. Draco found that this action didn't look too mysterious to him. He felt like he could do same after a short while.
Shaking his head, he opened the cottage and entered inside. The interior was also homely and stereotypical, adding to the general ambiance of the scenario.
He saw that there were five rooms, a kitchen with a pantry, a dining area which was also a living area, a bathroom, a study and a bedroom. The utensils were made of metal and Draco could see that it was well decorated.
Draco made a mental note to practice his cooking here and try to get a few levels up in the Tradeskill.
When he entered the bedroom though, Draco almost screamed.
Inside were 20 Elven females who were gazing at him with nefarious intent. Their eyes showed unspeakable determination and endless wicked desire.
Draco heard the door behind him close quietly and the key being turned as it was locked.
His scalp began to tingle as they all didn't even bother to undress properly, ripping apart their attires with a display of strength. They began warming up, looking towards Draco like a piece of meat they were dying to chew.
Draco backed up slowly, but his reverse walking saw him fall into the arms of an Elven female, the one who locked the door. She stretched her arms out and gripped his torso firmly.
The others began to close in on Draco with evil smiles and the one who held him laughed maliciously.
Draco realized that he was trapped!
He was going to be f.u.c.k.i.e.d to death!