The next morning, mist coiled around the gnarled trees like hungry spirits as we ventured deeper into the Forbidden Forest. The path grew more tangled with every step, the air thicker, shadows darker. The map I held pulsed faintly in my backpack, as if guiding us toward something that didn't want to be found.
Felix walked ahead with a quiet alertness, his blade drawn. Elvie flanked the left, scanning the underbrush with a sharp, predator-like focus, while Ella walked beside me, humming softly as if to keep the tension away. But even she wasn't immune to the unease—the closer we got, the quieter she became.
Then, all at once, the forest exploded into chaos.
A pack of massive wolves burst from the underbrush with snarls that shook the ground. Their fangs were like daggers, eyes glowing with unnatural light. Behind them, the trees groaned—and from the darkness, a massive figure lumbered forward.
A giant orc. Ten feet tall, skin like mossy stone, with a crude axe the size of a door. It roared, shaking the trees as it charged toward us.
"Felix, wolves!" Elvie shouted.
He didn't need to be told twice. He darted forward with lethal precision, the blade slashing through the snarling wolves, sparks of mana flickering with each strike. He moved like a dancer in a storm, fluid and deadly.
Meanwhile, Elvie and Ella flanked the orc, keeping it distracted with magical blasts. Fire and wind crackled around them, but the creature was relentless.
I stepped forward, hands clenched. That's when the ding echoed in my head.
New Quest: Kill the Orc.
Reward: Unknown Item Drop.
I gritted my teeth. "Figures."
The orc noticed me and charged with a roar, its axe swinging straight towards my chest.
I didn't flinch.
BOOM!
The axe struck something invisible. A crackling purple glow erupted around me—my magical barrier. The same one that saved me before. The blow rebounded with a violent backlash, sending the orc stumbling, stunned.
"Now!" Elvie shouted.
I didn't hesitate. I pulled my small enchanted sword—the same one that had illuminated during our last fight—and lunged. The blade gleamed with a deep violet light as I plunged it into the creature's side. At that moment, the orc reared back, howling—but then it twisted its arm for another attack.
Big mistake.
The barrier flared again just as the orc's axe struck—only this time, the rebound was amplified. Mana rippled from the barrier and sent a shockwave straight through the orc's body.
CRACK—BOOM!
The orc's own strength turned against it. Bones shattered. The creature's chest caved in from the force of its failed attack. It stumbled back, gurgled one last breath—and collapsed with a thunderous thud that shook the entire clearing.
Silence fell over the forest.
The remaining wolves, sensing the tide had turned, whimpered and fled into the undergrowth. Felix stood panting, blood on his sword and cuts on his cheek, but grinning.
"Damn," he muttered. "That was intense."
Elvie walked to the fallen orc, examining the smoldering corpse. "Your shield... it didn't just block the attack—it reflected it. That's not ordinary magic."
I didn't respond right away. Another ding echoed in my head.
Quest Completed.
Reward: Unknown Item Drop — Acquired.
Item stored in backpack.
I glanced at my bag, and sure enough, something glowed softly from within. I'd check it later.
Ella pressed a healing salve to Felix's wounds, her hands glowing faintly. "I think we made too much noise," she said. "That was just a guardian... which means we're getting closer to the Divine Tree."
I nodded and glanced at the path ahead. The forest had grown impossibly dense. Twisting vines shimmered with strange lights, and the trees seemed to lean inwards like they were listening.
The air in the Forbidden Forest grew heavier the deeper we went. There was an eerie silence after the battle, the kind that settles in places where ancient things sleep. The trees were thicker here, their trunks wide enough to house a family, their twisted branches blotting out the sun. Strange glowing spores drifted in the air, and the soft hum of magic pulsed beneath our feet with each step.
I could still feel the weight of the glowing item resting in my bag, but I hadn't dared pull it out just yet. Something about this place made me cautious—more than usual.
"Elvie," I said quietly, "what do you feel?"
She narrowed her eyes, stopping in her tracks. Her hand lifted, fingers twitching as her magic brushed over the surroundings. "Something ancient," she murmured. "Magic older than even the royal vaults. Whatever's ahead... it isn't just a tree."
Ella took a nervous step closer to me. "Dirk... I think the Divine Tree isn't just a tree. It's a living guardian. It might not want to be found."
Felix grunted from behind. "Too late for that now. We have already woke its pets."
We pressed on, stepping carefully over roots the size of wolves. Strange calls echoed in the distance—nothing familiar, not birds or animals, but something different. Alien. Watching.
Eventually, the thick foliage began to part. A glimmer of silver light shimmered ahead. As we pushed through the last layer of vines, we stepped into a clearing... and stopped dead in our tracks.
There it was. The Divine Tree.
Another ding.
Quest Completed.
Reward: Magical Pet Egg
Location: Backpack
I ignored the screen as I looked at the divine tree. It was enormous, towering into the sky with branches that stretched like arms toward the heavens. Its bark shimmered like silver-veined marble, and leaves glowed in hues of blue and green, casting dancing lights across the ground. The roots cracked the earth with ancient power, and high above, nestled in its limbs, glowed three radiant fruits—pulsing with mana so intense it made my skin prickle.
No one spoke. For a full minute, we just stared. Then, a whisper in the wind.
New Quest: Approach the Divine Tree.
Reward: Unlock sealed ability.
I took a slow breath. "Looks like we're not done yet." But before we could even take a step forward, the ground rumbled beneath us. The Divine Tree's roots began to move. A massive shape emerged from the earth before us—like bark given life. It had no face, just a twisting knot of wood and glowing eyes. A guardian, made of the tree itself.
Felix cursed under his breath, drawing his sword. "Of course, it's got a guardian. Nothing ever comes easy."
Elvie and Ella stepped beside me, readying their magic. But me? I reached for my backpack. This time, I was ready. Whatever item I got from the orc quest—I had a feeling I was going to need it.
The bark-covered guardian loomed before us, unmoving yet brimming with presence—as if the Divine Tree itself had awakened and was watching. My fingers trembled as I reached into my backpack, feeling around until they wrapped around a smooth glass vial.
The item dropped.
Item Acquired: Ancient Elixir – Unlocks True Potential. Only those chosen by the Divine may consume it.
The liquid inside shimmered like molten starlight, a soft golden glow swirling with streaks of violet. I uncorked it slowly, a strange hum vibrating in the air the moment the seal broke. The scent—sweet, like honey and lightning—hit me and sent goosebumps down my arms.
"Dirk... be careful," Ella warned, her voice almost lost in the wind.
But I nodded once and brought the elixir to my lips. The moment the liquid hit my tongue, it was like a storm had erupted inside me. My vision spun, magic surged through every nerve, and my body trembled as if struck by lightning. My knees buckled—but I stayed upright, forced to endure it as the elixir did its work.
The Guardian stepped aside. As if granting permission. With shaky steps, I approached the Divine Tree, heart thundering. The closer I got, the louder the pulse of its ancient mana grew—until I stood beneath its canopy. My hand reached up, and a single golden fruit—glowing like the sun—detached from its branch and floated gently into my palm.
Quest Completed: Approach the Divine Tree.
Reward: Sealed Ability Unlocked.
New Item Acquired: Golden Fruit of Eternity.
I placed it carefully in my backpack. A blinding light exploded from the tree, wrapping around me like a cloak of fire and stars. I could hear my name whispered in the wind, in voices both ancient and new. Take care of the Fruit of Eternity and the Magical Pet, you will need it someday but for now, keep it safe and sound. Thank you, otherworldly being. We shall meet someday.
From the edge of the clearing, Elvie's eyes widened, her third eye snapping open involuntarily. Her breath caught in her throat.
And what she saw made her blood run cold.
NAME: Dirk Robinson Jr.
LEVEL: 999999 / 999999
MANA: ∞ Infinite
MAGIC TYPE: Arcane Purple (Unknown Class – Supreme Tier)
Elvie stumbled backward, whispering, "That's... impossible."
Even the King of Maxigah, the strongest warrior known to the kingdom, boasted only a level of 20,000. Dirk wasn't just stronger. He eclipsed every known warrior in history—hundreds of times over. His mana wasn't measurable. His power, unclassifiable. And the color of his magic—deep violet, flickering like lightning—was a class so rare it had only existed in prophecy.
I breathed in real hard after I heard the whisper of the wind as Ella stared at me, her mouth parted in shock. Felix was frozen, still clutching his blade, sweat on his brow. What the hell happened? They looked like they were so shocked. However, as the divine tree faded before my eyes, I stood there, wrapped in radiant energy, the wind calming around me now.
And I felt it—clarity. A moment of perfect understanding. I wasn't just some lost human with a lucky backpack. I was something more.
Something dangerous. Something... fated. But whatever, all I cared about was being rich.
New Hidden Quest Available: Protect the Golden Fruit of Eternity. Reward: Upgraded version of the Guardian System. I turned to my companions, the light around me fading.
"We need to leave," I said calmly. "This tree... it gave me something the world hasn't seen in ages. And I don't think we're the only ones looking for it."
Elvie swallowed hard, eyes never leaving me. "Dirk... what are you?"
I looked down at my hands, still faintly glowing.
"I wish I knew."