World Tree!?

A blinding light erupted right in the center of the stone altar, shining so intensely that it seemed to turn the whole world white. The brilliance was sharp and searing, making it impossible to keep one's eyes open.

Luis immediately threw his arms up, covering his face tightly with his hands, turning his head away to shield himself from the overwhelming glow. The heat radiating from that spot was warm and powerful, washing over him in waves, carrying a strange, fresh scent that he couldn't quite describe, like deep forests, rain, and life itself all mixed together.

He stood there, tense and breathless, waiting for the light to fade. Seconds felt like minutes as he waited, his heart beating fast in his chest.

What had he summoned? Materials? A worker? A monster? Or something completely different? The uncertainty was the worst part, and he could only stand still and hope that whatever came out wouldn't be dangerous.

Slowly, the blinding radiance dimmed, softening until it was no longer painful to look at. The warm energy in the air settled down, leaving a faint, pleasant coolness behind.

Luis lowered his hands slowly, blinking his eyes to adjust back to normal vision, and when he finally focused on what stood in the center of the altar, his mouth fell open in pure shock.

Right there, standing upright and steady, was a plant.

It was a sapling, roughly a meter tall, with a slender brown trunk and several thin branches spreading outwards. The leaves were a vibrant, healthy shade of green, bright and lively, a color he hadn't seen anywhere in this desolate wasteland since he arrived. But the most incredible thing wasn't that it was green; it was how it stood.

Instead of being rooted deep into the ground like a normal tree, this little sapling had two thick, sturdy roots that acted exactly like legs. They were bent slightly at the "knee" and ended in smaller rootlets that functioned like feet, supporting its weight perfectly.

It stood tall and straight, balancing itself as naturally as any human being.

"A plant?" Luis whispered, completely bewildered. He stared at it, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things wrong.

"Seriously? I summoned a plant? What am I supposed to do with this? I don't need a tree right now. I need workers, I need food, I need building materials! Why a plant?"

He stood there, staring at it in confusion, wondering if the summoning system had glitched or if this was some kind of mistake. Just as he was thinking that maybe this was a bad result, the most unbelievable thing happened.

The sapling shifted its weight. Then, with smooth, steady movements, it took a step forward. Then another.

It was walking! Right towards him!

"WHAT!? It's walking!?"

Luis jumped back a few steps in pure surprise, his eyes going wide.

He watched it move closer, stepping over the dry dirt with its root-legs, swaying slightly as it walked, branches moving gently with the motion. It didn't stumble, it didn't fall.

As it came closer, Luis realized something else. It was looking at him.

Or at least, it was facing him directly, and there was a distinct feeling of curiosity radiating from it, just like a person meeting someone new for the first time. It tilted its small crown slightly to the side, observing him closely.

Then, its thin, leaf-covered branches lifted up and waved gently back and forth, exactly like a hand waving hello.

Luis was stunned. This was way beyond anything he expected. He stood frozen for a second before his instincts took over.

"Uh- hi?" He greeted it subconsciously, raising one hand awkwardly and waving back. It felt ridiculous greeting a tree, but somehow, it felt like the right thing to do.

The moment the words left his mouth, a semi-transparent blue panel popped up right above the sapling's small canopy, floating there clearly for him to read.

WORLD TREE (JUVENILE)

Level: 1

Affection: 100 / 100

Class: Deity

Ability: Absorb

Luis stared at the words, his brain struggling to process what he was reading.

"World Tree? This thing? Is a World Tree??" He exclaimed loudly, stepping closer again, forgetting his earlier confusion. He looked at the small, walking sapling, then back at the text floating in the air.

If he hadn't seen the words Juvenile and Level 1 written right there, he would have immediately thought the summoning system had completely cheated him. A World Tree was supposed to be a giant, colossal being, massive enough to hold up the sky or cover entire kingdoms with its shade!

Not a tiny walking stick barely taller than his knees!

"Hmm, Affection is 100 out of 100," Luis muttered to himself, scratching his head as he analyzed the information.

"That should be because I summoned it, right? It starts out completely friendly and loyal. Good, at least it's not hostile. And its only ability is Absorb, that's it?

What does it absorb? Sunlight? Water? Minerals? Energy? It's pretty vague." He felt a little lost. He had summoned something legendary, but he had no idea what it actually did or how useful it would be.

As if it understood every single word he just said, the small sapling nodded its branches up and down vigorously, rustling its leaves softly. It looked at him with an expression that, somehow, seemed like agreement and pride mixed together.

"Oh? So you really can understand me, huh?" Luis blinked, then smiled a little.

"What a smart little plant!"

As soon as the words little plant left his mouth, the sapling's whole body stiffened. The blue panel flickered for a second, and the affection value actually shook slightly, dropping down by one point, just 99/100 now.

The little tree immediately started jumping up and down on its root-legs, hopping around in small circles, shaking its branches wildly and rustling its leaves loudly, as if shouting,

(I'm not little! I'm not a plant! I'm a World Tree! Show some respect!)

Luis watched it acting out like a grumpy child, and all his earlier worry and confusion vanished instantly. He burst out laughing.

This thing was supposed to be a mythical existence, a Deity class being, but here it was throwing a tantrum because he called it small. It was hilarious and adorable at the same time.

"Wait, Deity?" Luis suddenly froze, his laughter cutting short as his eyes locked onto that specific word on the panel. He had been so focused on the name and the level that he almost missed the most important detail.

"What does that mean exactly? Class: Deity- Is it some kind of God?"

He looked at the little tree jumping around indignantly.

"Well… in all the stories, myths, and legends I've ever read or heard, the World Tree is always described as a sacred being. It's the source of life, the center of the world, something that people worship and treat like a god or the embodiment of nature. But…"

He looked at the small, pouting sapling again, his expression turning skeptical. "But looking at you right now, you really don't look like a god. You look more like a fake deity or an imposter playing dress-up!"

DING!!

A loud chime echoed in his ears, cutting off his thoughts. A brand new notification window appeared in front of his face, glowing in bright golden letters.

HIDDEN ACCOMPLISHMENT COMPLETED!

A MYTHICAL SUMMON!

Description: You have successfully summoned a being of Mythical rank – The World Tree.

REWARDS:

- Unique Trait: All-Knowing Eyes

- Currency: 10,000 Gold Coins

NOTE: You are currently ranked number 7108 among all Human Lords who have achieved a Mythical Summon.

Luis stood there, his mouth hanging open in pure shock. He read the words again and again to make sure he wasn't imagining them.

(All-Knowing Eyes? 10,000 Gold Coins? And ranked among the top thousands out of billions of people?!)

"LUCKY! I am seriously lucky this time!" He shouted, throwing his fists up in excitement. A wide grin spread across his face.

"Man, if I was this lucky back on Earth, I wouldn't have been running around for months looking for a job! I would have won the lottery ten times over! But well, at least my luck turned around exactly when I needed it most. Or maybe I was just that unlucky before so that I could be this lucky when I got transported here!" He laughed bitterly but happily.

The little World Tree stopped jumping around. It tilted its head again, looking at Luis as his expression changed rapidly from confusion, to skepticism, to shock, and finally to wild joy.

The sapling shook its branches slowly, rustling its leaves as if thinking,

(My master- is he okay? Why is his face changing so fast? Did summoning me break his brain?)

"Alright, let's see what these rewards are all about!" Luis calmed down quickly and focused his attention on the first reward.

ALL-KNOWING EYES

Description: A unique ability granted only to those who achieve great feats. As long as you look at an object, creature, or structure, you will be able to clearly see its status, detailed description, rank, class, and hidden attributes. Nothing can hide its nature from your sight.

"Wow! That's pretty handy!" Luis nodded vigorously.

This was exactly what he needed. In a world where everything was new, dangerous, and unknown, being able to see exactly what something was and what it could do was an incredible advantage. He wouldn't have to guess or take risks blindly anymore.

He then looked at the second reward, the massive amount of money.

10,000 GOLD COINS

Description: Gold coins are the highest standard currency used throughout the entire Evergreen World. The complete currency exchange system is as follows:

- 100 Copper Coins = 1 Silver Coin

- 100 Silver Coins = 1 Platinum Coin

- 1000 Platinum Coins = 1 Gold Coin

Luis did the math in his head quickly and gasped.

"Woah! So technically, I'm super rich now? Like, absurdly rich compared to starting out with nothing? I should be celebrating right now!" He looked around his territory again.

Dry land, dust, silence, a few basic buildings, and nothing else. No shops, no markets, no other people.

He sighed deeply, his shoulders dropping.

"But where exactly am I supposed to spend these coins?! There's literally nothing here to buy! Everything is empty! Being rich in a wasteland is the same as being poor. I can't eat gold, I can't build walls with gold, and gold won't protect me from monsters!"

He looked at the little tree standing proudly nearby.

"And Deity class, well, I'm not the only one who summoned something mythical. There are over seven thousand others just like me out there. I guess I'm not the main character of this world or anything. This is reality, not a storybook. But still, out of billions of people transported here, I'm currently in the top group. That's something, right?" He tried to console himself, feeling a tiny bit better.

He glanced up at the sky. The sun was climbing higher, shining brighter and hotter, beating down mercilessly on the dry ground.

The heat was becoming unbearable, and his throat was already feeling dry and scratchy. He hadn't had a drop of water since he arrived, and his empty stomach was starting to ache badly.

"Alright, standing here won't solve anything," Luis said, wiping sweat from his forehead. He pointed towards the perimeter of the territory.

"Hey, little uh, World Tree! You walk around and take a look around the area, okay? Explore inside the walls. But remember! Do NOT go outside the City Wall! It's dangerous out there, and we have no idea what is waiting. Stay inside where it's safe."

The sapling nodded understandingly, gave a small salute with its branches, and immediately started walking around, curiously inspecting the ground, the walls, and the buildings, absorbing the sunlight as it went.

Satisfied for now, Luis turned around and walked towards the small thatched hut. He needed shade, rest, and time to think about his next moves.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, immediately feeling the temperature drop a few degrees. He sat down heavily on the simple wooden bed, which let out a loud protesting creak under his weight.

He sat there in the quiet dimness, thinking about everything that had happened in just a short time. He looked at the interface still floating in his vision. Besides the status and summoning logs, he noticed several new icons lined up neatly at the edge of his sight:

Chat, Marketplace, Missions, and Events.

"Chat function? Let's see what this is about," Luis muttered, reaching out to tap on the icon.

A new window expanded before him, divided into two tabs at the top. The first one was labeled World Chat, but it was greyed out completely, with a notice saying Insufficient conditions to access. He couldn't see or write anything there. The second tab, Local Chat, was bright and active. He clicked on it instantly.

The window immediately flooded with text, scrolling fast as hundreds and thousands of messages popped up every second. The usernames were all anonymous, just numbers or generic codes, protecting everyone's identity. Luis began to read through the messages, and his heart sank lower and lower with every line.

"What is happening?! Where are we?! Is anyone seeing this?!"

"Help me! Please, someone help me! It's raining so bad here, the water is already knee deep and it won't stop coming down!"

"Holy shit! I was taking a bath when everything went dark, and now I'm here completely naked! I want to die of embarrassment!"

"Bro, you think you have it bad? I was literally taking a dump in the toilet when I got transported. I thought I was the most unfortunate person alive. But seeing this chat, I realize I'm actually doing okay compared to some of you guys!"

"There is NO food here. NO water. Nothing but sand and rocks. How are we supposed to survive? I'm in the middle of a huge desert! It's burning hot!"

"Please help me! Anyone! I don't have legs, I use a wheelchair. When I got here, my wheelchair was gone. I can't move around at all… I'm just sitting on the dirt."

"Mom! Where are you?! Mom, answer me!!"

"Dad! Dad, I'm scared! Please come find me!"

Luis read through message after message, and his earlier excitement about the rewards completely vanished. He patted his chest, feeling incredibly lucky compared to so many others.

"Damn! Good thing I was fully clothed and in a safe place when I arrived. I thought I had it rough, but hearing their stories, I'm actually doing way better."

But as he read more and more, his heart became heavy with sorrow and worry.

"My place right now isn't really different from theirs," Luis whispered, leaning back against the rough wall.

"Sure, I have a wall, a few buildings, and I'm not drowning or freezing or burning in a desert. But this is still a barren wasteland. There is no food. There is no water. It's hot as hell during the day. I have absolutely no supplies. And the worst part, I only have ten days of protection left. After that, anything can come kill me."

He rubbed his face with his hands, frustration bubbling up inside him.

"If I stay like this, I won't even survive for two days, let alone ten! I'll die of hunger or thirst way before the newbie shield even deactivates!"

He scratched his head roughly, staring at the dusty floor. He had a mythical being, he had money, he had a special eye ability, but none of it solved his most basic, immediate problem:

He was stuck in a dead land with nothing to eat or drink, and time was running out fast.

He looked through the thin cracks in the wall, watching the small green sapling happily walking around outside, absorbing the energy from the sun and the soil.

"Maybe, maybe this weird tree is my only hope after all," Luis thought to himself, a determined look slowly returning to his eyes. He opened the status panel again, focusing on the World Tree's description.

"If you really are the source of life like the legends say, then you better start working fast. Because if you don't make this land green and fertile soon, we are both going to starve to death here."