CHAPTER 629

【 HUGGING THE THIGH OF A BIG SHOT 】

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The sky was an endless shade of blue, deeper than the sea itself. A few tufts of cloud drifted lazily, stretched thin by the wind until they melted into the mirror-like canopy above.

Xu Ge swore he had never seen a sky this pure before in his life.

Just like the seasons on Earth, the world of Elven Kingdom had also stepped into late autumn and early winter, bringing with it a slightly cooler temperature.

The golden sun hung high in the sky, its dazzling rays spilling down and warming Xu Ge’s body with a soft, cozy glow.

Every so often, he would see winged beasts soaring through the sky.

From time to time, winged creatures would sweep across the sky—majestic dragons with scales glinting in the sunlight, proud griffins that beat their wings with thunderous strength, and, more often, huge birds whose piercing cries carried far and clear.

Xu Ge couldn’t help but lift his gaze each time one passed above him, his eyes following their path through the blue expanse.

Most likely, those people riding on each creature’s back were players, judging by the gleam of their equipment.

Xu Ge’s eyes lit up as he stared at those figures soaring through the air.

Flying.

For any young man, the very word carried with it an irresistible allure.

Then, without warning, the surroundings suddenly dimmed.

What followed next was a vast shadow rolling across the ground like a moving cloud, darkening everything in its path.

Looking above him, Xu Ge noticed something enormous was passing overhead, blotting out the sky.

His eyes widened at the sight, awe flashing across his face as his lips formed a round “O.”

“Whoa?!”

The shout burst from him before he even realized it, carried by pure instinct rather than thought.

Slowly, its massive form came into view: a colossal airship, its design a breathtaking fusion of both magic and steampunk aesthetics.

It was flying at a low altitude, barely a hundred meters above the ground. It resembled the Zeppelins he had seen in his history books back on Earth. Yet this otherworldly version easily dwarfed its real-life counterparts, stretching over two hundred meters in length. ŗΆꞐȯ฿Ёš

Its outer surface shimmered with intricate magical arrays, lines and sigils woven so seamlessly that from where he stood, they appeared to be decorative patterns. On its tail fin gleamed a radiant scepter-shaped emblem, catching the sunlight with each tilt.

Beneath the massive envelope hung a gondola that appeared to be made of wood and steel, and at the airship’s bow, a tall wooden statue of the goddess was erected, looking serene yet commanding, while at the stern, a large steampunk-style propeller churned with a steady whir, pushing the vessel forward.

Even the gondola itself bore runes and engravings, with every inch etched in enchantments. From its railings, several human-like figures leaned out from time to time, their flowing hair and robes fluttering in the wind as they gazed curiously at the world below.

“The Goddess! That’s definitely the airship, ‘The Goddess!” Xu Ge shouted in excitement.

He had heard of this airship before.

In fact, ever since the second beta, he had been following what was happening in Elven Kingdom as an armchair player. His favorite pastime during breaks was watching stream recordings of streamers and videos uploaded by popular ElvKing creators.

And in one of Big Mu’s videos, a famous ElvKing streamer, he had seen this very airship being featured.

From what he remembered from that video, this airship had only been completed last week. It was the result of a massive community effort, a project where many top players had joined forces to accomplish such an undertaking. Rumor had it that more than a thousand players had contributed their time and skills to its design and construction.

Honestly, compared to the fantastical flying airships shown in movies or the sheer might of real-life aircraft, this otherworldly airship might not seem all that impressive.

But games are different from reality.

Just as a person might only nod respectfully while watching a documentary about the Forbidden City, yet gasp in amazement when someone manages to recreate the very same city block for block inside the game Minecraft, seeing an airship like this actually built inside the game was a shock all its own.

The impact came from the gap between what you thought was impossible, and the fact that someone had gone and actually done it.

From what Xu Ge knew, the players of Elven Kingdom were probably the most creative of any gaming community at the moment, even surpassing the building craze of Minecraft back in its heyday.

Part of that came from the game’s unmatched degree of freedom, and the other part came from the players themselves, with their unique mix of cultural knowledge and practical skill.

At first, the older players had rebuilt Earth’s landmarks in-game, constructing the game’s towns and main cities just like how they looked in real life.

But now that most of those veteran players had reached the level cap, more and more of them were spending their free time nowadays experimenting with new kinds of gameplay.

In particular, replicating things from Earth have became especially popular trend.

Over the past month, many players had poured their creativity into all sorts of ambitious projects. Airships, hot air balloons, and similar machines that required a certain degree of industrial know-how—but were still relatively simple enough compared to modern intricate technology—quickly rose to popularity and became fan favorites.

There were even rumors of a certain whale-princess wanting to replicate cinemas, TV stations, and steam trains.

Overall, the world of Elven Kingdom was steadily filling with these new marvels. Some projects had already been completed and proudly displayed in towns and cities, while countless others still remained a work in progress.

Of course, certain advanced technologies were beyond the reach of amateurs.

Alas, that was the limit of the tech tree. Even if the theory seemed feasible, without an industry expert to lead the project or the necessary skilled manpower to properly handle the complex workload, some things simply could not be replicated.

But that was where magic came in.

Magic was, after all, a way to bypass all those rigid technological barriers and physical limitations, which was essentially cheating. With the elves being naturally born with a high affinity for magic, even the weakest player could cast a simple light spell, activate a magical array, or trigger a scroll after just a little training.

In this context, players could easily use the convenience of magic to compensate for any lack of technical knowledge or skilled labor shortage.

The crystal projection screens were a prime example of this.

Similarly, the supposed steam trains, according to rumors, were only able to run after being “magically modified” into fantasy versions of themselves.

Of course, many of the various gadgets created were not truly practical in their usage. Some might have had limited functional purposes, but more often than not the initial motivation was simply to look cool or to claim the bragging rights of having built it first.

But even by accident, the players ended up creating all kinds of strange and useful inventions—some of which were already having a huge impact on the daily lives of the local population.

The crystal projection screens being the most famous of them all.

Even Xu Ge knew that some top guilds had already began to established their own “media companies.” In the Elven Forest alone, the center of their faction, many taverns now had crystal projectors installed to broadcast competitive events.

By now, they had become so immensely popular with both players and locals alike that attending or watching these broadcasts had become a daily routine for many, something that would have been unimaginable beforehand.

Drawing his drifting thoughts back, Xu Ge once again lifted his gaze to the airship above him.

His gaze sparkled faintly as he murmured,

“I wonder what it’s like to ride on one of those…”

It had to be incredible!

The airship was moving quite fast.

It drifted steadily across the sky, then slowly began to fade into the distance.

Xu Ge kept his eyes locked on its silhouette until it slipped past the trunk of a massive tree and finally disappeared from view.

But then his gaze was drawn to that colossal trunk itself.

Compared to it, the airship looked like nothing more than a pocket-sized toy.

The trunk was so wide that staring at it felt less like looking at a tree and more like facing an endless wall of wood.

But unlike a horizontal wall, this tree stretched upward almost endlessly, rising vertically instead.

Xu Ge’s eyes kept moving upward as the trunk stretched higher and higher, until it eventually went past the clouds, with its top completely out of sight.

“It’s the World Tree…”

Xu Ge whispered, excitement bubbling in his voice.

The World Tree!

It was the most breathtaking natural wonder in Elven Kingdom, said to rise up to ten thousand meters in height.

And more than that, it was the true form of the goddess herself, the faction leader whom they, the players, had sworn to serve, protect, and remain loyal to.

Whilst basking in the awe-inspiring presence of this towering, mysterious World Tree, Xu Ge couldn’t help but recall all the sights he had experienced so far.

The majestic airship with its steampunk aesthetics, the griffins and dragons spreading their wings through the sky. The bustling streets lined with buildings infused with Earth’s many cultures. The pointed domes and solemn temples carved with elven styles and architectures.

What filled Xu Ge’s mind was a world of dazzling sights, bursting with fantasy and wonder, steeped in magic yet touched by exotic charm.

This was Elven Kingdom.

A brand-new world that had captured the hearts of countless players!

With the accompanying cheerful elven melody—the Chosen City’s own exclusive BGM—playing in his ears, Xu Ge felt a surge of ease and joy inside his heart.

The warm, soothing, and beautiful classical symphony blended seamlessly with the lively city atmosphere.

Right now, his body felt unbelievably light and powerful. With an excited, silly grin, he could not help but leap, jumping nearly a meter and a half high.

The feeling was unlike anything in reality.

It was as if gravity itself had lessened, or as if his body were brimming with boundless amounts of energy, like a superhuman awakening to new powers.

Intuitively, he sensed that moves he could never pull off in the real world would now come much easier.

Even those jaw-dropping parkour stunts he had seen in movies and games… he felt certain he could now perform them here as well.

Right now, Xu Ge truly felt like he had become the ‘chosen one.’

His chest filled with soaring pride.

No wonder the players were called as such.

He couldn’t help but whistle, then broke into a run, leaping joyfully through the city streets.

“Elven Kingdom, here I come!” he shouted with a laugh.

His voice drew plenty of stares from veteran players in the vicinity. Their expressions ranged from odd to amused, from those wearing understanding smiles to those teasing him for it.

Being under so many gazes, Xu Ge’s face flushed bright red.

He suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment at the childish antics he had just made.

And in that moment, he realized another difference.

Because the feeling he experienced was so real, he couldn’t help but immerse himself in the moment. When those strange looks came his way, he suddenly remembered that it was still a game and felt shy.

Clearing his throat, Xu Ge quickly composed himself.

He slowed his steps, trying to blend in and carry himself as he imagined a quiet, elegant gentleman would.

But his plain beginner’s gear, his sparkling eyes darting left and right, and the way he gawked at everything like a country bumpkin entering the capital—all of it gave him away instantly.

Just another wide-eyed newbie, plain as day.

It wasn’t long before someone called out to him.

“Hey, hey! Little brother! Wait a sec! Hold up!”

The shout came from behind him.

But Xu Ge didn’t hear it.

He was too captivated by the sights around him, wandering about while fiddling with the system interface.

It was only when a big hand clapped onto his shoulder that he quickly jumped in fright.

“You there, brother! Please wait a moment!”

The sudden touch nearly made Xu Ge leap again.

He swiftly turned his head and found himself facing a tall, broad-shouldered warrior.

It was a male player, with brown hair and blue eyes, dressed in shining silver armor that gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight. Red ribbons decorated his plate armor, adding to his imposing look.

On the man’s back rested a massive greatsword etched with ornate engraving. His face bore a broad, friendly smile full of energy.

Xu Ge glanced at the name floating above the man’s head.

Username: FacetheWind

Curious, he tried using [Appraisal]

But the system only gave him a string of question marks.

Noticing Xu Ge’s odd expression, the man chuckled, patted his shoulder again, and said with a grin,

“Oh brother, don’t even bother with that. You see, I’m level 40 which is the max level cap. You won’t be able to appraise me.”

A max-level veteran!

Xu Ge’s eyes lit up with admiration.

Level 40 was the standard cap in Elven Kingdom, the so-called graduation level.

But why “standard”? That was because Elven Kingdom had a leveling system unlike most games.

Here, max level wasn’t always the same. For most players, reaching level 40 was already the peak.

But above level forty, a few lucky players who managed to earn a class advancement slot could keep on leveling further. They could break past the Iron-rank and step into Silver-rank, which increases the level cap to lvl 50.

And Silver-rankers were on a completely different league of their own compared to the standard Iron-rankers. Unless an Iron-ranker was fully decked out in complete legendary-grade gear, there was practically no way to stand against them.

In fact, one Silver-ranker could crush ten Iron-rankers without breaking a sweat.

This unusual progression system had drawn plenty of complaints from the player base.

But Elven Kingdom was one of a kind. No matter how strange the mechanics were, people kept coming back for more.

Like it or leave it—after all, tens of millions were still waiting in line to play. That’s the power of a monopoly.

According to the stats, there were just over three thousand Silver-rankers across the entire server, and the number was still slowly growing.

But compared to the hundreds of thousands of standard players, those 3,000 were still rare. Factoring in the game’s massive world maps and multiple cities, Silver-rankers mostly ended up scattered far and wide, to the extent that most average players rarely ever saw one.

Which meant that even an Iron-ranker capped at forty, armed with divine-grade gear, was already considered a big shot.

Xu Ge had watched plenty of ElvKing videos. So he could tell immediately that the greatsword slung across this man’s back, along with the shimmering armor he was wearing, was nothing like an ordinary equipment.

The glowing effects practically screamed divine artifact-grade.

No doubt about it, this guy was definitely a max-level veteran!

Maybe he was even one of the strongest amongst the Iron-rank elites in the server.

Instinctively, Xu Ge pulled up the system leaderboard, typed in the man’s username, and sure enough, there it actually was!

Ranked around the three-thousand nine-hundred mark on the entire server.

A powerhouse bigshot on the top-four-thousand!

Xu Ge couldn’t hide the envy on his face.

The warrior, whose username floated above his head as FacetheWind, clearly enjoyed the admiration.

The other party grinned wider and said, “Brother, you just started the game, right? Want to level up fast? Well lucky for you, I’ve got a task to clear. If you help me out, I’ll take you monster grinding afterward and get you straight to lvl 10.”

A big shot’s thigh to cling to!

Xu Ge’s eyes lit up.

In Elven Kingdom, the early leveling was really notorious for being downright slog. Not that the task themselves were boring—since the game’s sense of progression was way more rewarding than in other MMOs—but the grind was abysmally slow at the start.

With so many new features and such a massive map, few people had the patience to follow the system’s progression step by step. And when you compared yourself to those veterans strolling through town fully decked out in legendary gears, drinking and bragging in taverns on their latest grand feats, it was practically impossible not to feel jealous.

For newbies in apprentice-rank, their choices were really limited, especially before reaching Iron-rank and unlocking dungeons.

Following the system’s typical progression meant running back and forth across cities doing grunt task for scraps of EXP and contribution points.

Back in the day, newbies could still farm low-level monsters in the wild. But nowadays, the mobs around the Chosen City had long been wiped out, and areas further away were far too dangerous. Therefore, the only option left for them was to scrape by on daily repeatable tasks for their measly rewards.

Which was essentially the slowest, dumbest method possible.

Fortunately, players had long since figured out a better way to level up:

Mainly, power leveling with the aid of an older player.

The game rewarded cross-tier monster kills heavily. So if a level-one newbie, under the protection of a Silver-ranker, managed to land a hit on a Silver-rank mob, they would received an avalanche of EXP—enough to jump ten levels in a single go.

Even being carried by a max-level Iron-ranker was a blessing, as they could easily drag newbies into fights against upper-Iron mobs, pushing them straight into Iron-rank themselves.

And once a newbie reached Iron-rank, the game finally opened up to its full potential. At this point, a player could either continue being carried along, dive into dungeons or enter the Demon Lord Labyrinth, or simply grind solo to take on higher-value quests from NPCs.

Of course, aside from those few rare kind veterans who were willing enough to carry newbies for free, most older players demanded payment—cash, contribution points, or gold coins.

The higher their rank, the higher their fee.

Sometimes, instead of money, they’d set conditions.

Complete a task for them, and in return, they’d help you level up.

Xu Ge had seen guides about this.

The classic examples were mining on their behalf, or testing some risky new strategies that could get you killed.

But those guides were already old, dating back to the second beta.

So who knew what the veterans wanted nowadays?

Certainly not mining anymore as those task had long been relegated to the orcs instead. Word was that Rivendell’s mines were chock full of them.

“What kind of task, senior?” Xu Ge asked eagerly.

He had already decided: if this task wasn’t too difficult, then he would definitely latch onto this big shot’s thigh.

Maybe even drag Zhao Linqian along with him…

FacetheWind chuckled.

“Nothing hard. I just need you to scout ahead for us in some ruins.”

“…Scout ahead? Ruins?”

Xu Ge blinked in surprise.

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