Isekai Online Game Developer

“Have you ever been inside [The World Tree is Just a Big Tree]’s world?”

“You mean the one about ‘Minecraft’.”

“I wanted to enter Sekeunna’s world, but it was completely full all day, so I couldn’t even get in.”

“Apparently, only 100 users can watch at a time. I heard there are people waiting all day just to enter Sekeunna’s world?”

‘Minecraft’, which had been relatively less popular, was recently gaining traction.

It was all thanks to a user famous for their incredible building skills.

[The World Tree is Just a Big Tree]. Also known as Sekeunna.

A nickname reminiscent of a notorious COL player.

However, in COL’s deep sea tier, malicious chatting was common, so not many paid attention.

“Hahahahaha! So you guys were talking about Sekeunna’s world! I managed to get in last night by sheer luck.”

“R-really? How did you get in…?”

“Just got lucky. It was truly a sight to behold. It felt like the remnants of the past were alive in a continent that’s now in ruins. Among them, Elyum was definitely the most spectacular.”

A group of merchants gathered around, listening intently.

One man who had been quietly listening approached, laughing heartily.

“If Elyum were destroyed by demons, wouldn’t that be something? The pillars of the World Tree were cracked, and the forest was entirely tainted, leaving only bare, black branches.”

“W-what? Even if it’s a game, wouldn’t the elves do something about that?”

“Well, that’s what’s happening now. The elves are furious over the Elyum map created by Sekeunna.”

“It’s an insult from the elves’ perspective, but from a viewer’s standpoint, it was incredibly magnificent. The ruins had a kind of beauty and wonder to them. Even the tainted Elyum was strangely cool. The details inside Elyum were executed so well, it was a feast for the eyes.”

“Right, since the World Tree is just a big tree, it fits the nickname perfectly.”

“Hahahahaha! Everyone has been saying that!”

Hahahahaha!

The phrase “The World Tree is Just a Big Tree” was well-known even among humans.

While elves claim the World Tree’s blessings are infinite,

to the other races who cannot enter the depths of Elyum, that was just the perception.

“Hahahaha! Ha ha, what the?!”

Just as they laughed heartily,

a chilling sensation coursed through one man, causing him to turn around and bite his tongue.

An elf was watching them with a killing intent in her eyes.

“Hahahaha! The World Tree is truly just a big tree. It’s only that the air in Elyum is a bit better!”

“W-wait a moment. B-behind you…”

“Hahahaha! Uh, s-sorry.”

She was a famous elf among humans.

Once a member of the hero party, Riana.

She momentarily reached for her bow, her fists trembling before moving on.

“W-why is Lady Riana here…?”

“Maybe she came looking for the Illusion Tower?”

Leaving the trembling merchants behind, Riana headed toward the Illusion Tower.

She approached the door, feeling quite displeased, and knocked.

*

“What are you doing?”

Before Riana reached the Illusion Tower,

in the world of [The World Tree is Just a Big Tree],

she searched for Sekeunna, the owner of the world, after witnessing the destruction of Elyum.

Sekeunna was busy creating snowy mountains in the northern region.

“…?”

Dressed in a sky-blue t-shirt and dark blue jeans.

The standard outfit of a ‘Minecraft’ character.

Above him was clearly displayed [The World Tree is Just a Big Tree].

“I’m making a snowy mountain and a castle. The border is down for now, but there used to be a castle of the ruler of the north halfway up the snowy mountain.”

Riana was aware of that fact too,

as there had been a warrior from the north in the hero party.

“That’s not what I’m talking about! What did you do to my mother and Elyum?”

“…Mother? Ah?”

Sekeunna turned around to see Riana’s nickname and tilted his head.

Then he started chuckling in annoyance.

“[Elf World]? Are you that elven hero?”

Somehow, Sekeunna’s tone had turned mocking.

“I can tell you recognize me, so I won’t beat around the bush. Change Elyum back to how it was, right now.”

Riana, now revealed, spoke firmly without showing any sign of panic.

With the same nickname she had used during the ‘Zatume Expedition’, many would recognize her.

“What’s wrong? That’s just a tree that was split in half and a forest tainted by demons, isn’t it?”

“Split in half…?”

“It means it was split in two and died. Aren’t noble elves unfamiliar with game terms?”

“That’s not merely game terminology! Isn’t it obvious that it was created to insult my mother and Elyum? The elves won’t just sit back and let this happen!”

Even under Riana’s strong voice, Sekeunna simply laughed.

“Is that supposed to be Elyum? I didn’t specifically make Elyum or anything. And mother… it’s just a huge tree.”

“…What did you just say?”

“Isn’t it true? What I created is just a big tree, and your reaction shows it. The World Tree is just a big tree after all.”

“Ha…!”

Sekeunna was being sarcastic.

Riana was filled with fury at his blatant disrespect toward the World Tree and elves.

If it were possible, she wanted to confront Sekeunna directly and demand an apology for the insult.

“Address. I want you to tell me in person how disrespectful you’ve been.”

“Not interested. Why would I?”

“You’ve done this to my mother…!”

“Like I said, it’s just a big tree! Hahaha!”

“This is…!”

Riana waved her hands, but nothing hit.

As a spectator, she was in a state where she couldn’t exert any physical force in Sekeunna’s world.

“It’s funny how elf kids act all noble, pretending to be something special while only swinging branches of the World Tree. What’s so great about that huge tree being the source of the world or your mother? Ah, but I guess without that forest, you’d starve, huh? Can’t even build a proper house on your own.”

“What did you say? We can build at least a house! After all, managing Mother’s forest was given to us as our destiny!”

“Destiny, my foot… You can’t do anything beyond just picking fruit from trees.”

“You…!”

Sekeunna ignored the furious Riana and continued building the snowy mountains.

Then, as if he had an idea, he struck a jumping motion.

“Ah. How about this then?”

“…What?”

“If the elves can create something better than my buildings, I’ll give you my identity and address. But if you can’t, then the world has to acknowledge that the World Tree is just a big tree through your own mouths.”

“What?! That’s the most nonsensical… And my mother is…!”

“If you don’t want to be a bother, then just go away. The other users who joined earlier were amazed by the destroyed World Tree and loved it. I might make it even bigger in the next world.”

“You just called it not a World Tree!”

Riana’s lips trembled.

In her momentary rage, she wanted to win against Sekeunna and discover his true identity.

But thinking rationally, she knew it would be impossible to surpass Sekeunna’s structures.

As he stated, all the elves could manage were simple wooden houses.

But it was also true that she had received an insult that she, as an elf, couldn’t bear.

“W-wait!”

With a furious shout, Riana ended the connection.

Then she promptly informed the queen and the elves about the situation.

“…What?! How dare he insult my mother like that…!”

“Just talking about it feels like a user whose name is the same as Sekeunna in COL. Your Majesty, we can’t let this slide!”

“Exactly! If we leave it like this, the whole world will surely mock the split… no, the destroyed form of our mother!”

“We have to defeat Sekeunna no matter what!”

As soon as they heard the story, the elves became infuriated.

For the elves, the desecration of the World Tree was an intolerable affront, even more so than an insult to themselves.

The queen felt the same, but as their leader, she maintained a rational perspective.

“I agree. But… can we defeat Sekeunna in terms of architecture?”

“Th-that’s…!”

“If everyone puts their heads together, wouldn’t it be possible?”

The elves fell into contemplation.

Honestly, they had no confidence in architecture.

Initially, elves didn’t possess the skills of a craftsman.

“…How about this?”

In the midst of this, a young elf, still under 100 years old and full of ideas, spoke up.

“Even if we can’t make buildings, couldn’t we unite our powers to recreate our mother? Not the broken Elyum made by Sekeunna, but the true majesty and beauty of our mother!”

“That sounds good. Anyone who sees our mother can’t deny her beauty.”

“Young ones really have great ideas!”

Everyone praised the young elf in unison.

For elves, the most beautiful and majestic being had always been the World Tree, making it a natural reaction.

After some more discussion, the queen made a decision.

“…Let’s do that. If we can recreate our mother’s majesty, surely no one can challenge our victory. Furthermore, it’s also our duty as her children to not remain passive when our mother has been so insulted. Let’s show the world how great our mother is!”

“Let’s do it! We can’t let the world insult our mother!”

“Let’s defeat Sekeunna!”

Thus, the elves who only knew the World Tree,

accepted the architectural competition with Sekeunna in ‘Minecraft’.

*

“…So, you’re having a bet with Sekeunna.”

“Right.”

Riana, who had come to the tower after a long time, sipped her tea and spoke.

It seemed they decided to resolve the bet by polling all users of ‘Minecraft’.

“Well, if both sides agreed, then that’s fine. But for that, there should ideally be more users allowed to connect to the world than currently. Right now, the limit is 100 people,”

“I came here for that.”

“And also, it would be good to have some promotion so many people participate in the voting, leading to a fair judgment.”

“Yes. If we could temporarily set up a system to let people vote in our world and Sekeunna’s world, I assure you we’ll compensate you.”

“Compensate? That’s not a hard thing to do.”

It wouldn’t be challenging to increase the number of users who could enter just the two worlds.

Moreover, if this bet became known to the world, the popularity of ‘Minecraft’ would rise, which would be beneficial for them too.

Given their surprisingly low sales performance, they had been considering other promotional methods, making it a good situation for them.

“We’ll do it since it’s beneficial for us too. But is that really okay? Sekeunna’s buildings are quite something.”

The only concern was the future of the elves.

Sekeunna’s architectures—she had seen them herself.

To be honest, she didn’t think the elves could create anything more impressive than that.

Building in ‘Minecraft’ wasn’t physically difficult at all.

Rather, the true importance lay in one’s creativity and sense.

Plus, the identity of [The World Tree is Just a Big Tree] was even more significant.

She hadn’t meant to look into it but learned about the notorious user in COL due to numerous reports coming in.

If the Sekeunna from COL and the Sekeunna from ‘Minecraft’ were the same person, it would be even harder for the elves to win.

The identity of Sekeunna was none other than a Dark Elf.

Though long forgotten now, they were said to be masters of architecture and technology in the past.

Honestly, it seemed evident that the elves would lose.

“It’s fine. All the elves have already agreed. And with such a significant insult towards our mother, we can’t just stand still.”

“…Understood.”

Once she said that, they decided to provide a temporary update for the wager.

Additionally, they agreed to promote it so that many people could vote.

She couldn’t help but visualize the future.

The elves declaring their defeat, “The World Tree is just a big tree…!”

“We also have a plan. Please make sure Riot also casts a fair vote.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Thanks for your help.”

“I’m grateful to the elves. Well… soon enough, I’ll make sure many people can connect to both worlds and vote as well.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll go prepare for the bet myself.”

With a serious expression, Riana left the Illusion Tower.

Even though it didn’t seem likely that the elves would win, she had agreed to provide the update.

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[‘Minecraft’’s best architect [The World Tree is Just a Big Tree]’s second world. A competition against the elves?]
[The world’s attention is on the elves’ wager. What impressive architecture will the elves present?]
[Exploring the architecture of [The World Tree is Just a Big Tree]. What kind of structures will be showcased this time?]
[Will the elves be able to win? The public is curious about the contents of the wager.]
[The ‘Minecraft’ world of [The World Tree is Just a Big Tree] turned into a tourist destination. No need for vacations.]
[Renowned artists and nobles praising the architectures of [The World Tree is Just a Big Tree]. An uproar against standardized architectural styles instilled by magic engineering, reminiscent of the ancient Dark Elf architecture. Renewed interest in the long-lost Dark Elves.]

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And a while later, amid the world’s attention, the wager between [The World Tree is Just a Big Tree] and the elves began,

and the elves were soundly defeated.