Isekai Online Game Developer

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“Are you really planning to destroy Elyum right now?”

“With such good wood lying around, how long are we going to waste it?”

The disputes between elves and dark elves have often arisen since ancient times.

The dark elves are artisans who process natural materials, but the elves prioritize the protection of nature itself.

To unleash their abilities, dark elves had no choice but to use resources from outside Elyum.

Because of that, they became famous not only among humans but other races too.

However, as the light of magic engineering began to illuminate the world, the technology of dark elves gradually faded into the shadows, just like their skin.

“…This isn’t helping.”

“Exactly. All you think about is destroying Mother’s grace.”

The dark elves’ free time in Elyum increased as they had nothing to do.

The dark elves couldn’t even manage the World Tree.

Due to their innate difficulty in handling mana, they were unable to monitor the World Tree, which breathes the world’s mana.

As the dark elves became more useless, the elves began to ignore and discriminate against them.

With disdain and oppression piling up, anger accumulated amongst the dark elves.

They also held resentment towards the World Tree that created them.

Though they were the same offspring, dark elves and elves were completely different.

The elves had transparent white skin and magnificent platinum hair.

The dark elves had copper-toned skin and pitch-black hair.

While beauty in appearance was undeniable for both, the contrast of black and white was certainly apparent.

The biggest disparity was that dark elves could not handle mana.

The mere fact that they could not breathe with the World Tree, their mother, made the elves consider them inferior.

Of course, it wasn’t as if the dark elves chose to be born that way.

“Mother, what… to us, you’re just a big tree.”

One day, a dark elf muttered those words.

Of course, he probably didn’t truly intend to insult the World Tree.

Kids throwing tantrums at their parents is a common occurrence.

But the elves’ reaction was different.

“…What did you just say?”

Upon hearing that, an elf glared with wide eyes.

“Oh, no…”

The dark elf was taken aback for a moment.

But soon, the emotion of anger flared within him.

He couldn’t understand why the elf was glaring at him as if to kill.

Day in and day out, they discriminated against them. They were deemed inferior just because they could not breathe with the World Tree, constantly dismissing the dark elves’ skills and treating them as destructive lunatics who ruin nature.

It was merely the dark elves being born that way.

And the one who made the dark elves this way was none other than the World Tree.

It was becoming unbearably difficult to endure the persecution from the elves in Elyum without being able to do anything.

“…Did I say something wrong?”

“Yeah?”

“Isn’t it Mother who created us? So shouldn’t we be cursing her if we’re going to curse someone? Who’s been cursing and treating us as inferior every day?”

“Are you insulting Mother right now?”

“All I’m saying is you all are ridiculous. That hypocrisy is nauseating!”

In an instant, their voices grew louder.

Attracted by the noise, other elves and dark elves gathered around.

“What’s going on, brothers?”

“That one dared to insult Mother. As her sons, how could we…!”

“Insult Mother? I’m just speaking the truth. If I insulted anyone, it would be you. We’re all sons of the same Mother, yet you discriminate against us and treat us as inferior! Just because you were born with a bit more mana doesn’t give you the right to lord over us! In the end, you also live off the forest’s fruits!”

“That’s a grace granted by Mother! It’s different from cutting down trees to make wood!”

“Did Mother say that? You just thought that way on your own! You disgusting hypocrites!”

“What did you just say?!”

What started as a small argument quickly escalated into a conflict between the two races.

The elves were furious, claiming that the dark elves insulted the World Tree, while the dark elves’ long-standing anger towards the elves erupted.

The conflict grew larger, eventually leading to war between the races.

The dark elves, unable to defeat the mana-wielding elves, were ultimately exiled to what is now Diehelium.

Once exiled to Diehelium, the dark elves had to fend for themselves.

Instead of eating fruits, they hunted.

Due to the lack of resources in Diehelium, they had to trade with humans.

Smack—

It was during this time, while Kilia was walking to a nearby city to buy goods, that someone shot an arrow at her, landing right in front of her feet.

“Go back, traitor. Don’t place your filthy feet on Mother’s grace.”

It was a group of elves passing through nearby.

As soon as Kilia saw them, anger filled her.

“What do you mean, Mother’s grace… you disgusting bastards.”

Though Elyum was close by, it was not under the forest’s influence.

It was merely something to defeat the dark elves.

From then on, whenever dark elves encountered elves, they were threatened.

The hatred of dark elves towards elves only intensified.

The World Tree communicated neither words nor intentions.

They thought it was nothing more than hypocrisy, thinking however they pleased.

The history the dark elves endured made it impossible for them to love the elves and the World Tree, their mother.

“…This isn’t working. No matter what I do, it won’t open. Only the blocks constituting this prison won’t break.”

A room where she was locked away, chased by piglins.

Considering the knowledge from the book, this was probably within a ‘Piglin Fortress’ in the Nether dimension.

“Surely, there wasn’t anything like this in the book…”

The book she read in the library never mentioned that piglins would act like this.

It was also her first time seeing mobs intentionally destroy the portal that two of them came through.

“Ha… I really lucked out.”

Kilia shot a glare at Riana and repeatedly exited and re-entered the game.

“…If I want to get out of here, I guess I’ll have to either die or wait to be rescued from the outside.”

Even after reconnecting, the location remained the same.

Dying would send her back to the respawn point, but there was no need to do that.

She could just log in to the game and ask her companions to come rescue her in reality.

If it were alone, it would be one thing, but with many, they might be able to handle all those piglins.

Both Kilia and Riana logged out of the game and returned to reality to tell their companions.

A short while later, everyone logged back in and appeared in prison.

“My companions will come to rescue me soon.”

“…Me too.”

Even if their companions crossed over to the Nether dimension, it was uncertain how long it would take to reach here through the piglins.

To escape in time, they had to remain logged in regardless.

As they sat in the empty prison, an awkward silence fell.

They sat quietly on the ground for a while, occasionally seeing piglins wandering outside the bars.

“…You’re dark elves, aren’t you?”

The first to break the silence was Riana.

Having listened to their conversation, she assumed they were dark elves.

“You caught on quickly. What, you’re not one of those dumb elves, are you?”

“Why did you do such a thing?”

“Such a thing? It’s you guys who disgustingly refuse to acknowledge defeat and whine about it.”

“T-that’s…”

Riana was momentarily at a loss for words.

She had nothing to counter it.

“Before that, what about the destruction of Mother? Was that done by all the dark elves together?”

“Wow, you’re really adept at ignoring what’s inconvenient for you, just like an elf.”

“…”

Riana was hit with a double whammy.

Kilia, familiar with elves, understood their conversation and way of thinking.

“…I made that all by myself. Unlike those who mobilized their whole kin to make a single tree, I can make that much on my own.”

“Ugh…”

“The second one I got help with, but my kin participated at my request.”

“S-so why did you do that? What do you think of Mother?”

Kilia looked at Riana with a bored expression.

After a moment of silence, Kilia spoke.

“What do you mean what? Just a big tree.”

“You…!”

“A huge tree. Even the Tower Master of Trinity couldn’t destroy it. A very big tree that purifies all the mana in the world. And we were born from the roots of that tree.”

Riana stared at Kilia in shock.

She hadn’t expected her to say that.

She thought dark elves held nothing but hatred towards the World Tree.

“That’s all it is. If you call that Mother, then it’s Mother, but if you call it just a big tree, then it’s just a big tree. You all might receive that grace without filter, but for someone, it may not be.”

It was not simply hatred for the World Tree on her expression.

“Of course, you guys are disgusting hypocrites, though.”

“Ha-hypocrites?”

“Yeah. In COL, that’s what the users called you guys. It makes you wonder how stiff and uptight you’ve been for humans to call you that…”

On the other hand, Kilia’s expression as she looked at Riana carried a clear disdain.

The elf genuinely seemed to loathe her.

Riana, feeling somewhat guilty, couldn’t respond.

“…Huh?”

Leaving Riana behind, Kilia looked around the room once more.

Then, she spotted something in the corner amidst a pile of webs.

“A lever base?”

It was a lever that could be used if a stick was inserted.

Kilia inserted a stick and tilted it.

Crumble…

Then, a hidden door on one of the prison walls opened.

“I’m sure there was nothing on the wall…!”

“Must’ve been a door that only opens with this lever.”

Once she let go, the door closed again.

The lever wouldn’t hold if the door was open.

“To open the door, I’ll have to hold on to it for sure.”

Even using blocks or other devices wouldn’t fix the lever.

That meant someone had to hold it for one person to escape.

“If you’re going, go. I’ll wait here.”

“I’m with you on that.”

However, there was no real reason to escape from there.

Both decided to wait for their companions.

But then, a moment later, both of them were pulled back to reality.

“Not allowed to?”

“Looks like it’s dying, or something…”

The dark elves stated it was impossible to rescue Kilia.

There was no entrance outside, and they couldn’t break through the walls.

There really was no choice but to die.

“Understood, for now.”

Kilia logged back into the game.

Riana seemed to hear the same thing from the elf.

“Are we going to die?”

“No. If I’m going to die anyway, I think I’d rather try escaping through there.”

In a situation where they had to either escape or die.

Kilia planned to venture out through the passage she discovered earlier.

But Riana seemed to have the same thought.

“I was thinking that too.”

Only one could exit at a time. Someone had to hold the lever.

“How about you just die instead?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Well, I don’t want to either. Oh, wait. Maybe I can secure the lever. Come here.”

At Kilia’s words, Riana moved toward the lever.

Then, Kilia told her what to do and had her hold the lever.

“Now, while one person is holding this, let’s move this block…”

Kilia was trying to fix the lever by manipulating this and that.

In this regard, dark elves excelled.

Knowing that, Riana held the lever as Kilia instructed.

“Okay, so if we do this….”

Whatever it was, Kilia made something with a clatter.

“D-did it work now?”

“Yep. Now we just need to… here it goes!”

“Huh?!”

Pretending to do something, Kilia suddenly leaped.

Just like that, she vanished beyond the opened door.

Riana hurried to run after her once she let go of the lever, but

As soon as she released her grip, the door slammed shut.

—Kya-hahaha! Foolish hypocrite!

Kilia’s laughter echoed from beyond the wall.

Realizing she had been tricked, Riana furiously pounded the wall with her fists.

Meanwhile, Kilia, having dashed out through the secret passage, found

“…Huh?”

She caught a drowsy piglin dozing off and obtained the key to the prison in her hand.

Kilia glanced back at the prison where Riana was still trapped.