Chapter 1: Reborn as the World Tree

Do humans really have souls?

If so, what is the world like after death? Is there still consciousness?

When she was alive and had eaten her fill, Yifu often pondered over this question.

And each time she did, the answer was pretty much the same: she must have been too full.

But when Yifu finally had the chance and the time to verify this question, she felt somewhat bewildered…

This was a world of darkness.

Looking at the endless darkness before her, Yifu fell into deep thought.

First of all, she could confirm that she was indeed dead and had arrived in this strange space afterwards.

Although Yifu did not know why she still retained consciousness, she was clearly trapped here.

Loneliness, darkness.

The only thing visible were two hazy orbs of light, one blue and one green.

Yifu tried to reach out her hand, then realized she did not have a body; she seemed to be just a consciousness.

However, fortunately, it appeared she could float around like a cloud.

Could this... be a soul?

The thought suddenly emerged in Yifu's mind.

After contemplating for a moment, Yifu tentatively drifted towards the two hazy orbs of light.

The green one was very large; its flickering light gave Yifu a peculiar sense of mystery.

The blue one was very small; its hazy softness conveyed an incredible feeling of closeness.

After thinking for a few seconds, Yifu decided to try to make contact with the latter first.

However, just as Yifu attempted to touch it, a myriad of faint prayer voices suddenly echoed throughout the space…

The voices were ethereal, soft, divine, seemingly possessing a wondrous power that made one involuntarily calm down.

Yifu was astonished and shifted her attention, discovering that the voices seemed to emanate from the green orb.

The prayer voices were intermittent, a language Yifu had never heard before, yet it gave her a marvelous sense of beauty.

Yifu did not understand the content, but she seemed to sense the countless sorrows and despair within the voices.

Curiosity overcame everything else.

As if possessed, Yifu shifted her focus and touched the green orb.

The moment Yifu's touch graced the orb, the entire world suddenly changed.

Her consciousness became hazy in an instant, and a massive volume of information burst forth.

Yifu's vision went black, and then countless images emerged in her consciousness —

A vast and ancient continent...

A mysterious seed descending from the sky...

A strange and immense tree breaking through the soil...

The beautiful figures born from the tree...

"Elves...?"

Looking at the figures that frequently appeared in fantasy RPG games from her previous life, the thought flashed through Yifu's mind.

Before Yifu could think further, the green orb generated a strong suction force and absorbed her in an instant…

…

"Suitable soul captured."

"Conditions met, initiating the World Tree awakening ceremony."

Amidst the blurriness, Yifu heard a strange voice.

It was a peculiar language, but Yifu was astonished to realize she could understand it.

As soon as the voice stopped, brightness appeared before Yifu's eyes.

Yifu found herself in a world surrounded by countless green photons.

Those were multitudes of fluttering green orbs, brilliant and dreamy, beyond the power of words to describe.

What's happening?

Yifu was stunned.

"Beginning soul fusion, initiating World Tree legacy ceremony…"

The voice rose again, and then, countless fluttering particles began to surge towards Yifu's body.

Yifu felt a surge of strong and mysterious power entering her body, accompanied by a plethora of information.

As the fusion progressed, Yifu's senses became clearer and clearer. Amidst it all, that mysterious prayer sound rose again, becoming even clearer.

As the photons merged, Yifu's consciousness began to emit a divine radiance, light green energy continuously converged until it engulfed the entire space…

In the last second, Yifu heard that unfamiliar voice again:

"Fusion successful."

"Welcome back to the new World Tree of Segis Continent—"

"Eve Yggdrasil, Your Majesty."

…

When consciousness returned once again, Eve Yggdrasil was lost in thought.

She no longer found herself in that strange space; instead, she seemed to have come to a world brimming with vitality.

In the distance loomed undulating high mountains, surrounded by a dense forest.

If Yifu ignored the various plants in the forest that were obviously different from those on Earth, she might have even suspected she had arrived in a primordial forest.

However, this forest and mountain range were simply too miniature...

It was a strange feeling, as if she had participated in an Ultraman special effects movie, or as though she had come to a land of little people. Yifu felt as if she was overlooking everything in the world.

The mountains were miniature, the forest was miniature, even the flock of birds in the sky seemed as small as flies.

Moreover, her field of vision was extremely strange, 360 degrees with no dead angles—something unimaginable in her previous life...

Shifting her attention slightly, Yifu saw a lake the size of a palm not far away.

The lake was clear and rippled, incredibly transparent, clearly reflecting her own image—

The robust roots, the massive and majestic body, as well as the branches that blotted out the sun.

Combining the information that had just flooded into her mind, Yifu quickly arrived at an answer:

"World Tree?"

The World Tree—Yggdrasil.

It was hailed as the root of nature, the Mother Goddess of the elves, a miracle of life...

It was a mysterious existence in the Segis Plane, as ancient as the history of dragons, a true mythical creature, its power on par with the Divine.

"It really is the World Tree..."

Gazing at the withered leaves in her reflection, Yifu didn't know whether to feel moved or to sigh.

After sorting through the inherited information, Yifu had more or less cleared up her current situation.

She had transmigrated to a magical world called Segis.

And as a member of the transmigrator army, she...seemed to have been chosen by the dying World Tree, her soul merging with the mother tree's core, along with residual memories and inheritance, while retaining her own consciousness, becoming the new World Tree—Eve Yggdrasil.

Half dead.

The World Tree's inheritance seemed to possess some kind of strange power to calm the mind, so Yifu didn't feel any panic or disarray. On the contrary, she was somewhat surprised to find herself incredibly calm at this moment, even feeling a touch of joy...

"Joy, huh..."

Indeed, it was joy, the joy of surviving a calamity.

Having merged with the inheritance of the World Tree, Yifu knew she had gotten incredibly lucky.

As a soul wandering in the void, if not for an accident, destruction would have awaited her. But this transmigration and merger granted her a new life.

No, a new tree life.

"Anyway, this counts as...being alive again, right?"

Looking at her reflection in the lake and feeling her current peculiar body, Yifu's heart was brimming with curiosity.

But at the same time, she also felt a sense of decay within this body.

Undoubtedly, her current state was not good. Just from looking at the reflection in the lake, the withered branches and leaves showed that she was on the brink of death.

Yet even so, Yifu could still sense a strong and ancient force within her, filled with vitality and eager to move, as if just awakening from a deep slumber...

At the same time, a strange feeling spontaneously emerged.

It was a sensation of command over heaven and earth. Yifu felt as if she was the sovereign of this land, able to dominate everything within several kilometers with but a thought.

Once the idea formed, it didn't stop. Yifu looked at a withered oak tree not far away and willed it slightly.

And with her thought, something extraordinary happened.

The dead tree suddenly came back to life, sprouting and growing leaves. In just a few seconds, it became lush once more. Not only that, Yifu also realized she seemed to have established some kind of amazing connection with it, seemingly able to control everything about it.

But likewise, she noticed the hidden power within her draining away swiftly. In the blink of an eye, a third of it dissipated, frightening her into stopping the revival of the dead tree at once.

Having merged with the World Tree core, Yifu knew that this power was life energy, also the fundamental source of the World Tree's power, or rather...Natural Divine Power.

Once depleted, the World Tree would fall into a deep slumber.

That would also signal Yifu's death.

Feeling the Natural Divine Power reduced to two-thirds, Yifu felt a twinge of pain.

She had been careless.

She hadn't expected such a huge expenditure of energy just from attempting an "enlightenment."

Focusing her attention on the dead tree into which she had just infused Natural Divine Power, Yifu felt a bit peculiar.

The dead tree had completely transformed, not only becoming lush again but also growing nearly three times taller than before.

Compared to the surrounding trees, Yifu guessed the rejuvenated oak tree must be at least thirty meters tall...

And then, something that took her by surprise occurred.

The lucky oak tree trembled slightly, struggling to pull its roots out of the soil.

The gnarled roots twisted and coiled, forming two bizarre legs, while the branches grew into two robust arms, the canopy into fearsome hair, and at the top of the trunk appeared a pair of bright, expressive eyes...

In an instant, the tree transformed into a majestic Tree-man!

Under Yifu's surprised gaze, the thirty-meter-tall Oak Guardian shook off the dirt from its legs and, wavering, turned toward the direction of the World Tree. It knelt on one knee, and its deep, powerful voice, filled with excitement and sincerity, rang out:

"Mother Goddess above... the Oak Guardian thanks you for your favor; please, Mother Goddess, bestow upon me a name!"

Mother Goddess? Oak Guardian? Bestow a name?

Looking at the tiny, action-figure-sized Oak Guardian before her, Yifu's mouth twitched inwardly.

Meanwhile, she felt as if she had formed some kind of connection with the being, seemingly able to convey commands directly.

A cheeky idea came to mind, and with a slight thought from Yifu, a sacred, majestic, ethereal, and cold voice rang out in the heart of the Oak Guardian:

"So be it, you shall be named Berserker!"