Chapter 15: Starting with a Tree (Please Vote!)

When Li Mu arrived in the forest, his sense of realism towards "Elf Kingdom" deepened.

The ancient trees stood tall, branches interlocking, their grey-black bark covered in dark green moss. Vines wrapped around the trees as if draped in layers of a great net, with lush grasses as high as a person...

The air was filled with the unique scent of plants and earth, incredibly fresh and pure.

Occasionally, birds flew by, their chirping unusually clear; mysterious and ancient animal calls could be heard.

Here, it was a perfect representation of a primeval forest.

Further enhanced by the elf-themed background music that Eve paired with the game system resonating in the players' consciousness, a sense of fantasy far removed from the hustle and bustle of life couldn't help but rise in Li Mu's heart.

He picked a branch, peeled a leaf, observing the clear outline of the leaf veins and the light green sap from the cut, Li Mu couldn't help but admire the game's creators' attention to detail.

"If it weren't for the fact I logged into the game myself and this amazing BGM, I might really think I've traveled to another world."

He remarked to himself.

He had turned off the live streaming feature and switched to recording.

Actually, under the "Thought Acceleration" state, he couldn't really stream well anyway.

After pondering for a moment, Li Mu opened up the game system to look at the beginner's information:

"Within a ten-kilometer radius is the newbie safe zone, where one can move freely and collect quest items."

"Beyond ten kilometers, powerful creatures may appear. It's best not to seek death before reaching Level 11 Black Iron Lower..."

"Within Level 10, leveling through daily quests is the fastest way. Upon reaching the experience points needed to advance to Black Iron, one can go to the Natural Temple for class change..."

After closing the beginner's info tab, Li Mu checked the map at the upper right corner of his field of view.

The map was circular, with the World Tree at the center, currently only showing a ten-kilometer radius, which was also the maximum range that Eve could effectively control. Beyond that was darkness, waiting for players to explore.

What the forest was not short of, were trees.

However, in searching for a suitable target, Li Mu became worried.

Looking at the ancient trees whose tops could not be seen and breast-height diameter was at least one meter, Li Mu felt his scalp tingle:

"These trees are too massive, aren't they? I should have formed a team."

Every tree in sight towered into the clouds.

After a long search, he finally found a passable one.

It was a tree over ten meters tall with unusual golden bark.

"Is this... fir?"

Li Mu raised an eyebrow.

As a college student who had taken forestry courses, Li Mu had a bit of research on trees. Although the tree in front of him was slightly different and the color of the bark was strange, it bore a great resemblance to the fir trees in his memory.

"Fir is an excellent building material!"

He was delighted and began to act.

He grew up in the countryside, with both parents working in a forestry farm. He often worked alongside elders during his teenage years, and chopping trees was second nature to him.

Picking up the stone axe he had just made with rocks, wood, and vines, Li Mu started cutting.

"Crack! Crack!"

The sensation of impact in his hands felt so real.

With each chop, Li Mu felt as if he had returned to his youthful days. But unlike back then, the body he used now had greater agility and flexibility.

He very much liked this feeling.

Finally, with a "crack" sound, the fir tree swayed a few times and fell to the ground.

At the moment the tree fell, Li Mu felt as if a certain force had entered his body, making him feel warm all over.

This was the life force of the fir tree. When he cut down the tree, the modified "War Sacrifice" within him started to operate, absorbing part of the tree's life force.

The degree of life force absorption could be controlled in the game system, up to a maximum of one hundred percent of the target. If uncontrolled, the default was that loot could not be completely destroyed, only about 20% would be absorbed, like in Li Mu's case.

The energy he absorbed was split half for himself, the other half returned to Eve.

Of course, Eve wouldn't care much for such a small amount of life force at the moment; this function was actually His long-term investment.

The sensation of the energy flowing into his body was very peculiar; if Li Mu had to describe it in words, it would be "refreshing"!

At the same time, he noticed that his experience points had increased a little, up by 10 points.

"Chopping trees can indeed help level up!"

Li Mu was internally pleased.

At that moment, he felt the half hour of labor was worth it.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead and shook his head:

"Doing it alone is too slow. For such tasks, it's best to cooperate with others."

Using the "Entangling Vines" spell to wrap up the felled fir tree, Li Mu dragged it towards the direction of the World Tree...

...

The quest submission point was a clearing under the World Tree, which was originally covered with shrubs and low meadows.

Here, was the place Eve prepared for players to build their base and would also be the starting point for the newly born elf civilization.

As Li Mu entered the camp, the formerly mystical and vast BGM in his game system changed to a cheerful style, making one's spirits rise.

When he arrived, he found that many players were already there, they seemed to have received a clearing quest, busy removing weeds and shrubs.

Some players seem to have started the second round of quests and were beginning to try forming teams:

"Is there anyone on a wood collection quest? Four short of one! We need a Spellcaster who can help stabilize the trees."

"Any constructors here? Took on a construction quest and need a commander!"

"Any lumberjack teams need strength-based members? I got Berserk and Whirlwind Slash! A guaranteed one-strike cut!"

...

After looking around, Li Mu quickly spotted the NPC girl surrounded by players.

At this moment, Alice was busy, but she seemed in a good mood, her emerald eyes sparkling, pure and adorable.

Li Mu swore, this NPC had the most lively, realistic, and intelligent expression he had ever seen!

However, whenever she saw the player's playful and smiling face, Alice's expression would slightly cool.

After learning of Alice's identity, all players unlocked the NPC affection system. However, for the vast majority, the girl's affection for them was negative.

Especially male players, it was said that the most exaggerated even reached negative one hundred.

There was no helping it; the one who gave her the biggest shock was this group of shameless beasts. Whenever they met the girl, they would either flirt or play pranks, leaving the worst impression.

Compared to them, female players were much more well-behaved and gentle... and Alice's attitude towards them was much better too.

But even so, Li Mu could still feel a certain subtle barrier between Alice and the players.

Watching the girl's changing expressions and noticing the players' facial expressions and movements when interacting with Alice, Li Mu became thoughtful...

He thought for a moment, then suddenly had an idea.

Taking a deep breath, Li Mu dragged the chopped fir over.

After finalizing a quest with a female player, Alice noticed Li Mu's return.

Seeing that the approaching Chosen One was male, her expression faded slightly again.

"Is the task complete?"

Her sweet voice carried a hint of detachment.

Li Mu nodded. He neither groveled nor acted arrogantly, looking at the girl with sincere eyes, yet his voice was full of respect, as if he were interacting with a senior in reality:

"Miss Alice, these are the materials I've collected. Please check them."

Seeing the male elf before her with a proper attitude made Alice take another look at him.

Today, he was the first male Chosen One who could talk to her normally. The rest are either cynical, shameless, or brazenly audacious with unrestrained gazes.

Although she didn't voice it, Alice could clearly sense that those guys seemed to have a peculiar sense of superiority when talking to her. They didn't look at her as a companion but as a tool, an item.

She really disliked this feeling, reminding her of the humans who hunted elves.

However, the slim male elf in front of her had eyes filled with sincerity.

For a moment, the discomfort in the girl's heart lessoned quite a bit, and her impression of Li Mu improved greatly.

Her expression softened slightly, nodding to Li Mu:

"Alright, let me see what you've gathered."

"Please."

Li Mu pulled out the fir.

"Sun Fir!"

Alice's eyes lit up.

"This is excellent wood! It has a strong affinity for light, not only is it building material for the temple, but it can also be used to craft wands! I didn't expect you could find this."

The girl looked at Li Mu with a surprised expression.

She didn't think there was anything wrong with cutting down trees.

In fact, unlike many literary works and games on Blue Star, most elves from the Segis Continent accept moderate logging.

For them, what needed to be maintained was just the balance of the ecosystem.

Being children of nature did not mean they were slaves to nature. They respect life, but unless a tree gave birth to consciousness, developed a soul, it wouldn't be specially protected.

Hearing Alice's words, Li Mu was slightly stunned, then smiled.

It seems to be a cherished material... It looks like his luck wasn't too bad.

Alice prayed with her eyes closed toward the Sun Fir, then said to Li Mu:

"Your task is complete, this is your reward."

Along with the system's ding, Li Mu was surprised to find that he had earned 300 experience points in one go!

This quest pays well! He could level up now!

Li Mu was elated.

Without waiting, he clicked the level-up button on the game interface on the spot.

Under Alice's astonished gaze, a dazzling Holy Light enveloped Li Mu, and a mysterious force from the void poured into his body.

It was the Divine Power of Eve, diluted countless times.

Unlike other games, the level-up sensation in this game was so real and impactful.

Li Mu felt warm all over, as if basking in the sun, while the strength within his body grew rapidly. In an instant, he felt his senses had been enhanced...

The genuine sense of gain was unbeatable.

One hundred experience points were deducted, and his level was now 2.

Looking at his character card, Li Mu was slightly pleased:

"All attributes increased by 1 point! Magic Power even increased by 2 points!"

He tried to cast "Entangling Vines" and found that the casting speed had improved by nearly one-fourth, and the spell's effect was much stronger. Previously he could only summon one vine, but now he could summon two!

If given a combat power evaluation, Li Mu felt he could easily defeat his pre-level up self now!

Just one level up, and the effect was so significant... he couldn't help but wonder, what would level 11 be like?

At this moment, Li Mu was even more excited about the future.

"Congratulations on your promotion."

Alice's congratulatory words also followed.

Li Mu looked up and realized that his affection with her had returned to a positive value.

With a thought in his mind, he guessed a few things about the game's NPC system.

After thanking the girl, Li Mu took up another quest.

He planned to accelerate his leveling pace.

However, for more efficient quest completion next time, he intended to team up with other players.