The burning mes pursued me relentlessly, resembling an unending nightmare.


    "Haah, Haah, Haah, Hah... .P, pl...please, someone help me," I gasped desperately as I ran hoping for salvation.


    "Hah, Hah, Aaah... It hurts! My heart is hurting."


    Unaware of the pit in the ground, my foot caught on it, and I tumbled to the ground like a toddler.


    The mes encircled me, trapping me within.


    "Is this where I''m going to die?" With that thought, I closed my eyes, reluctantly weing death, even though I didn''t want to die so young.


    ...


    "Huh!? Haa... Another nightmare?"


    As I opened my eyes once more, I found myself not surrounded by the engulfing mes, but rather in a room – to be more precise, one of the rooms I had rented at the Guild.


    My throat was parched, and I was soaked in sweat, as though I had undergone an intense workout.


    My sleepwear clung ufortably to my skin, leaving me feeling disgusted sensation.


    "Haaah, it''s that dream again... Even after all this time, it still haunts me like a relentless ghost."


    My name is Amilia Eyllissithek, but my family and friends call me Amy, or they used to call me that before the incident.


    Due to a catastrophic event that urred long ago, I became one of the few surviving elves, which has ced our race on almost the brink of extinction.


    Strictly speaking, I was part of the upper ss of elves known as the "High Elves," but...


    Originally, elves, including the High Elves, had a small poption to begin with. This was due to our extraordinarily long lifespan, which made reproduction very difficultpared to Hume, who can give fair challenges to goblins in this field. Consequently, our numbers were always limited.


    And among the elves, the High Elves were even scarcer. As a result, God had bestowed upon the High Elves a critical responsibility.


    The Gods brought the Mythical Tree known as "The World Tree, Yggdrasil" into this realm to stabilize the climate and magical energy of the world.


    To ensure that The World Tree, Yggdrasil would not wither and die, we High Elves were entrusted with the task of its care.


    We asionally had to watch out for those who attempted to steal valuable materials from the Yggdrasil, and we devoted countless years to protecting it, perhaps more than a thousand years. This is what my father told me.


    No other race was as suitable for the duty of taking care of the Yggdrasil as the High Elves, given our significantly longer lifespanpared to any other beings in this world and our deep affinity for nature.


    Maybe it was thankful for their daily care on it; the High Elves were granted special protection from the tree known as the ''Blessings of the World Tree.''


    Those who received the ''Blessings of the World Tree'' would experience various effects depending on the individual. For example, High Elves with limitedbat abilities would gain specialized skills for defending against those with evil intentions, while others might acquire healing abilities. The effects varied widely.


    When I received the ''Blessings of the World Tree,'' the effects were somewhat unclear. They weren''t as potent as those of some others, and it wasn''t an overpowering magic capable of vanquishing foes with a mere blink of an eye.


    Nevertheless, there was no doubt that I had received the protection. Thus, even without bolstering my abilities with the aid of this protection, I was able to contribute more effectively to the tasks entrusted to the High Elves.


    As the daughter of the Chief/King of the High Elves responsible for guarding the Yggdrasil, I possessed the skills necessary to protect the tree. These skills included ''Magic?Recovery'' and ''Alchemy,'' along with a unique magic called ''Tree'' that allowed me to manipte the growth of trees.


    This ''Unique Magic?Tree,'' though somewhat limited in its scope, could also be employed for the Yggdrasil''s benefit. Due to this, my father feared that the knowledge of it might attract covetous eyes to me. To prevent this, he provided me with a special ring that concealed this skill from prying eyes.


    Regardless of the detection methods employed, no one could uncover it unless I removed the ring or actively used the skill.


    In such circumstances, we, the elves, were living our peaceful lives under the protection of the Yggdrasil.


    However, we have always been targeted by the Hume Race. If anything, the elves'' appearance seemed to be described as "extremely beautiful" in the eyes of the Hume Race, both men and women. Many of them would capture us and sell us as ves; in their eyes, we were no different than animals.


    Just the other day, several elf women disappeared from the vige. Everyone spected that they were probably captured by the greedy Hume race.


    Unfortunately, elves are a very peaceful race, and there were very few among us with the power to defend themselves. So, it wasn''t unusual for us to be caught in this manner, as hardly anyone could fight without the help of skills.


    I asked God several times why we had to be put into such a mess, even after helping them. Naturally, God did not reply to us even once. All we could do was live quietly, just live, and avoid being found by the Hume.


    Yes, instead of taking any measures or fighting back, we simply hid in our homes, hoping that everything would be over soon so that we could enjoy a peaceful life.


    ...


    And then, the destined day arrived.


    As always, I was heading to the Yggdrasil to fulfill my day as well.


    As soon as I arrived at the Yggdrasil, at that moment... that madness event began. At first, the King of the Hume race led hordes into our vige.


    We had people to fight, but it was hard, as we had few in numbers to begin with.


    Also, due to differences in ourbat capabilities, which were particrly near to none, we were quickly defeated and captured by the Hume, one after another.


    ''I''ll be caught at this rate!''


    My body desperately moved as I cowered with fear. Just then, my father came to me running. Without saying much, he gave me his storage pouch and quickly brought me back to our house with his flying skill. ''Yes, he can fly.''


    Our house was in one of the many caves of the Yggdrasil. It wasn''t as cosy and luxurious, made from stones like Hume''s, but it was more than enough for us.


    Flying in the sky with my father, I saw them cutting down the Yggdrasil, which was a gift sent from God to this world. The Hume were greedier and stupider than I expected.


    What was it? The Yggdrasil by the hands of the Hume were slowly chopping it down as if it were very insignificant in their eyes and not a big deal.


    If this continues, it''ll be disastrous. Once the Yggdrasil is cut down, this entire world will be destroyed in a matter of hours.


    Taking care of and protecting the Yggdrasil is the proud role of us High Elves.


    Though, what can I do by myself? I''m not good at fighting, and even with the protection, I can''t do much about it. Even my father looks desperate and helpless. I can see gloom and shame in his eyes. Although he wants to stop Hume, saving me is his top priority. That''s what he told me when Iined about the Hume cutting down the Yggdrasil.


    From the sky, I saw most of the male elves get killed in the defensive battle, while the females were taken as ves by the Hume. They didn''t spare the old and young ones and brutally killed whatever they found."


    Just as my father brought me to our house and opened the hidden passage beneath it, I gazed out of the window...


    Before me, a colossal object, its entire body radiating a brilliant white light, came into view. In my entire century of existence, I had never witnessed such an immense sight.


    At that very moment, the situation underwent a dramatic transformation.


    From the Yggdrasil, situated a bit farther from the Hume race''s base, a silver giant suddenly descended from the sky.


    "From the Gods, given by them, this World Tree Yggdrasil, vulgarity, unreachable items. I, the Divine Beast Ymir... given to life by God, have arrived, topletely annihte every one of you. It is God''s mercy, at the very least without suffering, I will kill all of you."


    The gigantic, mountain-sized figure of the Divine Beast Ymir, that was what he clearly himself dered in a loud booming voice. My ear was hurt just listening to his voice.


    As the legend used by the Gods, the Divine Beast, who is said to have a total of 10 in this world.


    The giant in front of me, one of the pirs of that Divine Beast...was it Ymir?


    But before I could see more, my father with a horrified expression pushed me into the secret passage and ordered me not toe out no matter what, before closing it from outside with his sealing magic, this seal wouldn''t be undone for the next two days.


    The homnd of the Elvesy in ruins.


    Together with the Hume race, my brothers and sisters who were captured by them were wiped out from this world.


    "How could this...?"


    As I emerged from the passage and beheld the heartbreaking sight of thousands of corpses lying lifeless on the ground, their once-familiar surroundings reduced to ashes, tears welled up in my eyes.


    "What the heck am I going to do at this point? God, why must we receive such harsh punishment?"


    "Answer me! WHY!? What did we ever do to you!!! GODDD!!!!!!" I screamed with all my heart, but my pleas were met with a haunting silence.


    Unforeseen mes had begun to consume our vige, spreading into the forest. Two days of relentless burning had now brought the inferno dangerously close to my elevated house, which was once a safe haven but was now within the fiery grasp.


    With onest wistful nce at the Yggdrasil, I whispered, "I''ll surelye back," and then, without looking back, I fled.


    I had to escape this ursed ce; I had to ensure the survival of my race. I needed to reach safety before the fire engulfed everything.


    Desperately, I sprinted, the searing mes closing in on me.


    "I cannot die in such a ce! I''m alive because of everyone. I''ll prove that I can survive this!"


    I was surprised by the sudden movement, neglecting my heart which was rampant, I desperately put energy on my feet as I ran in fear.


    After running as fast as I could for 5 minutes, I found myself out of breath, with the mes steadily gaining ground.


    "Haah, Haah, Haah, Hah... .P, pl...please, someone help me," I gasped desperately as I ran hoping for salvation.


    "Hah, Hah, Aaah... It hurts! My heart is hurting."


    Unaware of the pit in the ground, my foot caught on it, and I tumbled to the ground like a toddler.


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    The mes encircled me, trapping me within.


    ...


    "Ahhh..."


    My eyes fluttered open as I slowly regained my senses.


    Strange. Why am I alive? I should have perished in those mes.


    The evidence was all around me, with the scorched earth beneath my feet.


    "Why did I survive?"


    I survived and not a single strand of hair was damaged. I don''t know what the heck happened.


    Turning back toward the direction I had fled, the path to my vige was no longer aze. It had inexplicably extinguished, leaving no trace of the fire, not even on the Yggdrasil.


    With what little strength I had left, I resolved to walk back to where my vige once stood.


    What had be of my hometown?


    I needed to see this through to the end...