Elf Kingdom: Game of the World Tree-Chapter 317 - 300: The Nest

"Hidden quest! We triggered a hidden quest!"

A wave of excited cheers rose in the players’ chat group.

Of course, there were also voices of doubt:

"What the... why is there a penalty for failure this time?"

"There is a penalty, but the reward is also high, plus there’s an exclusive title! Just complete the quest properly. With 5,000 contribution points, you can directly exchange for a piece of purple equipment or draw five times. Normally, it would take several days of grinding!"

"It just shows how scary the penalty is... 5,000 contribution points..."

"Well, just be careful and don’t mess around."

The players discussed among themselves in the chat group.

At the same time, those players initially planning to cause trouble quickly stifled their intentions.

Seeing the formerly restless players, led by Demacia, calm down, Eve slightly curved her lips.

There was nothing that tasks and contribution points couldn’t control with players.

If there was, then more rewards or additional penalties would do the trick.

At this moment, the elder on the stage spoke.

He revealed a sinister smile, looking at the crowd below, chuckling as he said,

"Welcome, to the Despair Church."

With that said, those ordinary people who stood with the players and were already controlled by the Abyss Worm respectfully bowed to him, solemnly saying,

"Praise be to our Master... the great God of Despair!"

However, their facial expressions were quite dull, with a hint of gloom, looking quite creepy.

The players quickly reacted, imitating those unfortunate souls being controlled, stiffening their faces, and loudly exclaiming,

"Praise be to our Master... the great God of Despair!"

However, as he looked at the hundreds of respectful figures below, the elder’s smile faded a bit.

"Alas... it didn’t succeed."

He shook his head silently.

Did not succeed?

Although the elder’s voice was low, Eve, with her Demigod Level perception, still heard his words clearly.

Suddenly, she was moved, focusing once more on the trembling Abyss Worm within her, examining it carefully.

This inspection revealed something different.

"Hmm? There’s something hidden?"

This time, Eve noticed that within these mutated Abyss Worms lay a hidden, mysterious power.

That power was evil and chaotic, carrying a deep aura of despair.

It was the power of the Despair Dragon Nidhogg!

This power was deeply concealed, masked by the evil aura unique to the Abyss Worm.

Even Eve hadn’t recognized it at first.

"So, that’s how it is... these worms are not just a means for the Despair Church to control others, but also a method to select believers!"

Eve was slightly moved in her heart.

She changed her mind, directly killing the Abyss Worm within her.

At the moment of the worm’s death, an evil force suddenly burst out from its body, enveloping Eve’s avatar instantly.

For a moment, Eve heard countless whispers echoing in her ears.

It was the whisper of the Evil God, the lure of Nidhogg.

*For ordinary intelligent beings, listening to these whispers would immediately drive them mad, turning them into Nidhogg’s fanatical followers.*

Of course, for Eve, who possessed strong Divine Soul, these whispers were merely an itch.

"So, the Abyss Worm is both a means to control other entities and to test the potential of the other party."

"The mutated Abyss Worm may be strange, but it’s also fragile."

"For beings with strong willpower, they can rely on their Soul Power to kill these invaders, and then... the whispers hidden within these worms will be triggered, transforming the other party into a true believer!"

"Nidhogg... uses this method to select only those with powerful souls as his true believers!"

Beings with powerful souls had the potential to become fanatics or even Saints.

The faith power they provided to the True God was also stronger.

*For a moment, Eve quickly understood the other party’s intentions.*

Thinking this, she had an idea.

Instantly, Hu Lu, Little Salted Cat, Xiaoxian, and Koko Bird, a few players who were high on the contribution or combat leaderboards, also had eerie smoke rising from their bodies.

The worms within them were likewise killed by Eve.

Of course, when the evil whispers appeared, Eve protected their consciousness.

Seeing the sudden emergence of evil energy on a few people, the players were slightly stunned.

Meanwhile, Little Xian Miao and others were surprised to find that they suddenly comprehended a new skill—

[Transform into Despair Scale Monster]

"Eh? What kind of ghost skill is this?"

She took a screenshot and posted it in the group.

Soon, it attracted attention from other players:

"Oh... Transform into Despair Scale Monster? Isn’t that the name of the monster that fought with Mairrel before?"

"Why don’t we have it?"

*Of course you don’t because I chose the people myself.*

Eve remarked in her heart.

At this moment, the elder on the stage instantly became invigorated.

He looked at the few people below, suddenly surrounded by evil energy, excitement evident on his face,

"Five! There are five of them!"

However, he quickly calmed down, and his expression returned to one of serenity.

With a sly grin, he spoke to the crowd below,

"All of you... go back now and await our Master’s summons again."

After that, he looked at Eve and the others,

"You few, stay."

"Whoa! Was Little Xian Miao chosen by the system? What’s the principle? I’m so envious!"

"Argh, it’s the hidden storyline continuation! It must be the continuation of the hidden storyline! Why wasn’t it me!"

Seeing Little Xian Miao and others enveloped in evil power, the chat group was flooded with messages of envy and jealousy.

"Because you guys didn’t have any luck!"

Little Xian Miao happily typed.

Then, she looked at Eve, excitedly private messaging her,

"Sister Feng, were you chosen too?"

Eve smiled slightly, replying simply,

"Lucky me."

The other players still wore expressions of envy,

"Sigh... it’s already envious enough to be wealthy. Do they have to be so lucky too?"

"I’ve realized, Africans aren’t suitable for this game..."

"Tsk, do wealth and luck conflict?"

Little Xian Miao pouted.

Once the elder finished speaking, those truly parasitized by the Abyss Worm bowed in farewell and turned to leave.

The players hesitated, though.

The chat group remained lively.

But after seeing the penalties for failure in the quest system, they finally gulped nervously, reluctantly bowing like the others, and then retreated.

"Don’t worry, I’ll be live-streaming the upcoming storyline!"

Watching the players exit one by one, Little Xian Miao typed with a grin.

After the other players left, the elder nodded towards Eve and the others,

"Follow me."

With that, he turned around and walked into the darkness.

Little Xian Miao and the others exchanged glances and followed him.

Eve lingered slightly, walking at the very back.

Behind them, nearly a hundred hooded Desperate Believers put away their candles and followed.

The group quickly entered the darkness, winding left and right before finally arriving at a cave leading to an underground sewer on the ruins’ backside.

The elder did not hesitate and walked in first.

The players furrowed their brows slightly, turning off their olfactory systems, and followed.

Of course, as they entered, they didn’t forget to turn on their livestreams and recordings.

Those who had exited the scene entered the livestream room, watching the group’s movements.

The subterranean sewer was deep and damp, shrouded in a faint mist.

Suddenly, a mouse, startled by the sudden appearance of the group, scampered out from the side, accidentally entering the mist.

Soon, smoke began to rise from its body, and in the blink of an eye, the entire creature was corroded into a pool of gore.

Seeing this mist, the elder’s expression became notably serious.

He extended his hand, pulling out a lantern, lighting it up.

A subtle wave spread from the lamp, causing the mist to dissipate slightly.

The elder let out a sigh of relief, then led the group further along.

"Be careful not to touch the mist,"

He reminded.

Once the group proceeded inside, the mist gradually closed in again.

The elder walked on holding the lantern.

In the narrow passage, only the sound of the group’s footsteps echoed continuously.

After about ten minutes of walking, a massive stone door appeared before them.

The stone door seemed ancient, adorned with complex and mysterious patterns, as well as some strange script.

Eve recognized it—it was the ancient dragon language from the Age of Giant Dragons, meaning "Place of Vitality."

Place of Vitality...

Eve raised an eyebrow slightly.

Dragon language, like elven language, was imbued with strong magical resonance; each word had unique meanings and mystical power.

"Place of Vitality," in some translations of dragon language, was also referred to as a nest or a source of birth.

In other words...

This was somewhere that a powerful entity intended for self-rebirth...

Who exactly this powerful entity was, Eve already had an answer in her heart.