Ch.123Chapter 123 – Meeting with Shureka, the High Elf Grand Elder

I never thought I’d meet another heroine just six months after falling into the world of Erasto Chronicle.

‘To think a 6-star heroine would appear before me.’

A 6-star heroine. Shreka, the High Elf Grand Elder.

Many players of Erasto Chronicle had tried their luck at the gacha to obtain her, and countless had been forced to their knees before the merciless odds.

I had never pulled her from the gacha either.

I’d only seen others play with her after they’d pulled her.

Which means… I don’t know much about Shreka as a heroine.

I would have known if I’d pulled her from the gacha…

Still, I never rage-quit because I couldn’t get Shreka.

Because…

‘Shreka was famously known for having the smallest chest among the elf heroines.’

It was practically accepted as fact that they nerfed her chest size in exchange for dumping all stat points into performance—her chest size ranked near the bottom even within Erasto Chronicle.

For reference, the heroines I like fall into two categories:

Either they have large chests, or their performance is so overwhelmingly good that it compensates for the drawback of a small chest.

Shreka fell into the latter category, but even among 6-star heroines, her performance was only average…

‘I can’t really say she’s a heroine I’m particularly fond of.’

It’s not that I dislike heroines with small chests.

I just prefer heroines with large chests, that’s all.

If Shreka’s chest had been at least the size of Elena’s or Mina’s, she would have risen to the ranks of my favorite heroines.

‘I wonder if something like a Growth Potion exists in this world?’

I’m not sure if the Growth Potion item from the classic game Grand Khirbegi 2 exists in this world too.

The only regret I have about Shreka is that her chest is small.

Honestly, apart from her small chest, she’s a fairly decent heroine in terms of performance.

As a High Elf with the talent to summon even Spirit Kings, she would certainly be a great help in the war against the Demon Cult.

Especially since this isn’t the world inside the game, but the original world that the game world is based on.

So it didn’t take much thought to realize that the help of the High Elves, including Shreka, would be crucial for my survival.

“First of all, pleased to meet you. I am Patos Severio, a Count of the Gelebrio Empire and a student at Glesius Academy. It’s an honor to meet the Guardian of the World Tree.”

“Not at all. I’m equally honored to meet the famous Magic Sword Destroyer whose reputation precedes him.”

Hmm. As I exchange greetings with Shreka, I notice the tips of her ears twitch slightly.

‘In the in-game description, it said that Shreka’s ear tips move slightly when she lies.’

Plus, elves generally don’t care about the world where humans live, so how did she learn about my identity?

“To think my reputation has reached even the elves living at the World Tree. I don’t know how to handle such fame.”

But I’m not stupid enough to point out her lie and ruin the atmosphere.

She must have met someone here or heard information from someone who helped her come here.

There’s also the possibility that the in-game description was wrong, but so far, nothing has been incorrect.

“The ability to destroy magic swords… That’s an ability that hasn’t appeared once in all my years of living. Who bestowed this gift upon you?”

“Are there ability users among elves as well?”

I already knew there were ability users among elves.

Shreka, standing right in front of me, was an ability user herself.

Her ability was “Blessing of Great Nature.”

The Blessing of Great Nature ability maximized her spirit evolution power and mana affinity.

With this, Shreka was able to form contracts with Spirit Kings and gained the power to distinguish people by smelling the scent of their mana.

I don’t know which divine being gifted her with the Blessing of Great Nature.

Erasto Chronicle never fully explained that part.

What a strange game—kind in odd ways and unkind in others.

“I myself have an ability called the Blessing of Great Nature. Of course… I’m the only one left now.”

When Shreka mentioned that she was the only ability user left among the elves, she looked somehow lonely.

Is this what triggers a man’s protective instinct?

‘It’s a shame her chest is small, but…’

The world is vast and tastes are diverse, so there might be people who are attracted to Shreka precisely because of her small chest.

‘Not me though.’

Now that I think about it, one of the best things about coming to this world is…

Even an ordinary village girl on the street in this world has what would be considered large “pouches of generosity” by the standards of my previous life.

And in this world, that’s considered normal.

Is this… is this… a fantasy world?

It’s truly amazing!

Ahem.

Anyway, no matter how much Shreka tries to seduce me… I’m confident I won’t fall for her charms.

To seduce me, one needs to be at least Elena’s or Reina’s size.

Etherna’s size would essentially be a free pass.

“Who did you receive your ability from?”

While I was lost in thought, Shreka gradually approached me and asked again.

“My ability was received from the Great Goddess, Epitrina.”

Ah. I forgot to add an honorific.

But well, seeing that Epitrina hasn’t struck me down with divine punishment, she probably doesn’t mind such things.

“The Great Goddess… you say?”

When I mentioned receiving my ability from Epitrina, Shreka’s already large eyes grew even wider.

“That’s… that’s impossible… No, perhaps that’s why it was possible.”

Shreka seemed to find my words hard to believe, but what could I do? It was the truth.

Still, after a moment, she seemed to accept that what I said was true.

“Amazing. In all my years, I’ve never known anyone to receive an ability from the Great Goddess…”

“I do have quite a powerful backer.”

I threw in a light joke to ease the atmosphere.

“Hehe. Indeed. Who could have imagined someone with the Great Goddess herself as a backer?”

Oh? Shreka is playing along?

Isn’t it usually the rule that the joke falls flat and things get awkward?

Even considering her small chest, I’m starting to like her.

“By the way, what brings someone who should be guarding the World Tree all the way here?”

“Well, about that…”

I asked Shreka why she came all the way here, but she seemed reluctant to answer.

This… is 100% certain that something’s wrong with the World Tree.

The Grand Elder, who normally never leaves the World Tree due to her duty to protect it, wouldn’t come all the way here for no reason.

The fact that she came here means with 100% certainty that something has happened to the World Tree.

Her life was dedicated to protecting the World Tree and not leaving its side until someone qualified to be the next Grand Elder was born.

“I think I know without you saying. Is there a problem with the World Tree?”

“H-how did you know that?”

Hmm. My suspicion was confirmed.

A problem with the World Tree isn’t something unrelated to me either.

According to Erasto Chronicle’s in-game description, “The World Tree supports the world. If the World Tree falls, the damage would be unimaginable.”

In other words, if something happens to the World Tree, I too will suffer from the consequences.

“It’s evident from the fact that Shreka, the Guardian of the World Tree, has come here.”

“You figured out why I’m here just from that?”

“Isn’t protecting the World Tree the duty of the High Elves? I don’t think you would abandon that duty unless it was for the sake of protecting the World Tree. Looking at it that way, I can deduce that you came here as part of your mission to protect the World Tree.”

“…You truly are remarkable. As expected of someone chosen by the Great Goddess.”

Come on, it’s not that impressive.

Anyone with information similar to mine could have made the same deduction…

“So, what exactly has happened to the World Tree?”

I directly asked Shreka what had happened.

In situations like this, it’s better to take a straightforward approach rather than beating around the bush.

“Sigh, alright. I suppose I can tell you.”

Oh, is she finally going to tell me why she came here?

I wonder what happened to the World Tree?

Is it partially contaminated and needs to be healed?

“The roots of the World Tree are completely withering. At this rate, within two years, the mana concentration in the atmosphere will become sparse, and the power of sealing formations around the world will weaken, plunging the entire world back into an age of chaos.”

And the problem that came from Shreka’s lips was far more serious than I had imagined.

“…Shit.”

This isn’t just a simple problem—the world is genuinely on the brink of destruction.