Chapter 3

“Pheeew. Looks like internet’s fixed now.” Some time had passed since the internet broke down. Lorna wasn’t sure why, but turning the screen off and then on again seemed to fix whatever the problem was. Once again, she was able to use the internet without any issues. “I can’t believe how easy it is to break the internet… I should be careful when using it.” Lorna sighed in relief and began carefully tapping the screen once more. After getting it back up and running, she’d experimented a bit and grown a little more accustomed to how it worked. She now knew how to open multiple “windows” and turn on “incognito mode” so that no one else could see what she was doing. “Let’s see… According to the internet, there should be a fork in the road… There it is!” Lorna called out as the split in the path came into view. It was exactly as the internet had foretold. She felt reassured. I knew it. All the information on the internet really is true! Merely calling it information was doing it a disservice. Most of the details the internet revealed to her were on par with state secrets. It was knowledge only the gods themselves could possess. I still can’t believe it knows things like “monster spawn points” and “trap locations.” Its divine knowledge was helping guide her safely through the woods. What had at first seemed akin to wandering aimlessly through a hellscape full of demons now felt like a leisurely stroll through the park. But as was human nature, the moment Lorna felt safe, her thoughts turned to other desires. “Hmm. I wonder if I can find any more loose change on the ground around here. Five hundred shil isn’t going to be enough for an inn, so… Huh?” As she stared at the Ipple Woods map, two words suddenly caught her eye: SECRET PATH. Secret paths—the kinds one found in dungeons—often led to untold treasure that had been hidden away from the world. “Maybe if I go all the way down this secret path…I’ll find a bunch of loose change!” Trying her best to contain her excitement, Lorna studied the route on the map. And there, at its end… Map: Ipple Woods Secret Clearing Item: Staff of World Tree (SSS) …was something far more amazing than she had been expecting. Uh… What? World Tree? So this staff is made from the World Tree or something? Why’s something like that just lying around in my neck of the woods? It was so amazing, in fact, that Lorna was having trouble wrapping her mind around it. And what’s more, this staff was also SSS-Rank. H-hold on a minute… There’s no way a staff with a crazy name like that is worse than a G-Rank staff. SSS-Rank must be at least one rank above A…right? And if there was something Lorna didn’t know, what better time to search the internet? She perused the Wiki Guide for a bit and quickly found her answer. Terminology: Ranks GFEDCBASSSSSS The power of equipment and skills is determined by their rank, in the above order. Incidentally, equipment and skills of Rank S and higher were added during later updates and, as a result, are only found as rewards for higher difficulty content. When starting the game, A-Rank skills are the highest possible rank attainable through the skill gacha. “So it was three ranks higher than A this whole time…?” Who could have imagined? More importantly, why does S come after A? And why is the next rank after that SS? It’s so confusing for no reason. Why not just make it AAA? Or use stars or something? Lorna wondered what the system’s designer must have been thinking. In fact, the resulting confusion had made her father believe she’d brought shame on her family and was the whole reason she’d been chased out of her home. She was a victim of this overcomplicated nonsense! “Oh well. Anyway… I should check out this secret path.” Everything she had seen on the map so far had turned out to be true, so it seemed practically guaranteed that it was correct about what awaited her at the end of the secret path. And that meant, as impossible as it was to believe, a staff of the highest rank was here, in these woods. B-but…if it’s written on the internet then it must be true, right? The words on the internet were from the gods themselves. There was no way any of it could possibly be a lie. So Lorna swallowed hard and headed toward the secret path mentioned on the map. “Uh, let’s see… Secret path. It should be here, but…” The map said the entrance to the path was somewhere around the roots of a giant tree. Lorna approached the tree and ran her hand along it. When she did, her surroundings warped like ripples on the surface of water. “Whoa!” In the blink of an eye, the massive tree disappeared. In its place, a tunnel of greenery appeared. This had to be the secret path mentioned on the map. “I-it’s really here… I can’t believe the internet knew about this, too!” She had repeated the same phrase dozens of times already, but she couldn’t help it. “U-um, pardon me. I’m coming in!” she called, stepping into the hidden path with some trepidation. She nervously walked through the tunnel. And on the other side… “What…is this place?” …she found a small forest clearing. Flowers were blooming here and there. Butterflies fluttered about. A small sapling stood soaking up the sunrays. That was about it. But the spot did have a sacred feeling. Every time Lorna took a breath, it felt like something was sucking the impurities out of her body. “Hmm, so where exactly is this staff supposed to be…?” Unlike the loose change she’d found earlier, no spot in particular jumped out at her. She took a look at the internet again and realized she’d missed a section that detailed how to obtain the staff. Weapon: Staff of World Tree Defeat the guardian found at the Astral Observatory of the Twelve Stars and complete the Star Map Disc to obtain the key words Halt, O time. World, be thou beautiful. Use the key words in the secret path found in the Ipple Woods to trigger the event and get the staff (no combat encounter). “…Huh.” One thing was clear: Lorna had no idea what any of that meant. “Basically…I just have to say these words, right?” There was no harm in trying. “Halt, O time. World, be thou beautiful.” Lorna spoke the words somewhat half-heartedly. But the change that followed was sudden and dramatic. “Whoa!” Fwooosh! A blinding light flooded the forest clearing. The light slowly began to gather in front of Lorna until it formed the shape of a woman. She almost looked like a spirit out of a fairy tale. In fact, that’s exactly what she looked like. She had hair like a verdant summer breeze and was wrapped in a white robe wreathed with flowers. Her whole body was so pale it was translucent. Her countenance gave off a sense of divine majesty. “It is a pleasure to meet you, O child of man. I am the spirit of the World Tree. You may call me Yggdrasil. You have done well in overcoming the Trial of the Twelve Stars.”