Honkai Star Rail: I Became the World Tree — Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Orcs! Your Daddy is Back!

Samuel offered a warm smile.

“Of course you can. You are also a member of the Star Adventure Group, aren’t you?”

Upon hearing this, Paimon immediately began flying in happy little circles, stamping her boots in the air.

“Wow! That is great! Lumine, I can have a class too! Hehe… Let me think about which class I should choose…”

Lumine watched her tiny floating companion joyfully scrolling through the invisible class selection screen. A soft smile touched her lips. Paimon was her companion, and despite her quirks, she was the best kind of travel partner anyone could ask for.

Beside them, Stelle’s attention had drifted. Her golden eyes locked onto a large wooden structure nearby.

“Samuel, what is this? Something new?”

Seeing the Trailblazer inspecting the newly erected Quest Board, Samuel stepped over to introduce his latest addition to the territory.

“This is the Quest Board I set up. From now on, you can come and check it every day for new commissions. So far, there are two available quests. One is a Special Quest requiring you to kill a Level 40 monster. The reward for that is a Gold Quality Weapon Selection Box. The other is a Daily Quest, which can be completed once a day for a standard reward. You guys can take a look.”

Stelle leaned in, her inner trash-raccoon instincts tingling at the prospect of shiny loot.

“Kill ten monsters of any kind, reward: one hundred copper coins. Oho… This Daily Quest reward is pretty good. March, Hu Tao, Lumine, shall we go hunt some monsters in a bit?”

Lumine and Hu Tao nodded in unison. Although the eccentric funeral director had obtained her class yesterday, she had not yet found an opportunity to test her skills on the local wildlife.

“Sure, sure.” Hu Tao twirled an imaginary spear in her hands. “This Hall Master just happens to want to see what level the monsters in this other world are at.”

Lumine stretched her arms, her seasoned adventurer instincts kicking in.

“Then we definitely have to go. We have come to an entirely different world. What is the point if we do not go on an adventure?”

A triumphant cheer interrupted them. Paimon threw her hands up, having finally made her monumental decision.

“I will choose Cleric then! I do not need to fight on the front lines. I just need to Heal you guys and add some buffs. Lumine, you have to treat me well from now on. You must satisfy me with good food and drinks. Otherwise, I will not Heal you in the future!”

Lumine chuckled, reaching out to grab the floating fairy in a swift, inescapable headlock.

“Hehe, you wouldn’t dare! Watch out, or I will cut off your living expenses!”

Paimon instantly deflated, her grand demands crumbling into panic.

“No! You cannot cut off my living expenses! I will starve to death!”

Lumine released her hold, amused by the dramatic reaction. ‘Heh, you little thing. Did you really think I couldn’t handle you?’

After a bit more lively chatter, Stelle, March 7th, Hu Tao, Lumine, and Paimon prepared to set off. Samuel pointed them toward the dense tree line to the east.

“You can try heading that way. An Orc Tribe recently moved into that sector.”

Stelle gripped her weapon, her eyes shining with battle lust.

“An Orc Tribe! Great! I was just worrying about not being able to find enough monsters lately!”

Samuel raised a hand to pause her.

“By the way, Stelle, the experience points for your Star Adventure Group have reached the upgrade requirement. Remember to take your people to complete the Promotion Challenge when you have the time.”

Stelle flashed him a confident thumbs-up.

“Got it. I will gather everyone to get it done tonight.”

Samuel nodded in approval. With their destination set, the chaotic party of five marched out of the Holy City Square, eager to test their newly acquired strength.

Once the girls had disappeared into the distance, Samuel turned his attention back to his own people. He summoned Anviel, Nash, Bradley, and two other elite elven guards. The five of them approached with reverent steps and bowed deeply.

“Lord Sacred Tree, have you called us here because there is some divine oracle to be delivered?” Bradley asked, his tone laced with absolute devotion.

“I have come to help you recover some of your strength,” Samuel replied simply. “All of you, sit down.”

A flash of pure shock and overwhelming joy crossed the elves’ eyes. They scrambled to obey, seating themselves cross-legged on the grass.

Samuel communicated with his internal interface, directing a portion of his accumulated energy toward his loyal kin.

[Notification: 5,000 Divine Power points deducted!]

The next second, five brilliant beams of tender green light descended from the sky, bathing Anviel and the guards in a warm, restorative glow. The dense life energy seeped into their very souls. They could clearly sense their withered mana pools expanding and their physical strength surging back to life.

Gobert, the famously eccentric and rough-spoken veteran of the Elf Clan, stared at his glowing hands in absolute disbelief. He leaped to his feet, throwing his head back in a booming laugh.

“Hahahaha! You Orc brats! Your daddy is back! Just wait! I am going to show you what the power of the Lord Sacred Tree’s closest kin looks like!”

Samuel observed the results with satisfaction. The four adult elves had all recovered their strength to Level 30. Little Anviel, whose original peak was only Level 26, had essentially returned to her absolute prime., her class had successfully evolved from Elf Mage to Elf Priest.

The innate Talents of the Elf Clan were exceptionally powerful. Their base attributes sat at a large margin higher than other races of the exact same level. It was safe to say that although Bradley and the others were currently Level 30, their combat prowess would allow them to hold their own against Level 40 enemies.

Bradley dropped to one knee, pressing his fist to his chest.

“Thank you for the Lord Sacred Tree’s divine gift! Thank you for helping us recover our strength!”

Realizing they had let their excitement override their manners, Nash, Gobert, and the others hurriedly followed suit, kneeling in unison.

Samuel offered a gentle smile.

“Rise. You may go about your business now.”

The guards bowed once more before withdrawing to resume their patrols, their steps infinitely lighter than before. Since there were no customers currently browsing the General Store, Anviel chose to stay behind. She stood beside Samuel, swaying happily on her heels and humming a cheerful little tune.

“Lord Sacred Tree, Anviel’s strength has recovered! But Anviel still has many skills that have not met the usage requirements.”

Samuel reached out and gently rubbed the little elf’s hair.

“It is fine. In the future, when you have free time, you can go out on adventures with your Sister Stelle and Sister Herta to gain experience.”

Anviel nodded vigorously, her small face burning with newfound fighting spirit.

“Mm! Anviel will work hard!”

“Go play then.”

With a final bright nod, Anviel turned and skipped away toward the General Store.

At the entrance of the shop, a makeshift counter had been established. Hook had dragged over a small wooden stool and was currently sitting at the door, proudly acting as the store’s cashier. A few paces away on the open ground, Clara was entirely absorbed in her work, her small hands deftly fiddling with a pile of metallic parts as she assembled a miniature Automaton.

Hook’s father, Fersman, was nowhere to be seen. Thanks to Samuel’s healing the day before, the older man was now completely cured and full of vitality. Just last night, Fersman had stubbornly shouldered his heavy Detector and marched off to the mines, loudly declaring that he needed to earn enough money to buy a proper gift to repay his savior. Samuel found the gesture entirely unnecessary, but he appreciated the sentiment all the same.

Meanwhile, deep within the eastern region of the Elven Forest.

The underbrush rustled violently as Stelle, March 7th, and the rest of the hunting party intercepted a roaming Orc Patrol.

Hu Tao did not hesitate. She charged straight out of the foliage, a basic Wooden Spear gripped tightly in her hands.

“Watch my spear!”

She brandished the Standard-issue weapon with terrifying fluidity, plunging directly into the center of five Goblins at once. Despite the overwhelming numbers, her footwork was flawless, and she did not lose a single inch of ground.

On the other flank, Lumine mirrored her aggression. Drawing upon her vast combat experience across countless worlds, the blonde traveler used her impeccable swordsmanship to carve through the enemy ranks.

Although both girls were technically only Level 1 in this world’s system and could not summon their original high-tier weapons, their inherent martial skills bridged the gap. Combined with the Standard-issue Weapons that Stelle had generously lent them the copper to buy, they easily crushed the chaotic, undisciplined fighting style of the Goblins.

Previously, Stelle had found early battles incredibly frustrating solely due to the lack of proper equipment. Now that Lumine and Hu Tao were armed with actual system-recognized gear, even their basic attacks dealt full DMG to the monsters.

Far behind the chaotic frontline, Paimon hovered safely behind a thick oak tree. True to her newly acquired Cleric class, she kept her eyes glued to the party’s health bars. Whenever someone took a stray scrape, she waved her little hands and cast Heal.

Although her beginner spell could only restore 10 HP at a time, the continuous trickle of healing was far better than nothing.

The skirmish raged intensely through the forest clearing. Dust kicked up into the air as spears thrust and swords slashed. Gradually, as the patrol squad suffered mounting casualties, the scales of victory tilted entirely in the girls’ favor.

In the end, aside from a handful of cowardly Goblins that managed to scramble away into the deep woods, the remaining dozens of monsters were entirely wiped out by Stelle’s party.