Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

"Do you like them?"

Axis fluttered around his head while eyeing the Fallen World Branch. Shane was holding the largest branch, and she couldn't help but feel curious.

"You're not going to hit people with it, are you?"

Shane smiled after hearing the question. "Not unless they deserve it."

***

Time quickly passed as Shane already considered what to do with the things he had gotten.

Then, as the time to leave came close, a breeze rustled through the World Tree's branches…

It seemed quite normal at first, but soon, Shane was frozen as this breeze carried words.

"You will return."

It was not a question. It was a statement, and Shane knew that it came from the World Tree itself.

Shane couldn't help but glance at the tall tree at the center of the Fairy Realm... It seemed that this reward from the Fairy Queen had more secrets than he thought. The Tree's runes pulsed once, then stilled.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I will."

There was no doubt about it. He still had a lot of crops and resources to harvest.

Axis, oblivious of what just happened, tugged at his sleeve. "You have to bring me some new tasty foods from there if you're going to return. Ohh… Maybe give me some of those cute pets you have. I will take care of them."

'It seemed that Axis really got bored in this place, so Shane nodded without hesitation.

"Sure…"

Shane said as he considered some things he'd leave to her to for now…

"Ohhh… Try these first." Shane said as he took a few things from his inventory.

[ Solar-Dried Venison Strips: Lean, smoky strips of meat preserved under concentrated sunlight. Restores 30% stamina instantly and grants +5% movement speed for 1 hour. ]

[ Glowing Berry Smoothie: A vibrant, glowing smoothie made from bioluminescent berries. Drinking this smoothie enhances night vision and increases Agility for a limited time. ]

Then, after some hesitation, Shane also took out a Canned Sunshine Fruit Cocktail, and taught Axis how to open it up!

"Whoaaa! They all looked tasty!" Axis celebrated as she saw the food items Shane had taken out.

Soon, Shane's body was covered with light as he returned to his shelter.

'What time is it?' Shane mused as he confirmed from Cloud that it was already ten in the morning.

His room still had lights, and as a matter of fact, they currently have electricity because of the numerous sources of energy that they had recently obtained.

"Cloud," Shane said as he wore his jacket… "How's the shelter?"

[ Processing updates from the last 12 hours… ]

Cloud immediately replied as it collated all the information from their Command Center's Core or New Genesis Fortress Network.

[ Shelter Status: ]

[ Construction Updates:

Third External Wall now 78% complete, reinforced with Elven Alloy that the Elves had shared with the Blacksmiths.

New Residential Blocks added, housing 157 additional survivors—mostly scavengers from Sector 20. ]

[ Security & Defense:

Shenlong's Guard Unit eliminated a horde of Crypt Crawler nest near the southern river. Casualties: zero.

Automated Turrets (v2.4) successfully repelled a Tyrant Zombie incursion at the Western Gate. It was controlled by Hybrid Arial.

Arial has fully synchronized with the Command Core. He now oversees:

Barrier grids (energy efficiency +20%).

Turret targeting systems (accuracy now 94%).

Surveillance drones patrolling the Dead Zone. ]

[ Elite Units Update:

The 10 Elves have mastered their Phantom Crossbows—their arrows now pierce three Spitter Zombies in a single shot.

Hybrid Squad "Ironclad Fist" deployed to the Fifth District, retrieving 85 Zombie Cores, 10 Item Upgrade Crystals, and others. ]

[ Unusual Activity:

Elven Scouts report a new zombie variant near the Third District's ruined town. They are possibly related to Siren Zombies.

Arial's sensors detected an unknown energy signature—2 km northeast. Possible Zombie Lord Territory or other enemy stronghold. ]

Shane processed the information and confirmed that everything was going well, aside from the unknown energy signature they had detected.

For now, however, Shane visited the mess hall to see the food situation.

Then, he also handed over various crops and other stuff to the kitchen staff. As for the other shelters, he planned to send them as well to Edwin or Wadsworth to handle the distribution.

They would surely be delighted, especially for the honey that he had brought. After all, the 20 jars that he got weren't small. It would surely improve their snacks with this addition of flavor.

After that, he strode toward the Command Center, where holographic maps were already active.

"Cloud," Shane ordered as he looked at the map's glowing red anomaly. "Prep a recon team. I want eyes on that energy source in a few hours."

"Ah… Wait… Let Arial handle that. Let him build a team to scout the place." Shane said as he wanted to know what Arial would do in this situation.

***

After making some arrangements, Shane finally left the Command Center.

This time, he planned to deal with the World Tree's parts that he had gotten from the Fairy Realm or his pocket dimension.

If anyone could unlock their full potential, it would be the elves—their knowledge of magic and craftsmanship far surpassed human understanding.

Soon, he found Thalion and Aranion, two of the many elves in his team, near the Monument Pond.

Shane wryly smiled as he saw his image being admired by the elves…

'Ah… No, they're probably not here for my monument.' He mused.

The water in the pond was actually special. It was nourished by high-grade Mana Crystals that Shane had embedded into its depths.

There were also mystical fish darting beneath the surface, and they could surely attract a lot of people.

The two elves stood at the water's edge, admiring the fish and the mana being emitted by the pool itself because of the Mana Crystal's high purity.

"Lord Shane!" Thalion was the first to notice him, snapping to attention.

He had silver hair and neat leather armor for faster mobility... Beside him, Aranion—taller than Thalion, bowed deeply upon seeing Shane..

"At ease," Shane said, amused. "Are you admiring the scenery?"

"The monument is… impressive," Aranion commented. "And the pond—this water if filled with mana. Even the fish are slowly evolving."

Shane smirked. "That's true. But I have something even more interesting to show you."

The two elves exchanged glances as they felt a bit curious.

Soon, Shane opened his System Inventory and took out some of the World Tree's gifts from his inventory, laying them out on a nearby stone bench.

World Tree Branch ( Epic ) x10

World Tree Twigs ( Epic ) x10

World Tree Leaves ( Epic ) x10

World Tree Bark Fragments ( Epic ) x10

The Fallen World Branch ( Legendary ) x1

Shane still had a bunch of other parts, but he kept them in his inventory.

Nonetheless, there was only one Fallen World Branch. Its size had definitely attracted their attention.

Indeed, the elves' eyes widened as soon as they saw what Shane had brought out.

"By the Eternal Grove…" Thalion breathed, reaching out but stopping just short, as if afraid to dirty them.

"This is—this is impossible. The World Tree does not part with its essence lightly. It… It also shouldn't exist here!"

Aranion, on the other hand, picked up a twig, turning it in his fingers. "It's real. And its magic is… pure. Uncorrupted by this tainted realm." He looked at Shane, filled with confusion... This wasn't supposed to exist here.

"How?" He asked.

"Let's just say I received them as a gift," Shane replied dryly. "Now—what can we do with them?" He asked as he changed the topic.

The two elves exchanged a glance, their minds already started considering what they could do with these…

Needless to say, they were most interested in the large Fallen World Branch.

"This is a Weapon Beyond Mortal Craft…" Aranion commented.

Thalion nodded as he further explained. "This branch… it is already a weapon. But if reforged by elven hands, it could become something greater."

"A staff," Aranion suggested. "One that channels not just mana, but the World Tree's own will. It would amplify any spell cast through it—and destroy undead with the force of nature itself."

Thalion nodded eagerly. "Or a bow. Imagine arrows that never miss, that could pierce through a horde of Zombies…"

Shane considered it. "Which would be more useful against a horde?"

"The staff," Aranion decided. "A bow is still considered a single target. After all, if we want it to exert a strong arrow every time, the arrows have to be special. A staff, on the other hand, can help magicians to cast stronger spells.

Shane gently nodded at this explanation... "Alright… Then make it a staff…"

He then turned to look at the other parts of the World Tree.

Aranion lifted one of the twigs, testing its flexibility. "These could be carved into Phantom Arrows—ones that seek the hearts or brains of our enemies. Or…" He hesitated.

"Or?" Shane prompted.

"You could plant one…" Thalion said softly.

Shane then recalled the system notification. "Right… It says it has a chance to grow into a lesser World Sapling…"