Chapter 22

It seemed like a choice to compensate for her small stature. She looked like a fierce wasp, ready to stab with its stinger. Daisy, who had seemed like a mere child, now looked completely different. She was a dryad, and an offensive one at that.

A loud noise echoed as if she had been hit by a bombardment, and a gust of black ash and dust spread out, centered on Daisy. Although it didn't cause any significant damage, it only stung her eyes a little, Mesquite stood in front of me and Elder, holding a shield.

Was it not as bad as I had feared? Did Daisy finish it off in one go? Seeing her overwhelming momentum, I felt the fire might have just gone out.

Despite Mesquite's warning, it seemed that the beginner monster could indeed be defeated with one hit.

Suddenly, Elder swung his staff widely. A massive flame followed Daisy, who had leaped out of the dust cloud. Daisy dramatically changed direction mid-air to dodge it. At the same time, Elder's white light attached to her. As soon as Daisy's feet touched the ground, the flame stubbornly chased her again.

My heart sank at the sight of the dangerous moment. I almost shouted out loud, but I covered my mouth in time.

Every time Daisy narrowly avoided the flames, my heart felt like it was rolling down a staircase, plummeting endlessly.

The three defenses Mesquite had mentioned were revealed when a sand wall rose from the ground to block the flames that the child had failed to dodge. Two more to go. Suddenly, a sense of unease overwhelmed me.

"What should I do... Should I call her back now?"

"Jay, Daisy is doing better than expected. She's incredibly fast and has already overcome three dangerous moments. The battle has already started; it can't be easily stopped."

I had considered sending out Mesquite due to the unexpectedly high difficulty of the monster, but I steeled my resolve. If this is the weakest level, the ones to come will only be harder, not easier.

I can't keep pulling her out every time I get nervous; now is the time to trust and cheer her on. If I pull her out now, she might think I don't believe in her. She's working so hard!

Daisy narrowly avoided the flames that rose from the ground by sliding on the ground. She realized that it would be difficult to dodge an attack while in the air.

Although she is of a low rank, Daisy is the only offensive dryad I have. If I keep holding back out of fear, it will harm her. I can't let my fear deprive her of the opportunity to grow.

As another sand defense wall rose to block the flames that burst like fireworks, my resolve almost wavered. Despite the fierce flames, Daisy remained calm, dodging the attacks and looking for openings.

Finally, a decisive hit landed, but the fire only paused momentarily, showing no signs of damage.

"You need to aim for a one-hit kill! Fire has strong vitality! Don't think about gradually wearing it down!"

Mesquite loudly guided Daisy.

If you blow a small breeze on a candle, it will flicker but not go out, and it will burn brightly again. But if you blow hard or fan it, it will eventually go out. This is what Mesquite meant.

What was the advice she gave before the battle, about swallowing it in one go or in parts? There must be a trick, but why didn't she explain it clearly?

The last sand wall rose, and Daisy's invincibility opportunities were all used up. I clenched my dry lips and prayed for her victory with both hands.

The fire, which seemed to be getting angrier because it couldn't catch Daisy, began to split into several thin streams, restricting her movement.

Finally, the flames caught the tip of Daisy's boots. But Elder's white light, sent from his staff, blocked it before the smoke even rose.

Elder's reaction speed was frighteningly fast. Every time Daisy faced a dangerous moment, Elder's white light was there to help.

"Try to avoid it as far as possible! Once it catches you, you can't shake it off!"

Elder shouted, watching Daisy closely.

Daisy, who had to avoid multiple flames at once, was still fast but seemed a bit overwhelmed. The number of times she touched the flames increased, and Elder's white light flashed so brightly it was blinding.

I tried to keep quiet to avoid distracting Elder, and I clenched my fists.

Then, from a distance, I saw Daisy muttering something. She quickly avoided the flames and stabbed a dagger into the ground, stepping back. I couldn't hear what she said.

But that fire... didn't it seem a bit bigger than before? Was it an illusion? It was clearly the size of my head at first, but now it's as big as my backpack. From a distance, it looks like a campfire.

"The fire is getting bigger! Mesquite! The fire is getting bigger! Is it leveling up in real-time?"

"Jay, that's because the fire is absorbing Daisy's power. I mentioned that dryads can be prey for fire. Now, Daisy is like a log in front of a fireplace. This is why I said a prolonged battle would be disadvantageous. The fire is growing stronger by burning Daisy."

What a terrifying situation...! I need to call her back urgently. I don't want her to close her eyes again. As I was about to shout for her to come back, Mesquite raised his hand to stop me.

"My master, Jay. Your anxiety is transmitted to Daisy through the strongly connected souls. I understand you're worried, but you need to trust her more. That's what you need to do."

"Don't worry too much. It seems the kid has found her rhythm. She finally understands Mesquite's advice. Mesquite didn't give precise advice because this is the first time she's dealing with an improved dryad. She wanted the kid to figure it out on her own to avoid giving harmful advice."

Elder said this in a soothing voice, but his eyes were fixed on Daisy. If even they trust her, I shouldn't be trembling like this.

I shouted "I believe in you" in my mind, even though Daisy couldn't hear me. It was the best I could do without interfering with the battle.

The flames became thinner, spreading like a spider web, surrounding Daisy from all sides. I tried to convince myself that Elder would use his recovery skill in time, and I worked hard to suppress my anxiety.

Daisy, who had been crouching to avoid the flames, suddenly straightened her back. She then twisted her upper body and swung her dagger like a baseball bat.

A fierce wind scattered red petals, and the fire split into two.

Wow! This was the first time Daisy's attack had a proper reaction from the fire.

Did she finish it off? I was about to celebrate with a fist pump... but the split fire twitched. Damn, it's not dead.

The fire, now split into two smaller parts, moved around. Daisy, wary of them merging, sent another sharp wind, scattering petals.

The fire split into four smaller parts. But isn't it more dangerous with more of them?

Suddenly, Mesquite stepped forward and swung his lance. A clump of sand from the lance hit three of the fire entities.

The fire, hit by the sand, stopped attacking Daisy and turned to Mesquite.

"Let's move back further."

Elder pulled me back, still casting buffs on Mesquite.

Is he pulling aggro? It's like a tank's taunt skill in a game! For a moment, it felt like I was watching a game trailer.

Daisy stabbed the center of the much smaller fire with her dagger. The fire, which had been a challenge at first, disappeared instantly. She then ran towards the fire heading for Mesquite.

Two daggers, thrown sharply, hit the two lagging fires, extinguishing them like candles.

She didn't slow down. Thin plant vines sprouted from her hands, wrapping around the dagger handles like whips. She stopped and put all her strength into her arms.

The vines, holding the daggers, delivered a heavy final shot to the last fire.

Finally, the fire was completely extinguished!

A refreshing feeling welled up deep inside me. It was like a wave of relief, washing away the tension and fatigue.

Daisy, still panting from the heat, stared blankly at Mesquite's shield.

"Great job! You did an amazing job for your first battle."

Mesquite smiled and praised Daisy, then glanced at me. I was still in shock from the intense battle. I snapped back to reality at Mesquite's glance.

"...Well done! My kid! Daisy!"

I ran to Daisy and hugged her. She was covered in burns. Now I understand why the dealer had her wrapped up. You can't fight with bare skin when sparks are flying everywhere.

Daisy finally let out a deep sigh of relief and relaxed. Her tense body slumped.

"Hehe..."

"Really amazing! Completely! You looked like a bee flying around! So fast, I couldn't even follow with my eyes!"

I hid my anxiety and praised Daisy enthusiastically.

How agile she was in dodging the flames, how cool she looked when she landed the decisive hit, her courage in not being afraid, and her battle sense in finding a breakthrough in a tight situation.

I was describing the intense battle in vivid detail when Elder approached.

"To be so flustered by such a small fire. You still have a long way to go, kid."

"Daisy, even though he talks like that, his healing is amazing. He was the top supporter!"

If there were meters in this game, Elder's healing would have broken the ceiling. His always arrogant attitude was well-founded.

"Thank you. You were a great help! The light that appeared in dangerous moments made me feel more secure!"

Daisy smiled and said to Elder.

Despite their past conflicts, there was no sign of it now. Elder smirked, saying he only did his job, but it seemed he was a bit embarrassed by Daisy's gratitude. He nagged me to take care of Diana quickly, which made it seem like he was blushing.