Chapter 28

There were scorched marks here and there, but the tall grasses gently concealed the scars.

Once I started to notice, the surroundings felt suddenly as beautiful as a landscape painting. The yellow paint splattered on the green canvas seemed to unravel the darkness in my heart.

Like the morning stars, the yellow flowers illuminated the path with joy.

Why wouldn't something dynamic happen? Everything on this path I was taking felt like an event in my life.

Indeed, in Seoul where I lived, it was hard to see such beautiful scenery unless I made an effort to go to a park.

The sky was clear blue, and white, fluffy clouds floated gently. The air was incredibly refreshing. The days of covering my mouth and nose due to fine dust seemed to have vanished into the distant past.

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the scent of the lush grass and the fragrant flowers. It felt as if even my lungs, polluted by smoking, were being purified.

A gentle breeze blew from afar, lightly caressing my hair. On that breeze, white seeds were carried.

The yellow flowers in the meadow and these seeds were familiar. They were dandelions, a welcome flower that announced the arrival of spring even in a desolate, gray place.

"It seems we've entered a dandelion flower field."

Elder brushed off the white fluff from his clothes, speaking irritably. Mesquite stopped walking for a moment, and we, who had been following her large shadow, also stopped.

"If we're lucky, we might see a wild dryad. The air is filled with a clear energy. My master, Jay, have you ever seen a wild, naturally occurring dryad?"

"No, I don't think I have. I've probably only seen dryads that bloomed from seeds."

I glanced at Daisy, wondering if she would react to the word "wild." Contrary to my worries, she opened her eyes wide and looked very excited at Mesquite's words.

"Is it hard to see a naturally occurring dryad?"

"Even if the field's occurrence rate is high, the probability of a dryad being born naturally is very low. Wild, naturally occurring dryads are born from the blessed pollen spread by the World Tree. However, not all plants that come into contact with the pollen become dryads. They must be a very special host that meets certain conditions. In short, a chosen host must accidentally meet the World Tree's pollen to become a dryad."

The dandelions that had been sparsely poking their heads out were now filling the meadow with yellow. Mesquite looked around and continued.

"Since this area is close to the Terrarium, it will be influenced by the pollen, and as a flower field, there's a high probability of having a special host. If we're lucky, we might see a dandelion dryad."

Oh, I suddenly felt excited. What would a dandelion dryad look like? With small, yellow, and densely packed petals, it might be a very adorable dryad like Daisy.

It seemed that the number of white seeds floating in the air had increased. Elder's face also started to show signs of irritation as he brushed off his clothes. Daisy looked curiously at the seeds stuck to her hair.

Seeing the white seeds contrasting with Daisy's red hair, I couldn't help but laugh, imagining her as a white cat shedding its fur.

Mesquite raised her hand, trapping a small seed in her palm and staring intently at something.

"Perhaps they'll come to see us first. These seeds are sent as scouts to identify intruders. They're probably trying to determine if the visitors to their flower field are welcome guests or unwelcome intruders."

Wow... These fluffy seeds were scouts?

If Mesquite was right, it would be a capable dryad that fully utilized the host's abilities. My thoughts changed.

What if a wild, truly wild dryad appears? If they consider us intruders, it could be a dangerous situation.

With a tense heart, I looked in the direction Mesquite was staring. A cluster of yellow flowers was swaying in the distance.

"Even if so, dandelions, as far as I know, are normal grade."

Elder's tension was belittled by his blunt words.

That, that grade superiority. So high and mighty, as if they're a unique grade! Of course, in card games, grades can be important! They're born with it, already made.

They can show effects immediately without any cultivation. When a high-grade card appears in a draw, it feels amazing! When a Special Mesquite appeared, I thought my heart would stop!

But after Daisy became my precious dryad, I changed my mind. I believe that the environment for growth is more important than the innate grade.

I believe that with an abundance of diamonds, they can achieve abilities that surpass their grade.

I won't set limits or ignore them based on the grade they were born with. This will threaten my values.

In a game I played before, the second-highest grade card became a must-have for all players, a national deck, despite being a grade that is usually discarded.

It even heated up game-specific websites. Thanks to this, it received great praise from non-paying players.

With a precedent, maybe this <Terrarium Adventure> could be the same? The future is still unknown, right?

Of course, if it doesn't work, I'll make it work. I have more than enough ability! I have an abundance of diamonds! I'll invest generously in growth to break the prejudice that normal grade is not good!

If I had met the dryads through my phone screen, I might have dismissed these thoughts as just game strategies.

But even thinking of it as a game world, seeing the dryads interact directly, I couldn't just dismiss it. Is this really a game world?

"Jay, look over there. It's a dandelion dryad. No, it's a dandelion forest. So many wild dryads."

I stopped my thoughts and looked ahead at Mesquite's words. I was breathless at the fantastic sight.

A group of light yellow dryads was walking gracefully.

The floating yellow petals and white seeds, and the yellow dresses of the dryads swaying in between, felt like watching a parade of beautiful fairies at a spring flower festival.

When dryads of the same kind gather, they create such a beautiful scene.

They were all young dryads like Daisy, and their yellow dresses made them look like kindergarteners at first glance.

The white fluff-topped staffs they held in both hands and the green capes draped over them were a lovely color combination that suited them well.

At the back of the procession, two dryads held giant fans resembling the sharp, serrated leaves of dandelions. As these fans were pulled aside like curtains, a mature, female dryad appeared, the only one in the group.

She had two pairs of butterfly-like wings on her back, resembling leaves, and wore a yellow dress that looked like multiple layers of dandelion flowers.

On her white, fluffy hair, which resembled the fluff of dandelion seeds, sat a circlet that looked like a crown.

The staff she held was also larger and more ornate than those of the young dryads.

She looked like a fairy from a fairy tale, but there was an overwhelming presence about her.

"...So that's how the colony has been maintained."

Elder muttered. Mesquite nodded in agreement. Am I the only one who can't remain calm at this incredibly beautiful scene?

Daisy was covering her mouth with both hands, her eyes sparkling.

Thank goodness. I'm not the only one who's excited.

"My master, Jay, this is a very rare sight. Not only a large-scale forest formed by dryads, but also the king of that forest."

The dandelion dryads stopped at a certain distance from us. As the young dryads parted, their king slowly walked forward.

"I am Dandelion, the dominant species of this place, the dandelion dryads, and I serve as the lord. It is an honor to meet a druid blessed by the World Tree."

"Oh... I... I am the one who is honored."

I naturally bowed. A king, right? Isn't that an incredibly important status? Elder, how can you call this person a normal grade? Oops! Is this a prejudice?

"I sensed the presence of someone trying to enter the colony and became cautious. If I had known you were a druid, I would have sent welcoming petals instead of warning seeds. All druids are the hope and small gods of our dryads. Please forgive my rudeness."

To be treated like this just because I'm a druid. It's a bit overwhelming since I'm not that special. I felt my body shrink.

"It was just a casual walk! The white seeds floating in the air looked like snow and were completely beautiful! There's no need to call it rudeness!"

I desperately denied it. It's true! It was really cool and fantastic! Elder is the only one who showed irritation and annoyance here!

"Remarkable. Leading a forest and protecting a colony with a wild body. You are a role model for all wild dryads."

Mesquite spoke with a polite voice, as she did when we first met after blooming.

Dandelion, the king of the dandelion flowers, who had been watching me, looked surprised at Mesquite. It seemed she was genuinely surprised by Mesquite's appearance, not by her words.

Does Mesquite have a special quality that other dryads can recognize just by looking?

"It is merely the duty of one who bears many souls. I am embarrassed to receive such praise from a great person."

Dandelion slightly bowed her head in gratitude. Even her small movements caused golden, fairy-like petals to fall.

I watched them, entranced. The scene was so dreamlike that I almost thought I was dreaming.