Chapter 40

It's just a feeling, but it seems like we've solved a big problem by defeating the carriage boss just now. When I glanced at the path the carriage boss had taken, it was utterly devastated. A monster with such good mobility and power must have swept through the area, playing a significant role in the anomalies in the 28th Terrarium. The novice druids who set out on adventures with just a couple of dryads must have lost because of that. Now that Daisy has grown from a child to a teenager, and my level has also increased significantly, and with the Graft skill unlocked with the Elder, there should be no more obstacles for us. They said the 28th Terrarium would appear no matter which of the two paths we take. The downhill path is where the sproutlings' dryads are stationed, so let's take the uphill path beside it. I might get a bit tired, but it's better this way. I was about to urge the dryads to hurry and part ways with them. "Where are you going? Go back to the Terrarium we came from. Didn't you see the battle just now? Didn't you feel anything?" "Yeah, yeah, that I held the Elder's hand and delivered a cool finish? I did my part by saving you, so how much more help do you need? I'm busy. Let's part ways without dragging it out." Through the sproutlings, I got a glimpse of some high-level combat techniques, which was a good opportunity. I also realized the Graft skill then. But now, it seems like I've seen enough, so let's end it. I pointed to Diana and turned my back. But since they tried to say something more and hold me back, I hid behind Mesquite. Hey, our dryads really dislike humans who make us feel bad, you know? There's a precedent, so back off nicely. "Ah, right. You. Honestly, it seems like you have some business in the 28th Terrarium too, so I can't say I don't want to see you again, even though I wish I could." "Oh... as expected, Sproutling. We haven't known each other for long, but you've already earned my dislike. I told you to be careful, didn't I?" Belladonna said with a regretful voice. "Instead, the next time we meet, don't even speak to me. Don't initiate conversation until I tell you to. It's annoying." "That's..." "Starting now." When she approached with a look of disbelief, Mesquite, who had read my mind, extended the lance. Sproutling's outstretched hand returned to its place, filled with regret. "Sproutling, stop. I understand that you want to continue talking to that druid, but don't they dislike it? Don't provoke Mesquite any further. A dryad showing excessive loyalty to their owner can act in ways that go beyond common sense." Still, I waved goodbye to Sproutling's dryads. As we moved away from them, my phone beeped, indicating that the connection with the opposing artifact had been severed. The party was also disbanded. Now that I'm far from Belladonna, it shouldn't matter anymore. The battle with the carriage boss took a lot of time, and it quickly got dark. Usually, Mesquite would suggest resting, but understanding my desire to put some distance between us and them, we kept going straight. "How about it? Are they following us?" "No, I don't sense any presence. My master, Jay. Didn't they bother you? If you want, I can root down and send warnings whenever they get close." "No, no. That's not necessary. The dryads were interesting, but the Sproutling was just ridiculous. Ignoring people! Even calling Daisy small..." If there's no presence, we should rest here. I sat on a flat rock. I hadn't eaten anything all day, so I was hungry. I took out the emergency rations and started a battle with myself. I was hungry, but this stuff tasted terrible. "Still, there was a lot to learn. When I level up a lot, will I be able to fight like Sproutling? Wielding a sword and all. It was amazing how he summoned a field from the artifact. Druids can do so much." When I get back to the village, I'll look for weapons I can use. Even if I can't wield something heavy like a sword because of my low strength, there must be something. Fighting alongside the dryads looked pretty cool. I couldn't do that, so I was busy dodging around the Elder. I broke off a bit of the emergency rations and swallowed it with water, like taking a pill. When I get back to the village, I have one more thing to do. I need to get rid of all the emergency rations and replace them with food that humans can eat. "Jay doesn't need to fight directly. And there's no need to be discouraged just because you can't. As I've said many times, Jay is amazing just by existing..." "But Sproutling looked cool, except for his rude mouth." "Was that so? To me, Jay looked the coolest. The Graft with Jay and the little Elder was incredibly impressive." My face heated up at Mesquite's words. I'm cool, huh? So, should I use Graft more often? The dwarves have also started attaching faucets to the carts... But as if reading my mind, Mesquite warned me. "Graft is not a skill you can use every time. You need to build rapport with the dryad through continuous battles to use it. It's certainly a cause for celebration that you've realized Graft, but you shouldn't recklessly jump into every battle believing in it. You'll be in danger." It felt like the world went dark. It's not a constant skill. It's a special move that you charge during battles? I was happy that I finally had a chance to show off my diamonds. "There's no need to be so discouraged. If your rapport with me is high, the speed at which you build rapport in battle will also increase. So, give me more diamonds and build more rapport." That diamond fiend. Mesquite and I were getting along well, but now it's back to diamonds. "I gave you a lot just now, didn't I?" "If you can't use diamonds, I'll have to use mine, even though it's a waste, to use the power of Graft." "That situation won't happen, right?" "You might use them all up, you know?" "That situation won't happen, right?" "You're wasteful. You'll definitely end up obsessed with a strange box like last time and use them all up." "That situation won't happen, right?" Elder looked exasperated. I'm using a lot of diamonds, and our dwarves are already complaining. He must not have a good sense of how many diamonds I have. "Will I ever be able to use the power of Graft with you, Druid?" Daisy, who had been listening closely to our conversation, asked. Right. In terms of rapport and affinity, Daisy is the best among us, isn't she? "You don't need to be impatient like Jay. It's because Daisy isn't mature enough to receive the power of the branch yet. First, you need to strengthen your roots, right?" As Mesquite tried to lift her, Daisy clung to me and resisted. Mesquite hesitated for the first time. Your ability to identify weaknesses is getting better every day... Mesquite gave a bitter smile and let Daisy go. Daisy bowed her head in embarrassment. "You need to strengthen your body, not just your mind, kid." "Druid, what kind of Graft power can I use? Can I make it rain too?" Elder's words were ignored. I thought about Daisy's question. The rain skill definitely suited the healing Elder. What skill would Daisy, who is more offensive, get if we Graft? I was also curious about Mesquite's Graft skill. If the day comes when I can use Graft with all three of them... the battles will be completely dynamic, won't they? We spent the night imagining each other's Graft skills. I kept my mouth shut until I fell asleep. As usual, I slept in and, still half-asleep, thought about rolling down the downhill path. Elder would heal me if I got hurt, so it should be fine, right? I don't want to walk. After walking for a while, lost in thought, I suddenly woke up when I saw the 28th Terrarium in the distance. It was as devastated as I had imagined. Unlike the 26th Terrarium, which was full of lush greenery, it was buried in ashes. Collapsed buildings and black ash, with smoke still rising and occasional flames bursting out. Good heavens, that's a village. Finally, we reached the 28th Terrarium, the destination of our first quest, but the surrounding area was a sea of fire, making it difficult to approach. We hid from the range of the flames and surveyed the area. Large and small fires were crawling around like caterpillars. When fires collided, the smaller ones were absorbed by the larger ones, making them grow significantly. "The barrier has completely collapsed. The presence of so many fires near the Terrarium means... the adjacent Terrariums are all at risk. The 28th branch of the World Tree... has lost its power." I listened to Mesquite's words with a pounding heart, searching for areas with fewer fires. We don't need to eliminate all of them; we just need to clear a path to the village. "If we leave this unchecked, the 20s Terrariums will all be at risk. It's like a hole has been punched in the wall of blessings built by the World Tree's branches. Fires will keep pouring through the hole. Normally, the massive fire we encountered earlier would never be seen in this area. It's suppressed by the World Tree's Terrariums located throughout, preventing the fire from growing beyond a certain level." The 20s are still close to the World Tree, so they should be safe. The 26th Terrarium also suffered a sudden drought... Novice druids, thinking it was easy, rushed in and lost their lives. The branch that should have been in the right place was gone, leaving the defense wall breached. "I don't understand. Why did the great branch of the World Tree suffer such a devastating blow? Something has gone terribly wrong." Mesquite was extremely angry. His anger made me a bit scared. He looks incredibly furious. Hmm, the carriage boss was something we and the Sproutling party could somehow handle. It seems a bit weak to have burned the Terrarium like that. If Mesquite is this angry, there must be something even stronger in there. Tapping my phone out of frustration, a weak signal suddenly appeared. Glancing at my phone, the message was flickering as if it were lagging. It switched between Stonehenge mode and Wallet mode. It tried to connect to the network, spinning in a circle, then switched back to Wallet mode. Why is it doing this? Is it broken again? I shook my phone and tried it in different directions, like when trying to get Wi-Fi. When I extended my hand forward, the message switched to searching for adjacent artifacts. Oh, there must be someone up ahead. If it's Sproutling, I'll be a bit annoyed. Being outdone. Artifact network connection.