Chapter 45

"Jay, the World Tree was set on fire, right? That thing not only absorbed the power of the Dryad... it must have absorbed some of the World Tree's power too. We can't stop it. We need to run."

"No! I know the situation is desperate, but the branches of the World Tree are still alive. If we let it be destroyed this time, it will really be the end. I need to buy time until I find a way to restore the power of the World Tree's branches!"

At that moment, Daisy jumped out.

"I'll draw its attention since I'm the fastest!"

"Daisy! It's dangerous!"

"I've just taken the first step towards becoming the King of the Forest. I'm not afraid! I'm the fastest among us, so I'm the best to buy time like the Dryad said."

Mesquite, who rarely made judgments, determined that this battle had no hope. The fire was that dangerous. There was no way a small child could endure it.

"Trust me! I'll go far and come back quickly!"

Without waiting for a response, Daisy leaped to the top of the building and drew the attention of the giant larva-shaped fire. The fire larva immediately turned its head, seeing Daisy as a tempting prey. That brat! My child is not prey!

"I'll stay here."

Elder sent a buff to Daisy as the fire larva's head turned.

"I can support from a distance. With me here, that kid won't die easily."

How can I stay calm when I've pushed the kid into the flames?

"That kid is the fastest, you know. If he focuses on evasion instead of attacking, he won't be caught easily. So, use the time he buys to find a way. If the World Tree's branches revive, we might have a chance against the fire."

Elder, with his eyes still on Daisy, urged. Mesquite, trapped inside the shield, looked at Daisy with a determined gaze.

"Jay, make a decision. Daisy's courage is not misplaced. You created it. You gave the child the strength to be that brave. Now is the time to show faith in the courage you created."

"…Let's go back to the World Tree's branches."

Please, Daisy, hold on. Stay safe.

Just as I was about to turn away, a loud noise erupted. Suddenly, Elder started running forward. A massive fire shield appeared behind where Elder had been. Who initiated the battle with the boss…?

My phone rang. I knew it. The adjacent Terrarium Artifact must have activated. Damn sapling! My children are trapped inside!

This clueless brat! When did he get here? How can anyone rush into battle without assessing the situation?

"It's dangerous!"

The shield was closing in, and Mesquite pulled me back a considerable distance.

"Now we really have no time! A Dryad isolated from the Druid can't use their full power! Do what you can!"

That clueless brat. I won't let this go. When this is over, I'll finish him, I will. I clenched my teeth and ran to the room with the World Tree's branches.

The World Tree's branches, which had been warning me loudly when the giant larva-shaped fire charged towards the orchard, were now silent. They felt as if they had used their last bit of strength and were too exhausted to speak.

But there was no time. Even if it's just a little, give me something.

Rumbling, the massive body pushed the ground, causing the orchard to suffer another earthquake, making the situation even more precarious. The place was so close to collapsing that even taking a deep breath was risky. Staying in one place for too long was dangerous.

Even if it doesn't burn, I have to worry about the World Tree's branches being buried and killed by falling debris.

"Hurry… tell me what to do. What can I do?"

I pleaded, holding the branch, hoping for a solution. Show me a way. I'm going crazy not knowing what's happening to my Dryads, who are isolated from me.

When Elder entered the shield, the protective barrier around me disappeared. It felt like a clear sign of my separation from my Dryads, making my blood boil.

"Maybe it's diamonds? Should I pour diamonds? It hasn't received diamonds for a long time! I saw it in the administrator's log. But breaking open the tree to feed it might be too much for me!"

Did it understand? The branch, which had been hanging lifelessly, trembled slightly. It was a small movement, almost imperceptible from a distance.

Like a handshake, the branch trembled with joy, as if it had finally met someone it had been waiting for.

Slurp, a thin, worm-like stem wrapped around my left arm from the point of contact. The Terrarium Artifact also glowed faintly. The stem had a blunt, peculiar shape.

Mesquite looked surprised at me, who was directly communicating with the World Tree.

"Jay, did you get an answer?"

"No, no matter how much I ask, it doesn't speak. It must be out of power."

Is it trying to swallow my arm? Is hope supposed to mean using me as fertilizer? As I pulled on the flat, square end of the branch, I thought.

Eh? This shape looks familiar.

"Whoa… Could it be?"

Look at this. I showed the end of the branch to Mesquite to form a connection. I wasn't sure if I should call it innovative or ridiculous.

Despite the urgent situation, a hollow laugh escaped me. But Mesquite's expression showed he didn't understand.

Right, if this is something that can give me hope… if this is what it means, I found it well. Good job, finding the right spot.

The end of the branch resembled a USB cable for my phone. Of course, it was different in detail, lacking metal pins, but the resemblance was clear.

I took out my phone and woke it up. The stem was holding my left arm tightly, making it hard to move.

[Master! I've been waiting! Do you need diamonds?]

"Absolutely! A lot! Prepare as much as you can!"

[Master! Are you going to take them now?]

I stopped the dwarves from pointing the hose at the screen. Not that way.

Is this the right way? I inserted the end of the stem into the bottom of my phone. They say using unverified cables can damage your phone. This is the first time I'm using a plant-made USB. The dwarves in my phone are alive and moving, so why shouldn't this work?

The stem clicked and was sucked into the phone's port. At that moment, I felt a sinking sensation, as if I were losing consciousness in a crowded place like a subway or a concert hall, where my energy was suddenly drained.

My legs felt like they weren't mine, and I couldn't support myself. Mesquite quickly supported me as I leaned forward.

I heard a ringing in my ears, couldn't see clearly, and felt nauseous. I felt as if I were being crushed by something massive, and my body wasn't my own.

"Stop! What are you trying to do? If saving the World Tree's branch means sacrificing Jay, we should stop!"

Mesquite's statement was surprising. The World Tree was like a god to her. She was born there, so it was like a parent to her. Realizing that I was more important to her than the World Tree left me speechless.

"Jay's soul is becoming unstable. It might shatter!"

My soul shattering… Where have I heard this before? Right, my Dryads curl up to fit the size of my soul. My soul is like a pot where they rest, and they hide their power until my soul's limits expand.

Could this branch… be…?

I took deep, rough breaths to regain my senses. It's my way of dealing with anemia. The feeling I'm experiencing now is similar to anemia, but it seems different.

With a blurry vision, I looked at the phone screen. The <Infinite Diamonds> screen flickered in my view. A massive funnel-like structure stood tall.

The dwarves, avoiding the funnel, ran around and fell, looking shocked. They looked at the funnel, then at me, and pointed. That? Yes, that.

"I'm fine. Really, I'm fine. I feel a bit better now. Still, it would have been nice if the branch had given me a heads-up before this. Of course, it can't speak now."

I leaned heavily on Mesquite. I leaned my back against her large frame. She willingly held me, creating a stable position.

"Pour some diamonds into it."

The dwarves, responding to my order, cheered and started pushing the diamond cart. The cart, which hadn't moved since the start of <Infinite Diamonds>, began to move along the tracks towards the funnel.

As the cart moved, the piled diamonds overflowed onto the ground. The dwarves, pushing a cart hundreds of times their size, successfully aligned the central faucet with the funnel's opening.

Turning the handle was a task. Several dwarves worked together, turning it like a water wheel. Some brought drums and a large gong, beating them to create a rhythm. The dwarves turning the handle chanted, "Heave, ho, heave, ho," in time with the rhythm.

These are the motions I see when I buy buffs with real money…

As the handle turned, diamonds started to fall from the spout, eventually in quantities far greater than what I could produce by opening my phone. Some dwarves, thinking it wasn't enough, climbed onto the cart and threw diamonds.

My diamond count started to drop at an incredible speed, far beyond anything I had experienced before. In no time, it had dropped from the thousands to the tens of thousands.

Just as some dwarves, excited, started to pick up their discarded picks and run to the mine, the branch began to change.

"Hey… look."

I was so dizzy I could barely speak. I pointed to the branch with difficulty. The black soot that had clung to it started to fall off. Mesquite raised her shield to protect us from the falling soot and white powder.

The soot revealed a pale, ivory-colored inner wood, which seemed to be a good sign. If this continues…

But it didn't last long. The branch started to show strange symptoms. Water droplets began to form on its surface, as if it were crying. The droplets fell, and the spots where they had formed began to fester.

Crazy, are the dwar