There were scorched-looking empty spots here and there, but the tall grass gently covered the wounds.

Once I started noticing it, it felt as if the surroundings were as beautiful as a landscape painting. The yellow paint speckled on the green canvas gently eased my gloomy heart.

Like the morning star, the yellow blossoms illuminated my path with joy.

Why wouldn’t there be dynamic events? Everything on this path I’m walking now was like an event in my life.

Certainly, in Seoul, where I used to live, it would be hard to see such a beautiful scenery unless I made an effort to seek out a park or something.

The sky was clear blue, with white cotton-like clouds floating around, and the air was incredibly refreshing. The days when I worried about covering my mouth and nose because of fine dust had vanished into the recesses of my memory.

I breathed in deeply, filling my lungs with the scent of green grass and fragrant flowers. It felt as if even my smoke-polluted lungs were being thoroughly cleansed.

A gentle breeze blew from a distance, softly caressing my hair. Riding on that wind, white seeds were carried along.

Both the yellow flowers blooming in the grass and these seeds were familiar. They were dandelions, commonly seen everywhere. Even in gray, desolate places, they were welcome flowers signaling the arrival of spring.

“It seems we’ve entered a dandelion colony.”

Elder grumbled, brushing off the white fluff clinging to my clothes. Mesquite paused for a moment. We, who had been merely following her large shadow, also stopped in our tracks.

“If we’re lucky, we might even spot a wild dryad. The energy here is pure. My master, Jae, have you ever seen a naturally occurring wild dryad?”

“No, I don’t think you’ve seen one? You’ve probably only seen a dryad that bloomed from a fruit.”

Wondering if she’d react to the word ‘wild,’ I subtly glanced at Daisy out of the corner of my eye. Contrary to my worries, the child’s eyes were wide open, and she looked at Mesquite with an expression full of anticipation.

“Are naturally born dryads rare?”

“Even if the spawn rate on the field is high, the probability of a dryad being born naturally is extremely low in the first place. Wild natural-born dryads are born after receiving the blessing pollen spread by the world tree. But not every plant that touches the pollen becomes a dryad. It has to be a very special host that meets the conditions to become a vessel. In short, a chosen host must coincidentally encounter the world tree’s pollen to become a dryad.”

The dandelion flowers, which had been peeking out sparsely, had now filled the meadow with yellow. Mesquite looked around and continued the story.

“This area is quite close to a terrarium, so it would be affected by the pollen, and since it’s a colony, the chance of a special host being here is very high. If we’re lucky, we might see a dandelion dryad.”

Oh, I suddenly started feeling excited. What would a dandelion dryad look like? With small yellow petals blooming densely, wouldn’t it be a dryad that looks as lovely as Daisy?

For some reason, the number of white seeds floating in the air seemed to be increasing. As Elder brushed them off his clothes, a hint of irritation began to appear on his face. Daisy plucked a seed stuck to her hair and looked at it with wonder.

Seeing the white seeds starkly contrasting against Daisy’s red hair, I couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking the child looked like she had been covered in shed fur from a white cat.

Mesquite raised a hand, catching a small seed in it, and stared fixedly at a certain spot.

“Maybe over there, they’ll come to see us first. These seeds are sent as scouts to identify intruders. They’re probably gauging whether those who’ve come to their colony are welcome guests or uninvited visitors here to ruin the flower field.”

Gasp… so those fluffy seeds were scouts?

If Mesquite is right, it must be a capable dryad making the most of its host’s abilities. I changed my mind.

What if, since it’s wild, a truly wild dryad shows up? If it sees us as intruders, this could get dangerous.

With a nervous heart, I looked toward where Mesquite’s gaze had fixed. In the distance, a cluster of yellow flowers was swaying gracefully.

“Still, as far as I know, dandelions are just a normal grade.”

As if to dismiss the tension, Elder said bluntly.

Gr-Grade discrimination. You’re acting all high and mighty just because you’re a noble Unique grade! Of course, grades can matter in card games! They’re cards born with everything pre-made from the start.

Even without raising them, they can show results as soon as they’re deployed. And it sure feels great when you pull a high grade from the gacha! My heart almost stopped when the Special Mesquite appeared!

But ever since Daisy became my precious dryad, I’ve changed my mind. The environment they grow in is more important than their origin.

I believe that if I put them through an elite course paved with overflowing diamonds, they can gain incredible power that transcends their grade.

I will never, ever judge or ignore them based on the limits set by their grade at birth. That would threaten my very values now.

In a game I played before, a card with the second-lowest grade became an essential staple for all players—a national deck card. Even though it’s a grade that’s usually easily discarded.

That actually sparked heated discussions on gaming sites back then. Thanks to that, it earned rave reviews from free-to-play users.

There’s a precedent, so couldn’t <Terrarium Adventure> be the same? You never know what the future holds, right?

Well, if it’s not possible, I’ll make it possible. I have more than enough ability for that—heck, I’m overflowing with skill! And diamonds! I’ll invest generously in their growth and shatter every prejudice that Normal grades are no good!

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

But even when I think of it as a game world, seeing these dryads I can interact with directly like this, I just can’t treat it that way. Really… is this really inside a game?

“Jae, look over there. That’s a dandelion dryad. No, it’s a dandelion forest. So many wild dryads.”

Mesquite’s words snapped me out of my thoughts, and I looked ahead. Then, that fantastical sight nearly took my breath away.

A group of bright yellow dryads was walking lightly, gracefully.

Scattered yellow petals and white seeds, and among them, gently swaying yellow dresses of the dryads. It felt like watching a parade of dazzling fairies at a spring flower festival.

So this is how beautiful a scene can be when dryads of the same kind are gathered together.

Every single one was a young sapling-stage dryad like Daisy, and coincidentally, they were all dressed in yellow, so at a glance they looked like kindergartners.

The white fluff-topped staffs they held in both hands and the green capes draped like blankets made such an adorable color combination that it suited them perfectly.

The two dryads at the very back of the procession carried gigantic fans shaped like the sharp, serrated leaves of dandelions. As those fans parted like curtains on both sides, a single mature female-looking dryad appeared, the only one of her kind among the group.

She wore a yellow dress resembling multiple layers of dandelion blossoms, with two pairs of leaf-like wings attached to her back like a butterfly.

On her white hair, reminiscent of scattered dandelion seed fluff, sat a floral crown that seemed to symbolize a tiara.

The staff she held was also larger and more splendid than those carried by the young dryads.

She looked like a fairy from a fairy tale, yet exuded an inexplicable sense of majesty.

“…So that’s how the colony was sustained.”

Elder muttered. Mesquite nodded in agreement. Was I the only one unable to stay calm in this maddeningly beautiful sight?

Looking at Daisy, she had both hands over her mouth, her eyes sparkling.

What a relief. I wasn’t the only one excited.

“My master, Jae. This is a very rare sight. Not only have we seen a large-scale forest where dryads form a society in groups, but also its king.”

The dandelion dryads stopped, maintaining a certain distance from us. As the young dryads cleared the path, their king slowly walked out.

“I am the dominant species of the dandelion dryads here, holding the role of Lord, called ‘Dandelion.’ It is an honor to meet you, the small blessing of the World Tree, Druid.”

“Oh my… the honor is all mine.”

I couldn’t help but bow. He said he’s a king, right? Isn’t that an incredibly high status? Elder, how on earth is that a normal grade? Ah! Is this prejudice?

“I felt a presence approaching the colony and became cautious. If I had known it was you, Druid, I would have sent welcoming petals instead of warning seeds. All druids are the hope and small gods of us dryads. Please generously forgive my rudeness.”

To be treated so well just for being a druid. Since I’m not that great, it felt a bit burdensome. I instinctively shrank back.

“We were just passing by! The white fluttering seeds looked like falling snow, so beautiful! There’s nothing to call rude!”

I denied it desperately. It’s true! It was really cool and fantastic! The only one who showed displeasure and irritation here was Elder!

“Impressive. To lead a forest with a wild body and protect the colony. You are a role model for all wild dryads.”

Mesquite spoke in a respectful tone, just like when we first met after her blooming.

Dandelion, the king of the dandelion flowers who had been watching me, looked surprised at Mesquite. Not because of Mesquite’s words, but purely because she seemed taken aback by Mesquite’s appearance.

Did Mesquite have a special, high-grade uniqueness that other dryads could instantly recognize?

“It’s merely the duty of one who has borne many souls. I feel nothing but shame at receiving such excessive praise from a great figure like you.”

Dandelion slightly bowed her head in thanks. Even with her small movement, tiny golden petals fell like fairy dust.

I stared at them as if entranced. It was such a dreamlike scene that I could mistake it for a dream.