The dark blue moths that once drove us to horror poured out densely.

They tried to fend off the moths by shooting fire indiscriminately, but these were the persistent ones that had even found gaps in the sand walls of Mesquite. The moths overwhelmed with sheer numbers and sprayed terrible blue powder.

A hole formed in the sandy floor of Desert Field, collapsing, and black water began to gush forth. It quickly swallowed the sand, turning the area into a black swamp. The enemies, as well as Iris’s party, were startled and scrambled to avoid the black puddles.

“Whoa! What is this? Is this really the dryad’s ability?”

Zephyr clung to the tall Beggarticks, being carried, and shouted loudly. Beggarticks seemed to take him willingly.

“I know this doesn’t harm us tied to Stonehenge, but we instinctively avoid it, right? Wow, that’s a truly terrible power. No, it’s an immense power!”

Wolfsbane, who was using the ability, looked precarious. It wasn’t that he was straining, but he seemed deeply distressed. Wolfsbane first reached out and interlaced his fingers with mine. Then he squeezed, as if reaffirming that he was no longer the person he was that day.

Wolfsbane’s power was formidable enough to shock Iris’s party. The eyes of the enemies, suddenly poisoned, turned blue.

No, no matter how great Wolfsbane was, he used to poison them gradually over time, but this time they were consumed by the poison debuff too quickly. It seemed like something they had used to resist the dryads’ debuff had actually accelerated the poisoning speed.

The enemies slowed down and began writhing in pain. In that state, they were no match for us.

As the druids succumbed to the poison, their dryads also knelt one by one. All fell before the weapons of our dryads, and there was no more resistance.

After using his power to the fullest, Wolfsbane acted spoiled and clung to me as the battle subsided. He’s cute, but if he keeps this habit into adulthood… I’m thankful though. Yes. Wolfsbane is cute, so I forgive him.

Iris, standing beside me, drew her sword from its sheath and stepped forward. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, she thrust it through the enemies’ necks.

Starting with her, Zephyr, who was being carried by Beggarticks, and Notos, who drew his triple-folded spear, did the same. Except for Herma, who had no weapon, they all killed the enemies by piercing their vital points with the sharp ends of their weapons.

With the druid dead, the surrounding dryads closed their eyes with grim expressions. Soon, they were enveloped in a black light and transformed into black dryad fruits. The fruits burst with a pop, as if on cue, then scattered into sparkling powder.

“If we had left them be and they survived to run away, it would have caused us trouble for sure. They were willing to sacrifice their own lives to take us down. Next time, they’ll prepare for Wolfsbane dryad’s power beforehand and come after Jae again. They might even bring more allies.”

Iris spoke with a heavy expression.

“It was fortunate they didn’t know much about Jae’s Wolfsbane dryad. Even I didn’t realize it was a type of wolfsbane. Undoubtedly, Wolfsbane dryad’s power is strong, but if even one among them had been resistant to poison or had detoxifying abilities, it wouldn’t have ended so easily. Poison-imbued dryads are rare, so their lack of preparation probably played a part too.”

I recalled Cannabis’s words about being immune to poison. Back then, though it was young Wolfsbane’s power, she endured the child’s strength even without being bound in a party.

I saw blood dripping from Iris’s sword.

“Even if you think this is cruel… it was a necessary measure… Did I disappoint you?”

“Uh… no! On the contrary, I could never have done that myself…”

The wind carried a sharp, metallic smell of blood. It was still hard to watch people die brutally without being affected. Elder, sensing my state, covered my eyes with his large hand. The sweet scent of flowers masked the nauseating blood smell.

“You haven’t ventured to many places yet, Jae? In Terrarium, where public safety is poor, this kind of thing happens often. We’re used to this now, so it’s fine. It would be better for you not to experience this… but judging from today, these situations will occur frequently. If they don’t return, that’ll be another problem. They’ll keep targeting you.”

I suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Fire found the druid’s corpse to be good prey. Mesquite had said something like that once. The enemies’ bodies were buried deep in the ground using the dryads’ power.

“I felt the need to properly learn about them too. I can’t just sit back and take it!”

I summoned the drone from Kalong that was still in my phone.

“Took out the ones chasing us.”

Then I summoned a queen bee and typed a message.

“I need to meet you.”

He had definitely asked about Kalong’s safety. He also asked how much I had heard about them from him. Though he’s a traitor swayed by diamonds, with my infinite diamonds secure, no one could move him to oppose me.

I thought I would never see him again after the Kanavis incident, but I need to extract information from Kadon.

Two hornets buzzed and left my phone.

“Let’s quickly return to the 18th terrarium before any other tails attach.”

“I agree! I want to go wash up quickly!”

Even though I buried their bodies, I couldn’t bury the smell of blood, so a thick aura of death lingered around. Not wanting to stay long in such a place, I hastily left. It was a gruesome sight, but I hope it doesn’t appear in my dreams.

The way back was relatively safe. We were all on edge, but as soon as we entered the terrarium, our tension snapped, and our shoulders slumped. The terrarium felt more welcoming than ever. It was already quite dark by then.

Upon arriving at the inn, my room was packed with boxes sent from the artifact workshop. I left Elder, who was gleefully picking up the boxes, behind and entered my room. Even if there were artifact furniture worth countless diamonds in there, I had no energy left to check.

I stripped off my robe and sank into the tub filled with lukewarm water.

It was already overwhelming to think about dealing with fire, and now I had to face an unknown organization. There was even a fire-using mage. Just how many things in this game world was I still unaware of? The black ash still clinging stubbornly to my body looked just like those unknown areas I hadn’t explored, so I scrubbed it off with force.

The world was too harsh to simply enjoy an RPG-like adventure.

After washing and putting on a robe, I first saw Elder, who had laid out a bunch of sparkling artifacts around him and looked happy.

Is it that nice? Well, I bought them all just to see that happy face of yours, so my duty is done.

Since the day had been rough, I suggested the dryads return to the terrarium artifacts to rest. Elder quickly disappeared along with the artifact furniture. Wolfsbane and Daisy, who had been hesitating, also returned without a word. Mesquite, who must have had the hardest time on the front lines, stayed behind.

“Mesquite, don’t you need to rest?”

“It’s not that hard for me.”

She smiled and helped me spread the blanket on the bed. With her tall stature, she easily shook out the blanket, and it was done in no time.

“Hmm… do I look that anxious to you?”

“Everyone is deliberately looking away, but I know. It’s just that I don’t show it because I don’t think my master, Jae, would want that.”

“Elder did overdo it a bit.”

“Well, that little one… hehe.”

As I laid my head heavily on the pillow, Mesquite sat down on the bed.

“Even if I try not to show it, it’s not easy for me. Jae, no matter what happens, we will protect you. You don’t need to be so afraid.”

“Yeah, I feel safe if there’s Mesquite.”

Wolfsbane was finally able to control his abilities. Our dryads are getting stronger day by day, so that’s fine, that’s fine.

“You must be tired. How about you go to sleep soon?”

“Everything’s good, but what if I dream of those corpses? Of course, I’ve never had a nightmare before, but I’m a bit scared.”

“Then I’ll protect you even in your dreams. Jae, you’ll be able to sleep soundly.”

The faint smoky scent of Mesquite touched the tip of my nose. With Mesquite saying that, it felt like I could sleep soundly without any nightmares.

Just as I was about to fall asleep in a relaxed mood, a loud buzz came from my phone. Who would rudely send a text in the middle of the night? Since I had sent one first, I reluctantly checked the message that the hornet must have brought.

I’ll come find you when the time is right.

It was a reply from Kadon. Why not tell me when and where he’d come? That’s the problem with hornets; they only deliver such fragmentary messages. He could have sent another bee to convey more info, but since only a drone came, he must not want to give details. Well, since he was with a secret organization, he’d figure it out himself. I couldn’t be bothered to think further.

I shoved the phone under my pillow and pulled the blanket up over my head. I’ll think about it tomorrow. Despite my initial unease, I fell asleep in an instant.

***

I received a message from Iris asking to have breakfast together. After a quick wash, I went downstairs and saw them already seated in the dining hall.

“Hmm, right! I think it’d be good for Iris to use bees too! If we get separated for missions, there’s no way to contact each other, right?”

“Ah, well…”

“I’ll cover all the costs!”

“It’s not about that…”

She looked around at her party members and spoke.

“Master Jae, how long do you plan to stay in the 18th terrarium? Have you decided on the next one?”

Just as the food came out, I was suddenly ravenous and started shoveling it in. Ah, broth in the morning is the best indeed.

“Hmm… I’m thinking of going to the 16th terrarium… but I have something to check.”

“Then we’ll set aside other missions for now and escort you to the 16th terrarium, Master Jae. Would it be okay to handle the quests you entrust to us after that? Given what happened yesterday, moving alone is very dangerous.”

“Ah… really?”

I was grateful for that.

“This is absolutely not neglect of duty, Master.”

Zephyr, who had been busily stuffing his face, chewed for a while and then spoke.

“Master…?”

“Yes, aren’t you our guild master now? By the way, have you decided on our guild’s name? When can we join?”

“Um…”

I was so tired at night that I fell asleep quickly, so I couldn’t prepare anything for the guild at all. Iris looked at me with expectant eyes.

“Ah, the guild name is important. So I decided we’d discuss it together and then decide! Since it’s a guild we’re building together! If you have any good ideas, don’t hesitate to suggest them. And please call me Jae like before, rather than Master.”

“Oh my… Thank you for thinking so highly of us! Master Jae, you’ll surely become a wonderful guild master!”

I couldn’t bring myself to say I had completely forgotten about the guild, so that excuse worked well. Everyone eagerly enjoyed their breakfast and began chatting softly about what would make a good guild name.

I held cutlery in one hand and my phone in the other, hastily setting up the guild system. Even though messing with my phone while eating is bad manners, I had no choice.