Guided along, I went to a lab on a very high floor. The door alone was different from Pila’s lab. It was an antique, glossy brown door with gold trim around it.

Unlike Pila’s lab, which had just the number 502 hanging bare, this one had a nameplate with a name written on it.

Romgato

It seemed to be the name of the room’s owner.

Knock, knock, knock.

“I’ve brought a visitor for the alchemist, sir.”

“Yes, come in.”

“I’ll take my leave then.”

Entering. As the guide went down, I carefully opened the door. <Terrarium Adventure>’s other job, the alchemist! It was mentioned often here and there, so I thought it was a common job, but it turned out to be one you could only get starting as a researcher and reaching the pinnacle!

As soon as I stepped into the lab, a subtle floral scent wafted over. Unlike Pila’s lab, which had just a few desks and shelves like my school’s lab, Romgato’s lab looked like a massive executive office.

A bookshelf filled with books covered one wall, and a gracefully curved desk was placed there, wide enough for me to lie down on stretched out. Noticing the different sound of footsteps, I looked down and saw a carpet was laid out.

The only feature resembling a lab was the assortment of tools glimpsed in the side room. I could also see dried herbs and such tied in bundles hanging down from strings.

“Wow, unlike Pila, you get to use two rooms.”

If Pila’s lab was for undergraduates, this room was for a professor.

“I heard you came here with a recommendation.”

A man seated in a large armchair spoke. Beside him stood what appeared to be a dryad.

It was a male-type dryad with red hair, wearing a transparent veil that reached its shoulders dotted densely with white flowers, and glossy oval leaves hanging like a cloak behind its back. The presence of a dryad meant that Romgato was both an alchemist and a druid.

Oh, a side job! Awesome?

“Yes, I bought this gun.”

I took out the gun, approached him, and showed it to him.

“I heard you personally craft the bullets that go in here. I’d like to buy a large stockpile of bullets.”

I also took out a few bullets and placed them on the desk.

“Ah, these are fire-extinguishing rounds infused with the power of an ‘awai tree’ dryad. This dryad here is an awai tree.”

“Oh-ho….”

It’s a Unique grade, Elder, the combat power meter, said with a sneer. No way, if it’s Unique, it’s hard to get, right? I was told that if I had an awai tree dryad, the bullet’s power would increase. It was a vain hope.

“I thought these bullets were made for emergency use, so the usage rate wouldn’t be that high. According to the letter of introduction, you purchased all the stock from the shop…”

“Ah, I put them to good use. This is my weapon.”

“You use it as a druid’s weapon? It’s not very effective against fire.”

It wasn’t made for that purpose, his eyebrows furrowed together, and his expression turned subtle.

“The price of these rounds is considerable, though…”

“Yes, every time I fire, it’s so expensive that I wonder if I’m shooting bullets or diamonds.”

Elder let out a groan.

“Customer, I don’t know whether to call you strange or amazing…”

If possible, please call me amazing. I gathered all the bullets I had taken out and put them into my pocket. There weren’t many left since I had fired them off indiscriminately yesterday.

“Actually, I thought the amount supplied to the shop would be enough to last a month, so I haven’t made any extra. When fires break out in the terrarium, a lot is supplied, but that’s nothing compared to you buying it all.”

“Then can’t you make more? Does it take long to make?”

“I have the recipe, so two days are enough for the amount supplied to the shop. But if you want a larger quantity, it might take longer.”

I had no intention of staying long in the 18th terrarium. After finishing my business at the orchard today, I planned to leave as early as tomorrow or the day after.

“Then please make two days’ worth! And, by any chance, can you make bullets with the power of other dryads besides this awai tree?”

“Well, based on research results, there are limitations.”

He got up from his seat, walked around the long desk, and approached me.

“The most important thing is that this is only possible with Dryads of Unique grade or higher. We conducted numerous experiments with lower-grade Dryads, but they were all in vain.”

“Ah… why is it that only Unique grade works?”

He pushed up his glasses slightly and answered.

“I hypothesize that this is due to the probability of natural occurrence. Some prominent Druid scholars believe in the theory that a Dryad’s power is distributed according to the probability of its natural occurrence. Why is there such a vast difference in power between Special grade and Normal grade? Why can’t Normal grade defeat Special grade without forming a massive forest?”

I looked at Mesquite and Daisy. Wasn’t it just that Mesquite was strong because she had lived for a long time?

No, even between Daisy and Wolfsbane, who were similar in size, there was a difference in power. Thinking about it, in the game, strength was just naturally determined by grade—so why was it different here?

“I focused on the fact that the only difference between them is due to the probability of natural occurrence. Dryads with a low probability of natural occurrence are also hard to obtain even from fruit. Scholars concluded that Dryads of a species that has fewer members outside the World Tree possess more power. They believe that when all Dryads exist as a single species within the World Tree, their power levels are equal, and when they come out of the World Tree, their power is distributed according to their numbers. Even Normal-grade Dryads, which are common outside the World Tree, become stronger when they form a forest and entrust their souls to a king—this is no different from their numbers merging into one, which also explains their increase in strength.”

“Wow, that’s incredibly fascinating!”

“However, a counterargument to this theory is that since Dryads continue to appear all over the world, Normal-grade Dryads should grow weaker over time. But to support this, there is also a claim that the number of Dryads that can be born outside the World Tree is limited by species, and that no new Dryad can be born unless an existing Dryad returns to the embrace of the World Tree. However, since this cannot be verified, everything I’ve told you is merely an unproven theory.”

When I got the butterfly from the 26th Terrarium, Mesquite had said she had no naturally occurring Dryads. Unique. If that was why she was strong, then Romgato’s theory had some credibility.

“What do you think, Mesquite?”

At my question, Mesquite answered with a smile.

“Hehe, I never thought I’d hear this story here.”

Her eyes held a hint of nostalgia. Still, her smile was genuine, as if she was in a good mood.

“I know where that story began. It was from my former master.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Romgato and I both shouted in surprise at the same time. Mesquite rarely mentioned her former master. This was the first time she had given so much information.

“The scholars said this theory was from an ancient tome excavated a long time ago, but…”

Romgato’s glasses slid slowly down his nose.

“My master, Jae. And it was I who relayed that story to him. He promised to keep it a secret, yet it seems he wrote it down and left it behind. My previous master loved to document everything. Knowing that trait, telling him the story was my great mistake.”

Suddenly, Mesquite raised her lance and aimed it at Romgato. His dryad panicked and wrapped herself around her master. She had been smiling just moments ago, but now her eyes were extremely sharp. Her demeanor had changed.

“But you must forget everything I’ve said here. That story must remain merely unverifiable.”

“I… I understand the reason, I suppose. It’s just that having a dryad confirm the truth of the theory is startling.”

The yaupon dryad placed her hand on the tip of Mesquite’s lance, her face trembling with fear.

“Please, put away your weapon. I do not have the confidence to oppose you.”

“If your small world tree cannot keep the secret, then killing it is the only way for the world.”

Mesquite looked utterly terrifying as she spoke.

“Why… why try to kill it? Do you have to go that far?”

“Because if the truth were known, human greed would lead them to kill other dryads to strengthen their own. That is why.”

The answer came from Romgato, who was under threat. She was sweating coldly and looked at me as if begging me to stop Mesquite.

“My master is not that kind of person. Please believe me. For the sake of my other siblings, I will keep watch over my master. So please…”

When Mesquite lowered her lance, the yaupon dryad burst into tears and hugged her master.

“This is new to me…”

Elder muttered.

“Naturally. Have I ever taught you this? All your knowledge was absorbed from me, and I kept my mouth shut, so there was nothing for you to gain, little one.”

“I learned from many great trees besides you!”

Elder shouted defiantly at Mesquite.

“Of course, very few dryads know that truth. It can be counted on one hand. If not for me, you would never have had the chance to hear this story.”

Elder seemed quite shocked. His drooping shoulders looked pitiful.

“I swear. I will never reveal what I heard today.”

“If this truth is so burdensome to bear, it would have been better not to tell me. Why would a noble one like you give my master such a trial? Your master is also human, isn’t he? Even if it’s by a master, do you trust her?”

The yaupon dryad shouted at Mesquite in a tearful voice. She seemed deeply shaken, having almost seen her master killed and been powerless to stop it.

Right, right. What if I accidentally blurt it out too? Ah, then would I be killed too? But Mesquite showed no sign of intending such a thing.

“My master, I am prepared to follow any decision Jae makes. Jae, if you judge that the truth must be told, then do so. Whatever decision you make is entirely correct.”

“Whoa! No, no! I will never tell. If that happens, many innocent dryads might die. I will never tell! No, I can’t!”

As I shouted in shock, Mesquite smiled again.

“Yes, that’s enough.”

Then, the oppressive pressure that had been weighing heavily on this room vanished in an instant.

“That’s right. Anyway, for this reason… to condense the power of the dryads into a bullet, the concentration must be very high. Perhaps a normal grade could work, but it would have to be in the form of a very large forest.”

Romgato said, taking out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead. My dream of condensing the power of the dryads I possessed into a bullet was half shattered.