The victory in battle was joyful. The harder the fight, the greater the relief. Though the explosion had created a massive crater in the ground, and black smoke still drifted around like factory fumes, at least the fire was dealt with.

The surroundings were in shambles… but since the cause was eliminated, that was fine…

Given the boasts I made to Dandelion, the battle’s difficulty was high, and I suddenly felt gloomy.

What now? Just who was that druid who swept away all the fires before? We struggled so much with this…

Was it possible that things could have gone terribly wrong if that druid hadn’t reduced their numbers in advance? I bad-mouthed him for clearing out the hunting ground, but maybe he was actually a good person…

I also felt that Dandelion, who managed to defend the colony from these flames, was an incredibly impressive dryad. Ugh… I need to get stronger fast.

I gave potions to the dryads to treat their wounds. Daisy, in the meantime, was wearing a jacket and pants that matched her gauntlets and boots. She really has grown.

The Elder’s robe had even more ornate gold trim, and Mesquite’s cloak was now embroidered with the mother tree’s flower pattern in silver thread.

Yeah, if everyone keeps growing like this, we’ll eventually show combat skills on par with that druid.

“Ah! Master Druid, look over there!”

Daisy, who had been opening a potion lid, pointed to the spot where the flame had been defeated and shouted. Following Daisy’s gaze, I saw a blue-glowing object lying there.

It was placed on top of a charred spot, so it stood out vividly. And that object was all too familiar to me.

Why is a diamond there? There’s no way I dropped it during the fight. And I didn’t throw it. I hope Mesquite doesn’t misunderstand.

“Why is this here? I never threw it! Really!”

I picked up the diamond and dusted off the ashes. No matter how I looked at it, it was definitely a diamond.

“My master, Jae. It came from the flame.”

“Why did it come out of a flame? Do those things drop items too? But none of the flames we’ve caught before dropped anything.”

“To be precise…”

Mesquite’s expression turned sharp again.

“To be precise, it’s a crystal left behind by a flame that has swallowed a dryad or a part of the World Tree, Jae. Since dryads also carry the sap of the World Tree, it burned within the flame and was condensed by magical power. The outside is covered with the soul of a dryad that couldn’t reach the World Tree, so it can’t absorb the diamond itself. It’s a different case from you throwing a diamond directly at a flame.”

The realization that this was a dryad’s remains sent a sudden chill down my spine.

“It’s clear that it swallowed one of the dandelion seedling children from this colony. The powder that the flame spewed earlier… those were the white flower seeds of a dandelion dryad.”

Does that mean… that’s what it meant by absorbing power?

To think this is practically the remains of that little dandelion seedling child who used to play in the colony.

Even now, I can vividly picture it running around in a yellow outfit and swinging a white pom-pom staff.

The children, giggling and running, were so tiny that, since my own dryad Daisy is also in the form of a young seedling, I felt a sense of kinship and kept looking at them.

How did it end up drifting away from Dandelion’s embrace and get unluckily devoured by a flame? My heart ached with sorrow.

So diamonds could also be formed in such a horrific way. Mesquite did mention that there were other methods besides diamonds forming in the wallet.

Back then, his expression seemed oddly unpleasant, and I avoided the topic—turns out it was because of this method. I wish I hadn’t known; a sigh escaped me involuntarily.

It would be best to thoroughly clean up the area around the colony. To prevent more young dandelion dryads from being harmed. That’s probably the only thing I can do in this situation.

Now wasn’t the time to compare myself to the druid ahead and feel frustrated. That druid was probably high-level anyway.

It shouldn’t be impossible once I raise my level too. If I ever meet him again, I’ll ask him for some hunting tips.

***

After that, I ran around vigorously in all directions following the flower seeds that guided the locations of other fires.

Maybe we encountered a boss from the very first round, but compared to the tension, the other fires were manageable. As my level soared higher, I found myself dispatching them faster too.

Contrary to my worry about encountering another fire that had swallowed a dryad, most fires were ordinary. Though they were in human form, they were just larger and more powerful than the fires near the terrarium.

By the way, how much had that druid been roaming around here? All the fires are in human form?

By the time I had cleared the entire area over a long period, I came across it again in a spot completely opposite to where I first met the fire that had swallowed a dryad.

A fire that clearly seemed to have absorbed the dryad’s power. I thought I wouldn’t be able to tell it apart until it used dust explosion, but surprisingly, it had subtle differences from the other fires.

It was a peculiarity I probably wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t encountered other fires nearby first, one after another.

It was fire, clearly all the same fire, but on closer look, it glowed with vitality. It burned so maniacally that I almost mistook it for having life.

I stayed far away, watching, to avoid getting within the fire’s range.

“That… seems like the same one, right? I think so…”

“Jae, you’re saying it’s the same fire we first encountered here?”

“Hmm, didn’t Mesquite notice? Or am I mistaken? That one’s a bit different. I hope it’s a mistake, but it looks like it swallowed a dryad.”

“Then we should take it down in one go, not divide our efforts.”

Is that possible? But that first fire didn’t die in one hit even under Mesquite’s powerful and precise attacks—it scattered. Daisy has gotten a lot stronger, but she still can’t output the same power as Mesquite.

If Mesquite can’t get a one-hit kill, wouldn’t it be even heavier on Daisy, even if she’s attack-specialized? Even with Elder’s luck buff…

“Can we do it? Well, not that I doubt Mesquite’s skills, but in the previous battle, it didn’t work out.”

It would be nice to have an accessory that boosts Mesquite’s power, like Elder’s ruby ring. At the very least, I wish there were a cash shop we could access anytime, like in a game. If I had money, I could buy buffs and special equipment.

At my words, Mesquite lightly raised her lance and looked it over. Then she let out a small laugh.

“I think it might be possible?”

Has something changed? To me, the lance looks the same. When my level increases and the level restrictions on the Dryads are lifted, the equipment usually transforms first, allowing me to notice the change.

Whether the speed of leveling is inversely proportional to rank or not, Daisy looked completely different from the beginning. Elder’s face and equipment grew increasingly flashy, while Mesquite showed the least change.

“What Mesquite said must be right. The restrictions on usable skills have loosened a bit more. Your soul’s limits have expanded, allowing us to spread our roots wider. That means we can use bigger and more skills now.”

Elder looked at his staff once before speaking to me. That sound reminded me of a plant being repotted. Like moving a plant from a small pot to a wide field, where it grows endlessly.

“I don’t know about that little Daisy, but Mesquite originally had a lot of skills she could use. It’s just that, Jae, Mesquite has been shrinking her body to match your small soul. The space to extend her soul’s roots is limited, and if she were to writhe out of control, your soul might shatter.”

“That won’t happen. I would never do anything to harm my master, Jae.”

“That’s just how the saying goes.”

It was all my fault for being inadequate. It was all because I was a pathetic low-level…! This pathetic master’s soul is the size of a paper cup…!

“My master, Jae, don’t be too downhearted.”

A cold gauntlet lightly touched my cheek. In contrast, Mesquite’s gaze, incredibly warm, settled upon me.

“Jae is growing very fast. Astonishingly so. I can proudly say you’re growing faster than anyone else. Thanks to that, I’m not just huddling endlessly like Elder’s useless worries. I’ll show you. As my master grows, I too must show you. My sharply honed, strong will of protection.”

Captivated by her unwavering gaze, I nodded without thinking. How could I doubt her? Show me! I’ll see it all, every bit!

Mesquite sent the shield to her back. She gripped the massive lance, which she usually held with one hand, tightly with both hands.

As she walked steadily toward the fire, Elder planted his staff into the ground. The wide-area healing spell that Elder had used when we were caught in the aftermath of the dust explosion was cast.

White petals and a pure light swirled widely around the spot where the staff was planted. A full heal when none of the dryads were injured. I wondered if it wasn’t a waste of energy, but contrary to my worries, Elder’s expression remained calm.

“This is a technique I can use now that my soul’s roots have expanded.”

The white light that touched Mesquite’s steel boots clumped together like the first footprint on a snow-covered ground, then crumbled away.

As soon as Fire entered her range, it noticed Mesquite and looked at her.

When Mesquite pulled her right foot back and lowered her stance, a yellow light like a desert sandstorm enveloped her and her lance. The swirling force of the light was fierce.

Fire raised both arms for a preemptive attack. At the same time, as if that were a signal flare, Mesquite shot forward.

The lance, shot like an arrow, led the sandstorm and pierced the very center of Fire. A yellow light spread out like waves crashing against a rock, and Fire vanished in an instant like a sandcastle swept away by the tide.

“That’s a technique Mesquite can use now that her soul’s roots have expanded. Because she abandons defense and focuses on attack, her chances of taking damage are higher than usual.”

I know warrior class skills in some games that have that effect. A berserker using the crazed ‘rage’ character… or a berserker…

It was a skill where health decreased or defense weakened, but in inverse proportion, attack power and speed increased enormously. It seemed to strangely suit Mesquite.

Looking at this, Mesquite and Elder’s skills really complemented each other well. I’ve heard before that Elder’s buffs are more effective on Mesquite than on Daisy because of their soul bond, but seeing this, isn’t their skill synergy second to none?

With Fire, which Mesquite had pierced through in one go, being the last, there were no more dandelion seeds. Since the guidance was over, it seemed all the fires around the colony had been dealt with.

“Um… so can I also use such an amazing technique?”

Daisy, who had yielded the offensive position in the previous battle, asked. She had been quiet while watching Mesquite’s technique, probably lost in thought.

Huh! How should I answer that? Honestly, Daisy, whose level-up speed is almost on par with mine, should have shown off a new technique before the two dryads, according to Elder’s words.

There was no change in the nature of the technique except when dealing with the fires around the village.

No help? F1! Guide help!