The dryads quickly took advantage of the rising rocks, leaping to stand atop them. What kind of skill is that? Why are rocks suddenly popping out of the ground like moles? What did he do?

“Mallow!”

Siedling then called for Blue Mallow. Perhaps because she wasn’t an offensive-type dryad, she had been busy dodging the flames here and there, and she quickly hurried over to Siedling.

Just like Belladonna, as soon as she got close to him, she reached out her hand, and in an instant, green grass began to sprout from the ground.

As soon as it touched my shoe, its form became blurry, as if it wasn’t real grass.

“What is that? What’s happening? Is it an illusion?”

Taking advantage of the flames being blocked by the rocks, Mallow ran to Elder and asked.

“It’s a domain declaration. With a druid’s ability, they summon the artifact outward and convert part of the field into a habitat environment suited for dryads. In their own habitat, dryads can exert greater strength. To think he can overlap two at once… Just how vast is that druid’s soul’s limit?”

“Wow… that’s incredible.”

So you really were as amazing as your level suggested. Can I do that too when my level gets high enough?

It turns out a druid can not only become a small world tree for a dryad but also do things like that. How did you do that just now? Is that something you naturally learn over time? It passed by so quickly that I couldn’t even try to learn it.

“Siedling changed the field, so hurry up!”

“I’ve been… trying… since earlier….”

Belladonna and Kalmia were flying above the rocks. Unlike before, the two were wielding their weapons and firing, causing bursts of fire with every swing and shot.

The rocks must be related to their native habitats. Even in the midst of that chaotic situation, I shouted at Blue Mallow. It seemed like I was urging him to do something.

Under the protection of Siedling, Blue Mallow raised the crystal ball high. A blue light, matching the color of the crystal ball, spread like an aurora, and his purple hair fluttered softly.

Surprisingly, the field’s benefits also extended to our side—Daisy and Elder. Not only did Elder’s area-of-effect healing become stronger… but Daisy also began to counterattack. The grass on the ground was specialized for a normal field.

“Is it not done yet?”

“You strong ones… hold on a bit longer…. If you can’t even endure that… what use are you…?”

Compared to the noisy dryads shouting, Mallow seemed quite relaxed. Mesquite, sensing what they were trying to do, stepped to the front.

From far away from Blue Mallow, Mesquite began shooting sand to draw all the fire’s attention to herself. The fires that had been spreading everywhere all converged on Mesquite, and the attack-type dryads’ power also started concentrating in one place.

“Defense types sure are enviable…. Learn from them a bit….”

“You can’t even last a minute when faced with fire! All you’ve got is a big mouth!”

Periwinkle nervously whipped the fire and shouted at Mallow, who—despite her frowning expression—still spoke her mind even in that situation. The way the fire tore apart seemed as if it were standing in for Mallow.

“I’ll learn!”

On the other hand, Kadon shouted with a voice full of determination. As the fire swarmed Mesquite, she earnestly swung her spiked club, while I could see her eyeing Mesquite from the corner of her eye.

Ah, I don’t really like that guy. Our Mesquite!

“You’re an attack type! Idiot!”

I could see Periwinkle’s whip intentionally brushing past Kadon and tearing the fire apart.

Suddenly, a fragrant herbal scent reached my nose. In the fluffy floating water droplets, resembling Mallow’s crystal ball, I could see soot from the fire clinging together in clumps.

“Ash floated onto the water…. The types of leaves… fortunately are ones I know…. They’ve had quite a feast…. There’s good news… and bad news…. Which do you want to hear first…?”

“Me! Good news first!”

What could possibly get worse in this situation? Let’s at least have some hope.

Like a witherling, I had no ability to fight alongside dryads, so I stuck close to Elder, who seemed the safest among us, and shouted.

“The ones that just came out… six normals… three rares… At our current level… we can handle them without trouble… I don’t see anything… with special powers… Belladonna, use your sorcery.”

Belladonna, who had joined Mesquite’s side, stepped back at those words. The spot she vacated was immediately filled by Kalmia’s bullets, and Mesquite seemed able to focus on defense without issue.

Belladonna moved toward the witherling. She suddenly handed her weapon to the witherling.

As soon as the witherling grasped her weapon, I witnessed another bizarre phenomenon. Belladonna vanished, and in her place, purple bell-shaped flowers bloomed.

They seemed to stretch their stems and burrow into the witherling’s heart. Or rather, they looked like they were being absorbed by the witherling. Wrapped in flower stems, he suddenly began to resemble a large tree.

As I recognized this, my chest pounded. My heart raced violently, and my head grew hot.

The leaves of the tree shape overlaying the witherling turned black. As the witherling swung Belladonna’s weapon, black orbs formed all around and flew toward the flames swarming Mesquite.

The orbs burst before even touching, spewing black liquid, and the flames hit by the liquid all halted their movement, their blazing momentum beginning to weaken.

Daisy barely managed to score the first kill. At the same time, all the halted flames from Kalmia’s storm of bullets snuffed out like candles on a cake.

“What’s that now?”

A high-level druid even uses dryad powers. Just how boundless is a druid’s power? This makes the gap with a low-level like me look enormous.

It feels like it’s saying, “You can’t do this, can you?”!

The flames that had surged high into the sky suddenly subsided, revealing the carriage again. The carriage began to tremble once more. Was it transitioning to the next phase? Mesquite returned to my side to prepare for what’s next.

“My master, Jae. That was a Graft. It amplifies power by grafting a branch of a dryad’s soul onto a druid’s soul. It’s a power you’ll surely be able to use someday, Jae.”

Mesquite’s gentle voice sounded like comfort, as if worried I might be discouraged.

I felt a bit of inferiority, but it’s okay, since it’s a power I can use someday! I’ll grow up fast and swing Mesquite’s lance someday!

The carriage flung its doors wide open once more. The surge of flames erupting from it was even fiercer than before. Hmm… this doesn’t look good. Wait. I heard the good news. Don’t tell me there’s bad news too?

Mallow, catching my gaze, pointed at the single blue droplet remaining as all the others vanished.

“Among those that haven’t come out yet… there seems to be a Unique grade one… Depending on the situation, we might all have to… run away… If we can break through the barrier…”

“We don’t run. If we don’t stop it here, the damage will spread.”

Siedling said, handing over a weapon to Belladonna, who had appeared out of nowhere. Yeah, you’re right. Where would we even go? We made it this far—we have to see the boss croak! After all this trouble, the reward must be massive!

“Once you see what’s coming out now… you might change your mind…”

Mallow muttered gloomily. At the same time, bullets—no, seeds—just like Kalmia’s started raining from the carriage. But looking closely, they weren’t bullets. Were they seeds?

“Don’t let them touch you!”

Unlike our situation with Mesquite holding a shield, over there, without a defensive type, they were in chaos that not even Elder’s area-of-effect healing could fix right away.

Everyone looked pitiful, with burns all over their bodies. The ground was no exception. Small red circles formed around where the seeds landed, and soon after, flames burst with a bang.

You could dodge the ground by watching the circles, but the seeds that stuck directly to your body were impossible to avoid as they exploded.

Despite the artifact field Siedling summoned, the surroundings turned into a minefield of explosions. The barrier shrank. As our range of action narrowed, the damage from it started to grow.

“In such a cramped space, there’s no way to dodge that kind of AoE attack!”

Periwinkle was trying to knock back the incoming seeds with his whip, but it seemed insufficient. Even from a distance, I could see his whip getting damaged.

Elder’s area heal couldn’t restore equipment damage. Even if health was recovered, once equipment started breaking at this rate, the longer the fight dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became for us.

Thanks to Mesquite’s defense, we took less direct damage. But if the decent offensive Dryads on that side got taken out, even if we survived, the future looked grim.

We were so busy defending that we couldn’t even try to attack.

To make matters worse, the carriage started spewing lava forward again. We had to dodge both the wide-range fire that had swallowed the Unique grade and the carriage’s attacks.

In an instant, the tables turned. If the Unique was that strong… Siedling’s words that the fire that swallowed Mesquite would be a disaster itself finally hit home.

“Elder! Don’t you have any more skills hidden away? Any saved-up moves? You’re an amazing Dryad! You’re the only healer, so you’re our last hope!”

You druids claim you couldn’t recruit a healer, what have you been doing! Can’t you see my child, with a face on the verge of death, casting a wide-area heal?

In fact, even while pressuring the Elder like this, I know they’re giving it their all. When everyone was frantic to dodge, the Elder was the only one who maintained the same momentum from start to finish.

The light emanating from the staff never dimmed in the slightest, and the rising petals were still as vivid as if they had just fallen from their branches.

The fact that we weren’t wiped out in this horrifying onslaught was largely thanks to the Elder’s efforts.

They even pick up the dryads that look about to collapse. The healer responsible for the team’s support always silently does their work from the rear.

Even in this grim situation, the Elder’s very existence was a blessing and a hope.

Suddenly, a churning sensation from deep in my chest surged up again. My heart pounded as if I had sprinted at full speed.

When did the Elder’s staff start shining like that? As if the surroundings had flashed, the Elder’s form appeared starkly and vividly.

The Elder’s eyes, tightly shut to focus power, opened heavily. Meeting those emerald eyes tinged with dark green, my mind blazed hot.

This feeling. That’s it. There’s still something I can do—no, something you and I can do. Finally, the moment has come for me to step up!

The Elder’s form reflected a beautiful white flower branch that looked just like them. We moved simultaneously, as if by some prior agreement.

The moment the Elder pulled the staff from the ground, the light that had been surging like the surface of a raging sea cut off abruptly. The eyes of the dryads, who had been watching us in despair, widened. The Elder’s staff passed to me.

It felt as if I had become one single, massive tree. Though I was human, I felt as though my outstretched arms were branches, and my standing legs were tree roots.

Everything felt so natural that it seemed as if my dryads always calling me the small world tree was like calling out my name.

From the moment I gripped the Elder’s staff, my body seemed to emit the sweet floral scent they always carried. It felt as if part of my body had become an elderflower. The blossoming of my soul.

The sky darkened in an instant. The surroundings grew dim so rapidly that it subdued even the blazing fury of the fire. Rain began to pour down from the gathered clouds like a burst dam.

This is a graft, a linked skill, between me, the druid, and the elderflower. Bluish water droplets poured down refreshingly, like a midsummer monsoon rain.