Terrarium Adventure - Chapter 32

The feeling of victory was sweet. The harder the battle the bigger the sense of accomplishment. There was a huge crater in the middle of the ground due to the large explosion and the black smoke remained in the air. But they did it, they had defeated the fire.

Their surroundings looked devastating…but they had eradicated the cause of it….

I suddenly felt depressed after realizing how difficult the battle had been…just when I had promised Dandelion I could easily and confidently get rid of the fires.

What were we going to do? And who was that other druid who had managed to wipe out all the fires before us? When we were struggling so much…

If that druid before us didn’t wipe out the numbers, would we have been in greater danger? Maybe I was wrong to curse him or her for wiping out the hunting ground and he or she was actually a good person…

It occurred to me that Dandelion was an amazing druid for protecting her colony from these fires. Shit…I need to become stronger fast.

I gave the driards potions to heal their injuries. Then I noticed that Daisy was wearing matching gloves, boots, jackets, and pants. It seems she had grown from this battle.

Elder’s robe had become more extravagant and Mesquite’s cape had silver embroidery of her own flower.

Yes, if everyone continued to grow like this we will soon match up to be on par with the other druid.

“Oh! Druid, look over there!”

Daisy who had been opening the lid to the potion pointed at the spot where the fire had died out. I followed Daisy’s gaze and saw an object glowing with a blue light.

It was easy to spot as it contrasted with the black charred spot. The object was something very familiar to me.

What was a diamond doing there? It couldn’t be that it slipped out of my pocket during the battle. And I definitely didn’t throw it. I hope Mesquite doesn’t suspect it’s me.

“Why is there a diamond here? I swear it wasn’t me! I swear!”

I picked up the diamond, dusted the ash away. I looked at it from all angles, it was definitely a diamond.

“Yes master Jay, It came from the fire.”

“Why would this come from the fire? Do they drop items too? But nothing had come out of the ones we had caught before.”

“To be exact…”

Mesquite’s expression turned serious once again.

“Only a fire that has absorbed a driard or part of the world tree will leave a diamond behind. Driards content the sap of the world tree so it will burn and crystalize inside the fire to become a compressed power. And because it is surrounded by the souls of driards that could not return to the world tree, it was not able to absorb the power of the diamond. This is a different case from you throwing the diamonds directly at the fires.”

To think that this was the remains of another driard made me shudder.

“I’m sure it had consumed one of the children from the dandelion colony. The powder the fire had sprouted just now….were the white seeds of a dandelion driard.”

So that’s what it meant to absorb the power of a driard…to consume them?

To think that this was the remains of one of those small driards that had run around playfully at the heart of the colony.

Even now the thought of them running around in their yellow apparel with a white cotton cane lingered in front of my eyes.

The children who had run about playfully were so small, and as the owner of Daisy a small and young seedling, it had made me empathetic and care for them as my own.

How had this poor child strayed so far away from Dandelion and ended up being consumed by an evil fire? A stabbing sensation ran through my heart.

So there were other horrible ways a diamond was formed. Just like how Mesquite had mentioned there were other ways a diamond was formed in a wallet.

No wonder she had changed the subject with a sad expression during that time. I wish I had never found out, and sighed.

We must wipe out everything within the parameters of the colony. So that no more young dandelion driards ended up this way. That was the best I could do now.

It was not the time to feel depressed while comparing myself to the druid that was ahead of us. I’ll just think of that Druid as a high-level one.

I’m sure if I leveled up I wouldn’t be too far being that good. Next time if I ever crossed paths with that druid I’ll make sure I learned a few of his or her hunting methods.

***

Afterward, we ran about following the guidance of the white seeds to find other fires.

Perhaps we had encountered the strongest one during our first round, the other fires were easier to eliminate than we had worried. And as we started to level up, we gained speed in wiping them out.

I was worried that we might encounter another fire that had consumed a driard, but most fires were ordinary. They took the form of a human, but they were just a little bigger and stronger than the terrarium fires.

Just how much that druid had moved about? All the fires in the area took on the form of a human.

After a long period of time just as we were about to finish clearing out the surrounding, and were on the opposite side of where we had fought the fire that had consumed the driard, we met another one.

From a glance, it was obvious that it had consumed the powers of a driard. Before the powder explosion, I was unable to tell, but now I could sense there was something mildly different about them.

It was a fire, but if you looked closely you could sense a sort of liveliness. It was burning so madly you could mistake the fire to be full of life.

I stared at the fire from a distance.

“That fire…has it? It seems like….”

“Jay, are you thinking that it’s like the fire we first saw?”

“Hmm, Mesquite haven’t you noticed? Or am I wrong? That one does feel a little different. I hope I am mistaken but it feels like it has consumed a driard.”

“Then we must eliminate it in one shot.”

Was that possible? The first didn’t die off in one shot even with Mesquite’s powerful and clean attack and split into smaller parts. Daisy was stronger now but not enough to pull off the same strength as Mesquite.

If Mesquite couldn’t achieve a one kill then even if Daisy attacked with her specialized attack wouldn’t it be a risk? Even if Elder’s luck buffer….

“Can you do it? Hmm, I’m not suspecting your strength but we couldn’t’ accomplish it during our previous battle.”

I wish there was an ornament that could increase Mesquite’s power like the red ruby ring Elder had. Or something like a cash shop in a game for me to buy items that I need. If I had the money I would purchase all the special equipment I could afford.

Mesquite looked at her lens at my comment and made a small smile.

“I think it might be possible now?”

Had something changed? To me, the lens appeared the same as before. Whenever I leveled up and the driards unlocked a new level, it was evident in their evolved weapons or items.

Perhaps the speed of leveling up was inversely proportional based on their ranks as Daisy looked entirely different from when she had first started. Elder appeared more fanciful and grand while Mesquite had changed the least.

“Mesquite is probably right. We all have unlocked new skills. Probably because the size of your soul has expanded, allowing us to deepen our roots. So that we can use stronger and many more skills.”

Elder commented while looking at his own stick. Elder’s description made them sound like plants being repotted to grow in a bigger pot. Since plants spread their roots and grew bigger in larger pots.

“I’m not sure about that kid Daisy, but Mesquite originally has a lot of skills she can use. But to accommodate your small soul Mesquite is intentionally holding back. Because the space where she can spread the roots of her soul is limited due to yours being too small. And she is obviously holding back in case your soul shatters from the sudden expansion.”

“That will never happen. I will never hurt master Jay.”

“I know I’m just putting it out there.”

It’s my fault that I am a small soul…! I am sorry that the size of my soul is the size of a paper cup…!

“Master Jay, don’t take it upon yourself.”

A cold gauntlet gently lay on my cheeks. In contrast, Mesquite’s warm eyes lay on me.

“Jay you are growing at immense speed. To a surprising extent. You can take pride in the fact that you have grown faster than anyone. Because of you all of us need not worry and stay crouched in one place. We will show you. Just like your growth. I will show you my sharply and strongly gathered determination.”

I nodded my head, entranced by her righteous eyes. How could I possibly suspect you! Please show me! I promise not to miss out on anything!

Mesquite sent her shield to her back. Unlike usual, she grabbed her lens with two hands.

As she walked towards the fire, Elder planted his stick into the ground. The healing cast that Elder had used during our first battle was cast in place once more.

Centering the stick she planted, a tornado of white petals started. There were no injured driard but to use the healing spell. I thought this was a waste of energy but Elder seemed unaffected.

“This is the new skill I can use with the expanded roots of my soul.”

The white light melted away like snow as Mesquite’s steel boots stepped on them.

The fire identified Mesquite as soon as she entered the battling arena.

As Mesquite positioned her right leg behind and lowered her stance a sand storm enveloped her and her lens. The light of the storm was terrifying.

The fire lifted its arms to make its first attack. And as if that was her mark to start, she shot out.

The lens that poured out like arrows led the sand storm and pierced the center of the fire. Like a sandcastle wiped out by a large wave, the fire disappeared in a blink of an eye.

“That’s the power of Mesquite now that the roots of her souls have expanded. She focused on attacking than defending so her impacts are greater than usual.”

I knew of such warriors from various games I had played in the past. Those that had crazy in their title due to their immense strength or skill.

They had inversely proportional levels of defense to their level of attack. Instead of increasing their stamina or defense power, they grew on their attack and speed. Somehow it suited Mesquite.

Taking a step back, Elder and Mesquite seemed to complement each other’s skills. I knew that due to the relationship of their souls’ Elder’s buffer worked better on Mesquite than Daisy, and now I could see why. They were like a match made in heaven.

With the last fire wiped out by Mesquite, there were no other dandelion seeds to follow. Seeing how there were no more, the fires in the area must have been wiped out.

“Mmm….Then am I able to use such great skills in my attack too?

Daisy, who had shared her attack position in the last battle, asked. She who had been quietly observing Mesquite must have been curious.

Oh, dear! How was I to answer her? Daisy was growing at the same speed as I was, and if what Elder said was true, she would need to display a new set of skills.

There had been no difference in her display of skills compared to when she had wiped out the fires near the fire.

Was there no help option? Guidance from above?