Terrarium Adventure - Chapter 41

I grabbed the network signal, and we ran using the shortest distance to breakthrough.

We already had good formation from fighting in several battles and were able to push in without hesitation.

Mesquite drew attention to the fires pushing in from right and left, and Daisy flew like a bee, killing those around us.

A large-scale battle like this would certainly have been difficult if we didn’t have a battle earlier. Isn’t this the perfect difficulty level to be wiped out for those who are not ready?

Not only was the size of the fire large, a huge number of enemies rushed in without a break.

This made it clear. The 26th administrator who gave the quest was a scammer! What kind of beginner quest is this?

This is only possible because it’s me with my dryads. Others would have to retire before they even get close to here!

Mesquite raised a huge sand wall to the left side where Daisy had swept the enemies away. He raised another sand wall after Daisy took care of the right side.

Fire rushed in front of Mesquite.

Mesquite quickly abandoned his defense and turned to attack. He threw the lance powerfully at the fire in front.

The fire was extinguished at once like candles struck with a bat. The space in front of them suddenly became empty.

My hands flinched with the urge to clap. At that very moment, Elder said it was time, held me up, and started running forward.

Wait a second. Tell me in advance. It’s hard to breathe because you’re squishing my stomach. 

I felt like a load on a bicycle going through a rough dirt road. I barely focused my eyes and looked at the screen of my cell phone.

I saw a message telling me that we were approaching the adjacent terrarium artifact.

Where are you? I got a signal for a rescue request. Draw SOS over your head… Hey, look there, there!

I slapped the Elder’s arm and pointed to a place where there was a man buried in a huge tree.

Everything was burned to black, except for the surrounding area, which was unusually fine and clean.

They had barely pushed through the front, and the fire began to fill the cleared space again, like seawater erasing footprints on the shore.

I wanted to get closer but didn’t want to draw the fire’s attention and become a nuisance.

Is it too early to use your ultimate skill? I looked at Elder. He suddenly dropped me off instead of answering me, and I fell into his big arms without warning.

Elder held out his staff and I held it with him in an absurd mood. His hem fell to my shoulders, and his large hand covered my hand.

The staff we held together became swept in white light.

“It is a little too early.”

I felt that something was lacking unlike in the battle with the wagon boss. I didn’t feel like I was a small world tree anymore.

This is what he meant by being too early. A sweet scent emerged, and the mist emanated from the staff began to envelop the area.

We were able to build a decent line of defense thanks to Mesquite who completely abandoned defense and lanced at the enemies and Daisy who stopped dodging and flew here and there. I could see that the fire could not easily penetrate the fog.

Water vapor spewed out of the area where the fire touched the fog. It shrunk the fire’s size and the fire quickly retreated as a result. The fire that managed to get into the fog was taken care of by my dryads.

Seeing as the dwarves are silent… I am probably not the source of the diamond. I need to refill the diamonds before they start whining. The fog was maintained even after I removed my hand from the staff.

I slipped out from under Elder’s arm and carefully approached the tree with the buried man.

Dozens of tree trunks rising from the ground trapped the old man like a prison cell. The old man was holding a round shield with closed eyes. Was he dead…?

The tree was dried up and looked powerless as if it would crumble at any moment. The dried leaves of the trees were being scattered around along with the ashes.

Nevertheless, there was a reason I thought that the tree was not dead yet. It was the small energy of life that resonated deep in the heart.

As if I was meeting someone who had been waiting for a long time, the swaying branches seemed to make welcome gestures at me.

As I got closer, the ground that touched my shoes began to sway like I was hallucinating. As I started to feel the tree’s sphere of influence, my phone suddenly rang.

Adjacent Terrarium Artifact: Scarecrow

The network will be automatically connected as an emergency rescue mode.

Formation of artifact network complete.

I saw an illusion of a net of roots stretching out from me and covering the tree. In that exact moment, the eyes of the old man, who had been firmly closed, slowly opened. The eyes that had lost their color was slowly revealed in the dark.

Then I realized that it was merely color that he had lost and not the power. It was tremendous power that could make one overwhelmed just by making eye contact.

The fence between the terrarium artifacts will be temporarily lifted and Stonehenge will be formed.

Stonehenge initiative: Jay 100%, Scarecrow 0%

“Finally… You’ve come this far… For a long time… I waited for a druid…”

A dry voice without a hint of moisture flowed out.

Should… I give him water? While I was stiff wondering what to do, the old man gripped his shield. The shield shattered into pieces, making a vain sound like when one would step on a sandcastle.

At the same time, the bark of the tree surrounding the old man fell. The branches were cut off, and the leaves became dust and disappeared.

The unknown power that was lingering on the floor disappeared. Then, smoke and ashes began to spurt out like crazy. It couldn’t even be compared to what had happened moments ago.

I suddenly wanted to burst into tears. The little thing that endlessly informed me of the existence of life was destroyed and I was left with a deep sense of emptiness.

A single charred and dried fruit lay in its place after the tree had completely disappeared.

“I have persisted for a long time… but… it was too much for me and my dryad.”

The old man who was walking towards me was about to fall down, so I rushed to support him. However, he refused to touch me.

He stood tall with his brittle legs, like a scarecrow in a paddy field. The old man’s hair shaking in the wind looked like straw.

“I am the last survivor… of the 28th terrarium. The administrative officer Scarecrow.”

I tried to take out a water bottle for him, but he refused. He said he didn’t need it anymore.

“I was maintaining a barrier to contain the fire within my last dryad viburnum and this terrarium. I couldn’t go out to ask for help since the other terrariums will be in danger the moment I were to leave.”

The old man touched his wrinkled hand and picked up the fruit that fell to the ground with a painful expression.

“There is a terrible fire inside. If this fire exits the terrarium, it will be a terrible disaster for all terrariums. My dryad… was using its last graft by consuming its life and my life. And now, we’re at our limit. I’m glad that a druid came in time.”

A graft that consumes life, huh.

“I don’t have any time left. Please save the 28th terrarium. You can do something as simple as being a messenger to announce the tragedy here. I will not ask you to exterminate the fire inside. I am just pleased to have met a druid before my life ended.”

He was certainly by my side, but an alarm rang signaling that a network connection was lost.

I tried to reach out to the old man, but Mesquite grabbed my hand. Then he carefully closed the old man’s eyes.

The old man standing upright froze in his place as if he was standing as a tree on behalf of his dryad who left him first.

As the last defense that the old man had been maintaining by consuming his life disappeared, a different and stronger energy hit us like a boiling pot with an open lid.

I was standing in shock from the brief, but intense meeting with the old man, when elder approached me and stretched out his staff. He grabbed my shoulders and said something creepy like “a druid’s corpse is good for feeding fire.”

White flower branches sprung up from around the old man and began to wrap around his body.

As Mesquite rolled his feet, the ground opened, and white flowering branches slowly dragged the old man down into the ground.

“What are we going to do? It certainly seems like a difficult task for us alone. Don’t you think we should go to another terrarium for help?”

Should I go back and ask for help? He said it was okay to simply be a messenger. It seemed that we certainly completed the quest since we have confirmed the situation of the 28th terrarium.

But now that the barriers that prevented the fire from going out have disappeared, aren’t all 20th terrariums really in an emergency?

If the fire becomes uncontrollable while I’m asking around for help… There was no reason to even worry anymore. Having come to a reasonable judgment, I turned around. Then, I heard something.

“Please come here…”

I had goosebumps at the sound of a song faintly heard in the wind. What? Who is it? Are you a ghost? The dryads looked at me with anxious eyes as I jumped in surprise.

“Who is it? Who just said it?”

Don’t play around. It’s not funny. I am weak at pranks like this. But no one answered my question.

“Help…”

I hear it again! However, everyone had their mouths closed.

At that moment, my left arm which had an artifact on, suddenly moved forward as if someone had pulled it. The artifact was pointing to the 28th terrarium.

“There is… still hope. You can wake up hope.”

Artifacts shimmered in accordance with the faint singing sound. I wasn’t some Elrod looking for some water vein… I was perplexed. They said to come. Should I go? No, who is even calling me into that fire pit?

“Are you going to go in?”

“It’s telling me to.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know… they’re telling me to come… and that there is still hope.”

Is there another person inside? But Scarecrow said he was the last survivor. What if this was a trap?

Hope… My child’s flower language was also hope. I was thinking about that when I saw Daisy looking quietly inside the terrarium.

Did Daisy feel something as well?