Incarnations.
Also called angels.
Since ancient times, they had relayed the will of God to the earth and were celestial guardians who obeyed God's commands.
However, most of them lost their lives in the war that occurred tens of thousands of years ago or had to leave this land.
After the end of the war was declared, and after an incredibly long time had passed, the stories about incarnations were only passed down as old murals left in ruins and legends recounted orally.
Nevertheless, it was clear that there were still incarnations on this earth to protect God's will.
"…"
Deep within the underground dungeon.
An elf was intently watching the other side of a small mirror.
In a distant past where even memories had become faint, she, who was guarding the deepest part of the dungeon according to the command of the World Tree, her mother and her god, sensed someone had invaded the dungeon a few days ago.
At first, she thought they were just common grave robbers and quickly lost interest.
After all, those things wouldn't even cross the threshold of the first floor and would disappear, becoming nutrients for the dungeon.
But this grave robber who came this time was different.
Clearly, when he was fighting the monsters of the first floor, he was so weak.
She was sure that he wouldn't last long and would die if he ran into the gatekeeper.
But.
"…?"
The guy who was struggling even against ordinary monsters defeated the gatekeeper of the first floor in an instant.
What changed?
Did he gain enlightenment in the meantime?
It was a surprise she had felt for the first time in a long time, but it was just something she could brush off.
After all, with his skills, he wouldn't be able to reach this place. Due to the special nature of the dungeon, it was impossible to bring an army.
She was a little surprised by the actions of the grave robber who had come after a long time, but in the end, she believed that he would die soon.
She had no doubt about it.
However, when he retreated from the dungeon for a while to reorganize and returned, an issue arose that she could not overlook.
"…That's…"
She felt the divine power of the World Tree from him.
Although the lingering divine power was so faint that it didn't even reach the level of an ordinary priest's toes, he was more closely connected to the World Tree than anyone else, perhaps even more than the Elf Queen.
What that meant was only one thing.
The strongest existence with fate, besides the saints and saintesses who were directly chosen by God.
He was a hero.
But the World Tree had never chosen a hero until now. Moreover, the opponent was a human.
It was a situation that was hard to believe even though she was watching with her own eyes.
Yurein's eyes narrowed at the sight.
In fact, when he returned to the dungeon, he had become stronger than ever before.
Although she didn't feel any divine power from the tip of his sword, it was clear that he had something if he could become that strong in a short period.
That thought complicated her mind.
If he was indeed the World Tree's hero, why did he come here?
Did the World Tree need the relic she was guarding?
If that was the case, instead of sending a hero who hadn't grown up to the dungeon, the World Tree could have given her a revelation as before, and it would have been resolved.
"Growth…?"
At that moment, one assumption flashed through her mind.
What if the reason the World Tree sent a hero who hadn't grown up here was for growth?
And if it was to reach the deepest part someday and take her away?
After an immeasurably long time, Yurein's eyes sparkled.
Then she had a duty to help the World Tree's new hero grow.
"Surely… the gatekeeper of the 3rd floor was a Minotaur."
There weren't many factors that could interfere with the upper floors from the deepest part, but it was possible to strengthen monsters.
She used the authority she had received from the World Tree to strengthen the Minotaur and watched the situation closely.
If Yurein's expectations were correct, the current hero's skills wouldn't be enough to face the Minotaur. Of course, she saw a small possibility when she saw him accompanied by a beastman-like summon, but it wouldn't be easy.
Nevertheless, heroes always overcome difficulties and create miracles.
'I just need to help him not die.'
Even if the hero lost to the Minotaur, she had no intention of letting him die.
His life and death were up to the World Tree to decide.
She was just helping him grow a little.
She manipulated a golem to attack them from behind and gave it a concealment function so that it wouldn't be caught by magic detection.
As she expected, the two, who were already exhausted, began to flee to avoid the monsters.
It wasn't difficult to guide them to a certain point.
And she sent the Minotaur, who was supposed to be guarding the stone gate, to them.
What would the hero do in a situation where he had to face a strong enemy that he couldn't be sure of victory even in perfect condition, with an exhausted body?
To be honest, she expected him to struggle.
But as if to laugh at that expectation, the two succeeded in driving the Minotaur to the brink of death.
The beastman's strike, which seemed to have broken through his limits for a moment, and the hero's lightning showed tremendous power that would have killed the Minotaur before she strengthened him.
Although the beastman collapsed and the hero's body was tattered, the teamwork the two showed was enough to embarrass her.
Of course, it seemed that the victory or defeat was visible as the Minotaur recovered from his injuries, but he had already succeeded in proving his qualifications as a hero.
'Now I just need to save him…'
Just as she was about to subdue the Minotaur and recover the hero with her remaining authority.
A situation unfolded that she couldn't believe with her own eyes.
The hero, who had suddenly recovered his physical condition, began to confront the Minotaur alone. At first glance, it seemed that the hero was pushing the Minotaur back.
Surprisingly, he was still hiding his strength.
He was steadily cutting down the Minotaur's life as a stream of lightning, but even that was reaching its limit.
As soon as she saw him on the verge of death, having become nearly dead from the Minotaur's attack, she regained her mind and reached out to save him.
But.
'His eyes…'
The clear brilliance beyond his eyes made her fingertips tremble.
Eventually, the lightning spear he created succeeded in blowing away the Minotaur's left arm, but that was it.
He didn't seem to have any more strength to move.
On the other hand, the Minotaur didn't seem to have much difficulty moving. Moreover, since he was recovering from his injuries with regeneration, the aftermath of his last squeezed attack would soon be in vain.
She thought it was over.
She clearly thought so.
But it was a moment.
He had received the Queen's blessing and recovered his physical condition, then he dove into the Minotaur's arms like a flash and split his waist.
And in that fleeting moment, he was steadily heading for the next stage.
Yurein stared blankly at the sight for a while.
***
1,000 coins.
That was the reward I received for defeating the Minotaur this time.
It was definitely more than when I dealt with the High Skeleton Mage, but that was only relative.
It was too little considering how many times I almost lost my life.
But paradoxically, thanks to that, I was sure.
'So, you're not going to forget your identity as a dating app.'
In fact, I'm being matched with women who are in particularly difficult situations, but if I had been matched with ordinary women instead, I wouldn't be getting coins as difficult as I am now.
I could simply have a few conversations, laugh and joke, and get the coins settled. Of course, I didn't regret meeting Iris and Cheon Yeohwa.
Anyway, in that sense, the amount of coins settled through matching wasn't small.
In comparison, hunting monsters is difficult and dangerous.
But the coins had to be accumulated through repeated hunting. It was as if the management team in an RPG was intentionally touching the amount of goods supplied for the sake of the market economy.
'…Still, if you catch a monster, you get expensive magic stones.'
Like this one now.
Ting-
[Information on the newly acquired item is being collected]
[A-Grade Magic Stone]
[Grade: Epic]
[This is a magic stone obtained by defeating an A-Grade sub-boss, the Minotaur]
[The purity is very high, guaranteeing high value in various aspects]
An A-grade magic stone, and it came from a sub-boss.
To be honest, I kept thinking it was strange while fighting.
No matter how much there is a racial correction value, the Minotaur was too strong compared to the gatekeeper of the second floor.
But all of that could be explained if the Minotaur was a sub-boss.
It's really a pain in the ass.
Of all the things, that kind of thing had to come out as a boss.
"Well… this isn't a game, and there's no way the difficulty would increase gradually like climbing stairs."
Besides, if I objectively recall the situation, I could have caught the Minotaur faster.
The blessing Iris gave me.
If I had fought the Minotaur in the state of receiving this blessing, which still has this ridiculous effect, the result would have been very different.
I didn't have to dope myself with potions at all.
From the beginning, it was strange that the gatekeeper didn't guard the gate to the next floor and came to catch intruders.
If that wasn't the case, I could have recovered my stamina and caught him without much difficulty in a blessed state.
Thinking about it again, it's really a pain in the ass, but what can I do about my fate?
I can't even complain to my deceased parents.
"Sigh."
Still, this made me feel a little better.
Ting-
[Information on the newly acquired item is being collected]
[Old Thread]
[Grade: Epic]
[Finds gaps in the barrier]
As soon as I saw the item description, I knew that this was the artifact that the World Tree had mentioned.
The description may seem weak because it is only one line compared to the epic grade, but on the contrary, it also means that everything is focused on that one ability.
1,000 coins, an A-grade magic stone from a sub-boss, and an artifact that will allow me to escape from the underground community with Iris.
At first glance, it seems that this is all I got from this battle, but the biggest thing is still left.
I lightly reached out to an empty area.
[Fire Ball]
The fireball, which was created in an instant, flew away in the blink of an eye.
Kwaang!!
A tremendous storm and high heat, which were incomparable to the previous fireball, swirled through the wind.
While watching the scene, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the mana circle.
Generally, what represents the level of a magician is the number of rings that surround the heart.
"…Is this even possible?"
No matter how many times I checked, nothing had changed.
The two rings that were clearly there had somehow increased to four.