5.

Until five minutes ago, Gu Min-Soo had thought that this dungeon would be his and his companions’ grave.

   The moment the unknown monster neutralized him and transformed into his own form, the ending of this tragedy was already set in stone.

There was nothing he could do in that situation.

   He could only hope for a quick death.

   But the monster deliberately kept him alive, as if it enjoyed his reaction.

   It didn’t stop there.

   It showed him the whole process in front of his eyes, as if it wanted him to see how it was deceiving him.

   Throughout the process, Gu Min-Soo could only cry out as he watched his trusted colleagues being replaced one by one by the monster.

   But his cries failed to reach anyone, and the more he cried out, the more the monster laughed darkly and mocked him.

   Those were the hours of despair.

   There were moments when it was more painful to be alive, when there was no hope at all.

   Hiss-!

   “Gah!”

   Then a miracle happened in front of him.

   Gu Min-Soo had never believed in miracles in his life, but it could only be called a miracle.

   In front of him stood a man he had never seen before, dressed in strange clothes.

   At first glance, the man looked like he was wearing a priest’s robe.

   White flames emanated from the man’s body, consuming the entire body of the monster that had been imitating him and constantly deceiving him.

   ‘I’m dreaming.

   Gu Min-Soo muttered to himself as he looked at the scene.

   Maybe this was just another one of the monster’s nasty tricks.

   But soon, he was forced to deny his thoughts.

   The warmth from the flames was too warm to be a dream.

   The creature was screaming nonstop, but it reminded him of his mother’s embrace.

   And through that warmth, the man’s voice echoed in his ears.

“Gu Min-Soo. Since you are the one who must have suffered the most in this dungeon, I will give you a choice.”

   Gu Min-Soo couldn’t help but be stunned by his words.

   “Do you recognize me……?”

   Until now, no one had recognized him.

   Even his colleagues, who had worked together for five years, looked at him like a monster, wondering if he had fallen victim to a monster’s trick.

   So, no matter how much he shouted at them to run away, they didn’t understand.

   But the man in front of him was different.

   He looked him right in the eye and smiled bitterly.

“I have good eyesight. Oh, I’m a little late in introducing myself, but I’m In Wook’s hyung.”

   “In Wook…….”

   That was the name of his favorite dongsaeng.

He’s young, but he’s a cute and quirky kid who does a lot of editing on MyTube to support his sister and grandma.

   He even told me he has an older brother.

However, he had also heard the grim story that the older brother had disappeared five years ago, so who was this man in front of him claiming to be In Wook’s older brother?

   Gu Min-Soo thought about it for a moment, but then stopped.

It wouldn’t change anything.

   The man nodded slightly at Gu Min-Soo’s reaction, then continued, still holding the monster by the scruff of the neck.

   “You have one of two choices, Gu Min-Soo.”

   Gu Min-Soo could already anticipate the man’s next words.

   It was something he had already guessed from the moment the creature had taken him from him.

   That’s why he nodded his head and said before the man even spoke.

   “Kill me. I had guessed it from the moment that monster took me. I would rather die at the hands of a human being like…….”

“Wow, you have a vivid imagination, hyung-nim. Listen to what people say, please.”

   The man smiled as if amused by Gu Min-Soo’s words and continued.

   “First. Smash this guy’s head off once and for all. Number two. Burn him to death with a flame like I’m doing now. For your information, I recommend the second method. It’s much more painful, and as you can see, this guy can feel pain.”

   Hmph!

   With the man’s words, the flames became even more intense than before.

   “Chhhhhhh!”

   The monster’s screams became even louder.

   The pure white flames eventually spread to the spot where Gu Min-Soo was, enveloping his body, but they didn’t harm him at all.

   It was a stark contrast to the monster writhing in agony.

If this is not a miracle, what is?

   Gu Min-Soo simply cried as he looked at the miracle that had happened to him.

   Whether they were tears of relief that his life had been saved, or tears of self-pity for the men he had failed to protect in front of him, he couldn’t tell, but it didn’t matter.

   In this moment of miracle, there was only one thing he wanted.

   Gu Min-Soo bit his lip hard enough to make it bleed, then turned to the man and shouted.

   “Painfully. Please kill it painfully!”

   At his shout, which was a mixture of countless emotions, the man smiled in satisfaction and replied.

“I like this spell. After all, demons are best killed by burning, so I’ll send them off the second way. I usually like them rare, but this time, I’ll make sure they’re Weldon rare.”

   Hiss!

   “Crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle!”

The monster’s body crumbled in the raging flames, and its screams continued for a long time before it was completely consumed.

   Gu Min-Soo prayed that the monster’s painful death would at least bring a little comfort to his unjustly killed comrades.

   How much time passed?

   The monster’s body lay in a heap on the ground, completely reduced to ash.

And in front of Gu Min-Soo’s eyes, who was staring blankly, a white-bordered message window appeared that he hadn’t seen before.

   [You have been saved through the Holy Flame].

[You have achieved the hidden feat <Salvation>].

   [The God of the Otherworld responds to your tears].

   A moment after the message window appeared, a dazzlingly beautiful woman emerged from the remaining pure white flames.

   Goddess.

   Why was that the only word that popped into his head after being an atheist his entire life?

   Emerging from the flames, she gently embraced Gu Min-Soo, who stood dumbfounded and said.

   “It’s not your fault.”

   “Ah…… ah…….”

   The miracle was still going on.

   

6.

   

   The situation ended on its own when the doppelganger was completely annihilated.

   

   [You have cleared the Abyss dungeon, which will automatically disappear in 1 hour].

   [You have earned 50 <Divinity Points> as a reward for clearing the dungeon].

   [You have completed the quest <Salvation>. You will receive 100 <Divinity Points> as a reward].

   

   “Tsk.”

   I clicked my tongue as I scanned the message window.

   Rewards aside, the whole situation was less than pleasant.

   My mouth felt even sourer when I remembered the ease with which I’d left the house this morning.

   I wondered if there would have been fewer casualties if I had come yesterday.

   Of course, the worst was avoided.

   I was able to save as many people as I could before the doppelganger’s play was over, which was the best of both worlds.

   Now that the danger was out of the way, there was something equally important to think about.

“I thought it would be years before I saw you again. You shouted so urgently before we parted ways. I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

“That’s because of our Pope’s hard work! I told you I’d see you soon, hehe.”

“Usually, in such a situation, it’s at least a year before I see you again. I didn’t realize it would only be three days.”

   “I’m so happy to see Shi Yu’s face like this again!”

Somehow, in the midst of the furor I had caused earlier, Limen appeared.

As soon as she appeared, she healed Gu Min-Soo’s wounds, and Gu Min-Soo immediately fainted.

   It was a common phenomenon for people who were new to holy power, so I wasn’t surprised.

   I sat down on the folding chair and asked Limen.

   “How long this time?”

“Mmm, about five minutes this time, too. It’s because the environment here is a bit unusual. There’s a dimensional rift that’s only open here. I sensed Shi Yu’s holy flame through it, and it came right through, just like that.”

   A dimensional gap.

   I wonder if it’s related to the Abyssal Dungeon.

   “That’s something I’ll have to investigate.”

“You pretend to hate me on the outside, but on the inside, you want to see my face often. Isn’t that how you always are, Shi Yu?”

“Cut the crap, you don’t usually like to heal humans yourself, do you? What did you heal Gu Min-Soo for?”

Even in Eden, it was quite rare for Limen to manifest herself, and I had only seen her heal someone with her powers a few times.

   In response to my question, Limen smiled gently.

   “He seems like a good person. There’s nothing bad about someone who blames himself for the death of a comrade, and most of all, isn’t he part of Shi Yu’s plan?”

   “Sort of.”

   “Shi Yu’s trying to do something in a barren area, so if he’s someone who can help him, we should help him.”

   With that, Limen sat down in the chair next to me and locked eyes with me.

   Goddesses are goddesses, and they’re pretty when they look at you like that.

   She was the one who took me to the other world, but in the end, her choice was the right one.

What if she hadn’t taken me to Eden?

   I might have been the one who died in this dungeon today, pranked by a doppelganger.

   “Shi Yu.”

   “Tell me.”

   “I know it’s been a short time, but how do you think Shi Yu’s hometown has changed from what it used to be?”

   I frowned at the question for a moment, then sighed and answered.

   “Bizarre, from one to ten.”

   “There’s one thing I didn’t tell you back then because I didn’t have time. Listen.”

   Remen took my hand as before and spoke carefully.

   “The laws of causality that apply throughout the dimensional plane also apply to beings of the Divine Realm. Therefore, according to that law of causality, the Gods from another dimension cannot have influence on Earth.”

“Then what the hell is happening to us? You just healed Gu Min-Soo with your powers.”

   “That’s why we have to be careful in the future.”

She gave me a worried look and continued.

“Causality is like a scale, and if Earth’s causality authorized Shi Yu and my contract, that means there’s something just as heavy on the other side of the scale.”

“And I’ll have to learn about that heaviness in the future?”

   “I’m afraid so.”

“…… understood.”

In other words, don’t mess around.

   The sudden appearance of monsters on a perfectly good planet was certainly a bit of a head-scratcher.

   Either way, it was one more homework assignment.

   I sighed in frustration, then looked at Limen and said.

“Okay.”

   “Aren’t you mad at me?”

   “Why would I be angry with you? I have no reason to be angry when you’re doing such a good job of following up. Do you think I have a personality disorder?”

“Hmm.”

“What is that silence supposed to mean?”

   “You be the judge of that, Shi Yu.”

Limen grinned mischievously, then stood up from her chair again.

I guess it’s time for her to go already.

   I’ve gotten to know her for ten years, and it’s a shame that it’s time to say goodbye again.

   “Next time, let’s take a picture together.”

   “A photo? What’s that?”

   “There is such a thing. A picture of you as you are. If I have a picture of you, maybe the congregation will walk in the door.”

   “I’ll take that as a compliment on my beauty, Shi Yu. Thank you.”

   Li Men smiled and waved at me.

“Next time, I’d like to see you again in the light, not in the dark like this. You know what you have to do to make that happen, right?”

   “What do I have to do?”

   “Make it easier for me to manifest, of course. Build a temple for me. And get a lot of worshippers.”

   Build a temple for Limen in Korea…….

   That’s not going to be an easy task.

   Land in a decent place is so expensive.

   “See you later, Shi Yu.”

   “Go home.”

   Hmph-.

   Limen disappeared in a flame just as she had come, and I stared wordlessly at the spot where she had disappeared for a long time.

I wonder how long I stood there speechless.

   “Heh heh heh.”

Soon, Gu Min-Soo, who had passed out on the floor, woke up, shivering as if he had been electrocuted, and I turned to greet him.

“Are you awake? How are you feeling?”

“What about Goddess……?”

   “Too bad. She just left.”

At my answer, Mr. Minsoo rolled his eyes a few times, but then he asked me in an eager voice.

   “Is it possible for me to see the Goddess…… again?”

   I couldn’t help but smile wryly when I heard his question.

   After a moment, I offered him the chair where Limen had been sitting just a moment before and said,

“Well, that’s something we’ll have to figure out slowly as we share the good word.”