After leaving the team, the adventurer ladies regretted it deeply

And she stayed up even later than Lia.

They weren't the only ones.

Following the announcement from the World Tree Sanctum, the entire continent and all its races were in an uproar.

To become a Hero, to gain the favor of the World Tree Sanctum.

This opportunity could even affect entire races.

Humans had always been the strongest race on the Mystic Continent, with the Beastmen and Elves ranking below them.

The one hundred thousand Hero Stones gave the Beastmen and Elves a glimmer of hope.

They had to obtain more Hero Stones, surpass the humans!

Adventurers from all races were eager to try their luck.

The number of visits to the World Tree had doubled since that day.

Everything was in preparation to climb higher up the World Tree before the Hero Stones descended, increasing the chances of receiving one.

...

Meanwhile.

On a dirt road in the Sparrow District.

The dilapidated houses under the cover of night were like unsightly bulges.

The road was littered with trash of daily life, and occasionally, there were piles of excrement, releasing an unpleasant stench in the heat of the summer.

But the adventurers here were accustomed to it.

The Sparrow District might be a bit rundown, but at least it was within White Dove City, just a three or four-hour walk from the Secret Realm Square.

In contrast, outside the high walls of White Dove City lay a barren wilderness.

Even if there were towns to stay in, they weren't safe; one had to always be wary of Magical Creatures attacking from the wilderness, and even more so of their own kind.

Within White Dove City, the safety, along with the proximity to the World Tree, made the Sparrow District seem not so bad after all.

In the darkness of the night, a drunk man and woman approached.

Lin Da was supporting the unsteady Kafni, and couldn't help but cover his nose with a look of disgust on his face.

This Deity was too weak.

After just three big cups of Wheat Beer, she was stumbling and even vomited on his clothes.

Luckily they had set out together; had Kafni gone out alone, she most likely would have passed out at the entrance of the barbecue joint, becoming easy prey for opportunistic adventurers.

The large white panda bear would have been thoroughly plundered.

"Slow, slow down a bit."

"I'm going to throw up again."

Weak complaints from Kafni could be heard emanating from her throat.

Lin Da helplessly stopped, waiting for Kafni to catch her breath before moving on.

When they passed the Adventurer's Guild in the Sparrow District, he went inside. A bit of cool air in the lobby and some free hot water should make Kafni feel better.

The Adventurer's Guild was not very crowded late at night; the lobby was lined with rows of chairs like a bank from Lin Da's previous life, and at the far end were several windows for attending to various adventurer affairs.

Lin Da made Kafni comfortable in a chair and went to get a paper cup of water.

At the water dispenser, there was a large wooden board next to it, and in the center was a notice containing a trace of Magic Power.

As background, there was the verdant World Tree, emanating a firefly-like glow. Around the edges of the notice were gilt lines for decoration, clearly setting it apart from the other ordinary notices.

"An announcement from the World Tree Sanctum?"

Lin Da glanced over the content and had an epiphany.

Unbeknownst to him, the large autumn event, "Hero's Descent," had already begun in the mid-phase of the "Mystic Continent" game version 1.0.

Put simply, this was an event concocted by game planners to boost performance by draining the wallets of players.

Ten thousand Hero Stones were to be placed into the World Tree, with higher floors offering an increased chance of a Hero Stone drop when opening treasure chests.

In order to tackle higher floors, players could only open their wallets and let themselves be harvested like plump cash cows by the planners.

Within the game, the obtained Hero Stones could be traded, and their use was to obtain the 'Chosen Hero' title, boosting all attributes by a percentage.

Such percentage-increasing items have always been the favorites of big spenders.

Lin Da had once ground away a whole month to gain two Hero Stones.

However, reality and the game were dissimilar; in the Mystic Continent of reality, Hero Stones that were dropped enabled career advancement for the user, earning them the suffix 'World Tree Brave,' and they were bound to individuals, making them non-tradable.

Already chosen by Kafni as the Chosen Hero, what would happen if he gained another Hero Stone?

It couldn't just go to waste, could it?

To figure out the effect of the Hero Stone on him, Lin Da went to the World Tree Goddess statue in the hall.

He wished to see that grand and beautiful female.

Besides inquiring about the use of the Hero Stone, he had another significant matter and hoped to get answers directly from the World Tree Goddess.

As for the water he was supposed to retrieve for Kafni, Lin Da had forgotten it aside.

Drinking it later wouldn't be a problem, right?

Little did he know, at that very moment, Kafni was parched, dizzy, and drowsily waiting while leaning on a chair.

Upon closer inspection, she saw not only had Lin Da failed to fetch the water, but he had also gone to the World Tree Goddess statue and was praying with hands clasped and a solemn expression.

"Huh?"

Kafni's eyes bulged in surprise.

As a Deity herself, she felt a strong sense of betrayal toward Lin Da's immoral act.

You are the hero chosen by me, so why are you getting so close to another god?

Lin Da had confided in her about the legendary skill "World Tree Goddess's Blessing."

It seemed the other party took quite a fancy to the hero she had chosen!

"Damn Goddess, don't steal someone else's hero!" Kafni shouted in her heart, unable to accept this.

Meanwhile, back to Lin Da.

He closed his eyes and prayed sincerely to the statue.

In the call of the late night, would the World Tree Goddess respond?

Lin Da prayed silently with a sliver of hope.

But it only took three seconds.

In a dark vision, the World Tree Goddess with luscious emerald hair, appeared, motherly and affectionate!

This time, perhaps to accommodate Lin Da's race, the World Tree Goddess had reduced her towering height from over five meters to around one meter seventy.

The World Tree Goddess had a slender figure with curvy assets. Her long emerald dress, made of leaves, snugly wrapped her exaggerated physique, and her bare, tender feet floated slightly in the air, untouched by any filth.

Her soft face shone with a motherly glow, her ample bosom swaying gently with each breath, like the heavily laden fruits of maturity.

Facing this goddess, an incarnation of the world's will, Lin Da dared not cast an improper glance.

He sensed this place to be akin to a spiritual realm and controlled his conscience to bow his head, his right hand on his chest, slightly bending forward to perform a common adventurer's greeting.

Lin Da respectfully said, "Great World Tree Goddess, please forgive my late-night intrusion. I have come with questions and hope to receive your answers."

"Not at all, please speak your mind, and I will answer your questions as best as I can," said the World Tree Goddess with a smile. Her fingers, as delicate as young shoots, gently lifted, and a soothing breeze helped Lin Da straighten himself.

"Also, dear hero, you may call me Tricia, that is my name."