Chapter 60

Chapter 60

I Installed a Dating App and Girls from Another World Became Obsessed with Me.

Episode 60: To The Third Floor

“Haaam… umnya…”

Iris opened her eyes about ten minutes after receiving the secret reward from the World Tree.

Kang Hyeon-u held the sleeping Iris, who looked completely unaware, in his arms and racked his brain for future plans.

The tasks ahead of him could be broadly divided into two categories.

Prevent the war with the Northern Empire.

Oust Resilia and either reinstate Iris to the throne or end the current tyranny.

As expected, none of them were easy.

The first task was the immediate problem. War itself was inherently intertwined with numerous vested interests. Since the Northern Empire was a great power, an overwhelmingly convincing justification would be needed to stop a war that had already begun.

No, even if there was a justification, would they even try to stop the war?

‘There’s no way they would.’

As the declaration of war itself showed, the Northern Empire was undoubtedly serious about this war. They were surely confident of an overwhelming victory and had already calculated the benefits they would gain from it.

It had to be seen as a stage where the war could no longer be stopped by normal means.

Then, if someone were to ask if he should just stand by with his arms crossed, the answer would be no.

There were about two ways to stop the war.

The first method was to kill all the higher-ups in the Northern Empire to stop the war.

‘Impossible.’

Of course, that’s what he wanted to do in his heart, but it wasn’t a realistic plan.

Not only was there no way to kill them, but even if it could stop the immediate war, it would only serve as justification for a new war in the future.

Moreover, if a narrative like ‘Pelledia is a country that assassinates high-ranking officials of enemy nations when things don’t go their way!’ spread, it would be bad for international diplomacy in the long run.

“Hyeon-u…?”

Just then, Iris opened her eyes again.

“You’re awake? You could have slept more.”

“Hehe, then please hold me tighter.”

Kang Hyeon-u gently hugged Iris, who was acting increasingly spoiled, probably still drowsy.

The other way to stop the war was none other than Iris.

To be precise, it was Iris with the martial prowess of her prime that was the second method.

He had heard that Han Ra-el, who had dealt with dozens of demonic beasts with a single spell, had even single-handedly subjugated the ice golem after he had fainted.

If Iris, who had reached the great realm of the 8th circle, a step beyond such a monstrous Han Ra-el, existed, her very presence would undoubtedly serve as a deterrent to war.

Two hundred years might not be a long time for an elf who lived an ordinary life, but for humans, it was a long time, more than two generations passing.

Naturally, it was only to be expected that the fame of the former queen, Iris, would fade on the continent.

‘The Northern Empire is probably waging war because they know Iris is gone.’

Of course, this method was also impossible for now.

The biggest reason was that there was no way to undo the seal.

The World Tree had said that they could only leave this place by using the artifact on the third floor, but undoing the seal was a different matter.

[Ashen Knot]

The World Tree said that the seal wrapped around Iris’s ankle was an artifact used in ancient times.

It boasted overwhelming performance, exerting a stronger restraining force on those with stronger power, and stated definitively that it could not be undone by ordinary means.

It added that the artifact called the ‘Ashen Flame’ was absolutely necessary to undo the ‘Ashen Knot.’

The problem here was where that Ashen Flame artifact was.

It would have been much easier if the World Tree had told them that as well, but it had disappeared after saying that the Ashen Flame was needed, so its whereabouts were currently unknown.

In the end, he would have to go out and search for it himself, which was easier said than done, as there was no telling how long it would take.

“Iris, do you happen to know where the Ashen Flame is?”

It was a future he could foresee without even looking, that it wouldn’t take long for the Northern Empire to organize its army and invade Pelledia after declaring war.

In such a situation, he couldn’t afford to waste too much time searching for the artifact.

If all else failed, the last resort was to return to Earth, even if it took years, to obtain a holy relic that could undo the seal.

Even if he had to steal it.

“The Ashen Flame? I know it. I definitely heard it’s in the temple of the Kingdom of Santala.”

“…?”

What was this? There was no way the world would be so kind to him.

From the moment he learned the location of the Ashen Flame, his course of action was as good as decided.

“I’ll be back.”

“…Please don’t overdo it.”

“Of course not.”

When he told her he was going back to the underground dungeon, Iris, with tearful eyes, hugged him tightly for nearly thirty minutes, saying this and that.

Don’t get hurt, be careful, and so on.

“I don’t mind not being able to leave this place if I only have Hyeon-u.”

Iris’s voice was heavy, as if she thought it was her fault that he was going to that underground dungeon.

He found that endearing and was grateful.

It meant she loved him that much.

He received an overwhelming amount of love from Iris.

“Iris.”

He lightly kissed the corner of Iris’s eye, which had turned red.

“Do you know what I want to achieve most in this world?”

“…A harem?”

“…”

No, that wasn’t it…

“When you came up from the underground dungeon, there was a strong scent of other women. About four of them?”

His vision blurred.

It was evidence that his pupils were shaking.

‘I definitely took a bath…?’

And four of them? The only women he had met were Cheon Yeo-hwa, Choi Hye-na, and his teacher.

If he had to include anyone else, it would be Han Ra-el, but he had only exchanged a few words with her, let alone any physical contact.

“Hehe, you don’t have to make such a serious face. I heard that humans are monogamous, but elves have a low birth rate, and there are even fewer males, so most of us are polygamous.”

Good heavens, elves were definitely the best race in the world after all.

“Though, the distinction between the legal wife and concubines is clear, you see?”

At that moment, Kang Hyeon-u felt a chill run down his spine, beyond just a shudder, as if cold sweat was pouring down his back.

Instead of her usual warm and gentle gaze, an even colder look than when the World Tree had descended was directed at him.

“Concubines are fine. We won’t be living together anyway, and Hyeon-u needs some things to enjoy. But not a wife. Understand?”

“…Yes.”

Thus, Kang Hyeon-u headed to the underground dungeon, receiving what felt more like a dismissal than a send-off.

As he descended the stairs, he suddenly spread his palm and found it damp with cold sweat.

It was then that he realized Iris wasn’t just a kind and gentle woman.

If someone asked if he was dissatisfied with that, the answer was absolutely not.

Rather, he was glad to have seen a new side of Iris.

Especially the part where she firmly stated she was the legal wife.

Even as he went down the stairs, the unusual side of Iris she had shown lingered in his mind.

If he had had more time, he would have spent a few more days with her, but knowing that war was imminent, every second counted now.

Hurrying down the stairs, it didn’t take long for him to reach the end.

As he reached the first floor, a familiar yet unpleasant eerie air brushed past his nose.

[Mana Detection]

Now that the limit of his mana had been broken thanks to the elixir, it was natural for the range of his mana detection to widen.

His current limit was roughly a 500-meter radius.

Just in case, he scanned the detection range and saw several demonic beasts, large and small. The closest one was lurking less than 50 meters away, but he didn’t have time to leisurely hunt demonic beasts now.

As he said before, every second was precious in the current situation.

Securing more time was more important than the coins and mana stones obtained from hunting demonic beasts.

[Haste]

Using auxiliary magic, he ran along the map he had previously mapped.

While running through the dungeon, he didn’t hunt demonic beasts unless they specifically approached him.

However, he couldn’t avoid all combat.

While he had spent time on the upper floors, other demonic beasts had taken over the places he had mapped, and demonic beasts fundamentally tried to kill humans.

There were demonic beasts he saw for the first time, and some he had seen before.

Some attacked in groups, but the demonic beasts on the first floor were no match for him.

[You have defeated 2 Kobold Warriors]

[Duplicate kill reward: 100 coins]

[You have defeated 3 Skeleton Warriors]

[Duplicate kill reward: 150 coins]

[You have defeated a Tentaclipper]

[Duplicate kill reward: 50 coins]

[You have defeated a Low Reaper]

[First kill reward: 100 coins]

[You have defeated 3 Blade Wolves]

[First kill reward: 150 coins]

Of course, the demonic beasts on the first floor were by no means weak.

Most were D+ grade elite individuals, roughly equivalent to typical C-grade demonic beasts.

Nevertheless, the reason he could get through without a single scratch was because of the cheat-like weapon Gillennium and the three or four layers of auxiliary magic that a normal 2nd circle mage wouldn’t even have enough mana to use.

With a single swing of his sword and a single spell, the demonic beasts’ heads flew off, and their bodies exploded.

However, if someone were to ask if there were no problems at all in exploring the dungeon, the answer would be no.

No matter how well he could wield a sword, his essence was still that of a mage.

His achieved level was too low to escape the chronic limitation of having a weak body.

If he allowed even one attack from a demonic beast, it would lead to a fatal wound.

The barrier only blocked attacks he recognized; it didn’t automatically block attacks coming from blind spots.

Even if the battle ended without any injuries, the mental fatigue accumulated in situations where arrows grazed his side and his clothes were torn by swords was not something to be ignored.

However, he didn’t rest along the way.

This was because he couldn’t predict what kind of snowball effect a short rest now might have later.

He didn’t want to do anything he would regret for the rest of his life.

As a result of continuing to run through the dungeon, minimizing combat and rest.

“Hoo…”

The distance that had taken him a little over two hours last time could be covered in just one hour and thirty minutes.

However, it was unavoidable that his whole body was soaked in sweat.

He roughly chugged down a bottle of mineral water, then took out the key from his inventory and approached the door.

The massive stone door didn’t have a keyhole, but he wasn’t too worried.

As he held the key to the door, kuung- a huge vibration sound echoed, and the key disappeared as the door began to open.

A tremendous amount of dust flew in the wind, and the familiar staircase reappeared.

“…Do I have to go down again?”

He resented the World Tree for not installing an elevator.

Unaware of his resentment, the World Tree made one mistake.

It had said it would bear his children in exchange for saving the elves, but it hadn’t specified the maximum number of children it would bear.

‘I’ll have to make at least two or three soccer teams.’

Perhaps the World Tree’s belly would never shrink before he died.

A quiet lakeside in a magnificent garden.

A woman with vibrant green hair was playing by splashing water.

Her bright smile, like that of an innocent child, and the sight of her running barefoot along the water’s edge seemed to depict a peaceful everyday life that would bring a smile to anyone’s face just by looking at it.

“Your Majesty.”

However, the attendant who was watching the scene from afar knew.

How insane she was.

“Hmm? Why are you calling me?”

“…It is time for the execution.”

“Ah! That’s right.”

The attendant internally vomited disgust at the sight of her clapping her hands together again like a young child without fail.

Today, the number of her own kin who would die by her hand was unspeakable.

“Shall we go then?”

The attendant recalled a scene from a fairy tale she had read in her childhood.

Like the hero of light who saved all people.

May a hero who will save our elves arrive in this land.