A Generous Gift

Sophie felt a strange sense of respect when she saw the guardian's intense devotion to the five golden chests that were suspended above a pillar of flame.

She couldn't imagine being trapped for thousands of years in a world of ash and smoke with nothing to do except protect five powerful artifacts.

Or perhaps the guardian had been created with a sense of duty and dedication towards her task.

There was even a small part of Sophie that was honestly a bit tempted at the thought of getting one of those seedlings for herself. 

Who would be crazy enough to turn down the opportunity to gain divine strength without a cost?

The problem was that she was already a vessel of the hunter goddess. 

Judging by what happened in the previous stage of the trial, it was probably safe to assume that divine powers from other higher-plane creatures were incompatible with her aura.