Chapter 91: Artemis
The Great Tree Labyrinth, Dragon Valley, and the Dungeon—these were the three great uncharted regions of the Lower World. The Dungeon served as the core, while Dragon Valley and the Great Tree Labyrinth were merely its extensions. The Great Tree Labyrinth was a vast forested zone littered with numerous ruins. It was here that the Assassin of the Gods, Antares, was sealed.
With a flash of light, Lucian stepped through the teleportation portal, arriving high in the airspace above the Great Tree Labyrinth.
"[Cloud Soaring]."
Using the Cloud Soaring secret art to hover in mid-air, Lucian gazed out over the endless expanse of the forest.
"Hm?"
Lucian paused, noticing a distinct gaze suddenly fixated on him. An ordinary stare might have gone unnoticed, but the gaze of a deity carried an undeniable gravity. Lucian immediately pinpointed the source of the observation.
It was the virgin goddess, Artemis, her long blue hair tied back, clad in the practical attire of a capable adventurer. At this moment, she held a bow and arrow in one hand while cradling an infant in the other. Even with her divine power sealed to the level of an ordinary mortal, Artemis still possessed combat prowess comparable to a Level 2 adventurer, allowing her to navigate a dangerous place like the Great Tree Labyrinth with ease.
Is it just destiny that my timing is always this perfect, or is it the influence of my high Luck stat? Lucian thought to himself. He figured it was a combination of both. However, it felt more like once his Luck reached a certain threshold, destiny simply stopped pretending and handed him these encounters on a silver platter.
With a single thought, Lucian activated his teleportation and appeared right beside her.
"Hello there, Goddess Artemis." Lucian smiled faintly. "I am Lucian, a member of the Hephaestus Familia."
It seemed Artemis had only recently descended to the Lower World. The child in her arms had to be Lante—essentially the Danmachi version of Atalanta.
"A child from the Hephaestus Familia... are they all this strong!?" Artemis stared at Lucian in sheer astonishment.
"I'm a bit of a special case." Lucian chuckled. "A place like the Great Tree Labyrinth is quite dangerous. For a Goddess to come here alone, especially while carrying a child... is there something specific you need to do?"
"A long time ago, I dispatched my children to the Lower World to seal an ancient monster named Antares." A look of deep nostalgia crossed Artemis's face.
She didn't doubt Lucian's identity, as deities could innately tell whether a mortal was lying. While Lucian was undeniably abnormal, it was true that he belonged to the Hephaestus Familia. She knew Hephaestus fairly well. Although their own relationship was only average, her close friend, Hestia, was on excellent terms with the Goddess of Forging. Members of her Familia certainly wouldn't be wicked or treacherous villains. Not to mention, Artemis was quite confident in her own judgment of character.
"Seals degrade over time. It has been about a thousand years, hasn't it?" Lucian nodded in understanding. "Are you planning to check if the seal on Antares has weakened?"
"You actually deduced that?" Artemis was surprised but nodded in confirmation. "That is exactly it."
"The monster my children sacrificed themselves to seal is a threat that we Gods cannot resolve on our own."
Back in Heaven, the very first dependents of the Gods were the Spirits. Antares bore the terrifying moniker of Assassin of the Gods. Even if the deities didn't explicitly know the monster could devour them, they could instinctively feel the lethal threat it posed. After all, Antares was a byproduct of the Dungeon's sheer resentment toward divine interference—a monster created specifically to target and exterminate Gods. Because of this, the pantheon strictly forbade deities from descending to the Lower World. Not only could they encounter unknown dangers, but their presence might also provoke the Dungeon anew.
At that time, even the great hero Epimetheus was unable to slay Antares. The era of heroic epics had not yet begun. Therefore, the only beings capable of handling Antares were the Great Spirits. Yet, even the Great Spirits could only manage to seal it away. And the ones who executed that sealing were none other than Artemis's own dependents.
"It is common knowledge that the stronger a monster is, the higher its intelligence." Lucian's expression turned slightly subtle. "While you clearly have confidence in yourself, overconfidence is rarely a good thing."
"What do you mean?" Artemis looked at Lucian, confused.
"If the seal on Antares truly has weakened, and you approach to inspect it... isn't it possible that Antares, sensing a deity drawing near, might disguise the seal to look perfectly intact just to ambush you?" Lucian stated calmly. "For a God to risk themselves so recklessly... that is a terrible idea."
Ah... that actually makes a lot of sense.
Hearing Lucian's reasoning, Artemis immediately grasped the severe risks involved. It would be one thing if only she perished, but if her recklessness dragged the entire Lower World into chaos, it would be a true disaster.
"I'll accompany you." Lucian smiled. "While my strength might be lacking, grabbing you and running away is well within my capabilities."
"Then... um, I'll be in your care." Artemis replied, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Let's go together, then."
Lucian nodded slightly before snapping his fingers. Amidst a burst of light, two horses materialized before them.
Artemis simply stared at Lucian. As I suspected, this child is incredibly abnormal. Although he is highly unusual, he harbors no malice... so it should be fine.
"It's my magic. I temporarily constructed these creatures." Lucian smiled. "Riding these will be much faster."
"Very well."
Artemis nodded, effortlessly mounting her horse and taking the reins with practiced familiarity. Lucian mounted the other horse, and the two soon fell into casual conversation as they rode.
"Goddess Artemis, what are your plans now that you've descended to the Lower World?" Lucian asked.
"I intend to establish a hunting Familia." Artemis answered. "The children of the Lower World suffer far too much. While I cannot achieve the grand feat of saving the world, doing what little I can to help is still worthwhile."
Monsters had escaped to the surface a millennium ago, multiplying and thriving ever since, eventually forming deadly unexplored regions like Dragon Valley and the Great Tree Labyrinth. Whenever powerful monsters appeared or gathered into massive monster banquets, countless villages would be utterly destroyed, leaving people homeless. A hunting Familia didn't mean hunting normal beasts. In fact, wild beasts fell under Artemis's domain; she was known as the Mistress of Beasts and the Lord of the Wilderness. No matter how ferocious a wild beast was, it would obediently submit in Artemis's presence. Therefore, the "hunting" Artemis referred to strictly meant hunting monsters.
"I see. You truly are a merciful Goddess." Lucian sighed in admiration before adding, "While Heaven is wonderful, complete stagnation can be terribly boring. You might find your time down here to be far more interesting than life up there."
"I'll take your word for it." Artemis smiled softly.
Conversing with Lucian was surprisingly comfortable. He lacked the chaotic, amusement-seeking nature of the other Gods, yet he possessed enough depth to share common ground with divine beings. Moreover, he seemed well aware that she was a virgin goddess. He was friendly but never overstepped his bounds, maintaining the perfect, respectful distance.
"Speaking of which, do you also have business to attend to in the Great Tree Labyrinth?" Artemis asked.
"That is a secret." Lucian smiled. "Once you have inspected the seal, I will carry out my own task. You don't have to worry about me being delayed."
Artemis felt that his statement was slightly odd, carrying some inexplicable hidden meaning. But since he clearly didn't want to elaborate, Artemis couldn't exactly force him. He was telling the truth about not being delayed, so... it should be fine, right?
P.S.: There are roughly three levels of gods in the DanMachi world: gods who are not good at fighting, gods who are good at fighting, and great gods.
The first tier includes Prometheus, the second tier includes Hestia, Vera, Artemis, and so on. The third tier consists of great gods with profound divine power, such as Uranus and Zeus, who possess a majesty that ordinary gods cannot match.
PS2: Although Artemis isn't a god, her attack power ranks among the top three in the heavens, earning her the title of "Heaven's Number One Arrow." Her power is a specialized attack type.
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