And the true nature of the 『Elsos Ruins』, was precisely the place built atop that seal.
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"An even older monster than the three great adventurer commissions, named [Antares]."
"This task is a little tricky." Fron raised his eyebrows, his brain working rapidly.
What he meant by "tricky" wasn't the fighting part. So what if the Great Tree Sea was one of the three unexplored regions? It was fundamentally different in strength from the monsters of the Dungeon. What truly troubled him was the waste of time.
"The 'Elsos' ruins, if I want to enter and investigate, I must have the key to open the ruins. The guild doesn't have any explanation about this key either. How am I supposed to investigate?"
As they got closer to the center of the Great Tree Sea, his mood was no longer as relaxed as it had been at the start.
"Forget it, let's find a place to settle first."
Letting out a sigh, Fron began looking for a place with a water source.
In the wild, generally speaking, camping near a water source is absolutely forbidden, because there's a high probability of encountering wild beasts coming to drink, increasing danger.
But for Fron, who was Lv.5, this was no problem at all.
Being bold due to his skill, he usually stayed near water sources for convenience, except for the occasional stopover at a town inn along the way.
Luckily, expanding his strong senses, following the faint sound of running water and the increasingly damp air, he passed through the lush forest and a giant waterfall appeared before his eyes.
The roaring waterfall cascaded down, forming a huge pool below. A stream continued to flow outward, branching into tributaries spreading to various regions.
"This place will do." Finding a flat open space, Fron put his backpack down on the ground.
But just as he bent down slightly to open the backpack, he saw a combat outfit woven from high-quality white and blue fabric and stockings was neatly placed together, with a pair of brown hunter boots laid side by side next to it.
But what caught Fron's attention most was the hunting knife placed on top.
"Uh…" Thinking he'd seen wrong, Fron froze for a moment, then quickly turned his head and rubbed his eyes.
"This is… a combat suit, and a hunting knife?" Adventurers' clothing is all specially crafted combat gear, flexible enough not to hinder movement, yet its defense can rival ordinary light armor.
Adventurers like Fron, being high-level, usually wore such outfits.
Combat suit plus equipment, that's the way to ensure nothing goes wrong.
As a blacksmith, he could see the quality of the outfit at a glance.
"A combat suit, and leather at that…"
As though recalling something, Fron quickly looked at the clear water pool fed by the small tributary.
"Who are you? My decision on whether this arrow pierces your heart will depend on your answer."
"…" Though he was facing away, the slightly stern yet elegant and pleasant voice from behind stirred an expectation in his heart about the speaker's appearance.
"Apologies, I didn't mean to intrude." As he spoke, Fron slowly raised both hands and turned around gradually.
Through the mottled light filtering down from the dense leaves, at the water's edge stood a woman with moon-colored shoulder-length hair, her bow drawn to a full moon, a silver arrow aimed directly at Fron's heart.
Her perfect figure, half-wrapped in a bathrobe, was displayed to the fullest. Even from a distance, Fron's exaggerated dynamic vision could see everything clearly.
Unworldly beauty, cold yet calm, poised yet elegant, instantly evoking the word "sincere."
"Sorry to intrude. As you can see… I am an adventurer and didn't know there was a goddess here. So for my offense, I sincerely apologize."
"An adventurer?" The heroic yet beautiful face before him showed a brief flicker of doubt.
"So you're an adventurer. Since you appear here at this time, it means you also came from Orario and accepted the investigation mission of the 'Elsos Ruins.'"
As she spoke, she slowly lowered her bow, having guessed Fron's origin.
Feeling the sensation of being locked-on vanish, Fron let out a hidden sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Lady Artemis, for your mercy."
The goddess walked to where her clothes were laid. Hearing Fron actually say her name, she looked at him in surprise.
"You know me?"
Remembering he hadn't introduced himself yet, Fron placed the 'Scholar · Argon' next to his backpack and gave a small bow.
"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself."
"My name is Fron, Fron Argon."
"Wait, you said you're Fron Argon?" Before he could finish, Artemis interrupted him with visible joy.
"Uh, yes, Lady Artemis."
Looking at his iconic shining blond hair, sharply defined, striking facial features, and the faint azure rings flowing in his golden pupils, memories from various reports rushed into her mind.
"Became an adventurer at the rare age of 21. Possesses extraordinary combat power and intelligence. At Lv.1 already able to cross ranks and kill enhanced monsters. At Lv.2 singlehandedly defeated a mutated Lv.5 floor boss. In less than two years advanced from Lv.1 to Lv.5, a legendary adventurer."
"Nicknamed [Flame Demon], [Night Weaver], said to be the strongest of his level, under the [Loki Familia]."
"…" Fron hadn't even started introducing himself yet, but she had already clearly listed all his public information.
Just this? And she still wanted him to introduce himself?
But what he didn't notice was that as Artemis learned more about Fron's whole situation, her eyes grew brighter and her expression faintly more delighted.
"Wonderful, it's great you're here! This way we'll make it in time."
While Fron was dumbly drifting into random thoughts, a very pleasant scent reached his nose, and at the same time his right hand was tightly grasped by hers.
"?"
Looking at the goddess's beauty so close at hand, Fron's brain nearly short-circuited.
Isn't this developing too fast? This seems a bit improper!
You're the noble Moon Goddess, the Hunt Goddess!
"Um, Lady Artemis. Please don't get too excited, let's talk this out. I know what you're saying is about the 'Elsos Ruins,' but I'm still a little unclear. Could you explain in detail?"
"Ah."
The goddess hadn't expected herself to act so out of character either. Her lovely face flushed slightly. She stepped back and faked a cough to cover up her slip.
"The matter is…"
"Eh? Eh? Eh? Artemis!!!!!!!! You, you finally have a man!? That's, that's wonderful! Uuuuuu, we're finally free!"
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T/N: Bonus chapter for crossing 250 power stones;