Chapter 1 – Encounter with the Goddess
Rustle... rustle...
In a lush, dense forest, the sound of rustling bushes echoed continuously, accompanied by hurried footsteps.
Not just human footsteps, but the pounding of four-legged beasts in rapid pursuit...
"Uwaaaahhh!!"
"Growl! Growl! Growl!!"
"Come on, stop chasing me! You won't gain anything from this, alright!? The world's a big place—let's just go our separate ways, yeah!?"
In a remote and quiet mountain forest, a game of cat and mouse was taking place.
The 'mouse' was a young blond-haired boy.
The 'cats' were a large pack of grey wolves, driven by anger and unwilling to let their prey escape.
The young man's name was Ise Erwood.
For certain reasons, he was traveling across the continent to the far west.
And now, he was facing an unexpected situation along the way.
A pack of grey wolves was relentlessly hunting him down.
In a forest filled with uneven terrain and overgrown trees, he was forced to use all his strength just to evade them.
Though confident in his physical ability, he was starting to get winded.
On top of that, he carried a leather backpack and wielded a massive black iron spear over two meters long.
The weight of his gear added to his growing sense of urgency.
Who could possibly stay calm…
…when a pack of wolves is trying to tear you apart for dinner!?
Muttering complaints to the wolves was just a way to soothe his own panic.
Of course, the wolves didn't understand a word, but every time he taunted them, they only chased him harder...
If I keep running like this, it's not going to end well. At this rate, I'll be the one who dies first!
Ise leaped over a thick tree root, his spear swaying fluidly with his body like an extension of his own limbs.
Though it was far too heavy for a chase, the spear was practically "half his life."
In a forest crawling with monsters, being unarmed meant he could only run.
What was he going to do—punch monsters barehanded like a Chinese action hero? No way!
I've got to lure these wolves into the territory of another monster. If they clash, I might have a chance to escape!
Even while fleeing for his life, he still had the clarity to think up a survival plan.
He'd been raised by a hunter grandfather, so survival skills and instincts were second nature to him.
But this time was different.
The wolves chasing him weren't ordinary—they were Grey Wolves, a rare breed of monster spoken of only in travelers' tales.
They were faster, fiercer, and coordinated like elite hunters.
Monsters.
Beings born from the legendary "Dungeon" deep underground, now spread across the world.
Stronger than common beasts, and even low-ranked adventurers had to be cautious when encountering one.
Ordinary people had virtually no chance of survival.
Only adventurers—those blessed with the gods' power—could fight back against them.
Hah... if that one wolf hadn't tried to eat me first, I wouldn't have made it my lunch.
Here's the real story:
He'd encountered a lone wolf and had to kill it because it tried to bite him.
Since the wolf was offering himself up as a "meal," Ise simply returned the favor by seasoning it with spices and cooking it.
Naturally… wolves are creatures that hold a grudge, and the pack wouldn't let the death of one of their own slide so easily.
After being chased for a while—
"GRROOOAAARRRR!!"
A thunderous roar shook the forest. Ise came to a sudden stop.
"It's here!"
His chance of survival—had arrived!
That wasn't a wolf's howl.
It was the roar of a powerful monster.
And monsters didn't easily tolerate others invading their territory.
If I can lure these wolves to that monster, they'll fight each other—and I'll slip away during the chaos!
He quickened his pace, leaping through the low shrubs like a gust of wind.
What he didn't know, though… was that the roar he heard… was filled with pain.
The cry of a wounded beast, mourning its impending death...
Elsewhere in the forest
"Fire together! Don't let it take to the sky!"
"Understood!"
The shout of the goddess of the hunt rang out as her female familia members surrounded a winged monster.
—They were hunting a dragon.
Twenty female adventurers, mostly elves, dressed in lightweight armor for agility, with moon and bow insignias on their uniforms.
Their coordinated arrows pierced the dragon's wings, grounding it permanently.
Wounded, the beast went berserk and fled deeper into the woods.
And then—
As it fled... it suddenly came face to face with a young boy who emerged from the brush.
Ise.
"A human!?"
The members of the familia were shocked.
Why was an ordinary human in the middle of a monster-infested forest!?
"Young man! Get down!"
A goddess with deep blue hair called out, swiftly drawing an arrow from her hip and letting it fly with inhuman speed.
She prayed her shot would reach him in time…
Ise's eyes widened as the massive dragon charged straight at him.
Did I really escape death all this way… just to die for real!?
Before he could even react, the dragon opened its jaws wide to devour him.
In that instant, time seemed to freeze...
Whoosh!
The sound of air slicing came from Ise's black iron spear.
Exhausted from being chased all day, he swung the spear with all his strength—
—and drove it straight into the dragon's throat, piercing its windpipe.
A split second later, the goddess's arrow arrived—
—piercing right through the dragon's skull.
The dragon let out a final hiss before its body shattered into black crystals and scattered to the ground.
The weight of the embedded spear threw Ise off balance, and he tumbled forward.
The last thing he saw… was a large tree trunk flying straight toward his face.
Then... darkness swallowed his consciousness.
...And at the edge of his vision... a faint silhouette with bright blue hair appeared...