Inside Loki's room, a soft blue glow painted the walls.
Judas sat still as his status was being updated, waiting patiently for Loki to finish.
The faint shimmer of divine light danced across his back, the familiar warmth of Falna settling into place.
"Here you go. Insane growth as usual."
Loki said as she handed him the parchment.
The shock and excitement that used to cross her face whenever she saw his numbers had long since faded... replaced by a kind of resigned acceptance.
At this point, even this absurd level of growth had become routine.
========================================
Judas Spade
LV 3
STR: I 0 ---> SS 1001
END: I 0 ---> SSS 1104
DEX: I 0 ---> SS 1043
AGI: I 0 ---> SS 1051
MAG: I 0 ---> SSS 1365
Mage - H
Spirit Healing - I
Arcane Momentum - I
SKILLS: [The Blessing of the World Tree]
[Elemental Master]
[Eternal Persistence]
[The Venerated One]
[Penitent Executioner]
MAGIC: [Otherworld Thaumaturgy 5th-Tier]
[Body Reinforcement]
========================================
Browsing through his status sheet, Judas gave a small nod before igniting the parchment with a flicker of fire magic, reducing it to ash.
There were no new skills, but an increase of over 5400 status points was more than welcome.
"You've gotten stronger so quickly... it's genuinely unfair to everyone else. At this point you're on track to surpass even Ottar."
Loki commented as Judas pulled his shirt back on.
"Maybe."
He didn't deny it.
Even without [Penitent Executioner] pushing him, he was edging closer and closer to Level 7 territory in terms of actual combat strength.
But his sights were set far beyond that.
Ottar… Level 7 or even Level 8 and above… those were nothing more than minor milestones along his path in achieving strength.
He already knew of other worlds... places like Celestia... and he had seen what true power looked like there.
Judas' goal had always been simple:
Become strong enough that nothing could threaten his life.
"I'm heading to bed."
He said, stepping toward the door.
"Alright. Night."
Loki said, already yawning.
...
A day had passed since the expedition ended.
Judas was walking down the hallway with a towel draped over his head, making his way back to his room, when Loki appeared in front of him.
"Yo, Judas. A certain womanizing god with a feathered hat is looking for you."
She said, hands resting lazily behind her head.
Judas blinked.
There was only one person that description could possibly fit.
"Hermes? He's looking for me?"
"Yup. He's at the front gates, waiting. Says he's got some business with you."
'Is he here to deliver news about the surveillance magic item?'
Judas thought, but a moment later, he discarded the thought.
'No... if that was the case, Asfi would have come herself. She wouldn't leave something that profitable to Hermes alone.'
With that, Judas headed toward the gates.
Hermes was easy enough to spot.
But standing beside him was a woman Judas recognized, and she wasn't a member of the Hermes Familia.
'Rethusa?'
"Hey there, Judas Spade. Sorry to intrude on your morning, especially after you just returned from a grueling expedition…"
"But I have a quest I'd like to assign to you. Would you be willing to hear me out?"
Hermes greeted him with his usual flowery smile.
Judas held his gaze for a moment, then shifted his eyes to Rethusa.
She had her head down.
Her fist was clenched at her side.
'So it still happened.'
He had a feeling he already knew what kind of request this was going to be.
...
They arrived at an abandoned warehouse.
Hermes led him to a spear embedded in what appeared to be a pile of solidified crystals.
The image was almost comical in how much it resembled the old legend of the sword in the stone, except this was a spear.
But Judas knew it wasn't really a spear.
It was an arrow.
'The Arrow of Orion.'
The divine weapon of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt... peerless in her mastery of the bow even in heaven.
"Judas, can you pull out this spear for me?"
Hermes said, turning toward him with a look of quiet expectation.
"..."
Judas stared at it in silence.
'The shadow bird I placed on her… no wonder I can't feel it anymore.'
'Even with my interference, she still ended up trapped by Antares… but at least her Familia seems to have survived.'
He glanced briefly at Rethusa.
In the original story, the Artemis Familia had been completely wiped out.
Not a single survivor.
'Can I really pull that thing out?'
As far as he knew, there was probably some nonsense involving fate, soul compatibility, or divine selection that determined who could wield it.
'Only one way to find out.'
He didn't deliberate any longer.
He stepped forward, reached out and closed his right hand around the shaft of the arrow.
Hermes watched intently.
When nothing happened, he frowned slightly before letting out a quiet sigh.
'Perhaps I was hoping for too much. Finding the one who can wield the Arrow of Orion was never going to be simple.'
But in the very next moment...
The hidden runes carved into the arrow's surface began to glow.
'I found you.'
A feminine voice sounded inside Judas' head, and the arrow tore free from the crystals.
A sharp crack rang out as the crystal shattered. Judas stood with the arrow held firmly in his hand.
"Ah..."
Hermes tilted his hat up slightly, eyes widening before a slow smile spread across his face.
'My intuition was right after all. The arrow chose him.'
'There's still hope.'
Footsteps echoed from behind them.
Judas turned.
A woman with flowing blue hair came rushing toward him and wrapped her arms around him before he could react.
"Judas... no. My Orion. I finally found you."
Artemis said with a bright, relieved smile, pressing close as though she had reunited with a long-lost lover.
Judas felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Freya had done something very similar, insisting he was her Odr.
Now Artemis called him her Orion.
Whether by fate or some cosmic joke, he had somehow become the "fated one" of these goddesses.
'Artemis... no, this is her projection.'
His expression grew complicated.
The Artemis he had spoken with a few weeks ago and the one clinging to him now acted completely different.
Then Rethusa, who had remained silent until now, slowly lowered herself to her knees.
"Judas Spade... I beg you."
Her voice trembled as she struggled to hold back her tears.
"Please. Help us save Goddess Artemis."
Judas looked at her for a moment, then stepped forward and took her by the arm, pulling her back to her feet.
"Don't kneel. I don't like seeing you like that."
Rethusa wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
Judas turned to Hermes.
"Hermes… tell me what happened."
"I mean what really happened. I want the full truth."
Judas' gaze sharpened as it locked onto Hermes.
Hermes let out a wry smile before sighing.
"Artemis has been captured…"
His expression turned serious.
"By the god-killer, Antares."
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