Chapter 164: The Calydonian Boar Hunt (6)
Amid the fierce back-and-forth battle, Atalanta—watching the boar from the highest vantage point—was concentrating more intensely than ever to grasp the entire battlefield in one glance.
For her, repaying the debt to Meleager—who had given her a fair chance—was an absolute necessity.
‘When everyone looked at me with prejudice, the only one who saw me clearly was Meleager.’
Abandoned in the forest as a child with no knowledge of her parents, raised by hunters, she had fought against bias her entire life.
Prejudice for being an orphan. Prejudice for being a female hunter. Prejudice for her beautiful appearance that had nothing to do with her profession.
She didn’t resent having to fight those things. She had the courage, talent, and the hunter family that raised her to overcome them.
What she wanted was to one day surpass the hunter uncles who raised her—to make a name for herself among the arrogant men of the wider world.
‘That’s when I heard the rumor of the Calydonian Boar Hunt. And in hunting, I was more confident than anyone.’
That was why she had joined. Of course, just as expected, she faced prejudiced glares here too.
There were women who handled mana among the participants, but most of them were priestesses or mages.
Among hunters, knights, and mercenaries, women were an extreme minority.
Very few women had ever reached truly high levels in those fields.
‘And yet the only one who judged me purely by skill was Meleager. I owe him a debt I can never repay.’
She focused mana into her eyes. With it, the mana flickered like flames and began dissecting the boar layer by layer.
‘A stroke of luck that came to me when no one else would even give me a chance. To repay Meleager’s kindness and seize this fortune—I must succeed no matter what!’
With that resolve, Atalanta’s mana began to stabilize. The flickering flame-like energy gradually took shape.
Multiple circular lenses overlapped into one.
If anyone had witnessed this change in Atalanta, they would have gasped in admiration at her talent and determination.
Among warriors, only a rare few could awaken and create their own unique “wild instinct” in the same way mages developed personal magic—a sign of true mastery.
***
While Atalanta was realizing something new,
Artemis had slipped in among the heroes, secretly bestowing power upon them.
Anyone who witnessed Artemis’s actions would have wondered “Why?” and immediately gone on high alert.
But no one present could see or sense her.
She was, after all, the goddess of the hunt for good reason.
Soon, those who received Artemis’s power—without understanding why—felt their bodies surge with strength and their minds sharpen. They charged forward with renewed vigor.
Watching them, Artemis let out a low, curse-like chuckle as the corners of her lips curled upward.
“Hohoho… I’m curious. Will you be able to devour my power like that insolent mage? If not… Calydon will…”
Now empowered by the sudden surge of strength, the heroes fought even more fiercely. They could withstand the boar’s force while swinging spears and swords.
They assumed this natural surge of power—not the artificial enhancement of mages—meant they had simply grown stronger during this hunt.
After all, mage buffs never felt this seamless.
They no longer feared the flames spewing from the boar—their mana pushed back the searing heat.
Even when struck by its tusks, they held firm. Unlike before.
“Hahaha! I must have grown another level from this fight! I’m not getting pushed back anymore!”
“Hm? You too? Same here.”
“Wait—me too!”
“Yeah! Strength is just pouring out of me!”
One by one, people displayed unexpected power.
Only then did Meleager finally notice something strange.
Some of the heroes were performing far better than he had anticipated—especially those from Calydon’s noble faction.
How could the weakest among them suddenly rise to such a level?
Just as his instincts began to ring alarm bells at the inexplicable phenomenon—
An urgent report came from Atalanta.
—Meleager! What we saw was real. Beneath the armor we’ve been chipping away at, there’s another layer of protection. And it looks even tougher than the one we’re currently breaking through.
Meleager felt a chill at Atalanta’s report but forced a smile onto his face.
In terms of immediate priority, he judged her observation far more critical.
“I see. Atalanta—can you figure out what kind of protection that second layer is? If it’s too difficult, come back for now.”
—No, it’s fine. I think I’ll be able to tell if I watch a little longer. For now, it’s best to keep chipping away at the outer armor. Once we expose more of the inner layer, I should be able to confirm it clearly.
“Good. Do that.”
With that, Meleager deliberately pushed aside the ominous feeling about the suddenly empowered fighters.
In the current fast-moving chaos, pulling out the front-line fighters holding back the boar was already difficult enough.
But keeping Atalanta’s report in mind, he calculated that this battle could end much more quickly now.
Above all—he believed.
In the plain black spear that the founder of Calydon, King Calydon himself, had personally received from Lady Artemis.
But this would become the most painful mistake of Meleager’s life—and the irreversible tragedy that followed.
Still young and inexperienced, Meleager had made a fatal error. As Poseidon lamented, he should have remembered who the true orchestrator of this trial was.
This wrong choice would complete the short life of one great hero in tragedy and death; Calydon would experience both the birth and death of a great king simultaneously; and the world would gain its highest constellation.
He left footprints that shook the course of fate—but Meleager’s own life ended in tragedy.
***
As Meleager had chosen, Atalanta finally pierced through and saw clearly.
Poseidon’s personally cast magic.
—Meleager! It was a double trap. Even if we break through the first layer of armor, there’s still another one underneath. And this inner one has a mana-pollution function.
Meleager felt a shiver at Atalanta’s report but kept a smile on his face.
Clearly, the divine beast had seen through their plan—it was wrapped in solid armor—but in the end, they had seized the key to victory first.
“Ancaeus, get ready.”
“Hm? Isn’t it too soon? We’re not fully prepared yet, are we?”
“Normally, yes. But I just got word from Atalanta. There’s a layer of mana-pollution armor hidden underneath. Right now, we have to bet on imperfection rather than waiting for perfect conditions.”
“Haa… Just how badly does Lady Artemis want to wipe you all out? The thought alone is terrifying. Are you sure this is okay…?”
Hearing Meleager’s order, Ancaeus flinched at the realization that Artemis was far more serious about punishing Calydon than expected. His worried expression made him hesitate to move.
“Sigh… At this rate, I wonder if we’re all going to die cursed.”
Having suffered through several ordeals involving the gods, he had become something of a coward when it came to divine matters.
Meleager, knowing Ancaeus well, imitated the usually cheeky Jason—something he wouldn’t normally do—and urged him on.
“I’ll take all the curses meant for you. Just hurry up and go. We’re changing the plan. Use attribute shift to punch straight through the armor in one go.”
With those words, Meleager kicked Ancaeus in the rear. Whenever Ancaeus got cold feet, this method had always proven effective.
Sure enough, the kicked Ancaeus rubbed his backside, hunched over awkwardly, and vanished.
“Tch… He’s good at everything else, but the moment gods get involved, he turns into a total coward. I definitely got the sense that Lady Artemis is taking this trial against Calydon very seriously—but what can I do? It’s already happened.”
Meleager muttered softly and shook his head vigorously.
It felt like Ancaeus’s anxiety had somehow rubbed off on him.
Shaking off the sudden unease, he turned his attention back to the current battlefield.
The best Meleager could do right now was this. How could he possibly predict the thoughts and actions of a god?
***
Knowing about the god’s trap didn’t make the battle any easier.
The beast was still protected by its mana armor—without coating weapons in mana, even scratching that thick layer was nearly impossible.
“But the real problem comes after we strip the armor away.”
They finally peeled away the outer armor, exposing the divine beast’s hide—but even then, leaving a wound was no simple task.
Above all, this hide had been personally washed and cared for by Lady Artemis using the waters of her own sacred lake. It was far too resilient to be harmed by mere human strength.
“At least we found the method in our ancestor’s records…”
Meleager gazed at the blood-soaked earth where he had fought without retreating even an inch, then briefly closed his eyes.
“Jason, Theseus—are you ready?”
“Yeah, there’s not much to prepare anyway. You’re completely overhauling the plan.”
“Don’t worry. I can match your timing whenever you need.”
With that, Meleager waited for the signal from Ancaeus—who was now charging forward gripping his spear—and Caeneus, who would move soon.
Like a hunter waiting for the prey to tire itself out.
***
“What exactly are you planning?”
“Njord, I don’t recall ever giving you permission to speak to me so casually.”
“Oh come on, at this point we might as well be close. I’m old enough to be your… well, something.”
“You mad bastard—do you even know who I am?”
Artemis stared at Njord with an incredulous expression.
She had been watching with interest to see how Calydon’s greatest treasure would handle the situation—only for this mage beside her to sour her mood instantly.
“Hey, I don’t care about that. If you’re going to drag me around like this, you’ve got to put up with at least this much, right?”
But Njord paid her no mind. He flopped down beside her with brazen indifference, as if who she was didn’t matter at all.
Artemis seriously considered slicing open his stomach right then and there, but ultimately gave up.
The guy might act like an idiot, but he was subtly competent—and he had the backing of several gods she couldn’t easily handle…
Above all, the strange familiarity she felt from him wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
‘If he were just a normal human, I’d have cursed him to the most agonizing death by now. But somehow… his insolence feels natural.’
Watching Njord—who had begun dozing off while sprawled out—Artemis shook her head.
“Sigh… This is my own fault for keeping someone like him around. I never should have come to Calydon and found him.”
At Artemis’s lament, her attendant Callisto quietly smiled.
Catching sight of her attendant’s smile, Artemis narrowed her eyes sharply and asked,
“Callisto, are you starting to take after this mage too? Is this really something to smile about?”
Faced with Artemis’s pointed reaction, Callisto maintained her gentle smile and replied,
“In my opinion, the one most influenced by the mage is you, my lady. The current situation makes it quite clear.”
“…….”
Artemis found herself unable to respond to her closest attendant’s words.
She knew it herself.
Under normal circumstances—even if Meleager was someone she favored—she would never have tolerated such tricks. She would have driven Calydon straight toward destruction.
But now, she had given them a trial-like opportunity. Difficult for humans to overcome, yes—but an opportunity nonetheless.
“You… insolent attendant.”
“Yes, my lady. But more importantly—please try the tea the mage brought. It’s refreshing and quite pleasant.”
Watching Callisto’s calm demeanor, Artemis felt as though she had somehow lost. Still, she accepted the tea.
The tea brewed from leaves Njord had given was genuinely quite delicious.
“Hmph! Don’t think accepting this means I’m letting your insolence slide. Understood?”
“Yes, yes, of course.”
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