Zeus.
He is the most prominent deity in Western mythology, enriched by countless plays and stories throughout ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.
Though the mythology has a stronger artistic and scholarly character than a religious one, various records, legends, and materials regarding Greek mythology still existed even in 2088.
Naturally, as the ‘main god’ of that mythology, countless stories and diverse images of Zeus have been passed down.
And if we were to pick the most significant image and famous tale about Zeus, it would undoubtedly be that of a ‘rake.’
Of course, at the point of 2088, Zeus is not the god himself but simply a hunter name. But does a hunter title influence a person’s life or not?
[Zeus? I met him when I waged a full-scale war against the Yeti Empire on Everest. Right after we met, he suddenly spewed nonsense about wanting me to bear his child. I couldn’t even react at the time because it was so ridiculous…]
Currently, the external image of Zeus was, quite literally, the very essence of a ‘rake.’
Beautiful women.
No, if a woman who meets even a certain standard of beauty comes into view, Zeus makes his move on them regardless of whether they are men or women.
Whether they have husbands, wives, lovers, or what anyone else thinks, it doesn’t matter.
The only good news is that, unlike in the myths, he doesn’t forge coercive, forced relationships, but to others, he still looks exactly like the rake he is.
In any case, Hunter Zeus loved and adored beautiful women, and to gossiping reporters, Zeus is the ultimate prey.
Whenever he was captured abroad, it would likely be just a moment before he was seen next to a woman. He had legally documented 183 children, and if any unregistered ones existed, the opinion in the genre’s hunter gallery was that the number would be much higher.
It’s no wonder that at one point, a magazine featured a special on Zeus’s extravagant love escapades. Even though he had the reputation of being the strongest hunter in the European Union, he couldn’t quite garner as much popularity as Yeonseo because of his image as a ‘rake.’
Of course, since Zeus is not only the top-ranked hunter of the era but also the guildmaster of [Olympus] Guild located in Greece, if a publication wrote something crossing the line, they might have to close the doors of that media company.
Moreover, it wasn’t only downsides.
In every country, the atmosphere of hunters and guilds is dramatically different; the macho culture is quite strong in the West, including Europe and America, compared to the East.
Zeus’s rake-like tendencies and image actually had a positive effect in that macho culture. Thanks to that, the Olympus Guild had countless applicants lined up.
Having many applicants naturally means that there are many guild members and hunters affiliated, and the number of hunters translates to the guild’s power and wealth, making Zeus’s Olympus Guild one of the most powerful guilds in the current European Union.
Though the story takes a twist, it’s clear that Zeus, who loves beautiful women, would not pass by Menelapie Haleum.
However, the problem was that… today, there was a very different ‘master’ than usual making an appearance.
Crack!
The sound of the sturdy hunter train’s floor creaking ominously echoed through the cabin.
And…
Boom!!!
“Yikes!?”
“What, what is it!?”
“Ahh, a fight broke out!”
“Damn it, barrier!”
“Yeah, I put it up.”
Before the sounds even reached Zeus, the instigator had already dashed towards him.
In an instant, Shia, having charged at Zeus, couldn’t even take the time to confirm her target. Almost flying, she made a second jump, grabbing the hair of the blonde tanned punk who was hitting on Menelapie…
Snap!
“Ugh, what!?”
Along with pulling Zeus’s hair, she delivered a knee strike to his face.
The other hunters watching seemed to feel the impact, with some sighing and screaming in shock.
If it were the usual Shia, she might have thought, ‘Let it be. As a saint, be nice. Understand,’ showing her soft side.
But if Shia were the one being targeted by Zeus’s hunting, it wouldn’t be the kind of situation deemed too dangerous. She’d probably playfully joke around, having a little fun with the ‘hunting’ scenario.
But today was different.
‘What? To my Menelapie, my brave hero?’
Though the truth was neither about her, nor was it him. The fact that he had been throwing those lines at Menelapie, particularly lingered for too long right in front of her eyes made Shia feel a bit dazed.
Regardless of what others thought, at this moment, all Shia wanted was to deliver judgment upon that vile Golden Sun attempting to seduce Menelapie.
“You damned Golden Sun!!!!!”
Ah, so lust was the problem?
Then…
Removing the source of that lust should do just fine?
Crack!
Wham!
“Cough, what!?”
Not satisfied with just that, Shia kept spinning in the air and slammed her leg down onto Zeus’s shoulder while reaching out towards his groin.
[Miracle – Rupture]
“Ugh!!!!”
Crash!
Having taken Shia’s surprise attack head-on, Zeus crashed through the table and literally flew far away.
It was, after all, an ambush, but Shia’s instantaneous speed could rival teleportation in how destructive it was. The body of the Mangja Seongnyeo had enough power to knock out an S-grade hunter in one blow, and above all, the final strike of the rupture’s miracle directed towards his groin was likely the death blow.
As a person, she had no intent on taking a life…
‘While riding this hunter train, just try to catch my eye again…!’
If he really became incapacitated, she would consider casting the Great Healing spell on him.
Just not until after the hunter train was over.
If things were awkwardly shattered or attempted to be resolved through conversation, there was no doubt he would throw another line at Menelapie.
Perhaps not only Menelapie, but also Teresa, Yane, or even Mother as well.
Right after throwing Zeus away, Shia stepped closer to Menelapie, who was staring at her in shock.
“Hah, hah… Menelapie, are you okay!? You’re not pregnant, are you!?”
“Pfft, as if that would happen, Shia.”
Menelapie smiled, somewhat bemused, at Shia who was overly worried for her.
The truth is, Menelapie had also felt Shia’s presence nearby and had done a little to induce the situation, but… she never expected such a fierce response from Shia.
“Hehehe, looks like Shia shows quite an unexpected reaction. But didn’t you go a bit overboard?”
“It’s fine. After all, an S-grade hunter can’t sustain serious injuries from something like this. If it gets bad, I could always offer the Great Healing…”
“Ow… hey… sis. Can’t you do that healing nonsense right now?”
Oh?
He’s already up?
Zeus, who Shia thought would be unconscious for a while, quickly rose to his feet with no signs of injury.
‘Huh? I ruptured his groin precisely…? Regardless of being a hunter, wouldn’t he be flipped if that area was blown up…?’
Realizing why Zeus seemed unscathed despite taking her rupture miracle aimed there, Shia finally understood upon closely observing Zeus.
“Oh, ha ha! This is quite something… Did I touch a taken person again?”
“Huh?”
It was a woman…
A blonde tanned punk girl.
But even taking that into consideration, even though she should’ve adjusted her strength, the perfectly aimed knee strike had left her in surprisingly good shape.
Zeus burst into laughter as if reading Shia’s expression.
“Pfft… oh dear, that hurt. Your knee strike was quite astounding. Bravo!”
Clap clap clap.
From Shia’s perspective, Zeus looked a bit like a long-haired, handsome youth from a distance, but up close, it was clearly a woman with solid, sculpted muscles and large, soft chest fat.
Her aura and tone carried a masculine and stylish atmosphere, but she indeed had the physique of a woman.
‘Wait, I thought with a hunter name like Zeus, he would naturally be male…!’
No wonder, I thought it was weird that I delivered a rupture miracle towards his groin only for him to show no discomfort…!
Sure, a woman might feel pain but then, being an S-grade hunter, it must not be putting on a show!
Moreover, that brat Zeus not only had a hunter name but spoke in a male manner, and the way she threw pick-up lines like a tanned punk from afar made Shia completely mistake him for a man.
And also, it seemed even the smart watch translation feature and the drone couldn’t properly translate Zeus’s term ‘sister’, thus making him genuinely think Zeus was male.
Well, by Shia’s standards, Zeus was quite pretty.
No, to be precise, she was more splendid than pretty.
However, that didn’t mean she could forgive the way he shamelessly threw lines at Menelapie.
“Ow. That hurts… It feels like my facial bones are cracking. What would you have done if it weren’t me?”
“Maybe I should’ve hit harder….”
“Hey, Shia, don’t take that too far.”
As Zeus’s body momentarily glowed with a bluish shimmer, sparks ran across her body, causing fragments of the broken table stuck to her to fall away.
And then Zeus turned her attention toward Shia, who attacked her.
“………”
“………”
Where did someone strike me? Let me see your face.
Her gaze seemed to ponder, but upon actually looking at Shia, Zeus’s face turned stiff.
“Wow…”
What is it?
“….Hey, white lady, you’re quite the beauty, aren’t you?”
“What?”
“White lady… judging by that, you must be part of Menelapie’s entourage. So how about you join my family along with Menelapie?”
Hearing the absurd proposition from this rake, a bright light erupted from Shia’s entire body.
What on earth is this rake saying now?
Crack, crack!
Shia felt her mind turning as white as the color of her divine power.
Thoughts and judgments? Hard to process right now.
“Uh, sister? I never stop anyone who comes. I actually prefer doing it with a few…”
Crash!
What the hell is this lunatic…?
[Miracle – Massive Rupture…]
“Shia, ease up on that.”
Wait, she almost blew up the entire hunter train in an instant.
Shia quickly dispersed the divine power she had gathered in her grip.
“That’s no longer worth dealing with. Teresa and Yoonjeong already have our compartment secured, so we needn’t waste our emotions; let’s just go.”
“Hey, ladies, you can’t be doing this.”
Crackle!
As Menelapie, who was about to leave together with Shia, turned, Zeus was suddenly blocking the exit.
Just a moment ago, he was across the compartment, but with the sparks crackling, in an instant, he leaned against the exit, crossing his arms.
It seemed fitting, as his name ‘Zeus’ indicated he wielded abilities related to lightning.
“Ah…”
“Ladies. That was really painful for me…”
“Oh, that’s unfortunate. So what do you want?”
“Ah… My physical wounds aren’t as bad as the heartache from the two of you rejecting me!”
While rubbing his struck face, Zeus opened his mouth with playful mischief.
“Our hunter train isn’t even ready to leave yet; wouldn’t a bit of friction be bad?”
“…But?”
“What do you mean but? Let’s build a constructive and wholesome relationship.”
“Is this constructive?”
“Hey, you know all love and enduring relationships start light and wholesome, gradually deepening, right? We’re just taking those fundamental steps together…”
“What if I decline?”
“If you decline? Then it might get a bit annoying?”
In reality, Shia’s situation was somewhat unfavorable.
She had acted emotionally, driven by anger at the Golden Sun chic hitting on Menelapie.
Looking at things objectively, Shia had resorted to violence against another hunter before the hunter train even began, and that hunter happened to be Zeus, one of the top hunters in the European Union.
And Zeus was the master of the Olympus Guild, one of the most prominent guilds in the European Union.
If Zeus decided to leverage that incident for diplomatic and political repercussions, things could get noisy.
There was a chance that the likes of Yeonseo, Yeonhwa, and Menelapie could be unintentionally involved in the fallout.
“I don’t want much, ladies. Just to have some fun with you in bed…”
“Hah.”
Shia let out a deep sigh.
“What? Are you preparing for another attack? It won’t go as easy as last time, you know? The hunter name Zeus didn’t come for nothing, right? I may have ambushed you, but if I actually turn my body into lightning, you won’t be able to catch up…”
Ah, shut up already.
Boom!
“Ugh!?”
Before Zeus could transform into lightning and escape somewhere, Shia grabbed her hand quickly and seized her jaw.
Just a bit more pressure, and that could easily rip her jaw off.
“…..!”
Zeus seemed to have been caught off guard, eyes wide in surprise, realizing Shia has speed that exceeds her own.
Zeus’s power was, quite literally, lightning.
Possessed with the qualities, speed, and destructive force of lightning, Zeus had been fully prepared for an ambush this time, yet failed to dodge Shia’s speed.
‘Wow, she’s fast…!’
Not just fast… in terms of strength, she’s also far stronger than him right now.
No ordinary enhancement-type hunter could even compare!
Even amid his rowdy punk demeanor, Zeus analyzed Shia’s power objectively.
‘That white thing… Is it divine power? I’ve heard it’s a superior version of the mana used by China’s saint in the past…! Handling that kind of power pushes the physical specs this far?’
Given those stats alone, he’d surpass S-grade with ease.
‘But where did such a monster come from? Was there such a delicious lady in Korea? A returnee?’
Regardless of whether she was a returnee or something else…
Anyway, this lady is entertaining.
‘I reckon she’s even stronger than Yeonseo!’
However, unlike Zeus’s sentiments, Shia’s irritation hit the maximum level.
Whether she was male or female…
Constantly trying to poke at her Achilles’ heel; it was just too much.
“I’m getting a bit angry….”
One of Shia’s eyes gradually started to darken.
Not fully changed yet.
But whenever she got extremely angered or her emotions surged, it would occasionally happen.
She didn’t want to. She wanted to avoid becoming the Death Saint.
Come on, calm down.
“Listen well.”
Shia shoved Zeus harshly against the wall.
Moving like a serpent, the tentacle that had been grinding its teeth in her waist erupted, threatening Zeus.
‘Whoa, mutation-type hunter? No, this seems different… Wait, do they even have multiple or composite ability hunters now?’
“I truly dislike people who mess with what’s mine.”
“…..Ugh?”
“Though this is our first meeting, I really dislike you. So… if possible, let’s not see each other consistently, okay?”
“Ugh?”
“Please nod if you understand.”
Nod.
Surprisingly, the blonde tanned Zeus obediently nodded along.
“Thank goodness you understood!”
[Miracle – Great Healing]
“Hah, well now! I’m glad to hear that! I’m sorry. I was too aggressive, weren’t I?”
“Puff! Wow, sis! This healing’s got remarkable effects…”
“Could you shut up? I don’t even want to hear you calling me sister. I swear it sounds like my ears are rotting.”
“……..”
When told to shut up, she should really shut up.
Normally, Shia wouldn’t respond this harshly and sensitively, but it was all because of Menelapie.
Meanwhile, Zeus only sported a broad grin, looking like they were all in good spirits.
“Let’s go, Menelapie.”
“Hehe, sounds good.”
Though Zeus was tossed aside like baggage onto the floor, a pleased smile still graced her face.
“Ah, it’s finally over.”
“I knew Zeus would be like this.”
“This time, it seems that white-haired girl being S-grade wrapped this up nicely, huh?”
“But who the hell is she?”
“Don’t you know? It’s Isia.”
“Isia? The gallery master?”
“Yep.”
“Ah, I knew it. Like a rake, always hitting on anyone, but serves her right.”
Despite the mocking remarks from the onlookers, Zeus didn’t particularly react.
Instead, she carelessly shrugged, tending to her lips where Shia had grabbed them.
“See you again, ladies.”
As Zeus gazed toward the direction Shia had left, she adjusted her outfit with a murmur.
“I understood what not seeing each other regularly meant… but that doesn’t mean I agreed to it, right?”
Such a rough exterior made her seem surprisingly naive, that white lady.
“Ah, my clothes are totally wrinkled… Aphrodite is gonna freak out.”
