It was calm.
It was hard to believe that this dungeon, where a battle with hundreds of thousands of mutated slimes had taken place just an hour ago, was now drenched in an eerie silence.
Strangely, even Zeus, who had been throwing countless flirtations at Menelapie while on the Hunter Train, had been unusually quiet since their last conversation.
Was it because he thought they should be serious about exploring the dungeon?
No, because earlier, he had been practically wild while fighting the slime wave. Even amidst the battle with the slimes, if he spotted a beauty he fancied, he would slyly try to hit on her.
It was odd to see Zeus unusually quiet with Menelapie in front of him.
Crackle!
From time to time, Zeus summoned lightning to deal with the mutated slimes lurking in the area, but even that seemed to vanish into thin air, like sparks in this bizarre silence.
In fact, since coming out to “explore” with Zeus, Menelapie hadn’t drawn her sword even once.
‘Stronger than I expected.’
No, to be precise, Menelapie didn’t even need to draw her sword.
Zeus was not exaggerating when he said he was an S-grade lightning user; he effortlessly turned the slimes that dared to intrude into their territory into piles of ashes with a mere gesture.
It wasn’t just a simple level of shooting lightning — he could unleash disasters at the level of natural catastrophes.
He could even transform into lightning for high-speed movement or spread a weak electric field to pinpoint the locations of the slimes like a radar.
Thanks to that, the moment he sensed something nearby, Zeus could just lazily point his hand, and lightning would strike down.
Later, when the Hunter Assistant Drone scanned the area, there would be nothing left but the mutated slimes that had been fried by lightning.
Crackle!
Boom!
Somewhere, the sound of a mutated slime being seared by lightning echoed before fading away.
Although Zeus was handling it all without Menelapie needing to step in, the Blood Swamp was on the brink of complete extinction, drained dry by trees.
The massive forest and trees created by the Spirit Nuke detonated by Olga had consumed all the crimson liquid of the swamps like blood, causing the trees to emanate a dark red aura, but the fact that the slimes’ habitat, where they could ambush freely, was vanishing was significant.
The most unexpected thing was that Zeus was seriously exploring the dungeon.
Just moments ago, he had been showering Menelapie with all sorts of flirtations, and this quiet demeanor seemed oddly out of place.
“Easy.”
Zeus chuckled lightly, brushing off his hands dismissively as if it was no big deal.
As the distance from their base increased and the number of slimes trying to ambush them decreased, he finally opened his firmly shut mouth.
“Hey, what’s this? Has my lady Menelapie finally fallen for my charm? Hee hee hee.”
“…….”
“What? I can do it here too, you know?”
Hmm, maybe not…
Could it just be a feeling?
“I refuse.”
“Haha! But the fact that you’re exploring with me means you must like me a bit, right?”
“Think what you like.”
“See? You do have feelings for me! If you didn’t like me, you wouldn’t have wanted to hang out with me.”
Yeah, imagination is free.
Menelapie smiled gently and kept her lips tightly shut.
“So, how about joining our Olympus Guild? I saw your skills while slicing slimes earlier; they’re impressive! If you join us, I’ll make sure to treat you specially! Despite how it looks, our guild is super rich, and strong members are always welcome.”
Menelapie didn’t even feel it was worth responding to that statement and quietly turned her head.
“I’ll repay you in full if given the chance. If possible, I’d like to bring that girl who was wandering around with you too…”
Yet she still kept silent.
So, what should she do now?
To be honest, Menelapie had thought about killing this Zeus.
Considering he dared to throw flirtations at Shia, he was someone who richly deserved to be disposed of…
‘If killing is the objective, it wouldn’t be that difficult. He must have at least hidden abilities or skills if he has his wits about him.’
Internally, Menelapie slightly adjusted her evaluation of Zeus upwards.
And most importantly…
“By the way, this is different from what I expected.”
“What do you mean?”
“You.”
“Oh, why? Did my efforts finally pay off, my lady?”
“The things you’ve said so far. Are they genuine?”
“……..What?”
Thanks to the lightning sizzling around, a white smoke billowed as the bodies and cores of the slimes composed of blood were burning in the fire.
In the inconvenient silence, Menelapie walked calmly, with her hands behind her back.
Zeus, hearing Menelapie’s words, shut his mouth tightly as if he had done something wrong.
Could he be feeling nervous?
No, that can’t be.
A rogue feeling nervous?
That’s nonsense.
Yet, Menelapie felt that Zeus seemed like a clown.
‘He could indeed be just a simple rogue, but…’
It seemed like he was putting on an exaggerated act to hide his true self, trying to present a carefully crafted image to others, as if he wanted to be perceived a certain way.
Without knowing the purpose, it would be unwise to jump to conclusions.
After a while, Zeus burst into his usual laughter again.
“Ha ha! It seems my love and affection didn’t reach you, huh? What do you mean by genuine?”
“If you have nothing to say, it’s alright.”
At first, he seemed like your typical rogue, wanting to showcase a great image to charm Menelapie.
However, based on Menelapie’s keen observations of humanity as an emperor in her previous world, at least the Zeus in front of her showed no hint of affection.
Is he a rogue and a philanderer?
No, because even those types hold some attraction toward the body right in front of them.
However, Menelapie felt that Zeus did not harbor even the slightest fondness for her.
Others might disagree.
Those who knew Zeus would think, “That rogue could never feel that way.”
But Menelapie felt that Zeus’s flirtations and sweet whispers were nothing but hollow lies.
‘It seems that Teresa was right; he’s one of those twisted souls…’
Of course, just because a soul is twisted doesn’t mean it’s necessarily demonic or a fallen traitor.
In fact, a fallen soul is often completely intact.
It’s because the demons need to consume the soul of the traitor as it is, as intact as possible.
‘But being close makes it clear. I was unsure earlier, but at least this Zeus doesn’t possess a normal soul.’
As Menelapie’s Golden Eye focused on Zeus, she could see something twisted and transparent.
Even with the Golden Eye, seeing something as abstract and conceptual as a soul in a tangible form takes quite a bit of time.
‘Could he possibly be a fragment of the Demon King?’
If the fragment of the Demon King was actively hiding, it would be hard for Shia, who is sensitive to malice, or Menelapie, bearing the Golden Eye, to easily find them.
The fragments of the Demon King that have been eroding Earth had often been blatantly making their presence known in search of a more suitable host or to swallow up the host in their desires, which is why Shia could find them easily by scent.
But after Shia killed a few of the fragments, the remnants decided to hide purposefully from the likes of the Saintess Isia, Menelapie, and Teresa who had a track record of defeating the complete Demon King.
After that, the fragments chose to hide away, regardless of pride, fearing annihilation before they could even become a complete Demon King.
‘They say that even among fragments, there’s competition for dominance. If things go well, perhaps a situation would arise that Shia might like.’
Anyway, as of now, Menelapie couldn’t easily locate the fragment of the Demon King.
Of course, it wasn’t impossible to find them; it just wasn’t easy.
‘But… I still can’t be sure.’
After observing Zeus for an hour, Menelapie spotted the signs of the soul’s distortion Teresa had mentioned earlier.
However, that alone wasn’t enough to conclude he owns a fragment of the Demon King or is a host.
The reasons behind a distorted soul could vary.
It could belong to someone like Shia or Yoonjeong, who are living another life by reincarnation, or it might be that the lightning ability itself distorts the soul as its price.
Of course, the most likely scenario would be that of a fragment of the Demon King residing within.
Given that he is an S-grade user and among the very few globally, it makes sense that he obtained such overwhelming strength through being a host of a fragment.
‘Moreover, judging by what I hear around me… Zeus is a brutal, macho rogue who has over a hundred children. He hits on both men and women, even attempting to charm beasts and Shia. So, personality-wise, it’s no surprise he would make a suitable host for the Demon King.’
Fundamentally, Demon Kings relish in desires.
The stronger the desire — be it for life, wealth, power, lust, or any other ambition — the stronger the synergistic effect between the host and the Demon King’s fragment grows.
In that sense, Zeus wouldn’t be an unusual candidate to be a host for the Demon King.
However, the fact that he barely displayed any affection through those flirty whispers he directed at her was odd.
Menelapie entered that dungeon to keep an eye on Zeus and study him closely through her Golden Eye.
People often reveal their true colors when they are alone, stripped of external judgment.
The same goes for fragments of the Demon King.
Right now, Menelapie had made herself bait to have a solo conversation with Zeus, but surprisingly, he still didn’t show his true self.
Even though on the surface he appears to be a thoughtless rogue, he might be using that rogue persona as a shield to hide his intentions.
‘… Let’s not overthink it. Maybe it would be simpler to take action?’
The easiest route would be to kill him.
Just because a soul is distorted doesn’t automatically imply ownership of a fragment of the Demon King, but the odds favor it.
If she were to die during an ambush while exploring the dungeon, the cleanup would be easy.
There might be suspicions, but Menelapie was just a Returnee holding a temporary Hunter Certificate. Zeus was an S-grade Hunter.
It’s hard to imagine that an S-grade Hunter would be killed by a Returnee with a temporary Certificate. It’s not uncommon for deaths to occur among those traveling on the Hunter Train.
Even if Zeus turned out not to be a host, Menelapie wasn’t someone kind enough to let a rogue who had annoyed both her and Shia go free.
Just a while ago, Shia had reacted amusingly, which quelled her murderous intent, but now the story was different.
Menelapie’s hand gently caressed the grip of the sword secured at her waist.
“By the way, where’s the boss? I can’t wait to finish this boring exploration and return to finally enjoy myself… Ah, I’m already craving beer.”
Zeus, trying hard to ignore the pricking gaze against him, walked confidently ahead.
As an S-grade Hunter, he wouldn’t fail to notice Menelapie’s slight murderous intent.
Was he pretending to be oblivious on purpose?
Or was it that he genuinely didn’t realize?
[Hunting complete]
[Hunting complete]
[Hunting complete]
At that moment, a massive sound resonated through the dungeon, causing Menelapie’s hand, which had been stroking her sword, to freeze.
[The extermination of the dungeon boss has been confirmed! Once again, I repeat! The extermination of the dungeon boss has been confirmed!]
[The Hunter who hunted the dungeon boss is ‘Isia Hunter’ from Korea! Congratulations!]
[From this moment on, the danger level of the -Blood Swamp- will be greatly lowered!]
[All Hunters are advised to collect byproducts within 3 hours and return to the Hunter Train!]
[In exactly 3 hours and 20 minutes, the Hunter Train will re-invade a new dungeon!]
[Once again, I announce…]
The overwhelming noise from the Hunter drones scattered across the Hunter Train and dungeons caused Zeus to exhibit a disappointed expression.
“Aw, what’s this? I was going to show my lady a more refined side of me, but the boss has already been killed?”
A refined side, huh…
Crackle!
At the broadcast echoing all around, Zeus withdrew the lightning that had been surrounding him.
Whether Menelapie made a surprise attack or not, the lightning had automatically been set up to defend against her blade.
It was clear he was intentionally pretending to be oblivious.
“Sigh, Aphrodite is going to confiscate the nectar since we couldn’t defeat the boss.”
“……..”
“Let’s head back, shall we? How about sharing a beer together when we return? It would only be right to celebrate our dungeon conquest on the Hunter Train! I bet Aphrodite won’t mind if she hears you’re drinking with me…”
“Enough.”
“Ah, come on, that’s just cold!”
Even with suspicions clouding her mind, Menelapie decided to keep observing Zeus a little longer.
The signs of twisted souls had become apparent.
The idea of him being a fragment of the Demon King still remained in the realm of suspicion.
In the end, nothing was definitively clarified.
But one thing was certain.
‘This woman named Zeus — despite his words, doesn’t like me at all.’
Regardless of anything else, that one fact was undeniable.
