Chapter 1398: Side Story 7
Chapter 1398 - Side Story 7
Ares was the symbol of the Gaia Continent’s military force. Although there had been plenty of cases where he went crazy and showed how cruel he could be, there was no denying the fact that he symbolized the continent’s military force. When Mad Dog Ares was determined, he was pretty much unstoppable.
‘I don’t want to see Philos getting beaten up by someone.’
[Ares’s One-on-One Lessons have been activated.]
Ares was a master of all weapons. As soon as the One-on-One Lessons were activated, the chosen target would be able to absorb what Ares knew quickly. Ares could also summon training soldiers for this specific purpose. With a wave of his hand, a training soldier at Level 570 appeared in front of them.
“Philos, can you cut that?”
“It’s so annoying…”
“If you do it, then I’ll buy you something delicious. But you have to be able to cut it all down with one strike.”
Hearing that, Philos’s determination soared. She vowed to do her best. “Lord Ares, how can Philos cut that training soldier with one strike?”
“Even we have to swing our swords ten times before we can cut it down.”
“Aren’t you overestimating the child too much?”
The soldiers tilted their heads in confusion. Regardless, Philos could not hear them. She was already running toward the training soldier at full speed.
Swoosh!
With one hit, the training soldier slowly broke apart, causing the eyes of everyone present almost to drop out.
‘As expected.’ Ares was delighted. ‘You crazy bastards, what the hell did you do to this child?’
Ares was not Philos’ guardian. This meant that he could not check Philos’ information in detail like Minhyuk. Nevertheless, he possessed an exceptionally keen eye and could recognize Philos’ qualities all at once.
‘It’s the same when she used that Animal Farm the other day.
When Ares first met Philos, she saw the girl use the power of the man named Brod to sweep away her surroundings.
“This time, use the spear.”
Thud!
It also only took one hit.
“The bow.”
Thump!
It also only took one hit.
“The iron mace.”
Swoosh!
It was still just one hit. Philos’ mastery of all of the weapons was beyond common sense. Of course, this was only natural. Although Ares did not know, the people who taught her how to handle those weapons were the following:
The spear: Spear God Ben.
The sword: Sword God Conir.
The bow: The God of Archery.
She learned all kinds of ultimate and pinnacle skills. From what it looked like, there was no other way for this young girl to grow any further. Regardless, there was something that others did not know. The level of those who had taught this girl her skills was less than Level 1,000.
[God of War Ares. Level 1,436]
As for Ares, his level was far beyond any of their levels.
“If you work hard, you’ll get samgyeopsal.”
“Uryaaaaaaaaah!”
“If you achieve what I want you to achieve, then you’ll get beef instead.”
“Uwoooooooooh!”
“If you reach my expectations of you, then I’ll add naengmyeon into the mix.”
“Hyaaaaaaaaah!”
Philos gave it her all.
***
After three days.
[Your Mastery of All Weapons has gone beyond Level 9. You have reached Level 10 of Mastery in All Weapons.]
After six days.
[You have won against 100 training soldiers.]
After ten days.
[You have learned all of the chapters of Ares’ Swordsmanship.]
After twelve days.
“Hey, bring all of the greatest elixirs in the Gaia Continent here.”
After fifteen days.
“I think she’s gotten quite strong?”
“That’s only natural. Not only did she receive countless elixirs, but she also obtained everything that Lord Ares knew.”
“Gather all the ores, too. Apply it to all her artifacts.”
Finally, after one month.
[...Title: Growth Beyond Common Sense…]
[...Easter Egg: Massive Growth…]
Notifications rang in Philos’s ears. But as expected, Philos did not care. She had never been interested in the flood of notifications that usually rang in her ears. She just stared at Ares with a bright smile on her face while the man looked at her in disbelief.
“Beef and naengmyeon!”
When she finally got her hands on what she wanted, Philos devoured it in delight. Ares stared at Philos and realized, ‘There’s nothing more I can do for her.’
Of course, if he could protect her for at least three months to at most a year, then the story would be different. Alas, Ares knew that he could not stay by Philos’ side for a long time.
‘If that’s the case, then I have to find a different way.’
Ares knew the best way. He looked up at the sky. Although it was invisible to the naked eye of most, it was visible to him. It was none other than Olympus. That place was where Philos’ new teachers were.
***
Even the Gods of Olympus viewed Ares as someone whom they could not control. When Ares appeared holding Philos’ hands, Hera asked, “Who’s this child? Is she your sixth daughter?”
Ares had sown a lot of his seeds. However, he showed no love or hate for them. But Ares held the girl’s hand tightly and said, “Raise her.”
“Who would?”
“You, Mom.”
[Are you talking about Hera?]
“Yes. You too, Dad.”
[...?]
To be honest, they really could not make heads or tails of Ares.
[What do you mean by ‘Raise her’?]
Zeus looked at Ares in confusion.
“I’m saying that I want you to make sure that this child will not get beaten up regardless of where she goes.”
[Are you crazy?]
“I’m originally crazy, right?”
[...]
“...”
“...”
‘Ah, that’s right.’
Ares was originally a lunatic. Even though they were his parents, they still could not understand him. In fact, he could still commit immoral acts that baffled them.
“Brother, sister, and you guys too, raise her. Understand?”
The Gods of Olympus frowned.
“Why should we?” They all asked at the same time.
“Because she’s my friend.”
[Ares. You should know the reason why I pulled you out of the Wailing Prison, right?]
The Gaia Continent lost Ares’ Army, the army that represented the continent. Because of that, their military force had weakened. Of course, the Gods of Olympus were strong. However, they still needed a symbolic army that represented the humans.
“I know.”
[I asked you to raise an army, but you’re asking us to raise a child?]
“I also raised an army.”
[Ha!]
Zeus’ expression grew ugly. Then, he turned to look at Athena, who had run away from home just recently.
Athena looked surprised as she said, “It seems like they have shown more growth than we expected.”
[...?]
The people present were surprised. They all knew that Ares had no talent in training an army. They expected him just to squeeze them dry and kill them if he got annoyed. In fact, the 1% that had survived his beating and killing were those who became Ares’s Army.
“They have grown more than we expected. And none of them died. That’s good.”
“It’s fine now, right? Now, raise her.”
Zeus felt his blood pressure rise. He could already tell that he would not be able to avoid the fate of having hair loss once again. As for Hera, she had long lost the fire and was just speechless.
Then, Ares began to speak again. This time, he told them about the girl’s identity.
[You’re really crazy!]
“I’m originally a crazy bastard, you know?” Ares grinned.
His father had never nagged him. And his mother had never scolded him either. But Philos did. Of course, Ares was aware that Philos possessed an ability that could lead him by the nose. Regardless, he honestly did not want this child to be ignored and poorly treated, even after she went back to the West.
“No. That’s impossible, Ares.” Hera refused firmly. “Everyone here, except Zeus, despises Minhyuk. During the war against Heaven, we have been led around by his glib tongue and ended up helping him. Who benefited the most? Of course, I wouldn’t deny that we had fun. Think about it carefully. The one who profited the most was Minhyuk. Yet you’re asking us to raise that man’s younger sister?”
Hera’s gaze landed on Philos.
“Why should we? That child might become our enemy, too.”
“On the other hand, we can say that she’s a warrior raised and nurtured by Olympus,” Ares said. “Eventually, she will return to the West. But once she returns to the West, she will be able to show them how much she has grown and how great she has become.”
His words were tempting. Nonetheless, the potential losses were much greater than the gains.
“Lord Ares, please get back to your senses. Brat, what the hell did you do to bewitch Lord Ares, huh?”
At that moment, a man stepped forward. It was none other than Knight Radeon.
***
Olympus was not a place that was exclusive to the Gods of Olympus. Knight Radeon, the connection between Olympus and the continent, also resided in this place. Radeon’s duty was to convey the grievances and pleas of the humans living on the continent to the Gods of Olympus. He had a dream of his own: to become Ares’ successor.
Philos stared blankly at Radeon, who was glaring at her, and was startled by the man’s gaze.
‘Why is he looking at me like that?’
Philos ran away from home because she resented Minhyuk for neglecting her. But that did not mean that she threw away what her brother had taught her. No. She still kept his teachings to heart. Her oppa told her clearly that she would be able to eat more delicious food if she got stronger. For her to be able to do that?
Philos flinched and immediately hid behind Ares.
‘Why is this kid acting like this? Was she like this before?’
Still, she continued to hide behind Ares. She even looked at Radeon with apparent fear on her face.
“So scary…”
“Haha… Hahahahaha! Lord Ares, are you seeing this?! The girl that you, Lord Ares, and Minhyuk raised got scared the moment she saw me.”
Radeon continued to make himself look appealing to Ares. There would come a day when the God of War would have to step down. What Radeon wanted was to take that position and sit on his throne.
Radeon was not a god. Even if the Gods of Olympus acknowledged his talents, his strength was limited. He could only become truly strong once he sat on that throne and became a god.
Radeon had always been loyal to Ares. However, this time, he just could not understand why the God of War decided this.
‘When I asked him if I could be his successor, he just snorted in response. But why is he treating a mere brat like this?!’
Radeon’s left eye had a scar, which made him look rough and unapproachable. When Radeon’s face contorted in anger, Philos flinched and immediately hid behind Ares again.
‘What the hell is wrong with this kid?’
Meanwhile, Hera watched the scene and just thought that it was only a natural reaction. As for Ares, she knew that he would never back down. If that was the case, then…?
“If that kid beats Radeon, then I will agree to what you want. Ah, of course, that’s only me. I’ll bring that child around with me for a week.”
Ares finally understood the situation. He immediately shouted, “How can a child beat Radeon?!”
“So scared…”
“Isn’t that a bit too much?”
“How can I beat that mister…”
Ares and Philos acted in sync.
Hera, who believed that she had the upper hand, raised her voice and said, “How can we give the power of the Gods of Olympus to a child who cannot even beat Radeon?”
Hera looked at Radeon and smiled.
“That’s right. Lord Ares, asking the Gods of Olympus to teach and raise a child who cannot beat me is just pure greed.”
Finally…
“A… Ares… I… I’ll just go back…”
“No, Philos. Just wait.”
“Hiiiing…”
“Let’s just try it. Just once, okay?”
“Okay…”
Hera was already at the point where she found the situation amusing. She was starting to enjoy it, too. She said, “Radeon, you will be gentle. Right?”
“Of course! Brat, I’ll let you attack me three times. I won’t move at all.”
Philos carefully took one step forward, her sword held tightly in her hands.
Radeon spread his arms widely and said, “I have no personal grudges against you. However, I will make sure to beat you up and send you running back to the Western Continents. Ah. I also plan to trample on that brother of yours someday. Once I step on him and grind him down with my heels in front of the Gaia Continent, I will make sure to spit on him too!”
Philos’ expression changed the longer she listened to Radeon’s words. She ran away from home because she was upset with Minhyuk. But that was just that. It was just her silent rebellion, a timid way of showing her dissatisfaction.
Ares grinned. “Then, I’ll put forward a condition too. If Radeon loses, then I want you to deprive him of his position and ban him from entering Olympus for the rest of his life.”
Ares came forward for Philos’ sake.
“Alright, brat. Try cutting me now. Will you even be able to cut this hard flesh of mine…”
Ping!
“...!”
Hera’s eyes snapped open. She knew that power well. After all, it was through this power that she had lost her left arm forever. That was when she saw Ares and Philos laughing at the same time.
“Wait…!”
Shwaaaaaa!
The Sword God’s sword cut Radeon down. Radeon could only stare blankly at his chest spurting out blood as he fell to the ground.
Thud!
Radeon, who had collapsed, suddenly was at Philos’ eye level. Philos looked at him and said, “Mister, why can’t you endure one hit from me?”