Chapter 1399: Side Story 8
Chapter 1399 - Side Story 8
Radeon was left both dumbfounded and in disbelief as he continued to kneel on the ground.
‘I was forced to kneel with just one strike?’
He was one of the powerhouses of the Gaia Continent, a Named NPC whose level was over Level 800.
‘If I lose, I will be deprived of my position.’
How did he get to this point?
“Mister, why can’t you endure one hit from me?” The girl said as she looked Radeon straight in the eye.
Radeon gritted his teeth at the provocation. He looked around. When he saw the eyes of the Gods of Olympus present, he seemed to hear them say, ‘Endure it! You have to endure it somehow!’ and ‘If you can’t do this, then you know what will happen, right?’
He had been far too arrogant. He stepped forward and took the lead even though no one had asked him to. If he could not endure this, then Hera would have to take care of Philos for an entire week. ‘The pain… It’s too much.’
A scream almost slipped out of Radeon’s mouth when the Sword God’s power cut through his chest. The only fortunate thing was that Radeon’s HP was much higher than that of ordinary people.
Radeon struggled to his feet while blaming himself for his complacency. He said, “Phew. Alright kid. There are two more left.”
His arrogance and complacency led him to give the child in front of him three uninterrupted strikes.
‘Two more strikes to endure. Once this is over, I will tear this brat to pieces!’
He only needed to endure two more strikes.
Alas, Philos was already very angry. She had already swapped her sword for a spear. At the tip of the spear in the girl’s hands, the power of the secret skill created by the old man slowly swirled into existence.
Shwaaaaaaaa!
The bright and blinding power struck Radeon all at once.
Thud!
“Keuhaaack!” Radeon screamed.
His defensive power has almost tripled after he used the skill Hard Knight. But the power that struck him was beyond common sense. It was able to squeeze through his high defenses and inflict heavy damage.
‘This is dangerous. At this rate, I might really…’
After receiving the full brunt of the God’s Pinnacle Spear, Radeon finally realized the severity of the matter. He finally understood how much of a crisis he was in.
–I’ll let you attack three times. I won’t move at all.
These words had come out of Radeon’s mouth, but now, he had no choice. He grabbed his sword tightly and charged forward, completely disregarding his own words.
“This f*cker…” Ares growled, his expression ugly.
The other Gods of Olympus were also sporting similar expressions. As for Radeon? He already knew that this match was over. After all, he violated the rules that he set himself. Nevertheless, he still charged forward and even gave it his all. Why? Because he wanted to see this little brat roll around on the ground and end up with a very unsightly figure.
“God’s Grace.”
Bzzt!
A powerful and blinding spark danced on the blade of Radeon’s sword. The spark, which resembled Zeus’ lightning bolt, was Radeon’s most powerful move. Not only did this move pack a punch, but it could also dramatically increase his speed.
Swoosh!
Radeon moved swiftly. In an instant, he appeared in front of the girl. Just when he moved to cut the girl down…
“Huh…?”
Philos was already standing far away from him.
“Mister, you’re a liar.”
‘Animal Farm.’
Fwoosh!
The chicken’s leg fell and struck Radeon in the middle of his chest. The strike left his armor dented and forced him to vomit a mouthful of blood. The Gods of Olympus collectively looked up at the sky.
‘A pig?’
‘No. A piglet?’
They seemed to have seen the plump butt of a piglet hovering above them.
‘Pfft.’ Hera chuckled. But the laughter died in her throat, and her expression grew ugly.
Thud!
An overwhelming weight fell upon those who were sitting. And this heavy weight pressed down on Radeon, who was unable to endure. It forced him to kneel once again, causing him to shriek as his knees made contact with the ground.
“Heok! Heok! Heok!” He breathed.
‘I survived?’
Just when he was about to feel relieved… an unknown force suddenly clasped onto his ankles.
Swoosh!
The force dragged Radeon, who was embedded deeply into the ground, and pulled him somewhere. Before Radeon was completely dragged away, he saw the young girl named Philos slowly bending her knees. She looked completely composed as she slowly moved into position.
‘How can a young girl like her be so calm and composed?’
‘Amazing. I have never seen a genius with this much talent before.’
They all knew what was about to happen next. However, none of them stopped her. Radeon, who was being dragged to where Philos was, finally felt the urgency of the matter.
“Please. Pleaaaaaase!”
The figure of the Sword God seemed to overlap with Philos. Unfortunately for Radeon, this girl was taught by Minhyuk and the Sword God. And she was taught not to show compassion and mercy to an enemy.
“One second. That’s the time it will take for me to cut you down.”
Clank!
‘Quick Draw.’
The sword that was quickly drawn from its scabbard easily cut Radeon’s neck. For Philos, who was playing the game in children's mode, the scene looked beautiful with petals flying all over the place. Alas, it was different for the rest. Radeon’s head and body fell in two different places.
Philos slowly returned her sword into the scabbard and looked around. The Gods of Olympus stared at her, a bitter smile on their faces as they tried their hardest to remain calm.
‘She has that much power at such a young age?’
‘Even if Radeon did not allow her to attack him three times, the young girl would still have won.’
Ares grinned. “Mother, you’ll keep your promise. Right?”
“Of course. That child will never have fun in that entire week.”
Hera just needed to care for the child for a week. There was no need to listen to Ares’ request to raise her.
[Hera will be in charge of taking care of the child for a week.]
[That child will definitely have a hard time…]
Zeus knew Hera better than anybody else. Even the others were looking at them with clattering teeth.
‘She’ll live with mother for a week?’
‘My god. That’s so terrible.’
It was worth noting that most of the Gods of Olympus were born from the union of Zeus and Hera. That was why they all knew better than anybody else what kind of person Hera was. Hera was very picky and strict.
The truth was, Philos wanted to continue staying by Ares’ side. But Ares said, “Mother Hera is the one who owns the most delicious Golden Apple in the world.”
The Golden Apples were said to be the apples given by Gaia, the Goddess of the Earth, to Hera as a wedding gift. If a player ate that apple, their stats and skill level would increase by leaps and bounds. Because of this, many had died because they sought Hera’s Golden Apple.
“The Golden Apples are the most delicious apples in the world.”
At this moment, Philos thought that she should do her best to get close to Hera.
***
Hera was considered the most beautiful among all of the goddesses in Olympus. But she also embodied jealousy and vengeance.
‘Unlucky brat.’
For now, she decided to bring Philos to her residence. Unfortunately, Hera was jealous because the young girl named Philos was beautiful.
‘She’s prettier than I was when I was young.’
[Hera’s favor has decreased.]
This was the first time something like this happened to Philos, who possessed the ultimate passive skill: Heart Thief. Of course, the Heart Thief was not an absolute power. But Philos was someone who could naturally appeal and endear herself to others even without this skill.
Unfortunately, her favorability with Hera suddenly decreased. Unbeknownst to her, the drop in favorability was purely because Hera was the embodiment of jealousy.
On Philos’ first night…
“Sleep with Philos…”
“Get off?! How dare you sleep in the same bed as me?!” Hera glared as an overwhelming killing intent covered the entire bedroom.
Philos had no choice but to flee after feeling a terrifying killing intent, something that she had never felt in her life before.
On the second day…
Whenever Philos ate something, her cute appearance could always enthrall and bewitch people. Alas, Hera was different.
“Are you a human? Or are you a pig? Don’t spill things when eating! Go eat over there!”
She treated Philos with contempt and disgust.
After those two incidents, Philos tried her hardest to get closer to Hera. It was all because she wanted to eat the Golden Apple.
“Do you want me to summon the giants and make them pull your hands and legs apart?! Then, your limbs will be torn away. Ha! That’s definitely going to be fun.
“This is why I don’t like children. Get lost!”
It was almost impossible to crack the walls that surrounded Hera’s heart.
Meanwhile, everything was being observed by a little bird.
***
The Gods of Olympus did not want to raise Minhyuk’s younger sister, Philos. Why? They felt he was taking advantage of them again. This time, even Zeus felt the same way.
Zeus, who went to see how Hera and Philos were doing, had a smile on his face.
[It seems like Ares does not know his mother that well, huh? Hera is the personification of jealousy. She’s also more finicky than the other goddesses.]
There was even a saying among them that went, ‘The one who can win Hera’s heart deserves to be a part of the Twelve Gods of Olympus.’ Of course, it was a joke. However, this joke implied how difficult it was to win Hera’s heart.
[Even I have failed to receive Hera’s love in my life.]
Zeus spoke bitterly.
“That’s because you cheat on her every single day, Father,” Athena piped up, hitting the nail on the head.
[...]
Zeus was rendered speechless for a brief moment.
[No. Well… yes, that’s one of the reasons. But Hera did not marry me because she loved me. She only married me because I’m the most powerful being.]
That was what Zeus’ common sense dictated.
[Either way, it’s impossible to win her heart over.]
The God of Olympus snickered. As for raising the child whom Ares brought? When that day came, they would never do it.
***
On the sixth day…
[Hera’s favor has dropped to the MAX level.]
[Hera despises you.]
At the same time, a quest notification popped up in front of Philos.
[Hidden Quest: Hera’s Hard Heart.]
Rank: ???
Requirements: The one closest to Hera.
Rewards: Golden Apple, Hera’s love, and heart.
Penalty for Failure: Hera’s curse.
Description: Hera is a woman who does not give her heart away to just anyone. Perhaps it’s more impossible to win her heart than to win against Zeus in a fight. Win her heart over. If you win her heart, then you will be able to receive her Golden Apple.
Philos wanted to eat the Golden Apple. Nonetheless, that was not the only reason why she wanted to get close to Hera.
‘We’re the same…’
The world had turned its back on her. She did not trust anyone. And it seemed like she was the only one who believed and trusted in herself. When Philos looked at Hera, who was suffering from many wounds despite being the most beautiful, she was reminded of the time when she was hurt the most.
Unfortunately, winning her heart was no easy task.
Then, late at night… Urged by her hunger, Philos moved to search for something to eat. It was already very late into the night. Everything was so quiet with all of the servants fast asleep. That was when she saw her.
Hera chugged the contents of the glass in her hand as she stared at the crystal ball in front of her.
“Zeus. You’re really that kind of man…”
Hera was watching the womanizing Zeus’ every move as he flirted around. Zeus has visited her in his carrier pigeon form and said, ‘I’m going to sleep now, my love. I love you, Hera.’ But he did not sleep. He immediately went down to the continent. Perhaps he went down in search of a human beauty to hold in his arms.
Hera felt mixed emotions for this man. She no longer had any love left for Zeus. Whenever Zeus went down and cheated on her, she felt as if everyone was laughing at her. In fact, Hera was sure that everyone was doing so. ‘Zeus left Hera for an affair.’ She was sure the people were saying that, making her the object of their mockery and ridicule. The same was true today.
‘Alright. Let’s torment this woman.’
The embodiment of jealousy’s wrath erupted. The only thing that could relieve her anger was to torment and bully that woman. Just when she was about to make a move…
“That uncle is so bad! You have to go and grab his hair right away!”
“Huh?”
The drunk Hera heard Philos’ voice.
“How can he do this to such a beautiful person! Uncle Zeus is definitely an idiot!”
“Pfft.Ahem! Th-that’s right. Zeus might be the greatest god, but he’s definitely lacking in some aspects.”
“That’s right! I feel sorry for you, Hera.”
“Aaaaah. Everyone in the world already knows this story,” Hera said. Then, she took out the chair next to her. Philos hopped on the chair as Hera continued, “Isn’t it strange? The one who did wrong is Zeus, yet the people are mocking me.”
“It seems like everyone’s strange?!” Philos answered sincerely.
Hera stared deeply at Philos’ big eyes. At that moment, a strange feeling washed over her. No one had ever spoken ill of Zeus and criticized him with her. After all, he was Zeus, the greatest and most powerful god in the Gaia Continent. Yet, this child was different.
“Won’t you get in trouble for saying that?”
“Will I get in trouble for saying bad things about bad people?”
Hera burst out in laughter. She was right, and somehow, no one had said these words except for this child.
“To be honest, I’ve been worrying about this every day. If I bully and torment the woman Zeus cheated on me with, the people will only curse and mock me.”
It was the truth. As the wife, it was only natural for her to grab her husband’s affair partner by the hair and drag her out to a fight. Yet the people around her mocked her for being the embodiment of jealousy.
“I’m sure it’s because those people are just jealous of you, Hera. They must be mocking you and cursing you because you’re the most beautiful woman!”
“Ho? Is that so? It seems to be the case.”
“The bad one is Uncle Zeus! How can he do that to Hera?!” Philos shouted, unknowingly poking Hera’s cheeks with her tiny hands.
For some strange reason, Hera did not lash out. She even began to confide in Philos. This was the first time that someone cursed Zeus with her in her life. Throughout the night, Hera cursed and badmouthed Zeus. And Philos responded in kind.
On the seventh day…
Zeus and the Gods of Olympus blinked blankly. They stared at Hera and Ares, who were holding Philos’ left hand and right hand, respectively.
“This child will be recognized as my daughter.”
[No… what… What about the family tree… no, more importantly… why would you…]
“Shut up,” Hera growled.
Philos munched on the Golden Apple in her hand and said, “Uncle Zeus! You’re an idiot!”
“Yes, he’s a moron.”
“How can you do something like that?”
“That’s because he’s dumb.”
“Anyway, Uncle Zeus is an idiot. You’re a womanizing and cheating bald eagle!”
[...]
The womanizing and cheating bald eagle Zeus was rendered speechless.
“Alright. All of you will have to stay with our dear Philos for three days. After that, you can decide if you want to raise her or not.”
No one in the room could go against the words of Hera, Olympus’ greatest villainess.