However, the next moment, a loud splash jolted him awake from his thoughts.
Splash—!
Zeus hurriedly stood up and shielded himself from the water droplets coming to his face. Through the gaps of his fingers, he saw the source of disturbance and he backed away in shock.
"It jumped too!?"
Roar—!
Immediately, Zeus dragged his body away. Although the pain on his shoulders brought him a great amount of pressure, he still ran for his life. As long as there's still a sliver of survival, he didn't lose hope.
"Huff, huff."
However, it seemed like no matter how far he ran, he could still hear the growl of the hyena behind him. It's as if it's laughing at its prey.
'Damn bastard, if I'm going to anyway…' At that moment, Zeus stopped. '...then why not fight it?'
He turned around and faced the hyena just a few meters from his position. It was salivating and its mouth revealed a trace of mockery.
Zeus, despite the fear, remained calm. He glared at the hyena eye to eye and secretly put his right hand behind him to reach out for the knife.
He's determined to face this beast. Now, he realized that his doom was already a foregone conclusion. However, he didn't want to fall without a fight.
What's the purpose of all that training then if he wouldn't use it?
'Dying on the battlefield is a warrior's greatest wish.'
Zeus wasn't a warrior. Up until now, he's been living as if he'd die tomorrow. He trained every day to hone his skills and improved his survival chances.
However, his mind remained as a native of the earth.
But now…
"If you want to eat me, come on then! I'll take you head on!!!"
As if responding to his provocation, the hyena growled in agreement.
…
Caw—, caw—
On the mountain approximately 50 miles away from Zeus' location, three men covered in gray capes were cooking their meal.
"Boss, are you sure it's here? We've been mining for a month but we still can't find it." One of the three asked.
"Why are you asking stupid questions, Limuel? I'm pretty sure the boss knows what he's doing." The man beside Limuel refuted as he gnawed the beef like a glutton.
"Mari, are you suggesting I'm an idiot?" Limuel said. His eyes sharpened as he glared at Mari.
"What if I am? Will you fight me? Believe it or not, I'm gonna defeat you with one hand."
"Try me then!"
"Bring it on!"
The heated exchange intensified. Just as they were about to cross hands, a voice quickly made them stop.
"You two, did you hear that?" A man who had his eyes closed asked.
Limuel and Mari looked at him with a hint of doubt.
"What is it, boss?" The two spoke in unison.
The man called, boss, opened his eyes, and glanced at a particular location as if he could see what was happening there.
Confused, Limuel and Mari set their sights on the location where their boss was looking. By focusing their attention clearly, they finally understood their boss's concern.
'A kid?' Their brows wrinkled in confusion.
It's not common for orphans to live in a place where kids are being abandoned but the fact that this one was left atop of a mountain made them feel a little pity.
"Boss, are we going to help?" Mari inquired as he grabbed the large steel hammer leaning on a tree.
"If you're going to go, take me too. I like this kid." Limuel grinned. He flicked his coat, showing a dazzling silver rapier hanging on his waist.
The two waited for the orders, but as the clock ticked, they were already sweating. At this rate, that kid would surely die.
Fortunately, before they could ask once again, the man stood up and patted his subordinates on their shoulders.
But the unexpected answer caught them off guard.
"Stay."
…
The hyena pounced on Zeus.
Woosh!
It opened its mouth displaying its huge and sharp fangs.
Roar!
Zeus tensed up. He tumbled sideways barely dodging the beast's jaws. Sensing another attack coming once again, he grabbed a palmful of dirt from the ground and splashed those towards the hyena's eyes.
Shu!
However, the hyena only roared and the dust immediately disappeared. Then, it started its barrage of attacks.
One after another, trees were chopped into pieces as Zeus led the hyena toward the woods.
'My arms are already aching. Damn it, can I even hurt it? At this rate…'
Zeus gritted his teeth. The hyena was toying with him as it hadn't used anything other than opening its mouth to swallow him in one bite.
Fortunately, with his reflex and physical condition, he managed to dodge some of it while a few grazed him on his arms.
Shu! Shu! Shu!
The two went back and forth until Zeus' stamina was slowly depleted.
At that moment.
Bite!
The hyena finally caught his left hand.
Rip!
Its biting power ripped his hands apart and crushed the bones as if it was eating soft food.
"AHHHHHH!!!" Zeus screamed. The pain of a hand being ripped apart was just too much for a 5 year old kid to bear.
The blood splattered everywhere. Zeus tried to cover it with his palm but the blood gushed out endlessly.
"Arghh! It hurts! Fuck, fuck! Ah!!!"
Powerlessness washed over his body and in the end, he kneeled on the ground. Tears kept on pouring from his eyes as he clutched his shoulders in frustration.
'Why is this happening to me? What did I do?'
What was the purpose of his reincarnation if he was going to die early without experiencing the world?
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For the first time, Zeus questioned his purpose.
The hyena stared at him with amusement. He could feel its contempt as if saying 'Blame yourself for being weak.'
But what can he do?
It's not like he did nothing, right? He trained for moments like this when his life was being threatened.
All the strength he has obtained was through blood, sweat and tears.
However, in front of absolute power, his strength was nothing but a fleeting wind—it's useless.
'God, am I really bad enough in my past, past lives for you to grant me this misery?' Zeus murmured.
He raised his head and looked at the skies. The sun edging over from the horizon slowly vanished, replaced by heavy clouds accompanied by rumbling thunders.
Drip—, drip—
Water droplets descended and the blood on his body was washed away.
[It's fun, human kid.]
Hearing the hyena speak, Zeus' eyes widened slightly and a soft chuckle escape his mouth.
"You can speak."
[All of us could speak but I'm more curious about how you could speak to us.]
"Maybe, I'm special?" Zeus said as the raindrops started to intensify.
[Hahaha, indeed, you are.]
"So what now, are you going to eat me?"
[Hahaha, what a dumb question, of course! The special the meal, the tastier it is.]
"I see…" Zeus' eyes became heavier and he continued, "but before that, can I ask you a question?"
The hyena didn't hesitate and answered.
[Oh, say it.]
"Can you see the text floating in front of me?"
[Text?]
The hyena focused his gaze around, trying to find what the human was asking. However, he found nothing.
[Oh, you're still playing? Unfortunately, the game ends here.]
'It seemed like I was the only one who could see this.' Zeus stared at the floating screen in front of him.
< Connecting… >
< Obtaining Data… Complete. >
< Scanning Body Functions… Complete. >
< Loading…. 100% >
< Binding… >
< The Strongest System Is Bound To The Host >
'My system was finally here. The gods are really toying with me. What a pity…'
Zeus didn't argue anymore and just closed his eyes but the smile on his face remained.
"I got my answer. Do your thing."
He leaned on the tree. Numbness permeated as he waited for his timely death.
[You can rest in peace inside my belly, human.]
The hyena opened his jaws.
At that moment.
Tap—, tap—, tap—
The sounds of footsteps echoed in the surroundings.
Tap—, tap—, tap—
The hyena stopped. Annoyed by the sudden interruption, he roared madly towards the location of the footsteps.
Roar!!!
However, the sounds of footsteps became stronger. Finally, a shadow of three people appeared in the hyena's sight.
"Little beast, you can go now."
Roar!!!
The hyena growled in disbelief.
When did a human become courageous when facing him?
Although it couldn't speak human language, just from the human's expression, he could see its extreme disdain for him.
Without hesitation, the hyena muscles bulged and he charged toward the three men.
[Die!!!]
At that moment,
Boom!
An extreme killing intent burst out from one of the men, shrouding the whole mountains in an area of slaughter.
"If I say leave, you leave."
The hyena hurriedly stopped. Cold sweats formed on the beast's forehead.
[What is this?]
"Not leaving yet?" The man's eyes glowed red and the killing intent surged like an unstoppable force.
The hyena didn't even glance at Zeus as he ran for his life with his tail between his legs. As if his butt were on fire, the hyena fled away in disgrace.
…
'Someone is here.' Zeus whispered. His eyebrows fluttered and soon he regained his vision .
Although blurred he could see three men standing a few feet away from him.
'Is it dad?'
"Good job holding out, kid. Rest first and leave the rest to us."
As soon as heard the man's words, Zeus' whole body relaxed and he passed out in exhaustion.