[[[ Inside one of the vast mountain tunnels ]]]
"" Damn it, my eyes are burning so badly!! ... I can barely see anything! ... I have to focus ... the trap worked ... I have to replicate exactly what I did, at the same moment, to reach the same outcome... I hope nothing changes ""
Zeus stood in place, waiting. He had one eye open and the other shut, the latter unable to see for some reason.
His concentration was at its peak, and for a few moments, when he saw Mika Marwan pass him and saw the enemy... Zeus's brain began ignoring pain signals, channeling mental energy into movement, reflexes, and focus.
It was a decisive moment.
The traps exploded, and indeed the man emerged, launching an incredibly fast strike toward Zeus's heart.
Zeus replicated the same reaction he had in his vision, placing the spinning disk in front of him to partially absorb the impact and releasing all his daggers exactly as he had done in the vision.
There was one difference, though—ten motion runes on his right hand burned with a bright light, and his hand shot out to deflect the spear. He managed to redirect it, but it still pierced part of the flesh beneath his left arm.
The daggers killed the man, and Zeus collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. When he noticed his body starting to relax and realized he was about to lose consciousness, he bit his tongue to awaken himself with the sudden pain.
Zeus barely managed to carry himself, dragging the spear he had taken behind him, while the daggers flew back into their slots on the perforated disk hanging from the spear.
Zeus returned to where he had left Surai, Beatrix, and the villagers, but found none of them.
Except for Beatrix, who stood waiting, her hand pale white from how tightly she was gripping her sword.
As soon as Zeus saw her, his mind and body gave in, and he collapsed unconscious on the ground.
. . . . . .
"" How long has it been... I don't feel any pain anymore... Damn, has the sun always been this bright!? I can't open my eyes ""
Zeus stood in front of a wooden house amidst green plains, entirely different from the arid desert and mountainous environment he was in before.
It looked like he was in the countryside somewhere.
There was no one inside the house except for a lit fireplace, indicating that someone had been there not long ago.
The house was in an isolated place, and Zeus couldn't see any nearby houses, only the edges of a distant village downhill.
There were dense trees about 100 meters to his right, the sky was blue with a few white clouds, and the weather was slightly cold.
"" Why is it cold? There's still a month left until summer ends!!? ""
Zeus returned to the house and went to the fireplace, where he found a cooking pot nearby filled with some vegetables. It seemed like whoever lit the fire was waiting for the flames to die down a bit before hanging the pot.
In the center of the room, right beside the fireplace, was the bed Zeus had woken up on.
(Surai, standing at the entrance): You're awake!? ... Man, why did it take you so long?
Zeus looked at Surai and realized that the latter's injuries were gone, as Surai stood shirtless, carrying a large bundle of precisely cut wood on his shoulder.
(Zeus): I don't see a hole in your stomach.
(Surai, smiling): How long do you think you've been asleep?
_ A day? ... That's what it feels like, but clearly, I've been asleep much longer.
Surai showed a hint of sadness and then sat on a nearby couch after tossing the firewood aside.
_ How's your mental state? ... Can you handle psychological pain?
_ Surai, I know your pranks well. You can't fool me. So tell the truth—how long? A week? A month?
Surai's eyes were sunken with tears, and with a trembling hand, he held up a mirror in front of Zeus.
Zeus looked into the mirror and saw something wrong... that strange feeling he'd had since waking up was because of the massive change in his body.
He was clearly taller... had a thick beard and unevenly cut hair... and he was shockingly thin... where did his muscles go!!? ... Had he not eaten in years!!?
Zeus trembled and spoke in a broken, frightened voice:
_ Surai... how long... tell me, how long have I been asleep!?
(Surai, speaking with difficulty): Three...
_ Surai, please tell me it's three months.
_ No, my friend... ... it's years... and that's not even the worst of it... can you handle a bigger shock?
Zeus was stunned and asked in a shaky, faltering voice:
_ Tell me... tell me what?
_ Zeus... my dear friend... our friend Beatrix got married.
Zeus fell to his knees and asked:
_ What... what else?
Surai's sadness vanished suddenly, and he asked, shocked:
_ Isn't that enough to knock you out!? ... What more do you want—should I tell you your younger sister died in a battle with a giant beast?
Zeus clenched his fist, and suddenly all the fear, shock, and confusion disappeared... a calmness beyond description washed over his mind... even he didn't know the reason for this change.
Suddenly he stood up, his eyes unfocused ahead of him. He was fully aware and yet unaware at the same time... he just wanted to go out, fight, and kill until not a shred of energy or endurance remained in him... he wanted a fight to the death... a fight he wouldn't survive.
"" Did I go too far or what "" thought Surai as he wiped away tears caused by the onions he had been chopping in the backyard before bringing in firewood to restock the pile near the fireplace.
Suddenly, Beatrix entered and was shocked to see Zeus awake, and for some reason, she felt like his dead eyes didn't even see her—despite standing right in front of him.
(Beatrix, upset and confused): He's been asleep for three weeks... is there something wrong with his mind...?
(Surai): I think this is my fault... wait, I'll fix it.
Surai grabbed Zeus, who was slowly walking toward the door, and pulled him around to face him.
Zeus's eyes regained some clarity, and Surai spoke quickly:
_ Bro, I was just kidding. It's been three weeks, not three years... also, Beatrix is right here beside you, she didn't get married... and your sister wasn't eaten by a monster... Beatrix, why are you holding your sword?
(Beatrix, furious): I seriously want to cut out your tongue right now... you heartless bastard!!!
. . . . .
(Three hours later)
(At the dining table)
The trio sat at the dining table, which held simple meals of vegetable soup and wild rabbit meat.
Surai held an ice pack to his eye, which had clearly suffered a severe hit not long ago.
Zeus was extremely annoyed by how thin his body was and worried about how quickly he could regain his physique.
He was also puzzled by the changes in him... not just his height—he felt many other things had changed, some of which he understood to a degree, others not at all.
His eyes could track a fly buzzing around him with incredible precision... it was strange and unusual... it wasn't just a genetic boost, something else was different.
As if the saying "a warrior evolves through hardship and life-or-death battles" was actually true.
And there were other things that shocked him, too.
Beatrix told him that throughout the past weeks, not only had he lost weight rapidly, but his body had been cold as ice—literally. That's why they kept him near a constant fire.
His hair also grew rapidly every day in a strange way, so Beatrix had been trimming it regularly.
Zeus wanted to start clearing the dishes since they had finished eating, and when he picked up the first two plates, Beatrix stopped him.
_ Zeus, please don't carry anything... Surai, start clearing the table.
(Surai, clearly annoyed): Come on, how long are you going to stay mad? That's not fair!!! ... I told you I... okay, no need for that angry look—I'll move them.
"" Man, women can be scarier than monsters themselves "" thought both Surai and Zeus.
(Zeus): Whose house is this, and where are we?
Beatrix didn't answer and just pointed upward with her finger.
Zeus didn't understand what she meant until he looked up—and a shiver of terror ran through his body when he saw it.
An old man was sitting in a bizarre position on a wooden beam in the ceiling.
The old man spoke in an eerily terrifying tone:
_ They see you... you have to run... you have to hide... they will find you... they're looking for you...
(Zeus, terrified): !!! ... Maybe I'm still dreaming a damn nightmare... maybe I haven't woken up yet... ouch, that hurt!! ... Why did you kick my foot!? ... Are you telling me this is real?
(Beatrix): This is the man you were looking for... he's the reason for our whole journey... he told us he's insane... but I think he's a madman among madmen.