"What is the meaning of this?" the immortal asked, stroking his chin in doubt.
"Master, I have come from far away, and on my mother's advice, I wanted to become your disciple. "
"Throughout my journey, I did everything I could to stand out and prove myself the best in order to be accepted. However, as soon as I saw you, I realized how futile these acts were."
"No matter how strong I am, in your eyes I would be no more than an ant boasting of defeating a maggot."
"I truly did not know the horizons of this world, but now I can see. Today I can only thank you and count on your goodwill, master." The immortal asked him to raise his head and look at him.
Pétreo trembled again as he raised his head and saw once more the red-eyed immortal sitting atop the corpse of a red dragon.
The legendary dragon that had tormented these lands for millennia and was the only monster on this island.
But more impressive, next to him, written on the walls, were the names of all the opponents he had defeated throughout his journey, along with all the mistakes he had made.
Pétreo was already his disciple even before leaving his lands, and the immortal had accompanied him throughout his journey, even though he did not know it.
If he had to make a detour on his way, if he would find food, water, and even his opponents, all handpicked by the immortal.
From the moment Zeus left, this immortal began to observe the boy, hoping to reap benefits in the future.
In the years that followed, he trained even harder, under the immortal's rigorous training, danger and death were always lurking.
However, as the immortal realized, the boy, although exceptional, had a small and slender body and therefore did not look much like Zeus, greatly reducing his chances of winning his reward.
At this time, August seemed to have lost his sense of identity, becoming completely one with Pétreo.
"Master, do you think I can become a legendary hero like my brothers?" Pétreo asked him in the middle of the forest.
"I don't know, boy, it's impossible to say so soon." The immortal looked up at the sky with a sorrowful gaze.
"What I do know is that everyone related to Zeus, by blood or fraternity, is never ordinary, even though not even the greatest deeds seem to attract their father's attention."
"But mainly, most die long before that." Petreo felt his master's heavy voice.
"You've only seen one Beast so far, boy, and I'll remind you that I killed it before you got here. Usually, they would kill you as soon as they noticed you. That's how many of your brothers died. "
"Your blood is very valuable to them. I would even say that even a distant relative, even if adopted, would be an unparalleled delicacy for them." He then turned to his disciple.
"I don't know what Zeus does with his favorite mortals, but I know they have no luck, just bad luck after bad luck. "
"It's as if he leaves gold with a child and abandons him alone in a square at night, waiting for him to be mugged. So train hard, boy, and hope for the best." Pétreo nodded and continued to train.
Years later, he asked for a quick break from his training and ran back to his hometown.
The trip this time took only a few weeks. He had become much stronger and had even defeated a chimera on the way.
Once again, this had been placed in his path by his master.
However, the moment he arrived at his home, he was shocked.
His house and the entire city around it had been destroyed.
There was only a crater there, and in the center, a bird rested, covered with its wide wings.
"I created you, Pétreo." A voice assaulted his mind. "And now you have served your purpose, as well as this city and this island."
"Your master and mother were created and placed here by me and your master has relations with another god of lightning. "
"As such, your death will be attributed to another god. This will be one of many sparks that will lead Zeus to start a war."
"If you are angry, I will give you time to curse your father one last time. I can even give you more reasons to hate him." Pétreo then looked shocked to the side, where his master suddenly appeared with the same sorrowful look as always.
"Enough! I am tired of your bullshit, beast!" He had traveled thousands of kilometers in a few seconds and heard everything.
"Don't worry, my pupil, I will handle this and then we will talk later." The immortal spoke dryly.
This Beast was just one more among many. They spoke of themselves with authority, but what power did they really have in the world of the gods?
He was an immortal, he was supremely powerful.
He felt no danger as he looked at it.
"But what—" However, the moment he stepped into the crater, his body was subjected to immense pressure. Gravity multiplied hundreds of times in an instant.
CRACK CRACK CRACK SPLASH!
He was quickly reduced to a bloody puddle.
"What a pity, I was going to use him later for another child of Zeus. He was a good master... He made you even more valuable to me. Where was I?" He soon remembered.
"Zeus left something with you, boy. Something that he had cultivated all this time inside of you, only for it to be stolen by me. We call this elemental synchronicity. Which is one more reason for you to hate him."
"If you had lived long enough but weren't strong enough to help him, and you wouldn't, your father would have killed you to retrieve it. He's cruel, isn't he?"
"You're only dying because of him. Blame him. Be angry. Hate him. Swear to the heavens that you will curse him in the afterlife. Who knows, maybe the heavens will feel sorry for you and give you another chance to get revenge?"
"In any case, your time is up. I wish you luck in your next life."
Without pain, Pétreo died.
***
"What the fuck was that?Did I die? Did I revive?" August looked at Baal, who was holding a crystal with greedy eyes, and then he quickly tossed the crystal to August, who caught it with superhuman reflexes.
His body awareness returned much stronger.
Enhanced reflexes and otherworldly techniques came along.
"Eat this." He said flatly, as if asking August to eat money. Yet he did it anyway.
He came back more disciplined.
Energy suddenly flowed through his body, revitalizing him and leaving him significantly stronger.
[ August | EX ↑ | Ex: 20]
"Twenty points… a good status boost, I'd say." Baal then turned away, walking off.
"I've given you the soul fragment of a warrior with a physique similar to yours and the ability to grow stronger by eating these crystals. "
"With all that, about a month should be enough for you to reach level two, but try to get to level three within that time. When the time is over, I'll meet you again."
"In the meantime, I'll stroll through Orario. It's about time I met another relative of an old friend."
[End of Part Two: Unknown Beast]