Chapter 58

First of all, let me explain that Atalanta’s stature was quite high in the Forest of Heroes.

First, the great Kingdom of Arcadia, regardless of the details, was willing to send an army to the Forest of Heroes to retrieve her, making Atalanta a very important princess in her country at present.

Moreover, as the daughter of Artemis, who was raised in the embrace of a bear, she was the epitome of a hero loved by the gods, and one of the few protagonists of oracles that held the fate of a nation.

In fact, Atalanta herself had no interest in Arcadia, and she was planning to send a letter to renounce the royal family that abandoned her and her title as princess.

However, persuaded by Chiron and Chariclo, who argued that she didn’t know what would happen later, that matter was currently on hold.

Her unmatched martial prowess, perhaps innate, had allowed her to single-handedly defeat the followers of Ares’s daughters and Aphrodite’s daughters.

She proudly joined the ranks of the Golden Generation alongside Hercules, Theseus, and Jason, becoming the leader of Artemis’s hunting party.

However, this time, a great trial had come to her.

It was love.

The cruel yet beautiful golden arrow of Eros had pierced her heart.

Last night, behind the banquet hall where everyone was joyfully welcoming Dianes and Nesneria, the deputy leader of Artemis’s hunting party, Arsis, and her faction hurled sharp criticisms at her for associating with Dianes.

How could a huntress, claiming to be the daughter of Artemis, wear such trivial clothes of common men and fall head over heels for a man with a handsome face and unknown origins, bringing disgrace to Artemis?

Atalanta herself had nothing to say in response.

She had been saved by Artemis and promised eternal hunting under her crescent moon.

The huntresses following Artemis acknowledged her, elevated her as their leader, and, under Artemis’s name, formed a faction in the Forest of Heroes.

Yet, she fell in love, and with a man at that.

To those who claimed to be daughters of Artemis, it was akin to betrayal.

The members of the hunting party who followed her were thrown into confusion, and the ambitious deputy, who had led the faction before she became the leader, took this as an opportunity to publicly insult her just this morning.

However, unlike usual, she couldn’t refute Arsis with her usual confidence.

Even though the clothes gifted personally by Lady Hera were almost damaged, she merely staggered like a deer struck by an arrow.

The most confused of all was Atalanta herself.

She had spent her whole life looking up to Artemis, who had saved her.

She had always thought that once she left the forest and became a hero known throughout Greece, she would forever run alongside her goddess on the hunting grounds.

But suddenly, the emotion called love came to her like an accident, and she was chasing it with all her might, just as she would pursue her prey.

First impression? It was the worst for both him and her.

First meeting? If she ever recalls it or if Dianes ever brings it up again, she would gladly throw herself into the sea.

No matter how much she thought about it, no matter how much she looked back, there was no reason for her to fall for him as if she were crazy.

Of course, objectively speaking, Dianes was handsome.

She had experienced it firsthand, so she knew without saying that his martial arts were also extraordinary.

Moreover, for some reason, Dianes had a peculiar aura that was distinctly different from other minor heroes like Hercules or Theseus, making him a topic of conversation from his first day among the other female members.

Even among the members of Artemis’s hunting party, they would gossip that they had never seen such a handsome boy before.

Despite being sworn to purity and following Artemis, these huntresses were still young women in their prime.

The handsome new student, who appeared like a comet and somehow had sad eyes even while equaling the great master Chiron, was enough to attract attention.

However, Atalanta, bristling with thorns, found herself disliking the minor hero who was the talk among her hunters, and she let her suppressed frustrations fully surface.

But the result was her defeat.

In martial arts, speed, and even her heart, she was instantly taken by him, wandering helplessly between love and pride.

After the night of reproach, she participated in the morning class with a torn heart, only to be humiliated by Arsis and her gang, who pounced on her like wolves.

Seeing Dianes appear once more like the wind, she could understand why love was said to be both ugly and cruel.

Atalanta felt resentment towards Dianes, who had caused her such torment and even had another woman(?) by his side.

His back, sweating for her.

His large hands that grabbed hers.

Yet, as he comforted her in silence, considering her feelings, even that resentment melted sweetly, enveloping her heart with stickiness.

The final blow.

While everyone else whispered, he confidently sat her beside him.

Unfazed by others’ murmurs, Dianes focused solely on her, and she had no choice but to acknowledge it.

Hunters were gamblers.

They were always warriors engaged in relentless struggle with their prey, fiercely dancing with the forest.

And Atalanta, the huntress, ultimately had to admit that she was defeated by the love that appeared before her.

Upon recognizing that defeat and acknowledging love, everything surprisingly became simple and clear.

No, it wasn’t even a defeat.

It was just a failed hunt.

The hunt continues until the huntress succeeds, and until the hunt is over, she will only pursue her prey.

Apologies to Artemis and her sisters.

The prey she would pursue for a lifetime had already appeared before her eyes.

‘I’m sorry, Goddess.’

No matter how much she pondered and agonized, she could never let go of this prey.

No matter how the waves crash in, no matter how others condemn her, how could she possibly let go of that prey that tugs at all her senses just by smiling before her eyes?

Above all, she sensed it instinctively as she saw the Nereid nymph behind her sneering, seemingly pleased with her misfortune.

If she didn’t hold on tightly, this cruel and enchanting bundle of torment would undoubtedly produce countless other wretched beings like herself.

Beings like her, unexpected victims, or more precisely, annoying obstacles like that nymph with her sticky eyes pretending to be innocent while manipulating Dianes, would surely increase.

Look, weren’t the daughters of Aphrodite and Ares already strutting and sticking to her prey, making the forest noisy?

They seemed to believe only in their looks and fame.

On the contrary, Dianes was getting angry as they looked at her as if evaluating her, clenching her fists and looking ready to storm out at any moment.

Atalanta had previously managed to avoid a harsh punishment after behaving arrogantly towards Hercules, thanks to the intervention of Jason and Theseus.

Now, she couldn’t believe she was witnessing the same behavior directed at her own prey.

Atalanta decided she no longer needed to hold back and resolved to reveal her true self to both him and herself.

“What are you talking about? Are you the ones who weren’t even called by their own mother and father and begged to enter the forest?”

An eye for an eye.

An insult for an insult.

They dared to utter such a vile insult about her and him.

They would have to accept an insult twice as harsh in return.

“…What?”

“Wh-wh-what did you just say?”

“Wow… Atalanta, are you crazy? Do you want to die?!”

“Ugh… ugh…!”

“…I will kill you, okay?!”

Wow…

They say when a woman holds a grudge, frost falls in midsummer.

This was almost like pouring liquid nitrogen.

Atalanta said with her own mouth.

Most of the young heroes who came here were certainly born with divine bloodlines.

But those who were born not as humans but as the offspring of gods, born without any plans, were often not welcomed among humans.

Certainly, their extraordinary nature and noble divine lineage made many humans treat them as precious.

But more than that, they were seen as alien and taboo, often rejected as illegitimate children without Hera’s blessing.

Due to the nature of their innate lineage, the demigods, who caused numerous disturbances and incidents, found no place in regular human society.

Gods rarely cared for their children after a night with humans, with exceptions like Ares or Hermes, who cherished their offspring, being considered oddities.

Ultimately, these beings, shunned by both gods and humans, gathered here in the Forest of Heroes as if exiled.

‘A hero born in the wrong era lives a life more cruel than that of a common farmer.’n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Most of the young heroes gathered here carried various wounds, both big and small.

Because of their twisted pride in their lineage and the scars of abandonment, like Orion, who, despite never properly seeing her, tried to assault Neri.

They run wild, have sudden outbursts, or, like those five, try to restore their self-esteem by belittling others.

But Atalanta, you, who warned me to be careful with my words.

How am I to handle it when you drop verbal bombs like a nuclear strike?

‘Should I start a counseling center instead of mental reformation?’

When all the heroes’ childhoods were like this, no wonder myths and legends were all messed up.

After the events of the morning, with my Confucian soul from the land of eastern manners revived, I slowly began to plan the counseling center.

The five who were hit by a nuclear punch surrounded Atalanta sneakily.

“…These guys?”

Who do they think they were trying to gang up on in front of me?

Especially on my lover, whom I’ve clearly announced to everyone?

I was about to raise my already loosened fingers and display the loving punishment from the Golden Counseling Center in earnest…

“No. Step back.”

“Atalanta has dared to insult our goddesses. The punishment is also the goddesses’ right!”

“Third parties, stay out of this!”

Suddenly, some rough-looking thugs blocked my way, growling.

That wasn’t all.

Men with mirror and sword patterns on their clothes swarmed in and tried to push me away.

No matter how much I might have the third highest mental age here, my body was still in the prime of youth, and naturally, that vigor and impetuosity occasionally overwhelmed my reason, approximately for the third time since coming to this forest, and each time the forest was turned upside down.

What were these guys thinking, challenging me now?

“We are Aphresia. Guardians of the beautiful women of Ares and Aphrodite!”

“No matter how skilled you are in magic and martial arts to the extent of challenging that Hercules.”

“You cannot stop our passion and loyalty!”

“It’s fine that you seduced that nymph and even Atalanta. But to dare charm our goddesses and ignore their words?!”

“I’m jealous… I’ll kill you!”

…Were they a fan club of those idiots?

Anyway, they say one can never give up their fandom.

Understanding their feelings a bit, I tried to persuade them with a difficult smile.

“Hey, friends? Your fan activities aren’t my business. But I’ve been overexerting myself for three days straight and can’t control my strength well. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

That meant if they didn’t get out of the way immediately, a lot of people would end up at Asclepius’s Healing Center instead of the Golden Counseling Center.

“Uh…”

“Wait, just a moment…”

“He had a one-on-one fight with Hercules…”

“Can we even stand a chance?”

Whether my desperate persuasion(?) worked, the fan club members started whispering quietly and hesitating.

I was contemplating whether to take one of them down to make them move or to say one more thing…

“Ugh?!”

“Eek!”

A shrill scream began to echo among the sweaty hulks.

“Wh-what’s going on?”

“No way… No, it can’t be, not Erainea or Phaesileni. They trained so hard. To get beaten by Atalanta again–”

Thug One was eagerly explaining the situation.

However, everyone was speechless at the shadow flying over him.

“Ahhh!”

“Oh dear.”

A hot pink meteor, or rather, the gang leader who called herself Erainea, was headed my way.

But I lightly caught her in mid-air, worried that any negligence might cause trouble.

“Uh… uh?”

“So, you should have picked your opponent more wisely…”

Five of them were quite skilled, despite their behavior.

The ones with hot sauce hair and ultraviolet hair were quite well-trained.

The hot pink, fluorescent, and deep blue ones I caught seemed to have learned some ancient Greek magic, as I felt an unfamiliar aura from them.

However, even then, Atalanta was already a level above them as a warrior.

“Squeal!”

“Ahh! Phaesileni!”

With a bizarre sound, the hot sauce called Phaesileni flew into her fan club and collapsed.

Beyond the clear view, Atalanta, lying on the ground, pushed the deep blue and fluorescent glitter with ultraviolet.

“Th-th-this is… this is unbelievable!”

“What’s unbelievable?!”

The purple smurf seemed to have learned quite a bit of martial arts but was being utterly overwhelmed by Atalanta’s dazzling attacks.

It was somewhat expected, but I couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat at Atalanta’s fist techniques.

‘How on earth is she using that martial art?’

I wondered if I had seen it wrong and readjusted my focus.

The martial art Atalanta was displaying was crude and clumsy, but undeniably familiar to me.

Crude and orthodox, yet accurate and sharp, a classic fighter’s magic technique.

Without using a single bit of magic, it was the legendary martial art that had swept through the martial world with bare fists alone.

The martial arts of the Supreme Fighting Demon flickered at Atalanta’s hands and feet.