Griffins were divine beasts in Greek mythology that guarded the Golden Mountain, Mount Olympus. Their image originated in Ancient Babylon, and they were powerful and mysterious.
Their eagle-headed, lion-bodied form had influenced everything from East Asia to Western Europe. Even the winged divine beasts of ancient China bore traces of them. They were part of the worldwide worship of giant eagles and one of the most widespread mythological images in the ancient world.
There were also legends claiming that griffins belonged to Zeus.
But that was not important.
What mattered was that the Griffin guarding the Golden Mountain was currently active, and that was his opportunity.
Athena gave him information on this Griffin, brought him to the foot of the mountain, and then simply left him to fend for himself.
When would he get to take revenge on the Goddess of Wisdom?
Originally, his first target had been Hermes.
But seeing how miserably Hera had whipped him...
Even Thaumas felt a little sorry for him. Forget it, he would let Hermes off.
His first target had now become Athena!
Sooner or later, he would present her with a "great gift"!
Of course, that was secondary.
His main goal now was to make a saddle capable of taming the Griffin. He had originally wanted to ask Hephaestus for help, but Athena apparently did not want him to do that.
The Goddess of Wisdom wanted to see a hero's Miracle instead.
According to the goddess, griffins seemed quite fond of treasure, so he had specifically used Hera's Authority to obtain a great many gemstones.
Hera believed that Thaumas had been born noble and ought to enjoy wealth and luxury.
The specific effect of this Authority was that whenever he needed things related to concepts such as money or wealth, he would inexplicably acquire them through all sorts of strange methods.
For example, he might pick them up, receive treasure from someone being hunted down, win a prize while shopping, and so on. How should he put it? No effort, yet still rich!
This was an Authority everyone envied!
(May the great Goddess Hera bless me with riches this year!)
All at once, mortal life seemed utterly dull!
Sure enough, he still preferred being a hero! Helping others and bringing hope and Miracles to people really did feel quite nice.
Then,
"First, the Griffin's physical data."
He took out the information Athena had given him and examined it carefully.
After looking at it for a long time, he could only sigh in admiration. Gods really were gods!
The information was actually this detailed?
Next came the materials.
He picked up the bronze block Athena had given him. Hm? Wait, had he seen this somewhere before?
!
Wasn't this from the Hephaestus Temple?
He remembered there being a huge pile of bronze blocks in the forging room, and even quite a few used for decoration.
The Goddess of Wisdom really only provided wisdom; everything else, she simply snatched and took...
But since there was so much of it,
He could work boldly with it. He also had some hard bones from the Nemean Lion that could be used in the forging.
As for leather, that gave him a headache.
"Eh? Without leather, the saddle will definitely be uncomfortable to sit on. Damn it!" Thaumas grumbled as he crushed a bronze block in his hand.
Hm, very stress-relieving!
Not a bad way to vent.
"Child, if it is leather you need, you need not worry.
"There are many snow leopards nearby. You can try hunting some.
"Also, I'll tell you a secret. That Griffin is not currently on Mount Olympus. Its kind originally belonged to Zeus, but that little fellow secretly slipped down the mountain.
"That is also why great Zeus is willing to give you this opportunity.
"Oh, and it does not like eating humans. Instead, it has a particular fondness for horses.
"You can start from that angle."
The Goddess of Wisdom's voice rang out from his Bracelet.
Hm—
He had to take back what he had just said.
What had he said again?
Oh, right!
The great Goddess of Wisdom was actually quite useful!
"Snow leopards?"
Thaumas picked up his bow and slowly spoke.
It had also been a long time since he had tested his own skills. Come to think of it, he had always wanted to become an archer.
But he had not left behind any legends related to it. Perhaps this time, he could.
Though that was just wishful thinking.
Thaumas immediately made his decision. He put on his armor, draped on his cloak, carried poison-tipped arrows on his back, tucked a sharp dagger at his waist, grabbed his Longbow, and headed out.
Snow leopards were large felines known for their distinctive markings and their habitat in high-altitude regions.
Their hunting behavior and habits were unusual, displaying the unique adaptations and strategies that made them plateau predators.
Snow leopards mainly hunted by ambush.
They would first lurk in dry, cool environments, especially rocky areas. Those were the snow leopard's home turf and their primary hunting grounds.
Once they spotted prey, snow leopards would swiftly pounce, attacking with their powerful forepaws and sharp teeth. Their temperament was exceedingly fierce.
In the Age of Gods, that innate ferocity was even more pronounced.
Fortunately, they were solitary animals.
Once snow leopards reached adulthood, they would leave their parents and establish themselves alone.
That made them ideal targets for Thaumas to practice on.
"I offer my respects to the great Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis. Bless this hunt with success." Thaumas pressed his palms together and swore toward the sky. After all, it was still daytime, and the moon could not be seen.
Thus,
Thaumas quietly lay hidden in the snow.
Mount Olympus stood at a great elevation. During winter, even the foot of the mountain was covered in plenty of snow.
Thaumas had been watching this beast for a long time.
It was his target for today.
In truth, snow leopards had a relatively low hunting success rate. Only about one out of every six hunts succeeded.
Once a hunt failed, a snow leopard might face the threat of death from excessive exhaustion.
Thus, Thaumas was waiting for it to fail.
Although he was impervious to blades and spears, if the snow leopard fled, he might not necessarily be able to catch it. Thaumas did not want to use poison arrows, since he still wanted to eat the meat...
Like Thaumas, it hid behind a rock and quietly waited for prey to take the bait.
It was here!
In an instant,
The snow leopard kicked off the ground, fixed its eyes on an Argali within the herd, and charged at it viciously.
Although their thick tails and somewhat short forelegs were not suited for fast running, snow leopards could still carry out rapid short-distance pursuits.
Such pursuits were generally used to hunt prey that had already noticed them but had yet to be caught.
The instant the snow leopard appeared, the Argali reacted and scattered in panic.
But the snow leopard's target was clear. In the end, under its pursuit, it bit down on the Argali's neck.
Then,
Thaumas likewise kicked off fiercely.
Longbow in his left hand and dagger in his right, he charged forward at full speed.
It was over in an instant as well.
The snow leopard, its guard lowered, fell in bitter defeat.
Hm?
Why were magical beasts of the Age of Gods so weak?
No, it turned out that he had simply become this strong!
It seemed he needed to hunt a few more and properly familiarize himself with his current strength.
After all, there was still plenty of day left...
P.S. This time, there really was nothing left. Not a single drop.
Ah—! There was still the bonus chapter for signing the contract. I really tried my best. Tomorrow, then.
Before you continue