King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 121

The King of the Underworld is Tired 121 (121/140)

First Task – The Nemean Lion Pack (2)

The Nemean Lion.

A child of Typhon [a monstrous giant and one of the deadliest creatures in Greek mythology] and Echidna [a half-woman, half-snake monster in Greek mythology], possessing the status of a demigod like its siblings Orthrus [a two-headed dog] and Hydra [a multi-headed serpent-like monster].

A monster living in the valley of Nemea, indiscriminately biting and killing people and animals.

“A pack of Nemean Lions? Could you explain a bit more? I’ve spent so long at the Thebes Hero Training Camp that I’m not very worldly.”

“Ah… the Nemean Lion was originally a term referring to the offspring of Typhon. But…”

One of the reasons why the Earth Mother Gaia [the personification of the Earth and mother of all life in Greek mythology] had been quiet.

The field of Phlegra, where the Giants’ base was located. If they couldn’t move because of the gods’ strict surveillance…

Why not mass-produce or strengthen the monsters that were already powerful?

Especially the offspring of Typhon, who almost defeated Olympus single-handedly.

Thus, with Gaia’s help, the Nemean Lion succeeded in breeding.

“Recently, dozens of lions following that monster appeared and devastated a village.”

“…Dozens?”

“Those living near there would know the details better than I do.”

Herkules stretched and left the temple.

Dozens from the first task, he didn’t think he would lose, but wasn’t it too many?

Before heading to Nemea, he first made thorough preparations.

He gathered spears and arrows to face dozens of lions at the smithy. He lifted a heavy club made of olive wood and then…

“Do you happen to have a club made of steel?”

“…? Even if I made something like that, could you even carry it around?”

“I’ll pay you well, so please make it. If you start today, when will it be finished?”

“I have Hephaestus’ [the Greek god of blacksmiths, metalworking, and fire] blessing, so I can make it quickly.”

In the end, he slung a steel club ordered from the blacksmith over his shoulder and set off for the Nemea region.

There wasn’t much useful information in the Nemea region either.

At best, he picked up rumors from a young man.

“The one with a much larger build than the other lions, and with striking red eyes, that’s the one…”

“That’s right? That’s the Nemean Lion. It’s like watching a pack of wolves, the way they follow him…”

“So, where are they?”

“They live in a chilling canyon about four days’ walk away. I hear it’s a space mixed with human corpses and blood. Ugh…! Why are you asking about those horrible things?”

Getting no more information from the man, Herkules immediately moved towards the canyon.

* * *

“…Hmm.”

A strong stench of blood emanated from the entrance, and an ominous atmosphere hung in the air, with no signs of life around.

The canyon felt similar to a desolate desert, with hardly any animals or plants.

As Herkules, carrying various weapons, entered the canyon, monstrous lions slowly began to appear.

As if they had smelled him, the man-eating lion pack gathered in greater numbers.

They were not ordinary monsters. They inherited the blood of the Nemean Lion, a demigod and child of Typhon.

The claws were sharper than famous swords, and the hide was much thicker than that of ordinary monsters.

Swoosh.

The hero quietly took out a spear and club from his back. A long spear in his left hand, a steel club in his right.

The weapon techniques he learned from the centaur sage Chiron [a wise centaur known for training heroes in Greek mythology] were exquisite and skillful. But to deal with these things…

Thwack. Krgh-

Simply swinging and stabbing was enough.

The head of one of the lions that approached first, drooling, was pierced by the spear.

The monsters rushed in, not giving him time to retrieve the spear he had thrown, but they had to suffer from his steel club pounding.

Two, three… five of them…

The lion monsters that gradually gathered fell one by one at his hands.

Herkules’ leather tunic gradually became dyed with red, and the monsters rushed at him without any fear, even at his Yacha-like [Yaksha refers to a class of supernatural beings in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain mythology] appearance.

Kuh-urr-ung- Kurr-ung! Swish-

However, the thick hide was torn apart by Herkules’ strength, and

The claws and teeth they boasted could not even scratch the skin strengthened by the River Styx [a river in Greek mythology that grants invulnerability].

“Hoo… quite annoying.”

The fight between dozens of monsters and one human ended in a one-sided massacre.

What Herkules saw as he shook off the blood on the spear was the corpses of the monsters he had created.

Krrr…

And a tremendously obese lion, appearing from who knows when.

Red eyes shining fiercely, a glossy golden mane unlike the other lions, claws sharper than spear blades…

“Are you the leader monster… no, are you the Nemean Lion?”

Kuh-urr-ung!!!

Before Herkules could finish speaking, the child of Typhon charged.

However, the hero was not at all flustered and shoved the steel club into the lion’s mouth as it charged.

Kur-huh!!!

How annoying it had been to kill all these lions one by one.

It was fortunate that the leader came out on his own; if it had run away, he would have had to search for a long time.

“Hah-ahp!!!”

Flash-

Herkules lifted the lion, which was struggling because it couldn’t chew the steel club.

What he felt while killing dozens of monsters was… that their hides were quite tough.

It was his own strength that allowed him to pierce them in one blow, but most of the heroes who trained with him in the underworld would have struggled quite a bit.

The blood of monsters becomes thicker and stronger as it goes up the generations.

How sturdy would the hide of the Nemean Lion, the original of these monsters, be?

Surely it wouldn’t be so tough that even his strength couldn’t pierce it?

No, that’s ridiculous.

Only gods are immune to the strength of this Herkules!

With that, the hero of strength slammed the monster he had lifted headfirst into the ground.

The Nemean Lion was suddenly shocked and howled.

Kur-huh-urr-ung!!!!

* * *

The hero and the monster fought for several more hours after that.

The Nemean Lion could not wound the hero’s skin, but conversely, Herkules also had difficulty piercing the monster’s hide and inflicting shock.

Kugugung! Kwaang!

The terrain of the canyon collapsed in their insane battle against each other.

As huge rocks were shattered and fragments scattered, Herkules thought.

‘This guy only seems to have tough skin, should I just strangle him to death? Or drown him? Or hang a molten lead lump on a spear and shove it into his mouth…’

He could think of countless ways to easily kill the Nemean Lion.

The experience of fighting the goddess of revenge, Megaira [one of the Erinyes, goddesses of vengeance], and the combat skills learned from sparring with numerous heroes, including Kadmos [the legendary founder of Thebes].

The hero, who had gained much experience in the underworld, knew that a flexible attitude was the way to win in battle.

But… the words he heard from the master of the underworld held him back.

“…

An invincible body that can never be injured at the human level,

But the realm of God is a little different. Isn’t your goal to become a god?”

Even skin strengthened by the River Styx is nothing in the realm of God, but if he strangled him to death…

It seemed like he was acknowledging the toughness of that lion’s hide and giving up on facing it head-on.

‘…I absolutely can’t do that! I am a body that will become a god, and I can’t use tricks if I can’t even pierce the hide of a guy like that!’

He pounded the thick lion hide again and again.

No matter how tough the hide is, it can’t be tougher than his skin that fell into the River Styx.

If it’s hard to pierce… just keep pounding until it pierces.

Let’s see which is more solid, my body or this monster’s carcass!

“Dieeee!!!”

Kur-huh-urr-ung! Kur-huh-urr-ung!!!

Herkules had already put down all his weapons and was punching and fighting with the monster with his bare fists.

His eyes also showed a ferocity no less than that of the monster, and his fighting style became more and more primal.

This was a desperate effort to protect his pride, a penance and challenge to become a god.

The hero, no, the one challenging to become a god, grabbed the lion by the scruff of the neck and slammed his head repeatedly. Once, twice, three times.

Then came the punches. Trained muscles twitched violently, relentlessly striking the bridge of his nose…

Thwack. Thud. Krgh-huh-urr-ung!!!

Uninterrupted volleys while taking the struggling lion’s attacks head-on.

Eventually, the lion’s hide declared surrender to the punches that grew stronger and stronger, rather than weakening.

Thwack. Thud. Crunch.

The sound of the bridge of the nose, unable to withstand the hero’s strength, collapsing.

The Nemean Lion howled in fear, and Herkules smiled with satisfaction and struck that spot intensively.

In the end…

Krr-kuh-huh-urr- Ung!!!

Koong!

The man-eating monster’s huge body lost strength and fell to the ground, signaling the hero’s victory.

The Nemean Lion met its death with its face, including the bridge of its nose, completely crushed…

Herkules was only a little tired, with not a single scratch on his body.

“Keh-ack. Spit!”

Any hero would be praised and become a great hero with just this one feat.

But he, wiping the red blood from his fist and slinging the lion’s corpse over his shoulder, was clearly not satisfied with being a great hero and was challenging the position of God.

If your head is lacking, your body suffers.

This is one of the principles of the world spread by Athena, the goddess of wisdom.

“Hmm. I thought I’d be fighting for a few more days, but he was more bland than I thought.”

But if your body is Herkules, your head doesn’t have to suffer.

The Nemean Lion pack, which had spread numerous infamy.

Was wiped out by Herkules in just one day.