King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 122

The King of the Underworld is Tired 122

Second Task – Hydra Hunt (1)

Heracles surveyed the Nemean Lion he had slain and the monstrous lions descended from it.

He soon heaved the lion’s carcass over his shoulder and started toward the temple of the goddess Hera.

He figured he needed proof to show he had killed the lion.

“Ah… no. Wait, that man is carrying a lion corpse.”

“The Nemean Lion… isn’t it? But that place is crawling with lion monsters…”

“Who the hell is that guy?”

“To kill the child of Typhon [a monstrous giant in Greek mythology], Bellerophon [a hero who rode Pegasus] traded it for his own death…!”

Unsurprisingly, many people were shocked to see the house-sized lion’s corpse.

As the news that a muscular giant had completely wiped out the lion herd gradually spread,

Heracles encountered a middle-aged man who was about to offer sacrifices to the gods.

“Ah, no…! The Nemean Lion! Thank you so much! You have avenged my son!”

“…?”

“I am a man named Molorkos who lives by herding sheep. I lost my son to that beast on your shoulder.”

“But what brings you to me?”

“I would like to treat a hero like you. Would you like to come to my house?”

Molorkos, who introduced himself as a shepherd, explained that he had found him while trying to offer sacrifices to the gods to appease the Nemean lion.

So Heracles paused and went to his house to talk.

“So, you’re going to the Temple of Hera?”

“It is the goddess’s task, so I must submit this corpse as evidence.”

“Instead of taking the whole corpse, how about skinning it and wearing it? The Nemean lion is famous for its thick hide, so it’s a reward worthy of a great hero…”

After hearing his words, Heracles began to skin the lion on the spot, preparing the hide to fit his body.

All he did was remove the gore and adjust it to fit…

Rip- Tear-

“No, wouldn’t it be better to peel it off using its claws? Why with your bare hands… no, how…?”

“That thing’s claws couldn’t even scratch me. Seems easier to tear it with my hands.”

“What…?!”

Maybe it’s because the Nemean lion was dead.

The leather tore easily as Heracles pulled on it. Of course, he still had to use considerable force.

It was clear that the strength of the leather was weaker than when the monster was alive.

After draping the lion skin over his body like that, Heracles stayed at Molorkos’ house for a while before heading back to Hera’s temple.

* * *

“That lion skin… is that the guy who swept away the Nemean lion herd?”

“Until recently, he was kneeling in front of the temple of the goddess Hera, but now he has become a hero.”

“A feat comparable to Orion [a giant hunter in Greek mythology] or Bellerophon…”

By the time he arrived at Hera’s temple, rumors about him had already spread quite a bit.

It’s not like he killed the lion herd and returned quickly; he slowly made his way back while sightseeing, so it was only natural.

“Welcome, Heracles. A revelation has been given for the second task you will receive.”

Hera’s high priest already knew that Heracles had completed his first task.

He wasn’t even fazed by the lion skin that covered him.

“The second task is to defeat the Hydra at the Lernean Spring in the southern region of Argos.”

‘Hydra is the child of Typhon, just like the Nemean lion,’ Heracles thought as he left the goddess’s temple.

The Hydra is a water snake monster with nine heads, and its body fluids contain potent venom.

The Lernean Spring, where the monster dwelled, was a magical spring and sacred site that Poseidon had gifted to Amimone, a woman he had been with.

It was infamous for having all its water polluted since Hydra started living there.

As he walked out of the temple, pondering how to deal with the venom, someone blocked Heracles’ path.

A young man with snow-white hair. He had a sickly, somewhat haggard look.

“Heracles. I knew you’d be here.”

“Asclepius [the Greek god of medicine]? I thought you were training with Jason [leader of the Argonauts]?”

“Jason, that bastard, is still training because of you. The other guys are the same.”

Born from the Thessalian princess Coronis and the sun god Apollo, he was a contemporary of Heracles.

He was renowned for his outstanding medical skills and was chosen by the gods in Thebes and sent to the underworld.

If Heracles even broke the arms and legs of other aspiring heroes during sparring…

“That’s right. If you break this bone here, you can’t move. Should I find out a little more?”

“Keuk! Asclepius, you crazy bastard! Just heal me!”

“Don’t do that; let’s look a little more for the development of medicine. Hmm. This bone is sticking out here… if I turn it like this…”

“Aaaagh! What kind of medical talent does this quack have to come here!”

He was a man who was busy examining injuries with shining eyes.

He was one of the heroes who watched Heracles without jealousy because he was far removed from martial arts.

So, by the time he left the underworld, the two had become pretty good friends.

“Of course, I rushed over after hearing the news that you had swept away the Nemean lion herd. Show me the wounds you suffered from the lion.”

“…? I’m tired, but I’m not hurt.”

“Tsk. I was expecting a little bit, but even that lion had a hard time hurting your body.”

“It was nothing more than a monster. It was harder to get a task from Hera. No, I didn’t want to be born as Zeus’s bastard…”

Asclepius freaked out and blocked Heracles’ mouth at his grumbling, veins popping out on his forehead.

“Shh! Shh! Even if you say it quietly, don’t say such things out loud!”

“…I know. But sending animal excrement was really…”

“What can you do? Originally, mortals don’t have a good ending when they get involved with the gods.”

Heracles, still with a dissatisfied expression, closed his mouth.

Asclepius, who was watching his expression, sighed and said.

“…Of course, except for Pluto [Roman name for Hades], the god of mercy and fairness.”

“That’s right. If I hadn’t heard a few words from my uncle…”

“What?! When did you see the god Pluto? Damn it, I’m a little jealous of that.”

The topic of conversation between the two heroes gradually turned to Heracles’ task.

The hero of medicine frowned as he heard that his second task was to defeat the Hydra.

“Anyway, I couldn’t make an antidote for Hydra venom, so be careful.”

“…I know.”

Hydra’s venom is one of the most potent venoms that can even cause pain to the gods.

Surely his skin, strengthened with the water of the River Styx, will also be affected?

‘But if I’m not directly hit by the body fluid, I think I can somehow withstand the poisonous fog…’

“Ah, I’ve heard that the Nemean lion skin you’re wearing is immune to Hydra venom.”

“This?”

“That’s right, because they are the children of the same Typhon. However, it will be dangerous if even a little bit touches the skin that the lion skin doesn’t cover. Here, it’s a cloth containing the power of my father Apollo. I hope this helps.”

“Thank you. Then I have to go kill Hydra now. See you next time.”

The hero of strength moved away from Asclepius, who shrugged his shoulders.

To accomplish his second task: defeating the Hydra.

* * *

“Following the Nemean lion herd, the next task is Hydra…”

“Until recently, that little baby has become a hero.”

“Humans grow up faster than you think.”

Of course, I, Hades, and the gods belonging to the underworld were also watching his journey.

When the story spread that Heracles had wiped out the Nemean lion herd in one day without any injuries,

because other gods, including those on Olympus, were also paying attention.

I, Chiron [a centaur known for his wisdom], and the goddess Megaera [one of the Furies] guessed that an ordinary task would not satisfy him, but the other gods must have been quite surprised.

It seemed that there were still quite a few gods who thought it was just luck or good fortune.

“At least killing the child of Typhon is a great heroic feat comparable to Bellerophon, but the ending will not be good.”

“No matter how much Hades soaked that human in the Styx River, Hydra’s poison is…”

“That’s right, isn’t it a potent venom that causes tremendous pain even if it just touches us gods?”

Of course, it is very difficult for Hydra’s poison to reach a god.

It is unimaginable for even the lesser god Mente, not to mention the level of the 12 gods of Olympus, to be hit by the flying venom.

If you have a certain level of divinity, you can kill the monster from a distant place that Hydra cannot even see.

The reason why they did not subdue the monster with venom that is threatening to the gods is precisely because of that.

But the story is a little different at the level of mortals.

“Hades, I think Heracles is going to die here… are you going to help him…?”

“…Is that what the others think too?”

When the goddess Lethe [goddess of oblivion] carefully expressed her opinion with a worried expression, I looked around at the other gods nearby.

The gods of death, Keres and Moros, Mente, and Hypnos, who are different from Thanatos [god of death], exchanged glances with each other.

“Well, isn’t it difficult for the water of the Styx River to block Hydra’s venom?”

“I don’t know if he’s really the hero of prophecy, but subduing the Nemean lion is enough to make him a great hero…”

“How about watching him moderately and then sending a divine beast to save him?”

“This seems to be a hero with real potential, and I understand Hera’s situation, but it’s a bit harsh…”

Everyone seems to think that Heracles will be defeated by Hydra.

But Heracles is the greatest hero in history, and he is not someone who will be defeated by just that.

Of course, even if other external factors cause variables here.

“Still, let’s watch a little longer. If he can’t even do this much, we can’t take him to the battle with the Gigas [giants in Greek mythology].”

“But…”

“I have told her firmly, so Hera will not inflict divine punishment and kill him at once. Then she will have no choice but to torment him with tasks…”

How many tasks would be a trial for a human strengthened with the water of the Styx River and Hera’s milk?

Moreover, a person who is trained by Chiron and spars with the goddess of revenge [Nemesis]?

An invincible hero with almost no rivals unless directly punished by the 12 gods of Olympus.

I was not worried about Heracles at all.