King of Underworld

Chapter 122: Second Task – Slaying the Hydra (1)

Heracles looked around at the Nemean lion he had killed and its offspring, the monstrous lions.

He soon slung the lion’s carcass over his shoulder and began walking toward the temple of the goddess Hera.

He believed he needed proof to report the kill.

“Ah… wait, isn’t that the lion’s carcass that man is carrying?”

“The Nemean lion… isn’t it? But isn’t that place filled with monstrous lions?”

“Who on earth is that man?”

“He killed a child of Typhon. Even Bellerophon had to exchange his life to achieve such a feat!”

Of course, many people were shocked to see the body of the house-sized lion.

As word spread that a muscular giant had completely wiped out the pack of lions,

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

“N-No…! The Nemean lion! Thank you so much! You’ve avenged my child!”

“…?”

“I’m a man who herds sheep, named Molorchos. I lost my child to that beast on your shoulder.”

“So, what business do you have with me?”

“I’d like to offer hospitality to a hero like you. Would you come to my home?”

Molorchos, who introduced himself as a shepherd, said that he had discovered Heracles while offering sacrifices to the gods to rid them of the Nemean lion.

At this, Heracles paused for a moment and went to his house to have a conversation.

“So, you’re heading to the temple of the goddess Hera?”

“It’s the goddess’s task, so I have to submit this carcass as evidence.”

“Rather than taking the whole carcass, why not skin it and wear the hide? The Nemean lion’s hide is famously thick, making it a fitting reward for a great hero…”

Hearing his words, Heracles immediately began skinning the lion to fit it to his own body.

It wasn’t much of a proper crafting process—just removing impurities and adjusting the hide to fit him.

*Rip- tear-*

“Wait, wouldn’t it be better to use the beast’s claws to skin it? Why barehanded… no, how…?”

“Its claws couldn’t even scratch me. It just seemed easier to tear it with my hands.”

“What…?!”

Perhaps because the Nemean lion was dead,

When Heracles pulled at the hide, it tore easily. Though, of course, he still had to exert some force.

He could certainly feel that the hide had weakened compared to when the beast was alive.

After draping the lion’s hide over himself, Heracles stayed briefly at Molorchos’s house before heading to the temple of Hera again.

* * *

“That lion’s hide… could it be the man who wiped out the Nemean lion pack?”

“The man who was groveling in front of the temple of goddess Hera not long ago has become a hero.”

“A feat rivaling Orion or even Bellerophon…”

By the time Heracles arrived at Hera’s temple, the rumors about him had already spread.

It wasn’t surprising, considering he hadn’t rushed back after slaying the lions but instead had leisurely explored the world on his way back.

“Welcome, Heracles. The oracle regarding your second task has been revealed.”

The high priestess of Hera seemed to already know that Heracles had completed his first task,

As she wasn’t surprised by the lion hide draped over him.

“The second task is to slay the Hydra at the spring of Lern in the southern region of Argos.”

‘The Hydra, another of Typhon’s offspring like the Nemean lion.’

After leaving the goddess’s temple, Heracles thought about the Hydra.

The Hydra was a monstrous water serpent with nine heads, whose entire body contained a deadly venom so potent that it was considered one of the deadliest poisons.

The sacred spring of Lern, where the Hydra had settled, was a magical spring gifted by Poseidon to a human named Amymone, with whom he had a relationship.

However, it was now famous for being completely polluted once the Hydra began living there.

As Heracles pondered how to deal with the deadly poison, someone blocked his path as he walked out of the temple.

A young man with pale white hair and a sickly appearance.

“Heracles. As expected, you’re here.”

“Asclepius? Weren’t you supposed to leave with Jason?”

“Jason? That idiot is still training because of you. So are the other guys.”

Born of Coronis, prince of Thessaly, and the sun god Apollo, Asclepius was a demigod and could be considered Heracles’s peer.

He was recognized for his outstanding medical skills and had been chosen by the gods to journey to the underworld from Thebes.

Whenever Heracles broke the arms and legs of his fellow hero aspirants during sparring,

“This spot… if I break this bone, they can’t move. Let’s check a little more.”

“Argh! Asclepius, you maniac! Just heal me!”

“Don’t worry. Let me take a closer look for the sake of medical progress. Hmm, this bone is sticking out, so… if I turn it this way…”

“AAARGH! What kind of quack was deemed talented enough to get chosen by the gods?!”

Asclepius was a man always busy inspecting various things with gleaming eyes.

Since he had nothing to do with martial arts, he was one of the few heroes who felt no jealousy toward Heracles.

By the time Asclepius left for the underworld, the two had become fairly good friends.

“Of course, I rushed over as soon as I heard that you wiped out the Nemean lion pack. Quickly, show me the wounds the lions left.”

“…? I was exhausted, but I wasn’t wounded.”

“Tsk. I was looking forward to it, but it seems that even the lions couldn’t leave a mark on you.”

“They weren’t much. The real challenge was receiving the task from Hera, not fighting the lions. I mean, it’s not like I chose to be born as Zeus’s illegitimate child…”

Heracles grumbled with veins bulging on his forehead, and Asclepius quickly covered his mouth in shock.

“Shh! Shh! Even if you’re speaking quietly, don’t ever say such things out loud.”

“…I know. But still, sending animal excrement as a punishment was…”

“What can we do? Mortals never fare well when involved with the gods.”

Heracles, still frowning, shut his mouth,

And Asclepius sighed as he watched his expression.

“…Of course, aside from Pluto, the god of mercy and fairness.”

“True. If it weren’t for a few words from my great uncle…”

“What?! When did you meet Lord Pluto? Damn, I’m a little jealous.”

The conversation between the two heroes gradually shifted toward Heracles’s task.

When Asclepius heard that his second task was to slay the Hydra, he frowned and said,

“By the way, even I haven’t been able to make an antidote for the Hydra’s poison. Be careful.”

“…I know.”

The Hydra’s venom was so potent that even the gods suffered agonizing pain from it.

Surely, even Heracles’s skin, strengthened by the River Styx, wouldn’t be immune to it?

However, as long as he didn’t get hit directly by the creature’s fluids, he thought he might be able to endure its toxic mist…

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

“This?”

“Yes. After all, the lion and the Hydra are both children of Typhon. But if the poison touches any part of your skin not covered by the hide, it will be dangerous. Here, take this cloth imbued with the power of my father, Apollo. I hope it helps.”

“Thanks, that’s kind of you. Anyway, I should get going to kill the Hydra. See you later.”

The hero of strength shrugged as he walked away from Asclepius.

He was off to accomplish his second task: slaying the Hydra.

* * *

“After the Nemean lion pack, now his next task is the Hydra…”

“That tiny baby has already become a hero.”

“Humans do grow faster than expected.”

Naturally, I, Hades, along with the other gods of the underworld, were also watching his journey.

When word spread that Heracles had wiped out the Nemean lion pack in just one day without sustaining any injuries,

The gods, including those on Olympus, started paying attention.

While Chiron, the goddess Megaera, and I predicted that no ordinary task would be challenging enough for him, some gods were likely surprised.

There were still quite a few gods who thought his achievements were just luck or coincidence.

“Even though killing one of Typhon’s children makes him a great hero like Bellerophon, this won’t end well.”

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

“Right, the poison gives even us gods tremendous pain if it touches us.”

Of course, it’s almost impossible for the Hydra’s venom to touch a god.

Even minor gods like Mente can’t imagine getting hit by the venom spat by the Hydra.

Gods of a certain level can easily annihilate the creature from a distance where it can’t even see them.

The reason gods don’t hunt the monster with its venomous fluid that poses a threat even to them is simple.

However, it’s a different story for mortals.

“Hades, do you think Heracles will die here… will you help him?”

“…Is that what the others think as well?”

When the goddess Lethe hesitantly expressed her concern, I looked at the other gods around.

The gods of death, Keres and Moros, the goddess Mente, and Hypnos, the god of sleep, exchanged glances.

“Hmm. The water of the River Styx probably won’t protect him from the Hydra’s venom.”

“Whether he truly is a prophesied hero or not, the fact that he defeated the Nemean lion pack already makes him a great hero…”

“Should we keep an eye on him and, if necessary, send divine intervention to save him?”

“This hero shows a lot of promise. I understand Hera’s position, but this seems a bit too harsh…”

Most of them seemed to believe Heracles would be defeated by the Hydra.

But Heracles is the greatest hero in history; he wouldn’t fall to such a simple challenge.

Even if unforeseen variables arise here.

“Let’s wait and see a bit longer. If he can’t accomplish even this, we can’t take him to fight against the Gigantes.”

“But…”

“I’ve made it clear to Hera that she can’t outright kill him with divine punishment. Her only option is to trouble him with these tasks…”

What task could possibly be a trial for a human strengthened by the River Styx and Hera’s milk?

Especially one trained by Chiron and who spars with the goddess of vengeance?

As long as it isn’t direct divine punishment from one of the twelve Olympian gods, this near-invincible hero won’t have any significant challengers.

I had no worries about Heracles.