The Twelfth Labor
Grrrr...
What the hell is this now?
I couldn't tell where it was coming from, but a spine-chilling growl was echoing all around me.
Wait, didn't they say this map wasn't supposed to have monsters?
...Maybe I'm just imagining things.
For now, the boat kept moving.
Well, I suppose each boat could have a different theme.
I glanced at the ferryman as if seeking confirmation, but the old man just rowed silently onward.
Grrrrr...
A low growl.
It was different from the typical growls of the monsters commonly found on the 40th floor.
Those definitely felt like they belonged to mere beasts.
But the sound echoing now...
Grrrrrrrrr...
It felt far, far stronger.
It was incomparable to the beasts of the 40th floor.
"..."
This wasn't some safari ride.
They wouldn't play this sound effect just for fun, right?
"Springing this on me out of nowhere is pretty bad manners..."
I let out a dry chuckle and drew Jeoldanchamgeuk.
Not long after,
Swoosh...
The boat came to a halt somewhere.
The ferryman gestured slowly, indicating it was time to get off.
The only problem was...
Grrrrr...
The mysterious growl was circling us, growing even lower and more intense.
Shring!
There was no time to hesitate.
I immediately pressed the twin blades of Jeoldanchamgeuk against the old man's neck.
"Turn the boat back. Now."
...
But the old man remained silent.
Instead, his lips curled up into a smirk.
He slowly pointed toward the sky.
Golden letters shone clearly even through the thick fog.
At that moment, it clicked.
The Banquet of the Gods...!
Right.
This wasn't a banquet for humans.
Sure, some crumbs might fall to us.
But fundamentally, it was a 'banquet' held for the entertainment of the 'gods'.
Thuck!!!
I immediately plunged my sword into the old man's heart, but—
Whoosh!
He was already gone.
Only his torn clothes remained.
"Damn it!"
What the hell was this?!
Creak...
Perhaps because the ferryman had vanished, the boat began to sink.
Fortunately, it was sinking right as it touched land.
I quickly leaped off the boat.
Now that things had come to this, anything could happen.
Something might be lurking in the river water.
If so, getting onto dry land was the safest bet.
I would be at an overwhelming disadvantage in an underwater fight.
Crunch! Crunch!
Sure enough, the moment I jumped off, red fish the size of my forearm—no, even larger—swarmed the boat in an instant.
The sharp-toothed fish devoured the boat in seconds.
Splash! Splash!
They swam around the wreckage, eagerly seeking blood.
It looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie.
"Sigh..."
A banquet of the gods.
So that meant someone had to perform for them?
"..."
I stared into the thick fog.
Grrrrr...
A chilling growl.
It was enough to make all the hair on my body stand on end.
Wow, it's been a while since I felt like this.
Thud!
A black paw stepped out of the fog.
Its sharp claws put most weapons to shame.
A massive monster walked out with heavy footsteps.
"...!!!"
Cerberus.
The gatekeeper of hell, the hunter of death.
The three-headed calamity!
Its muscular body covered in black fur resembled a normal wolf-type beast, but the obvious difference was its three heads.
Grrrr...
Growl...
Grrrrrr!
Each head growled savagely, as if ready to chew me up and swallow me whole right this second.
I gripped Jeoldanchamgeuk tightly.
Right then—
Frizzle...
Jeoldanchamgeuk dissolved into thin air right out of my hands.
"...!"
As I flailed in the air in panic, system messages popped up.
Weapons cannot be used during the recreation of Hercules's 'Final Labor'.
Restricted Weapon: Jeoldanchamgeuk
Wait, so you're telling me to beat this crazy dog to death with my bare hands?
"Wow, seriously..."
I hadn't fought bare-handed since the tutorial.
But I had no choice.
Not only Jeoldanchamgeuk, but even the elf sword and other miscellaneous weapons couldn't be pulled from my inventory at all.
The conclusion was simple.
Solve this with my bare fists.
Just like Hercules beat Cerberus with his bare hands.
Is this even possible?
The only things I had fought bare-handed before were lizardmen and ratmen.
In other words, monsters of a similar weight class.
But the Cerberus in front of me was a completely different story.
It was easily two—no, three times the size of a two-meter-tall dire wolf.
Its front paw alone was bigger than my entire body, which said it all.
Grrrr...
Viscous saliva dripped from between its razor-sharp teeth.
Drip.
And at the same time...
Sssss...
The ground sizzled and melted where it landed.
"...Are you for real?"
Awooooo...!
Awooooooo!!
Bark! Bark! Bark!
The three heads howled like mad.
It was a roar packed with overwhelming murderous intent.
Any ordinary human would have pissed themselves and collapsed just from hearing it.
"My ears are going to pop!"
However, Lee Taepyeong was different.
His mana core, which had been extremely active thanks to the Deep Sleep Socks, kept his resolve rock-solid.
Meanwhile, the Quiet Eira Forest's Earring easily brushed off the fear radiating from Cerberus.
Boom!!!
A black front paw slammed into the ground, trying to tear Taepyeong to shreds.
Should he call it good luck?
Cerberus was incredibly fast compared to most monsters, but—
Swish!
It was slow compared to Taepyeong.
His agility had been boosted by Nexkia's Spacesuit.
On top of that, what if he added the blink movement of Echo Walker?
Even with a seven-second cooldown, it was more than enough.
Boom!!!
Taepyeong dodged Cerberus's strike like a slippery eel.
It was a close call, but...
Too slow, buddy. lol.
If this were a game, Taepyeong wouldn't have been able to resist typing that in chat.
Bark! Bark! Bark!
Unfortunately, everything happening right now was reality.
Ugh, this is so doggone annoying.
It was literally a dog fight, but it was reality nonetheless.
A reality where a single mistimed blink meant getting crushed to death by this son of a bitch's paw.
Time to wrap this up...
Just dodging wouldn't end the fight.
This was a truth Taepyeong had realized after countless battles.
Wasn't baseball the same? No matter how well you played defense, a 0-0 game was still just 0-0. You had to squeeze out a run somehow to decide the winner.
And right now...
Zzzzt!
It was Taepyeong's turn to score.
The left head is a beat faster, the right head is a beat slower.
Having used his blink, Taepyeong dropped from the air.
The middle one is normal speed.
And so...
Then obviously...!
Adding the momentum of his fall, Taepyeong's fist slammed directly into Cerberus's left head.
CRACK!!!!!!!!
...!!!
Without even a chance to yelp,
Slam!!!!!
Cerberus's jaw was smashed straight into the ground.
The sound of breaking bone echoed like thunder.
It was an impact strong enough to crack the earth.
Cerberus's body, which had collapsed for a moment, trembled convulsively.
Okay, that's one down.
Taepyeong immediately flattened himself against the ground.
Snap!!!
A split second later, the right head snapped at the spot where Taepyeong had just been standing.
"Told you, you're a beat too slow."
Taepyeong sprang back up, channeling all his strength into his fist—
BAM!!!!!
He delivered a devastating uppercut straight to the right head's jaw.
...!!!
Just like before, Cerberus's head whipped backward without even a whimper.
Flop!
Its long pink tongue lolled out of its mouth.
Shiver!
Tremble!
Cerberus's body continued to shake violently.
The tail that had stood so proudly was now tucked tightly between its legs, and the two heads that had taken the hits hung limp and dazed.
And then...
Whimper, whine...
Fear slowly began to take over Cerberus's middle head.
Taepyeong turned his head to look at the middle head.
At that moment—
Whine! Whine! Whine!
The middle head began to let out pitiful whimpering noises.
As Taepyeong drew closer, its trembling body flinched in terror.
Taepyeong grabbed it by the scruff of its neck.
Pssssssss...
Cerberus shivered violently and pissed itself.
Whiiiiine!
Completely terrified, Cerberus let out a sorrowful cry.
"Sigh..."
Taepyeong clenched his fist, letting out a deep sigh.
"...This is so fucking pitiful."
Indeed.
Taepyeong's trait was the Heavenly Slaughter Star.
It was completely different from being a psychopath.
This wasn't some mindless monster.
Seeing Cerberus... basically a 'puppy', looking so terrified, Taepyeong couldn't help but feel his heart soften.
Of course,
an ordinary person wouldn't feel 'pity' here.
Why? Because the opponent wasn't a 'puppy'—it was Cerberus.
The beast among beasts, unmatched by any other creature on the 40th floor!
Feeling 'pity' for such a creature?
It was impossible for a normal person.
But the one standing before Cerberus right now was Lee Taepyeong, who was anything but ordinary.
Taepyeong had beaten Cerberus down with his bare hands and terrified it so much that it pissed itself.
To someone like him...
Whine! Whine...! Yelp!
The Cerberus in front of him looked like nothing more than a shivering puppy.
A little puppy trembling and begging for its life...
"..."
Taepyeong lowered his fist.
Honestly, if there had been a quest to 'Kill Cerberus,' Taepyeong would have beaten it to death without a second thought.
But there was no instruction to kill it.
Even in Hercules's 'Final Labor', Hercules didn't kill Cerberus.
He had merely subdued it.
"Ah, whatever."
Feeling unusually uncomfortable, Taepyeong let Cerberus go.
If the Heavenly Slaughter Star had urged him to kill it, that would be one thing, but he just didn't feel like it this time.
"Get lost before I change my mind."
Taepyeong turned around with a sigh.
Whine, whimper...
Cerberus struggled to its feet, and then—
Lick.
It gave Taepyeong a quick lick with its wet tongue before scurrying away.
For some reason, he didn't feel any burning pain from the acidic saliva.
"Ugh, so wet."
It was just normal dog drool.
As Taepyeong wiped away the sticky saliva,
Flash!
Right on cue, a reward chest materialized.
"Oh!"
It wasn't bronze, silver, gold, platinum, or diamond.
It was a black chest.
An infinity symbol was engraved on every side.
"This looks a bit different."
Taepyeong grinned and opened the chest.
Click.
And then...
◈ Allows the user to summon the corresponding mythical creature.
An unexpected item fell into Taepyeong's hands.
Taepyeong stared down at the silver whistle with a bewildered expression.
It lets me summon the guy I was just beating to a pulp...?
"...Isn't this a bit sick?"