Chapter 292
Chapter 292
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 292
Chapter Title: Eight-Headed Hydra
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The carriage flew for an entire day. Soo-hyuk caught some sleep in between and adjusted his condition.
The heavenly steed arrived, after flying a full day, at a certain valley far removed from Olympus.
Thor shook Soo-hyuk awake as he dozed off in the carriage.
"We're here."
Soo-hyuk, who had been sleeping, slowly opened his eyes. As he went to yawn and rub them, he remembered he was wearing a mask and instead tickled the corners with his fingers.
It was hard to believe this was the man about to fight a hydra.
'Is he not tense at all?'
Maybe because he didn't know what kind of monster he was facing?
Thor shook his head at the thought. No, that couldn't be it.
Right up until they arrived here, Soo-hyuk had spoken as if he knew Hercules well. The myths of the human hero Hercules were famous even among humans.
So he surely knew what kind of power the hydra monster possessed.
Fortunately, despite appearances, Soo-hyuk wasn't relaxed.
The moment he opened his eyes, his pupils sharpened instantly at the sight below the carriage.
'This valley...'
Soo-hyuk's senses sharpened as he gazed at their destination.
The valley's terrain was identical to the place where that day's battle had unfolded.
'It's not just similar.'
It was exactly the same. Perfectly, without the slightest discrepancy.
This wasn't coincidence. Some inevitability was at play here.
There was no way to know what it was right now. He could speculate, but Soo-hyuk didn't.
Even if he came up with ten or a hundred hypotheses here, nothing would be certain. It wasn't something he could ask someone about for an answer.
And above all, a battle lay ahead that would demand every last drop of his mental energy.
Thor had misread Soo-hyuk.
Soo-hyuk wasn't lacking tension. Quite the opposite.
Because this was the opponent who demanded the most tension of all. Because he knew the enemy's terror better than anyone.
Soo-hyuk focused more on his own state than the opponent. He eliminated any unnecessary tension that could interfere with the fight.
Not knowing this, Thor asked,
"You okay?"
A few days ago, he might have thought of that worry as, he sees me as his benefactor.
But after seeing him bow his head to Hera...?
Now, that concern felt different.
He was truly treating him like a friend.
"As if."
Who was the opponent, after all?
Long ago, Soo-hyuk had confidently claimed he could beat the hydra. Back then, he thought it was because he wasn't alone, but reflecting now, that wasn't the only reason.
It was habit. Reassuring himself that he could win.
This time, he didn't.
Soo-hyuk acknowledged the gap between himself and the opponent.
'I can't win. Not alone.'
Did such a thing as probability even exist? If there was even a 0.1% chance, he'd count himself lucky.
Thor couldn't help but laugh at the obvious answer.
Of course. He was right. Rather, Thor felt relieved at Soo-hyuk's response.
If he'd said he was fine, it would have made him uneasy instead.
"Fair enough. Give it your all, friend."
Soo-hyuk nodded at Thor's words.
Hidden by the mask, a faint bitter smile played on his lips.
What if he'd said that back then too?
Soo-hyuk shook his head at the sudden regret. Unnecessary thought.
'Focus on now.'
He'd dozed and spaced out, but the whole way here, Soo-hyuk had ruminated on the fight with the hydra.
He recalled the past battle and imagined new ones. In his mind's world, he'd clashed with the hydra dozens, hundreds of times.
Naturally, he'd never won once. Taking down a guardian one-on-one was near impossible to begin with.
Then, could the current heavenly steed take it down?
He didn't know the heavenly steed's limits, but it wouldn't be easy.
But there was one possibility. No trial was truly impassable.
The thing had already died once and revived. Slowly, from within its own blood.
'Not exactly the same state.'
Soon, in the middle of the valley, eight shadows revealed themselves.
"There it is."
Hermes spotted it first.
"The hydra."
A serpent with eight heads.
But unlike the oral tales, the hydra resembled a dragon more than a snake.
As the hydra appeared on screen, the reactions exploded.
Though it was a stream and warranted a word or two, Soo-hyuk said nothing. At some point, he had stopped even checking the chat.
All of Soo-hyuk's nerves were focused solely on the hydra.
'Not fully grown yet.'
Its size, the aura it exuded.
Above all, it had eight heads, not nine. That was decisive.
It had revived miraculously, but it wasn't fully grown.
'Eight heads.'
As expected, it differed from the guardian hydra he remembered.
Normally, that would be reassuring.
But the moment he confirmed the creature's presence, Soo-hyuk felt his heart race more anxiously.
'One head short... but it's the same one.'
Though impossible, he even felt the poison from back then spreading through his body again.
The memory of the hydra was that intense for Soo-hyuk. And the instant he faced it, he was certain the two hydras were the same entity.
"You can still back out now."
Hermes's words were sincere, not mockery.
"I get the greed, but you're really gonna fight that?"
Thor didn't say it outright, but he seemed to think similarly.
Instead of answering, Soo-hyuk stood. Just then, far off, the hydra noticed the three: heavenly steed and all.
One head spotted them, and the others followed.
That instant.
"What the hell-."
Hermes, mounted on the heavenly steed, yelled in shock.
"Pull the reins! Up!"
Kiihihihng-!
At the urgent cry, Thor yanked the heavenly steed's reins. It kicked off the sky and soared.
Fooosh-.
The hydra's poison breath engulfed the spot. Eight heads spat venom like saliva, blackening the sky's clouds.
Missing the heavenly steed once, the hydra didn't give up.
Eight heads puffed their cheeks and rapidly spewed poison.
Venom needles shot like cannon fire.
The heavenly steed dodged and ascended. Fast as it was, the eight heads' spit was no slouch.
Only by climbing high did the attacks cease. Hermes poked his head out of the carriage and sighed in relief.
"No joke, for real."
To shoot such potent poison that fast, like a crossbow.
"Hey, human. You really planning to fight that... huh?"
Hermes looked around.
Soo-hyuk, who had been in the carriage moments ago, was gone.
Had he fallen, unable to keep up with the heavenly steed's speed?
As the question arose, Thor pointed below.
"He's already gone."
"Gone?"
Hermes's gaze followed Thor's finger.
Soo-hyuk had already dismounted and was walking toward the hydra.
Kiaaaah-!
The hydra's roar echoed through the valley.
The ground shook, cliffs eroded, rocks tumbled down.
Poison miasma blanketed the sky. The hydra's bellow crushed the body.
All of it was just like that day.
The only change: then it was everyone, now it was just him.
Katztzt-.
Lightning writhed at Soo-hyuk's fingertips.
That moment, one of the hydra's heads whipped around.
"Sharp senses."
He'd planned to start by quietly stabbing a spear in.
But that wouldn't work now.
Kyaaaaah-!
The head that spotted Soo-hyuk roared a warning to the others.
Five of the eight heads turned to him. The rest kept eyes on the sky.
Toward the heavenly steed carrying Thor and Hermes.
'This way, I'm not totally alone.'
Thor and Hermes were nearby. No matter how clever it was, it couldn't know why they'd come here.
No—its cleverness was the problem.
It knew how dangerous those two in the sky were. It couldn't ignore them.
"Well, whatever..."
Soo-hyuk slowly loosened his hands.
"This is manageable."
Losing one head didn't reduce its power by exactly that much.
The not-fully-grown hydra's strength was definitely less than before.
Size, intimidation, poison, momentum, even the number of eyes and heads.
Everything was diminished.
Of course, the gap remained huge. If it was before his marrow cleansing, he'd have thought the odds zero.
But that didn't matter.
What mattered was that possibility now existed.
Shk-.
The sword was drawn.
His eyes, visible beyond the mask, changed. No holding back stamina—he cranked output from the start.
Kurrrr-.
The thunderclouds in the sky rumbled in response to Soo-hyuk's aura.
Soo-hyuk didn't use the thunderclouds. No need.
Was the sky helping to kill this damn hydra? Or forewarning an ominous future?
Either way, it didn't matter.
What mattered was he didn't need to use the thunderclouds now.
Pzzt-.
Power boiled through his body. His condition was beyond good—he felt like he could fly.
Drip, drip-.
Sure enough, rain began to fall soon after.
One drop. Starting with that single drop, it poured madly.
Shoooahhh. Feeling the rain on his face, Soo-hyuk muttered,
"It's coming today, huh."
On the day he'd challenged the hydra, he'd hoped for rain.
Today, he'd make up for that day's regret. With that resolve, Soo-hyuk advanced.
Kiaaaah-!
One of the hydra's heads spewed poison breath at Soo-hyuk.
Soo-hyuk didn't dodge. Instead, he kicked off the ground and charged straight into the poison.
In an instant, pitch-black poison engulfed him.
The moment everyone thought Soo-hyuk was done for.
Tzztztzt-.
The pitch-black poison turned blue. The brilliant blue surged along the poison breath into the hydra's maw.
And the next instant, blue light flashed from the hydra's widely gaping mouth.
Kaboom-!
Blue lightning pierced the head and shot skyward.
Soo-hyuk burst out from inside the hydra's head.
"First... one."