Chapter 298
Chapter 298
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 298
Chapter Title: The Hydra's Aftermath
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The next day, Hermes visited the inn where Thor and Soo-hyuk were staying.
Having made all the necessary preparations, he straightened his shoulders and sought out Thor.
"Shall we go?"
Thor stood at the inn room door with his arms crossed. He looked just like a general standing guard at the gate, which left Hermes puzzled.
"Not going?"
"Can't go right now."
"What do you mean? We agreed to depart as soon as the sun rose!"
At Hermes' urgent shout, Thor furrowed his brow. Sensing the displeasure, Hermes flinched and lowered his voice.
"Th-the queen is waiting too."
"Didn't I tell you? It's not that we're not going. We can't go."
"Can't?"
Instead of answering, Thor cracked the door open slightly. The moment Hermes peeked inside, he recoiled in shock.
"Urk!"
He dry-heaved, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
What the hell was going on in there? The instant he stuck his head in and breathed, his stomach churned and his vision spun.
"Wh-what happened?"
"My friend got hit by the Hydra's poison."
"He was fine yesterday!"
"How should I know? He's recovering now. As you can see, even getting close spreads lethal poison, so I can't go in either."
For someone dealing with that, Thor seemed awfully nonchalant.
His precious friend was emitting such intense poison.
'What’s his game?'
Whatever it was, it felt like he was up to something. But he couldn't just outright suspect him—the poison wafting from the door crack was genuinely hard to approach.
Thor was the one blocking it from spreading. Without him, the entire inn would be filled with toxic fumes.
In other words, the poison leaking out everywhere was so potent that even Thor had to actively contain it.
"...He won't die from this, right?"
It was an obvious question.
But Thor still showed no worry.
"He's not the type to die from this."
"Urgh."
Hermes couldn't flatly deny it. He'd personally witnessed Soo-hyuk fighting the Hydra alongside Thor.
A human who charged through poison clouds with his body and kept swinging his sword even after getting stung didn't seem like he'd die easily.
"How much longer?"
"Give it a few more days."
"That long?"
At Hermes' flustered question, Thor nodded toward the door again.
"A few days is quick, isn't it?"
"..."
Hermes was at a loss for words. It was poison so monstrous that even years of recovery wouldn't seem unreasonable.
"I'll call a physician."
"No need. He's already being treated. Don't interfere and leave."
Faced with Thor's firm refusal, Hermes started to say something but gave up.
In the end, he slouched his shoulders and turned away.
"I'll come back tomorrow."
Watching him go with arms still crossed, Thor leaned against the wall and looked up.
Sending off the guy he didn't like was secondary. The real issue was Soo-hyuk inside.
"You sure you're really okay?"
He'd heard "I'm fine" more than ten times by now.
But it was impossible not to worry with poison like that.
Soo-hyuk continued absorbing the inner core.
It was taking far longer than expected.
Even digesting a large amount of food at once is tough. And the Hydra's inner core was an elixir potent enough to produce the massive Hydra's venom.
Normally, eating it would cause immediate indigestion—or worse.
But thanks to Invulnerable to All Poisons, he could absorb it slowly and steadily.
His stats rose slowly but steadily.
No, it wasn't slow. For players at Soo-hyuk's level, each stat point was worth its weight in gold.
How many would risk their lives for just one?
Of course, the message that popped up even more was this.
Hydra's poison kept infiltrating Soo-hyuk's body. But what blocked it was the skill 'Invulnerable to All Poisons'.
What if he didn't have it?
His body would've melted away the moment he swallowed the core, leaving nothing behind.
"If we're at it..."
Writhing on the floor, Soo-hyuk squeezed out a mutter.
"...could you do something about the pain too?"
Was there something even Invulnerable to All Poisons couldn't handle? Or was the poison in the inner core just that potent?
Despite his body repelling ten thousand poisons, absorbing the core was agonizing.
His gut felt like it was being torn apart, cold sweat pouring down. His vision whitened gradually, consciousness threatening to slip at any moment.
But like most elixirs, losing consciousness meant it was over.
'How much longer?'
He had no idea. Part of him wished it'd last long for maximum gain; another wanted the pain gone now.
Five days passed like that.
"Still today?"
Hermes visited every day.
And Thor guarded the door every day.
In the exact same pose as yesterday, without a hint of disorder.
"Wait a bit more. My friend's in a lot of pain."
"It's already been five days!"
Hermes snapped, frustrated.
"Everyone's waiting!"
"Everyone?"
Hermes faltered at the dubious tone implying why more people.
His frustration had made him slip.
He'd come determined to settle it today.
But one slip made pressing harder awkward.
"Ahem. Including me and Queen Hera."
"People don't usually include themselves like that."
"I've got a bit of a strong ego."
"..."
"A-anyway!"
Hermes spun around again.
"I'm heading back today, but you must come tomorrow!"
Thor shook his head as Hermes bolted away like he was fleeing.
Soon after, he glanced at the door and spoke.
"He's gone."
The door creaked open.
Soo-hyuk stepped out, reeking. Thor hurriedly pinched his nose.
Seeing Thor clutch his nose, Soo-hyuk sniffed himself.
"That bad?"
"Real bad."
Soo-hyuk smelled his body. They say you can't smell your own scent, and indeed, he detected nothing.
"Go wash up first."
"Here?"
"...Guess I need to find a nearby waterfall."
Thor fetched his Heavenly Horse from the stable after ages. It neighed happily at first but fled into the sky upon smelling Soo-hyuk.
After much effort retrieving the horse, Thor took Soo-hyuk to a nearby waterfall.
Roaring waters cascaded down.
Soo-hyuk scrubbed thoroughly under the falls. He'd only eaten the core, yet his body stank like he'd been doused in filth.
Watching him finally clean off, Thor nodded.
"Now you're presentable."
"Better now?"
"Still a bit whiffy, but tolerable."
It felt embarrassing, even though he hadn't done anything wrong. When was the last time someone treated him like he stank?
Soo-hyuk changed clothes. Clean and dressed, he finally felt refreshed.
As he packed, he said,
"We've dragged it out long enough."
Thor chuckled.
Hermes' fuming face on the way back came to mind.
"You should've seen that guy's face."
"I can imagine."
"Fun experience. Who knew we could toy with the Olympians like this."
Hermes had been the one stalling at first. Now, as the time approached, Soo-hyuk and Thor were doing the delaying.
He must be furious and frustrated. But dragging a near-dead, poison-reeking guy by force? Impossible.
"Tomorrow then?"
"Yeah. Tomorrow. Let's make sure to bring it."
Thor nodded, eyes gleaming. Then he scanned Soo-hyuk up and down.
"So, any gains? You look fine, luckily."
"Thanks to you."
Before consuming the core, Soo-hyuk had asked Thor to guard the door.
Thor had opposed it fiercely. Success meant immense power, but even for Soo-hyuk, it'd surely kill him.
"You're... truly remarkable."
Thor sensed Soo-hyuk's aura had changed.
He grew stronger by the day. Though they'd met recently, Soo-hyuk was like a different person from their first encounter.
"Someday, I'd love to spar with you."
"Just luck."
It wasn't mere humility. Soo-hyuk genuinely believed so.
Successfully absorbing the core was solely thanks to Invulnerable to All Poisons. It wasn't his own achievement.
But Thor thought differently.
"Luck is the ultimate skill."
"Luck is skill?"
"To the unprepared, luck is just a passing breeze. Catching that breeze? That's skill."
Thor grinned and clapped Soo-hyuk's shoulder.
"Besides, I suspect the fate granting you such power and fortune might be extraordinary."
Thor's occasional words felt burdensome yet exhilarating.
Especially "fate"—it rang familiar to Soo-hyuk.
'Fate, huh...'
Indeed, he was gaining powers beyond expectations. Recently: shedding his mortal shell, attaining Invulnerable to All Poisons, devouring the Hydra's core.
Was it all coincidence? Or, as Thor said, some guiding fate?
But if so, it wasn't all good.
'What the hell is waiting for me?'
Not just the next trial.
Much farther ahead. The next world, uncharted heights.
And for all the players, until that inevitable day.
The stronger he grew, the greater the unease. It felt like a warning:
This much power is needed to face what's coming.
'Is all this really for that day?'
Soo-hyuk gazed at the sky.
High and distant.
Staring up, Hiles' words suddenly resurfaced.