Return and Absorption

Having emerged from the boundary of the underworld, we headed to the palace of Mycenae with Cerberus to confirm the completion of the labor.

Laughter and chatter filled the banquet hall with the same lavish feast I had seen before.

“Hic… that bastard must have crossed the River of Forgetfulness by now…”

Eurystheus’s flushed face suddenly drained of all color, as if he had seen a ghost. Heavy footsteps echoed through the hall.

“Crossed the River of Forgetfulness and then what?”

“H-Heracles!”

The hero everyone believed had gone to the underworld had appeared in the middle of the banquet.

“Y-you’ve returned!”

“I have brought Cerberus as the labor demanded.”

“How could a living man possibly bring back the gatekeeper of the underworld…?” Eurystheus asked, eyes wide with disbelief. “Did you truly go to the land of the dead?”

“See for yourself. This is the proof.”

When Heracles held out Cerberus, Eurystheus blinked rapidly. What the hero carried in his massive hand was an adorable little puppy with three heads. Aside from the extra heads, there was no trace of the fearsome dignity one would expect from the guardian of Hell.

Of course.

Eurystheus, who had been momentarily flustered, let out a snort.

“You’re telling me this is Cerberus?”

“It is.”

“Haha, Heracles. Even you know how to joke. There’s no way the hellhound could be this small. This is just a puppy.”

Smirking, Eurystheus reached out to grab one of the little heads. Cerberus bared its teeth.

“You mutt!”

Eurystheus yanked his hand back just in time and raised it in anger. At that exact moment—

“Uwaaaah!”

He toppled backward off his chair, landing hard on his rear.

“Grrrrr!”

“Grrrr!”

“Woof! Woof!”

Cerberus had grown until its heads nearly brushed the high ceiling of the banquet hall.

“C-Cerberus!”

Eurystheus, finally realizing this really was the guardian of the underworld, screamed with a face as white as a sheet.

“I-I acknowledge it! The labor is complete! Please, take this monster away at once!”

The sudden appearance of Cerberus had turned the banquet into complete chaos, yet Heracles simply stood there in silence. He seemed to be reflecting on the end of the twelve labors. Although he had only completed four in person, so much had happened along the way.

“Let’s go, Lord Heracles.”

After receiving official confirmation, we rode Charon’s ferry back to the underworld and returned Cerberus to his rightful place. The moment we crossed back into the world of the living…

“Heracles, it’s been an honor.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Yes.”

Late at night, beneath a dark sky scattered with the Milky Way, Heracles’ amber eyes gazed at me. They were clear and pure, completely free of any madness.

“It was a short yet long journey for both of us, Choi Seojun.”

“…!”

My eyes widened slightly. This was the first time Heracles had ever called me by my name. When we first met he had called me “you,” and afterward it was always “brat” or “outsider.” Only now, at the moment of parting, did I feel like I had finally earned this man’s recognition.

“It was good to meet you two as well. Joan. Vanessa.”

“To be named by a great hero… I’m truly honored.”

“Lord Heracles, I had so much fun.”

Vanessa smiled brightly while Joan’s eyes grew misty. Then Heracles stepped forward and placed a heavy hand on my shoulder.

And—

A brilliant golden energy flowed from his palm into me. It lasted only an instant, and nothing seemed to have changed. Yet I knew he had done something profound.

“If you ever face hardship, look up at the stars in the sky.”

“The stars, sir?”

Heracles nodded.

“They will be watching over you.”

With those final words, he turned and walked toward Iolaus’s chariot.

“Are you leaving on another journey?”

“I’m going to see my family.”

“……”

Heracles’ family meant the wife and children he had killed with his own hands. Only after completing every labor could he finally go to them.

“Farewell, all three of you. May the gods bless you.”

Iolaus bowed deeply to us.

“Take care of yourself as well, Iolaus.”

“Thank you for everything.”

“These are trump cards. A little gift.”

“Haha, thank you. I’ll make good use of them.”

Iolaus accepted Vanessa’s gift with a kind smile and climbed into the chariot. The time had come for each of us to continue our own paths.

Joan watched the chariot with a lingering expression.

“It’s over.”

“It might not be the end.”

“What do you mean?”

“We may meet again someday.”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I recalled the words left by the Goddess of Memory, Mnemosyne.

Let’s meet again.

Perhaps she had been referring to the Gigantomachia—the great war between gods and giants that would take place hundreds of years from now. The flow of time between Earth and Greece was different, after all. And Heracles was the hero the gods had prepared for that very war.

Until we meet again, Heracles.

My vision blurred, and the world went dark. My long days in Greece had finally come to an end.

In the quiet night, Heracles leaned against the chariot and silently gazed at the sky. Among the countless stars, a new constellation had appeared—one that hadn’t existed before the twelve labors. A golden constellation of the hero slaying the Hydra.

Suddenly, moonlight gathered beside him and formed the shape of a woman. It was Artemis, goddess of the moon.

Still looking at the sky, Heracles asked, “Did he return safely?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Artemis, I leave him in your care.”

“Don’t worry. He is my apostle now. You don’t need to concern yourself, Heracles.”

“I trust you.”

Heracles pushed off the chariot, climbed aboard, and prepared for a new adventure. The great hero of legend was ready to begin another journey.

When I returned to the modern world, it was late at night.

Only one day has passed.

I checked my phone and confirmed that only a single day had gone by on Earth. It was the day after I had hunted the goblins with Rachel and obtained Napoleon’s hat. Yet it felt like I had spent nearly half a year adventuring with Heracles.

“Benefactor, why don’t you check the gauntlets?”

“Alright.”

At Vanessa’s suggestion, I examined the Nemean Gauntlets. What I saw left me stunned.

…Insane.

The gauntlets that had merely been tough before had transformed into a true relic. A Mythic-grade relic, no less. The fact that such an item even existed was shocking enough, but its abilities were on another level.

The massive strength boost was still hard to gauge, but the second effect was completely broken. Complete immunity to physical attacks? Was something like that even allowed?

There were countless monsters whose specialty was physical damage. Yet these gauntlets granted total immunity against all of them. The three-day cooldown was a drawback, but the power was so overwhelming it made the restriction seem trivial.

“Depending on the situation, you could become invincible for three minutes,” Vanessa observed.

“If used well, yes.”

It would depend on my judgment, but this was an absolutely cheating-level weapon.

“It suits you perfectly, Benefactor.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. With your judgment, I’m sure you’ll use it perfectly.”

“Congratulations, Seojun.”

Rather than focusing on the combat applications, the two seemed happier that I had become safer. Their reaction brought a smile to my face. But it was too early for congratulations.

“There’s still one more thing to check.”

I took out Hades’ gift that I had stored in my general inventory. Red blood sloshed inside the glass vial.

Cerberus’s Essence.

It was an essence that condensed the power of the mythical beast Cerberus. The mana radiating from it was on a scale that no modern essence could compare to.

I brought out the Snow Flower Stone and poured every drop of Cerberus’s blood onto it without hesitation. The moment the condensed crimson power touched the stone—

A blue flame erupted from the Snow Flower Stone, greedily devouring Cerberus’s mana.

The absorption didn’t end quickly like before. This time it continued for dozens of minutes. Finally, the Snow Flower Stone that had been floating in the air dropped onto the counter with a soft clack. The stone that had once been red and blue was now a brilliant sapphire.

It looked as if it had evolved into an entirely different gem.

When I picked it up, a status window appeared.

I was momentarily speechless after seeing the mana value. The Snow Flower Stone, which had never even reached twenty thousand, had more than doubled.

This is easily S-rank.

There were only four officially registered S-rank awakeners in Korea. Even worldwide, the number of S-rank awakeners didn’t exceed fifty. Yet this stone’s mana capacity was approaching that level. It was an absurd amount of power.

Although the summon slot had only increased by one, this was still an incredible achievement.

My eyes widened. Vanessa ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and Joan’s re-summon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠time had decreased by a full ten minutes. The moment that timer reached zero, the two of them would no longer be distorted beings and could fully belong to Earth.

This might actually be enough.

With my heart pounding, I brought the Snow Flower Stone to the artifact catalog.

Previously, its rank had been too low for storage. The fact that it was now possible meant only one thing.

I can merge the Snow Flower Stone with myself.

My talentless body had clear limits to its potential. But unlike me, the Snow Flower Stone was a gem that could absorb mana and grow infinitely. That was why I had been feeding it mana all this time—to raise it until I could claim its power as my own.

The artifact slot would make that possible. After all, the artifact slot at the core of my ability was essentially part of my body.

I made my choice.

“Yes.”

In that instant, an overwhelming wave of resistance surged toward me.