Chapter 57 : Lernean Hydra (2)

Iolaus.

He was the nephew of Hercules and the most trusted person by him.

He accompanied Hercules on two of the Twelve Labors, the slaying of the Hydra and the hunting of the Erymanthian Boar, and helped him by driving the chariot.

Even after the labors were completed, Iolaus continued to adventure with Hercules, engaging in countless battles and becoming a hero of great renown.

Among these numerous wars, Iolaus became famous for having had one remarkable ‘experience.’

==

In his old age, Iolaus, who had defeated Eurystheus, the king of Mycenae, experienced the miracle of regaining his youth.

He was Hercules’ most loyal companion and the strongest warrior.

This is mentioned in the tragedy “Heracleidae” by Euripides.

==

In modern interpretations, this has been understood as Iolaus having undergone ‘reverse aging.’

This is the stage where an awakened person reconstructs their body and returns to their prime state, a miraculous level only experienced by a few top-tier S-rank Hunters.

Despite being overshadowed by Hercules, Iolaus would later become a monster of such power that he reached a rank above S-class.

He was the man who conquered Troy ahead of Odysseus.

Although sometimes depicted as a young boy in some media, this is purely a setting to highlight Hercules, and in reality, Iolaus was a formidable warrior who could easily defeat most heroes in myth.

He was simply overshadowed by the absurd existence of Hercules.

“That’s why they only give him personal tasks.”

With Hercules alone being terrifying, every person around him was a monster.

Not to mention Hercules’ close friend, the hero Theseus, even his nephew Iolaus was a superhuman.

If they were assigned group tasks, even the gods would be left scratching their heads.

“I am Iolaus, the nephew of Hercules.”

“I look forward to working with you.”

Seeing Iolaus in person made it clear why he was the strongest warrior most trusted by Hercules.

He was as large as Hercules, and his muscles, honed through training, looked like solid rock.

“Although not as big as Hercules, Iolaus, his nephew, is someone to be cautious of.”

Even Vanesha whispered quietly to me, emphasizing how powerful Iolaus was.

After all, Hercules took him along for the Hydra hunt, so he couldn’t have been ordinary.

“Still, it would have been difficult with just the two of them.”

The Hydra, having gained remnants of Typhon’s power, had grown stronger and now had twelve heads.

Though Hercules and Iolaus were legendary heroes, facing that monster with just the two of them would still be an overwhelming challenge.

This was likely why Moirai, the Fates, had set a rule that only those without ‘the thread of fate’ could receive assistance.

That rule had been made with me in mind.

However, there was one thing Moirai didn’t know — I wasn’t the only one without the ‘thread of fate.’

“Before the hunt, we should gather information about the Hydra and its habitat.”

“Seojun, the villagers of Lerna seemed to know a lot about the Hydra.”

Vanesha and Jeanne were also beings not from this world.

Moirai could not have known about the existence of the two, since they were summoned.

Even though the Moirai were goddesses who observed fate, they wouldn’t have been aware of the two’s absence from fate.

“Then, let’s gather information first.”

“That would be a good idea.”

Including Vanesha and Jeanne, the group now consisted of Hercules’ nephew Iolaus, and they began to collect information about the Hydra.

Because the Hydra had caused much damage to the surrounding area, it was easy to gather information about it.

“The Hydra is active in the swamp at night and rests in a cave during the day. So, it would be better to strike during the day.”

We heard this from the village chief of Lerna.

“Hercules, there is a legend that one of its heads is immortal. The goddess Athena advised us to be cautious of it.”

The priest of the temple conveyed the goddess’ warning.

• The Hydra’s heads think and act independently.
• The body is shared, but there are twelve separate life forms!
• They are clever but have a savage nature!

Nature’s nymphs circled Hercules and spoke about the Hydra.

In this way, we gathered various pieces of information about the Hydra over the course of two days.

And we concluded the following:

“We should defeat the heads individually.”

According to the nymphs, the Hydra’s heads should be considered as separate entities.

They share the body but have different habits and ways of acting.

Each head even has its own name.

The idea of dealing with the heads individually came to mind because the length of each head was absurdly long, making it a possible strategy.

‘Each head is at least 15 meters long.’

For reference, a fire hose is about 15 meters long.

Each of the Hydra’s heads was as long as a fire hose.

One head could almost be compared to a large serpent.

Of course, this didn’t mean that we could fully defeat them individually.

Since they shared their senses and situations, it wouldn’t be entirely possible.

We came up with a plan to use this to our advantage.

“Seonggong, we need to lure the Hydra outside of the swamp.”

“We should target when it’s in the cave.”

The time for action was set at dawn.

That was when the Hydra would return to its cave, exhausted after its nightly activity, and fall into sleep.

This was the moment when the Hydra would be most vulnerable.

But of course, the problem was the Hydra’s venom.

Its poison was so deadly that even a mere touch could mean certain death.

The key was how to cut off the Hydra’s head without touching its poison.

“I’ll take care of that part.”

Hercules appeared confident.

After all, in the myth, Hercules had brought Iolaus along because of the regeneration of the Hydra’s heads, but he himself was someone who didn’t worry about poison…

“I trust you.”

I decided to trust Hercules.

The Hydra’s lair was located in the deepest part of the Lerna swamp.

To approach it without being detected by the Hydra, we received help from Vanesha.

As long as we were connected with her, we could share the ability to block any presence.

Even if we didn’t directly touch Vanesha, if we were connected to someone who had contact with her, the ability would be shared.

Jeanne, who had learned this fact, asked Vanesha.

“Why did you ask me to hold Vanesha’s hand earlier?”

“Because it makes things easier. By being at the center, I can help you avoid tripping when it’s dark.”

Vanesha calmly responded, but Jeanne just puffed up her cheeks, not saying much more.

Since Vanesha herself said it would be easier to share abilities, Jeanne couldn’t argue any further.

Thus, we headed to the Lerna swamp in the early morning.

The swamp, enveloped in darkness, was eerily silent.

Sss, sss.

From the center of the swamp, something enormous was moving.

A huge dark form, with twelve pairs of red eyes glinting in the dark.

Every time it flicked its tongue, poisonous breath wafted out…

It was Typhon’s child, the Hydra.

Sssssss

The Hydra’s heads moved separately, roaming the swamp.

They weren’t just parts of a single monster’s body.

Each one acted with its own will, behaving as separate entities.

The head in the center was cautious.

It rose higher than the others, scanning the surroundings and inhaling the air.

Meanwhile, the head on the left appeared uneasy, constantly baring its teeth and looking around.

That head was suspicious and restless.

Another head seemed to care little about anything.

Bored, it stretched its body and drank muddy water from the swamp.

Some heads hunted, some stood on guard, and some ate.

We watched quietly, holding our breath, as the Hydra moved.

How much time had passed?

When the sky began to turn blue, the Hydra turned and headed for its cave.

Thus, as the Hydra completely disappeared into the cave, Hercules stood up.

“Let’s begin.”

He took bold strides forward.

The direction was not towards the cave but towards the long neck stretching out from it.

The twelve heads of the Hydra each had their own tendencies, and they all had different ways of sleeping.

Some slept inside the cave, while others stretched their necks out and slept outside.

What we were aiming for were the heads that extended outside the cave.

“Iolaos, you take care of the one in the swamp.”

“Understood.”

Following Heracles’ words, Iolaos moved towards the swamp.

“We’ll take care of that side.”

“Okay.”

“Got it.”

We entered the bushes.

In the distance, a Hydra head lay exposed, asleep.

“Vanessa.”

“Yes.”

Vanessa walked toward it.

I summoned Napoleon’s rifle and hid in the bushes, aiming at the creature’s head.

Bang—!

“Kiaaaaaah!”

The Hydra, hit in the head while sleeping, let out a shriek and sprang up.

Its furious red eyes scanned the surroundings.

The first thing that caught its eye was Vanessa.

Swoosh!

The Hydra’s head lunged at Vanessa.

And then—

Tatadat!

Vanessa turned and ran.

“Kiaaaaaah!”

Consumed by rage, the Hydra’s head began chasing Vanessa at terrifying speed.

Crash! Sizzle…!

Trees, rocks, and bushes in its path were crushed or melted by its venom.

But it wasn’t enough to catch Vanessa, who moved nimbly through the swamp like a ghost.

Boom! Sizzle…!

Failing to catch her, the Hydra’s head only managed to destroy the surrounding landscape.

“Kiaaaaaah!”

Losing all sense, the Hydra’s head mindlessly chased Vanessa, stretching its long neck.

Then, at some moment, its eyes widened.

• Kiaaaaaah!

Another Hydra head was charging towards it from the opposite direction.

Leading it was Iolaos, luring it into a trap.

Thud, thud!

From yet another direction, Heracles came running, carrying an unconscious Hydra head he had knocked out with a club.

The Hydra realized the situation and tried to stop its movements, but it was too late.

The three snake heads charging from different directions tangled together in an instant, unable to stop.

Vanessa returned to me after finishing her part.

I checked her condition first. If she had been touched by the Hydra’s poison, we would need Jeanne to purify her.

“Vanessa, are you okay? No poison?”

“Yes, I wasn’t touched.”

Fortunately, Vanessa had avoided the poison.

Despite being chased by the Hydra, she remained unscathed.

“Good work.”

“So, do I get a reward?”

“I’ll think of something appropriate.”

At her playful remark, I awkwardly smiled and looked away.

“Kieeek, kieeek!”

The tangled Hydra heads began fighting each other.

The more they struggled, the more entangled they became.

But that didn’t mean we could easily hunt the Hydra.

Sssssssss…

From their mouths, deadly venom spewed out.

Wherever the breath touched, grass and leaves melted, and puddles of water evaporated.

It seemed impossible to cut through the tangled necks without being affected by the poison.

Of course, cutting off the Hydra’s necks wasn’t my job—it was Heracles’.

‘How is he going to cut that?’

I always wondered.

Even in mythology, it was never explained in detail how Heracles managed to cut the Hydra’s heads without getting poisoned.

All it said was that he beat them unconscious with a club.

What kind of trick did he use…?

As I watched with curiosity, Heracles gripped the weapon on his back.

It was a massive, heavy-looking ‘scythe.’

He lifted it effortlessly with one hand, as if it were a twig.

Woooom—

A sharp, blue aura enveloped Heracles’ scythe, infused with his overwhelming presence.

And then…

It began to grow.

“Unbelievable.”

The scythe extended endlessly, stretching beyond the swamp and reaching toward the sky.

It had grown large enough to cut through all the Hydra’s necks at once.

Heracles swung the absurdly massive, aura-filled scythe.

Swoosh—!

The tangled necks were severed in an instant.

The reason Heracles could cut the Hydra’s heads without getting poisoned…

It was simply because he wielded an absurdly gigantic weapon from a safe distance.