Hero's Three Days

Hermes was in a great mood. In the Nemean Forest, he lay on the branch of a colossal tree, his feet bare and legs swinging, watching with amusement as the Nemean Lion below gorged itself and drifted off to sleep.

It must be said, the Age of Gods truly lived up to its name. Under the influence of abundant magic, not only humans but other life forms and even inanimate objects had been greatly "enhanced." This tree alone exceeded a hundred meters in height, yet it was merely a tiny corner of the Nemean Forest.

While flying, although Hermes had used his divine power to protect Thaumas, he had deliberately let Thaumas experience the "thrill" of the flight.

Just thinking about the expression on Thaumas's face—as if he were about to cry—and how he had vomited incessantly after "disembarking," made Hermes feel a wave of satisfaction.

Although Athena had told Hermes to show some restraint, surely taking a little interest and enjoying a small appetizer wouldn't be a big deal? Even Thaumas hadn't complained, after all.

"Hahaha~" At the thought of the little devotee favored by Hera, the Queen of Heaven, being teased like this, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

This magical beast was quite powerful. With Thaumas's fragile frame, in what way would he be torn apart by this little lion?

If Hera were to find out that her loyal little devotee had been shredded into pieces by a magical beast, even she, the Queen of Heaven, would surely be moved to tears, right?

Regardless, if something went wrong, Athena would take the blame first. If Thaumas actually died, those two goddesses might just end up in a fierce fight!

That would be even more fun~

What? You ask what happens if a miracle occurs? Hahaha! Wouldn't that be even more exciting for the gods?

What is more heart-pounding than breaking the impossible! Oh, Athena, where did you find such a toy? It is simply too satisfying for a god!

It seems my generosity in sharing good things with you hasn't been in vain!

Heehee, honestly, no matter how you look at it, Hermes is the one profiting! It's no wonder he is hailed as the "God of Commerce"—he really knows how to do business!

Now then, little lion, little Thaumas, you both better keep your spirits up for these next three days!

Under the tree, "Roar~" The Nemean Lion suddenly had a terrible nightmare. Sensing a deep malice, it looked around vigilantly.

After a thorough search, it found nothing strange.

Thus, having eaten and slept to its heart's content, it wandered into a sea of flowers, gently playing with butterflies, pouncing back and forth, much like a... "puppy"? In any case, it was having a great time.

Thaumas, wearing the Winged Boots, watched the scene quietly from a distance.

These boots were lent to him by Hermes, a "reward" for the pleasure he had provided...

Turning back, Thaumas thought seriously.

Knowing oneself and the enemy leads to victory. He lacked specific intelligence on the Nemean Lion, so for the sake of caution, he decided to observe first.

Thus, on the first day of the trial, he practically accompanied the lion through its eating, drinking, excreting, and sleeping, carefully observing its habits and combat style.

He would not fight a lion that could be called "invulnerable" even in the Age of Gods. As for why Heracles could do it, well, guess why he was called the "Strongest Hero."

Moreover, even someone as strong as Heracles had used his wits against this lion.

Rashly engaging the beast in a fight would surely lead to a miserable end. He wouldn't pin his hopes on some "power-up"; life wasn't a shonen manga, and neither he nor you were the protagonist.

At night, Thaumas did not light a campfire, as it would attract the beast.

Under the moonlight, Thaumas held a piece of bark, recording the results of his observations from the day.

Enemy: Magical Beast—Nemean Lion

Traits:

① Hardness (Unable to penetrate its defense)

② Extremely fast; its raw speed is slower than mine (with Winged Boots equipped), but it outclasses me in close-quarters combat.

③ Brutal and manic fighting style; it only knows how to recklessly pin down enemies and tear them apart with its claws. A monster that only knows how to kill. (He is likely the same.)

④ Aside from being stupid, no obvious physical weaknesses have been found. Fortunately, it is a pure "warrior"—it cannot use magic and possesses no "Authority." Good news.

Habits:

Likes to play with small animals. Hunts at noon, sleeps in the afternoon, plays at dusk. Morning activity unknown.

Prey is mostly large magical beasts; seems to have no obvious desire to attack the "weak." Likes the smell of its own excrement.

Well, he couldn't say he hadn't gained anything, but after watching for a day—no, half a day—he had already envisioned many ways he could die fighting the lion.

This is bad; he definitely couldn't win in a direct fight.

As for kiting or similar tactics, the Winged Boots wouldn't necessarily help him in close quarters, and he couldn't break its defense anyway.

Well, there was only one way! Follow the script and let the lion kill itself.

Just like the question of which is stronger, the strongest spear or the strongest shield.

Without hesitation, Thaumas decided to act overnight.

He arrived at the Nemean Lion's watering hole, a pool of stagnant water.

Due to the convergence of magical energy and the constant dripping of water from the rocks above into the pool—each drop a concentrated essence of magic—the water appeared exceptionally clear.

Compared to the surrounding rivers, the Nemean Lion seemed to prefer this spot; it had been its sole watering hole all day long.

Thaumas did not dare to taste it; he had no desire to take risks, even if the water looked so "good."

Consequently, he emptied his waterskin of its original contents and filled it anew from the pool.

Not drinking it didn't mean he couldn't keep some; what if it proved useful later?

"A pity, I won't be able to drink this again." Once he finished speaking, he stopped masking his presence. With cold indifference, he pulled all the sleeping draughts from his robes and poured them entirely into the pool.

This was the handiwork of the Goddess of Magic, Hecate.

He had heard that Chiron had obtained it in his youth. He didn't know what it was meant for, nor if it had expired.

Back then, he and Jason had skipped class to rummage through Chiron's collection, and he had unearthed it, secretly keeping it when he saw it.

Later, he tested it on some animals, and the potency was immense. But since the supply was small, he was reluctant to experiment further and never learned its true limits—the animals he used it on simply never woke up, eventually rotting away.

When Chiron finally found out, he gave him a sound thrashing, though he did explain its purpose. Yet, even Chiron had never tested its full strength.

He wondered how much potency would remain after being diluted by the pool water.

Well, it was time to prove the worth of the Goddess of Magic. Even if this was only an auxiliary measure.

The next day, after a long and agonizing wait, Thaumas was nearly in despair. Why wasn't the lion coming?

It wasn't until nightfall that the exhausted lion finally dragged its weary body to the spot.

It was here! Success or failure rested on this single moment!

The Nemean Lion was in high spirits today; it had caught a large beast and was stuffed to the brim. In its joy, it trotted over with a jaunty gait, took a leap, and happily jumped right in.

?

Wait, you brute of a lion, is this your bathtub? You were drinking from it so happily yesterday! And it's stagnant water, too. Damn, I almost drank that...

So that's how it is—

Ah, you've disgusted me so much that even your father, Typhon, couldn't save you now!

Actually, on second thought, it was his own lack of foresight. First of all, it was a lion, and secondly, this was the Age of Gods...

What he perceived as vast magical energy might just be ordinary to others.

"Wahahaha! I'm dying of laughter." Hermes clutched his stomach in hysterics, though a moment later he added with a hint of regret, "What a shame it didn't drink it. Truly useless, little lion."

Though it didn't become a dark stain on his history, it still left him feeling deeply unsettled.

However, the water was actually quite decent, nothing to make a fuss about.

Hmm, lion soup is made with lion, so the pool water is much the same, right? Thinking of it that way, he felt much better.

He glanced at the waterskin at his waist. Yes! Jason would surely love this gift of his.

It was a treasure unique in all the world!

Thaumas was busy convincing himself; after all, he needed to focus on the task ahead.

Watching the giant lion drinking its fill, Thaumas couldn't help but think:

"This damn lion loves drinking its own bathwater so much, then this game is already over. Sleep well."

Sure enough, before long, the giant lion crawled out of the pool, shaking its head and stumbling, completely disoriented.

At this moment, Thaumas took his instrument from his back.

This lyre was modeled after the Lyre of Hermes and had been carved and crafted by Chiron himself.

It could already be considered a divine artifact, but since it lacked a legend of its own, Thaumas wasn't sure if it could ascend to the rank of a Noble Phantasm.

But after today, he too would be a Heroic Spirit with a complete legend.

After all, the events of the Argo were not yet over, and that alone was not enough to ascend into a legend that would be passed down through the ages.

He plucked the strings.

Thaumas's fingers danced rapidly across the strings like the wings of a butterfly about to take flight, fluttering with agility. The music flowed clear and bright, reminiscent of the vast, distant sky beyond the frontier, settling with a limpid, crystalline light.

The evening breeze brushed against his face, fresh and comfortable.

Accompanied by the rhythmic music, the night seemed even more tranquil and harmonious.

"I never expected his musical skill to be this good. Apollo, you really gave your lyre to the wrong person; it should have gone to little Thaumas." Hermes admired the peaceful night and the moving melody.

Under the influence of the drug, the Nemean Lion was powerless to resist the music, which carried a touch of magic. It seemed it had no "Magic Resistance" to speak of.

Indeed, if one possesses such powerful physical offense and defense, one must sacrifice magical resistance. The lion's stat allocation was a bit extreme.

Well, it was past midnight now, and as the third day began, it was time to take your lion head!

To be safe, he used his sturdiest rope to tie it to a tree, pulling many dead knots and leaving only one claw free to move.

This was to ensure that if the Goddess of Magic's work wasn't all it was cracked up to be and the beast woke up from the pain, the rope would hold it for a moment, buying him time to escape.

Where there is life, there is hope. If the worst happened and he had to flee, he would still have one more day to finish it off.

Thaumas raised the claw he had deliberately kept, sliced through the skin on its neck, and then brought his sword down hard to sever the head, signaling the end of the monster's life.

After all, the oracle from Athena had specified the word "slay."

Having seen many word games in his time, he found it hard not to be cautious.

In three days, he had successfully severed the head of the Nemean Lion, and furthermore, he had intentionally left its body behind so that Heracles could skin it with his own hands.

As the saying goes, one must be thorough in all things!

There is no such thing as luck; everything is a matter of being careful and calculating every step, though many things may appear to be mere "coincidences."

He had understood this principle long ago.

After all, Chiron often "tutored" him in this way, and he even suspected that when he descended the mountain, his teacher must have been watching him.

Hmm, using one's brain is truly exhausting, and the night is still long; finally, he could get a good night's sleep.

Good night, everyone.

PS: A bit short today, eight thousand words.

Originally, the draft for this chapter involved drinking bathwater, but many readers might not like it if I wrote it that way, as it is merely the author's own hobby...

Sometimes I often have ideas that are truly astonishing, and combined with my own strange experiences, it is difficult to write a book based on ideas that ordinary people can accept.

I knew from a young age that I would likely grow up twisted, because my father would change my mother once a year, sometimes even bringing along new siblings, so the author's interpersonal relationships are very complex; I knew back then that I was destined to be incompatible with others.

Come to think of it, would it be good to write myself into a book? Would it be interesting? Hmm... no, how can a prankster treat themselves as the punchline?

I will strive to become a normal human being!