Hercules looked around in annoyance, then said to himself:
"Hmm... I have to finish off that monster quickly, and then I will complain to Ruler Athena about what Ruler Poseidon did to me."
He was still angry about the way Poseidon had thrown him into the cave.
However, he did not feel afraid.
On the contrary...
He was walking inside the cave with great confidence, and on his face was a clear arrogance because of the power he had recently awakened.
He believed that eliminating the monster would only take him a few moments.
But after taking a few steps forward...
He felt something strange in the air.
Hercules stopped suddenly.
Then he looked around quickly.
There was a strange aura in the place.
Something was watching him.
Hercules narrowed his eyes, scanning the darkness surrounding him.
Then...
He saw it.
There was a huge lion hiding behind a large rock. Its body was covered in shiny golden fur, while its golden eyes looked at him cautiously.
Its size was unusually massive.
And it was clear from the way it stood that it was preparing to pounce on Hercules at the right moment.
But instead of feeling anxious...
Hercules smiled mockingly.
He gripped his club tightly, then dashed directly towards the lion.
He didn't care about the trap the beast was preparing.
And when the lion saw Hercules running towards it, it looked somewhat surprised.
It had expected its opponent to hesitate or try to back away once he felt its aura and discovered its location.
But Hercules was advancing towards it with full confidence.
The lion didn't care much.
And suddenly...
It pounced on him with tremendous speed, letting out a massive roar that shook the cave.
"Grrrrrr!"
Hercules immediately raised his club, then struck the lion's head with all his might.
But...
The club shattered.
The club crumbled into small pieces the moment it collided with the lion's head.
Hercules froze for a moment.
He looked at what remained of the club in his hand, then raised his eyes toward the lion.
"What...?"
The lion didn't give him time to think.
It lunged at him and forcefully struck Hercules's leg with its claw.
But Hercules quickly retreated, limping, as he felt his injury.
He looked at his leg and then at the lion, a large part of his arrogance having vanished.
He said to himself:
"I underestimated it..."
He had thought the beast was just a simple test from Poseidon.
But he now discovered that the matter was completely different.
And before he could think of a way to deal with it...
The lion pounced again.
Hercules moved quickly, and this time he managed to escape the attack and dodge it.
Then he stepped back a few paces and looked at the lion in frustration.
He began to think quickly.
His club had shattered easily, and he couldn't even inflict damage on the lion's skin.
"Its skin... is indestructible."
He said this to himself while watching the beast cautiously.
He had to find another way to defeat it.
But something else began to arouse his astonishment.
The lion was not acting as he expected.
Hercules thought the beast would continue attacking him non-stop, but suddenly it started circling him dismissively.
As if it no longer saw Hercules as a real opponent or a threat.
Rather, it now saw him merely as food, nothing more.
The lion kept circling him slowly, its golden eyes never leaving Hercules.
As for Hercules...
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
🔍 Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]