Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 325 The Lion and the Youth

Just as the snake saw, the young man who had just entered the world was curious and ignorant. If he had bumped into someone else, he would most likely have been taken advantage of and deceived. But he happened to have a mother who loved him and a stepfather who respected him.

What kind of person was Amphitrion? Simply put, he was a good person.

Throughout his life, he upheld the virtues of a traditional Greek: generosity towards foreigners and respect for warriors. In his youth, he had performed many heroic deeds that are still celebrated, and now that he was old, he wanted to help the younger generation even more.

Amphitryon strives to fulfill his responsibilities as a stepfather to his stepson, teaching this naive boy, who possesses only brute strength but knows nothing of the world, what is right and what is wrong.

In the palace of Thebes, a man is fighting with a young man, who is wielding a wooden stick.

After fighting for a while, the man suddenly took a few steps back, waved his hand, and said, "I'm not fighting anymore."

He held a wooden stick, slightly out of breath, and shook his head at the young man.

"I'm old, I really am. If I were young, I might still be able to beat you, but not now."

The young man proudly raised his head and put his hands on his hips.

"Of course, no one in the entire world can beat me."

The young man was smug and spoke extremely arrogantly, yet he gave the impression of a naive and innocent boy.

The man looked at the big boy in front of him and burst into laughter.

“You’re not wrong to think that way. I don’t know about the rest of the world, but there are probably very few people in all of Greece who can beat you.”

Although Amphitryon had not fought anyone for a long time, he was once a hero whose fame resounded throughout Greece.

In his youth, he helped Erechtheion, the former King of Thebes, reclaim his cattle and territory from a neighboring country, which is why he married the king's daughter, Alcmene.

During that cattle-stealing operation, he personally went to the enemy country, defeated the man-eating fox, and attracted the attention of King Ptolelas's daughter, who then plucked the golden hair that sustained her father's life while he slept.

They used every means at their disposal: fighting, seduction, and more.

The young hero exerted all his strength and finally defeated the king, who was invincible and possessed superhuman power thanks to the golden-haired magic. He then returned to his country, where he married the princess amidst flowers and honor and became the heir to the kingdom.

Looking back now, even Amphitryon can't help but feel lingering fear at the fierce battle back then. If there had been any mistake, that young hero would probably be nothing but a skeleton by now.
Therefore, Amphitryon, who had seen much of the world, believed that although his stepson was not yet mature, his martial prowess was already among the best in the world.

But upon hearing the man's words, the young man's face showed dissatisfaction.

"Then how can I become the strongest?"

Although her stepson was intelligent and brave, he still didn't know how to hide his feelings.

Facing the energetic young man, the somewhat weary man sat on the grass, then waved for the young man to come over.

The young man obediently sat down next to him.

"Hercules, force is important, but it cannot solve all problems. Sometimes, the problem may be caused by your own reliance on force."

As the man spoke, he seemed to be filled with some emotion.

He paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Hercules, the high mountains of the wilderness are unknown to anyone, but the small hills beside the city have been built into temples."

"If you want to be a hero, you should accomplish something commendable so that the world will respect you and see you as a role model."

"How can I make people aware of my reputation?"

The young man pressed on with another question.

The man thought for a moment and then answered.

"Defeat those evil monsters, find treasures in distant lands, or seize a kingdom of your own, Hercules, these are the things that will best enhance your reputation."

As the man said, this is how the heroes of Greece became famous.

Of course, he would never say that these were things he had already done.

Showing off is such a childish thing; men are way past that age.

“Take me for example, I once helped the King of Thebes…”

In front of his stepson, the man began to boast about his glorious achievements in his youth.

After a lighthearted chat, the man left, while the young man remained behind.

Under a clear sky, the young man lay comfortably on the grass, shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight with his hand.

Sparse rays of light fell through the gaps between the fingers.

His eyes revealed curiosity and bewilderment; he was still too young and did not understand many things, but deep within his pupils, there was a strange light.

"Are there really very few people in all of Greece who can beat me...?"

Talking to himself.

Disappointment appeared on the young man's face.

Greece was home to numerous city-states with a dense population, many of whom were descendants of gods, and even demigods still active in the human world.

Being considered one of the strongest in all of Greece is undoubtedly a high compliment, but for a young man, it is far from enough.

That alone wouldn't be enough to fulfill his desires, let alone allow him to marry that person or defeat the Father of All Demons. He couldn't just be one of the strongest; he had to become the strongest, so powerful that no one dared to challenge him. Only then would he truly begin.

Yes, the start.

The young man had no doubt about the power of the Father of All Demons, because he had witnessed it firsthand.

"Not nearly enough... This is still far from enough."

"I must become stronger."

Deep within the pupils, the longing grows ever clearer.

Within the youth's body, strands of snake blood surged, stirred by the youth's inner desires, making the body grow ever stronger.

Powerful, even more powerful.

Stimulated by the snake blood, the young man grew stronger every day.

Today's youth can defeat yesterday's youth, and tomorrow's youth can defeat today's youth.

It changes every day, without end.

For an ordinary person, they might die in a very short time because their potential has been exhausted, but the body of a young person is like a bottomless pit, with endless potential to be explored.

And with such boundless power, what will be at the end of the road? Even the God King and the Father of the Serpent cannot fathom it.

……

Soon, the young man had an opportunity.

He heard that a lion had appeared at the foot of Mount Cateron and had devoured King Amphitrion's cattle and people.

Legend has it that the lion fell from the moon; its fur is impervious to swords and spears, and its claws are indestructible.

Such ferocious beasts were everywhere in Greece.

The forests and swamps are teeming with man-eating beasts and monsters—roaming lions and raging wild boars. Therefore, the heroes' greatest responsibility is to eliminate these menacing beasts.

King Amphitryon was furious with the lion and wanted to recruit warriors, offering a reward of gold, but the young man volunteered.

He had been in Thebes for some time, intending to start his legend and achievements there.

Amphitryon admired his stepson's courage and prepared weapons and armor for him, but the young man proudly refused them.

"I only believe in myself and this wooden stick."

The young man waved the wooden stick in his hand. The stick was nothing special; it was just something he had made from a tree when he first came into the world, used to fight off wild animals in the forest.

It wasn't some kind of magical weapon, but the young man found it very convenient to use after using it for a while.

"What use is such a wooden stick?"

Amphitryon was puzzled.

"Because it was the weapon used by the great Hercules."

The young man raised his head and said.

The young man left the palace and headed to Mount Katharon. There, following the guidance of a farmer, he arrived at a forest.

Lions are not hard to find because they never bother to hide themselves.

In the open field strewn with corpses, the enormous lion was devouring the body of a warrior.

Those warriors recruited for the bounty died before the lion. Their armor offered no protection; the lion chewed up their armor like fish bones and swallowed it whole.

The young man could hear the lion's deep roar from afar, along with the ear-piercing sound of its teeth crushing metal, which sent chills down his spine.

Upon seeing the lion, the young man exclaimed in surprise.

"Leo? Is that you?"

The lion also raised its head, smelling a familiar scent.

Its mouth was covered in blood, and flesh could still be vaguely seen between its dense teeth, making it look terrifying and ferocious.

Seeing the grown-up youth, the lion tilted its head, as if it couldn't quite make up its mind.

"Alcides?"

The lion spoke human language, but the young man was not surprised and laughed loudly.

"It's really you."

The lion also let out a terrifying laugh, a low and eerie laugh.

"Alcides...Alcides, die!"

"Roar!"

The lion, enraged for no apparent reason, roared, abandoned the corpse beneath it, and charged towards the young man.

(End of this chapter)