As the sun slowly slipped behind the horizon, the night's darkness enveloped the village. People had withdrawn to their homes, and the streets had fallen silent. Arthur felt the weight of the mission Athena had given him. A faint rustling near the edge of the forest caught his attention.
He immediately stepped out of the house, controlled himself, and ran toward the sheep pen.
The rustling in the forest grew louder. The guards at the gate became uneasy. Then the rustling intensified and monsters appeared — some were centaurs, some strange wild boars — but among them was a very noticeable monster: one with the lower half of a snake and the upper half of a woman. In mythology, there are a few such creatures, but only one hunts at night.
"She was once a queen. Then, cursed by the gods, she became a monster."
According to Greek mythology, Lamia was a beautiful and powerful queen of Libya. Some sources say she daughter of sea god Poseidon. Her beauty was so great that Zeus, the king of the gods, desired her and they became lovers.
This forbidden love drew the jealousy of Hera, Zeus's wife. Hera took revenge by killing all of Lamia's children or forcing Lamia to kill them herself. This tragic event caused Lamia to lose her sanity and slowly turn into a monster.
At night, she began kidnapping and eating children.
Having a relationship with the gods never ends well.
Arthur felt sorrow for the woman before him — his mother Semele had suffered for the same reason: being involved with the gods.
"I can't bear it. This woman suffered so much. Why can't the gods bring peace to mortals? What was her fault?"
"If Zeus had controlled himself, none of this would have happened. I'll cut off Zeus's dick and feed it to dogs, that bastard."
The only thought in his mind now was: "I must save this woman."
Lamia stood behind him; all the monsters suddenly started running toward him. He drew his katana, which seemed to light up the night.
The first centaur swung his axe at him. Before the blow landed, Arthur stepped one step to the left.
The centaur's eyes widened in shock. Before Centaur could react, Arthur plunged his katana into its throat. Suddenly, his sixth sense tingled — without turning his head, he saw a wild boar rushing at him and hit him, dragging him along. He thought he had broken a few bones.
He lifted his katana and stabbed it at the center of the boar's forehead, firmly planted his foot, and the beast died. The more he fought, the more his divine power grew and nourished his body.
His wounds healed before he could blink. A red energy rose from him — the divine war energy inside, a combination of wine and sky divinity — all part of his lineage.
His body was covered with red lightning. He appeared in front of the first monster and cut off its head at full speed, using its body as a stepping stone. He jumped onto another wild boar and stabbed his katana into its back.
The blade entered one side and came out the other.
As he kept killing, his energy continued to rise.
The red lightning glowed brighter. The monsters didn't even understand what was happening. Before one could comprehend, their heads fell. Their bodies turned to coal because of lightning.
Now, no monsters remained around. Lamia looked at him fearfully. He stood right in front of her.
Her skin was golden like desert sand, she held a trident in her hand, her chest was covered with bronze armor, and her lower half was a snake tail. The woman had lost her sanity. Arthur didn't know how she had come from Libya to here.
He sheathed his katana and placed his hand on his heart:
"Lamia, former queen of Libya, daughter of Poseidon, I call upon you. You were cursed by the gods. Relationships between gods and mortals always end badly. My mother, Semele, suffered for the same reason. I don't want to kill you."
Lamia's eyes trembled, but she couldn't stop herself. Suddenly, she appeared in front of him and aimed her spear at his heart. Before it could hit, he dodged to the right.
"I don't want to harm you," he said softly.
"I have the power to save you from this curse. But you must trust me."
Lamia trembled and withdrew, her snake tail dragging on the ground. The wildness in her eyes slowly gave way to desperation. Inside Arthur, the power born of divine blood and humanity continued to rise.
"Your pain will be my pain. We will break this cycle."
Lamia struck him with her snake tail's whip, but he caught it. Blood of gold dripped from his mouth due to the blow. He was still not strong enough. Lamia wasn't using her full power — there was pain on her face as if she was fighting the curse.
Then Arthur grabbed her tail, lifted her with all his might, and slammed her to the ground.
My hands are trembling from using too much power. Before she can get up, I strike her on the back of the neck. She faints.
Soon, a guard arrives. Just as he's about to raise his sword, I call out to him:
"I saved her. If you touch her, you're dead. Go get me a rope — the strongest you can find."
The guard's face darkens. He says nothing because he knows if he tries to draw his blade, he'll die before he can use it. He helped me a little during the fight with the monsters, but mostly he stayed cowardly in the back.
Ten minutes later, the guard returns with a rope.
I nod at him, and he leaves.
Using the rope, I tie Lamia up, making sure she can't escape.
(Is there a way to lift the curse from the system?)
[If you want, I can guide you host.]
This Lamia is like this because of Hera's curse. I was reborn as Dionysos. Dionysus is typically associated with wine, fertility, ecstasy, theater, madness, freedom, and the wild, untamed aspects of nature.
Because of this, no matter what, I believe I can absorb the madness caused by her curse.
[Place your hands on Lamia's heart. Feel the energy inside, and try to slowly absorb it yourself. Convert the energy from the curse into divine energy. Be careful — the pressure from absorbing the curse can be overwhelming.]
Following the system's instructions, I place my hand over her chest and close my eyes, trying to feel the energy. What I see is astonishing — there is as much energy as a flowing river. Slowly, I try to direct the energy, but my body resists.
Damn it, I endure the pressure and absorb the madness from the curse, merging it with my divine energy. Energy builds inside me. Bloody tears stream from my eyes.
[Host: It is recommended to stay still due to the life-threatening risk.]
I won't stop. No, it's impossible. I couldn't save my mother. I won't leave this woman like this. I feel sorry for her. Her body is slowly changing; her tail is turning into a human leg. She still has snake scales on top, but as I absorb more energy, they lessen.
I have absorbed all the energy. I pull my hand back, coughing up blood.
[Host This is backlash caused by the system putting too much pressure on your body.]
(This cursed system is mocking me, that bastard system.)
[Your kind words affect the system greatly.]
(Thanks anyway.)
[... You're welcome, host.]
Lamia opened her eyes. The scales on her face had vanished, replaced by a very beautiful woman. I finally knelt, my body struggling to adapt to so much energy.
When she saw me, she embraced me with all her strength. Although she couldn't speak in her serpent form, she understood me.
Now in human form, she struggled to express her feelings.
She laid her head on my chest and started to cry. I placed my hand on her head, comforting her:
"It's over now. Everything that happened is past."
Lamia lifted her head from my chest, looked at my face, tears still flowing from her eyes:
"Thank you, thank you."
Dark clouds began to gather in the sky, and as if understanding Lamia's sorrow, rain started to fall.
A distant roar rose from the village entrance.
A group of villagers slowly approached, holding torches, sickles, bows, and arrows. Leading them was an old man. His white beard reached down to his chest, and he wore a cloak made from sheep's wool.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY! THE MONSTER IS STILL ALIVE!"
Arthur raised his head and stood up, though his body still trembled from absorbing the curse. Lamia also slowly straightened—her human form fully revealed now.
The old man jumped back when he saw Lamia.
"This... this demon! The serpent devil who eats our children! Why didn't you kill her?"
The villagers shouted all at once:
"BURN HER!"
"Don't leave her among us!"
"That child must have been bewitched, too! The monster tricked him!"
Arthur stepped forward, his sword in its sheath, head held high but eyes filled with anger.
"BE SILENT!"
His voice thundered over the village. Lightning flashed from his hand.
"This woman was cursed. She became a victim of the gods' jealousy. You saw her as a monster. But I saw the human inside her heart."
One of the villagers shouted:
"She ate our children!"
Arthur bowed his head. His trembling hand went to his chest.
"I know. But it's not her fault. This curse is because of the gods... just like they killed my mother."
His eyes were wet, but his voice was firm.
"As one descended from the gods, I removed the curse inside her. This woman is free now. And no one will harm her."
The old man raised his arrow, but Arthur squinted and stared at him. A short lightning bolt struck at the man's feet.
"If you touch that arrow, you'll never have an arm again."
A heavy silence fell.
Finally, the old man stepped back and dropped his bow. The villagers behind him lowered their weapons as well. Some retreated in fear; others still looked at Lamia with suspicion.
Arthur turned and looked at Lamia. Her eyes held mixed emotions: gratitude, guilt, fear, and a reborn hope.
Arthur knelt slowly, completely exhausted. But with a smile, he whispered:
"At least this time... I was able to save someone."
Lamia quietly knelt beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.
The rain kept falling.
[Secret Mission: Rescue Lamia]
[Reward Granted: Purification Flames]
[Purification Flame: a divine fire that simultaneously heals physical wounds and cleanses harmful curses. It burns away darkness and negative energies, restoring the body's vitality and purifying the soul from corruption.]
After receiving the reward, Arthur felt the flames inside his body, slowly integrating them within himself. The reason was the curse's strength and the fact that Lamia was Poseidon's daughter. That's why Hera gave a stronger curse when she cursed Lamia.
He slowly stood up and looked at Lamia. She also rose, quite tall—about 180 cm—and her body and face had become even more beautiful after the curse lifted.
My legs are shaking, but I'm slowly getting better.
I slowly approached the door and looked at the guards, who seemed unwilling to open it. I looked back and saw a massacre scene—several dead guards on the ground and at least 30 monster corpses.
Finally, the guard couldn't withstand my gaze and opened the door.
I took Lamia to the hut, and there I saw the woman waiting for me: Athena.
She slowly turned around, sighed, and looked at me:
"Do you know what you've done?"
I looked at her:
"Yes, and I'm not sorry."
Athena frowned and raised her voice:
"No, you have no idea, Queen Hera is watching you from now on, watching every step, everything. Before she cursed you, I begged her—do you know what that means?"
I looked at her and raised my voice too, placing my hand on my heart:
"I know, but I don't care. All this happened because the god-king couldn't control things. So what was this woman's fault? Hera should have cursed Zeus instead of her. This is the cowardice of the gods. Zeus didn't break the curse because he feared his wife, and Poseidon didn't even care about his daughter. This woman was a mother forced to kill her children because of Hera's curse."
Before I could finish, Athena interrupted:
"What do you know? Do you think it's easy?"
Arthur looked at Athena with a smirk:
"You gods are just words without meaning."
Athena was furious. She wanted to give this kid a good beating, but as harsh as his words were, there was truth in them.
Her eyes softened. She knew this child was compassionate and merciful. She wished she hadn't assigned this task to him. This child could be better than his nature.
Athena came in front of Arthur, placed her hand on his head, and a light emerged from her palm, then vanished.
[Reward Granted: Athena's Grace (Calm Mind), Divine Energy Training Guide]
[Calm Mind: A focused mental state that stabilizes emotions and sharpens clarity. It reduces stress and distractions, allowing the user to maintain composure and make precise decisions even under pressure.]
Then Athena withdrew her hand, looked only into Arthur's eyes, and tried to see something:
"Which god is your father? I'm not sure—I can't feel your divine energy—but everyone has secrets. I have blessed you. I hope you make wiser decisions, child."
Then she suddenly disappeared.
Lamia stood behind me, shocked to have seen Athena and unable to move. I went to her and hugged her:
"Are you okay?"
Lamia made a murmuring sound:
"Yes."
Ah, well, thankfully, Athena left us food here. This goddess is quite kind, at least compared to the other gods. She even brought clothes for Lamia. Now Lamia looks like a Greek philosopher, and if you ask me, she's quite adorable.
We sat together eating, and in the darkness of night, we went to bed. Since there was only one bed, we squeezed in a bit, but it's no problem.
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