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“Who are the people currently residing in the forest?”

“Oh, finally asking about your peers, are you? The forest is truly in its most glorious period right now.”

And the old centaur began to proudly introduce the students with a smile.

“First, there is Asclepius, the son of Apollo, the god of medicine, a shining sun. Probably the one everyone owes the most to while living in the forest.”

The ancestor of doctors who revived the dead, struck by lightning, died, came back to life, and later became the god of medicine.

“Theseus, a descendant of Zeus and prince of Trozan. Wise and strategic. His strategies are truly admirable, even to Athena.”

Theseus, famous for the legend of defeating the Minotaur. From what I hear, he was remembered as the prince of Athens, likely before he found his father.

“The glorious prince of Thebes, son of a dragon, protector of the hounds, Actaeon.
He loved hunting and worshipped the goddess Artemis, who had a conflict with him, and raised 50 hounds, the same number as her hunters.”

That Actaeon… the one who, despite being in the Greek myths where humans often met tragic ends, stood out for his misfortune.
The one who turned into a stag because of the curse from that hysterical goddess and was torn apart by his own proud hounds?

“The muse of muses, son of Apollo, Orpheus. You must listen to his lyre play at least once. His music makes even stones dance and brings tears to the eyes of the goddesses of vengeance.”

The musician who went to the underworld to save his wife but returned empty-handed.

“Jason, prince of Thessalia, and a man who dreams of revenge for honor. His prowess is truly admirable.”

Jason… Ah, the raid boss of the Golden Fleece? The one who got entangled with that witch Medeia and then had his life turned upside down.

After introducing various heroes, Chiron, with a satisfied smile as if saving the best for last, mentioned one more name.

“Lastly, this is the most exceptional man among the heroes I’ve seen over a long period of time.
I dare say he will become the strongest man in the world. The one who strangled a snake to death, Alcmene. Another name for him is Hercules.”

“Pardon?”

“Hercules. He says he’s troubled by that name and calls himself the son of Alcmene.
It seems you know him too, as that name is so famous that everyone calls him that.”

I couldn’t help but be amazed at the sudden mention of the ultimate hero.
After being used and retold so extensively, even the core elements of Greek and Roman mythology seemed to have vanished.
The great hero, who could be considered the protagonist of that grand mythology, suddenly appeared.

“How is it? Doesn’t your heart race listening to all this?”

“Haha… hahahaha!”

Starting from the original comic book, which was renowned as a children’s classic on 21st-century Earth, it spread through web novels, games, plays, and even papers.
Even in the martial arts world of the Central Plains, the stories of warriors from across the sea were occasionally passed down and engraved on amphorae and textiles.
Among the protagonists of those stories, the undisputed hero who topped search terms and oral traditions was Hercules.

Seeing these figures in person made my old heart race with excitement for the first time in a long while.

I was still a martial artist who had learned the Demonic Arts from twelve masters in the gap between the underworld and the present world.
In the past, I reached the same level as the Sword Sage Yeo Dong-bin, the Zen Master Dalma, and the first Heavenly Demon, ruling the world as an absolute being.

The memories were still vivid.

Defeating the hypocrites known as the top ten masters in the Qinghai Battlefront in an instant.
Climbing to the main hall of Kunlun and crossing swords with the reclusive old master at the mountain peak.
Facing the Sea Dragon Spear of the Southern Island Sect, who aimed at my flank from a ship.
Regretting the twisted fate after a day’s sword duel with the old head monk of Shaolin, and competing with fists instead of drinking.

The martial artists of Murim, who sometimes disappointed me, sometimes delighted me, and even made me feel awe and respect.

I thought that no matter what incident might occur, it would not make my blood boil more than the battles with them.
However, upon hearing the sudden news that heroes from myths across the entire world were waiting in one place, I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

“Such… such delightful news.”

“To hear you say that makes me happy, hahaha!”

They say great minds think alike.
The half-man, half-horse, unaware of what I knew, laughed heartily.
The ship carrying me and him sailed swiftly across the sea, blessed by Zephyros.

A week later.

“We’ve arrived! This is the Forest of Heroes. This is where you’ll be staying.”

“…Excuse me?”

What’s this?

For some reason, the moment I disembarked, I found myself standing in front of a massive forest.

Wasn’t the destination supposed to be Athens?
The birthplace of Greek civilization, the cradle of mythology!

I was so excited, thinking I would see that ancient civilization I’d only known through stories, the internet, illustrations, and games, thinking I would see the city of gods and heroes in person!

As soon as we reached the port of Athens, suddenly, Chiron told me to get on his back.
Passing by the city walls of Athens, which I had been eagerly anticipating, he ran straight to the forest.
We crossed springs and leaped over rivers; we even ran through a small sea at a speed that would astonish Jesus.
He set me down at the entrance of some forest and proudly introduced it.

“…Is this Messenia?”

“Yes, the sacred forest near Messenia. It’s also my wife’s forest.”

I looked up at the old centaur with an indescribable expression, but Chiron was simply delighted with the pure joy of having a new prey, no, a new student.

“I mean, it’s been ages since I last set foot on land…. and we just skip through it in an instant?”

How could I express this feeling in words?
Since reincarnating, one of my few hobbies has been watching the magnificent history built by humans come to life, as if traveling through time in a time machine.
Even while conquering the martial arts world as the Heavenly Demon, I made sure to preserve as many buildings as possible and handle relics with care, even if it was the main base of the Nine Great Clans.
Wasn’t it for this reason?
Leaving Passos and coming to Athens this time, I had also hoped for such a vivid historical tour… Who would have thought we’d skip straight to the destination?

“Hahaha, come on in. Everyone must be waiting.”

“…Yes.”

Phew, let’s hold back for now.
A tour of Greece could wait until I restore my martial arts and reemerge into the world.
And above all, the ultimate historical tour.
This forest, teeming with countless heroes from myths, was no exaggeration to say that it was a place where the era of myths before history was collectively gathered.

With new expectations, I slowly followed the old centaur into the forest.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you something.”

“…What did you forget?”

Why was he saying something unsettling at such a time?
Despite my reproachful gaze, Chiron just burst into hearty laughter.

“It’s nothing much, but to enter our forest, you have to take a test.”

“A test?”

“Yes, nothing else. You just have to spar with me in front of the other students.”

“Oh…?”

I haven’t had the chance to test my skills against that hysterical virgin goddess.
But the centaur before my eyes was the son of the king of the Golden Age, Kronos, and had been a mentor to countless heroes since ancient times.
Wasn’t it fun enough to handle this, like saying “a chicken instead of a pheasant”?

“Right after entering?”

“…As soon as the children gather.”

Chiron seemed flustered, as it wasn’t the reaction he expected from me, but I led the way into the forest with light steps.

Chiron’s forest.
Also known as the Forest of Heroes, this was the place hidden within the forest by the magic of Chiron and his wife, the nymph Clymene.
Here, students wait for the day they graduate while being taught by various mentors according to their aptitudes.
Music, medicine, oratory, sculpture, hunting, exploration, and so on—the Forest of Heroes encompasses all the qualities needed to become a hero, but the most popular field among students by far was combat training.
The shortcut to glory and fame and the most certain proof of approaching the stature of a hero.
Wasn’t it about conquering fierce battlefields where blood and sweat fly or defeating monsters that torment the people?
Thanks to that, a huge training ground was built like a colosseum in a corner of the Forest of Heroes, and the medical center was always crowded with trainees brought from the colosseum every day.

Especially on days like today, when there was large-scale combat training, it was even more crowded.

The treatment center was filled with numerous boys and girls lying down, groaning, with bandages wrapped somewhere.
In between, centaurs, nymphs, and human healers were busily running around carrying patients.

“Hey, your hand! Are you okay?”

“Ugh… don’t talk to me, Tessi. It hurts like hell.”

The name of the handsome boy with eyes sparkling like a morning star and neatly tied hair of sunlight color was Theseus.
And the boy with a cheerful expression and short-cropped bright brown hair next to him was named Jason.

Both were princes of Trozan and Lolcos, respectively, notable children of heroes in the Forest of Heroes, but now they were just defeated generals 1 and 2.
Both were exceptional talents, excelling in strategy and martial prowess, but currently, a monster was reigning over them in this forest.

“Phew… Honestly, that’s really unfair. We set up a giant-trapping strategy and even laid out a giant snake trap overnight, and it broke through head-on.”

“We almost dug to the entrance of Tartarus and fixed the trap there, but it just pulled it out entirely and threw it.”

“Tactics or whatever, it’s already meaningless, isn’t it…?”

They were each known as the strategist Theseus and the commander Jason, young heroes naturally gifted in strategy and military command.
If they returned after completing their lessons in the Forest of Heroes, they were expected to become kings who would be remembered throughout Greek history.

Yes, kings. Not heroes, but kings.
Why dream of becoming kings instead of heroes in the Forest of Heroes?
The reason was precisely because of the tyrant who cast a shadow over this forest.

“Kuhahahaha! There you are, you losers!”

Bang!
The door flew open with a loud crash.
Beyond that door, the sound of raucous laughter mercilessly assaulted their ears.