The Greece Antagonist

Half an hour later, Luo En walked out of the cellar feeling refreshed and invigorated, stretching lazily with pleasure filling his heart.

Frankly, he had wanted to do this for a long time.

Previously, there was no opportunity, but today Hestia had come to him of her own accord, and he certainly couldn't let this entertaining opportunity pass by without taking advantage.

And it had to be said, the Titans' physical condition really was excellent; despite being beaten for so long, only a few red marks remained.

Later, even if Hestia woke up and sensed something amiss, he could simply blame it on the aftereffects of a hangover.

Perfect!

As Luo En thought of a good excuse, he closed the cellar door contentedly, carved a protective spell, and left the Goddess of the Hearth, who had no idea how many days she'd sleep, right where she was, while he strode out the door towards the outside of the city.

~~

In a secluded valley of the Cretan mountains.

Luo En looked around at the chaotic past battlefield, with the two recent skirmishes still seemingly vivid as though they occurred just yesterday.

Of course, the first round with the demigod huntress Orion was just a warm-up, it was Poseidon, the God of the Sea, who personally took to the field in the second round that truly made him experience the terror of a Chief God's authority.

That incomparable sense of oppression almost made one lose the will to fight back.

Moreover, this was just a glimpse of a Chief God's authority; how much more powerful would Zeus, whom even Poseidon admitted inferiority, be?

Luo En thought about it and shook his head somewhat helplessly.

Forget it, it's too far off. You have to eat meals one bite at a time, take the journey one step at a time; if you stretch too far, snap, it's easy to pull something.

Now was not the time to think about this.

Continue your adventure at mvl

After calming his complex thoughts, Luo En lightly stretched his body, stepped off the riverbank, and entered the lake before him.

Surprisingly, the moment his falling body touched the water's surface, it, contrary to all reason, stabilized as if standing on firm ground.

And it was not just limited to standing.

Luo En opened his eyes on the water's surface and began to move his limbs, trying to jump and run. Not only did he move as if on land, but he could also distinctly perceive movements from all directions with each ripple spreading under his feet.

At the same time, the fatigue accumulated in his body disappeared, and his magic power was rapidly replenished.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Luo En clenched his fist and swung it forward, unleashing a tidal wave of ether that roared forward like an angry sea, instantly grinding a few waist-high bluestones on the shore to dust.

Sure enough, things exploded by Poseidon were effective!

After completing his experiment, Luo En couldn't praise Poseidon enough for traveling thousands of miles from the Sea of Okeanos to Crete Island to explode gold coins for him.

——The Blessing of the Sea, that was the reward he had won from the grand bet he'd recently taken.

That is, a blessing born of Poseidon's golden blood, encompassing healing, recovery, perception, and ability to walk on water among other benefits.

Overall, a very practical thing.

Especially near water, his combat abilities and survival skills would both markedly rise a notch.

Indeed, high risk comes with high reward.

To catch up with the gods as soon as possible, he had to rely on exploding those old beings for more gold coins.

While Luo En expressed a full dose of malice towards those relatives, he continued to become familiar with the latest, amazingly acquired ocean blessing.

Although he aimed to become a God of Wine who brought joy and delight to life and broke through the bounds of fate and order, this did not prevent him from absorbing other divine powers as auxiliary.

For instance, the original God of Wine possessed the water authority to turn water into wine, the Agriculture God's authority to spur plant growth, the God of Stove's authority for drink brewing, and the literary authority to compose and perform farce...

So, there was no need to regard other divinities as a flood and beasts that would pollute his essence.

On the contrary, as long as they brought practical benefits and interesting effects, he, the all-embracing jovial god, would welcome them all.

But that being said, the skill combination of "The Blessing of the Sea" and "Infinite Martial Refinement" felt strangely familiar, didn't it?

Suddenly, Luo En lowered his head to look at the shimmering lake's surface, at his own reflection walking on water, and at the branch he had casually picked up, the corners of his lips twitching involuntarily.

Wasn't this just a replica of a certain knight from the Celtic myths, surnamed Lan, who sat at the Round Table?

Even the passive talent, "Friend of Women," he had learned by a factor of ten...

So, what was next? Should he, like that knight of the lake, pledge allegiance to a king, then elope with the queen and truly graduate?

Or, should this opportunity be left to that great Divine King, letting him taste being the butt of the joke?

Wait, wouldn't that mean he'd be seducing Hera, the queen of heaven?

Tsk, getting the goddess who was originally fated to kill him to be almost dead because of him—if it could be done, that might indeed be a fun jest.

Luo En mused to himself, amusing himself during the monotonous training, his whole being radiating irreverence towards the gods and mockery towards the inexorable.

Ever since the night Hestia pulled him out onto the balcony to witness the myriad states of the mortal world, this foreigner from another time and space no longer advanced at the behest of "chance" or "inevitability"; he had fully integrated into this world, actively embarking on the path he chose for himself.

After a session of serious practice, a relaxed Luo En leisurely sat on the riverbank on a pile of stones and pulled out a clay jar from his Magic Circle Diagram, preparing to digest another one of today's gains.

Upon opening the jar, a rich and familiar aroma of barley mixed with the refreshing scent of peppermint oil wafted into his nostrils.

——Hygieian Porridge.

——But it wasn't from his witch mentor Circe; rather, it was an original boon personally concocted by the Agriculture Goddess Demeter.

And this was what he got from rolling the Dice of Chance with that silver badge after he had tricked Hestia earlier this morning.

Legend has it that while Demeter was searching everywhere for her daughter Persephone, she came to Eleusis one day in the guise of a begging old woman. The four daughters of King Celeus received her, asking where she came from.

Demeter fabricated a set of lies, claiming she was a noblewoman kidnapped by pirates and had escaped their clutches when they were not paying attention. She pleaded with them to provide her with a job as a servant in domestic chores as a means of livelihood. As it happened, Queen Metanira had just given birth to a young son, Demophoon, and needed a nursemaid to look after him, so she was led into the King's household.

The heartbroken Demeter agreed to take on the task of looking after the little prince, whom she adored greatly, and decided to raise him as a god.

For this purpose, the goddess who had descended to earth nourished the prince with a barley porridge she mixed with her own hands during the day, lovingly cradling him in her arms; at night, she placed the prince in the stove to bake, aiming to burn away the mortal part of him.

But in the end, this secret ritual of metamorphosis into a god was disrupted by the queen, who entered by chance, and the goddess Demeter was forced to reveal her true form and leave, reluctantly.

The people of Eleusis, upon learning the truth, regretted it deeply, but it was too late to turn back.

All they could do was to follow the snippets of information left by Demeter and inherit the incomplete rituals, hoping to find in them a chance to transcend mortal flesh and transform into gods.

Thus, the famous Eleusinian Mysteries in occult studies came into existence.

The divine food, the Hygieian Porridge, was also passed down.

But the effects of the human replicas, compared to the original version personally mixed by Demeter, were significantly lacking.

Otherwise, there would have been records of people from Eleusis becoming gods a long time ago.

Luo En reviewed the origins of the object in his hands in his mind as he brought the earthenware jar to his mouth and decisively tipped his head back to swallow this god-given sustenance.

Although this food could not make one become a god in one go, without a doubt, according to past records, it could at least enhance the consumer's constitution, vitality, divinity, and furthermore induce Immortality.

So, drinking it was definitely beneficial!

Moreover, under the affliction of that Enchantress teacher, he had drunk Hygieian Porridge, if not a thousand bowls, then eight hundred bowls, and was all too familiar with this concoction.

Gulp~

A series of swallowing movements later, Luo En drained the jar of Hygieian Porridge and let out a satisfied belch.

Indeed, it was the familiar formula, the familiar taste!

Now, it was time to digest.

Following his dopey teacher's past instructions, Luo En closed his eyes, letting his thoughts disperse, gradually emptying his mind and spirit, trying to absorb the divinity contained within the god-given food inside him.

However, after a full two hours, he opened his eyes in frustration.

The method didn't seem quite right.

After all this effort, he had digested and absorbed less than one percent.

That shouldn't be - where had he gone wrong?

As doubt surged in his heart, Luo En furrowed his brow in thought for a moment, then a bold guess sprouted in his mind.

Could it be that he hadn't released himself fully enough?

—I never turned anyone into a beast, they were beasts to begin with.

Remembering Circe's chant, which seemed like a jest yet profound, Luo En finally made up his mind to fully let go of his spirit, and while continuously chanting in his mind, he deliberately underwent self-hypnosis,

—I am a leopard, a ferocious beast racing through the forest, with strong limbs and sharp claws...

Gradually, a mist arose from within Luo En's body, enveloping his figure.

Then, amidst the sounds of bones stretching and soft rustling, a beast's paw covered with black fur reached out from the mist, with remnants of torn cloth seeming to hang between the claws.

"Roar!"

With a low growl, a sleek black panther burst out of the surging mist, jumped to the lakeshore, and looked at its reflection in the water while sensing its rapidly digested Hygieian Porridge, a human-like expression of satisfaction on its face.

That was the sensation!

Demeter was an Agriculture Goddess who controlled the growth of all things and revered raw, primal wildness and nature.

Therefore, reconciling one's human side with their inherent animal nature and aligning with it was the key to fully absorbing the divinity of this divine nourishment.

At that moment, with his hunch confirmed, Luo En put aside human vanity and completely immersed himself in the role, setting off on all fours like a true panther, running and hunting through the forest;

Soon, he was no longer satisfied with his current form and transformed into a golden stag, leaping through the valley;

Afterward, the evermore proficient Luo En successively turned into common animals such as a grey wolf, a yellow marten, and a fox, fully expressing his wildness, all to thoroughly absorb the inherent natural divinity of the Hygieian Porridge.

Complete!

At last, when the digestion was announced complete, Luo En's body transformed into a snow-white rabbit, hopping towards the pond in front to wash off the dirt and defilement accumulated from running.

"Splash~"

"Smack~"

However, the rabbit that was aiming for the pond hit against a soft yet resilient wall with a clear splashing sound.

Meanwhile, before the little rabbit that almost got knocked out could regain its senses, a fair and slender hand with an irresistible force picked it up by its long ears and brought it in front of a moon-like elegant face with a wild beauty of the forest.

"Hmm? Little fellow, did you want to bathe with me?"

The crisp and melodious voice had curious eyes blinking, followed by a slight smile.

"Alright, you have my permission!"

Saying this, the mysterious girl with golden hair and silver eyes gently hugged the little rabbit that had accidentally entered her pond, then, like a mermaid, arched back into the water, creating a breathtaking scene under the sunset.

At this moment, the little rabbit, nestled between two majestic mountains, curled up on the soft "land," kept its pose rigid and unmoving.