The Villain of Ancient Greece

The fiery red sun slowly sank into the sea, its afterglow gradually swallowed by the rising night as a slight chill began to spread.

As the temperature shifted, a cold sea breeze blew in from the depths of the Oceanus Sea, churning the deep waters upward.

Layer upon layer of waves surged toward the surrounding islands and shores, crashing against the reefs and beaches, creating patches of white foam and spray.

Accompanied by the rhythmic sound of the waves, the ripples on the sea shimmered under the moonlight, as if stars had fallen into the ocean, painting a breathtaking scene.

However, the more beautiful something in nature is, the more dangerous it tends to be.

Along with the rising tide came the distinct salty, fishy smell of the deep sea, as well as the faint rustling sounds of creatures climbing over the hidden reefs.

Nighttime was not only the hour of the rising tide but also the most active time for marine life.

And in the Age of Gods, these marine creatures naturally included sea monsters...

They often chose to come ashore at night to attack livestock and settlements, hunting for food.

Under the cold moonlight, several grayish-brown sea scorpions, each the size of a truck, with multiple pairs of sharp, segmented limbs, crawled onto the beach, carried by the surging tide.

As soon as they reached the shore, these deep-sea monstrosities excitedly waved their limbs, scrambling toward a pile of fresh entrails on the sand.

Sweet, delicious, and rich in magical nutrients!

They had been drawn to the island by the unique and intense scent of blood, gathering for a feast.

However, before these sea scorpions could cheerfully begin their meal, the soft sand suddenly gave way.

Dozens of skeletal figures armed with swords, shields, spears, and pikes leaped out, slashing at the vulnerable abdomens and joints of the sea monsters.

In an instant, the unprepared sea scorpions’ shells shattered, and they collapsed to the ground like tanks stuck in mud.

Even as they fought back, their efforts were futile against the fearless and formidable bone soldiers surrounding them.

Soon, the sea scorpions lay scattered across the beach, never having had the chance to start their feast.

Then, the dozen or so bone soldiers on the beach systematically finished off the not-yet-dead sea scorpions, dismembering them one by one before tossing their parts into the nearby shallows.

Streams of pale blue blood gushed from the gruesome wounds, soaking the surrounding sand and mixing with the rising tide.

The scent of blood spread further through the water, attracting new targets from the depths.

Now, not only had the sea scorpions missed their feast, but they had also become bait for the next round of hunting, really unfortunate.

Meanwhile, the mastermind behind this calmly leaned against a nearby rock, wiping his bronze sword as he waited at the edge of the hunting ground, patiently watching for the next suitable target to come ashore.

Despite their size, these sea scorpions contained pitifully low amounts of magical energy, barely reaching the upper Bronze rank.

In the Oceanus Sea, they were little more than the bottom of the food chain..more or less shrimp.

However, their blood and flesh were highly favored by carnivorous sea monsters.

Combined with the wyvern entrails Lorne had earlier placed on the beach, it shouldn’t take long to attract more advanced predators.

Sure enough, after about half an hour, the sea surface erupted with white foam as a shark-like fin cut through the waves, heading straight for the blood-scented shallows.

The floating pieces of sea scorpion were quickly torn apart and devoured by rows of sharp teeth.

From the silhouette, it appeared to be a hammerhead shark-like sea monster.

Here it comes!

The hunter lurking in the night suddenly perked up, his eyes snapping open.

But his gaze skipped past the feasting sea monster, locking onto the deeper waters beyond.

Amidst the thick darkness, a flash of golden hue rapidly approached.

CRUNCH!

A sickening sound of teeth sinking into flesh echoed, and the hammerhead shark-like sea monster convulsed as if struck by lightning, thrashing and shrieking in the shallows.

But as gouts of blood sprayed out and a nauseating stench filled the air, its struggles quickly ceased, its belly turning white as it floated lifelessly.

SPLASH—

Moments later, the shark-like monster’s abdomen was split open by two razor-sharp claws as a figure bathed in blood stretched lazily under the pale moonlight.

She was a stunningly beautiful woman from the waist up—but from the hips down, her body twisted into the coiled tail of a serpent.

Her curvaceous form radiated full temptation, yet the blood-dripping, scale-covered claws and the still-beating heart clenched between her teeth sent chills down the spine.

And the vertical pupils opening and closing in the night revealed the gloom and bloodthirstiness unique to a predator.

Well..people, if you encounter such a thing in the wild, it is better to consider whether you can save your life instead of fantasizing about a romantic encounter.

After all, the one in front of him was none other than, Lamia, the Serpent of Gluttony...

A notoriously vicious and insatiable sea demon of the Oceanus.

Some said they were the offspring of Poseidon; others claimed they were the cursed descendants of Lamia, Zeus’s forsaken lover; still others believed they were born from the divine blood of Pontus, the ancient sea god...

All in all, their origins were a bit complicated, but their numbers in the deep sea were far from small.

However, one thing was quite certain, they carried divine blood in their veins, granting them formidable power.

The adult Lamia before him, for instance, had already reached the Gold-rank tier.

And, at this moment, having just gorged on the sea monster’s heart, the serpent-woman flicked her forked tongue, savoring the lingering warmth.

”Hssss~~”

The intoxicating scent of blood and flesh from the island stirred her hunger anew as her greedy eyes fixed on the scattered entrails and meat strewn across the beach.

After all, compared to ordinary sea monsters, the flesh and blood of a dragon-kin was far richer in magical energy, and far more to her taste.

Drool dripped uncontrollably from her fanged maw as the cursed hunger drove her forward, slithering onto the shore toward the feast.

Yet—

Just as she was about to get close to the prize, the sand beneath her trembled.

Triangles, squares, circles—Hermetic runes blazed to life across the beach, interlocking and rotating as layer upon layer of magic arrays activated.

Sensing the wild surge of magical energy and the rapidly escalating heat in the air, the Lamia’s pupils shrank to slits. Instinct screamed at her to retreat.

Trying to run?

Too late.

Lorne’s lips curled into a cold smirk as he clenched his right hand, which had been reaching out feebly.

In an instant, scorching flames surged from the ground, and the moment Lamia stepped into the trap, she was torn apart, her scales peeling off.

”Hiss!”

The snake woman twisted in pain, letting out a sharp screech as she tried to use her bloodline’s innate ability to summon water to extinguish the raging flames around her.

However, at some point, the shallow area behind her, which led to the sea, had already formed a wall of gathered sand, cutting off the tides from the base of the magic circle.

Soon, the small amount of water vapor summoned to Lamia’s surface in an attempt to cool her down could no longer withstand the scorching flames and vanished completely.

Similarly, this dying, struggling snake woman was reduced to a piece of blackened charcoal along with the explosive flames.

Golden-red particles then flowed out from the twisted remains, transforming into streams of light that converged toward Lorne’s chest.

Accompanied by a peculiar burning sensation, Lorne felt his blood boiling, and his bones faintly emitted the sound of growth.

On the bronze altar of his consciousness sea, tiny golden-red lights flickered.

Clearly, these were the divine essences refined from the completed hunt.

As the dust settled, Lorne slowly opened his eyes, severed his control over the magic circle, exhaled the stagnant, turbid air from his chest, and glanced at the remains of his first prey, muttering to himself.

”I may have overestimated the intelligence of this group of sea witches. Seems like this ascension isn’t as tricky as I thought.”

He had nearly used up all the materials he had snatched from Circe to set up over a hundred magic circles and traps on this island to ensure everything went smoothly.

If he had known, he should’ve been more frugal.

Just as Lorne was silently grumbling, several strands of golden light rippled up from the distant sea, and elegant, serpentine figures swiftly approached the remote volcanic island.

The hunter who had just been muttering ”very easy” felt a twitch in his eyelid, suddenly remembering something.

Lamia… they’re social creatures, aren’t they?

And the agonized screams of their kind before dying had already become signals for gathering and calling for help.

What a jinx…

Lorne pulled the corner of his mouth in self-mockery, but his eyes didn’t fluctuate at all.

Instead, he took a deep breath, slowly raised his hand, and let his will surge like tides, spreading in all directions.

Buzz!

Accompanied by strong humming and trembling sounds, Hermetic lines flashed and echoed, and the magic arrays that formed each other continued to focus and operate, turning the entire isolated island into a solid war fortress.