With the sudden influx of money in my hands, I eyed my Luck stat suspiciously before entering my parents' bedroom. My father was out but would return soon after running some simple errands.

Despite his inability to use his arm, my father devoted his life to hard work. Unfortunately, no amount of healing potions could mend his arm, they seemed incapable of fixing old injuries. Someday, I hoped my alchemical skills would advance enough to restore his arm.

My mother cradled my younger sibling, Zephyr, in her arms. The little guy was quite wild for a baby and thrashed around most of the time. But when fatigue overcame him, he would nestle in our mother's arms, peacefully dozing off, like he was doing now.

"What did the village elder want?" Mother inquired.

I placed the overflowing sack of money in the corner of the bed. Her eyes widened at the sight of the spilling coins before narrowing as she regarded me.

"What? If you're thinking I acquired it illegally, you're mistaken," I reassured her.

She sighed and shook her head. "I know that. But this is yours, what do you plan to do with it?"

I was well aware of our family's economic situation. We were not dirt poor, but we were not far from it either. But with this money, we were financially secure for several decades, if we spent it wisely.

"I'm going on a journey," I began, struggling to find the right words. I had envisioned this moment countless times, however, the words eluded me. It was as if the original Idas still clung to his emotions, deeply woven within my being. Or maybe I had grown sentimentally attached to them; it was difficult to discern at this point. "Carrying all these coins with me would be impractical. So, I will leave most of it here."

I had anticipated tears and attempts to dissuade me as soon as I mentioned leaving the house. Instead, she embraced me with one arm, holding Zephyr in the other. "May your journey be safe, my son. If you ever grow weary, remember that we will always be here, ready to welcome you with open arms."

My eyes welled up a bit, but this was just the part of me that was the original Idas. I gently stroked my little brother's cheek and whisper "Make sure you grow strong, okay?"

After engaging in some small talk, I discussed with my mother where to hide the money and how to spend it wisely. I packed my clothes into a small sack, slinging it over my shoulder, and ensured I had some smoked meat. With that, I departed from the house, heading towards the corner of the village walls where my father usually gathered to help his friends with various things.

With each step I took, I couldn't stop my wandering mind. There wasn't much to do in this small village. After witnessing a woman with super strength and being reincarnated myself, the existence of Greek gods and other mythological beings didn't seem entirely implausible.

If my suspicions were correct and mythological creatures did exist, staying in this village would be perilous. The lives of my new little brother and I would be at the mercy of arrogant, narcissistic, and lustful gods.

Before meeting my father, I made a detour to the carpenter's house. The man was working on some figurines, hastily covered them with a tarp when he saw me, and greeted me with a smile. "Ah, Idas, I didn't expect you today."

The carpenter was one of the few in the village who treated me like a regular person. On my way there, people had clapped their hands and muttered prayers under their breath, a spectacle I had learned to ignore. Still, it felt strange to be scrutinized like that.

It was as if I were some sort of deity. Wait, if Greek gods were potentially real, would Jesus exist in a few thousand years too? I never was a religious kind of guy, but recent things had changed my mind on a lot of things.

"I'm embarking on a journey, and you're the only person in this village I trust to look after my family," I told him sincerely. Although I was leaving, I had no intention of abandoning this place. Once I had gained more power and skill, enough to heal my father's arm, I would return.

"Don't worry," Dimas, the carpenter, replied with unwavering determination. "I would lay down my life if necessary to protect your family."

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I smiled at his resolve. He seemed genuinely willing to sacrifice himself, although I didn't expect such extreme measures. I only asked him to take care of them in case something happened while I was away.

"Then, if destiny permits and I survive this perilous journey, we shall meet again," I quipped. Dimas, unlike the others, appreciated a good sarcastic joke.

He smiled and nodded. "I'm certain that the heavens' chosen one won't meet an ignoble end."

I chuckled and left his house, heading towards the corner of the wall where my father was working. He held down a plank of wood with his one usable arm while another villager used a rough saw to cut it.

I never understood what made that man so hardworking. He had the perfect excuse to laze around but still woke up as soon as the sun rose and worked until the sun was about to set.

As I approached him, he looked at me without a word. His eyes were filled with understanding as if he already knew what I was about to say. Probably the sack over my shoulder gave it away.

He excused himself from work and came to talk to me. "Come, sit down, son."

I did as he asked, and we sat down on some tree trunks that would soon be turned into firewood. "Father, I am leaving."

His lips briefly tilted upward in a smile before his face returned to normal. "I knew you would. Even a blind man can see that you're not made for a small village like this."

"One day, I will come back and heal your arm-"

"Forget about it," he frowned and placed his only usable arm on my shoulder. "You go out there and make a name for yourself. Live life to the fullest, and don't worry about us. If you ever want to come back, do it because you just want to tell us some stories about your adventures."

We talked a bit longer after that, and I left. I didn't announce my departure to anyone else, as that would likely make people with extreme beliefs act strange... Err, stranger than usual.

As I walked out of the village, with only the clothes on my back, my spear, bow, and a sack over my shoulder, I took one last look at the wooden walls around the horses and glanced at the fields beyond. With spring approaching, it looked like there would be a plentiful harvest.

My eyes wandered toward the distant Lake Lerna and the swamps next to it. I wasn't that knowledgeable about Greek Mythology, but even I knew that if this were truly a mythological world...

The village was close to Lake Lerna, and things were going to get dangerous. There might be a monster in Lake Lerna that I had no hope of dealing with, at least for a while.

I had racked my brain countless times trying to come up with a strategy in case that monster really existed, but nothing worked.

With my reputation, I could maybe convince the villagers to move from here and find a new place to settle. However, the world wasn't a nice place, and while the monster in the swamps of Lake Lerna might kill them, starvation will kill them without a shadow of a doubt if they moved villages.

Suddenly, I felt something lean against my leg. It was Billy the goat. Of course, the little guy was coming on the journey with me, and he was almost big enough to reach my thigh by now.

Weren't animals supposed to grow faster? Maybe he was different? It wasn't like I knew how long it took goats, on average, to reach full size.

The road outside the village was rarely used, appearing as nothing more than a gap in a grassy field. Maps were nonexistent in the village, but I knew that at the other end of this road lay a town where I could acquire one.

My first destination was Athens, where I hoped to discover the exact time period and technological advancements of this era. I also sought knowledge on the existence of legendary figures like Heracles and Perseus.

For a couple of hours, we walked with the forest to my right, several hundred meters away, and a vast grass field stretching to Lake Lerna on my left. The breathtaking view immersed me in the serenity of this ancient world, and each breath of fresh air feeling like a dose of relaxation. Even the wind on my skin felt nice.

During our walk, Billy, being his usual self, encountered a rock and instinctively bashed his head against it. Predictably, he knocked himself out. Ever since I started making healing potions, Billy seemed to get into more accidents, so I wasn't alarmed by this occurrence.

As I approached the rock, Billy regained consciousness, albeit disoriented. But to my surprise, he noticed the rock beside him and promptly knocked himself out again. Did he suffer temporary amnesia and immediately revert to his concussion-inducing behavior?

"This time I'm not going to use healing potions, let this be a lesson to you," I sternly remarked while picking Billy up in my arms. The little goat woke up and stared at me before commencing his wild thrashing.

I released him, and he began circling me, leaping around. However, his antics ceased when he spotted the rock, and his eyes narrowed. Anticipating another mishap, I swiftly grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. "You're going to crack your skull if you continue doing this."

As I scolded the mischievous goat, I heard a rustling sound from behind the boulder, and I placed my hand firmly on my spear.