C10: Hellhound (3)
Vikir reminisced about the past.
It wasn't that long ago, just a few days ago, to be precise.
It was a reward similar to the one Hugo Baskerville had given him for coming first in the written exam.
"Do you have any snacks you want to eat?"
"Chocolate!"
"Servant, go to the food storage and get as much chocolate as he wants. But don't let him get too greedy. Just enough to carry."
At that time, Vikir received the key to the food storage.
Following Butler Barrymore, Vikir obtained a bag of chocolate beans in the basement.
"Previously, the family boss personally led the members of the upper house and subjugated the savages on the western front of the territory, transforming the vast jungle into farmland. They say that the special product of that place, the 'Bloody Bean,' can produce 100 liters of chocolate from a single bean."
Bloody Bean, a magical bean with such intense flavor that a single bean can produce 100 liters of chocolate.
Vikir took out a Bloody Bean from the bag he had tied to his waist.
Then, as he crossed the water, he looked at the Hellhound, who had slowed down considerably and showed its typical habit of opening its mouth while running, as if asking for something to be thrown into its mouth.
To the experienced hunter Vikir, it appeared as if the Hellhound was approaching with its mouth wide open, as if begging for something.
It appeared that way in the experienced hunter Vikir's eyes.
...Tick!
The Bloody Bean, flicked by Vikir's thumb, went straight into the Hellhound's mouth.
And then.
The reaction came immediately.
...Crunch!
The Hellhound swallowed what flew into its mouth, wondering what it was.
It immediately triggered a violent reaction.
"Kyaang! Krang! Crunch!"
Foam formed around its mouth, and sticky mucus-like particles dripped down.
Fecal matter dribbled out from its anus, and it was experiencing convulsions and seizures throughout its body.
Its heart was pumping as if it were about to burst, causing blood vessels to burst in its eyes.
"As expected."
Vikir nodded his head.
It was a fact known to any hunter who had survived the Age of Destruction.
That fact being that demons were weak to chocolate.
The substance within the chocolate bean was like a deadly poison to them.
Even for a hellhound that had come up from hell, this remained true.
"Now, let's see. What were the symptoms again? Vomiting with mucus, difficulty breathing, urinary incontinence, diarrhea, increased body temperature, increased heart rate, decreased appetite, convulsions, seizures, extreme excitement... and death, right?"
Vikir grasped a dull shortsword.
Then he chased after the Hellhound, stumbling and fleeing deep into the root burrows of the ruined landscape.
"First, the hits must have landed on its stomach and heart. Next would be the liver."
However, the Hellhound's stomach, heart, and liver were protected by ribs harder than steel.
With the blunt shortsword he currently possessed, he couldn't pierce through that defense.
So, the best approach would be to aim for a spot slightly away from the rib cage but weakened by the chocolate.
"...The answer lies in the kidneys."
If the kidneys, which are heavily burdened with toxins from the chocolate, are exposed due to the Hellhound's abdominal area that the rib cage couldn't fully protect, it would be enough to deliver a significant blow.
Vikir forcefully thrust his shortsword horizontally.
Due to the dull blade, it couldn't cut or penetrate, but it was sufficient to inflict damage to the kidneys beneath the skin, muscles, and fat.
"Kyaang! Kwiiiing..."
With each impact on the kidneys, they became weaker, and the toxins became even stronger.
The Hellhound writhed on the ground, with remnants of hot excrement scattered around, and eventually, its tongue, which measured almost a meter long, lolled out of its mouth.
Vikir decisively severed the Hellhound's last lifeline, making it unable to resist.
The Hellhound was a demon of the demonic world and at the same time, an oil realm creature that had swallowed the flames of hellfire within its belly.
If it wasn't completely killed, its vitality could revive like embers in the ashes, posing a threat again at any time.
"I must make sure the fire is completely extinguished."
Vikir raised his shortsword and completely stamped out the remaining spark of life in the Hellhound.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Crunch!
With a dull-bladed shortsword, this was the only way to crush the dog-like creature.
And then.
Something astonishing happened.
Tssss...
As the Hellhound died, an intangible energy emanated from its corpse and permeated Vikir's entire body.
Many people refer to this mysterious and sacred energy that is obtained by capturing demons as "experience points," "effort points," or "karma."
When this energy accumulates within the body, it leads to physical enhancement.
Vikir, single-handedly defeating a formidable high-ranking demon that children of his age could never imagine, experienced the effect of his physique becoming even stronger.
In addition to the protection of the Styx River, the experience gained from defeating the Hellhound added to Vikir's growth.
Vikir's body was now impervious to most poisons, magic, and physical forces.
"Hmm... Have my bones become denser? It seems like I've grown taller too."
The shortsword in his hand felt much lighter than before.
As the weight of the sword suddenly decreased, it indicated that his grip strength had increased.
Swish, swish...
While other 8-9-year-old children struggled to wield a sword with both hands, Vikir effortlessly swung it with just one hand.
However, he still had a long way to go to regain his former strength.
"At this rate, I'll be able to fully recover my past strength before the coming-of-age ceremony."
Vikir, currently 8 years old, had reached the level of Sword Expert.
Other Baskervilles would only achieve such a level after their coming-of-age ceremony.
I had enough confidence that, after seven years, I would not only regain the power of my previous life but surpass it as well.
"If I can achieve first place in this practical exam, there will be rewards waiting for me."
Vikir looked down at the corpse of the Hellhound with a satisfied expression.
If he were to bring the remains of this still-warm creature back to his family, he would secure the top spot in the practical evaluation.
Although going outside the boundary area might pose some problems, it would be a matter of commendation for the examinee, rather than reproach, as it was the role of the working dogs, the guardians.
An eight-year-old child going all the way to the restricted zone outside the boundary, where even the working dogs hesitated, to capture a B+ level demon— and that as breaking news!
Hugo's expression was already predictable.
Clank!
Vikir grabbed the tail of the Hellhound and began dragging it along.
Since the demon's remains were tethered to the underworld, its physical properties were subject to different laws of gravity than those in the human realm.
That's why the Hellhound's corpse was much heavier than it appeared, but Vikir's strength, unlike that of a typical eight-year-old, was exceptional, so it didn't matter.
Thud... thud... thud...
Vikir continued to move forward.
The thorny path ahead was like an uphill road, but it felt like a well-paved flower path.
Now, all he had to do was descend, submit the Hellhound's corpse to the guardians, and claim the title of first place in the practical evaluation.
And as he thought about the rewards he would obtain, a smile naturally appeared on his face.
An extraordinary reward that he had never even dared to dream of in his previous life, a treasure that nobody in this era truly understood its real value, was waiting for Vikir.
...At that moment.
There was one, no, several reasons that made Vikir stop in his tracks.
Grrrrrr...
Sounds of howling emerged from the depths behind him.
The howling, originating from the tunnels and deep burrows formed by twisted roots, gradually approached.
"...Oh no."
Vikir momentarily set down the corpse of the Hellhound.
He had forgotten for a moment.
The fact that Hellhounds were social creatures.
Soon after.
Yellow and crimson brimstone fires started to burn in various dark corners of the tunnel.
Eleven Hellhounds had gathered and surrounded Vikir without warning.
However.
"..."
Vikir remained unfazed, wearing only a small smile.
Rather, the Hellhounds, faced with that smile, cowered and growled uneasily, lowering their bodies.
You know how dogs recognize a dog trainer?
Even if one has gone through the world of destruction and transcended another cycle of reincarnation, it seems that the stench of blood deeply ingrained in their souls couldn't be washed away.
Just like the venomous snake Bloodymamba, who froze upon seeing the infant Vikir in the cradle, the Hellhounds of the red mountains and the enemy alike couldn't dare to act recklessly in the face of Vikir, who was truly revealing his will to live.
Eventually, Vikir spoke.
"Come on, all of you. There are still plenty of beans left."
The bloody beans rattled in his waist.
Considering the strengthening of his physique by capturing a Hellhound, the growth potential when all these Hellhounds gathered here... couldn't even be estimated.
While Vikir and the pack of Hellhounds were locked in such a tense confrontation.
Kkiing...
Those ferocious Hellhounds suddenly began to retreat without wagging their tails unexpectedly between their hind legs.
"...?"
Vikir was slightly surprised.
A Hellhound that had once bared its fangs would never show its back.
However, at this moment, the Hellhounds weren't just not showing their backs—they were clearly fleeing in fear.
Even if Vikir's aura was as menacing as it could be, he still possessed the body of an eight-year-old child and couldn't make over ten Hellhounds retreat just by himself.
So, what was it then?
What external factor could make these Hellhounds flee in fear, other than just not showing their backs?
Eventually, Vikir soon realized what it was.
Grrrr...
The sound of saliva and sulfuric flames boiling.
The master of this area, capable of making all the Hellhounds retreat, appeared.
Six eyeballs burning in the darkness.
Three heads protruding from the roots of the flood.
"...Has something like this been living here?"
Even Vikir couldn't help but be surprised by the expression he made.
A top-tier demon that even startled Vikir.
<Kerberos (Κέρβερος)>
Danger Level: A+
Size: 7m
Location: Red and Black Mountain Range, Section 7
Also known as the 'Hound of Hell'
It is indifferent to spirits trying to enter hell, but any spirit attempting to escape hell will be torn to shreds and reduced to mere scraps in an instant.
Residing deep within the oil world that all spirits eventually converge towards, it represents the ultimate existence of the monster species in the spirit realm.
A three-headed dog, symbolizing hell itself, had appeared.
