Bear School Astartes

”Netherworld Dog?”

Lann let out a surprised exclamation from horseback.

In the dim lighting conditions of a primitive world, on a cloudy and misty winter day, the view on the countryside path was as expected.

Basically, beyond two steps, it was pitch black.

Lann had prepared by downing a bottle of ”Cat” Magic Potion beforehand, to continue his journey.

In the current Demon Hunter society, it’s likely only he would use such an expensive Magic Potion for travel.

After all, how many coppers could a torch cost? Just make do with it.

Bopai wasn’t unsettled by the lack of light. During training, war horses would charge while wearing blindfolds, so it was adapted to being led without vision.

But in the darkness that engulfed the whole world, a few eerie supernatural lights slightly illuminated the outskirts of the village’s fence.

It was a yellow color, like solid sulfur, yet glowed faintly like radioactive material. They took the shape of a short-haired hunting dog, with blood-red eyes.

Now, those slightly glowing eyes in the dark were curiously watching the two or three Netherworld Dogs.

He had only seen such legendary creatures that were said to ”come to hunt evil” in pictures and books.

Legend has it that unforgivable evil deeds would cause these canine monsters to come from Hell to Earth to exact punishment. They are the vanguard hunting dogs of the Wild Hunt in legends.

Their trouble level is linked to their numbers. Even a renowned Demon Hunter Master wouldn’t dare confront a pack of Netherworld Dogs head-on.

But with just two or three like now...

Lann smacked his lips and dismounted his horse.

He gently stroked Bopai’s neck, reassuring the mare not to react to the monsters’ Chaos Magic Power.

For natural beings, Chaos Magic Power causes significant discomfort.

After all, it’s an invasive and mutational supernatural force.

Wizards and Demon Hunters are like humans using ’nuclear radiation’ benignly. But ’nuclear radiation’ still holds deterrence for normal creatures.

This is also one of the reasons why these two kinds of people are generally unwelcome in society—they cause a subtle discomfort due to exposure to Chaos Magic Power when around them.

A long blade, clear as moonlight, was slowly drawn from Lann’s waist.

The friction between steel and scabbard made a surprisingly pleasant sound during such a gentle movement.

The Netherworld Dogs that were circling outside the fence uniformly turned their heads, fixing their eyes, as if blood gemstones, on the living being approaching them.

The ignorant believe Netherworld Dogs ”come to hunt evil,” yet expert Demon Hunters understand the monsters’ nature better.

Demon Hunters agree with the theory that ”sins attract Netherworld Dogs,” but they also believe... as long as it’s a living being, these monsters don’t care if it’s guilty or not; they’ll all become food.

Three Netherworld Dogs, confirming the presence of a living being, growled and charged like real hunting dogs.

Their nimble bodies left behind a sulfur-colored flame with each step that matched their body color.

That’s their Nether Fire, which typically stays on the ground for a few seconds. Stepping on it or being hit directly leads to no good outcome.

But facing such mysterious and ghostly creatures, Lann still walked with steady steps.

The long blade of elven design, elegant and flowing in his hand, flashed with splendid knife patterns with a twist of the wrist.

The first Netherworld Dog leaped directly, aiming for the Demon Hunter’s neck with a bite.

The half-materialized monster weighed much less than a flesh-and-blood hunting dog, making it agile enough to toy with an experienced Hunter.

But in the face of this light and swift attack, Lann’s eyes showed no emotional ripple.

”Compared to wolves trained by Ninja and stimulated by the Water of Resurrection from Iwami... hmm, quite straightforward.”

A crisp ”clang”!

The dog’s jaws aiming for Lann’s neck were directly deflected by the shiny Aron Dite.

”Iwami Style: Climbing Carp”!

”Oh? Its body structure is actually like that of a dog?”

Not only did the monster’s fangs get deflected, but the fine oriental martial arts also caused the Netherworld Dog to rear back, unable to control its posture.

In Iwami style combat rules, this was already ’posture broken.’

The horizontal blade didn’t even need to adjust further; Lann simply shifted his step from a half-crouch to a forward stride, leading his body with the blade like a wind of steel, slicing through the abruptly raised neck of the Netherworld Dog.

Aron Dite made a gash across half the creature’s neck, and sulfur-colored flames spilled from the wound.

After a momentary contact, the Nether Fire inside the Netherworld Dog almost drained away.

The monster’s whimpering at the verge of dispersing sounded no different from that of an ordinary dog.

Lann instinctively shook off the nonexistent blood on his long blade, and those slightly shining cat eyes turned to the two glowing yellow dogs that had stopped midway.

Hesitation, hesitation... and fear.

The instinct to hunt livings drove them, but the fear of dispersal instinctually stopped them.

Lann made the hard decision for them.

”Wuu-ooo!”

The Netherworld Dog clutched by its head, wailing pitifully like a scolded house pet.

Lann had learned the short-distance dash from the Lonely Shadow Group’s Ninja technique manual, allowing him to move even faster than a semi-materialized Netherworld Dog with the power of his legs!

The other Netherworld Dog reflexively pounced but was directly pinned down to the ground by Lann using its fellow’s body to catch it mid-air!

Calmly lifting the knife in reverse, with a straightforward ”squelch,” pinned the two forcibly layered Netherworld Dogs.

Lann calmly stood up and resheathed Aron Dite.

”Looks like I’m a strong one now, Mentos.”

The cat eyes looked up at the full moon, a sense of the loneliness of a master in solitude enveloped him.

The bio-computer in his brain, maintaining the host’s style, replied with a calm, high-class atmosphere.

”Yes, sir, you are very strong. However...”

The tone suddenly shifted.

”According to my meteorological records, every few minutes, a low airflow called a ’ground wind’ blows over from the lake in this area. Aren’t you going to gather the Ghost Spirit Dust on the ground during this pause?”

The tall young man, who had been looking up at the full moon, hurried to Bopai’s side, fetched the tools from the saddlebag, and started collecting the three small piles of sparkling dust into a box.

His contrasting behavior looked quite comical.

But Mentos knew: he should be thankful!

As expected, the next moment...

”Oh! Thank you so much Mentos, a small pile of Ghost Spirit Dust is worth dozens of Oren! Money for free!”

The bio-computer was gratified by the host’s frugality and stewardship.

Lann worked swiftly, and in no time, collected the dust-covered clumps. After cleaning with Alchemy Solution, they’d yield pure Ghost Spirit Dust.

After finishing this, Lann stood up, looking at the small village not far away where torches were gradually being lit, villagers gathering at the fence gate.

The money-collecting smile on his face gradually faded.

In the rising firelight, villagers’ faces showed a ’hero seen’ friendly smile.

But Lann knew very clearly—Netherworld Dogs are indeed attracted by sin.

Three Netherworld Dogs are not many, but they do exist after all.