High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1557: Chapter 301 Green Beans

The desolate wilderness was devoid of any vegetation. Cracked earth, dried-up riverbeds, and flowing streams of molten lava stretched endlessly. Toxic fumes permeated the air, rendering the world even more barren.

In the center of the wasteland stood a colossal creature.

It stood tens of meters tall, its entire body covered in densely packed tentacles, reminiscent of the drooping branches and leaves of ancient trees. Except these ”branches” were alive, flailing wildly in all directions, occasionally sweeping up rocks and clumps of earth, obliterating them into dust.

Except for one tentacle located beneath its eye socket.

This particular tentacle’s tip held a faint green, illusory knife that was patiently carving away at a colorful mark in the creature’s forehead. Around this tentacle, dozens of pitch-black eyeballs and mouths of varying sizes clustered closely, engaged in chaotic discussion.

”This is the feeling... the ability to destroy all rules!”

”Even the contamination from the Deeps of Starry Sky cannot resist this!”

”Ooh... It’s simply too satisfying.”

”If that knife were a little bigger, it would be even more exquisite.”

”But if it were bigger, could your little claw still hold it?”

The colorful hues were slowly shaved off by the green knife, transforming into rainbow-like snowflakes that disintegrated into ash in mid-air and vanished without a trace.

Suddenly, the cacophony of voices in the wilderness came to an abrupt halt.

The pitch-black eyeballs and razor-toothed mouths uniformly turned in a particular direction. Even the ceaselessly thrashing tentacles across the desolation seemed frozen in place, as though bound by some spell.

After a long silence, one of the mouths let out a deep sigh.

”What a pity,” it muttered, chewing mindlessly on a bone it had pulled from somewhere, with black saliva dripping from its corners. ”Such a shame... my mushroom soup was absolutely delicious... and now it’s been drunk by a dog.”

”How could some dog have drunk it all?” Another mouth queried, confusion twisting its teeth into bizarre shapes.

”It wasn’t a dog,” a third mouth retorted with a sneer. ”...Maybe Miskatonic will appreciate this gift.”

”What does that have to do with us!” The other mouths clamored noisily. ”Hurry up and get back to work! Remove every last filthy remnant of the Deeps’ contamination from us! Not even a trace can remain!”

Above the wasteland, the massive tentacles resumed their frenzy, as if transformed into a raging inferno blazing through the darkness.

...

...

”Has Furry Bean been contaminated?” Xin Fat Man’s complexion turned pale blue, his tone grave.

”No, it’s simply bloodline purification,” Xiao Xiao murmured, gazing at the lean yet menacing creature beside the cauldron. ”It now resembles a true Tingdalous Hound.”

Jiang Yu looked at it with unease, her cat ears twitching nervously as she whispered, ”...But is it still Furry Bean?”

”I don’t know.” Zheng Qing adjusted the tail at his waist and shook his head. Without a profound contract bond with Furry Bean, he couldn’t truly sense the dog’s exact condition.

All he could do now was grip his Charm Gun tightly, preparing for the worst.

”Meow... mew... meow...”

Thin mist seeped out from the crevice between the cauldron and the ground, gradually accumulating to envelop Furry Bean’s paws, legs, and tail. Eventually, it consumed its entire body, rendering the dog a shadowy specter in the shrouded night.

The mushroom soup in the cauldron was nearing its end.

The mist, too, began to settle.

Furry Bean’s whimpering grew faint, and just as Zheng Qing couldn’t suppress his urge to step forward and investigate, distant, familiar feline cries rang out.

He whipped around, only to witness a swarm of Furry Beans emerging from the void, racing towards them. Behind them trailed a blurry mass shrouded in mist – elongated bodies, sharp claws and teeth, and the unmistakable flicker of tentacles dancing within the haze.

”Meow meow meow!”

The swarm of ”Furry Beans” leapt from the void and lunged straight at their mutated ”counterpart,” tearing off its protruding tentacles and eyeballs. In the blink of an eye, the Furry Bean near the cauldron looked noticeably less grotesque. Meanwhile, the emerging swarm was sprouting bits of flesh-like growths.

Gradually, as more ”Furry Beans” materialized, those fleshy growths diminished until they disappeared beneath the gray coat of the dog’s fur.

Was this a redistribution of the contamination energy across spatial dimensions? A flicker of realization dawned upon Zheng Qing as he observed the gradually normalizing dog, a surge of excitement welling up within him.

”Furry Bean! Great work!” The young wizard offered up his praise.

In unison, the hundreds of dogs turned and looked at the warlock, wagging their tails rhythmically. From a distance, they resembled a spring wasteland where the grasses swayed in the wind—a sight bursting inexplicably with vitality.

Zheng Qing wanted to share his jubilant feelings with his companions, but a tug at his sleeve stopped him.

”What are those things?” Jiang Yu whispered apprehensively, leaning close to his ear.

The warlock turned around and finally noticed the mist-shrouded creatures trailing Furry Bean’s swarm hadn’t dispersed. Instead, they lingered outside the courtyard, clawing frantically at the lawn, digging one grotesque pit after another.

Their emaciated heads emerged from the mist, their sharp fangs dripping with corrosive saliva. Crimson eyes glared hunger-stricken at the young wizards inside the courtyard, their gaze alive with ravenous desire.

”Tingdalous Hounds.” Xiao Xiao answered the witch’s question before Zheng Qing had a chance, then paused. The Absolution Diviner added with emphasis, ”True Tingdalous Hounds... I think the only reason they haven’t rushed in to tear us apart is that the owner of this house doesn’t welcome Miskatonic’s servants.”

Miskatonic, known as the ”Tingdalous Overlord,” was said to rival Yog-Sothoth in the domain of space and time—a legendary figure among the Outer Gods. Due to Furry Bean, Zheng Qing had heard this name more than once.

”What do we do now?” The warlock tightened his grasp on the Charm Gun’s trigger, feeling once again that the weapon in his hands was woefully inadequate.

Xiao Xiao adjusted his glasses, swept his gaze over the ravenous monsters outside the courtyard, and said with unusual calmness, ”Stick to the original plan: pick up that bean, then climb the mountain, find the path, and go home... The school is the only place capable of stopping these mad dogs.”

Zheng Qing instinctively glanced at the cauldron.

The orange flames had completely extinguished, and the mushroom soup was already consumed by Furry Bean—so thoroughly that even the residue clinging to the pot had been licked clean by the newly arrived pack of dogs. The cauldron’s surface now gleamed like a mirror, smooth and reflective.

At the bottom of the pot lay a solitary green bean.

Zheng Qing scrutinized the green bean for a long moment.

Then, lowering his gaze, he looked at the dog sitting obediently beside the cauldron. ”Furry Bean, I dropped a gold bean into the pot—not a green bean... Where’s my gold bean?”