The Dog Barks Rise and Fall

"Violent Earth Dog!"

Marcus felt a jolt of terror, his knight's lance trembling in his grip.

Yet, the next moment, he was stunned to see his lance had precisely pierced a small, bloody hole into the beast. The Violent Earth Dog's ferocious pounce was halted by his strike, and it crashed heavily to the ground.

The fallen beast scrambled to turn and lunge again.

Marcus gave it no such chance. He discarded the lance—unsuited for close-quarters combat—and drew the single-handed sword from his horse's saddle, hacking down at the beast's head in a flurry of blows.

An Earth Knight's physical strength was formidable, and he had trained extensively with the sword.

For a time, the Violent Earth Dog, which was even larger than a Wind Blade Wolf, was beaten into a whimpering, yelping mess, its sporadic counterattacks lacking any semblance of form. Furthermore, from start to finish, the beast never unleashed a single spell, engaging Marcus in nothing more than a raw, physical brawl.

Why is the Violent Earth Dog, the most powerful magic beast of Thorn Ridge, no different from an ordinary wild animal? Why is it so weak? A thousand questions swirled in his mind.

Yet, his sword never faltered. A moment later, the Violent Earth Dog collapsed, mortally wounded, blood pooling beneath it.

It lay there, gasping its final breaths.

Marcus dared not let his guard down. He retrieved his lance from the ground and drove it straight through the beast's throat.

Squelch!

"Wuu..."

The Violent Earth Dog's eyes glazed over, and it breathed its last.

Marcus pulled out the rope he carried, his movements practiced as he lashed it to the beast's tail. He mounted his Yellow-Gray Horse and galloped back the way he came. He dared not linger in Thorn Ridge; the scent of the beast's blood would surely attract predators, or even other magic beasts.

According to noble law, all produce within a territory belonged to the lord.

Thus, even though Marcus had slain the beast, it was Liszt's property. He rode hard, soon returning to the two-story stone castle.

"Master Marcus." Karl Hammer was on duty; the squire knights were responsible for the castle's security.

"Quick, go notify His Lordship the Baron! I have hunted a magic beast!"

"What? A magic beast!"

In an instant, the entire castle was stirred. Squire knights, manservants, maids, the butler, and the cook all followed Liszt, rushing over to catch a glimpse of the creature. Magic beasts were not exactly rare—Tulip Castle kept them—but in this remote corner, they were still a novelty.

Moreover, magic beasts were valuable; every part of them was a treasure!

"Master Marcus, is this truly the King of Thorn Ridge, the powerful Violent Earth Dog among low-level magic beasts?" Liszt's eyes flickered, his mind racing.

"It is indeed a Violent Earth Dog. Under normal circumstances, even two of me might not be able to defeat one. It would cast earth-attribute magic—Rock Spikes—that are impossible to guard against, leaving one no choice but to flee. But the one I hunted only used physical lunges; it didn't cast a single spell."

"No magic cast? What do you think is the reason?"

Marcus had clearly been observing and pondering during his ride back. "I believe I may have encountered a mother Violent Earth Dog that had just given birth. Look at its abdomen—it is shriveled and slack, a sign of recent birth. It is still in its nursing period. Furthermore, I found many bite marks on its body."

"Nursing period? Bite marks?"

"Here, here, and here—these are all tooth marks. Does Your Lordship recall the Wind Blade Wolves we encountered earlier? These marks have begun to heal, making them hard to see, but I believe they were inflicted by those wolves."

"In that case..." Liszt felt a sense of certainty. "This Violent Earth Dog was attacked by Wind Blade Wolves while pregnant. It likely won the fight and gave birth to its offspring, but the battle exhausted its stamina and mana. It was forced to hunt using only its animal instincts, and that is when it encountered you, Master Marcus?"

"It is highly probable."

Liszt suppressed his excitement and said calmly, "If that is the case, Master Marcus, compared to the valuable carcass of the Violent Earth Dog, I believe its cubs are the true treasure. Are you still fit to fight? Will you join me into Thorn Ridge to search for the cubs?"

"I am ready to fight at any moment." Marcus puffed out his chest, then added, "However, Thorn Ridge is dangerous. It would be better if I went in alone to search."

"We go together. I am an Earth Knight as well."

"My Lord..."

"Do not forget, a noble must also be capable of battle. Consider this a practical field lesson for me." Liszt spoke with righteous conviction.

In truth, he was thinking that the quest reward was waiting there, and he wouldn't be satisfied until he claimed it.

Besides, if the weakened Violent Earth Dog had been able to survive long enough to attack Marcus, it meant there were no other magic beasts in that area capable of threatening it; otherwise, it would have long since been reduced to dung.

No one could sway Liszt's decision.

Marcus placed a hand over his chest and bowed respectfully, expressing his reverence for Liszt's courage.

The butler, old Carter, bowed low. "My Lord, your courage is as sharp as your blade, and glory shall surely walk by your side!"

"That goes without saying."

Liszt donned his magic beast leather armor and swung onto his horse, looking heroic and extraordinary. "Depart!"

Two Earth Knights, followed by four squire knights, galloped at full speed, soon entering the territory of Thorn Ridge. Guided by Marcus, they arrived at the spot where he had first sensed the Violent Earth Dog.

"My Lord, this is the place. I sensed its presence here, and it trailed me for a mile before launching its ambush."

"Then its den must be nearby. Let us begin the search."

The mounds rose and fell, the forest a tangled, chaotic mess.

The group of six searched for half an hour without finding the den, and a sense of restlessness and disappointment began to set in.

"My Lord, perhaps the Violent Earth Dog was just passing through. Its den might not be here, or perhaps it has no den at all," Karl suggested.

Liszt, however, said firmly, "I believe its den is right here."

The reward issued by the smoke mission could not possibly be non-existent; this was the source of his confidence.

After a moment of thought, he asked, "Does anyone here know what a Violent Earth Dog sounds like?"

"A Violent Earth Dog is still a dog; its bark is no different from an ordinary dog's," Marcus provided the answer.

"Then, Karl, Rom, Gray, Oden, you four, keep imitating dog barks. If there are any Violent Earth Dog cubs here, they will surely respond—they shouldn't be able to understand the meaning of your imitation, and will likely mistake it for their mother calling them."

"Good idea," Marcus agreed.

Without delay, he and the four squire knights began imitating various dog barks while continuing to search the surrounding area.

A quarter of an hour later.

Marcus suddenly raised his hand: "Silence!"

Once everyone had quieted down, he tilted his head to listen, whispering, "My Lord Baron, listen."

Liszt focused his hearing. A few seconds later, behind the chirping of unknown birds, he heard a very faint "awoo"—it was definitely a dog's bark.

"It's over there."

"Yes, right over there." Marcus signaled to Karl, "Your bark is the most realistic; keep it up."

Karl did as he was told.

Every time he barked, a faint "awoo" would respond from not far away. Following this inexplicable dialogue, Liszt and the others finally discovered the Violent Earth Dog's lair, hidden within a thicket of bushes.

Pushing aside the thatch at the entrance, Marcus reached in and pulled out a tiny, tiny puppy that had not yet opened its eyes.

He carefully handed the puppy to Liszt: "My Lord Baron, it is a Violent Earth Dog cub, a priceless treasure! It hasn't opened its eyes yet; once it does, it will recognize its master!" Not all Magic Beasts would recognize a master, but canine Magic Beasts possessed this behavioral habit.

The first thing they saw was what they accepted.

Most of the time, what they saw was their mother—perhaps recognizing a master was, in reality, just recognizing their mother.

The puppy shivered in Liszt's arms, letting out an occasional "awoo," appearing very frightened. It had likely caught the scent of a stranger on Liszt, a scent that was not the one it knew from nursing.

"Hold on, hold on, you'll be able to drink milk again very soon." Liszt smoothed the puppy's fuzzy down and swung onto his horse, "Let's go back!"