Hellhound Bal

The darkest place in the world was not the complicated underworld—the so-called assassins' guilds and gangs—but the police station. Harley knew that better than anyone.

His heart had gone cold.

As they walked out the gate, Firi asked quietly, "Ha, what about this?"

Ha sighed as he walked. "There's nothing we can do. They're flatly denying everything, and we can't find him either. What else can we do?"

Firi lowered his head and said nothing more, silently mourning Dole for a few moments. Dole could endure hardship, learned everything incredibly fast, and had already become the blacksmith shop's prized favorite. Who would have thought he would just suddenly be gone? Sigh!

When they returned to the blacksmith shop, Ha did not say a word and headed straight to the back.

The other blacksmiths gathered around Firi and began asking questions.

Firi shook his head. "He's gone."

A gentle breeze, crisp birdsong, the rustling of leaves—when Dole regained consciousness, this was the scene he sensed.

The moment he moved slightly, tearing pain surged through his entire body and rushed straight to his mind. The back of his head went numb, and he instantly lost consciousness again.

This was already the third time he had awakened, only to fall back into a coma.

It was not until nightfall that Dole opened his eyes again, forcing himself not to pass out.

The first thing he did was inspect where he was. He discovered that he was no longer in a cell, but outside—and not even in the city. There was no wind in the city, nor were there trees all around.

He could not stand up; he could not even turn over. Even twisting his neck hurt unbearably.

All he could do was keep his eyes open and stare ahead. There was a patch of leaves blocking the black sky, with the occasional star visible through them.

The mountain was somewhat cold. Whenever the wind blew past, it left his whole body aching dryly.

It was nighttime.

Why was he here? Who had brought him out? Dole's heart suddenly went cold. Had they beaten him, then brought him out here to silence him forever?

At that thought, his heart filled with despair, while an inexplicable resentment rose within him. It was hatred, bitter fury. At that moment, he hated Aoduo to the bone, hated the police station to the bone, and wished he could destroy them all.

Just then, he heard a faint rustling sound coming from the distance, as if something were approaching.

With great difficulty, he turned his head. In the darkness, all he saw was a pair of green eyes.

His pupils abruptly shrank. What was that? A wolf, or...?

A chill rose from the depths of his heart.

As he watched it draw closer step by step, Dole struggled to twist his body. Waves of agonizing pain rushed into his mind, but when a man was about to die—when he might be eaten by this thing—who cared whether it hurt?

Dog Aoduo saw Dole struggling. He had not changed into human form, and found it rather amusing. He quickly came to Dole's side.

Dole now saw Dog Aoduo as well. Man and dog stared at each other.

What was going on? Were his eyes playing tricks on him? Why was this his own dog?

After petting him every day, Dole knew Dog Aoduo's scent better than anyone.

Was this really his own dog?

Just then, his eyes suddenly widened. His heart sped up, and coldness seeped through his entire body.

"Dole, you're awake."

Holy shit, the dog talked.

Dole rolled his eyes back and passed out again.

Dog Aoduo was speechless. This guy's mental fortitude was really poor.

He spat out a mouthful of five-colored light, and Dole woke up again.

Man and dog once again stared at each other.

Dog Aoduo sat in front of Dole and sighed. "Don't be surprised. I'm Dog Aoduo, but from now on, you can call me Bal—Bal, the Hellhound."

Dole blinked, his head buzzing. How could a dog talk? What kind of dog was this? What sort of monster had he run into?

But he had read The Legend of Naluye, which had quite a few other creatures that could speak. Though he was shocked, he had calmed down by now.

He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, only to find that he could not make a sound no matter what.

His entire body felt awful.

Dog Aoduo sighed and spat another mouthful of five-colored light onto him, then turned and left.

Dole felt terrible all over, but his entire body hurt so badly that he could not even move.

Soon, Dog Aoduo returned. He had a bag slung over his back. By starlight, Dole saw that it was the very bag he had bought at the apothecary, containing the belongings from his little rundown shack. Back then, for cover, he had bought plenty of other herbs too. It seemed that had truly been a wise move—they were already useful so soon.

The corner of his mouth twitched, but then he was left staring in astonishment.

Because Dog Aoduo actually began to transform, turning into a burly, fierce-looking middle-aged man. His face was stern and square, his bright eyes filled with a strange, eerie gleam. He stood two meters tall, his muscles knotted and bulging high, brimming with an endless sense of power.

Dole's mouth formed an O, tugging at the wounds on his face. Pain!

Dog Aoduo—or rather, Bal—tossed both their things aside and took out all the herbs. There were even some herbs Dole did not recognize. Bal mashed them into a paste and applied it to Dole's body. Dole immediately felt no pain at all. Cool currents spread across his skin, bringing a deeply comfortable sensation.

The pain was gone, and Dole relaxed. Before long, he sank into a deep sleep again.

He did not know how much time had passed. When he opened his eyes again, daylight was already blazing. He struggled and found that he could get up now, though his entire body still hurt terribly.

Slowly crawling up, Dole did not see Dog Aoduo. He looked around and found himself atop a mountain peak, surrounded by towering, lush trees.

Where was this?

Enduring the pain, Dole lowered his head and looked himself over.

His clothes were in tatters, and his body was covered in blood scabs. The slightest movement tugged at his wounds. The medicine plastered to his skin had already dried up.

He ignored all that and tried hard to stand.

He failed.

His legs hurt so badly he did not dare bend them, and bloodstains covered the area around his knees.

He sighed as his stomach began to rumble.

Just then, a sound came from the distance. Bal, in his dog form, approached from afar with a bloody creature clamped in his jaws. It looked like a fiery red beast, as large as a big dog. It should have been very heavy, yet Dog Aoduo carried it in his mouth as though it weighed nothing at all.

Dole had never left the city or gone to school, so naturally, he did not recognize such a thing.

Bal carried the thing over to him and set it on the ground. His deep voice rang out. "For the next few days, eat it raw. Don't go back until your injuries have healed. You're wounded now, so don't practice martial skills. Just cultivate your meditation method. Cultivating a meditation method while injured can have remarkable effects."

Dole glanced at the bloody, unknown beast, then at Dog Aoduo. He swallowed hard, and his hoarse voice sounded. "Bal? What kind of creature are you?"

A rare smile appeared on Bal's dog face. "A Hellhound. A level-seven creature of the Demon Realm."

Dole's eyes widened into circles, his heart filled with shock. "Level seven? Then how did I find you? If you're level seven, one slap from you could wipe out this entire city, couldn't it?"

Bal lowered his head slightly, helplessness in his eyes. "At the time, I fought another powerful being, a Hydra. We both came away badly wounded, on the brink of running dry. I exhausted every means to escape the Demon Realm and fled to this godforsaken place where not even birds shit. If I hadn't met you, and if you hadn't had that laughable vegetable dumpling and water in your hands, I probably wouldn't be here anymore."

Dole was dumbstruck.

"Don't look at me like that. Even level-seven creatures can die. You saved me, so I owe you my life. Saving you is only right."