Teasing!

"Whew, whew~"

Xia Xiu whistled as he stroked the [Black Demon Hound] inside the cage, which had its head lowered over its dog food.

The Black Demon Hound... Deer College was probably keeping it to breed a [Great Demon Hound].

[Great Demon Hound]: Like an ordinary Black Demon Hound, a Great Demon Hound resembled a large, wolflike dog with long, thick, deep-black fur.

Besides supernatural strength and speed, they could move silently and appear or disappear when not directly observed. Their eyes were usually red or gold and shone brightly when they became agitated in the dark.

The difference between [Great Demon Hounds] and [Black Demon Hounds] was that, despite their wolfish traits, the former behaved unmistakably like dogs. They were intelligent, affectionate, and highly trainable.

Most importantly, they were loyal enough.

So what Deer College lacked now was a creature that could mate with the [Black Demon Hound].

Three Portlands was expected to pass through the Britannia Strait soon, after which it would hover within Farlan's territory. Xia Xiu knew that a terrifying supernatural disaster was unfolding in Gevaudan, in Farlan's Gedoc-Roussillon region.

A three-year "wolf disaster" was unfolding in [Gevaudan], causing widespread civilian deaths.

Farlan's local supernatural agency, the [Guard], had dispatched its finest local supernatural troops-the [Dragoons]-to eradicate the threat.

These [Dragoons], so valiant on the battlefield, had made little progress. They had no experience hunting wolf packs, and the situation in [Gevaudan] ran far deeper than it appeared.

This three-year supernatural disaster would later become known as the Gevaudan Beast Incident.

The supernatural organizations involved in the Gevaudan Beast Incident included the [Ghosts of the City of Sin], the [Church of the Flesh], the [Diewa Gear Orthodox Church], the [Wilson Wildlife Response Group], [Deer College], the [Farlan Guard]... and the heaven lineage.

Those waters were deep enough to drown a person.

In his previous life, [Wand People Communications] had listed the Gevaudan Beast Incident among Terra's fourteen great horrific monster disasters; numerous supernatural powers had participated, and its repercussions had been far-reaching.

In his previous life, Xia Xiu had not known why Deer College had gotten involved. Now he knew: Deer College had its sights set on the [Gevaudan Beast].

After all...

Xia Xiu slowly stood. The spiral-shaped Mark of Ya'en appeared on the back of his right hand, radiating searing heat as a wolf's head formed from black smoke materialized over it.

Crack-

Xia Xiu crushed the black wolf's head. A bone-chilling glint flashed through his golden eyes.

Mind-corruption seed...

Why would an untamed beast bow its head so easily?

As expected, a dog that understood loyalty was easier to control.

The [Black Demon Hound] had sensed something by then. It raised its head and bared its teeth at Xia Xiu again, with none of its earlier docility. This time, its aura was even more frenzied.

"Hey, I'll be your keeper for the next week. Whatever tricks you have, I'll take my time playing along." A mocking smile appeared on Xia Xiu's face.

Roar-

"Oh, you should be properly grateful to me. I bet Deer College never expected anyone to accept this assignment when they posted it. You're a supernatural creature. Going a year or two without food probably wouldn't starve you to death."

"But-"

Xia Xiu laughed aloud at the Black Demon Hound roaring frantically behind the cage bars.

"With your body pinned down by four [Reality-Warping Reality-Stabilizing Anchors], you must feel hungry every moment.

"So when you were gnawing away at that dog food like a dog just now, didn't you feel more satisfied than ever before?

"Right, dog~gie~?"

An utterly taunting smile spread across the blond boy's face.

Clang-

The Black Demon Hound tore apart the dog-food bowl in front of it with its teeth. Recklessly, it hurled itself against the red bars again and again, heedless of how they burned its skin. It thrust its jaws through a gap and roared madly at Xia Xiu.

Xia Xiu whistled as though teasing a dog and strolled leisurely outside. Now, the only sound in the room was the Black Demon Hound's utterly frenzied roaring.

[Day one feeding task complete!]

A notification popped up as Xia Xiu stepped out of Room 0-66.

Sure enough, a three-star assignment wasn't that easy to take on.

For our first meeting, the main thing was to tease it into a frenzy so it wouldn't have time to spread meme contamination. If I'd stayed any longer, I probably would've fallen victim again.

And it played nice and ate the dog food I gave it this first time. Getting it to open its mouth next time...

Xia Xiu rubbed his chin in thought.

He had to get some food into the Black Demon Hound every day this week.

Deer College really was heartless. Xia Xiu reckoned it intended to make this week's food last the Black Demon Hound two or three years.

What? What would the Black Demon Hound have eaten if Xia Xiu hadn't accepted the assignment?

They would simply have left it hungry, of course. Going a year or two without food wouldn't kill the dog anyway.

How should I tease it next time...? The same trick wouldn't rile the dog up so easily a second time.

Should I tell it that they were using it as a breeding dog?

Its ensuing frenzy would probably be even more entertaining, and that should keep provoking it.

Xia Xiu continued thinking as he walked out.

Deer College · Anderson Dormitory

Outside Room 404.

[Sir, you have a delivery.]

[Two parcels in total. Both are signed by Mr. Muji as the sender. They have been placed in the storage locker.]

Jarvis popped up when Xia Xiu returned to his dorm room from E Wing and was about to push the door open.

Oh-ho, my stuff's here.

Xia Xiu turned his gaze toward Storage Locker 404. He opened it and found two wrapped items inside, one large and one small.

----Delivered to Room 404, Anderson Dormitory, Deer College----

Sender: Your dear friend · Muji

Recipient: Xiu Abraham

Note: The things you wanted have arrived {smiley face}

Xia Xiu opened his door and carried the items inside.

Once inside, Xia Xiu casually set both items on the coffee table, hung his Deer College robe on a hanger, and went to the bathroom for a quick shower. Only after changing his clothes did he return to the coffee table.

First, Xia Xiu used a craft knife to slit open the larger parcel's wrapping. Inside was an exquisite box. He lifted its lid.

A subdued black trench coat lay neatly folded inside, with a postcard resting on top.

[Constantine Exorcist Trench Coat]

[Functions: Dimensional pocket (fifteen cubic meters of space), water and fire resistance (weak), dust-repelling runes, sturdy protection (weak)]

[Sir, wearing this means you're at the forefront of fashion!]

Satisfied, Xia Xiu stroked the trench coat's smooth surface, then turned his attention to the second item-the "Heavenly Lock Wheel."

(End of chapter)