A Pocket-Sized Terror
"..."
I had eaten a hearty dinner.
I had taken a nice, hot bath.
And I was currently rolling around in bed, watching MeTube.
Then, a sudden thought struck me.
I'm bored...
Should I just go to sleep?
Lying on my bed, I stared up at the ceiling for a long time.
Yep, I was definitely bored.
Is it because I didn't do much in the tower today?
Honestly, rowing that rowboat had been more exhausting than beating down Cerberus. That said it all.
"Tsk."
I scratched my chin idly.
I wasn't sleepy at all.
Maybe I should go out for some fresh air.
While I was at it, I could grab an ice cream.
Rustle.
I threw on a light jacket and headed outside.
There was a park not too far away.
The Tower Victims Memorial Park.
It was a place dedicated to honoring those who had died or gone missing inside the tower.
I bought a Palpal Cone ice cream from the convenience store in front of the park and started walking.
No one's here...
Since the area around the Hunter Administration Office wasn't a residential zone, and the park itself had a very solemn atmosphere, casual strollers seemed rare.
It wasn't particularly dark or dangerous, though.
It was hard to find a place this quiet in Seoul.
I walked along the path, slowly eating my sweet, caramel-flavored ice cream.
Just then, someone approached from the distance.
Patter, patter, patter.
It was a Maltese and a man who appeared to be its owner.
"Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark!"
The Maltese, apparently quite feisty, stopped in its tracks and barked at me as they passed.
The man glanced at me briefly before quickly walking past.
What a nasty temper...
It was always the tiny dogs that were the most aggressive.
"Hmm..."
Seeing someone walk their dog made me think of my own mutt.
Geumjjok.
Could I summon him out here too?
I fiddled with the whistle hanging around my neck.
Since I was curious, I figured I might as well try it.
I placed the whistle in my mouth.
Fweeeet...!
I blew it softly. It would be rude to make a racket in the middle of the night.
...
...
The park remained quiet.
Only the distant barking of the Maltese echoed occasionally.
There was no sign of the mutt appearing.
"I guess it doesn't work outside the tower?"
Tsk.
Feeling a bit disappointed, I fiddled with the whistle and turned to leave.
"Woof!"
"...Huh?"
Something resembling a ball of dust popped out of my shadow.
It was a pitch-black dustball, looking as if it had just carried a hundred blocks of coal briquettes.
"Woof! Ruff ruff! Woof!"
The little dustball barked energetically.
"...Geumjjok?"
"Woof!"
The dustball wagged its tail furiously as if to say yes.
"Wow... You were bigger than an elephant, and now you're this tiny?"
He had shrunk to a size I could easily lift with one hand.
He literally looked like a ball of soot.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—he only had one head.
"Only one head, and so small."
"Ruff ruff!"
"So this is what you look like when summoned outside the tower?"
"Woof!"
This was definitely better.
If a house-sized Cerberus were roaming around, people would think a Demonic Outbreak was happening.
Grab.
I picked up the dustball by the scruff of his neck.
Buried within the soot-like fur were three black beans.
Two eyes, one nose.
"Your nose is nice and wet."
They say a healthy puppy has a wet nose.
"Hey, you're actually pretty cute like this."
He dangled in the air, wagging his tail.
At this size, even Woo Jumin wouldn't faint from terror.
Click.
Man, look at this.
Click.
The more I looked, the cuter he got.
Click.
I spent a good while taking photos of the little dustball.
"...Oops. Time to go."
I made my way out of the park.
"Bark! Bark bark!"
At the park entrance, I ran into that same Maltese again.
"Bark bark bark bark!"
The Maltese, which had started barking like crazy the moment it saw me—
Growl...
—suddenly froze as the dustball in my arms let out a low growl.
"Yip! Yipe!"
"Oh my god! Why are you peeing on Daddy?!"
The dog shivered violently and pissed all over its owner's chest.
Well.
A Cerberus was still a Cerberus, after all.
I gave the urine-soaked man a smirk.
"Let's go."
I carried the dustball back to my lodgings.
"Mutt."
"Woof!"
"Paw."
Slap!
"Sit."
Plop!
"Down."
Thud!
"Roll over."
Roll!
"Bang!"
Flop!
Man, he was smart.
Sit, down, roll over, paw, play dead. The dustball could do it all.
To what extent?
"Remote control."
"Ruff ruff!"
He could fetch the remote, my wallet, and even my phone.
Wait, he had never even seen a remote or a phone before. How was this possible?
Was he just reading my mind or picking up on cues?
Bzzzz.
As I stared at the mutt with suspicious eyes, my phone vibrated.
It was quite late for a call. Who could it be?
The screen displayed Kang Mina's name and number.
I picked up.
-Hunter Lee?
"Yes."
-I'm so sorry to call you this late. But it's really urgent...
"It's fine. Go ahead."
-It's about the special map you entered today using the Tower Coin.
"Yes."
-We've received shared intelligence that hunters from other countries have also participated in the Banquet of the Gods.
"Really?"
Other hunters had participated in the Banquet of the Gods besides me?
Hmm.
Well, there was no rule saying I was the only one who could have a Tower Coin. Other hunters could have easily used one by chance, just like I did.
-It seems those hunters also obtained special items, just like you did.
"Can you give me more details?"
-First, Leo White of the United States obtained the Golden Eagle Spear...
Leo White.
The world's number one hunter from the USA.
-Ryohei of Japan obtained Momotaro's Wooden Sword...
Ryohei?
I didn't really care about Japanese hunters, so I didn't know much about him.
-And Rajkumar of India obtained the Naga's Whip.
"They're all weapons?"
-Yes. But unlike random item drops, they are all special, named weapons.
"Are those three all of them?"
-As far as we've confirmed. We need to start preparing on our end as well, so if you could share some basic information about the item you obtained...
I glanced at the dustball, who was still waiting for me with bright, alert eyes.
"I did get something, but it's a bit different..."
-A different kind?
"...I happen to be looking at it right now. I'll send you a photo."
-Okay!
After hanging up, I looked at the dog.
"Mutt. Look over here."
"Woof!"
I made the bright-eyed dustball sit and took a photo.
Click.
Fluffy, glossy fur and dark, sparkling eyes.
Cute. Very cute.
I hit send.
A moment later...
Bzzzz.
A reply came.
I chuckled as I read the texts. Indeed, it was hard to see him as an item.
Perhaps my response was too absurd.
Bzzzz.
Bzzzzzz.
Bzzzzzzzzzz!
My phone began to vibrate like crazy.
"Hello."
-Hunter Lee!!! Did you send the wrong photo by mistake?!
"Did you get a picture of a puppy?"
-Yes!!!
"Then that's the right one."
-...!!!
"..."
-Y-You're joking, right?
"Why would I waste my time joking about this?"
-S-So it's really a puppy...?
"Yes."
-...
"I think you'll need to see him in person to understand."
-...
"I'll bring the mutt with me tomorrow."
The next day.
I headed to the Hunter Administration Office.
"Hunter Lee!"
Kang Mina was already waiting for me in the lobby. Following her guidance, I headed to the special training grounds.
"So, the exact name of the item is the Cerberus's Whistle? A whistle?"
"Yes."
"And when you blow the whistle, a 'mutt' comes out...?"
"Yes."
"And that 'mutt' is Cerberus...?"
"Yes."
"Haaaaah..."
Kang Mina clutched her head as if she couldn't comprehend it at all. She was going to give herself hair loss at this rate.
"Hunter Lee, if this is a joke, I'm going to have to write a formal apology letter..."
"Why would I joke about this?"
I showed Kang Mina the whistle hanging around my neck.
After examining the whistle, she let out a sigh and muttered quietly.
"...It's not entirely impossible."
According to Kang Mina, the US's Golden Eagle Spear, Japan's Momotaro's Wooden Sword, and India's Naga's Whip were all key items from mythology.
Although the respective countries hadn't revealed the exact specifications, they were estimated to be at least S-grade items.
There was only one route to obtain these items.
Entering a specific event using a Tower Coin and fighting in a battle called the Banquet of the Gods.
Leo White had annihilated a flock of eagles that rained down lightning, Ryohei had defeated a dog yokai, a monkey yokai, and a pheasant yokai, and Rajkumar had wiped out countless serpents.
The reward items they received were those very weapons.
...Unlike me, they all chose to kill.
If I had killed Cerberus, would I have gotten some special weapon too?
But then again, I already had Jeoldanchamgeuk as a weapon...
No matter how I looked at it, getting the mutt was much better. It was basically getting a free party member.
"Then... could you show me?" Kang Mina asked cautiously.
I nodded without hesitation.
Fweeeeeeeeeet!
A long, clear whistle echoed through the room.
When I turned around—
"Woof!"
The mutt—no, Cerberus—emerged from my shadow.
He still looked like a rolling ball of soot.
"I-It's real...!"
"Of course it's real."
I shrugged and looked at Kang Mina.
"To be completely honest..."
Kang Mina swallowed hard, her face turning serious.
"..."
"..."
"...He's so cute!!!"
Kang Mina suddenly scooped the mutt up in a tight hug.
Growl...
The mutt immediately bared his teeth, preparing to growl.
"Hey, mutt."
Whimper...
At my warning, the mutt instantly tucked his tail.
"Ms. Kang Mina, regardless of how he looks, that..."
"Kyaaa, he's so adorable!"
Grrr...
"You should be careful... He is Cerberus, after all."
"Ce-Cer...? Yes? What did you say?"
"Cerberus."
Kang Mina froze solid, still holding the mutt.
Well, yeah.
I understood.
It was hard to associate this little sootball with Cerberus.
"But you just called him a mutt..."
"That's just a nickname."
"Huh...?"
"He really is Cerberus."
Grrrrrr...
Kang Mina slowly, stiffly set the mutt down, her movements creaky like a rusty machine.
"He probably won't bite as long as I'm here."
"I-Is that so...?"
"Yes."
"But if he's Cerberus, shouldn't he have... three heads...?"
"Oh, inside the tower, he does have three heads."
"Pardon...?"
"Leftie, Rightie, and Geumjjok. Those three."
"Leftie, Rightie, and Geumjjok...?"
"But outside the tower, there seems to be some kind of restriction, so he looks like this. Haha."
"..."
"Well, hunters have their abilities reduced outside the tower too. Isn't it a similar concept?"
"A summoning-type..."
"Ms. Kang Mina?"
"I've never heard of a summoning-type item here before...?"
Kang Mina began to mutter to herself like a crazy person.
Tsk.
"Anyway, I don't have to write that apology letter, right?"