The Mad Dog of the Demon King

Beyond the transparent glass wall stood a red-haired lunatic. She kept glancing around in clear confusion.

“What the hell? An Stealth skill? No way. There can’t be a stealth skill good enough to fool my senses.”

The red-haired madwoman hurled her hand axe straight toward where Ji-su and I had been standing. The weapon sliced through the air with a vicious whoosh, passed right through me, Ji-su, and Si-eun inside the Cradle of Rest, then flew back into her grasp.

Even though I knew it couldn’t hit me, it was still terrifying. My heart nearly stopped.

The crazy bitch swung her axe wildly in every direction, spitting curses as if she were losing her mind.

“Where the fuck did you hide?! Come out!! No, there’s no way you could hide from me! You really think you can avoid my eyes? That kind of skill doesn’t even exist!!”

Sorry to disappoint, but it does.

I sent another silent wave of gratitude toward my Cradle of Rest. Still, looking at her again… she really was completely insane. What good was a decent face when her personality and way of thinking were both batshit crazy?

But seriously, what the hell? How long had it even been since the monster outbreak started? How was something like her already running around?

That guy called Su had described this whole situation like it was some kind of game. But what kind of game throws a boss at you in the beginner village?

I grumbled to myself as I watched the red-haired lunatic throw her tantrum. Then my eyes landed on Ji-yun’s corpse lying on the floor.

“...Tsk.”

What a stupid girl. If she had just stayed quiet, she wouldn’t have died. From the way that crazy woman was acting, she seemed pretty lenient toward other women.

…But then I would’ve been the one who died instead.

I hadn’t even noticed the hand axe flying at me. Ji-yun must have spotted it first since her stats were higher than mine.

I glared at Ji-su, who was standing blankly beside me.

“You’ve got higher stats than Ji-yun. What the hell were you doing? When something like that comes flying, you’re supposed to step up and handle it without me having to say anything, aren’t you?”

Ji-su just stared back at me with those vacant eyes. Honestly, it was unfair to scold her. She was the type who wouldn’t do anything unless I gave her a direct order.

I flopped down onto the floor and stared quietly at Ji-yun’s body. The deaths I’d seen before had already blurred together in my memory. They hadn’t left much of an impression.

But the moment of Ji-yun’s death kept replaying in my head over and over.

Is this what they call trauma? Tsk, what a pain.

I scratched my head roughly. That red-haired lunatic outside still showed no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sign of leaving. She needed to fuck off so I could get out of here.

She showed no signs of getting tired, just kept circling around and swinging her axe. A frilly black lace dress paired with a hand axe—there was no way to look at that and not call her completely insane.

Then the madwoman, who had been screaming and searching nonstop, suddenly plopped down on the ground and bellowed into the empty air.

“You! I don’t know what trick you’re using, but you’re still here, aren’t you?! My instincts are screaming it! Fine, let’s see who wins! I’m Juniel, the mad dog of the Demon King’s army who never lets go once she bites! You’ve really stepped in it this time! Let’s see how long you can stay hidden!!”

Hmm. Mad dog, huh? It suits her perfectly.

But Juniel? Just hearing the name made me picture something cute and angelic. Who the hell would associate a name like Juniel with a crazy bitch like her?

Anyway… if it came down to a battle of endurance, could she really outlast me? There was nothing lacking in this place.

Ah. Except one thing. A bathroom. That might actually be a problem.

While I was worrying, the lunatic—Juniel, the mad dog bitch—sat down on the floor and began waiting endlessly for me to come out.

Damn. This was awkward. What was I supposed to do?

Her position happened to be directly in front of the Gate of Rest. If I opened the door and attacked, I could reach her immediately. It was the perfect spot.

But I couldn’t bring myself to attack.

She casually blocked Ji-su’s strongest strike. There’s no way an attack from in here would work. And if I get dragged out like I did with that giant monster last time, I’m one hundred percent dead.

I shook my head and gave up on the idea of attacking. She probably wasn’t completely certain I was here. If I just held out a little longer, she’d get tired and leave on her own.

But what if I attacked and failed? She might become absolutely convinced I was here and wait forever.

So let’s just stay quiet and wait for her to leave. There’s no other option right now.

My motivation was gone. I was irritated too. The very existence that had given me this shitty trauma was right in front of me, yet I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

I let out a deep sigh.

Still, what was I supposed to do while waiting for that crazy woman to leave? Maybe I should catch up on some sleep.

Then a thought suddenly crossed my mind from the moment Ji-yun died.

That’s right. A message definitely popped up.

It said the conditions to open the Gate of the Underworld had been met.

I turned my head and looked at the door located deeper inside the Cradle of Rest. It was the door I had tried to open when I first entered, but it wouldn’t budge. Back then it said the conditions hadn’t been met. Now I had received a message saying they were.

So it should open now, right?

But what would be on the other side of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that door? If it was the Gate of the Underworld… it literally meant a door to the afterlife.

Just thinking about it gave me the creeps.

Still, I should open it.

I stood up and brushed myself off. The Cradle of Rest had never once harmed me. Not a single time. So this Gate of the Underworld probably wouldn’t either.

Since it only opened after meeting specific conditions, it was probably something beneficial.

I slowly approached the Gate of the Underworld. With a tense heart, I placed my hand on the handle groove.

Immediately, a message appeared before my eyes.

I stared blankly at the message.

What the hell does this mean? Collect the souls of dead people? How?

My question was answered by the next message that appeared.

A new skill?

I opened my status window.

“Status window.”

“Oh, it really appeared. Soul Harvest.”

The (P) at the end probably meant it was a passive skill. It said the souls of beings killed by me or my thralls would be automatically harvested. The “Soul Jar” next to it must be where the souls were stored. Since it said (0), I hadn’t collected any souls yet.

I roughly understood how the skill and the Gate of the Underworld worked.

But what exactly is this “great soul” that’s supposed to help me if I put the harvested souls through the gate? I want to try it, but I don’t have any souls…

As I was feeling disappointed, another message appeared.

Whoa, what is this? A trial run? If a great soul really appears, maybe it could do something about that crazy bitch outside?

Please, I beg you, let some incredibly powerful great soul appear and drag that lunatic away.

I opened the Gate of the Underworld.

Creak.

Nothing. There was nothing there.

Beyond the open gate was only pitch-black emptiness. Sticky, wave-like black masses filled the entire space inside the gate.

I bit my lip as I stared into the darkness.

So this… is the Underworld? The afterlife? It feels awful.

No matter how much of a necromancer I was, it seemed I couldn’t like the aura of the land of the dead. Well, I was still a living person, after all.

As I stood there with the door open, wondering what would happen, the black, water-like substance filling the inside began to ripple. Soon, a white orb of light emerged from the black curtain.

What was that? Was that the great soul?

How was it supposed to help me?

While I was staring at the white orb with puzzled eyes, a voice echoed directly inside my head.

—It’s been a while. The air of the living world…

I flinched and took a step back in surprise.

—Don’t be alarmed. You’re the one who called this soul, aren’t you?

I asked in a startled voice, “Are you… the great soul that I called?”

—Great soul? That title is far too generous for someone like me. Still, it is correct that I am the soul you summoned here.

“Ah… um, may I ask your name…?”

—It’s not a name famous enough for others to recognize. Now, let’s put names aside. Didn’t you need my help? Time is short. You should accept my assistance quickly, shouldn’t you?

Whoa, straight to the point. I hurriedly spoke to the orb of light.

“Do you see that over there? The crazy woman with red hair wearing a black dress. She’s blocking the door and hasn’t moved an inch. Please, help me!”

Hmm. That sounded pretty pathetic. Like a kid begging an adult.

In response to my desperate(?) plea, the soul orb slowly floated forward as if examining the madwoman outside. Then its voice returned.

—Hmm… She seems stronger than me?

Hey, you can’t say that!

The soul orb continued.

—Well, I’d have to fight her to know for sure, but she’s an opponent I can’t guarantee victory against. She could be around my level, or she could be stronger. Anyway, good luck. It looks like you’re not alone. If you all attack together, you might be able to win. I don’t know how you ended up facing such a powerful being, but I wish you luck.

Huh? What the hell did I just hear?

“Um… Mr. Soul? It sounds like you’re saying I have to fight her myself…”

—Of course. How could a soul like me fight a being from the living world?

What the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hell is this?

I spoke to the soul in a dumbfounded tone. “Then what kind of help are you even giving me?”

—You’ll find out soon enough. The time I’ve been given isn’t long, so resolve this quickly. You know that time is the most precious thing in life, don’t you?

After spouting that random nonsense, the soul orb flew straight at me.

“Whoa!”

Startled by the sudden approach, I swung my hand, but the soul orb passed right through it and plunged into my chest.

It melted into my body and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠disappeared. Then a message appeared before my eyes.

Along with the message, an unknown power began surging through my body.