Heavenly Demon Plunders (7)
White smoke billows beyond the snarling wolf’s fangs. If size alone decided the outcome, I would be little more than a single mouthful. A snack, perhaps? Under normal circumstances, those razor teeth would end me the instant they touched flesh. The wolf surely knows this. Yet it does not charge, which can only mean it fears me.
“Run, wolf!”
“That’s no human!”
“Wolf, you’re screwed.”
“Rest in peace, wolf.”
“R.I.P.”
“How is it that not a single soul is worried about me in this situation?” Objectively speaking, I am the one in danger, am I not? A powerless human versus a massive beast. Normally, people would shut their eyes expecting death. But look—its teeth are trembling, its paws unconsciously edging backward. Even I feel fear right now.
I thought I had put on a rather convincing display of terror, yet no one seems fooled by my lie. Not even the giant wolf standing before me. Normally, the moment prey shows fear, it would pounce and tear out its throat. Instead, it merely watches warily from a distance.
I erase the frightened expression in an instant and take a single step forward. The wolf’s growls grow fiercer. I am no threat. This is merely the desperate flailing of a puppy that has already admitted defeat in terror. Tired of this standoff, I decide it is time to teach it its place.
With my hands clasped behind my back, I step forward and release killing intent into the surroundings. It is nothing like the killing intent I use when teasing Harin or Seol-ah. This is the thick, murderous aura born purely from the depths of my heart—enough to kill a person with will alone.
Under the crushing weight of that killing intent, the wolf slowly lowers its body. Its once-raised tail droops, its eyes that had glared at me lose their focus, and its white fur trembles, shaking off the snow clinging to it. It clearly wants to flee, but I do not permit it. Think about it—how could it possibly run when turning its back would mean its head flying off? The fear the wolf feels toward me is the same. It has few options left.
Of those, it chooses to attack. Not a calculated strike aimed at my throat from an opening, but a blind charge driven purely by terror. It simply wants to escape this fear and find comfort. I smile and raise my hand. Its thoughts are frozen by fear, so there is no intelligence left in its movements. Playing with it will be trivial.
The wolf clearly senses the threat I pose, yet it does not stop. Having already cast the die, it does not know how to take it back. The moment it opens its jaws toward me, I bring my raised fist down.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crash like a massive hammer striking, the wolf’s head is driven into the ground.
“Hey. Coming to your senses now?”
“Kkiiing…”
I ignore its pitiful upward gaze and plant my foot on its snout. The wolf lets out a dying whimper. What a drama queen. I did not even hit it that hard. I know a beast of its size will not collapse from something like this. So stop trying to earn sympathy.
“Oh please. Abuse? This is education. Education. If a beast that does not know its place dares to challenge a human, should I not teach it the hierarchy?”
A creature with such violent tendencies—if left alone, it would harm humans. So I am simply educating it in advance not to attack people. How can that be wrong?
“Shut up. Do not try to force your rules on me. I am someone whose job is to break rules.”
After spouting nonsense, the chat exploded with accusations of double standards. Honestly, these people are endlessly strict only toward me. If I leave it alone, it will figure things out on its own, so I will just ignore them for now.
“Now then, wolf. Do you understand your place?”
When I press down harder with the foot on its snout, the wolf answers by flattening its ears. Oh ho.
“Can you understand human speech?”
Again, it responds by moving its ears and eyes in agreement. Its large size and thick fur already appeal to me, but to be intelligent as well! Indeed. If this were not the world of Thread, it would be a creature worthy of being called a spirit beast. I like it.
“Good. Wolf, I shall give you two choices.”
Make no mistake—you will not be permitted anything outside these two options. Choose carefully.
“One is to submit to me and become a beast that follows me.”
In simpler terms, become a pet. Personally, I recommend you accept this offer. There will be no trouble or pain for either of us—you simply need to bow your pride. Furthermore, I promise I will not treat you harshly just because you are under me. I am quite generous to those who enter my embrace.
“The other is to be beaten until you nod and agree to become my beast.”
I cannot recommend this one. It is not difficult, but it is troublesome. Just in case, let me say this—do not think you will die. I can control my strength. Also, do not think you can run away. That is impossible.
Now, which will you choose? When I ask the wolf, its body trembles and it lets out a whimper. Where does it get off acting pitiful and begging for sympathy? Such tricks do not work on me.
“Just moments ago you were showing off your intelligence, yet now you pretend not to understand? It will not work on me. Choose one of the two obediently.”
Annoyed by the delay, I infuse killing intent into my words. The wolf flattens its ears and bares the back of its neck.
“You want me to ride you?”
Its ears perk up—that is agreement. I lightly step off its snout and climb onto its neck. The wolf carefully rises to its feet. Seeing how it tries not to cause me discomfort, it seems it has decided to obey and submit. Good. That is how it should be. Rather than resisting and getting beaten until its hide softens, bowing its head is far wiser.
Confirming that the wolf has entered my service, I sit on its neck and stroke its fur. Hmm. Still quite coarse. Though it has the softness and warmth of fur, it is nothing like Baru’s pleasant coat. My immediate goal shall be to manage this one’s fur.
“Ah, yes. I need to give it a name.”
Regardless of the process, it is now a beast under my command. I must decide what to call it from now on.
“Let us call it Wolfie.”
Even I think it is a fine name. Something cute and insignificant is best, is it not?
The chat and donations erupted in chaos, apparently displeased with the name “Wolfie.” I ignored them all. The thoughts of the great are never understood by the ignorant, after all. I shall understand you instead.
Wolfie. What do you think? I asked while stroking its fur, but Wolfie did not readily nod.
“What is it? Do you dislike it?”
You should think carefully, Wolfie. If our relationship starts to creak, it will be obvious which of us suffers more. When I asked again with a hint of killing intent, Wolfie hurriedly nodded.
See? You like it, do you not? How fortunate that we understand each other.
“Oh please. Our Wolfie said it likes it. That is not for you to judge.”
The chat is filled with slanderous words. Haha. Say whatever you like. It will not change my actions.
“I appreciate the donation. However, know this—I am not someone swayed by money.”
No matter how much money is donated, Wolfie is Wolfie. This is an unchanging truth. Nothing you do can alter it.
“Wolfie. Let us feel your speed for a moment.”
When I say this, Wolfie looks up at me with questioning eyes. It is asking which direction to go. Returning to the residence would be fine, but Pipi asked me for a favor. I should plunder the place I marked on the way here and then head back.
“Let us go that way.”
When I point with my finger, Wolfie begins to dash at high speed. Oh ho. Fast. Very fast. The sensation of my long hair streaming behind me is quite delightful. At this speed, it would not fall behind even compared to modern vehicles. I did well to tame Wolfie.