Chapter 5

EP.5 There Are No Bad Dogs in the World

Tantalus, the maximum-security prison, houses the most heinous criminals, whose crimes are too vile to even speak of, and powerful beings that no ordinary facility could ever contain. It is said that while people continuously enter, no one has ever come out, making it essentially a grave.

Since no one has ever come out alive, the rumors about Tantalus have grown like a snowball, spreading from mouth to mouth.

Rumors include that the military conducts human experiments on prisoners to create ultimate weapons, that mythical monsters roam freely, and that it's just a place to send people to die.

Today, I walked through Tantalus alone and was able to verify the truth of these rumors. This place, Tantalus, is indeed as extraordinary as the rumors suggest.

The abyss. A bottomless pit cursed by the Earth Mother Goddess, where escape by natural means is impossible.

Inside, the King of Dogs, the progenitor of vampires, and a Reincarnator—mythical, historical, and transcendent beings—reside.

According to the golem, there was an escape incident, but that itself is questionable. How could anyone escape from this paradoxical abyss?

However, it seems that chaos did break out, as most of the prison's facilities were grotesquely damaged. The iron bars were bent like twigs, and the stone walls were shattered, exposing the steel frames of the buildings. The signs of a large-scale violent incident were evident.

There was not a single drop of blood, but the reason for this was easy to guess.

The progenitor of vampires, Tirkanjaka.

The oldest vampire, who has been sleeping in the depths of Tantalus, has dominion over blood. Even if a bloodbath occurred, all the spilled blood would have been recovered by her. Blood would naturally flow to her, just as an apple is drawn by gravity.

In the prison where blood had disappeared, only chaos remained.

Thinking this, I muttered to myself.

"…Maybe the ones left here are even more terrifying?"

It's a bit scary. If this were an ordinary prison, I would have scoffed at the cowards who wouldn't even dare to escape. But the ones left here are different kinds of monsters.

Tirkanjaka, the progenitor, is a historical monster who has fought against the mighty Holy Capital, and the King of Dogs is one of the most powerful among the Kings of Beasts.

Fortunately, neither of them has any hostility towards humans, or I would have been killed the moment I set foot here.

Honestly, in this situation, I don't know how long it will last, but...

"Anyway, there's only one thing I need to do."

Because they have no hostility towards humans, they didn't escape and didn't try to kill me.

So, there's only one thing I need to do.

I need to gain their favor.

If something unpleasant happens in the future, or if I find myself in danger, I need them to be on my side.

With this resolve, I started moving in a certain direction.

The three remaining prisoners in Tantalus.

The King of Dogs, Puppy.

The progenitor of vampires, Tirkanjaka.

The Reincarnator, Shay.

Among these three, who is the safest and easiest to win over?

There's no question. Obviously, the King of Dogs, Azid.

From the time before recorded history, dogs and humans have been friends.

Dogs, loyal to humans from birth, are loyal to all living humans. The reason the military could imprison the King of Beasts in Tantalus is likely due to this loyalty. Azid would obediently wait and breathe quietly in a cage if a human told him to.

If it were another King of Beasts, like the King of Wolves or the King of Lions, they would have torn through the cage. It's not because they are stronger than Azid, but because they have a wild nature and cannot accept such confinement.

I don't know why the military imprisoned Azid unless I can read the minds of the high command, but I can guess.

The King of Dogs is loyal to all humans.

To the military's allies and to their enemies.

The military has many enemies. They must have thought it would be problematic if he fell into the hands of the resistance or a neighboring federation. So, they locked him in Tantalus, ready to use him when needed.

"Ha ha. Idiots."

I can't help but sigh. To be afraid that the enemy might use him and lock him away in a warehouse.

Let me tell you.

A tool that everyone can use should not be hidden away.

I pushed open the door of the warehouse with a lamp in hand. Thick dust flew like snow, and the inside smelled musty. I cleared away a few remaining skeletons and gathered a few poles, a metal net, and a pile of firewood.

When I came out, I saw that the metal net's edges were frayed, as if it had failed to catch something large. On the back, there were sharp, hook-like attachments with bits of flesh and fur stuck to them. How it was used and damaged, well, let's just say I don't know.

The wooden poles had sharp hooks attached to their ends, custom-made. What kind of atrocities were committed here to make such brutal weapons seem normal?

Anyway, I gathered the equipment and went to the courtyard. I wiped the flesh and fur off the hooks with an oiled cloth and carefully balanced them on the firewood like a grill. After preparing, I leaned the lamp against the firewood at an angle and snapped my finger at the wick.

"Spark."

The military's standard magic, designed purely for practicality, drew the flames. Sparks flew from my finger, and the lamp, filled with magic, began to burn fiercely.

As the flames spread to the firewood, I opened a can. When I lifted the lid, a solid black mass appeared. When I placed it in water, it absorbed moisture and expanded to about ten times its original size, becoming a large piece of meat. It was as dramatic as a sponge absorbing water.

One of the seven great inventions of the military, the military-grade compressed canned food. It claims to increase food storage capacity by over 20 times by completely removing moisture, and with preservation magic, it returns to its original size and retains its original taste and aroma when water is added.

Of course, like all exaggerated advertisements, it falls short of real fresh meat in terms of texture and aroma, but it's more than enough for dog food. I placed the meat, now back to its original size, on the grill.

This thick piece of meat would take a while to cook, but it didn't matter since I wasn't going to eat it. And the one who would eat it probably wouldn't care either. What mattered was the smell while it was cooking.

I left the meat on the grill and took out the bell I had brought.

Ding dong.

I rang the bell once, then put it away and stoked the fire to cook the meat. The red meat began to turn a dull color, as if it were losing its color to the red flames. The juices dripped onto the firewood, turning into smoke and soot that rose into the air. The smell of cooking meat spread in all directions.

It was about time. I rang the bell again. Soon, a voice came from a distance.

"Delicious smell! Food! Food!"

Each syllable seemed to come from a different location, as if the speed of his approach rivaled the speed of sound. I calculated the time it would take for Azid to arrive, tensed my arm, read his thoughts, and timed the pull of the net.

The firewood exploded. Ash, smoke, and unburned wood splinters scattered, and the remaining heat sucked in the air and ignited instantly. The flames spread, consuming the debris. Azid, who had leaped onto the firewood to get the meat, struggled in the flames.

"Bark! Hot! Hot!"

I silently swung my cloak to beat Azid, sending the sparks flying. After the sparks were gone, Azid, with singed fur and teary eyes, got up. But the pain was short-lived, and soon his eyes lit up when he saw the piece of meat in my hand.

No way. I held out my palm and shouted.

"Wait!"

Startled, Azid looked at my palm and crouched. His tail wagged frantically, and his eyes darted back and forth, eager to pounce on the meat. But every time he tried to move, I timed it and held out my palm. Azid, whose breathing was read, couldn't move and just whined, staring at my palm.

"Wait? How long?"

Without answering, I took out the bell and slowly moved it back and forth, making no sound. Azid, intrigued by the strange object, forgot about the meat and looked at my hand. I slowly moved the bell back and forth until Azid's interest waned, then rang it the moment his attention returned to the meat.

Ding dong.

The moment Azid recognized the bell, I threw a roughly cut piece of undercooked meat. Despite being startled, Azid caught the flying meat with his mouth. While chewing the meat, his eyes never left the bell.

Through this controlled stimulation, Azid firmly imprinted the existence of the bell. Now, all I needed to do was give a reward.

"Good! You waited well! Great job! As expected!"

Surprised by the unexpected praise, Azid's eyes widened. Regardless, I started praising him with an excited voice.

"You're a really great dog! You can distinguish the bell! You listen when I tell you to wait! You're really amazing!"

"Huh? I did well?"

"Yes! You're the best dog! I love you! You're so cute!"

I continued praising him, filled with emotion but without much content. If it were a normal person, they would have been wary, but Azid, with his low threshold for affection, started to get excited with each praise. At some point, he swallowed the meat and ran around, wagging his head.

"Bark! Bark!"

"Good, Azid! Want to play fetch?"

"Arf arf arf!"

At this moment, the King of Dogs looked happier than any other dog in the world.

I clapped enthusiastically for Azid, a sly smile on my face.

Look, military.

A tool that everyone can use should not be hidden away.

You just need to use it a little better than others.

I put the bell in my pocket. It's still not enough. One session with canned meat today won't do it.

But as days pass, weeks pass, and months pass.

If I calmly let him hear the bell and associate it with good feelings,

This bell will become a controller to dominate the King of Dogs.

Hehehe. Wait and see. You locked me up, but you also gave me time.

Time to train the King of Dogs!

"Ha ha ha!"

"Bark! Bark! Bark!"

Azid, oblivious to the ominous feeling hidden in my laughter, barked fiercely around me, clearly excited about the upcoming game of fetch.

Sure. I'll play fetch. By using my shoulder to build intimacy with the King of Dogs, it will be a great asset in the long run!

Just as I was about to move to a slightly wider open space with the King of Dogs,

'What are you doing on the first day that you were with Azid? I can't figure out this man's intentions at all.'

Oh, what a surprise.

Suddenly, a thought reached me, and I realized a regressed person was closely following me from behind. Just as I was about to turn my head to greet them,

'This is perfect. I'll hide and secretly follow him to observe. If he's trying to corrupt Azid, I'll be ready to strike immediately.'

When I turned my head, no one was there. I couldn't sense anyone's presence.

But the thought was clear. From about 3 meters behind my right, a woman dressed as a man was following me carefully, arms folded.

I pretended not to notice and slowly turned my head back to face forward.

Oh, so.

You're using stealth.

I'll pretend not to notice...