HUFF! HUFF!
I sprinted out of the castle as the beast followed me from behind, roaring and growling at me as he crushed everything in his path, not caring about the people who were unfortunate to be in his way. Their bones were crushed, and their bodies torn into shreds.
"UGH...!" The feeling of guilt was there, yet I had no time to mourn for them or pity their deaths. Right now, the important thing was to get this hound close to the east gate where the cannons were located.
'Fuck...I'm tired...'
The constant running in heavy armor was starting to take a toll on me. I had been doing it for ten minutes now, and the beast was still following me. Fortunately, it was not as fast as me, and the gap between us was increasing. However, that didn't mean much. The beast could run as fast as a horse, so catching up to me was not a hard task for him. However, he didn't, maybe finding some joy in hunting me.
'Need a plan...'
I didn't have much of a plan. The best thing I could come up with was to draw him close and pray that my dad and the knights were able to set the cannons and shoot him.
"Huff, huff,"
I was panting. My heart was racing, and sweat was leaking from my pores and dropping to the ground. I was not a superhuman in this trial. A normal person can't run this long and not rest a little, but I couldn't afford to take a break—not even for a second. The moment I stop, the three-headed hellhound will reach me and then rip me in half.
"MOVE AWAY!" I shouted, raising my hand to warn the guards and the people that were in front of me. The people froze, seeing the terrifying beast behind me, and to my bad luck, most of them were near the gate, blocking my path.
"Fucking idiots."
Not wanting to cause more death, I sprinted left to the glass window. Jumping from it wasn't a problem for me since I was on the first floor.
Bang!
"UGH!...Fuck!"
Landing on the ground, I felt a sudden pain from the soles of my feet, yet I didn't have much time to think about it since the three-headed beast rammed through the wall, sending chunks of stones and wood everywhere. The people screamed and began running away in all directions like headless chickens.
"ROAAAAR!!"
"SHIT!.. SHIT!.. SHIT!"
I didn't bother with them and ran with all my might. I didn't look back, not wanting to see the death of the people. I felt sorry, however slaying the beast was far more important.
"AHH!" A cry came from a close distance and was followed by the sounds of crunching bones and the screams of horror and fear.
"NO! MOMMY, MOMMMY!"
"DON'T KILL ME, PLEASE"
I didn't dare stop or even look back. I had to be the bait and lure the beast as far as I could so the cannons could shoot. Fortunately, I spotted my father waving at me from the wall. The old man was standing beside him, with the knights and a couple of other men holding the linstock, ready to fire.
"THERE," the old man said, pointing toward the beast.
"HOLD!" my father said, not wanting to miss a shot and waste the ammo, or risk injuring me.
ROAAAR!
"HOLD!"
"DAD, NOW"
"FIRE!!!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
With a mighty blast, the four cannons were fired. The noise was ear-deafening, and the smell was terrible. A second later, the cannonballs landed on their target: the three-headed hound. The impact was so huge, and the explosion so intense that it sent me flying away and rolling on the ground until my back slammed into the stone wall. My ears were ringing, and I was in pain.
"Shit...that fucking hurt!"
"Ugh..." Slowly rising, I felt a warm liquid dripping from my forehead.
'I'm bleeding?'
"Grrr..." A low groan caught my attention, and turning around, I realized that the three-headed blackhound was still alive. Missing one head and its front right paw, the beast was struggling to stand up, yet the fucker was still breathing.
"UGHH.... DAD, FIRE AGAIN!" I yelled. My throat was sore, and my voice was raspy, however I had no choice but to make it. The hound was still alive and kicking, and the knights and soldiers needed a few seconds to reload the cannons.
"FUCK!!!" the old man yelled, "DAMN THESE WEAPONS, WHY CAN'T THEY WORK ON THE FIRST SHOT?"
"Grandpa, focus and reload!"
"I KNOW!!!" the old man replied, yelling his lungs out as he ordered the soldiers to prepare for a second round. "YOU STUPID FUCKING DOG, DIE ALREADY!"
"GRAAAAAAA"
Even with his injuries, the beast still had a lot of fighting spirit in him, and it was clear that he didn't give up until he fulfilled his master's order: ripping my heart out.
"GRRRR!"
Boom!
The beast took a few steps toward me, but in the same second, a small explosion came from his side, causing a minor injury.
"GRAAAARH!"
"USE THE BOMBS!" Uncle Alexander roared, commanding the knights and soldiers. "KEEP IT BUSY UNTIL THE CANNONS ARE READY!"
"Yes, sir!"
Boom! Boom!
With a loud bang, the gunpowder and the grenades exploded on the beast's side, causing more injuries and distracting it from me. Yet they weren't powerful enough to finish the beast; his hide was too thick.
"Unless..." an idea came to mind, a crazy and risky one; however, it was the only option left.
"HEEEY!" I yelled, waving my hands at the soldiers and the knights. "Lend me some bombs!"
"Countess?"
"Don't ask and give me a lot of them!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Here, here!"
The soldiers tossed a couple of bombs and the gunpowder bags, while others continued to distract the beast by throwing rocks and shooting arrows at him. However, the beast was too stubborn to give up, and he still had enough strength left in his body.
Pushing myself up, I swiftly removed my crimson cloak and tossed it on the ground, placing all the bombs and the gunpowder inside the cloak, and then I made a knot out of it.
'Hope it won't explode.'
With a sigh, I grabbed the bomb and began sprinting toward a half corpse that was lying beside me—a dead, mangled guard who was unfortunate to be near the beast. The man's chest was cut open, and his insides were scattered everywhere.
"I'm sorry,"
Kneeling down, I tied the bomb-cloak to the man's half-body, making sure to tie the knot tight. Once I was done, I picked up the corpse and tossed it toward the beast. The corpse flew a good twenty meters before hitting the ground and rolling until it reached the three-headed dog.
One thing I noticed about Cerberus was that the beast never ignored any piece of meat that was near him, eating everything, and it was always the middle head. And my luck was with me; the corpse landed close to the two remaining heads—the middle and the right one—and the hound couldn't resist and devoured the flesh. The middle head opened its mouth and swallowed the meat.
"CANNONS READY!" a soldier yelled.
'Perfect.'
With a wicked smile, I raised my head, shouting, "FOCUS ON THE MIDDLE HEAD!!"
"YES, MA'AM!"
"FIRE!!!" Dad yelled, and the cannons were fired again, and this time, they hit the mark.
BOOOOOM!!!
"GRRRARHH"
A huge explosion shook the area, sending a large cloud of smoke and dust into the air, shaking the entire castle. The beast was struck right on his middle head, causing the bombs he had just eaten to explode inside his mouth, causing more damage than any other previous attack.
The middle head was completely blown up, and the remaining head was severely injured, with burn marks on it and the entire body. The hellhound began staggering and shaking as if it were going through a seizure. Blood was pouring from every part of its body. Yet it did not die.
Thud! Thud!
"DIE!" I roared, unsheathing the sword and rushing toward the beast. My heart was filled with joy, yet a chill ran down my back the moment the hellhound looked at me. The fucker was one foot in the grave, and it still didn't give up.
"JUST DIE!" I swung my sword, and the blade sliced through the hound's neck, not big enough to remove it, however.
"DIE!" I wasn't done just yet. Slash after another, like I was a fucking lumberjack cutting firewood, I kept on swinging my blade without stopping, not giving the beast a chance to retaliate or even a single moment to rest. I didn't have the energy left in me, nor the time. The hellhound was on its last leg and had no strength to fight back.
"UGH... JUST DIE, YOU STUPID FUCKER!"
With one final swing, the right head fell on the ground, along with its body. The three-headed, black hellhound was finally slain, and I couldn't help but let a sigh of relief as a feeling of accomplishment washed over me, and a small, happy smile formed on my face.
"And stay dead, you fucking cunt."
"HURRAAA!" The knights and soldiers cheered, their voices were loud, and they were celebrating their victory.
"COUNTESS!! COUNTESS!! COUNTESS!!!"
They clapped, they chanted, and they praised.
"Good job, Morgi," my dad said, waving at me from the top of the wall. I stood up, attempting to join them when a familiar blue thing suddenly popped up in front of me.
Ding!
[The Hunter System activated]
[Lesser Cerberus slain]
'Oh, welcome back, system,' I said, smiling at the blue screen. Yet I couldn't help but notice that this one was slightly different from what I had before. Then I noticed that it said 'The Hunter System.'
Ding!
[Congratulations, you're the first to activate The Hunter System in your world. Your reward is the unique title: The First Hunter.]
"What is that?" I muttered, raising an eyebrow at the weird text on the screen. "Is this what I think it is?"
Ding!
[Title: The First Hunter.
A unique title that is given to Morgana Teps, the first person who activated the Hunter System in the world.
Effects: +100% more EXP]
Ding!
[An exotic bloodline was detected.]
[Would you like to awaken it?]
[Yes/No]
"Interesting!" I was about to click yes when a scream coming from my right side stopped me.
"HEELP!"
Turning my head, I saw the middle-aged mage, the summoner, and the bastard who attacked the crowning ceremony, on the wall holding another person in his hand.
"VICTORIA!" My heart almost stopped, and a cold shiver ran down my spine. The bastard managed to take my sister hostage.
"SIS!"
"NO!" Without thinking, I began sprinting, trying to reach him. The bastard just stared down at me with a sly smile.
"You managed to kill my beast, Countess."
"Let go of her!"
"Hehehe... No," the bastard replied, shaking his head. "This girl is very important."
"LET GO OF MY DAUGHTER!" My father shouted, raising his sword and pointing at the man.
"Now, now," the bastard smiled. "Don't worry, Lord Vladimir, she's not going to die... at least for now."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN!" I yelled, struggling to find the bloody stairs that led to that part of the wall. "LET HER GO... NOW!"
"If you want your sister back, Countess," the middle-aged man replied, "then follow me."
Waving in a circular motion with his black staff, a portal formed behind him and my sister, and they both fell back inside, away from my grasp.
"VICKY, NOOO!"