The bald man laughed mockingly. "Hahaha, you were so confident earlier, and now you're on the verge of tears." Then he gave a command to his monster. "Finish them off."
The Abyss Howler sprinted toward the man and his trembling monster. Seeing this, Lyra exclaimed, "Commander, we should—wait... where's the Commander?" She turned her head, realizing Seth was no longer beside her. Then she heard his voice ring out clearly: "Raynar, protect them."
Lyra immediately turned toward Seth and muttered, "The Commander went ahead on his own? After telling me to wait?" But her concern quickly shifted to admiration as a proud smile formed on her lips.
Just as the Abyss Howler lunged to sink its fangs into the man's monster, Raynar emerged from the shadows, its shadowy tendrils lashing out with devastating force. The Abyss Howler was flung across the battlefield.
"Who? Who dares interfere with me?" the bald man roared, his rage evident.
Seth stepped forward, his voice calm but cutting. "Hey, Baldy boy. How much more of a garbage person are you planning to be in this already messed-up world?"
The bald man turned his glare to Seth, seething with anger. "Oh, it's our dear little guide. Still alive, I see. You want to die for real this time?"
Seth chuckled, the sound sharp and mocking. "Pfft, look at you, Baldy boy. Yesterday, I saw you scared out of your wits when a pack of Frostbit Wolves cornered you, and now you're playing tough guy?"
The bald man's face twisted with fury, veins bulging on his forehead. "Boys, call out your slaves. We're burying this kid today."
His four henchmen released their monsters, revealing three Abyss Howlers and a Frostbit Wolf.
"Ooh, terrifying," Seth said with a smirk, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Then he raised his right arm and commanded, "Come, Cerbyss."
The bald man sneered, laughing cruelly. "So what if you've got an Abyss Howler too? Do you think that'll make a difference?"
Seth grinned confidently, his eyes gleaming with determination. "I'll show you just how vast the difference is between my Cerbyss and your pathetic pack of Abyss Howlers."
Cerbyss, hearing Seth's praise, puffed up with pride and grew even more spirited. Then, the bald man barked out, "Boys, take this bastard down!"
All of the bald man's lackeys commanded their monsters to charge at Seth. The Abyss Howlers sprinted toward him, their feral eyes burning with aggression.
Seth, unfazed, casually said to Cerbyss, "Cerbyss, use Paralyzing Howl."
Without hesitation, Cerbyss let out an ear-piercing howl that echoed through the battlefield. The Abyss Howlers froze in terror, their snarls silenced. Confusion spread across the bald man and his followers' faces as they tried to grasp what had just happened.
Then, Seth gave his next order. "Finish them off, Cerbyss."
Cerbyss lunged forward with lightning speed. The immobilized Abyss Howlers stood no chance. One by one, Cerbyss sank his fangs into their throats, swiftly ending each of them.
Seth turned his gaze toward the bald man. "Looks like your Abyss Howler is the only one left. So, what's it going to be, Baldy? Are you going to run for your life, or are you going to cling to that tough-guy act of yours?"
The bald man's face twisted with rage. "To hell with you, you bastard! Get him, you dumb mutt!"
His Abyss Howler rushed at Cerbyss. But Cerbyss, sharp as ever, sensed the fear radiating from the charging beast. Instead of attacking, Cerbyss let out a low, menacing growl.
The Abyss Howler faltered, trembling. It came to a halt right in front of Cerbyss, lowering its body as though bowing in submission.
Suddenly, a translucent interface appeared before Seth:
[Cerbyss wants to tame the Abyss Howler. Do you accept?]
[Yes]
[No]
Seth was startled and confused by the text displayed on the translucent interface in front of him. "What the heck is this? A monster I tamed wants to tame another monster?" He glanced at Cerbyss with a bewildered expression.
Cerbyss simply grinned, winked with one eye, and raised his front paw as if giving Seth a thumbs-up. Seth let out an awkward laugh and shook his head. "Hah... I have no idea what's going on, but the more, the merrier, I guess. I'll choose Yes."
The bald man gawked in disbelief as his Abyss Howler willingly bowed to Cerbyss.
After selecting Yes, Seth suddenly felt a wave of emotion coming from the Abyss Howler. "This Abyss Howler... it's filled with anger, frustration, and resentment toward that bald guy," Seth thought to himself.
Moments later, fragments of the Abyss Howler's memories began flooding into Seth's mind. "What's this...? Are these its memories? If this is real, that bald guy is worse than the monsters he controls."
Seth turned to the Abyss Howler and said, "You want revenge on him, don't you?"
The Abyss Howler growled deeply, its hatred for the bald man and his crew evident.
"Alright," Seth declared, a sharp edge to his tone. "As a gift for joining us, I'll let you have your revenge. Cerbyss, help your new subordinate settle the score."
Cerbyss let out an enthusiastic howl, clearly pleased with his master's decision. He and the Abyss Howler charged at the bald man and his followers.
Panic-stricken, the bald man tried to flee. But the Abyss Howler was faster. It sprinted ahead, leaping to block his escape route.
The bald man stumbled to the ground, trembling in fear as he stammered toward Seth. "H-Hey! If you kill me, you'll regret it! Don't you know who my brother is?"
Seth's icy gaze pierced through him. "I don't care who your brother is. If you're trash, then he's probably trash too."
With a cold, final command, Seth said, "Finish him."
The Abyss Howler lunged at the bald man, tearing him apart in a flurry of rage and vengeance.
Nearby, Lyra watched in shock, her face pale as she cautiously approached Seth. "Did it really have to end like this, Commander?"
Seth sighed and turned toward her. "To be honest, I didn't want to kill him. But when I tamed his Abyss Howler, its memories flooded into my mind. I saw everything, he did horrible things to people, even children. After that, I changed my mind."
Hearing this, Lyra's expression shifted to one of silent anger as she clenched her fists, glaring at the lifeless body of the bald man.
Seth then turned to Lyra and said, "Come on, let's check on that guy from before."
Lyra took a deep breath, nodded, and followed Seth toward the man and his injured monster.
"Are you alright?" Seth asked, looking at the man, who was kneeling beside his wounded companion.
The man's eyes were filled with sorrow as he gently stroked his monster's fur. Seeing this, Seth reached into his pouch and handed him a potion. "Here, use this for your monster."
The man looked up, surprised. "Thank you. I promise I'll repay you tenfold for this."
Seth scratched the back of his head and gave a sheepish smile. "It's no big deal."
A few moments later, the man's monster began to recover, slowly standing on its feet again. The man's face lit up with joy. He turned to Seth and said, "Thank you so much! I'll repay your kindness a thousand times over someday."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Seth replied with a wave of his hand. "But tell me, why didn't your monster fight back? It seemed more scared than anything else."
The man hesitated at first, his gaze dropping to the ground. But after a moment, he sighed and spoke, "To be honest... my monster is still traumatized. It's afraid of everyone except me."
Seth furrowed his brows. "Traumatized? Why?"
The man's voice trembled as he continued, "Because it witnessed its mother being killed... by hunters and their monsters.
"I see. Anyway, my name's Seth," he said, pointing to each of his companions in turn. "This is Lyra, the one watching over you is Raynar, and over there is Cerbyss with his new subordinate... though I haven't named the little guy yet." Seth smiled, clearly trying to shift the conversation.
The man nodded and introduced himself. "Oh, I'm Ezra, and this here is Drakey."
"So, what are you planning to do now?" Seth asked.
"Hmm, I'm not sure. I might take on some easy missions at Tame HQ," Ezra replied with a shrug.
Seth thought for a moment and then offered, "How about joining us for a hunt in the nearby ruins?"
"Really? Can I?" Ezra asked, his tone a mix of surprise and hope.
"Of course! The more, the safer," Seth replied with a grin. Lyra just smiling at Ezra
"Alright, in that case, I'll tag along under your guidance," Ezra agreed with a determined nod.
"Leave it to me," Seth said confidently.
Before they could leave, Lyra approached Seth, her face troubled. "Seth, I just remembered something about the bald guy's brother. It might mean we're in danger."
Seth raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Who is he?"
"His name is Zake," Lyra explained. "He's a Champion in the Black Talon Guild. That guild specializes in monster hunts, and they're infamous for their ruthlessness."
"Hmm, I see," Seth muttered thoughtfully. "Well, for now, our goal doesn't change. We need to grow stronger and save up plenty of AP to buy a proper home with solid protection for Dean and Sera."
Lyra's expression softened as she thought to herself, 'Even in a situation like this, he's thinking about my family." A gentle smile spread across her face.
"Alright, let's get going," Seth declared. "Raynar, Cerbyss, return."
With a flick of his hand, Seth stored his monsters back into the dimensional storage. The three of them then set out, leaving the fortress and heading toward the ruins.