Chapter 20
【 Entrance Examination 】
The Hellhound I would have to raise for a long time from now on.
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh at the sight of the small pet rubbing its face against my leg.
“Woof woof!”
“Yeah, hold still for a bit.”
I slowly sat down on the floor.
And the moment I did, the black puppy began licking my hand.
‘It’s hard to believe that something this tiny will someday grow bigger than a cow.’
The Hound of Hell—Hellhound.
According to the setting, this pet was a Hellhound cub that had escaped from its pack.
‘If I remember correctly, the lore said that a pregnant Hellhound escaped the dangerous volcanic zone and settled near the Academy.’
Hundreds of years ago, for some reason, a Hellhound left its pack and arrived here while pregnant.
The Hellhound gradually grew weaker, and just before dying, she used her final magic for her offspring.
‘She sealed her newborn and left her soul in this underground space.’
The enormous Hellhound I had just fought—that had been the soul of that mother Hellhound.
She had made it so that only someone strong enough to defeat her could take her child away.
‘Since the soul of the mother Hellhound has just vanished, this little one is now mine.’
I looked down at the black puppy rubbing its face against my hand.
It seemed to have been sealed right after being born, since it still couldn’t even open its eyes properly.
‘It really is small, though. The adult ones are almost the size of cows, but this one fits right in my palm.’
A lot of thoughts ran through my head, but I soon shook them off.
There was something I had to do first.
‘Let’s form the contract right away. I don’t want to lose it later because of some weird variable.’
I set the black puppy down beside me and picked up the Mistcatcher.
In the game, forming a contract with a pet wasn’t complicated.
You just had to equip it like a piece of gear, and that was it.
But right now, that simple method obviously wouldn’t work.
‘If I remember correctly from the lorebook… to make a contract with a pet, you had to feed it your blood.’
Having this puppy drink my blood—
That was how contracts were formed with pets in the game’s setting.
But I still wasn’t sure if a contract could really be that simple.
‘I’ve seen familiar-contract scrolls sold on the black market before. Worst case, I can go get one of those.’
There were many ways to turn this Hellhound into a pet.
Still, since feeding it blood was the canonical method, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try.
“…Hoo.”
I stared at the Mistcatcher.
When it came time to actually cut my own skin, I hesitated slightly.
But I soon steeled myself.
‘If I’m going to become a knight, I’ll have to get used to being cut by a blade anyway.’
Yeah, this was a profession where you fought with your body.
You had to be accustomed to a certain level of pain.
After bracing myself, I made a shallow cut on my palm with the sword.
“Ugh.”
It hurt, but not unbearably so.
It was just a slight sting.
‘…Was getting cut by a blade always this mild?’
Even before I was transmigrated into this game, I’d been cut by a knife or glass shards a few times.
Back then, even small cuts hurt a lot, but now, despite a visible wound, it wasn’t that painful.
‘Does this body have some resistance to pain? Or am I just used to it? Maybe my defense stat is simply high?’
A bunch of thoughts ran through my head, but I brushed them aside.
“Alright, drink up.”
I held my bleeding hand out to the black puppy.
It tilted its head for a moment, then pressed its nose against my palm.
After staring at the blood pooling in my hand, it began to lap it up with its small tongue.
‘…So nothing’s happening after all?’
Well, this was within expectations.
Even if I didn’t make the Hellhound my pet, raising it properly could still be useful.
It was a rare monster to obtain, so if I nurtured it well—
Vwoooom―
As the black puppy was drinking my blood, a magic circle suddenly appeared beneath us.
Startled, I lifted my sword—but for some reason, my Attack Prediction Skill didn’t activate.
No, it wasn’t even giving off any sense of threat to begin with.
“What’s this?”
A dark crimson magic circle appeared under both me and the Hellhound pup.
Just as I wondered what was happening—
“Hm?”
I felt something enter my body.
At the same time, a strange sense of connection surged within me.
It was as if an invisible thread had linked me to the black puppy.
“…Did you feel that too?”
I looked down at the young Hellhound.
It seemed to sense something as well—unlike before, it had frozen in place.
Then, a moment later, the small puppy began rubbing its face against my leg again.
“Woof woof! Woof!”
Its eyes looked far friendlier than before, and it somehow felt more affectionate.
“Looks like you felt it too, huh?”
The magic circle beneath us had already vanished.
But I could still feel the connection between me and the young Hellhound.
On top of that, I felt a faint strength flowing into me from it.
“Let’s get along from now on.”
I stroked the puppy’s head, and it barked happily a few more times.
I let out a small laugh and stood up.
‘Time to leave. Once I captured the Hellhound’s soul, the exit should’ve…’
I looked toward the staircase I had used to descend underground.
If I went up now, the path leading back to the surface should be open.
And the moment I left through that exit, this underground space would disappear forever.
“Let’s go.”
I picked up the black puppy and held it in my arms.
It didn’t resist and simply nestled comfortably against me.
Just as I was about to leave with my newly acquired pet—
[Protect it.]
A short voice echoed inside my head.
“Huh?”
It was in human language, but somehow, it didn’t feel like it came from a human.
It felt… like this must be what it was like when an animal spoke human language.
“Woof?”
When I stopped walking, the young Hellhound looked up at me.
I patted its head, then turned toward the spot where the magic circle had appeared earlier.
No, where the mother Hellhound’s soul had vanished.
“Yeah, I’ll make sure to protect it.”
After saying that one line,
I ascended to the surface with the young Hellhound.
After returning to the dormitory with the little puppy,
I collapsed right onto the bed.
‘Fighting for your life is really exhausting.’
Because of the tension, I felt more drained than usual.
Well, that was something I’d have to get used to anyway…
“…Now, what should I do with you?”
“Woof?”
The young Hellhound curiously roamed around the dorm room with the purest expression imaginable.
It wasn’t just walking—it was practically running everywhere.
“You sure are full of energy.”
I chuckled softly at the sight.
With that much energy already, it was bound to have overflowing stamina when it grew up.
‘But when it reaches adulthood, will I even be able to keep it here?’
I glanced around my dorm room.
It was quite spacious for a single-person room, but still too small for a Hellhound that would grow to the size of a cow.
‘If I remember right, the lore said pet Hellhounds can be stored inside shadows or something like that… so it should be manageable somehow.’
Besides, it would take at least a few years for it to reach that size.
I’d probably graduate from the Academy before it became fully grown.
“By the time I’m a third-year, you’ll probably be about as big as a large dog, huh?”
I stood up and approached the puppy that was trotting around the room.
As soon as it saw me, the black puppy rushed over and rubbed its face against my leg.
“I’ll raise you well. You growing strong will help boost my stats, after all.”
I mumbled as I patted the young Hellhound’s head.
If I raised it properly, it would be well worth the effort.
Not only would it boost my stats, but it could also serve as a useful support companion in battle.
“…Anyway, I should probably give you a name soon. I can’t keep calling you ‘Hellhound’ or ‘puppy’ forever.”
A name…
It was harder than I thought.
Even before I transmigrated into this game, I hadn’t been particularly close to animals.
I’d never even owned a pet before, so I had no clue what to name it—or how to raise it properly.
Still, they said well begun is half done, so I decided to start with giving it a name.
“What kind of name would suit you?”
The young Hellhound ran into my arms and began licking my face.
Looking at the black puppy, I mulled over several possible names.
“Kkamdori? Baduki? Hmm… too old-fashioned?”
Nothing really felt right.
Preferably, something related to being a black dog would be nice…
“Hmm? Wait, if it’s a black dog…”
Suddenly, I remembered a fantasy novel I’d read long ago.
There was a character in it who could transform into a black dog.
“Hmm… Padfoot? No, that sounds weird… Sirius? No, that’s too long… Liu, Us, Siri, Sis?”
“Whine…”
“You don’t like Sis? How about Us?”
“Grrr―”
“Guess not. Then… Siri?”
“Woof! Woof woof woof!”
The young Hellhound barked excitedly, as if it loved the sound of it.
I let out a small laugh and nodded.
“Alright then, from now on, your name is Siri. You like it?”
“Woof woof!”
“Good. I’ll be counting on you, Siri.”
“Woof!”
“Hey, quit it—stop licking my face already.”
I finally managed to pull the Hellhound—no, Siri—away from me.
Still, as expected of a Hellhound, it had impressive strength for its size.
“Alright, that’s enough. Sit, sit. Good. Now, you’re probably hungry, right? I’m hungry too, so wait here for a bit. I’ll grab us something to eat.”
“Woof!”
Whether it actually understood me or not, Siri wagged its tail happily and barked.
After patting its head once more, I stepped outside the dorm.
‘Come to think of it, are there any dorm rules about keeping pets? I don’t remember seeing anything like that…’
Thinking about Siri, I stopped by a café inside the Academy to get some food mainly meat-heavy dishes.
Hellhounds were carnivorous by nature, after all.
I was wondering how to feed Siri the meat as I returned to my room, but then…
“…Ha.”
“Woof?”
“…You little—damn it.”
My bag was torn apart, and the textbooks inside were shredded.
Somehow, Siri had climbed onto the bed—muddy pawprints covered the blankets, and the pillow was ripped open, feathers scattered all over the room.
Many other things were broken too… basically, my room was a complete disaster.
And the culprit behind it all was—
“Woof? Woof woof! Woof woof woof!”
Sitting in front of me, tail wagging, looking up with those pure, innocent eyes— or rather, eyes filled with expectation for the food I was holding.
“Haaah… Alright, you’re still just a baby. Let’s do our best, Siri.”
For some reason, I had a feeling my Academy life was about to get a lot more dynamic.