The Black Dogs

Four days later, during the evening, wolverine howls could be heard at night. They had started to appear.

◇◇◇

Fifth day, time of lessons.

"Before we begin the lesson, I want to warn everyone. First, have you heard the howls last night?" I asked as I looked at the students.

"Yeah! That was reaally creepy for some reason. What was that anyway? Do you know, Lancell?" Rayle asked. I looked at the others, their face was practically asking the same question.

"Those were Black Dog howls. Be careful. From now on, we'll be staying in the same house for about two months. The Black Dogs are nightmare during night."

"Black Dogs? Is that another new variant?" Asked Shin.

"Yeah. They're new, and for the next 20 years, new monsters will keep appearing. Each one stronger than the last. Even if it ends, I doubt a lot of humans around the continent would survive." I answered, and it made them all involuntarily gasp.

Sally was the first to speak. "T-Then..."

"Yes. Everything that you encountered from the last month and the ones in the next five years are just the small fries." I warned. They all gasped again, but this time their faces were devoid of colour. However, Lina asked.

"Lancell...How do you know all this?" It seems she was realizing there was more to me than she expected.

"Not telling." I denied her the answer.

"However, it would be wise to seriously get stronger from now on. If you don't want to die that is." I then added.

They all went silent, but they were all clenching their fist. And so, I knew, that from now on, their resolve to get stronger would be the real deal.

◇◇◇

After finishing the lessons for today, I returned to my courtyard as I practiced my Secret Techniques. If I were to list my current abilities, it would be as follows:

Level: 66th of the First Step.

Secret Techniques:

• Void Step: Level 2

• Void Sensitivity: Level 3

• Severing Slash: Level 5

• Void Wind Guidance: Level 2

Other power boosters:

• Arkenvalle: Level 3 (25% Passive Overall Boost. Doubles when Summoned)

My Void Step had increased in a level, further increasing the traversed distance into 5 meters, Void Sensitivity increased another level reducing the strain it brought into my mind, Void Wind Guidance also increased a level, allowing me to increase my speed by 3 times its usual.

The Severing Blade reached level 5, but I doubt it would be of much used as I was still a bit weak. However, intuition tells me that once I reach the Second Step, the Severing Blade would be my greatest trump card.

After a few hours of practice, I sat on the ground, cross legged as I absorbed ambient mana in order to recover. The warm up was done, it was sunset now, and the group should be finished transferring their belongings by now.

I guess I should join them for now.

And so, I traversed the streets once more as I went into the local lord's abandoned mansion.

◇◇◇

"Lancell, will out belongings really be fine?" Siri asked. It seems she was worried about something in her belongings.

"Don't worry. The Black Dogs don't go after belongings. They aren't even as smart as a regular Troll, they just have good instincts." I reassured her. It seemed effective as she heaved a sigh. I then reminded everyone.

"Alright, don't wait for the howls and just stay near the fireplace. Also, keep the fire going for the entire night. I won't be accompanying you, I have something to do tonight." I told them. However, Rayle's eyes lit up as he opened his mouth, but before he could speak, I spoke first.

"No."

"But why?! You're gonna fight right?! Take me with you!"

"I don't take baggages." Saying that, I left.

◇◇◇

HOOOWWLLLL!!!!

I walked outside the gate as howls would occasionally echo around the surrounding. If any unsuspecting person heard it, they would have just dismissed it as a wolf's how, but this one was different...

WHOOOSH!! SLASH!

The moment I heard the sound of something moving at fast speed, I instinctively materialized Arkenvalle in my hand as I slashed to where my instinct guided me. The next instant, a feeling of my sword ripping through flesh crawled into my hands as I knew I had cut something into two.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Multiple sounds of high speed movements entered my ears again, but I was ready this time. With my reflexes enhanced by my Levels, I avoided the claws that reached for my vitals as I then cut off the wide open creatures.

SLASH! SLASH!

I instantly bisected two of them, but more were coming.

I evaded another claw as I slashed again. It was the same thing over and over again. Their instincts were telling them to devour me, and they didn't even have the intellect to figure out who was stronger among us. Another reason why they were wiped out in mere two months.

I slashed at another spot as I knew I bisected yet another one of them. By this time, I had already killed about 2 dozens of them, but more kept coming. And so I kept slashing as I evaded their attacks with my superior speed as I was boosted by Void Wind Guidance. I occasionally received some attacks, but they were attacks I chose to receive rather than evade as reducing their number was higher priority than dodging.

I kept slashing, and slashing, and slashing, and slashing...

And when morning came, I my students found me outside the gate, standing on literal hill of corpses.

◇ Third Person POV ◇

"Is Lancell still sleeping?" Siri asked Lina. It had been a full day ever since that bloody massacre, and Lancell, who was found unconscious while standing on the hill of Black Dog's corpses, had been sleeping ever since.

"It looks like it. He's probably just tired." Lina answered. No one knows what exactly happened to Lancell, and why he did it, but everyone in their group knew just how desperate Lancell was for strength.

Because of that reason, they collected all the magic cores from the corpses which all amounted to 137 thumb-sized magic cores.

"I hope so. I don't think we could survive yet without his support." Said Siri. It was true. Although they could manipulate their mana now, they couldn't properly utilize it in combat as the tension and quick pace made it harder to control mana. Although Ludivine had already started cultivating and had reached Level 2, and was able to use the Fireball spell, they couldn't rely on a kid forever as they had to grow stronger.

Siri and Lina were both at loss over what to do as they could only wait for Lancell to wake up.

◇◇◇

Morning. During the usual time of their lessons, the group gathered as they thought over what to do.

Lancell was unconscious, and they had to hunt for themselves for now. However, they weren't confident on succeeding without Lancell's help.

They had been too reliant on Lancell, and they knew it themselves, that was why they gathered, in order to discuss whatever to do while Lancell was still unconscious.

"Then? What do we do now?" It was Sally. She was always the one to start the conversation, but it was mostly done in a terrible manner.

"Good question, actually. Isn't that why we gathered her?" It was Siri. She seems still contemplating on what to do. Rayle raised his hand as he said.

"Oh! Oh! Me! How about letting me—"

"No." Before Rayle could even finish, Siri cut him off and denied his idea.

"Oh come on! Just this once!"

"No means no, Rayle." Siri rejected. Rayle may have honest desire to gets stronger, but he did it in a self destructive manner. He always got injured during hunts, and would charge first head on in any sign of enemies.

"So we were relying on Lancell too much, huh?" It was Argos who spoke.

"Mm. Honestly...it's frustrating...being weak..." Shin commented.

"However, the question is what do we do now?" Asked Lina.

"I actually don't have any idea. We don't know what's outside, and Lancell warned us not to go out without permission." Stated Siri. The entire discussion was at an impasse.

"T-Then...How about training?" This time, Ludivine suggested. She then added. "I-I mean...it's all we can do...and what Lancell...wants us to do..."

Everyone sighed at what Ludivine said. And they couldn't deny it. They were useless other than basic chores. And they couldn't even hunt their own food. So all they could do right now was train.

And so, they trained.

◇◇◇

The following day, Lancell had yet to wake up, and Lina was on her way to see Lancell's bed to see any changes. However, as she opened a door, what she saw gave her a fright. She dropped the basin of water she was holding, and then screamed...

"Ah...AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

The mansion was filled with the sound of her scream as the rest of the group hurried over to see what was happening.

"Lina! What happened?!" It was Siri who arrived first, followed by Sally.

"I heard you scream Lina! Did something happen to Lancell?!" Sally asked in panic.

Lina was behind the door that she had closed, and she stuttered her words when she spoke. "L-Lancell is...H-He's..."

Siri thought that Lancell was in danger, so she shoved Lina aside and opened the door, and then saw Lancell still sleeping...

...But there was a young girl sleeping beside him.

The girl had the same blond coloured hair as Lancell, and her flawless smooth skin was reminiscent of pure white snow, as her one piece white dress reached her knees. Her long eyelashes, delicate brows and pink lips combined with her perfectly symmetrical delicate facial structures formed a beauty that could only be described as perfect.

"H-Huh?" Siri let out an idiotic sound in confusion. She looked at Lina for details, but Lina shook her head as if saying she doesn't know anything.

Sally then peeked at the door to see what exactly was happening, but was stunned at the perfectly beautiful girl that looked like she was 15 years old.

It would seem that the commotion woke the girl up as her eyelids twitched, and she soon opened her eyes, bringing the tension to max.

"U-Umm...Who ar—"

"Lancelot is mine." Lina wanted to ask about the girl's identity, but the girl suddenly declared as she hugged the sleeping Lancell.

"I heard a scream! Everything alright?" Asked Argos the moment he arrived, but when he saw an incredibly beautiful girl hugging Lancell, he was shocked into a daze as he then looked at Lina for details.

Soon, the rest of the group arrived together, and wanted to ask what happened, but when they also saw the girl, they were shocked by imaginary lightning as they looked at Lina in unison, asking for details.

Lina wanted to cry as tears formed in her eyes, but at this moment, they heard a faint groan as a familiar voice entered their ears.

"...Nnngh...Ugh...Huh?...Where am I..."

The girl looked at Lancell very closely to the point their faces almost touched as she then spoke. "Good morning, Lancelot."

Lancell had woken up.