Ludwig was standing in the middle of the dungeon chamber, catching his breath needlessly after the intense battle with the Werebats, when he suddenly sensed movement behind him. He turned around quickly to see where the noise was coming from, and what he saw would make a man’s blood turn cold. A pack of those strange black wolves with obsidian-colored fur had managed to climb their way into the spire through the various massive holes and cracks high up in the spire walls. The creatures were now leaping down from their perches, landing gracefully on the stone floor of the cleared dungeon area. As they moved toward Ludwig with clear hostile intent, their mouths hung open, dripping thick strands of saliva, while deep growls rumbled from their throats – the kind of terrifying sounds that would make any normal person’s hair stand on end.
At the same time, the group of monsters that had been gathered outside the dungeon entrance also seemed to notice Ludwig’s presence. Their heads all turned in unison toward him, their glowing eyes focusing intently on their new target. With two groups of enemies surrounding him, Ludwig felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
[Inspect]
Lesser Hell Hound
Level 65
Danger Level: Normal
HP: 30,000
Damage 1100-1200
Tier: Common
Status effect: [Gibbus Moon Infusion]
Skills:
[Tear Away] – This ability allows the Lesser Hell Hound to use its powerful jaws to rip through both flesh and armor with equal ease. The unique spiral-shaped teeth rotate slightly when biting down, creating a drilling motion that lets them penetrate through protective gear much more effectively than normal teeth could.
[Hounding Glory] – While individual Lesser Hell Hounds aren’t particularly strong, they become much more dangerous when hunting together. For every additional Hell Hound within a 100 meter radius, each one gets a 1% increase to its damage output.
[Fixation] – Once these creatures have identified their prey, they become utterly relentless in pursuit. Their mere presence within 50 meters causes a significant decrease (30%) in their target’s stamina regeneration. (Ineffective)
Lore:
These creatures are mutated, weaker versions of true Hell Hounds, and are even less powerful than their progenitor, the three-headed Cerberus. Despite being lower in the hierarchy, they remain extremely dangerous due to their single-minded determination when hunting. They will pursue their chosen prey across any distance, through any terrain, for as long as it takes to complete their kill. Their ability to work together in packs and learn from each hunting experience makes them progressively more dangerous with each encounter.
***
When Ludwig examined the information about these creatures, he noticed their health points were relatively low compared to other monsters he’d faced. This gave him some semblance of ease, though he wasn’t about to relax and think all is well and dandy
Without hesitation, he drew his Shard of Durnadal from its sheath. Instead of trying to make a break for the open area outside where he would be completely surrounded, he decided to take the offensive against the group of hounds inside the dungeon with him.
What followed was a brutal display of combat prowess as Ludwig swung his sword with incredible force against the attacking hounds. Each powerful strike sliced cleanly through the creatures’ bodies, breaking bones and severing limbs with terrifying efficiency. The sharp blade cut through their dark fur and tough hide as if they were made of paper rather than flesh and bone.
One particularly aggressive hound tried to attack Ludwig by leaping at him with its jaws opened wide, aiming directly for his head in an attempt to take it clean off his shoulders. But Ludwig was faster – his free hand shot up and grabbed the creature firmly by its neck mid-air. The hound thrashed violently in his grip, its terrifying spiral teeth gnashing just inches from Ludwig’s face as it desperately tried to complete its attack. With a powerful motion, Ludwig slammed the creature down onto the hard stone floor and immediately followed up by driving his sword straight through its head, killing it instantly.
[You have slain a Lesser Hell Hound]
As Ludwig turned his attention to the remaining two hounds that were now cautiously circling him, he noticed something strange about the one he had just killed. Normally when he killed living creatures, there was a certain feeling to it – a physical sensation of life leaving the body, the sight of blood, the smell of death. But this time, that familiar feeling was completely absent. There was no doubt his sword had pierced the creature – he could see it clearly, and the system notification confirmed the kill. But when he looked more closely at the corpse, he realized with growing unease that there was no blood pooling beneath it, no visible wounds bleeding, nothing at all that would indicate it had ever been alive in the first place.
Before he could process this strange observation further, the dead hound’s body suddenly began dissolving into thick black smoke. The smoke didn’t disperse randomly into the air, but instead seemed to be deliberately drawn upward, streaming toward the ominous Gibbus Moon that hung in the sky outside. The entire corpse was absorbed in this manner, leaving no trace behind except the memory of its existence.
“This is creepy,” Ludwig muttered under his breath. But he didn’t have time to dwell on this disturbing phenomenon because the two remaining hounds chose that moment to launch their coordinated attack. The first one lunged at him with surprising speed, but Ludwig managed to sidestep just in time. As the creature flew past him, Ludwig swiftly threw out his chain, which wrapped around the hound’s hind leg. With a powerful yank, he pulled the creature back toward him while it was still in mid-air, and as it came within range, he drove his sword straight through its chest. Not content with just wounding it, Ludwig then forcefully stabbed his sword downward, pinning the impaled hound to the stone floor where it twitched briefly before going still.
[You have slain a Lesser Hell Hound]
The second hound attacked at almost the same moment, leaping at Ludwig with its bizarre sideways jaws opened to their full extent, clearly aiming to take a massive bite out of him. Ludwig reacted by letting go of his sword and using both hands to grab the attacking hound’s jaws. His undead muscles strained as he forced the creature’s mouth open even wider than it could naturally go. The hound whimpered in pain and confusion as it found itself completely overpowered. Then Ludwig activated [Limit Breaker], causing his muscles to bulge and tighten even further beyond their normal undead capabilities. He gave one final tremendous wrenching pull that tore the hound’s jaw completely off its face, taking with it a substantial portion of flesh and skin from its muzzle.
[You have slain a Lesser Hell Hound]
Just like the first one, both of these slain hounds also dissolved into that same strange black smoke which was then drawn up toward the Gibbus Moon. Ludwig watched this happen with growing frustration as he realized an important tactical disadvantage this created.
“Damn, I can’t even use their bodies as undead,” Ludwig said aloud, scowling at the disappearing corpses. After all, they were no corpses for him to bind to Necros. He turned his attention back to the entrance of the spire, where more and more monsters were gathering, preparing to push their way inside.
Ludwig’s mind raced as he tried to think of a way out of this increasingly dire situation. He needed a plan, and he needed one quickly, before the enemy numbers became completely unmanageable. As he glanced around the chamber, his eyes fell upon the numerous dead Werebat corpses that still littered the ground from the earlier battle. An idea began to form in his mind – after all, a necromancer should never waste a usable corpse.
Without wasting another moment, Ludwig slammed his palm down onto the bloodstained floor and poured a great portion of his mana into the ground beneath him.
“Rise Undead!” he commanded in a deep voice that echoed through the chamber.
As the words left his lips, intricate patterns of necrotic energy began spreading outward from his hand in all directions. These glowing violet and dark sigils snaked their way across the floor, connecting with each of the fallen Werebat corpses in turn.
The magic took hold quickly, infusing the dead creatures with a terrible new form of unnatural life. A curse that denied the peace of true death and forced the bodies to rise again, animated by dark power rather than their original life force. One by one, the Werebats began to stir, their previously dull red eyes now glowing with an eerie azure blue light that signaled their new allegiance to the powers of Necros.
[You have summoned 31 Werebats!]
Ludwig surveyed his newly raised undead minions as they stood at attention around him, waiting for his orders. It wasn’t a huge army by any means, but it would have to be enough for what he needed right now.
“Good enough,” he muttered to himself before addressing the undead creatures directly.
“Block them from getting in,” he commanded, pointing toward the spire’s entrance where the enemy forces were massing.
The undead Werebats immediately moved to obey, shuffling and flapping their way to form a living -or rather, undead- barricade at the narrow entrance. Their purpose was simple – hold the line long enough for Ludwig to figure out a more permanent solution to his predicament. As they took up their positions, Ludwig could already see the first waves of enemies beginning to test their defenses.