Suddenly, Lazry's eyes widened.
The air inside the tunnel changed. It was faint at first, like a pulse deep beneath the stone, but within moments, it became something violent—alive. The walls shuddered.
Dust trickled from the cracks above. The torches flickered, shadows dancing wildly across the walls. Lazry's breath caught in his throat. "Damn it, I told you we should've left already!"
He turned to the others, his voice cutting through the growing rumble. "Let's go!"
No one argued. Winston, the old butler, grabbed the trembling lantern. Ren clutched his arm, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow. Jaro scooped up his slime spirit, Pip's wisp shimmered uneasily beside him, and Tomas clung to the leash of his old, ghostly dog spirit as though it could somehow protect them.
They all turned, ready to bolt.
But before they could take a single step, an invisible pressure hit them.
It wasn't wind. It wasn't sound. It was something invisible crushing them. Lazry's knees buckled. His chest felt tight, his lungs refusing to expand. He heard Ren gasp beside him, and heard the tiny squeak of Jaro's slime compressing under the unseen force.
"W-what is this?" Winston's voice was trembling, so unlike his usual calm. "Young master, I… I can't move."
Neither could Lazry. He tried to lift his arm, tried to will his legs to move, but they refused. His mole spirit beside him—usually fearless—had its fur puffed up and eyes wide, burrowing into the ground but getting nowhere. Pip's wisp flickered erratically, its light dimming to a weak shimmer.
Ren whispered, "It's coming from ahead… something's there."
And then, there it was.
At first, it was just darkness moving in darkness—a subtle change in the air. Then soon, two glints appeared. Then four. Then six. Eyes. Small, unblinking, faintly glowing.
They all stared, every nerve screaming for them to run, but they couldn't. The trembling of the tunnel deepened. Stones fell. The pressure pulsed again, heavier, thicker, until Tomas whimpered, clutching his chest.
Then, from the depths, the creature emerged.
However, it wasn't the hulking horror they expected. It was… tiny.
A dog.
A black, petite-looking dog no taller than Lazry's knee, its head absurdly large compared to its little body. Six eyes blinked in perfect sync, glowing faintly blue. Its paws were small, almost delicate, but its presence felt heavier than any monster they had ever faced.
For a long, stunned second, no one spoke. Then Jaro blurted, "That's… that's it??"
Silence. And then the tension cracked like glass.
Ren burst into laughter, nervous and shaky. "You've got to be kidding me. That tiny thing? I thought we were about to die!"
Even Winston, usually so composed, let out a short, wheezing chuckle. "I admit, I've never felt fear from something so… cute."
"Cute?" Jaro grinned, squatting slightly. "It's adorable! Look at that big head! And those eyes!"
Pip's wisp circled the dog curiously, flickering brighter as it did. The mole spirit cautiously sniffed the air, while Tomas's old ghost dog wagged its tail once, as if acknowledging kinship.
Lazry tried to relax, though his instincts screamed otherwise. "It's just a pup," he muttered. "Maybe we scared it."
The little dog tilted its head, almost confused, then took a few slow steps toward them. Its claws made the faintest click on the stone floor.
Ren crouched slightly, smiling. "Hey there, little guy. You lost?"
But then—the ground shook again. Harder this time. The tremor rolled through the tunnel like thunder. Dust filled the air.
From behind the small dog, the shadows exploded.
Shapes began crawling out of the darkness—things with no form, no face, no bones. Writhing masses of black and grey mist, slithering and dragging themselves forward, their movements wet and wrong. There were dozens, then hundreds, filling the tunnel behind the little creature.
"What… what the hell are those?" Jaro's voice cracked.
The small black dog stopped walking. It turned its head back toward the horrors behind it. Its six eyes narrowed. Then it gave a sharp, irritated bark.
"Bark!"
The monsters froze for a heartbeat. They didn't listen. Then they moved again.
The dog looked displeased. It gave another bark—louder, angrier.
Still, they kept coming.
The dog's fur bristled. Its tiny body trembled. Then, without warning, it opened its mouth.
The size of its head didn't change. Its jaw didn't stretch or deform. But light—pure, searing white light—exploded from within its mouth like the birth of a star.
"Cover your eyes!" Winston shouted, but it was too late.
The beam tore through the air with a sound like thunder being ripped apart. The tunnel filled with blinding white. A shockwave hit them, slamming against their bodies. Turning the air, hot, then cold, then silent.
When the dust cleared, the tunnel behind the dog no longer existed. It was gone—just a hollow stretch of melted rock, smoke rising from glowing embers.
The monsters?
Gone…
Everyone stood frozen. Even the spirits were silent.
Ren's lips trembled. "What… what was that?"
Lazry's mind was blank. The small dog, that ridiculous little creature, had just obliterated everything behind it. He couldn't even sense any curse energy remaining from the monsters—it was like they'd been erased.
The dog turned back toward them. Its eyes glowed faintly as it padded closer, one step at a time.
"Don't move," Winston whispered. "No sudden movement."
But they couldn't have moved even if they tried. They could feel the air change and became thick again, but this time it wasn't crushing—it was commanding.
Suddenly, the little dog stopped right in front of Lazry. It looked up at him. Its six eyes blinked once, then twice. Then it barked softly. Once. Twice. Then it sat down like a good boy, wagging its tail.
Lazry stared, heart pounding. His mind was screaming for an explanation. Then, suddenly, a sound only he could hear echoed inside his head.
Ding!
The host has received the Devouring Beast: Blaster Void Dog!
A legendary curse spirit has acknowledged you as its master.
Please connect to complete the bond.
Lazry froze. His team was still staring at him, completely unaware of the screen floating in his vision.
"Lazry?" Ren whispered. "Why… why is it sitting in front of you?"
He didn't answer. Slowly, he raised his hand.
"Don't!" Winston hissed. "Young master, we don't know what it'll do!"
But Lazry didn't listen to him at all. This is his reward. He extended his hand until his fingers were inches from the dog's head. The creature leaned forward, and instead of biting, it gently pressed its warm forehead against his palm.
Immediately, they were blinded by a flash of light. They closed their eyes. And when they all opened their eyes back.
It was gone.
Everyone stared at the empty spot where the creature had been.
"Did… did it just disappear?" Jaro whispered.
Ren took a shaky step forward. "Yeah."
Winston exhaled shakily, wiping his sweat. He knew what it meant. "Young master… congratulations. It seems the curse beast has acknowledged you."
The others quickly followed. "Congratulations, young master!" they said together, voices trembling with awe.
Lazry gave a small smirk, though his heart was still racing. "What? You thought I couldn't do it? Why do you think I brought all of you here?"
Even though he spoke confidently, inside, he felt something strange—a deep, pulsating warmth below him—his little brother. Is this his connection to the legendary dog reward? Could be.
"Let's go," he said at last, turning away from the destruction. "We've stayed too long. I don't want to know what else lives in this place."
"Yes, young master!"
They hurried back through the tunnel's door. None of them spoke again.
…
Far deeper in the cave, beyond the ruined stone, something was disturbed. A figure, half-shadow and half-flesh, opened glowing red eyes. Its voice rumbled low, furious and in disbelief.
"He… took it. He stole Yawoch."
Suddenly, the figure's laughter echoed through the empty void—low at first, then rising, until it shook the cavern. "My legendary beast… taken! After centuries of effort wasted to tame that thing, it was just taken by someone else like that?!!"
It slammed a fist into the wall, cracking it. "Just a few months, just when I was about to awaken, that brat… that insignificant human… took Yawoch from me!"
Then, somehow, it changed its tone. It sounded amused and also interested. "But it only means the prophecy was right. I thought all the humans I absorbed were disappointments, but it seems there's more… someone who could take my pet forcefully from me. Just like in the prophecy, this era truly surpasses the one I'm from… this era where the gates of the Curse world would open one by one…"
It tilted its head, smiling faintly in the dark. Its eyes narrowed, a grin spreading wide across its shadowy face.
"Enjoy your time with my dog, boy, because we are surely going to meet… Even if you're not the only one special, you're the first one I'll seek!"