Our protagonists head towards the wolves' den, walking a couple of kilometers outside the city, crossing plains and venturing into an almost dry forest. Dante removes his horns to be more comfortable and begins to talk.
DANTE HERALDI: Rex, why did you choose the wolf mission? It's so far away, and do you think we can beat them?
REX: Well, this mission pays the most at our current rank; it'll get us ranked up faster so we can leave the city much sooner, so we'll have to take a bit of a risk.
DANTE HERALDI: Okay, but do you think we can handle those wolves? According to the poster, they're gigantic. How big are they?
REX: Don't worry, the two of us can take them on. Since this is the most dangerous mission at our rank, it pays well, and you, according to my calculations, are already stronger than those wolves.
DANTE HERALDI: Well, if you say so, what the reward for this mission?
REX: Let me check. (Taking the paper from Dante's waistband.) Look, it's two gold coins and a red crystal. This is good. Those crystals will increase our strength faster; it's worth the risk.
DANTE HERALDI: Well, I hope it's easy.
Our friends are on high alert when they hear a chilling howl. Reaching some cliffs, they decide to enter from below; it's a very narrow area. Once they've crossed the cliff, they go on high alert.
DANTE HERALDI: Hmm, I feel something strange. I have a bad feeling, Rex.
REX: I smell something approaching.
Then, as they advanced up a small hill, they froze in their tracks when two wolves, one white and the other black, about 13 feet tall, appeared out of nowhere, staring down at them and growling. The two wolves stared intently into their eyes, as if waiting for the slightest movement; they began to sweat profusely when, suddenly, one of the wolves let out a bloodcurdling growl, forcing them both back. Rex, in a swift motion, screamed.
REX: Wake up, DANTE! I'll be up in these trees; move, quick!
DANTE HERALDI: What? How? Oh... sorry (he was scared). Thanks for snapping me out of it (he puts on a serious face). Now you'll see, you damned wolves.
Suddenly, the white wolf lunges at DANTE, opening its mouth and trying to bite him. DANTE notices this and barely manages to jump to dodge. The black wolf jumps too, but DANTE manages to kick it in the mouth, knocking it away and propelling himself back to create some distance from the wolves.
DANTE HERALDI: (in his mind) Now I realize I can face them, since it seems my strength has increased thanks to the heart I ate and the monsters I've defeated along the way. It's time to get serious with them.
Dante draws his sword and prepares to fight the wolves; meanwhile, the wolves stare intently at him, gauging his distance. They seem to recognize him as a threat. Slowly walking toward Dante, zigzagging between them, they both lunge.
Dante makes a swift movement and charges at the white wolf, forcing it back. The black wolf seizes the opportunity to swipe at him. Dante manages to block it with his sword, but is thrown several meters, crashing into a tree, destroying it, and falling to the ground badly wounded. The wolves quickly move toward him. Dante gets up quickly and thinks his end is near, when suddenly Rex lands on the black wolf's back, biting it with tremendous force, surprising the white wolf and stopping it in its tracks.
Dante seizes this opportunity; running swiftly and with brutal strength, he manages to sever one of the black wolf's legs. The white wolf then attacks Dante, who leaps swiftly to dodge. The black wolf shakes itself off and manages to knock Rex off its back, slamming him against a tree. Seeing its severed leg, it looks around for Dante, but he's already in mid-air. Dante regains his balance in the air and lunges at the black wolf, cutting off its head with a swift and powerful slash.
The furious white wolf unleashes a kind of energy blast from its mouth that strikes Dante. The poor Dante is sent flying a few feet, bouncing and landing on the ground before finally hitting a rock. Bloodied and struggling to his feet, Dante is met with the white wolf charging forward to finish him off. Dante waits, struggling to his feet, as the wolf opens its mouth to devour him. At the last second, Dante ducks, causing the wolf to bite the rock behind him.
The wolf injures its snout slightly and quickly looks down at Dante, when suddenly it feels a pain in its hind leg. It's Rex; Rex has bitten its hind leg. The wolf forcefully kicks Rex off and turns to look at Dante, but Dante is no longer beneath him; he's standing on the wolf's back and, with all his strength, slashes downward, tearing off half of the white wolf's head. Killing the wolf, Dante falls to the ground; already badly wounded, Rex, also badly wounded, approaches him, wagging his tail. They look at each other, somewhat serious, and speak at the same time.
DANTE HERALDO: WE WON! (smiling)
REX: WE WON! (wagging his tail)
Dante gets up from the ground, dusting himself off and staggering in pain, and they proceed to loot the wolves' bodies, starting with the white one that was closest. Rex gives Dante instructions on how to dismember the wolf, managing to extract its heart, which Rex tells him to eat to gain more power.
DANTE HERALDO: Are you sure about this, Rex? It kind of grosses me out.
REX: Of course, just look how strong you got with the other heart (wagging his tail).
DANTE HERALDO: Well (proceeds to eat the heart). Ugh, it tastes awful, yuck. Well, I feel something inside. Wait, ahh.
Dante writhes in pain on the floor, his wounds and broken bones healing, not immediately, but they are healing, and after a while of agony, Dante gets up as good as new.
DANTE HERALDI: What happened? I felt an incredible burning sensation, but now I'm as good as new.
REX: It seems you've gained another ability, perhaps the regeneration of a wolf. From what I can see, it's not fast, but it helps a lot; we no longer have to wait until the next day to heal. So, I'll eat the other heart, no problem, right?
DANTE HERALDI: Hmm, well, you've proven to be a great help, which is why you've earned my trust, so yes, eat it. I'll need some very strong allies to escape this place.
REX: (almost shedding a tear) Ally? You really consider me your ally?
DANTE HERALDI: Don't make me change my mind, REX. Hurry up and eat that heart.
REX: Of course, DANTE. (wagging his tail)
Time passes, and after dismounting the wolves, our friends find themselves camped in the woods, as it's too late to return to the city. They light a campfire and begin chatting, sitting on an old, dry log.
REX: Um, Dante, I don't know you well, but it seems you're hiding some sadness. Could you tell me your story? Of course, if you want.
DANTE HERALDI: Rex, it's not that it seems that way; I am sad, but life itself taught me that I'm a man and I have to bear it.
REX: Hahaha, if that's what life taught you, well, I, a dog, was taught that I shouldn't trust humans, but I know there are good and bad ones; that's why I try to change what I was and not just follow the so-called morality that's been predetermined for so long. Just because you're a man doesn't mean you don't have feelings.
DANTE HERALDI: Perhaps you're right, but the fact is, I don't feel comfortable talking about my past. I'm fine with you here, kid; I'll just try to live in the present, for now. I hope we have time to escape and reach that place I long for.
REX: I know you want to go back; as far as I know, a thousand years here is a day on the Earth plane, so there's plenty of time. Well, let's try to get some sleep; I'll take the watch first, okay?
DANTE HERALDI: Alright, this land is a bit confusing, around here, I think everything is bigger than normal. Take good care, yes, good night.
DANTE lies down on the ground, covering himself with the fur of the wolf they had skinned, and REX gets on top of a rock, looking around. The night passes, and day arrives. DANTE wakes up, seeing that he hasn't been woken for his watch; he looks for REX, finding him sleeping on the rock, legs up.
DANTE HERALDI: What the hell, how come nobody attacked us? It's a miracle we're alive. HEY, REX, WAKE UP!
REX: What; when; where? I'm awake, I was just resting my eyes. (Yawns) It's your turn to watch over things.
DANTE HERALDI: (annoyed) Crazy dog, have you noticed yet? It's already daytime. God, I don't know if I can trust you, you damn dog.
REX: Sorry, maybe I'm wrong; to err is human, isn't it? Hehe (wagging his tail).
DANTE HERALDI: Or maybe you're right, otherwise you'd be a damn dog. I'd buy that load of nonsense, you animal. Oh, God, well, I'm not going to get mad at you anymore. (Suddenly the ground starts to shake.) Hmph, what the heck?
REX: Look, I know you're annoyed, but…
DANTE HERALDI: Shut up, REX. Can you feel that?
REX: Wow, I didn't feel anything. (The ground shakes again.) Wait, I did feel that. What was that?
The two of them were bewildered, alert to everything, looking all around, when suddenly, from the side of a mountain, the head of a gigantic demon appeared. They stared at it, terrified and shocked; seeing such a tremendous creature, they hid behind some dry bushes, watching it pass by.
It was immense, approximately 10 meters tall, a monstrous being with a deformed body, the faces of suffering humans on its abdomen, sharp teeth, no lips, long hair covering its eyes, and wing-like bones on its back. Its hands were muscular, but torn as if its skin were peeling away. Our frightened friends simply hid, speaking in hushed tones.
DANTE HERALDI: (whispering) REX, what the hell is that? This is getting out of hand.
REX: (whispering) I've only seen this monster once the whole time I've been here; it's really tall, it won't pay any attention to us as long as we don't attack it.
DANTE HERALDI: (whispering) We have to wait for it to leave.
A couple of hours pass and the monster leaves; it was just walking around as if looking for something and then it was gone.
DANTE HERALDI: It's gone, God. I was terrified, I didn't think those kinds of demons existed, but oh well, we're in Hell after all.
REX: Good thing I'm not wearing underwear, because I peed myself (a little sad).
DANTE HERALDI: Okay, let's get out of here.
Our friends are heading back to the city. Along the way, they encounter some monsters and fight them. Dante notices he has enhanced speed and accidentally activates a power that allows him to move faster and greatly heightens his senses. After defeating the centaur-like monsters, they start chatting.
DANTE HERALDI: Rex, did you see what I did? I have a new ability; I activate a power that gives me speed and strength for a few seconds; I'll call it "Wolf Speed" (smiling).
REX: Wow, that sounds amazing. What ability will I have? I hope it's something like yours (wagging his tail).
DANTE HERALDI: Well, I hope it's very helpful. Let's hurry, it's getting late.
REX: Okay, let's go (jumping and wagging his tail).
After a while, they arrive in the city, covering their faces with their hoods and raising their horns to avoid being recognized.
DANTE HERALDI: Hey, Rex, this makes me realize we're lacking the power to keep progressing; maybe we should train more. By the way, doesn't it bother you to have those wings all the time?
REX: Actually, I like them, besides, I'm used to them now (wagging his tail).
DANTE HERALDI: Well, if you say so.
They quickly head to the guild to report their feat; the guild receptionist greets them.
DEMON HOSTESS: Hello, how are you, Mr. Paimon? How did your mission go?
DANTE HERALDI: Well, I can't complain; we killed both wolves and obtained their teeth and pelts as proof of victory. (Takes the items out of his satchel.) Here's the one from the white wolf and the one from the black wolf.
DEMON HOSTESS: (surprised) How wonderful that you defeated those wolves! I honestly didn't think you could do it; I underestimated you. (smiling at him) Here's your reward as agreed, and for this feat, you'll be promoted two ranks. Congratulations, you're now Rank E.
DANTE HERALDI: Thanks, hehe. It was a bit difficult, but we finally managed it. Actually, I have to report that we saw a gigantic demon near our hunting grounds.
DEMON HOSTESS: What? Explain it to me in detail.
DANTE explains everything he saw, describing the demon and its form, while the demon hostess remains startled by what he's saying.
DEMONIC HOSTESS: Thank you for the information; I'll have to let the guild leader know so they can send someone to investigate. We'll definitely give you a reward later. Thank you.
DANTE HERALDI: You're welcome, I'll be eagerly awaiting the reward, hehe. Let's go, Rex.
The two head to an inn nearby; they now have enough money to survive a couple more months in the city. They arrive at an inn, rent a room, and go to their rooms, starting to talk.
DANTE HERALDI: It was quite an adventure. I never thought that when I died I'd be here in this place. I'm lucky to have another chance, and I certainly never imagined that Hell would be like this.
REX: Yes, I could say the same; I'm glad everything turned out alright, even though I don't deserve it.
DANTE HERALDI: Well, Rex, the mistakes of the past are in the past; we must look to the future. I have to avenge my family, but it's not a goal.
REX: DANTE, don't get obsessed with revenge or anything like that; believe me, it won't get you anywhere.
DANTE HERALDI: Look at this, a dog giving me advice, haha. Well, REX, I appreciate it, but I know which path I'm on. Good night, REX.
REX: (sighs) Sleep well, DANTE.
The red night closes in beneath the inn, as our protagonists rest, their thoughts racing, awaiting the dawn.