[ Netherworld Flower, a super rare find in the Netherworld, contains the nether essence that is very important to Nether Beast. Good Luck finding it, and be careful if you find it, you might never know what lurks in the shadows.
Derek looked at the spooky description of the Nether Flower, then he looked at the desolate expanse of bones, cast in the shade of the orange sky. This place did not seem like a place that could produce a flower. Why did he ever think the mission was going to be easy?
He dismissed the system description, the mission could wait; he had more important things to do.
More mundane than important, but still, they were important.
He laid on the uncomfortable bone bed he had carved out. After shifting around and finding the right spot, he sank into dreamland.
He dreamt of mountains, potato chips, rivers of ice cream and and a large plate of baked chicken. Just as he was about to dig in, the Chicken began to vibrate, then it turned into a large yellow toad.
" Give me back my chicken...CROOAAKK, CROOOAAK " Before he could figure out what was happening, booming croaks filled the world, and the magical dreamland began to fade.
CROOAAK, CROAK!!
Derek's eyes opened instantly. The sharp, croaking alarm wasn't a surprise—it was expected. He'd clipped the Pocket Alarm Toad near his head before dozing off, fully prepared for an ambush during sleep.
"Three hours. That's all I got…" he muttered, voice low and hoarse.
He sat up with a controlled breath, body still sore but manageable. The bone-bed beneath him cracked faintly as he moved. Not the worst rest, all things considered.
He sighed and summoned Night Fang and the Null Thread Vest, he wondered how valiant he was looking right now if he had a mirror.
In the distance, he could see a group of Nether Hounds around, though they had yet to notice his presence; it was only a matter of time.
It was best to act now, plus he doubted he would get a good shelter like this one if he let them get too close and ended up destroying the place.
[ Title Dog Serial Killer Activated: All Stats boosted by 15 per cent]
The notification he had been waiting for rang in his ears. Immediately, he felt power gushing through his body.
" Boom ", he shot out like a cannonball, crossing the distance between him and the first Nether Hound in a second, molten liquid shot into the air, as a head rolled off.
Derek was surprised, his speed was crazy. Previously, he could not even achieve this with Fast Steps.
Was the 15 % increase secretly a 30 or 40% increase?
[ After 100, attributes experience a qualitative increase.] The system explained,
Derek narrowed his eyes. "Qualitative increase, huh?" He barely had time to process it before the other Nether Hounds turned, snarling.
There were six in total—sleek, monstrous things with sinewy muscles under translucent black skin, eyes like molten coals, and fangs that looked more bone than enamel. Each exhaled a pale mist that hissed as it touched the cracked ground. The closest two immediately lunged toward him, their jaws snapping mid-air.
But Derek was already moving.
Fast Steps activated.
His form blurred and reappeared behind one of the charging hounds. Without hesitation, he drove Night Fang into its back, the blade sliding through with ease. The beast let out a strangled yelp before collapsing, twitching.
Before the others could regroup, he activated Mana Echo. A faint pulse of energy followed his next swing, hitting another Nether Hound that had tried to flank him. The echo stunned the creature just long enough for him to cleave its skull in two.
Three down. Three more to go.
[ Current Kills: 57/4000 ]
Derek's eyes flicked to the horizon. In the far distance, shadows stirred. More Nether Hounds. Maybe a dozen. Maybe more.
"Well, shit."
[ Fun fact: Nether Hounds operate in nested packs. Kill one, and ten more RSVP. ]
He clicked his tongue.
" Thank you, system "
[ You're welcome, Protagonist Candidate. ]
Derek didn't respond to the system. He was too busy turning another Nether Hound into artistic chunks of gore. Night Fang hummed in his grip, thirsty for more. Its edge was slick with dark blood that steamed against the ever-cracked earth.
The sky above, still orange—always orange—mocked him with its constancy. He'd been here long enough to know his body ran on instinctual timers now, and every orange sunset felt like sleep o'clock.
Unfortunately, that didn't mean anything in the Netherworld. The only consistent bedtime story here was death.
"Okay, nap time's officially cancelled," he muttered, ducking under a lunging hound. He rolled sideways, let the creature's momentum carry it past, then plunged Night Fang upward. The blade punched into its jaw and out through its skull. A geyser of lava-like blood sprayed the sky like a demonic firework.
Author's Note:
I have a few days left to finish my exams, thanks again for the power stones and golden tickets, Ramcharger sir