A/N: Chapter 4 of Mystical Eye of a Savage Hound. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own OC. Revenge of the Sword Clan's Hound belongs to the rightful owner.

Chapter 4: Hounds of Hell

There are two midterm and final evaluations given to the children every year until they turn 15 years old. One of the midterms is called the practical exam, and it is so difficult that it is considered murderous, children who just turned eight or nine could not avoid it. Because of these tests, the world began calling the Baskerville Clan another name, and that is 'Berserker Clan'. Children born within this clan were put through a very thorough education program. They had to climb up a steep mountain for basic stamina training after learning how to walk, and resting was prohibited outside designated times. When bedtime rolled around they would have to sleep with a demonic creature's corpse or a baby demonic creature in order to adapt to the tough environment.

The Guardian Knights go from protectors to instructors for the up and coming hounds. Once that period of their life ended and the children turn eight years old, the young hounds would be faced with assessments with gruesome difficulties; it wouldn't be rare to have some children pass away during these trials, but those who did survive were considered insane monsters. The meals also change. In the broth made from boiling chicken bones, various types of fish which are full of meat, were beaten and boiled until they turn into porridge.

A tough intestine is then used for the stuffing and then boiled for the fat to be removed. This food staple is known as haggis and it became a regular meal for everyone in the Baskerville Clan. After a long time preserving in storage and covered with a lot of salt, it is dried and hard enough to be turned into jerky. Children always carried some in their food pouches while out in the field so starvation can be avoided until they're able to hunt their next full meal.

This type of upbringing was why the Baskerville Clan started being called the 'Berserker Clan'.

Today was the day of the midterm assessment, also known as the practical assessment. The young hounds from various classes that were thrown in this area stood in a large clearing with their training swords strapped to their backs, gazing with anticipation at the looming forest that sprawled before them. Mt. Le Rouge et Le Noir, a mountain filled with all sorts of demonic creatures that were captured at the borders of the territory, was the best place for young hounds to test their abilities to their fullest. There were guardian knights stationed around the boundaries of the restricted area, preventing the younglings from venturing out too far.

"Young Masters, the contents of the practical assessment are simple." Pavlov van Baskerville, a guardian knight and instructor in charge of the young dogs, stood before them as he took them the instructions. "Survive for a month, and hunt strong demonic creatures."

Survival was originally the main focus of this exam, but Hugo decided that surviving was too simple and added additional conditions to make it harder. The reason being some children avoided confrontations between each other or the wild beasts in the area, therefore sealing themselves in safe caves or tunnels and surviving by eating only jerky.

'A child who bravely fought against monsters and survived should not receive the same evaluation as a child who was cowardly and stuck in a cave.' Hugo demolished this loophole with the following conditions:

10 points are awarded if you manage to save your own life and someone else's life.

30 points if you manage to save your life without sustaining heavy wounds that could lead to permanent damages.

50 points if you eliminate your competition, killing is not an option.

70 points if you hunt down a demonic creature and survive.

90 points if you meet all the conditions above.

There is no such thing as getting 100 points. A swordsman dies the moment he becomes conceited, thus zero points are awarded.

"When you first arrived at this place you were given a badge from either myself or one of the guardian knights." Pavlov continue speaking, looking at the small yellow badges that were pinned to the collars of each young master present. "Stealing someone else's badge will count towards bonus points. However, if you sustain fatal injuries you will be deducted points. Do not expect to gain 100 points. I hope you all keep Sir Hugo's teachings in mind.

"Additionally I advise that you do not leave the restricted area. Since Mt. Le Rouge et Le Noir has many dangerous spots that have yet to be explored, I recommend you remain within the zone containing the demonic creatures we subjugated. Guardian knights will secretly score you during the exam period."

"Is that the one who remained submerged in the River Styx for more than seven minutes?"

"There are also rumors that she choked two bloody mambas to death in her crib."

"I heard she also got full marks on her written test. Let's see if she also performs well in this practical."

Annoying. Don't they have better things to occupy their minds with instead of those baby rumors? All around me the other young masters were whispering, no doubt weary of me and my intentions. I kept my gaze forward, slightly paying attention to what the instructor was barking about, but I was mostly eager to set my plan into motion. While I had gone through this exam in the past, Vikir also gave me some of his tips and tricks that helped him stay alive.

Back then I followed the rules religiously and never left the restrictive area, but Vikir once crossed the line on accident when hunting down a demonic creature. He lost it but was able to successfully hunt others to get the necessary points needed to pass. He told me that the area where we were could be akin to a cozy cradle, sheltering pups from the real danger.

Outside the boundary lies an area known as the Forbidden Zone, and beyond that is where powerful monsters and barbarians live. If I remembered correctly, the expansion of Baskerville territory was the expansion of territory for the Empire, therefore various tax benefits and autonomy of military facilities were guaranteed. I had spent a good chunk of my previous life in these mountains as an examinee, an instructor for the younger hounds, and a hunting dog doing missions. There were times were I tagged along with Vikir and he has shown me areas I wouldn't have dreamed of exploring on my known. With this knowledge and experience, this environment was very, very familiar to me.

The dry, crumbling mound of red and black earth, the intimidating cliffs, the pungent wind from the burnt forest, the sounds of eight year olds who weren't familiar with this part of the territory. All of it was assaulting my senses. The nine year olds are pretending to be indifferent, but their expressions tell another story, perhaps because of their bad memories. However, in this test between different ages, some things were clear to me: the eight year olds want to keep their badges, the nine year olds want to steal their opponent's badges, and my badge seems to be the main target of most of those nine year olds.

Then I noticed three nine year olds who haven't said a single word since we got here. The strongest and fiercest of the nine year old class, the triplets, kept their mouths shut. The medical team had astounding skills, making sure they were fit and ready for the practical despite the injuries they received. They even turned their eyes away from me simultaneously, no doubt trying to not get on my bad side. The others who were always entertained with their bullying, waited for the lesson to start, but soon noticed that that wasn't going to happen. So some took it upon themselves and approached me in a bold manner.

"Arrogant bitch, know your place amongst us males. As soon as the evaluations begins I'll beat you to death."

"A female not from the main house shouldn't be so proud and smug, acting great in the eyes of Hugo when he should be paying attention to the rest of us."

"You're going to feel like hell here for the next month. I know I sure did last year."

"Bet you'll cry the moment you face a demonic creature, begging and wishing someone would come save you."

"I think you got it wrong, I am nothing to be admired or considered great." I finally opened my mouth to address these taunts and jeers, not at all intimidated or bothered by their words. Seriously, they could try a bit harder to at least make me shed a tear. I watched their snobby expressions turn into one of puzzlement at my humility. And then I hit them with, "You guys are too low level, no wonder Clan Head isn't interested in some dumb dogs who just bark all the time."

"I'm the best hound there is! I'll be leader of the Pitbull Squad!"

"Come to the old tree later this evening if you're still alive, you son of a bitch!"

"Out of the way, no one dare hold me back! I'll beat this bitch even if I die!"

Wow, they get this riled up even by low-level provocations, if only they showed this much energy in their training instead of acting as if they were important. One day old pups who just got off weening wouldn't last very long in this area if they act like this. I tuned out the amount of curses and cussing that flew out, not interested in continuing to quarrel with my peers.

"Silence." Pavlov spoke and the noise died down. He gave me a short pointed look before pulling something out from between his clothes. A small handheld bell. "This bell will indicate the start of the assessment. I pray for your success."

He rang the bell and immediately the young hounds ran off in various direction, with the guardian knights slinking in the shadows to start their scoring. Some of the nine year olds who had done the exam before either threw themselves at the eight year olds in hopes of securing some badges, or darted off with a plan in mind to secure some creatures. Some even decided to team up – there weren't any rules that didn't allow hounds to collaborate together, safety in numbers or something like that – and I sensed the hostile auras immediately, annoyed that my pursuers didn't bother to hide their intentions.

"Secure that area first."

"Don't order me around."

"I'll do well on my own, so focus on yourselves!" Even High Bro, Middle Bro, and Low Bro were bickering noisily amongst themselves instead of working together, but somehow they were still in sync as they ran through the forest. Even their bodies refused to allow them to act out individually, the habit of synchronizing was already ingrained into their muscles to the point where they can do it without thinking. Soon, Pavlov was left standing alone, so he merely took out a cigarette from his coat pocket and proceeded to smoke.

Here is another reason why this exam was dangerous. It doesn't encourage hounds from killing each other. It isn't forbidden, but it's simply not encouraged. Since one way of deducting points is by killing others, everyone will try their best to avoid killing others with 'their own hands'. Pavlov sighed to himself, but he wasn't terribly worried. The guide dogs that were overlooking the exam will ensure that deaths were kept to a minimum.

Somewhere remote…

This is getting near an unexplored area…! How far do you intend to go, Young Master Viktoria? One of the guardian knights thought to himself as he tailed me through the forest. I had thrown off my pursuers using my speed to leave them in the dust, ending up in a location further from where the rest of the exam was taking place. She's a genius who has shown excellent skills from infancy, I am truly honored to be chosen to score her. Looking forward to see what she'll show me.

I had picked up a long stick along the way and was happily swinging it about like a make-shift sword, not caring if anyone was watching such a childish act. Because after all, I was in the middle of putting on an act for my suspecting follower. Keeping my ears open to detect any sounds, I heard sounds that ranged from tiny creatures I could hunt for food, the sound of swords hitting each other, and some that were even sounds of both demonic creatures fighting against the young hounds. If I were close to where the action I would no doubt smell the metallic scent of blood. But the sounds were faint in the wind, and no blood was spilled so I had nothing to worry about.

"Was it around here?" I mused to myself, glancing up at a ginormous red tree before turning my gaze to the ground; the soil here was very different from the other areas because of its exceptionally reddish hue. Pointing the tip of the stick to the ground I began to root around, muttering to myself. Once I had finished my analysis thoroughly I discarded the stick to the side and lazily stretched my arms above my head. "Now that I've decided where I'll be staying for the time being, is it time for me to start my vacation?" I didn't bother to lower my voice, because I wanted my sneaking supervisor to hear it.

What the fu–…Vacation?! Is that how she is treating this exam? The guardian knight gaped in surprise, his curiosity outweighing the shock of what he heard. For the next few minutes that slowly began turning to hours and to days he watched me gather sturdy sticks, dig holes in various places that looked vary random to him, and sleep underneath a makeshift hut. Seriously boring beyond belief when he could've watched the other young hounds hunt creatures or each other.

All she's been doing is sleeping and digging holes for several days…other than that, she just hunts for food to eat and gathers more firewood to keep warm. Is she planning on just hiding here in those holes and kill time? Currently I was busy roasting a couple of small rodents around a midsize fire, a satisfied expression on my face as though I didn't have a care in the world. Digging and hiding in a pit was typical behavior of children belonging to cowards, and the guardian knight couldn't hold back his disgust by what he witnessed. Were the rumors of her being a genius just that? A bit disappointing. There's probably no need for me to watch over her if she's just going to be a coward. What a waste of talent.

With that he disappeared to watch over some other young master, unaware of a playful and knowing smirk that appeared on my face.

Is he finally gone? Took a while to make him leave, but now it's just me myself and I…the perfect conditions... "Camping can be a nostalgic thing to do to pass the time." I smiled as I reminisce a time when I was overseeing a couple of hounds and we huddled around a fire quite like the one before me. One of the other hounds told me that cacao beans were the best thing for removing gamey smell from meat, especially concentrated 'Bloody' beans, his words not mine. But it is thanks to that tidbit that I was able to get to where I am, and I threw one or two beans into the fire, watching them wither and burn.

"The hindrance is gone, and my preparations are complete. Shall I begin my hunt?" Thanks to the light from the fire I was able to see the holes I spent days digging, inside were multiple amounts of sticks that were sharpened into spikes, ready to impale unsuspecting creatures. These were well-made pitfall traps, ones none of the other hounds would even dream of creating or have the patience to execute.

I spent a few days covering up the traps delicately before heading off. The terrain was a bit treacherous, but soon I found myself approaching a wired fence, with a small plaque with a skull and cross bone. An obvious sign that the area beyond the fence hasn't been explored yet. That did not deter me for this area had been basically my backyard when I was a scout, one that Vikir recommended when he was a scout or took me along during assignments.

"A scorching scent that stings the nose…dead, burnt roots…I'm sure that thing's habitat is somewhere around here…" I muttered these words as I looked for evidence, keeping all five of my senses sharp and tuned into my surroundings. Soon the sound of a small crackling fire caught my attention before the light and smell assaulted my nose, and I turned towards the source.

"There it is, burning excrement." Yes, nothing could be more exciting than seeing a fresh pile of flaming shit burning off the path. A novice or inexperience hound would just throw up and move on, but not me. Because I knew exactly who it belonged to, only one demonic creature around this area and is known to serve one hell of a bite if one wasn't careful enough.

"Brother always said these bastards were tenacious and annoying, and I would have to agree. However, now I'm more than happy to see you." I glanced up, my eyes meeting the demonic creature who only snarled in response as it glared down from its high perch. "Hellhound."

As the name implies, it was literally a dog with flames coming out of its body, its two eyes reminiscent of two miniature suns. According to the lessons on demonic creatures, this animal was only rated a B+ in terms of how dangerous it was. Fully grown, adult hounds grew up to three meters, and are only found in this area of the mountains. Their bites, if critical, could bring misfortune and death upon its victim.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" It opened its maw wide, showing off its razor sharp teeth and the molten core that housed its flame. The sulfuric flames are quite special for them, because it comes from the depths of oil hell itself; to extinguish such fire is to let its life which is designated as the fuel be completely incinerated. Unfortunately the encyclopedia in the family library did not have much information about this monster, so there's a lot that is unknown.

Fortunately for me, I've faced off a couple of creatures of similar type, even those from the demon realm when humanity went to war against demons. However, a head-on attack in my current state would be considered suicidal. Therefore a plan had to be put into place to where even an eight year old hound can defeat a creature like this!

In an instant the two of us charged at one another, my sword still strapped securely around my waist. I made no attempts of unsheathing my weapon as the hellhound's wide-open mouth drew closer and closer, its claws outstretch to pin me in place. I immediately slid underneath the large body, smiling as the creature's mouth snapped shut on air. It skids to a halt and turns around, growling in annoyance. The first weakness is that these creatures can only run in a straight linear path, therefore any sudden movements or change in direction gives it a hard time. Now for its second weakness…

"For some reason demonic creatures don't want to cross water, and it's not because of that fire of yours." Pulling out a small bottle from my uniform, I unscrewed the lid and drew a line on the ground. "Any creature refuses to cross, regardless of how little there is."

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr!" The hellhound charged once more, but I was ready for it. Because I spilled the water, the creature had to slow down to avoid the mark, before speeding up with its mouth open ready to bite. And that's its fatal mistake: opening its mouth when it runs.

I swiftly reached into a compartment in my uniform where the bloody beans were hidden, and pulled out one of the sachet. When the hellhound was close enough I flicked the item into its mouth, moving out of the way to avoid getting bitten. It turned around to face me again before realizing that something was wrong. With shaking legs it let out a whimper of pain before trying to escape the battle, falling down and writhing on the ground with flailing paws.

"Chocolate is poison to dog-type monsters after all, and yet no one ever thought about it. If it's a bloody bean, which is used to make 100 liters of chocolate," I smiled as the hellhound spewed green ooze onto the ground, its body already deteriorating with its flames spluttering to keep its host alive. "hmmmm, the effects seem to be immense and effective. It seems the hunting dogs from hell can't beat chocolate."

Finally drawing my sword from my waist, I approached the creature as it lay trembling and twitching but unable to move as the bloody bean worked its magic. Closing the distance I positioned the sword over the ribs, stating, "It probably hit the stomach and heart first, but the tough ribs are protecting those organs. The ideal target is somewhere that was weakened but also isn't protected by the rib cage…"

Moving the blade a bit lower my arm moved swiftly, stabbing the creature immediately. It couldn't even produce any noise, mouth open in a silent scream.

"That spot is the kidneys." I dug the sword a bit deeper until I was sure the hellhound had passed. The flames died and extinguished after a few moments. When I removed the weapon I watched as wisps of blue smoke exited the creature, growing more and more until it surrounded my left hand. This phenomena is known as 'experience' or 'karma', and it is bestowed upon the body when demonic creatures are killed. It helps strengthen the body as well as other perks.

"The sword feels lighter now, how lucky of me." I grinned, giving the weapon a couple of swings and enjoying the feel of fluidity of the motion. It was as smooth as water. "At this pace, I'll be able to regain the strength I once had before I reach my adult age. I wonder what kind of face Hugo will make when he finds out that an eight year old child hunted a demonic creature with a danger rating of B+."

With this dead corpse I have cemented my spot in first place of this practical exam. And I believe I know what I want as my prize. Something I couldn't even dream about, even Vikir told me that this item was a stuff of legends. Once more I'll monopolize this object that nobody in this era knows the true value of.

Chuckling to myself I proceeded to go about beheading the hellhound – when killing a demonic creature young masters must bring back proof of a hunt or they wouldn't receive their points – when the sound of multiple footsteps reached my ears. Turning my head I was greeted by some more hellhounds, a pack it seems, with their ears pulled back and teeth bared in snarls. Seems they came because the one I hunted cried out when it swallowed the bloody bean.

"Hmmm, are you guys here to avenge your friend or something? How thoughtful of you to show yourselves to me!" Now powered up thank to the 'karma', the sword severed the head of the dead hellhound nice and clean. Picking up my prize with one hand, and my weapon in the other I grinned at the other dogs, "I had no intention of only hunting one in the first place. So entertainment me as long as you can, I have more beans at my disposal!"

The pack of hellhounds snarled, eager to tear my flesh from my bones, but then they started emitting whimpers and cries. The change of behavior caught my attention immediately, because I knew that these creatures wouldn't display such action and would rather die than submit. The thought of them getting scared of a killing intent emitted by a mere eight year old crossed my mind, but something tells me that it was more than that. The hellhounds slowly backed away, still whimpering and crying. Noticing that their eyes were looking at something behind me, I slowly turned around and came face to face with a creature that had never been caught on Baskerville territory.

Cerberus, the three-headed demon dog, a demonic creature with an A+ rating stood before me.