Revenge of the Iron-Blooded Sword Hound TL

Chapter 8 Hell Hound (1)

The children of the Baskerville family receive evaluations twice a year, mid-term and final, until they turn 15.

While they are given intense etiquette lessons to shed the stigma of being a family of berserkers... the reason they're called berserkers in the first place is because of the murderously difficult practical exams.

This was not something that could be avoided even for young children who had just turned 8 or 9 years old.

The infants of the Baskerville family receive thorough early education.

From the moment they can walk on two feet, they are made to run continuously through vast training grounds and steep hills to develop basic physical strength.

They are not allowed to lie down or prostrate except at designated times.

Guardian knights become instructors and drive them like mad.

During breaks, they play with rubber swords, and when sleeping, they are placed with large monster corpses or very small monster cubs.

This is to make them accustomed to the grotesque appearance and ferocious wildness of prey.

And from the age of 8, full-fledged training begins.

It starts with the meals.

They boil chicken bones to make broth, throw in various tough meats full of dry meat, and boil it until it becomes porridge.

Then they stuff it into tough intestines and boil it again to remove even the last bit of grease.

Eating it at this stage is the regular meal called haggis.

From here, it's salted for preservation and after a long time, it hardens into dried jerky, which is the preserved food that the children of the Baskerville family always carry with them.

Today, the 8-9 year old children of the Baskerville family were sent to a mountain on the outskirts of the territory, each carrying a bag of this jerky.

The 'Red and Black (Le Rouge et Le Noir)' Mountain.

This is a harsh high mountain environment where only a few ferocious types of monsters inhabit, with nothing hospitable about its climate, terrain, or ecosystem.

The young hounds of the Baskerville family are thrown here and must survive for about a month.

Of course, they only live within the restricted area, and guardian knights called 'Guide Dogs' are stationed at the boundaries of the restricted area.

The tasks for the children thrown into this unfamiliar environment are as follows:

'Survive', 'If possible, hunt large and strong monsters'.

Originally, the task was simply 'survive', but the current family head, Hugo le Baskerville, added the latter task, saying the former was too easy.

This was because occasionally, some children of the Baskerville family would hole up in safe caves or burrows and just survive by rationing their jerky.

'A child who bravely fought monsters to survive and a child who cowardly hid in a hole and just ate food shouldn't receive the same evaluation.'

This was Hugo's thinking.

- 10 points for successfully surviving.

- 30 points for surviving without becoming disabled.

- 50 points for surviving by eliminating other children.

- 70 points for surviving and catching a monster.

- 90 points for surviving without becoming disabled despite eliminating other children or catching a monster.

There is no 100 points.

A swordsman dies the moment they become complacent.

That is Hugo's guideline.

...Of course, in any situation, death results in 0 points.

The lowest value among all deaths, a dog's death in itself.

8-year-old Vikir arrived at this Red and Black Mountain today.

As he gets off the carriage, he sees reddish piles of dirt.

Black ants swarm over the dried-up mounds of earth.

A dry wind sweeps through the burnt dead trees.

All that can be seen are red and black things.

The guardian knights said:

"We should have distributed badges to each young master. As soon as you leave this place, you can take each other's badges. You will receive bonus points for taking and keeping another's badge."

"You will also receive bonus points for hunting monsters. However, you will lose points if you sustain fatal injuries. In case of death, you lose all points. Well, at the point of death, points are already irrelevant."

"We do not recommend going outside the restricted area. You should only move within the space we have cleared over the past few days. This Red and Black Mountain still has many unexplored areas."

The guardian knights explained various other minor rules.

But to Vikir, these were just annoying nagging.

'It's been a while since I've been here.'

He too had visited this Red and Black Mountain often.

In his childhood as a test-taker, and later as an instructor, this Red and Black Mountain was a place he frequented.

When he was a test-taker, it was an unfamiliar and scary place, but when he came as an instructor...

'It became an even scarier and more unfamiliar place.'

This was because he had to search beyond the safe zone.

The area where the infants of the Baskerville family struggle to survive is actually close to a cozy cradle.

The truly dangerous places are the areas outside the boundaries guarded by the guardian knight instructors.

The unexplored territory.

Outside the mountain ridge called the 'cradle', far beyond several mountain ranges, powerful monsters and barbarians swarm.

Since the Baskerville family declared this place as their territory, they have steadily pioneered beyond the Red and Black mountain range.

This was also because there was an imperial order and full support.

The expansion of the Baskerville family's territory meant the expansion of the empire's territory, and for this, various tax benefits and autonomy of military facilities were guaranteed.

Before the regression, Vikir too had spent a very long time here at the Red and Black Mountain, passing through his test-taker days, instructor days, and hound days.

So the environment here was very familiar and accustomed to him.

Let alone the 'unexplored territory' beyond the mountain ridge, even the inside of the 'cradle' was nothing to speak of.

...However, most of the children seem to feel unfamiliar and afraid in this environment they're seeing for the first time.

Crumbling cliffs of dried earth, pungent winds blowing from burnt dead forests, dryly rotting ashes, unpleasant gazes and cries felt from somewhere.

"...Ugh, this is the most unpleasant land I've ever seen."

"It's become even more barren than when we came last year."

"We have to endure here for a month!?"

The 8-year-olds make sad faces.

The 9-year-olds pretend to be calm, but their expressions are not good, perhaps due to bad memories from last year.

In reality, this test is a battle between 8-year-olds trying to protect their badges and 9-year-olds trying to take them.

This experience will be very important for the current 8-year-olds who will turn 9 next year.

And in this situation, 8-year-old Vikir is standing still, waiting only for the bell that signals the start of the test.

Around him, 9-year-old children aiming for Vikir's badge were smiling maliciously.

"Is that the kid? The one who stayed submerged in the Styx River for 7 minutes?"

"How is that possible? Well, there's also a rumor that he strangled two venomous snakes to death when he was in the cradle."

"I heard he got perfect scores on the written test? Let's see how well he does in the practical."

Murmurs from around.

But there's one strange thing.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The triplets Highbro, Middlebro, and Lowbro, the strongest and fiercest in the 9-year-old class, are oddly quiet.

Since they were always threatening to teach Vikir a lesson, the other 9-year-olds just tilt their heads in confusion.

Soon, some of the children who were watching the situation stepped forward and started picking a fight with Vikir.

"Arrogant bastard. I'll stone you to death as soon as the practical evaluation starts."

"You're not even that great, but you're so full of yourself."

"This place will feel like hell to you for the next month."

At this, Vikir finally showed a reaction.

"I don't think I'm great. I'm actually not great at all."

The 9-year-old children make puzzled expressions at this unexpected humility.

But Vikir's following words soon made their expressions frown deeply.

"...It's just that you guys are too subpar."

Immediately, fresh curses fly and stick.

"Y-you, I'll really stone you right away!"

"Come to where the dead tree is in the evening, you bastard!"

"Everyone move! I'll beat that bastard up! I don't care if he dies!"

The children of the Baskerville family, easily provoked even by low-level taunts.

Day-old puppies still weaning were baring their not-yet-matured fangs recklessly.

For an old dog who had been through it all, it wasn't even funny, just indifferent.

Right then.

Ding-

Pablo van Baskerville, a guardian knight and instructor in charge of the 'Guide Dog' position, rang the bell.

The practical exam had begun.