"Return! Refund! I want something better!" Lilith was not drunk, but she acted as if she had downed three bottles of gin.
[Cerberus' Loyalty -5]
'Ah!' Lilith realized her blunder and just turned to see the unimpressed pupper staring at her judgingly.
Lilith stared back...
[Cerberus' Loyalty +2]
[Cerberus' Loyalty: -3/100]
'...I really need to return this pup to the Goddess. I want someone cooperative!' she demanded, seeing Cerberus' loyalty going all over the place did not help.
[It's not going to work Lilith, the Goddess, is lenient about a lot of things, but this is something she does not go back against. Besides, it's the Cerberus. It's one of the strongest beasts from the Myths passed down from one world to the other. It's so strong that it had even turned the Hero Herculius to mincemeat when that idiot went to visit Hell. It was a brutal fight that lasted for days. Want to see it? I can ask Management for the Archived, ah... what was that? Oh, sorry, Lilith seems like I can't show that to you.]
Alpha knew of this fact as she was lazing around when she came across the recorded history. She had a good belly full of laughs when she found the archive, then got scolded for messing with the Records. Though she did not know how the story went from Herculius being brutally killed to him bringing back Cerberus, the fact remained that the originator of that Myth died under the maw of this beast.
Mythical Beasts didn't gain such a title just because of their race and such; they were beings beyond exceptional.
Many consider them to be on par with Ancestor lineages, but others even claimed that they might have been stronger.
"Are you sure this is the one that killed that guy? This little thing looks stupid and unthreatening… I don't even own a carpet for me to be threatened." Lilith was understandably skeptical about this beast.
In front of her was the three-headed puppy that stared directly at Lilith. The three heads had three distinctive looks on their faces; the right head was a proud-looking being; the middle head was observant and vigilant; the left head had its tongue sticking out as it excitedly stared at Lilith, expecting something from her.
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'This... dog? Dogs? Seem unstable… if they're as strong as you say, don't you think we'll die before long? I think it would be best if we were to kill it now and turn it to EXP. Killing a Mythical Daemon doesn't sound so bad.' Lilith could already see her level rising.
However, there was one problem.
[You can't kill it. It's already registered as your Follower.]
'What? That can't be; I received no such notification.' Lilith argued, only to have her mouth shut as she heard the system notification.
[Follower +1: Cerberus]
'What the absolute Hell is this? What kind of bullshit did that Goddess do? Did she hack the system? How come my system got overwritten? I don't even know if this thing is usel—Bloody Hell, what is this?'
Lilith's internal rant came to an abrupt grinding halt as she saw the Cerberus' stacked character sheet.
[Name: Cerberus
Lv. 1
H.P: 10000/20000
MP: 10000/10000
Attributes: Hell Fire (A), Void (A), Corrosion (C)
Class: Hell Deity Hound
Tier: Mythical
Life Essene: ???
STR: 500
DEF: 500
VIT: 500
AGT: 500
MAG: 500
PER: 500
Loyalty: 1/100
Passive Skills: Hell Mana (S.S.), Ferocious Madness (SSS), Poison Resistance (SSS+), Doom Resistance (SSS+), Void Body (A), Insanity Roar (???)
Active Skills: Doom Roar (S.S.), Corrosion Fangs (C), Void Muscles (A), Hell Fire Body (A)
Fatigue: 0
Note: This is Cerberus, the Guardian of the Underworld. When the Underworld had already been destroyed, together with Hades, only Cerberus remained. It was the only one that survived the Olympus' onslaught. It was supposed to be the Guardian Deity of New Hell I established in God Realm to replace the Underworld but refused. Its loyalty is not easily earned, but it is one loyal dog if it decides to follow you. If you're shocked about its status, it's a Mythical-Tier daemon; what did you expect? Someone like yours? Also, I already turned its stats way down to not upset the world balance too much with its descent. I hope it helps you in your journey out of the Island. Its Stats are sealed, and depending on milestones, it will be updated accordingly.
Tip: it loves devious beings, and despite it having three heads, it is one entity, so don't treat it like a separate one. It has unique tastes to people… but I think you'd be fine without knowing that.
P.S.: The Seraphs tried stopping me to not send it back. You better thank me later. Also, tell Cerberus not to wreak too much havoc upon its return. I don't want someone breathing down on my neck.]
After reading through its character sheet and the Note left by the Goddess…Lilith saw her winemaker in a new light. Its existence was not only to create Wine and have a sad life, but it was also rather generous and caring.
She couldn't believe that such generosity existed. It was too shocking that it almost converted her into a true believer—well, almost.
Her mind, however, also cleared as the feeling of shame entered her mind.
She allowed the Wine take over her mind and cloud her judgment.
'I'm a fucking idiot!' She screamed in her mind. And Alpha nodded its nonexistent head in agreement to her screams. She covered her face as it turned red, like a tomato.
However, that didn't last long as the moment her flushed face receded to normal, a broad grin could be seen from the gaps of Lilith's fingers.
She was still embarrassed about her lack of judgment, but now that she had a clear mind, more and more possibilities appeared in her mind. She failed to resist letting out a chuckle or two.
'Let's see… with this guy; I think we can conquer this Stronghold in 6 months if we brute force our way through... unlikely. But its existence is still a major confidence boost.' Lilith had already laid out the plan on how she would go about doing just that.
The middle head was looking around, trying to determine what's the situation. It confirmed the situation. Cerberus found Lilith disappointing and stupid—that was until it saw the nasty grin she had behind her hand.
The Cerberus heads all turned to Lilith with a blossoming smile. It found her rather…interesting.
[Cerberus' loyalty +3]
'It would appear the Absolute One did not let me down.' it thought to itself, as it found Lilith sufficient.