Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics

"How come there are so many dogs?" Shiller flicked the blood off his hands and looked doubtfully at three or four strong hunting dogs charging out from the door.

"These dogs are well-fed and strong; this shows that the lighthouse is definitely guarded by someone. We just don't know if they're still alive," Shiller said after sighing.

"What should we do? Kill them or run?"

"Let's kill them. If we don't find any food, they can serve as reserves," Shiller said as he gestured to Greed to come over, and Greed blinked.

"Give me the knife," Shiller said.

"You want to fight them up close?" Greed hesitated, "External injuries might be treatable, but rabies isn't."

"There are only two bullets left in this gun," Shiller said. Then without further discussions, he had Greed throw him the knife, but he didn't put down the shotgun. There were concerns about humans snatching the gun, but not so with dogs.

Shiller grabbed the knife, turned the gun around, and gripped the handle firmly. As the leading dog leapt at him, he sidestepped, grabbed the handle, and thrust sharply to the side. The slender shotgun barrel plunged directly into the dog's neck, spraying blood everywhere.

However, this seemed to provoke the rest of the dogs even more. Instead of attacking one by one, three dogs came at him together.

The lighting was somewhat dim, and Shiller couldn't clearly see what breed the dogs were, but they were definitely large fighting dogs with sharp teeth and well-fed bodies; their muscle definition in their fore and hind limbs was quite clear.

These dogs, bred specifically for combat, were fiercely aggressive. Once they clamped down on something, they wouldn't let go. Even a small hit would cost a chunk of flesh.

As the three dogs attacked simultaneously, Shiller swiftly rolled to the side, brushed against the edge of the carpet, and jumped under the counter. As a dog leaped onto the counter, he stabbed and then pulled out the knife. Seeing the eye fluid sticking to the blade, he knew the leading dog had been blinded in one eye.

There were two chairs inside the counter. Shiller grabbed one and swept it across the countertop, knocking down the recently jumped dog.

The second dog, trying to crawl from the side of the counter, received a slash from Shiller on its foreleg, but its ferocity did not lessen. Under the moonlight, its sharp teeth gleamed with a terrifying cold light, as drool continuously dripped onto the floor.

Pretending to retreat, Shiller instead lifted the chair again, knocking down the two attacking dogs from the front, while the dog on the side, thinking it had an opportunity, backed up slightly and then surged forward to jump. At that moment, Shiller, cross-handling the kitchen knife, slashed forcefully across its lower belly.

Slash!

Blood and intestines spilled all over, and the jumping dog even tried to bite them, dragging its intestines along. Shiller finished it with a single cut.

However, another hunting dog had seized this chance to jump in. Shiller grabbed a nearby chair and forced the dog into a tight space. He then extended the shotgun barrel through a gap in the chair.

As expected, the hunting dog, tricked, clamped on the shotgun barrel and wouldn't let go, shaking its head while biting. Shiller tossed the chair aside, grabbed the gun, and flung the dog far away.

The other hunting dog had just leaped onto the countertop, but Shiller didn't knock it down. Instead, he jumped out from behind the counter, and as the dog turned around, he smashed the gun stock onto its waist. While it lost balance and fell, he stabbed into its belly.

The dog he had flung away quickly stood up and charged back. Shiller ducked to the side, not too far, and as the dog turned, he adjusted his grip and swung the gun barrel, smashing its head, instantly splattering brain matter.

A total of five fierce hunting dogs now lay on the hall floor.

Shiller exhaled, propped the shotgun in front of him to recover some energy. Greed, having already reached the stairs, leaned over the banister and gave him a thumbs up.

Shiller smiled back at him, flicked the blood off his hands, and said, "Shall we go up and check?"

Greed nodded and headed upstairs; Shiller followed suit. The stairwell was slightly dark, and Shiller, covered in blood, was surrounded by a thick scent of blood that lingered.

Before even reaching the second floor, Shiller heard breathing sounds.

He activated his "Clairvoyance" again, but couldn't see anything ahead. Greed, seemingly unafraid, strode onto the second floor and found the room where the breathing was coming from, pulling the door open directly.

A man with a grayish beard was slumped in the corner with a clear, torn wound on his leg, as if a chunk of flesh had been bitten off. With the light from a nearby window, it was apparent.

The man, seeing them, yelled like he had seen a ghost,

"Don't come any closer! You monsters!"

"We're not monsters..."

Greed began, but the man burst out cursing. Greed held his breath and stepped aside to reveal Shiller behind him, bloody and holding a knife. Then he stared at the man and said,

"We are monsters. What do you want to do about it?"

The man was taken aback, "What do you mean, 'what do I want to do about it'? Isn't it up to you?"

"We didn't intend to do anything to you," Shiller said. "Are those dogs downstairs yours? That bunch gave us quite some trouble. Our team happens to include a top lawyer; are you sure you can handle the figures on the compensation bill?"

The man ignored Shiller's rambling and asked, "You killed those dogs? How did you manage that?"

"As you see," Shiller responded.

"Are you… a priest?" the man asked, both alarmed and suspicious.

"I am clergy, but not a priest. Have you heard of Soul Calmers?" as Shiller stepped into the room.

Smelling the thick scent of blood, the man opened his mouth but only managed to say dryly, "Are you sure you're a Soul Calmer?"

"I assure you your dog is now at peace," Shiller nodded as he spoke.

The man's Adam's apple visibly moved.

"Well, after all, I'm going to die anyway, you might as well just end it quickly," the man leaned his head back, but his body was still slightly trembling, clearly not as tough as he appeared.

"Was it your dog that bit your leg?" Greed stepped forward to examine the wound on his leg and said, "We have a Doctor in our team. If you have any medicine or bandages, we might be able to save you."

The man said in a hoarse voice, "No need, even if the bleeding stops now, I won't live much longer."

"Why?"

"Since you're from outside, you should know that a strange event has erupted here. The legendary Monster Wanderer invaded the village, and no one here can survive."

"Are all the people in the village dead?"

"I don't know, but the lighthouse hasn't been lit for days, and still no one has come looking, so maybe they are all dead."

"So you were attacked by your dog suddenly and then trapped in the lighthouse?"

The man seemed surprised that they could guess, but he still nodded and said, "Yes, the dog's room wasn't locked, and I dare not go down. Although I will die eventually, being eaten by my own dog is a bit too..."

"Okay, I completely understand," Shiller said. "Those dogs are indeed fierce. If you went down, you'd definitely be eaten. But we also have a friend who's injured and needs medicines and first aid supplies, if you could provide us with those, we wouldn't mind taking you out with us."

"You… you're people from the Church?" The man hesitated a bit, then said, "How many people have you got? Are there any Judges? Any helicopters?"

"You don't need to worry about that, no matter how many of us there are, and no matter how much equipment we have, the worst outcome is just you getting killed by the monster. If you come with us, you might even have a chance to survive."

But the man exhibited a shocked expression and shook his head, "Aren't you people from the Church? Don't you know that leaving the area where a strange event erupted without confirming that it won't spread, even if you survive, you will be executed by the Court?"

Shiller and Greed exchanged looks; they really didn't know this, but Shiller quickly understood why such a rule existed. Many strange events were spreadable, like a virus. Once a survivor escaped, at the very least they could drag down a few people; at worst, infect an entire city.

"I hit the nail on the head, didn't I?" the man said mockingly. "Your forces have definitely surrounded the village by now. Anyone who dares to run out is killed. That's always how you solve problems, taking me out is just to show your kindness, but I'm still not going to survive."

Greed decided not to waste words anymore, and directly said, "Under the village, there's a massive cave and a dark river full of fish. That's how we came here. Do you think the outside forces could find that?"

Speaking of the underground cave, the man's eyes suddenly lit up. He stared intensely at Greed and said, "Have you seen Harold? He must be dead, right? When I went to find him and asked him to take us out of here, he refused. Now he's dead too! He damn well deserves it!"

Shiller's expression turned sharp; he immediately thought that the owner of the diary had mentioned that someone in the village had sought him out when the strangeness first erupted. Was it this man in front of him?

"What is your name?" Shiller asked.

"You can just call me Jeff," Jeff's face quickly fell again, saying, "So it seems, his brilliant detective friend must have died too, along with that Madeline, pretending to know everything. When faced with real monsters, they all died, right?"

"That's right, they all died," Shiller nodded. "And they all died in that remote cabin."

Jeff was about to say something when he suddenly remembered something, showing a look of terror and said, "You went to that cabin and saw their bodies?!"

"Yes, we set the place on fire."

"Idiots! You fools! Don't you know fire can't kill monsters?! By burning the bodies, you're just allowing the monsters to attach to you! Get out! Stay away from me!!"

Greed smiled and said, "I thought you weren't afraid to die."

Jeff paused, the panic in his eyes fleeting, and he said, "You don't understand, you don't understand… being killed by a monster is the most painful thing."

He closed his eyes tightly, breathing rapidly, apparently thinking of something, but when Greed questioned him, he said nothing further.

Greed felt this was a moment to roll the dice in determination, but both his Appearance and Luck weren't high enough. He thought the lawyer, the Pale Knight, who likely had persuasive skills, would probably be needed soon.

"Alright, you can lie down here, but you must tell us where the medical supplies are," Greed continued.

"They... might be on the third floor," Jeff's gaze averted.