Chapter four- The underworld
Hwon woke up and found himself in a blazing red world filled with cliffs, canyons, lava streams, and rivers. Intimidated by the scenery, Hwon stood in shock. "Is this really hell?" As he thought to himself, Hwon heard a noise, and as soon as he turned back, he saw a dog-like figure emerging from the shadows. It was a hellhound, its body seeming to be on fire. As soon as he saw it, the hellhound swiftly disappeared from where it was and appeared on top of him. Not being able to react in time, Hwon got his shoulder bitten by the hellhound, creating a deep wound. Hwon screamed in pain as the hellhound bit in deeper. Hwon grabbed the hound's neck in an attempt to strangle it. The hellhound released its hold on Hwon's shoulder and started wailing loudly, followed by a crack sound. The hellhound fell to the ground, now dead. Hwon let out a sigh of relief as he placed his hand on his wound. The wound looked like it was created by a hot metal spike. Hwon said to himself, "That's one hell of a rabid dog. I almost lost my shoulder there. But the wound feels like it's on fire. Does its bite have some kind of burning effect? I have to be more careful." As Hwon was speaking, he heard the footsteps of creatures coming in his direction. "It seems the noise earlier attracted more monsters. I have to get out of here and hide," Hwon thought.
Meanwhile, in another area, the skeleton and the young lady were watching Hwon through a crystal wall. The King of Death said, "Not bad. Most would have been killed by the hellhound, but he managed to defeat it, though by chance." The young lady, with a seemingly smug expression, said, "Of course, he is the master's son, after all." The King of Death replied, "Illegitimate son. His blood is not of pure origin, but he does possess some of his tenacity." A huge grin appeared on the Death King's face as he said, "But the fun is just beginning. The hellhounds can track the location of the prey bitten by their kin, and with the death of their own, they would follow their target to the ends of the world until the prey is dead." A cold sweat rolled from her forehead, and a worried expression appeared on her face.
Hwon, who was now being chased by several hounds, was running out of breath as he held onto his shoulder, groaning in pain as the wound kept burning with a red glow as the hounds grew closer. Hwon, who had been running, suddenly tripped on a bone on the ground. Seeing he was down, one of the hounds pounced towards Hwon. Hwon quickly grabbed the bone he had tripped on and swung it with all his might, smashing the hound's skull and sending it flying. Hwon stood his ground, his head bleeding from the fall earlier and his shoulder burnt up. Seeing his sorry state, one of the hounds pounced towards him. Hwon gripped the bone tightly and swung it with all his might, sending the hound flying. "I won't go down that easily, you bastard!" Hwon said. Knowing he could no longer run, Hwon decided to stand his ground. The hounds then started attacking together. Hwon let out a loud yell as he continued to swing the bone, breaking their skulls. But some managed to bite him on his leg and abdomen. He kept swinging the bone at them and thought, "If I run now, they'll just end up cornering me. I have to stand my ground no matter what." Hwon managed to kill the hounds that had surrounded him, but he'd already lost a lot of blood, making his senses weaker. His sight grew dimmer too. Hwon held the bone to support his body as one of his legs was severely burnt. He dragged his ragged body forward. Several hounds grew closer. Hwon then reached a lake made of lava, but for some reason, the hounds who were chasing him so fiercely, even after he killed so many of them, suddenly stopped following him. It was like they were afraid of something. The lake, which was surrounded by cliffs, seemed like a safe place for Hwon. He thought to himself, "Why did they suddenly give up? Did they become afraid of me? Nah, I doubt it. Then that could only mean that something in this place made them give up." As Hwon thought to himself, a creeping shadow slowly covered him. Hwon, seemingly terrified by the presence of the unknown entity, slowly turned his head back. But before he could see what it was, a huge hand with claws sent him flying, crashing into the cliffs. Hwon spat out blood as almost all his bones were broken in an instant, and his ribs pierced most of his organs. Hwon's eyes turned blood red as he had hit his head hard too. Unable to move his body, Hwon tried to drag himself away in an attempt to escape, using his jaw to push himself forward, the hot ground burning his chin, making the pain even more unbearable. The scorching heat seared his already battered face, and Hwon's vision began to blur. But the shadow covered him again. This time, he turned his head and saw his attacker - a dragon. Cursing his luck, Hwon laid helpless in front of such a menacing figure and thought, "Damn, is this really how I die, again being helpless to the very end?" The dragon used its claws to pick Hwon up and lifted him above its mouth, and then swallowed him whole. Hwon, in the belly of the dragon, continued to struggle, not wanting to die, being squeezed. He said to himself, "I can't die here like this, but my whole body won't move. Is this really my end? Do I just give up?" Hwon suddenly remembered the words of one of the masked men saying he should die. A surge of anger erupted in him, veins bulging on his forehead as he forcefully moved his broken body, ignoring the pain. Hwon raised his head up, and then suddenly his pupils retracted like those of a ravenous beast, and he grew long fangs. Then he opened his mouth wider and bit down on the dragon's inner flesh, tearing it up and even swallowing some, like he had been possessed by a demon. The dragon's screeching pierced the air, its voice like thunder, shaking Hwon's entire body as he bit down on the dragon's inner flesh. The sound waves vibrated through the dragon's massive body, causing the ground to tremble beneath them. Meanwhile, in a dark space, a smile appeared with glowing red eyes like that of a beast, and then said, "Finally." The smile slowly disappeared back into the shadows. The scene changes to the dragon, who was now roaring in pain as it swung its body around, trying to get rid of the pain in its belly. But Hwon, who was in its belly, was violently tearing at the flesh of the dragon in an attempt to eat his way out, creating a huge hole in the inner walls of its stomach. The more he swallowed, the more his injuries got healed, and he felt a surge of energy like his body was changing. Then suddenly, the muscles around him squeezed harder, and Hwon was pulled upwards, and the dragon coughed him out. Still feeling the intense pain of its insides bleeding out, the dragon let out a loud roar that shook the surroundings as it then retreated into the lake, and everywhere became quiet.