I Trained the Horror Boss Like a Dog - Chapter 1

The first time I saw Jiang Ge was in a cramped underground cell.

By the faint light, I could make out everything inside.

It was a complete mess, covered in blood. The metal bars were twisted and dented, with what looked faintly like human fingerprints embedded in them.

The man’s hair was slightly long. Left untended for so long, it sat atop his head like a mass of tangled weeds.

Farther down, taut muscles rippled beneath a web of scars. Heavy iron chains bound his wrists, ankles, and neck…

He hid in a corner, secretly watching me through amber eyes like those of a wild beast.

There was wariness in that gaze, murderous intent, and… an unmistakable trace of interest.

The shopkeeper stood beside me, repeatedly trying to persuade me to choose someone else.

“Why do you insist on picking him…?”

According to him, Jiang Ge was withdrawn, irritable, and extremely aggressive…

In short… not very obedient.

Nearly every player who had tried to take him away had died by his hand. The few who survived had been gravely wounded…

The shopkeeper spoke with nothing but dissatisfaction toward Jiang Ge, yet fear kept him from approaching.

I opened the iron door, walked forward slowly, and crouched just beyond the limit of the chains.

At the sound, Jiang Ge raised his head. His eyes met mine directly through the strands of hair hanging over his face.

The shopkeeper’s hair practically stood on end.

“Oh my god! Sir! Sir! Do you have a death wish?”

Ignoring his incessant wailing, I gently explained why I was there. “Hello. My name is Lu Ming.”

“I need you to do a few things for me.”

“As long as you obey me, don’t hurt people indiscriminately, and win for me…”

“I’ll give you shelter, food, and freedom.”

“Will you come with me?”

The chains snapped taut. A cold, crisp clash of metal echoed through the cell as Jiang Ge stopped mere centimeters from me.

The iron shackles dug deep into his flesh, carving streaks of blood into skin already rubbed raw and red.

Yet Jiang Ge seemed unable to feel the pain. He strained desperately toward me.

Suddenly, he lifted his chin.

Something warm and smooth brushed past me.

He had licked the corner of my mouth.

Jiang Ge moved so quickly that by the time I reacted, he was already sitting back where he had been.

My fingertip touched a small damp patch. What had just happened was no illusion.

Jiang Ge remained silent, but his eyes made it clear… he didn’t dislike my scent.

In the dim, stifling space, I caught the faint rumble of Jiang Ge’s stomach.

Jiang Ge was hungry.

Apart from a bowl of murky water beside him, the cell held nothing else.

It seemed the shopkeeper had given him no food since his last offense.

I returned to the door, hauled the weak-kneed shopkeeper upright, and pressed a gold coin into his hand.

“Leave the key and go.”

The shopkeeper instantly broke into a grin and perked right up.

“Oh, this is far too much…”

That was what he said, but his hand honestly slipped the coin straight into his pocket.

“Please buy me some food as well.” I glanced at Jiang Ge, who was secretly watching us. “Don’t try to fool me. Get something good, but not too much.”

Before long, the shopkeeper returned carrying a plate.

I set the key on its rim and pushed it, along with the food, in front of Jiang Ge.

Jiang Ge looked over.

He picked up the plate and sniffed it, then grabbed the food and crammed it desperately into his mouth.

In no time, the plate was empty save for a greasy sheen of fragrant oil.

Jiang Ge still didn’t seem full. Licking his lips, he stared fixedly at me.

I paid him no further attention, turned, and left the cell.

The shopkeeper looked surprised when he saw me come out alone.

“Hey, aren’t you taking him with you?”

I waved a hand, strode out of the shop, and entered a street built in a distinctly ancient Roman style.

The shopkeeper leaned his upper body over the counter, still wanting to ask something.

A figure emerged from the corridor and glided eerily past the counter.

As he stepped out of the shop, the man even turned back deliberately and cast a glance behind the counter.

The shopkeeper: “…”

Terrified, the shopkeeper ducked back down at once.

Following the marker on the map, I soon found the residence the system had assigned me.

Standing at the door, I deliberately glanced back.

The alley was pitch-black, a figure concealed around the corner.

I withdrew my gaze, unlocked the door, and entered. I didn’t close it, leaving it slightly ajar.

About a minute later, extremely light footsteps came through the door.

He circled back and forth, pacing outside several times.

But soon, the footsteps disappeared.

Me: “?”

I opened the door. Outside was empty. There was nothing there.

Me: “…”

Had he run away?

A cool breeze grazed the back of my neck. When I turned again, I discovered the window had been lifted open a crack.

A pair of eyes was secretly peering at me through it.