Chapter 13: Big Dog, How Dare You Frighten My Mother

Joy felt like a complete failure. As the mother of two children, she had not fulfilled her responsibilities. Her elder son was withdrawn, always keeping to himself; she hardly knew what he was doing or what he liked. Though she paid more attention to her younger son, even then she had not cared for him properly—otherwise, how could something like this have happened?

As a wife, she had failed in her marriage; as a mother, she had failed in her care; as an adult, her life was a string of failures—she couldn't even afford Christmas lights, having to rely on credit and advances on her meager wages to scrape together the necessities.

So when strange things began to happen in the house, she was at first terrified. But when she heard her son's voice, she felt as if she had come back to life—she had to step up and fulfill her role as a mother, to find her missing child.

But her son had been gone for two days without a trace, and hope was fading fast. When the appliances began to turn on by themselves and Will's cries for help came through the phone, Joy finally caught a glimmer of hope, a slender chance to save her son—and herself.

The situation was too bizarre; no one believed her. Chief Hopper didn't believe her, nor did Jonathan. Almost everyone thought she'd lost her mind, suffering from hallucinations.

Was she supposed to simply give up, pretend she hadn't heard Will's voice, pretend nothing had happened?

No, never!

Even if others thought her mad, even if she was terrified to the core, even if there was only the faintest hope, she would never give up—because she was a mother.

Through the Christmas lights, Joy at last managed to contact Will, though their communication was still clumsy. She resolved to find a special way to reach her son, wherever he might be.

She strung up Christmas lights throughout the house as a medium for communication, then wrote the twenty-six letters of the alphabet on the wall, hanging a light above each one. Thus began a mother's path to redemption.

When the lights began to flicker, Joy, already experienced in this strange ritual, knew her son was there. She hurried to communicate through the lights, asking how she could find him.

The bulbs lit up one by one: R-I-G-H-T-H-E-R-E—"right here."

Joy was bewildered. Her son claimed he was right there, but he was nowhere to be seen. The uncanny scene sent a chill through her; could Will have become a ghost?

That was a truth she could never accept.

At that moment, the lights on the wall flashed frantically, forming three letters: R-U-N.

Immediately, the Christmas lights in the house began to flicker wildly. The wallpaper on the wall began to bulge outward—something was trying to break through.

Two long, gray arms clawed their way out from the wall, followed by a faceless head that emerged, its maw suddenly splitting into five petals, all lined with razor-sharp teeth.

Joy was petrified with terror. She turned and ran for her life—no matter how brave she might be, faced with such horror, she could not stay. She was, after all, only human.

As Joy fled the room, a shadow burst in through the back door, shot down the hallway, and charged into the living room.

The monster, just leaping down from the wall to give chase, was struck by the shadow and sent flying, suspended in midair.

The one who had burst in was, of course, Lin Xiao, who had been waiting for this moment.

"You dare scare my mom, you beast? Time to settle old and new scores together—let the holy light purge evil!"

A blinding radiance flooded the house, as if dozens of hundred-watt bulbs had been lit at once. Sacred power surged like a tidal wave, as though an angel had descended from heaven to smite the wicked.

Joy, who had escaped outside, looked on in shock at the supernatural spectacle unfolding in her home. She stood frozen, torn between the urge to return and the fear that held her back.

Bathed in holy light, the demon lord's skin sizzled and smoked, giving off a foul stench like rotten eggs left to decay for days, enough to make anyone retch.

Enraged and gravely wounded, the demon lord thrashed about, desperate to break free and tear apart the one who had dared harm it.

But Lin Xiao would not let it have its way.

A successful strike meant its doom.

Having just pulled off a surprise slash, Lin Xiao transitioned smoothly into an aerial strike. The most formidable aspect of this skill was the airborne suspension it inflicted—a state of rigidity during which the monster could not retaliate.

"Now, enjoy the fiery feast I've prepared for you."

Catching the demon lord as it dropped, Lin Xiao hefted the Star Annihilator battle-axe and brought it crashing down, activating the weapon's special attribute:

Magic Flame Ignition!

Unlike ordinary flames, this magical fire was born of pure energy, designed to consume all manner of supernatural forces. Its temperature soared to thousands of degrees, enough to melt steel—no living flesh could endure it.

The demon lord's body was impervious to bullets and blades, shielded by a thin layer of magical energy that allowed it to tear through the veil between worlds and enter reality.

But the magic flames easily pierced this barrier, igniting its flesh and bones, turning its very body into fuel for the inferno.

The fire blazed, black smoke billowed, and Lin Xiao leapt back, calmly watching the demon lord writhe and burn.

With its own magical energy fueling the fire within, the creature could not tear open the barrier and escape; it could only perish in flames.

The blaze spread, devouring the wooden walls and floor—this house was too easily set alight.

Lin Xiao withdrew slowly down the hallway. The house was doomed; there was no salvaging it. It would be the demon lord's funeral pyre.

"Don't worry," he thought to himself, "with my supernatural powers, making money is the least of my worries. I'll build a villa for Joy one day, as a gift."

With that, he stepped outside.

Soon, the entire house was engulfed in flames. The residents of Hawkins were roused by the towering inferno, and the distant wail of fire engines could be heard.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for slaying a Level 2 Demon Lord. Source Energy +10.]
[Ding! Host has slain the original boss, altered the course of the story, and earned a two-star ordinary-grade pocket canister.]
[Host has disrupted the plot twice in succession, causing massive story changes. System Title Mission activated: Plot Breaker. Change ten major story points to earn the "Plot Breaker" title. Current progress: 2/10.]

"Oh, another title mission. These come with special rewards. Not bad at all." Lin Xiao smiled with satisfaction. His efforts had not been in vain; the rewards were substantial.

His success in slaying the demon lord was partly due to the advantage of a surprise attack, but also thanks to the power boost he’d gained from risking his life in the inverted world.

Fortune favors the bold—those who dare, win; those who cower, lose. The saying was golden truth.

Danger might lurk on this path, but sitting idle would only lead to ruin.

The fire engines drew closer. To avoid exposing his identity, Lin Xiao did not linger. He slipped into the woods behind the house, circled around, found his car parked among the trees, and drove home.

When he returned, the firefighters were battling the blaze, but the house was already beyond saving. At most, they could only prevent the flames from spreading to the forest.

"Mom, what happened?" Lin Xiao called as he got out of the car. Joy ran to him and collapsed into her son's arms—her hope, gone.