Chapter 4: Hawkins National Laboratory

Air Slash: Level 1 Basic Skill. Attack the enemy with a weapon, launching them into the air. Grants super armor during activation.

Gazing at the ground littered with the corpses of demonic hounds and feeling the surging power within, Lin Xiao’s confidence soared. He was now a professional, possessing extraordinary abilities—not the helpless weakling he once was, at the mercy of these beasts.

He brought up his personal information interface again, and as expected, everything had changed dramatically:

—
Character: Jonathan Byers (Lin Xiao)
Level: 1 (6/20)
Source Power: 6 points
SP Points: 1
HP: 140 — MP: 120 (Spirit *10)
Strength: 15 — Intelligence: 11
Stamina: 14 — Spirit: 12
Physical Attack: 25 — Magic Attack: 11 (Intelligence *1)
Physical Defense: 14 — Magic Defense: 12 (Spirit *1)
Physical Critical: 1.5% — Magical Critical: 1%
Attack Speed: 1.5% — Cast Speed: 1%
Class: Cleric
Title: None
System Quest: Demonic Hound Slayer—Kill 10 demonic hounds. Progress: 8/10
—

Having reviewed his stats, Lin Xiao noted that his attributes like strength had increased by about half. The greatest change, however, was the unlocking of his MP—his magical ability.

He closed his eyes and immediately sensed a new warmth flowing through his body, circulating everywhere, nourishing his flesh.

A mere thought, and this energy rushed to his hands. The Star Destruction Battle Axe in his grip suddenly felt weightless. The essence of Air Slash drifted through his mind; a simple thought would send any enemy soaring skyward, granting them a complimentary flight.

“Excellent,” he mused. “Magic is the equivalent of extraordinary power—now I’m a true professional.”

Flooded with joy at his newfound ability to defend himself, Lin Xiao’s heart finally relaxed. The tension and anxiety that had plagued him ebbed away; truly, power is the greatest source of confidence.

He opened the skill menu once more and, as he had hoped, the Cleric’s skill tree appeared, each familiar skill rekindling his confidence.

Apart from the basic skill he’d just enhanced, three universal skills for all classes were also automatically unlocked: Backstep, Leap, and Basic Mastery.

At that moment, Lin Xiao noticed a button labeled “2” at the top of the screen. Curious, he tapped it, and a new skill interface appeared. He recognized it instantly—it was the Female Cleric’s skill tree.

“Could it be,” he wondered, “that as a Cleric, I can learn both the male and female Cleric’s skills?”

In DNF, to attract players, each class was divided into male and female versions. Players could only choose one. While their abilities were largely similar, there were still notable differences.

For example, the male Cleric Lin Xiao previously played focused on charms, chakras, and spirits. The female Cleric, on the other hand, specialized in physical attacks, buffs, and light-based abilities—a marked distinction.

Still, Lin Xiao’s excitement wasn’t simply about learning more skills—many were redundant between the two trees. Whether he could learn them or not wasn’t the main issue.

The true reason for his excitement was that the female Cleric’s skill tree allowed progression all the way to Second Awakening. According to the system, there was no need to switch classes; as long as the male Cleric achieved Second Awakening, he could access them.

In other words, when he eventually awakened as the True Dragon Star Lord, he could also acquire the female Cleric’s Second Awakening abilities. The choice was obvious: he would select the Paladin path after the female Cleric’s class advancement, and then the Seraph skills after the Second Awakening.

The Second Awakening was already a demi-god tier. The Seraph’s support abilities were unparalleled—she was the ultimate healer in DNF. No party would venture forth without a healer; it would be sheer folly.

Moreover, many of the female Cleric’s skills had special effects against demons and monsters, sometimes even more effective than the male Cleric’s—making her the bane of all supernatural creatures.

With his recent level up, Lin Xiao had been awarded two skill points. Eager to experiment, he wondered if he could indeed learn female Cleric skills.

After a moment’s thought, he nervously selected the female Cleric’s basic skill—Dash Slash—and to his delight, it lit up.

Dash Slash: Level 1 Basic Skill. Channel magic throughout your body and dash forward at high speed. During the dash, you may slash ahead.

It worked—he had truly unlocked the female Cleric’s skill tree!

Lin Xiao was ecstatic. This meant that in the future, he could both fight and heal, becoming a joyful, self-sufficient healer with more than enough energy to spare.

Pressed for time, he didn’t linger over the discovery. He gathered up the four demonic hound corpses, activated his newly learned Dash Slash, and surged forward with his axe, instantly covering five or six meters.

This skill could be upgraded, further increasing the dash distance. At the highest level, a single dash could cover more than a hundred meters—virtually indistinguishable from teleportation.

It was the ultimate skill for battle and escape, even more powerful than the male Cleric’s Straight Punch.

However, activating this skill consumed 10 MP. After using Air Slash twice (which cost 20 MP), he now had only 90 MP left—not efficient for traveling.

Lin Xiao ceased using skills and continued running forward, gripping the Star Destruction Battle Axe.

Compared to before, running felt effortless. Not only had his stamina increased, but the magic within him provided a constant surge of power, fueling his body with extraordinary strength.

He ran for more than ten minutes without encountering another demonic hound—the local population had likely been wiped out.

At the end of the road, a grand building loomed ahead. Without pausing, Lin Xiao vaulted over the barricade at the entrance and dashed inside.

This was Hawkins Laboratory in the Reverse World. There were no staff inside—no one to stop him. Lin Xiao quickly reached the inner labs and found the passage connecting the two worlds.

The passage was like a torn-open cave, its walls coated with sticky, quivering substances—almost as if it were alive.

Without delay, Lin Xiao stepped through the passage, trudging through its sticky confines until he emerged on the other side—in the real world.

The light changed instantly, becoming clear and bright, no longer the murky, oppressive gloom from before.

As expected, humans from the real world were not meant to live in the Reverse World.

The laboratory was deserted. In one room ahead, several corpses lay sprawled—victims of the demonic hounds that had escaped from the Reverse World and mercilessly slaughtered the staff.

Lin Xiao felt no sympathy for these people. Unlike the gentle faction from the second season, this group was ruthless; in their pursuit of Number Eleven and their exploration of the Reverse World, they spared no means and committed every atrocity. Their deaths were well deserved.

To avoid being caught on surveillance, he picked up a helmet from the floor and put it on, then gathered several scattered pistols and submachine guns—never leave equipment behind. He proceeded down the hallway.

Corpses littered the route, ruined bodies and blackened blood everywhere. Clearly, more than one demonic hound had entered the real world—at least three to five, by his estimation.

A low, guttural growl echoed down the corridor. From around the next corner, two hideous demonic hounds crawled into view, their eyes shining in the flickering light, like predators lurking in the shadows, watching their prey with hungry anticipation.