Chapter 8: Let Me Teach You How to Be a Real Person

“Watch your filthy mouth. Let me teach you how to behave.”
Lin Xiao moved like lightning, grabbing Tommy by the collar and lifting him single-handedly, leaving him dangling in midair.
After reaching Level 1, his physique had soared, now rivaling the strength and speed of elite soldiers or athletes. With magic coursing through him, hoisting two or three hundred pounds felt like child’s play.
“Oh my god.”
Nancy, Carlo, and Barbara gasped, staring at Jonathan in disbelief. He had just picked up a grown man with one hand—how powerful could he be?
“Let it go, Byers. Tommy didn’t mean it. We understand how you feel.”
Steve stepped in to smooth things over. In the original story, his debut was arrogant and unruly, known as the top troublemaker at Hawkins High—“King Steve.” Later, he matured, switched sides, joined the protagonists, and became a reliable companion.
“Hmph. I’ll let it slide this time, but next time you run your mouth, I’ll smash it for you.”
Lin Xiao tossed Tommy aside as casually as discarding trash.
Tommy scrambled to his feet, pale with terror. He wanted to retort but didn’t dare, fleeing in a panic.
The surrounding students were astonished. Jonathan, the boy who had always been bullied, now possessed such strength—who would dare pick on him again?
“I’m sorry, Jonathan. I’m truly sorry about your brother. Tommy didn’t mean it. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Nancy apologized as well. Lin Xiao nodded slightly. In the original story, these two were drawn together through a series of events and eventually became a couple.
But now, Jonathan was no longer the same. Lin Xiao felt no interest in Nancy and had no intention of following the plot.
Since he was here, he would make himself the protagonist. Otherwise, wouldn’t this whole journey be in vain?
He turned away, got back in the car, and continued posting missing-person flyers around town, quietly planning his next move.
The urgent priority was to increase his strength, and nothing achieved that better than slaying the demon dogs. To do so, he would have to enter the Upside Down or wait for the demon dogs to appear on their own.
“To enter the Upside Down, I’d have to use Hawkins Lab’s fixed portal. At my current level, I’m nowhere near capable of confronting the machinery of the state. For now, I won’t risk exposure.”

So he could only wait for the demon dogs to show themselves. Wait—that’s right. Tonight, Nancy and Barbara would attend a party at Steve’s house. That’s when the demon dogs would hunt.
In the original story, Jonathan passed by and inadvertently witnessed the party, snapping secret photos with his camera—including a shot of Nancy’s best friend, Barbara.
That same night, a demon dog attacked Barbara, dragged her into the Upside Down, and killed her. This event became the bridge connecting Jonathan and Nancy, gradually drawing them closer together.
But Lin Xiao had no intention of befriending Nancy. Instead, he’d use this opportunity to kill another demon dog and, if possible, enter the Upside Down to look for his brother Will.
After posting the flyers, Lin Xiao drove to the outskirts of town, parking near the woods not far from Steve’s house—close to Jonathan’s home and where Will had vanished.
He parked by the roadside, swapped his shoes for Celia’s Heart Boots, and headed into the forest, pretending to search for his brother but truly testing the speed bonus from the boots.
Seeing no one around, Lin Xiao found an open patch, suddenly sped forward, adapting to high-speed running, and tested two other general skills: Backstep and Leap.
As the names implied, Backstep allowed him to retreat rapidly, while Leap propelled him forward in a jump—both designed to evade attacks.
He could currently backstep about three meters, quickly opening distance, especially useful when facing multiple enemies and needing to flee.
With Leap, he could bound over four meters in a single move. Though not as far as the Dash Slash, this skill consumed only half as much magic, making it more efficient.
Practicing these skills until his magic was depleted, Lin Xiao finally stopped, waiting for his magic to recover while also measuring its regeneration rate.
An hour passed before his magic was fully restored—much slower than in the game. An intense hunger gnawed at him, his body craving energy.
In the game, magic was just a numerical stat. In reality, it came from the conversion of internal energy.
According to the system, it was the fusion of life force and mental energy, consuming both spirit and stamina.
Lin Xiao returned to his car, grabbed a bucket of KFC, and ate heartily. By now, KFC had spread across America, available everywhere.
After finishing the family bucket, the hunger faded, warmth flooded his body, and magic brimmed within him, leaving him comfortably energized. This extraordinary power felt far more intense than anything in the game.
He spent the afternoon honing skills and adapting to his changing body, especially strength, speed, reflexes, and coordination, while learning to use magic more effectively.
Though he didn’t understand the principles behind magic, its power was undeniable. Through trial and error, he discovered several unique uses.

For example, channeling magic into his hands greatly increased his strength; into his feet, it boosted his running speed.
The most remarkable effect came when he concentrated magic in his eyes—his vision became astonishingly sharp, able to see everything within ten meters in crystal detail.
“If I’m already this strong at Level 1, then at Level 10, after becoming an Exorcist, I’ll be even more formidable. I must reach Level 10 quickly and see what happens after the job change. Then I’ll be able to learn new skills as well.”
Lin Xiao mused silently as darkness gradually fell outside the car, soon enveloping everything in black.
Judging that the time was right, he stepped out and headed toward Steve’s villa, following his memory through the woods. Soon, he spotted a magnificent mansion with a private swimming pool in front.
Steve was the resident rich kid—a classic tall, handsome, wealthy type, which was why he had won Nancy’s heart. Tonight, they were apparently planning to spend the night together.
Not long after, three young men emerged from the villa: Steve, Tommy, and Carlo.
“Damn it, Byers! If he falls into my hands, I’ll make him pay,” Tommy grumbled angrily. Having been publicly humiliated by Jonathan earlier, his reputation was in tatters.
He used to intimidate the whole school; now, even those who once avoided him dared to show him attitude.
“Let it go, Tommy. That guy’s not normal—probably traumatized. Don’t mess with him anymore.”
Steve advised, not wanting to escalate things. Besides, Byers’ display of strength had left them all shaken. Lifting a grown man single-handedly—how much power did that take? None of them could imagine doing it.
“It’s strange. I remember Byers wasn’t like this before, and he definitely wasn’t this strong.”
Carlo, Tommy’s girlfriend, commented. Steve and Tommy exchanged glances, unable to explain it except by blaming the shock of his brother’s disappearance.
After a while, two girls arrived at the villa: Nancy and her best friend, Barbara.
Here, Barbara would soon be taken by the demon dog into the Upside Down.