Chapter 3: Ascending to Extraordinary Power

The demon hound showed no fear of death, utterly unfazed by the grisly demise of its two companions. With a powerful kick of its hind legs, it lunged forward like an arrow. Their hunting style was brutally simple, relying almost entirely on pouncing.

Already emboldened from having slain a demon hound earlier, Lin Xiao met the beast’s charge with newfound courage. He hefted his Star Annihilator axe, and as the hound leaped at him, he swung the weapon in a powerful arc.

But this demon hound was cunning. Twisting in midair, it braced its forepaws against the oncoming blade, using the force to vault forward. Its body shot ahead, claws outstretched, aiming straight for Lin Xiao’s face.

Those claws, five or six inches long and wickedly sharp, could easily tear off a chunk of flesh with a single swipe.

A chill swept over Lin Xiao—he had let himself get carried away. This was a real monster, not some respawnable foe in a game. Here, death was final.

At the very brink of life and death, the quick reflexes honed from years of gaming saved him. With a sudden movement, he raised his leg and kicked the demon hound mid-pounce, using his longer reach to send it flying.

Seizing the moment as the creature scrambled to its feet, Lin Xiao stepped forward, raised the Star Annihilator, and brought it down hard. The axe cut clean through the demon hound’s head, severing its grotesquely flowered skull.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have slain an LV1 Demon Hound. Source Power +2.]

Exhaling deeply, Lin Xiao silently warned himself to stay vigilant. No matter the situation, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down. Hadn’t the internet taught him well? Complacency was a recipe for disaster.

He stored the demon hound’s corpse in his inventory as usual. The other two had already been dissolved by holy water and could not be collected.

After a brief rest, Lin Xiao stepped out of the room. This was Jonathan’s house in the Upside Down. Thanks to the memories he’d inherited, he was intimately familiar with the layout.

In the original story, Joyce, Will’s mother, discovered unusual phenomena here. Certain her son was missing, she remained at home, communicating with Will through the flickering lights, desperate to rescue him.

Jonathan’s house was modest, with just three bedrooms. Lin Xiao made his way to the living room, the atmosphere around him thick with gloom. The greatest difference between the Upside Down and reality was the pervasive decay and rot.

This place resembled the Shadow Valley from DNF—a unique world existing in a shadow dimension. The protagonist, Eleven, had torn open a rift between the two worlds with her powers, setting off a chain of catastrophic events.

Lin Xiao suspected that his arrival here, a result of his inadvertent crossing between worlds, might have pulled the original Jonathan into this realm as well.

He needed to find an exit as soon as possible. Of course, if he encountered Will along the way, he’d rescue him too.

As for disrupting the storyline—what did that matter to him?

The room was empty, with no sign of Will. Steeling himself, Lin Xiao approached the door and flung it open. A world even darker and more foreboding stretched before him.

“It seems the only way out is through the fixed portal at Hawkins National Laboratory. That’s where Eleven tore open the gateway.”

He glanced around. Fortunately, Jonathan’s memories included the exact location of the lab, so reaching it wasn’t a problem. The real issue was whether he should try to save Will.

From the plot of the later seasons, it seemed the shadow creature that took Will was likely the Mind Flayer, not the Demogorgon from the first season. Otherwise, too many things wouldn’t add up.

Whether it was the Mind Flayer or the Demogorgon, Lin Xiao was certain of one thing: he was no match for them. If he tried, he’d be crushed, over and over again.

So the best strategy was to temporarily give up searching for Will and get himself out of the Upside Down first. Once he grew stronger, he could return for a rescue.

After all, Lin Xiao was not Jonathan. Though he had merged with Jonathan’s memories, his own consciousness was dominant. Jonathan had been absorbed into him, and his feelings for Will weren’t strong enough to compel immediate action.

Decision made, he wasted no time. Following the road before him, he ran toward Hawkins Lab. But carrying the heavy Star Annihilator, he soon grew winded and had to stop for a breather.

“This won’t do. At level zero, I’m just an ordinary person—no superhuman power at all. If I keep this up, by the time the lab staff return, I’ll be caught the moment I try to exit.”

Based on the story, Hawkins Lab at this point had been overrun by demon hounds; most of the staff had likely been slaughtered. That was why he dared to use the portal to get out.

But this window wouldn’t last long. Soon, Hawkins Lab would send reinforcements, retake the facility, and drive the Demogorgon back through the gate. Afterward, the town would be plagued by crisis, with many residents killed.

“If only I could kill one more demon hound. As soon as I reach level one, I’ll gain extraordinary powers and unlock my skill tree.”

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he heard a rustling in the bushes. Seven or eight glimmering eyes emerged from the darkness—four demon hounds.

“Damn it, I asked for one, not four!” Lin Xiao muttered bitterly, wondering if he’d jinxed himself.

He gripped the Star Annihilator tightly. The four hounds closed in from all sides, circling him with their ghastly, flower-shaped heads spread wide, trying to intimidate their prey.

“No, I can’t panic. If I just kill one, I’ll level up immediately—then the other three won’t be a problem.”

Thinking quickly, Lin Xiao didn’t wait to be attacked. Instead, he lunged toward one of the demon hounds.

The creature was caught off guard—its would-be prey had suddenly become the aggressor. It hesitated, and in that moment, Lin Xiao brought the Star Annihilator down hard, cleaving the demon hound’s monstrous head in two. Only then did the other three react, springing at him in unison.

But it was too late.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have slain an LV1 Demon Hound. Source Power +2.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have accumulated 10 points of Source Power and fulfilled the leveling requirement. Would you like to level up?]

“Level up, now!” Lin Xiao commanded in his mind. At his response, a burst of light flashed, and five class selection panels appeared in his consciousness.

Rolling aside to evade the three remaining demon hounds, Lin Xiao hurriedly made his choice in the midst of chaos:

Cleric!

Another flash of light, and a surge of power exploded from within him. Even without looking, Lin Xiao knew his body was being strengthened, his attributes rising rapidly beyond human limits.

He quickly summoned the skill interface. A lush, thriving skill tree appeared on the panel.

He immediately activated one of the abilities—a general skill of the Cleric class.

At that moment, the three demon hounds attacked, jaws wide, but recoiled in shock—they sensed something had changed about their prey.

A keen-edged battle axe swung from an unexpected angle, cleaving straight through one of the hound’s heads. At the same time, Lin Xiao’s foot smashed into another, sending it flying.

The third hound leapt at him with jaws agape, but a powerful hand seized its throat and slammed it to the ground—then the axe fell, severing its neck.

The demon hound that had been kicked aside refused to accept death. Digging its claws into the earth, it sprang forward once more.

Lin Xiao gave a cold laugh, sidestepped the charge, and brought his axe down in a crushing overhead strike, launching the beast into the air. He jumped up lightly and split the creature cleanly in two.

Cleric’s general skill—Air Slash!