Chapter 36

That night was also unsettling for Randy. When he returned from the beach, Margaret was still at home, and she kept the door firmly shut, leaving no chance for him to chat with Carrie about ideals and faith.

Carrie, like the Lettuce Girl trapped in the old witch's castle, could only hope to meet her if Margaret went to the store.

Later, when Randy was preparing to sleep, new disturbances arose in his room.

First, there was a constant dripping sound from the bathroom. Even though the sound came from a distance, it seemed to linger around his ears. Randy didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was just a loose switch, so he checked the bathroom and then returned to his room.

However, on the way back, he was followed by a red balloon, which he hadn't noticed at all.

When he closed his bedroom door and was about to sleep, there was a dull knocking sound at the door.

It was as if someone was hitting the door with a volleyball.

Randy reached for the spring knife hidden under his pillow, quietly got out of bed, and opened the bedroom door.

A red balloon floated in front of him, and the corridor behind was pitch dark.

It was obvious that this was one of Pennywise's tricks.

Randy was very displeased and was also quite surprised that he had failed to notice anything unusual throughout.

This was clearly unreasonable, unless this guy's power had increased significantly.

"Pennywise."

"Hee hee hee."

An eerie laugh came from the darkness, and a claw reached out from behind to grab the balloon's string.

Pennywise also revealed his comical yet eerie face.

His body had grown larger again, which was a clear sign of increased power. Crouched in the darkness, he almost filled the entire corridor.

Pennywise said in a very hoarse and dry voice, "Do you want to float, Randy?"

"You can try."

Randy showed no fear, as maintaining control over his emotions was the best way to deal with the clown.

"Unbelievable, guess how it went? I was so hungry that I couldn't help myself..."

It seemed to have thought of some delightful scene, as it began to salivate.

"Starting with that little girl, you probably wouldn't understand biting into her arm, that tender skin and the spurting blood mixing in the mouth, like licking an ice cream, it was simply wonderful!"

Pennywise continued speaking as if he didn't care about Randy's presence, saliva spilling from his mouth.

"And the fifth boy, I couldn't believe how delicious a treat he was. He was so scared I worried he'd scream, so I dragged him into the sewer and then chewed him bit by bit, while his parents walked by on the street, not noticing at all..."

Randy interrupted, "I'm not interested in your ramblings, you ridiculous thing."

Pennywise's face suddenly turned serious, and his fierce eyes locked onto Randy.

"I don't know why, but there have been quite a few changes in the town. There are many new friends here I don't know. Randy, do you know about their existence? I told them your story, and they are very eager to meet you."

"If they want to come, they can. But they should bring some gifts."

Randy's expression didn't change. If the clown considered these other creatures as friends, they were likely to be other monsters.

There were still many secrets in the town waiting for him to explore.

"I will convey your message."

The clown continued coldly, "Randy, haven't you noticed my change? I'm not the same as last night. I can feel that as I ate those children, I became much stronger, far stronger than before. I am still the king of Derry."

"Randy, you said you feared death. It seems I might have the ability to help you achieve that."

After all this talk, Pennywise finally showed his fangs. Compared to last night, his power had doubled, and the situation had reversed.

Randy hadn't expected such a turn of events. The clown from yesterday had been no threat to him, easily controlled. Who would have thought that just one night later, his power had increased so drastically?

Damn variables.

But mere threats wouldn't scare him.

Randy flicked out the blade of his knife and drove it into Pennywise's mouth, then sliced along the corners of his mouth up to his face.

No blood flowed out; it was like slicing pigskin. Randy easily curved the corners of Pennywise's mouth into a crescent shape.

"Facing me, you'd better keep smiling. This time I drew it for you. Next time, it won't be so easily resolved."

"Hmph! Hee hee hee, hahahaha!"

Mr. Pennywise sneered and then opened his slit mouth to laugh maniacally, his mouth stretching larger than a human head, the upper half of his face peeled back to his forehead, wrinkled and squeezed into a mess.

After laughing enough, Pennywise's body continued to twitch.

"Randy, I hate you so much. You don't give me any desire to take a bite. I can't even produce saliva for you! At the same time, I also really like you. I really want to see you cowering in fear tomorrow night."

"And the deal continues, but it can only be postponed for one night. If you're still as weak as you are now, I don't think I need your help. I can handle the Losers' Club myself. By then, you won't be qualified to make a deal with me!"

Pennywise stopped laughing, and his ferocious face retreated back into the darkness.

"Pop!"

The red balloon exploded, signaling the clown's departure.

Randy closed his bedroom door.

"Bang!"

His heart was already overflowing with anger.

A one-night postponement meant this guy would come back to cause trouble the next day.

Randy really wanted to know how many people this guy had eaten to evolve so quickly.

He couldn't blame himself for being careless. Even if Pennywise hadn't regained his full strength last night, the difference shouldn't be this drastic. It was a complete multiple-fold increase in power.

Moreover, Pennywise's peak strength couldn't have been too strong. It certainly wouldn't have shown such cowardly behavior last night, relying solely on intimidation.

The urgency of the clown's visit tonight clearly indicated that he had discovered his rapid enhancement, and his confidence had swollen, so he came to regain face.

If there were any plans to take Pennywise on as a follower, Randy had already sentenced him to death in his mind.

This guy was untrustworthy and didn't abide by agreements; he deserved to die.

That night, Randy slept with the spring knife in hand, fully prepared for a midnight sneak attack from Pennywise.

Fortunately, he didn't come after all.

Early the next morning, Randy got up early as usual, made breakfast after washing up, and headed straight for the coast.

Methods for rapidly enhancing strength in a short period were not unique to Pennywise.

The carefully planted True Lotus seeds would give him control back as soon as they sprouted.

Unfortunately.

Randy checked the water.

Most of the branches had already decayed back to the roots, but no new branches had sprouted yet. It was not time for flowering.

Even adding more fertilizer was ineffective; the roots could only absorb a limited amount of nutrients per day. More nutrients didn't mean faster growth; it needed a cycle.

So, he would have to deal with Pennywise for another night.