Chapter 67

Randy traveled through the waterways, following the sewers into the small grove, and then hurried towards home.

When he arrived at his doorstep, he felt something was off and activated his perception early.

Sure enough, in his room, he detected a hidden monster.

This creature had been lurking in the shadows, almost ready to fall asleep.

Click.

Randy opened the door, and the monster upstairs immediately woke up, quickly hiding around the corner of the stairs, seemingly preparing to launch a deadly attack on Randy.

From its appearance, it looked like a werewolf, though it seemed somewhat weak.

This was Randy's first encounter with such a creature.

Maintaining his usual composure, Randy climbed upstairs. As he reached the stairwell corner, the werewolf suddenly leaped out, its eyes glowing red and fangs bared, growling at Randy.

"What the hell?"

Randy looked at the werewolf with a puzzled expression. He didn't sense any killing intent from it, and the monster felt strange, even carrying a hint of a holy aura.

Just as Randy prepared to summon his lightning, the werewolf's expression changed suddenly. It extended its claws, pointing towards Randy's back.

Randy wasn't afraid of its ambush but turned around out of curiosity and discovered a cross had been hung on the corner of the hallway, though he didn't know when it had been put up.

They weren't a religious family; they wouldn't hang a cross, even a statue of Buddha!

Someone had done this on purpose!

What bad luck!

The werewolf looked especially frightened, as if it had seen something terrifying. It panicked and fled out the window.

But the cross was just an ordinary wooden piece, not even real wood, just some kind of plywood!

"What the hell is this guy up to?"

Randy hurried to the window and looked outside. The werewolf had already crossed the street and was continuing to flee.

"Coming and going as it pleases?"

Whoosh!

A vine shot out quickly, wrapping around the werewolf's arm, followed by another vine wrapping around its leg. The surrounding trees and plants seemed to come alive, swiftly entangling it.

The werewolf struggled desperately, its sudden burst of strength almost bending the tree trunks, but it was quickly restrained.

It then turned its head in terror, the panic much more genuine this time than before.

"What's your purpose here?"

Randy stood at the window and asked. Though the distance was a bit far, the rustling of the leaves was enough to convey his meaning.

The werewolf didn't respond and continued to struggle.

"A powerful body, but unfortunately, it's a fool that can't even speak."

Randy didn't waste time pondering and decided to turn it into raw material as soon as possible to see what might come of it.

He extended his hand, and sharp wooden spikes quickly emerged from the ground. However, they missed the target.

Just as they were about to pierce the werewolf, it suddenly transformed into a cloud of smoke and vanished into thin air.

"Hmm?"

Randy was puzzled and quickly expanded his perception to its maximum range but detected no other monsters nearby.

Upon further examination, he noticed a strange energy dispersing in the air where the werewolf had disappeared.

"Could it be that the monster was just a fictional entity?"

A fictional entity is a non-corporeal being created by someone's thoughts, like river deities summoned by faith. Such entities are less dependent on thought alone and are generally stronger, with independent thought abilities.

However, these entities always have a characteristic: they lack a physical form and exist only as a medium, or rather, their form is the thought or faith itself, disappearing once the spell is broken.

"The werewolf just now was likely dissipated when someone suddenly stopped focusing their thoughts on it. It's normal; if the werewolf had been killed, the caster would suffer a significant backlash. It probably wasn't a pleasant experience for them."

Randy snorted: "Only a coward hiding in the corner, just like Pennywise's rats."

Once the grand formation was complete, all anomalies would be exposed.

As night fell and it was time for bed, Randy didn't delay further and immediately climbed over the wall into Carrie's house.

This time, he easily reached Carrie's window but didn't enter.

Because Margaret was there.

She was kneeling with Carrie in front of a Jesus statue.

Suddenly, Margaret seemed to sense something, furrowing her brow and opening her eyes.

"Carrie, did you pray seriously just now?"

Carrie, eyes still closed, responded with confusion: "Of course, Mom."

Margaret couldn't say much more and had to close her eyes again, but she felt an uncomfortable itch in her body, an inexplicable awkwardness.

After enduring for a while, she couldn't stand the irritation anymore and felt she might need to purify herself further.

"Carrie, you need to pray properly. I need to cleanse myself of sins."

With that, she hurried out of the room.

After she left, Carrie didn't continue praying. Instead, she stood up in confusion, curious, and went to the door, carefully sensing and hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom.

Carrie, puzzled, thought, "Didn't I just take a bath?"

Before she could react further, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind.

"Carrie."

Randy had suddenly appeared in the room, without even opening the window.

In just a day, Carrie's complexion had improved. Previously, due to malnutrition and various problems, she had been physically and mentally exhausted. But as her magical power was developing, it continually changed her body, making her more attractive.

Yet, compared to the transformative Randy, she still had her differences.

Carrie looked shocked.

"Randy, how did you…"

"I'm fine."

"Oh."

Carrie seemed flustered, fidgeting with her skirt and hair.

"Come here."

Randy gestured for her to sit beside him, and Carrie approached without much resistance.

"This morning I had a run-in with the Clown. I didn't want to disturb your sleep since you seemed so peaceful."

Randy casually made up an excuse.

Carrie believed him without any suspicion. She still thought the Clown was bothering her and expressed her thanks with a grateful look.

She had woken up to find no one around, which had made her feel particularly despondent. But Randy's explanation gave her a sense of being valued, something Margaret had never done.

"It's a pity that monster was too elusive. I didn't manage to get rid of it. How was your day?"

Randy asked with a smile.

Carrie looked up and then quickly looked down again, her voice filled with distress: "I don't understand why everyone dislikes me so much when I haven't done anything to provoke anyone."

The school's rumor spread had made her very sad. People gave her nicknames, threw dirt on her, and there were even boys making obscene gestures towards her.

Carrie almost lost control of her magic several times but managed to regain control at the last moment.

Randy was displeased.

"You don't need to worry about them. You are special, more special than any of them."

Carrie felt even more distressed, feeling she hadn't received the comfort she deserved.

"Don't be sad. It's just bullying. Endure it. Get used to being mistreated, agree to all their rude demands, and become the punching bag for everyone's frustrations."

Carrie looked up, astonished, unable to believe Randy could say such things.

"If you don't like this kind of life, do you want to change it?"

Randy asked expressionlessly.

Carrie nodded seriously.

"Then kill them."

Carrie was startled by this suggestion.

Randy smiled and asked, "Tell me, who led the bullying?"

Carrie hesitated but, seeing Randy's unquestionable gaze, finally spoke: "It's Kris, and also…"

She named several people.

She began to see Randy as her guardian, hoping he could help solve these external troubles.

"It's easy to resolve. You now have powerful magic. Wait until after school and find a corner to aim at their heads."

Randy twisted his hand: "This way, they will never bully you again."

"Of course, if you're still not satisfied, you can also go to the playground during class, then cause the building to collapse, making everyone in the school's faculty pay the price!"