The Jelly Dragon roared, caramel dripping like molten lava from its jaws. Lin wiped his face, panting. "Alright. One more respawn and my brain will turn into pudding. Time for the big finish."
Crystal's voice: "Host HP critical. Boss at 25%."
Lin glanced at the bubbling chocolate river. An idea sparked. "Crystal… how hot can this river get if I use Iron Blood Surge and my shard at the same time?"
Crystal blinked into a holographic window beside him, eyebrow raised. "If you stab the river with your overheated shard, you'll cause a chain reaction. Boiling point exceeded. Host survival chance: 2%."
Lin grinned, teeth caramel-stained. "Perfect."
---
Operation Chocolate Bomb
He activated Iron Blood Surge. His veins glowed red, the shard in his hand pulsing with heat like a forge. He sprinted toward the river's edge as the dragon inhaled, wings spreading wide.
"HEY JELLY BEAST!" Lin screamed, running full speed. "OPEN WIDE!"
The dragon lunged. Lin leapt off a marshmallow hill, twisted in midair, and plunged his glowing shard deep into the chocolate river.
WHOOMPH!
The river erupted in a geyser of boiling chocolate and steam, blasting upward like a volcano. The surge engulfed the Jelly Dragon mid-roar. It shrieked, thrashing wildly as its gummy scales melted and caramel veins burst.
"YESSS!" Lin howled, flipping off the dragon as the explosion hurled him back to the marshmallow shore.
The dragon convulsed, then dissolved into a mountain of sticky goo that sank slowly back into the river.
A chime echoed.
> [Boss Defeated: Caramelus, the Jelly Dragon King]
Reward: Skill – "Sweet Tooth Trap" (Lv.1)
Create temporary sticky traps that slow or immobilize enemies.
Lin rolled onto his back, staring at the cotton-candy sky. "Sweet Tooth Trap? You're kidding me…"
Crystal's voice softened. "Congratulations, host. Against all odds, you survived."
Lin coughed caramel out of his lungs. "I need a dentist. And therapy."
---
The New Arrival
A shimmering doorway of rainbow sugar opened ahead, humming softly. Lin dragged himself to his feet, muttering, "If this leads to another nightmare, I'm quitting this game. I swear."
He stepped through.
The world shifted.
He stumbled out into a clearing of soft green grass and crystal-blue water. No candy. No fire. Just a calm, almost sacred lake under a silver sky.
And there she was.
A girl stood by the lake's edge, long black hair flowing like ink, eyes shimmering violet. She wore a simple but elegant outfit of white and blue that clung to her like mist. Her presence was so out of place after all the chaos that Lin just stopped and stared.
"Uh…" he managed. "Did I… die again?"
The girl turned, smiling faintly. "So you're the one making all that noise."
Lin blinked. "Wait. Who are you?"
Before she could answer, two more figures emerged from behind her — Lin's female teammates, looking battered but alive. They both lit up when they saw him.
"LIN!" they shouted at the same time, running over. One hugged him so hard he almost fell over. "You're still alive?!"
Lin blinked between them. "Wait, you're both okay?! How did—"
One of them groaned. "Long story. Giant cookie army. Sugar tornado. We'll tell you later."
Lin rubbed his temple. "Great. We all got diabetes trauma now."
The beautiful girl tilted her head, eyes curious. "You three are survivors."
Lin pointed at her. "And you are…?"
She smiled again, mysterious. "A guide. Or maybe… your next problem."
Lin groaned. "Fantastic. Another NPC with secrets."
---
Recounting the Nightmare
They all sat by the lake, Lin still dripping chocolate. His two friends talked over each other, recounting the sugar war, the cupcake ambushes, and how they found this strange girl. Lin recapped his own humiliations, deaths, and the Jelly Dragon fight.
When he mentioned cursing the dev team, Crystal flickered and muttered, "Host, you may have caused real-world disturbances."
Lin scowled. "Good. I hope they're sneezing their heads off right now."
Somewhere else, the man in the hoodie sneezed again.
The mysterious girl crouched at the water's edge, touching its surface. The lake rippled, glowing faintly. "This world is shifting," she said softly. "Biomes are merging. You're getting closer to the heart of the game."
Lin frowned. "Closer to the creator, you mean?"
She met his gaze. "Exactly."
Crystal's voice whispered: "Warning: new biome detected ahead."
Lin buried his face in his hands. "Why couldn't it just be puppies and ice cream?!"
To be continued…