After the boss fell, the screen did not immediately jump to the next stage like before.
Instead, a quiet cutscene appeared.
Under a pale full moon, Little Red Riding Hood wandered through the forest and failed to find her grandmother. The wind howled softly. The trees stood still. The scene ended without explanation.
Aaron Cole frowned in confusion.
"What the hell?" he muttered. "That's it?"
His livestream chat instantly exploded.
"Is the game really over already?"
"No way—25 yuan for half an hour?"
"That's straight-up robbery. Can't even refund!"
"Did he miss a level or something?"
Aaron returned to the main interface. The familiar options stared back at him: Night of the Full Moon, New Adventure. Nothing looked different.
He scratched his head.
"Wait… is it actually finished?"
He clicked New Adventure again, half expecting a glitch. He chose the Knight once more. The opening screen loaded.
Exactly the same.
Aaron laughed in disbelief.
"Are you serious? That short? That cheap?"
But the moment the cutscene began again, his laughter froze.
A gentle female narration filled the room.
> "Little Red Riding Hood failed to find her grandmother on the night of the full moon. Perhaps… she needs to try again."
Aaron's eyes widened.
"Hold on…"
Then it hit him.
"This is New Game+!"
The realization snapped into place.
---
A Different Way to Play
During his first run, Aaron had played purely mechanically. He tested cards, equipment, blessings—optimizing damage, clearing paths, skipping dialogue.
But now, things were different.
This game had a story.
"This round," Aaron said, sitting up straighter, "we're actually paying attention. This game isn't just cards—it's hiding something."
He chose the Action Point talent, planning an aggressive Knight build, and stepped back into the forest.
This time, he listened.
The guard blocking the road wasn't an enemy at all—he was simply afraid, warning Little Red Riding Hood not to leave the village on a dangerous full-moon night.
The Hunter roaming the forest wasn't a monster either—he was a grieving father, tracking the werewolf that had taken his daughter.
The Hypnotist didn't attack. Instead, she spoke calmly, offering clues about where grandmother might have gone.
Aaron slowed down.
He listened to every line.
And gradually, something unsettling became clear.
Most of the "monsters" weren't hostile by nature.
They were victims.
---
The Strange Boss Battle
By the time Aaron reached the Chapter 3 boss stage, his Knight build was fully formed.
Three Action Points.
Four equipment slots.
Swordsmanship Training.
Extra card draw.
With dual axes equipped, each normal attack duplicated twice. Two hundred damage per round came easily.
Then the choice appeared:
> "Select the target you wish to investigate."
Four options surfaced:
1. The Werewolf
2. A Mysterious Person
3. The Priest
4. Another Mysterious Person (locked)
Aaron clicked the fourth.
"Cannot investigate."
Conditions popped up.
Courage and Reputation both needed to be higher than four.
"So even dialogue has stat requirements?" he muttered.
The second Mysterious Person required Reputation greater than Courage.
The Priest and the Werewolf were free choices.
After a moment's thought, Aaron chose the Werewolf.
The fight began.
And immediately—
"What?" Aaron blinked. "Why am I… buffing the boss?"
Each turn, he was given strange options.
He could make the boss discard cards.
Reduce its draw.
Or…
Heal the boss.
Increase its card draw.
Strengthen it.
Aaron laughed in disbelief.
"Who would ever pick these? Why would anyone make the boss stronger?"
The fight was absurdly easy. Easier than normal enemies.
Chat flooded in.
"This has to be a bug."
"The boss is weaker than mobs."
"Werewolves aren't supposed to be this soft!"
Aaron agreed.
"This is a huge mistake. I'm reporting this to Northstar Games after this."
He stacked armor, ignored the nonsense options, and finished with a single Pierce attack dealing over four hundred damage.
The Werewolf died instantly.
---
The Truth Revealed
Aaron reached for the exit button.
Then—
A new cutscene triggered.
A deep, hoarse male voice spoke—trying to sound like a young boy, but cracked with emotion.
> "It's okay… Little Red Riding Hood."
"This isn't your fault."
"Everything was meant to be."
Aaron froze.
"That voice…"
The sarcastic narrator from Getting Over It.
"You think lowering your tone hides it?" Aaron muttered. "I'd recognize that voice anywhere."
But the scene continued.
Under a massive tree, the Werewolf lay dying. His wrist stretched toward Little Red Riding Hood, whose red cloak fluttered at the edge of the frame.
Text appeared.
Aaron read slowly.
His expression changed.
The chat went silent.
Finally, he exhaled.
"So that's it…"
The game wasn't bugged.
The Werewolf was Little Carpenter.
Injured by the Hunter. Still sane. Still fighting himself.
The options that weakened the boss?
That was his sanity protecting Little Red Riding Hood.
The options that strengthened the boss?
Those were his struggles—his loss of control.
Aaron leaned back.
"I owe Northstar Games an apology," he said quietly.
"The game wasn't broken. I was."
---
Everyone Was Innocent
Instead of starting another run, Aaron opened the bestiary.
Over forty monsters unlocked.
He read them.
One by one.
The Pig Bride—a victim.
The Apothecary—kind-hearted.
The Gorilla—waiting endlessly for his wife.
The Dream Tree—a guardian who helped slaves escape, cursed for his mercy.
The chat exploded again.
"Why does it feel like we're the villains?"
"These bosses were good people…"
"The church Priest has to be evil, right? Please fight him next!"
---
A Tragic Cycle
Aaron continued.
Eventually, he faced the fourth boss—the Mysterious Person.
Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother.
The truth unfolded.
The Hope family possessed the power to resist dark magic, to calm corrupted monsters.
Every full moon, grandmother entered the forest to protect others.
This time… she failed.
Age weakened her.
Dark magic consumed her.
She became the very thing she fought.
Later, Nightmare difficulty unlocked.
The forest grew darker.
Rewards fewer.
Enemies stronger.
Yet the Knight pressed on.
In one timeline, Little Red Riding Hood arrived too late—the Priest lay defeated, grandmother unconscious.
Snow wolves attacked.
Time rewound.
Another cycle.
This time, Little Carpenter appeared, saving her from the wolves.
But then—
A giant claw burst from underground.
They fell.
Hidden world.
New monsters.
And finally—
The Wood Spirit.
After defeating it, the final cutscene played.
Little Carpenter stood before Little Red Riding Hood, shielding her with his body.
A tear traced his cheek.
A silent smile.
He said nothing.
Just like before—when she once stood in front of him.
This time, it was his turn.
A farewell under the full moon.
---
End of the Stream
Aaron didn't cry.
But his chest felt tight.
"So many cycles… so many endings," he whispered. "Wasn't the goal to save everyone?"
The final image showed grandmother alive at home.
Little Red Riding Hood closed a book by the window, snow falling outside.
"But Little Carpenter still died…" Aaron sighed.
Time.
He checked the clock.
Hours had passed.
"One run takes half an hour," he said. "If you care about the story? At least an hour."
He smiled at the camera.
"Alright. That's it for today's stream."
"Tomorrow, we save Little Carpenter together."
"This game is worth every rupee. Art. Music. Story. Gameplay."
"I recommend Night of the Full Moon to everyone."
He ended the stream.
Across BiliZone, SharkStream, and MeowCast, card game sections were flooded.
Five out of ten streams.
Same game.
Same forest.
Same full moon.
Was Northstar Games about to create their second hit?
The night seemed to think so. 🌕
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