Ch 176.

  Matt’s puppet found himself perched on the edge of Maya's bed, which offered a view of Matt’s mother’s house just beyond the window. From what Maya had mentioned earlier, this room was the most suitable spot for their conversation, allowing Matt’s puppet to gather crucial information before attempting to reach out to Matt’s mom. “So, first, what was your integration like?” Maya asked, her curiosity evident as she settled back against her pillows, while he stood uneasily in the center of the room, feeling out of place. “Oh, feel free to join me on the bed if you want to sit somewhere,” she added with an inviting smile.

  “I think I’ll stay standing,” replied Matt’s puppet, maintaining a cautious distance. “As for my integration, it was bloody in more ways than one.”

  “Really? Mine was just about battling oversized bugs in a jungle. It was nasty at first, but after the initial few months, I got used to it. I don’t even scream at the sight of a spider anymore,” she said, a hint of pride in her voice.

  “Were you forced to work with others?” he inquired, intrigued by her experience.

  “Kind of. There were twelve of us who appeared together, and we all stuck together, but we could have split up if we wanted to.”

  “Mine forced us to stay in groups of at least four…”

  Matt’s puppet then recounted a brief overview of his own integration experience. He omitted the darker details about taking lives, as well as the names Tempormr and Radoznaormr, though he did mention the battles against goblins and the harrowing moment of being captured after transitioning to the dungeon world. When he finished, Maya regarded him with a mixture of concern and contemplation, clearly unsure how to respond to the weight of what he had just shared.

  “Wow, you’ve been through a lot more than I have. We just set up a camp and spent our time foraging for food and dealing with any bugs that dared to come near us. What level are you?”

  “I’m not sharing that, but if you’re under level 33, you really need to start putting in some serious effort to improve.”

  “33? I’m not even at level 17! Most people aren’t anywhere near that level, yet we all feel significantly stronger than we were before the integration. Besides, unless you’re aiming for the top, leveling up just turns you into experience points for those who are stronger.”

  Matt’s puppet frowned, studying Maya’s face before choosing to respond with a sharp edge. “So, what’s your plan when someone twice your level decides you’re going to be their new plaything?”

  “If you want to hook up, I’m game.”

  The boldness in Maya’s gaze left no room for doubt; she was serious. Matt's puppet raised a hand to halt her before she could elaborate. “No, absolutely not. I have no interest in anyone who can’t even navigate from one settlement to another on their own. I hope that wasn’t your reason for bringing me here.”

  “No, not entirely,” Maya replied, her tone tinged with disappointment. “I’d like to have a little fun, but I know you’re not that kind of guy. If you were, I wouldn’t have invited you to my room, and that’s the dilemma all women face.”

  “Not interested in discussing that at all. Now, what can you tell me about my mom?”

  “You’re no fun,” Maya sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. “But when it comes to your mom, she’s been harboring a lot of anger toward you for years now. Conversations with her rarely stray from the topic of how you chose to run away from everything and leave her and your father behind. Honestly, I think she’s stopped seeing you as her son ever since you missed your dad’s funeral.”

  “That wasn’t my intention,” Matt’s puppet defended, his voice barely above a whisper. “I mean, there was three feet of snow on the ground, and no way I could have gotten anywhere.”

  “Everyone knows that,” Maya replied, her tone softening slightly. “But it doesn’t matter to her. If you plan to check in on her personally, just be prepared to make a quick exit.”

  Matt’s puppet frowned, lost in thought as memories of Matt’s family washed over him. They weren’t all perfect moments; his mother had always held expectations higher than he felt he could reach. He was meant to carve out a life that would allow him to support a family while still being able to care for his parents. Instead, he had retreated into solitude, communicating with them only through a radio in his cabin, which he primarily used for emergencies. If only they had postponed the funeral until spring, he would have made it without question, but life had its own harsh timeline, and that wasn’t how things had turned out.

  “Yeah, well maybe I have a few choice words for her too,” Matt’s puppet declared, his voice steady. “Who knows, maybe she’ll forgive me once she sees that I cared enough to come looking for her.”

  “Right, so are you going to head out now, or do you want to wait until morning?” Maya asked, leaning against the doorframe with a teasing glint in her eyes. “Even if you’re not interested in having a little fun, my bed is big enough for two.”

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  “Thanks, but I think I should just get this over with,” Matt’s puppet replied, catching sight of his mother stepping into the backyard, a cigarette dangling from her fingers. “Though, if you want to tag along in hopes that she’ll keep her cool a bit longer, I won’t say no.”

  “Unless you’re planning to start dating me, keep me out of this one.”

  Matt’s puppet shook its head, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of its mouth, and turned to leave, with Maya trailing behind him to the back door. Once outside, he walked directly toward his mother, the fence that had once separated their yards now gone as it was part of what formed a boundary around the entire neighborhood. At first, she didn’t notice him, but as he approached within ten feet, she turned, her expression shifting from indifference to shock as she froze in place.

  “Hi, Mom,” Matt’s puppet greeted, trying to keep its tone light. “It’s good to see that you’re alive.”

  “Leave,” Matt’s mom snapped, her voice cold as ice. “Just leave now. I have nothing to say to you, and our neighbors don’t deserve to witness what I’m tempted to do to you.”

  “Are you sure you want me to walk away? Because if I do, it will be goodbye for good.”

  “Ha, that’s rich. All it took was for the world to end for you to bother visiting. Would it really have been too much to care enough to wait for us to die before abandoning society?”

  “Can we skip the argument about my life choices? It’s my life.”

  “Always about you and never about anyone else—”

  “Look who’s talking,” Matt’s puppet interjected. “Really, are you going to stand there and act like I didn’t learn any of that from you?”

  “How ungrateful can you be?”

  “I’m here, aren’t I?”

  “And what of it?”

  “Cool, you know what? I did what I came here to do. I can say that you’re alive, and the fact that you haven’t accepted the invitation to join my organization is completely on you. Peter and Stacy say hi, by the way.”

  “You’ve seen your brother!?”

  “They accepted my invitation, and thanks to that, I was able to reach out to Peter even before we returned to Earth.”

  “Why hasn’t he come to visit me then?”

  “Because I haven’t told him how to get here; it was difficult for me to even find it. They have their own challenges to deal with, and you’re upset that they didn’t rush here to be with you.”

  “Why did you then?”

  “I can be in more than one place at a time,” Matt’s puppet explained. “Right now, my main body is on an island in the middle of the ocean. Don’t ask how he got there, but he’s focused on setting it up as a long-term base to defend against the chaos that’s coming.”

  “I’m not even important enough for you to come yourself,” scoffed Matt’s mom. “Though if that’s the case, then you wouldn’t mind staying here and doing what I want—”

  “No. If you want me to take you to where others are building ships and join them as they cross the ocean to reach the island where my main body is, I’ll do that. However, after that, I need to head north and try to rescue someone trapped on some ice sheets.”

  “I am not going anywhere. This is my house and—”

  “I’ll take you up on that offer,” Maya chimed in from her window, her voice cutting through the tension. “I mean, you will take me with you, right?”

  “Hmph,” Matt’s mom huffed, crossing her arms tightly. “What are you doing butting into our business?”

  “Oh, come off it,” Maya shot back, her voice sharp and unwavering. “I don’t want to be stuck here, and Matt’s offering a way out. So, excuse me if I’m going to take it.”

  “I’m not taking those who aren’t willing to grow stronger and their families,” Matt’s puppet stated firmly, the light in its eyes flickering with determination. “The whole reason I chose that island as a base is because there’s a dungeon there where people can level up without having to fight the wildlife. Plus, brace yourselves; the wildlife will start talking soon enough as they evolve into humanoid forms.”

  “Is that why you say we all need to reach level 33?” Maya asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

  “Wait, you stopped to see her before me!?” Matt’s mom interjected, disbelief lacing her words.

  “Mom, she stopped me when I was approaching the house, and we talked for a bit,” Matt’s puppet replied, rubbing its temples as if trying to stave off a headache. “But yes, to the wildlife, you’ll all eventually look like food, and if you don’t keep up with their levels, you’re almost guaranteed to end up on the menu.”

  “And you would leave me here to die!?” Matt’s mom accused, her voice rising in panic. “Shouldn’t you offer to stay and protect me?”

  “That’s exactly why I’m willing to take you out of here,” retorted Matt’s puppet, its tone resolute. “This body is only half as strong as my main one, and in a year, I expect it won’t be able to defend against those who are leveling up consistently. Worse yet, until more dungeon entrances open, there are only six, and all of them are located on islands or at the Poles. So, anyone looking to level up without going to those places will have to kill whatever or whoever they can find. I suspect things will get messy because someone is bound to try and claim power when they think no one can stop them.”

  “So, will you let me come with you then?” Maya asked, her voice steady despite the chaos around them. “I mean, I don’t want to die, and if that means I need to push myself to reach level 33, then I should at least do that much.”

  “Fine, be ready to go in two days,” Matt’s puppet replied, its expression softening slightly. “Feel free to invite anyone else who wants to grow stronger, and I’ll guide you to the group building ships about two weeks of walking from here.”

  “How many can I bring?”

  “As many as dare to risk dying along the way. If it’s just you, I can pick you up and run if a pack of wolves or something shows up. I can’t do that for more than two people, though—”

  “Did you see a pretty face and forget that your mother is right here!?” shouted Matt’s mom, her frustration bubbling over. “We weren’t done talking—”

  “Yes, we were. You can choose to come or stay, but only you and Maya will get me to carry anyone if running becomes the only option.”

  “I’m not going,” Matt’s mom stated defiantly, her jaw set. “And that is final.”

  “Good to know,” Matt’s puppet replied, unfazed. “Maya, figure out what you’re going to do, and I’ll swing by for an answer in about two days.”

  “Alright, but how are you going to get them to let me leave with you?”

  “Who?”

  “The leaders we elected to head our group here,” Matt’s mom answered, her voice laced with authority. “They believe we need to stick together if we want to survive, and I agree. So, to leave, they have to—”

  “They are free to try and stop me,” cut in Matt’s puppet, its tone dismissive. “I have no fear of them.”

  With that, Matt’s puppet turned away, ignoring the two women calling out to him. As he walked off, he resolved to take some time to assess the overall situation in the neighborhood, determined to prepare for what lay ahead.