Ethan slipped back into the shack just before dawn, bruised, exhausted, and still faintly glowing with mixed silver-crimson aura. Both fragments of the Cure-All Elixir were safely tucked inside his cloak.
He had barely taken two steps when a wooden ladle smacked him hard on the back of the head.
Thwack!
"Ow—!"
"You useless, reckless, shadow-skulking brat!"
A short but fierce woman in her early thirties stood in the middle of the shack, hands on her hips, eyes blazing. Her messy black hair was tied back with a rag, and she wore patched-up clothes that somehow still looked cleaner than everyone else's in the slum.
Name: Mira Crowe – Mother Level: 7 (Surprisingly strong for a slum dweller) Title: Iron-Willed Single Mother
She was very much alive in this world — and currently very angry.
"Ma…?" Ethan blinked, still processing. In the game lore, the mother had died early, but apparently the "extra" version of the family had kept her around longer.
Mira swung the ladle again, this time catching him on the shoulder.
Thwack! Thwack!
"Where have you been all night, huh?! Sneaking out like some thief! Coming back looking like you fought a pack of rabid dogs and lost! And what's that weird red glow on you? Have you been messing with forbidden stuff again?!"
Liam, who was sitting up on his mat, tried to hide his laughter behind his hands but failed miserably. His cheeks were already much healthier thanks to the small doses Ethan had been giving him.
"Big brother got beaten by Mother again…" Liam whispered, clearly enjoying the show.
Ethan raised his arms defensively. "Ma, wait— I was just—"
"Just what?!" Mira advanced, ladle raised like a deadly weapon. "Just running around in the middle of the night while your little brother is sick and I'm working double shifts at the laundry? You think I didn't notice the fancy food and medicine suddenly appearing? You think I'm blind?!"
Thwack! Another hit, this time on his arm.
Ethan dodged the next swing using Shadow Step on pure instinct. He blurred two feet to the left.
Mira's eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously.
"Oh? So now you're showing off fancy movement tricks on your own mother?! Come here, you little devil!"
She lunged. Ethan panicked and used another Shadow Step, accidentally leaving a faint crimson afterimage.
Mira stopped mid-swing, staring at the glowing trail.
"…Ethan Crowe. What kind of demonic nonsense did you get yourself into this time?"
Ethan froze. The comedy suddenly felt a lot more dangerous.
Liam finally couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing, which turned into a small coughing fit.
Mira immediately shifted targets. She gently patted Liam's back, then turned back to Ethan with a terrifying motherly glare.
"Sit. Down. Now."
Ethan sat instantly, rubbing the back of his head. Even with Level 4 stats and enhanced agility, he knew better than to fight his mother.
Mira crouched in front of him, her expression softening just a little as she examined the faint scars and the strange mixed aura around him.
"You've been taking risks again," she said quietly, voice thick with worry beneath the anger. "I can see it in your eyes. That stubborn look… same as your father had before he disappeared. I won't lose both my boys to this cruel world."
She reached out and flicked his forehead hard.
Flick!
"Ow!"
"That's for making me worry." Then she sighed and pulled him into a rough hug. "And this is because I'm glad you're still alive, you idiot."
Ethan stiffened for a moment, then relaxed. In his previous life, he never got moments like this. Having a fierce, alive mother who actually cared… it felt strangely warm.
Liam crawled over and joined the hug, giggling weakly. "Mother beat Big Brother again. It was funny."
"Traitor," Ethan muttered, but he was smiling.
Mira pulled back and looked at both her sons with determined eyes.
"Whatever you're planning, Ethan… you're not doing it alone anymore. I may not have fancy skills or levels, but I can still swing a ladle better than most thugs in this slum. And if anyone tries to hurt my family…" She waved the wooden spoon threateningly, "they'll meet the real boss of this house."
Ethan chuckled despite himself. "Yes, Ma."
She stood up, brushing off her clothes. "Now. Show me what you brought back that was worth risking your neck for."
Ethan hesitated, then slowly took out the two silver fragments. They glowed softly in his palm.
Mira's eyes widened. Even she could feel the powerful healing energy coming from them.
"…This is for Liam?" she whispered.
Ethan nodded. "One more fragment and we can make the full Cure-All Elixir. He won't have to suffer anymore."
For a moment, Mira's tough exterior cracked. Tears welled up in her eyes before she quickly wiped them away.
"You reckless, wonderful boy…" She smacked him lightly on the head one last time — more gently this time. "But if you ever scare me like that again, I'll beat the devil out of you myself."
Liam laughed again. "Mother vs Devil… I want to see that fight."
Ethan groaned. "Please don't give her ideas."
The small family shared a rare moment of laughter in their broken shack. For a few minutes, the weight of the world, the Devil's bargain, and the approaching Slum Purge felt distant.
But Ethan knew it wouldn't last.
As Mira went to prepare a simple meal, he looked at the two fragments and the crimson tint still lingering in his aura.
The comedy and family warmth were temporary relief.
The real hardship was still coming.
And somewhere, Lucifer Morningstar was probably laughing at the sight of the "anomaly" getting beaten by his own mother with a wooden ladle.
Ethan smiled faintly.
Even if he had to become part devil…
He would protect this noisy, stubborn, loving family with everything he had.