Ray swung his head back to look at ripped-clothes Laura. Nothing had changed, she stood there with wide eyes staring back at him. Then he did what any sensible person would do in that scenario.

He got away from both of them. Ray slowly stalked forward a few steps and leaned up against the wall, keeping his peripheral vision on the two while doing so. The two both gaped at him with surprised looks on their faces, their cute mouths forming an O, as if he were the most interesting thing in the world.

Okay, one of these two is the monster for sure, Ray quickly analyzed this new situation. This house in the middle of nowhere kept getting stranger by the minute. It was almost as strange as the system. Was the person downstairs even a person?

There were so many questions floating around in his mind and so few answers to satisfy them.

It was all Ray could do to not freak out on the spot. That would probably get him instantly killed. There was still too little information.

“Hey ladies,” Ray put out his hands in a neutral, calming position. This was no longer a one on one situation. For all he knew, everyone in the house could be a monster. Everyone everywhere could have turned into a monster. “How are we doing tonight?”

There was no answer. Ray hadn’t expected one. Or should he have? He kept on backing up slowly, hugging the wall while putting his hands up in a defensive position.

“Don’t be scared,” the Laura he had touched said softly. It had a strange hoarse feeling to its voice. It then smiled, showing two rows of sharp teeth. “Come quietly . . .”

Alright, that’s the monster. Great. Although . . .

Ray instantly shifted his focus to the Laura near the stairs. That had been easy. It had given away its identity immediately, saving him a lot of guesswork. He turned to face the other Laura, standing nearer to him.

Only she was on him, swiping at his face with her claws.

Ray was ready for it. He ducked backwards into a room, smirking to himself. The monster was too slow. He had gotten close enough for a one on one encounter, while leaving room to dodge. The fight was going according to plan.

Ray swung his fist, smacking the monster with his right arm. He felt a thud as fake-Laura flew across the room. It felt lighter than it looked. Then Ray turned his attention to the other fake-Laura across the room.

It stared at him for a split second before sprinting at him in an otherworldly manner. Its limbs seemed to unnaturally separate from its body as it quickly made her way to him.

Ray could read its movements from a mile away. He quickly reacted, ducking its swipe and returning a punch to the gut. Ray felt his fist connect with satisfaction. His increased strength and agility were coming in clutch.

The two fake-Lauras were blown back in the span of a few seconds. They gurgled, a sound unbecoming of a small Asian girl. Then again, they weren’t human.

Ray gasped as they started peeling off their clothes. It would have been a delightful sight to his eyes, if their skin didn’t shred as well. Underneath the human flesh was green skin, almost exactly like the goblins that had come before.

So, these are a special type of goblins? Maybe I’ll call them shapeshifters.

Behind him he heard a groan.

It was actual-Laura, barely conscious and badly injured lying face down in the room. Her clothes were torn, her body bloody sprawled. She was in the same position as the man downstairs, slowly bleeding out on the carpet floor.

There was no doubt in Ray’s mind that it was the Laura he knew. It would only make sense.

Turning back, he watched as the monsters finished shedding their skin. Two tall skinny muscular goblins emerged from the skins of the fake-Lauras. They looked at him with predatory eyes, as if he were their next meal. The same as the goblins before.

The night couldn’t surprise him anymore.

Ray felt enlightened. His surroundings just clicked as he shifted into a combat stance that just felt natural to him. In that moment, everything felt right with the world. He gestured at the two monsters that had just finished shedding.

“Come at me, fuckers,” Ray confidently declared. In that moment, he felt that he could take on ten of those goblin shapeshifters.

The goblins hissed once more and threw themselves at him once more. Though, they came slower than before.

Ray blocked a barehanded strike with his arm, overpowering the savage goblin shapeshifter. He followed up with a swift chop to its neck, causing it to cease its attack and squeal in pain. The other one ignored the plight of its companion and used its nails to attack right after.

Ray felt pain in his left arm, forcing him to focus on the other shapeshifter. He reacted by kneeing the goblin between the legs with all the strength he could muster, forcing the goblin collapse into itself.

He could tell he hit a sore spot.

Ray calmly walked over to the light switch, barely feeling the scratch on his arm. He was going to shed some light on the situation.

The lights turned on. He found himself in a large spacious bedroom, with Laura lying in the middle next to the bed. The goblin shapeshifters were near the door squirming like the vermin they were.

Ray could now see them in detail. He could tell that they had been injured even before he arrived. It was probably the result of them fighting Laura and Mr. Xue. They hadn’t been a challenge. Once Ray collected his thoughts and understood what was going on, he was able to deal with the two shapeshifters calmly.

It was time to put them out of their miseries.

Ray stomped on their throats, ending the whimpering noises. He felt himself level up once more, renewed vigor flowing into his body.

You did act like a weirdo back then, Ray mused to himself as he looked at his unconscious ex-girlfriend. It’s time to get some answers.