Chapter 7: A Mother's Fantasies
The moment Eric stepped into the house; he was engulfed in a hug so tight it nearly knocked the breath out of him. His mother clung to him with such desperation that he could feel her body trembling slightly.
She didn't say anything.
She didn't ask any questions.
She just held him,
His mother clung to him as if she were afraid he would disappear again. Minutes passed, then ten, then twenty. The hug lasted at least half an hour, and Eric—though touched—was starting to wonder if he should say something.
Finally, his mother pulled away, wiping the last traces of tears from her face.
Her expression, which had been filled with relief and sorrow just moments ago, quickly transformed into something completely different.
Curiosity.
"So…" she leaned forward, her eyes sparkling, "What did you do in that world?"
The sudden shift in emotion was so drastic that Eric had to blink twice just to process it. Before he could even sit down, she dragged him to the couch, practically pushing him into it, and sat right beside him, her gaze locked onto his as if demanding an immediate answer.
Eric sighed.
There it is.
He had been expecting this moment.
His mother, despite her somewhat violent tendencies, was an adventure-loving woman at heart.
If there was one thing, she loved more than anything—
It was excitement.
"Alright, alright," Eric sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll tell you everything."
Eric recounted everything that had happened in the Solo Leveling world.
Of course, he didn't mention that he wasn't originally supposed to be there.
Instead, he replaced Sung Jin-Woo in the narrative, making himself the protagonist of the story.
He told her about the Double Dungeon Incident, the awakening of his powers, the battles against powerful monsters, and the rise of the Shadow Army.
—
However, …
This was a complete lie.
He didn't exactly follow the original plot word for word or even came close.
For one, he wasn't someone who recklessly jumped into fights when he already knew everything about his opponent.
Most of his early battles had been effortless, simply because he had the knowledge to outmaneuver his enemies.
It was only when facing the Monarchs that he found himself in life-or-death situations.
But…
That kind of calculated approach didn't exactly sound heroic.
—
His mother was the type of person who loved dramatic, high-energy action.
If he told her that he played it smart and cautious, she'd probably call him unmanly.
Or, in her words—
"What kind of main character uses their brain instead of their fists?!"
So…
He borrowed some of Sung Jin-Woo's cooler moments and made them his own.
He had already taken the man's power; borrowing a few of his heroic moments wouldn't hurt.
Anyway, it was all about looking cool in front of his mother. He couldn't let her think he was some "unmanly coward who overanalyzed everything instead of taking action." In her words, a true hero didn't hesitate.
As he recounted the story, his mother's face went through a rollercoaster of emotions—shock, awe, excitement, and even occasional panic. Several times, she almost passed out from sheer excitement.
"It's like a dream!" she muttered in disbelief.
Her son was living the dream of every action protagonist, and that made her the mother of the main character.
It wasn't exactly her story, but it was close enough.
Her gaze suddenly sharpened.
"You know," she started, "I always wanted to be the main character of my own story."
Eric internally sighed.
Here we go…
"But!" she grinned proudly, "Since it's my son's story, I'll reluctantly accept being the second main character instead!"
Eric rubbed his temples.
That's… not how it works, Mom.
Seeing her grinning from ear to ear, lost in her own fantasies, Eric sighed helplessly. Eric knew exactly why his mother was reacting like this.
She had always been rebellious, always seeking adventure.
She wasn't the type to live a quiet, peaceful life.
That was why—
When her wealthy family tried to arrange a perfect future for her, she ran away.
She had fallen in love with a poor man—one who also happened to be dying of cancer.
And when her family forbade her from seeing him—
She eloped with him at the age of 18, leaving behind a luxurious life to pursue a more…
Exciting one.
Eric wasn't surprised by her reaction.
If anything—
He had expected it.
With that kind of background, it was no surprise that she reacted like this.
Just as he was about to say something, Eric's senses flared.
Someone had entered his room through a portal.
His eyes narrowed slightly., his shadow twitched, ready to react at a moment's notice. He didn't even need to see with his own eyes to know who—or what—had arrived. Based on his calculations, there was a ninety percent chance that the visitor was The Ancient One.
As for the remaining ten percent?
Well, it could be the TVA.
After all, he wasn't supposed to exist in this timeline. If they were going to come for him, it would have happened the moment he regained his past-life memories. But strangely enough, they never appeared.
He had even asked his newly awakened system about it.
That useless thing had simply replied, "I don't know anything outside of traveling to other worlds."
Because of this his first thought was, he came to the comic universe 616, but seeing Tony Stark today he can be sure it is the movie universe.
Then why did not TVA came, Eric had his suspicions, but he needed more time to confirm them.
Not like he is afraid of them now.
For now, he would put that mystery aside.
"Mom," Eric said suddenly, snapping her out of her daydream. "I need to introduce you to someone."
"Huh?" She tilted her head.
Eric's shadow suddenly expanded beneath him.
It writhed and twisted, taking on a distinct humanoid form—
Until a tall, insectoid knight emerged from the darkness.. In mere moments, standing before them was Berru—his most trusted shadow soldier.
Not that he did not trust Egris and Bellion, but because Berru is created by himself, not left by Ashborn, so he has a special liking for Berru.
So this special task naturally felt into Berru's head.
Berru, the high-ranking Shadow Soldier, immediately knelt in respect.
"My lord," he spoke in his usual whispery voice, "what are your orders?"
Eric simply nodded.
"You'll be looking after my mom when I'm not around. If she needs anything, you take care of it."
"This guy's name is Beru," Eric explained. "He also likes to watch dramas like you, so I think you two will get along."
Beru bowed slightly, his insectoid form moving with surprising elegance. "It is an honor to meet my lord's esteemed mother."
Rebecca—who had just been fantasizing about her son's grand adventures—
Suddenly found herself face to face with a real-life shadow creature.
Her eyes sparkled.
She took one look at Beru's formidable, almost monstrous appearance—
And then, in the most childishly excited tone possible—
She grinned.
She almost shouted at the top of her lungs.
"…Cool."
—