Liam used Observation on the monsters, his eyes glowing faintly as information flowed before him like an invisible panel.
[Smiling One]
Race: Cursed
Title: None
[ABILITIES]
[EXTREME DAMAGE RESISTANCE]: Practically immune to physical damage as long as the damage does not exceed the limit of this ability.
[MINOR VITAL IMMORTALITY]: Can live for 500 years before needing to perform the ritual again.
[MONSTROUS PENETRATION]: Ability to pierce most materials.
[MENTAL SUGGESTION]: Can influence the decisions of people who talk with them for too long.
[WEAKNESSES]
Jailer's worms
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Seeing their abilities, Liam already knew they would not be easy to kill. They seemed far more durable than demogorgons. The ability did not specify a clear damage limit, which was a problem and caused a slight tension in his jaw.
The penetration ability greatly increased their capacity to inflict damage on enemies, but it also meant he needed to be careful with his attacks. He could regenerate, but only a fool would allow himself to be seriously injured; his stance adjusted instinctively, ready to dodge rather than take hits.
The immortality was also impressive, but to Liam it did not seem very important when he would likely encounter many similar monsters in the future. Besides, he still had plenty of time to find ways to extend his lifespan, even if he never found another ability like that—a thought that crossed his mind with calm calculation.
And the last ability explained why it was so easy for them to convince the townspeople to open doors, recalling the fake smiles and gentle voices he had seen minutes earlier.
"Carrie, don't let them get close to you. Their damage potential is very high," Liam said seriously, without taking his eyes off the Smiling Ones slowly approaching from the street.
"Alright, be careful," Carrie replied worriedly, frowning as she tensed her fingers, ready to use her power.
"Relax. I won't let myself get hurt. First I'll test their capabilities before deciding what we'll do," Liam said, taking a step forward with determination.
With that, Liam ran toward one of them, his body moving with precision as he mentally prepared to test the limits of their resistance ability.
"What are you doing?! Get inside the house, now!" Jim shouted worriedly from the doorway, barely leaning out and watching the scene in terror.
"Don't worry. From what I've heard, they're very strong—they're not normal humans," Hopper said seriously as he watched Liam approach the Smiling One, his expression hard but focused.
"It doesn't matter whether they're normal or not. Those monsters don't die," Jim said, still worried, clenching his fists in desperation.
"Why do you say that?" Joyce asked anxiously beside Hopper, bringing a hand to her chest.
Jim looked at her for a moment before answering, taking a deep breath as if reliving memories he would rather forget.
"A few months ago, a family arrived—a young father about twenty-five years old with a four-year-old boy and a two-year-old daughter. At first they seemed like a normal family, but after learning about the monsters and witnessing them themselves, the young father, named Clint Barton, tried to fight the creatures. He fought with a level of skill I never would have believed possible. He had a bow with arrows of different effects and tried many types, but they barely had any effect other than slowing them down a little. Later, when the Smiling Ones got closer, he fought with a katana, but it broke after only a few exchanges."
Jim swallowed before continuing, his voice growing heavier.
"In the end, he was injured after being surrounded, and during the moment of blindness caused by a flash grenade, somehow he was already on the roof of the house, entering where his family was. After that day, he tried many more times in different ways, but he never succeeded. He couldn't injure any of them. In the end, he had no choice but to hide at night like everyone else."
Jim finished recounting what happened when Clint Barton arrived, lowering his gaze in resignation.
"It sounds incredible, but he was still just a normal man—highly trained in combat with a few tricks," Hopper said, still trusting in Liam, crossing his arms as he kept his eyes fixed on the fight unfolding in front of the house.
"That's right. When we say they're not normal humans, it's not about combat training or anything like that," Joyce said, pressing her lips together as she nodded slowly.
"You don't understand. Clint was only the second most surprising thing," Jim said seriously, his voice low but firm, as if afraid that remembering it might attract something worse.
"A few days ago, something appeared at night that looked like a normal human. He seemed to look at the Smiling Ones as if they were prey. You could tell he wasn't a good person, but we learned he wasn't human when he started fighting one of the Smiling Ones."
"Not human? What was he?" Mike asked curiously from nearby, leaning forward without realizing it.
"He was one of those ghouls from Japan—the ones who escaped the country years ago because they refused to stop eating humans. He put up the strongest fight we've ever seen against a Smiling One. He seemed to have it under control, forcing it to the ground and preventing it from attacking him, but then we realized he wasn't actually managing to damage it. We even saw how the Smiling One, unable to get close, easily damaged that thing that came out of the ghoul's back, forcing him to be more careful when attacking. But that caution wasn't enough. At some point, without anyone noticing, more Smiling Ones had surrounded him, leaving him with no escape."
Jim clenched his teeth before continuing, his hands trembling slightly.
"In that moment, we saw fear in the ghoul's eyes as he desperately fought to escape the Smiling Ones—but it was useless. We watched as they slowly destroyed the weapon coming out of his back, and then they tore him apart slowly, enjoying his pain."
Jim was clearly disturbed by the image, turning his gaze away as if he could still see the scene before him. Seeing that not even something as powerful as a ghoul could survive stripped most people of their hope.
This was reflected in the expressions of everyone from Hawkins. They had all seen on television how dangerous ghouls could be, and if something that strong—probably on par with a demogorgon—couldn't do anything, they couldn't help but worry about Liam and Carrie, watching them with heavy hearts.
"Damn it… that changes everything. Now all we can do is hope they come back safe," Hopper said as he watched Liam punch one of the Smiling Ones, sending it flying several meters back with a dull impact against the ground.
"They really are tough," Liam said as he flexed his fingers and looked at his fist, frustrated by the fact that he hadn't felt like he'd done any real damage.
"It won't break," Carrie said from the other side, repeatedly slamming a Smiling One—completely under her control—into the ground. She lifted it and smashed it down with terrifying force that made the pavement tremble, yet it still showed no visible damage.
"Don't give up, Carrie. We're just getting started," Liam said upon hearing her, without taking his eyes off the enemy standing up in front of him.
Carrie nodded, frowning as she tried other methods with her telekinesis. At the same time, she easily kept other Smiling Ones away, pushing them aside like dolls. She tried breaking their limbs, eyes, and other normal weak points—crushing joints and twisting heads. She even tried burning them from the inside, concentrating furiously, but it only produced a bit of smoke rising from their skin without causing real damage.
After that, now somewhat angry, she decided to try what she had used against Pennywise Godzilla, but at lower power. She took a deep breath before releasing her ability, aware that she didn't have the same level of telekinetic output as back then.
She heated it as much as possible before rapidly dropping it to an extremely low temperature. For the first time, it seemed to have some effect, but even then it looked like nothing more than a minor injury, causing only some difficulty in movement for the Smiling One.
Seeing this, she grew tired of trying to hurt it and focused her attention on Liam, ready to help him escape when the time came.
Liam was striking the Smiling Ones with all his strength, grabbing one by the leg to slam it into another, trying to break limbs or dislocate joints, but nothing seemed effective. Despite being able to overpower them physically, there was still no visible damage. He had also tested how much damage they could do by allowing a small cut—seeing how easily they injured him. The wound healed within seconds, but it confirmed his suspicion about the danger these monsters posed.
Having tested all options using brute force alone, it was time for the final test.
He drew his dagger into his right hand and approached the nearest Smiling One, slashing with all his strength, transferring the full force of his body into the blade.
"CHRRRIIING!"
A horrible sound echoed, like metal cutting metal.
At that moment, all the Smiling Ones stopped—and surprisingly, they stopped smiling.
The affected Smiling One looked at its arm, where a shallow cut could be seen, black blood flowing from it—thick, oily, and lacking the shine of human blood.
"What is that weapon?" it said in a chilling voice, staring at the dagger in Liam's hand.
"My toy," Liam replied with a happy smile, pleased that he had managed to injure it with his dagger. Even so, the damage still seemed minor, and it looked like it would take a very long time to kill even one of them.
Liam looked around and saw all the Smiling Ones staring at him without smiles, and somehow he knew they had stopped playing.
Then, in a completely unnatural way that seemed impossible for them, all the Smiling Ones suddenly began running toward Liam again—this time with even wider smiles on their faces.
"Time to retreat," Liam said seriously. He would find another moment to kill the Smiling Ones one by one.
Hearing this, Carrie lifted both of them into the air, moving quickly toward the house entrance.
The Smiling Ones chasing them ran at a speed of about ninety kilometers per hour, trying to catch Liam with terrifying fervor. But they weren't fast enough to match Carrie's flying speed.
Within seconds, Liam and Carrie reached the entrance, but a Smiling One that had been hiding around the corner of the house appeared and began running, trying to block their entry.
"Annoying," Carrie said. She raised her right hand and effortlessly sent the Smiling One flying nearly a hundred meters away, disappearing into the darkness.
They entered the house calmly and closed it, preventing the Smiling Ones from entering.
When the Smiling Ones reached the house, they surrounded it and approached the windows.
"Hand over that boy, or things will happen in the coming days," the Smiling Ones said in unison.
"What do you think you are, asking me to hand over my Liam? All of you useless monsters will be dead soon. You're nothing but trash," Carrie said, clearly furious at their demand.
Seeing Carrie's anger, no one else in the house dared to speak. They had seen her send that Smiling One flying until it vanished from sight—they weren't foolish enough to contradict her.
The Smiling Ones, seeing no further response, looked at Carrie and spoke again.
"There will be consequences."
Then they turned away, walking off and leaving the house.
"Mmm," Carrie murmured as she closed all the curtains at once, not wanting to see those monsters anymore—for now.