Caleb had suspected that the House Owner was Rick Jones ever since he found his backpack, and it was only after encountering Jimmy, who was impersonated by a monster, that he could confirm it.
Firstly, there were two single beds in the small cabin, which indicated that there was more than one occupant. And when he first switched to Concentration Stance, Caleb had also noticed that some of the cutlery on the dining table, which should have been used with the right hand, was placed on the left side. These two points, combined with the clues related to a 'left-hander' in the backpack, were enough to prove that Rick Jones was also one of the residents of the cliffside cabin. Furthermore, the House Owner could also enter the scene below the cliff to hunt down players, which suggested that the House Owner might be connected to subsequent plot developments.
By the time it was confirmed that the blind man impersonated by the monster was not Rick Jones, and no other characters had joined the plot, the true identity of the House Owner naturally became clear.
"Mr. Rick Jones, don't shoot, it's me!"
As Caleb shouted, revealing that he recognized the newcomer's identity, new prompt messages immediately popped up before his eyes:
'You have finally seen through the House Owner's true identity from his various abnormal behaviors. For you at this moment, this is nothing short of a hope for survival!'
— Your accurate deciphering increased Concentration Stance proficiency by +100.— Your Concentration Stance proficiency level has increased. Current level is 1!
[Concentration Stance LV1: Clue discovery chance 15%, Item discovery chance 10% (Item can be taken out of scene chance +4%). Movement attraction chance +50%, Chance of falling into 'Real Fear' when startled +45%.]
— Because you saw through the House Owner's true identity, the hidden side quest [House Owner's Pursuit] has ended. Reward: Points +5, Reward Points +100…
The situation was urgent, and Caleb didn't have time to check the prompts one by one. Upon realizing that Rick was pointing his double-barreled shotgun at him, he immediately raised his hands and looked up to clearly see the appearance of the man holding the gun.
This was a burly, bearded man, standing at a height of one meter ninety, with a sturdy build and thick arms. He wore a military green vest, held a shotgun in his left hand, and a torch in his right hand. His expression showed a hint of confusion when Caleb called out.
Fortunately, the monster that was chasing them diverted Rick's attention. The monster's tentacle lashed out from a distance towards Caleb's back, and Rick Jones was the first to notice it. He quickly shouted a warning: "Danger!"
Caleb was still in his 'super' state at this time, constantly keeping an eye on the monster chasing him from behind. The moment the monster attacked, he moved a small distance sideways towards the edge of the steps, causing the tentacle's heavy blow to miss and shatter a stone step.
"Mr. Rick Jones, it's the murderer of your companion!"
Caleb didn't even need to remind him; enemies meeting face to face were already seeing red. The moment Rick Jones saw the monster, he raised his shotgun, aimed in the direction from which the tentacle had sprung, and fired two shots in quick succession. The bullets hit two of the monster's thick tentacles, leaving fist-sized wounds and spilling a lot of blue, foul-smelling blood.
"Taste a bullet, monster!" Rick shouted, quickly pulling bullets from his vest pocket and reloading his shotgun.
The monster, frustrated, shrieked and turned to flee.
Seeing this, Caleb immediately darted down the steps, circling around to the front of the monster from the side, fearlessly intercepting it to buy time for Rick. His steps were sometimes fast, sometimes slow. After figuring out the movement pattern of one of the monster's tentacles, he directly pounced onto that tentacle and held on tightly, refusing to let go.
Unable to move freely, the monster had no choice but to stop its escape and furiously flung that tentacle, trying to shake off the 'fly' clinging to it. But Caleb's reaction was much faster than it. The moment the monster raised its tentacle high, he flexibly let go and landed, then, using the same method, wrapped himself around another of the monster's tentacles.
Helpless, the monster clumsily retracted the raised tentacle to strike Caleb, who was clinging to the other tentacle. But Caleb was as slippery as an eel, having already anticipated all of the monster's moves. He had already flashed away before the attack arrived, and that tentacle ultimately foolishly struck another of the monster's tentacles.
However, since the struck tentacle happened to be one of the tentacles the monster used to support its body, this self-inflicted blow by the monster was somewhat akin to tripping itself. It fell heavily to the ground. Rick Jones, having reloaded his shotgun, seized the opportunity, rushed forward, and fired two shots at the previously attacked area.
One of the monster's tentacles snapped in response, and blue blood splattered everywhere. Suddenly losing the tentacle used for body balance, the monster writhed and struggled on the ground in pain, shrieking, but unable to stand up again.
Rick seemed to be intent on tormenting it. Seeing that the monster had lost its ability to escape, he did not immediately end its life but continued to blast off its tentacles one by one.
Finally, when the gunshots ceased, all four of the monster's thick tentacles were severed, with only the root of the tentacles remaining on the head of the human body, which had become a puppet-like shell.
"Go to hell." Rick walked forward with his shotgun raised, aiming the barrel at the monster's head.
"Hiss… hiss…"
The monster on the ground suddenly emitted a strange, hoarse sound, and its human puppet body twitched violently. Then, like a severely dehydrated deep-sea creature, its skin rapidly shriveled and withered, finally transforming into something resembling a dead plant. The human body, which had belonged to Rick's companion, also deflated like a leaky doll, turning into a thin layer of human skin.
— Your actions increased Active Stance proficiency by +50.
The struggle with the monster added another 50 proficiency to Caleb's 'Active Stance,' which now had 100/200 proficiency at Level 1.
"My God, what kind of evil creature is this?" Rick Jones looked at the withered monster on the ground and Jimmy's human skin, feeling a chill run down his spine.
After a while, he calmed his emotions. "And you, if you can't give me a satisfactory explanation of your true identity…" Rick, having regained his composure, said while pointing the gun barrel at Caleb, "I will definitely consider you to be allied with the monster!"
"I am just like you, sir," Caleb quickly raised his hands and said, "I am also an Explorer lured here by the Gnome King's treasure."
At this point, he couldn't just use the 'car broke down' explanation provided by the game system to convince the other party, so Caleb took the liberty of adding some content to this reason.
Upon hearing this, the Explorer's wary expression lessened somewhat. Caleb struck while the iron was hot, picked up Rick Jones's Backpack from the ground, and handed it to him, saying, "I learned about your deeds from this backpack, although… I committed an unforgivable crime against your beloved dog, but at that time, I was truly terrified by it…"
Regarding the dog-killing incident, it was highly likely that Rick Jones hadn't seen Caleb's face clearly on the cliff due to the darkness, so Caleb could have easily blamed the monster for it. However, choosing to do so would involve the huge risk of losing Rick Jones's trust if the lie were exposed. So, after some consideration, he decided it would be better to tell the truth. Surely, a great Explorer wouldn't be so single-minded as to demand Caleb, a living person, die in atonement for a dog, would he?
Rick pondered for a moment, a hint of disdain for a fellow traveler appearing in his eyes. "Hmph! In consideration of your desperate assistance in helping me eliminate this monster just now, I will tentatively believe you this once."
His straightforward personality matched his appearance.
After moving his double-barreled shotgun aside, Rick Jones stepped forward and picked up the human skin left by the monster after its death.
"Jimmy, thanks to your protection, I have finally avenged you!"