Chapter 59: You Have A Fan And A Slipper

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: You Have A Fan And A Slipper "I swear," Isabella muttered, gripping the vine tighter, "if this ’pet’ is a freaking hamster, I’m gonna scream." Her arms ached, her fingers were raw, and sweat dripped into her eyes, but she refused to let go. With a final heave, she pulled herself up— And the vine snapped. Her heart plunged into her stomach as her foot slipped on loose rock. Gravity yanked her backward. For a single, horrifying second, Isabella felt herself falling. Her arms flailed, fingers scrambling for anything to hold onto. Her mind screamed—this was it, she was going to die, all because some cursed system wanted her to save a pet! No. No way. With pure desperation, she lunged forward and— Her hand caught the edge of a jagged rock. Pain shot through her palm, the rough surface digging into her skin, but she held on for dear life. Her legs dangled over nothing but an endless drop below. The wind howled in her ears. "Holy—!" She gritted her teeth, her body shaking from the near-death experience. She took a shuddering breath, forcing herself to focus. One movement at a time. With trembling arms, she hauled herself up, grunting as her muscles screamed in protest. Her knees slammed against the rock ledge, and she half-rolled, half-dragged herself onto solid ground. For a long moment, she just lay there, gasping, her body trembling. The mountain had almost killed her. For what? A mystery pet? She clutched her forehead, laughing breathlessly. "System..." she wheezed. "I hope this thing is worth it." [Keep going.] She groaned. Great. Just great. What fresh hell awaited her now? Lying there, still gasping for breath, Isabella felt a ding echo in her mind. [Task Update: Climbing Challenge Completed! +750 Points Earned.] Her eyes snapped open. "Wait, I got points for that?" [Correct.] She sat up instantly, ignoring the way her body screamed in protest. "That means..." she quickly did the math in her head, "I actually profited from this!" For the first time since she started this nightmare of a journey, a wide grin spread across her face. It was worth it! All that suffering, the pain, the near-death experience— 750 points! Maybe she should do dangerous things more often! Just as she was about to mentally pat herself on the back, another ding sounded. [-510 Points Deducted. Outstanding Debt Cleared.] Her entire body froze. Her smile died. A slow, sinking realization settled in. "Oh... no." [Remaining Balance: 240 Points.] She stared at the floating numbers. She blinked once. Twice. Then— "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" She knew she could never trust Bubu. All that suffering, all that pain, for barely two hundred points?! She clutched her chest dramatically, feeling personally betrayed. She was rich. For exactly five seconds. "This is robbery," she muttered, running a hand through her hair. [Incorrect. Debt repayment is a fair transaction.] "I wasn’t even in debt until you forced me to buy that stupid fan and slipper!" [Would you rather be barefoot? Plus the fan is a nessecity] "...That’s not the point!" She groaned, flopping back onto the ground, defeated. Her joy had been so short-lived. But whatever. Fine. At least she had something left. Now, time to see what other horrors awaited her. She finally got up and was still using the map for directions, when—Isabella froze as another ding echoed in her mind. [New Task Issued: Survival Challenge.] A bad feeling crawled up her spine. "Survival?" she whispered. "What do you mean, survival?" [Survival: The process of staying alive despite external threats.] "I know what survival means!" she snapped internally. "What am I supposed to do?" [Hunt.] Isabella stopped breathing. "...Come again?" [You must hunt. The pet you are rescuing will need food.] Her eye twitched. A survival task?! She was barely surviving in her old world! And now the system expected her to hunt?! "System, I don’t even know how to chop onions without crying!" [Irrelevant. Proceed with the task.] Isabella gritted her teeth, forcing herself to breathe. Nope. Nope. She wasn’t doing this. She was a modern woman. Hunting was not in her skill set. Still, she had no choice but to move forward, so she got up, dusted off her dress, and took in her surroundings. Now that she wasn’t clinging to a cliff for dear life, she could finally appreciate how... strange this place was. A soft, tingling energy buzzed in the air, like tiny electric currents brushing against her skin. The trees around her weren’t normal—some had glowing blue leaves, while others had twisting, snake-like roots coiling around the rocks. Strange mushrooms pulsed faintly, their colors shifting between purple and gold. And was that a—? She narrowed her eyes at a plant that moved when she looked at it. ...Nope. She knew better than to snoop around. Whatever this place was, she wasn’t about to touch anything. But before she could ponder what kind of cursed location she had ended up in— Something rustled in the bushes. Isabella’s heart leapt into her throat. She whipped around, scanning the trees. Another rustle. Then a soft snort. Panic surged. Without thinking, she dived behind the nearest tree, peeking out cautiously. A second later, something stepped into view. A... deer? Isabella blinked. A deer? On a mountain? She didn’t know much about mountains, but... that didn’t seem normal. Still, it looked like a regular deer. A little taller, maybe. With some strange white markings on its fur. ...Okay. Not terrifying. She could handle this. Right? [Hunt it.] Her mind blanked. "...What?" [You must hunt it. The pet will need food.] Hunt. As in—kill it? "System," she hissed mentally, "I don’t have anything to hunt with!" [Incorrect. You have a fan and a slipper.] Isabella clutched her chest. "A FAN AND A SLIPPER?!" Was she supposed to slap the deer to death?! Her mind raced in circles. Wait. The fan. She had never checked what it actually did. With a mix of hope and suspicion, she reached into her space inventory and pulled it out. A gorgeous pink-and-white hand fan appeared in her hands, the kind that could be elegantly opened and closed with a flick of the wrist. But as she turned it over, her brows furrowed. There were... multiple buttons on it.