Chapter 60: Oh She Was On A Death Mission

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Oh She Was On A Death Mission Isabella stared at the fan, her brow furrowed. "What are you supposed to be?" The fan was beautiful, almost too beautiful for something that had just been sitting in her space, almost forgotten. Now that she was actually looking at it, she could see the details—the soft pink-and-white silk, the delicate gold-trimmed handle, and the faint engraved markings along the ribs of the fan that shimmered in the dim mountain light. Most importantly, there were five buttons embedded along the handle. Isabella squinted. "Buttons? Why does a fan need buttons?" She glanced at the deer again, still peacefully munching on whatever weird grass grew on the mountain. Clueless. Just like her. Fine. She had no idea how to hunt, but maybe the fan was useful. She poked at the buttons curiously. "Bubu, what are these for?" The system’s voice chimed in her mind, sounding smug. [Oh, now you ask?] "Bubu," she warned. It sighed dramatically. [Fine. Listen carefully, host.] One by one, Bubu explained the functions: First button – Wind Slash Mode: A swipe of the fan would release a sharp wind blade that could cut through things. Second button – Gale Mode: The fan would generate a gust of wind when fanned. The harder she fanned, the stronger the wind. Third button – Stealth Mode: If she held the fan, she could move without making a sound. Fourth button – Summon Mode: Called a small wind spirit for assistance. She glanced at the fifth button. "And this one?" Bubu was silent. She narrowed her eyes. "Bubu?" [Not telling.] "Figures," she muttered, rolling her eyes. Before she could question it further, the system chimed in again. [Due to the high energy levels on this mountain, the fan is currently at its FULL LIMIT. This means you can experience its true potential—just for now.] Isabella gasped. "I knew it! This mountain is weird!" That explained the strange energy she felt earlier. Was this why the system had sent her here? She gripped the fan excitedly. Time to test this out. She pressed the second button and gently fanned the air. A light breeze stirred. Isabella blinked. "That’s it?" She fanned a little harder. The breeze grew stronger. She fanned even harder, and suddenly— WHOOSH! A powerful gust of wind shot forward, shaking the trees and rustling the leaves loudly. The deer froze, its ears twitching. It looked around, completely baffled. Isabella immediately stopped. "Oops." She clutched the fan to her chest, watching the deer suspiciously. After a long moment, the deer went back to munching grass. She let out a slow breath. Okay, no more playing around. Time to complete the task. This time, she pressed the first button—Wind Slash Mode. Taking a deep breath, she swiped the fan toward the deer. A sharp wind blade shot forward— —and completely missed the deer. CRACK! A massive tree right next to it split clean in half. Isabella’s eyes widened. The tree creaked... and collapsed with a thunderous crash. The deer panicked. It sprang into the air like its life depended on it—which, to be fair, it did. Isabella, equally terrified, clutched the fan like a lifeline. "Holy crap, I did that?!" She gawked at the fallen massive tree. It had been obliterated in one hit. Even the deer, standing frozen in shock, looked at the tree like it had personally offended its ancestors. Then—it bolted. "Oh, no, you don’t!" Isabella swiped again. Miss. The deer zigzagged. Miss. It leaped over a fallen log. Miss. "Stop running, you overgrown Bambi!" she yelled, swinging wildly. On the fifth attempt— SLASH! The deer collapsed mid-leap, its body sliced clean in two. Isabella froze. She had done it. She had actually killed something. The realization hit her immediately. "...Oh." For a moment, she just stared at the deer’s unmoving body. She wasn’t heartless, okay? It felt bad. But what could she do? She had no choice. The system chimed in. [Congratulations! Task complete.] Isabella barely had time to process that before another notification popped up. [Task Rewards: +722 points.] Her eyes lit up. "Seven hundred and twenty-two?!" That was more than she had ever gotten in one go! For a moment, she forgot about the dead deer entirely. Her mind was too busy doing rapid calculations. She had climbed a deadly mountain, nearly fallen to her death, discovered a suspiciously powerful fan, hunted a deer (badly), and almost got trampled in the process. And in return... 722 points. The realization hit her like a sack of gold coins. The riskier the situation, the more money she got. Isabella froze, her brain clicking into place. Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Was this... a money-making opportunity? Her eyes gleamed with pure greed. Yes, her life was constantly hanging by a thread, and yes, the system had absolutely no shame in throwing her into deadly situations. But if it meant rolling in points, she was willing to suffer. Besides, wasn’t she already suffering anyway? She clenched her fists, filled with renewed determination. "System," she whispered, grinning like a lunatic. "I think I’ve finally figured you out." The system remained silent, probably wondering if it had made a mistake. She let out a long sigh and rubbed her face. "Great. Now what?" The Meat Problem New problem. She had no idea how to skin, cook, or carry a deer without making a complete mess. Dragging it? Too much blood. Skinning it here? Absolutely not. Leaving it? Wasteful and stupid. Then, she had an idea. "Wait... my storage space." She didn’t use it much yet, but she knew time was frozen inside. Which meant if she stored the deer, it wouldn’t rot, stink, or attract anything hungry. Perfect. She stepped closer and— SLASH! With another swipe, she sliced the body into smaller parts, amazed at how easy the fan made it. She could get used to this. One by one, she stored the meat in her space. And right there, she paused, looking down at the fan in her hands. "...This thing is amazing." The moment Isabella stored the last chunk of meat in her space, the system chimed in. [Warning: You made too much noise while using the fan. The blood has attracted strange creatures.]