Chapter 61: Running For Her life

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Running For Her life 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.] Her stomach dropped. "What?" [Run.] She blinked. "Oh, so now I have to run? You do realize I haven’t exercised since... EVER? My stamina bar is literally an insult!" The system did not care. Something rustled behind her. Her breath hitched. Isabella whipped her head around. Nothing. Just an eerie, too-quiet forest. But the sounds—low growls, strange clicking, the snap of twigs under heavy feet—were getting closer. Her heart leaped into her throat. "Okay, okay—RUN!" And she did. Kind of. Her first few steps were horrendous. Her legs weren’t used to this, her arms flailed like she was summoning a demon, and her lungs immediately betrayed her. But when another deep, inhuman growl echoed behind her, she sprinted like her life depended on it. Because it did. She tore through the trees, leaping over roots, dodging branches, and barely avoiding tripping over her own feet. Every breath burned, every muscle screamed, but she refused to slow down. She had zero idea what was chasing her. She did not want to find out. She didn’t even know where she was going. This was not an action movie! This was real life, and she was one wrong step away from getting eaten. A horrifying screech echoed through the trees. They were getting closer. She risked a glance over her shoulder— And immediately regretted it. Because now, she could see them. Tall, thin-limbed horrors, their skin dark and stretched tight over bony frames. Their faces were wrong, too many eyes, too many teeth, and their claws gleamed like knives. And they were fast. Isabella’s soul nearly left her body. "OH, HELL NO!" Panic surged through her veins. She wasn’t going to outrun them. Not with her stamina. She needed a distraction. Fast. Then—an idea. She whipped out her fan. Her fingers were shaking, but she forced herself to focus. Create a distraction. She fumbled with the buttons, her pulse hammering in her ears. The creatures were getting closer. She could hear their guttural growls, the way they sniffed at the air, searching—for her. She swallowed. Think, Isabella. Her thumb landed on the slicing button. Wait. Oh. If she couldn’t outrun them... she could redirect them. With a deep breath, she spun on her heel and swung the fan at the nearest tree trunk. A sharp whoosh cut through the air. A second later— CRACK. The massive tree groaned, splintering from the force. Then it came crashing down, sending leaves and dust flying. The creatures stopped dead, startled by the sudden destruction. Isabella didn’t hesitate. She immediately swiped again, this time aiming at a pile of boulders to her left. SLASH! The rocks shattered, fragments scattering loudly into the distance. The creatures whipped their heads around—then bolted toward the noise. Isabella barely had time to breathe out a relieved sigh before she saw them clearly for the first time. And oh. Oh no. They weren’t just big. They were grotesque. Twisted limbs. Bulging muscles. Eyes that glowed in the darkness, like embers burning through a veil of shadows. She stared, frozen, as their grotesque bodies disappeared into the trees. Her stomach twisted. If one of those things had caught her— She shuddered. Nope. Don’t think about that. Instead, she whispered furiously, "Do you hate me?! Do you want to kill me?!" The system chimed in, far too cheerful for her liking. [You are learning quickly, improving fast. You should be thanking me.] Isabella gawked. "Thanking you?" she hissed. "You threw me into a horror movie!" [And yet, you survived.] Oh, this system was sick. She huffed, wiping sweat off her forehead. "What if I make a mistake? What if next time I don’t survive? Huh? What then?" The system’s voice was calm, almost indifferent. [Then you die.] Isabella: "..." ... Isabella’s eye twitched. She stared blankly at the screen. Was she—was she supposed to just accept that? She let out a slow, defeated breath, before glancing at the fan still clutched in her hand. "...This thing is terrifying." A notification popped up. [Congratulations! You have earned +400 points, +5 stamina, and +1 strength.] She blinked. Well. At least she got something out of it. Isabella groaned as she dragged herself forward, her legs screaming in protest. She was still jumping at every little sound, glancing over her shoulder like some paranoid horror movie extra. But could anyone blame her? She just barely escaped getting shredded by freaky nightmare monsters. And for what? To save some mystery animal. This thing better be one of a kind. A majestic, legendary beast. Some rare, world-breaking creature. If she got there and found a normal chicken or some ugly rat, she was going to lose it. She huffed, pushing forward, using the map and compass glowing in her hand. Weirdly enough, she had no idea what time it was. The sky had barely changed, the mountain’s eerie atmosphere making it feel like she’d been stuck in an endless loop of dusk. Was time even moving here? She scowled. If she aged five years by the time she got off this mountain, someone was going to pay. After what felt like forever, she finally reached the place the compass was leading her to. And stopped dead. "...Logs?" Piles and piles of fallen logs blocked the way. She blinked, mouth opening— Ding! [New task received.] Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. Her eye twitched. "Hey, I told you I needed points, I get it," she said, exasperated. "But don’t kill me with tasks, alright?! You only said I was coming to save an animal. But nooo, now I’ve done, like, one million different things! I’m literally drained. She narrowed her eyes. "I swear, if I don’t get to this animal soon, I’m gonna eat the damn meat in my space myself." Silence. Bubu didn’t even have the decency to reply. Instead, the task flashed in front of her. [Clear the fallen logs from your path.] She stared at it. Then at the logs. Then back at the task. She inhaled deeply. And screamed internally. "You’ve got to be joking!" she threw her hands up, glaring at the sky. Her arms already felt like jelly from swinging that stupid fan. Now they wanted her to do manual labor? No. No, absolutely not. She crossed her arms and glared at the system window. "System, darling, let me make this clear—" she said sweetly, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I. Do. Not. Do. Manual. Labor." She gestured at herself. "Look at me. Do I look like someone who carries logs? Why am I out here lifting wood like some medieval weightlifter?!" Silence. She sighed dramatically. "Fine. FINE. But I better get hella points for this." With great reluctance, she rolled up her sleeves (not that it helped) and grabbed the nearest log. And immediately regretted everything. "OH MY GOD, this is heavy—!" The log barely moved. She gritted her teeth, braced herself, and pulled again. This time, it shifted a little. Little victories. Grumbling the entire time, she kept going, dragging, rolling, and shoving logs out of the way. Her arms burned. Sweat dripped down her temples. She was panting, looking very much like a drowned cat. Every few minutes, she’d pause to dramatically sigh, muttering complaints like— "Oh sure, Isabella, go on an adventure, Isabella, have fun!" "WHY DO I FEEL LIKE I’M BEING SCAMMED." And the classic— "I should have stayed in bed." The worst part? The more logs she moved, the more she realized something else. There was fog. Thick, swirling, and unnaturally dense. It stretched beyond the logs, completely covering whatever was ahead. A cold shiver ran down her spine. "...Creepy." Finally—finally—she moved the last log. She slumped against a tree, breathless. Then— Something shifted. The fog in front of her began to move. Slowly. Dissipating. Revealing whatever lay beyond.