Chapter 8. Overpowered Hag

Chapter 8 - 8. Overpowered Hag One step at a time, Suzune walked toward the school building. Chaos awaited her—explosions, screams, and cries of anguish rang through the air like an orchestra of mayhem. But Suzune didn't flinch. Not because she was brave. She just... didn't care anymore. Maybe it was the sickness. Maybe it was the hunger. Maybe she was just too tired to question if this was real or just another fever dream. "What has the world turned into," she muttered, shaking her head like a disappointed grandmother. Magic blasts flew around, people fighting against each other. Many screamed, the world around them burning. But she just kept walking. [Ding!] [The hidden item is up ahead!] A system screen popped into her vision with a bright little red dot marked on a map. Suzune, iron rod dangling in one hand, followed it inside the school building. A couple of stray magic blasts hit her—but her passive nullification skill shrugged them off like mosquito bites. She walked in, following the map until she arrived at a classroom that looked like a war zone. The door was barely a door, more like a suggestion, and a good chunk of the wall had just... given up. She got inside without minding any of that. Inside, people were battling like their lives depended on it. Some were fighting with swords, others with magic, while the others were engaged in hand to hand combats. And in the middle of all this chaos—was a glowing red gem protected by a thick barrier. Suzune squinted at it. Her bones aching and her stomach rumbling. It was exactly what the system wanted her to get. She walked right in. The barrier, which countless players had failed to breach for hours, let her through like a revolving door, her nullification skill nullifying it's effects, and shattering it completely. She grabbed the gem with her hands, then it disappeared, followed by a system message. [Congratulations Player Suzune!] [You have completed the given quest] [Player leveled up to 2.] [+100 coins | +100 MP | +50 SP] [You can now use SPs to upgrade your stats] [Total Stat Points Available: 100] Everyone froze as they watched her complete the quest right before their eyes. Their jws dropped, and those who were fighting instantly stopped. "The hell!? The old hag completed the quest!" someone shouted. "How!? She just walked in!" "She must have a broken-ass skill!" "But... I needed that quest to level up! I'm gonna kill her!!" Fireballs launched at Suzune. She didn't notice. She was too busy trying to read the glowing screen in front of her face. The letters were a little blurry. Her vision was getting weak— another effect of not taking diabetes medications. Her fingers slowly tapped [Upgrade Stats] out of curiosity. The fireballs and other attack skills rained at her, but they were vanishing before they could even fizzle her. She began slowly reading the messages displayed by the system. [SYSTEM: UPGRADE STATS] 1. Strength (STR): 21 → 25 2. Agility (AGI): 18 → 19 3. Endurance (END): 15 → 16 Tip: Hold [+] to rapidly allocate points. She pressed the [+] button and watched the numbers rise. And then out of nowhere, an energy surged through her, wild and unfamiliar. Her back straightened. Her joints popped. She dropped the iron rod she was using as a cane and stretched—producing the kind of crack that made everyone in the room instinctively flinch. The others stepped back. "...Hoi. She's insanely powerful." "Let's take her out together!" "You go first!" One guy got shoved forward, stumbled, and fell at Suzune's feet. He looked up only to see Suzune's glassy, unreadable and absolutely terrifying eyes glancing back at him. But in truth, Suzune was just trying to focus. Her nausea was getting worse. She opened her eyes wider, hoping it would help. The man screamed and ran as if he had seen the most horrifying creature of his life. The others followed suit. "She's a monster!" "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!" Suzune blinked, confused. "Did they just say... a monster?" She looked around. Did she miss it? Maybe it was hiding. She couldn't see it. So, instinctively, she ran too. Right behind the panicked group. They screamed louder. "She's chasing us!" "Dear god, she's chasing us!!" People jumped through windows, dove through broken walls. Doors were jammed from everyone trying to squeeze through. Suzune stopped, arms folded, puzzled. "What's going on...?" A packet of spaghetti slipped from one guy's pants and hit the ground. Suzune's eyes lit up. She crouched down. "Can I have—" Before she could even finish asking politely for the packet of spaghetti, the guys were gone— running for their lives! Shrugging, she picked up the packet, smiled to herself, and turned back and began walking toward their hideout. Tonight, they'd eat something. And she couldn't wait to cook the spaghetti. But then, as she walked, she laughed. A light chuckle, barely audible. She covered her mouth. When she lowered her hand, she saw it stained with blood. Her fingers trembled. Even now—with a strong, agile body—the rot from inside was still winning. Her condition, her disease, her reality... it hadn't gone anywhere. But also somehow, the misunderstanding in the school building had made her into a legend as people began talking on the streets about a crazy, overpowered hag who completed a difficult quest without breaking a sweat.