The forest was still trembling from Lisa's earlier explosions. Smoke curled in lazy spirals, carrying that ridiculous sweet-stench she had created. Rylan still hadn't recovered—his nose burned, his eyes watered, and his soul was halfway out of his body. Even the system, for once, was speechless.
Lisa, however, stood in the center of the devastation, hands on her hips, chin raised, posing like a heroine… despite looking nothing like one. Her hair was scorched. Her dress had a hole from where a blast licked her shoulder. And her evil smile was so bright it could scare a saint into retirement.
"System," she said proudly, "How was my performance?"
The system hesitated—dangerous for an AI that usually had instant replies.
"Host… it was… surprisingly effective."
Rylan blinked at her. "Lisa… what were you even doing?"
Lisa winked. "Art."
Rylan decided he was too young for this conversation.
Before anyone could breathe again, a deep, thunder-heavy ROAR tore through the burned forest. The earth shook. Birds fled like they had seen their taxes arrive early. Even Rylan's belly trembled from the vibration.
The tiger—massive, sacred, furious, smelling faintly like barbecue from the bombs—staggered out of the smoke. Its stripes were glowing, its fur bristled, and its eyes locked on Lisa with a feeling that said:
"I will eat this girl."
Lisa froze.
Rylan froze.
The system froze for exactly 0.2 seconds, then screamed inside her head:
"HOST, RUN!"
Lisa tried to act cool.
She lifted her chin. "Ah… so you're finally awake. Perfect! You can now witness my full—"
The tiger charged.
Lisa: "—NOPE!"
She jumped back, but the tiger's claw sliced through the air so fast her hair lifted like a frightened coconut. She skidded backwards, ready to unleash another bomb—
ZZZZT—!!
A bolt of electricity shot straight through Lisa's body.
Her skeleton flashed like a bad medical X-ray.
Her limbs stiffened.
Her eyes went wide.
Her hair puffed into a chaotic electric afro.
Rylan screamed.
The tiger stopped.
Even the forest held its breath.
Lisa flew backward like a kicked potato sack and crashed into the dirt, twitching.
"SYS—TEM!!!" she screeched, her voice still vibrating. "WHAT—WAS—THAT?!"
System appeared with angel wings behind it.
"Host, I only gave a gentle protective shock!"
"GENTLE?"
Lisa's voice cracked like a dying duck.
"My soul LEFT MY BODY!"
The system whistled innocently.
As Lisa stood up, smoke rising from her hair, something tiny caught her eye.
An ant.
Just one.
Sitting politely on a stone.
Legs twitching.
System appeared instantly.
"HOST! DO NOT APPROACH!"
Lisa raised an eyebrow. "It's an ant."
"A Bones-Swallowing Ant! Extremely weak individually but deadly in swarms! If a hundred surround even a peak Earth Warrior, their armor melts, their flesh dissolves, and their bones become soup!"
Lisa stared at the ant.
The ant stared back.
The ant was winning the intimidation contest.
She swallowed. "Okay… horrifying… noted."
Rylan, still staring at her hair, whispered, "Lisa… are you okay?"
"No," she said truthfully. "But that tiger will be less okay soon."
The sacred tiger growled again. Its fur was bristling. It wanted revenge. And Lisa knew she could not fight it directly—not while still recovering from being electrocuted into a crispy noodle.
She'd just advanced to Spirit Rank mid-level, but the tiger was still a monster.
A smart, angry, nearly-bombed-to-death monster.
She needed a plan.
A dark one.
A clever one.
A terrifying one.
Something worthy of the Demon Queen title Tiger had given her.
Lisa crouched low, eyes gleaming.
She ignored the lingering static in her hair.
She ignored Rylan's worried face.
She ignored the system, who was floating behind her like a gossiping old lady.
"System," she whispered, "tell me everything about this tiger."
The system flickered.
"Host, the sacred tiger is physically stronger than you. Its claws can break rock. It has partial flame immunity. It is enraged. And right now, it believes you are the embodiment of evil."
Lisa grinned.
"Perfect."
Rylan shivered. "Lisa… why are you smiling like that?"
"Because," Lisa whispered, "I just realized something."
The tiger paced around them, circling, muscles rippling, tail whipping with rage.
Lisa didn't panic. She looked around the forest floor, her eyes scanning, calculating. The burned earth. The remnants of her bomb packs. The sweet-stench ash. The scattered bones of the wolves. The chemical burns. And…
The ants.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Bones-Swallowing Ants creeping from under charred logs, drawn by burned meat.
Lisa's smile turned dark.
The system flinched.
"Host… I sense a terrible idea forming."
Lisa ignored it.
She took in a long breath, her expression eerily calm.
"Rylan," she said softly.
"Yes?"
"If I tell you to run, run."
Rylan's face dropped. "Wh—Why?"
"Because," she said, her voice dropping to an icy whisper, "I'm about to commit ecological crime."
The system glitched.
"HOST?!"
Lisa slowly stood, dusting off her dress, letting her fingers trail over the remaining blast packets hidden under her belt. She checked the wind direction. The terrain. The position of the tiger. The nearest ant nests.
She nodded to herself.
A terrifyingly beautiful, wicked plan took shape in her mind.
She hid a small vial in her hand. A chemical from earlier—one that made meat smell irresistible… to ants.
Then she whispered:
"System… prepare for plan Demon Queen."
The system trembled.
"Host… NO ONE SURVIVES plan Demon Queen…"
Lisa's smile widened.
"That's the point."
The tiger roared again, ready to pounce—
And Lisa stepped forward, her eyes glowing with spirit power, her evil grin spreading unnaturally wide.
Her plan to kill the sacred tiger had just begun.