The syrup dripped down the white tiger's magnificent fur in thick, sticky ropes, turning the once regal beast into a limping, honey-soaked disaster. Each step it took made a squelching sound—half pathetic, half disgusting—as dirt, dust, and broken leaves glued themselves onto its body like a walking garbage sculpture.
Lisa, however, tilted her head and smiled in the sweetest, most innocent way imaginable.
"Aw~ look at that. So cute," she cooed, voice sugary enough to rot teeth.
Rylan didn't fall for it. He had seen this smile before.
This was the smile she wore right before committing war crimes.
The system materialized its little screen with a beep.
[SYSTEM: Host… why do you make everything worse?]
Lisa's smile brightened. "I don't make things worse. I make them… creatively dangerous."
Rylan inhaled sharply. "Lucy… what exactly did you do?"
"Just wait~~," Lisa sang cheerfully.
The tiger let out a furious roar, the syrup sticking its jaws slightly closed so the sound came out as a wet, muffled "RRRRRMPH!!" It shook violently to remove the sticky glue coating its body, but that only made it worse as leaves slapped onto it like cheap armor.
Lisa clasped her hands behind her back and wiggled one foot like an innocent schoolgirl.
"System, start Phase Two~"
[SYSTEM: I refuse to take responsibility for whatever this next psychopath moment is.]
"Oh, don't be a baby," Lisa said sweetly.
The system sighed and followed the command.
"Phase Two initiated."
And then—
BOOOOOM!!
The ground trembled as Rylan slammed his spear down. His ability Earth Quake exploded beneath the soil. Cracks rippled outward in jagged lightning patterns. Stones shot upward like shrapnel. The underground shook with a hungry rumble.
And then…
The ants came.
Thousands.
No… tens of thousands.
Small, black, needle-jawed creatures spilled from every crack like a living shadow. Their bodies made chittering sounds that crawled straight into the spine.
Rylan's face drained of all color.
"Lucy… WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! Those are bone-swallowing ants! They can strip a peak earth realm beast to the bone in one minute!"
Lisa gave the sweetest smile imaginable.
"I know."
[SYSTEM: HOST!! WHAT!! HAVE!! YOU!! UNLEASHED!!]
The tiger froze as the ants crawled into the open air. Its ears flattened. Its pupils shrank to points. The beast who moments ago roared proudly now whimpered in fear—trembling from head to tail.
It tried to run.
It should've run.
But Rylan slammed his hand into the ground again, activating the rock shield. Earthen walls shot up around the tiger like a cage made of mountains.
"Lucy, hurry!" Rylan shouted. "I can't hold it long—!"
"Just one second~~," Lisa sang.
She skipped—yes, SKIPPED—toward the tiger, as if approaching a cute pet, not a killing machine. Her dagger glittered at her waist, her bone-whip swinging casually.
The syrup-covered tiger backed away until its spine hit the earth wall. Its enormous body trembled violently, tail tucked between its legs.
Lisa crouched down, her voice gentle and soft.
"Hey, kitty~ Don't look at me like I'm the villain. I didn't make you chase me, right?"
[SYSTEM: Host. You are absolutely the villain.]
She tossed her hair back and winked.
"Flattery won't get you points, system."
The tiger growled, the sound sticky and miserable. It suddenly lunged, desperate to break free before the ants reached it.
Rylan shoved his spear deeper, reinforcing the barrier. "Lucy! Faster!"
"Fine, fine." Lisa pouted. "So impatient."
She looked at the tiger with a bright angelic smile.
"Let me show you the sweet taste of death."
The ants arrived in a wave—thousands of tiny bodies climbing over the tiger's syrup-soaked fur.
The tiger shrieked.
Screamed.
Flipped and slammed its body into the earth barrier, trying to crush the ants, but the syrup held them tightly in place like glue. Its struggles only smeared the ants deeper into its fur.
Lisa leaned forward, hands clasped behind her back, looking like a teacher admiring a student's drawing.
"Amazing how science can be so useful here," she said proudly.
[SYSTEM: Host… why does everything you do involve bombs, poisons, or turning monsters into snacks for other monsters?]
"Because I'm resourceful," she replied with a wink.
The ants started biting.
And then—
The tiger's scream shook the entire lake.
Rylan winced. "Lucy… you might be scarier than the ape king."
"Aww~ you're so sweet~" she chirped.
"No. That was not a compliment."
Lisa stepped back a little to avoid flying fur and dust.
The ants were relentless. Within seconds, patches of the tiger's once-beautiful fur were stripped bare. Blood misted the air. The syrup trapped the ants so effectively that the tiger couldn't shake them off.
The beast rolled, clawed at its own skin, rammed its head into the wall—anything to stop the biting.
But the ants swarmed faster.
Lisa tilted her head, analyzing.
"Hm… it's kind of artistic, don't you think? Like a living sculpture dissolving."
Rylan stared at her like she'd grown horns.
"You're… enjoying this?"
"Nooooo," Lisa giggled sweetly, "I'm studying."
The tiger shrieked again, its body thrashing wildly. The earth cage cracked under the force.
Rylan braced against it, blood dripping from his lip. "Lucy… I cannot hold it much longer!"
"Then let it go," Lisa said.
Both the system and Rylan yelled at the same time:
"WHAT?!"
Lisa smiled like a cunning fox.
"Let the cage break. The ants are already stuck to it. The more it runs, the faster it dies."
Rylan blinked.
"…That's actually smart."
"Of course. I'm not just cute. I'm dangerous."
[SYSTEM: And shameless.]
"Thank you~!" Lisa beamed.
The moment Rylan loosened the barrier—
The tiger exploded upward in a desperate leap.
Its fur was half melted, half bloody, ants crawling over every inch of its body. It sprinted toward the forest, crashing into trees, boulders, the lake—anything to remove the swarm.
Its roars turned to shrieks… then to choked gurgles…
And finally, silence.
The ants feasted.
Rylan let out a long exhale, collapsing onto the ground, exhausted beyond belief.
Lisa stood proudly with her hands on her hips.
"See? Simple."
Rylan looked up at her with the expression of a man questioning all his life choices.
"…Lucy."
"Yes?"
"You are… cute."
Lisa grinned.
"But utterly terrifying."
She winked. "That's the charm."
[SYSTEM: Host, congratulations. You have successfully traumatized another peak earth grade monster.]
Lisa hummed happily.
"Good. They should all fear their future Demon Queen."