Chapter 44: Another Fresh Meat!
"Best I don't waste any more time here. You had your meat. I want my payment. Now."
"Tone, my dear." The Old Hag's red lips stretched into a creepy smile. "Know that I can replace you whenever I want."
Lisa caught her breath, and a chill ran down her spine. She briefly shifted her eyes at the three trolls who were eying her with flexing brows.
Lisa took a deep breath and shook her head. "I have to get another batch of meat for you. You sure you want me to dally here and waste my time?"
The Old Hag was silent for a moment before she beamed and snatched something in her squishy cleavage.
It was a pouch of gil, and she was about to hand it over to Lisa while the latter's eyes shone with glee.
Finally! Lisa could finally pamper herself and distressed in town again. And once her money was gone, she'd start to deliver fresh meat to the Old Hag once more. That was her routine.
Try as she might to save for a house. The value of money in this world was simply ridiculous that it was an impossible feat. Even if she joined a territory, she was simply overworked because she was still a newbie in the eyes of the Veterans. She was exhausted being an errand girl, and she had to constantly fight day in and day out to defend the said territory from beasts, monsters, or even her fellow players.
Joining a territory was good, and all if her ATP was already in the hundreds. But if not . . . she was treated nothing less than an enslaved person.
Not to mention that war was always constant in this world. A fight for resources was widespread here, and she would not be a part of it.
Working with the Old Hag was much more appealing since she had a lot of free time.
And right now, all Lisa could think about was the freshly baked bread, salmon, and poached egg in town as she eyed the bag of gil dangling in the Old Hag's hands.
However, before she could finally taste that delicious food, the Old Hag stopped. Her beautiful unblemished face slightly twitched.
"An interloper?" The Old Hag slurred. There was amusement in her tone and delight in her blood-red eyes.
Lisa frowned. "An interloper?" She stifled a laugh. "How could that be possible? You have the place hidden, and you've built a barrier around this area that not even Veterans could break. You said so yourself."
Lisa was starting to get worried when the Old Hag's amused expression didn't lessen one bit. She thought that the witch was joking or giving her a scare.
But the Old Hag wasn't joking one bit. "I did. But there's an exception," she said, voice slow, low, and humming.
Contrary to her evil deeds, the Old Hag's voice was angelic.
When she looked at the Old Hag, Lisa was reminded of Patricia in the Adman's Family. Beautiful . . . in a disturbing way.
"What do you mean . . . exception?"
The Old Hag giggled. "It's the exact same exception why you can enter and exit from this area, dear."
Lisa became even more confused.
The Old Hag rolled her eyes. "Everyone with a low-level ATP like yours could enter this place."
Lisa's mouth dropped. Low level? Did she just insult her?
The Old Hag turned and swayed towards her giant mirror.
Lisa stretched her neck but couldn't hear what the Old Hag was murmuring before the Mirror glowed and showed a man with a maw on his face made from some kind of a boar's bone.
"What the heck is that? Is that some kind of a . . . mask?" Lisa squinted her eyes. She wanted to come near the Old Hag and take a closer look. But she knew the witch took her personal space . . . very seriously.
One time when the witch was tricking other players with one of her many faces, a player went too close to her and 'accidentally' grazed her butt.
Needleless to say, that player was still alive to this day . . . eternally asleep in his nightmares that is.
Lisa brushed away the hives on her skin and asked, "What should we do about him?"
The Old Hag waved her hand, and the stranger's image disappeared from the Mirror. "Take care of it. You know what to do. He is probably a newbie player. They wandered in here sometimes."
The Old Hag then went back to brewing her tinctures in the cauldron without care. "I'll give you the payment after you deliver that boy in here. Alive, of course. We don't want to spoil fresh ingredients with already rotting meat."
Lisa took a deep breath at the image, and her eyes briefly went to a locked door hidden behind a shelf. There was still plenty of 'livestock' in the old hag's 'storage.'
However, Lisa didn't complain and kept her mouth shut.
The soonest this was over, the better. She would get her payment and pamper herself in town.
Too bad about the stranger. But every man for himself.
Nothing personal. It was just good business.
Lisa disappeared from the Old Hag's basement and reappeared in front of the Old Hag's House.
The man with a jawbone mask was still looking around like he was lost and hadn't notice her yet.
Lisa studied him for a moment. Black hair and silver eyes. Tall and lean built with a strange jawbone covering half of his face.
She didn't think for a second that the man was an NPC since NPC never strayed in this area, and Veterans couldn't enter this place because of the Old Hag's spell.
Those who still considered greenhorns like herself who only stayed for a year or so also wouldn't thread into this area because of the threat of the Old Hag.
So it could only mean a newbie player who didn't get the warnings, apparently.
This would be quick. Lisa thought and licked her lips, two knives in her hands.
Too bad for the newbies. They were always easy prey.
Lisa activated her skill [Stealth] just in time that the man's eyes landed in her direction. She then activated [Pickpocket] but found her attempt unsuccessful.
Huh?
This got Lisa confused. A newbie whose LCK was higher than hers?
Lisa didn't mind it since her LCK was indeed low.
She then sprinted behind the stranger before the five-second mark of her [Stealth] was over and aimed for the man's hills.
Incapacitating them was the way to go if she wanted to capture them alive.
With a slice of her knife, her strike went through.
– 7
– 4
Lisa was dumbfounded. That combo would have landed the other player in serious HP loss. But her strike didn't even manage to tear his boots.
What's going on?!
The man chuckled, and his silver eyes locked on to her, menacing and ruthless.
Lisa gasped and quivered at the oppressing aura he portrayed.
"That kinda tickles."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone