Chapter 34: Rewards Yet to Be Redeemed

“That’s… the human girl who killed the werewolf at the Goat Tavern a while ago?”

“I’m not seeing things, right? What she’s dragging on that iron hook…” The watching bizarre creature swallowed hard.

“What the hell is that thing?!”

“……”

Bai Tang dragged the iron hook strung with the Flesh Aggregate’s malevolent soul.

Her footsteps were heavy as she made her way toward the blacksmith shop she remembered.

Along the way, she attracted an extremely high rate of turning heads.

A mere weak human girl was dragging behind her a powerful malevolent soul so strong that just one glance at it could twist the mind.

Something like this had never happened before.

The impact was too great.

“Didn’t they say that human girl only managed to kill the werewolf last time because of good luck? How do you explain this now?”

“Shh, how dare you keep staring?!”

One bizarre creature quickly covered its companion’s eyes.

“I have a friend. You know the Thousand-Handed Demon, right? He went to that general store and had over two hundred hands chopped off. That fragile-looking human was just her disguise. Her real identity is actually a perverted serial killer!”

“Most of the bizarre creatures that have gone missing on Undead Street recently probably died at her hands. Keep staring and she might string you up too!”

The Thousand-Handed Demon said that?

They had no choice but to believe it now!

Just then, Bai Tang’s footsteps happened to stop right in front of the two bizarre creatures.

“Were you two just talking about me?”

“Ah? N-no no no! Sorry, Bai… Bai…”

“Bai Tang!” her companion whispered urgently.

“Right right right, sorry, Miss Bai Tang! We were just… we just heard about your recent deeds on Undead Street and looked a bit longer out of admiration. We really, really didn’t say anything bad about you!”

“That’s right! We really didn’t say anything bad! Please don’t hook away our souls…”

Looking at the two bizarre creatures bowing and scraping in front of her, Bai Tang tilted her head and blinked her big eyes in confusion.

What was going on?

She had been distracted thinking about something earlier and truly hadn’t heard what they said.

Although she didn’t know the reason, the two of them seemed very afraid of her.

It was probably because they saw the malevolent soul on the iron hook and had recognized her strength.

Thinking this, Bai Tang raised the corners of her mouth, put her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and said in a serious tone,

“That’s right, it’s exactly what you think! So you two better behave yourselves, or I’ll deal with you~”

She had finally gotten a rare chance to establish a powerful image.

Of course Bai Tang wouldn’t let it go to waste.

A small warning might reduce a lot of malicious trouble coming her way in the future.

What the girl didn’t expect was that her words, when heard by the two bizarre creatures, took on a completely different meaning.

She admitted it!

That girl had actually admitted she was a perverted serial killer.

She had admitted that all the bizarre creatures who had gone missing on Undead Street in the past few days had fallen into her hands!

Telling them to behave… did that mean she had already set her sights on them?!

Wuwu… they were finished!

Perhaps many years later, while gnawing on a pig bone, they would accidentally knock out a tooth and, with faces full of terror, hold the broken tooth and say,

“She cast a curse that makes teeth fall out one by one. That vicious woman wants me to starve to death. So many years have passed and she still hasn’t let me go?”

“……”

Seeing the two bizarre creatures suddenly show expressions of despair, their bodies swaying as if they were about to faint the next second, Bai Tang only felt completely baffled.

She didn’t bother with them anymore and simply walked past.

A warning was enough if it stopped at that.

“Sigh, I really didn’t expect things to turn out like this in the end.”

Focusing her mind, her status panel slowly appeared before her eyes.

[Name: Bai Tang]

[Race: Human (Parasitized)]

[Age: 18]

[Level: LV14 (Fierce Ghost Level 11~20)]

[Strength: 8]

[Agility: 8]

[Constitution: 6]

[Intelligence: 8]

[Charm: 9]

[Spiritual Power: 240/240]

[Spiritual Power Strength: Level 2]

[Items: Demon Hunter Revolver (0/6), Empty Potion Bottles ×4, Ghost Coins ×420…]

[Reputation: Clerk at No. 111 Undead Street General Store. Accidentally parasitized by an unnamed Parasitic Demon, thereby gaining the ability to control tentacles. Has gained some fame on Undead Street after subduing the Werewolf and the Pig-Head Man…]

She had been too careless after all and fallen for the Parasitic Demon’s trick.

She really shouldn’t have hesitated back then.

“I wonder if the Witch teacher has a way…”

Although the Parasitic Demon’s consciousness had completely fallen asleep and couldn’t pose a threat to her in the short term, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t worried at all.

While she had gained full control over the tentacles as a blessing in disguise and now possessed an extra means of combat and self-protection, what if the Parasitic Demon’s consciousness woke up one day and betrayed her at a critical moment?

That could be fatal!

So if the Witch teacher had a way to strip the Parasitic Demon from her body, that would naturally be best.

But if she didn’t…

While walking and thinking, it didn’t take long before the outline of the blacksmith shop appeared in her vision.

She had spent too much time at the slaughterhouse.

Long Night was almost here.

She quickened her pace and entered the shop.

The Blacksmith Ghost seemed surprised that Bai Tang had returned alive.

When he glanced at the malevolent soul she was dragging behind her, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“Y-you you you you… Did you do this?!”

He no longer had the calm and collected appearance from their first meeting.

He could barely speak properly.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the malevolent soul on the iron hook had been at least Blood Robe level when it was alive.

Where had this human girl gotten it from?

“Didn’t you say you needed fresh souls?”

Bai Tang threw the iron hook in front of the Blacksmith Ghost.

“Here. It’s still lively. Is it enough to use as fuel for forging Demon Hunter Revolver bullets?”

Enough?

It was more than enough. It was ridiculously more than enough!

Of course, Bai Tang wouldn’t tell the Blacksmith Ghost that the Flesh Aggregate had died from collapsing on its own.

She had simply picked up the scraps.

Ignoring the Blacksmith Ghost’s jaw that was about to hit the floor, she asked,

“Also, wasn’t there still the Demon Hunter’s test? Does this count as passing? Remember to tell her later.”

“I will! I definitely will! When that Demon Hunter comes to pick up her new weapon, I will truthfully inform her of everything you’ve done!”

The Blacksmith Ghost didn’t dare to be negligent.

“Once the bullets are forged, I will deliver them to you personally.”

Hearing this, Bai Tang nodded.

From the Blacksmith Ghost’s words, it seemed the Demon Hunter Miss had also commissioned weapons to be forged.

Unlike the Demon Hunter Miss who had to come pick them up herself, Bai Tang only needed to wait for delivery?

Win!

“How many Ghost Coins in total?”

“You only need to pay 20 Ghost Coins!”

20 Ghost Coins.

That was even cheaper than the single button she had sold to the Blood Doll.

Noticing that the Blacksmith Ghost’s gaze kept drifting toward the malevolent soul, Bai Tang roughly understood.

She would just treat it as them settling the difference.

“Then hurry up. Do whatever you want with the malevolent soul. I’m leaving first.”

[Congratulations on completing the quest ‘Test’.]

[Rewards Obtained: Experience +100, Ghost Coins ×300, Demon Hunter Miss’s Favor (Pending), Demon Hunter Miss’s Recognition (Pending), Demon Hunter Miss’s Orally Told Secret (Pending).]

After clearly reading the quest completion notification that appeared before her eyes, Bai Tang’s entire body finally relaxed.

She looked up at the sky.

There were only about 30 minutes left before Long Night fell.

“Time to go home. I wonder if the Witch teacher has woken up yet~”