You'll Have to Pay for That

With experience under her belt, Himeko wasn't about to give her opponent another chance to escape.

While the monster was in human form, Himeko had put it through a merciless drill. It had finally found a chance to enter its second phase, only for Himeko to grab her chainsaw and beat it to a pulp.

When it tried to run, Himeko dragged it back.

Worst of all, it couldn't speak. It couldn't even beg for mercy!

"Roar-"

The monster finally couldn't take the constant beating anymore.

Sure, it hadn't intended to let Himeko and the others leave this place alive, but it hadn't even done anything yet! Why did she have to finish it off?

Hadn't she ever heard of judging someone by their actions, not their intentions?

It couldn't take it anymore. It was taking her down with it!

The monster grabbed a fruit off the tree and swallowed it whole. The next moment, its writhing pink muscles began to dissolve, turning into a puddle of meat slurry that seeped into the ground.

A foul stench began to spread, and even the ground started shaking.

Blood-red patterns began spreading across the trunk of the enormous tree at the very center.

"No wonder March 7th froze the tree."

Realization dawned on Himeko, and then she set the tree on fire.

Anyone who knowingly let an opponent enter their second phase despite the huge boost in strength was clearly a rookie.

Veterans like them would have kicked the enemy the moment they started preparing.

Flames formed from imaginary energy quickly climbed the trunk, surging upward at a ferocious pace until they engulfed the entire tree.

Fire blazed into the sky amid crackling sounds. Himeko could even hear the monster's agonized howls within the flames.

The air began to heat up. Himechi Cat had already hidden far away to avoid turning into a slime again.

She sensed something approaching from behind. Turning around, she found something with a human upper body and a snake's tail for its lower half behind her.

"?"

As everyone knew, Himechi Cat was a cat. Once a cat was startled, nothing it did was surprising.

Himechi Cat's pupils contracted, and the chainsaw in her suitcase swung out.

"Aaargh-"

The Snake Man, who had just dragged his tail over to strike up a conversation with Himechi Cat, was sent flying.

"Why did you attack me the moment we met?!"

Hearing the scream, Himeko looked back and saw Himechi Cat holding the Monomolecular Saw, with a strange creature twitching its tail in front of her.

"What happened?"

Himeko hurried to Himechi Cat's side and looked her up and down, confirming that she wasn't injured.

"Cough, cough, cough-I'm the one who got hit! Look at me! Look at me!"

Only then did Himeko turn her attention to the Snake Man.

"You're...?"

"Staff! I'm a staff member! Is it that hard to tell?"

Staff?

He wasn't wearing a suit or a tie.

He didn't even have a shirt on!

"I thought you'd be dressed a little more formally."

Himeko looked beneath the burning tree. There had been two staff members there, but they had quietly slipped away after she set the fire.

Perhaps they were afraid of being held responsible?

"Those serious, formal outfits are what beginner players wear. You should know that veterans who've played long enough all have some different skins. Besides, is changing your appearance so strange?"

As though to prove his point, the Snake Man transformed into a whole series of different creatures. Humans, animals, and even household appliances were no problem.

"Besides, nobody said staff members had to be human. The beginner tutorial only teaches you to identify dangerous creatures, not law-abiding folks like us."

The Snake Man got up off the ground, flicked a forked tongue out of his human mouth, and, with a serious expression, produced a bill from somewhere.

"Player, do you realize you've damaged haunted house property?! Do you know how much time we spent planting this tree?! You're here to enjoy the experience while we see if we can take your life in the process, not to wreck the place!"

Himeko hadn't expected him to have shown up to demand compensation rather than guide her toward an item needed to clear the attraction.

"Let me work this out... All right, just pay me 11.4514 billion."

Himeko was puzzled.

Himeko made peace with it.

Himeko switched on the Monomolecular Saw.

"Extortion isn't nice."

"Wait, you can haggle."

"I'm sorry, but even if I haggled you down to a single dollar, I couldn't pay."

That was true. Himeko had no Credits, no Huaxia currency, and no national destiny instance currency.

She couldn't even afford a ticket. She had smashed the ticket scanner and forced her way in.

"Don't say that."

The Snake Man approached Himeko, already having a bad feeling.

When someone was powerful, penniless, and being extorted, what would she do?

"How about this, ma'am? You can offer something of equivalent value in exchange."

"But I don't think I should be responsible for this debt."

"If that's how it is, then I'll have to do something."

The Snake Man sighed. Himeko frowned and looked back toward where the others had been. Sure enough, they had all disappeared.

"Those friends who came with you aren't having a very good time right now."

"What do you want?"

With the circumstances against her, Himeko had no choice but to accept his demands. The Snake Man rapidly flipped through his ledger.

"Given that you don't have a penny to your name, we can offer you some alternative arrangements at our discretion. Such as taking this fox of unknown origin as collateral, and having you visit the other attractions to bring some customers to our haunted house."

The Snake Man staff member pointed at the door through which Himeko had entered this space, indicating that she could leave and start recruiting newcomers.

"If I bring new players here, what will happen once they enter the haunted house?"

"They'll die, of course. But don't worry, I'll credit those kills to you. You'll even get rewards then. What's not to like?"

The Snake Man's answer was casual, and Himeko pressed him again.

"Then why do you want to keep Himechi Cat?"

"You burned our tree, so the haunted house has lost its boss. We need something else to fill the vacancy!"

"I need to think about it."

Rather than answering directly, Himeko began to think.

Himeko was in no hurry, but the live comments were already getting anxious.

[What are you standing around for? Take the job! It's a great deal!]

[You don't have to do anything except bring people over. You can save your teammates and boost your performance numbers at the same time. Two birds with one stone!]

[If you ask me, Himeko should just kill all three of them. Two haven't done a thing from start to finish, plus that bespectacled String Bean who loves making things up. What a joke.]

[Whatever happens, don't give them Himechi Cat. She's actually useful.]

[What are you thinking?! Isn't there a Pig Trotter Rice spirit? Throw that thing away! Twenty servings of pig trotter rice would make you eat until you puked.]

[I told you not to bring dead weight. They just cause trouble.]

[Himeko is strong, sure, but she meddles a little too much.]

Soon, Himeko figured it out. She raised her head and met the Snake Man's gaze.

"Ma'am, have you made up your mind?"

"Of course. I've figured it out."

The corners of Himeko's mouth lifted slightly, and without another word, she brought the saw in her hand down on his head!

"You're attacking a staff member?!"

Unable to dodge in time, the Snake Man took a direct hit. But Himeko had already seen through everything.

"I think there are no [clearance items] in this haunted house, and no so-called [staff members] either. Am I right?"