CHAPTER 444: CHAPTER 444: WHO SLEEPS WITH A GLOW FILTER ON?

Isabella glared up at the glowing cube with the kind of betrayal only a tired woman could muster.

"So that is why you were smiling," she said again, quieter this time but packed with venom.

Bubu hummed innocently, little light flickers blinking like eyelids. "Smiling? I do not smile, Host."

"Oh, don’t you dare gaslight me," she snapped, throwing her water pouch back into her space. "You knew that stupid patch was going to wear off halfway, didn’t you? You sat there, watched me struggle, and just—" she waved her arms dramatically, "—enjoyed the show!"

"I was collecting data."

"Oh my god." Isabella sat up, her hair sticking to her forehead, her expression the dictionary definition of done. "I should throw you into a volcano."

"That would be inefficient," Bubu replied.

"SO AM I!"

Glimora squeaked at her tone and pressed her little white hands over her ears. Isabella sighed instantly, softening. "Sorry, baby. Mama’s not mad at you. She’s mad at that floating menace."

Bubu pretended not to hear.

She took a deep breath, rubbing her temples. "Alright. Let’s see how far I still have to drag Captain Feathery Brick here."

With a flick of her wrist, the translucent map appeared before her again, hovering in midair like a floating hologram. A faint golden trail blinked across the mountain terrain, leading to the waterfall cave. Isabella stared at it, then looked at the mountain ahead.

Her face fell. "Oh, hell no."

Glimora tilted her head. "Mrrrp?"

"Don’t look at me like that, you little furball of optimism," Isabella muttered. "We’re not doing that again. I have, like, five thousand steps of trauma left in my legs."

The glowing dot on her map blinked mockingly, still far from her current position. The destination pulsed softly — WATERFALL CAVE (Task Objective) — and Isabella let out a very human groan of despair.

"I can’t drag him there without another patch," she mumbled, glaring back at the unconscious phoenix. "Look at him. He’s literally glimmering in his sleep. Who sleeps with a glow filter on?"

Bubu hovered silently, projecting the faint shimmer of the shop interface beside her. "You already know what to do."

"I hate you so much."

"I am aware."

She squinted at the new glowing shop window, scrolling through it aggressively with her finger. "Do you ever feel guilt? Remorse? Empathy? Anything?"

"No."

"Yeah, I didn’t think so."

Scrolling... scrolling... scrolling.

"Oh, look! The same overpriced sticker of death," she muttered sarcastically, tapping the Mountain Strength Patch again. "Two hundred and eighty points for half an hour of pain and regret. Sounds like therapy!"

"You should not compare physical enhancement to therapy."

"Shut up, therapist cube."

The interface blinked in confirmation — Purchase Successful.

Her current point balance dipped painfully. "Ugh, I can feel my wallet crying."

"Your emotional distress is irrelevant to system progress."

"BUBU, I SWEAR TO GOD—"

"Mrrrp!" Glimora squeaked, jumping onto her arm as if to calm her down.

"Fine! Fine, baby, I’ll calm down," Isabella said through gritted teeth. She unwrapped the glowing silk again, glaring at it like it personally offended her ancestors. "You again. Let’s do this before I change my mind."

She slapped the patch onto her arm. The same golden heat surged instantly — lightning in her veins, caffeine in her bones.

"AHHH—every! Single! Time!" she screamed, shaking her arm.

Bubu’s light pulsed. "Activation successful."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!"

She exhaled sharply, energy flooding her limbs again. "Okay," she muttered, dragging her hair up into a messy ponytail. "Round two. Mama’s coming for you, boulder boy."

She crouched, grabbed the phoenix man’s arm, and started dragging again — this time, with newfound vengeance.

And wow, she was fast.

"Whooo!" she yelled, almost jogging up the incline now. "Oh my god, look at me! Look at me, Glimora! I’m speed! I’m velocity! I’m divine strength incarnate!"

Glimora perched proudly on her shoulder, tail wagging in sync with Isabella’s bouncy steps, squeaking every few seconds like she was cheering.

Behind them, the faint shimmer of phoenix feathers left glowing trails on the dirt. Isabella didn’t even notice. She was too busy running like her life depended on it.

"You better not get heavy again!" she yelled over her shoulder at the unconscious man. "You hear me, pretty boy? You stay weightless! Be air! Be feathers! Be—whatever phoenixes are made of!"

Bubu said nothing. Just floated there, watching her spiral.

After a while, Isabella glanced sideways suspiciously. "Why are you so quiet?"

"I am observing progress."

"No, no, you’re plotting something again. I can feel it!"

"Perhaps you are developing intuition. Good sign."

"Oh, don’t ’good sign’ me!"

Still, she didn’t slow down. The wind hit her face, cool and sharp, as she dashed across another ridge. Her boots crunched against rocks, loose pebbles tumbling down the slope. The map flickered before her, and she was almost there.

"Ha!" she laughed between heavy breaths. "Take that, you evil system! Look at me—efficient! I’m a strong, independent woman carrying a mythical man through a murder mountain!"

"Impressive phrasing," Bubu said dryly.

"Don’t mock me while I’m thriving!"

She pushed forward, the air thickening with moisture as the sound of rushing water grew louder. The faint roar of a waterfall echoed through the mist — rhythmic, powerful, almost musical.

"Glimora, do you hear that?" she said between breaths.

"Mrrrp!"

"That’s victory, baby! Sweet, hydrated victory!"

She rounded one last bend — and there it was. The map blinked wildly, announcing DESTINATION REACHED.

Isabella slowed, panting, leaning against the phoenix man’s shoulder as she looked around. The air shimmered with light mist, the faint sparkle of water droplets catching the faint sunlight filtering through the trees. The ground was soft with moss, and the faint gleam of stone ahead hinted at the entrance of the waterfall cave.

She grinned. "We made it. Oh my god, we actually—" she blinked. "Wait."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Where’s the pond?"

Bubu floated forward. "In the cave."

Isabella froze. "Excuse me?"

"In the cave."

She stared at the dark opening ahead — wide, shadowy, damp. "That cave?"

"Yes."

"The one that looks like it eats people for breakfast?"

"Yes."

She turned slowly toward Bubu, her tone deceptively calm. "Is the cave safe to enter?"

Bubu paused. "Your survival instincts are getting better."

"Don’t you dare patronize me. Is it safe?"

Another pause.

Glimora tilted her little head up at Bubu too, wide-eyed and squeaking impatiently, as if backing up her mama’s question.

Finally, Bubu sighed — or at least made a sound suspiciously close to a sigh. "Yes, Host. It is safe to enter."

"See? You could’ve just said that instead of giving me a heart attack." Isabella exhaled dramatically, patting her chest. "God, you’re worse than a horror movie narrator."

"Thank you."

"That wasn’t a compliment."

"Noted."

She glared but had no strength left to argue. Adjusting her grip, she dragged the phoenix man again, this time across the shallow grass into the shadowy mouth of the cave.

Inside, it was cool and damp, but not threatening. The air glowed faintly blue — not from torches, but from luminous moss climbing up the walls. Tiny droplets fell from the ceiling, catching light as they hit the stone floor.

The sound of rushing water grew louder. Isabella followed it deeper, her footsteps echoing softly. The glow from her map reflected on her skin, flickering in sync with her heartbeat.

And then — finally — she saw it.

The pond.

It sat in the middle of the cavern, glowing with gentle silver-blue light, the surface smooth as glass. Water trickled from the rocks above into it, sparkling like liquid moonlight.

Isabella’s breath caught. "Oh."