"Heh." EeDeChi sneered, "Quite the interesting ghost story. Too bad, you picked the wrong audience."

  Before her, a storm of demons raged!

  The night hags had completely discarded their disguises. Their once-refined clothes were now faded and torn, their faces shriveled and withered. Their skin was covered with bck blotches, their knuckles bulging, and their fingers long, thin, and bent. Their sharp, curved nails grew wildly, and their hair hung in dry, tangled strands.

  Three night hags! And adding to that the "friend" night hag who had just entered, there were a total of four. The once warm and cozy, happy family had instantly turned into a pyground for the night hags!

  Two of the night hags bared their crimson teeth and roared at EeDeChi and Barrett. The shockwave from their roar shattered the gss cups on the table. This was likely some sort of mental attack, a sonic wave that carried the power to break the minds of ordinary people.

  But unfortunately, they weren't facing ordinary people. EeDeChi's physical resistance was at its peak, and Barrett was also a seasoned, battle-hardened elite adventurer.

  One night hag stepped onto a chair and lunged at EeDeChi. In a fit of rage, EeDeChi threw a punch, nding squarely on the night hag's face. The hag's face caved in completely, and it instantly colpsed to the ground, motionless.

  "I really should have checked your Justice Value first!" EeDeChi shouted, standing up angrily. She hadn't had any vegetables or fruit for a long time and was already bitter about it. Now, facing these demons putting on their theatrics, her rage reached a boiling point.

  Another night hag lunged at her, its cws sshing toward her face. EeDeChi kicked out, shattering the dining table while nding a perfect blow to the night hag's midsection.

  The night hag was hit by the kick and her body snapped in half, crashing into the wall and sending bricks and dust flying.

  Another night hag, realizing the situation was going south, immediately turned and ran toward the window.

  EeDeChi closed the distance in a fsh, spun around, and delivered a flying kick. The sound of wind rushing past her feet was followed by a loud "thud!" as her heel smashed into the night hag's skull. The creature's neck snapped instantly, and its body flew out of the wall like a ragdoll, crashing into the brick and smashing into a ft specimen.

  Meanwhile, Barrett was locked in combat with the "friend" night hag. He dodged a ssh from its cws and, with a swift movement, drew a gleaming dagger from his waist. He drove the bde deep into the night hag's neck.

  As the night hag howled in pain, Barrett pulled a short sword from his spatial ring and pinned the creature to the door with a deadly thrust. Then, he took out a fnged mace, raised it high, and smmed it down with all his might, splitting its skull open.

  Looking at the four night hags in various contorted positions, lifeless on the floor, EeDeChi spat, "Disgusting!"

  Barrett sheathed his dagger and sighed. "Let's go inform the vilgers. The man-eating night hags have been dealt with."

  …

  Barrett knocked on the doors of the vilgers one by one. In the dim, heavy night, the vilgers, holding torches and trudging through the snow, made their way to the manor with doubts in their hearts. When they saw the brutal scene and confirmed the night hags had been sughtered, the whole vilge erupted in excitement.

  Finally, an elder of some renown in the vilge decided to pile the four night hags together and burn them. The vilgers, braving the bitter cold, gathered around the bonfire, singing and dancing.

  Some mourned and sighed for the family of the manor, who had long been killed by the night hags, offering a moment of silence for them. Others, with a mix of fear and curiosity, cautiously approached to observe the burning night hags.

  But most of the vilgers gathered around Barrett, thanking him for his great contribution to the vilge. The vilgers showered him with compliments, praising him to the heavens, almost treating him like a savior sent by Gaia itself.

  Some vilgers whose children had gone missing practically worshiped Barrett, almost falling to their knees to bow to him. This left Barrett, whose focus was always on the money, in an awkward spot. How was he supposed to ask for his payment after this?

  As for EeDeChi, who had put in the most effort, the vilgers, probably due to her "Favorability Level" still being low, completely ignored her. They left her standing in the corner, forgotten.

  Watching Barrett surrounded by a crowd of admirers, EeDeChi felt a twinge of displeasure in her heart, but there was nothing she could do. She could only huff in disdain, showing that she didn't care about the praise of ordinary people.

  Bored and kicking at the snow beneath her feet, EeDeChi was suddenly presented with a bowl of hot soup. Looking up, she saw a kindly old woman smiling at her.

  The old woman's weathered face softened into a loving smile as she held out the bowl of steaming soup. "I believe you pyed a part in eliminating those night hags tonight," she said. "It's so cold, and you're dressed so lightly. Have some hot soup to warm yourself up."

  The thick earthenware bowl released steam, and inside, the soup was rich with chunks of chicken, tender cabbage leaves, translucent slices of radish, cauliflower, lettuce, and more.

  It was exactly the kind of vegetable soup EeDeChi had been craving after growing tired of meat. Swallowing her saliva, EeDeChi didn't hesitate. She grabbed the bowl and drank it all in one go.

  The old woman gasped in surprise, quickly calling out, "Be careful, don't burn yourself!"

  …

  The next day, at the vilgers' request, Barrett and EeDeChi ventured into a mist-covered swamp near the vilge. EeDeChi used a 5th Tier spell to turn the swamp into a dry, deep pit, flushing out the st night hag trying to escape. She swiftly killed it on the spot.

  As for the reward, Barrett symbolically asked for a few silver coins from the vilgers. EeDeChi, however, was carrying a burp sack taller than herself, filled with white radishes, cabbage, lettuce, onions, cauliflower, carrots, sweet peas, spinach, mustard greens, sunflower greens, and lettuce...

  The two "travelers and winter huntsmen employed by Count Charles", reluctantly leaving with the entire vilge lined up to see them off, set out on their journey once again.