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After meting out a light punishment to Little Blue, Yaeger turned to Little Fairy with a congenial grin, causing the latter to tremble. The conviction she had moments before began to falter. ‘Could I end up like Little Blue in the future?’ she wondered anxiously.

“Have you made your decision? Take your time; it’s important,” Yaeger advised.

A long pause of fifteen seconds ensued, long enough for Yunuen to swallow nervously. She had formed a seamless partnership with Little Fairy in the underground maze and had already considered her a friend. Naturally, she didn’t want to see her decline. ‘Princess doesn’t recruit just anyone. Little Fairy, you better think it through before making a decision!’

Seemingly tuned into Yunuen’s thoughts, Little Fairy wore a solemn face. This choice was monumental for her. The wind itself ceased its gusts, accentuating the silence that dominated the atmosphere.

Little Blue’s eyes widened in befuddlement. ‘Why the hesitation? When the Master who controls the City of Chaos extends a hand, hesitation should be the last thing on your mind,’ she thought, confident that regret would follow any refusal to join Yaeger, who was a wellspring of untapped potential.

However, Yaeger remained calmly patient. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Little Fairy looked up and locked eyes with Yaeger, a sense of resolve emanating from her.

“The Princess Alliance certainly has its merits, but it also has downsides,” she started, pausing for effect.

Yunuen felt her heart sink; it seemed like Little Fairy was going to decline. Little Blue could barely conceal her incredulity, thinking, ‘Are you seriously passing up this golden opportunity?’

But before anyone could react further, Little Fairy exclaimed, “So… I’ve decided to join anyway!” It was a verdict she had reached after a day off from work and over two hours of intense pondering. Given that venturing alone would make her susceptible to bullying by other players, she concluded that the safety and strength of numbers within the Princess Alliance would be a wiser choice.

Hearing this, Yunuen exhaled a colossal sigh of relief, her face breaking into a relieved grin. Little Blue folded her arms, almost as if to say: ‘So, after all that contemplation, you still chose wisely. What was the point of hesitating?’

“Welcome to the Princess Alliance,” Yaeger extended her delicate hand, her eyes twinkling with a soft smile.

Staring at the inviting hand for a brief second, Little Fairy finally stretched out her own to grasp it. The touch was velvety, warm, and reassuring.

The moment Yaeger officially inducted Little Fairy into the Princess Alliance, the guild’s roster update didn’t go unnoticed. The online forums erupted into a frenzy. Though the Princess Alliance wasn’t particularly renowned, it was universally recognized as one of the most formidable guilds in the game. The guild boasted powerhouses like Princess herself and Rakshasa, the Closed Beta player whose exploits in 101 Novice Village had left an indelible mark on the community. By this point, Rakshasa had climbed to Level 29.

Factor in Mahou Shoujo Yunuen, whose reputation skyrocketed overnight, and it was clear that the guild’s collective might had soared. Even Sachiel, the member with the lowest level, was at Level 21. Now, their newest addition was a Level 26 player, and to top it off, another female. But who was this Little Fairy? If she had been a known player, her identity would have been instantly recognizable. As it was, only a select few recognized her, their jaws nearly hitting the floor in astonishment. Little Fairy’s meteoric level-up was, after all, nothing short of mind-boggling.

Yet disbelief had to give way to reality. Soon enough, rumors about Little Fairy’s incredible advancement in the underground maze spread like wildfire. Forum posts began cropping up, advising players to target her specifically.

In the City of Chaos, Little Fairy found herself grateful for her wise decision to browse through the forums. Otherwise, she would have been blissfully ignorant, a perfect target in the city. “The fewer the rules, the greater the danger,” Yaeger observed.

Little Fairy nodded, knowing the truth of the statement from experience. When Princess had once flaunted her purple crossbow, greed had erupted among other players who would have stripped her clean if not for her formidable strength.

Yunuen wore a pouty expression. Her experiences in 101 Novice Village had quickly disillusioned her; this world, she realized, was far from fair. Governed by natural selection and the law of the jungle, it mirrored the harsh realities of the actual world where lower and middle-class individuals were often exploited by those in the upper echelons. However, unlike the real world, which at least had some semblance of rules, this game world was akin to the early days of the internet—practically a lawless frontier.

Yaeger had come to grips with this harsh truth early on. “Others will cower if we are strong, but they will bare their fangs if we are weak. As long as we remain strong, nobody can hurt us,” she declared, smiling. Just then, a sunbeam cut through the heavy clouds to illuminate Yaeger, rendering her extraordinarily ethereal and almost sacred.

Yunuen and Little Fairy were left speechless, their minds resonating with Yaeger’s words. “So dazzling. So this is my master,” Little Blue mused, squinting her eyes in awe. Though she had initially been rather dissatisfied with Yaeger as her new master, a nagging question bubbled up: ‘Who am I, again?’

Little Blue’s memories were fragmented, shattered by some long-forgotten war. All she could muster was a vague sense of being an Artifact Soul. She’d attempted to recall her past, but each effort ended in a flood of disjointed, unpleasant memories—especially those related to her previous master, who had left her with nothing but fear and disgust.

Even though she could not remember the face or even the gender of that individual, the lingering dread and loathing she felt had initially extended to Yaeger. But as she stared at her new master now, those feelings were inexplicably absent. “Forget it, as long as we can get along, that’s what matters,” Little Blue decided, setting aside her confusion.

Resting her hands on her waist, she looked out at the ocean of clouds, her face breaking into a radiant smile.