The second test of the Starlace Order’s recruitment was still underway, but the audience wouldn’t know it from looking at Frostina and Silica. The two walked side by side through the frost-laced corridors for hours, chatting so casually they might have forgotten they were in the middle of an intense competition.

  The maze stretched endlessly in every direction, silent except for the soft crunch of their boots on ice and the occasional laugh from Silica.

  “You’re way nicer than I expected, you know,” she said with a grin.

  Frostina blinked. “Huh? Where did that come from?”

  “Well, I thought anyone who made Liang Corp bankrupt would be... I don’t know, arrogant? My first impression of you was totally someone who looks down on people.”

  Frostina slowed slightly and turned her head, her brows furrowing.

  “...What did you just say?”

  Silica tilted her head, confused. “Hmm? That you like looking down on people?”

  “No—! I mean, I’m not that bad, okay? But not that part! The one before that.”

  “Oh. That Liang Corp went bankrupt?”

  “That’s it! What happened to them?”

  Silica blinked at her. “Wait… you don’t know? Seriously? It’s been all over the news.”

  “A-Ah… I haven’t really checked the news lately...” Frostina gave an awkward laugh and looked away.

  Silica stared at her, incredulous.

  “The person who started the entire mess doesn’t even know…”

  She sighed, then continued walking, her tone turning more serious.

  “Anyway, remember that whole mess a few days ago with Gao Liang? The CEO’s son?”

  Frostina nodded slowly.

  “Yeah… He lost his temper and outed himself.”

  “Well, turns out someone nearby was livestreaming the whole thing.”

  “I saw the streamer,” Frostina muttered. “Didn’t expect it to spread, though.”

  “Oh, it didn’t just spread!” Silica said energetically, her hands stretched wide. “It blew up! And after that video went viral, over a hundred victims worldwide started to appear!”

  Frostina’s eyes widened slightly. “...Victims?”

  “Yeah,” Silica said grimly. “A lot were murdered. Some women were raped. And Gao Liang’s father covered it all up.”

  Frostina stiffened mid-step. “...What?”

  Silica glanced over, then kept going.

  “But because you dared to talk back in that livestream, the victims’ families finally had the courage to speak up.”

  “...I think I just spoke up once,” Frostina murmured.

  “Hey, nobody even dared to talk back to him before, you know? Not even me!” Silica chuckled. “Anyway, they released their own videos.”

  Frostina looked at her silently.

  “Most of them had real evidence. And after all the videos went viral, police started to arrest both Gao Liang and his father.”

  Frostina’s lips parted, but no words came out.

  “The stock price plummeted, investors pulled out, and SuperGames cut their ties with them. Everything just collapsed.”

  Silica suddenly remembered something and smacked her fist into her palm.

  “Oh, right! You probably haven’t checked your email either. SuperGames announced we’ll need to exchange our L-Capsules for the new models. The current ones are losing support in three months. So Liang Corp is really done for.”

  Frostina couldn’t hide her surprise anymore.

  “...Wow. So much happened in just a few days.”

  Inside Frostina’s mind, Cryssa spoke up softly.

  (“...Your little joke revenge kind of turned into a real one.”)

  Frostina couldn’t disagree. She never expected any of this. After all, she couldn’t return to Earth anymore. The most she ever planned to do was embarrass Gao Liang in-game whenever she ran into him, humiliate him in front of others and look down on him coldly, just small things. At best, she wanted to kill his character over and over until he dropped back to level one.

  She never imagined any of it would echo back to the real world like this.

  Still...

  “Well, they deserved it,” Frostina said with a shrug.

  She walked on like it was nothing more than idle gossip and none of her business.

  Silica let out a breath of amused disbelief.

  “You… really…”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  She laughed, trailing after her new companion through the frozen corridors, shaking her head the whole way.

  It had been a long time since Silica genuinely enjoyed talking to someone like this.

  Most of the people around her, fans, sponsors, coaches, even her former classmates, treated her more like a brand than a person.

  Silica had learned to live with the distance fame demanded. Over time, she’d forgotten what it felt like to just… talk.

  Her e-sports teammates were the only ones who came close to being real companions. But even then, their conversations revolved around training, tournaments, strategies, other teams, and upcoming events.

  It was always about work.

  But Frostina was different.

  She wasn’t a teammate or a fan. She didn’t seem to care about Silica’s fame. She wasn’t even impressed.

  And because of that, walking beside her like this, just talking with no pressure to perform or impress, was surprisingly fun.

  Silica smiled, almost to herself. “Thank you.”

  Frostina raised a brow, mildly suspicious. “What now?”

  “Nothing.” Silica shook her head, still smiling.

  Frostina gave her a side glance, then looked away with a small amusement.

  A moment later, Silica glanced at her UI screen and changed the topic.

  “Anyway, there’s only one hour left. We haven’t seen anyone since that last guy. Are you really sure you don’t want this badge? I’d feel bad if you got disqualified because of me.”

  Frostina chuckled softly, a knowing smile playing at her lips. She still couldn’t believe Silica hadn’t figured out that she’d been deliberately avoiding people, because she just didn’t feel like fighting yet.

  She pointed a finger toward a bend in the corridor up ahead.

  “It’s okay. My second badge will show up right over there.”

  Silica stared at the empty intersection, blinking.

  “...What?”

  And then, as if on cue, a massive figure stepped into view. A greatsword rested on his shoulder, and three badges glinted on his armor like trophies.

  (“Huh?”)

  “Huh?”

  Cryssa and Frostina echoed each other in stunned silence as their eyes locked with the newcomer’s.

  Frostina’s eyes widened. “Gilbert?!”

  Silica shifted into a ready stance. “You know him?”

  Frostina gave a short nod, her voice low.

  “I heard he's one of the four A-rank mercenaries who helped defend Stelluna during the catastrophe. He’s the real deal.”

  Gilbert grinned beneath the shadow of his hood, raising his greatsword and resting it across his shoulders.

  “Oh? I’m honored. Didn't expect a little beauty who stirred up the mercenaries during the first test to know me,” he said.

  Then, lowering the weapon, he cracked the ice underfoot.

  “But don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

  Frostina’s grimoire floated into the air, the pages fluttering open as if called by instinct.

  She smiled, calm and steady.

  “I’m in a good mood thanks to her. So I’ll be the one going easy on you.”

  Frostina’s mood was improved thanks to the news Silica had shared about Liang Corp.

  But Silica didn’t know that.

  Silica stared at Frostina, caught off guard.

  Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly looked away.

  Gilbert let out a deep, rolling laugh.

  “Hah! A cocky girl. I like that.”

  Then with a sudden burst of power, he charged forward, ice shattering beneath his boots.

  “Don’t regret it later!”

  The floor cracked beneath his boots with every step, ice fracturing in spiderweb patterns as Gilbert’s massive frame surged forward. A roaring red aura engulfed him, seething with heat that shimmered against the frigid air of the maze. The steam hissed and popped, leaving the ice corridor soaked in clashing temperatures.

  Across from him, Frostina stood still, serene. Her mana spread around her like frost-bloom on a windowpane, and her grimoire floated at her shoulder, its pages fluttering with a whispering blur.

  But the first to move wasn’t her.

  A sharp gust sliced through the silence as Silica dashed ahead, wind aura spiraling around her legs and arms. Her silhouette flickered like a mirage as she darted low and fast. Twin daggers drawn, she streaked toward Gilbert’s flank, her blades gleaming with sharpened intent.

  Gilbert noticed the motion mid-sprint and let out a low, amused growl.

  "Naive."

  He swung his greatsword in a massive horizontal arc, flames wreathing the blade in a blaze. The pressure warped the air, and the heat rolled outward in a wave of distortion.

  Silica ducked under it by a hair’s breadth, her wind-enhanced footwork barely carrying her through. But the follow-up was faster.

  Gilbert’s foot slammed down.

  The frozen floor detonated in a ring of molten energy. Fire pulsed outward in a burst, vaporizing the frost beneath Silica’s feet in a blast of hissing steam.

  “Wha?!”

  Silica’s feet lost traction as the heat vaporized the frost beneath her. She staggered, her knee hit the ground with a skid, and that was all the time Gilbert needed.

  His massive blade descended like a guillotine.

  Frostina’s hand thrust forward.

  “Ice Wall.”

  A solid wall of crystal-clear ice erupted from the ground between them.

  The greatsword hit it with a thunderous crack, fractures spreading instantly across the frozen barrier.

  Frostina darted in, sweeping past the crumbling ice and dragging Silica clear in one smooth slide. She used a quick burst of freezing mist beneath her feet to glide, sliding them both under Gilbert’s reach.

  A split second later, the wall shattered with a sound like a glacier breaking apart.

  Silica hit the ground with a grunt, her daggers tumbling from her grip. She coughed, dazed.

  “I-I’m okay…” she mumbled, struggling to get up.

  Frostina didn’t look back.

  She stepped in front of Silica without hesitation, her arms outstretched. Her grimoire hovered at her side, spinning softly.

  “Ice Wall.”

  Another thick pane of ice erupted from the ground directly behind her, sealing Silica off entirely.

  “Frostina—?!”

  “Didn’t you ask me to teach you?” Frostina said softly, glancing back over her shoulder.

  A faint, almost playful smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

  “I’m not really good at giving lessons… so just sit back and watch me properly, okay?”

  Silica stunned in silence.

  She realized it was Frostina’s way of quietly asking her to step aside.

  As a pro player, it was a mockery.

  But she saw it in Frostina’s gaze. There was no condescension, no cold detachment, no smug superiority. Just quiet warmth, like Frostina wasn’t just protecting her, but genuinely wanted her to be safe.

  Silica felt her chest tighten unexpectedly.

  She had spent so long pretending she didn’t need help. Always the one carrying others, always the one smiling for the camera, the crowd, the sponsors.

  And yet here she was, bruised and shaken, with someone standing over her like a guardian.

  Silica’s face flushed, hot despite the chill in the air.

  She slowly sat down, leaning against the ice wall behind her, and gave a small, sheepish smile.

  “…Alright. Please teach me, .”

  Frostina gave a small nod, turning forward again with a sigh as she spoke privately to Cryssa.

  (“You really want her to join the Order, don’t you?”)

  (“…That’s true.”)

  Cryssa didn’t want the natives to take the risk on the frontline in the future. So, helping the core players to grow quickly was essential.

  Gilbert exhaled loudly and took a step back, reassessing her.

  He tapped the flat of his greatsword against his shoulder with a clank.

  “Fighting me while protecting the weak, huh? You’re getting cocky.”

  “I told you I’ll go easy on you.” Frostina replied coolly.

  Her mana surged from the floor like rising mist. It spiraled around her in elegant coils, cold and unyielding. A soft blue shimmer spread beneath her feet, carving a perfect circle into the frost-covered ground.

  Gilbert narrowed his eyes, his fire aura flaring with renewed force.

  “Let’s see how long you can keep that calm look on your face!”

  The flames writhed violently around him, turning the corridor into a crucible.

  Flame clashed against frost in the narrow corridor, steam rising as the temperature warped violently between them. Magic sizzled in the air, the frost hissing where the heat licked it.

  The battle had truly begun.