"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

Ariel cursed involuntarily as she dashed madly forward.

How did she end up in such rotten luck?

It was bad enough that she had gambled herself away earlier—that much was her own fault. But how did a simple trip to hunt some magical beasts end up with everyone vanishing when she returned? And, as if fate were mocking her, why did she then run straight into a Radiant Tier mage?

A Radiant Tier mage! Someone who could obliterate the sovereign-level magical beast she'd struggled so hard to defeat with a mere flick of their hand!

Sure, her master had claimed her combat strength far exceeded others her age. But throwing her against such a powerful old witch right from the start?

Even skipping levels to battle had to follow some basic rules, damn it!

"Oh? You're quite fast, aren't you?"

The light and teasing voice of a woman rang out around Ariel, seeming to echo from every direction, its source untraceable.

"Why the fear, little brat? I’m not scary at all. Why not stay and have a chat? I’ve always been very interested in the whispers between young girls."

"…"

Ugh.

Young girls, my ass.

Do you not even bother looking in the mirror? Not even the thick layers of powder on your face can hide those crow’s feet.

Ariel gritted her teeth, silently cursing in her heart. She said nothing out loud, choosing instead to focus on quickening her pace.

But the mist around her suddenly grew thicker.

The swirling fog danced in delicate spirals, just like the decorative cream patterns on those overpriced, horrible-tasting coffees in fancy restaurants.

"Watch out!"

Her master’s voice thundered in Ariel’s mind. Without hesitation, she sharply veered in another direction.

Even so, she felt a scorching pain in her lower abdomen.

A blade-like sensation sliced through her, tearing apart both her clothing and her fair skin. Blood poured forth, quickly soaking the front of her torso.

"This is…"

Clutching the wound, Ariel cast a basic healing spell to stop the bleeding. Her expression grew grave.

The injury wasn’t fatal, as it hadn’t hit any vital organs. But the issue was…

She hadn’t sensed the enemy making any kind of attack.

"This isn’t an attack; it’s…" her master’s voice, too, carried a rare heaviness, "…spatial magic."

"Hiss—"

Ariel gasped sharply, looking in the direction her master indicated.

Sure enough, in the very spot she’d just dashed past, a faint line hovered in the mist-filled air, cutting through empty space like an invisible steel wire waiting for its victim to blindly run into it. Had Ariel not changed direction a moment earlier, she would have been sliced in half by that spatial rift.

"She can use spatial magic? That’s insane."

"For a Radiant Tier, spatial magic is no big deal."

Crrrk.

The crisp sound of something fracturing echoed through the air. The faint spatial rift began to expand, and a silhouette emerged from inside.

The woman twirled her wand absentmindedly, her expression one of feline cruelty mixed with faint disdain.

"Well well. You dodged it? What a shame. I was really hoping that if you’d been cut in half, maybe you’d finally be willing to have a proper chat with me."

"…Master," Ariel silently reached out in her mind.

"?"

"I forgot to ask earlier… Do I have any chance of escaping?"

"…If her brain isn’t injured—then no."

"…"

Ariel fell silent for a moment before letting out a helpless sigh.

"Fine. I understand."

She suddenly came to a halt.

"Oh? Not running anymore?"

The woman raised an eyebrow in surprise, though her tone carried a hint of boredom.

"I was hoping to play with you for a little while longer."

But in the next instant, she saw Ariel turn on her heel and charge straight at her.

Again?

This was the third time, wasn’t it?

Truly hopeless.

The woman’s lips curled into a mocking smile as a pale-golden barrier appeared before her once more. A violent gust of wind whipped past, and this time, she decided to watch closely, relishing the moment her prey’s eyes would inevitably fill with despair.

Yet, despair was nowhere to be found in Ariel’s gaze.

Instead, her eyes gleamed with an inexplicable light, one side radiant and the other shadowed.

Her eyes were like the two different polar of the world, radiating two completely opposing auras.

And for the first time, her hands weren’t clutching that strange greatsword. Instead, she began channeling two fierce, utterly opposite forces into her palms.

"Who said I was running away, you old hag?"

Ariel’s expression twisted with manic glee. Her grin was wild as she slammed her palms together just before the barrier.

"I was just building up my ultimate attack, you brainless old crone!"

The woman’s eyes widened in shock. A dreadful sense of danger surged in her chest. But overconfident as she was, it was already too late to escape.

Her instinctive response was to reinforce her defensive barrier.

But as those two opposing forces compressed and collided in Ariel’s hands, they formed a vortex of such destructive intensity that it seemed capable of ripping apart everything in its path.

And that golden barrier she took so much pride in—a barrier powerful enough to repel attacks from mages of her level—was torn to shreds as if it were parchment.

What the hell… Not again! This was the second time today her barrier had been broken!

The woman found herself laughing hysterically at the absurdity of it all. First, it had been that duke’s son with that strange little dagger. She could begrudgingly accept the outcome—his lineage alone suggested access to outrageously powerful artifacts. But you brat—what do you have?

A mere third-tier brat, scrawny and malnourished-looking, with nothing impressive to speak of—even her breast was flat—and yet, you think you can defeat me?

Why?!

Before she could answer this question gnawing at her sanity, the destructive vortex tore through her final defenses and surged toward her.

Clink.

Clink.

Clink.

Expensive magical artifacts and pre-enchanted scrolls fell from her person like raindrops, forming additional defensive layers. One by one, each was activated to intercept the vortex.

Even so, this volley of prized wards lasted only until the sixth barrier shattered. Only then did the vortex weaken, its fervor finally waning into nothingness.

But before the woman could catch her breath, a pair of hands lunged forward, clasping tightly around her neck.

Then—

They began to greedily siphon her magic.

"What…?"

The woman stared blankly at Ariel, whose eyes had turned pitch-black, reminiscent of the Abyss. Ariel now looked for all the world like a ravenous beast, madly devouring every last ounce of her mana.

"You…"

The woman snapped out of her daze, her rage flaring. "GET OFF ME!"

A wave of magic exploded outward from her, slamming into Ariel and hurling her far away. But gasping for breath, the woman collapsed to her knees, coughing up a mouthful of bright red blood.

"You’ve got to be kidding me…"

As she looked down at her bloodstained hands, the woman muttered in disbelief.

Her.

A Radiant Tier mage.

Feared and acclaimed for her mastery of a hundred spells. A face familiar on the Empire’s most-wanted lists, a mage who had once eradicated squads of the Empire’s elite soldiers single-handedly.

Struck down.

By a mere third-tier runt.

Not just defeated—she’d lost half her mana in the process.

What kind of sick joke was this?

What kind of rules had even been followed here?!

Who in their right mind designed a world like this, one where such nonsense was possible?!

As the woman spiraled into existential crisis, she suddenly heard the wet, labored coughs of someone choking on blood.

Lifting her head, she saw Ariel sprawled on the ground, as powerless as a fish stranded on dry land. Blood spilled from her lips in torrents, and her body twisted in uncontrollable spasms.

The vast reserves of mana Ariel had stolen from her were wreaking havoc, her body entirely unprepared to handle such refined, foreign energy. The result was utter chaos within her system—a torment that left standing up an impossible task.

The woman blinked in shock for a moment before bursting into laughter, her heart swelling with delight.

Of course.

So what if the brat had battered her magic barrier?

So what if she’d managed to injure her?

So what if she’d siphoned away half her mana?

At the end of the day, this girl still wasn’t more than a mere third-tier runt. And if someone as mighty as her—a Radiant Tier mage—were to lose her life to such an insignificant opponent, she might as well find the nearest block of tofu to bash her head against and end it all then and there.

At least her death would have some dignity. Otherwise, she’d end up immortalized in wizarding history—a laughingstock in textbooks and folklore alike, becoming the first well-known figure in history to lose to a brat who is two whole ranks lower than her, and her name will be forever cursed to disgrace. Each new generation of magic teachers would recount her humiliating demise as a cautionary tale.

Thankfully, none of that had happened.

"That’s it? You’ve got nothing left?"

Leaning on her staff, the woman staggered to her feet, a savage grin spreading across her face.

"Then I guess it’s my turn now. Having the chance of getting killed by me, the Radiant Flor, then you can die with peace of mind."

With the remaining mana surging around her, she began to chant again—an incantation far more complete and deadly than her prior efforts.

The air trembled; streams of raw power converged, painting the atmosphere with violence.

Multi-layered chanting cascaded into a symphony, each verse from her lips layering onto the next harmoniously. The tension built like a crescendo.

The ground quaked. Flames roared from the sky. Winds screamed and explosions pounded as her Radiant Tier spells formed from elements gone berserk, launching toward the defenseless girl still writhing on the ground.

The maelstrom swallowed everything in its path.

"Finally. It’s over," the woman sighed.

The swirling smoke lingered as the battlefield quieted once more. Hair tousled by the wind, she ran a hand through her disheveled waves.

Gods, what a curse.

Exhausted beyond belief, she marveled at the absurdity—how had eliminating a brat been harder than trapping that duke's son in front of two legendary The Crowned?

"A shame," she mused aloud, her tone tinged with pity as she observed the rising dust.

"it would’ve fetched me an excellent bonus to present the your body intact. But now, not even a speck of ash likely remained."

"Still…"

Her gaze darkened, finally savoring relief. Yet something new glinted in her irises—something predatory. Greed.

"That brat…was such powerful, it couldn't be her own power"

"There's something on her..."

"Her flesh can be easy to destroy, but those things... not necessarily."

The woman suddenly felt a little regretful for she had been so frightened earlier that she's being too ruthless.

If she had spared the little brat's life, she might have been able to pry more valuable information out of her.

However... since it was already done, there wasn’t much use in regretting it.

Too presumptuous. Being overly greedy is the greatest taboo in her profession.

“I have to hurry. With all this noise, if that ridiculous bear turns back, it’ll be troublesome.”

The woman flicked her wand, dispersing the smoke and dust.

At the same time, she stepped forward, moving toward the wreckage at the explosion’s center.

But barely after taking a few steps, her movements halted abruptly.

“Hm?”

As if sensing something, the woman’s heavily made-up face couldn’t hide the growing pallor as a trace of disbelief appeared.

“How... how is that possible?”

Her head turned stiffly, looking in a certain direction. Her pupils quaked.

Because, at the center where the smoke was gradually clearing, a slender figure was standing.

“Why… why?”

The woman’s thoughts were thrown into chaos as she murmured in a daze.

That had been her unreserved, full-force attack—enough to annihilate a small city.

And yet, the target was just a mere Tier-3 weakling.

Why was she still alive?

Even more unsettling...

The woman’s gaze swept over Ariel. While blood still trickled from Ariel’s lips, those injuries were from earlier confrontations. Upon closer inspection, there were no new marks on her body.

In other words, during the final powerful magic bombardment, Ariel had emerged... unscathed?

Beyond that, why did that brat's expression seem so calm?

So distant.

As if tempered by countless years. So... weathered?

Something was amiss!

Very amiss!

Extremely amiss!

That wasn’t the kind of gaze a Tier-3 brat should possess.

“You’re not that brat!”

The woman’s instincts screamed danger. Her eyes turned bloodshot as she let out a frantic roar:

“Who are you?! Who the hell are you?!”

“...”

In the brief, uneasy silence that followed, the girl seemed to emerge from a profound, almost existential rumination. At last, she turned toward the hysterical woman and spoke calmly:

“You’re… not too bad. But you’ve spread yourself too thin. Jack of all trades, master of none. That said, your abilities and cautious nature are commendable.”

The girl’s first words were neither a greeting, nor a self-introduction, nor an answer.

It was a casual critique.

A detached, lofty critique.

However, the woman did not feel the slightest sense of incongruity.

As if… as if such criticisms were hers to make.

What kind of madness was this?!

The woman gritted her teeth and waved her wand. Magical energy surged, spatial ripples formed, and her body began to blur as she prepared to vanish.

She chose to flee.

Who wanted to fight this monster, anyway? Whoever did, let *them* deal with it!

But the girl acted.

Extending a single finger, she pointed into the air at the woman.

A quiet incantation—not in the familiar language of magic—but something entirely foreign to the woman. Her ears registered the melodic chant.

**[Chaotic Disruption].**

In an instant, the woman’s form froze solid, as if forcibly squeezed out of her previous phase in space. Her pale complexion flushed violently, and with a guttural sound, she spat out a mouthful of blood.

“This is... chaotic disruption?”

The woman’s worldview shattered and reconstructed itself repeatedly in just one day.

She knew chaotic disruption magic—of course, she did. Every mage who had graduated from an academy did.

It was basic material, something elementary schools taught to first-years.

And learning how to cast spells under various forms of interference? That was a fundamental skill in becoming a proper mage.

But this—what kind of chaotic disruption was **this**?!

Her opponent had manipulated **her inner magic flow directly**!

That should have been impossible. If mages could tamper with others’ internal magical pathways, why bother with fancy spellcasting? Just snap your fingers, blow your enemies to bits, and call it a day!

“You—”

The woman trembled, wanting to say something. But before she could utter another word, her vision blurred abruptly.

The unnervingly weathered girl had somehow materialized right in front of her.

In that instant, everything she wanted to say was swallowed back.

Her words turned into a bitter chuckle of despair:

“A no-spell spatial spell... Truth Tier, huh?”

“Not exactly.”

The girl shook her head, smiling faintly. “At least, not yet.”

“I see...”

The woman let out a long sigh, as if resigning herself. Her body slumped.

“Looks like talking won’t buy me any time. Go on, kill me already.”

“...”

But the girl simply looked at her, calm and detached. With a flick of her fingers, she deflected a dagger that had suddenly darted from a hidden dimension.

The woman’s remaining hope disintegrated completely.

“I won’t kill you,” the girl whispered, stepping forward.

Her palm stretched out—gentle yet commanding—landing softly on the woman’s forehead. And there, in her horrified realization, anger and fear began to mix:

“But the suffering you inflicted… on my most beloved disciple…”

“Every last ounce of it must be returned, in full. Isn’t that only fair?”

Darkness consumed all. Agonizing waves of pain tore at the woman’s very soul.

---

Several minutes later.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch!”

From somewhere on the ground came the sound of Ariel struggling to stand up. Her body ached as if she had fallen from a height of several hundred meters. Every muscle and bone screamed in pain.

“Master!” Ariel hissed through gritted teeth. “What did you **do** with my body? Everything hurts like hell!”

“I held back as much as I could.”

Her master sighed, audibly drained:

“But you’re still too weak. If you hadn’t absorbed half that woman’s magic essence… I wouldn’t have managed to make any moves at all.”

“...Sorry. I’ll work harder. I promise,” Ariel murmured softly, lowering her head.

“There’s no need to apologize.” Her master’s tone softened. “You’ve done exceptionally well this time.”

“In that case, did you manage to extract any useful information?”

Ariel’s gaze turned toward the nearby woman.

Once a proud Radiant Tier mage who had pushed her to the brink of despair—now reduced to a shell of insanity: wide-eyed, drooling, and muttering incoherently to herself.

“Forcibly extracting memories is messy. The intel is incomplete,” said her master.

“All I know is that this was a planned assassination... targeting Moen Campbell.”

“Moen Campbell?!”

Ariel’s temper flared; her teeth gnashed.

“That detestable scum—dragging Lea into trouble!”

“So, there’s both good news… and bad news.”

“Quit the suspense, Master! Tell me everything!”

“The good news: The assassination failed. No casualties on our side.”

“Hooray!”

Ariel beamed, practically leaping off the ground.

“That means Lea’s okay? Phew—what a relief… Wait, what’s the bad news?”

“Their Plan B succeeded.”

Her master elaborated grimly:

“They used spatial manipulation to teleport Moen Campbell into Deathbane Forest.

The forest’s unique properties prevent higher-tier rescuers from entering, cutting Moen off from strong allies like Pink Bear. Their goal is clear: Isolate him, then surround and annihilate.”

“That... makes sense.”

Ariel rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

“So Moen Campbell’s in trouble now. But what does that have to do with me? Do you think I’d risk my own neck to save **him**?”

“...It’s not because of Moen Campbell.”

“Eh?”

“It’s because... Lea was caught up in it too. She got teleported with him.”

“...”

Ariel turned her wide, glassy eyes toward the unsettling, dark expanse of the forest looming in the distance.

Her mouth opened slowly, her expression blank.

Then, as if experiencing the most melodramatic déjà vu possible, she dropped to her knees, wailing:

“Noooo—Lea!!!”

“Curse you, Moen Campbell!”

Her fists slammed into the ground in bitter indignation.

“What kind of bastard are you? If you’re going to die, fine—just don’t drag Lea down with you!”

But this time, Ariel composed herself quicker, brushing off her tantrum as she began marching decisively toward Deathbane Forest.

“Are you serious about this?”

“Of course! I’m not gonna leave Lea alone in danger!”

A swell of protective concern flashed across Ariel’s face.

“Lea isn’t skilled at combat. She’ll definitely need help! And me!”

“Without a locator spell, finding her amidst that chaos would be like trying to recover a grain of sand from an ocean,” her master warned.

“...”

Ariel paused for a second, before resolve flickered unwaveringly in her gaze:

“Don’t worry. With the bond I share with Lea, I’m sure I can find her!”

That’s right. As Lea found herself dragged by that bastard Moen Campbell in the very hopeless circumstances…

Wouldn’t it be her shining moment?

To swoop in like a hero! To save Lea! To erase all doubts in Lea’s heart!

Sure enough—no woman could resist a gallant savior, right?

“Hmm. Alright.”

Noticing Ariel’s determination, her master could only fall silent.

Just as Ariel resumed moving, she halted abruptly.

“Wait. Almost forgot.”

She backtracked briskly, expression blank yet purposeful.

With a swift kick, she sent the deranged woman sprawled on the ground and collected her wand—clearly a valuable artifact. In fact, Ariel ransacked **all** of the woman’s belongings: every bauble, coin pouch, and ornament—even the decorative hairpins.

“Serves you right!” Ariel snorted, satisfied. “People like you owe me reparations. Totally fair!”

Dragging her newly obtained wand, she continued her trek toward the supernatural abyss. Her steps betrayed faint wincing.

“Ugh... everything hurts. No one even offers to heal me. Lea, I've already started to miss you...”

“Wait for me! I’ll save you, no matter what! Just you wait!”

---

A few minutes later, a figure appeared at the site of devastation.

It was none other than… Pink Bear, who seemed to have finally realized someone critical was missing.

“Huh, that’s strange. I swear I sensed that brat around here…”

Pink Bear scratched his fuzzy head, scanning his surroundings suspiciously.

Ariel was nowhere to be found.

But…

“Flat! Everything is flat! So scary, so scary…”

“Boohoohoo, even this rock is flat... it’s terrifying…”

The once-proud woman was now a caricature of hysteria, scuttling about on all fours. Whenever she encountered a patch of smooth surface, she startled violently, her fear palpable.

“Flat things—flat things are terrifying… Boohoo… so terrifying…”

Except:

“Oh! A bear? Bears aren’t flat! I **like** bears!”

“...What the hell is wrong with this woman?” Pink Bear muttered, wide-eyed.

Pink Bear looked at the woman crawling toward him, attempting to touch his belly. He kicked her away without hesitation and stroked his chin, his face showing a puzzled expression:

"This woman—isn't she the one who used spatial magic before? She's gone mad?"

"...Was it that little girl’s doing? If so, it seems that brat really isn’t simple, huh."

"Wait! Could she have got some intel from this woman, and also went into that forest?"

Splash. The sound of flowing blood arose, and Pink Bear closed his eyes, sensing something.

"As I thought, the signal’s gone. That little girl entered the forest!"

After confirming this conclusion, Pink Bear’s bear jaw gradually dropped, his expression turning to one of terror.

The little girl had entered the forest, which meant…

He had lost another person?

Out of seven people total, he had already lost nearly half?

If that old bastard Pulan found out about this, he would definitely… kill him!

Without hesitation or mercy—kill him!

"No—"

Thinking about this, Pink Bear shivered violently, then collapsed to his knees in complete despair, raising his head to the sky and letting out a wail of hopeless agony:

"My magazine—"

"My golden collector’s edition Holy Maiden magazine—"

...