"Ha... ha... ha... ha."

Rafi panted like a bellows and collapsed to the ground like wet laundry.

"Big Sis Rafi, have some water..."

Nina thrust a bottle out just in time. Rafi snatched it like she’d seen a savior and gulped in greedy drafts.

"No! Big Sis Rafi! Don’t drink so fast! Something bad will happen!"

Clack.

Rafi dropped the empty canteen and stared at Nina, puzzled.

"What did you say?"

Nina stared helplessly at the drained canteen.

— It should be fine, right? After all, Rafi’s a Daemon. Her body outclasses humans by a bit, so nothing should happen... right.

Clap-clap-clap came from not far away, tugging their attention like a tossed pebble.

"Not bad, not bad~ You actually finished in just fifty-three minutes. For reference, Nina did it in nineteen."

Words begging for a punch—at least to Rafi.

"Alright, alright, no more teasing. You did well. Nina’s Beastfolk, so she’s a tad tougher. Back to business. From what I saw, you’ll need maybe a decade to hit the mission’s mark. What should we do?"

Hearing that, Rafi finally realized why this person was helping her grow strong.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Eh? I didn’t tell you?"

Rafi shook her head. She’d been stunned when Ling said she’d train her. Their relationship had been rough, so she never got a chance to refuse.

"Ah... guess I forgot. Your Demon King wants you to be the next Demon King. But you’re so green it hurts, so he asked me to train you."

"......"

"Wha—wha—wha—WHAT?!"

Ling hurried to cover that loud mouth. She was honestly scared; if she ever went deaf, this girl would be one reason.

"Enough. No more yelling."

"Mm-mm-mm..."

With her mouth covered, all Rafi could make were muffled whimpers.

"Listen close. Your Demon King commissioned me to turn you into the Demon King. This isn’t kindness; it’s a deal. If you keep me from completing it, I may take extreme measures. Got it?"

Rafi nodded. Ling let go of her mouth.

"Ha... ha..."

As soon as she released her, Rafi gulped air. Her cheeks flushed rose from lack of oxygen.

"Alright, up. We keep going. Based on your performance, I tweaked the plan. This afternoon we go adventuring. You explore. I watch. Protection? Leave it to your luck."

She said it blankly, as if lives were pebbles on a path.

But Rafi didn’t want to argue. No matter what, she couldn’t change this woman’s will. Better to obey and spare herself pain.

After a simple prep, they reached the Underworld Forest. It was the Demon King’s recommendation. Rumor said it held countless vicious beasts. The big would tear you to powder; the small would pin you down and grind.

But that wasn’t what decided Ling. The real hook was the Demon King whispering in her ear, warm as smoke. "There are tentacle monsters here. The slippery kind..."

"Do I really have to go in?"

Rafi pointed at the pitch-black Underworld Forest. Even the entrance, washed in the Underworld’s dim amber glow, seethed with a cold, haunted air.

"Of course. Why else bring you here?"

"But—"

Before she could finish, Ling’s hand slid onto Rafi’s back. Then pushed. Rafi stumbled into the forest. Nina saw her go in and sprinted after.

Inside the forest...

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow..."

Rafi rubbed her sore backside, then stood from the leaf-litter like a cat shaking off rain.

— It’s not like I refused to enter. Why push me? And make me fall? Hmph! Does she not know that hurts?!

"Big Sis Rafi!"

The call rose from behind, bright as a silver bell. Rafi turned. Nina dashed toward her with a small pack bouncing on her back.

"Slow down. What if you trip?"

She caught Nina as the girl leapt into her arms. Her voice held a sigh, but her eyes brimmed with fondness.

"Isn’t Big Sis Rafi here? Would Big Sis ever abandon Nina?"

"Idiot. As if. I’d never abandon you. Speaking of which, where did that one go?"

No need to explain; that "one" was Ling.

"Since you asked so sincerely..."

Ling’s voice fell from above, making Rafi tense and tilt her face up. She found no sign of that blinding gold hair.

"I’ll be merciful and tell you..."

The voice slid from above to below, like a breeze changing direction.

"I’m the referee of this game. You will follow the rules I’m about to set!"

A white sheet floated into Rafi’s hand like a slow feather.

1) No foreign items allowed, except what’s inside Nina’s backpack.

2) No large-scale destructive magic.

3) Don’t damage more than 3% of the forest.

4) All interpretation of the rules belongs to Yufan Ling.

"Those are the rules?"

Rafi studied the four plain lines, curious. None looked hard. So did these rules even matter?

No one answered her. Only the voice of a tsundere loli obsessed with gags echoed on.

"First, never act on impulse. Second, never overlook a single bad deed. Third, the referee’s justice must be fair and fabulous! The absolutely impartial game referee—Dragonfly Loli—comes to audience!"

"Then show yourself already!"

Ling went silent after that jab, maybe stung. At last, the noisy girl quieted. Rafi let out a relieved breath, then took Nina’s small hand and started their exploration.