"Oi, oi, oi… what do we have here?"
Violet was shocked, the moment she heard a loud, rough voice echo through the vast hall where she lay.
The landscape was ruined, due to the fierce battle moments prior, and the massive crater right in front of Violet was as imposing as ever. She had closed her eyes in exhaustion for a few moments, before hearing the strangely familiar voice.
The voice was feminine, though something about its unique pitch reminded her of a certain person. That voice could only belong to one person.
"B-big sis?!" As soon as Violet spoke, a figure emerged from the dark hallway that stood at the far end of the massive room.
She was a lady with bright red hair, appearing to be in her early twenties. She had a cheerful smile, with sharp teeth spread across her wide grin. She had a cheerful personality that lit up the entire room, and her outfit made her stand out even more.
Her oversized Hawaiian shirt was bright red, having flower designs around it. She wore black shorts, and flip-flops for shoes. All in all, her appearance was ridiculously tacky—yet her confidence stride showed obvious pride in her appearance.
"Yo, Violet. You don't look too good." The woman drew closer, her face displaying both curiosity and excitement.
She was the one person Violet had wished to see back when she was on the verge of death—the sole entity she knew was both strong and willing to save her from the jaws of death—Miss Rose!
"I told you not to venture in alone. Serves you right."
"Haha, sorry… ow…" Violet laughed awkwardly, wincing a little as her body ached painfully from laughter.
"Take it easy, you little rascal." Acting quickly, Rose reached Violet and placed her hand on her shoulder.
Her eyes depicted true relief, and a genuinely happy smile formed on her face.
"I'm really glad you're alright. I don't know what I would do if I lost you." However, this warmth only lasted for a second.
Her face instantly morphed into a stern, annoyed expression.
"That's why I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson when we get out of here."
"Ha… haha…" Violet could only laugh awkwardly.
Miss Rose was Violet's mentor, which meant she was responsible for her progress and overall well-being. In essence, the lady had played the role of a big sister in her journey. However, unlike the usual behavior you would expect from a big sis, Rose acted a little out of the norm.
A little crazy, to be honest.
"Take it easy on her, Rose. She only went in because you guys failed to show up." This time, the cute voice of Violet's plushie chided Rose.
Rose averted her gaze from Violet, and her neck mechanically turned in the direction of the voice of reason. She glared sternly at Tee, instantly causing it to shudder.
"Well, Mr. T, it seems you both got what you deserved. You're both in pretty bad shape."
"That's mean."
"Zip it, you softie." She gave the teddy a slight jab, causing it to yelp and rub its very delicate body.
Rose was just as caring and kind as she was strict. Despite her hyperactive attitude and optimistic personality, there were certain lines proteges couldn't cross with her—and the two guilty parties knew that very well.
One of them was disobeying orders.
"S-sorry" Tee squeaked, backing away from Rose.
Rose, the red-haired savage, laughed as soon as this happened—obviously enjoying how she teased Violet and her Contracted stuffed animal.
'Next time, they won't try this shit again. Honestly, what were they thinking? There was no need to risk their lives like this.' She thought to herself, exasperated.
Looking at the time, there was still a few more minutes until the Link became a two-way entrance. That meant she would have arrived in time to stop the Monsters before an outbreak occurred. Sure, it was a close call, and she had been delayed, but she still made it in time, didn't she?
"You guys should have just stayed put."
"What took you so long, anyway?" Tee spoke cautiously, warily glancing at Rose.
No one liked to be hit by a woman like Rose twice.
"Oh that… traffic." Rose laughed enthusiastically.
"What? Traffic? Couldn't you use the—"
"Of course, I know that. I meant there was traffic on the way to the relay station—the closest landmark."
"O-oh, but that doesn't add u—"
"Hey, are you saying you don't believe me?"
"O-of course, I believe you!" Tee squeaked, shutting up instantly.
This whole conversation revolved around the 'Bridge' used for teleportation between locations. The Bridge could only be accessed at certain areas, known as Landmarks, and apparently, Rose encountered traffic on her way to the closest landmark.
'But, Landmarks should be close to her vicinity. Did she slack off or something?' Those were Tee's thoughts, but it dared not utter them—especially considering his damaged state.
There would be no escaping the punishment to follow if he did that.
As such, he could only shut up and listen to Rose's shitty excuse.
"So, what's with this dude? He's the one you told me about? The 'Enlightened' who's pretending to be a commoner?" Rose had finally gotten to the important issue, one that both Violet and Tee had been waiting for her to mention.
"And while you're at it, what about that huge crater over there? Was that caused by the monster? Cus I know as hell that it couldn't have been you two. But, if it was the monster, how are you both still alive?"
Violet's face turned instantly pale, and Tee decided to pretend it was asleep. There was no way a softie like him could explain such a dicey situation.
'In my defense, I told her to leave him alone and wait for backup. I'm justified.' With that, Tee closed its eyes, feigning sleep and awaited Violet's very awkward explanation of how she had been reckless, mistaken, and lucky.
"Haha… haha… it's kind of a funny story."
*
*
*
"Hmm. I see."
To both Tee's and Violet's surprise, Rose didn't freak out after the girl's awkward explanation. Even though she had done her best to justify her reckless actions in the story, Violet still knew she was going to get an earful from Rose.
To her amazement, her 'Big Sis' was completely calm.
"It is indeed strange that someone who was ignorant of these things suddenly manifests a Challenger's level of skill. You are both Novices, and you've been at this for almost a year now, after all."
The 'Enlightened' were classified into Classes, ranging from E all the way to S. This was meant to establish qualifications when referencing the danger levels of a Link, also with the same Class category.
However, beyond mere class, there were Ranks within their circles. Violet was an E Rank 'Enlightened', thus she was a Novice. Even D Ranks were merely senior Novices, but Novices nonetheless.
'This guy displayed a Challenger's level of power. He's C-Class, at the very least.' Rose stated, staring curiously at the sleeping youth's face.
His black hair drooped, covering his eyes, and his body appeared lifeless. Fortunately, she detected regular movements in his chest, indicating he was still breathing.
'I don't sense any Magia from his body. Did he exhaust all of it? If so, why isn't it being restored?' There were many questions on Rose's mind, and when things got complicated like this, she preferred to calmly analyze the situation.
Of course…
"You two shouldn't think you're off the hook on this! Dragging a civilian into this mess despite his unwillingness, you're gonna get a scolding when we get back.
Violet and Tee nodded repentantly—the latter already realizing it was no use pretending he was asleep. An expert like Rose could easily tell the difference, anyway.
'These kids…' Rose shook her head in a tired sigh, averting her gaze to the crater that had formed a short distance from them.
It was at least ten meters in diameter, and the damage extended beyond that—even reaching the ceiling, which was at least twice that figure. It must have been a massive explosion, no doubt.
'Looks like we'll have to investigate this further.'
Once she made up her mind, Rose decided not to think about the issue any longer. Instead, there was another matter that required her attention.
"Hey, how long are you going to remain in hiding? Get over here already!"