Time passed quickly—before they knew it, a week had gone by. In the forest, Silica was solo-hunting spiders. As for Madoka...
"Mr. Tree, Madoka wants to go home..." the mysterious girl murmured to a large tree, her sorrowful expression enough to move anyone to tears.
"Don't be sad, Madoka. Maybe your sister will come pick you up today," Silica said gently after finishing off a spider. Madoka's forlorn look was simply heartbreaking.
"Really?!" Madoka's eyes lit up with hope. Before Silica could even answer, she ran to the tree, hugging it happily. "Silica would never lie to Madoka! Mr. Tree, Madoka can go home today!"
"Ugh... why do I feel so guilty right now?!" Silica winced internally. Don't just believe me about something like that! How should I know when your sister's coming?!
"How about I send you home myself?" A woman's voice suddenly rang out. In an instant, a group of players appeared from thin air. After a week of observation, Titan's Hand was certain they had everything under control—and decided it was time to strike.
"Really?! You can really send Madoka home?!" Madoka's face brightened with pure joy as she ran toward them.
But the next second, terror spread across her face. She hurried back and hid behind Silica, trembling. "Orange names... Sister said orange names are bad people. You're bad people!"
"Madoka, use your teleport crystal!" Silica urged quickly. But no matter how many times they tried activating it, neither of them moved an inch.
"Hehe... to catch you two, I spent quite a bit of money on a prison item. This entire area is now a no-teleport zone," said Rosalia, the guild master of Titan's Hand, with a calm smile. Around them, the orange-named players closed in, surrounding the two completely.
"You're an orange player... So when you teamed up with me before..." Silica asked, positioning herself in front of Madoka protectively. Even faced with such a dire situation, her first instinct was to shield her.
"Naturally, it was to probe your strength. But to think a fat sheep like you would walk right in on her own—what a pleasant surprise," Rosalia said, licking her lips with excitement.
At that moment, one of the guild's burly men stepped forward. Silica glared at him, her heart burning with anger. If she were alone, she'd be terrified—but with Madoka trembling behind her, fear had no place in her mind, only fury.
"Out of the way. You're useless now." The man swung his massive hand and slapped Silica hard across the face. The petite girl was sent flying.
Madoka's legs shook as she collapsed to the ground, her face pale with fear. "Uuuu... please don't hurt Madoka..." she whimpered, curling up like a frightened hedgehog, covering her head with both arms, her small body trembling.
"Hand over your divine gear quietly, or you'll suffer pain worse than death," the man sneered, brandishing a dagger. It was a cruel weapon that inflicted a constant bleeding state—accompanied by the excruciating sensation of dying. A true torture tool.
"N-No... can't give... Sister's gift... Madoka has to treasure it..." Even though her voice shook with fear, Madoka's refusal was firm. She was terrified—but strong.
"We don't kill—just rob. But if you keep being stubborn, things will get very unpleasant," the man said coldly, pressing the dagger to Madoka's neck. Terrified, she began to cry.
The man grinned cruelly and slashed. A faint green HP bar flashed above Madoka's head—but it didn't even move.
Then came a scream. The man dropped his dagger, clutching his own neck in agony as he fell to his knees. A blood-red HP bar appeared above him, rapidly draining until it turned orange.
"Damage reflection! Quickly—use an anti-bleed potion!" Rosalia shouted. The man fumbled for a potion and gulped it down—but nothing happened. His HP kept dropping.
Rosalia's eyes widened as realization struck. "The bleeding status isn't on you—it's on Madoka! Give her the potion, now!"
The burly man ignored the suffocating pain in his neck and quickly pulled out a potion. Grabbing Madoka's chin, he tried to force her mouth open to pour it down. But she was so terrified that her lips stayed tightly shut.
"Open your mouth, girl! Drink it!" he shouted in anger and panic, though fear clouded his eyes. His HP bar had already turned yellow, and the steady drop of health felt like a ticking countdown to death.
"Madoka! Don't drink it!" Silica cried out. Madoka squeezed her lips even tighter.
"You little brat! Do you want to die?!" Rosalia kicked Silica hard, sending her sprawling.
"Heh... Madoka's harmless. She's the kindest person there is. But anyone who tries to hurt her will only end up hurting themselves!" Despite her battered state, Silica laughed through her pain. As long as Madoka had a wonderful sister watching over her, she would never be hurt. That alone was enough.
As long as this timid, gentle, pure-hearted girl remained safe, nothing else mattered.
"Drink it, damn you! Drink it!" the burly man roared, his HP bar now deep red. Cold sweat streamed down his face, his hands trembling violently. I'm gonna die... I'm really gonna die...
"Madoka, don't drink it! That's punishment—punishment for hurting you! You're so kind, you'd never harm anyone. That's why those who hurt you must be punished!" Silica shouted, her voice trembling with rage and grim joy. Serves you right! How dare you hurt Madoka!
"Drink it! Hurry!" The man's pupils constricted to pinpoints, his vision blurring from fear.
"Don't drink it!" Silica screamed, even as Titan's Hand's members continued to beat her. Her heart, however, was filled with relief. It's fine. Madoka will be fine.
"Hehe... Madoka, if he dies because of you, you'll become an orange-named player—a bad person," Rosalia said softly, her voice dripping with malice.
Madoka froze. Her wine-red eyes widened slightly. Then, trembling, she opened her mouth. The potion poured down her throat. At once, the man's HP stopped dropping, resting at the red critical point. Just a little more and he would've died.
"Idiot! Retaliation like that counts as self-defense—you wouldn't have turned orange!" Silica groaned helplessly. Madoka's so stupid... anyone could trick her... what will she do in the future?
"Uuuu... I'm sorry, Silica!" Madoka sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "Madoka didn't want him to die... I'm sorry, Silica! I didn't listen to you!"
Silica's eyes softened. Her pained expression turned into a gentle smile as warmth filled her heart. "It's alright. You didn't do anything wrong, Madoka. You did the right thing."
"Damn brat! You scared the hell out of me!" the man growled, watching his HP bar slowly return to green. Shaken, he raised his hand, wanting to slap her—but froze mid-motion. He didn't dare. Who knew if hitting her would backfire again?
"Hahaha! You'll never be able to hurt Madoka! She's protected by an angel!" Silica laughed triumphantly. Madoka's divine equipment was the ultimate shield—and the sister who had given it to her was her guardian angel.
"Is that so? Personally, I think she has a fatal weakness," Rosalia said with a cold smile. She grabbed Silica by the hair and yanked her up, pressing a sword to her neck.
"Bad person! Don't hurt Silica!" Madoka cried, her tears halting as she glared at Rosalia with righteous anger.
"Hehe, 'bad person,' huh? I'll take that as the highest compliment," Rosalia chuckled. Then she said calmly, "Take off all your equipment—or I'll kill her."
"Uuuh!" Madoka gasped, her delicate face filled with hesitation.
"Those are her sister's precious gifts. You really think Madoka would take them off?" Silica said mockingly—but her gaze softened as it fell on Madoka.
Even though she knew this was Rosalia's trap—even though she knew letting Madoka keep her gear was the right choice—Silica's heart ached painfully. She understood everything clearly, yet watching Madoka hesitate tore at her chest like a blade.
"But..." Madoka hugged her shoulders, her wine-red eyes brimming with tears as she looked pitifully at Rosalia. Her face was full of hurt and confusion.
"Madoka, don't listen to her. That's your sister's gift—you must never take it off," Silica said softly, trying to stop her. But inside, her heart twisted in agony. A sinful thought crept into her mind—one she despised herself for, yet couldn't push away.
Madoka... could you take off your gear for me? Even if it means I die right here... I'd be okay with that... The thought made Silica's stomach churn with disgust. Her tears fell uncontrollably. She hated herself for even thinking it.
"No! No matter how precious a gift is, it can't be more important than Silica!" Madoka suddenly said firmly. Silica froze, staring at her blankly, unable to react.
But after only three seconds of determination, Madoka's face crumpled and she burst into tears. "But... if I take off my clothes, Madoka won't have anything to wear!"
Even Rosalia, who had maintained her calm composure throughout, was momentarily speechless. She hadn't expected that answer—and certainly not that this fool would care about something like that.
Silica suddenly gagged, tears streaming down her cheeks like a broken dam.
"Hahaha... I'm such garbage!" she cried, looking up as her tears ran into her mouth. Her laughter turned hysterical.
"I'm... disgusting!" she whispered, her gaze lingering on Madoka with unbearable affection. Then, in a sudden burst of resolve, she drew the dagger at her waist and thrust it toward her own heart.
Clang! A long sword struck hers aside. Rosalia smiled coolly. "Planning to sacrifice yourself to avoid being a burden? Touching, really. But I saw that coming. Everything is under my control."
She restrained Silica easily, then turned to Madoka with a calm, mocking smile. "I'll be generous with my terms. You can keep your outer dress—just remove your actual equipment."
Outerwear wasn't counted as equipment—just cosmetic attire, like guild uniforms. Pretty, but completely without stats. To Rosalia, Madoka's soft pink dress was worthless. She couldn't care less about it.
"Madoka, don't listen to her! She's lying!" Silica shouted. This time, her voice came from deep within her soul—pure, desperate truth.
Rustle, rustle, rustle... Madoka moved quickly. In a few swift motions, she removed all her equipment.
The ground was soon covered in a pile of gleaming, violet-red divine gear. The brilliant light of high-level enchantments flashed dazzlingly, radiating across the clearing.