---

 

"Urgh..." White, blinding light pours through my blurred vision between my half-closed eyelids. 

 

"Easy..." I hear a voice, but it sounds distant. When my eyes adjust a bit more, I'm greeted by a square light over my head, coming from the ceiling. A shadow has been cast over me, but I'm unsure from where. My senses are still struggling to fully adjust, including my senses of touch and hearing. 

 

A simple look to my left revealed a tan-skinned woman in a hospital gown. Upon closer inspection, I see that it's Jade! "Hhugh..." I try to speak, but I can't even feel my tongue. How badly was I beaten to the point that I couldn't even speak? 

 

"Don't try speaking, you've been out for a few days. Everyone else has recovered smoothly thanks to the intervention of the [Whitelight Guild], we'd have probably died if it weren't for them." Jade lets out a sigh brimming with relief, releasing any tension she'd been storing for the past few days. From what I can tell based on what she's said, we were all badly injured and had to be rushed to the hospital.

 

That just doesn't make any sense to me. The last thing I remember is that Jade was knocked out by some sort of sleep ability and the rest of us weren't too badly wounded thanks to the healing skill she used before she got taken out.

 

"So, where is everyone else?" I ask, seeing that we are the only two people in this room. All of the other hospital beds are empty.

 

Jade chuckles at the question as if I've asked something comical. "They're in the room across from us, of course. You wouldn't want those boys seeing you barely clothed, right?" Jade's comment gives me enough concern to look down at my appearance, and lo and behold, I was in a gown too! It wasn't exactly revealing, but I was still completely nude beneath the gown.

 

"I guess you've got a point." Resigning myself to her reasoning, I can't find a point to argue against. 

 

"How did we even end up in this state? I don't think any permanent damage was done to us during the fight with that red-haired girl, right?" Then, Jade explains something that I'd have never expected. "That is true, but that's just the nature of things when strong people fight."

 

"From what Tulod explained to me, an [A-Rank] and a [B-Rank] fighting with each other is like a natural disaster. The gap between them is huge, but the two that fought happened to be some of the strongest in their ranks. Toy Cesta and Mind Khussa. Both of them are [Reds]." My silence is the only answer that Jade needs in order to know that I'm utterly clueless about what the 'Reds' were.

 

"The [Reds] are what we call a group of powerful women with red hair, pretty simple, right? We're not sure where they came from, but some time after the first [Gate] opened, many young women inherited red hair, and some of them later became globally known for various reasons."

 

"Toy Cesta became known for her powerful ability that is kept confidential. Only the [Guild Master] of [Whitelight] knows about her ability, from what we all know. She rose to [A-Rank] within a year or so and has even become feared by some of the [S-Ranks]. Those sound like baseless rumors to me, though. I doubt an [A-Rank] can compare to the likes of that woman with white hair."

 

I've heard about this woman a bit, how come no one ever calls her by her name?

 

"Then, there's Mind Khussa. She is Toy's younger sister, supposedly. That woman's wind abilities are almost unmatched. As we saw, she can use the wind to block any attacks sent at her, as though there's a barrier surrounding her. And she's not even considered to be within the Top 10 of the [Reds] that have become known globally."

 

"Something we've seen is that almost every [Red] mentions a woman named [Mother]. They might all be related to one another. That's the most logical thing I can think of. The people who know about this mutually agree that 'Mother' is used to refer to some kind of skill or class."

 

While this was all interesting, I also began to doze off somewhere in Jade's explanation. Hearing such a long story after just waking up after several days just saps the energy right out of you.

 

"I'll keep all of this in mind, but don't overwhelm me like that." I wave my hand through the air, beckoning her to cut it out. I guess this is what I get for not asking for her to shorten the story sooner. "So the [Whitelight Guild] saved us? How did they know where to find us?" There's no way that they just happened to come there with a healer. The only person who was there with us was... "Wait..."

 

Thinking back on Jade's words, she did mention that the [Guild Master] of [Whitelight] is believed to be one of the only people who know what Toy's ability is. "Toy's in the Whitelight Guild?!" Jade starts cracking up again at my typical cluelessness. And well, if I were in her shoes, I'd be laughing at myself too. 

 

"Besides all of that stuff, you're saying we're in the hospital from being caught on the sidelines of two ridiculously strong people fighting near us, right?" And to that, Jade gives me a nod. "I've got to get a lot stronger, and fast." 

 

DING...!

 

"Huh?" Hearing the sound of a sudden bell chime, my eyes diverted around the room to look for its source. It sounded like it was right by my ear. "You alright, Roshia?" Jade is looking at me, confused as to why I'm looking around like a helpless infant.

 

"You... Yeah, I'm okay." I was going to ask if she'd heard that bell, but I can't keep on asking such pointless questions. She doesn't seem to have heard it, meaning that it's something only I can hear. It wasn't me losing my mind either, I heard it too clearly to persuade myself that I was going insane.

 

Ah! That's right, I have a status window!

 

Quickly opening it when Jade goes back to her bed. I'm surprised by the sudden series of announcements that appear on my screen. Some of them don't even compare to the ones that I'd been seeing until now.

 

✦ You've met the requirements for your First Quest. Congratulations on reaching [Corruption 1]! ✦ 
✦ The [Divine Twin Spirits] have chosen you as a potential [Master]. Please grow stronger. ✦
✦ Your memories have been erased. Do not let them know of your origin, ███████. ✦

 

Wait, doesn't that last one seem far too personal? I'm obviously being spoken to, aren't I? What's the deal with this System? Is this Anaphiel talking to me? No, that doesn't make any sense. Anaphiel's more direct when she speaks to me, she can even stop time if she wants to chat with me when other people are present.

 

I peek over at Jade, making sure that she was still moving. After seeing her glance back at me with a smile and wave, all of the confirmation that I needed was gathered. Time was still flowing, and the messages were still on my screen.

 

I couldn't tell what the last word was, though. It looks like the System tried to call my name and it got messed up or something. It's creeping me out.

 

After 2 hours, the doctor finally decided that I'm fine to stand and walk around. With the healing abilities in the world, there shouldn't have been a reason for us to stay here for this long.

 

Jade and I are taken to a room down the hall from ours. The room is small with naturally white and gray wall panels and decorations carefully placed about, almost identical to our own. Zaiden and Tul0d are here, but Zaiden looks utterly dazed.

 

Zaiden's head is looking down at his lap with his mouth agape, struggling to not let any drool slip out. His eyelids are half-open, they must've given him drugs, rightfully so. From what Jade told me, the poor guy was hit with the worst of the aftershocks of the fight.

 

"Zaiden, you alright, buddy?" I question him gently, leaning a bit further down to hear his mumbles. "...great..." I hear Zaiden say through his half-exhausted lips. Though I can't tell what compelled me to do so, I softly pat him on his cheek. I've felt my own hands against myself, so I know for sure that my touch is very tender, if I'm allowed to toot my own horn!

 

Finishing my checkup on Zaiden, I then walk over to Tulod who is sitting on the row of chairs across from him. "Tulod, did anyone talk to you about what that woman was after?" I seat myself behind him, pressing my knees together almost instinctively. Maybe it's because of the altering of my conscience that was given to me when I entered this body, but it feels so natural to sit this way.  

 

Tulod begins to explain, "From what we can tell, that woman came here to try and recruit me for their [Unlisted Guild]. She said something about my potential and whatnot, although, it's probably the delusions of one of those psychotic [Reds]. They're all crazy, every single one of them." I've only met two of these so-called [Reds]—all of the interactions have been pretty unfortunate—I vehemently agree with Tulod's synopsis.

 

"For my safety, I'm going to be watched over by the [Whitelight Guild], so I shouldn't have much to worry about. They're one of the [Top 5 National Guilds], after all." Tulod certainly does have every right to be confident in his safety. For the Whitelight Guild to be ranked in the Top 5 of all guilds means that they are not a weak force by any means. In fact, it means that only the other guilds in the Top 5 should be capable of fighting on even grounds with them!

 

"Heh, then I guess I shouldn't be too worried about you, should I?" Gifting him a smile of relief, my conscience can finally relax knowing that none of my first party members are going to be hospitalized for the rest of their lives. "My guess is we're waiting for someone?" We've all been gathered in one room, this also may be why I'm only just now waking up—although this is a stretch.

 

Tulod merely nods in response, not needing to explain any further, since he didn't know any more than that either.

 

On cue, the door of the room flies open, and long, blond hair flies in. A woman in a white suit with a skirt, and a black pauldron [that was decorated with crossed Ax & Sword on it] enters the room with two bland men with black sunglasses and matching clothes behind her. "Children." The woman speaks, her delicate red lips pursing at the sight of us. 

 

Something about this woman is leaving me unsettled. In all likeliness, it has something to do with that sinister smirk she has on her face. Even when she'd just opened the door, I noticed that she had one. Beside her, there was a sword in a sheath. It looks like a katana, which might not be out of the ordinary for this current era.

 

She reaches the front of the room with the two men standing side-by-side behind her, their arms behind their backs. "Good morning, children! It's good to see that you've all mostly recovered!" The woman speaks joyously, despite the fact that we can see those green eyes of her piercing through us with obvious annoyance.

 

I can tell by the way that Tulod nudged me that he's very much aware of the distaste that this woman's giving off. That or it was because I was unconsciously gritting my teeth while she spoke. Her most unique feature, save for her massive breasts that stuck out of her suit, was her accent. For the world was flipped onto its head, she had an accent that's easily identified as an English one. 

 

"My name is Alice Slater, I am a representative of the Whitelight Guild's [Vanquishers]; the prestigious, powerful, and glorious unit of Madam Cesta!" Judging by that last part, it looks like she's Toy's subordinate. Just by saying Toy's name, the woman's face lit up to bright pink. I swear I can see her squeezing her thighs together for a moment. "What an oddball..." I barely managed to stop myself from saying that out loud.

 

"I like to make things short and sweet." Gathering her composure and clearing her throat, Alice gets back on track.

 

"You lot have been chosen by Madam Cesta to join the [Vanquishers]. Madam Cesta has said, and I quote: 'those kids have some great potential to have survived more than a second, regardless of Mind's intentions. I want them in my group so we can groom them to become our personal monsters.'" 

 

"Seriously?!" My seat can barely keep me held up after the sudden outburst from across the room. Looking in its direction, I see a bright star emitting light into my eyes, and a massive grin that'd make a man's mouth look like it could devour a ship whole. 

 

The one behind this expression is none other than Zaiden, back to his feet, as though his vegetable state weren't an issue before. "I'll happily take you up on your off—!" Before Zaiden can finish his sentence, a mysterious force has dragged him to the back of the room, sending him through a wall in a matter of seconds. "—errrr!"

 

"...Eh?" I turn and look at Alice, who has a vein sticking out of her forehead. Isn't this escalating too quickly?

 

Before Alice can continue with what she was about to do to Zaiden, one of the men leans over and whispers into her ear. Whatever he whispered actually calms her down, as things begin to undo themselves, unnaturally. "My apologies, I seriously dislike loud outbursts."

 

Before I knew it, Zaiden was back where he'd been before, a confused expression on not only his face but all of ours.

 

"What did you just do, ma'am?" Jade is the one who speaks the question on all of our minds, what a brave woman!

 

"What did I do?" Alice repeats the question, pinching her chin as if she has to think hard about the question. "You don't deserve to know my ability yet, so I will leave you with the basics of it. Cause and Effect, now, shall we get back on topic?"

 

We spend the next thirty minutes discussing the guild matters and when we were going to be working with the group.

 

---

 

Since the four of us are all low-level—to the point where we don't even meet the requirements to join the guild—we were going to become special cases and work under Alice directly. I cannot tell you how much pain struck my heart when I found out we would have to take orders from that psychopath.

 

Thankfully, they gave me a fresh pair of clothes since the ones I had before were utterly demolished. This pair is expensive, to say the least. I don't know the special brand that they gave me, but in my eyes, it was merely a tracksuit. They gave all of us white tracksuits decorated with black stripes going along their sides and a few other places. Yet, for some opaque reason, I can't figure out why they feel so luxurious. Maybe it's because I'd never had the money to afford something like this in my previous life.

 

From now on, the four of us are going to be working for the [Whitelight Guild] under their team known as the [Vanquishers]. As the name implies, they're a group of powerful combatants, the most powerful in the guild to be exact, second only to the Guild Leader's own. My only complaint is that from here on out if we don't grow at the rate that they expect us to, we're undoubtedly going to be met with death in the dungeons.

 

Finally making it back home, I immediately feel comforted. Home sweet home, I guess. "This house is actually a lot nicer than the one that I lived in before, even though it's pretty small. How am I even paying for this? Is someone else paying for me to live in this house?"

 

"Of course, the house is paid for by us [Moderators] in secret, silly!" Ah, thank you, inconspicuous voice...

 

"Woah!" I instinctively jump off and turn in the direction of the voice I'd heard. There, floating in the air is Anaphiel, who I hadn't seen since before I went into the dungeon. "Anaphiel! Christ, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

 

"Don't be such a baby, even if you have a heart attack, it isn't like you'll stay dead, right? You might even come back even stronger, immune to heart attacks!" By now, I can tell that this girl is teasing me, or at least I hope, so I just roll my eyes. "What do you need? It isn't like you to come and see me like this, you usually have something important to tell me."

 

Anaphiel frowns in response to my words, flipping her body upside down in her usual playful fashion. "You're no fun, you know that?" 

 

I don't give her a response, so she just continues. "Right, I've been tasked with telling you this by one of the [Administrators]." Anaphiel pauses for a moment before she finishes.

 

"You're in danger, Roshia Qinlen. The [Red Mother] has become aware of your existence."