Today was not a special day for Yuki.

As usual, she logged into Silia Online, fought monsters, beasts, and sometimes even people.

When evening came, she would return to reality and go to bed.

The only variation in her routine was whether she turned on her broadcast or not. Yuki’s daily life was no different from a hamster running endlessly on its wheel.

But Yuki liked this routine.

Her previously mundane life had found excitement. Now, she could do what she loved and even make money doing it. What more could she want?

People often say that when a hobby becomes a job, the fun and excitement fade.

That saying didn’t apply to Yuki.

For her, fighting with her life on the line wasn’t a job.

***

“Haa…”

Canaria.

Although Yuki acted nonchalant around the girl she called her master, deep down, she had been surprised.

Canaria’s last moments.

When she had fought the mage from the Imperial Army, it was undoubtedly the master Yuki had known.

Yuki understood that monsters—those “mobs” as players called them—would respawn.

But when she witnessed Canaria’s death…

“So this is the end.”

That’s what she had thought.

Even if Canaria had once been a Raid Boss, her final moment had been deeply intertwined with someone else’s fate.

It was hard to imagine that someone who had met such a death would simply respawn like any other mob.

“But she’s back.”

“What are you mumbling about?”

The delicate voice from behind made Yuki smile faintly.

It was the same calm yet slightly arrogant tone she remembered from her memories of Canaria.

That voice, along with the familiar demeanor, made it easier for Yuki to accept Canaria’s return.

“I’ve been feeling a bit frustrated lately.”

Recently, every time Yuki swung her sword, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Someone who had never encountered a wall wouldn’t know how tall it was or how small they were in comparison.

But for someone who had faced such a wall—even glimpsed the towering mountain beyond it—they would realize their own insignificance.

That was precisely what Yuki felt now.

Watching the battles of Canaria and the powerful figures from the Imperial Army had unknowingly raised her standards. As a result, she was no longer satisfied with her own swordsmanship.

Though slaying monsters strengthened her mana and body, that wasn’t the kind of strength Yuki sought.

Even after training with videos left by Shin Da-eun, she didn’t feel she was making any progress.

She had considered seeking out a stronger individual for guidance. But today, Yuki stepped forward with her frustration bottled up as usual.

That decision turned out to be the best one she had made recently.

Her unresolved dilemma.

She was about to meet someone who could help her solve it.

“A satisfying fight…”

It wasn’t a particularly difficult request.

Yuki had always fought with everything she had.

So hearing those words didn’t really change much for her.

After all, Canaria probably didn’t expect her to defeat this giant.

“But this thing is way too big.”

Yuki looked up.

A massive shadow stretched across the ground.

It was so large that it felt like night had fallen over the entire area.

Her greatsword, which had easily shattered the heads of monsters, seemed like nothing more than a toothpick before this giant.

Even if she jumped with all her might, she would barely reach its knee.

She couldn’t figure out how to fight it.

But that was Yuki’s problem.

Boom—

“Ugh…!”

The giant Dimensional Creature standing before Yuki wasn’t concerned with her struggles.

A simple motion of lifting and placing its foot.

A casual movement without much force caused the ground to tremble violently, making even Yuki, who was standing firm, wobble.

As she stumbled, a chill ran down her spine.

Crash!

Without thinking, Yuki threw herself to the side.

To be honest, “threw” wasn’t the right word. “Toppled” would be more accurate to describe the clumsy scene.

Even amidst the chaos, a thought flashed through Yuki’s mind: if her broadcast had been on, she would’ve become a laughingstock.

It was an act of survival, so there was no shame in it.

That’s what Yuki told herself.

But she certainly wouldn’t have enjoyed being ridiculed by viewers.

“I’m glad the broadcast isn’t on.”

As she felt the storm-like gust of wind from the giant’s movement sweep past her, Yuki thought to herself.

“…Pfft.”

A soft laugh, like the flapping of a bird’s wings, lingered near Yuki.

It was a delicate sound, unsuited for a battlefield where lives were at stake.

“…Oh, right.”

The moment she heard it, Yuki suddenly remembered that she wasn’t alone here.

While she was rolling across the ground desperately trying to survive, someone else was casually watching and laughing.

Suppressing the surge of anger that rose momentarily, Yuki pushed herself up and caught sight of what had just passed above her head.

It was a hand, the size of a medium-sized monster.

The hand that had failed to crush Yuki retreated, crumpling the wreckage around it, and returned to its owner.

With its massive, slow movements, the hand obscured the giant’s line of sight.

“This is my chance…!”

Having eyes meant the giant had vision.

Now that its sight was blocked by its hand, this was the opportunity.

Of course, there was a chance its eyes were just for show, and it could sense its surroundings through other means.

“I can’t consider everything.”

The gap in power was too overwhelming to account for every possibility.

As the weaker party, she had to take the risk and exclude certain factors to seize even a small chance.

Having come to a quick conclusion, Yuki sprang to her feet and dashed toward the giant.

Dust and pebbles scattered with every powerful step, but she paid them no mind.

“Hah!”

Taking a deep breath, Yuki filled her lungs with air.

Her muscles seemed to swell as the air spread throughout her body.

It might have been her imagination.

But that’s how it felt to her.

Tap tap tap—

Boom!

With a brief running start, Yuki leaped into the air.

She soared upward with a sound like an artillery shell being fired.

Her body bent back like a tautly drawn bowstring.

For an ordinary person, the weight of the massive sword slung over her back would have caused them to topple backward—or, in the worst case, snap their spine.

But her sturdy body and the mana coursing through her muscles prevented such disasters.

“Weight, force, potential energy… anyway.”

Her thoughts jumped from one concept to another as she tried to piece it all together.

What was she aiming for when she swung her sword?

There were many desires, countless reasons—but in the end, they all converged on one thing:

To defeat the opponent.

“What I want—”

Silence from the enemy!

Yuki’s deeply bent back snapped forward.

Instead of resisting the weight of the sword, she spun gracefully in the air—

And then,

Boom!

A meteor crashed onto the giant’s foot.

The sound that rang out was so overwhelming that it was hard to believe it was just a sword striking a foot. The resulting shockwave rippled through the air.

Buzz—

The aftershock vibrated through her body, causing Yuki to briefly furrow her brow.

But there was no time to dwell on it. Forcing her trembling arms to obey, she pulled back her sword and retreated quickly.

Had the attack succeeded? Or had it failed?

She didn’t know.

“There’s bound to be some reaction.”

Even if the giant merely lifted the foot she had attacked, Yuki would be sent flying into the air and crash into the ground.

She wasn’t ready to become a splatter just yet.

“─────!”

Her prediction was spot on.

A sound reverberated—whether it was a scream or a roar of rage, she couldn’t tell.

“Urgh… gah!”

Just the sound alone sent an uncontrollable shockwave rippling through her body.

Cough!

Before she realized it, her mouth opened, and a hot lump surged up from deep in her throat, escaping as if it had been waiting for the chance.

Looking at the crimson blood pooling on the ground, Yuki let out a bitter laugh.

“This is insane.”

Just from a roar, she had taken this much damage?

The health bar that had barely recovered after her fight with Canaria had now plummeted to less than half.

The giant was so strong that Yuki felt fortunate to have survived even a single strike.

…Despair alone couldn’t fully capture the current situation.

“-Heh.”

But Yuki smiled.

She noticed the giant’s awkwardly raised right foot.

A dark violet liquid was dripping from the top of its foot.

Though, compared to the giant’s massive size, the wound was less than a pinprick—no, more like a scratch from a pencil.

“Still, I managed to land a hit, didn’t I?”

There was something so satisfying about landing a hit against an overwhelming opponent.

Perhaps the giant understood Yuki’s mocking words.

Crack!

The ground beneath its foot tore apart roughly.

The atmosphere surrounding the giant grew even heavier.

“You only got hit because you let your guard down. Why get so angry?”

Getting mad after being careless—it’s nothing but pathetic.

Yuki stuck her tongue out as she drank a potion.

Feeling a slight return of vitality to her body, she adjusted her grip on her greatsword.

The giant, its glimmering eyes glaring, began to move its arm.

“Something like this…”

“I can just dodge it.”

…Or so she thought, before her body froze.

“It’s fast!”

A massive shadow loomed over her, blocking out the sky.

Was this what it felt like to be trapped beneath the Buddha’s palm?

Seeing the approaching palm, far faster than before, Yuki felt death closing in.

But then—

“Are you giving up already?”

Clang—!

The palm, which surely would have turned Yuki into a pool of blood, bounced back as if struck by something.

Under the brightened sky, Canaria stood with her crimson sword in hand.

“You can come back to life, so you’re quick to give up. Back in my day, we struggled with everything we had just to stay alive…”

“You’re such a boomer, Master.”

Yuki muttered, more exasperated than relieved.

But somewhere deep inside her,

“If it’s her, she really might have done that.”

Yuki couldn’t help but think.

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