Aria couldn't take her eyes off the two goddess-like figures who had just emerged from the crowd, her gaze filled with unfiltered envy.
But when the two waved in their direction, confusion crept into her expression.
"…Are they waving at us?"
She turned to look behind her—
And there stood her younger sister, Luceris, grinning and waving enthusiastically.
"Sister Leanne! Sister Selene! Over here!"
Aria: "???"
Before she could even process what was happening, Leanne Vale and Selene were already approaching.
Leanne wasn't dressed in her usual military uniform. Instead, she wore a sleek athletic outfit that clung perfectly to her toned figure. Her long, thick hair was tied back, and her fair skin practically glowed beneath the fabric. Every line of her form exuded power and elegance, stirring all kinds of dangerous thoughts.
Luceris, of course, claimed to view it all with pure artistic appreciation.
A bold-faced lie, if anyone asked.
Selene, meanwhile, remained in her mage's robe—technically a piece of enchanted equipment, with both defensive enchantments and magic amplification. Since getting to know Luceris, she'd thawed a lot, shedding her cold and distant aura.
"You… know them?" Aria asked hesitantly.
Luceris smiled. "Sis, let me introduce you. This is Sister Leanne Vale, a Level 101 Holy Dragon Knight. And this is Selene, a Level 90 Ice Mage—second-tier advancement."
Aria blinked. Hard.
Level 101?
Level 90?
Since when did Luceris have friends that powerful?
As her older sister, she felt completely out of the loop!
For a moment, she wondered if they were just hired bodyguards or mercenaries brought in to show off…
But watching how naturally they interacted, it was clear they'd known each other for a while.
Still...
This didn't feel like the same world anymore.
Leanne, catching Aria's stunned look, quickly pieced things together. The two siblings did share a resemblance—both were undeniably beautiful.
"You must be Luceris's sister. I'm Leanne. Nice to meet you," she said with a kind smile that made it impossible for the atmosphere to remain awkward.
"Ah... Hello," Aria responded, almost automatically.
Selene was more reserved, but she gave a polite nod.
"Hello."
Everything felt strangely surreal to Aria. She kept glancing at Luceris, who only offered a sheepish smile.
Luceris had no idea how to explain it all, so she settled on the most harmless version: "They're just… really good friends."
She couldn't exactly drop the bombshell that they were official team members in something far bigger. That might overwhelm Aria.
After all, friendships between girls could be either tangled or beautifully simple.
There was no time to stand around awkwardly, though. The team had a dungeon to clear and a second job advancement mission to complete.
Despite just meeting, the personalities clicked surprisingly well. Leanne and Aria, in particular, shared a fiery, straightforward energy that made their dynamic instantly fun to watch.
Even though their levels were vastly different, sparks of friendship flew in the heat of battle.
In everyday life, Aria seemed like the gentle eldest daughter from a proper family—someone destined to be a future homemaker or graceful matron.
But give her a weapon, and she turned into a feral gorilla with a warcry.
No joke.
Aria wielded a massive, bladed greatsword—deep black and pulsing with power.
She was already tall for a woman, and seeing her swing a weapon twice her size made for an awkward visual.
It was less like she was swinging the sword and more like the sword was dragging her around.
Clumsy? Definitely.
But somehow, it worked.
"HRAAAAH!!"
With a roar, Aria swung her greatsword in a wild arc, sending a mob of monsters flying.
There were no clean cuts—only shattered bones and splattered gore. Brutal. Efficient.
Leanne followed from a distance, providing support but rarely intervening.
Unless a truly terrifying monster showed up, Aria had to handle the combat alone—part of the second-job advancement rule. If you could kill it yourself, others couldn't help.
"Flames of Reckoning!"
Aria's sword ignited, distorting the air with its heat. Fire spiraled up and exploded outward, enhanced by a fire enchantment on her space ring.
A crackling burst echoed across the dungeon as flames devoured everything in range.
The surrounding monsters were reduced to ashes in seconds.
Leanne whistled. "Your sister… doesn't need our help at all."
Selene gave a dry smile. "I'd never date someone like her. I'd get beaten up just for breathing wrong."
Luceris scratched her cheek, embarrassed. "She's… usually gentle. I swear."
Even she couldn't finish the sentence with a straight face.
Aria's fighting style was more berserker than warrior—feral, chaotic, and terrifying. Throw in some maniacal laughter and most enemies would probably flee before the fight even started.
The job advancement was surprisingly smooth. Aria handled most mobs on her own, and when the final boss appeared, Leanne ended it with a single skill.
Aria cleared the trial and was promoted to Level 32, receiving her second-tier class—Blood Demon Knight.
A risky, high-damage class where the lower your HP, the higher your output.
Classic Aria.
Luceris, as usual, barely lifted a finger during the mission. She planned to take Aria into her private instance later for some real exploration.
But just as they teleported out of the dungeon, her phone buzzed.
Crap.
She'd forgotten today was the official return-to-school day after the Awakening Ceremony—and they were supposed to submit volunteer applications.
With no other choice, Luceris had to leave, promised to return and resume the exploration later.
As Luceris's figure disappeared into the portal, Leanne and Selene exchanged a look.
Only now did they fully understand what it meant that Luceris could open a private instance.
Without her, the so-called "resource mining plan" would be nothing more than fantasy.
After a long silence, Leanne spoke quietly, "Looks like I'll need to submit a report to the military—requesting a status upgrade for Luceris and applying for top-level support."