After officially forming their team, the lives of Trụ and Butterfly began changing rapidly.
Even though the group currently had exactly… two members.
Still, inside Trụ’s mind, she constantly imagined:
great adventuresa lively headquarterscompanions fighting togetherand someday, their team’s name becoming famous throughout the world.
As for Butterfly…
she simply seemed to find the whole situation amusing.
Over the following days, the two continuously accepted missions to earn money.
At first, the tasks were simple:
hunting low-level monsterstransporting goodsescorting merchantsclearing corrupted energy zones
But no matter what mission they accepted…
their teamwork was surprisingly effective.
Trụ specialized in:
long-range attackscrowd control using vinesmobility support
Meanwhile, Butterfly…
simply cut down everything standing in front of her.
Every time she drew her katana, purple light flashed beautifully— and terrifyingly.
Once, during a mutated wolf hunt, Trụ was still aiming her bow when—
SWOOSH!
Butterfly disappeared from her position.
One second later— three wolves collapsed simultaneously.
Trụ stood frozen.
— …Are you actually human?
Butterfly calmly wiped blood from her blade.
— What else would I be?
— A beautiful monster disguised as a woman?
— …
Butterfly stared at her for several seconds before suddenly laughing.
Little by little, the two grew accustomed to being around each other.
Despite having completely opposite personalities.
Trụ was:
friendlytalkativeemotional
While Butterfly was:
quietcoldconstantly cautious
Yet strangely enough…
they matched each other perfectly.
After nearly two weeks of nonstop missions, they finally saved enough money to think about something bigger.
One evening, Trụ spread a residency server map across the table.
These “island servers” were private spaces designed for adventurer groups.
Each server functioned as an independent territory containing:
housingstorage facilitiestraining areasbasic defense systemsand upgrade options over time
The popular servers were either already owned or extremely expensive.
After searching for more than an hour, they finally found one:
an abandoned old Season-One server.
It was located far from the city center.
Much cheaper than normal.
But almost nobody wanted it because:
it was isolatedlacked resourcesand had been abandoned for many years
Trụ, however, absolutely loved it.
When the teleportation gate opened— an enormous floating island appeared before them, suspended above a sea of clouds.
Strong winds swept across the land.
Tall wild grass covered almost everything.
Near the center stood an old wooden house.
Farther away were:
a small lakeseveral gigantic ancient treesan open fieldand ruins from an old training ground
The sunset painted the sky orange-red.
Trụ stood silently for several seconds before her eyes lit up.
— It’s beautiful…
Butterfly looked around calmly.
— It looks more like a haunted house to me.
Even so, they still purchased the server.
The moment the system announced:
“Server ownership confirmed.”
Trụ nearly jumped in excitement.
— We finally have a base!
Butterfly rested her chin on one hand.
— Congratulations.
— Now go clean it up, Captain.
— …Eh?
That afternoon, the two began tidying the area.
Trụ used vines to drag away rotten wood.
She even controlled the grass to part aside and create pathways.
Meanwhile—
Butterfly simply drew her katana.
SWOOSH!SWOOSH!SWOOSH!
Wild grass and bushes were sliced apart instantly.
Trụ stared at her in disbelief.
— You use your sword for gardening?!
— Convenient.
By nighttime, the base finally began looking somewhat livable.
It was still simple and old.
But at least…
it finally felt like a home.
Night slowly descended.
Trụ sat before an old wooden table inside the main house.
Spread across the table were:
notesmapsmission listsdevelopment plans
She even seriously wrote down:
“Plan to Become the Strongest Team.”
Butterfly stood behind her watching quietly before laughing.
— You’re seriously dedicated to this.
Trụ looked up confidently.
— Of course.
— Someday this place will become famous.
Butterfly leaned against the chair.
— But right now the team only has two people.
— …
— Ah.
Right.
Seeing Trụ’s frozen expression, Butterfly laughed even harder.
Then she casually said:
— We should recruit more members.
Trụ thought for a moment before nodding.
— Agreed.
— But they need to be trustworthy.
— And less terrifying than you were at first.
Butterfly raised an eyebrow.
— Was I really that scary?
Trụ immediately remembered the katana once pressed against her throat.
She wisely chose silence.
Butterfly laughed softly.
— I’ll go search around.
The moment she finished speaking— she stepped directly onto the window frame.
— Wait, are you seriously going to—
SWOOSH!
Butterfly leaped straight out the window.
— HUH?!
Trụ rushed over and looked downward.
Only to see the purple figure already flying across the forest below like a butterfly disappearing into the night.
— What kind of normal person travels like that?!
…
Night gradually descended over the western forest.
Moonlight filtered through dense trees.
The atmosphere felt cold and strangely quiet.
Butterfly walked slowly through the forest.
One hand constantly rested on the handle of her katana.
Ever since childhood, she had never truly trusted anyone.
And her instincts always warned her:
in darkness, the most dangerous things were rarely monsters.
A faint smell of smoke suddenly drifted through the air.
Butterfly stopped immediately.
Her eyes sharpened.
She accelerated through the forest.
Not long afterward— an open clearing appeared ahead.
Two people were there.
A teenage boy around seventeen or eighteen sat leaning against a tree.
His clothes were covered in ash and burn marks.
Beside him sat a much younger little girl hugging her knees tightly.
Both looked exhausted and filthy.
Even so, Butterfly did not lower her guard.
She slowly stepped out from the shadows.
One hand resting on her sword.
The teenage boy immediately looked toward her.
Instinctively, he slightly moved in front of the little girl protectively.
But after realizing it was only a girl dressed in purple, he slowly raised both hands.
— Relax.
— We’re not hostile.
Butterfly remained silent for several seconds.
Her eyes carefully scanned the two.
No killing intent.
No obvious lies.
Still, she asked coldly:
— Who are you?
The boy answered quietly.
— I was only passing through.
His voice sounded hoarse from exhaustion.
— There was a fire at the eastern village.
His expression darkened.
— I managed to save this girl.
Hearing that, Butterfly looked toward the little girl.
Her clothes were badly burned in several places.
Her face was stained with dirt and ash.
Her tiny hands trembled slightly.
She had clearly experienced something horrific.
Butterfly fell silent briefly before asking:
— Where is your family?
The moment those words left her mouth— the little girl immediately lowered her head.
Her lips trembled.
Then suddenly— she burst into tears.
Tears streamed down her dirt-covered face.
Her crying was quiet…
but filled with unbearable pain.
Butterfly instantly froze.
She genuinely had no idea how to react.
In her life, she had almost never comforted children before.
— Uh…
— Hey…
— Don’t cry…?
The more Butterfly spoke, the harder the little girl cried.
For the first time in a long while, Butterfly truly felt pressured.
Fighting a boss monster would honestly be easier than this situation.
At that moment, the teenage boy gently took out a cloth and wiped away the girl’s tears.
He softly patted her head.
— It’s okay now.
— You’re safe.
His voice was calm.
Gentle.
After a long while, the little girl finally stopped crying.
Butterfly quietly stared at the two strangers before her.
A teenage boy who ran into flames to save someone.
A little girl who lost everything overnight.
And somehow…
she suddenly remembered Trụ’s words:
“We should find more companions.”
~ End ~