After reading Miri Dreamwell’s thoughts, Eve Nightburn finally decided to let her make her own choice. Perhaps she was the one who was right.
“Alright, alright, Miri-chan, don’t dwell on these useless things. Let’s just play a game.”
“Okay! Mentor, let me show you the progress I’ve made over the past year! I made it to the top 500 on the leaderboard in just five months!”
“Alright.”
Eve switched back to the game interface; the two were still in the room.
Magical Girl Ellie-chan: “I’ll start then.”
Eve: “Go ahead.”
After Eve sent this message, the game officially began.
In the first few rounds, Eve found it quite challenging.
She kept asking, “What card is this? And what’s this one?”
However, after getting a grasp of the general mechanics, Eve gradually started to gain the upper hand.
Eve could clearly feel that her cards weren’t as strong as her opponent’s, but it wasn’t a complete crush.
Now, the crucial cards were all in place. She just needed to wait a few more rounds, and once that golden card appeared, she could end the match.
But instead of the card she needed, Eve was met with her little disciple’s final blow.
As the word “Defeat” appeared on the screen, it signaled the end of the game.
Eve sighed, “I guess I didn’t strategize well at the start.”
Switching back to That Goose chat app, Eve sent a message to her little disciple: “Miri-chan, you’ve become really good now.”
This wasn’t sarcasm but a sincere compliment.
Eve still vaguely remembered when she first met Miri Dreamwell.
It was in a gaming group, and they happened to be matched in the same team during a friendly match.
Eve remembered that game; Miri’s card play was completely chaotic, with no strategy at all.
At first, Eve thought she just didn’t understand the opponent’s tactics, but by the end, she realized Miri was just playing randomly…
After that game, Eve couldn’t stand it anymore and started teaching Miri how to play properly.
That’s how their mentor-disciple relationship began.
But the recent loss was mainly due to Eve being away from the game for too long, unable to keep up with the times.
After all, during her university days, Eve had even topped the leaderboard and once won an online match against the world champion from South Korea.
Actually, while working, Eve had considered participating in an esports event in Cloudhaven City, but when she applied for leave, her boss’s words completely shattered her dream of becoming a professional player.
“Either quit and play esports, or focus on your job.”
That afternoon, Eve sat at her desk, idling away, thinking about what her boss had said.
After a day and night of deep consideration, Eve decided to skip the competition.
After all, she was a bit old for professional gaming, and losing her job for a single match would be utterly ridiculous.
From then on, the Divine Continent lost a potential professional player~
Shortly after Eve sent the message, Miri quickly replied.
“Hehe, Mentor, I’ve improved a lot, haven’t I?”
For the first time in her life, Miri had defeated her mentor, something she had never done before. Now, Miri wanted more praise from her mentor!
Human greed is like that, never satisfied, always wanting more and more.
Eve didn’t hold back her compliments, praising Miri a few more times to satisfy her vanity.
After being somewhat satisfied, Miri and Eve started talking about other topics.
“Mentor, by the way, are you also in Cloudhaven City?”
“Because the company is here… I moved here for work.”
“I see. Mentor, where do you work? Maybe I’ve seen it.”
“I just quit… otherwise, why do you think I came back to the game?”
Eve didn’t want to recall that place where only gods could survive, full of torment.
“Huh?”
“Why did you quit?”
Seeing Miri’s question, Eve thought about it. She couldn’t possibly tell her about turning into a Little Loli, let alone becoming a Calamity.
“Do I have to recall that place where gods live?”
After saying this, Eve started typing on the keyboard.
“Do you know what it means to work 6/8+4/7?”
“No idea.”
Eve didn’t expect Miri to understand. She knew that the maximum age to awaken as a Magical Girl was 15. Since Miri became a Magical Girl just a year ago, her maximum age could only be 16.
At that age, one couldn’t yet understand the harshness of society.
Eve typed an explanation: “Work from 6 AM to 8 PM, with 4 hours of unpaid overtime. No overtime means no salary, working 7 days a week, with no holidays throughout the year.”
“What?!”
Miri found it hard to imagine. Could anyone really endure such work intensity?
“Mentor… were you working at the network company under the Celestial Corporation?”
“You know it?”
“Yeah, the company has a terrible reputation in Cloudhaven City. Locals would rather die than work there, but somehow, they always manage to recruit new employees. But as a top company in the city, it’s indeed famous.”
…
Eve was now filled with regret, recalling how the HR had painted such a rosy picture when she applied, promising a bright future with hard work.
After joining, Eve always thought she wasn’t as good as her colleagues, but it turned out the company itself was the problem!
I… I was so naive, really, so naive. I didn’t realize that no sane person would jump into this pit, and I just foolishly jumped in.
Eve didn’t want to recall those past events anymore; she’d rather continue easing her pain in the game.
“Alright, alright, Miri, let’s play a few more rounds. After all, those things are in the past, right?”
“By the way, Mentor, where are you going to work next? Will you leave here?”
Miri was a bit reluctant. They finally had a chance to meet, and if Eve left again for work, would they ever meet again?
“Probably won’t leave this city, though I’m not sure what I’ll do next.”
“Got it, let’s keep playing.”
Eve switched back to the game and sent a few funny faces in the chat to show she was online.
A few seconds later, Miri also sent a funny face, indicating she was ready.
The next moment, the game began.
