The Silver Witch’s Unexpected Invitation
I stretched my right arm with all my strength, driving my fist straight toward Yuna’s exposed right shoulder.
It was the only blind spot on Silvera after her energy blade had swept wide.
THUD!
Bugbear’s thick fist slammed precisely into Silvera’s right shoulder armor.
Yuna’s perfect posture shattered for the first time.
The shocked mecha staggered slightly, retreating a couple of steps.
A jagged black scorch mark, shaped exactly like my fist, marred her shoulder plate.
For a moment the entire training ground fell deathly silent.
Then my vision flooded with the system window once more.
[+5,000 CR (Bonus Objective: Effective Hit Achieved)]
I had done it! After surviving, I’d landed an effective hit—my heart was racing like crazy.
Ten thousand extra credits in bonus rewards.
With one single blow I had walked away with an enormous payout.
“Holy crap! I actually hit her!”
“Real shot! Silvera!”
“Who the hell is this kid?!”
“My fifty credits! I should’ve bet on him!”
“Did you see that? I told you! This guy knows how to handle himself!”
Chief Han’s booming voice cut through the noise.
Bulldog stared with his mouth hanging open, frozen. The other mercenaries shouted in excitement, slapping each other’s shoulders and whooping.
A moment later Yuna’s comms opened again.
She spoke shortly.
The instant her words ended, Silvera’s atmosphere shifted completely.
Her previous movements had been sharp, elegant fencing—now everything she unleashed felt like a storm ready to cut everything in two.
The air around the mecha seemed to grow cold.
She was serious. No, she was furious.
Silvera drew two additional energy blades from her waist blades.
Blue energy crackled around the machine, warping the air itself.
“She’s lost it! She’s gonna swing those right here?!”
My eyes widened in pure shock.
Twin Moon Slash.
Impossible to dodge—pure slaughter in human form.
If I took even one hit from that, my Bugbear would turn into scrap metal.
Helmet safety was a joke.
The quest was already complete.
The extra ten thousand credits were secured.
There was zero reason to stand here and let this insane tech at me.
This was sparring, not real combat.
Of course she was coming in like it was life-or-death…
“I surrender! Now!”
My desperate call to end the fight made Silvera’s stance freeze mid-motion, as if the film had snapped.
The blue energy on her blades dissolved into nothing.
Yuna held the pose for a long second.
“What? You suddenly surrender?”
“Aww, we were just getting into it!”
“Still the smart one, huh?”
“That technique was dangerous. Silver Witch, just like the rumors—mad as a hatter. If she’d used it here, the base might’ve blown up.”
Yuna relaxed her stance and slid her energy blades back into place.
She ended the comms, ready to depart.
Instead she stood there a moment longer, staring at me—or rather at my ruined Bugbear.
What was she thinking?
She wasn’t about to undo the result now.
Then her voice came through the comms again, softer than before, laced with something unexplainable.
A hint of… confusion? Or regret?
I opened my mouth to ask why, but she continued first.
She paused, then said firmly, as if forcing herself.
I was stunned into silence.
The Silver Witch—the cold, aloof mystic I’d always seen in games—was explaining her own actions to a low-tier mercenary rookie like me.
She let out a sigh-like sound.
Sorry?
Yuna? To me?
I had to doubt my ears.
The mercenaries listening in were whispering louder than ever.
“Yuna’s apologizing?”
“To the rookie?”
Their voices dripped with shock and disbelief.
I stayed quiet a moment, then spoke, forcing calm into my voice.
“I accept your apology.”
Yuna said nothing more.
She guided Silvera smoothly to a corner of the landing pad and settled it.
Then she opened the cockpit hatch and stepped out herself.
The white pilot suit made her steps look powerful as she walked straight toward me.
I reflexively shoved open my crumpled Bugbear hatch and climbed out.
Yuna stopped right in front of me.
Up close her silver eyes were deeper, more mysterious than ever. Her white skin looked flawless, without a single flaw.
She regarded me silently for a second, then spoke again in a much gentler tone.
“Cog 7.”
Instead of my identification number, she used my name as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I apologize once more. I said it over comms earlier, but I wanted to say it in person. As a pilot I failed to respect my opponent and lost my composure.”
She lowered her head slightly.
It was a sincere apology from an ace pilot who had dropped her pride.
“It was clearly my fault for almost endangering the training partner.”
I was stunned by her sudden shift, but I kept my face neutral.
“It’s fine. I survived, and I got some good experience out of it.”
I tried to sound completely casual.
“No, it’s not fine.”
She spoke decisively.
And then she made a proposal that shocked me.
“As a show of respect for the apology and your interesting ability, I’d like to officially invite you to our Icarus Technology facility.”
“What?”
“I want to give you enough compensation for today—not just the cost of repairing your machine, but more. And I’d like to discuss your potential with our company experts. Pilots like you aren’t common.”
Her eyes were serious.
Compensation, discussion of potential, a sweet offer.
Icarus Technology—the one of the strongest technology corporations in existence.
Setting foot there could change my entire life.
But nothing in this world was free.
Especially not a hand from a mega-corp.
What did they really want?
Me? Or the secret of the Kinetic Flow skill?
Was this an opportunity… or a trap?
I hesitated, then answered carefully.
“I’m honored by the invitation, but it’s too sudden. I need time to think.”
Yuna nodded, as if she had expected exactly that.
“Of course. You should.”
She reached into her suit pocket and pulled out a small data chip, handing it to me.
“This contains my personal contact information and a temporary access code for our facility. Decide and contact us. Don’t keep us waiting too long.”
I hesitated, then accepted the chip. It felt cool and smooth against my palm.
“See you next time, Drillr.”
She finished with a light nod, turned, and walked away without a backward glance.
Then, once more without hesitation, she climbed back into Silvera and vanished into the dawn sky as a single point of light.
“She didn’t even ask my name.”
*****
Some time later Yuna arrived at her private quarters inside Icarus Technology’s Far-East branch.
Everything was cutting-edge technology, and the space felt as cold and minimalist as her personality.
After showering away the traces of her mission, she changed into a comfortable casual outfit that hugged her body softly.
The room was always silent, filled only with artificial quiet.
Yuna wandered the room for a moment, then stopped in front of the old teddy bear sitting on one side of the bed.
Gomdori—her longtime friend. Its fur was worn in patches and faded, but the round button eyes still sparkled.
She picked him up, hugged him tightly, and sank onto the fluffy sofa.
Alone at last, she finally let the cold ace pilot mask slip and spoke softly.
“Gomdori… today was really… strange.”
She buried her face in his soft, worn fur and whispered.
Her voice carried fatigue and something complicated instead of her usual coolness.
“That Cog 7 pilot… Drillr. The data was real. No, it was even more than real.”
She set Gomdori down and stared into his round button eyes.
“He hit my Silvera? He put a dent in my shoulder! Can you believe it?”
Her lips pouted a little, as if she was still sulking.
It was an expression I never would have imagined from the usual her.
“That’s why I accidentally got angry and tried to use Twin Moon Slash. I almost really messed up. It was just a test.”
She gave a tiny sigh.
“I really wasn’t acting like a pro.”
She hugged Gomdori again.
“That’s why I invited him. To come here. I wanted to see his ability more closely. Maybe we could analyze it and improve our tech even further?”
But wait… she asked herself.
“Why does that guy keep bothering me so much? He’s pretty handsome too, though. Well, that doesn’t matter.”
She muttered as if trying to change the subject.
“But you know what, Gomdori.”
She lowered her voice even more.
As if sharing a huge secret.
“I even forgot to ask his name, Cog 7… not just Drillr. I invited him properly and I’m so stupid!”
She squeezed Gomdori tightly without realizing it, frustrated with herself.
She tilted her head, confused by her own actions.
Yuna stayed lost in thought for a long time inside Gomdori’s silent embrace.