The day of the second beta.

  Unlike the first beta, when only a hundred players had appeared in Stellar, this time over three hundred thousand players flooded in, scattered across every district, alley, and plaza.

  It was, without question, chaos.

  Members of the Starlace Order dashed through the streets from dawn, handling complaints, breaking up fights, and chasing down troublemakers who thought the new world was their playground.

  Even so, whenever they spotted Frostina passing by on patrol, they always paused for a moment, straightening with small, bright smiles despite the exhaustion on their faces.

  “Miss Frostina, good morning!”

  One of the girls called out, offering a quick bow. Her eyes flickered to the translucent figure floating beside Frostina, but she didn’t greet her directly.

  In private, they would have greeted Cryssa warmly as well. But in public, they followed orders: never acknowledge anyone in ghost mode. It was a small but crucial step to protect the secret of Frostina and Cryssa’s unique situation.

  “Morning.”

  Frostina replied with a nod, her robes swaying lightly with her steps.

  “Is there trouble in this area too?”

  “Yes.”

  The girl puffed out a breath, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

  “There’s a report about a fight between a player and a drunkard near the west gate.”

  Frostina let out a soft sigh.

  “Good grief. It must be exhausting for you.”

  “Not at all! I’m happy to work for Stelluna!”

  The girl declared, her eyes lighting up with pride, just as her communication crystal chimed sharply at her waist.

  “Ah, please excuse me!”

  “Don’t push yourself too hard.”

  Frostina called after her.

  The girl gave a quick bow before sprinting off, her footsteps echoing down the cobbled street.

  As the clamor of players and townsfolk resumed around them, Frostina sighed and spoke to Cryssa through their shared mind.

  (“It’s fine! Glacia and the others can handle it.”)

  Cryssa’s gaze, however, remained glued to the floating interface of the forum in front of her, not moving an inch.

  (“W-What?! O-Of course not! I mean, you’ve got three days to use the body while I rest, so you should focus on enjoying it!”)

  The game had been in maintenance for the last three days, leaving Frostina unable to use the body. So, Cryssa let her fully use the body for the next three days.

  Frostina narrowed her eyes suspiciously, while Cryssa’s gaze darted away, feigning innocence. Frostina’s eyes flicked to the interface and caught a glimpse of a post called her “flat-chested queen.”

  A tiny vein twitched on her temple.

  (“Huh?”)

  Cryssa blinked and glanced at the post, then back at Frostina, before her eyes widened.

  (“N-No! That’s not it at all! Look, they’re calling you ‘Frozen Queen’ in the other posts too!”)

  It was true. There were other posts praising Frostina as the “Frozen Queen of Stellar.” But Frostina puffed out her cheeks, turning away with a pout before continuing down the street.

  “Hmph.”

  (“H-Hey! Wait!”)

  Frostina stopped, her hand tightening on her robe, but before she could say anything, her eyes dropped to the soft curve of Cryssa’s chest.

  (“W-What?”)

  Frostina didn’t respond, only sending her a look filled with quiet resentment before turning sharply to walk away.

  (“H-Hey, Frostina! It’s okay, yours are still growing.”)

  Cryssa fumbled.

  (“Uh…”)

  (“D-Don’t worry, you’re not entirely flat! Why don’t you try wearing one of my dresses? I bet you’d look really cute in it!”)

  Frostina paused mid-step, glancing back at Cryssa with wide, misty eyes that shimmered under the morning sun, as if she might cry.

  Cryssa felt her heart tighten. She could never say no to that look.

  (“Y-Yes. Of course!”)

  Frostina’s face brightened, a soft blush coloring her cheeks as she nodded, resuming her walk with a lighter step.

  Cryssa let out a long sigh of relief, floating after her with a small, helpless smile.

  Deep down, she thanked Ayla from the past for designing Frostina’s player body with kindness and consideration, rather than copying Ayla’s real-life figure exactly.

  What she had said wasn’t entirely wrong, after all. Frostina’s chest was only slightly smaller than average, but paired with the loose custom-made robes she wore to avoid overheating during sunny days, it gave her a flatter appearance than she deserved.

  As they continued down the bustling street together, Cryssa made a mental note: she would pick out the perfect dress to make Frostina look cute. So cute she would forget any comments from the forums entirely.

  As Frostina and Cryssa continued their quiet conversation, they soon arrived at their destination: a towering five-story building of dark stone and warm wood, the only smithy in Stellar that touched the sky like this.

  Above the thick oak doors, a stone-like sign bore the chiseled words: “Stelluna Smithy.”

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Frostina reached for the handle, pushing the door open with a polite call.

  “Excuse me—”

  A flash of steel knife blurred past her face, embedding itself deep into the wooden frame beside the door.

  “Y-You damn crazy !”

  A male player’s voice cracked with fear as he dashed past Frostina, nearly stumbling over himself as he fled into the street.

  Frostina stood frozen for a moment, blinking slowly, before her gaze turned to the source of the commotion.

  Behind the counter stood a young woman with sun-bronzed skin and short black hair, her muscular arms crossed over her chest, eyes narrowed with intimidating focus. She practically radiated an aura that could silence a room.

  Frostina murmured under her breath.

  (“...I didn’t expect it either.”)

  Cryssa’s voice echoed, equally stunned.

  The woman was Tilly.

  But not the nervous, flustered Tilly who had nearly bitten her tongue meeting Cryssa a few days ago. No, this Tilly looked like she could snap a sword in half with her bare hands.

  Tilly barked.

  “If you don’t have any business, then get out! Don’t just stand there gawking like a lost duckling!”

  “Y-Yes, ma’am!”

  Even the usually unflappable Frostina found herself straightening, her feet moving on instinct as she stepped inside.

  As Frostina approached, the steel in Tilly’s eyes suddenly softened, confusion flickering across her face.

  “Wait… that robe… where did you get it?”

  Tilly asked, her voice lower, almost reverent.

  “Huh?”

  Frostina blinked at the abrupt question, glancing down at her flowing, plain white robe.

  “I ordered this through Glacia, the Starlace Order member. I came here today because I wanted to meet the apprentice who made it…”

  She paused, tilting her head.

  “I just realized I forgot to ask Glacia for their name. Do you happen to know who it was?”

  Tilly’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open slightly. Her hands trembled before she quickly hid them behind her back.

  “Are you… Frostina?”

  “Huh? How do you know my name? Have we met before?”

  While Frostina had seen Tilly when she was in ghost form, this was Tilly’s first time seeing Frostina in the flesh.

  Without warning, Tilly bent forward into a deep bow, her forehead nearly hitting the counter.

  “P-Please forgive my rudeness earlier!”

  Both Frostina and Cryssa exchanged a startled glance, before Frostina cleared her throat softly.

  “Um… it’s fine. Please, you can raise your head.”

  Tilly lifted her face, cheeks flushed, her eyes darting up with relief.

  “T-Thank you, Fros—I mean, Miss Frostina.”

  “...Just call me by my name.”

  Frostina said, waving her hand dismissively.

  “I’m just a commoner, so there’s no need for titles. Speak comfortably with me.”

  “Y-Yes… Frostina.”

  Tilly managed, her voice trembling before she steadied herself.

  Frostina gave a small, approving nod.

  “Good. So, what was that about?”

  “Ah, um…”

  Tilly scratched her cheek awkwardly.

  “My name is Tilly. I’m the apprentice who made that robe.”

  Frostina blinked.

  “...What?”

  “Y-Yes.”

  Tilly swallowed, then spoke quickly.

  “Glacia told me the order was from Cryssa Stelluna’s sworn sister, someone I should respect no matter what. That’s how I knew your name.”

  “...I see.”

  Frostina let out a quiet breath, realizing that it was just like Glacia to add such a dramatic flair when relaying a simple request.

  Tilly wrung her hands, glancing away.

  “P-Please don’t tell Her Highness Cryssa about my rudeness.”

  Frostina and Cryssa exchanged another look. Cryssa’s ghostly form hovering invisibly beside Frostina, her shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

  Frostina’s lips curved into a small smile.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t tell her.”

  Tilly’s face brightened instantly.

  “T-Thank you so much! So, um, what brings you here today?”

  “It’s nothing.”

  Frostina replied, shaking her head.

  “I just wanted to thank you for the robe and the grimoire you made. I like them both a lot.”

  “R-Really?”

  Tilly’s eyes sparkled, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her apron.

  “Of course. Especially the grimoire. It’s amazing.”

  “U-Umm… do you really mean that?”

  Tilly’s voice was small, almost afraid to hope.

  Frostina tilted her head, frowning lightly.

  “Why would I lie about that?”

  Tilly let out a small, shaky laugh, her eyes glancing down.

  “W-Well… it’s just that… I’m actually the worst apprentice here.”

  “Huh?”

  Frostina’s brows lifted in confusion.

  Tilly nodded, taking a deep breath as she began to explain.

  “Any armor or weapon I forged always ended up a failure.”

  Tilly confessed, her voice small despite her sturdy frame.

  “They were far weaker than anything the other apprentices made, no matter how hard I tried.”

  She let out a shaky breath, fingers twisting into the counter.

  “So when a request came in for a robe and grimoire that only cared about looks, I was the one chosen to forge them. They thought it was work even I couldn’t mess up.”

  A hesitant smile ghosted across her lips.

  “Actually… you’re my first customer.”

  Her eyes flickered up, hope and fear mixed in their depths.

  “So, hearing that you liked them… it makes me really happy, even if the other blacksmiths just snorted at my work.”

  She glanced away, her shoulders tensing.

  “That’s also why I became the receptionist here instead of forging. I’m in charge of kicking out people who come in without materials so they don’t waste the other blacksmiths’ time. So… please excuse my rude behavior earlier.”

  Frostina stood silently, letting Tilly’s words sink in.

  To her, it was absurd.

  The robe she wore granted 50% Ice Resistance, a value that matched Epic-rank armor. True, it only had 5 Magic Defense and 1% Fire Resistance, stats that would be laughable even on Common-rank gear, dropping its rarity to Rare.

  But that single, powerful resistance made it invaluable to her.

  And the grimoire was even more remarkable. Its stats were unassuming. 3 Magic Attack, 1% Ice Magic Damage, 1% Freeze Chance. But its hidden traits were deadly, a passive effect with a 5% chance to instantly kill enemies on critical hits with ice-based attacks, and an active skill with a 50% chance to do the same.

  It’s niche conditions, but for Frostina, who wielded only ice spells, it was a perfect weapon of death.

  As Frostina reflected on this, Cryssa’s voice echoed softly in her mind.

  (“I think I know the reason.”)

  (“The blacksmiths here don’t have a status window. They can’t see the true stats of the equipment they forge.”)

  (“Dwarves or master smiths can sometimes feel the true nature of their creations, but… we don’t exactly have a dwarf or a high skilled blacksmith in this town.”)

  Frostina blinked. In all the stories and manga she had read, blacksmiths always knew the exact power of their creations. She had never even considered that they might be forging blindly.

  And when she thought about it, Cryssa’s reasoning made perfect sense. How could blacksmiths here possibly detect an instant-death effect triggered only by critical hits from ice-based attacks, especially when they couldn’t even wield ice magic themselves?

  A question rose in Frostina’s mind, and she asked it plainly.

  “How do you know the weapons and armor you make are weaker than the others?”

  Tilly tilted her head, confused.

  “Hmm? We test them, of course. If it’s a blade, we cut paper or wood. If it’s armor, we hit it with blunt weapons to see how much it dents. For magic gear, we use simple spells. Oh, right!”

  Her eyes brightened.

  “For your robe, it didn’t hold up well against most spells, but it resisted ice spells much better than other ice-resistant armor. It was my first time making something that outperformed the others!”

  She beamed, pride glowing across her face.

  Frostina sighed, pressing a hand to her temple.

  They only measured the surface, with no way to know the true numbers or the hidden effects their creations held.

  Cryssa’s voice returned in Frostina’s mind, this time tinged with quiet resolve.

  (“...We’ll need to handle this problem too.”)

  Frostina nodded inwardly. Who knew how many incredible weapons and pieces of armor had been dismissed as trash simply because their true potential was invisible to the people who made them?

  Cryssa sighed softly, picturing Lyra’s exasperated face when this issue was inevitably handed over to the Stelluna lord.

  (“Looks like I’m adding another job to my sister’s list.”)

  As Frostina let out a small, resigned sigh, Tilly’s face fell, and she asked timidly.

  “Um… do you not like them, after all?”

  “Huh?”

  Frostina blinked, before quickly shaking her head.

  “No, no! I like them a lot. It’s just… actually, can I make a request?”

  “A request?”

  Tilly tilted her head, her short hair swaying.

  “If it’s something I can do, I’ll do my best!”

  “It’s this robe…”

  Frostina pinched a bit of the loose fabric between her fingers.

  “It’s too baggy on me. Could you adjust it to fit my size better?”

  “Oh!”

  Tilly’s eyes widened in realization.

  “Glacia didn’t give me your measurements, so I made it to fit Her Highness Cryssa’s body instead. But yes, I can adjust it. It will take about three days.”

  Setting aside how Tilly knew Cryssa’s measurements, Frostina’s face lit up, her earlier tension forgotten.

  “Alright!”

  She had come here only to meet the blacksmith behind her beloved robe and grimoire. This request was just a bonus. Though, truthfully, it mattered a lot to her, especially after seeing the forum posts mocking her figure.

  Now that this was settled, it was time to move on. With a final glance back at the smithy, Frostina turned toward her next destination: the central plaza.

  Frostina said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

  (“...Why do you sound more excited about that than the event rewards?”)

  Cryssa asked dryly.

  Today was the day the Starlace Order would distribute rewards from the sudden quest that had appeared right before the last event began.

  And Frostina, the so-called Frozen Queen, was ready to see what drama would unfold next.