After class ended in the afternoon, Lu Ren declined Xu Wenxing’s invitation to have dinner at Fantong and hurried back to his dormitory.
As soon as he opened the dorm door, Lu Ren saw Pandora lying on his desk, her small hands restlessly tapping on his white mouse.
“Oh, you’re back, Blazing Flame.”
Hearing the door open, Pandora lifted her head to greet Lu Ren, then continued pressing the mouse on the desk with her hands.
“I told you, my name is Lu Ren. Don’t call me by my Magic Girl codename.” Lu Ren walked over and sat down at his spot. “What did you want to watch? I’ll help you find it.”
“Ah, I want to watch the evening news from all sorts of local TV stations!” Pandora immediately perked up. “I want to see you humans reading scripts in all kinds of languages!”
“…Where did this middle-aged man come from, wanting to watch this kind of stuff?” Lu Ren looked at the little beast helplessly. “It’s only a little past five, the news broadcast hasn’t started yet. How about choosing something else?”
“No need! Old news broadcasts are fine too! I just want to see you humans reading scripts! It’s super interesting!” Pandora was excited. “Where I come from, we all speak the same language. There’s no variety at all. You humans have so many different languages, it’s way more fun.”
“This is the first time I’ve heard that Magic Fairies all use the same language.” Lu Ren was a little surprised. “They really are a fascinating species.”
“Hmph! Of course, we’re Magic Fairies after all!” Pandora said proudly. “Hurry up! We want to watch the reading!”
“Don’t rush me, it’ll be ready soon. Also, sit properly. Don’t push my water cup off the desk.” Lu Ren controlled the mouse and quickly found this month’s Local News Broadcast.
“Mm-hmm, got it.” Pandora immediately adjusted her posture and eagerly waited for the video to start.
Soon, the suited anchor appeared before Pandora, reciting the stable opening lines.
“Oh oh oh! This is exactly the kind of language variant system I want to hear! So interesting!”
Pandora shouted excitedly, her eyes glued to the screen as the anchor read the early-month news report.
After Pandora calmed down, Lu Ren looked at her furry body, thought for a few seconds, then didn’t hesitate to reach out and stroke her fur. He asked,
“By the way, Pandora, you said earlier there was something you had to tell me only in my dorm. What is it exactly?”
“Oh, that.” Pandora pressed the spacebar on the keyboard with her paw. “Actually, it’s about why I’m being hunted. Want to hear?”
“Go ahead, I’m listening.” Lu Ren replied.
“Okay, I’ll tell you.” Pandora pressed the spacebar again, letting the news broadcast continue. “Do you know about the Night Demon?”
“Night Demon? Uh… no.”
Lu Ren shook his head, unfamiliar with the term that Pandora had only heard from the Broodmother Hive.
“The reason I have to wander from city to city is because of the Night Demon.” Pandora enjoyed Lu Ren’s hand stroking her fur. “And the reason you Magic Girls have to fight the Shadow Beasts is also because of the Night Demon.”
“…Is there any logic between those two things?” Lu Ren asked in confusion.
“There is. Those Shadow Beasts that kill humans and destroy your houses are actually creatures created by the Night Demon.” Pandora said, then suddenly recalled something and added, “More accurately, they’re monsters transformed from his fragments.”
“Fragments?” Lu Ren pressed.
“The Shadow Beasts turn into white Bone Fragments when they die, right? Those are actually the Night Demon’s fragments. All Shadow Beasts exist because of the bone fragments inside them.” Pandora explained.
“Really?” Lu Ren instantly became tense. “So if I absorb those white Bone Fragments, won’t I turn into a monster too?”
“Don’t worry. Those are purified Night Demon fragments. They’re only beneficial to you Magic Girls, not harmful. Absorb them boldly.” Pandora said calmly. “You should have noticed your transformation state lasts longer now, right? That’s the effect of the Purification Shards.”
“So it’s because of absorbing Purification Shards that this happens…”
Lu Ren twitched the corner of his mouth, surprised that the truth behind a question that had puzzled him for so long was actually so simple.
“I have to tell you, you can’t give up absorbing Purification Shards just because your transformation lasts longer.” Pandora glanced back at the silent Lu Ren. “These shards comprehensively enhance your Magic Girl abilities. As long as you still plan to keep fighting, you have to keep absorbing Purification Shards to strengthen yourself.”
“…Alright, I understand. I’ll keep absorbing the Purification Shards.”
Lu Ren was stunned for a few seconds after his inner thoughts were exposed, then slowly nodded, accepting the fact that he had to continue absorbing the shards.
“Of course, these shards are useful to me too. If you’re willing, you can share some Purification Shards with me so I can regain my former power faster.” Pandora shifted the topic.
“No problem, I’ll share some with you.” Lu Ren immediately agreed.
“Then I’ll say thank you in advance.” Pandora continued lying on the desk. “But I still hope you’ll be a bit selfish and absorb all the shards yourself. Just focus on strengthening your own power.”
“Why?” Lu Ren asked.
“Because the Night Demon isn’t dead yet.” Pandora calmly stated the shocking fact. “When I first came to your human world, I planned to destroy it before it fully recovered. But after fighting it for so long, I ended up losing all my power.”
“Uh…”
Lu Ren was at a loss for words.
Pandora seemed even weaker than he had imagined.
Fighting at full strength against someone else’s injured state, yet still losing all her power?
“But the Night Demon isn’t in good shape either. After fighting me, it’s lost at least 90% of its power. It’s not a threat to you humans in the short term.”
“Only, before it escaped, it cursed me so I’d unknowingly attract Shadow Beasts’ attention. That’s why I’m in such a sorry state now.”
…It hadn’t even been sealed properly and the Night Demon got away.
Someone like this claims to have been able to destroy the human world at their peak?
Lu Ren thought to himself, feeling like she was a cosmic bumpkin.
“Don’t worry. As long as I can stay in one place for a long time, without always maintaining the Mark-Reversal Magic Barrier, I can slowly accumulate strength.”
“But Shadow Beasts have become so common now, every city has them. I’m worried that when I fight the Night Demon again, it’ll affect me. That’s why I want you to absorb more Purification Shards, get stronger, and help me clear out some Shadow Beasts.”
Seeing Lu Ren silent, Pandora thought he might be worried about her and comforted him, explaining her reasons for asking him to do this.
Just because Pandora got washed by injured Night Demon doesn’t mean she isn’t a world destroyer, it just means Night Demon is stronger, basically also a world destroyer (Planetary).