“Ohhohohohohoho—”
Wait, what was that sound?
Fang Wei cut down a Mirror Familiar blocking his path, wondering if he had misheard.
Although he knew these throatless monsters could make sounds, the cries of the Mirror Familiars inside the Barrier seemed slightly different from the ones outside.
Then again, maybe every Mirror Familiar had its own unique trait.
Fang Wei had killed nine familiars along the way, and these bizarre creatures had been using illusions to terrorize him the entire time.
Turning into zombies or female ghosts was standard fare.
Once they were truly desperate, a popular male idol with a sharp, V-shaped face emerged from the mirror.
It actually gave Fang Wei quite a scare, making him swing his blade even harder.
However, fighting like this was no way to end it.
Fang Wei was starting to worry about Qi Qiancao’s situation.
Plus, with three girls following behind him, he couldn’t fully concentrate on the thrill of battle.
Yes, three girls.
He had learned the situation from the high school girl named Tang Ci.
He found out that she and her three roommates had been controlled and led here while on their way to a group dinner.
Subsequently, as if completing some kind of collection quest, Fang Wei fished one out from under a desk and found another peerless genius nearby holding her breath beside a familiar.
‘Do you have any idea how much you look like a certain circus performer, sneaking around in front of Mirror Familiars while plugging your nose?’
Fortunately, Fang Wei was fast.
Otherwise, this girl would have turned from a colorful clown into a grayscale one.
“Um… Master, why are we still heading deeper in? You’re so strong, wouldn’t it be better to just take us out of the school?”
One of the girls asked tremulously from the back.
Tang Ci immediately nudged her.
“The Master said we can’t get out through the school gate. We have to eliminate the monsters here first, right, Master?”
“Oh, just like a Meta Realm.”
“…”
Fang Wei couldn’t be bothered to respond to the three of them whispering behind him.
They had been terrified before, thinking their lives were over.
They never expected someone would descend like a god to save them from their misery.
Now that they had met him, it was naturally good for them to talk more to regain a sense of security.
It was just so annoying.
Why were they chattering like three macaques?
He glanced sideways before refocusing his gaze ahead.
Since a Barrier had appeared, it only meant a beast was hiding nearby.
Judging by his intuition, it didn’t seem to be that Level 5 mirror beast.
Could it be…
The last time Fang Wei killed the Mirror Familiars, many small ones were born.
Could another Mirror Familiar have played a game of “big fish eats little fish” and devoured its way into becoming a magic beast?
He had been wrong.
He should have killed all these naturally evil familiars last time instead of letting them “raise gourds” by huddling together.
However, looking at the situation, the Mirror Familiars outside the teaching building were converging here because of the previous battle.
That newly born magic beast should be arriving soon as well.
Fang Wei took out a cookie he had received as a reward last time from Mianzi.
[Sacrament No. 1: Increases Adrenaline]
‘Mianzi, I can eat this directly, right?’
[…!]
‘If you’re not talking, that means I can.’
He wolfed down the cookie in a few bites.
It was a bit damp, likely having been stored for a while, but it still retained a faint milky aroma.
Immediately, Fang Wei’s eyes cleared.
It was more stimulating than drinking an energy drink!
“Jie-jie-jie-jie—”
After taking the potent “medicine,” he vaulted over the railing, jumped down from the second floor of the teaching building, and charged into the encirclement of Mirror Familiars.
Holding the katana with both hands, he displayed no technique whatsoever—only the endless bloodlust brought by his overexcited brain.
Fight!
Any living creature feels pain when attacked, but familiars do not!
“Did the Master abandon us?!”
After Fang Wei jumped straight from the second floor, the three girls huddled together in fear.
But in the next second, they heard agonizing screams echoing from the horde of mirrors below.
“Ohhohohohohoho—”
The Master hadn’t abandoned them.
The Master was going “Dynasty Warriors” on them all by himself!
Tang Ci’s eyes widened as she looked at the man who was slaughtering his way through the cluster of mirrors like a plow through a field.
He had been protecting them for two hours already, and he could still keep fighting?
He was so… durable!
“So… so strong…”
No, he could already be described as terrifying.
It was a complete, one-sided massacre.
The way he held the sword was cool, he looked no worse than the celebrities online, and his healthy white teeth shone when he smiled.
After the girls’ mundane worldviews were completely shattered, they were reconstructed through the silhouette of that sword-swinging youth.
By comparison, the boys known as “school hunks” in their school were pathetic.
A real man had to swing a blade to be truly handsome.
One girl secretly took a photo of the boy’s back as he swung his sword.
This swordsmanship seemed to strike right at their hearts.
If they could date a guy who was both handsome and such a good fighter, they would be willing to give him money.
‘Mom, I think I’m in love.’
[(Common) Dream Nail]
[Magic Level: Lv2, 985/1000]
[Uses: 3, Refreshes at Midnight]
After upgrading to the (Common) Dream Nail, the progress had slowed down significantly.
Furthermore, it wasn’t just the Dream Nail that needed upgrading; it was also Fang Wei’s katana, which was transformed from a ribbon.
Therefore, the absorbed magic power was split fifty-fifty.
But that didn’t matter.
He was already seeing red.
Fang Wei’s current appearance was reflected in the shards of mirrors—eyes bloodshot, chest heaving violently, accompanied by rapid breathing.
A literal familiar meat grinder.
Logically speaking, his Magic Level was at Lv3, so there was no way he should be able to slaughter over a hundred Lv3 Mirror Familiars.
But man, drugs were great.
He recalled an old joke: “You’ve worked so hard to cultivate and are in such a hurry that your foundation is unstable; how can you possibly compare to my system rewards!”
“Come, come, let me see if there are any stray little familiars.”
Fang Wei cut down a Mirror Familiar that was kneeling and begging for mercy.
He dragged his katana behind him, the blade scraping against the ground and throwing off sparks.
Under this mad-dog fighting style, the intelligent Mirror Familiars had long since fled if they could.
Only one entity, where a red corruption bar overlapped with a white one, emerged from the direction of the playground.
‘An evil familiar with a white corruption value?’
Fang Wei narrowed his eyes.
Ah, wait, what a shame.
That was a living person.
A girl was running in front.
The shoes on her feet were long gone, and her black stockings were riddled with holes.
The soles of her feet were bloodied from the friction, but at this moment, she wished she could grow two more legs.
The monster chasing her was already within arm’s reach.
It was a massive, three-meter-tall mirror.
Twisted human faces were densely packed on the silver surface, and countless pale, severed arms protruded from it.
They twisted together like strands of a rope to form the monster’s own arms.
Six hairy spider legs grew beneath it, making a “click-clack” sound as it ran.
Bizarre.
Utterly bizarre.
Most magic beasts had appearances that wouldn’t look out of place in an anime, but occasionally, a few freaks would appear.
For example, Mirror Familiars born from “fear” would fuse with whatever traits people feared most.
No, this was no longer a Mirror Familiar.
[Sanhe Jing]
[Beast Level: Lv4]
[Corruption: 100%]
A magic beast born of fear named Sanhe Jing.
Since ancient times, eerie stories about mirrors had been widely circulated.
Among these complex stories, the Sanhe Jing was often associated with the “future” and “happiness.”
For instance, looking into a mirror at exactly midnight allowed one to see their past or future self, or perhaps their future spouse, as well as the more metaphysical “true self.”
There were also stories saying that at 4:44 AM, something would drag you into the mirror.
Fang Wei had indeed been dragged into the Barrier by a Mirror Familiar.
It was conceivable that many horror stories mixed together would become the source of power for magic beasts and familiars.
The Sanhe Jing, the Reflecting Mirror, and the Eerie Mirror were essentially based on the same stories.
He stepped forward, shielding the girl behind him.
He heard Tang Ci mention her name was Shan Jingjing, though Fang Wei didn’t bother remembering NPC names.
He faced the giant silver mirror and was about to draw his sword, but unexpectedly, the monster’s face was already covered in cracks.
“Mister Boyfriend—”
“Mister Boyfriend—”
Ripples appeared on the mirror’s surface.
That soft, sweet-as-marshmallow voice seemed to travel from another world.
The image in the mirror emerged—amidst a field of familiar corpses, a pink-haired girl wandered aimlessly.
Out of anxiety, she had scratched red marks onto the back of her hands.
Her voice remained sweet, yet it was as cold as a soulless machine.
Grabbing a familiar, Qi Qiancao gripped a corner of the mirror.
Her other hand plunged into the glass, ripping out all the familiar’s organs made of glass shards!
Because she used her bare hands, her right hand was already covered in blood.
She whispered softly, “Not here either… Where have you hidden Mister Boyfriend?”
Her expression was gloomy and dejected, completely unlike the lively persona she displayed in front of her classmates and Fang Wei.
She wiped the blood from her hand and raised it.
A match woven from silver branches appeared out of thin air.
With a gentle blow, the match lit up with a dreamlike pink flame.
The girl sought help from her “Dream” once again.
Immediately, as if gaining an epiphany, she tilted her head and looked at the Sanhe Jing hiding in the corner, as well as Fang Wei hidden within its Barrier.
Ordinarily, one could only look out from the inside of the Sanhe Jing; those outside could not see the world within the mirror.
But the moment the match was lit, reality distorted.
She once again revealed that twisted, grinning expression, cupping her face with her blood-stained hands in a trance.
“Found you, my Mister Boyfriend—”
BOOM!!!
When the Sanhe Jing’s massive body was struck by that petite figure with a punch that created a sonic boom, its glass-composed body became tattered and broken.
Its limbs were severed, and the mirror surface covered in twisted faces now looked like it was draped in spiderwebs.
The faces that originally represented “fear” were now terrified.
They emitted ear-piercing wails.
Without a doubt, the Sanhe Jing’s judgment had been entirely wrong.
Perhaps as an intelligent magic beast, its strategy was flawless.
After its sneak attack on Qi Qiancao failed, it immediately separated the two of them and used two waves of Mirror Familiars to stall them.
As the creator of the Barrier and the “gate” connecting reality and the Barrier, it could exist in both worlds simultaneously and deal with them both at the same time.
In theory, that should have worked.
The man trapped inside the Barrier was relatively weak, and the Sanhe Jing felt it could just barely handle him.
However, the situation in the real world had spiraled completely out of control.
As the dust settled, the Sanhe Jing in reality moved its twisted, pale arms.
It tried to stand up, but the half of its body shattered by the girl’s punch wouldn’t allow it.
As the girl approached with heavy steps, it could only desperately let out shrieks of terror.
The sound was like static from an old radio, hideous to the ear.
In its struggle, two more withered arms erupted from the mirror surface, allowing it to crawl away.
Its shrieks also summoned more Mirror Familiars.
As it fled into the distance, four blood-red eyes split open on its back to monitor the girl’s movements.
However, Qi Qiancao felt this was an act of provocation.
After separating her from her Mister Boyfriend, every single move the mirrors made was a provocation toward her.
It had been that way from the start—they had ruined her carefully prepared date.
Qi Qiancao tilted her head, her cherry-blossom-colored pupils seemingly about to overflow with a thick, black liquid.
But it didn’t matter.
After lighting the match, a new “Dream” was playing out in her mind.
The moment the princess encountered danger, her angel would transform into a hero to save her from her misery.
But who said the story had to be about the hero saving the princess? Look at how many times the princess had dropped hints just to make the hero care for her proactively.
She would then repay him with a hundred times the tenderness to solidify their love.
So, during the difficult times encountered after falling in love, it wasn’t necessary for the hero to fight through level after level, upgrading his wooden sword to stone, iron, and diamond, finally raising an enchanted Netherite sword to defeat the dragon and rescue the trapped princess.
The princess, already deeply intoxicated by the beautiful vision of the future, was fully capable of donning her own armor, jumping from the castle, and wielding the Master Sword intended for the hero to slay the dragon first.
Then, she could run toward the love she desired.
Because the moment the hero drew his basic village sword and prepared to embark on the journey, the princess had already felt that love.
What else needed to be tested?
The young girl had made a wish for happiness.
The ability to weave “Dreams” was born from that.
Her fist slammed relentlessly into the mirror’s surface!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
One punch, two punches, three punches—
The lit match burned with a brilliant, dazzling pink flame, distorting the reality around the girl over and over.
‘His love for you is sincere and unwavering. You are destined to be in love. All the hardships and conflicts standing before you are but tests for your love.’
Until it repeated a thousand times.
A chilling smile curled onto Qi Qiancao’s lips.
Just like the rehearsal in her mind, she would slaughter every familiar blocking her path.
Magic power, like uncontrollable fire, ignited any familiar that dared to approach.
Even the fleeing Sanhe Jing began to melt as the high temperature from the magic caused its surface to bulge.
It no longer had the strength to run and collapsed face-first onto the ground.
Turning around, it could only mimic human posture, kneeling and kowtowing to the approaching magical girl to beg for forgiveness.
“Huh?”
Qi Qiancao’s pitch-black eyes were filled with confusion.
‘What do you mean the dragon knelt and begged for mercy when the princess arrived? Do you think such a plot is exciting?’
If that happened, how could the princess demonstrate her love for the hero? She wanted to respond with the same passionate love to the angel who had saved her.
So…
“Stand up and keep fighting!”
Grabbing the Sanhe Jing’s mangled body, her fist slammed heavily against the mirror, making the classroom shake.
Qi Qiancao seemed to be flaunting her victory.
She knew Mister Boyfriend must be watching her now—watching her as she shone brilliantly for him.
She had to perform even better.
Punch after punch, the magic beast in her hands was utterly defenseless.
Blood splattered across her delicate face.
She threw the almost completely destroyed Sanhe Jing onto the floor, gripped the mirror surface with both hands, and ripped it apart!
A scream that no emotion could describe echoed throughout reality and the Barrier.
In the world of the Barrier, there was no longer any need for Fang Wei to continue fighting the Sanhe Jing.
As the “gate” between the two worlds, this special magic beast shared all damage.
After Qi Qiancao’s incredible punch, the Sanhe Jing was practically junk.
Fang Wei witnessed every bit of the magical girl’s slaughter.
‘That is so freaking terrifying.’
Was the outside world some kind of Tokyo Ghoul set?
Rubbing his temples, to be honest, although Qi Qiancao was insanely unhinged, she was indeed fighting magic beasts as a magical girl, right?
A magical girl who fights beasts is a magical girl of love and justice!
Furthermore, through the first-person perspective of the mirror beast, Fang Wei finally understood what Qi Qiancao’s magic was.
As everyone knew, a magical girl’s power came from her heart.
There was no doubt about that.
It was common for a magical girl to suddenly have a power spike based on her will mid-battle.
And because of Qi Qiancao’s Delusion, her magic manifested as that pink-flamed match.
That was her true specialized weapon.
An ability to distort reality and materialize delusions—the range of this ability was unclear, but intuitively, it shouldn’t be able to truly affect the mind, only distort reality.
The boy who had been scared out of his wits last time was likely due to Qi Qiancao distorting reality into a terrifying nightmare for him.
Lighting a match to realize a “Delusion” reminded Fang Wei of a very famous, tragic fairy tale.
But that was something to investigate later.
Crack, crack…
As the Sanhe Jing was dismembered, the Barrier here bordered on collapse.
The sky suddenly darkened.
Fang Wei turned back to find the four battered girls.
Having witnessed his terrifying combat strength, all four were hiding behind him.
Until the sky completely fractured and a sense of distorted abnormality hit them.
After a brief moment of dizziness, the group was standing in the middle of a classroom.
The coordinates were where the Sanhe Jing had died.
Inside the classroom illuminated by pink firelight, Qi Qiancao looked almost exactly like a blood-drenched figure from a horror movie.
She used her magic to wipe away the blood and wounds, as if a princess needed to change into her most beautiful dress before greeting her hero.
But Qi Qiancao suddenly saw the four girls behind Fang Wei.
The smile on her face froze, replaced by eyes full of violence that cut into them like knives.