Chapter 111: A Sad Story

“That sounds like a sad story.”

“Maybe, but it’s all in the past now. I’m actually doing okay,” Pandora shook her head. “It’s just… I can’t help but feel a little sorry for her.”

“Oh? Did you do something guilty? Are you too ashamed to face her?” Lu Ren joked.

“How could that be? I’m not that kind of villain.”

Pandora waved her paw, dismissing his teasing, and continued.

“I was just thinking… if I hadn’t reached out to her in the first place, maybe she wouldn’t have died.”

Hearing this, the smile on Lu Ren’s face vanished without a trace. He lowered his eyes and fell into silence.

Pandora didn’t pay attention to Lu Ren’s reaction and continued.

“I accepted her help, but because of the curse, she was hunted by all kinds of dangerous Shadow Beasts. In the end, I didn’t even get a chance to see her one last time.”

“If… if I hadn’t involved her…”

Pandora muttered to herself, imagining the possibility of that kind-hearted Magical Girl surviving if she had made a different choice.

But there were no “ifs” in this world.

Lu Ren looked at the dejected Pandora and remained silent, unable to offer a single word of comfort.

After a long time, he finally shifted his gaze and focused his attention back on the computer.

‘Since things have come to this, I might as well play some games to relax,’ Lu Ren thought.

He played his games purely by instinct, grinding through the rest of the mundane day.

The sun set and the moon rose; the moon departed and the sun returned. In the blink of an eye, Friday arrived.

Since there were only two classes with the Professor this morning and he could head home for the break afterward—and because he didn’t have any exams to study for recently—Lu Ren woke up exceptionally early.

He planned to finish his classes and then head out of the campus for a walk to clear his head and relax.

But when he finished washing up and grabbed his Dormitory Key to put it in his pocket as usual, he suddenly froze.

Lu Ren couldn’t believe it; he actually felt the presence of a Magical Power Source coming from his Magical Outfit.

Although the aura of this Magical Power Source was extremely faint, the familiar sensation could not be faked.

‘Now that Numbered Shadow Beasts have appeared, are ordinary Shadow Beasts actually still appearing in City A? Is this a limited-time return to the legacy server?’

After making a casual joke in his mind, Lu Ren glanced at Xu Wenxing, who was still fast asleep, and then at Pandora, who was peeking at him with half-closed eyes.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to ask Pandora for a favor.

“Hey, Pandora, are you awake?”

Lu Ren waved his hand repeatedly in front of her eyes to get her attention. Pandora merely lowered her head slightly in response. She seemed a bit sleepy.

“You’re awake, right? When you’re up, remember to come down and watch the news. I’m going to go fight a monster.”

“Are you saying a Shadow Beast has appeared?”

“Yeah, I just sensed it. The location is over in the East District of City A. I plan to head over there.”

“Is it a Numbered Shadow Beast?” Pandora asked.

“No, it’s just a very ordinary monster,” Lu Ren shrugged.

“I’m heading out. If I’m not back in time, wake Xu Wenxing up and tell him to get his butt to class. Oh, and help me ask for a leave of absence.”

“Can’t you just do that yourself? I want to rest.”

Although she complained, Pandora still sat up, jumped off the bed, and went to Lu Ren’s seat, intending to watch some news to learn about human knowledge.

Lu Ren took the opportunity to pat her small head, then skillfully turned on the computer and opened the news website.

After confirming there were no issues, he prepared to depart.

Before leaving, he confirmed his request with Pandora once more.

Only after receiving her impatient, affirmative reply did he feel at ease leaving the room.

Walking along the deserted campus path, Lu Ren stopped by the dining hall for a quick breakfast.

Afterward, he ducked into a deserted alley outside the school and held up his Red Star Pendant, preparing for his Transformation.

But just then, the mobile phone in his pocket suddenly rang.

He picked it up, assuming it was some kind of spam call, only to see a very familiar phone number appear on the screen.

It was Xu Wenxing’s.

Lu Ren paused, thinking he had seen it wrong.

What was going on? Why would Xu Wenxing be calling him right now? Logically speaking, shouldn’t that guy be asleep at this hour?

Despite his doubts, Lu Ren answered the call.

“Hello? Do you need something?”

“Lu Ren! Come back! Don’t go there! It’s a trap!”

To his surprise, the voice on the other end wasn’t Xu Wenxing’s, but Pandora’s.

Her voice sounded incredibly agitated, completely lacking her previous calm and gentleness.

“A trap?”

Lu Ren couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow upon hearing this. He squeezed the Magical Outfit in his palm but didn’t feel anything unusual.

The status of the Magical Power Source was perfectly normal—it hadn’t spiked or suddenly dropped. How could it be a trap?

“Yes! It’s a trap! The owner of that Magical Power Source is No. 042! He’s deliberately leaking his magic power signature to lure you in!” Pandora said urgently. “I felt something was off just now—why that faint aura felt so familiar. Now I remember everything!”

“That guy has already set a massive net! He’s just waiting for you to go there and die!”

“Don’t go! Lu Ren! I’m begging you!”

Hearing Pandora’s tone, which was almost a plea, Lu Ren shook his head helplessly, unsure of how to respond.

He really wanted to go and kill that Shadow Beast right now, but Pandora was begging him not to go and to just wait for the situation to end.

Pandora was worried about him—worried that he would die at the hands of No. 042 just like that other Magical Girl.

It made sense. He only had a Basic Form and a Boost Form; his overall combat power simply couldn’t handle a Numbered Shadow Beast ranked within the top fifty.

Pandora had warned him about this long ago.

If that guy didn’t start killing people, choosing to give up might actually be a good option.

“…Hey, Pandora, let me ask you something.”

“Ask! You can ask me anything you want! I’ll definitely tell you!”

Pandora’s voice sounded incredibly tense. Lu Ren had never heard the fox-like beast speak to him in such a tone.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Lu Ren asked the question he was currently most concerned about.

“If I choose to ignore this, will things go wrong over there?”

Pandora froze. She suddenly remembered that a few years ago, there was also a Magical Girl with whom she had a very close relationship. Before that girl set out, she had asked a similar question.

Back then, she had pleaded with her the same way, but the girl had not made the choice Pandora wanted.

Was she going to witness another tragedy happen right before her eyes this time?

She fell into silence, contemplating.

Pandora looked at Xu Wenxing, who was yawning while washing up nearby, then turned back to look at the computer screen, which was still glowing and playing a news program.

She slightly closed her eyes and made a decision that went against her heart.

“No. No. 042’s target is you; he won’t do anything to anyone else.”

“Ha, I see. Then I know what to do.”

Lu Ren let out a soft laugh. He stroked the slightly warm Red Star Pendant in his hand and felt the long silence from the other end of the phone. He already had his answer.

“Human lies don’t suit you, Pandora.”