Chapter 111: Becoming a Magical Girl, Meow?

Luodie and Batman—both had unfortunate backgrounds that began with the protagonist being an orphan.

But Luodie’s story was different from Batman’s. Bruce lost his parents to murder when he was young, whereas Luodie didn’t even know who her parents were. She grew up in an orphanage.

She was found one deep night, swaddled as a baby—something the elderly Director never mentioned to Luodie. It was obvious she had been abandoned.

Parents unable to accept the abnormalities in their child and abandoning them was not uncommon during the Great Chaos Era.

When the Director found Luodie, she already exhibited obvious Monster traits—fragile wings as thin as cicada wings. Luodie was a born Monster.

Luodie’s biggest childhood memory was that there was never enough food at the orphanage. It was the most turbulent period of the Great Chaos, and feeding so many children was no easy task.

Her time at the orphanage ended abruptly. After the Monster Attack Case reduced the orphanage to ruins, Luodie became a wanderer.

She was in her adolescence then, and long-term hunger had left her pale and gaunt.

A chaotic time, a child without parental protection or proper education and guidance—such a child was unlikely to walk a righteous path.

Luodie’s last reliance was herself. She was a born Monster, and she had just started to explore how to use her powers.

Soon, she met a group of friends in similar situations. These adolescents had no grand ambitions of wicked deeds; they simply wandered about, stealing small amounts to survive, nothing more.

This lifestyle lasted for several years. For Luodie, she had little choice in how to live. Being both a petty delinquent and a Monster earned her many cold stares.

Even her “companions” from their petty thefts didn’t treat her well, which made her increasingly withdrawn.

“If I change this life, or if I weren’t a Monster, would others see me differently?”

Occasionally, such questions would surface in Luodie’s mind.

The turning point came on a winter evening during a routine theft. Luodie used her powers to help her companions break into a house, stealing money and food as usual.

But as they were leaving, someone accidentally knocked over a kitchen rack.

The loud crashing noise instantly woke the homeowner, a middle-aged woman who quickly came out of the bedroom. These petty thieves weren’t strangers to her.

The group scattered like frightened birds as the woman chased after them, cursing all the way.

But the middle-aged woman, just out of bed, stumbled and fell with a painful “oyoyo” sound in the dark night, and her curses turned into cries of pain before fading away as the thieves escaped.

For the first time, Luodie felt an uneasy conscience. She couldn’t help but worry—what if the woman got seriously hurt in the freezing cold?

She raised this concern, but the older kids in the group, who were mainly focused on getting through winter, didn’t care about some stranger’s fate.

But Luodie couldn’t convince herself to be indifferent. Half an hour later, she returned and found the woman lying immobile in the snow. She had fallen heavily while chasing them and injured her leg.

Despite the woman’s reproaches and nagging, Luodie took her to the hospital.

The woman recognized Luodie as one of the thieves but said nothing to others who asked about the incident. Only when alone did she scold Luodie.

“Do something worthwhile. You’re still young, but if you keep this up, you’ll ruin your life.”

Like all middle-aged women fond of preaching, these tired clichés could easily make ears numb, but they truly struck a chord with Luodie.

What counted as something worthwhile? What could change how others saw her?

At that time, the Eternal Star and her Magical Girl Squad were gaining widespread acclaim. By chance, Luodie witnessed Eternal Star fighting a Monster firsthand.

After the Monster was defeated, the girl, who seemed about her age, was surrounded by cheers. Her radiant presence, like starlight, instantly gave Luodie an answer.

Yes, Magical Girls—the symbol of protection, strength, justice… words like these. They could accomplish such things. Luodie felt she could too.

As a born Monster, she possessed the strength to fight Monsters.

So, if she became a Magical Girl, doing the right things, could she change how others saw her?

During that period, Luodie became obsessed with Eternal Star. She learned many stories—protecting the City from Monsters, fighting the emerging cult Divine Summon Order. She almost became a fan.

But the problem was she didn’t know how to achieve her goal.

During the Great Chaos Era, the Magical Girl Association had yet to be established, and the number of Magical Girls was far less than now.

No one had systematized the method to become a Magical Girl.

She soon realized an even more desperate fact—only humans seemed eligible to awaken as Magical Girls. Monsters like her had no precedent of success.

Feeling despondent, Luodie often sat alone by the lake outside the City late at night, lost in thought, but no answers came.

With a “plop,” she picked up a stone by the lake and threw it in… So, was becoming a Magical Girl the only way? She was a born Monster, capable of fighting Monsters too.

She threw another stone… but similarly, no Monster had ever become a protector of the people. Prejudice against Monsters remained, fueled by fear of the unknown.

How she longed to become a Magical Girl… Luodie clenched the stone tightly, suddenly feeling a burning sensation in her palm.

She instinctively threw the stone away. In the dark night, the stone flew through the air, flashing a faint silver light.

Surprised and suspicious, Luodie thought maybe a tiny bug bit her on the hand. At that moment, she paid no attention to her palm.

This insignificant episode was soon forgotten. Days went by unchanged. Unable to become a Magical Girl, she lacked the courage to change her life.

Until one day, a Monster suddenly appeared in the Refuge Zone. Luodie did not run with the crowd.

She had occasionally dealt with low-level Monsters while scavenging outside the City, so she had no reason to flee.

But as she prepared to fight, she felt something strange awakening deep within her.

Instinctively, Luodie shouted “Transform!” A flash of light enveloped her, and her clothes changed dramatically.

A surge of magic she had never felt before rushed through her body.

That day, Luodie’s dream came true—she became the Magical Girl she had longed to be.