With Lu Yuan’s reckless roar, the transparent Crystal erupted with a blinding flash of light, making it impossible for anyone to keep their eyes open for a moment.
A sharp, intense pain swept through her entire body in an instant, and Lu Yuan felt as if her skeleton was being dismantled and reassembled, the agony unbearable.
“Damn it hurts…”
Lu Yuan dropped to one knee in pain, helplessly watching as the muscle lines on her arms thinned, and her skin rapidly became pale and smooth to the naked eye.
Her hair gradually lengthened, the short hair replaced by twin black ponytails, but that was no longer her focus.
She looked down at the curve growing beneath her T-shirt, her face shifting from pale to ashen.
“No… no, please!”
What the hell are these two lumps?!
***
Before Lu Yuan could finish complaining, the Spider Monster’s forelimbs slammed down right in front of her.
Instinctively, Lu Yuan raised her hands to block, but the monster’s attack stopped just short of her.
The Crystal on her chest emitted a faint glow; it seemed to have taken the blow for her.
The transparent Crystal floated before Lu Yuan’s chest, releasing countless bands of light that wrapped around her body.
Her original T-shirt disintegrated instantly, replaced by a striking Combat Suit.
A tight black corset edged with lace, an ultra-short skirt that barely reached her upper thighs, and thigh-high boots with cutouts.
There was even a lace choker.
“Just kill me already…” Lu Yuan looked at her outfit, embarrassed enough to dig her toes into the floor.
Even her voice had changed to that of a girl’s.
The moment the transformation completed, a stream of information flooded into her mind:
【Magic Girl System Activated】
【User: Lu Yuan (Temporary Authorization)】
【Weapon Codename: Judicator】
【Form: Firearm Specialist】
Her right hand suddenly felt heavy, and a sci-fi styled long rifle appeared out of nowhere, jet black with a small Crystal slot on the grip, perfectly matching the shape of the Transformation Device.
Pretty cool.
This was the only change during the entire transformation Lu Yuan could accept.
The Spider Monster attacked again, but this time Lu Yuan’s body reacted automatically.
She nimbly jumped backward, her body seemingly possessing its own consciousness.
After a flawless tactical roll, she dropped to one knee with the rifle switched to Sniper Mode, resting against her shoulder.
Before she even realized it, Lu Yuan had slammed the transformation Crystal into the groove on the rifle’s grip.
Her finger instinctively squeezed the trigger.
The rifle recoiled almost not at all as a black beam howled forth, precisely hitting the Spider Monster’s central compound eye.
“Is this… me?” Lu Yuan stared at her hand in disbelief.
My twenty years of FPS skills are manifesting now?!
“Ssssaaahhh!” The monster screamed in a piercing, agonized shriek, its six legs thrashing wildly as black fluid sprayed from its shattered eye socket.
Lu Yuan sprang into action again, this time trying to control her body according to her own will.
She felt her leg muscles tighten, then propelled herself into the air, completing a perfect midair spin.
The long rifle automatically transformed into Shotgun Mode, unleashing a fan-shaped barrage the moment she landed.
The monster staggered backward, reeling under the onslaught.
Facing such a terrifying creature, Lu Yuan felt no fear—instead, amid the continuous shooting, she even felt a bit… exhilarated?
Under the relentless suppression of the shotgun, the Spider Monster decided to make one last desperate charge.
It roared furiously and lunged toward Lu Yuan.
Time to finish this.
Lu Yuan dropped to one knee, transforming the rifle into Artillery Mode.
She could feel energy surging through her body toward the weapon.
A thick, long pillar of black light blasted forth, instantly reducing the Spider Monster to ash.
The shockwave left a neatly edged circular hole in the wall.
“Is it over?” Lu Yuan looked at the large hole in the wall, a bit slow to react.
“Holy crap, this is my place!”
***
Only then did Lu Yuan realize the slaughter had taken place in her own Small Den.
Through the circular hole in the living room wall, she could see the lights of the building opposite.
And twenty years’ worth of mortgage still unpaid…
Lu Yuan glanced down at her slender fingers, tugged at the hem of the battle skirt, and sighed, “At least I’m alive…”
Before she finished speaking, a bone-chilling cold suddenly crawled up her spine.
Every hair on her body stood on end, an even stronger sense of danger than when facing the Spider Monster.
Instinctively, she wanted to turn around, but found herself unable to move.
It wasn’t restraint—it was as if every muscle in her body had frozen in fear.
In the shards of the mirror, she saw a shadow slowly emerging from the void behind her.
No breath.
No sound.
Not even a sense of presence.
Like an ink stroke added to a painting where it shouldn’t be, that figure had appeared there against all reason.
Lu Yuan wanted to scream, to raise her weapon—but her throat and arms refused to obey.
“An unfamiliar Magical Girl, huh…”
A seductive voice whispered close to her ear, as if the speaker was pressed against her back.
Lu Yuan felt something cold touch the nape of her neck.
“Deep breath. Dizziness is normal…”
“Whoosh!”
A Black Sword slashed across Lu Yuan’s neck.
What…?
In the final second before losing consciousness, Lu Yuan saw someone gently catch her collapsing body.
That body had no head.
“Sleep well, lovely Magical Girl…”
That was the last thing she heard, the voice gentle.
Darkness surged like a tide.
***
Then—
“Damn it!”
Lu Yuan suddenly snapped her eyes open, gasping heavily as her hands instinctively reached for her neck.
Intact.
No wounds, no blood, not even any pain—like it had been an illusion.
She was sitting on the floor of her own living room, facing the circular hole she’d just blasted out with Artillery Mode.
“What’s going on… I wasn’t just—”
The memory was clear in her mind: the shadow in the mirror, the icy touch on her neck, and the Black Sword slashing across her throat.
The feeling of death was too real, and her spine was still chilled.
The Crystal on her chest suddenly flickered, emitting a faint black glow.
Lu Yuan looked down to see a wisp of black cloudy matter inside the originally transparent crystal, like ink dropped into water, swirling slowly.
“I’ve been reborn?”
The absurd thought had barely formed when the same chilling cold surged up her spine again, the exact same premonition as before death.
In the shards of the mirror, the black shadow appeared again.
“An unfamiliar Magical Girl, huh…”
***
The same whisper, the same position.
Lu Yuan’s blood seemed to freeze, but this time she didn’t hesitate.
“Bang!”
The black long rifle instantly formed in her hands.
Lu Yuan made a clumsy but effective roll, dodging the originally fatal backstab and firing a shot in return.
But that bullet was blocked.
The projectile grazed her hair, a few strands of faint purple falling gently.
“Oh?” The shadow uttered an amused breath, “Nice reflexes.”
Lu Yuan finally saw the attacker clearly.
A woman in a black Gothic Woman dress, her pale face bearing a teasing smile.
The Black Sword in her hand trembled like a living thing.
Most striking was the Black Teardrop Gem beneath her left eye, resembling a Magical Girl’s Transformation Device but embedded in her skin, only partially exposed.
“Who are you?” Lu Yuan gripped the long rifle tightly, her voice trembling beyond control. “Why do you want to kill me?”
“Kill you?” The woman tilted her head. “I’m just collecting adorable Magical Girls.”
She suddenly stepped forward, the Black Sword nearly instantaneous in its strike.
***
“But you seem a little special…”
This time, Lu Yuan clearly saw the woman’s movements slow by a fraction of a second, thanks to her dynamic vision honed by countless game hours.
She barely managed to cross her long rifle horizontally to block the attack.
Sparks flew from the clashing metal, dazzling in the dim living room.
“Hey~ you really are special.” The woman smiled. “You’ve piqued my interest. I don’t plan to kill you anymore.”
Lu Yuan said nothing.
Her mind raced, her heart pounding in her chest.
If this was truly a reload, then every Resurrection Point was roughly thirty seconds before death.
She instinctively touched her neck, confirming her skin was unbroken, but the icy blade sensation still seemed pressed against her flesh, making the hairs on her nape stand on end.
“Is this… the power of becoming a Magical Girl? Or…”
Lu Yuan shook her head, abandoning pointless thoughts about combat.
It hurts. It kills. But you can come back.
Then you can win.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Yuan gripped the long rifle tightly.
The weapon’s cold touch helped calm her down slightly.
She raised her head, locking her gaze fiercely on the woman before her.
“Alright, then let’s have a proper duel—”
***
“Whoosh—!”
Before she could finish, a pitch-black tentacle suddenly shot out from the shadows behind her, lightning fast, striking her at the back of the head!
“Bang!”
Lu Yuan’s vision spun wildly.
In the explosion of pain, only one thought echoed in her mind:
Damn this bastard… has no moral principles at all…