Unbeknownst to Jiang Lingwei watching from afar, Jiang Yao was already feeling exhausted.
Not physically exhausted, nor running low on magical energy.
For her, killing these low-level mobs barely drained her stamina or magic.
The real fatigue came from her spirit.
(There are just too many of them. Way too many.)
(How long do I have to keep killing?)
(How many more must I kill!)
Jiang Yao thought irritably.
Anyone who’s played hack-and-slash games like Dynasty Warriors might understand this feeling somewhat.
A famous historical general, controlled by the player, charging into swarms of soldiers, sweeping away waves with a single swing of the halberd, cleaving another group with the broadsword.
But during this process, even though the player-controlled character vastly outmatches the fodder in combat power, attack range, and all sorts of abilities, they often get hit a few times without realizing it, losing some health.
Some clumsy or outright newbie players might even get surrounded and die easily.
This was Jiang Yao’s exact situation.
Her sword glowed with magic. No matter how she sliced or chopped, those goblin-like creatures—looking like corpses stitched together—could not withstand even one hit before turning to a puddle of goo.
Sometimes Jiang Yao felt no resistance at all in her sword; if she didn’t see the broken bodies shatter visually, she would have thought she was swinging at thin air.
But at the same time, she faced a situation even harsher than a game.
Real combat isn’t turn-based where you hit, then get hit back, nor do mobs sometimes freeze for seconds ignoring their targets like in games.
It was relentless, direct attacks with no retreat.
Jiang Yao felt like she had fallen into the ocean, with waves endlessly crashing from all directions. She could win brief battles with her own strength, but the waves themselves she could never fully cut down.
Of course, how can humans fight against waves?
This simply wasn’t the place she belonged.
Fighting them, even rapidly killing a few to intimidate, was utterly useless.
After all, at least some intelligence is needed to feel fear, and these low-intelligence abominations clearly had no such emotion.
Jiang Yao had to defend against their attacks before counterattacking. The whole process wasn’t exhausting, and barely drained her magic.
But her spirit was wearing thin. Maintaining a constant state of tension without mistakes was truly difficult.
(Really, it’s exactly like falling into the sea…)
Unconsciously holding her breath, Jiang Yao stepped forward again, braving the magical storm.
Everything around her was densely packed and pitch-black; even above her head, those creatures never stopped trying to jump down and attack.
The stench of rot and decay never faded, and the black foul blood splattered on her body when monsters were struck.
Enemies came from all sides; only the ground beneath her feet remained unassailed.
Her magic wasn’t consuming quickly, but the attack frequency was high. If the number of these little monsters kept coming endlessly, even ten of her would be worn down to death.
To be honest, Jiang Yao’s situation was very bad.
Yet, at the moment she realized this grim truth, the solid ground beneath her feet suddenly made her think of something.
(I don’t have to get entangled with them at all.)
She was here to find her mother, not to slaughter monsters.
No matter how many of these things she killed, they wouldn’t drop some mythical Dragon-Slaying Sword with 999 damage.
She realized she’d been overthinking things.
(This isn’t right. I know what I should do now.)
(Answer me…)
Jiang Yao prayed inwardly—not to any deity, but to:
(Magic.)
Snap.
A crystal shattered—not the one usually attached to her sword, but one growing on her Armored Raiment.
The “talent” of a Magical Girl manifests in various ways.
Some are visible on their Magic Equipment, like common melee weapons, staffs, or guns.
Others, like Jiang Yao, manifest as abilities.
Those purple crystals were produced when she cast magic.
Amid the waves of monsters, battling against the unending enemy tide, Jiang Yao began trying to grow those crystals on her Spirit Garment—her armor.
There was no reason why crystals could grow on Magic Equipment but not on Spirit Garments.
(Come on.)
Attempting again silently, Jiang Yao could only mutter in her mind.
She couldn’t even open her mouth, fearing she might say something she absolutely didn’t want to hear.
At this moment, she could feel the magic surging inside her. For some reason, after forming a clear thought, her magic seemed to rejoice uncontrollably and flare wildly.
“Heh…”
A faint laugh squeezed out from between her teeth.
Shhh!
The crystals growing from her armor shattered continuously, then reformed, piercing through the Necro-Goblins’ bodies.
“I understand now.”
The girl murmured.
Indeed, humans cannot fight the ocean, because humans simply don’t belong here.
But what if they were fish swimming instead?
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At Jiang Yao’s feet, bright purple crystals sprouted rapidly from the ground, expanding outward quickly.
“Gah?”
The first Necro-Goblin to halt was a relatively sturdy one.
But its intelligence was just as poor.
It just stared at Jiang Yao standing firm, gripping the sword hilt with the tip touching the ground, utterly confused why it was drifting farther away from her.
It had been right in front of her moments ago.
Crack—
In the next moment, its legs turned into shattered crystals, leaving only its upper body helplessly and blankly collapsing onto the spiked crystal ground.
Crackle—crack—
Jiang Yao didn’t fully understand what was happening, but she felt better than ever.
“This is… magic?”
Once, Jiang Yao only “commanded” magic.
Everything she did was simply utilizing magic.
But now, she was playing with magic.
As crystals spread from her feet outward, goblins charged endlessly, only to fall in waves onto the crystal ground, their bodies gradually vanishing as the crystals brightened.
It was as if this had only just begun, and the heavy pressure pressing down on her head was vanishing with the expanding crystals.
Jiang Yao felt completely relaxed.
“She has already mastered the basics of Domain technique. No wonder she’s my daughter.”
Jiang Lingwei nodded approvingly.
She had nearly stepped in to help just now.
But then she saw Jiang Yao seemed to have found her own way out.
In that case, she absolutely could not interfere.
Because this was Jiang Yao’s exclusive Trial.
Like many martial arts emphasizing “mind, technique, and body,” Magical Girls also need these three elements.
“Body” is easy—it refers to physical fitness. Melee-type Magical Girls tend to be stronger physically than ranged types.
It can also be understood as the Magical Girl’s basic magical power.
“Technique” refers to various magics. The defensive incantations Jiang Lingwei had taught were learnable techniques. Jiang Yao’s ability to repel mobs with crystals was her own unique skill.
Beyond “body” and “technique,” the most important is the Magical Girl’s “mind.”
Magic’s power is the power of the soul.
Training the body hones the foundation, studying techniques can be done anywhere.
But opportunities for spiritual growth are far too rare.
Watching Jiang Yao stand like a queen, her face bright with surprise, gripping her sword, gazing down at the purple crystals sprouting and expanding beneath her feet, Jiang Lingwei felt deep comfort.
She looked at one of her hands and whispered:
“Magic… really does make one happy.”
Some past memories flashed before her eyes, softening her grip on the Black Mage’s neck just a little.
Taking advantage of this, the Black Mage hurriedly said, “I swear! I did nothing… guh! Gugu gagaga!”
Its neck was instantly squeezed tight, cutting off the second half of its sentence.
Following Jiang Lingwei’s murderous glare, the scene came into view.
That pale-faced, well-dressed man with a top hat had appeared without anyone noticing, now pressing a foot onto the fallen Jiang Yao.
As Jiang Yao collapsed, the glowing purple crystals gradually dimmed, shrinking amidst her suffering.
“…”
Jiang Lingwei said nothing, but her grip only tightened.
“Gugu…”
Crack.
This time, it was the Black Mage’s neck that broke.
And it didn’t even get to finish its scream.