Today was Saturday, and Fang Wei did not go to look for Qi Qiancao or Xia Yuanhua.
Even though both of them had sent him date invitations, the “Sigma” Fang Wei, who was entirely devoted to his career, remained unmoved.
His career?
Naturally, it was healing and hypnotizing magical girls.
However, before that, strength was also very important.
To put it bluntly, he had researched the [Dream Nail] given to him by Mianzi and discovered that its essence was the same as a magical girl’s—it could level up by absorbing mana.
The difference was that aside from mana, magical girls could still improve through the power of love, while the [Dream Nail] relied solely on mana.
Thus, Fang Wei took some time to find an abandoned elementary school where familiars were hiding and began his experience-grinding session.
[Familiar: Shadow Peeping at Happiness]
[Familiar Level: Lv1]
[Corruption Level: 100%]
[Familiar: Mirror of Four]
[Familiar Level: Lv3]
[Corruption Level: 100%]
Inside this abandoned elementary school, two types of monster familiars were hiding simultaneously.
There was a premise that had to be explained: as many anime works described, monsters came from the dark side of the human heart.
They were pure negative energy beings.
When the same dark thoughts accumulated to a certain extent, they would gather into a monster.
Correspondingly, monsters would also give birth to their own familiars.
Because they also originated from the power of the “heart,” magical girls, monsters, and familiars were essentially of the same source.
The [Kashu] organization?
Although it wasn’t nice to say, the freaks and executives within the organization were all just a pack of roadside dogs who stole the power of monsters.
The freaks underwent fusion and modification with monsters, while the executives used magical weapons that siphoned monster mana.
The [Hypnosis App] was also a type of magical weapon.
The same applied to Fang Wei’s katana and the recently acquired [Dream Nail].
After slaying six [Shadows Peeping at Happiness], the experience points of the Dream Nail reached 6/100.
Mianzi had reminded him that the (Fragile) Dream Nail would suffer irreversible damage if used long-term, so it had to be upgraded to Lv2 first to become a (Common) Dream Nail.
Only then would the invincible mind-reading ability belong to him forever.
Clang—
The katana, transformed from ribbons, slashed into a man-sized mirror.
The Shadow Monster had already been eliminated last night, so its familiars were homeless and had no choice but to seek refuge with these mirror familiars.
It gave off a strong sense of a “one-eared” bandit looking for his uncle.
The Shadow Monster’s own level was only Lv3, and its familiars were Lv1, but this group of mirror familiars had strength equal to the Shadow Monster itself, so their corresponding monster should be around Lv5.
This was also the part that worried Fang Wei after discovering the familiars.
If a Lv5 monster was hiding in Nantong City, the destructiveness would likely be immeasurable.
Fortunately, in the information provided by Si Chen, that monster had never appeared; at most, Lv3 mirror familiars occasionally came out to cause trouble.
“Hah!”
With full force, the tall mirror was shattered to pieces.
Fang Wei took a deep breath, looking at the densely packed shadow familiars and several mirror familiars in the corridor.
[(Fragile) Dream Nail]
[Magic Level: Lv1, 78/100]
[Usage Count: 0, Refreshes at midnight]
[Introduction: Capture fleeting and momentary thoughts with mana. Reality is the end of a dream; a dream is the continuation of reality.]
[Description: There is no fault in seeking something to rely on. I knew it—in this world, there is a love that belongs to me (?) and your love at first sight (?)]
[Remarks: Fang Wei’s exclusive item, cannot be gifted.]
Slaying a Lv3 familiar yielded mana several times that of a Lv1, so Fang Wei quickly gave up on attacking the shadow familiars.
He focused solely on hunting the mirror familiars (out of greed).
Chasing a mirror familiar that was using its left and right support stands to run away, he fought all the way to the classroom at the end of the hall.
Although the mirror familiar’s running posture was quite comical, in “Souls-like” games, generally the more comical the monster looked, the more painful it was to fight.
Sure enough, this mirror familiar possessed some intelligence.
Realizing that none of them were a match for Fang Wei individually, it intentionally lured him here.
Inside the classroom, from left to right, top to bottom, there were a total of twenty-one mirror familiars.
This was equivalent to the combat power of twenty-one [Pigeon Monsters] or [Shadow Monsters].
Even an average Lv4 magical girl would likely find it difficult to withstand.
Those densely packed mirrors used their non-existent faces to look at Fang Wei in unison.
Within the mirror surfaces, reflections of Fang Wei appeared layer upon layer.
Different from reality, the Fang Wei in the mirrors had bleeding eyes and a body covered in festering sores.
The essence of these familiars was [Fear].
Whether domestic or foreign, legends about mirrors had been passed down from ancient times to the present—like peeling an apple in front of a mirror at midnight, or Japan’s “facing mirrors” setup. In short, they were all about ghosts and gods.
Over time, it wasn’t strange for such monsters to be born from a heart of fear.
And at this moment, the images within the mirror familiars began to distort.
“Hee hee hee…”
“Hee hee hee…”
The Fang Wei in the mirrors also distorted along with them, eventually turning into…
Holy crap, a traditional-style Lolita!
“Hee hee, if I win, Senior has to date me, okay?”
No, what kind of familiar is this? It even uses honey traps?!
What happened to the promised [Fear]?
Even the widely experienced Black Owl couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned, but a sinister smile immediately appeared on his face.
With a back kick, he slammed the classroom door shut with a “clatter.”
“Fine, I won’t lose!”
Seducing me?
For a girl to be liked by me, she at least has to let me feel her personality charm after clearing a whole route in a galgame, right?
Do you really think that dressing like a thirst trap can make me abandon my dignity and lick your boots like a simp??
I don’t even know your personality, hobbies, or past—am I supposed to turn into a “Boiling Sheep,” buy you a “Captain” sub, and whale on a $100 top-up just because I saw a pretty sprite??
Besides, are you thirst traps prettier than Qi Qiancao, or do you have a better body than Xia Yuanhua?
“Hee hee, Senior, come play with us~”
“Hee hee, hee your mother!”
The bandages transformed into two silver-white katanas.
Fang Wei swung both arms, slashing horizontally and vertically with a whistling wind.
He had no desire for women; his eyes were filled only with bloodlust.
Clang clang clang clang—
The sound of shattering, the sound of screaming, the sound of wailing.
The hilt of the sword smashed against the mirror surface, crushing the face of the sexy older-sister type in the mirror into a bloody mess.
He performed another “Dragon Piercer” jump.
The shattered mirror fragments brushed past his hair, vanishing into thin air along with the screams.
[(Common) Dream Nail]
[Magic Level: Lv2, 25/1000]
[Usage Count: 3, Refreshes at midnight]
[Introduction: Capture fleeting and momentary thoughts with mana. Reality is the end of a dream; a dream is the continuation of reality.]
[Description: Repeat a lie a thousand times and it becomes the truth. Mister Boyfriend, you love me deeply, love me deeply, love me deeply, love me deeply (?)]
[Remarks: Fang Wei’s exclusive item, cannot be gifted.]
Looking at this updated description—although he didn’t know what kind of fit Mianzi was throwing—as a quest reward related to Qi Qiancao, the way it spoke was actually quite similar to that girl.
He sheathed his sword. After the hearty massacre, only a few shadow familiars were left uncleaned.
The Lv3 mirror familiars didn’t disappear immediately after being killed; small Lv1 mirror familiars were born from their shards.
Therefore, Fang Wei had an idea.
Say, if I turned the entire abandoned school into a steel cage and waited for the shadow familiars and small mirror familiars to evolve, then harvested them and let them evolve again… wouldn’t grinding experience be much faster?
As soon as this thought appeared, it was quickly suppressed.
That’s way too much of a “scumbag” move; playing too many automation games makes it easy to lose one’s humanity.
But Fang Wei still left that group of Lv1s behind, considering it a small gift for that blue-haired magical girl from before.
His urgency to get stronger was partly due to this.
He was currently “stealing” Qi Qiancao and Xia Yuanhua.
Although those two had no intersection, they definitely had a connection with that blue magical girl.
If she ever discovered his little tricks, Fang Wei would be sweating bullets.
Therefore, getting stronger was vital.
At the same time, the reinforced [Dream Nail] might allow him to understand what kind of person Qi Qiancao was and what exactly was inside her head.
As for Zhuge Yu on the other side… Fang Wei had always maintained the intention of winning over that high-level NPC.
Doing while thinking, it felt like there were still many things to handle.
By comparison, life on Sunday was much more relaxed.
Fang Wei built a computer and didn’t emerge until Monday noon, escaping from the “fecal sea and mad maggots” of Silksong.
And in a fit of rage, he gave a five-star review to Legends of the Three Kingdoms.
After being busy, he opened his phone and scanned through Qi Qiancao’s 99+ messages.
Qi Qiancao was still tirelessly sending him updates on her daily life; she seemed very happy to share various experiences.
Fang Wei gave them a rough look.
The content was actually very simple.
A college student’s 8:00 AM classes, club activities, study tasks, and campus runs.
Aside from that, it was mixed with Qi Qiancao’s unique experiences of receiving small gifts and male classmates trying to confess to her as soon as she stepped out of the classroom.
[Even though they clearly know someone has a boyfriend, they still try to steal them. How disgusting.]
Even though she was a cute little “Auspicious Beast” in front of outsiders, her tone became exceptionally hostile when discussing people and things she disliked.
[But Mister Boyfriend doesn’t need to be afraid. That boy won’t come to disturb us ever again.]
Qi Qiancao’s next sentence made Fang Wei’s brow furrow slightly.
His finger tapped a line of text on the virtual keyboard.
[What happened to that boy?]
It showed the other party was typing. After a long while, Qi Qiancao sent a photo of a white butterfly resting on her fingertip.
A Cabbage White butterfly.
Its wings were creamy yellow with black spots.
It was the most common butterfly in the country and was considered a pest.
Qi Qiancao skipped the previous topic and suddenly sent a voice message.
“Mister Boyfriend, look! Even butterflies like me. Will you always like me too?”
The background was noisy; Qi Qiancao should be in a crowded place right now.
Coupled with the background of the photo, it was definitely the sports stadium.
Fang Wei hesitated for a moment, then chose to follow her lead and sent a voice message with a gentle tone.
“Yeah, I like you too.”
“Where are you now? I’ll go find you.”
The second voice message was sent and quickly received a reply.
[Over by the school sports stadium. I’m waiting for you!]
***
Even though Qi Qiancao’s way of speaking was always very gentle, there had been an inexplicable sense of pressure from start to finish.
This feeling was hard to describe.
If a specific analogy had to be made, it would be like holding a creature as cute as a little rabbit in your arms.
And then that creature said its name was Kyubey—an Incubator.
Yes, that kind of pressure!
Warning of danger was an instinct for any living creature.
But to complete his great ideal, Fang Wei needed to face this layer of danger head-on.
Half an hour later, he arrived at the school sports stadium.
After learning that various departments were preparing for physical fitness tests, he squeezed through the crowd and saw the group of beautiful girls under the shade of a tree.
The magical girl sat in the middle, the group chatting and laughing until a girl noticed Fang Wei walking over.
“Hey handsome, we all have boyfriends already.”
A freckled girl teased, likely mistaking Fang Wei for a passerby trying to pick them up.
However, Fang Wei maintained his integrity as a boyfriend quite well.
He ignored the girl, his gaze remaining fixed on Qi Qiancao.
This little Auspicious Beast was like a puppy finding its owner, throwing herself into his arms.
She was dressed very simply today: a tracksuit and a ponytail.
A beautiful girl never needed clothes to highlight her natural beauty; on the contrary, being worn by such a girl made even the most ordinary clothes look stunning.
“Mister Boyfriend.”
Qi Qiancao really liked this posture of hugging someone tightly, like a girl in bed vigorously rubbing against a big pink teddy bear.
She buried her small nose in Fang Wei’s chest and inhaled deeply, wishing she could strip naked and crawl into Fang Wei’s clothes to stick to him.
Of course, that was unrealistic, but through the clothes, Fang Wei could still smell the elegant fragrance from the girl’s hair and feel the softness trembling with excitement.
Because of this, his state of mind actually calmed down, and he lightly patted the girl’s back.
“Alright, alright, your classmates are all watching. By the way, you have your physical test today, right? Why aren’t you in line?”
“Because without Mister Boyfriend, I’ll be very nervous.”
Qi Qiancao drew a heart on his chest with her index finger.
That cutesy, high-pitched voice made several other girls show shocked expressions on the spot.
Although Qi Qiancao always spoke softly and sweetly, it was clear that this was the first time they had seen it reach this level of sweetness.
“Woo-hoo—woo…”
A female voice, clearly a fan of chaos, started hooting like a gorilla before her companion covered her mouth.
A few others cast approving glances and gave him a thumbs-up.
It was clear that compared to male friends, girls were mostly there for the gossip and to ship the couple, pure agents of chaos.
Because as Fang Wei walked over just now, several boys nearby had been lingering and hesitating.
By the time Qi Qiancao dove into his arms, two had already dispersed.
There was also a tanned athlete “cultivating” nearby; after one deep, lingering look, he immediately unleashed a “Marco Polo” spin of fury and lost his right to choose a college mate under the “Iron Mountain Lean” of his best friend.
It was clear that college students were just too bored.
He placed one hand on top of Qi Qiancao’s head and rubbed the girl’s small head.
“If you’re nervous, I’ll just watch you from the side, okay?”
“Then for the long-distance run later, can Mister Boyfriend stay by my side?”
She looked up, trying to act spoiled, her dainty body completely pressed against Fang Wei, swaying her small waist.
Fang Wei had no choice but to grab her shoulders.
If Qi Qiancao kept swaying, she was going to rub his pants off.
He said helplessly, “It’s not appropriate for a big man like me to run with the girls, is it? Besides, they need to record scores. Don’t make things too difficult for the teacher.”
“Then… then can you cheer for me? Encourage me!”
Qi Qiancao was still persistent.
When she stood on her tiptoes, what that so-called “encouragement” meant was self-explanatory.
Fang Wei wasn’t stupid enough to let her push her luck.
He pressed her head down, trying to use a “head-patting technique” to tame this love-struck brain.
“Be good. I’ll be right here watching you.”
“Mm-hmm.”
In terms of being a girlfriend, Little Qi Qiancao’s feedback was very rewarding.
She lifted her pink-flushed face and pressed her forehead against Fang Wei’s chin.
She seemed to know that Fang Wei wasn’t willing to have more intimate actions, so she took this as encouragement.
She ran off with a smile, and even as she stood on the track, her gaze was still sneaking looks back at him.
Fang Wei waved his hand, and only then did she turn around.
When the whistle blew, Fang Wei let out a long sigh of relief.
The two of them being so lovey-dovey just now had disgusted away all the classmates who were trying to watch the show.
However, those few girls crowded around, their faces filled with bright, auntie-like smiles.
“Hey handsome, you guys are really dating! I thought it was just a rumor.”
“I told you they were! Do you remember me, handsome? I was the one sitting next to Qi Qiancao last week.”
Ah, so you’re the little girl who was winking at me, right?
Fang Wei really wanted to keep his distance from this group of girls, but unfortunately, he seemed to have become the center of their attention.
A girl’s soul for gossip was the easiest thing to ignite, especially when seeing that Qi Qiancao’s boyfriend was also a high-tier visual.
Seeing this handsome man and beautiful girl standing together, it was hard for these girls, whose heads were full of youth fantasies, not to turn into hardcore shippers.
“Sorry, I surrender. I used to be a firm Yuri supporter, but it turns out I’m just a shallow visual-lover.”
“Aaahhh!”
A girl suddenly let out a zero-frame-startup war cry.
“I want to be a guy! I want to have a dick so I can date Little Cao too, aaahhh—”
“Hey handsome, do you have any guys around you of similar quality? Even if they’re a bit less handsome, it’s fine.”
These women were all talking at once, making Fang Wei’s head ache.
However, he hadn’t forgotten another important matter.
After dealing with the girls, he asked, “By the way, I heard from Little Cao that a boy confessed to her this morning. Is that true?”
“Oh? Is the boyfriend jealous?”
“Aaahhh, it’s ‘protecting the wife’! Then the boyfriend goes to find that guy, and finally, the two boys live happily ever after, aaahhh!!!”
Seriously, why are you still war-crying?
Fortunately, there was still a normal person among these crazy women.
The freckled girl pointed to a boy in the distance who had just finished his lung capacity test.
The boy obviously noticed them too.
He smiled and waved at the freckled girl, but when he saw Fang Wei, the smile on his face vanished instantly.
As if he had seen something terrifying, his face went pale, and he practically ran away on all fours.
“Huh? He looks like he was scared to death?”
In the instant of this unexpected situation, Fang Wei had already used the ability of the Dream Nail.
However, the murmurs that subsequently flooded his ears made Fang Wei freeze as well.
[Must escape… must escape… must escape…]
[I’ll definitely be killed (?)]
[I’ll definitely die, I’ll definitely die, I’ll definitely die (?)]
Fear.
His heart kept repeating that he would be afraid.
Therefore, even though he knew he wasn’t being harmed, he still felt panicked and lost.
This repetition was like a “mental seal,” firmly engraved in that boy’s mind.
Fang Wei suddenly remembered the description of the [Dream Nail].
The so-called “repeat a lie a thousand times and it becomes the truth.”
Qi Qiancao, is this your handiwork?
Is this your magic?
You’re using magic on an ordinary person?
You’re a monster!
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