Chapter 27: Transformation!

When Lu Ren came out of the restroom, Xu Wenxing was waiting for him outside.

“Hey, Ren-ge, why did you take so long just to use the bathroom?” Xu Wenxing quickly put away his phone upon seeing Lu Ren, calling out, “The professor’s almost here. Let’s go inside and find a seat.”

“Sorry, Wenxing. Can you ask the professor to excuse me?” Lu Ren said straightforwardly. “Something came up suddenly—I need to leave campus for a bit.”

“…Huh? Ren-ge, you’re joking, right?” Xu Wenxing paused, then laughed as he asked.

“No, I’m serious. Please ask for an excuse for me. If it’s not granted, it doesn’t matter. I just have to leave campus now.”

“Ren-ge, are you crazy?!” Xu Wenxing couldn’t understand why Lu Ren would make such a choice. “This is the professor’s class! There’s roll call! You’re going to give up your attendance points?!”

“I want them too, but right now I have something more important to do, so I guess it’s okay.”

Lu Ren smiled lightly in reply.

Xu Wenxing had never seen Lu Ren smile like that before. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “…Ren-ge, at worst, we won’t eat chicken hot pot today. I’ll save time for you to meet the rich lady at noon. You don’t have to do this all of a sudden, skipping a perfectly good class to go out will affect your scholarship and final grades.”

Xu Wenxing wanted to persuade Lu Ren further, but Lu Ren’s mind was made up.

“Don’t jump to conclusions. I never said it was the rich lady who contacted me. Alright, you focus on class. I’m leaving now. See you later.”

Lu Ren waved at Xu Wenxing, then turned and sprinted toward the campus gate.

But perhaps because he ran too fast, Lu Ren dropped something after just a few steps.

Xu Wenxing looked down at the ground in confusion and saw that it was Lu Ren’s Dormitory Key, with a red star-shaped pendant hanging from it.

At that moment, the red star pendant flickered, emitting a red glow Xu Wenxing had never seen before—bright enough to rival an incandescent light in the night.

“Ren-ge?”

Xu Wenxing stared in disbelief at the scene before him and instinctively called out to Lu Ren.

Lu Ren didn’t answer. He simply picked up his Dormitory Key and kept running toward the campus gate without hesitation.

Xu Wenxing watched Lu Ren’s retreating figure and stood silently by the classroom door for a long time, lost in thought.

“…Class is about to start, why aren’t you going in?”

Only when the professor’s voice sounded beside him did Xu Wenxing snap back to reality.

He quickly nodded at the professor, then turned to follow him into the classroom and found an empty seat.

Even as the noisy class bell rang around him, Xu Wenxing’s mind remained occupied by the image of the glowing red star pendant.

…………

Meanwhile, in a deserted alley outside the school, Lu Ren gripped the red star pendant tightly in his hand, slowly exhaling.

“Lu Ren, you’re here! Then hurry up and transform!”

Pandora, who had been waiting in the alley for a while, said as she saw Lu Ren arrive.

“Yeah, I know! Sorry to keep you waiting, Pandora.”

“Come on, Formation: Magical Outfit!”

In the next moment, crimson star light descended from the sky, dancing gracefully around Lu Ren.

As the star light appeared, an intricate Magic Circle formed beneath Lu Ren’s feet, illuminating his resolute face.

“The Blazing Flame Battle Suit is fully assembled. Please touch your Magic Fairy to complete Authorization.”

A familiar, pleasant female voice sounded in Lu Ren’s ear. The red star pendant transformed into a locked hexagonal black box floating before him.

“Is this your magical outfit? It’s the first time I’ve ever seen one like this,” Pandora said in awe.

“That’s right. This is my magical outfit. Watch closely next—this is my unique Transformation,” Lu Ren nodded in response.

“Mm-hmm, I’ll watch carefully. I’m really curious how you’ll complete your transformation without a Magic Fairy.”

Pandora stepped back, watching Lu Ren with a curious expression, pondering how he would transform.

Lu Ren remained silent.

He looked at Pandora, then at the black box floating before him, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

Suddenly, he clenched his teeth and grabbed the hexagonal black box with both hands, pouring all his strength into it.

“Hey! Lu Ren! Are you crazy?!” Pandora exclaimed in shock. “Forcing Authorization like that is impossible!”

“Click!”

Before Pandora could finish, a clear sound came from the box, followed by dazzling crimson light.

“Transform!”

With Lu Ren’s firm Transformation Phrase, crimson flames erupted from the ground, fiercely engulfing his body.

Within seconds, Magical Girl Scorching Flame appeared before Pandora, holding a Greatsword.

“How is this possible?” Pandora couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed. “Someone actually transformed without relying on Authorization? What exactly is a magical outfit?”

“Time to move, Pandora.”

Scorching Flame paid no mind to Pandora’s muttering.

She stepped forward and extended her hand to Pandora, inviting her to join the hunt for the Monster that appeared in the Old Town.

“…Alright! Let’s go, Scorching Flame!”

Pandora hesitated for a moment, then jumped onto Scorching Flame’s shoulder, replying with excitement.

“Good!”

Scorching Flame lightly swung her weapon, drawing a simplified Miniature Map of A City in the air, pinpointing the Monster’s location marked by a jet-black dot.

Having sensed the exact source of the abnormal magic, Scorching Flame immediately took to the sky, transforming into a meteor and speeding toward the western part of A City.

…………

“Roar!!!!”

The Monster’s roar echoed through the skies, causing every resident of the Old Town who heard it to shudder.

“A Mon-Monster? Why would a Monster appear here?”

A middle-aged man in a suit collapsed onto the ground, frozen stiff by the terrifying roar.

Scattered around him were piles of papers with black-and-white text, and not far away, a young couple had fainted from fright.

“Boom!”

The Monster shifted its massive body, trudging forcefully toward the Old Town. Its colossal frame slammed down onto the concrete, shaking the very earth beneath it.

“I-I don’t want to die! Move! Get up!”

As the Monster drew nearer, the middle-aged man shouted wildly, trying to force himself up to escape the danger.

But no matter what he did, his uncontrollable body wouldn’t respond.

With the Monster’s giant foot about to land on him, the man closed his eyes in despair, already imagining his grisly fate of becoming minced flesh.

“Hey! Move aside!”