When Chu Xiuyan woke up, he found himself lying inside a large vehicle, with two rows of seats on either side.
He had an entire row to himself.
Through the window, he could see the pitch-black sky outside, dotted with stars.
It was beautiful.
He sat up slowly, noticing a stranger’s jacket draped over him.
The bloody hole in his chest had disappeared, leaving only the tattered, blood-stained fabric as evidence of his previous state.
[System?]
He called out, slipping the jacket on.
There was no familiar voice in his mind.
Well, great, the System was out of contact again.
“Awake?”
The sudden voice startled Chu Xiuyan.
“When did you get here?”
He clutched his chest in alarm.
The uncle sitting across from him looked speechless.
“I’ve been here the whole time.”
It was the super-mysterious uncle from the dungeon.
Chu Xiuyan relaxed—turns out the man wasn’t a bad person after all.
He curiously glanced around and said, “Just the two of us in this huge compartment? Wow, this must be the legendary VIP treatment. Never thought I’d experience this myself!”
The uncle had the odd feeling there was something off about that, but couldn’t pinpoint it.
He dryly responded, “Ah. Mm.”
After a pause, his dead-fish eyes calmly watched as the black-haired youth knelt on the seat, excitedly peering out the window.
He said, “Hey, I have a question for you. Please answer honestly.”
Chu Xiuyan: “What is it?”
Uncle: “What’s a Magic Girl Contract?”
For a moment, the air in the compartment fell silent.
The black-haired youth hesitated.
“Uncle, are you trying to get me to roast you?”
“No, I’m seriously asking.”
“……”
Chu Xiuyan widened his eyes, stroking his chin as he sized up the uncle, mumbling to himself, “What the… Is this legendary airheadedness? No, no, no matter how you look at it, if you mix this setting with a weathered, dead-fish-eyed uncle, there’s just no way it’s cute!”
Uncle: “Hey, I can hear you.”
“Well, simply put, a Magic Girl Contract refers to a coming-of-age girl in two-dimensional works who forms a contract with a mysterious creature and gains the power to save the world. Whether healing or tragic types, they’re almost always under eighteen. So Uncle, you could never become a magic girl—you’re way too old for that.”
“Age isn’t the main issue. Gender is—I’m a man.”
The uncle stroked his stubbly chin.
“So I guess I can only be a Great Magician.”
Chu Xiuyan: “You can actually keep up with my jokes! Incredible!”
“I’m only twenty-eight, brat.”
“You look like you’re pushing forty already. Isn’t that a bit hasty? Can’t you age a little slower, Uncle?”
“Do you think I can control this?”
The uncle sighed.
“I haven’t even received a love letter before. It’s pathetic.”
Chu Xiuyan: “It’s fine, I can write. Want me to pretend to be a girl and write you a confession?”
“……”
The uncle ignored that instantly and moved straight to the real topic.
“I’m Zhang Chun, Chief of the Huangshi Settlement. You’ve probably guessed—some of the nearby human Gathering Places formed an alliance to take out a medium-sized Stranger Settlement with a Blood Crystal Mine.”
“In that area, the Blood Crystal Energy in the air is dense enough to stimulate Mutant powers, so both actively and passively, Inhumans gather around the mine, forming a terrifying force and a major threat to humans…”
“Anyway, the battle’s over now. Our night raid went smoothly, and you made a huge contribution, keeping our casualties to a minimum.”
Chu Xiuyan said, “No need to thank me.”
Zhang Chun: “Right, but I’ll thank you anyway… There are three Gathering Places allied together—our Huangshi, our neighbor Huishi, and the more distant Heishi Settlement to the west. Since the route back overlaps for a while, our convoys are still traveling together. We’ll reach a fork in the road about five kilometers away late tonight. Then we’ll split up.”
Chu Xiuyan stroked his chin, face tangled with doubt, hesitating to speak.
Zhang Chun: “Is something wrong?”
“Why are your Gathering Places called Huangshi, Huishi, and Heishi? Those sound so random.”
“Because our soil is yellow, Huishi has a huge gray rock, and Heishi’s soil is heavily polluted, so it’s all black earth.”
Chu Xiuyan: …These names are straight out of the Stone Age!
Zhang Chun yawned slowly and continued, “You know your background is unclear, and your identity can’t withstand much scrutiny. Once we arrive at Huangshi Settlement, I hope you can do three things.”
The uncle held up one finger, his tone growing serious.
“First, wash your own clothes and keep your room tidy. We have guests often.”
“Second, I won’t give you pocket money. You’ll have to support yourself.”
“Third, I’m pursuing a woman. Don’t play third wheel—if you see us alone, give us some space.”
Chu Xiuyan: “……”
He gave a thumbs up.
The convoy gradually stopped.
They’d put over ten kilometers between them and the Stranger Settlement.
All around were forests.
The joint team from the three Gathering Places numbered more than fifty people, with over ten large vehicles alone.
At this moment, each Gathering Place was resting separately but not far apart.
The Chief of Huishi Settlement was a mature woman with long, wavy hair flowing down her back. Dressed in combat attire, she radiated confidence and charisma.
She walked up to Huangshi’s convoy, knocked on Zhang Chun’s window, and waited for him to roll it down.
Flirtatiously tossing her hair, she curled her red lips, her eyes seeming to hold a thousand unspoken feelings.
She said, “Just got news—Hei Ya and Shi Gu from the Stranger Settlement survived. They escaped, badly injured, but knowing Mutant habits, they’ll likely tail our convoy, waiting for revenge. We’ll split at the next fork, but these woods are perfect for ambushes and sneak attacks. I’m afraid they’ll strike tonight.”
Zhang Chun: “So I can’t rest again?”
“Hang in there, Lao Wang.”
“Uh… My surname is Zhang.”
After the woman left, Chu Xiuyan curiously asked, “Is Uncle really that strong? The other Chiefs are even seeking your help?”
“I’m just a B-Class Esper, pretty weak really, but I have my uses.”
Zhang Chun got out of the vehicle and stood on the ground. His usual languid tone grew serious and composed, as if everything was under his control.
“I’m an Earth Affinity Esper. Anything that happens within a hundred kilometers—the earth tells me everything.”
“Eye of Heaven! No, wait—Eye of Earth!”
Chu Xiuyan exclaimed.
The uncle clasped his hands behind his back, radiating an imposing aura.
As if sensing something, he stepped forward, and the very next second, with a loud “Ah!” he tripped over a rock and fell flat on his face.
“…Five hundred meters east.”
He dusted off his leg, straightened up, and pretended nothing had happened.
Chu Xiuyan got off the car too, walked up to Zhang Chun, raised his hand to show a “2,” and said, “Uncle, trim your bangs. You’re going blind—what number am I showing?”
The uncle ignored him, told him not to wander, and headed straight toward the Huishi convoy.
Chu Xiuyan looked around.
There weren’t many people outside, and the atmosphere was uncomfortably quiet.
At that moment, a voice suddenly called out.
“Hey, you with the black hair!”
Chu Xiuyan turned to see the window roll down on a nearby vehicle.
A stranger with a scarred face tossed a backpack his way, sounding annoyed.
“Who told you to get out? Get back in!”
A warning.
So Chu Xiuyan scampered over.
“Uncle, uncle, why can’t I leave the vehicle? Is it that dangerous outside? The Chief just walked out~ What’s in the backpack? Is it for me? Oh, it’s bread, thank you, kind uncle!”
The scar-faced uncle: “…You’re so noisy, brat. I don’t know what the Chief told you, but it’s extremely dangerous outside at night—especially in woods overrun with all sorts of Mutant plants…”
He hadn’t finished speaking when the ground began to shake.
Over a dozen menacing, Blood Crystal-encrusted vines burst from the earth, clawing toward Chu Xiuyan with terrifying force!
The scar-faced uncle’s pupils shrank.
He aimed his gun at the writhing vines and shouted, “I’ll handle this! Get in the car—now!”
He’d already cracked the door open a sliver.
Screaming, Chu Xiuyan sprinted over, pressed his hands on the sliding door, and with a “bang,” slammed it shut.
Scar-faced uncle: “?”
“Whew, Uncle, that’s dangerous. If you died, how would I explain to the leader?”
Standing outside, exposed to danger, the black-haired youth grinned, patting his chest as he reassured, “Relax, I’m amazing.”
The moon peeked through the clouds, bathing the youth in a faint glow—soft, but bright.
There was something about it that made people trust him.
The scar-faced uncle couldn’t help but ask, “Are you really sure about this?”
“Of course! By the way, Uncle, is bread all there is for dinner? Any meat…”
His words trailed off.
A massive vine as thick as a waist swooped down from above, wrapped around the youth, and flung him skyward before slamming him back to the ground.
A terrified scream echoed in the night.
“Ahhh! You’re breaking the rules! The protagonist is supposed to be invincible while talking! The enemy’s not allowed to attack! Not allowed!!”
With a crash, dust billowed up from the ground.
The scar-faced uncle’s heart skipped a beat.
He closed his eyes.
“It’s over…”
A gigantic vine in the night sky targeted the iron vehicle, twisting like a snake as it stabbed toward it.
A chorus of exclamations rang out.
“Where are the Chiefs?”
“They were just talking, then left the Chief of Heishi Settlement behind and walked off! Wait, the old man’s gone too! The Chief of Heishi is missing!”
“Ahhh, stall them! Fire, fire!”
Bullets poured from the windows of more than a dozen vehicles, but they were useless against the nimble vines.
All anyone could do was watch helplessly as a massive vine rushed toward the vehicle holding their companions.
Just then, a cloud of gray mist rose from the ground, moving silently and swiftly to the side of the vehicle.
It surged upward, taking the form of a more-than-two-meter-tall misty humanoid monster. Its massive, mountain-like body blocked the car, and its crystal-studded hands grabbed the attacking vine, restraining it with sheer force.
“What the…?”
Inside the car, the scar-faced uncle gaped in shock.
Was this monster protecting them?
Not far off, a voice rang out.
“Ugh, I hate roller coasters.”
The black-haired youth climbed out of a pit, face gloomy as he wiped the bitter stomach acid from his lips.
He raised a hand and grabbed another oncoming vine, twisting his body as his feet carved deep grooves in the earth.
Boom!
The entire vine was smashed into the ground, gouging a trench more than ten meters long.
Chu Xiuyan’s arms began to sprout tiny Blood Crystal fragments, a faint crimson light flickering in his pupils.
“Hey, vine, still playing this embarrassing game at your age?”
He straightened, lips curling into an arrogant smirk.
“Don’t be stingy. Let me have some fun, too.”
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