The 30-Year-Old Magical Girl - Chapter 41
If she was being honest…
Mo Li really did dislike You Xi.
But that dislike was nothing more than the kind of rivalry common among high school girls—
A mixture of jealousy…
Competition…
And the lingering resentment from everything that had happened between them.
You Xi had beaten her up.
Getting suspended.
Being disliked by teachers and classmates.
Getting scolded by her parents.
In Mo Li’s mind…
That should have been the end of it.
The harshest punishment imaginable.
But now…
Things had escalated all the way to the police station.
That…
She had never expected.
Seriously…?
The police?
To Mo Li…
The police station was a place only criminals ever entered.
Sure, she disliked You Xi.
But…
Did it really have to go this far?
She deserved punishment…
But wasn’t this punishment a little too severe?
As these thoughts swirled inside her head…
An uneasy feeling quietly settled in her heart.
“Idiot! Move!”
The shout instantly snapped Huangxing back to reality.
At that exact moment…
She saw it.
A Fish Man aberration…
With a humanoid body and the head of a grotesque fish…
Charging straight toward her.
A sharpened bone spear was already raised.
By the time Huangxing realized what was happening…
The creature had already lunged.
Too late…
Although magical energy had already begun gathering in her hand…
Forming an arrow…
She knew.
There wasn’t enough time.
She couldn’t even nock the arrow before the spear reached her.
Am I… going to die?
The terrifying thought flashed across her mind—
And then…
A massive greatsword wrapped in blazing flames suddenly filled her vision.
BOOM!
The flat side of the sword smashed into the Fish Man like a speeding truck.
The monster flew backward before crashing violently into the wall.
Its body exploded into a gruesome mass of flesh and blood.
The horrifying sight made Huangxing’s stomach churn…
Yet…
For some inexplicable reason…
It also stirred a strange excitement inside her.
“What were you spacing out for?”
Raging Flame frowned as she casually picked up the magic crystal left behind.
“That was seriously dangerous.”
“I just saved your life.”
“I’m definitely remembering this favor.”
“W-What does that have to do with you?!”
Finally recovering from her shock…
Huangxing instinctively argued back.
“If we’re keeping score…”
“Didn’t I save you yesterday?”
“…Fair enough.”
Raging Flame nodded immediately.
“Then we’re even.”
“No one owes anyone anything.”
“Huangxing.”
Tidal, who had been observing everything, finally spoke.
“Were you distracted just now?”
“Why did you hesitate?”
“I’m sorry, Senior.”
Huangxing immediately bowed her head.
“I was thinking about something else for a moment.”
“It won’t happen again.”
“I promise.”
Seeing how sincerely Huangxing apologized…
Tidal found herself unable to criticize her.
Unfortunately…
Someone else noticed the difference immediately.
“You didn’t even thank me after I saved you.”
“…Teacher’s pet.”
Raging Flame crossed her arms and looked away.
“Huh?”
“Teacher’s pet?”
Huangxing puffed out her cheeks.
“Can’t I respect my senior?”
“Do I need your permission?”
“…Enough.”
Sensing another argument about to erupt…
Tidal immediately interrupted.
“The mission isn’t over.”
“Stop wasting energy fighting each other.”
“Cough… cough…”
“Senior!”
Both girls looked over simultaneously.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
Tidal quickly waved them off before casually inventing an excuse.
“It’s just…”
“The air down here is a little stuffy.”
They were deep underground.
Far beneath the city.
Inside its enormous sewer system.
Recently…
The Anti-Aberration Special Operations Bureau had discovered groups of D-Rank Fish Men establishing territory beneath the city.
Their presence posed a serious danger to maintenance workers responsible for inspecting pipelines and repairing damaged equipment.
Before assigning magical girls…
The Bureau had already launched several cleanup operations.
Several agents had sacrificed their lives before finally breaking apart the Fish Men colony.
Now…
Only scattered remnants remained.
The task assigned to the three magical girls was simply to eliminate the survivors.
The city’s underground drainage network was one of the largest artificial labyrinths imaginable.
Without specialized maps or equipment…
Almost anyone would become hopelessly lost among the endless gray tunnels.
The three magical girls flew in formation through one identical corridor after another.
Every so often…
Tidal would stop.
Close her eyes.
And spread her magical perception throughout the surrounding tunnels.
Move.
Search.
Eliminate.
Repeat.
The cycle continued for over three hours.
By the time Tidal checked the time…
It was already ten o’clock at night.
She decided to finish the mission.
Tonight’s operation had already eliminated several D-Rank aberrations.
Their magic crystals had all been collected.
According to Lao Lin…
Unused crystals could later be exchanged with the Special Operations Bureau for various real-world rewards.
One of the many benefits enjoyed by magical girls.
“Senior…”
“It smells awful down here…”
Huangxing covered her nose.
“My sense of smell has completely died.”
“I seriously hope this doesn’t carry over after I transform back.”
Raging Flame looked equally miserable.
The complaint wasn’t limited to the two teenage girls.
Even Tidal…
Who had spent years working around factories, machinery, and chemical odors…
Was beginning to reach her limit.
“Let’s deal with the last one.”
“Then we’re heading home.”
As she spoke…
Blue magical particles gathered around her fingertips.
Like countless glowing fireflies…
They slowly merged together…
Forming a brilliant blue ring.
With a gentle flick…
The ring expanded outward.
Ripples of magical energy spread through every nearby tunnel.
Several minutes later…
The dispersed particles gradually returned…
Reforming the same glowing ring before settling back into Tidal’s palm.
She gently crushed it.
Absorbing the information carried within.
“…Found it.”
She immediately turned toward one of the narrower passages.
This magical detection technique…
Was something she’d only learned that afternoon while secretly practicing during work.
Honestly…
She hadn’t expected it to function properly yet.
But…
The result exceeded expectations.
Perhaps Lao Lin hadn’t been exaggerating after all.
Her aptitude for magic really was extraordinary.
Still…
Why was her talent so exceptional?
Why had she inherited a First-Generation Magic Wand?
Those mysteries remained unanswered.
And right now…
She had neither the time nor the energy to investigate.
The rushing sound of flowing water gradually grew louder.
Soon…
The narrow passage opened into a massive underground junction.
Several tunnels converged here.
The chamber was as large as multiple classrooms combined.
Electrical control cabinets and maintenance equipment lined the walls.
The instant the three magical girls stepped inside—
Whoosh!
A sharpened bone spear shot directly toward Tidal’s face.
She didn’t even blink.
The spear stopped only centimeters from her nose.
No…
It wasn’t blocked.
It was disintegrating.
From its tip all the way to its shaft…
The weapon was being crushed into microscopic dust before scattering into the air.
Around Tidal…
A nearly invisible defensive barrier of ultra-dense magical particles quietly shimmered.
It consumed an enormous amount of magic…
But its defensive capability was equally overwhelming.
The surprise attack had been erased effortlessly.
“There!”
Huangxing pointed toward the center of the chamber.
Standing below…
A Fish Man noticeably larger than the others glared at them with undisguised hostility.
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