Chapter 23: Magic

Unbeknownst to Jiang Lingwei, watching from afar, Jiang Yao was already exhausted. Not physically, nor from a lack of magic power. Killing these minions barely drained her strength or magic.

The true fatigue was mental.

‘There are too many of these things, way too many.’ ‘How long will I have to keep killing?’ ‘I want more—kill as many as I can!’

Jiang Yao’s thoughts churned with irritation.

Anyone who’s played a hack-and-slash game like Dynasty Warriors might understand. A famed general, controlled by the player, charges into a mob of minions. A swing of the halberd wipes out a group; a slash of the sword takes another.

But even with superior combat power, range, and abilities, the character takes stray hits, losing health unnoticed. Less skilled players, or novices, can easily fall to the minions.

This was Jiang Yao’s predicament.

Her sword glowed with magic. Whether slashing or cutting, the corpse-like undead goblins couldn’t resist for a moment, dissolving into puddles of mud. Sometimes, her blade felt no resistance at all—if not for the shattered bodies, she’d think she’d hit air.

But real combat was far graver than a game. It wasn’t turn-based, with enemies politely trading blows, nor did minions freeze for seconds, searching for her. It was relentless, unhesitating assault.

Jiang Yao felt like she’d plunged into an ocean, waves crashing from all directions. Her strength could win fleeting victories, but she couldn’t cleave through the tide.

Yes, how could a human fight the sea? This wasn’t her place.

Even quick kills or deterrence tactics were useless. Fear required intelligence, and these low-intellect deformities clearly lacked it.

Jiang Yao had to parry their attacks and counter, a process that barely consumed energy or magic. But her spirit struggled to bear it. Staying constantly alert, avoiding mistakes, was grueling.

‘Really, it feels like drowning in the sea…’

Jiang Yao unconsciously held her breath, taking another step against the demonic tide. Darkness enveloped her, even above—minions never stopped leaping from overhead. The stench of decay and black, foul blood splattered her when she struck.

Enemies were everywhere, except beneath her feet. Her magic wasn’t depleting quickly, but the frequency was relentless. If these monsters were endless, ten of her would burn out.

Honestly, Jiang Yao’s situation was dire. But as she realized this, the solid ground beneath her sparked a thought.

‘I don’t need to fight them.’

She came for her mother, not to slaughter monsters. No matter how many she killed, would they drop a Nine-Nine-Nine Dragon-Slaying Sword?

Nine-Nine-Nine Dragon-Slaying Sword: A humorous, exaggerated reference to overpowered game items, common in Chinese web novel gaming culture.

She’d been too fixated on a trivial fight. ‘That’s wrong. I know what to do.’ ‘Respond to me…’

Jiang Yao prayed—not to gods, but to: ‘Magic.’

Crack. A crystal shattered—not the one on her sword, but a new cluster grown on her armor.

A magical girl’s talents manifest in many ways. Some appear in costumes—swords, wands, firearms. Others, like Jiang Yao, manifest as abilities.

Her purple crystals formed when she used magic. Amid the monster waves, fighting endless enemies, Jiang Yao tried growing crystals on her spiritual attire—her armor.

If magic costumes could grow crystals, why not spiritual attire? ‘Bring it on.’

A new attempt—she could only chant silently. Opening her mouth risked tasting something vile.

Her magic surged, inexplicably cheering as her intent clarified, becoming uncontrollably active. “Oh…” A faint laugh slipped through her gritted teeth.

Whoosh! Crystals on her armor shattered and regrew, piercing an undead goblin’s body.

“I get it.” The girl muttered to herself.

Humans couldn’t fight the sea—they weren’t suited for it. But what if she were a fish, swimming through?

Bang! Bang! Bang! At her feet, glowing amethysts sprouted from the ground, rapidly spreading outward.

“Huh?” The first undead goblin to halt was a sturdier one. But its intelligence was no better.

It stared at Jiang Yao, standing tall, sword tip touching the ground, gripping the hilt tightly. It couldn’t fathom why she was suddenly so far away. It had been right in front of her.

Snap— Its legs turned to shattered crystals, its upper body falling helplessly onto the spiked crystal ground.

Crackle—crack— Jiang Yao didn’t know why, but she felt better than ever.

“Is this… magic?”

Before, she’d only “driven” magic, using it mechanically. Now, she was playing with it.

As crystals spread from her feet, goblins charged but fell in droves, their bodies dissolving as the crystals grew brighter. The pressure weighing her down vanished as the crystal field expanded.

Jiang Yao felt light, unburdened.

“She’s mastered the basics of a domain. Worthy of my daughter.” Jiang Lingwei nodded approvingly.

She’d nearly jumped in to help. But Jiang Yao had found her own way to break the stalemate.

If so, Jiang Lingwei couldn’t interfere. This was Jiang Yao’s “trial.”

Like the “mind, skills, and body” of martial arts, magical girls needed these too. “Body” was simple—physical fitness. Melee magical girls were often stronger than ranged ones. It was the foundation for wielding magic.

“Skills” were spells. Jiang Lingwei’s defensive wards were learned techniques. Jiang Yao’s crystal-based repelling of minions was her unique skill.

Beyond “body” and “skills,” the most vital was a magical girl’s “heart.” Magic’s power stemmed from the mind.

You could train your body or learn skills anywhere. But chances for spiritual growth were rare.

Jiang Lingwei smiled, watching Jiang Yao stand like a queen, her face alight with surprise, gripping her sword’s hilt as she gazed at the purple crystal cluster, expanding her domain.

She glanced at her own palm, whispering: “Magic… it’s this joyful.”

Memories flashed before her, loosening her grip on the dark wizard’s neck. Seizing the chance, it rasped: “I’ll talk! I know everything… Gu! Gugu Guga!”

Her grip tightened, cutting off its words. Jiang Lingwei’s gaze turned icy, like she was staring at a corpse.

The suited, hatted pretty boy had appeared, one foot on a fallen Jiang Yao. As Jiang Yao collapsed, her glowing purple crystals dimmed, shrinking in her pain.

“…” Jiang Lingwei said nothing, her grip tightening further.

“Gugu…” Crack. This time, the dark wizard’s neck snapped. Its scream died unfinished.