Chapter 51: National Ranking! Last Place and No Such Person.

Seeing the trio’s awestruck expressions, Jin Ling gave a wry smile and waved her hand dismissively.

“Don’t get too excited.”
“This powerful ability comes with ridiculous limitations. It’s not as impressive as you think.”
She explained softly, “Most of the time, I can only use it to predict an opponent’s movements in battle. That’s it.”

But Ling Lan couldn’t let it go so easily.
Her breathing was still rapid, her chest rising and falling slightly.
“Even predicting a few tenths of a second gives you an eternal advantage.”
“No matter the limits, that ability is still… monstrous.”
Her voice carried barely suppressed awe.

Just as the heavy atmosphere threatened to spread again, an out-of-place but vibrant voice broke the tension.

“Wow!”
Wei Re exclaimed, her eyes sparkling like stars with admiration and curiosity.
She darted to Jin Ling, brimming with uncontainable excitement.
“Can you see how pretty I’ll be in ten years? Will I have a boyfriend? What’s he like? Is he good to me? Oh, and can you predict when my big orange cat will have kittens?”

The oppressive mood shattered instantly under Wei Re’s barrage of whimsical questions.
Even Jin Ling froze for a moment before her eyes crinkled and she burst out laughing.
Xin Lü covered her mouth, giggling until her shoulders shook.
Ling Lan pressed her fingers to her temple, letting out a long sigh mixed with headache and fondness.
She had no words for this silly girl’s thought process.

Jin Ling reached out, gently tapping Wei Re’s nose with a fond, amused smile.
“That’s what I mean by limitations.”
Her warm voice dispelled the earlier tension.
“My foresight only extends a few hours at most. I can’t see ten years ahead.”

Seeing Wei Re’s face fall, Jin Ling added with a smile, “But don’t worry. You’re so cute, you’ll definitely have a super sweet romance someday.”
She winked playfully. “As for your big orange cat… want me to ask it now?”

Her humorous, heartfelt reply made Wei Re giggle, her earlier disappointment vanishing as she stuck out her tongue sheepishly.
After the banter, the atmosphere lightened completely.

Jin Ling’s smile faded, her expression turning serious.
“Alright, enough joking. Now it’s your turn to tell me about your abilities.”
She scanned the group, her tone firm. “As teammates, I need to know our team’s composition to better predict and coordinate.”

The three exchanged glances and nodded.
Xin Lü spoke first, a bit shyly.
“My main ability is healing. I can heal others through singing, both physical injuries and mental trauma. I can also use musical notes for basic attacks. In the team, I’m the support.”

Jin Ling nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Ling Lan.
Ling Lan crossed her arms, concise as ever. “I’m an elemental mage, freely controlling and summoning ice and water elements, skilled in ranged spells and crowd control. I’m the team’s mage, handling ranged attacks and battlefield control.”

Jin Ling mentally cataloged this, then looked at Wei Re.
Wei Re scratched her head awkwardly, her expression conflicted.
“I… I’m kind of a jack-of-all-trades, but master of none.”
Her voice grew quieter, a bit dejected. “I haven’t found any particularly strong special ability…”
She thought hard, trying to frame it positively. “But when fighting witches before, my magic wand sometimes turns into a cool knight’s greatsword with decent power. So, if I had to say… I’m the team’s sunflower, generating sunshine and being cute…”
Her voice trailed off, and she lowered her head, embarrassed.

Ling Lan and Xin Lü smiled fondly.
This little sunflower, despite her self-doubt, was more reliable than anyone in a pinch.
But Jin Ling latched onto a detail, her eyes glinting with interest.
“Your magical artifact can change forms? That’s impressive.”

“Hehe…” Wei Re grinned sheepishly, her heart warming at the praise.

Just as the moment of warmth and harmony settled, a cold alert interrupted them.

Buzz—
Their transformation devices vibrated simultaneously again.
Ling Lan frowned. Again?

A mechanical voice echoed in their minds.

[Notice: To facilitate the nationwide hunt for magical girls, a codename ranking list has been established based on each magical girl’s overall strength.]
[The list ranges from 1 to 200. Please check your sequence number.]

A massive blue holographic screen appeared before them, displaying rows of data-driven names and codenames, exuding a cold, technological aura.
They instinctively scanned from the top.

At the very top was a singular rank.

[Rank 001: God]
[Rank 002: Scholar]
[Rank 003: Red Flame]
…

Just the top few codenames radiated an invisible pressure.
“God? Scholar?” Wei Re muttered. “These codenames are so edgy…”

Ling Lan didn’t comment, her eyes focused on scanning the list for their names.
“Found it.”
Her gaze paused near the top.

[Rank 021: Ling Lan]

Right below was another familiar name.

[Rank 022: Jin Ling]

“21 and 22. Pretty high,” Ling Lan said calmly.
Jin Ling’s eyes lingered briefly on a name higher up before scanning downward, raising a casual brow at her rank, seemingly unbothered.

“Where’s Xin Lü?” Wei Re leaned in, searching anxiously.
They continued down the list.

[Rank 067: Xin Lü]

“There I am!” Xin Lü pointed, delighted.
67th—not bad, solidly above average. She was pleased.

“What’s with this nonsense?” Ling Lan scoffed, unimpressed. “Magical girls getting ranked like this? So pointless.”
She never cared for such formalities.
Turning to check Wei Re’s reaction, she saw her friend staring at the ground, silent.
The usually bright, smiling face was now lifeless, radiating dejection.

Ling Lan’s heart sank, a bad feeling creeping in.
Right… they hadn’t seen Wei Re’s name yet.
Her eyes returned to the list, this time scanning meticulously from top to bottom.
021, 022, 067…
Nothing.
Not in the top 100.
Not in the top 150.

Ling Lan’s brows furrowed tighter. Xin Lü’s smile faded, worry replacing it as she glanced at the silent Wei Re.
Finally, Ling Lan’s gaze reached the very bottom of the list.
There, alone at the end, like it had been forgotten by the world, was a familiar name.

[Rank 200: Wei Re]

The lowest-ranked magical girl in the country.
Last out of 200.

Ling Lan and Xin Lü exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with heartache and concern.
They turned to Wei Re, who stood with her head bowed, looking like a kitten drenched in a storm, utterly pitiful.

“Wei Re…”
Ling Lan stepped forward, gently patting her head, her voice soft and comforting.
“Don’t mind it. Who knows what this list is based on? It’s just meaningless data. Don’t take it to heart…”

Wei Re pouted, nodding glumly, but her dimmed eyes and tightly pressed lips betrayed her sadness.
She knew she wasn’t strong.
But she didn’t think she’d be… dead last.

In the heavy silence, Jin Ling, who’d been quietly studying the list, spoke up, her voice tinged with gravity and confusion.
“Something’s off.”

All eyes turned to her.
Instead of looking at the dejected Wei Re, Jin Ling’s gaze remained fixed on the blue list, her brows knitted tightly.

“Have you… found Snow White’s rank?”