Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 18: First Cooperation

"Taking down a Ravager in such a short time—just as expected from an Inspector!"

As Lin Xiaolu landed, Moko flapped its tiny wings and popped out from behind her, its tone dripping with exaggerated flattery.

It wasn’t the first time Moko had acted like this. In fact, Veronica was starting to suspect that this little creature had been involved in some kind of corruption scandal back in the Magic Kingdom and had fled to the material world. Otherwise, why would it care so much about her title as Inspector?

No matter how often Veronica ignored or dismissed its blatant attempts at sucking up, Moko never stopped.

If any kid were to see this fairy constantly brown-nosing, they might just lose all faith in the concept of fairies altogether.

Suppressing a sigh, Veronica chose to ignore Moko and instead turned her attention to Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang.

It was obvious that from the moment Lin Xiaolu arrived, the atmosphere between them had been less than friendly. Lin Xiaolu, still irritated, contrasted sharply with Xia Liang, who was smiling like she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Veronica could see clearly—Lin Xiaolu harbored an inexplicable dislike for Xia Liang, but Xia Liang’s habit of deliberately provoking Lin Xiaolu wasn’t exactly innocent either.

Seeing that another argument was about to break out, Veronica clapped her hands together and interrupted them.

She pointed toward the nearby Ravager, hoping to redirect their focus.

"Today's Ravager isn’t particularly strong. Based on my assessment, it's around the Egg-tier level, meaning that as long as you work together and perform decently, you should be able to take it down without much trouble."

As she spoke, she glanced at the struggling Ravager.

The beast, still bound by magic threads, writhed on the ground, attempting to break free. But it was a futile effort—Egg-tier Ravagers had barely any intelligence, so it would never realize that its struggles were pointless.

With a flick of her fingers, Veronica loosened the magical threads slightly before turning back to the two rookies.

"I already explained this Ravager’s type and weaknesses to you last night. I’ll be releasing its restraints now—it’s up to you two to handle the fight. Unless the situation turns critical, I won’t step in."

As the magic threads unraveled, the massive creature straightened its bulky body and shook itself off. Its limited intelligence quickly registered the three Magical Girls standing at the street’s entrance—it had finally identified its real enemies.

Lifting its grotesque head, its rows of jagged teeth gleamed under the streetlights as it let out an enraged roar:

"GROOOOAAAHHHHH!"

"Don’t worry, Veronica-senpai!"

Faced with the enraged Ravager, Lin Xiaolu showed no fear. She raised her wand, radiating confidence.

"I’ve been training seriously these past few days. I’m a completely different person now!"

"Fighting this big guy… sounds kinda fun!"

Meanwhile, Xia Liang was focused on something entirely different.

Their fighting spirit was strong—at least that much reassured Veronica.

Without saying more, she simply nodded in approval.

The light blue and deep violet auras of magic surged into the air. The two Magical Girls launched off the ground, their takeoff stirring a gust of wind around Veronica as they charged straight toward the massive Ravager.

Egg-tier Ravagers: The Most Common Yet the Weakest

Egg-tier Ravagers were the most frequent and numerous class of Ravagers in existence.

Of course, "weakest" was a relative term—weak for Magical Girls, at least.

Even among Egg-tier Ravagers, there were variations in strength. The strongest could still be taken down by two or three Seed-tier Magical Girls working together, while the weakest could be easily eliminated by a single rookie Magical Girl.

Because of their abundance, both the material world and Magic Kingdom had gathered extensive knowledge on them. Compared to higher-tier Ravagers, these ones were mostly reliant on physical attacks and were categorized based on the unique magical organs they developed.

Based on body structure, special abilities, habitat, and attack style, Egg-tier Ravagers were classified into dozens of subtypes to help Magical Girls identify and eliminate them efficiently.

Some examples included:

• Burst Membrane Type – Capable of explosive body expansion.
• Corrosive Claw Type – Its claws secrete acid that melts through surfaces.
• Rotting Scale Type – Its scales release toxic spores.
• Ruptured Skin Type – Its body temperature is dangerously high.
• Internal Flood Type – Generates and expels high-pressure liquid projectiles.

The Ravager they faced today was undoubtedly of the Internal Flood Type.

This classification was easy to determine:

• Large body – Typically over 10 meters tall.
• Slimy exterior – A coating of mucus that reduces damage and aids movement.
• Internal Flood Organ – Digests prey and ejects the remains as high-pressure jets, capable of piercing concrete.

This type wasn’t very common in urban areas since it thrived in wet environments and was more frequently encountered in the wild.

But none of that mattered right now—this was a perfect training opportunity for Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang.

An Absolute Mess

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.

Veronica had expected some flaws in their teamwork, but what she witnessed was a disaster.

The battle had barely begun when Lin Xiaolu was almost shot down—by Xia Liang’s own attack.

"Are you trying to kill me?!"

A deep violet magic beam had narrowly missed Lin Xiaolu. She had to stop mid-flight, turning back with an outraged glare at Xia Liang.

"Sorry, sorry!" Xia Liang laughed sheepishly, clearly realizing her mistake.

But when the Ravager launched its first Internal Flood attack, Xia Liang was already ready—her wand aimed at its exposed weak spot, her magic gathered and primed for a perfect counterattack.

Then—Lin Xiaolu suddenly flew into her line of fire.

Her attack was instantly ruined.

"Oh, for crying out loud!"

It had been the perfect opening, and now it was wasted. Even Xia Liang, who was usually carefree, felt annoyed.

Still, no time to argue—she had to reposition and look for another opportunity.

And so, the two of them continued this clumsy, chaotic battle.

They fought for what felt like forever, but they barely damaged the Ravager. Meanwhile, they were the ones getting exhausted.

Veronica watched everything from the sidelines.

She could clearly see the problem.

• Xia Liang had raw talent. Despite being a total newbie, she had an innate battle sense—she could find the right positions and use her magic effectively.
• Lin Xiaolu was less naturally gifted but was bold, aggressive, and experienced, utilizing close-range combat to exploit enemy weaknesses.

If either of them fought alone, they might have defeated this Ravager more efficiently than they were doing together.

But when they tried to cooperate?

It was an absolute mess.

Their fighting styles clashed, and worse—they had zero sense of teamwork.

Veronica sighed internally.

This was going to take a lot of work.

The battle dragged on.

Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang were still struggling, and despite all their efforts, they had barely inflicted any real damage on the Ravager.

It was clear as day to Veronica—if they were fighting separately, either of them might have won by now.

But because they had to coordinate, everything fell apart.

The problem was simple:

• Xia Liang preferred long-range attacks, relying on precise magic blasts to hit weak points.
• Lin Xiaolu fought up close, weaving through the air with high-speed movement to land direct hits.
• Neither of them had any awareness of how to work with the other.

So, every time Xia Liang lined up a shot, Lin Xiaolu got in the way.

And every time Lin Xiaolu moved in for a strike, Xia Liang’s attacks forced her to dodge.

Their teamwork wasn’t just bad—it was actively sabotaging their chances.

Veronica knew this was natural for rookies. Fighting alone was easier because you only had to focus on yourself. But in a team, you had to constantly adapt to your allies’ movements.