Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 44: Things Scattered Like Rain Again

Vol 2 Chapter 44: Things Scattered Like Rain Again

At Jiang Yuan’s coaxing, Lin Xiaolu reluctantly agreed to go to the concert. She had no plans to accept the invitation from that random guy, but she really had no reason to turn down a friend’s ask.

So, in a half-dazed state, she muddled through the rest of the school day. When the teacher at the front of the class finally announced the end of the day, Lin Xiaolu, who’d basically been sleepwalking through everything, stretched lazily and stared at the dusky sky outside the window, slowly coming back to her senses.

After saying goodbye to Jiang Yuan sitting in front of her, she left the school alone. Following Veronica’s instructions, she found a quiet corner and transformed into a Magical Girl.

And so began her usual patrol routine—something she’d long since gotten used to.

Although Ravager activity in Fangting City had dropped sharply over the past two months, especially compared to the time before the Moon Festival, skipping patrol was still out of the question. Lin Xiaolu moved leisurely through the spaces between city buildings, glancing down at the streets below while using her magic perception to scan the area for any sign of trouble.

Sure, she could fly and patrol at the same time—but her perception skills weren’t strong enough yet to catch things while moving fast, and her magic control still wasn’t what you’d call refined. Flying didn’t drain her magic like it did when she was a newbie, but keeping her speed in check was still tough.

Considering all that, she settled on a middle-ground strategy—leaping between rooftops while checking for magic fluctuations in the area.

Most of the time, these patrols didn’t turn up anything. But today seemed different. When Lin Xiaolu passed by a high-incident intersection, she suddenly got a weird feeling.

Almost instinctively, she looked toward a nearby street and quickly noticed a strange bulge rising from the busy road. The bump kept growing, and spiderweb cracks spread across the asphalt.

—A Ravager.

She raised her hand, and her wand instantly materialized in her palm. Magic surged from under her feet as she launched toward the bulge in the road. With one sharp sweep of her wand, she released a wave of magic that pushed all nearby vehicles aside.

A few of the cars came dangerously close to slamming into the guardrails, but luckily the force she used wasn’t too strong—no crashes occurred. As the drivers leaned out of their windows, more confused than angry, they happened to see a monster emerging from the road surface.

It was a Ravager.

Confusion turned to relief. Frustration turned into sheer terror. The honking on the road gave way to screaming. People caught on quick and scattered like roaches. Even drivers stuck in traffic bailed on their cars.

Some sharp-eyed folks noticed the Magical Girl floating in midair and instinctively reached for their phones to catch the action on video—maybe snag a viral moment. But a single glare from Lin Xiaolu made them fumble to put their phones away.

“Don’t stand around here—run!” she shouted at the reckless bystanders, waving her wand threateningly before turning back to block the Ravager’s advance.

That did the trick. Though they looked reluctant, reason kicked in, and they took off. Some of them even shouted thanks to Lin Xiaolu as they ran.

Of course, none of them knew that even if they had stayed to record, there wasn’t much Lin Xiaolu could’ve done about it. All she could really do was glare—she had to keep her focus on the fight.

Ravagers like this, popping up suddenly in public with a height under fifteen meters, were usually Egg-tier or Caterpillar-tier. With Lin Xiaolu’s current combat power, taking them on was no big deal.

She still couldn’t use her Magical Armor, but her raw magic power far outclassed monsters at this stage. Just with naturally released Magic Bullets and Magic Beams, she could bombard the Ravager into submission.

Her immense magic power gave her not just overwhelming firepower but enough mobility to run rings around this type of monster. She could use magic bursts to short-dash all she wanted, and there was no chance the Ravager could land a hit.

This whole fighting style had been custom-built for her by Veronica—and was basically a carbon copy of Veronica’s own. Once her mom realized Lin Xiaolu’s magic levels far surpassed her peers, she began training her in high-speed combat techniques.

High-speed combat, as the name suggests, is all about striking while flying—minimizing the chance of getting hit while keeping the Ravager off-balance. It’s safe, efficient, and demands a lot from the Magical Girl using it.

You need tons of magic, fast reflexes, sharp instincts—and Lin Xiaolu had them all.

In most fights, her strategy was to fly in circles, attacking while staying mobile, slowly wearing the enemy down with heavy firepower and minimal risk.

But this time was different—there were still civilians nearby. She couldn’t start spraying magic all over the place. Someone could get hurt.

Being the seasoned Magical Girl she was, Lin Xiaolu would never let that happen. Watching the crowd’s retreat distance, she used a blast of Magic Beams to push the Ravager off the road, making sure it didn’t cause more damage. Then she closed in slowly, using magic to corral its movement while drawing her wand for some up-close combat.

Unfortunately, it didn’t go well.

She wasn’t like Bai Jingxuan, who could handle a Ravager in close quarters. Her own magic tier wasn’t high enough, and she just didn’t have the raw strength. All she could do was suppress the monster—it wasn’t enough to land serious hits.

—If only I had my Magical Armor…

That thought only made her more frustrated. Her attacks grew more reckless as she pounded on the Ravager like it was her personal punching bag.

Low-tier Ravagers don’t feel fear, but that doesn’t mean they don’t get angry. After taking enough abuse, the monster roared and tried to strike back.

The angry Magical Girl and the angry Ravager began slugging it out like a street brawl. It was messy and chaotic.

Unlike Bai Jingxuan’s all-out, self-sacrificing style, Lin Xiaolu’s melee combat was more like Veronica’s—defensive and reactive. The difference was obvious. Even though she was getting in hits, her moves had none of the elegance or grace of her mentor. If Veronica fought like she was dancing, Lin Xiaolu looked more like she was flailing with a stick.

The clumsy fight dragged on until Lin Xiaolu felt her frustration finally ease up a little. Just as she was about to put away her wand and get serious, she noticed a shadow appear above her.

She looked up, cautious, expecting a new threat—only to see a blonde girl in a pale yellow dress floating in the air, arms crossed in what she probably thought was a cool pose, letting the wind whip her skirt around.

Seeing Lin Xiaolu looking at her, the girl flashed a confident smile and waved.

“Hmm hmm, need a hand?”

…Who the h**l are you?

Lin Xiaolu blinked, confused by this uninvited blonde stranger.

“Looks like you’ve hit a wall. You’ve been at this a while, and I’m guessing you’re running low on magic. Perfect timing for me to show up!”

Before Lin Xiaolu could say a word, the girl nodded to herself like she’d already figured out the whole situation. “No worries. You take a break—I’ll handle this.”

“Ah, no, wai—”

Lin Xiaolu tried to explain that she didn’t need help, but before she could get the words out, the girl had already launched herself forward in a flash of light.

And that flash wasn’t a figure of speech—it was literal, shining from her feet.

“Wood Lily, Magic Construct: Manifest!”

As she shouted, two golden streaks of light gathered beneath her feet and formed a pair of rollerblades made entirely of magic.

Even in mid-air, the wheels spun wildly, spraying bursts of magic as she accelerated. By the time she reached the Ravager, her skates revved up again.

“Flashy Mini Kick!”

The wheels stirred up a ripple of magic, which turned into a glowing ring beneath her feet. She kicked out, and the light ring sliced through the Ravager’s tough hide, delivering a powerful shockwave that launched the beast into the air.

This Ravager was over fifteen meters long—heavier than a fully loaded truck. But with one kick, it flew like an empty soda can, soaring dozens of meters into the sky.

And the assault wasn’t over yet.

The glowing wheels spun faster, lifting the girl into the air. In mere seconds, she caught up to the airborne Ravager. Under the stunned gazes of Lin Xiaolu and a few onlookers, she began to spin midair.

Lin Xiaolu could hear the girl shouting something, but the distance was too great. Still, her actions were clear.

The girl spun gracefully, her legs slicing the air in elegant arcs like a dancer. Then—bam! She nailed the Ravager again with a heavy kick.

Thud!

A loud, dull crack rang out. Lin Xiaolu saw sticky fluid burst from the monster’s body where it was hit.

And that wasn’t even the last strike. The girl kept spinning, kicking again and again in rapid succession. Within seconds, the poor Ravager was shredded to pieces—blown apart midair like a firework.

From the moment she appeared to the final blow, it had taken her barely ten seconds to annihilate the Caterpillar-tier Ravager. Clearly, she was on a whole different level than Lin Xiaolu.

But just as Lin Xiaolu started to admire her strength, something went wrong.

The explosion didn’t erase the Ravager entirely. Its insides burst open, and foul-smelling goo rained down from the sky.

Lin Xiaolu’s face darkened. She remembered all too well what came next. She quickly cast a magic shockwave to mimic a shield and deflect the stinking "rain."

Unfortunately, the one responsible for this mess—the blonde girl—wasn’t so lucky.

At the very moment she finished the final kick, the Ravager’s insides exploded. Goo sprayed out before she could even retract her leg, soaking her completely. Her pale yellow dress instantly stained purple-black.

The stench slammed into her like a truck. Whatever smugness she felt from her victory was gone in an instant. She turned pale, gagged, and started dry heaving midair.

“Urgh—!”

Luckily, a Magical Girl’s body is made of magic, so she only dry-heaved air. If not, she might’ve lost her lunch too.

After a good while of midair retching, she finally remembered what she was here for. Clutching her mouth and looking green, she drifted back down and landed in front of Lin Xiaolu.

Even with several meters between them, the stench was unbearable. Lin Xiaolu instinctively took a few steps back.

“Ugh… cough cough…”

The girl tried to say something but was too winded to get the words out. After coughing for a bit, she forced a strained smile and raised her head. “Don’t worry… gag… the enemy’s taken care of.”

“Ha…” Lin Xiaolu didn’t even know what to say at that point.

“The danger’s over, so… gag… I’ll leave the cleanup to you.”

She flashed a V-sign like she was trying to look cool, but a sudden gag turned it into a flail. She quickly lowered her hand and covered her mouth again.

“No need to thank me. If fate wills it… gag… we’ll meet again.”

And just like that—without waiting for a reply—she hunched over and vanished in a golden streak into the sky.

Lin Xiaolu stood in silence, watching the trail of pale gold magic fade into the distance.

She thought about everything that had just happened in those short few minutes—the flashy takedown, the spinning kicks, the way the girl’s balloon shorts were visible the entire time because of her flying skirt…

After a long pause, Lin Xiaolu finally opened her mouth to say her first words after the battle.

“…Who are you?”