Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 86: Wang Yao

Vol 2 Chapter 86 Wang Yao

Although most Magical Girls don’t like to talk about it, the fact remains that Magical Armor is objectively ranked.

In fact, this is one of the assessment criteria for Magical Girl Certification within the Magic Kingdom.

The evaluation process is quite complex, involving factors like the armor’s capabilities, area of effect, applicable domains, developmental potential, and overall stability. Ultimately, a composite rating is assigned to each Magical Girl’s armor.

Of course, these ratings aren’t fixed. Since a Magical Girl’s armor evolves with her own growth, even armors that seem weak at first may become powerful through the user's effort. Among Magical Girls, anything is possible.

Still, as the Magic Kingdom’s research on Magical Armor progressed, one hypothesis gradually gained traction: that a piece of armor’s potential is often tied to its complexity.

In other words, the more “complex” the armor, the more potential it tends to have.

Most armors appear as “single items”—like Bai Jingxuan’s Music Box, or Bai Ji’s pen. But among the vast number of examples, a few exceptional cases stand out.

Some Magical Girls manifest paired items right from the start—like a pair of gauntlets, boots, or daggers. These are considered more complex than single objects and thus carry higher potential.

Naturally, if there are paired armors, there are also grouped armors. For instance, one Magical Girl from the Eastern Province once had a bag of shuriken. Others have manifested rows of test tubes, stacks of paper, and similar clusters.

Beyond groupings are even rarer cases of “sets”—multiple distinct pieces that form a cohesive whole, like a painting kit or makeup bag. These “set-type” armors are considered extremely high-potential. Historically, many renowned Magical Girls have had armors like these. Even as recently as the last Queen’s Year, Veronica (known by the alias Cornflower) is a prime example.

But going further—is there something theoretically even more potent than a set-type armor?

Semi had never thought about that. After all, it had never seen such a thing.

It had witnessed plenty of impressive armors in action, even glimpsed Veronica during the Garden Defense Battle. With its breadth of experience, it assumed there was little left to surprise it.

And yet, it was stunned.

For the first time—it saw a piece of armor that could transform.

Never mind that the armor first appeared as a scepter—a form so blasphemous it could almost be mistaken for a Jewel Scepter, if not for the fact that the girl’s magic level was clearly only Bud-tier to Leaf-tier. That kind of traitorous form was shocking enough—but it could transform?

If it were only a visual change like Yuan’s magic, that’d be one thing. But when the girl’s scepter transformed into a spear, Semi could clearly feel it—her very magical essence had changed.

In other words, her armor changing shape was like a second transformation.

What the h**l is this? Going full bloom at Bud-tier already?

The bizarre phenomena nearly made Semi forget it was still in battle. It felt more like watching some research presentation from the Court of Research—until the girl tripped over her weapon.

Only then did Semi snap back.

As flashy as it looked, the core of it was simple: the girl had undergone Ability Blooming, advancing from Seed-tier to Bud-tier and awakening her Magical Armor.

Yes, the armor looked rebellious—so much so that even their group, Claw Mark, wouldn’t dare use such a form. And yes, it had a fixed shape but could still transform. And yes, its ability changed her magical nature itself—as if she transformed twice.

But in the end—it was still just a piece of armor.

And she was still just a Bud-tier rookie. Semi, by contrast, was already a Half-Molted Ravager, with partial control over Rules—a massive power gap.

Yes, the advantage is mine.

Convinced of this, Semi quickly pulled itself together.

A mere Bud-tier girl—sure, she had some flashy armor now. But Semi still had plenty of hidden cards to play. This was just a trade of trump cards, and it had more in hand.

It raised a claw, looking down at Lin Xiaolu sprawled on the ground, then slashed downward with force.

Clang!

Fortunately, Lin Xiaolu hadn’t been so disoriented as to forget she was in combat. She scrambled up and parried the blow with her spear.

Still, the sheer force of the impact sent her flying, tumbling across the ground before getting back on her feet.

“Pleh! Ugh!”

Spitting out dirt and wiping mud from her face, she steadied herself with the spear, glaring fiercely at Semi.

Clearly, her tumble hadn’t discouraged her.

If anything, the fall had snapped her out of her impulsiveness, allowing her to reassess her armor’s power.

Royal Key — Guardian Form.

The “form” suffix alone implied that this wasn’t the armor’s only configuration.

And indeed—it wasn’t. So far, she had two forms.

The first was the white scepter, her basic form.

The second, the spear—her guardian form.

What shocked her most was that the armor’s ability changed with each form.

In its basic form, the Royal Key let her fully restore all spent magic upon manifestation—essentially a full reset button.

Granted, it only worked the first time she summoned it—not something she could repeat just by stowing and drawing it again.

Still, that alone was a powerful ability. Magic was everything to a Magical Girl. While it didn’t literally double her reserves, it massively boosted her sustained combat potential.

Beyond that, though, the basic form had no additional abilities.

But thankfully, the Royal Key had more than one form.

When switched to guardian form, her armor’s ability changed entirely.

What that ability was—Lin Xiaolu only needed to glance at the data flashing through her mind.

Her expression shifted from surprise… to delight… to eager anticipation.

Her eyes locked on Semi—not with hostility or rage, but with a predatory gleam, like a boxer sizing up a punching bag, or a chef eyeing a fish on the chopping board.

It made Semi deeply uncomfortable.

A Bud-tier looking at it like that?

Just because she had fancy new armor and a bit more magic? That was supposed to bridge the gulf between Bud-tier and Half-Molted?

No way.

Semi reassured itself again—victory was still within reach.

Then it saw Lin Xiaolu hug her spear close, like she was cradling a stick of firewood. She opened her hand, fingers twitching as if trying to manipulate something.

Between her fingers, threads began to appear.

Pale blue Magic Threads, glowing faintly, mesmerizing to the eye.

The more she moved, the longer and more tangled the threads became, until they spun into a web—trapping Lin Xiaolu herself within.

“…Huh?”

“…Huh?”

Both fairy and girl let out the same confused sound at the same time.

The blue moon hung silently overhead. Grass and leaves swayed. The glowing threads shimmered in the silence.

Then, Semi spoke first, puzzled. “Is your armor’s power to make people laugh?”

“Mind your business! As long as it works!” Lin Xiaolu flushed, scattering the threads and charging forward with her spear, abandoning all the “fancy tricks.”

This time, she took to the air—flying several meters high to avoid being tripped again.

Clang!

Her spear clashed with Semi’s claws—the two locked in combat once more.

Compared to her earlier tactics—only parrying with a magic wand, falling back under cover fire—Lin Xiaolu was now far more aggressive.

One, her armor gave her far greater power than her wand. Even in direct clashes, she wasn’t at a disadvantage—if anything, she had the edge.

Two, her magic reserves had been fully restored. Unlike Semi, who had spent much to deploy a Nest and activate Rules, Lin Xiaolu still had magic to spare.

Semi, meanwhile, was being cautious. It had no idea what her armor could really do. The Magic Threads reminded it of Veronica, whose performance in the Garden Defense Battle and later fight with Yuan still haunted it.

If her ability was mediocre, Semi could crush her with ease. But if it was the kind that bent the Rules, it had to be ready to retreat.

It wasn’t just Lin Xiaolu in this Nest—there were at least two other Leaf-tier Magical Girls waiting nearby. A serious injury here would jeopardize everything.

So both sides held back, creating an odd scene:

A Bud-tier Magical Girl who had just awakened her armor… was overpowering a Half-Molted Ravager that wielded part of a Rule.

Lin Xiaolu pressed the attack.

Semi fought defensively.

But they both knew this couldn’t last.

Lin Xiaolu wasn’t stupid. She hadn’t revealed her full power yet. She hoped to force Semi to slip, then end things in one strike.

Semi was also waiting—for Lin Xiaolu to show her cards. Only then could it formulate a real strategy.

That opportunity soon came.

Perhaps due to her inexperience in hand-to-hand combat—or maybe she just didn’t handle a spear well—Lin Xiaolu made a critical mistake.

After a missed thrust, her abdomen was left completely unguarded.

Semi wasn’t about to waste that chance.

A perfect opening. If it landed a hit here, she’d be forced to reveal her hand, no matter how she responded.

Its body twisted. Twin tails whipped through the air like whips, cracking toward her exposed midsection.

Lin Xiaolu didn’t panic.

She hadn’t foreseen this exact error—but she had always known she’d make one eventually.

Mistakes were inevitable when using an unfamiliar weapon. The key was how to recover.

She had already planned for that.

A thread of magic revealed itself behind her, suddenly pulling her backward—like a marionette.

It was the same trick Veronica had used against Yuan.

And it was one of the first applications Lin Xiaolu had considered after realizing her armor could generate threads.

She had imagined her Magical Armor a thousand times. When she was just starting out, she’d wanted powers like characters from her favorite anime.

As her understanding deepened, her dreams evolved—constantly changing.

But no moment had thrilled her more than when she discovered threads were part of her armor.

She loved threads.

Maybe she hadn’t always felt that way. But after witnessing Veronica’s battles, she had come to see threads as the best weapon in the world.

They were now the weapon she was most familiar with.

Even if she had never wielded them herself—even if she’d never imagined fighting this way—once she manifested those threads, she already knew how to use them.

Veronica had taught her.

That was worth more than a thousand words.

Of course, her control was far from refined. She wasn’t about to wield threads like an extension of her limbs.

But pulling herself from danger with a single strand? That was more than doable.

It was what gave her the confidence to charge forward, even knowing she might make a mistake.

And now, having escaped danger and lured Semi into committing to an attack, the tables had turned.

Semi was the one exposed now.

The more all-in your attack, the less room you had to retreat.

And this—this was the moment Lin Xiaolu had been waiting for.

As she was yanked back by the thread, she flipped her spear and threw it—like a javelin.

It was clumsy, lacking power. It didn’t fly straight, instead tracing a weak arc like a silent mockery.

But before Semi could decipher the move, the spear turned in midair—its tip locking onto Semi.

Whoosh.

Accelerating as if magnetized, the spear shot forward like a bullet.

Semi, still mid-attack, had no time to dodge. It twisted, planning to parry with its tail.

And it would’ve worked—if the spear kept its path.

But it didn’t.

Just as Semi moved, the spear shifted again, curving in midair as if guided by eyes of its own—dodging the tail and aiming straight for Semi’s eye.

Why?

That was the only question left in Semi’s mind.

Then it noticed—a thin Magic Thread attached to its face, leading back to Lin Xiaolu.

That thread was guiding the spear.

Royal Key — Guardian Form's ability: Homing and Piercing.

So long as the target was tethered by a thread, the spear could reach it—no matter where it was.

So long as it was marked, the spear could pierce it—no matter what it was.

Yes, it required enough magic, but aiming for Semi’s vulnerable eye wouldn’t burn too much.

This was Lin Xiaolu’s trump card—and now was the time to play it.

Hit. Hit.

Flying backward under thread-tension, Lin Xiaolu locked eyes with the shrinking figure of Semi, silently begging.

Because this strike had to count.

And just as she hoped, Semi snarled in frustration, closing its eye at the last second.

Then, in a flicker, the massive Ravager vanished from her sight.