Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 142: Melting

Vol 2 Chapter 142: Melting

After restraining the Remnant Beast's movements, Cornflower briefly assessed her current magic consumption before stopping her measurements, no longer utilizing her Ruler Magic Weapon's abilities.

The creature before her was a Half-Molt, possessing far greater magic reserves than an ordinary Remnant Beast. Consequently, restraining its movements alone had already consumed nearly 40% of her output.

She had no intention of committing the remaining 60% to further enhance the Ruler's power. This level of restraint was sufficient—unless the beast had some hidden capability, breaking free from the Magic Weapon's shackles would be nearly impossible.

But would this Half-Molt truly be at its limit?

A persistent, prickling sense of danger told Cornflower otherwise.

From the moment she first encountered this Remnant Beast, this foreboding had lingered—when it broke free from its cage, when it pursued the two of them, and even now, as it knelt on the ground, seemingly unable to retaliate.

Perhaps due to this psychological pressure, Cornflower felt sweat trickling down her cheek. Almost instinctively, she wiped it away with the back of her hand—only to freeze.

Sweat?

She repeated the word in her mind, staring at her hand. A faint burning sensation clung to her cheek and the back of her hand, and she could even see tiny particles of magic rising from where the "sweat" had been wiped away.

If one were to ask whether Magical Girls could sweat, the answer was yes. Intense activity and magic usage inevitably raised body temperature, and to regulate it—while also maintaining physiological habits similar to their human forms—Magical Girls could indeed sweat and cry.

However, for a Magical Girl to sweat, the battle had to be extraordinarily intense, pushing her to the brink of exhaustion.

For Cornflower, the confrontation with this Remnant Beast had been perilous, but thus far, her magic consumption had been minimal. By Magical Girl standards, her body wasn't "tired" enough to produce sweat.

So what was this dampness covering her skin?

"L-Leader... something feels off..."

Nina's voice snapped Cornflower's attention toward her. The younger Magical Girl's face glistened with moisture, her expression uneasy.

"It's like... I'm suffocating underwater."

Nina's words mirrored Cornflower's own sensations.

Though they stood on the streets of Rune Norrey, Cornflower felt as if she were sinking into a swamp—no, a deepening pool. The stifling dampness crept up from her neck, threatening to drown her entirely.

They needed to eliminate this Remnant Beast immediately.

In the next instant, she made her decision, threads unfurling around her. But as she prepared to strike the restrained Half-Molt, an astonishing sight greeted her.

—The Remnant Beast was molting.

No, "molting" wasn't entirely accurate. The outer layer sloughing off its body could no longer be called "skin" or "shell"—it was more like a sludge-like mixture of solid and liquid.

Its earlier wriggling hadn't been futile struggling, but an effort to *squeeze free* from that outer layer. Now liberated from the portion pinned to the ground, it regained mobility.

The viscous fluid that had seeped from its body now gushed forth like a broken faucet, cascading endlessly as it swayed upright.

Cornflower couldn't allow it to act further. She flicked her threads, intending to slice the unprotected beast apart—but even this failed. Her threads turned limp before making contact, like noodles soaked in water.

The soggy threads draped over the beast before being flung aside, splattering onto the ground and merging with the mucus.

Her threads... had been neutralized.

The realization sent a chill down Cornflower's spine.

The earlier sense of danger now screamed in her mind, a klaxon urging her to recognize something terrible—something she'd overlooked.

*What was she missing?*

Her eyes darted rapidly, scanning their surroundings: the mucus splattered across the streets and buildings, the leaking Remnant Beast resembling a broken pipe, and the inexplicably dampening forms of herself and Nina.

Everything in this scene shared a common theme.

—*Becoming wet.*

Yes, everything was growing wetter.

From the moment this Remnant Beast escaped its cage, the process had continued—even as it chased them, it scattered mucus everywhere.

If this effect had been limited to itself and the environment, it might not have mattered. But now, it was clearly affecting Cornflower and Nina. The answer was obvious.

—This was its *Rule*.

Though the exact mechanics remained unclear, its effect was to saturate everything with moisture. And this liquid, nearly identical to its mucus, possessed potent corrosive properties.

"Ahhh—Leader! My clothes!"

Nina's scream drew Cornflower's gaze. The younger girl's entire body glistened with dampness, amber motes of magic floating away—evidence of her magical form eroding.

Yet Nina seemed most distressed by another detail: her Magic Dress was dissolving.

The once-thick witch-style gown now hung in tatters, dripping continuously as it collapsed like waterlogged tissue paper.

Cornflower averted her eyes from Nina's predicament, instead examining her own attire—only to find similar corrosion.

But this potentially "indecent" sight failed to evoke any reaction beyond alarm. Because when she looked down at her hands, she saw something far more horrifying.

Her hand was *melting*.

A Magical Girl's body was composed primarily of magic. So when magic destabilized, the body followed. Even the most oblivious person would now realize what this Remnant Beast had done.

—*It was turning magic into corrosive mucus.*

This was the Rule of the Half-Molt.

It had already activated its Rule, willingly dissolving even its own body and molted shell into mucus—all to repurpose it for something far more advantageous.

*Nest-building.*