Chapter 98: The Aesthetic Problem of the Magical Girl

The underground world was not completely dark.

But whether it was safer to be in the lit areas or the dark zones after entering was hard to say.

"Click-clack." The wheels kept rattling; the road was rough, but fortunately, the vehicles seemed all high-end models and had no issues so far.

The convoy moved slowly forward, and the scouts continued to relay updates; Li En noticed the bat-like wings on his back—here, they probably felt more at home than in their own nests.

The convoy lit few lanterns; most lights were concealed inside the vehicles to avoid attracting flying hunters (flying beasts in the underground world were generally powerful), yet this did not hinder the beastfolk from moving.

Serpents, felines, and insectoid types all possessed superior night vision (thermal imaging, supernatural tactile radar, low-light sight); they merely needed a moment to adapt.

Li En himself, however, was truly blind without activating his Dragon Eye.

The underground world was far more spacious than expected; when the group emerged from the cavern, a vast underground plain stretched before the convoy, and the most pressing problem became determining which direction to proceed.

Li En glanced at the scout's map, covered in red warning symbols and skull emblems—most of the map marked dangerous zones; without an old hand to guide them, they'd likely meet a grim end.

Entering this open region allowed the convoy to finally breathe easier—they had feared the entrance to the underground world had been sealed off.

This was already the "Mushroom Light Sea" on the map; the glowing moss on the cavern ceiling served as the primary light source, still dim, but vastly more comfortable than before.

The tunnel entrance lay atop a high ridge; from above, Li En could clearly spot several sources of light below.

Were they towns? Natural luminous spots? Or perhaps crystal mines?

"In the underground world, light is the most valuable resource. Places without light aren't necessarily dangerous, but places with light are always dangerous."

Li En saw Zi Qiangwei say this—she naturally assumed the role of the group's guide.

"Especially various underground mines—they're the easiest places to attract dragons. Crystal mines, in particular, attract at least sub-dragons; the upper limit is hard to say. Once, I even encountered a black dragon family." Well, that was indeed extremely dangerous.

But the next moment, Zi Qiangwei frowned and sighed.

". lready this soon? Things have deteriorated this badly."

"Woo-oo-oo."

From the shadows emerged dozens of snow-white wolves, their numbers hovering just over fifty.

Each white wolf bore faint frost across its body, its size even larger than a lion's, exhaling visible frost with every breath.

"Winter Wolves? How could they be here?"

These were northern monsters, typical cold-climate creatures, each stronger than an ordinary first-rank warrior—but what made them most troubling was their.

"Woo-oo-oo!" The great wolves howled to the sky, their cries echoing throughout the underground world.

These creatures were pack-dwellers; they'd easily swarm by the dozens—a single howl could summon multiple packs!

"Snap!"

But this time, they encountered opponents not of their kind.

Zi Qiangwei snapped her fingers, and in the next instant, the starving wolves fell into confusion, their howls ceasing.

Then, the girl opened her mouth wide, revealing her forked, exquisite tongue.

A faint glow shimmered upon it; Li En noticed the snake-head tattoo was especially alluring.

"Sssss (Siren's Whisper)." The serpent tongue and tattoo twisted together, and the world trembled in response.

Serpent Speech, though quiet, carried far across the chaotic battlefield.

No magical fluctuation, no elemental tide—Zi Qiangwei simply spoke as a serpent might.

Then, the Winter Wolves went mad.

Without warning, all of them went mad.

Their pupils turned blood-red, foam frothed from their mouths, reason lost.

Some bit their own companions; others snapped at empty air; some collapsed on their backs like dogs, grinning stupidly as they bared their bellies to their masters.

Then, turning, they were torn apart and devoured by their own kind.

Their eyes burned crimson; some saw every creature as a mortal enemy, others immediately began mating on the spot, still others chose to leap off cliffs.

As the slaughter unfolded, some even unleashed Winter Wolf Breath directly upon each other—the ice element eroded their flesh, yet failed to kill them outright.

The cone-shaped breaths created vast stretches of ice, forcibly lowering the battlefield's temperature, indirectly proving they were no weaklings—this breath could kill ordinary beastfolk or low-rank warriors.

Some charged straight toward the nearest convoy, seemingly having lost all reason yet correctly identifying their enemies.

Li En instinctively gripped his sword, preparing for battle.

But since Zi Qiangwei had already acted, she had no habit of leaving prey to others.

She stood there, raising her staff—longer than a human.

"Can you see how a magical girl fights?" Honestly, Li En was curious.

They were said to be immensely powerful spellcasters, entirely unlike the existing transcendental systems, with combat styles often dazzling, leaving witnesses awestruck as if watching a grand performance—unforgettable.

Li En truly wondered what kind of fighting style could earn such a reputation.

But the next moment, his mouth fell open in shock.

"Snap!"

Zi Qiangwei slammed her staff into the ground, one hand thrust forward, the other guarding her chest—posing a stance Li En recognized well.

A boxing stance!

"Boom!"

The first Winter Wolf lunged—and its brain shattered instantly.

Zi Qiangwei retracted her fist, ignoring the blood dripping from it.

The next instant, she kicked upward, piercing through two wolves at once.

Right before everyone's eyes, the magical girl displayed astonishingly skilled, dazzling combat techniques (physical).

Within mere seconds, the Winter Wolves, as fragile as tofu, collapsed without resistance.

In Li En's disbelieving gaze, the magical girl revealed her dazzling combat skills.

Ha, the magical girl unleashed a lightning seven-kick combo, appearing in phantom after phantom—each strike tore away chunks of flesh.

Ha, the magical girl embraced the approaching Wolf King and delivered a spiral throw, then, unsatisfied, followed it with a deep-sea bomb—her body now splattered with nothing but shredded meat.

Ha, the magical girl swung a dragon-punch upward—another unlucky wolf exploded mid-air.

Ha, the magical girl twirled the ribbons at her waist; the long decorative sashes became deadly whips, leaving only shredded flesh in their wake.

"So, she's a Q-Wa (Martial Arts) magical girl…" Li En murmured in shock. Even though he still preferred traditional magical girls, he had to admit she fought beautifully and dazzlingly.

The reinforcements summoned by the howls? No different.

Her killing efficiency was extreme; she became a whirlwind of death, movements light and elegant, as if dancing—or as if a sacred priestess praying to the gods.

Yet every dance claimed multiple lives; "The Nightmare of the North" was nothing but helpless targets before her.

Strong? Very strong. Li En had read the Winter Wolf data—ordinary weapons couldn't even pierce their defenses, and they wielded ice elements, making them formidable magical beasts.

But this fighting style—Li En couldn't judge it. He didn't dislike Q-Wa martial artists, but he just felt the aesthetic was somehow.

"In a way, this might just be a Saint Fighter (a monk who channels holy power)—it's perfectly plausible, yet…" Li En felt deeply odd, extremely odd! He didn't even know who to vent to.

Watching Zi Qiangwei turn her ribbons into twin demon blades, Li En choked back a bitter laugh, feeling profoundly uncomfortable.

"So powerful—that's a magical girl?" A maid gazed at her with adoring eyes.

"I can feel the earth trembling—what power, what precision!" A spiderfolk trembled uncontrollably; the seismic waves he sensed terrified him—this power was too terrifying.

Li En was speechless; the locals seemed to regard this as normal, even as if witnessing an idol.

Facing such an overpowered being, the charging Winter Wolf pack was swiftly annihilated—not a single reinforcement survived.

"How was that? Stunned?" Zi Qiangwei, having finished the battle, ran over excitedly.

Her lovely face was splattered with blood—not her own.

Li En sighed, pulled out a towel, and wiped her clean. He had foolishly expected something else—his apologies.

The girl squinted, rising on her toes, clearly enjoying it.

Li En was startled by the softness of her cheek—so delicate, so smooth, utterly unlike a humanoid mecha.

But then again, it made sense: "Beast" powers couldn't be used freely, yet pure physical strength had no such restrictions.

The beast's innate stat panel was maxed out—those numbers were basically brute-forced; likely, these magical girls were stat monsters, carrying dozens of beast passive traits and specialties—so melee specialization made perfect sense.

"Uh, I thought you'd cast magic blasts with your staff," Li En sighed, voicing his disappointment.

"I can. But it's unnecessary. And I'm not a blast-type magical girl—new recruits usually prefer that, relying on their abundant mana to go wild. But in real combat, it's too noisy and always draws strange enemies."

Uh, you really do that.

". lease, show me next time." Li En, at this moment, was genuinely looking forward to it.

"Though I don't know why you're so eager. But fine." Zi Qiangwei smiled happily—it was the first time Li En had made a request of her; their distance had subtly drawn closer.

The first battle ended quickly; the journey ahead should proceed smoothly for a while.

The dying howls and scent of the Winter Wolves would scare off weaker monsters.

But why were Winter Wolves here? That was deeply suspicious.

"These are 'newborns' from an underground ruin—but they've appeared this far away?"

Underground ruins continuously transform beast powers into various monsters and lifeforms.

"Newborns" do have the ability to survive across ecological zones, but this location is far from the underground region directly beneath Huicheng—yet they've reached here? It suggests entire herds of beasts must already be rampant.

Li En pondered; having recently studied local ecology, he knew this was abnormal.

At least for native underground life, such an invasive force of this scale was an ecological catastrophe.

These wolves, though Zi Qiangwei handled them easily, each could wield ice magic and possessed formidable bodies—especially in groups of dozens, they were extremely hard to deal with.

A regular caravan would have been completely wiped out; even a lone high-rank warrior would have fled in terror.

And suddenly appearing Kuku was cheerfully collecting the monsters' corpses, seemingly very interested.

Seeing him, Zi Qiangwei showed surprise for the first time—she had completely failed to notice this mechanical pet.

"Let's keep moving. We're still one day away from our first target: the dark elf city, Moxidierka." This skirmish seemed to foreshadow that the journey ahead would not be smooth.

(End of chapter)