Chapter 11: The Physical Magical Girl

Bai Li opened her eyes once more, her consciousness having fully returned to reality.

“Have you awakened? Let’s see what type it is.”

Upon seeing Bai Li open her eyes, the Weichangzhe present immediately checked the instrument’s readings.

Previously, awakening a D-rank ability was an isolated phenomenon, much like a grand prize in a gacha game triggering special effects; typically, E-rank and below abilities showed no outward signs, thus necessitating precise instrumental identification.

“It’s a Magical Girl type, E-rank.”

“E-rank, that’s quite good then.”

F-rank abilities usually conferred strength superior to that of ordinary people, while an E-rank was sufficient to become a standard combatant, capable of making battles against variant beasts their primary profession.

Of course, Bai Li’s true strength was undoubtedly far beyond this level.

This E-rank assessment was likely the result of intervention from that unidentified loli (TL Note: A Japanese loanword referring to a young girl, often used endearingly or with connotations of cuteness), a highly beneficial intervention that had even fooled what was considered a relatively advanced instrument in the present age.

“It’s just… something feels a little off.”

“What feels off?”

“Even though it’s a Magical Girl type, as a fellow magic user, a Mage (TL Note: ‘Mages’ or ‘Wizards’, referring to those who cast spells), I can’t sense any magical aura from her.”

As the saying goes, similar existences attract one another.

The Weichangzhe operating the instrument was a Mage, and while their magic differed slightly from a Magical Girl’s, it was still magic overall, allowing them to sense similar auras.

However, from Bai Li, she scarcely sensed any magical aura; or rather, there was some, but not the typical amount a Magical Girl should possess.

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“It means that this student’s magical capabilities are relatively weak among Magical Girl ability users.”

“But… doesn’t her ability have an E-rank?”

“That’s precisely why I’m puzzled.”

Bai Li’s situation left everyone perplexed.

A Magical Girl who wasn’t magical enough—could she even be called a Magical Girl?

Surely she couldn’t just bludgeon people with a melee weapon, could she?

“Student Bai Li, do you have any idea? No, you don’t have to say if you don’t want to; it’s personal privacy, after all…”

“It’s fine, I suppose it’s something like this.”

With that, Bai Li casually pulled a pen from her pocket.

With but a gentle squeeze, the pen in her hand crumbled into a pile of dust.

Indeed, it didn’t break; it disintegrated directly into powder.

Judging by her expression, she hadn’t exerted much force at all.

“Ah, this… she really is a physical-type Magical Girl…”

Seeing the pile of powder, everyone involuntarily broke out in a few drops of awkward cold sweat.

“I feel that for everyday use, the magical aspect is still sufficient.”

Though called magic, it was essentially no different from a general ability; it was purely a matter of terminology.

After all, one couldn’t expect an ability user similar to a Kamen Rider (TL Note: A Japanese superhero franchise featuring masked heroes with enhanced physical abilities) to claim they were learning “magic,” could they?

Moreover, different types of ability users were suited to learning different general abilities, so these designations served as a form of differentiation.

“Well… this isn’t unheard of.

You just have to face it optimistically, student.”

However, the Weichangzhe seemed to believe Bai Li was putting on a brave face, casting sympathetic glances her way.

Bai Li paid them no mind.

After all, her goal wasn’t to prove her strength to others; she merely needed to ensure Lin Xi’s safety.

Thinking thus, Bai Li walked back to her seat.

“That’s great, Xiaobai (TL Note: An endearing nickname, literally ‘Little White’, referring to Bai Li) is a Magical Girl just like me.”

Unlike the others, Lin Xi harbored no prejudice due to Bai Li’s ability; instead, she was genuinely happy for her.

Gazing at Lin Xi, Bai Li felt a sense of healing wash over her.

“My ability can’t unleash all sorts of beautiful and extravagant magic like yours, you know.

Is that really okay?”

“It’s fine.

My attack methods aren’t like that either; I directly create firearms with magic power and shoot.

There’s nothing wrong with being plain and unpretentious.

Besides, mine counts as a ranged attack, so having a frontline fighter would perfectly balance us out.”

Lin Xi’s innate ability was [Sensory Manipulation Magic].

As the name suggested, it allowed her to control her own or others’ senses.

While it could achieve effects akin to ‘Transparent World’ or ‘Unlimited Void’ (TL Note: References to powerful abilities from popular manga/anime, suggesting perception manipulation or spatial distortion) depending on its application, it was fundamentally still considered auxiliary magic.

Thus, Lin Xi later learned to materialize magic power and developed the technique of creating firearms with magic.

She wasn’t the only one who did this; many Magical Girls who needed external power to supplement their damage did the same, using weapons like bows, swords, and hammers.

Indeed, with an ability like Bai Li’s, which enhanced her physical body, she was best suited for a ‘plain attack’ (TL Note: ‘Plain attack’ or ‘auto attack’ in gaming terms, referring to basic, unenhanced attacks) style, capable of dealing very high damage with even the simplest weapons.

The extent of body enhancement from just an E-rank innate ability made it effortless to shatter a brick into powder with a bare hand.

Stronger individuals could even tackle an entire wall, not just creating a hole, but utterly pulverizing it.

Of course, the latter already belonged to the E+ rank.

As for Bai Li’s true strength, clearing at least half a street was absolutely no problem.

She wasn’t sure about her full power, as she hadn’t attempted to unleash it, fearing the immense destruction it would cause.

Furthermore, she wasn’t limited to destructive power; her speed, defense, recovery, and all other physical attributes had reached similar heights, making her indistinguishable from a ‘hexagonal warrior’ (TL Note: A term from gaming, referring to a character with high stats across all attributes like offense, defense, speed, etc., making them well-rounded and powerful) who could tank, deal damage, sustain, and run incredibly fast.

“Hehe~ I wonder what Xiaobai’s Magical Girl form will look like? Will it be elegant, or surprisingly cute…”

As she spoke, Lin Xi was already envisioning Bai Li’s transformed appearance, likely trying on all sorts of Magical Girl outfits in her mind for Bai Li.

“…Since everyone in this class has undergone the awakening ritual, we will conclude here for now.

As someone with experience, I need to tell you all not to be disheartened even if you haven’t awakened an innate ability, or if your ability rank is relatively low.

This world is full of wonders, and we genuinely have records of individuals who didn’t awaken during the ritual but did so later.

Furthermore, ability ranks can be improved, and when combined with general abilities, even low-ranked innate abilities can significantly boost your strength.

The most crucial thing is not to give up.

What if you truly succeed in reaching your own pinnacle?”

The leading Weichangzhe once again reiterated this ‘chicken soup for the soul’ (TL Note: A metaphor for comforting, often cliché, motivational words) speech.

However, compared to previous times, the students, having personally experienced the awakening ritual and its profound sensations, listened with heightened focus.

It was a good thing, perhaps, at least giving them more hope for the future.

Whether that hope would turn into disappointment, however, remained to be seen.

“Indeed, thank you to all the Weichangzhe for your assistance and lecture.”

The teacher led the applause, and as the Weichangzhe departed, the classroom returned to its usual atmosphere.