Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl

Book 2: Chapter 206: Xia Liang's Predicament

As the assessment progressed closer to the end, with most teams scrambling for the final bonus points, Xia Liang was deep in thought. It wasn’t because she had nothing to do or because she was cramming at the last minute, but because her magical energy had been completely exhausted.

Yes, earlier she had used her magical equipment to intercept the spell formations on the walls, discovering that she could briefly disrupt the structure of the walls. This led her to an idea she really shouldn’t have had: to directly tunnel through the hole and run straight to the exit.

After all, it was an undeniable fact that their team was already behind schedule. While the main force had started trying to solve the nodes, they were still completely clueless about the second puzzle. If they kept following the rules and proceeding step by step, they would most likely end up with a mediocre or worse result.

Breaking through the walls to move outside the maze—whether it was unethical or unfair—was not something she should be thinking about now. What mattered was that since she hadn’t been penalized for this action, this loophole could be exploited, and even more so, it seemed she was the only one who could use it.

She refused to just give up and quit.

So, there was no suspense left in what needed to be done.

Continuously using her magical equipment to intercept and transfer the spell formations on the maze walls not only consumed a lot of her mental energy but also rapidly drained her magical power. After she and her team members passed through dozens of walls, she finally couldn’t hold on any longer.

“Sigh, finally a break. Just traveling alone has made me dizzy. This maze is just way too huge.”

As Xia Liang closed her eyes to recover her magical energy, Shandan and her sister Juandan could only stand guard nearby, casually chatting as they waited. “You think, since this maze ‘has no exit’ right now, could the space itself be infinite? Does that mean no matter how far we walk, we’ll never reach the end?”

“I don’t think so.”

Juandan carefully used her magical energy to scan the surroundings and replied, “After all, the puzzles seem to be set up by the examiners. Even if it was a boundless maze, the number of puzzles would still be limited. Using that logic in reverse, the maze must have a size limit.”

“So it’s just that we simply haven’t reached the end yet?” Bored, Shandan blew a breath on her forehead, causing her bangs to flutter. “Too bad Xiaojin ran out of magic. There’s nothing we can do to help, and I don’t even know if we still have time.”

“I’m worried whether what we’re doing counts as cheating...”

Juandan said anxiously, “But since we’ve come this far and haven’t been disqualified and teleported out, we can only go all the way.”

“Haha, that’s exactly the thrill of testing the edge of the rules—more exciting than skipping school.”

Shandan, clearly less worried, said, “I think we only have to worry about two things: first, time. We have to hurry and get out before all the nodes are taken. Second, don’t get caught by others on the way. That would be trouble.”

What she said was exactly why the two of them were standing guard there.

Their team’s ‘way to clear the maze’ was questionable in terms of compliance, but definitely couldn’t be seen by others. If they were caught, it would cause huge problems. They couldn’t handle other examinees the way Drunken Fishweed’s team did, attacking those going for the spectator points, nor could they accept taking more people along. So if their ability to ‘phase through walls’ was exposed, it would become a huge mess.

“Luckily, no signs so far...?”

Juandan was about to continue following her sister’s words but suddenly gasped, as if she’d discovered something: “This magical resonance—looks like another team is coming toward us?”

“Really coming?”

Shandan’s eyes widened. “What do we do?”

“What do we do... it seems like you don’t have to avoid them?”

Juandan thought it over, analyzing: “After all, you’re just resting by the roadside. Even if you’re seen, so what?”

“That’s true, but it’s still better not to make contact.”

Shandan warned Xia Liang, “What do you think, Da Jin?”

“Move.”

Opening her eyes, Xia Liang’s expression was tired. “Unless someone can guarantee that the big team coming won’t be troublemakers like Drunken Fishweed, even if the chance is small, you shouldn’t take that risk.”

“Could do, but can you move normally now?” Juandan asked with concern. “If it affects your condition, maybe resting more is better...”

“Ah, it’s fine. I’ve recovered quite a bit.”

Xia Liang smiled faintly, as if nothing was wrong. “Let’s go. Once the others get closer, it won’t be easy.”

“Alright then.”

Juandan nodded hesitantly. Although she suspected Xia Liang was pushing herself, there was no way to force her to rest.

So the three quickly moved, avoiding the teams about to pass by and hiding in a different fork.

However, they didn’t expect that this seemingly ‘randomly passing’ team was only part of the disturbances they would face.

Because just as they stopped to rest again, another team passed by. Then a second, a third... Soon, in this area alone, Xia Liang’s group encountered at least five teams.

Not only that, these examinees seemed to have some purpose, avoiding each other as well. In one instance, when Xia Liang’s group almost ran into another team, it was the other team that ran away first. This strange phenomenon left Xia Liang and the two sisters exchanging puzzled looks, unsure of what to do next.

“There must be something nearby, right?” Shandan decisively expressed her opinion when speculating about the other teams’ motives.

“Could it be a node?” Juandan thought further: “If it was just puzzles, it wouldn’t explain why so many teams know about it and are gathering here.”

“A node?”

Shandan considered it briefly and thought Juandan made a good point. “So should we follow them to check?”

“No. If it’s a node, we should hide until they all leave.”

Xia Liang shook her head to veto. “We’re not in a state to participate in node battles, and with so many people around, the points each person can get would be small. It’s not worth abandoning our plan and wasting time.”

“Then what do you think we should do now?” Shandan shrugged.

“If it’s really just because there’s a node nearby, then avoid them and figure out a way to leave this area.”

Xia Liang wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. “My worry is that with so many people gathered here, it could be for another reason.”

“For example?” Shandan asked curiously.

“Let me confirm first.”

Saying that, Xia Liang suddenly pulled out a very small mirror from her sleeve. Judging by the magical resonance it emitted, it was part of her equipment.

Because her magical energy hadn’t fully recovered, she could only maintain the equipment’s operation at minimum, so the mirror was very tiny. The surface of this miniature mirror was somehow bound by what looked like silk threads. Looking closely, these magical-energy threads extended into the mirror and seemed connected somewhere else.

Xia Liang brought the mirror close to her ear, glanced at Shandan, and suddenly said, “Have you heard of a tin can telephone?”

“I’ve heard of it...” Shandan still didn’t understand what Xia Liang was up to. “But what does that have to do with us now?”

“This is a tin can telephone.”

Xia Liang shook the mirror in her hand with a proud look. “On the way here, I left another mirror behind, connecting the two with magical threads to imitate the structure of a tin can telephone.”

This idea was actually borrowed from Veronica, and Xia Liang hadn’t even used this trick within the Fangting City team before but decided to use it during the assessment.

“Ah, I see! Are you really a genius?”

Shandan suddenly clapped her hands upon understanding Xia Liang’s explanation. “So if other teams pass by, we can eavesdrop on their conversations here?”

“Shh.”

Xia Liang put a finger to her lips. “This device works both ways. If we’re too loud here, they might hear us, so keep it down.”

Shandan covered her mouth and nodded, but after a while, her curiosity got the better of her, and she whispered, “What are they saying?”

“Not yet. No movement now. Let’s rest here first.”

Xia Liang again brought the mirror close to her ear, focused intently, and listened carefully to the other end.

At first, since no one passed by, she heard nothing. But she didn’t get impatient, quietly relaxing and waiting for her magical energy to slowly recover while silently hoping someone would pass through the ‘trap’ she set.

Soon, accompanied by footsteps growing closer, Xia Liang did hear other teams’ conversations.

This team passed quickly, so she only caught fragments of their talk. The trivial chatter didn’t provide much useful information. But fortunately, not long after, another team passed.

Just like the others they encountered, new magical girl teams passed through this area continuously. Since these teams naturally chatted amongst themselves, Xia Liang gradually pieced together the common truth from their words.

However, after learning the truth, she couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath.

“What’s wrong?” Noticing Xia Liang’s change in mood, Juandan asked proactively.

“Hm? Got results?”

Shandan’s attention immediately shifted.

“Yes, but it’s not good.”

Xia Liang sighed. “Or rather, it’s the worst-case scenario—for us at least.”

“The worst-case scenario? What is it?”

The two sisters asked together.

“Some other teams, by some unknown means, have already predicted the likely location of the maze exit.”

Xia Liang put down the mirror, her expression grave.

“What’s worse is that they sold this information.”