Chapter 1: It always rains at times like this
The rooftop of the office building, Lu Yushan crouched at the edge.
Cold rainwater dripped down his bangs and into his collar. Lu Yushan didn’t dodge. He simply stared numbly at his phone screen.
——[Ami IOU] Dear user, your bill for this period is overdue. Late fees will begin accumulating at 0:00 tomorrow…
Close.
——[North Debt Collection] You little bastard, if you don’t pay this month, the interest will double!
Close.
——[Voice Message 91”] Yushan, have you eaten? It’s just… Xiao Yao is about to start school, and the school is pressing hard for the fees… If you have any money, can you transfer two thousand first? If not, it’s okay. Auntie will think of something else…
In the background, the faint sound of his uncle smashing a cup could be heard, followed by an angry roar: “That’s our daughter’s tuition! Why are you filling that dead man’s pit!”
“…”
Lu Yushan’s finger lingered on the screen for a long time.
Close.
Staring at the “Debt Collection” messages that stretched for two full pages without end, Lu Yushan spaced out for a while. In the end, he still pressed the screen lock button.
The darkened screen reflected a pale, lifeless face.
Wet long hair clung to his cheeks, his eyes dull and murky, like a specimen freshly pulled from formalin.
Lu Yushan fished a crumpled cigarette from his pocket. The lighter clicked several times before it finally lit.
This was his first time smoking. He imitated the adults from his memory and took a deep drag.
“Cough… cough cough!!”
The acrid smoke burned into his lungs, forcing tears out instantly.
He seemed to have inhaled too hard. Lu Yushan suddenly felt dizzy.
‘This is really hard to smoke.’
He casually flicked away the cigarette he had only taken one puff from. The still-glowing cigarette fell from the rooftop with the rain.
If it were him from two weeks ago, he might have just taken one step forward and ended it all.
But now, it was different.
An unusual scent drifted into his nose along with the wind and rain.
He looked up. A grotesque creature, barely qualifying as a living thing, glided past overhead.
That was the smell of a monster. No…
——[General Administration Report] Delta-class monster core recovered. Minimum price 3000…
It was the smell of money. Xiao Yao’s tuition fees—enough.
In an instant, the youth’s figure was swallowed by intense light. In its place appeared a petite girl with red hair dancing wildly in the strong wind, holding a long magic staff.
She leaped lightly. A magic circle half a meter in diameter instantly spread beneath her feet.
The tip of her toe tapped down. A white sonic boom cloud exploded in mid-air.
The girl shot forward like a red meteor, charging straight toward the monster in the sky.
————————
The world spun.
This was the only sensation Gu Lingyue felt at the moment.
She had used half her life’s worth of effort to crawl out of the deformed luxury car. The moment her feet touched the ground, her legs gave out and she fell hard onto the rough asphalt. Her knees burned with pain—she had probably scraped them raw.
‘Damn it…’
Gu Lingyue gritted her teeth and staggered into the dark alley beside her.
There were no tears in her beautiful eyes, only bone-deep hatred.
As long as I make it back alive, even if I have to stake everything I own, I will destroy you bastards.
However, reality was often far harsher than ideals.
At the end of the alley, several sleazy young men were blocking the way.
They held steel pipes and folding knives in their hands, their eyes looking at her like she was a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Gu Lingyue glanced back at the retreat path—it was also blocked.
“Miss Gu…”
The leading thug stepped forward, a nauseating smile plastered on his face. His gaze roamed brazenly over her torn clothes.
“Young Master invites you to take a trip… or should I say… lie down for one?”
The surrounding thugs burst into loud laughter.
Gu Lingyue didn’t need any interpretation to guess what filthy thoughts were running through these scumbags’ heads.
She took a deep breath and quietly tightened her grip on the utility knife in her pocket—the one she carried for self-defense.
“Then… sorry about this.”
The leader lost his patience. With a wave of his hand, several burly men grinned menacingly as they closed in.
Despair surged over her like a tidal wave.
Just as Gu Lingyue prepared to fight to the death—
Boom—!
A massive unidentified object crashed down from the sky!
The asphalt road shattered instantly. Stone fragments flew like bullets, and black-brown foul-smelling slime splattered all over the people around.
As the dust settled, everyone stared in horror at what had slammed into the ground—it was a monster!
It looked like a giant bird that had been skinned alive, its body covered in throbbing pus-filled sacs.
Right now, most of the creature’s body had been stomped into the concrete.
“Hiss—aaaah—!”
The monster let out a screech like nails scraping across a blackboard, sending chills straight into everyone’s hearts.
Immediately after, a nauseating stench of decay spread through the air.
“Ugh…”
One of the thugs closest to it dropped to his knees and vomited on the spot.
The earlier arrogance vanished in an instant. Everyone was trembling, their legs so weak they couldn’t even take a step.
But what shocked them even more was yet to come.
Standing on the monster’s back was a petite red-haired figure.
A black cloak splattered with several brown monster bloodstains, and an exquisite magic staff as tall as she was, glowing with flowing light.
And that cute little face filled with clear displeasure.
A magical girl?!
The leading thug swallowed hard and forced himself to try and get on her good side:
“Um… may I ask…”
The word “ask” had just left his mouth.
Smack—!
Lu Yushan didn’t even glance at him. He swung the magic staff like a golf club, smashing it heavily onto the monster’s head.
The monster thrashed wildly. Flesh at the wound flipped outward as several semi-transparent tentacles carrying strong acid lashed toward Lu Yushan like venomous snakes.
Gu Lingyue’s pupils shrank sharply. She subconsciously held her breath.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle—
The tentacles struck. The red-haired girl didn’t dodge, nor did any barrier appear as one might imagine. A scorched wound appeared on the girl’s fair face, accompanied by a wisp of green smoke.
But that was all.
The scorched mark healed at a visible speed. The blackened spot flaked off, restoring the skin to its original state.
“Too noisy.”
The girl muttered softly. There was no fear in her tone, only deep annoyance.
She raised the staff high. Light visibly gathered at its tip.
Boom—!
With immense force, dust flew everywhere.
Everyone present felt a tremor from the depths of their souls.
The massive shockwave sent the surrounding thugs flying. Amid the swirling dust, Gu Lingyue heard the terrifying girl add coldly:
“Three thousand, received.”