O Belt, Concealing Dark Power!

"Can I draw again? This time, I'll definitely shout properly."

Fang Ran lunged toward the pale blue page, his eyes burning as he asked.

Ding! No.

"Pfft!"

Fang Ran felt like he had coughed up a mouthful of blood. Seriously? He stared blankly at the Magic Book in his hand.

Don't mess with me. Do I really have to use this ability?

In a place that resembled one of those infinite-instance worlds, with Zombies everywhere and a full-on apocalypse atmosphere, I actually have to use Magical Girl Power to fight Zombies!

What the hell, this art style is completely wrong!

Among all those Magical Girls who fought Zombie monsters, aside from the one who became a god, all the others died, okay?

Magical Girls were a high-risk profession.

Fang Ran felt that he might very well end up on that path of no return too. No, this was a flag. Fighting with an ability like this made him feel like cannon fodder.

What protagonist ever became awesome by relying on an ability that wasn't cool at all!?

No, calm down. Calm down, I need to calm down. Fang Ran, twenty years old, no criminal record, didn't smoke, didn't drink, wasn't gay, still a virgin, and his time spent single was approximately equal to his age. Anyway, pick it up first.

"How the hell am I supposed to calm down!?"

Unable to hold back his frustration, Fang Ran shouted and slammed it down again.

Ding! Time until Time Stop ends:

"Eh, wait!"

He had been so busy complaining that he had nearly forgotten he was in a bizarre place with a deadly threat behind him. This was not the time to think about that stuff.

"At least tell me how to use the ability!?"

Ding! The ability is bound to and mastered by the user.

"Huh?"

Fang Ran was dumbfounded. That sentence was beyond ridiculous.

Since when did I know how to use Magical Girl Power!?

Giving up entirely, he picked up the Magic Book and tried to figure out how to activate it. After straining with all his might for three seconds—

Damn it, the clasp won't open!

You didn't even give me a single card, and you expect me to hold this thing like a brick and fight whatever's behind me?

User intent detected.

Draw attempts: 1/1

Unlock progress: 0/52

Proceed with the first draw?

"You've got to be kidding, another draw? My luck is terrible. Have you heard of the Great Onmyoji? I'm basically—"

Fang Ran could not help but laugh bitterly. He pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling completely drained and unsure what else to say.

He had indeed watched the Clow Cards cartoon when he was young, and he knew perfectly well what the thing in his hand was for.

But too much time had passed. Even he could not possibly remember every detail.

Based on his vague memories from watching it only a few times as a child, not all fifty-two Clow Cards were useful in battle. Quite a few had abilities so bizarre that he had no idea what they were for.

What if his luck turned black and he drew some completely useless Clow Card, like Sweet, Glow, or Flower?

That would be instant death!

Oh, wait, Flower was somewhat useful. It could add a touch of beauty to his death.

"God bless me, God bless me."

At a time like this, that was the only cliché life-saving prayer he could think of. Then he slowly reached toward the Magic Book.

But honestly, Fang Ran did not have much confidence at that moment. It was that kind of feeling—

Like when you went onstage to perform and just knew you might embarrass yourself.

He was no longer his old self, so what if he had an ability?

He was just an ordinary person who knew nothing. Could having an ability really let him survive this situation with a Zombie?

Even an ordinary person with a gun would have a hard time surviving in an environment full of bad guys. It was the same principle.

And even now, with the life-threatening Zombie right behind him—

He still did not truly feel like he was about to gain superpowers.

Perhaps everyone had once wished for something like that as a child, but how long could that desire last?

When he reached for the Magic Book, unlike what he said aloud, he did not actually pray for much.

He just wanted to rest for a while, save enough strength to run again later, and preferably find somewhere safe to hide.

But the moment his fingertips touched the cover—

The Magic Book in his hand floated up. Faint golden arcane light drifted outward, the lock on the cover clicked open, and it felt as though countless emotions and thoughts had become a warm breeze of light—

Blowing away the smiling mask he had placed over himself.

His trembling eyes were revealed as he watched the pages flutter open and turn one after another, golden particles spreading warmly around him.

The unreal, fantastical feeling made him lower his head and grit his teeth, wanting to hide his expression at that moment.

Why... only now...

One page suddenly stood upright. The card drawn on the parchment slowly lit up, golden particles gathering into the shape of a card before it flashed and fell free!

Fang Ran raised his head and stared blankly at the scene, feeling as though something warm inside him had shattered apart.

So it was real. This world really had things like this.

So—

The thing he had once yearned for, the thing that could break through the ordinariness of Fate—

Really existed.

He had never had it before. Never.

The golden card became tangible and floated before Fang Ran, faintly illuminating his stunned face with a warmth that moved the heart.

Sword Card—(THE SWORD)

Symbolism: The pursuit of truth, recompense, and sometimes destructive power.

Description: The Magic Wand itself becomes a sword. Its power depends on the magic in the user's heart.

He accepted it instinctively, his eyes widening in disbelief. The card felt heavy and warm in his hand, made of some unknown material, exactly like the one on television.

On its surface, golden Chains wound around and sealed a slender sword. The card was over twenty centimeters long, and as his fingers brushed it, he felt something incredibly wondrous.

Crash!!!!

"Roar!!!"

At that moment, shattering sounds suddenly rang out through the surrounding space. Time Stop ended completely, and the Zombie let out a howl as it lunged at Fang Ran!

The sound snapped him out of his emotional daze, leaving him no time to think as he rushed down the street ahead once more!

One ran, one chased, weaving through the city beneath the night.

"Just tell me how to use this already!"

Ding! The ability is bound to and mastered by the user.

Bound to and mastered by the user!?

What the hell did that mean!?

Squeezing out the last of his strength, Fang Ran sprinted through the nighttime streets while his mind raced.

Normally, it had no reason to lie to me. That means it's telling the truth. If I've mastered it, then I must know how to use it—

Could it be like in the cartoon??

Remembering the embarrassing transformation chant and movements used by the Magical Girl in the cartoon he had watched, Fang Ran felt his entire worldview collapse as every part of him refused.

"Roar!"

But the Zombie's horrifying howl was right behind him, forcing him to toss aside such trivial shame.

"...Wait, I remember. It's... concealing..."

Why does it suddenly feel like something is missing compared to the television version?

He had finally made the difficult decision to abandon his dignity and prioritize survival, ready to shout the chant and perform the gesture. But Fang Ran suddenly realized a shocking fact!

He did not have a Magic Wand.

In the cartoon, the Clow Cards all had to be activated with a Magic Wand.

Without a Magic Wand, how the hell was he supposed to activate anything!?

Ding! Hint: Bind any metal object on your person as a Magic Wand.

"Damn it! Why didn't you say that earlier!?"

Fang Ran wanted nothing more than to grab it and curse it out. Then he frantically searched through everything he still had on him. Metal, metal, metal... damn it!

He had not brought his wallet or keys today, and his phone seemed to have fallen somewhere during his escape earlier!

No, this feels like I'm completely screwed!

Fang Ran's hands trembled as cold sweat poured down his face. His breathing quickened as he stared in disbelief at the fact that he happened to have no suitable metal object to bind as a Magic Wand!

Seriously? I finally got some hope, and now I'm going to die like this?

Please, no.

Even if he died, Fang Ran did not want his cause of death to be: gaining Magical Girl Power but being unable to transform because he had no Magic Wand while being chased by a Zombie.

"Wait, that's right!"

Fang Ran suddenly remembered something on his person, and a feeling of escaping death instantly rose in his heart—a joy—

The feeling of finding hope in despair. Anyone who had experienced it would understand it deeply.

With that thought, Fang Ran accelerated for two steps without hesitation, then suddenly turned around like a Japanese samurai drawing his sword—

And pulled out his belt!

Without the slightest hesitation, no longer caring whether it was embarrassing or not, he shouted:

"O belt, concealing dark power!!!"

Ding! Magic Wand binding successful.

Ding! Ability update complete.

Ding! Beginner guidance complete.

Ding! Night Battle - Originator guidance successful.

Ding! Ability activated!

A rapid string of notifications rang through his ears, but Fang Ran had no time to look at them. He only felt light flare up in his hand, and his belt seemed to undergo some kind of change—

Causing even the Zombie to stop in fear.

Then Fang Ran looked at his belt—

It had changed from something soft and whip-like into a hard belt.

As the light faded, Fang Ran and the Zombie stared wide-eyed at each other for two seconds.

Then he turned and ran!

"I freaking knew superpowers were all bullshit, aaaaaah!!!!!!"