First Cooperation

"It only took you such a short time to subdue the Aberrant Beast. As expected of an Inspector!"

Lin Xiaolu had barely landed when Moko, who had been fluttering its tiny wings behind her, popped out from behind her back and began fawning over her in a thoroughly ingratiating tone.

This was hardly a new habit of its, to the point that Larkspur suspected it had committed some sort of corruption in the Magic Kingdom and fled to the Material World. Otherwise, there was no reason for it to care so much about the title of "Inspector."

Even though Larkspur ignored or rebuked its clumsy attempts at flattery every time, she still could not stop it.

If children saw a Fairy that groveled and sucked up every day, they would probably lose all faith in the very idea of Fairies.

With a silent sigh, Larkspur ignored Moko and turned her attention to the other side—to Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang.

Clearly, ever since Lin Xiaolu had arrived, the atmosphere between the two had not been harmonious. Lin Xiaolu, having descended from the sky, looked indignant, in sharp contrast to Xia Liang's smiling face.

Larkspur had noticed Lin Xiaolu's inexplicable hostility toward Xia Liang, but Xia Liang's delight in the situation and constant provocation of Lin Xiaolu were also a problem.

Seeing signs that the two were about to start bickering again, Larkspur suppressed another urge to sigh and clapped her hands together. "All right, stop arguing for now."

She pointed at the Aberrant Beast in the distance, trying to draw their attention away. "The Aberrant Beast that appeared today isn't very strong. I'd judge it to be around Egg Rank. In other words, as long as the two of you cooperate properly and perform normally, you should be able to deal with it quite easily."

As Larkspur spoke, she looked toward the Aberrant Beast in the distance. The creature, bound by threads, was still wriggling where it lay, trying to break free. Its struggle was useless, but an Aberrant Beast with almost no intelligence would not realize that.

She plucked the mana threads in the air again, loosening the web binding the Aberrant Beast. Then she turned back to the two newcomers. "I already told you about this Aberrant Beast's type and weaknesses last night. I'm releasing its restraints now, and you two will fight it. Unless the situation becomes extremely dangerous, I won't intervene."

As the threads scattered, the Aberrant Beast that had been crawling on the ground straightened up. It shook its huge, bloated body and, with its limited intelligence, noticed the three Magical Girls standing at the intersection. It had found its true enemies.

It swung its head, revealing a mouthful of twisted fangs, and roared at the three again:

"Gwooooooooh!"

"Don't worry, Senior Larkspur."

Facing the enraged Aberrant Beast, Lin Xiaolu showed no fear at all. She raised her wand and declared confidently, "I've been studying seriously these past few days. I'm completely different from before!"

"Fighting a big guy like this... sounds fun!"

Xia Liang's attention was entirely elsewhere.

Both of them were highly motivated, which was the only thing that reassured Larkspur. So she said nothing more and merely nodded quietly.

Then pale blue and Hibiscus Purple mana streams erupted in crossing bursts. The two Magical Girls rose into the air one after another, kicking up a gust beside Larkspur as they flew straight toward the enormous Aberrant Beast.

Egg Rank Aberrant Beasts were the most numerous, most frequently appearing, and also weakest Aberrant Beasts in the world.

This weakness was relative to Magical Girls. Although Egg Rank Aberrant Beasts varied in strength, even the strongest usually could not withstand the combined assault of two or three Seed Stage Magical Girls. As for the weak ones, even a novice who had just become a Magical Girl could eliminate them alone.

For that very reason, whether in the Material Realm or the Magic Kingdom, research and accumulated experience regarding Aberrant Beasts were most detailed when it came to Egg Rank Aberrant Beasts.

Unlike high-ranking Aberrant Beasts, most Aberrant Beasts at this stage still relied primarily on physical attacks.

Their greatest characteristic was that they developed various specialized organs for utilizing mana.

Based on their specialized organs, body characteristics, behavioral patterns, habitats, and other factors, people had classified Egg Rank Aberrant Beasts into dozens of types, making them easier for Magical Girls to identify and eliminate efficiently.

Burst Membrane Type, Eroding Claw Type, Corrosive Scale Type, Ruptured Skin Type, Covered Viscera Type... Different types of Aberrant Beasts possessed different special abilities due to their specialized organs. For example, the claws of the Eroding Claw Type could corrode objects, while the mana flow beneath a Ruptured Skin Type's skin gave its body surface an extremely high temperature.

As for the Aberrant Beast they had encountered this time, based on Larkspur's experience, it undoubtedly belonged to the Dissolving Cavity Type.

Its traits included a relatively large body, generally over ten meters tall; abundant mucus on its surface, used to reduce damage and aid movement; and a specialized organ called a Dissolving Cavity, which mixed the undigested portions of its prey with bodily fluids before blasting them out like a high-pressure water cannon, powerful enough to pierce ordinary concrete.

This type of Aberrant Beast was not particularly common. It usually lived near abundant water, and urban environments did not suit its physiology. They gathered more often in the wild, but that was not something a city-based Magical Girl like her needed to worry about.

Since they had happened upon one today, it was perfect for Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang to use as practice.

However, contrary to Larkspur's expectations, the cooperation between the two newcomers she had been guiding could not exactly be called flawless. It was more like a complete mess.

Not long after the battle began, Lin Xiaolu was nearly shot out of the air by a Mana Beam fired by Xia Liang.

"Hey, you—are you trying to kill me?"

Seeing the Hibiscus Purple mana streak past not far in front of her, she hurriedly stopped mid-flight, then shouted angrily at Xia Liang.

"Sorry, sorry." Xia Liang also realized it had been her mistake, so she repeatedly apologized with an ingratiating smile.

When the Aberrant Beast used its Dissolving Cavity to attack for the first time, Xia Liang had already extended her wand, gathered a mana cannon, and aimed at the opening exposed by the creature. But Lin Xiaolu suddenly crossed into her planned firing path, preventing her from launching the attack.

"Ah, seriously!"

An attack that could clearly have achieved something had died before it could be fired. Even Xia Liang felt a little angry in that situation, but she could only put the bigger picture first and continue circling the Aberrant Beast in flight, searching for another angle of attack.

The two fought the Aberrant Beast for dozens of exchanges in this painfully clumsy pairing. After battling for quite some time, they had inflicted little meaningful damage on it and instead exhausted themselves.

Larkspur, standing to one side, saw everything clearly.

Xia Liang's talent as a Magical Girl was undeniably strong. Even though she had studied for only a few days and this was her first battle, she seemed to possess an innate instinct for finding suitable positions from which to use mana for long-range attacks against the Aberrant Beast.

Lin Xiaolu was considerably inferior by comparison, but she still fought boldly and had relatively abundant combat experience for a newcomer. Using a highly mobile close-range fighting style, she actively searched for the Aberrant Beast's weaknesses.

If these two had fought alone, each of them might have had a chance to take down this Aberrant Beast by herself, perhaps even more easily than they were now.

But once they formed a team and needed to cooperate in battle, their preference for different fighting styles—and their lack of any awareness of coordinating with a teammate—made the resulting performance a total disaster.