Tracking the Hidden Monster

A few days after meeting with the producers, a promotional post for Molis's solo performance was released online.

In just a few days, they had already produced the initial accompaniment for the original song.

Naturally, the entire song had not been completed by Qin Xiansheng alone. Mr. Qin's Studio had other members as well: a genius proficient in most instruments—Qin Shaosheng, Qin Xiansheng's younger sister—served as the team's instrumentalist, along with the mixing staff and others. Zhou Mo had not met them that day.

Although the teaser had been released, there were still more than half a month before the official performance, which could be held before the Popularity Warm-Up Tournament ended.

"After the teaser was released, the popularity votes really rose more than before."

Rabi held the phone in his paws, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"Why can't you reach thirty thousand followers before the warm-up tournament?"

"Hah, sorry for failing to satisfy you."

Zhou Mo replied without the slightest apology.

She was currently standing on the school rooftop, her fingers flying over her phone as a girl's voice came from it.

"By the way, can't you narrow down your monster clues a little? How am I supposed to find one when the area is this huge?"

She complained to Rabi while playing her game.

"Sorry for failing to pinpoint the monster precisely."

Rabi threw the same words back at her.

"..."

"Maybe you're looking for monsters at the wrong time?"

Zhou Mo froze. "The time? What's wrong with it?"

"You always look for monsters at night. What if they've already gone to sleep by the time you get there? Of course you won't find them."

"Monsters sleep?"

Zhou Mo stared at Rabi with a completely baffled expression.

Rabi merely sighed. "Monsters are also a type of living creature. Living creatures need rest."

What he said was so reasonable that Zhou Mo had no idea how to refute it.

"Mm, you're right. Wait, no—then why did we encounter a monster at night last time?"

She suddenly recalled the time she had livestreamed a monster hunt with Xia Ya and raised her objection.

"There are always night-owl monsters that like wandering around in the middle of the night. You might have just happened to run into one."

"That makes sense. I believe that explanation."

Zhou Mo nodded, then rose from the bench on the rooftop, stretched, and slipped her phone into her pocket.

"So I need to search during the day."

She decided to try looking again that afternoon. If she still could not find one, she would have to give up. She could not keep wasting so much time verifying a hypothesis.

Afternoon arrived.

Zhou Mo found an excuse to slip away from school. After transforming into a Magical Girl, she headed alone for the southern district of the city.

South City Snack Street.

The streets were crowded with people. Although it was a weekday, Cloud City was a tourist city, so there were still plenty of visitors.

Dressed in casual clothes, Molis strode swiftly through the street while carefully observing the crowd.

Very quickly, she sensed a faint trace of monster aura.

The aura was extremely weak. A monster had likely passed through here not long ago.

She narrowed her eyes slightly and followed the trail.

Before long, Molis left the noisy crowd behind and entered an alley. Occasionally, a few people hurried through it, doing no more than casting a couple of glances at the girl.

Soon, she saw a strange figure enter a corner in the distance.

Seeing this, she quickly followed.

"Hey!"

As she turned the corner, Molis called out loudly to the black-clad figure ahead.

The black-clad man's steps paused, but he continued onward without turning his head.

Molis quickly caught up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're a monster, aren't you?"

At that, the black-clad man finally stopped.

He slowly turned around. Upon seeing the silver-haired girl before him, his body tensed for an instant before relaxing again.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Seeing him play dumb, Molis did not waste words. She raised a hand and summoned a spear.

"I'd say you're a monster from the Abyss Nest, too."

The black-clad man fell silent. It was obvious that she had no intention of hearing his explanation.

Then he sighed, set aside the bag of food he had just bought, and said coldly:

"I never expected to be discovered even though I disguised myself so well. Magical Girl, you must have suspected me long ago, haven't you?"

"Are you stupid? You're dressed head to toe in black in broad daylight, all wrapped up tight. If I wasn't going to suspect you, who was I supposed to suspect?"

Molis looked at him speechlessly. He was dressed entirely in black, with even his whole head wrapped in black cloth, leaving only a slit around his eyes.

She truly did not know how he could wander around the streets so openly dressed like that.

And the reason she thought he was an organized monster was naturally because he had tried to disguise himself. If he were a wild monster, he would have long since gone out and caused trouble.

"Hmph, very well."

The black-clad man continued to snort coldly, maintaining the aloof image of some villainous organization.

"I have to admire your intelligence. Since you've seen through me, I won't keep acting. That's right, I am a monster."

"No, your disguise is just unbelievably terrible."

As though he had not heard Molis's jab, the monster spread his arms slightly. A trace of icy arrogance showed in the eyes hidden beneath the black cloth.

"But if you think I'm like those low-level trash monsters, then you're gravely mistaken. I am... Shallow Tier!"

With that, he stopped concealing his aura and revealed it: Abyss level, third layer.

How about that? This Magical Girl must be scared senseless by now. This was the price of arrogantly coming to provoke him.

He lifted his eyes slightly and glanced at the girl.

Molis still held her spear raised and stared at him without the slightest change in expression.

The monster was somewhat puzzled by this.

"Scared stupid?"

"Are you done? Can we start fighting now?"

"Hm?"

The monster was startled. In the next instant, a spear glowing with pale blue light had already reached him.

A sense of danger washed over him, and he instinctively reacted by tilting his head aside.

The spear tip swept across his face, cutting a gash into his cheek.

Black blood seeped from the wound. The monster lightly wiped it away with a finger, and his expression instantly darkened.

"You dared to sneak-attack me? Are you even a Magical Girl?"

What was wrong with this girl? He had already hidden himself. Normally, weren't Magical Girls supposed to wait until monsters came out to cause destruction before making their entrance under countless watching eyes, harvesting ordinary people's emotions?

Yet she had chosen to fight him in this deserted corner, without even starting a livestream. He had not expected such a classical type of Magical Girl to still exist.

"Tch, this type is the most troublesome."

He cursed under his breath.

"What are you muttering about? Take this!"

Molis twisted her arm, sweeping the spear in her hand horizontally toward the monster.

The monster hurriedly dodged again, barely evading the incoming spear.

"Fine, fine, fine! Looks like you really want to fight me."

The monster got serious.