Nightingale's Request for Guidance

Before Hell dealt with Edward:

Inside the White Horse Nightclub.

Nightingale clutched the meal card in her hand as she searched everywhere for Mo Zhen, even pressing the employees for answers.

All they could tell her was that he had indeed been there, but no one knew where he was now.

"How am I supposed to explain this to Xiaoxiao?"

Nightingale sighed in frustration, but since things had come to this, she could only turn around and ask Scarlet Spider.

She arrived at the battlefield at the very moment Mo Zhen used "Dismantle" to finish off Edward.

With one swift, dangerous move, she cut the high-risk criminal known as "Ripper" in half at the waist.

The sight once again changed Nightingale's understanding of Hell.

This girl is clearly about the same age as me... yet she's terrifyingly strong, even stronger than when we last met.

A question arose in her mind.

"Why would she choose to fall?"

Nightingale didn't understand.

As a magical girl herself, she could say for certain that Hell was definitely a magical girl, whether she admitted it or not.

The resonance between their souls could not be mistaken.

But no matter what, once a magical girl's hands were stained with blood, her soul would be tainted, and nothing could ever wash it clean.

Nightingale was even a little nervous when Hell approached Scarlet Spider.

She knew Miss Hell was a good person, but Scarlet Spider didn't. What if they misunderstood each other and started fighting?

After all, Scarlet Spider himself also believed in not killing.

Fortunately, the outcome left Nightingale relieved. Hell struck up a conversation with him instead, though Nightingale didn't know what they said.

Nightingale leaped down from the building and landed on the street where the two stood, only to widen her eyes in surprise.

She hadn't noticed from a distance, but once she got closer, she suddenly realized that the magic Mo Zhen was using was...

"Reverse Cursed Technique?!"

As everyone knew, the essence of magical power was negative entropy.

Using their magical power and the magical techniques naturally engraved within their bodies, magical girls created order from the disorder of increasing entropy, allowing them to cast all kinds of incredible magic.

The Reverse Cursed Technique, which could heal others, was the most incredible of them all.

It required the user to completely reverse the nature of their own highly destructive magical power, then channel it into another person to heal them.

Two negatives made a positive. The principle sounded simple.

But in the entire history of the magical world, the magical girls who had mastered this obscure skill could be counted on one hand.

Unless a senior taught them step by step, others would have difficulty even understanding it, because there were simply too many intricacies involved.

That was why Nightingale was so surprised.

Moreover, the ability Hell had suddenly displayed made her even more certain that Hell was a magical girl from an overseas family.

Only the legacies of great families contained records of the Reverse Cursed Technique and the corresponding training formulas.

In the outside world, the vast majority of magical girls and magicians didn't even know it existed.

Hearing Nightingale's surprised cry, Hell looked at her curiously. "Can you use it too?"

"No."

Nightingale shook her head repeatedly. "I've never been able to learn the Reverse Cursed Technique. It's an obscure kind of magic that only geniuses can master."

There was a reason obscure magic stayed obscure. The Reverse Cursed Technique had a ridiculously high barrier to entry, and it also required the user to have far more magical power than the average person.

It demanded both stats and skill. Who the hell could learn that? She might as well spend the time learning something else.

Hell wasn't surprised to hear that. Over the past two days, he had been cramming common knowledge about the magical world through the companion little crow inside the Domain of the Heart.

In this world, the Reverse Cursed Technique was both obscure and difficult to learn. Few magicians or magical girls went out of their way to study it.

Soon, she finished treating Scarlet Spider. She waved her hand, dispersing the silvery-white magical power at her fingertips, and asked him:

"How do you feel?"

Her magical power was originally pitch-black, but after being multiplied and reversed, it turned silvery-white.

Scarlet Spider moved his arm and clenched his fist, his youthful voice full of disbelief.

"My god, there's no soreness at all! This is a miracle! How did you do that?"

Although he had some self-healing ability of his own, he was still stunned by what Hell had done. The treatment had been unbelievably fast and effective.

[Miss Witch, your fame has increased slightly.]

[Nightingale's favorability toward you has increased.]

[Scarlet Spider's favorability toward you has increased.]

My reputation increased slightly? Looks like the more of an impression I leave on others, the more my reputation grows, Hell thought.

Her path to leveling up was gradually becoming clear.

Cultivation mission: cultivate the sapling in the Domain of the Heart, raise its growth index, and strengthen her soul so she could unlock more ability slots.

Even if she left her sapling alone, it would gradually grow on its own. But without something like a Grief Seed to nourish it, it would grow rather slowly.

Beginner mission: defeat superheroes or magical girls and raise her fame to obtain various auxiliary attributes, bringing her Malevolent Shrine to its complete form.

Random events: the rewards were blind boxes, and so far, they had all been generous.

As for the actual main quest, she hadn't unlocked it yet. She figured its rewards would probably be other villain abilities.

There was too much to do, and she couldn't rush it all at once.

While Hell was thinking, Scarlet Spider suddenly slapped his forehead. "Wait, I still have someone to find! My friend's still at the nightclub!"

Hell tilted her head. "Your friend?"

Scarlet Spider nodded repeatedly and said angrily, "That guy's going to drive me crazy! If he needed money, why didn't he tell me? Why did he come to a nightclub?"

Hell: "..."

She seemed to have a vague idea of Scarlet Spider's real identity now.

Nightingale, however, hadn't realized who Scarlet Spider was talking about. "Mr. Scarlet Spider, did you happen to see a boy with blue eyes in the nightclub?"

Scarlet Spider froze. He had a feeling the person she was looking for and the person he was looking for might be the same one.

He quickly laughed it off. "Oh, him? I saw him. Don't worry, he's fine. He already evacuated with the others."

Nightingale felt a little more relieved. "That's good. Thank you."

Hell was growing restless by then and turned around.

"Since things are over here, I have something else to do, so I'll be going."

Seeing that, Nightingale quickly called out to stop her. "Um, please wait, Miss Hell."

Hell looked back at her with rose-red eyes. "What is it?"

Nightingale hesitated. "Could I ask you about something in private? If I'm bothering you, I'm very sorry. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

Hearing that, Scarlet Spider tactfully shrugged.

"Ahem, since you two know each other, I won't interrupt you girls catching up. Your codename is Hell, right? I'll remember it. I owe you a huge favor for today. My codename's Scarlet Spider. See you next time!"

With that, Scarlet Spider took a running start and raised his hand, shooting a web that stuck to Uncle Ben in the sky. Then he swung away from the block.

Hell watched him leave, silently repented for her hell joke for a second, then looked back at Nightingale.

"Go ahead. What is it?"

Nightingale said, "Um, this might be a little forward of me, but... Miss Hell, could I hire you as my magic instructor?"

"I want you to teach me how to become stronger."

As the youngest child of the Saionji Family, Wuhua was the only child in its main branch with a talent for magic.

Because the family had steadily declined in the magical world, there were no longer any elders who could guide her in magic.

So Wuhua could only study the ancient magic books passed down in her family on her own.

But she had to admit that her talent wasn't actually all that good.

A month after awakening, she had only barely advanced from E-rank to D-rank. At this rate, she would never catch up to that "genius" from the branch family.

If she lost the coming competition, her branch would have to give up the position of head of the Saionji Family in accordance with the family rules.

Hell didn't agree right away. She shook her head.

"Sorry, I've been very busy lately, and I'm not good at teaching others either. I'd recommend finding someone more qualified."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Nightingale's eyes, but it quickly faded, and she gave her a faint, understanding smile.

She bowed slightly and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Miss Hell. I was being presumptuous."

Hell naturally noticed the disappointment in her eyes.

The gray-haired girl lowered her gaze. After hesitating and thinking for a moment, she finally sighed inwardly.

She turned around and spoke quietly.

"Ten tomorrow night, Whale Sea Park."

"As for whether you can learn anything, that's up to you."

Nightingale froze. "Huh?"

She quickly realized what Hell meant, and irrepressible delight shone in her eyes. She nodded repeatedly. "I'll remember."

Then she bowed again. "I look forward to learning from you, Senior Hell!"

"Oh, right, Senior, can I get your contact information? Also, could I bring Morning Star, the magical girl who was with me that day?"

Nightingale took out her phone, which had a Kuromi case, and looked at her expectantly. "Don't worry, I'll pay you double the tuition!"

Hell's expression didn't change. "Sure, but forget the contact information for now. We can exchange it tomorrow. I forgot to bring my phone."

Teaching one person was teaching, and so was teaching two.

It was a good chance to help her own Bai Xiaoxiao get stronger, so she wouldn't get chased around by familiars playing "Run, Xiaoxiao, run" again.

"Okay~"

Wuhua was perfectly satisfied.

Miss Hell said no more. She nodded and left the block.

Only after reaching a deserted place did she take out her phone and start replying to messages.

While she had been missing, Saionji Kirika had called him many times and sent him texts, but she hadn't received any of them.

"Mo Zhen, I picked up your meal card. Are you okay? I've already called the police!"

"Please hold on! I'll be right there!"

If she didn't reply soon, Saionji Kirika would definitely tell Bai Xiaoxiao.

The gray-haired girl leaned against a wall and tapped her phone screen.

"I'm fine, Wuhua. I just charged my phone. Things are a little complicated, and I can't explain them quickly."

"Thank you for worrying about me."

Saionji Kirika replied instantly.

Wuhua: "That's great. I'm glad you're okay, Mo Zhen. Oh, right, I still have your meal card. Can I give it back to you tomorrow?"

Mo Zhen: "Sure."

After replying, Hell turned off her phone. The girl's face was reflected in its shattered screen.

She left the dim alley and found an unmanned convenience store open twenty-four hours a day, where she bought an anonymous SIM card from a self-service machine.

As for a phone, she would buy another one tomorrow. It was best to keep her two identities separate.

Come to think of it, Taiping Prefecture was quite friendly to criminals. Anonymous SIM cards were one thing, but it even had an anonymous securities exchange.

The idea was that money robbed today could be deposited back tomorrow.