“Luckily, sheās no longer fixated on me. Instead, sheās taken quite a shine to that Ning Xi fellow. By taking her away, youāve stirred up a bit of trouble for yourselves.”
After hearing Mi Xianās account, Su Mu felt a phantom ache ripple through her backside.
It seemed Motes had truly gone easy on her back then.
But from the sound of it, Edmaās resentment was far from settled.
She might even throw caution to the wind in pursuit of revenge.
The priority now was to summon Motes backāfastābefore this mess spiraled further.
“Whenās that lunatic planning her attack? Keep me posted. If your intelās solid, thereāll be rewards aplenty.”
Mi Xian flashed a radiant grin, her form slowly melding into the shadows behind the door.
“Since that magical girl Motes isnāt around, Edma will likely hunt her down first. She wonāt strike immediately. If I hear anything, Iāll let you know right away.”
As the last wisp of inky darkness dissolved into the puddle on the floor, Su Mu couldnāt help but marvel quietly.
What a convenient ability.
To blend into darknessādid that include the shadows in someoneās heart?
“Ehe, thatās a possibility, isnāt it?”
Irinaās voice chimed in, revived and brimming with glee.
“Naturally! I just hijacked a juicy, magic-stuffed sheep, and now sheās howling for revenge.”
That sounds like bad news.
“Relax! Everyone whoās ever thrown threats my way ends up tamed and docile~”
Docileā¦ what an unsettling choice of words.
“Youāll see. Edma, thoughāsheās going to be a headache.”
No need to tell me twice.
Canāt you deal with her?
“If I could, Iād have already nabbed that cocky little dragon. Sadly, weāre stuck dodging her for now.”
Su Mu sighed, a twinge of disappointment flickering through her.
After a momentās thought, she cracked the door open and peeked outside.
All clear.
Time to bolt.
For now, the best plan was to let Motes clean up her own mess.
Didnāt Mi Xian say sheād already shattered that girlās XP system and rebuilt it?
One more round, and sheād be tamed for good.
First, though, sheād check in with Tang Naiāmaybe fish for some answers about her own tangled affairs while she was at it.
With the situation pressing, Su Mu skipped the fitness test without a second thought and made a break for it.
This was a mission, after all.
Any extra headaches could be dumped on that blasted rabbit.
Oh, and while she was at it, sheād get her identity switched to the girlsā side.
“Yo, little Su Muās finally wising up.”
Wise up, my foot. This is just a temporary fix. At least Iām sure I wonāt fall for guys like other girls do.
“Pfft, isnāt Luo Jia Lan a girl too? Didnāt stop her from getting smitten with your charms.”
Hmph, doesnāt that just prove my masculine allure?
“Heh, I bet youāll end up on the bottom.”
Wanna bet? Waitāno, itās way too early for that talk. I havenāt even sorted my feelings yet.
Irina, meanwhile, was gleefully tallying the magic in her reserves, chuckling to herself.
As dishonest as ever. Not that Iām one to talk.
Elsewhere, Luo Jialan stood on the sports field, brows furrowed in confusion, having failed to spot Su Mu.
Is she avoiding me on purpose?
***
At the bustling heart of B City, where towering skyscrapers framed a crowded intersection, people hurried past in neatly pressed suits, their uniformity blinding them to the golden-haired girl in their midst.
Edma despised being ignored, but the oppressive aura she once wielded had been stolen by that wretched woman.
“Hey, you. Come here.”
After scanning the crowd, Edma finally locked eyes with someone who noticed her.
A young police officer.
Hearing her childish voice, he hesitated before approaching.
“Little girl, whereās your mom?”
“None of your business.”
Edmaās eyes narrowed, her crimson, slitted pupils flaring with an imperious glint, her tone sharpening.
At least, thatās how she pictured herself.
“Ugh, a brat. What a pain.”
The officerās reckless words ignited a spark of fury in Edmaās chest, a low growl rumbling in her throat.
To onlookers, though, she just looked like a tiny kitten puffing up in a huff.
“Fine. Tell me where the best bank around here is, and Iāll forgive your rudeness.”
Edma knew her appearance carried no menace.
Three days bound like a dumpling and tossed into a bathtub by her hapless subordinates had taught her that lesson well.
So, she let the ignorant slide.
The old Edma might have lashed out in rage, but she was different now.
Once the core of her “dragon” essence was tainted, her power plummeted to B-rank, costing her the title of Monster King to a rival.
Forced to bide her time, sheād stumbled upon a stroke of fortune amidst the ruināa new concept beyond “dragon.”
“Monarch.”
Now, she was Monarch Edma Dragon, a feared name even at the borders of the Dream Realm.
Sadly, her diminutive form betrayed her grandeur, and she couldnāt revert itāa key reason for her burning vendetta against Motes.
Knowing this mortal wouldnāt heed her words, Edma summoned a sliver of magic, unleashing her dragonās aura.
In an instant, the crowd paled, legs trembling, frozen in place.
The officer, caught in the epicenter of her pressure, felt his resolve crumble.
The petite blonde girl suddenly loomed like a mountain, her presence crushing his spirit, stealing his breath.
It wasnāt that sheād grown tallerāit was his heart bowing before her.
His only thought was to answer her question, no delay, no defiance.
“Over thereā¦”
“Good.”
As Edmaās aura vanished and her figure melted into the crowd, the officer snapped back to reality.
What just happened?
A trick of the mind?
Yet the cold sweat soaking his back told him heād narrowly escaped doom.
That thing was a monster.
He had to report itā¦
Wait, I am the police.
“Combat Division, weāve got a monster here!”
By the time Miti sensed the surge of magic and rushed to the scene, the bankās vault was already ransacked.
The meter-thick titanium alloy door lay crumpled like a sheet of paper, metal shards scattered across the floor.
Not a single bill was touched, but every gold bar was gone.
The staff sat paralyzed, too stunned to speak.
Miti ran a finger along the scorched, jagged edge of the metal, her conclusion swift.
A B-rank monster or higher.
After just a year, they were back in action.