The last time she completely exhausted her mana was back when she was a magic apprentice.
This feeling of being utterly drained, both physically and mentally, plunged Xueji into a deep sleep.
In her dreams, people and events from that other world flashed by like slides on a projector.
The first time she successfully cast a fireball spell, she lost control of her mana and burned down her master’s little wooden hut.
“You brat! Did you do that on purpose?!”
The old mage with a grizzled beard rapped Xueji on the head repeatedly with his staff.
“Master, please stop hitting me! I really just missed my aim…”
Xueji suddenly turned her head, and with a thunk, their foreheads collided. The old man clutched his head. Before he could even speak, Xueji’s legs moved faster than her brain, and she took off running. The next second, the old mage was brandishing his staff and chasing after her, while Xueji, relying on her youth, stubbornly maintained a safe distance.
“You stop right there!” The old man’s voice, amplified by magic, boomed through the entire forest, sending birds scattering as if fleeing a disaster, stirring up a gust of wind in the sky.
Hearing this, Xueji obediently stopped in her tracks. The result was that the old mage crashed right into her back.
This collision left the old man dizzy and disoriented. Overcome with guilt, Xueji leaned in closer.
“You, stay away from me, kid!” The old man pressed his staff against Xueji, and a surge of mana directly blasted her away.
“You cranky old man, I’m not finished with you!” Xueji yelled as the magical force carried her deep into the forest.
From then on, mana control became the homework her master, the great mage, assigned to her most frequently.
He even demanded she use magical hands for daily chores like washing clothes and cooking.
Seeing her master’s stern face again, Xueji felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia.
Watching the old man slowly shuffle towards her, Xueji grew excited and called out.
To her surprise, her master looked at her with a face full of confusion.
“Little girl, don’t go around claiming strangers as your master. Dealing with that little rascal I’ve got now keeps me busy enough.”
Hearing this, Xueji looked down and saw her own fair, slender hands.
So, had she entered the dream in her true form? What a strange experience.
Xueji thought for a moment, then hurled a fireball spell at her master.
“Old man, let’s duel!”
Though aged, the old mage’s perception of mana remained sharp. An earthen wall rose high the moment Xueji released her fireball.
“Little girl, you think you can challenge me with such amateurish skills?” The old mage moved his staff, and the earthen wall was pushed towards Xueji. As it advanced, it grew larger and larger, like a massive wave.
Xueji gripped her staff tightly with both hands, gathering a tremendous amount of mana at its tip.
As the twenty-meter-high wave of earth surged towards her, Xueji released all the mana she had been channeling in one explosive burst.
This was the spell known as the Magic Cannon, the simplest and most brute-force attack method for mages. However, its mana efficiency was low, and the consumption enormous, so it was generally only used for mana testing. Almost no one used this thing in actual combat. Except for Xueji.
“Youngster, this old man doesn’t need you to go easy on him.”
With that, the old mage ceased further spellcasting.
Xueji’s Magic Cannon blasted through the earthen wave and shot straight towards the old mage.
The old mage simply blocked the entire attack with a mana shield and began walking towards Xueji even as her Magic Cannon continued to barrage him.
Then, to Xueji’s astonished gaze, the old man, who had somehow appeared right in front of her, his muscles bulging like a titan’s, swung his staff in a wide arc and sent her flying clear off the planet with a single strike.
“You look much more pleasing to the eye like this, you brat.” The old man’s lips curled into a slight smile.
“What?! You knew…” Xueji didn’t have time to finish before the old mage’s staff sent her soaring off the planet.
She opened her eyes to see the white ceiling of the infirmary.
“What a bizarre dream. But why did it feel so real?” Xueji murmured to herself.
“Commander, you’re awake?” A young girl’s voice, full of life, chimed in.
Xueji jolted fully awake, clutching her stomach and taking a deep breath.
Sitting by Xueji’s bed was a bespectacled girl—Xia Jin. She had been assigned by Ling Xiaoxiao to look after Xueji.
“Classmate Xia Jin, how long have I been asleep?”
“Two days already.”
“How is Shaya doing?”
“You mean that little one with the wolf ears and tail? She woke up yesterday. She’s probably eating in the cafeteria right now.”
“What’s the situation outside?” Xueji asked.
Xia Jin sighed, her expression downcast. “City A is temporarily occupied by Hino. We’re preparing a counterattack now. Commander Ye said to find him in the command room once you wake up.”
Xueji sat up, patted her shoulder, and made a small fist. “Don’t look so glum. We haven’t lost yet.”
Xueji’s intention was simply to boost morale, but her cute expression and subconscious body language came across to Xia Jin more like adorable antics.
Seeing Xueji’s confident demeanor, Xia Jin felt the weight in her heart dissipate.
‘No wonder Senior is so worried about someone running off with you.’
Watching Xueji’s retreating figure, Xia Jin understood. She took out her communicator to continue reporting Xueji’s status to Ling Xiaoxiao.
“Senior hasn’t replied to messages for two days now…”
She shook her head, dispelling the unease, and regained her usual energetic demeanor.
——
Xueji met with Commander Ye again. The last time they met, he had told her to jump off the Canglong. If the atmosphere allowed, Xueji would have liked to get a little revenge on this guy.
Commander Ye saw right through her thoughts. Before Xueji could say anything, he handed her the mission assignment.
Helpless, Xueji could only give him a mental middle finger.
“Alright, alright, enough grumbling,” Commander Ye said, unable to keep a straight face any longer and waving his hand dismissively. “After you complete the mission, make any request you want. I’ll do my best to fulfill it, believe it or not.”
“Really?” Xueji deliberately asked in an exaggerated tone.
“Really. A promise is a promise.”
Only then did Xueji properly accept the mission: to form an alliance with the Ancient Forest Sanctuary.
The specifics were to unite with the spirit beasts within the Ancient Forest Sanctuary and borrow their power to jointly subdue Hino in City A. Although recent negotiations between the special forces and the beasts had been going smoothly, Xueji was still the most suitable person for this task.
‘So the Canglong is currently recuperating within the sanctuary. No wonder I felt something familiar.’
Xueji entered the cafeteria area and found Shaya without any trouble. After all, who else could be responsible for the three stacks of plates and bowls, each as tall as a person, on that table?
There sat Shaya, a bandage on her shoulder, wolfing down the assorted delicacies on the table. The people around her were happily feeding her, sharing their own food.
“Little Shaya, eat more meat. It’ll help your wound heal faster.” Xueji’s squad leader, Shen Dai, fed Shaya with a look of blissful infatuation.
Shen Dai’s best friend, Zhao Cheng, could only sit across from them eating his noodles with a jealous look. Ever since Shaya came aboard the Canglong, Shen Dai had practically glued herself to her side these past two days, leaving Zhao Cheng, who had just become her boyfriend, feeling thoroughly neglected.
Seeing an empty seat, Xueji got herself a meal and nonchalantly joined them.
The sudden appearance of the white-haired girl quieted the dining area.
“Xueji! Come here, let me hug you~” Shen Dai’s eyes lit up upon seeing Xueji.
“No way. You just focus on eating properly.”
Xueji’s arrival brightened the mood for everyone, though she herself didn’t notice.