Chapter 246: And You, My Friend, You Are the True Magical Girl

Rising.

Or perhaps sinking.

Through the chaotic, endless drifting voyage, that consciousness finally reached a certain position.

Then.

"!!"

The existence known as Lin Guang finally opened his eyes.

- The familiar ceiling.

The youth instinctively curled his fingers, clenching his fist, the pads of his fingers registering the unfamiliar yet familiar knitted texture of the bedsheet. He slowly sat up, the hard board bed groaning beneath him.

The metal chain of the Soul Gem scraped against his chest, producing a faint clinking sound.

His eyes were still somewhat dazed, not yet fully restored to the capacity for thought. A dull ache and fatigue wove through his mind, accompanied by the body's hunger and thirst.

The magic power throughout his body felt lazy, carrying a sense of not wanting to move.

A gentle breeze blew through the half-open window into the room, stirring the light-colored curtains, fragmented light dancing across the youth's face.

The air carried a faint scent of aged wooden furniture, familiarity mixed with the unique crisp coolness of early morning.

A few seconds later, the youth finally regained his most basic capacity for thought.

- Morning?

- Just how long did I sleep?

The next moment.

The youth suddenly widened his eyes, as everything that had happened before began to flash before him.

"!!"

Without any hesitation, without even bothering to check his condition, he immediately opened the system panel.

Only two lines of text.

[Mission complete.]

[Proceed to settlement?]

Lin Guang took a deep breath, realizing what had happened.

Normally speaking, every time he logged out of the game in the past, he would directly recover his mental state, so he could immediately hear the system notification, directly claim rewards and settle.

But this time, he had most likely come out unconscious, sleeping for who knows how many hours straight.

Even if the system had called out, he couldn't have heard it, so this settlement had just been stuck here the whole time.

And now that he had woken up, this process could finally continue.

"Yes."

[Settling...]

[Settlement complete.]

[Achievement unlocked: And You, My Friend, You Are the True Magical Girl.]

[Congratulations! Perfect completion!]

[Your Comprehensive Rating for this mission is: S]

The sunlight outside the window cast light upon the youth's cold, composed face.

S-rank.

This time, he had finally gotten what he wanted.

"..."

If this were his previous life, having perfectly cleared a game of such absurd difficulty, Lin Guang would have relaxed when alone, collapsed into his chair back with a sense of accomplishment, then habitually complained about the garbage game mechanics and numerical balance. At the very least, he'd comment on the plot, or spout some meme-filled nonsense, and throw a few curses at the system's design.

But he said nothing now.

He just expressionlessly raised his hand, his fingertip landing on the translucent virtual screen, and began rapidly tapping, as if urging those characters to speed up their scrolling pace.

- Hurry up. You know I'm anxious.

The system's evaluation words began to appear unhurriedly.

[System closing remarks:]

[The arrogant Witch King ultimately fell to the sword of a maiden even more arrogant than herself.]

[You foiled the mastermind's conspiracy, prevented the birth of the Pride Witch, shattered the prophecy of the city's destruction, and indirectly saved countless lives in Kazenari Town and the outside world.]

[Helping each other with companions, stepping up in times of difficulty, never giving up on anyone, always carrying love and hope.]

[You did not betray your principles to reach the outside world. You saved everyone who could still be saved. You saved that small world.]

[You are the true magical girl!]

Skip skip skip.

[Settling mission rewards...]

[Given the special nature of the S-rank difficulty trial, each time a new rating is achieved, the system will directly distribute the corresponding reward item. This reward is independent of the trial's final reward.]

[Remaining rewards will be distributed together in one batch.]

[A-rank rating rewards:]

[Mengmengxiang's Large Magic Crystal (D)]

[Magic Aptitude (D+)]

[Pink Headphones Imbued with a Maiden's Feelings (E)]

[Photo Album Imbued with a Maiden's Feelings (E)]

[Glasses Imbued with a Maiden's Feelings (E)]

[...]

[Trial settlement (S) rewards:]

[Authority Level Up: Newcomer → D.]

[Authority Function: Can select any one skill from your original body to activate during trial missions. Usage time: five minutes. Limited to once per mission.]

[Given that you chose the highest difficulty in your novice trial and achieved the highest rating, the rewards have been upgraded to the highest tier.]

[You may choose any two of the following options.]

[1. True Transformation Element · Pride Mark (B+) (It's what you think it is. Don't ask how it was smuggled out.)]

[2. Clearance Command Seal (1/1) (Can forcibly command the system to settle any trial with an A-rank rating.)]

[3. A Little Goldfish That Winks (<ゝω·)~☆ (Completely useless, but you'll definitely choose her anyway.)]

"......!!"

The moment he saw the first option in the settlement rewards, Lin Guang's jet-black eyes literally brightened by a fraction.

That was because he had involuntarily, instinctively driven magic power out of surprise, as if imitating that feeling from inside the game earlier.

When he saw the last option, the temperature in the room seemed to rise by several degrees in an instant.

Since the system had said above [You saved everyone who could still be saved].

So this must definitely be-

Without any hesitation, he chose options 1 and 3.

Option 1 went without saying. Anything that could be placed in the rewards was a no-brainer.

Was this really what he thought it was?

If it really was, then that was somewhat ridiculous.

He had already abused that Domain to death, almost completely draining it to nothing. How the hell did the Strongest Hero System manage to recreate this thing...

As he said before.

When Lin Guang had mocked the Pride Witch earlier, he was mocking her for only relying on a wheelchair, but that absolutely did not mean the Pride Domain itself was some garbage.

Quite the opposite. Anything worthy of being called a wheelchair must have reached a level of power so high that it could make people drool from playing with it.

In fact, Lin Guang had used it more joyfully than anyone else in that final battle.

Having fought through so many cycles relying on operational talents, finally getting to play with a top-tier world-class ability in the last one, anyone would be laughing.

Sigh. The wheelchair.

As for option 2.

At first glance, it was pretty good. If the next trial accidentally resulted in a dead-end save, he could directly claim an A-rank rating and make a graceful retreat.

But that was the thinking of a loser.

Lin Guang still remembered that the system had clearly stated only the first trial allowed choosing the difficulty. Subsequent ones were assigned by the system itself, and it was unlikely to keep throwing S-rank missions consecutively.

If he could achieve a perfect S-rating on an S-rank difficulty, then playing a lower difficulty and not getting an A-rating meant he might as well just quit playing.

And even if S-rank missions did come one after another in a grand giveaway, as a god-tier gamer, he feared no challenge.

[Reward selection complete. You may claim them at any time.]