Chapter 58: My combat power is 530,000.

[Title: Scarlet Lily New Technique.avi]
(Video of Scarlet Lily delivering a gauntlet punch to a coiled snake)
The moment she swung, every window shattered—insane.
Anime-style direction nailed it.

– Not a new technique, just a smaller gauntlet.
– Even caused a sonic boom;;
– Video’s gonna get taken down soon.
– Pure Lily’s become a monster butcher ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– Guess Illusion and the chameleon got off easy.
– So she can adjust the gauntlet’s size.

– Is that magic?
– Yup, magic that obliterates monsters in one hit.
– Highly advanced physical attacks are indistinguishable from magic.

– Why no Scarlet Beam?
– She uses it, but maybe wasn’t feeling it that day.
– Seems inspired by Pure Snow.

– If Lily goes dark, Korea’s done for.
– Not Korea, the whole planet.

The mythical serpent-like snake was reduced to unrecognizable chunks by Scarlet Lily.
Compared to her past feats, this was a notably brutal fighting style.
But perhaps because she’s gradually escalated her intensity, it didn’t shock people much.

Meanwhile, another magical girl stole the spotlight this time.

– Pure Snow’s not filming gore flicks like before—what’s up?
– 100% Scarlet Lily’s influence.
– Funny how Lily’s getting brutal while Snow’s softening up.
– Seems she’s getting along better with others too.

– Never imagined Bloody Snow would change…
– She used to refuse autographs but now gives some.
– Her smile’s cute—missed talent right there.
– Maple’s group feels so wholesome lately.

– Did Lily pull her aside for a pep talk?
– Pure Lily wouldn’t do that.
– Pure?

People don’t change.
People can’t be fixed.

That’s often said about those who harm or disgust others.
Yet Pure Snow, thought unchangeable, did change.
Retaining her toughness, still clashing with teammates, but now she knows how to cooperate.

Why the sudden shift?

Even magical girls don’t know.
Maybe a whim, or maybe reflection brought enlightenment.
One thing’s clear: people can change sometimes.
Pure Snow proved there’s no such thing as “never” in this world.

It was spring not long ago, but the sunlight’s getting harsh.
A tough season approaches for outdoor workers—and for magical girls too.

[Kim Ga-eul: All the members got together for a team dinner ♡♡♡]

Resting on a shaded bench to escape the heat, I get a message from Ga-eul.
Attached photos show her group at a restaurant, smiling brightly at the camera.
Since they’re untransformed, I can’t tell who’s who—except for Ga-eul and one other.

“Snow joined too, huh.”

I didn’t expect her at a gathering like this.
They said she’s changed a lot, and it’s true.

[Lily: What’d you eat?]
[Ga-eul: Beef. Thought about hosting a chicken party at my place, but we splurged.]
[Lily: You paid?]
[Ga-eul: No way, you know I’m broke.]
[Lily: Fair. Sounds fun.]

Ga-eul sends a big heart emoji.
Offline, she’s a gentle, literary girl; online, she’s full of charm.
You really can’t judge people by appearances.

I zoom in on a photo where Pure Snow looks good.
“She knows how to smile.”

When we tailed her, she was always stone-faced or angry.
Ga-eul credited me, but this is Pure Snow’s own change.
She fought recklessly to protect others, but nearly got a teammate killed saving her.
That must’ve made her rethink her stubborn ways.

As a result, she learned the value of teamwork and freed herself from years of guilt over her rookie mistake.
Her teammates played a big role—not condemning her, but embracing her, despite nearly being eaten by a boss mob.

They probably understood her inner turmoil and why she fought so fiercely.
Conflicts can resolve with small triggers like that.
I learned something big from it too.

“Why’re you the only one chilling?”

Reaper Mors, fresh from monster-slaying, approaches with the juniors.

“I’m on standby.”
“No such thing. If you’re here, work.”
“I came straight from relaxing at home—cut me some slack.”
“No rest for juniors. You’re just bossing your senior around.”

She’s extra grumpy today.
I’ll let it slide since it’s hot.

“Lily’s doing enough just by showing up,” Sonya says kindly.

“I liked practicing magic,” Beta adds.
“Me too,” Gamma chimes in.

Reaper Mors drops it.

“It’s so hot… wish gates wouldn’t open on days like this,” she grumbles, fanning herself.

“Oh, did you see the support team’s message? They want us to test a new sensor,” Aqua says, changing the topic.

“The one for measuring mana?”
“Yup, I’m going this weekend.”
“Haven’t replied yet. Maybe I’ll do the weekend too.”

The new sensor detects gate appearances.
Likely due to Dark Magical Gems, older sensors were error-prone, so they made an upgraded version.
It’s more precise, but finding test subjects is tough—gates close within ten minutes, and monster mana is too weak.
So, magical girls are the targets.
Mana measurement is secondary; the main goal is testing sensor performance.

“Who’ll score highest?”
“Among fifth-gens, probably me,” Sonya says.
“You’re tough, not a magic specialist. I bet Aqua’s got this,” Beta counters.
“My mana pool’s pretty big,” Aqua admits.
“You did put out a forest fire.”

The fifth-gens chatter excitedly.

“What about Lily?” Gamma asks, and all eyes turn to me.

“Probably decently high,” I shrug.

Back in my day, sensors didn’t exist, and only magical girls could sense mana.
Times have changed.

“Lily might break the machine,” Sonya teases.
“For real,” Beta agrees.

Are they picturing a power meter exploding like in some old manga?
Kids these days wouldn’t know that one.

“Sounds exciting.”
“Right?”

Like anticipating exam results with a chance for a miracle, they’re all hyped for good outcomes.

Lee Ji-hoon is the youngest on the support team.
Like any rookie, he handles all the grunt work.
Today, he’s measuring magical girls’ mana with the new sensor.

“Setup’s done.”

He powers on the equipment, and the sensor lights up.
Graphs appear on the connected laptop, with mana readings near zero.
Calibration’s already done, so no tweaks needed.

“Now we wait for the magical girls,” his senior says, slumping into a chair.

“Working weekends sucks, even as public servants.”
“Weekend overtime pay’s nice, though.”
“Doing nothing and getting no pay’s better.”
“I didn’t sign up for this either.”

Magical girls are valuable assets, so their schedules take priority.
No complaints there, but working on a holiday still stings.

“Who’ll score highest?” Ji-hoon asks.
“Scarlet Lily, obviously. Second place is anyone’s guess,” his senior replies.

Ji-hoon agrees.

“Maybe Maple for second?”
“She’s nearing retirement age—probably not. Maybe a third-gen.”

Mana capacity grows like muscle through exercise—using magic or staying transformed increases it over time.
That’s why veterans typically outscore rookies.

“Excuse me.”

A magical girl enters: Parfait Alpha.

“Please stand on the taped line,” Ji-hoon says, guiding her to the sensor and jotting down the laptop’s numbers.

It’s quick—under ten seconds.

“Did I score high?” Parfait Alpha asks, eyes sparkling.

“Not enough data to say yet, but your mana reading is 5603.”
“Five-six-oh-three…”

She repeats it to remember, then leaves with a cheery “Good luck!”

“Bright and cute. Girls like her keep the group vibe alive,” the senior says.
“She was training to be an idol, so she’s got a great personality.”
“Would’ve loved to see a Russian idol… oh, next, over here!”

More magical girls file in.
After the ninth measurement, the tenth arrives.

“Scarlet Lily. Nice to meet you.”

Her entrance feels divine.
Silky, lustrous hair, perfectly proportioned features, skin white as fresh snow.
Her beauty feels almost sacred.
Ji-hoon forgets to breathe, captivated.

“Uh…”
“Oh, please stand on the line.”

Snapping out of it, he guides her to the sensor.
He tries to record the data, but…

“What’s wrong with this?”

His senior peers at the laptop.

“It stopped working.”
“It was fine a second ago.”

The real-time graphs are frozen.
It’s not a power issue or a broken sensor—what’s going on?

“Restart the program.”

The senior checks the cables while Ji-hoon restarts the software, but nothing changes.

“Maybe her mana’s too high and broke it?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You know how much this sensor costs? It’s not some cheap toy that breaks from high mana.”
“But what if it’s that* high?”
“Stop yapping and try again.”

Multiple checks yield the same error.
The program crashes whenever Scarlet Lily nears the sensor.

“Sorry, we’ll have to reschedule your measurement,” the senior says.

With no technician on duty, there’s nothing more to do.
Apologizing for the wasted trip, Scarlet Lily smiles brightly.

“You’re working hard on a weekend.”

Beauty, kindness, and consideration for their efforts—she’s an angel.
Her gentle voice lingers in their ears even after she leaves.

“That’s the kind of caliber it takes to be the strongest, huh?”