Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl

Book 2: Chapter 184: The Maze

Vol 2 Chapter 184: The Maze"Ah, we're in."

Lin Xiaolu poked her head out from the bushes before fully emerging, her feet landing on slightly damp soil as she surveyed her surroundings, voicing a rather meaningless observation.

What greeted her eyes now was no longer the campus scenery of Silver Gallery, but a long corridor whose ceiling and walls were entirely composed of shrubs and flowers, filling the air with a faint floral fragrance.

The transition from Silver Gallery into this maze had been somewhat peculiar. Lin Xiaolu and her group had queued to enter the back garden of Silver Gallery, following the path taken by examinees ahead of them. After walking along the single pathway and making the sole turn, they found themselves facing a "dead end" surrounded by thick shrubs. The proctors on site instructed them to simply pass through this apparent dead end by pushing through the bushes to enter the maze - which Lin Xiaolu did.

And now she was inside.

Shortly after her meaningless exclamation, rustling sounds came from behind her, and soon Mint and Bai Jingxuan entered the same way.

"Oh, we're in."

Mint offered an equally empty remark.

"So what do we do now? Just start looking for the exit?" Lin Xiaolu finished examining their surroundings before turning to her two teammates. "Theoretically we could go forward or backward - which way's better?"

"Hmm... don't rush."

Mint wore a thoughtful expression as she slowly approached the shrub-covered wall, placing her palm against it. "Can you feel it? There's faint magical resonance throughout this maze - in the walls, floor, even the ceiling."

"I can sense it," Lin Xiaolu said indifferently. "But since this maze was built with magic formulas, isn't that normal?"

"No."

Mint closed her eyes as if concentrating, then reopened them moments later. "Right, just as I thought. We should go back."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lin Xiaolu's eyes widened.

"It's troublesome to explain verbally. Both of you, put your hands against the wall and activate your magic perception."

Mint beckoned them over with a gesture one might use to call small pets. "Those with strong perception can just sense it from where you're standing."

"Really useful?"

Skeptical but curious, Lin Xiaolu moved to Mint's position and mimicked her actions. The moment she activated her magic perception, it felt like her sensory range was violently yanked open - every detail of her surroundings flashing into clarity within her mind.

It was as if her soul had momentarily left her body, granting her a god's-eye view of the maze. Centered on her current position, a twenty-meter radius of the maze's layout appeared in her mind. Just as Mint had suggested, had they gone forward earlier, they would have encountered their first turn about fifteen meters ahead - which would have been a dead end.

"Holy shit."

That was Lin Xiaolu's immediate reaction.

"So amazing!"

Bai Jingxuan behind her voiced similar amazement, though far more politely than her senior.

"The magic formulas in this maze clearly serve more purposes than just maintaining its structure," Mint explained after confirming both had seen this "radar-like" display. "Moreover, I don't believe the Research Court's magic skills are so crude that they'd leave such obvious magical resonance when maintaining this maze - they could easily conceal it if they wanted. Combined with the hint the head examiner gave us earlier..."

"What hint?" Lin Xiaolu interrupted, confused. "I don't remember any hint."

"She said, 'Please explore the maze diligently to earn higher scores.'"

Mint removed her hand from the wall. "Don't you think that phrasing is odd?"

"Odd? Not really. Just standard official talk, right?" Lin Xiaolu pondered.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I believe that was intentional."

Mint continued: "According to the 'official rules' she announced earlier, this test should be purely about speed - who can thoroughly search and find the exit fastest. For that kind of competition, is the word 'explore' really necessary?"

"I guess? Explore then find the exit or something?" Lin Xiaolu sounded uncertain herself.

"But this magic formula proves my point."

Mint patted the wall. "Such obvious magical resonance practically screams 'come examine me' - in video game terms, this would be like highlighted interactables. This formula expands a Magical Girl's perception, effectively creating a 'mini-map.' It's clearly telling us - there must be many elements in this maze that can be utilized to accelerate the examination process."

Lin Xiaolu stopped her magical perception scan to look at Mint. "So you're saying...?"

"I'm saying we shouldn't rush to find the exit right now. At this stage, we should focus on investigating anything that seems 'hidden.'"

As Mint explained this to Lin Xiaolu, the latter noticed - for reasons unknown - Mint's gaze occasionally drifting toward Bai Jingxuan.

That gaze was peculiar - neither friendly nor hostile, lacking curiosity or scrutiny, as if simply noting something mildly interesting, calm yet mixed with quiet contemplation.

Bai Jingxuan, still eyes-closed while perceiving the "mini-map," remained oblivious to Mint's attention.

Soon, Mint returned her focus forward.

As if that brief observation had been imaginary, she continued her explanation nonchalantly:

"If this is a 'maze,' then there are likely 'treasures' hidden within. Compared to the 'exit,' wouldn't treasures be far more enticing?"

"...What about our scores?"

Lin Xiaolu's heartbeat accelerated slightly. That glance toward Bai Jingxuan had made her fear their secret might be exposed. Bai Jingxuan's Remnant Beast magic was an absolute time bomb - if any clues surfaced during this exam, the consequences would be disastrous. Fortunately, Mint seemed to lose interest after those few glances, allowing Lin Xiaolu to remain composed:

"If we take too long and our ranking drops too low, we won't get many points, right?"

"Ah, that shouldn't be an issue."

Mint smiled refreshingly:

"If I'm not mistaken, at this current time, the 'exit' doesn't even exist yet."