It’s not about quantity of ability, but quality

Even with Ran Jiuyi’s explanation, Jiang Yunshu asked somewhat stubbornly, “But what about Ken the Werewolf? It seemed like he got strong the easy way. One modification, and he was that powerful.”

Jiuyi stared at Yunshu and said, “It seems Dahan has been talking quite a bit. But tell me—do you really think Ken was strong?”

“Wasn’t he? The three of us together didn’t stand a chance. And you said it yourself, Sister Ran, that his strength was enough to make him an executive in a villainous organization.”

Jiuyi shook her head. “When I said that, I was talking about his strength on paper—his theoretical potential if he could actually utilize every bit of his power.”

“Think back to that day. Ken had the raw power to completely crush you, yet he was forced into his ‘Burst State’ anyway.”

“A huge part of that was thanks to Meng Shan’s preparation and tactical experience. The other part was because Ken had absolutely no idea how to wield his power and possessed the tactical intelligence of a disaster.”

“He could have taken out Bai He’an—your strongest source of sustained fire—instantly. Instead, he let himself be distracted by fire that couldn’t even hurt him, wasting time and mana for nothing.”

“He knew Meng Shan was a sniper lurking in the shadows, yet he never once bothered to locate him, allowing Meng Shan to land a fatal shot. Ken made mistake after mistake. In my view, he didn’t even utilize half of his actual strength. Now, think about it carefully: was Ken the Werewolf really ‘strong’?”

Under Jiuyi’s verbal onslaught, Jiang Yunshu stammered, unable to find an argument.

“In terms of raw force, sure, he was okay. But in terms of how he used that force? He was pathetic.”

Jiuyi continued, “Possessing great power without knowing how to use it makes you nothing more than a hollow shell. To truly become strong, you must learn to apply every ounce of your power efficiently, on top of building your base strength.”

Looking at the downcast, silent Yunshu, Jiuyi sighed and gave her shoulder a gentle pat. “Then again, you have a point. Without base strength as a foundation, even the best techniques and control are useless. Given how weak you guys are across the board, the best plan is indeed to boost your power quickly.”

Yunshu’s head snapped up immediately, her beaming face showing not a trace of her previous discouragement. “Then Sister Ran, how can we do that? How do we get stronger fast?”

“…I feel like I’ve talked myself into a corner,” Jiuyi muttered, exasperated. “Fine, I’ll tell you.”

“Whether you’re a Magical Girl or any other kind of Transcendent, the fastest and most fundamental way to grow is to evolve your Unique Ability.”

“Unique Abilities are the one-of-a-kind powers each Transcendent discovers upon awakening.” Jiuyi materialized an Erosion Needle. “Like my needles. Not long after I became a Magical Girl, I was able to create these at will.”

“WHAAAT?!” x3

Hearing this revelation, the trio stared at Jiuyi in pure shock.

“What’s with the shouting? You have a question?”

The three girls exchanged looks for a long time before Bai He’an finally spoke up. “Sister Ran… are you… a Magical Girl?”

Jiuyi transformed into her Magical Girl form and asked, “Do I not look like one?”

“…”

The silence was the most honest answer she could have received. Not willing to give up, Jiuyi pressed on: “I won’t be mad, I promise. Tell the truth: Do I not look like one?”

“…Not really,” Yi Ziling answered weakly. “Aren’t Magical Girls supposed to be… you know, bubbly, cute, and full of youthful energy?”

Jiuyi couldn’t argue with that. She could only stubbornly retort, “Maybe there’s a ‘Dark Onee-san’ style too?”

Jiang Yunshu deadpanned, “Sister Ran, setting aside whether that style even exists in the Magical Girl world… your ‘Dark Onee-san’ look is a bit too dark. You look exactly like a villainous executive.”

Bai He’an chimed in, “I think Yunshu and Ziling are right. It’s not just your looks, Sister Ran—your abilities don’t seem like something a ‘Hero of Justice’ would have. They don’t look like Magical Girl powers at all.”

Jiuyi opened her mouth to argue, but the words died in her throat. She raised her hand, dropped it, and finally scratched her head in defeat. “Fine. I said I wouldn’t get mad. I’m almost used to it anyway.”

“Every single time. Every time I tell someone I’m a Magical Girl, they look at me and ask, ‘Are you sure?’ I have to explain myself every time. Think about it: I’m a girl, I transform, I have a dynamic combat style, and I have a strong, kind heart. Those are clearly the hallmarks of a Magical Girl!”

Seeing Jiuyi’s dejection, Jiang Yunshu quickly changed the subject. “Uh, Sister Ran, you haven’t finished explaining the thing about our abilities.”

“Right, abilities.” Jiuyi snapped back to attention. “A Magical Girl’s ability has immense room for growth after awakening. And the direction of that growth depends entirely on what you want that ability to become.”

“For example, when I first awakened, I could only create Erosion Needles. I couldn’t even make them fly.”

“But through constant practice, I learned to control their movement freely. Out of a need for both combat and healing, I awakened the ability to drain or infuse life force through them. Later, for various reasons, I became obsessed with power, so I developed the technique to stab the needles into my own body to overclock my physical functions.”

“Since we’re all Magical Girls, what I did, you can do too.”

Jiuyi walked over to Bai He’an. “For instance, if Xiao An wants to bolster her melee capabilities, she might develop heavier armor and close-quarters weaponry upon transforming.”

“Or, if Xiao Yi wants to protect her comrades better, she could enhance the healing properties of her gel and gain the ability to convert mana directly into life force.”

He’an nodded thoughtfully. “I get it. So, if we want a certain power and we practice for it, we can get it?”

Jiuyi snapped her fingers. “Exactly. Acquiring new abilities or refining existing ones is the fastest way to get strong in a short period. But there are two things you must remember.”

“First: even though I say it’s the ‘fastest’ way, it still takes months to see real results. Exactly how long depends on your natural talent.”

“Second: no matter what ability you want, do not try to gain too many at once. Not only does it dilute the strength of each individual power, but the number of abilities you can hold is limited. That ceiling varies from person to person.”

“Take me, for example. From the beginning until now, I have only ever had two: creating and controlling needles, and manipulating life force.”

Yi Ziling asked, “Then Sister Ran, what do you suggest we do?”

“I can’t give you a specific path,” Jiuyi said softly. “My advice is for each of you to answer three questions: When facing a powerful enemy, how will you win? As a team member, what is your specific role? And most importantly: What kind of power does your heart truly desire?”

“Once you understand those three things, your path will manifest naturally.”

The trio nodded, though they looked a bit lost. Having lived carefree lives until now, they had never truly considered such heavy questions.

Jiang Yunshu asked, “And if we get the abilities we want, how do we keep getting stronger after that?”

“It’s a bit early for that, but I can give you a glimpse. I’ll explain the details when you’re ready.”

Jiuyi continued, “Once you have your abilities, the next step—beyond refining their usage—is learning to precisely control and distribute your mana.”

“For instance, you all know that high concentrations of mana can jam radio signals. But with enough control, you can also interfere with sound waves, electrical waves, and even light.”

As she spoke, Jiuyi generated a thin veil of mana around her. Suddenly, she vanished right before their eyes.

“Like this. By precisely controlling mana interference, you can achieve a cloaking effect.”

She dropped the mana, reappearing instantly. “I can turn invisible this way. However, since this doesn’t hide my mana signature, it’s useless against other Transcendents. It only fools ordinary people.”

“Or like this.” Jiuyi canceled her transformation, but kept the armor active only on her forearms. “With proper control, you can perform a partial transformation or use your abilities in your base form.”

“And most importantly, you learn to redistribute mana during a fight. For example, at the moment of impact, you can surge all your mana into the point of attack. Or when defending, concentrate it exactly where you’re being hit.”

“These are advanced techniques. They take years—even decades—of dedicated practice to master.”