The Book-Devouring Monster and a Timely Intervention

“Senior, are you alright?” Zhuang Xun asked, reaching out to steady Shen Xian, her voice laced with concern.

Shen Xian brushed the dirt from her clothes before standing up once more.

“I’m fine, it’s just…” Shen Xian turned her head, her gaze meeting Zhuang Xun’s. “How can it remember knowledge points from just one page of a book and even attack us by manifesting words?!”

“…” Hm?

Shen Xian’s indignation grew. “If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be incredibly amazing during exams?!”

“Senior… watch out!” Zhuang Xun cried out, immediately pulling Shen Xian away from the monster’s assault.

Where they had just stood, heavy characters were now deeply embedded in the ground. They were quite literally heavy.

The two characters for “Heavy” had actually smashed into the earth.

“Isn’t this Book-Devouring Monster not supposed to ambush people?” Shen Xian raised her magic wand, launching an attack without even chanting a spell. Cherry blossom petals swirled together, rushing toward the creature.

Book-Devouring Monster? That description seems quite fitting.

Shen Xian spoke to Zhuang Xun while maintaining her assault. “Little Zhuang Xun, how much longer can your time-stop magic last?”

Zhuang Xun’s eyes swept across their surroundings, searching for a suitable spot for a sneak attack. “It can only last for another fifteen minutes at most.”

Time-stop magic consumed an immense amount of mana. Even if she wanted to assist her senior directly, she couldn’t fully manage it. Her only option was to use lower-level spells from the periphery to provide cover and await Senior Ning’s arrival.

“Fifteen minutes… that should be enough. Little Zhuang Xun, help me with support, alright?”

As soon as Shen Xian finished speaking, she faced the monster head-on, standing directly in its path. Zhuang Xun didn’t even have a chance to stop her.

“Book-Devouring Monster, while I don’t know which student you are, your actions are incredibly unfair to many people taking exams.” Shen Xian pointed her magic wand at the creature. “Furthermore, you cannot let your personal negative emotions affect others. If you need to vent, you can always come to the psychological counseling room.”

Hiding behind a tree, Zhuang Xun listened to Shen Xian’s words, unsure how to react.

Could it be because this monster was transformed from a human that Senior is using this opportunity to promote her psychological culture club? But would such a monster truly listen to her? When people turn into monsters, they only remember their obsessions; most are completely incapable of communication.

Zhuang Xun tilted her head slightly, looking toward Shen Xian and the monster in the center. Her magic wand transformed into a longbow. She tightened her grip on it. If anything were to happen, she would be able to react instantly.

“Ps-psychological?” The monster suddenly spoke.

Zhuang Xun’s gaze sharpened.

The monster roared furiously at Shen Xian. “I’m not crazy!”

The deafening sound of its voice made Zhuang Xun instinctively grip a nearby tree branch to prevent herself from being blown away by the force. She quickly glanced at Shen Xian, who stood her ground, her magic wand emitting a soft pink glow.

A cherry blossom-shaped shield flickered, deflecting the attack, then vanished from Zhuang Xun’s sight.

“It seems you truly do need psychological counseling.” A hint of sharpness pierced through Shen Xian’s gentle smile. “Listen—the tremolo of spring’s awakening. Before the petals fall—sever time!”

Instantly, with the incantation, the magic wand condensed a pale pink light, then unleashed a multitude of cherry blossom petals that completely encircled the monster.

Seizing this moment, Zhuang Xun drew three ice arrows, pulled back her bow, and shot them toward the monster.

Most of Shen Xian’s attacks landed squarely on the creature’s body.

The moment the monster felt pain, it shrieked wildly: “Study! Knowledge! Exams!”

The dense, dark characters of these three words intertwined in the air, acting as a shield that blocked all of Shen Xian’s remaining attacks. Only one of Zhuang Xun’s ice arrows managed to pierce the book page in the monster’s hand, freezing solid upon impact.

“My apologies, Senior. I missed.”

Zhuang Xun leaped from the tree and quickly moved to Shen Xian’s side, blocking the two ice arrows that had bounced back.

Shen Xian lowered her magic wand, pulling Zhuang Xun close to shield them from the monster’s word attacks. “You didn’t miss.”

The next second, Shen Xian shouted into the air, “Ning Qi! The antidote has been injected; it’s your turn now!”

As Zhuang Xun heard these words, a familiar figure descended from the sky.

Ning Qi slashed at the monster with her sword, reminding them as she fought, “I told you, call me Venus during battle!”

Antidote?

“Senior, wasn’t the antidote meant to neutralize the toxins remaining in your body?”

“I don’t have any toxins in my body anymore. The serum contains ingredients that the monster can’t tolerate, so it’s perfect for right now.”

“But…” How did it get injected into the monster?

Zhuang Xun’s eyes widened. Could it be that just as I shot the ice arrows, Senior took advantage of the monster’s distraction to hide it within her magic and throw it…?

“What?” Shen Xian heard Zhuang Xun abruptly stop. Instead of pressing for an answer, she praised, “Thanks to your ice arrows, I managed to inject the antidote properly into its body.”

Zhuang Xun looked at Shen Xian with concern. “Are you truly alright, Senior?”

Shen Xian gently patted her shoulder. “Truly.”

Seeing Shen Xian’s resolute expression, Zhuang Xun nodded, saying nothing more.

Ning Qi, who was engaged in a one-on-one battle nearby, suddenly spoke up. “Stop flirting! Come over here quickly!”

Shen Xian retorted indignantly, “Can’t you speak properly?!” Then, she softly said to Zhuang Xun, “I’ll go help Ning Qi first. The purification protocol requires two people’s staffs.”

Zhuang Xun nodded.

Watching Shen Xian’s retreating back, a wave of worry washed over her.

The pheromone situation is still unstable, and Senior is someone who cares deeply for her juniors. Even if something truly went wrong, she would never say a word. If Senior wasn’t so disgusted by sticky things, she wouldn’t have cried out when the tentacle monster grabbed her back then. I can’t simply keep accepting Senior’s protection. Stabilizing her pheromones requires me. My current magic power is still unsteady; only by working harder can I protect Senior when she’s affected by her condition.

“Little Zhuang Xun, you seem to have something on your mind.”

A cold sensation touched her cheek. Shen Xian, holding a chilled soda, came into view. She smiled, shaking the can in her hand, pulling Zhuang Xun back to reality.

The battle had concluded, and they were resting. Zhuang Xun snapped out of her thoughts and met Shen Xian’s gaze directly.

“Senior, is it really alright to put the purification crystal core into my staff?” She was still a novice.

“So that’s what you were thinking about.” Shen Xian sat beside Zhuang Xun, leaning back against the chair. “I don’t think it’s a problem at all.”

Pffft— The sound of an aluminum can opening.

“You and I are from the same school; you’re my only new junior, and the only child affected by my pheromones.”

The popped-open soda appeared before Zhuang Xun. She turned to look at Shen Xian, who raised her chin, her meaning clear.

“Thank you, Senior.” Zhuang Xun took the soda and took a sip.

“Moreover, I find partnering with Little Zhuang Xun much more interesting than collaborating with Ning Qi,” Shen Xian said. She opened her own soda and took a drink before adding, “Everyone starts as a novice, Little Zhuang Xun. You haven’t been employed for more than a month, so it’s normal to worry. But it’s fine; you have such a wonderful senior like me, after all, don’t you?”

At this, a barely perceptible curve appeared at the corner of Zhuang Xun’s lips.

Immediately after, a figure appeared before them. Ning Qi, holding a document bag, tapped Shen Xian on the head, stating emotionlessly, “Stop bragging about yourself. The monster’s information has been found.”