My Magical Girl System

Chapter 145: CRUNCH! CRUNCH !CRUNCH!

After the intense battle, the four of them took a short breather near a relatively safe ruined fountain.

Andrey handed out water bottles from his Inventory Ring. Everyone drank greedily, trying to recover their strength and wash away the fatigue.

Sarah especially was drenched in sweat. Her pink frilly dress clung to her body, and droplets of sweat traced down her fair white skin, flowing along her neck, collarbone, and the curve of her breasts. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and let out a tired breath.

"Hah... this gate feels way stronger than a normal B-rank," Sarah said, still catching her breath. "The monsters, the pollen, the way it kept evolving... I think this might actually be a mutated gate. Maybe high B-rank or even low A-rank."

Sein took a big gulp of water and wiped her mouth. "I was thinking the same. It’s too persistent for a regular B-rank."

Lisa nodded while checking everyone’s condition. "The dark mana concentration is also unusually high. We should stay cautious."

Andrey capped his bottle and scanned their surroundings. "Agreed. Let’s not lower our guard. We’ll move forward and look for the core."

After a short rest, they continued deeper into the ruined square. The further they went, the more corrupted the environment became, purple vines covered almost every surface.

Suddenly, Andrey’s eyes narrowed. A few thick vines on the ground were still twitching faintly, slowly trying to regenerate.

Without hesitation, he pulled out a handgun from his Inventory Ring, aimed, and fired several precise shots.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullets, infused with his Ki, struck the moving vines cleanly. They exploded into black ash and stopped moving entirely.

"These things are still trying to regenerate," Andrey said, lowering his gun. "We need to be thorough. Don’t leave any active roots behind."

Sein smirked. "Looks like someone’s in a bad mood."

Sarah chuckled while fanning herself. "Or maybe he’s just eager to finish this and go home."

Lisa smiled softly but kept her focus, maintaining a small barrier around the group as they continued moving forward.

They moving deeper into the ruined square, the purple vines growing thicker and more twisted the further they went.

Suddenly, the ground in front of them burst open.

From beneath the cracked pavement, a large plant-type monster emerged. It looked like a grotesque hybrid between a giant Venus flytrap and a carnivorous flower. Its main body was a massive bulbous plant with dark purple petals, and several long, whip-like vines extended from its base. Most alarming were its multiple gaping "mouths" lined with razor-sharp, thorn-like teeth that dripped with corrosive purple sap.

[ Carnivorous Bloom — a mutated mid-tier monster. ]

"Incoming!" Andrey warned.

The monster let out a high-pitched screech and immediately attacked. Several of its vine-tentacles shot forward at high speed, the mouths at the ends of the vines opening wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth aiming to bite and tear into them.

Sein reacted first. She dodged to the side and countered with a flaming punch.

"Crimson Impact!"

Her fiery fist smashed into one of the vine-mouths, burning it badly, but the monster didn’t retreat. Instead, two other mouths lunged at her from blind spots.

Sarah quickly fired several Heart Prison shots to restrain one of the vines, while Lisa expanded her barrier to protect Sein from the second attack.

Andrey moved with Phantom Step, appearing beside the main bulb and slashing it with a Ki Blade. The cut was deep, but the monster’s thick, rubbery flesh only oozed purple sap before starting to regenerate.

"This one’s more dangerous than the previous ones!" Andrey shouted. "Don’t let those mouths bite you, the sap is highly corrosive!"

The Carnivorous Bloom screeched again and began spinning its body, whipping its toothed vines wildly in all directions like a living blender. The sharp teeth glinted dangerously as they sliced through the air.

Sein burned through one vine, but another managed to graze her arm, leaving a painful burning wound from the corrosive sap.

"Damn it! This thing’s annoying!" she growled.

Sarah hovered higher to avoid the whipping vines. "Its regeneration is fast! We need to destroy the main bulb!"

Lisa quickly cast healing on Sein while maintaining the barrier. "I’ll support you! Just be careful of the teeth!"

Andrey dodged another lunging mouth and narrowed his eyes.

"Focus all attacks on the main body! Don’t let it control the pace!"

The Carnivorous Bloom roared and launched another aggressive assault, its sharp-toothed vines attacking from every angle, forcing the team to fight more defensively than they’d like.

The Carnivorous Bloom let out a deafening screech as it spun its massive body. Its long, whip-like vines thrashed wildly.

Sein saw an opening and charged in with full force, flames roaring around her.

"Die already, you oversized weed!" she shouted, leaping high into the air. Crimson Impact! She slammed a powerful flaming fist directly into the monster’s main bulb.

But the moment she attacked, one of the largest mouths on the monster’s side snapped open, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth and lunged straight toward her with terrifying speed.

"Sein!!" Andrey’s eyes widened.

He activated Phantom Step instantly, appearing beside her in a flash. With all his strength, he shoved Sein hard to the side, pushing her out of the monster’s path.

"Gah—?!"

Sein tumbled across the ground safely.

However, Andrey wasn’t fast enough to dodge completely.

CRUNCH!

One of the monster’s massive jaws clamped down hard on his left shoulder and upper arm. The razor-sharp teeth sank deep into his flesh, tearing through muscle and drawing a large amount of blood.

"ANDREY!!" Lisa screamed in horror.

Andrey gritted his teeth, refusing to let out a sound even as blood poured down his arm. His Damage Absorb skill activated at full force, rapidly storing the massive damage from the bite. The pain was excruciating, but the skill prevented the wound from becoming instantly fatal.

His Regeneration also kicked in immediately, slowly trying to close the wound, but the corrosive sap from the monster’s teeth was interfering with the healing process. The injury was still too severe.

Sein quickly got back on her feet, eyes wide with shock and rage. "Andrey— you idiot!!"

Lisa didn’t hesitate for even a second.

"Guardian Angel!"

A brilliant white and mint-green light burst from her body. She sacrificed 30% of her own HP in an instant, transferring it directly to Andrey. A protective halo of light enveloped him, rapidly healing the deep bite wound and neutralizing most of the corrosive poison.

Andrey staggered for a moment but managed to stay on his feet. Blood still stained his torn suit, but the fatal damage had been prevented.

He looked at Lisa with a strained but grateful expression.

"...Thanks, Lisa."

Sarah, who had been stunned for a second, now looked furious. "That fucking plant! I’m going to blast it to hell!"

The Carnivorous Bloom, sensing it had landed a heavy blow, screeched triumphantly and prepared to attack again, its other mouths opening wide.

Andrey gripped his injured shoulder, Ki energy flaring around him despite the pain.

"...We’re not done yet," he said coldly. "Let’s finish this."