I turned eighteen today.
Not that anyone noticed. Not that anyone cared.
I'd spent the last few years drifting, surviving in the cracks of a world gone to hell. Monsters roamed freely. Civilization had collapsed. People were weak, desperate, and pathetic. Me? I kept my head down and my pockets full of food. Loners survived. Heroes died. Simple math.
And then… it happened.
A ping. A flash of light in the corner of my vision.
The System.
[Welcome, User.]
[Birthday Detected: 18 Years Old.]
[Class Assignment Initiated.]
No fanfare. No pomp. No crowds. Just a message floating in midair, cold and clinical.
I squinted.
Finally.
I had heard the rumors—everyone gets a class at eighteen. Warriors, mages, rangers, assassins… the lucky ones got decent stats. The unlucky ones got useless filler. Most people would have celebrated, screamed, cried, or exploded in tears of joy. Me? I just stared.
…And waited.
The window flickered again.
...
[Class: Magical Girl]
[Status: Active]
...
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
"…What?"
No one was around to laugh. No one was around to point and call me a joke. Just me, the alley I'd been squatting in, and the sky that looked exactly the same as it had five minutes ago.
And yet, somehow, it felt like the universe was mocking me.
A Magical Girl. Me.
Is this a joke? A goddamn joke?
"18 years of waiting..? JUST TO BE A MAGICAL GIRL?!"
I looked down at my hands. Nothing changed… yet. No sparkles. No wand. No frilly skirt (thank God). But the System didn't lie. That was my class.
I sighed. This was my life now.
A world full of monsters. A System that handed out powers. And me… stuck with a class that sounded like a joke.
[Tutorial Skipped — Hidden Conditions Detected.]
Oh, that was… promising.
I clenched my fists.
If the System thought it could break me with a title, it was sorely mistaken.
I wasn't strong. I wasn't special. I had no friends, no one to care if I lived or died. And that was perfect.. sort of.
Because surviving wasn't about being a hero.
It was about being clever. Being ruthless. And maybe, just maybe, using this stupid class to my advantage.
A Magical Girl… yeah. Let's see how funny the monsters think this is.
I narrowed my eyes at the alley. A rat-sized monster—barely the size of a dog—scuttled in the shadows. Perfect for a test run.
The System pulsed in front of me. Stats, skills, talents, and… my class icon, blinking like it knew I was about to suffer.
[Class: Magical Girl — Ready to Transform]
[Hint: Transformation Phrase Required to Access Full Powers]
I groaned. Of course. A phrase. Of course it was embarrassing.
I muttered under my breath, fingers crossed, hoping the System didn't explode:
"Mio… Shine… with… Courage!"
The moment the words left my mouth, the world warped. The alley froze in place. Light erupted around me, bright and pink, spiraling like a tornado of glitter, sparkles, and soft pastel flames.
[System Buff Activated: Invincible — Duration: Transformation Sequence]
What the hell? I felt my entire body lift, twirling on invisible currents of wind. My hair… my hair! It shot out, longer, whiter, softer, practically glowing. My face shifted—sharper cheekbones, softer jawline—definitely more feminine.
The light pulsed and spun. Ribbons and frills appeared out of nowhere, wrapping around me. Purple and white. A tiny skirt that swirled around my thighs. My arms were adorned with gloves, my legs with stockings. And yes… the System had decided to add chest pads "for balance".
I screamed.
"Oh god… what the hell is happening?!"
Glittering magical energy spiraled around me. My boots clicked against the ground as if choreographed, the ribbons twirling perfectly, the System orchestrating the transformation like some insane dance number.
[Transformation Complete.]
[Invincible Buff Expired.]
I stumbled slightly, trying to catch my balance. The rat monster froze, its tiny eyes wide. Apparently, it hadn't been ready for this.
I looked down at myself. My reflection in a puddle confirmed it: white hair cascading to my shoulders, sharp-but-feminine facial features, and a skirt that spun every time I moved. My arms were crossed instinctively over the "pads," and yeah… I looked ridiculous.
But there was a strange… power pulsing through me. Strength, speed, and confidence I hadn't felt before.
[Skill Unlocked: Magical Strike — Deals 5x Base Damage]
[Skill Activated: Sparkle Shield — Invincible for 3 Seconds Can be reactivated After Each Transformation - Once.]
I narrowed my eyes at the rat. It hissed. I sighed. Time to see what this stupid class could do.
I raised my hand, and a beam of pink-and-purple energy shot forward. The rat went flying across the alley and landed in a crumpled heap.
I… didn't die. I didn't even sweat.
I shook my head, muttering under my breath:
"I am never, ever letting anyone see this…"
And yet, deep down, I couldn't deny it. The class was absurdly strong… if I survived the humiliation first.
I twirled the wand the System had conjured in my hand. The ribbons of my skirt swirled perfectly with my movement.
"Mio… Shine… with Courage…"
Yeah. I was going to own this nightmare. Somehow.
Somehow.
I sank to the ground on the edge of the alley, panting. The rat—now nothing more than a twitching pile of fur—was gone. My reflection in the puddle glimmered in soft pink light. My hair. My frills. My pads. My skirts. All of it.
The System pulsed again.
[New Window: Status Panel]
I blinked. Stats, skills, cooldowns, and talents filled the screen:
[Class: Magical Girl]
[Level: 1][Health: 100 / 100]
[Mana: 50 / 50]
[Attack: 50]
[Defense: 30]
[Speed: 46]
[Skills Unlocked]
Magical Strike — Deals 5x Base Damage (Cooldown: 5s)
Sparkle Shield — Invincible for 3s after each transformation (Passive)
Magical Girl Detransformation — Revert to base form (Activation Phrase: "Mio Dim The Lights")
[Talents]
Class Buff: Sparkle Overload — Your magical girl energy grants temporary bonus power after each transformation.
[Cooldowns]
Transformation Phrase: 10s
Skill Use: Dependent on Mana
Talent Buff: 60s
I stared at it for a long, long moment.
"You're telling me… I have to say some ridiculous phrase every time I want to actually use my class?" I muttered.
The System blinked.
[Affirmative. Transformation is required for Full Power. Partial abilities may manifest in base form, but effectiveness will be drastically reduced.]
I groaned, running my fingers through my glowing white hair.
"Right. Of course. Because why not make this humiliating AND mandatory?"
I stood up, spinning slightly to watch the ribbons on my skirt flutter. The light reflected off the pads. I cursed under my breath.
"This is… actually my life now."
And apparently, it was just getting started.
I took a careful step out of the alley.
The city had changed. The apocalypse hadn't just killed people—it reshaped reality. Skyscrapers stood like skeletons, twisted and blackened, some hovering in the air as if physics itself were broken. Monsters weren't hidden anymore; they patrolled the streets like predators.
Humanity had adapted. Some joined guilds, forming groups strong enough to survive. Others became scavengers, loners like me. Every adult over eighteen had awakened with a class and a System. Some thrived. Most died.
[System Notice: Level up by completing Quests, defeating monsters, and surviving encounters.]
No one said surviving would be easy.
I glanced down a ruined street. Small monsters prowled for scraps. Larger ones roamed in packs. Some humans wore armor and weapons that looked like they'd been scavenged from before the apocalypse—guns, blades, strange magic-infused tools. Everyone was desperate. Everyone was dangerous.
And me? I had a skirt, ribbons, and a wand. Perfect.
I decided to experiment.
"Mio Dim The Lights."
Instantly, the pink glow faded. My hair shrank slightly. The skirts and ribbons vanished. Pads collapsed into nothing. I looked… basically normal again. But I felt… weaker.
I clenched my fists. A stray piece of rubble flew past. I tried to stop it with magic. Nothing happened. My Magical Strike wasn't available. Sparkle Shield didn't activate.
"Of course. Of course it's mandatory."
I sighed and muttered:
"Alright. Mio… Shine with Courage!"
Again, light exploded. Ribbons twirled. Pads popped back in for some reason. Sparkle Shield activated. The world felt… mine. Every step, every flick of my wand, power thrummed through me.
It was ridiculous. And yet… incredibly fun.
[Skill Unlocked: Magical Girl Detransformation — Phrase: Mio Dim The Lights]
The System liked to taunt me, apparently.
I smirked.
"Yeah. Yeah, this is going to be great. Absolutely terrifying. And everyone's going to see it."
That's when it hit me.
The transformation wasn't just cosmetic. It was mandatory for survival. Monsters weren't going to wait while I argued with myself about how stupid my class was.
If I wanted to fight, if I wanted to live… I had to embrace the sparkle, the frills, the pads, the skirts… everything.
I groaned, spinning my wand experimentally.
Before accepting the humiliating defeat.
"God help me."