I know that you have many options, but thank you for choosing to read this story today.
We all had a long day of work, but at the end of the day, my happiness is bringing the story to you, my readers, and I hope it helps you relax after a long day of business.
Chapter 37 is equivalent to Chapter 13 of Volume 2
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The livestream screen suddenly went dark. Jen turned back to face Long, Mai, Dreamy, and Nguyen, who were still stunned after witnessing the overwhelming power of Empress Mary.
Jen smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Hey, newbies, you've just witnessed the power of Empress Mary!"
She smiled warmly and continued,
"Everyone here is getting stronger by absorbing the power of defeated monsters. Do you want to grow stronger too?"
Mai looked at Jen in surprise. She glanced at the others, waiting to see if anyone would speak first, then said hesitantly,
"I still don't quite understand what you mean… what exactly are you saying?"
Jen turned away and gestured confidently with a flick of her hand.
"Just follow me!"
The group followed Jen to a new location. Before them stood an enormous arena; in the distance loomed a majestic mountain. The arena was circular, with a vast battlefield at its center. Surrounding it were countless comfortable spectator seats, each fitted with buttons whose functions were unclear. Hundreds of live projection devices were installed throughout the arena, while Baku-shaped AI Witches busily cleaned and set up equipment all around.
Long stared in awe.
"Where is this…? It's incredible…"
As they walked, they took in the grandeur of the arena—nothing like anything they had ever seen. Eventually, they stopped at the center of the battlefield.
Jen explained,
"This is a monster-fighting arena for those who want to rank up in power. When you win, you absorb its strength and become stronger—just like what Empress Mary did earlier!"
Monsters? They had to fight monsters like that to level up? That's impossible, Mai thought.
Noticing the hesitation on Long and Mai's faces, Jen said,
"Why don't you try sparring with this girl? I want to see your level before you rank up."
Jen then put her fingers to her mouth and let out a loud whistle. The little girl who had been casting the livestream spell earlier appeared. She was a small girl but carried an oversized mace. Beside her was a mini AI Witch Baku that matched her size.
"Big sis Jen called me!"
"Yeah, Ti Ni, try sparring with them to assess the power of the newcomers. Show them how strong you've become after defeating monsters!" Jen replied.
Without hesitation, the girl named Ti Ni leapt into the air and brought her mace crashing down toward the group. Long shoved Mai aside, while Nguyen and Dreamy dodged with ease.
"Watch out!" Long shouted.
They all avoided the strike. The ground split open, leaving a massive crater. Jen smirked.
"Ti Ni, at least greet them properly!"
Ti Ni tossed the mace onto her shoulder and lifted her chin.
"Come on, just ignore the greetings? Just fight!"
She charged forward and hurled the mace at Mai. Long immediately signaled Dreamy, who raised a blue magical shield that blocked the mace midair right in front of Mai. However, the power was overwhelming. The shield creaked under pressure, on the verge of shattering, while the mace continued pushing forward with terrifying strength.
Realizing the shield wouldn't hold, Long urgently called out,
"Mai, get out of there! The shield's about to break!"
Mai quickly dodged to the side. The blue magical shield shattered into pieces and vanished. The mace shot past, grazing Mai—but fortunately, she had already moved.
Jen grabbed Ti Ni by the ear.
"I told you to go easy! Didn't you hear me?"
Ti Ni yelped,
"Ow! That hurts, sis! I am 13 years old, not a kid anymore!Let go! I was going easy!"
Long and the others broke into a cold sweat. Even a little girl here possessed terrifying power.
Jen turned back to them.
"I'm sorry Ti Ni went a bit overboard. You did pretty well, though—you managed to block one of her attacks. No one's ever done that before!"
She smiled brightly and continued persuading them,
"But as you can see, she's grown stronger by absorbing monster power. You'll become just as strong if you join Empress Mary's world."
Long felt slightly irritated at being outmatched by a kid, yet he couldn't help but admire her strength.
"Wow… she's really strong. Maybe Thomas was right… about the kids in this world!"
At the mention of that name, Jen froze. Her expression changed instantly—the friendliness vanished, replaced by a cold, questioning gaze. She hesitated before asking,
"You mentioned… Thomas?"
Long replied,
"Yeah, he's the one who let us… know… I mean, stay overnight."
Mai pinched him sharply, afraid he might reveal too much of their plan.
Jen grew serious, a trace of unease flickering across her face.
"Is he… doing well?"
Something clicked in Mai's mind.
"Oh, I remember now—you're Thomas's daughter, the one who fell asleep along with your mother. No wonder you looked familiar!"
Dreamy floated closer.
"Aha, you're right—it's that girl. So where's your mother?"
Jen gazed into the distance and replied softly,
"I've asked everyone—and even Empress Mary—to help search for her, but we haven't found anything… I want to find her so badly. I wish for some kind of miracle… but…"
Her eyes began to well with tears. Seeing this, Mai gently pulled her into a comforting embrace. Beneath Jen's strength lay a deep love for her mother. No matter how powerful she became, that longing remained.
"It's okay," Mai said softly, patting her shoulder. "I believe you'll find your mother. I'm sure of it."
Jen wiped away her tears and gave a faint smile.
"Thank you, Mai… you're really kind…"
Regaining her composure, Jen lifted the group's spirits.
"Alright, newbies, I'll demonstrate by taking down a monster. The ones here are low-level and afraid of humans, so the more you defeat, the more you level up!"
She turned to Ti Ni.
"Ti Ni, open the gate and let a monster out. I'll absorb some power—and give the newcomers a demonstration!"
Ti Ni slowly opened the gate.
The eyes of the Baku-shaped AI Witches beside Jen and Ti Ni began to glow.
Before Jen's eyes stood a monster resembling a towering, nearly three-meter-tall ape. It had a crow's beak and blank white eyes. Its long hair hung loose and writhed like living tendrils—each strand sharp as a blade. It stood upright, its body covered in fur, claws dragging against the ground, its gaze hollow and lifeless.
Jen shouted excitedly,
"Aha, there you are—come to me!"
From the battlefield, Jen leapt forward—her jump spanning nearly five meters—as she closed in on the creature. The monster retaliated with its hair; thousands of blade-like strands shot toward her. Jen dodged skillfully. On her wrist was a shock-inducing magical device—she struck once, and the strands exploded apart.
With its weapon destroyed, the creature fled. Jen gave chase.
Mai stared in horror. She turned to Long.
"Long… are you seeing what I'm seeing, or am I imagining things?"
Long, equally stunned, replied,
"You mean the monster Jen is fighting…? I see it too, but I can't believe it… that's a human!"
Dreamy crossed his paws.
"Well, this just got complicated. That doesn't look like a monster—it's a human… and not just that, she looks very much like… that girl's mother!"
"We can't let this tragedy happen!" Mai declared. She rushed from the stands down to the battlefield. Long and Dreamy followed, while Nguyen trailed behind, his expression cold as he continued observing everything.
Mai shouted at the top of her lungs for Jen to hear:
"Jen! Look carefully! You can't do this—that's not a monster...that's your mother! Stop!"
But Jen couldn't hear her. The air was filled with the roaring sound of her "shockwave" magic, and in her eyes, the figure before her was nothing but a monster. She had already cornered the entity she perceived as such.
Her right hand clenched into a fist, surrounded by a sphere of magic. Lightning crackled around it—anything struck by that punch would be obliterated.
Jen moved in to deliver the final blow.