Chapter 121

Chapter 122: Yo, kid, you’re pretty good, huh?

To Awakeners, the Research Institute’s exclusive sales certificate is a gold label: only when the Dean signs and stamps it can anyone receive this paper.

It is basically an open admission that Qian Qi was the first to discover or invent the Hemostasis Potion.

If anyone buys her potion and something goes wrong, the institute will take full responsibility.

With that certificate in hand, Awakeners dropped all doubt about Qian Qi, and they practically wanted to camp at the Dungeon gate every day waiting for her.

Since she started selling the Hemostasis Potion here, their backs stopped aching, their legs stopped hurting, and they no longer hesitated to enter the Dungeon to fight Magibeasts; their days finally felt hopeful again.

Sadly, Qian Qi stopped as soon as she earned enough for the children’s tuition. The Hemostasis Potion had a tiny profit for her; she only set up a stall when she needed a bit of petty cash.

It was basically a limited time vendor trial.

Very soon, Qian Qi’s limited time card disappeared. Awakeners who couldn’t buy her Hemostasis Potion had to go back to waiting for the institute’s handouts.

As for Qian Qi, she stuffed the warm, freshly earned cash into her pocket, then took Little Jia and the others to nearby Yanjiao Elementary School.

Most elementary schools here offer dorms, but Qian Qi chose Yanjiao Elementary because it was close to the Orphanage, so the kids could go back easily.

She had also checked that Yanjiao’s school culture was more relaxed, the teachers had good ethics, and the place seemed a decent fit for children from the Orphanage.

Qian Qi pointed the kids to a spot and warned them: “You stay right here and don’t move, I’m going to the window over there to handle your enrollment.”

It was peak registration time. The hall was full of children and parents. If they got separated now, finding them again would be hard.

Little Jia waved her off like a tiny adult and said: “Don’t worry, I’ll keep everyone safe!”

Qian Qi clicked her tongue, tapped his little forehead, and teased him as she headed to the counter: “You little rascal, where’d you get the guts to protect anyone?”

After Qian Qi left, Little Jia turned back, took the hands of the other five kids, and said like a small grownup: “We’ll stand right here and not run around, then Qian Qi will take us to tour the school.”

Little Min tugged his sleeve and asked with shiny eyes: “Little Jia, can we really study here from now on?”

Little Jia patted her head and answered with pride: “Of course. We’ll learn a lot here, and later we’ll earn money and support ourselves.”

When he talked about learning, Little Jia’s eyes lit up so bright that his whole face seemed to glow. He added, brimming with excitement: “I heard there’s a Magibeast class in third grade. If you get stuck, you can ask me.”

He planted his fists on his hips and bragged: “Maybe I’ll even become a strong Beast Tamer someday.”

Little Min hugged her doll and smiled: “I’m going to study hard and become a reliable adult like Qian Qi.”

Little Jia laughed and nudged her: “Am I not reliable?”

Little Min chirped back: “Little Jia is reliable, and Little An is reliable. Everyone is reliable.”

They all laughed together, their smiles clean and pure, full of hope for the future.

Over at the counter, Qian Qi finally reached the window and slid the documents in, then said briskly: “Hello, enrollment for six.”

The clerk adjusted his glasses, looked her over, and joked: “Yo, kid, you sure can have children.”

Qian Qi froze: “?”

[Hahaha, that’s hilarious,] the System cackled.

Grinding her molars, Qian Qi shot a dark look at the laughing System panel, then squeezed out a thin smile for the clerk and said: “They’re my younger siblings. I’m here to enroll them.”

“Oh, from Bright Light Orphanage,” the clerk said as he spotted the Orphanage letter. He turned to the computer to enter the six children’s files and said: “Please wait a moment. Inputting six records will take a bit.”

“Okay,” Qian Qi answered as she leaned on the counter and let her back relax. She glanced toward where the kids were waiting, but a long line of parents had formed behind her, and the kids were so short she couldn’t see them at all.

[Qian Qi, once you drop the kids off, how about we go grind a D level Dungeon?] the System asked, making small talk.

Qian Qi shook her head fast and said: “Why go to a D level Dungeon? Isn’t the E level good enough?”

Her Strength hadn’t reached D level peak yet, and she still didn’t have Defense. Why go get beat up for nothing?

[You can’t stay in your comfort zone,] the System warned. [You keep bullying weaker foes. What if you meet a stronger Magibeast? Can you react in time?]

“I don’t want to die,” Qian Qi said flatly. “I’ll go when I reach D level peak Strength.”

[But-]

The clerk cut in and slid forms through the slot as he switched to a more respectful tone: “Young lady, please sign here.”

“Oh, sure,” Qian Qi said, grabbing the pen to sign.

The System dropped the argument, drifted around in boredom, then on a whim scanned the surroundings.

In the next second, it shot in front of her and bumped her pen aside while flashing a warning: [Bad news, Qian Qi! There is-]

Before she could finish reading the panel, a piercing scream split the air behind her.

Her heart clenched as she turned. The crowd had erupted into panic, and a roar like a Magibeast’s blared through Yanjiao Elementary like a high-power speaker.

A thunderous roar exploded.

The registration hall shuddered, something heavy crashed down from above, the wall split open, and chunks of stone flew into the crowd, drawing a chorus of screams.

More Magibeast shrieks shrilled at close range. Through the cracked wall, a dozen towering black Magibeasts burst up from the ground. Their claws pressed on the shattered floor, and their cold, dark eyes burned with bloodlust as they reached sharp talons toward tiny humans.

Blood sprayed across the floor, cold and merciless.

How could there be Magibeasts here?

Qian Qi’s gaze trembled. She dropped the pen and sprinted toward where the kids had been waiting.

No. Please, no.

From the moment the Magibeasts appeared, the hall fell into complete chaos. Parents scattered like ants. Some bolted to save themselves, others shoved through the crush to find their children. The pushing and squeezing made every step hard.

Little Min clutched Little Jia and Little An and asked with a shaky voice: “Little Jia, are those Magibeasts? What do we do?”

Little Jia gripped her hand tight, his heart pounding as he scanned the crowd for Qian Qi. He forced his voice to steady and said: “Don’t run off. Qian Qi won’t find us if we move. She will come for us.”

“ I’m scared,” Little Min whispered, tears slipping out as she hugged her doll. Staring at the beasts outside, she said almost without sound: “They look like they’re coming in.”

Little Jia followed her gaze. A smaller black Magibeast had stepped into the hall, carrying a thick stink of blood.

Like a tyrant checking its turf, it swept its cold eyes over the crowd, then locked eyes with Little Jia.

Fear surged up so strong it made him shake.

He squeezed Little Min’s hand harder and shouted: “Hold on to everyone and run!”