Magic +1+1+1…

"Woman!"

Half an hour after Moss entered Hakubei Ice Mountain, a snow-white gorilla-like monster suddenly jumped out from the roadside.

It was none other than Valken, the monster described in the mission. Its appearance closely resembled the beasts Moss had encountered in the forest before, except for the difference in fur color—likely a regional subspecies.

The moment Valken appeared, it lunged straight at Moss, like a starving man pouncing on bread.

"..." Laxus watched quietly, making no move to intervene.

His mission wasn't to eliminate Valken, but to ensure the safety of Moss, the rookie.

Valken was incredibly fast and immensely strong, a formidable magic beast. If an average wizard allowed Valken to get close, they would be no different from fish on a chopping board, completely at its mercy.

However…

Moss wasn't an average wizard.

She spread the eight wings on her back, flapped them lightly, and soared into the air, easily dodging Valken's attack.

"Wow~" Valken gazed up at Moss in midair, mesmerized by the sight. Its nostrils flared as it exhaled two puffs of white breath, determined to claim this beautiful woman as its own.

Lacking long-range magic, Valken relied on its brute strength. It grabbed a fist-sized rock from the snow and hurled it at Moss like a catapult.

Whoosh!

Moss shifted slightly to the right, dodging the rock with ease.

"I want the woman!" Valken roared when it missed, grabbing two more rocks—one in each hand—and throwing them again.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Moss twirled and danced through the air, taunting it with a playful laugh.

"Almost! So close! Wow, you're really bad at this. For such a big brute, you're nothing but a weakling—just a trash mob, trash mob~"

Her graceful dodging looked more like an elegant dance, showing off her agility—and her figure.

"Ahhh!" Valken grew increasingly frustrated and flustered, blood boiling as it furiously hurled more rocks, desperate to bring Moss down.

"What a nasty woman…" Laxus twitched at the corner of his eye, realizing this angelic-looking woman had quite the mischievous streak.

But he had to admit—it was an effective strategy. Moss was deliberately angering Valken, making it burn through its stamina. No matter how strong it was, Valken would eventually tire out from constantly throwing rocks. If Laxus weren't here, Moss would probably use this tactic until it collapsed from exhaustion.

However, knowing that Laxus was watching her back, Moss confidently chose a more aggressive approach.

"Full-Body Take Over: Myotismon's Soul!"

As Valken panted, exhausted from throwing too many rocks, Moss activated her Take Over magic.

A cloak appeared behind her, her clothes turned deep blue with a skull emblem, and her boots transformed into black leather with red soles…

The pure, holy aura of an angel vanished, replaced by a cold, seductive presence—like a Blood Queen lurking in the darkness of night!

"Oh, she went from angel to demon," Laxus chuckled, intrigued.

With lightning speed, Moss closed in on Valken. She flicked her right hand, and a crimson whip emerged from her palm.

"Demonic Blood Whip!"

The moment the whip struck Valken, it coiled around its thick arms like a snake, binding it tightly.

Seizing the opportunity, Moss flashed behind Valken, opened her mouth, and sank her sharp fangs into its flesh.

Her fangs pierced through its fur, sinking into its muscle—draining not just its blood, but more importantly, its magic power.

"Ah! Stop!"

"No… it's draining… my power…!"

Valken was a parasitic magic beast that inhabited human bodies using Take Over magic. Once its magic was drained, it could no longer maintain its form.

Within moments, Valken shriveled up, its magic fully drained. Its body disintegrated, leaving behind a frail middle-aged man, likely a local villager. His body bore signs of bruises and beatings, suggesting he had been attacked and knocked unconscious before Valken took over him.

Without a host, Valken was dead.

"Does this have something to do with blood?" Laxus wondered as he observed.

Moss wiped the blood from her lips and thought to herself, Absorbing Valken's magic increased my own magic by about ten percent…

That was a lot. Even with her Angewomon's doubled training speed, it would take her a whole month of focused practice to gain this much magic power.

How many more Valken are lurking in this mountain? Moss licked her lips, eager for more.

She was a hunter.

A magic-hunting predator.

She reverted from Myotismon's Soul back to her normal Angewomon form. However, the extra magic power she had absorbed made her feel somewhat uncomfortable, like she had overeaten.

"Why does it feel like this?" she asked.

Angewomon responded, "Probably a compatibility issue. Inject the absorbed magic into your Holy Ring, and let it purify it into energy suited for us."

"The Holy Ring can do that?" Moss followed the instructions, transferring the excess magic into the Holy Ring.

As expected, the discomfort faded. The Valken's magic was purified, converted into clean, usable energy, stored as a backup power source that Moss could draw upon whenever she needed.

"I need more Valken!" Moss thought, eagerly setting out on her hunt. She cast Healing Light on the freed villager, ensuring he recovered before questioning him about other Valken locations.

Unfortunately, the villager had no memory of being possessed and couldn't provide any useful information—only the location where he was attacked.

After escorting the villager down the mountain, Moss headed to the attack site, encountering more Valken along the way.

She used her beauty to turn them against each other, forcing them to fight amongst themselves. As their stamina drained, she swooped in and used Myotismon's Soul to harvest their magic.

Again and again, over and over.

Magic power increased, increased, and increased!

Moss scoured the Hakubei Ice Mountain, eliminating thirty Valken, absorbing their magic power, and boosting her own magic to four times what it was when she arrived—equivalent to two and a half years of training!

Throughout the journey, Laxus, acting as her bodyguard, simply watched from the sidelines.

At first, he was just observing. In the end, he still did nothing but watch.

He had seen Moss's true potential.

By the time they descended the mountain, he made a decision.

"Moss, for this year's S-Class Promotion Exam, help me out."

S-Class candidates could choose one assistant for the exam.

With Moss's abilities—healing, flight, restraints—Laxus was certain she was the perfect partner.

With her, victory was guaranteed.

Moss didn't particularly care either way. "When is the exam?"

"At the end of the year—six months from now."

Moss replied, "If I'm still here by then, I'll help you."

"Still here?"

Laxus was stunned. Was she planning to leave?

Moss only knew that in half a month, she would be forced to travel to another world again. Whether she could return was uncertain.