The attire was much simpler than Lancer had imagined. If there was anything that fit the "Magical Girl style," it was probably the patterns on his body and the earring on his ear.
The original raw gem had transformed into a pale blue, star-shaped jewel resting quietly on an earring. It didn't look too strange; Lancer had worn earrings before, though he had taken them off later due to various considerations.
Looking at his reflection with only one earring, he felt something was off. Finally, he took out the purple earring Scáthach had given him and put it on his other ear.
According to the system's appraisal, this earring had no extra functions; it merely carried Scáthach's scent because it was her personal accessory. She had given it to Lancer so he could successfully retreat after challenging the "monsters" of the Land of Shadows. She never asked for it back, and Lancer simply kept it.
He had put it away previously for fear of losing it, but now—
[Gift of the Law of Cycles: The Sapphire Star Opening the Unknown]
Trait: Space
With a gentle wave of Lancer right hand, the desk in front of him vanished instantly.
Could it be my luck has finally turned? Did I pull a top-tier card?
Undoubtedly, among all attributes, Space and Time were considered high-tier. However, Lancer overlooked one thing. While his "luck" wasn't so cursed that he'd lose money the moment he stepped outside, still—
"This consumes quite a lot of mana..."
After testing it in the room for a few minutes, Lancer found his mana nearly depleted. His training focused primarily on physical stats—strength, constitution, and agility—while his mana had only grown slightly alongside his physical development.
He realized that using "Space," whether for teleportation or storage, consumed more mana the larger the volume involved. The maximum area he could collect by draining his mana in one go was slightly smaller than the villa. As for personal teleportation, he could use it quite a few times. Combined with the fact that "spatial displacement" in combat was merely an emergency measure, it should suffice for his normal battles.
"But at least the weapon problem is finally solved."
Recalling the embarrassment of being caught in a surprise attack without his weapon, he couldn't help but feel helpless. Although he had taken measures—like carrying "Zero" in a briefcase or hiding "Gáe Bolg Alternative" in his car—nothing was as convenient as having it directly in hand. Now, a problem that had plagued him for a long time was resolved. Furthermore—
"Releasing consumes less mana than storing. Which means—"
Suddenly, Lancer remembered something very important.
Since obtaining the "Enchanting Machine," besides regular enchantments for his common equipment, he had used his once-a-day opportunity on the same type of object.
"Guren" (Crimson Lotus).
This wasn't the name of a specific piece of gear, but the collective name for all the spears Lancer had enchanted with the "Explosion" attribute. This included long spears, lances, javelins, and even strange weapons like double-edged spears.
Due to their large quantity and significant bulk, Lancer usually treated them as "special supplies," only using them when he had enough space and time to retrieve them. He wouldn't use them in ordinary combat; despite being made of decent materials, they were ultimately "consumables."
He felt like he had a lot, but after sorting through them, there were only about a hundred or so...
I'm not the King of Streetlights after all; I can't automatically recover them. I should save where I can.
At this moment, Lancer finally realized the power of "money."
Slowly opening her eyes, Kyoko Sakura felt a dull pain in her neck. Her physical stats had been enhanced since becoming a Magical Girl, which spoke volumes about how much damage she had taken there.
She remembered now. Just as she was about to go find trouble with Kyubey, she was ambushed and knocked unconscious by that man. She didn't know what happened afterward since she was out cold. But as she propped herself up with one hand while clutching her neck with the other, she noticed something was wrong.
Wasn't I just in that man's lab? Why am I lying in a bed? Could it be...
Quickly standing up, she checked her clothes. They were a bit messy but hadn't been undone. She let out a sharp breath of relief, but just then—
"Ahem."
A dry cough suddenly came from a dark corner. Kyoko quickly snapped her gaze toward it.
She saw a man, shirtless, walking slowly toward her.
Despite being a powerful Magical Girl who had killed dozens of Witches, she instinctively took a step back like an ordinary girl. No matter how strong she was, she wasn't as strong as the man before her; she had already lost to him twice.
Seeing her reaction, the corner of Lancer mouth twitched. She was hugging him earlier, and now she's like this. He felt hurt...
"I'm a decent guy, you know."
"Does a decent guy take off his clothes in a girl's room?"
"This is my room. For the record, you're sleeping in my bed. I was exercising because I had nothing else to do, so of course I took my clothes off."
Kyoko only registered "my room" and "my bed." The latter part sent her guard skyrocketing, and she caught a "flaw" in Lancer words!
"Didn't you say you were going to research 'Soul Gems' and 'Grief Seeds'?!"
Seeing Kyoko "I've found the loophole" expression, Lancer really wanted to roast her. Fortunately, he really didn't plan on doing anything. If he did, how was her behavior any different from provoking a criminal?
She looked mature and often wore a "seen-it-all" expression, but it seemed she was still quite green.
"My total mana isn't exactly high. Research requires sufficient mana as a basic requirement. I don't have anyone to 'refill' me right now. Don't you Magical Girls have this problem?"
Faced with Lancer counter-question, Kyoko froze for a moment before shaking her head.
"As long as the Soul Gem hasn't turned completely dark, I can use magic indefinitely. Other Magical Girls are the same."
Lancer wasn't surprised by her answer. Magical Girls were different from him; they truly "cast spells with their lives." Though if given a choice, no one would pick that path.