"I Became a Witch, but Now Everyone's in Love with Me!"

Chapter 24: The Little Rich Girl Can't Understand the Poor Witch
 
Compared to the magical creatures in the second-tier area—who can only cast the lowest-level spells, barely qualifying as part of a formal witch's spell system—the monsters in the third-tier area are much more dangerous.

Their spells can actually break through Jiang Cha and He Qin’s defenses.
That alone made them extremely cautious.
“What should we do?”
He Qin glanced back at the bat-like creatures from the second-tier that were still chasing them, then looked ahead at the third-tier monsters locked inside magic-inscribed cages. She hesitated.

“Lina, can’t you just charge in and kill one?”
Jiang Cha had seen how even lightning arrows barely scratched Lina’s defenses. It didn’t seem like these third-tier monsters would pose much threat to her.
“No way, Jiangcha-chan. Even if Professor Vladimir didn’t say it directly, our performance here definitely affects our course credits.”

“Ah… that’s so annoying.”
Still, it made sense. They were students, after all—and students meant tests and evaluations.
Skipping the most difficult part of a practical lesson would obviously lower their grades.
Seeing that Lina had made up her mind not to think too hard and just leave everything to her, Jiang Cha rubbed her temples.
She had to come up with something.

“How about another explosion?”
“Absolutely not!”
Lina practically leapt up and glared at her. She really didn’t want a repeat of what happened earlier.
That last explosion had forced them into a desperate sprint—third-tier creatures generate magic vortexes on an entirely different scale.
“Jiang-chan… these magical creatures were purchased using school funds…”

“Huh? So what?”
“If you kill too many without permission—and especially if it’s not an emergency—you’ll be fined.”
Jiang Cha: “...”

“Okay, okay. Got it. I’ll think. Lina, don’t stare at me like that. I won’t make you risk your life again.”
After a short discussion, the three girls reached a new plan.
He Qin, with her guardian puppet, had the strongest defense.
Lina, the battle witch, was the team’s main offensive force.
And Jiang Cha?
Though she was the weakest one at the start of class, things had changed by now. She’d become their strategist—the one in charge of coordination.

Not fully offensive or fully defensive, Jiang Cha became the team’s all-rounder.
She had strong awareness, a wide range of spells, and massive mana reserves—perfect traits for a support role.
Then—

“Let’s begin.”
Standing on the shoulder of the guardian puppet, Jiang Cha calmly gave the order.
Lina began gathering magical energy, while He Qin gave her own commands in sync.

Spell enhancement.
Magic shield.
Mana transfer.
Jiang Cha cast the three spells in one smooth sequence. Each was precisely timed to the second.
The enhancement strengthened Lina’s magic attacks so she could focus on quantity over power.
The magic shield wrapped around the guardian puppet, softening its charging impacts.
Mana transfer boosted He Qin’s puppet barrier to withstand more spells.

He Qin advanced steadily—not too fast, not too slow—just the right pace to allow Lina to return at any moment if needed.
With their rhythm in place, they moved toward the third-tier zone.
Lina didn’t go for a surprise attack.
Instead, she released thousands of fireballs into the air, which hovered around her. Under Jiang Cha’s control, they intercepted spells and exploded mid-air.
It was a protective tactic meant to relieve pressure from the guardian puppet and prevent the barrier from weakening under repeated hits.

As for Lina, she didn’t even bother dodging. With the shield protecting her, she just kicked or punched away anything that got too close.
Still, it wasn’t easy.
It was one thing to deal with a few monsters. It was another thing entirely to hold off a wave of third-tier creatures across nearly a hundred square meters.
This wasn’t a bullet-hell game where you could dodge attacks one by one.
This was full-on tower defense—absorbing blow after blow.

“Formation complete. Switching guardian to fortress mode.”
Ten seconds later, He Qin opened her eyes and made the call.
At her command, the silver-white puppet beneath Jiang Cha began transforming. The shoulder pieces opened, gears and pistons shifting.

Two large silver plates extended from its sides, each inscribed with complex magical runes. They spread out on the ground.
As magic energy poured in, the once-faint blue inscriptions deepened into a rich, glowing blue.
The shield rapidly expanded—its area doubled, then stabilized.

Spells from the third-tier monsters, which had previously made the barrier tremble slightly, now left no visible impact—even when hundreds of wind blades struck the same point.
The inscription plates didn’t just boost the puppet—they tripled the shield’s defensive output.
“Chabao, how’s your mana? Want me to take over?”

Magic shields burn through mana to counter incoming spells.
The more spells and the stronger they are, the more it drains.
“I’m good. These monsters’ spell output is nowhere near yours, Lina.”
Jiang Cha shook her head. “The guardian is really efficient with mana. We can probably hold for an hour or two without issue.”

In theory, the guardian’s reserves plus He Qin’s support could last up to six hours.
But Jiang Cha didn’t like pushing her luck.
“What we need to figure out now is…”
She turned to He Qin. “Would you say we’re in a dangerous situation right now?”
“...”

He Qin, the quiet and dignified lady type, already knew what Jiang Cha was trying to do.
And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.
She really couldn’t.