The Mighty Mage-Chapter 488: Real Team

Before Long Yifan could even open his mouth to decline, Li Mian spun on her heel and ran off with a bright laugh. Her long ponytail swung behind her as she disappeared into the crowd.

Long Yifan stared after her with a blank face.

Gu Jin watched the scene quietly, her expression unreadable. Then she turned slightly and said, "I’ll leave first."

Long Yifan immediately reached out, looking a little desperate. "Wait, wait! We barely get to spend time together. Can’t you stay just a bit longer?"

Gu Jin didn’t even look back. "Good luck with your match this evening."

And with that, she walked away, ignoring Long Yifan’s dramatic sigh behind her.

................

When Gu Jin returned to her dorm, she was surprised to find the door slightly open.

She stepped inside and froze.

All six of her teammates were sitting in her room.

Zhou Lei was slouched in the corner, a pillow under his head like he was ready to take a nap any second.

Lin Yue stood near the window, arms crossed, and her usual serious expression on her face.

Bai Yu sat at the desk, nervously tapping his fingers on a book.

Meng Hao was bouncing on his heels, full of energy as usual.

Yun Qing was curled up in a chair, quiet and mysterious as ever.

And Qiao Feng... well, he was lying on Gu Jin’s bed like it was his own, his eyes half closed but alert.

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "Uh... What are you all doing here?"

As soon as she spoke, all of them stood up in unison and rushed toward her.

"Gu Jin! Are you okay?"

"Did Instructor Luo yell at you?" frёeωebɳovel.com

"Did he scold you a lot?"

Gu Jin blinked at the sudden storm of concern. Then, to everyone’s surprise, she laughed.

"You’re all overthinking it," she said with a small smile. "I’m fine. Instructor Luo wasn’t that harsh. Don’t worry."

The team members let out a collective sigh of relief.

"That’s good," Meng Hao said, flopping dramatically onto the floor. "I was so nervous I couldn’t even eat breakfast properly!"

"You eat five meals a day," Zhou Lei said lazily. "Skipping one won’t kill you."

"But still," Bai Yu spoke up softly, pushing up his glasses, "we really thought... maybe it was our fault. That you lost because of us."

The mood in the room shifted. Everyone suddenly looked awkward.

Lin Yue stared at the floor. "It was our mistake. With your skill, you could’ve won easily, especially with Earth Rank Intermediate alchemy rank."

Gu Jin’s eyes softened as she looked at them. She shook her head slowly.

"No," she said calmly. "You’re all wrong. I couldn’t win, not with how I am now."

That shocked them.

"What do you mean?" Qiao Feng sat up straighter. "You’re the best alchemist among us! Heck in the world at your age."

"Yeah!" Meng Hao added. "You can make pills like magic! How could you be the reason we lost?"

Gu Jin let out a small sigh and looked at her team seriously.

"I realized something during that round. I tried to do everything by myself... but I can’t make two different pills at the same time. I don’t know how yet. So I failed. I couldn’t finish in time."

The room went quiet.

Even Zhou Lei opened one eye to look at her properly.

"You’re saying," Bai Yu said slowly, "that you lost... because you couldn’t split yourself into two?"

Gu Jin nodded simply.

"Monster," Qiao Feng muttered.

"Crazy," Zhou Lei mumbled.

"You’re not human," Meng Hao whispered dramatically.

Lin Yue, surprisingly, let out a light chuckle. Then she stepped forward and patted her chest once.

"I think I understand," she said. "The real problem is that we all relied too much on you. That was our mistake."

Gu Jin tilted her head, listening.

Lin Yue continued, her voice steady and confident.

"We should find the second-best alchemist among us. That person can start working on the second pill while you make the first one.

And when you finish, you can help finish the second pill. That way, we don’t waste time, and we won’t need to split you in two."

The others blinked.

"That... actually makes sense," Bai Yu said thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Meng Hao nodded. "That way, you’re not doing everything by yourself."

Gu Jin smiled slightly. "You’re all okay with that? It won’t be easy. You’ll have to train hard for it to work."

Zhou Lei yawned. "If it means less work for you, I’ll nap less. Maybe."

"I’ll do my best!" Meng Hao said, pumping his fists. "Leave it to me!"

"I want to help," Yun Qing said softly, speaking for the first time. "If we work together, we’ll win next time."

"Just don’t expect me to lead," Qiao Feng muttered, stretching. "But I’ll follow the plan."

Lin Yue nodded firmly.

"Let’s figure out who can make the second pill best after you. Then we’ll practice non-stop."

Then they all exchanged looks and turned toward Gu Jin,

"Captain, we promise that you will shine and won’t get eliminated because of us! A genius like you shouldn’t be dragged by us!" Lin Yue said.

"Captain!" Meng Hao suddenly shouted, raising one fist in the air.

"From now on, I’ll practice day and night! I’ll become strong enough to make pills too! Even if I’m not as good as you, I’ll still be useful!"

Zhou Lei stretched and added lazily,

"Well, if we’re being honest, I hate work. But if it’s for our team, and to make sure you don’t lose again... I’ll work harder. I’ll even cut my naps in half." He gave a small grin.

"That’s like a huge sacrifice for me, okay?"

Bai Yu pushed up his glasses again, his voice quiet but steady.

"I’ve already started reviewing pill formulas and refining methods. I’ll figure out which ones we can master as a team. I’ll support you with research and backup, so you can focus on the big stuff."

Yun Qing’s soft voice followed.

"You’re our heart, Gu Jin. When you shine, we all shine. I want to help you shine as brightly as possible."

Qiao Feng shrugged and gave a lazy smile.

"Well, it’s kinda annoying seeing you lose when you’re clearly better than the rest of the competition. So yeah... I’ll put in more effort too. No more half-baked help from me."

Gu Jin blinked, a little stunned. Her eyes scanned their faces, so full of fire, even if their styles were all completely different.

And then... it hit her.

They weren’t just upset because they had lost.

They were upset because she had lost.

Because someone they admired, someone they believed in, had fallen short because of them.

And that hurt them more than losing themselves.

Gu Jin’s chest tightened slightly.

She hadn’t expected this. She thought maybe they were disappointed, or embarrassed... but not this. Not loyalty.

Her heart moved—just a little—but enough that she felt it.

Her hands clenched softly at her sides.

"...You guys..." she started, but her voice came out lower than expected.

She cleared her throat, then looked at all of them seriously.

"You don’t have to do all this just for me," she said.

"But we want to," Meng Hao replied instantly. "You’ve always carried us. You deserve better."

"You’re our leader," Lin Yue said, folding her arms. "We’re not going to let you carry us alone anymore."

Gu Jin looked at them all—this strange mix of personalities, each one different from the other, but right now, united by one goal.

Her lips curved into a rare, warm smile.

"Alright," she said quietly. "Let’s do this together."

For a second, no one spoke.

Then Meng Hao suddenly shouted, "Yes! Let’s crush the next round!"

Startled, Bai Yu nearly dropped the pen he was fiddling with.

"Can you not yell in a small room?" Bai muttered.

"I’m just excited!" Meng Hao beamed. "We’re finally moving like a real team."

Zhou Lei rubbed his eyes and groaned, "Please don’t make me excited too. I was five minutes away from a nap."

"You can nap after we win," Qiao Feng said lazily from Gu Jin’s bed again. "That’s what I’m planning to do."

"Alright," Gu Jin said, stepping forward.

"Tomorrow morning, we start planning. Bai Yu, gather all the pill combinations from previous rounds.

Lin Yue, help him rank the difficulty. We’ll assign practice rounds and start pairing up based on compatibility."

Everyone nodded seriously.

"Captain mode activated," Qiao Feng muttered.

"Scary but cool," Yun Qing whispered with a smile.

They all burst out laughing, and just like that, the room’s heavy mood finally lifted.

They weren’t just teammates anymore.

They were a real team.

Unbeknownst to them, a shadow was hiding near the dorm door and heard everything.

Sophia lowered her gaze.

She had predicted correctly.

Though Gu Jin was talented, she was destined to be dragged down by her pig teammates. And like an idiot, she was celebrating and thinking about winning the competition by teaching her teammates.

How foolish.