My Joker System: From Low Mana Trash to the Mightiest Wizard!
Chapter 82: A Dream That Never Ended

Chapter 82: A Dream That Never Ended

Under the scorching rays of the mid-morning sun, a black-haired young man carefully navigated through a forest filled with blue natural runes.

It had been a day and a half since Hal left the water source area, and he was now attempting to make his way back to the meeting place with Liora.

He wore a frown throughout the journey, visibly shaken by what he had seen through the sparrow’s vision of what lay beyond.

Hal spotted Iridescent Willows, which should’ve been a cause for celebration, however, the nearest one was probably at least three days away.

How did he see so far ahead?

It was because there was a massive crater beyond the mound, and mysteriously, the stream, after entering a hole somewhere at the bottom of the crater, was flowing upward to the hole in the mound, with the secret possibly hidden beneath the land.

Near the center was a massive natural spring, along with Liora’s much-sought Iridescent Willows.

If they only had to navigate to get there, then there wouldn’t be much of a problem, as they could continue using their safe and slow method.

The issue was the creatures living in the crater.

First and foremost, there were at least three massive camps of monsters.

One seemed to be a camp of orcs, the second belonged to hobgoblins, and the third to a half-humanoid race he didn’t recognize.

To make matters worse, he spotted a few roaming beasts like the Black Jaguar from earlier, as well as others of similar threat levels.

There were certainly a lot more in hiding.

If they even dared to descend, they most likely wouldn’t return alive.

Hal didn’t spot a single D-ranked monster in the area, while the C-rankers were in close proximity to each other—perhaps that was the minimum requirement for survival.

**

Meanwhile, in the shadows of a spacious burrow hidden beneath thick bushes, a tan-skinned, white-haired young woman stared lifelessly ahead, her eyes hollow as she hugged her knees.

A black-furred pup snuggled close to her side.

It had been almost two days since she got separated from Hal, and the scene of their parting had replayed in her mind countless times, each time shattering her heart and gnawing at her sanity.

She found it extremely difficult to bear the guilt.

After all, Hal had only come to help her search for an Iridescent Willow.

It was she who should have covered his escape...

A few moments later, she opened her sack bag and had a lonely lunch similar to what Hal had that morning: a few pieces of dried meat jerky, bread, and clean water.

She then resumed her bleak gaze and waited... and waited... and waited some more.

Hours passed.

Although the chances of Hal having survived dwindled as time marched on, a small flame of hope still burned in her heart that somehow, somewhere out there, he was alive.

Perhaps he was only recovering, and that’s why he hadn’t returned yet?

It was the sole thought Liora found solace in.

In any case, she planned to continue her torturous wait for at least another week before accepting the other, darker possibility she so desperately rejected this whole time.

Another heavy night passed with only the equally dejected little Loki keeping her company.

That night, Liora had an unexpectedly pleasant and realistic dream.

In the middle of the luminous night, her sleep was disrupted, and just a few meters away stood Hal, the young man who had haunted her mind for the past forty-eight hours.

He was half-naked, seemingly in the middle of changing his clothes, and turned to look at her once he was done.

"Oh... sorry, did I wake you?" Hal asked. "Don’t mind me. Go sleep some more."

Beneath Hal was Little Loki, happily eating a chunk of Ironskull Hog meat.

It was a dream she wished would never end.

Unfortunately, morning inevitably arrived, and after sleeping for a decent number of hours, Liora woke.

She gazed at the familiar low ceiling of the burrow, her heart growing heavier once more.

It was another day of torturous waiting for the poor maiden.

Liora shifted her body, lying on her side and facing the burrow’s entrance, unwilling to get up just yet.

What would she even do if she did? Wasn’t waiting while lying down the same as waiting while sitting?

Then, her eyes widened as she realized that someone was sleeping soundly just a few dozen centimeters to her right, with a black-furred pup resting its head peacefully on the young man’s chest.

She couldn’t believe her eyes, so she rubbed them twice before a few drops of tears inevitably fell.

Was she still dreaming?

A few dozen seconds passed before she finally realized she wasn’t dreaming.

Hal was indeed back.

Tears of relief flowed as she continued gazing at the sleeping young man for a whole minute, her heart growing lighter and lighter, and lighter still with each passing second of realization.

Thank the gods he survived...

Thank the gods for the unexpected surprise they gave her.

Thank the gods she didn’t have to go through another hellish day of waiting...

Liora silently sniffed and sobbed for a few more moments before wiping her tears, her constricting guilt fading with the night.

’T-Then... was I not dreaming last night?’ she couldn’t help but muse as she continued to stare at the sleeping Hal, unwilling to wake him.

’He must’ve been tired...’

The relieved maiden’s imagination ran wild as both questions and thoughts filled her mind.

She couldn’t continue her rather blissful observation, though, as Hal also woke up, yawning as if he hadn’t endured a rough two days.

There was even a subtle smile on his face as he stretched.

"Oh, Liora, it’s good that you’re awake too. Hold on, let me just..."

He quickly stood up and exited the burrow, leaving Liora inside for a while before she, too, decided to prepare for the day ahead.

The two brushed their teeth and took care of their personal business, with the slightly sleepy little Loki standing guard for them, before they returned to the burrow for breakfast.

They were out of beast meat, so they could only tap into their dwindling rations again.

After swallowing a mouthful of jerky, Hal suddenly spoke, making Liora almost choke on her food.

"I found an area with lots of Iridescent Willows."