My Joker System: From Low Mana Trash to the Mightiest Wizard!
Chapter 83: Stormshade

Chapter 83: Stormshade

Liora fell silent after hearing about everything Hal saw.

The massive crater filled with dangerous C-ranked creatures and above, the three massive camps, and the Iridescent Willows being in the deadly and dangerous center of it all...

She clenched her fists, slightly dispirited, though she could not and would never back down.

Her undying love for her family wouldn’t allow her to.

Observing her reactions, Hal sighed inwardly.

It seemed that her reason for doing this was truly quite deep.

Otherwise, she would’ve gritted her teeth and made the hard decision to leave now had the matter been negotiable.

"Aihh...you’ll still go, won’t you?"

Liora couldn’t answer for a moment before nodding.

"B-But you don’t have to go with me. Please leave with Loki. I wouldn’t be able to handle the guilt if something like what happened two days earlier happened again..." the maiden clarified, though her clenched fists betrayed her true feelings.

She knew all too well how low her chances of succeeding were if Hal left.

Hal seriously pondered about her offer, though he didn’t let Liora catch on.

Honestly speaking, the two of them weren’t related in any way and were at most, acquaintances.

He had no logical reason to stay any longer, especially after almost dying for her sake.

’Nah...’

But sometimes, one should act according to one’s heart, and that’s what Hal decided to do.

He had already decided to help Liora, so why not go all the way?

"Huh? Then wouldn’t it be me who would be tortured by my guilty conscience if you didn’t return?" Hal snorted, trying to lighten the mood. "As the wise sages always say, better you than me, right?"

People would normally be appalled after hearing someone blurt out such shameless words without hesitation.

Yet, Liora couldn’t be happier.

She couldn’t find it within her to dare request Hal for more...

So, his decision to stay and continue helping her, which the maiden knew she so desperately needed and boosted her chances of succeeding by a significant lot, made her almost jump up and down in glee had it not been embarrassing to do so at her age.

Liora knew Hal’s selfish-sounding words were merely a cover for his kind and compassionate heart.

In the end, she could only muster an awkward,

"Thank you, Hal...", barely managing to suppress the tears of appreciation and relief that threatened to fall.

She truly didn’t know how she would have succeeded if Hal had chosen to leave.

"But," Hal suddenly added, snapping her out of her thoughts, "you must listen to me. The first thing we’ll do is train in a less dangerous area and consume all of the cores we obtain. Only when I think we have a fighting chance will we go to the crater."

The desperate yet determined maiden unhesitatingly nodded.

Time was ticking, but she still had some to spare.

This was undeniably her best chance of succeeding, and Liora was not about to waste it, even if it meant she would only barely make it in time to solve her personal problem.

And so, immediately after breakfast, the duo began their two-day journey back to the safe confines of the root hollow they had used as a resting spot for a night.

It was, by far, the camp spot they believed to be the safest and most appropriate, as the area was teeming with D-ranked creatures and the occasional C-ranker, yet rarely did they encounter anything they couldn’t handle.

The journey was slightly faster and easier on Hal this time, as they relied on Little Loki’s senses most of the time, with the Spirit Sparrow only stepping in whenever the pup grew too tired.

It was better to begin collecting cores as early as possible for maximum efficiency, after all.

Only now did they appreciate the cub’s sharp and terrifyingly accurate senses.

Since the two didn’t bother moving too carefully after leaving the deeper parts of the runeforest, they managed to obtain a total of thirteen D-ranked cores and two C-ranked ones in just two days, bewildering even Liora.

Hal? Not so much.

He already had a better grasp of his current capabilities after playing a high-stakes chase with the orc party, so he found it somewhat difficult to fear a lone C-ranked monster now.

At the very least, even if he and Liora couldn’t win, they would be able to escape fairly easily as long as they didn’t encounter any B-rankers like the Orc Captain and Orc Shaman, or the unknown-ranked Lightning Fox.

’Oh, right, speaking of that demonic beast...’

They were close to the root hollow when Hal remembered that the girl beside him was more or less a walking encyclopedia.

Maybe she knows what that thing was?

"Hey, Liora."

The tan-skinned young maiden, who was walking slightly in front, turned to look, tilting her head slightly.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know the creature name and rank of a demonic-looking, somewhat malnourished fox that wields the lightning element?"

Liora immediately paled at the description, prompting Hal to raise his brows.

’Oh, seems like she really knows... what a nerd...’

"Y-You mean a Stormshade? W-Why did you ask?" the maiden asked, her heart pounding.

She didn’t feel too good about Hal’s question.

"Hoh, so that thing’s called a Stormshade, huh... what rank is it?"

"I-It’s an A-ranked creature. Wait, you haven’t answered me yet. Why did you ask about it?"

This time, it was Hal who momentarily froze.

’A-ranked... so that’s why that beast terrified even that huge orc hunting party?’ he mused before explaining,

"Ahh, nothing. I just saw one when I was checking the crater out using the sparrow."

Hal didn’t want to give Liora a scare, so he chose to lie.

The young maiden, however, was still somewhat terrified at the thought of possibly encountering such a creature.

There was just no way they would survive.

Unbeknownst to her, the young man just a meter away had already experienced standing right next to one and somehow lived to tell the tale.

The two soon arrived at the hidden root hollow camp, settling in briefly before stepping out with determined looks.

It was time for a wild, rough, and relentless grind.