My Joker System: From Low Mana Trash to the Mightiest Wizard!
Chapter 87: Think You’re Slick?

Chapter 87: Think You’re Slick?

Hal shot a quick glance at Liora.

’That’s a good look...’

Before their two-month grind, the maiden’s knowledge of whatever creature they were facing usually made her pale in fright at the start of a battle, though she typically did well after a bit of time to adjust.

But now, although she was visibly uneasy, her focus remained on the fight, and she wasn’t trembling.

It seemed that facing hundreds of beasts and monsters on her own had helped her build some self-confidence.

Hal didn’t have much time to ponder his comrade’s progress, as the gray smoke parted in the next moment, revealing the pouncing Hellflame Cat.

It was going for Liora.

The tan-skinned maiden fired several Glow Needles, her improvements and mana-bound artifact’s power on full display.

There were five needles, and they were massive, each the size of Hal’s [Glacial Shard] and almost as powerful.

Her future indeed seemed as bright as her lights.

The more her mana grew and the more she mastered her spells, the more terrifying they would become, especially with a 100 percent boost.

It was simply an unfair advantage that Hal yearned for but could never have.

The Hellflame Cat wasn’t known for its toughness, so it felt threatened by the needles and was forced to shift its attention to them instead, blowing them up with another black fireball.

Liora didn’t waste any time and began putting some distance between herself and the beast, while Hal simultaneously fired a [Glacial Shard] and a [Fireball] at it.

He hoped to catch the flaming feline off-guard with a well-timed attack.

Unfortunately, its insane reflexes proved to be a formidable defense and difficult to breach.

The beast noticed the approaching projectiles in its peripheral vision, turned to face them, stepped back to create some space, then swatted the [Glacial Shard] away with its paw, displaying impeccable distance control.

To Hal’s disbelief, it simply opened its mouth and consumed the [Fireball], appearing slightly rejuvenated after.

’This thing can eat flames, huh...’ Hal mused as he locked eyes with the feline beast. ’I wonder if it could eat Ennya’s?’

Losing focus for even a second soon proved to be a mistake in a battle against such a swift and powerful creature, as Hal failed to notice the wisp of black flame slowly creeping up behind him.

It seemed like the three were locked in a standoff when the Hellflame Cat suddenly vanished.

Liora, standing just across from Hal, immediately spotted where it reappeared.

Her face turned pale as an expression of utter horror spread across it.

"Ha–"

Before she could even warn her comrade, however, Hal already understood what happened just from her reaction alone.

He gritted his teeth and, without hesitation, [Blink]ed away, narrowly managing to keep his life as the Hellflame Cat reappeared behind him, viciously smashing its paw at his previous location and causing a cataclysmic black tornado along with a small crater to appear.

’T-That was close...’ he sweated coldly.

Hal now understood why the damned thing was ranked B in terms of raw power and speed, as it could create craters just as massive as the ones left behind whenever the orc captain’s massive axe struck the ground.

The battle continued to rage on as Hal and Liora seamlessly worked together, knowing what each other was capable of and acting accordingly.

They were like two annoying flies as they danced and weaved around the Hellflame Cat, dodging its blows and surviving while firing projectiles.

Of course, there was the option of expending more energy than they needed to, but why would they?

The cat was indeed strong and fast, but they’d already seen the extent of its capabilities after a minute of battle.

Besides, even if it was still hiding something, they, too, had some trump cards up their sleeve.

There was no need to waste too much mana and spell card charges here.

After all, the cat was already beginning to breathe heavily after an intense pace of exchanges, its weakness of low endurance on full display.

The flaming feline thought it was slick when it sneaked a wisp of black flame deeper into the forest.

Unfortunately for the beast, Hal noticed, and he made quick eye contact with Liora and then quickly shifted his eyes to the wisp without speaking, prompting the maiden to follow his gaze.

She was a smart young woman and immediately noticed the assignment.

Hal subtly smiled and began to distract the Hellflame Cat.

Meanwhile, Liora slowly sneaked away and stalked the wisp, a full-powered Piercing Light ready to fire at any time.

Believing it had to distract its enemies just as much as Hal did, the feline beast attacked more ferociously.

It pounced, clawed, and shot fireballs and flaming claw marks at him, perhaps in a simultaneous attempt to kill him and increase its chances of retreating safely into the shadows of the oak branches.

Hal didn’t even bother to fire back, focusing wholeheartedly on defending and dodging.

He blinked, dashed aside with [Licht Step], and protected himself with [Mana Barrier]s and [Earthen Wall]s, growing calmer and calmer as the fight went on.

Hal didn’t notice it himself.

However, after around ten seconds of being chased down, the expression on his face had already turned into an eerily deadpan one, as though there were zero chances of him slipping up and dying from a casual swipe of the Hellflame Cat’s paw.

The beast’s breathing grew heavier and heavier, and soon, black flames were billowing out of its nostrils, revealing its exhaustion.

Both Hal and the Hellflame Cat knew that the fight was drawing to a close.

The beast hadn’t noticed when, but the other human had somehow disappeared.

Unfortunately, it was, in the end, a beast.

It was nowhere near capable of immediately understanding where its other enemy had gone, as it had never encountered such a situation before.

It would only learn through experience, and that experience could only be used if it lived past today.

After briefly locking eyes with each other, the Hellflame Cat pounced one last time, releasing another wisp of flame from its mouth before vanishing along with it.

The beast had teleported out of combat.

’Farewell, then.’

The next moment...

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