My Joker System: From Low Mana Trash to the Mightiest Wizard!
Chapter 94: The Center

Chapter 94: The Center

Hal and Loki climbed down the tree they were hiding in and began moving, both heading to the southern side of the camp, where Loki would wait for Liora and lead her to their hiding spot.

Hal, on the other hand, began sneaking closer, using [Blink] from time to time and the cover of tents and makeshift crates to make his way over.

If he could get within the casting range of [Spatial Swap] without having to use [Shadow Walk], then there was a chance for things to go smoothly.

He first headed toward the northern side of the orc camp, leaving a charge of the [Uncommon]-tier spell, [Voice Orb], inside a certain tent before circling back and making his way to the southern side.

The gods seemed to be smiling at him as he somehow managed it easily.

Hal took a deep breath as he peered from behind a tent, checking whether Liora was ready.

She seemed to be...

And so, he acted.

Prepared as the white-haired maiden was, she still stood dumbfounded for a moment as the scenery suddenly changed, finding herself behind a tent in the southern part of the orc camp.

It was only after the roars of a troll sounded from the northern side that she managed to snap herself out of bewilderment.

The next moment, she sprinted as fast as she could toward the bushes, hoping to reunite with Loki, not caring one bit what Hal was up to or what was happening to him.

She was going all out with the plan.

Hadn’t they always succeeded that way?

The orcs were startled by the sudden roar and quickly headed over with bared fangs, battle axes, clubs, and warcries.

Upon arrival, the captain destroyed the tent where the roar had come from with a single, casual swing of his greataxe, ending up momentarily confused after seeing nothing but a wooden puppet that somehow seemed extremely irritating.

They wanted nothing more than to hack the thing to pieces.

It wouldn’t take long, anyway.

And so, the captain took charge and leaped at the taunting puppet, kicking it down before splitting its head with a violent chop.

Only then did they return to their previous mental state, realizing they’d been fooled.

The Orc Captain, the fastest and strongest among the guards, gritted his teeth and dashed back to the cage in a frenzy, roaring in utter fury the moment he laid eyes on it.

The metal cage was empty...

The other ten Orc Warriors arrived soon after, failing to control their emotions and raging for a while before spreading out, smashing tents as they searched for the female human who had somehow escaped.

Meanwhile, the person responsible for the chaos was slowly slipping away under the cover of invisibility, quietly chuckling in amusement and satisfaction at having angered the bastard.

By the time the orcs realized what they’d done in anger, the entire camp was already an utter mess.

Even their food reserves were smashed into meat paste.

They would be in trouble, for sure...

Liora and Loki watched the satisfying scene from atop the old oak that had served as Hal’s hiding place for the past month.

She felt vindicated at the sight, though she couldn’t deny that she was also relieved.

Hal had saved her again.

But she decided to stop counting the favors, as it seemed impossible to repay them all anyway.

Instead, she would prioritize helping Hal above all else in the future as a way to return this massive debt.

She would spare nothing in trying to repay Hal once she had solved her troubles and secured a decent life for her family within the safe confines of a city.

A laugh soon sounded behind them, tickling her heart and ears.

"Hahahaha, quite the masterpiece, isn’t it?" Hal said proudly, looking extremely pleased with himself.

The white-haired maiden was mesmerized for a moment before chuckling in response.

"Hahaha, yeah."

"Well, as much as I’d like to enjoy their reactions a bit more, let’s leave and head over to the Iridescent Willows. The ongoing war between the three monster camps will probably lure a lot of beasts over because of the thick smell of blood. Now’s the best time for us to look for that natural light rune you need."

Liora’s face turned serious after hearing Hal’s words, and she nodded in agreement.

Now was indeed the best time to make their move.

The crater’s center was probably around two to three days away from where they were, and that was considering the fact that most of the beasts would be lurking around the war zone to feast on the corpses and perhaps even consume the cores.

Some beasts do grow stronger from doing that, after all.

Hal, Liora, and Loki descended the old oak, carefully circling to the west before heading north toward the massive natural spring where the Iridescent Willows thrived, making sure to avoid the angry orcs along the way.

A cautious hour later, they had put a safe distance between themselves and the orc camp.

They should be safe from the panicking monsters, especially with no shaman among the pursuers.

The more time passed, the more distance they covered, and the weaker Liora felt.

She hadn’t noticed it at first, but the sudden relief of escaping danger and a fate worse than death had taken a toll on her mental and physical endurance.

It was better to keep moving while they still had the chance.

However, going into battle in such a state might prove lethal, so Hal decided they should rest.

It was almost nighttime, anyway.

The two lucked out this time and managed to find a decent camp spot, on par with the Root Hollow and the Burrow Camp, allowing them a good night’s rest.

They continued traveling the next morning.

While they weren’t as lucky each night, the trio didn’t encounter much trouble while sleeping, thanks to the ongoing war and Loki’s sharp senses.

Around three days later...

Liora’s heart raced as she gazed at a towering tree with subtly glowing purple leaves, a multi-colored rune shining near the base of its trunk.

They had arrived at the center.