My Joker System: From Low Mana Trash to the Mightiest Wizard!
Chapter 95: Stay Alive

Chapter 95: Stay Alive

It was a fine day.

The sun’s rays were warm but not harsh, partially softened by thick clouds.

A gentle wind blew, brushing against the skin with just the right hint of cold.

Unfortunately, inside a certain runeforest, furious roars, snarls, and hisses assaulted the eardrums, ruining everything a great deal.

Rivers of black blood flowed across the ground, touching lifeless monster bodies and the crude metal weapons scattered among them.

The battle between the three monster camps had been ongoing nonstop for more than three days.

Since two races were ganging up on one, the trolls were on their last legs, despite being well-known for their endurance and strength.

There were simply too many Hobgoblins and Orcs attacking them.

From a hundred, the trolls’ numbers had been whittled down to merely twenty wounded, while around forty Orcs and fifty Hobgoblins still remained.

It was evident that the trolls were the strongest race among the three, as they still managed to hold their own despite being severely outnumbered.

After a brief staredown, roars and snarls filled the air, and the battle resumed.

The Fellkins were supposed to be leading the orc army, but strangely, they were nowhere to be found, simply letting the monsters kill each other.

*

*

Meanwhile, somewhere around three days away from the ongoing mayhem, two youngsters moved from one willow to the next, searching for the appropriate natural light rune that Liora needed to comprehend.

"Tch, not this..."

"Not this one either..."

It had been hours since they arrived at the Crater’s Center, but they had yet to find the correct rune.

It seemed to be rarer than the others.

If they had the time and capability, Liora would’ve harvested every type of natural light rune.

Sadly, they didn’t, as they had to complete their main objective before the war ended and the beasts returned to their regular hunting grounds.

The two continued searching, temporarily ignoring their exhaustion.

Finally, after another hour...

"H-Hey, Liora, I think this is the one you’re looking for, no?"

Hearing Hal’s words, Liora quickly headed over to where he was, inspecting the rune for a few minutes and comparing it to the sketch she had brought with her.

A few seconds later, her expression brightened, and she failed to suppress her emotions, slightly jumping in delight.

"Y-Yes! This is it! Quick, give me the carving knife!"

Hal couldn’t deny that her tiny jump was adorable, so he was momentarily distracted.

However, before he could even retrieve Liora’s bag from the system inventory, explosions echoed from the north, not too far but not too close to where they were.

Loki also suddenly began tugging on his trousers.

’Shit,’ Hal cursed inwardly, quickly climbing up the willow they were at and hiding among its dense leaves, Liora following suit without hesitation.

They were lucky enough to hide before whatever creature was approaching arrived.

To the trio’s horror, it was the beast Hal had asked about a few weeks back, the Stormshade.

But it didn’t look as terrifying as it once did, seemingly heavily injured as it fled south.

Of course, none of the three were foolish enough to leave their hiding spot right away, fully aware that whatever creature had managed to make the thunder-wielding fox flee was likely in close pursuit.

And it was... or rather, they were.

Hal and Liora narrowed their eyes, gazing coldly at the three purple-skinned humanoids who passed by five seconds after the Stormshade.

"Three? So there’s another one..." Hal muttered.

Fortunately, they weren’t the Fellkins’ target, so they should be fine as long as they navigated the runeforest carefully.

Only after Hal confirmed through the Spirit Sparrow that all four had left did the two descend the Iridescent Willow, a sense of urgency and danger gripping their hearts.

They had to harvest the rune quickly!

And so, Liora immediately began after descending, her heart racing, yet she seemed thrilled by the situation.

Was she losing her sanity after almost dying multiple times inside a runeforest she had no business entering?

How the hell did the current situation feel somewhat sweet and exciting to her?!

Giving herself a light, shy slap, Liora snapped out of her thoughts, focusing on carving out the natural rune from the Iridescent Willow.

A minute passed, then two.

Before they realized, fifteen minutes had already passed.

The trio began to calm down.

It seemed that the Stormshade and the three Fellkins weren’t returning anytime soon...

A few moments later, Liora was holding a carved piece of glowing wood, tears forming in her eyes as a smile lit up her face.

All they had to do now was leave the darned runeforest!

"Heh, humans, huh? I didn’t expect to encounter two here.."

A voice suddenly sounded from above, prompting Hal, Liora, and Loki to look up.

"F-Fellkin!" the maiden exclaimed, slightly shaking.

Hal, on the other hand, gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in frustration.

They were so close!

He didn’t know how strong this Fellkin was, but after witnessing the other three earlier hunting an A-ranked Stormshade, Hal didn’t fancy his chances.

These guys had to be the cream of the crop among the wicked race’s younger generation if they were sent to infiltrate the Arcanum Imperium’s lands.

Hal couldn’t care less about the empire right now, since he wouldn’t even be able to if he died.

The problem was that he, too, was petrified.

He didn’t dare make any sudden moves.

In the end, they could only remain rooted in place as the young male Fellkin jumped down from the willow and began walking towards Liora.

"Female humans are indeed as tasty as rumored... I’m called Arran. How about you serve me willingly, huh?"

It was the same disgusting question Hal had heard from the other Fellkin, and he had enough.

Just as Arran was about to touch the trembling maiden, she suddenly vanished—replaced by a black-haired human male.

Before the Fellkin could even react, he was already shooting through the air, sent flying backward by a strange spell that didn’t hurt one bit yet packed quite the punch.