Three days passed since Hal and Liora left the Root Hollow Camp and began making their way to the massive crater where Iridescent Willows were thriving and aplenty.
It would’ve usually taken them around four and a half days to arrive, but since they had already stayed in the runeforest for a while, the duo could claim they were quite familiar with the area and were able to move faster through parts where only monsters they could handle lived.
They returned to a slow and cautious pace only near the Burrow Camp, where they had rendezvoused after being chased and separated by the orc party.
Luckily, they didn’t encounter any problems this ti, though they certainly wouldn’t be as helpless as they had been back then.
They soon arrived near the mound area.
Hal suddenly stopped at a sowhat bush-dense area, prompting Liora to do the sa.
Their location couldn’t be considered well-hidden, but it would do, since there were three of them anyway.
Loki and Liora could simply warn him if they were being stalked or about to be ambushed.
The next mont, Hal summoned the now level 33 Spirit Wolf, a far cry from its forr level 4 self.
It now looked slightly more like a real wolf, except for its glowing red eyes.
The summon’s once translucent blue form had turned grey-furred and was noticeably larger than before.
Hal quickly willed the wolf toward the stream, hoping to bait out the Black Flaming Jaguar from its hiding place.
There was a decent chance his previous strategy might work again. since the wolf now looked very different and appeared far more realistic.
He would then have the human encyclopedia beside him appraise the beast’s rank and decide whether they could take it on together before crossing the stream.
They needed to cross because the safest nearby descent was on the other side: a sloped, natural path of rock and dirt that could mostly accommodate only humans.
Monsters and beasts could still chase them there, and they would probably be more visible than ever, but it was still the safest way down.
They had better odds of winning a battle on such favorable terrain.
Not only would their attackers struggle to move, but they also couldn’t dodge easily without risking a fall.
Furthermore, Hal’s [Common]-tier [Knockback] spell would be especially lethal in that situation.
The bastards could most certainly try if they wanted to.
But first, they had to cross...
The Spirit Wolf soon arrived at the flowing stream, "taking a few sips."
Hal was more confident in his summon’s speed this ti, so he didn’t imdiately make it sprint, waiting instead for so movent.
The next instant, leaves on a nearby tree rustled.
He quickly made the wolf sprint toward the mound without hesitation, and sure enough, the Black Flaming Jaguar revealed itself, giving chase to the "prey."
’D-Damn, this thing’s fast!’ he cursed inwardly, sensing the flaming feline closing in.
Hal thought his wolf wouldn’t be caught so quickly this ti.
However, reality said otherwise.
His Spirit Wolf, at most, would only survive two seconds longer than it had before, so Hal unhesitatingly dismissed it, leaving the cat chewing on nothing but grass, dirt, and a bit of mud and water.
"H-Hellfla Cat!" Liora gasped in shock and nervousness.
On the other hand, Hal subtly smiled, pleased that his other plan had worked.
’There she goes again...’
He then put on a frown and asked,
"Hellfla Cat? That thing’s a cat? Also, what rank is it, and what skills or spells can it use?"
"Y-Yes, that’s a cat. It’s one of those creatures generally considered to be in a gray area between C- and B-rank, as its speed and power place it in the B-ranks, while its toughness and endurance are more in line with the C and quite a low C at that... This creature excels in ambushes and can’t fight long battles, which is why it was ultimately ranked C," Liora explained in a low voice as the creature clawed at the ground and roared in frustration, thinking its lunch had sohow escaped using so ability.
Hal was pleased with what he heard.
If the Hellfla Cat had turned out to be a solid or apex B-ranked creature or higher, he might have decided to turn back.
But a C-ranked beast...
Even if it was one of the apex creatures of its rank, Hal believed that he and Liora could take it together, especially since it was now out in the open and unable to use the strengths it relied on for ambushing its targets.
"Liora, prepare yourself, we’re taking it down!" Hal said as he stood up, turning to Loki:
"Just hide here and wait for the battle to end, alright?"
The pup nodded.
Liora, on the other hand, was about to say sothing to dissuade Hal from his reckless plans.
But then she rembered...
They, too, were strong.
They wouldn’t have survived in the runeforest all this ti if they weren’t.
She didn’t have ti to hesitate any longer, though, as her comrade had already made his move.
Blackish-purple, ethereal chains erged from a magic circle on the ground, nearly missing their mark due to the feline’s insane reflexes, but they still managed to latch onto one of its front paws.
Additional chains quickly wrapped tightly around the sa limb, causing the Hellfla Cat to flail even more violently than before.
As it struggled, two thin rays of light pierced through the air, shooting straight toward the creature’s brain, aiming to end its life in one swift, lethal strike.
It seed the creature was done for, or at the very least about to suffer a great deal of damage.
But then, the flaming feline opened its maw, and a black fireball with hints of white suddenly shot forth, colliding with the two Piercing Lights and exploding into gray smoke.
The sound of a chain snapping echoed a mont later, informing Hal that the beast had broken free of its shackles.
"Tch... things wouldn’t be that easy, huh?"
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