VIP Chapter 187: The Gift You Gave Me
Liya knew exactly where it came from.
She had been staring at it.
Not intentionally, of course…
It was simply the staff Will had been holding ever since he entered this dungeon. And it was a staff Liya had never seen before.
She paid close attention to everything Will had, imprinting it onto her mind and holding it dear.
At the time, she had only guessed that since Will hadn’t taken his own staff, he naturally had to buy a new one to use, and there was nothing more to ponder behind it.
But…
“A witch… the mark of the Witch Association?”
“Wh-why is it on here?”
Liya’s open palm trembled.
This was not a staff she had purchased.
Nor was it a staff sold by the Witch Association—if the Witch Association had staffs this well-made, she wouldn’t be using these rejects.
He had it in Will’s hands…
“Thanks to Will Systom leading ‘Shining Star’ in clearing this dungeon.”
And the entire staff was iron made.
“The Rock Fire Iron Wall Dungeon had once trapped two Adventuring Teams…”
It must have been loot from that dungeon.
The location of the Witch Association’s mark was precisely where she usually held the staff. It was a bit high on the staff because Liya was much shorter than the average “Mage,” so when she gripped the staff, she naturally held it slightly higher.
If everything else was just Liya’s unfounded speculation.
Then this mark on the large hat, like the special blessings written when ordering a custom Birthday Cake, was a gift for her.
And moreover…
This imprint was slightly mistaken; the star on the large hat was missing one—perhaps because the circulated mark wasn’t complete. The Witch Association would certainly not make such a mistake.
So…
Was this a gift he prepared for himself?
No… it wasn’t just “a gift he prepared for himself.”
Even after leaving her side, he had been thinking of her.
And had been observing her every move.
Even… where she held her staff, he had seen it all.
Liya gently connected her Magic circuit to this weapon and felt a flow completely different from the five staffs she had used.
It was smooth, comfortable, and light.
If other staffs felt like a giant flame serpent being forced through a hole no wider than itself, twisting and expanding until it burst through…
Then this staff made her feel…
This was a wide-open road, and her energy could roam freely upon it.
Undoubtedly, this was a weapon custom-made for her.
Liya remembered Will’s final glance.
He was looking at the staff leaning against the table instead.
He carried it with him… was it perhaps because, one day, when he saw her, he could hand it over to her?
So… in his eyes, she had always been…
At this moment, she heard a “declaration of war” from across the way:
“Pfft… Witch, are you sure you want to start fighting at this range? This is an advantageous area for melee combat.”
Shuna adjusted her stance and raised her head, only to find her enemy seemed lost in thought, gazing at the staff in her hand.
What was wrong?
While it was indeed something Will had prepared for her, she shouldn’t be staring at it for so long, right?
Could it be that Will hadn’t given her this staff at first? Oh, surely not, otherwise she would have taken it out during their fight just now.
“Stop staring, if you want to use it, just take it out. After all, it’s… it’s something that guy spent his heart and soul on, calculated, and selected artisans to make. It certainly won’t be bad.”
As Shuna said this, even she felt a bit sour.
Yes, yes, someone gets to enjoy a weapon designed by possibly the best magical calculator in this world? Of course, she’d be a little sour.
“Huh? Right! I… I I I… I’m going to beat you with this!”
Liya seemed to have snapped back from her reverie to this “battlefield.”
Then she gripped the staff tightly.
“I… I’ll tell you. I don’t think close combat will be a disadvantage with my speed.”
—Idiot Will.
—He could even get such a simple mark wrong. After class, I’ll have to punish you by having you rewrite this mark one hundred times!
“Mmph…”
Shuna felt…
The Liya before her had changed slightly from her previously frantic demeanor? How to put it, she felt Liya seemed a bit more “normal” now. As if she were in a passionate romance.
Could it really be because she received a gift from her Sweetheart?
However…
Shuna glanced at Will, who was now very close behind Liya.
To be honest, her current attitude was unusually serious.
After all…
It was her “request”—”Save me.”
From the first letter she received from him until now, most of what Shuna had done was only to fulfill his “request.”
He wanted to know the correct way to use Ice Armor Infusion, and she told him.
He wanted Blood Mint, and she would go to the hottest Dungeon to collect it for him.
He was injured and wanted the blood of an Ice Demon for Treatment, so she would go to the Ice Abyss to bring it to him.
He wanted her to instantly defeat the Three-Headed Dog, and fine, she did it for him the next second.
He wanted her to save him at this critical moment of life and death…
Then she would definitely do it.
Because he believed in her, that she was the strongest, the most reliable, even the “Mr. S” who could lead him to grow forward.
“Then let’s begin—”
As Shuna uttered these words, she had already taken a step.
“That is precisely my intention!”
The Ancient Flame Staff · First Edition staff, for the first time, completely lit up the red gem at its tip. In this Witch’s Box, where red was the main color, it shone like its true Master.
The confrontation at this distance was over in an instant.
With her new weapon, Liya already felt a completely different casting speed and power.
And Shuna, who was extremely confident in her close-combat agility, ran very fast.
The two gambled on their “judgment,” believing their moves at this moment would be correct.
Boom—
Accompanied by the sound of an impact on the ground.
Clang—
And the sound of close combat again.
Half of Shuna’s arm was burned by Liya, showing large blisters and flesh torn open, while Liya was directly pinned to the ground by Shuna, her knife once again blocked by her staff.
“Damn it, Defense Magic—”
But this time, Shuna was not surprised or hesitant, so Liya was a step too late to rebound again.
Shuna was right; in terms of overall combat, she was still slightly superior.
Or rather…
She seemed less frantic when holding that staff than before.
The magic she unleashed wasn’t as dense and fast as before, although from the ease of her casting, the new weapon was indeed effective.
Hesitation leads to defeat, Little Witch.
However…
She had no intention of killing this “witch Will cared about so much” from the start.
She spun the hand holding the dagger in the air and used the hilt of the dagger to fiercely knock Liya on her Twin Tails head.
“Mmph—!”
This move was effective; a close-combat attack combined with a stun magic would keep her on the ground for a while longer.
At least…
It would allow her to escape with Will, right?
No, she had to find someone to lock this person up, otherwise, they might be chased all the way.
“Huff… huff… huff…”
The fight was completely over, and only then did she notice her own injuries were not minor.
