My Magic Has No Upper Limit

Chapter 135: Chapter 134: Regarding Bev’s Heart

The Demon Core of a Giant Rock Golem was not only a powerful Earth Magic Wand Core Material, but when ground into powder, it could also be used as the main ingredient for certain Magic Potions.

According to the rules of Monster Hunting, these spoils of war had to be handed over to Lena Manlin for safekeeping.

After the hunt was over, payment would be distributed proportionally.

At this moment, the sun had already set in the west. A soft, orange-red light filtered through the canopy, casting a languid aura.

After a long trek and two battles, the young Mage Students were showing signs of fatigue.

It was almost nighttime.

Zelir unfolded a map to confirm their current position.

They were still some distance from the next Demon Creature Community marked on the route map.

Furthermore, a stretch of hilly terrain with a complex landscape lay between them, making it unsuitable to press on.

"Alright, that’s enough for today!"

Instructor Lena clapped her hands, announcing the end of the day’s journey.

"Find a safe and reliable spot on your own and prepare to make camp."

"Let me add one more thing: campsite selection is a deep subject and a very important one... If you pick the wrong spot and get attacked by Demons in the night, ruining your sleep, I won’t be helping, you know."

In this regard, the experienced Marcus and Rivaya, who excelled at scouting, were clearly the most skilled.

Zelir was well aware of his own strengths, so he simply handed the decision over to them completely.

"Let me see..."

Marcus’s finger moved across the map as he carefully compared it to the surrounding terrain, then he picked a spot.

"Let’s check this place out. The terrain looks good; it might be a good place to camp."

According to the map’s markings, a winding stream passed through the forest nearby, which meant a reliable water source.

Having chosen their destination, the squad members quickly organized their gear and set off again.

Rivaya scouted for danger up ahead while Marcus cleared a path.

About half an hour later, after passing through a dense thicket of ferns, the team finally arrived at the location Marcus had chosen.

It was a clearing in the woods on a gentle slope.

It was backed by a steep cliff more than ten meters high, eliminating any threat from the rear.

The trees around the clearing were relatively sparse, not obscuring their line of sight like a dense forest would, which made it easy to keep watch and defend.

More importantly, the ground was clean, and there were no tracks left by large Demons or beasts. It looked quite safe.

It was an ideal spot.

"So, we’ll make camp here?" Zelir looked around at the others, asking for their input.

Everyone nodded one after another; there were no objections.

Yanni dropped her bag. She could no longer be bothered with the decorum of a noble lady and flopped directly onto the soft, leaf-covered ground.

"Ah... I’m dead tired..."

The next second, her stomach let out a loud RUMBLE.

"So hungry..."

Yanni rummaged through her backpack and pulled out the standard-issue ration bag from the guild, but her brow furrowed involuntarily.

For the sake of portability and preservation, the food prepared by the guild was all hardtack, along with some salted jerky.

While not exactly inedible, eating this kind of stuff after a long, hard day was bound to dampen anyone’s spirits.

Zelir noticed this as well.

He was also someone who never compromised when it came to satisfying his appetite.

"Everyone!"

Zelir raised his voice and announced.

"Let’s split up the work."

"Some of us will stay at the camp to set up tents and start a fire. The rest will go out and find some fresh food. How does that sound?"

The proposal was immediately met with unanimous approval.

"Yeah!"

"I’ll be in charge of setting up the tents!"

"I’ll start the fire."

"I’m about to die from all that salty jerky!"

No one wanted to spend their first night in the forest chewing on cold hardtack.

Since the members of the Third Squad were Mages with little wilderness experience, the job of staying behind to pitch the tents naturally fell to them.

"I’ll go see if there are any sheep or deer nearby."

Valles slung his Longbow and Quiver over his back. "Gray, you come with me."

"How did you know I’m an expert hunter?" Gray’s eyebrows shot up.

"I’m asking you to come give me a hand. It’s exhausting to drag the prey back alone." Valles shot him a sidelong glance.

"I’ll go too! I’ll go too!"

Lante was also quite interested in hunting and followed the two of them into the woods.

"Then I’ll check near the cliffs to see if there are any wild vegetables or edible mushrooms."

Marcus said, grabbing a cloth bag and a small trowel. "Back in my village, this was what I knew best."

"I’ll check out the surrounding area and eliminate any threats." Rivaya went back to doing what he did best.

"Then I’ll see if I can catch a couple of fish by the stream, since there’s a river nearby anyway," Zelir said.

"Zelir, I’ll go with you!" Bev immediately raised her hand.

"Bev... didn’t we agree to stay at camp and pitch the tents?"

Yanni, still collapsed on the ground, heard this and immediately grabbed Bev’s hand, shaking it gently in a wheedling manner.

"I’ll be so bored by myself."

"But I want to take a walk by the river and get some fresh air. That sounds nice, too," Bev said.

"Fine..."

Yanni pouted reluctantly. Her eyes darted around, and she forced herself to stand up on her sore ankles.

"Then I’ll go too."

Watching Yanni, who was clearly exhausted but insisted on coming along, Zelir found it amusing.

’So stubborn...’

「...」

The three of them walked along the forest path for a while, and the sound of gurgling water grew clearer.

After passing through a final row of dense trees, the sight before them made both Bev and Yanni gasp in amazement.

The scenery here was picturesque.

Clear water flowed slowly over a bed of pebbles, and sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves cast shimmering reflections on the surface.

A single log bridge, covered in thick moss, spanned the banks.

Not far away, there was a small waterfall about seven or eight meters high.

The water splashed down, striking the rocks below and creating spray, and a faint rainbow appeared in the mist.

Seeing this scene brought an inexplicable sense of peace.

"Wow... it’s so beautiful here!"

Bev shook off her earlier fatigue. She excitedly peered around the riverbank.

The water was crystal clear, and you could easily see the oddly shaped, colorful little stones at the bottom.

Bev took off her boots and dipped her pale, bare feet into the stream, shivering slightly from the cold.

She bent down, scooped up a stone, and held it in her palm, unable to put it down.

Meanwhile, Zelir wandered upstream by himself, squinting as he walked, observing where the most fish were.

Soon, in a shallow area where the current was gentler, he spotted several large fish swimming leisurely.

They looked plump and delicious, with spindle-shaped bodies covered in silvery-white scales.

’Hmm... they’re a good size. They could be grilled or made into soup. They should taste excellent.’

Zelir planned the dinner menu in his head.

SPLASH...

A small stone was kicked into the river from the bank, splashing water.

The school of fish was immediately startled by the commotion and vanished into the deeper water in an instant.

Zelir turned his head to look.

It was Yanni.

She stood with her hands behind her back, lips pouted, her expression a mixture of anger and defiance.

"What was that for..." Zelir was at a bit of a loss.

"No reason. I just don’t like the sight of you." Yanni’s cheeks puffed out slightly. She looked a bit like a spiky, puffed-up pufferfish.

"Is it because I did something wrong as the captain?"

"You know perfectly well that’s not what I mean."

"Sigh..."

Zelir let out a small sigh. He decided to clear the air.

"You don’t have to be so hostile towards me. I haven’t done anything."

"I don’t believe you..."

Yanni wrinkled her delicate little nose, her eyes full of suspicion.

"If I hadn’t come, who knows what you’d be doing with Bev by the river..."

"In that case, how about I teach you a method?"

Zelir suddenly raised an eyebrow, his tone lifting slightly.

"On the subject of how to win Bev’s heart. Want to learn?"

"What method?" Yanni’s curiosity was piqued despite herself.

"A hero saving the damsel in distress," Zelir said seriously.

"A hero saving the damsel?" Yanni frowned slightly, repeating the phrase in a low voice.

"That’s right. Think about it... this Monster Hunting expedition is fraught with danger. Today we only ran into goblins and a Golem, but it’s bound to get more dangerous the deeper we go into the forest."

"Girls are fragile at heart. When Bev is in danger, she’ll surely feel helpless, praying for someone to come to her aid."

"Then, at that moment, you go WHOOSH."

Zelir made an exploding gesture with his hands.

"You appear before her, help her take down that wretched Demon, and won’t Bev’s heart just flutter for you?"

"That seems... to make sense."

Yanni looked thoughtful. "Is that the dirty trick you used to win Bev over?"

"I’ve never used it."

A small, mischievous impulse suddenly arose in Zelir.

"Hasn’t Bev told you?"

"Told me what?" Yanni was confused.

"Actually, back when we went to gather herbs, it was Bev who volunteered to come along."

Hearing this, Yanni’s pupils widened slightly.

"The roasted rabbit we ate together in the woods—Bev thought it was delicious."

"That Fireworks Magic... Bev also asked me to create it with her, and we even set it off over all of Black Stone Town."

"Right after I was promoted to Junior Mage..."

Zelir shook his wrist, the Silver Bracelet on it flashing brightly. "Bev also gave me this as a special gift."

With every sentence Zelir spoke, Yanni’s breathing grew heavier.

"So... you shouldn’t be on guard against me. You should be keeping a better eye on Bev."

Zelir had a malicious smile on his face.

"Because she’s the one who initiated everything."

SNAP.

The small twig in Yanni’s hand snapped in two. The emotion brewing in her eyes was, without a doubt, fury.

’Damn it...’

’Damn it, damn it, damn it!’

Although Yanni desperately wanted to lash out at Zelir, she couldn’t find any reason to.

’AAAAAH! How can someone so annoying be the captain?!’

"If you were so confident about your relationship with Bev, you wouldn’t need to tell me all this. Aren’t you two best friends who grew up together?"

Zelir just smiled.

"If her heart truly belongs to you, there’s no way I could possibly steal it away."

"I..."

Yanni opened her mouth but couldn’t say a single word.

"I’ve told you the secret now. Good luck, I believe in you," Zelir cheered her on.

Although Zelir’s tone was gentle, in Yanni’s eyes, it was an undeniable provocation.

A blatant provocation!

She gritted her teeth, her mind racing for a while, before she could only leave behind a single, resentful sentence.

"You just wait...!"

Watching Yanni’s indignant back as she stormed off, the smile on Zelir’s face grew a little wider.

’So much fun.’