NOVEL WEB Chapter 236: Chaos Core
Loki, with a guilty appearance, walked over to Hal, ears and tail folded.
The big pup looked rather pitiful, leaving both Helena and Lynn chuckling.
"Oh, you big baby! Come on now, we know joining your master in his adventures is a lot more fun for you. There's no need to feel guilty," the short aunty said in a rather silly voice, walking over and giving Loki a few rubs.
Helena did the same, smiling:
"You can always come and visit anytime. Plus, I would be more assured if you watch my son's back. I'm counting on you, alright?"
"W-Woof!"
Hal made the poor pup choose between staying with the two middle-aged women.
After what seemed to be careful consideration and a twinge of guilt, Loki chose him, memories of their times at the runeforest replaying in the pup's mind.
Loki felt far more alive then.
While the big pup enjoyed relaxation, his heart ultimately belonged in the wild.
Loki much preferred to risk his little life from time to time.
Hal couldn't help but be inwardly pleased at his companion's loyalty, fully knowing he would miss the big pup if Loki chose the other option.
"Well, if you're sure…then come. I promise we'll visit mom and aunt whenever we can, alright?"
"Woof!"
The guilt in the big pup's heart vanished at his words, as though it truly could understand human language.
Loki was undeniably far smarter than other Dharmwolves.
After a short farewell and a promise of another visit not too far in the future, Hal retrieved the sidecar from the system's inventory, attaching it to his motorcycle.
Loki then hopped on and the two sped off, disappearing in the distance.
Helena and Lynn chuckled and shook their heads before returning inside.
***
**
Before nightfall, Hal and his companion arrived at the academy.
There was still some time; he could craft a few artifacts before calling it a day.
Hal remembered that the Void Key to his workshop could be activated anywhere within the academy grounds, and so, instead of returning to his suite, he searched for a secluded area behind the tree and opened the void portal to his workshop.
He had everything he needed in the system's inventory already, anyway. There was no point in returning to the suite first.
Soon, the familiar void portal opened, and the big pup enthusiastically entered.
It seemed that Loki truly missed even such mundane and silent bonding moments.
Hal smiled and followed suit, closing the portal soon after.
'Ahh…I probably should clean a bit before starting…'
He hadn't been to his workshop in more than a month; it was bound to be dusty.
Arriving on the other side, he approached the door and put his hands on the knob, surprised to find that it wasn't dusty at all.
He quickly entered and checked the condition of the tools, the table, and even the optional seat by the side.
Not a single one was unclean.
Hal's heart warmed, certain that his master took care of the place for him.
Isolde had a nonchalant and somewhat easygoing exterior, but as it turned out, she cherished her first disciple this much, even though she initially wasn't planning to accept one at all.
'I'm quite lucky compared to that midget, aren't I?' he mused, retrieving multiple large boxes from the system's inventory.
He then quickly sorted out the crafting materials, preparing everything by batch.
'Haven't done this in quite a while…I might be a bit rusty…'
With one deep breath, Hal's hands worked their magic.
He wiped his face with a towel around an hour later
"Heh, seems like I still got it."
He rusted a bit, for sure, but the results were still satisfactory: a superior-grade uncommon-tier wand.
A dozen days passed just like that.
Hal would wake up, eat, work out for an hour, and then begin the artifact grind, working from mid-morning to late-night.
He even ate lunch inside his workshop, sometimes while pondering what to craft next.
Manager Maximus said that variety was much appreciated, after all, and Hal also found crafting the same artifact over and over again rather boring.
Unfortunately, it seemed that he overestimated himself a bit and underestimated the workload, forcing him to rush his work a bit on the last day, ultimately resulting in more superior-grade artifacts than mastercraft-grade.
But he was still delighted and proud to have delivered.
Hal earned a whopping 106 gold coins from the transaction alone, and he also managed to complete the system quest, obtaining additional knowledge from the [Adept Arcanist's Tome of Knowledge 2].
In fact, he probably wouldn't have finished in time without it.
His strategy to complete ten mastercraft-grade uncommon-tier artifacts of each artifact type proved to be a wise decision.
The next batch was sixty artifacts in a week, so Hal's schedule undoubtedly was a bit more relaxed in the coming days.
With a significant amount of pressure off his chest, he remembered something important.
He quickly returned to his suite and headed to his workshop with Loki.
The big pup thought that his master would simply continue working, but to his confusion and curiosity, Hal suddenly took out a vermilion core with hints of black and silver swirling in it.
At that moment, something inside the pup seemed to have been triggered.
Loki suddenly lunged at the core and swallowed it whole.
Hal's eyes widened, not expecting his companion's rather overly enthusiastic actions.
The core's transparent shell easily cracked, and a surge of chaotic energies washed over the pup's huge body, making Loki suddenly snarl, drool, and whimper as if struggling inside.
"L-Loki!!"
Hal panicked.
He had zero clue how to help his companion, even regretting taking out the Chaos Core.
Hal got the idea that Loki might benefit from it, considering that he earned 500 Chaos Points for obtaining the pup as his companion.
Perhaps the god he served had plans.
He simply attempted to see how Loki would react, not expecting the pup's reaction to reach such extremities.
His companion's hysterics only intensified.
The pup seemed to be dying, foaming at the mouth.
"Damn it! Loki! You mustn't die! Loki!!"
Hal quickly rushed over, trying to rub and hug his companion in utter regret, memories of their days together flashing before his eyes.
This was how he would lose Loki?
But suddenly, the convulsions stopped, prompting Hal to quickly look at his companion's face.
His eyes then widened at what he saw.
A few centimeters away from him, Loki's ears seemed to have grown long, black tufts, and there was now a thick, vermilion lining emphasizing the pup's eyes.
Loki looked a bit more impressive, basically…