Maria and Celaine left the Light Drake's lair full of enthusiasm, but unfortunately, this vigor was swept away within the next few days.
"That shitty drake! Not only did it eat all of its own treasures, but it looted everything useful in the surrounding area! Are you kidding me? No wonder it was so useless! It could only consume precious resources to force itself to evolve! What a waste!"
Maria complained.
The two of them have been scouting the nearby area for several days only to realize that there is nothing useful around them other than the overabundant Light Crystals.
They both still collected these Light Crystals even though they have thousands of them at this point. That's because not only are they useful to Maria, but they can also be sold or traded when they exit this Secret Realm.
Something that the two of them realized on this trip to the Secret Realm is they are really poor, at least in terms of Spirit Stones. Mira's the one that keeps most of the Spirit Stones and she only has what she was awarded due to her contributions to the war. That along with what she collected from the people she's killed, but those people were poorer than them!
Another thing to note is that Mira goes through treasures like she's eating candy! Just look at what she's doing right now! She's literally consuming and/or studying anything related to the fire element while making Elenei wash her with her Frost-Fire.
By the time they make it out of here, Mira might've used up all Fire related resources!
Luckily the three of them were able to enter this Secret Realm or they'd still be a couple of poor blokes begging for resources!
So now that they have the chance to grab resources, the two of them are going to make sure they take anything of use.
"Hey Maria, you know what I just thought about?"
All of a sudden, Celaine asked.
"I know what you're thinking! Why is this Light World so poor yet it's filled to the brim with these useless crystals and weak beasts? That's what you were thinking, right?"
Maria answered with a forlorn expression. Celaine was a bit speechless that Maria was still thinking about that.
"No! I was thinking that this might be our only time to catch up to Mira. Not only catch up to her but surpass her as well. This might be our only chance to pummel Mira like she always does to us!"
Maria stopped walking when she heard what Celaine just said. Her brain was working in overdrive right now trying to process what Celaine just said.
Sure enough, although she wants to be able to beat Mira, subconsciously she has labeled Mira as an invincible and unbeatable existence in her mind.
She's lost count of how many times Mira has utterly destroyed her without even trying. Sure, she is a bit stronger than her, but the difference is negligible. The main reason she always loses is that Mira is just too good at fighting.
Sure, Mira is decently skilled with the scythe and her Ice is really annoying to deal with, but Maria has also become rather skilled with the sword and her Light Element usage.
So then why is she always destroyed in a fight with Mira? Well, to put it simply, Mira is just too versatile and can read her opponent like an open book. When you prepare to make a move, Mira has already grasped your intention and made preparations to counter it. And if you ever think you've grasped Mira's next move, then jokes on you! She'll switch it up at the last moment and catch you unprepared. Or if you think she'll switch things up, then she won't do what you think and still catch you off guard.
The only thing Mira could be said to be unrivaled in is hand-to-hand combat and her combat sense. The rest of her skills are fairly average or below average for her level of strength.
Now that Maria is thinking about it, these two years might be their only chance to beat Mira up or at the very least fight her to a draw!
Mira is most likely going to be spending all of her time trying to comprehend the Yin Fire element. She won't have time to practice her scythe or ice skills. Nor will she have the time to cultivate.
Even when she does comprehend the Yin Fire element and is actually capable of using it, there is a 90% chance that it'll be essentially useless to the current her. She might be able to use it for weapon forging or something like that, but she definitely won't be using it in actual combat.
All of these things equal a period of around 2 years where Mira isn't growing stronger, but they are allowed to explore this Secret Realm and look for opportunities!
Even if they don't become much more skilled with their respective weapons or elements, they can still cultivate. So what if they don't become more skilled, in the face of overwhelming power what can you do?!
Wouldn't they be able to crush Mira if they reach the Peak of the Foundation Realm? Mira probably wouldn't even be able to touch them if they enter the Core Formation Realm!
Although that last part might be a bit unrealistic…
The Peak of the Foundation Realm is already pushing it considering how strong their foundations are.
"Holy moly, Celaine, you're absolutely right. If we can surpass her in cultivation while also growing our skills over the next 2 years I think we might have a 70% chance at beating Mira if we work together! It'll be hard, but if we focus on the right areas then it's totally doable! Heck yeah! I'm already pumped just thinking about it! Hehehe~"
Maria started giggling foolishly while imagining Mira sprawled out on the ground while her foot is pressed against Mira's stomach.
She'll finally be able to look down on Mira and not the other way around! Just thinking about it sends chills down her spine in anticipation.
Hehe~
Celaine watched all of this happening quietly, but a weird thought couldn't help but surface in her mind…
"Is she really a masochist?"
