Hera stayed inside the hollow tree, listening to the toad jumping around near her. She was in the thicker part of the woods, but there were some gaps, large enough for the toad to jump into. A couple of times, Hera saw the creature jump over some trees.

As time went by, the noises became less frequent until it finally stopped. Hera waited some time to be sure the creature wasn't moving around anymore. When she felt it was enough, she used her pulse, hoping she would be able to feel things beyond the bark around her.

The mana spread out from her and hit the wood. A less intense amount kept going, allowing Hera to feel some of the area around her. There were a few trees, some bushes, and the giant toad a few meters behind her. As the mana passed through the creature, Hera could feel it moving. The last bit of mana allowed the explorer to sense the toad opening its mouth while facing the tree she was in. She felt the tongue coming out of its mouth, heading straight for her.

Hera let her body fall deeper into the tree just before the toad's tongue splintered part of the bark hitting the middle of the tree. Hera held back a gasp. She had to stay quiet so the monster wouldn't see her. The toad struck two more times, aiming at different heights. Luckily, none of the attacks got close to hitting Hera.

The beast jumped once more and hit the top of the hollow tree, breaking its top and making the tree fall down. Hera activated her bark skin once more, trying to protect herself from the fall.

Looking through the opening in the tree, Hera saw the massive frame of the toad. The creature was moving slowly, and it seemed to be panting.

The toad moved to face the now fallen hollow tree and lashed out with its tongue towards the hole in the middle. Hera tried to move down to the second exit, but it was clear it wouldn't be fast enough. Raising both her chakram and her handaxe, she got ready to be hit by the attack.

The tongue hit the weapons, making the toad recoil. The impact shoved Hera closer to the exit. Moving quickly, she reached the other side and got ready to defend against the creature. Thankfully, she was able to mostly heal her foot during the time she was hidden. It still stung, but the pain was much more manageable.

The toad, on the other hand, seemed to be in bad shape. It was shivering, and it appeared confused. Still, it was staring at Hera intently.

The explorer got ready with another poison spray and sent it towards the toad. The creature attempted to dodge, but it wasn't fast enough to move away. Hera missed the eye she targeted, but the poison spray hit part of the skin on the monster's back.

The toad jumped towards the explorer, but it fell atop the hollow tree, splintering the log. Hera rushed to the side and slashed at the creature. Its skin was much tougher than what she expected. Thankfully, the toad had the same problem with turning as the frogs. Considering that and the sluggish movement the creature had now, Hera could finally see a way to fight the monster.

She dashed around it, sending blasts of poison spray every time there was an opening. The toad kept moving around, trying to slap this annoying prey that kept hiding and running. It landed more than a few hits. The monster's attacks felt like someone was hitting Hera with a chair. Even so, she kept attacking, feeling she was close to killing the creature on her own.

After a couple of minutes, Hera was starting to feel very tired. She didn't have enough time to rest, and her foot was still a problem. But she still felt confident about her odds. The toad had vomited once more, allowing Hera to hit a poison spray directly in its eye. She had given up cutting the creature's skin. It was too tough, and it left her too open for a counter-attack.

She had to gulp down the last of the mana potions she had brought before the toad finally fell into the ground and stopped moving. Hera activated her [Observe] From a safe distance to be sure it wasn't just faking it.

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Goliath Cane Toad (Corpse)

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Feeling more confident with the situation, Hera activated her [Inspect]

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Goliath Cane Toad (Corpse)

A nocturnal toad that roams the woods of Brinefront. It is a carnivorous species commonly know to devour other frogs whole.

Its skin is very resistant to slashes and cuts. It can lash out its tongue as a projectile through great distances. They become stronger and more powerful as they turn into the goliath variation. The toad passes through a secondary hatching process where its muscles are remade. Goliaths grow up to five meters tall.

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"Five meters?!" Hera exclaimed, looking at the toad.

She already had a lot of trouble dealing with the three-meter version of it. If there were even bigger creatures like that one, she would die for sure. She looked once again at the monster. It was a waste to leave the carcass there. If she managed to bring it to the guild, she would probably make some good money.

Looking at the map on her tablet, Hera could see that she wasn't that far from the city. She could even connect to the internet. There were a few messages from Blue, asking where she was.

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Hera replied, telling her friend she was in the forest and she needed her help. She sent a similar text to Leo since the two were the strongest ones among the group. While waiting, Hera tried to push the toad towards the road. It was a complicated thing to do, especially since she was surrounded by trees.

About fifteen minutes later, Hera had moved the corpse only a few meters when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hera! Where are you?"

Recognizing her friend's voice, Hera called to her, "I'm over here, Blue. And don't shout."

Hera used the light spell to give away her location, even if that could be a bit dangerous. If another toad showed up, she wouldn't be alone this time.

"Found her!" Leo had just peeked through a tree behind Hera, "What are you doi.... WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"

"Stop yelling. There are a lot of frogs in the woods. And this is a thing that tried to kill me. I need some help to take it to the guild," Hera was trying to push the creature between two large trunks. That was the only path she could find to take the monster out of the dense woods.

"A toad?" Leo approached the corpse, "Holy shit, Hera, are you crazy?"

"No, I'm not, I was working on leveling up. It's more effective if you hunt alone."

"Hera, I'm here! Are you ok?" Blue rushed towards Leo, followed by Bonnie and Alex.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need help to haul this back to the guild."

"What is that?" Blue pointed at the monster.

"A monster that tried to eat me, but I killed it first. The one it ate got closer to having me as a meal than this one," Hera said, puffing up her chest a bit, still trying to make the toad pass through the gap between the trees.

"And why in the fuck are you alone here in the middle of the night?" Blue yelled.

Hera frowned and stopped pushing the creature, "Because I need to level up faster. That way, I can make more money."

Alex, who was looking away from the creature, turned to the side, "Oh, man. Are you gonna tell us you have debt too? Honestly, this is getting ridiculous."

Bonnie stared at the assassin but said nothing about her remark.

"No, I don't, but high-level explorers are expensive, especially after those things that showed up. Are you going to help or not?"

"Why do you need high-level explorers?" Leo was still staring at the creature.

"Oh, Hera. Is this still about Helena?" Blue approached the explorer.

"Of course, it is! The rescue team just got in the Qeeroni Wilds. She's been there for days, hiding and scared. If I had money, I could send people there. Or if by some miracle I can get high level enough to go, I'll find her myself," Hera turned to the toad and started pushing it through the gap, "And right now. I need your help."

As she finished speaking, the toad finally went through the trees, making Hera fall to the ground.

"Oh, this better give some good money," Hera mumbled while walking towards her trophy.

Leo looked at Blue, who just nodded and approached the explorer, "Hera, you need to calm down. I get that you really like Helena, but you can't end up dying because you can't help her."

"No, you don't get it!" Hera barked at Blue. She turned around and kept shoving the toad forward, "I don't just like her. She saved my life. And I'm not trying to pay her back. I'm being greedy. Possessive and selfish. She is one of the few people who were kind to me in this damn world. One of the few who didn't want anything in return. She saw me for who I am and not what the system says I am. I'm not losing someone like that. I don't give a crap what it takes."

The explorer kept shoving the frog, managing to cover a considerable distance. Tears started to form in the corner of her eyes, but not tears of sadness. Those were tears of anger and frustration. She hated that she couldn't do anything to help Helena. She hated that she took so long to become an explorer. She hated that all that someone needed to do to make her that dependent on the person was to be kind to her. And she hated that she was willing to risk herself so much just for that.

"Hera, we are all here for you. Even if she dies there, we are still around. Or do you think we don't treat you well?" Blue said, getting closer to Hera.

The notion of her friends not being kind to her made Hera forget her burst of anger. Had she never told them how much did they mean to her?

"What? No, of course, you do. You guys are the best friends I ever had. But you only knew me as a recruit. She found me before all that. When my hair was greasy and messy, and I was crying in the rain."

"So just because she knew you first, she gets special treatment?" Leo stepped closer to the toad.

"Can you two stop putting words in my mouth and help? I never complained about how you guys treat me or said that I wouldn't be like this if it was one of you."

"Well, would you?! Be this crazed if it was one of us lost in a different layer?!" Bonnie stomped towards Hera, getting close enough to smell the dried up vomit on the explorer.

The explorer stopped for a moment, "No, I probably wouldn't be this crazed. Since there is no reason for one of you to go somewhere I couldn't go, I would be searching for you guys day in day out. It probably would be worse because I could do something more tangible than just try to get stronger."

The group stared at Hera. Yes, she was acting crazy, but her eyes steady. Whatever she had chosen to do, it wasn't a spur of the moment decision. This was the path she wanted to tread.

Bonnie put one hand on her head and grabbed some of her hair, "You are infuriating, you know that? I'm supposed to be dealing with my own shit right now."

Bonnie walked in front of the toad, looking over the carcass.

"You three, what is your strength at?" the researcher asked.

"Who are you asking?" Leo looked at the rest of the group.

"You, Blue, and the mad dog that brought us here. I'm not gonna tell Alex to carry this thing."

"Oh, right. I'm at 14," The hunter replied.

"12 for me," Blue raised her hand.

"Mine is 15," Hera said.

"Ok, so you two raise the body and Hera, you go under it. Then let the thing rest on your back, and the other two can help carry it. Alex, can you be in front guiding us?"

The assassin nodded, already moving ahead. Bonnie turned to the rest of the group, "Well? Chop chop, I still haven't eaten because we were waiting for you."

"Oh, sorry," Hera moved towards the toad, and following Bonnie's directions, the group started to walk back towards the city.

They made the first half of the trip in silence. Only Bonnie and Alex spoke, giving the group directions on how to proceed. However, after reaching the road, Leo asked about the fight and how it was to hunt on her own. Hera told them all about her hunt, the frog that almost ate her, and how the poison spell she had made the fight easier. After around forty minutes, they reached the guild.

The clerk working at the guild wasn't as surprised as Hera expected. Apparently, the toad was unusual, but not exactly a rare sight. While the group waited for the clerk to confirm the value of the body they had brought, Hera remembered the texts she got from Blue.

"Oh, right. You texted me you wanted to share some news with me. What was it?" Hera said to the group, who was standing a few meters away to avoid her smell.

"Yeah, Leo got a text. Mark is coming tomorrow," Blue replied just before the remains of the frog that the toad ate came out of the corpse's stomach making even the clerk feel nauseous.