Chapter 15: 15. Vibrating Ladybug

"We've failed..."

Ice Flower's captain, Isa, had silver hair covered in dust, her forehead cut by debris, blood profusely flowing from the wound, a hint of regret showing on her face.

She shouldn't have pushed for the twelfth floor in one go after Lia cleared the ninth, aiming to widen the gap.

Now, the heavy armored warrior was seriously injured, the healer's magic power was exhausted, and the mage had already fallen into a coma.

They had to give up.

The Ice Flower Adventure Team could not allow any more members to die.

After much thought, Isa finally made up her mind, biting her lip as she issued the order to her team members, "Everyone, retreat, use the 'Town Portal Scroll'!"

The Town Portal Scroll allowed adventurers to forcefully return from the Mystic Realm, but such scrolls were extremely expensive, comparable to a full set of magical equipment.

The biggest drawback of the Ice Flower Adventure Team was the poor quality of their equipment, the reason being Isa demanded that every team member must have a 'Town Portal Scroll.'

Since Isa couldn't obtain a healer like Linda who could assist the team without injury, she took a different approach, ensuring everyone had a Town Portal Scroll.

Just as she was about to channel her Battle Qi into the scroll and leave the twelfth floor, suddenly, the sensor ladybug number 3 tied to the pouch on her thigh buzzed its wings, stinging her skin.

The ladybug emitted a glow like gold.

"Golden Advice? Could it be Lia mocking me?"

Isa's face darkened, her grip tightening unconsciously on the ladybug, nearly crushing it.

As for advice, it was divided into regular and golden. Regular advice wouldn't cause the sensor ladybug to react; if team members didn't watch it in time, it would pass like flowing water.

Golden Advice, however, required the sacrifice of a high-level demon core. This advice would cause the sensor ladybug to vibrate and release a golden light, alerting adventurers that someone had given a Golden Advice.

Isa turned the ladybug over, looking at its belly: S~eaʀᴄh the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

[Mediocre Adventurer: In the center of the Armored Turtle Snake's carapace, there is a darker plate, attack it with your 'Ultimate Skill']

Mediocre Adventurer, who was this person?

Attacking the carapace of the Armored Turtle Snake, was this person trying to trap her, sending her to her death?

Isa's eyebrows furrowed in anger.

The carapace was the part of the creature with the highest defensive power; even hitting its head was difficult, let alone its carapace.

This person specifically asked her to use her magic-draining 'Ultimate Skill' to attack, making it hard not to suspect the person's intentions were malicious.

Sparrow District, outside the Adventurer's Guild.

"Mr. Linda, are you serious? Just for this phrase, you use a level 20 demon core?"

Jeban, a short blonde member of the Ice Flower Adventure Team's logistical staff, said incomprehensibly.

Linda nodded, "Give me another level 20 demon core."

Jeban hesitated, but recalling Isa's opinion of Linda, he gritted his teeth and took one out from his bag.

If this former healer of the Snow Goose Adventure Team could help Ice Flower conquer the twelfth floor, Jeban thought it was worth it, even if it took twenty level 20 demon cores, not just one.

The quail egg-sized, fiery red gem-like demon core was placed by Linda in a groove on the stone platform.

Then, a light flickered, successfully sacrificed to the World Tree Goddess.

Linda's 'Golden Advice' was just one sentence.

"Captain Isa, it's me, Linda."

If Isa had truly admired him when they first met at the Secret Realm Square, she should have trusted him.

As for why he helped out, Lin Da didn't have a specific reason; he was happy to lend a hand if it could save a young girl's life.

In the crystal screen, he only saw the sensor ladybug in Isa's hand emit a golden glow again. Isa glanced at the text on the belly of the ladybug, holding her chin, her face contemplative.

A moment later, Isa made a decision.

She bit off the cork of a purple potion with her mouth and gulped it down, instantly boosting her depleted battle qi.

"Gluttony Potion? Is she really going all out?"

Lin Da raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. The Gluttony Potion was an expensive potion that could instantly restore the user's battle qi and magic power but had significant side effects. It caused excruciating pain after a while and was usually kept as a last resort.

That a girl who was barely an acquaintance, let alone a close friend, was so willing to take his advice was beyond Lin Da's expectations.

Inside the crystal screen, Isa bent forward like a sprinting snow leopard, her silver hair and the ice crystal longsword in her hand creating a beautiful arc of light.

The girl dodged the rocky fragments thrown by the Armored Turtle Snake like a blade dancer, her agile legs powerfully pushing off the ground, leaping straight onto the back of the Armored Turtle Snake.

Her actions flowed smoothly, leaving the crowd of watching adventurers dumbstruck.

Lin Da thought to himself, not bad at all compared to Lia, the talented Ice Swordsman. It was indeed not easy for Isa to lead the Ice Flower up to the twelfth layer.

Once Isa landed on the shell of the Armored Turtle Snake, she leaped into the air again, performing a graceful 360-degree somersault, resembling an ice ring hanging in the sky.

The silver-haired Swordswoman took a deep breath, channeled her icy battle qi into her one-handed sword, and white frost spread across the cave, creating a thick fog.

"Ice Blade Waltz!"

Isa shouted forcefully, unleashing the Level 20 ultimate skill of the Ice Swordsman.

Tatatata!

Icicle after icicle, shaped like diamonds, fell like a torrential downpour, fiercely targeting a dark-colored, bucket-sized carapace in the middle of the Armored Turtle Snake's shell.

The members of Ice Flower, as well as the people outside the Adventurer's Guild, couldn't help but sweat.

If the attack proved ineffective, Isa could be hit by the huge tail of the Armored Turtle Snake.

Such an impact could cause serious injuries to Isa, or even death!

Unlike the anxious onlookers with their hearts in their throats, Lin Da was not the least bit panicked.

The weak spot of the Armored Turtle Snake had long been no secret among gamers in his past life.

In the current reality of Mystic Continent, very few adventure teams tried a direct attack on the carapace, and even if someone knew about this weakness, they kept it tightly under wraps or sold the information for a high price.

At least among the adventure teams in White Dove City, no one knew the secret of the Armored Turtle Snake.

As the icicles continuously struck that carapace, the crystal screen showed the Armored Turtle Snake suddenly screaming in agony, thrashing its heavy limbs.

The cave filled with dust and the ground shook.

The piece of shell right at the center of the monster's carapace was surprisingly fragile, and when the first piece was destroyed, the entire shell crumbled like a castle of sand.

Even Isa did not expect such good results, her mouth agape in shock.

The members of Ice Flower finally snapped to their senses, their spirits lifting from despair to fierce determination, as if invigorated.

"Kill this Magical Creature!"

"Captain Isa, we're here to help you!"

"Healer, quick, cast a Healing Art on the captain!"