Yesterday, Leia had mentioned that she would enter the World Tree Secret Realm this morning.
Linda thought to himself that it was a good thing he came out at noon and missed Leia.
Otherwise, running into her would have meant enduring a round of sarcastic mockery.
*Not coming back to the villa all night, so you went off to find that blonde missy, how disgusting!*
If the fact that Linda was level 0 got exposed, it would be even worse—Leia would probably step on his little silk-stockinged head.
Pulling back his thoughts, Linda looked at Kafuni with a solemn expression.
"About turning into a girl... I've already apologized. Since we can't change the facts, let's figure out how to defeat the Demon King, shall we? Once we complete the mission, you should be able to recover."
Walking as they talked, the two intended to find a quiet place to sort out their current situation.
Kafuni clenched her fists in frustration, her voice trembling: "But—but my level dropped to yours!"
According to the rules of the game *Secret Realm Continent*, a summoned beast's level could not exceed its master's.
Linda smiled awkwardly. "But I didn't know things would turn out like this either. You cursed me out a few times earlier, so we're even now, right? From now on, just assist me properly and help defeat the Demon King."
"Even? You must be out of your damn mind!"
Kafuni panicked instantly, her eyes widening. "I haven't even touched a girl's hand yet, I haven't even used it, and now it's gone?! How are you going to compensate me?!"
"Uh... when I did it, should I call out your name?"
"?"
After a moment, Kafuni finally understood what Linda meant.
First she flew into a rage, and then, feeling the empty space between her legs, a wave of deep grief washed over her. She squatted down by the roadside in frustration and began to shed little pearls.
She was completely depressed.
"You can cry, but could you find some empty place to do it slowly?" Linda offered in a thoughtful and comforting tone.
Kafuni raised her head, revealing a look that screamed murder.
"Ahem, let's not talk about this. Our main mission is to defeat the Demon King, right? Since you're a deity, what are your skills and what is your class?"
Linda lowered his voice and began to change the subject.
Yet Kafuni merely lowered her head, her red lips moving slightly, uttering a whisper like a mosquito.
"What?"
"Thief."
"Didn't catch that."
"A thief! It's a thief! A petty thief, a dead weight, a class with zero attack and zero defense—what, do you have a problem with that?!" Kafuni yelled in a breakdown.
"Why are you yelling so loudly?"
Linda covered his ears and took a close look at Kafuni, who otherwise looked as holy as a goddess.
The Thief class? That really was pretty trashy in the early stages.
Before agility went up, the success rate of the class skill [Steal] was very low.
Once it was high, though, you could lift rare materials right off of guardians.
"Forget it, a thief is fine, we'll take it step by step." Linda wore a gentle smile and patted Kafuni's soft blonde hair, just like petting a puppy.
"Anyway, we need to get out of here first, otherwise the Law Enforcement Bureau might treat you like a roasted chicken and haul you in for questioning."
With his hands in his pockets, Linda strode forward on his own, paying no mind to Kafuni.
By the time Kafuni realized that the "roasted chicken" Linda mentioned referred to her, he was already far ahead.
"You bastard Hero!"
Furious, Kafuni hurried to catch up.
Things had come to this, so she could only accept reality.
Turned into a pretty girl by the Hero, class is Thief, level 0—any random adventurer on the street could probably violate her.
Though she still had a sliver of divine power, this level 0 body was far too frail; using it even once might cause it to break down completely.
Until she recovered her strength, she had no choice but to endure this humiliation.
"Please wait."
Not long after stepping out of the Secret Realm Square, a crisp female voice rang out behind the two of them.
Thinking she was the one being called, Kafuni stopped and looked back.
*So pretty...*
It was a tall girl with long silver hair.
She wore exquisite light armor, with a single-handed sword hung at her waist, and carried an air of masculine valor between her brows.
The silver-haired girl first cast a surprised glance at Kafuni, and then said admiringly to Linda, "As expected of the 'Eye of Wisdom', you always manage to attract pretty girls."
"Isha, you misunderstood, she's just a regular friend."
Linda was somewhat surprised to run into this "old acquaintance".
The girl called Isha smiled noncommittally. Then her expression turned serious: "I heard you guys entered the World Tree this morning. You cleared the ninth floor already?"
There was a hint of faint hostility in the girl's tone.
Linda knew the reason very well.
Isha was the leader of the Ice Flower Adventure Team, the Snow Goose Adventurer Party's biggest rival.
Yesterday, the Ice Flower Adventure Team had successfully cleared the eleventh floor, making headlines in major newspapers and provoking Leia into storming into his room to throw a tantrum.
With the sun high at noon today, Leia and the others should have just entered the World Tree Secret Realm.
—*"If you don't come over tomorrow, this young lady really is going to find another Healer!"*
Leia's voice seemed to echo in his ears.
"The ninth floor? I hope they manage to clear it," Linda said calmly.
Isha frowned in confusion. "Sorry, I don't follow."
Could it be that the rumor from this morning was true?
Linda had quit the Snow Goose Adventurer Party?
Isha's face was plastered with gossip.
Linda didn't hide it, answering frankly: "I'm no longer in the Snow Goose Adventurer Party."
It really was true.
Even though she had already guessed it, Isha was still somewhat surprised that Leia had actually kicked him out of the party.
After digesting the news, a smile appeared on Isha's face.
In that case, she wouldn't stand on ceremony.
As the leader of the Ice Flower Adventure Team, the price paid in the lives of several team members while leading the party to the eleventh floor had always been a thorn in her heart.
Because of this, Linda—who held the title "Eye of Wisdom" and had assisted the Snow Goose Adventurer Party in reaching the eighth floor without taking any damage—had caught Isha's eye.
She first noticed Linda on the fifth floor of the public Great Mystic Realm, when they were competing with the Snow Goose Adventurer Party for a World Boss.
Although Linda was rather low-leveled for a Healer, his mana control was skillful, and every heal landed precisely on the person who needed it most. The moment a monster struck a team member and their health dropped, a Healing Magic spell would arrive instantly.
This kind of execution required a thorough familiarity with all sorts of monsters to pull off in the ever-changing chaos of actual combat.
Now that the Ice Flower Adventure Team was expanding its roster, they were thirsting for talent.
Since Linda happened to be a free agent, there was no reason for her not to recruit him.
Without hesitation, Isha extended her right hand and said,
"Although I don't know what happened between you and Leia, I deeply regret your departure from the party. And... welcome to the Ice Flower Adventure Team."
"Huh?"
Linda was slightly stunned, not expecting Isha to extend an invitation to him.