A Level 0 Hero and a Level 0 divine being could basically be called the ultimate underachievers, currently only capable of hacking at a Slime.
Yet Linda felt entirely at ease, without a shred of pressure.
As he pondered, he gradually understood the real reason he had quit the Snow Goose Adventurer Party.
Being pressured by Leia was only a secondary factor.
Subconsciously, he had sensed that the current Snow Goose Adventurer Party was no longer the team he wanted to stay in. Remaining there would only mean constantly going against his true inner convictions.
To build a team of his own, leisurely admiring the scenery of the World Tree as they climbed upward.
To abandon no member, and shoulder to shoulder reach the very highest point of the Secret Realm Continent.
This was what Linda truly desired.
Although it sounded a bit like wishful thinking, Linda knew the battle tactics for every single layer of monsters and was capable of defeating the Secret Realm Guardians under the most minimal conditions.
Therefore, these things were entirely possible.
Having finally arrived in this gaming world, Linda had met Leia and agreed with her view: "To lead everyone, without leaving a single person behind, to clear the top floor of the World Tree."
Because their goals and philosophies aligned, he and Leia had founded the Snow Goose Adventurer Party.
Now that the original intention of the team had changed, there was naturally no need for him to stay.
Having now withdrawn with the intention of rebuilding a team, he had to carefully select his members.
Linda looked ahead.
The first member, as expected, was Kafuni, who was bound to the Hero and would absolutely never betray him.
Looking up at the boundless blue sky, Linda walked with his hands in his pockets, a leisurely and relaxed smile hanging on the corner of his mouth.
Everything was quite good. Except for his pockets, which held only a pitiful seven copper coins.
Leaving with nothing at all was truly not easy.
How wonderful it would have been if "she" were still here; the lineup of one healer, one DPS, and one frontliner could have been formed directly.
Linda stroked an exquisite pocket watch, a myriad of emotions welling up in his heart.
***
Meanwhile, on the ninth layer of the World Tree Secret Realm, the [Twisted Forest].
The sky seemed covered by a layer of gray oiled cloth, the light dim and gloomy.
Withered and twisted trees stood like palms stretching up from hell, clawing at the sky.
"Yaa! Hah!"
The red-haired girl wore a solemn expression, gripping a greatsword in both hands as she charged like a crimson meteor toward the twenty-third-level Secret Realm Guardian, a seven-meter-tall [Giant Carnivorous Flower].
The Giant Carnivorous Flower resembled a sunflower, its blossom split into a gaping maw filled with jagged, saw-like teeth.
Viscous drool dripped from the huge mouth, splashing onto the ground.
The Snow Goose Adventurer Party had been locked in a fierce battle on the ninth layer for over an hour, and every member bore the marks of injury to a greater or lesser degree.
The newly joined twentieth-level Healer, a blonde youth named Felix, cast Healing Magic frantically, drenched in sweat.
That Leia was far too reckless.
She alone consumed nearly half of Felix's mana.
If they kept fighting like this, the monsters wouldn't die before his mana ran out.
How on earth had that previous fifteenth-level Healer, whose total mana was even lower than his own, managed to lead the Snow Goose Adventurer Party this far up?
Felix cursed inwardly.
Today was his first day on the job, and he had to put on a good performance, so he had no choice but to drink magic potions while outputting magic, which took a heavy toll on his body.
"Strength Blessing!"
At that moment, the mage lady Aiko from the Holy Light Church raised the staff in her hand.
Her long golden hair fluttered, making her look as beautiful and noble as a sun goddess.
The Strength Blessing cast upon Leia caused her fire-type Battle Qi to surge, and her speed increased by a fraction.
"We can do this, everyone must have confidence!"
With Linda absent, Aiko, the oldest among them, took over command.
Aiko took out a mana potion and drank it, thinking to herself: They were extremely lucky this time, randomly landing on the ninth layer's Secret Realm most suited for the Snow Goose Adventurer Party, the Twisted Forest.
If they had randomly landed in the [Lava Cave], a secret realm that completely countered Leia's fire-type Battle Qi, Aiko would have used the [Return Scroll] hidden in her pocket without the slightest hesitation and left Leia behind.
Are you kidding me? She was just a hired hand; she wasn't going to be blindly loyal to the team like some people!
Besides, even that person had skipped town, causing Miss Aiko's already meager loyalty to drop even further.
In the peril-fraught secret realm, the six members of the squad each harbored their own thoughts.
Clrona treated fighting monsters like a game.
Felix hesitated over whether to drink another magic potion, his internal magic pathways aching from swelling.
The honest couple Kenie and Oru prioritized survival above all else; they still had a housing loan to pay off back in White Dove City.
There was only one person willing to risk her life to clear the level.
"Healer, give me a Healing Magic!"
Leia wiped the sweat from her forehead and shouted aloud.
A flash of white light fell upon her.
Leia felt her physical strength replenish; even her dull, aching internal injuries healed.
As expected of someone from an elite academy, she was far better than Linda!
Her heart hardening with resolve, Leia took a deep breath, gripped her greatsword, the [Flame Devourer], and stared fixedly at the Giant Carnivorous Flower.
The party operated like a started magitech machine, everyone performing their respective duties and running normally.
Yet she still felt a strange sensation, as if something wasn't quite right.
Even though the new Healer was powerful, she still felt restricted and unable to unleash her full strength.
No one was telling her which direction to attack, when to attack, or which part of the monster to strike.
Just coping with the monster's attacks was already exhausting; having to figure out these things as well gave Leia a headache.
Her thoughts weren't flowing smoothly either, leaving a pent-up frustration lingering in her chest that she couldn't release.
Leia remembered standing like a fool waiting for quite a while at the entrance of the World Tree Secret Realm that morning.
Last night, she had repeatedly emphasized that she would enter the World Tree early this morning.
Linda had a great memory; there was no way he could have forgotten.
"I will definitely clear this brilliantly and let him see for himself that the Snow Goose Adventurer Party without him is even stronger than before!"
Leia bit her silver teeth in resentment.
Right at that moment.
"Captain, watch out!"
Aiko's anxious voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
Leia gave a start.
For reasons unknown, the Giant Carnivorous Flower had gone berserk, ripping thousands of roots out from beneath the ground and transforming them into vicious, whipping lash attacks.
Roots filled the sky, descending like a net of death.
Leia felt somewhat at a loss.
Should she retreat?
The moment this thought arose, the sound of someone mocking her seemed to ring in her ears.
No, there was no need to retreat; she would just cut this thing down directly!
Hardening her resolve, Leia gritted her teeth, gripped her sword, and charged forward.
She moved like a red fish weaving through a vast ocean, using exquisite footwork to dodge the roots filling the sky.
Any swordsman of Leia's level would be left dumbfounded, completely won over by this astonishing technique.
This was [Blazing Bloom] Leia, the top-tier adventurer among the younger generation in White Dove City.
"She's a lunatic!"
Aiko stamped her feet in exasperation.
Leia's fighting style was far too dangerous; a single mistake would mean instant doom.
Moreover, she charged so fast that her teammates simply couldn't keep up.
If Linda were here, he would comment thus: This is like a tank flashing forward to engage in the top lane, and then asking the mid-lane assassin why they didn't follow.