The initial diameter revealed from just the tip of that iceberg was already terrifying enough; you would never see such a hot and beautiful girl outside of another world.
Linda thought it was a good deal, but he had to change Monica's mind:
"Exposing your belly in public like that, aren't you afraid of being spotted by passing orcs? If you fall into the hands of orcs, all sorts of things might happen!"
He tapped the cardboard box.
"Monica understands." The girl hugged the head inside the cardboard box and whispered, "It's not a public place, and I'm with the captain, so it's... okay, right?"
Linda frowned and pondered for a long time.
"Hmm, there shouldn't be any problem."
...
Half an hour later, at the Adventurers' Guild in the inner city of Red Peach City.
The crowd was bustling and jostling.
Red Peach City is a larger city than White Dove City, and it has a much larger number of adventurers.
Even on a sweltering midday, the area around the notice board at the entrance was still crowded with people, creating a noisy atmosphere, much like a farmers' market with big sales.
There was a group of tattooed orcs who looked like no good people. They squatted by the roadside whistling at pretty female adventurers, and would even approach and chat up lone ones.
"Hey little beauty, Grandpa Donkey is pretty awesome, wanna go have lunch together?"
When Monica saw a pointed-eared elf girl surrounded by five or six orcs and looking distressed, she immediately thought of herself and was so frightened that her legs trembled and she couldn't walk.
She tugged at Linda's sleeve and said weakly:
"Captain, Monica doesn't want to be an adventurer anymore. How about we go to your room and dust you off?"
The ambitions of just a minute ago have been completely lost.
Linda had anticipated this, and she put on a stern face: "Captain, I don't like team members who give up halfway. If this continues, I'll abandon you."
"Waaah, Captain, don't leave Monica behind! Monica wants to be an adventurer again!" the girl in the cardboard box cried out in a panic.
"This is what makes my team a truly outstanding member," Linda said with a smile.
The group entered the Adventurers' Guild Hall.
While queuing, many people looked at the peculiar girl with a cardboard box on her head with surprise.
A beastman with the head of a hunting dog sneered, "Where did this idiot come from? Is he too ugly to show his face?"
A burst of laughter immediately erupted from the crowd.
Monica's outfit was really bizarre. She was carrying an old-fashioned, oversized bag and wearing a cardboard box on her head. The hound hunter, with his keen sense of smell, could also smell a faint odor of urine on her.
"So big and still wetting his pants, hahahahaha!" the hound hunter laughed.
Monica was already insecure, and upon hearing this, she couldn't even lift her head.
Linda squinted, gripped Monica's trembling little hand, and looked calmly at the orc: "Either shut up, or never go out into the wild again."
The hound orc smirked, intending to continue his provocation, but upon seeing Linda's cold gaze, as if she were looking at a dead man, he felt a sudden unease and goosebumps rose on his arms.
"Moss, don't complicate things."
A half-orc with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and rhinoceros horns frowned and said.
"Tsk."
The hound-like orc named Moss glared at Linda, crossed his arms, and stood in line without saying a word.
Linda also looked away. After Xueyan withdrew, his experience there taught him many lessons, the most important of which was: sometimes yielding is quite useless, especially when facing orcs who bully the weak and fear the strong.
"Captain, thank you." Monica reached into the cardboard box and wiped her eyes.
"Don't worry about what others think of you. As long as the captain thinks you're an excellent team member, that's enough," Linda patted her on the shoulder.
Monica stopped crying and smiled, nodding vigorously, "Yes!"
After queuing for about half an hour, it was finally Linda and the others' turn.
Linda watched silently as Monica filled out the form.
The neat and beautiful small print on the form is easy to read.
Name: Monica Lady
Level: 15
Class: Earth Mage
Earth Mage, one of the most popular classes in the Mystic Realm, possesses a large number of area-of-effect attack skills.
Combined with Monica's unique skill [Glass Cannon], it's an excellent way to clear out mobs.
Linda pondered that her Venom Orb was a powerful single-target damage dealer, suitable for fighting bosses, and with Monica clearing out the mobs in the path... Thus, the basic form of the adventure team was taken shape!
A notification popped up in my mind with a "ding-dong" sound:
[Squad module loading, current progress 1%, estimated time remaining to open in 12 hours]
Twelve hours later, it was probably late at night.
Linda estimated that she would be able to return to White Dove City around that time.
"You orc, can't you watch where you're going?"
"I'm so sorry, sir!"
As Linda and her group walked out after achieving their goal, they saw a commotion at the entrance.
A hound-like orc named Moss bumped into a tall, middle-aged elf with long golden hair.
The elf's face was frosty as he wiped his clothes with disgust, his eyes revealing undisguised contempt for the orcs.
"Hey, this orc is in big trouble. The elf Kao is not someone to mess with. I heard his team cleared the 11th floor of the World Tree yesterday, and they've all reached level 22!"
"Kao has truly established himself in the Rock-class squad."
"When will I be able to become a level 20 adventurer...?"
There was a lot of discussion around.
Linda glanced at the elf named Kao. Every city has its share of famous adventurers. Like the 'Eye of Wisdom,' 'Blazing Bloom,' and 'Frost Swordsman' of White Dove City... Anyone who reaches level 20 can make a name for themselves among adventurers.
When facing the cowardly Monica, Moss was arrogant and domineering, but when facing the level 22 Kao, he was as cowardly as a lapdog, his tail trembling and tucked between his legs.
Linda looked at Moss's humble appearance, lost in thought. He had never thought that level 20 adventurers were scary because the circles he had been in were mostly at that level, and he even had a good relationship with Eiko.
So after he fell on hard times, no one bothered him.
It wouldn't work in Red Peach City; nobody in that city knows him.
Linda has been in Red Peach City for three days and has already encountered three provocations: the Minotaur, Luke, and just now Moss... If he were just an ordinary level 8 adventurer, he would never have been able to stand here with Monica and the others so smoothly.
The worst-case scenario is that Kafni will be kidnapped by the minotaurs as soon as she enters the city, and Monica will be taken to the tavern by Luke.
'Reach level 20 as soon as possible to advance your profession.'
The brutal reality of survival of the fittest made Linda realize the importance of hierarchy. His team members were all beautiful girls; only a strong enough captain could protect them!
Just as he was deep in thought, the surrounding chatter suddenly stopped.
The level 22 elf Kao's expression changed drastically when he saw someone heading towards the Adventurers' Guild. He immediately forgave the orc Moss and retreated to the side in a panic.
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