After leaving the team, the adventurer ladies regretted it deeply

Lin Da's hand flashed with light as he drew the Azure Sword from his Space Ring and immediately activated the skill of the Ferocious Fang accessory: Lethal Strike!

The Azure Sword transformed into something akin to a giant hammer, and with a thud, it plunged 'Lin Xi' into the ground, her flesh a blurred mess, too gruesome to behold.

-4750!

"Ahhh, why are you hitting me, you jerk brother, I'm going to eat you up!"

Lin Xi's corpse turned into a puddle of black liquid, which then congealed into the shape of a bat standing on two legs.

Lin Da sneered, "Just as I thought, an 'Anthropomorphic Demon.' How could my sister run into her brother's arms stark naked?"

What appeared before the Phoenix Tail Flower Team was, in fact, a young Thousand-Change Demon, a Rare Orange Level Magical Creature, the Anthropomorphic Demon.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The Anthropomorphic Demon, level 20, could mimic any human it had seen before.

In the later stages of the game, these Anthropomorphic Demon spies disguised as adventurers brought great disaster to the empire.

They were creatures of not a high level, but exceedingly annoying to deal with.

"Dark Whip!"

"Assassinate!"

"Earth Bombardment!"

The Phoenix Tail Flower Team launched a round of attacks, dealing twenty thousand damage directly to the Anthropomorphic Demon.

Lin Da equipped the Verdant Shield, 'total health points' 8845.

He then activated the skill [Spiky Thorn Armor], boosting his defensive power.

[Toxic Enchantment], turning his Normal Attacks into Magic Damage, increasing damage by 50%.

Lin Da, buffed to the hilt, charged like a brown bear, unfazed by the Anthropomorphic Demon's various skills, and launched an attack!

The Azure Sword slashed and cleaved.

His big feet kicked at faces.

A string of damage numbers appeared.

Admittedly, Lin Da's swordsmanship and combat skills were mediocre.

But his attributes were high.

A Normal Attack from him dealt about 1300 damage.

Fueled with rage, Lin Da swung the Azure Sword in his hand, leaving afterimages as he hit, causing the Anthropomorphic Demon to howl in pain.

Anyone watching would have thought him a Berserker, nowhere near being thought of as a healer!

"You like mimicking, huh? Well then, mimic me one more time, I dare you!"

Lin Da raised the Azure Sword high above his head and executed the New Year's Swordsmanship.

-1700!

The wrathful strike landed a critical hit!

The Anthropomorphic Demon was like a torn rag under Lin Da's blade, cleaved in two.

A somewhat abnormal system prompt rang in Lin Da's ears:

[You have defeated a level 20 Rare Orange Level Magical Creature, the Anthropomorphic Demon, and have obtained 45000 Mystical Points!]

[Current Mystical Points 124867]

Breaking the hundred thousand mark was undoubtedly good news.

It meant that Lin Da could level up to 20 at any time, transitioning from the status of adventurer to that of Adventurer.

Becoming a pillar of White Dove City, ranked alongside many Rock-level Squads.

But... something was not right.

Lin Da found it puzzling that killing Magical Creatures in the World Tree should have rewarded them with diamonds, shouldn't it?

The World Tree Goddess hadn't awarded their team with any experience points either.

In theory, a burst of golden light should fall upon them, and all would rise to level 20. That would be the normal outcome.

Yet the current situation seemed indistinguishable from hunting Magical Creatures outside.

Lin Da landed the last hit, earning Mystical Points.

Kafni also noticed something amiss, "Where is the Divine Gift from the World Tree Goddess?"

"Seems like there's none," Monica tilted her head, feeling around but not sensing any increase in magic power.

"This isn't a creature from the trial."

Lin Da's expression turned solemn as he pointed at the corpse of the Anthropomorphic Demon, "This... is a genuine Magical Creature."

The forces of the Demon Realm had penetrated into the World Tree.

This situation was not unfamiliar to Lin Da, as similar settings were present in the upper levels of the World Tree.

However, such conditions shouldn't occur below the twentieth floor.

The only way to find out the truth was to ask the World Tree Goddess directly.

"What do we do now? Leave the Mystic Realm? Our main objective is complete," said Kafni.

"Lord Captain, let's go," Monica urged nervously.

The Dark Night City was exuding an eerie vibe from every corner.

"Hold on, we haven't completed the final adventure target yet," Lin Da said.

He took out a maple-leaf-shaped leaf from the World Tree, and the text on it read:

[Adventure Goal: Find and kill the Werewolf within seven days (completed)]

[Extra Goal: Kill 5 Magical Beings/Transcendents (completed)]

[Bonus Goal: Kill a 'Deity' (incomplete)]

"This 'deity' probably refers to the Dawn Goddess," Lin Da said.

"The 'Goddess' that lured my sister away and made her disappear, I really want to see what it looks like!"

The materials for summoning the Dawn Goddess had been prepared by Bishop Marshall.

The one thing missing, the heart of an S-level Transcendent, they had several of.

When Lin Da escaped his predicament, he had killed a bunch.

The specific summoning method was recorded in the journal.

Everything was ready.

"Hmm, I'm also quite curious about this 'Goddess'... Heh, I bet she's not even worth one of my hairs," Kafni said, totally fearless and full of enthusiasm.

Monica, the more timid member of the team, trembled slightly, clinging to Lin Da like a little tail.

"If it can be killed, this 'deity' is at most level 20. The hidden boss of the fourth layer can't be that much more powerful," Lin Da said with a smile, his warm hand caressing Monica's soft brown hair.

It wasn't that he was overconfident; even the most outrageous boss of the fourth layer couldn't possibly be at the level of the Red Armored Crab King.

He himself had over 120,000 Mystical Points, and in a moment of crisis, he could level up directly to 20 and activate his double fatality skills.

Ultimate Skills, either having extremely high damage multipliers or powerful supportive effects, significantly boost the strength of adventurers with such skills.

Plus, upon reaching level 20, one would receive a one-time substantial increase in attributes.

All this was what gave Lin Da the confidence to confront the Dawn Goddess.

The trio first cleared the battlefield for loot, gathering the materials from the Anthropomorphic Demon.

Organs and flesh are not precious, to be sold to restaurants.

Teeth, skin, Demon Core… these are valuable items.

Lin Da sliced open the Anthropomorphic Demon's heart, inside was a shiny object that caught his eye.

"Gold Coin?"

He frowned and extracted the coin, the size of a fingernail, from the heart.

Gold Coins growing inside an Anthropomorphic Demon's heart?

This is totally a capitalist's dream! Raise a bunch and harvest them slowly.

"There seems to be writing on the back." Monica, being short, pointed at the coin curiously with her small hand.

Lin Da turned it over and indeed, there was.

The writing was special, more complex than the common language of adventurers, with many strokes to each character.

Neither Monica nor Kafni could recognize what was written on it.

Probably no one throughout the entire Mystic Continent could recognize the writing on the Gold Coin, except for Lin Da.

It was… Chinese characters.

Lin Da's eyes hardened.

'Save me'.

Two simple and easy-to-understand characters, yet they contained many profound meanings.

Lin Da's heart instantly grew fervent.

Without a doubt, this was a distress signal left for him by Lin Xi!

Lin Xi was indeed missing.

At this moment, alive somewhere on the continent.

A weight lifted from Lin Da's heart.

Although he steadfastly claimed Lin Xi was missing, deep inside, he couldn't help but feel unease.

The appearance of this Gold Coin made the direction of his journey more apparent.

No matter if his sister was in the abyss or in heaven, he would rescue her.

"Dawn Goddess, hehe… You can make my sister disappear and reappear, so there shouldn't be a problem, right?"

After preparing, Lin Da stood at the summoning spot of the Array to oversee the ritual.

Two team members, one excited, one nervous, were ready with their attack Skills.

As they had discussed, Lin Da would make a wish first; if successful, they would then kill the Dawn Goddess.

If the wish failed... they'd start killing immediately.

Lin Da held a diary, looking solemnly at the Spell written within, like a friar preaching sermons.

He cleared his throat and began to chant:

"O greatest and most sacred one;

The crystallization of beauty and wisdom;

O evil and cunning Magical Beings;

Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, tell me who is the fairest of them all;

Dawn Goddess!

I have prepared a lavish sacrifice for you.

Please respond to my call and descend here.

Summon!"

Lin Da bit open his thumb, splattering the blood into the unfathomable pool in front of him.

Hum hum hum...

The ground beneath began to tremble, as if an earthquake was imminent.

Around the pool, the vast Array's lines emanated a dark purple glow.

Like the tubes of a giant energy furnace, they heated up and all pointed towards that pool.

The water within bubbled like magma, the clear liquid turning into an ominous deep red, a shock to the senses.

A trace of sweat seeped from Lin Da's forehead; he cast the Verdant Shield on himself, his Magic Circuit operating at full power as he readied a Dark Whip Skill in secret.

The scene before him didn't look like a ritual to summon a Goddess at all.

It was more apt for summoning an Evil God.

"Whimper, whimper..." Monica's hands trembled.

A divine golden light flickered through Kafni's eyes.

As a true Deity and a member of the Phoenix Tail Flower Team, Kafni would never allow the hero to be harmed.

"Dare to hurt the hero, then let this counterfeit god taste the might of a distinguished Deity graduate!" she thought fiercely.

The trembling of the ground continued for ten seconds before gradually ceasing.

The pool ceased boiling as well.

Everything seemed to return to normal.

A soft and pleasant female voice came from the depths of the pool:

"My followers, I have felt your sincerity."

"Now, speak your wishes."

From beneath the pool, tentacles covered with flesh bumps stretched out, grabbing the Array's offered sacrifice—the Transcendent's heart, the boy's head, strong spirits... and then retracted back into the pool.

With the adventurers' Level 19 hearing, they could make out faint crunching and chewing sounds from beneath the pool.

In Lin Da's mind, the image of a beast that hadn't eaten in days devouring a boy's head arose.

The feeding sounds were rough, yet the Dawn Goddess's own voice was so delicate, reminiscent of a compassionate Priest in church, adept at listening to the troubles of the faithful and offering comfort.

Those of weak willpower would've directly called out to the Dawn Goddess as 'Mother'.

Even Lin Da felt a strong alluring power.

As if something he greatly desired was in the pool, urging him to jump in and embrace the Dawn Goddess.

He stumbled forward as though dazed, his inner self shouting to stop, to not move any further, but it was as if he'd lost control over his body, his internal cries useless.

He was just one meter from the Blood Pool ahead.

Lin Da's heart suddenly pounded.

From the chewing sounds that had emanated from the pool, he surmised that jumping in would lead to dire consequences!

Luckily, when only one meter remained, Lin Da found he could no longer move forward.

As the pool turned into an ominous deep red, he had already prepared for the worst.

Tied around Lin Da's waist was an energy whip.

The other end of the whip was attached to the load-bearing pillar of the underground hall!

From the Poison Technique Series, the Skill: [Dark Whip]!