"For the upcoming battle, if you have confidence, follow me in. If not, just wait here."
Lin Ye looked at the others.
Choosing not to participate in the BOSS battle didn't affect clearing the stage, as long as the others could defeat the BOSS.
However, those who didn't participate in the BOSS battle would receive a low rating during the final evaluation, likely just a baseline C-level rating for clearing the stage.
And the evaluation level was linked to experience value rewards and other benefits.
So often, whether or not to participate in the BOSS battle was a personal choice.
If it were a typical team, losing even one person would significantly decrease combat strength, so naturally, none could be spared.
But in their team now, that wasn't the case.
Lin Ye alone could probably clear the stage...
The disparity in combat strength was just too glaring.
"I'll sit out the BOSS battle..." After a brief consideration, Zhao Xue Ming chose to wait in place.
"Me too!" Li Feng made the same choice.
Both of them were Level 1 novices, and getting this far was already satisfying enough.
If they tried to fight the boss now, they'd only be in the way.
"I'll also stay back." Hook made the same choice.
He was exhausted from the previous skirmish; keeping up with the pace was hard enough already. If he continued fighting, he might become a burden to Lin Ye.
Choosing to stop at this moment was the wisest choice.
"Alright! Take care of yourselves!" Lin Ye nodded slightly and turned to Li Fei.
Li Fei looked up and said, "Didn't you say I would tank the monsters while you healed me?"
She could continue!
After all, she had taken it easy in the last battle, so her condition was not as poor as Hook's and she was still able to fulfill her warrior duties.
Besides, as a Flame Warrior, she had every right to say this.
The other three looked on with envy...
They envied not only Lin Ye's strength but also that he had such a capable female companion.
Girls like Li Fei, who didn't create drama and were willing to endure hardship, were getting rarer.
There were plenty of female Professionals outside who had neither the looks nor the combat skills of Li Fei and still dared to display attitude within a team...
With three people remaining behind, Lin Ye and Li Fei headed deeper into the forest.
Finally, they entered a valley.
The ground of the valley was inscribed with a massive array, with torches stuck around it haphazardly.
In the center of the array knelt a woman in a flaming robe, who appeared to be asleep.
"Let's begin!"
Lin Ye said softly.
Li Fei nodded, drawing the longsword from her waist, taking a deep breath before charging into the array.
In an instant, the flames on the torches around the array surged!
The entire array emitted a crimson glow, and the valley was filled with scorching heat.
-50!
Before even reaching the Blazing Pinocchio, Li Fei had already lost 50 life points from the intense heat of the array.
This was the difficulty of this stage.
Being in the valley meant continuously suffering damage from the burning flames; this value could be 100 points, but as a Flame Warrior, Li Fei's flame resistance meant she only took 50 points of damage.
If Zhao Xue Ming and Li Feng had entered, they would likely be near death from just this.
Thus, their decision to retreat was indeed wise.
"Burn!"
As the array activated, the Blazing Pinocchio awoke.
Several arrays appeared on the ground, a precursor to descending meteorites.
For Lin Ye, attacks of this level were negligible, and since Li Fei was handling the BOSS, he only needed to focus on spellcasting.
There wasn't much suspense in this battle.
...
Meanwhile, within the auditorium of Shan City No.1 Middle School, many senior students had been urgently called back for a meeting.
"What's going on? Why did they suddenly call us back for a meeting?"
"You don't know? Lin Ye was trading Professional Badges and went into the Abyss Level Flame Forest! The principal is furious!"
"Damn... no way? Lin Ye seemed pretty low-key, who knew he was stirring up so much trouble!"
"Apparently, he also went in with Li Fei... they're likely both doomed!"
"More than that, they also took three students from Experimental Middle School, and now the school's leaders are furious and demanding explanations!"
"Hahaha... what were those three thinking? Aren't they afraid of dying?"
"Maybe Lin Ye's previous record-breaking gave them some courage?"
"Truly brainless, do they think an Ordinary Level can compare with an Abyss Level?"
The auditorium buzzed with discussion.
Everyone was in awe of Lin Ye's audacity.
He seemed to have committed all the possible mistakes.
Trading Professional Badges and entering an Abyssal-Level Secret Realm.
"Hehe... he's doomed for sure, but he left a mess for others to clean up!"
"That's true, but it's a pity about Li Fei! She's so pretty..."
"By the way, why Li Fei, not Su Yaoyao?"
"Heh... it was Su Yaoyao who provided the evidence of Lin Ye and Li Fei trading Professional Badges in private!"
"Damn... what the...?"
Amid the chatter, Su Yaoyao sat calmly in her place.
The satisfaction she felt was beyond words.
The thought of Lin Ye and Li Fei perishing in the Secret Realm filled her with immense gratification!
...
Elsewhere, at the Professional Plaza, a team of Professionals exited the Secret Realm in disarray.
It was Dian and Dana's team.
"Damn it! Refund us!"
"So deceitful! At your level, you dared to lead us through a Difficult Level? Nearly got us all killed!"
"You think a refund is enough? You must compensate us for our losses!"
The three teammates were angrily shouting, drawing the attention of onlookers.
"Refunding is possible, compensation is not! I don't have any extra money!"
"At least I brought you out of the Secret Realm safely, could anyone else do that?"
Dian shamelessly argued.
"Nonsense! Protecting team members is the duty of those charging for the run, isn't it?" someone retorted.
Dian snorted dismissively, "Who says so? Do you think those with Lin Ye will come out alive from the Secret Realm?"
"..."
The retorte fell silent.
Abyss Level difficulty wasn't something you could just walk out of.
Ordinary Level Secret Realms could be exited anytime, but you must eliminate at least 30% of monsters to exit a Difficult Level Secret Realm, and Abyss Level required eliminating more than 80%.
Many believed Lin Ye was doomed.
But at this moment, a bulletin appeared before everyone at the Professional Plaza!
['Forest Squad' took 2 hours 36 minutes and 33 seconds to clear 'Flame Forest (Abyss)', setting a new record!]
Dian, previously full of disdain, stared wide-eyed.
...
Inside the Abyss Level Flame Forest.
"Burn... burn my soul..."
With the final Punishment Technique falling, the Blazing Pinocchio finally collapsed.
Li Fei stumbled and sat on the ground.
"We... cleared it!"