Lee Han's tension increased even more when he saw Elara standing not far from him.
'How could Zoey, with a Gold Star rank, not realize this elf was a spy?'
When Elara looked in his direction, he greeted her with a smile.
He approaches her, "Hi, I'm Lee Han... I will try to protect you." He tries to make a friendly conversation, but Elara only slightly nods at him and doesn't say any words. She took away her gaze to Zoey, ignoring him.
Lee Han could only laugh wryly in his heart while scratching his not-itchy hair, feeling awkward. He could feel Elara underestimated him.
He put aside his annoyance and focused his eyes on Zoey; now, she gave a short briefing before they moved.
They will attack Victor from two directions by two teams.
The first team, led by Zoey, will attack on the ground.
The second team, led by Levy, would attack through a tunnel. The tunnel would take them several meters closer to Viktor's base camp.
Meanwhile, Lee Han and the two elf mages joined Team Zoey.
After Zoey finished her short briefing, the team prepared to start their mission.
However, Lee Han tried to approach Levy before following his team.
"Levy, can we talk privately?" Lee Han whispered.
Levy's brow furrowed, looking at Lee Han, "Speak now. We don't have time!"
Lee Han gritted his teeth while bringing his head near Levy. He whispers, "I just want to tell you to be careful. There is a spy among these people."
"What the fuck are you trying to say, man!?" Levy responded with a low voice, but his gaze was enough to make Lee Han see that this man didn't believe his warning.
"I know you will not believe me, Levy. But, please be careful and trust your heart." He said and left without giving Levy a chance to say anything.
Lee Han quickened his step as he followed Zoey's team, climbing a stair leading them to the ground.
This is Lee Han's first time seeing the ground above their camp.
The dense trees create a canopy, blocking sunlight and covering the ground with moss. He could also hear the faint sound of running water. There's a river near this place. But strangely, he couldn't hear the sound of birds or the wind blowing around here.
'Lee Han, focus on your role!' Suddenly, Zoey's voice rang in her mind.
He was shocked to know Zoey actually could speak to him through their mental connection. His eyes were fixed on Zoey, who was staring at him.
He nods at her before asking, 'Could you hear me, Zoey?'
When he saw Zoey ignore him, it puzzled him.
'Lara, did she hear me or not?'
'She hears you. But, she pretends to ignore you.'
Lee Han, "..."
He walks behind, following the others walking toward the stone path.
A few meters ahead, he finally could use his divine eyes and was surprised to see other adventure's bodies now covered with a silver light, the same as his body.
'This silver light is an invisible shield from my smart watch, right?' He asked Lara.
'Yes,' Lara said excitedly. Finally, Lee Han could use his divine eyes. 'Because you are out of the underground base camp, the powerful magic shield surrounding that place no longer stops your divine eyes. You can see more clearly now, Master.'
'Yeah, I notice that too.' Lee Han feels safe now because all his abilities aren't restricted like when he was in the underground.
There are twenty people on Zoey's team, including Lee Han.
Walking at the back was Lee Han, with two elves in front of him and Teddy leading the group.
After a few minutes' walk, Zoey's soft voice suddenly became audible, as if she were whispering to them.
"We will arrive at our destination in about 15 minutes. Make sure you guys remain quiet and stay focused on your surroundings. There's a chance we'll encounter a few beasts."
Lee Han scanned his surroundings with his divine eyes.
'Lara, let me know if anything seems off.'
'No worries, Master. I will protect you.' Lara's cheerful voice eases Lee Han.
'Oh, right... can you also read their minds?'
'I can, but I couldn't hear anything from Elara and Zoey's minds. They're stronger than me,' Lara replied.
'Alright, that's fine! At least I know Elara's intentions... Just make sure she didn't kill us first.' He tries to appear weak before Elara and finds an opportunity to kill her first.
****
Meanwhile, in the tunnel,
Levy led fifteen people behind him, walking along the tunnel with a dim light. But a few minutes later, his steps suddenly stopped.
"Leader, why did you stop?" asked the red-haired man behind him.
"We need to turn back!" Levy said, firm but calmly. Then he walked back toward Basecamp.
Levy's sudden decision to return stunned all the adventurers, making them curious.
"Why?"
"Is there trouble ahead?"
"Has the mission been canceled?"
They were all confused and worried. What's more, Zoey's team had already moved. If they returned, Team One would have no backup and be in danger of attacking Victor with only twenty people.
"Leader, can you explain to us why we turned back?"
Levy did not answer them but urged them to follow him immediately. They didn't have a choice but to follow him.
Not long after, they arrived at a T-junction. Levy stopped and looked at them one by one. After carefully gazing at a few people, he pointed to another tunnel opposite the base camp direction.
"We will use this tunnel," Levy said firmly, starting to walk again. "We don't have much time. Now, everyone moves faster!" he said, picking up the pace.
No one said another word. They simply ran after Levy in silence. The only sound that could be heard was the echo of their rhythmic footsteps in the tunnel.
Tension mounted even higher as they approached the end of the tunnel. Levy suddenly stopped and raised his hand, and everyone immediately stopped.
"Prepare your weapons, guys! I don't know what's waiting for us at the end of this tunnel, but whatever it is, don't die!" Levy's icy warning was enough to shock everyone.