### Chapter 379: Too Heavy to Carry, an Eye for an Eye!
After that, Eber returned to a distance of five meters, and Yuliya began to get the lowdown on their expedition plans.
Right now, they were busy preparing on the Eighth Layer, gathering all the necessary materials.
Once they were ready, Eber would lead the way through a hidden shortcut straight to the Tenth Layer.
At the Tenth Layer, they’d find the entrance to the Hidden Layer and simply waltz right in.
“So, what’s in the Hidden Layer? What about the monsters? What’s the environment like? Is it dangerous?” Yuliya queried, wide-eyed.
“Not sure. Eber seems to be in the dark too.”
Eber shouted back, “I’ve never been there! I only know the way; after all, it’s a Hidden Layer. It’s probably just a reward zone—no danger, right?”
Yuliya rolled her eyes. No danger, just rewards? Dream on!
You can’t expect to pick up rewards without paying the price, unless you’ve already settled the bill elsewhere.
Eber led them around the ruins of the Eighth Layer for a while until they finally stumbled upon another space resembling the spider room they’d seen before.
You could tell Eber was somewhat familiar with the terrain.
“Get ready to fight. When we go in, Riya will hang back and provide support. The five of us have already gotten pretty good at cooperating, so just follow our rhythm.”
“Okay, I’ll do my best!” Yuliya nodded solemnly, determined to spice things up for this BYD crew.
They entered the passage and emerged into a large space.
In the middle stood a lush, green tree.
But Yuliya could tell—that was no ordinary tree; it was a Tree Demon. The others shared her wariness.
Eber, Rowlin, and Dora were the front-liners; Eber and Rowlin were the main attackers, while Dora was providing backup.
The remaining Martina, Gillian, and Yuliya made up the rear guard.
With their formation confirmed, Eber stepped forward first.
As he approached the tree, still five meters away, the tree’s vibrant green leaves suddenly morphed into a deep crimson hue, and a layer of brown bark appeared on its trunk.
Before they knew it, two branches lashed out toward Eber.
Prepared for it, Eber rolled to the side while drawing his sword to slice one branch, and Rowlin quickly dashed in to chop off the other.
And thus, the battle officially began.
A small squad of six… well, five people, working in perfect sync.
And one person just watching.
Last time they dealt with a spider, Yuliya hadn’t paid much attention to the group, especially since the spider seemed to be scared out of its wits. It didn’t take much to take it down, so she didn’t notice much.
But this time, Yuliya was going to observe closely.
After all, they were teammates now, and she needed to get a good understanding. If she didn’t know them well enough, how would she stab them in the back… er, I mean, lend a hand later?
Upon closer inspection, she realized the five worked incredibly well together.
The three front-liners seemed to communicate with just a few glances and subtle movements, and there was a strong bond of trust between them.
With one on the left and one on the right, they only had to worry about their own side; no need to fret about what’s happening behind them. Even if something went sideways, the backup was there to handle it.
Meanwhile, the two rear guards were on top of their game; the priest was buffing up, and the mage was finding openings to deal damage—all without interfering with the three in front.
During the fight, only Eber issued a few simple commands; the others didn’t say a word.
At that moment, it felt like they had been a team for years, maybe even decades.
In reality, Eber and Rowlin had known each other for just half a month, while Gillian had only joined three days ago.
Yuliya raised an eyebrow and took everything in.
Then, with a smirk, she declared, “Got it! I’ll help too!”
Without further ado, she pretended to charge up and prepared to unleash a big fireball.
Even though Yuliya was strongest with space magic, she dabbled in other spells too—she just didn’t put in much effort into mastering them.
Her proficiency was decent, but she still had a ways to go until she’d perfected them.
By the way, Martina was probably at a decent level of understanding.
Martina saw Yuliya’s stance and paled. “Riya! Don’t use that spell!”
“Huh? Where should I sh**t? I didn’t catch that.”
“I said don’t use it!”
“Does Eber need support? Got it!”
Yuliya tossed the fireball without a second thought.
The fireball sped toward Eber.
Sensing the surge of energy and heat behind him, Eber briefly glanced back.
His face instantly went pale.
But thankfully, the half-meter-wide fireball was soaring high above his head.
The next moment, a massive bang erupted as the fireball exploded.
Just as Eber sighed in relief, he noticed the flames spreading and immediately backpedaled.
But despite his quick reflexes, he coughed up a storm from inhaling the smoke.
The other two were far enough back to be mostly unscathed but still chose to retreat to join Eber.
“Riya!” Martina stamped her foot, speaking to Yuliya with a serious tone. “In battles like this, especially with teammates near the monsters, you must never use area of effect spells! What if you hit your allies?”
“Don’t worry, my control is top-notch; they won’t get hurt, just a little uncomfortable.”
That’s what she thought, but Yuliya hung her head, admitting fault. “Sorry, I saw a plant-type monster, and fire magic is really effective against them.”
“That’s true, but also keep other factors in mind, like your teammates’ positions and whether the terrain might collapse.”
“Okay, I got it. I’ll be more careful.”
“Roar—!”
A roar erupted as the Tree Demon extinguished the flames and launched another attack.
After a moment’s rest, Eber re-engaged in the fight.
Seeing the battle reignite, Yuliya smirked.
If fire wasn’t working, water should do the trick, right?
“Eber! I’m coming to help!”
Yuliya sent a few water pillars flying.
Upon hearing this, Eber felt a flicker of alarm.
But all four water pillars shot past him to the sides, snapping off a few of the branches coming for him.
Nice! What a quick learner!
Then came the fifth pillar, crashing into him from behind with a refreshing splash.
The first four blocked his escape routes, while the fifth was a classic archer’s assassination move.
However, Yuliya certainly wasn’t giving it her all.
Eber only stumbled forward a few meters before stopping.
Just as he thought about his next move, he heard a loud shout from behind. It was the name of a spell.
“Ice Storm!”
Eber: What the heck!
