Chapter : 613

"I am ready, Princess," Olivia stated proudly. "I will dive first. I will secure the perimeter. I am not afraid of getting my uniform wet. I possess total discipline."

Olivia turned her head. She shot a dark, angry look at Ken.

"Unlike some members of this unit," Olivia insulted coldly. "Some people are completely useless. They care more about their cheap suits than the success of the mission."

Ken took another potato chip. He tossed it into the air. He caught it perfectly in his mouth. Crunch.

"My suit is not cheap," Ken mumbled lazily. "It is highly tailored. It has excellent pocket space. Pocket space is a crucial tactical advantage. I can carry lots of snacks."

Naomi stepped closer to Ken. She smiled. "Do not listen to her, Ken. Your suit looks very nice today."

Ken beamed happily. "Thank you, Naomi. You have excellent taste in fashion."

Ira stood perfectly still near a large rock. The pale water mage wore her neat dark blue uniform. Her silver-white hair rested perfectly on her shoulders. Her face showed zero emotion. She stared blankly at Ken. She stared blankly at Olivia.

Ira listened to the entire loud argument. She listened to Ken complain about his suit. She listened to Olivia yell about discipline. She listened to Laxmi complain about the fire. She listened to Risa worry about fish.

Ira felt a very tiny, almost invisible sense of annoyance. The loud noise was highly inefficient. The bickering delayed their mission. The team needed a logical, practical solution.

Ira took a slow step forward. She looked directly at Ken. She performed an incredibly rare, almost impossible action.

Ira rolled her eyes.

It was a very small movement. Her pale blue eyes darted up toward the sky for a fraction of a second. She immediately returned to her blank stare. But the eye roll was totally undeniable. It was a massive display of sheer, unfiltered exasperation.

Ken stopped chewing his chip. His jaw dropped open just a tiny bit. He stared at the water mage.

"Did you guys see that?" Ken gasped playfully. He pointed a lazy finger at Ira. "Ira just rolled her eyes! The robot actually showed emotion! This is a historic moment! We should write down the exact time and date! It is a scientific miracle!"

Ira completely ignored his dramatic reaction. She did not speak. She stepped past the group. She walked to the very edge of the crater lake. She raised her pale hands. The mission was about to proceed, and Ira was about to completely solve the dry cleaning crisis.

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Ira stood perfectly still at the edge of the lake. She held her pale hands out toward the dark water. Her face remained a flat, emotionless mask. She did not chant a loud spell. She did not make any flashy, dramatic movements.

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She simply focused her immense magical energy.

The water in the lake began to shift. The surface rippled gently. A massive amount of pure water mana gathered around Ira's fingers. The mana glowed with a faint, soft blue light.

"Statistically speaking," Ira stated in her robotic, deadpan voice. "Submerging our physical bodies in the lake reduces our combat efficiency. It damages our equipment. It causes unnecessary panic among certain team members."

Ira raised her arms slightly higher.

The water in front of them pushed outward. The lake actually separated. A gigantic, completely transparent sphere began to form on the shore. It looked like a massive, beautiful soap bubble. The bubble expanded rapidly. It grew larger and larger. It encompassed the entire 13th Unit.

The bubble completely surrounded Princess Iris, Naomi, Sayma, Laxmi, Zinia, Luna, Risa, Olivia, and Ken.

The magic stabilized instantly. The walls of the giant bubble looked like thin, shimmering glass. The air inside the sphere remained completely dry. The temperature inside felt totally normal.

Ira lowered her hands. She stood perfectly straight. She turned her blank eyes toward Ken.

"I have constructed a highly pressurized, localized atmospheric shield," Ira announced flatly. "The barrier repels all external liquid. It filters pure oxygen from the surrounding water. The internal environment remains completely dry. Your navy blue suit will not suffer any water damage."

Ken stared at the shimmering bubble walls. His sleepy dark eyes lit up with pure, unfiltered joy. A massive, goofy grin spread across his entire face.

He walked over to the edge of the bubble. He reached out with his right hand. He poked the transparent wall with his index finger. The wall felt soft and springy. It pushed his finger back gently. It did not pop.

"Ira, you are an absolute genius!" Ken cheered loudly. He pumped his fist into the air. "This is the greatest invention in the history of magic! It is a giant hamster ball! We are totally invincible! My suit is saved!"

Laxmi laughed a bright, happy laugh. She punched her open palm. Bright orange flames popped around her fingers. The fire burned perfectly inside the bubble. There was plenty of oxygen.

"This is amazing!" Laxmi yelled excitedly. "I can still use my fire! I am going to roast any monster that swims near this bubble! Thank you, Ira!"

Naomi smiled warmly. She spun her twin silver daggers. The metal clicked sharply. "Excellent work, Ira. We have total mobility. We do not have to worry about the water resistance."

Zinia cracked her knuckles. The strong earth mage nodded approvingly. "We can walk right along the bottom of the lake. The ground down there is solid stone. I can still use my earth magic."

Luna rubbed her sleepy eyes. She let out a massive yawn. She sat down on the dry ground inside the bubble. She pulled her knitted blanket tight. "I can take a nap on the floor. The floor is not wet. This is a very good bubble."

Risa hugged her stuffed teddy bear. She looked very relieved. She smiled her sweet, innocent smile. "Thank you, Ira. Now the scary fish cannot bite my toes."

Olivia stood near the front. The strict spear user frowned slightly. She gripped her silver-tipped spear. She did not like taking the easy way out. But she recognized the tactical advantage.

"The shield is structurally sound," Olivia noted coldly. She glared at Ken again. "You have no more excuses to complain, Ken. You will participate in this mission. You will not hide."

"I have zero complaints," Ken agreed happily. He slouched his shoulders. He popped a piece of strawberry candy into his mouth. "I love riding in giant hamster balls. It is very relaxing. This is basically a luxury cruise."

Princess Iris drew her silver rapier. The blade gleamed in the sunlight filtering through the bubble. Her violet eyes focused on the dark water ahead.

"Let us descend," Princess Iris commanded smoothly. "We must find the sunken labyrinth. We must secure the weather relic."

Ira stepped forward. She moved her pale hands smoothly. She controlled the massive bubble with flawless precision. The giant sphere slowly rolled off the muddy shore. It entered the crater lake.