Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength

Separate from Nicole for the time being.

Ronald arrived alone at the location he had pointed out earlier.

Because these ice shards were the key items to help them break through the path ahead, Ronald was now very serious.

While moving back and forth among these ice shards.

He continuously identified the smoothest and easiest to handle type of ice shards.

The world beneath the ice cap was actually much better than the continent above, because without the interference of snow, Ronald could see through the ice to check for cracks and quickly determine the overall size.

Thus, as he examined further, after going through more than a dozen ice shards that did not quite meet the requirements, Ronald finally locked onto the first ice shard suitable for use as a skateboard.

Without further ado, Ronald moved forward.

Prepared to pull it down and take it away.

Snap—

Crunch crunch—

"So hard!"

Ronald tried very hard and diligently to get this thing off.

However, this perfectly shaped and sized ice shard was firmly rooted to the ground, and in the cartoony world made up of the "Maze Picture Book," Ronald simply couldn't forcefully remove it.

"..."

"My plan... how could there be such a major flaw?"

Faced with this frustrating reality.

Ronald pitifully squinted his beady eyes.

Then he sighed and naturally couldn't continue to obsess over the perfection of its shape.

—Speed and efficiency are most important.

Having made a decision in his mind, Ronald moved past this perfectly shaped ice shard firmly attached to the ground and turned to continue towards the next location.

He couldn't think of a way to get the perfect skateboard item in a short time.

But there were still quite a few options for shards with slight imperfections and gaps from the ground.

After a few minutes, Ronald carefully selected a few ice shards that looked decent, then held one in each hand and headed back in the direction where he and Nicole had separated earlier.

At this time, the figure of the investigator girl also came into view.

Unlike Ronald, who needed experience to select suitable tools.

After trying, Nicole also confirmed that she herself couldn't destroy the ice pillars above her head.

Thus, the investigator girl immediately activated her flexible mind.

She didn't linger here, but turned back to the direction she and Ronald came from, and started interacting freely with the cave creatures in the refugee team.

Perhaps it was because Nicole was very adaptable to the cartoony world.

Or perhaps she was inherently adept at interacting with 'people.'

In any case, in the few minutes Ronald spent picking skateboards,

Nicole had already successfully persuaded the fire-breathing cave creature, and the two walked together to the edge of the ice layer.

"..."

"So that's it…"

Ronald immediately understood Nicole's approach.

Although the participants of the game couldn't change the environment, the 'NPCs' originally in this fairy tale world weren't restricted and could do such things with their abilities.

Cooperating with cave creatures.

That was an approach Ronald hadn't considered before.

Understanding the investigator girl's action, Ronald himself began to survey the surrounding environment without stopping.

The suitable starting position, the possibility of crowd obstruction, and ensuring the slope for skateboard acceleration were all elements he was considering and needed to look for.

Moreover, apart from these conditions, Ronald also thoughtfully considered the distance Nicole needed to cover to come over and escape with him.

...

Finally, their individual actions were almost perfectly coordinated.

When Ronald chose the location for their escape starting point, Nicole successfully persuaded the cave creature to the edge of the ice layer's wall, then suddenly spewed a jet of flame towards the front.

Crack crack—

As everyone knows, ice begins to melt when exposed to high temperatures.

Crackle—

Then the first ice spike fell to the ground.

Those ice spikes themselves were joined together in a nested structure, making them quite unstable. When this first ice spike fell, it plunged into the ground from the top, and other parts shattered into countless large and small fragments that shot off.

"..."

At this moment, the world beneath the ice fell silent.

Whether it was the ice crystal creatures guarding the pass or the cave creature refugees lined up, they were attracted to this astonishing commotion.

And when they saw what happened…

Even with their cute cartoonish faces, the fear in their hearts was clearly visible—this was a disaster!

Crunch crunch crunch—

Pop pop pop!

After the first impact sounded.

All these changes followed closely.

The inherently fragile and interconnected structure led to a chain reaction which quickly occurred here.

Ice spikes, worthy of being called the scythes of death, fell from the walls and ceiling, making noises like a torrential rain as they crashed into the ground, driving one insane.

As for the stunned pass guards...

Forget about continuing their duties; in such a crisis, self-preservation became their instinctive first choice.

"Ronald, did I do well?"

At this moment, Nicole shouted as she ran towards Ronald.

Ice spikes fell like a curtain of rain behind the investigator girl, tormenting the creatures in the maze, and with an expression of joy, Nicole came to Ronald amidst a scene like a disaster.

"How are things on your side? Can we go now!"

"..."

"You're really something."

With a rather complicated feeling, Ronald complimented Nicole, then he pointed to the two skateboards already set on the ground and explained in the briefest way:

"Lie on top and hold tight, a push with your foot will send you sliding out. I've adjusted the angle and position."

"If there are any subsequent impacts, you can hold the two protrusions to control direction."

"Got it!"

Nicole wasn't one to fuss over details at this moment.

After hearing Ronald's brief introduction, she cheerfully lay down on her skateboard, clutching the barely steerable protrusions, then pushed back with her feet.

Thud—

Immediately, the skateboard, carrying her full weight, slid down.

"This is really urgent…"

Ronald shook his head slightly and, using the same method as Nicole, lay on the skateboard and launched himself.

Swish swish—

The world constructed by the "Maze Picture Book" was filled with various wonders.

And this ice kingdom was particularly exceptional in terms of 'sliding'.

Ronald and Nicole, just after starting on the skateboards for a few seconds, reached a speed where even ordinary people had difficulty reacting.

Two figures moving side by side sped across the ground.

In the white ice and snow world, like two sharp arrows.

Thus, they charged towards the now unguarded pass.