Wizard: Starts with Advanced Meditation

Just as the apprentice was about to be electrocuted, the lightning bolt suddenly vanished. The frost-skinned dwarf who had been in the center of the furnace had retreated to the side.

He plunged the massive black sword in his hand into the ground to support his body, his eyes fixed on the silver-haired girl opposite him, his gaze extremely serious.

……

Rewinding to when everyone first broke into the stronghold, it was only then that they truly witnessed the magnificence of this Black Stone Furnace.

On the massive high platform base stood a main furnace, the size of a house, built of black stone. The flames inside surged violently, and the roar was like that of an ancient beast.

Beneath the base, several branch furnaces stand in a surrounding manner. The main furnace is covered with various complex devices, which are closely connected to the branch furnaces below, forming a seamless forging system.

Before they could even admire the dwarven craftsmanship, the group began their campaign against the Frostskin Dwarves within the stronghold.

The frost-skinned dwarves within the stronghold were all well-trained warriors, and they quickly organized a defensive offensive.

Especially the group of apprentices in charge of forging. The Frostskin Dwarves knew what the most valuable thing in the stronghold was. The group of dwarves in charge of forging were all second-class wizard apprentices who were about to be promoted to the third rank.

While Hughes and his companions were able to handle the stronger frost-skinned dwarves with ease, it would take them some time to kill them.

Meanwhile, Elena, the only third-class wizard apprentice in the group, is searching for the last frost-skinned dwarf in the stronghold who possesses the strength of a third-class wizard apprentice.

According to Missy's perception, apart from the "first-class" fluctuation deep in the mine that is still unclear, there are only three other Frostskin Dwarves who have reached the strength of a third-class wizard apprentice.

At this moment, Delon and Bolton were already locked in fierce battles with Rock and Harrogan respectively. The last one remaining, according to Missy's investigation, was the frost-skinned dwarf closest to the furnace.

In order to save time and preserve her strength to fight the third-class wizard apprentices, Elena made a quick decision and ordered the remaining apprentices to hold off the frost-skinned dwarves and clear a path for her to the high platform.

She then hurried to the main furnace above the platform to fight the third-class wizard apprentice. When Elena arrived at the main furnace, she saw the frost-skinned dwarf using a greatsword to summon lightning pillars to attack the apprentice below.

Elena acted decisively, the chilling energy condensed at her fingertips suddenly erupting, and an ice crystal semi-ring immediately formed—this was the witchcraft she had independently improved: the Resistant Semi-Ring.

Ordinary sorcery resists ice rings by forming a ring-shaped ice-attribute resistance field, but Elena condenses the scattered resistance power into one side and releases it through a semi-ring-shaped entity made of ice crystals.

Elena immediately made her move, hurling the half-ring of ice crystals that had gathered in her palm. The half-ring, carrying a biting chill, crashed into the frost-skinned dwarf opposite her, who was focused on maintaining the lightning pillar and did not notice the approaching half-ring.

"boom--"

The ice crystal half-ring slammed solidly into the frost-skinned dwarf's chest. The resistance contained within the half-ring immediately erupted, and the dwarf groaned as a powerful force carrying ice elemental energy pushed his massive body backward.

Even though the black stone at the edge of the platform had been cracked by his heels, he still couldn't withstand the force. He fell from the edge of the platform, and the greatsword fell from his hand, drawing a dark arc in the air.

"Thump—snap"

The greatsword and the frost-skinned dwarf slammed into the snow with deafening thuds. The frost-skinned dwarf quickly grabbed the greatsword and used it to prop himself up.

The apprentices and dwarves fighting nearby were startled by the huge commotion, while the Frostskin Dwarves were clearly more surprised.

"Oh, Dulink! Isn't that Boss Soya? How did he fall down?!" a frost-skinned dwarf exclaimed, but then immediately threw himself into the battle with Jowin.

Elena stood on the edge of the platform, her silver hair billowing in the heat of the furnace. She watched Soya fall to the ground, then lightly touched the edge of the platform with her toes, and in an instant, she leaped down as lightly as a silver butterfly, landing silently without the slightest tremor.

……

Soya launched the first attack. He drew his greatsword, the black blade humming and vibrating in his hand, and dense lightning surged around him.

"That little bug at the Everfrost Spire dared to ruin my plans!"

Soya was no longer as cold as before. He roared and swung his sword horizontally. The electric current wrapped around the sword surged forward like a raging python, and even the air smelled burnt from the cleavage.

Irene deftly dodged the rapidly surging electric current by leaping backward on her toes. At the same time, three ice spikes condensed on her fingertips and shot towards her opponent's joints like arrows.

Soya immediately raised his sword to block, the ice spike collided with the broad blade, and a crisp cracking sound rang out. The ice spike instantly shattered into countless tiny ice crystals, while the blade only had three shallow white marks.

Soya raised his greatsword, and the purple magic runes on its blade suddenly lit up. Soya let out a deep shout and swung it down in Elena's direction, whereupon a pillar of lightning shot out from beneath Elena's feet.

Just as the lightning bolt was about to strike Irena's body, a thick mist of ice suddenly enveloped her, covering her entire body like a thin veil.

Almost simultaneously, the raging lightning bolt swept in. The icy mist collided violently with the lightning bolt, and the lightning and cold air intertwined and collided instantly, emitting a piercing shriek.

Surprisingly, Elena was completely unharmed, protected by the icy mist. The seemingly thin mist acted as an invisible barrier, separating Elena from the raging lightning.

Seeing that his attack had no effect, Soya simply stopped maintaining the lightning pillar. The violent lightning pillar instantly lost its magical support, turning into wisps of lightning and completely dissipating into the air, leaving only the lingering smell of burnt metal.

A glint of lightning flashed in Thorne's eyes as he swung his greatsword wildly. With each swing, a thick bolt of lightning struck from different angles around Elena.

Lightning crackled wildly around Elena, forming a dense, net-like pattern that confined her to a limited space.

Perhaps it was because Soya had concentrated the magic of each lightning bolt that each bolt struck the ice mist, creating a tiny hole, and the originally bright white ice mist gradually dimmed.

Elena noticed this as well, but her face showed no panic. She calmly dodged the dense lightning bolts, while simultaneously gathering denser clumps of ice mist around her to protect her vital parts.

Soya swung his sword incredibly fast, as if the greatsword in his hand were merely a thin twig. This high-frequency attack left Irena's clothes with many black scorch marks, making her appear to be at a disadvantage.

Just as Soya and Elena were locked in a fierce battle, a figure quietly approached—it was Hughes, who had just finished off several enemies.