Wizard: Starts with Advanced Meditation

When the lightning subsided, neither of them was seriously injured. Soya was already on the outer edge of the area, and with his own resistance to lightning, he only suffered some scorch marks on his right arm.

Hughes, on the other hand, summoned the two dark orbs of the Dark Absorber Robe in time, absorbing a large amount of the attack, and only ended up with a few scorch marks on his face.

Just as Soya was preparing to continue fighting Hughes, Elena's attack came. Dense icy mist instantly enveloped both of them.

Strangely, Hughes was not greatly affected, but Soya was attacked by the icy mist all over his body. The icy mist condensed and entered his body, freezing his organs.

Soya was so cold that he kept running away, and even subconsciously tried to use his only remaining left hand to pat away the icy mist clinging to his body.

But as soon as he raised his hand, his fingertips were covered in frost, and with a "crack," Soya's entire left hand turned into a pool of ice shards.

Soya could no longer make a sound. He staggered backward, each step leaving bloody footprints with icy shards on the ground. He could only manage a suppressed growl in his throat, clearly exhausted and on the verge of death by the all-pervasive ice mist.

A moment later, Soya stopped struggling, collapsed to his knees, and died instantly. Fine white frost quickly formed on his body, and in the blink of an eye, he was transformed into an ice sculpture.

As the icy mist gradually dissipated, Elena stepped forward, extended her slender index finger, and gently touched the top of the ice sculpture's head. With another crisp "crack," Soya's body shattered.

After the battle, Elena looked at Hughes and said, "That greatsword is yours."

Soya didn't carry a storage bag, so the greatsword was his most valuable possession, and Hughes naturally had no objections.

Meanwhile, the battles between Harrogan and Rock also came to an end.

Harrogan created a continuous wind field, constantly scattering the Frostwolf phantom, and took the opportunity to rush towards Bolton, intending to finish him off. The already weakened Bolton was easily killed by Harrogan.

With Bolton's death, the Frostwolf Hood lost its host. The Frostwolf phantom let out a mournful howl before dissipating into the air.

On the other side, the light shield continued to protect Rock steadily, and the venomous snakes were unable to break through the defense.

Rock seized the opportunity and suddenly increased the speed of his scorching rays. Caught off guard, Delon was instantly pierced through by several scorching rays.

Finally, the remaining second-class wizard apprentices dealt with the frost-skinned dwarves. The group began collecting loot and searching the entire stronghold, while Heleto and Hughes quietly approached the Blackrock Forge, preparing for a good show.

Meanwhile, Rock, Harrogan, and the others also entered the stronghold. The Frostskin Dwarves had been the first to rush out of the stronghold, and the fighting between the two sides had been taking place outside the stronghold.

As the group stepped into the stronghold, a strong stench of blood mixed with the smell of sulfur hit them.

The ground was littered with the corpses of Frostskin Dwarves, and the only fallen Everfrost Spire Apprentice among them was the one who had been ambushed by Soya earlier.

Apprentices had already stepped forward to examine him. Although the lightning bolt from Soya had not taken his life on the spot, it had almost damaged his skin and internal organs. In such terrible weather, he died not long afterward.

Only two apprentices died in this battle; the other was the one who was engulfed by Delon's venom.

As for the three apprentices who lured away the six frost-skinned dwarves, Harrogan had learned from Missley that they had successfully completed their mission and were now on their way.

The base was simpler than I had imagined. The low stone houses were crooked and dilapidated, and various weapons and building debris were scattered on the ground. The four watchtowers had also been destroyed one after another, leaving only a few piles of ruins.

Rock kicked open one of the doors and saw that it was empty except for a few tattered straw mats. He frowned and said:

"These dwarfs live in such a shabby place; there isn't even a decent bed in their room."

An apprentice discovered several smashed wooden boxes in the inner room and said, "Boss Rock, there were some witchcraft tools hidden here, but they were all destroyed temporarily."

Rock clicked his tongue and said, "That's ruthless. But it also means these witchcraft tools must have been ordinary, otherwise they wouldn't have been destroyed so quickly."

……

Heleto and Hughes used the shadows as cover to successfully approach the Blackstone Forge, which was spewing out thick, gray-black smoke, the scorching heat waves of which could be felt from a great distance.

The furnace is made entirely of dark black boulders, reaching a height of tens of meters. Its surface is covered with irregular dents and dark red patterns, as if it were marks left by years of high-temperature baking.

"This thing is really impressive," Hughes murmured in admiration.

My gaze swept over the working devices at the bottom of the furnace, the gears meshing with a dull "click-clack" sound.

"Just by looking at the scale, you can tell that a lot of good things can be forged."

Heleto's gaze fell on the dark red runes engraved on the surface of the furnace, and he raised an eyebrow slightly, saying:

"It's not just about grandeur. Look at these runes; they're arranged very skillfully. Their purpose is to guide the power of the flames and protect the entire furnace."

He reached out and pulled up a lever, and a series of "clicking" sounds came from the bottom of the furnace.

"Ordinary furnaces don't need such complex runes. The charcoal burning in this black stone furnace is probably not ordinary."

As they were talking, the furnace's feed inlet was opened, and Heleto threw in a shimmering, crystalline ore. A blinding red light burst forth from inside the furnace, and the temperature of the surrounding air suddenly rose.

"It's really something else. It can turn starstones into liquid in an instant. This flame must be powered by magic stones." Hughes clicked his tongue and said.

Heleto nodded, his gaze sweeping over the furnace as he said:

"But it's not without its weaknesses. Look at those stone pillars supporting the chimneys; they already have some cracks, clearly caused by years of high temperatures. If we could find a way to destroy this place..."

He didn't say anything more, but a calculating glint flashed in his eyes.

Hughes and Heleto's plan was to use the magic circle they had just carved on the elf's head to create a phantom of a frost-skinned dwarf, which would then perish together with the Blackrock Forge.

Heleto was "affected" by the explosion of the Black Stone Furnace and burned beyond recognition. Hughes then dragged out his "corpse," and after everyone else left, he crawled out of the ruins and took the opportunity to escape.

As for the core area that the academy requires to be preserved, it is actually the device inside the high platform base below the main furnace, which is the core that maintains the operation of the Blackstone Furnace.

The explosion they created only affected the main furnace and did not damage the solid foundation beneath their feet.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Harogen led his squad to the only mine in the stronghold. The mine was not only extremely spacious but also bottomless, and could not be seen from the outside.