Wizard: Starts with Advanced Meditation

"suspended animation?!"

Hughes was quite surprised, but thinking about it, it seemed to be the only way. After all, it was still unknown whether Heleto could be promoted to a formal wizard. He couldn't compete with Thorne, a senior wizard, in the academy. Fake death was probably the best way.

"How can I believe what you're saying is true? And where did you get this information from?" Hughes asked.

"My rune talent is quite strong, which makes it easier for me to work around him. I discovered this while cleaning his office."

Heleto took out a recording crystal from his storage bag and handed it to Hughes, who took the crystal and used his mental power to examine it.

The image inside the crystal was a letter requesting the hiring of a squad of apprentices to bring Hughes to the palace. The letter bore a magical mark that was identical to the unique mark of Thorne Calent on his mentor's manual.

"Okay, it's a deal."

……

Elena needed to rest for a few days due to her injuries, and thanks to her, Hughes and his men were not assigned any tasks during this time. Hughes also used these days to create the powder that could weaken the Frostskin Dwarves.

As for the Whispering Woods incident, it's said that it was burned down by the garrison wizard of Outpost Five, and the outpost even rewarded each member of Hughes's squad with 5 battle merits for the incident.

Once Elena had fully recovered, the outpost immediately assigned them a mission. Perhaps it was because their strength had been demonstrated in the Whispering Forest incident, or perhaps it was simply because it was about time for them to arrive at Outpost 5.

Their mission was to attack a squad of frostskin dwarves. When they heard this, their faces showed little emotion. What was bound to happen would happen eventually, and they were eager to gain merit in exchange for valuable resources.

Although the Everfrost Spire and the Frostskin Dwarves have begun their final battle, the war has not affected the kingdoms within the Everfrost Spire's territory, since the mortal kingdoms are very far away from the Everfrost Spire.

Before the war began, the Everfrost Spire notified all the kingdoms to suspend the transport of supplies and the recruitment of new apprentices, and no wizards were stationed at the major thoroughfares.

The Frostskin Dwarves seemed to realize this as well, and they planned to take a longer route to raid Everfrost Spire, so they sent many apprentice squads to various places to carry out raids.

Fortunately, a knight from an empire happened to discover these terrifying-looking frost-skinned dwarves while chasing fugitives. He managed to escape them and reported the matter to the kingdom.

The news of the terrifying blue-skinned dwarves quickly reached the ears of the king of the country. Knowing some of the details, the king reported the matter to the Everfrost Spire through the communication crystal left behind by the Spire.

Upon learning of this, Everfrost Spire decided not to alert the enemy and notified all its strongholds to dispatch apprentice squads to ambush the Frostskin Dwarves.

The Sersi Pass seems to be kissed by both ice and warm sunshine, leading in one end to the frigid Everfrost Spire and in the ever-spring-like Kingdom of Rhine.

At this moment, a group of frost-skinned dwarves were riding frostbone beasts across the flat road. Although they were only wearing thin silk garments on their upper bodies, the spring-like climate of the Kingdom of Ryan was still unbearable for them.

The Frostskin Dwarves' skin is like ice armor repeatedly tempered by the cold wind. Even without clothes, they can survive well in the Ice Ridge Mountains. However, once they leave this frigid environment, their "frost skin" becomes a shackle.

They are currently advancing near the Kingdom of Ryan, and even though the temperature in the Kingdom of Ryan is very low because it is close to the Everfrost Spire, the Frostskin Dwarves are still sweating profusely.

The frozen moss covering the frostbeasts beneath them had long since melted, revealing green moss underneath. The horseshoes, specially made by the frost-skinned dwarves, crunched on the flat ground of the Sersi Pass with a crisp sound like ice shattering.

The frost-skinned dwarves riding on frostbone beasts kept tugging at their collars, large beads of sweat dripping from their bodies and forming puddles on the ground.

"Damn...hot...wind."

"A frost-skinned dwarf said indistinctly, chewing on many ice cubes, magical ice they had brought from the fortress that could largely prevent melting," he said.

The Frostbone Beast also appeared restless, its running speed slowing considerably. The frozen moss on its bones gradually withered and turned yellow. This creature, born of the ice plains, was now anxiously snorting, the white vapor from its nostrils being swept away by the warm wind as soon as it dissipated.

Clearly, like their master, they couldn't stand the "scorching" climate. They were unaware that their plan had already been exposed and that enemies were waiting for them on the road ahead.

……

As they continued to close the distance, they were getting closer and closer to the Everfrost Spire, and soon they entered the border of the cold region. If they could travel for another day, they could circle around to the side of the Everfrost Spire and launch a surprise attack.

The dwarf party arrived at a valley, where the hooves of the Frostbone Beasts pounded the gravel at the bottom of the valley with a dull thud.

The mountain walls on both sides of the road were like they had been cleaved by a giant axe. The dwarf captain, who was in charge, suddenly pulled on the reins, his icy blue eyes scanning the jagged mountain walls on both sides warily.

The cold wind carried a strange smell, not the bitterness of frozen soil, nor the stench of their bodies, but rather the gunpowder smell emanating from the embers.

He made a low gurgling sound in his throat, raised his hand to signal the group to stop, and gripped the thick wand tightly in his palm, the large blue gem at the top reflecting his solemn expression.

The dwarves behind them became wary, and the Frostbone Beast scratched its hooves uneasily, with the white moss that had frozen between its bones falling off in rustling motions.

A young dwarf couldn't help but glance at the rock face beside him; the rock face was jagged and perfect for standing.

The gunpowder smell of the ember grass grew stronger, filling the dwarf captain's wide nostrils.

"alert!"

As soon as the dwarf captain's roar subsided, several flaming ointments wrapped in small cloth bags were suddenly thrown down from the cliff top. They exploded in flames upon hitting the ground, followed by thick smoke.

The dwarves' frost-covered skin stung instantly upon encountering the fog, as if being pricked by countless ice needles. They then felt weak and powerless.

Heleto's light arrow pierced the air first, flashing with intense light and embedding itself in the chest of the dwarf in the last row. The arrow burst into a dazzling light the moment it touched the wound, causing the dwarf to groan in pain and fall off his Frostbone Beast.

Looking down, he saw a large, bloody hole in his chest, accompanied by a burning sensation, and blood was flowing uncontrollably from the wound.

He tried to stop the bleeding, but the blow had severely weakened his body, leaving him powerless. He could only watch helplessly as the blood drained from his wound.