Wizard: Starts with Advanced Meditation

The cold wind swept across every corner of the Keld Icefield, making a rustling sound as it cut through the air.

In this seemingly endless white world, the Frostskin Dwarves' small outpost, like a stubborn rock embedded in ice, silently resists the relentless cold.

The outpost was hidden in a sheltered mountain valley, surrounded by thick ice walls. Although the ice walls were polished smooth as a mirror by the wind and snow, the heads of creatures were embedded in the crevices.

Among them were humans, elves, and even frost-skinned dwarves, exuding an unadorned ruggedness.

Outside the ice wall was a stone door half-hidden by ice and snow. The ice wall and the stone door were not high, and the tops of the walls could be vaguely seen to reveal the heads of dwarves. They were wrapped in thick animal skins, and the white breath they exhaled instantly condensed into frost, sticking to their beards like strings of ice beads.

The inside of the stronghold was a little warmer than the outside, but not really warm; it was just that the bone-chilling cold had subsided slightly.

Beneath the Frostskin dwarves' feet lay compacted frozen earth, mixed with gravel and ice shards, which crunched underfoot. The buildings within the outpost were half carved into the mountainside and half constructed of wood and stone, their roofs piled high with snow, long icicles hanging from their edges.

The most striking feature was the central forge, its black stone walls crackling with flames—perhaps the reason the stronghold was warm. The orange-red firelight reflected on the faces of the surrounding dwarves, making their rough skin gleam.

Several shirtless dwarves were swinging giant hammers, clanging and banging against the red-hot metal on the forging table, sparks flying everywhere, which were instantly extinguished on the cold ground.

In one of the two sheds next to them, there were bundles of frozen meat and furs; the other, larger wooden shed was filled with ore, which gleamed with a bluish luster under the firelight. It was frost iron, the most commonly used material by the frost-skinned dwarves.

The air was filled with a complex mix of smells: the smell of burning sulfur, the stench of raw meat, the odor of fur, and the distinctive sweat and fishy smell of the Frosty Dwarfs.

These smells mixed together would absolutely terrify even the cleanest pureblood elves.

In a corner of the outpost, a group of snow pigs were kept in pen. They were covered with a thick layer of white hair, like rolling snowballs.

Their fur allows them to survive in the bitter cold, and the plump, tender meat hidden inside their round bodies is the most coveted delicacy by the Frosty Dwarfs.

The Frostskin Dwarves were busy forging and feeding the snow pigs, and no one noticed the unusual sight high in the sky—an ice eagle made of ice was spreading its crystal-clear wings and silently circling above the stronghold.

The edges of the ice feather gleamed coldly, and when it swept through the wind and snow, even the air seemed to freeze. Yet its wings did not flap, as if an invisible force was supporting it as it flew, taking in all the movements below.

In the distance, a dozen or so wizard apprentices dressed in robes of various colors stood on the mountainside, gazing at the Frostskin Dwarf stronghold. They were several apprentice squads from Stronghold No. 5, and their target was the stronghold in the distance.

This mission was accomplished by a joint effort of three wizard apprentice teams: Elena's team, Harrogan's team, and Rock's team.

"Then, let me explain the specifics of this mission and the target base."

A rather thin male apprentice walked up to the group, his voice slightly hoarse.

He was Harrogan Budil, a third-class wizard apprentice who had retired from the main battlefield, and this mission was requested and led by his squad.

Only formal wizards, third-class wizard apprentices, and grand knights are stationed on the main battlefield. Third-class wizard apprentices on the battlefield will be transferred back to their strongholds to rest and recuperate in order to maintain their best condition on the battlefield.

However, newly promoted third-class wizard apprentices like Elena don't need to go to the battlefield, and—"Tch, so what if she became Gross's apprentice? What's so great about a second-ring family?"

Rock, clad in a black robe over a light armor with runes, spoke.

His equipment was made of truly eye-catching materials. Not only was his black robe covered with runes engraved by low-level rune masters, but his light armor was also covered with magical runes crafted by sorcerers.

However, what is most striking is the concentric circle of four gold rings on the back of his black robe—he is a member of the Noemão family, the four-ring family.

In the Oren plane, wizarding families of the third ring and above have certain privileges, including the ability to ignore the academy's mandatory conquest order once a year. It was obvious to everyone that Rock had used this opportunity to go to the main battlefield.

Perhaps it was because Harrogan took the lead that he had to lead the team on this dangerous mission, which is why he held a grudge against Harrogan.

However, Harlogan ignored him and continued talking:

"This outpost is mainly responsible for forging military equipment for the Frostskin Dwarves. There should be mineral veins nearby. Our goal is to completely occupy this place, and it would be best to preserve the central furnace."

As he spoke, he turned to a purple-haired female apprentice leaning against the mountainside and asked her, "Missley, how's the reconnaissance going?"

The ice eagle was the reconnaissance spell cast by Missy. At this moment, she leaned against the mountain, her eyes covered by a layer of white mist. Her vision was shared with the ice eagle through the spell, and every scene in the stronghold was clearly reflected in her "eyes".

Upon hearing the captain's question, she ended her observation, turned to look at Harrogan, and pointed to the distant outpost:

"I first observed the entire stronghold through the ice eagle. It happened to be their rest time, and no miners were mining in the vein. There were about twenty-five frost-skinned dwarves."

"How's the base setup? And can you sense the exact strength of those Frostskin Dwarves?"

Missy nodded proudly and continued:

"At each of the four corners of the ice wall stood a small watchtower, each guarded by a frost-skinned dwarf of second-class wizard apprentice strength, who held alchemical gadgets resembling telescopes. The rest were scattered around the perimeter."

The conversation abruptly shifted, and Missy's tone became extremely serious:

"However, I used the Ice Eagle as a medium to cast a perception spell. There are three Frostskin Dwarves in the stronghold who are at the level of third-class wizard apprentices. At the same time—deep in their mine, I also sensed a faint spiritual energy fluctuation, which seems to be only at the level of a first-class wizard apprentice."

Everyone believed Missy's words, because Missy's specialty was perception and detection magic, and she had an almost instinctive sensitivity to fluctuations in mental energy.

Even when Elena's team first arrived, her gaze swept over Hughes and lingered for a moment, as if she had noticed that this seemingly insignificant apprentice possessed spiritual power no less than that of a third-class wizard apprentice.

Fortunately, Missy didn't reveal this immediately; she planned to explain this interesting situation to her teammates after the mission was completed.

Hughes, who was standing nearby, felt a chill in his heart after hearing their conversation. This female apprentice named Missy seemed to be very sensitive to mental energy, and Hughes had certainly noticed her gaze just now.

"It seems she has sensed my mental energy fluctuations." Hughes looked at Missy, his eyes narrowing slightly.