Chapter 232: Mage, You Seem Very Powerful

Just this sight alone was enough to deter countless climbers who sought to challenge Mount Dandong Snow Peak.

Mount Dandong Snow Peak, where vision cannot penetrate, was about to be summited on foot—its difficulty was self-evident.

Moreover, although Mount Dandong Snow Peak had harsh conditions and extreme weather, that did not mean no life existed there.

In fact, creatures capable of surviving such extreme conditions were often stronger and more brutal, with heightened aggression.

The foothill regions were somewhat safer, mostly inhabited by foxes or lynxes that preyed on wild rabbits.

But once entering the high mountain zones, besides herbivores like mountain goats, predators such as snow leopards and sables became common.

Of course, to a mage, these predators were not a major concern.

What truly mattered were the ley-line creatures drawn by the extreme environment—such as elemental ley-line creatures like ice elements, or snow-domain ley-line creatures similar to the high-altitude vulture.

These ley-line creatures did not necessarily dwell solely atop the high peaks; they could appear anywhere.

Moreover, the extreme environment itself served as protection for these snow-domain ley-line creatures.

This caused them to rarely be purged, and over years of accumulation, their numbers had grown substantial.

So, as soon as one stepped across the boundary of Mount Dandong Snow Peak, one must be fully alert! Snowflakes swirled and drifted, clinging to the dark gray rocks.

Large footprints crushed into the snow, producing a crunching sound.

This was already the second day Gao De had entered Mount Dandong Snowfield.

After prolonged immersion in the river, his 【Adaptation】 had already elevated his cold resistance to an extreme level: Cold Resistance +55%. Thus, the low temperatures at the mountain's foothills suited Gao De perfectly.

This cold was even insufficient to advance the progress of his 【Adaptation】's cold resistance.

Instead, the blinding glint reflected by the snow triggered his 【Adaptation】 first: Resistance to Bright Light +9%.

Amid the rising and falling crunches of snow, Froala, who had been sleeping in Gao De's chest pocket, had somehow awakened and poked out her small head, eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Mage."

Gao De suddenly halted his steps, sensing something amiss.

A faint spark of spiritual light flickered in his eyes.

【Scout Magic+】.

It was the magical aura of a living being.

Right ahead, within the snowdrift.

Though invisible to the naked eye, the magical aura had allowed Gao De to pinpoint its exact location.

The proof confirmed Gao De's caution was not misplaced.

Once inside Mount Dandong Snow Peak, at any time, in any place, a dangerous ley-line creature could emerge at any moment.

"Mage, let's run," Froala whispered to Gao De via telepathy.

She stared at the snowdrift, her whole body tensed, already in alert posture.

"No need." Gao De extended a finger, gently stroking Froala's small head with his fingertip, soothing the startled little brat.

A single magical aura—only one creature. Based on aura intensity, it was a first-rank ley-line creature, roughly equivalent to early first-rank. Hidden within the snow, invisible—likely an ice element, the most common snow-domain ley-line creature.

Gao De had swiftly judged "it."

Compared to before entering the Saries Academy, his experience and knowledge had vastly expanded—he was no longer blind when encountering ley-line creatures, forced to charge blindly.

Elemental ley-line creatures, especially low-rank ones, had significantly lower intelligence than other ley-line creatures of the same rank.

In short, "idiots," easy targets.

Worth fighting!

The next instant.

"Flame Arrow!"

The moment the words left his lips—

A burst of flame shot from Gao De's hand with a sharp crack.

In the snowy environment, the flame's temperature and intensity visibly diminished compared to elsewhere.

Yet Gao De still chose 【Flame Arrow+】 as his opening move.

Because ice elements feared fire above all.

Against this elemental weakness, the environmental climate's weakening effect on 【Flame Arrow+】 was negligible.

The flame sliced through the frigid air and struck the seemingly empty snow with precision. Instantly, fire met ice, producing a shrill hissing sound.

The hidden ice element, clearly enraged—or forced to reveal itself—emerged.

It stood about four feet tall, surrounded by a faint blue glow, its form irregular and twisted, like a melting block of ice.

"Small Ice Element."

Gao De instantly confirmed the creature's identity.

It was a common variant of the small water element, preferring to ambush in snow domains, hiding beneath the snow surface before lunging at enemies.

Had he been even slightly slower to detect it, or moved closer, this small ice element would have launched a surprise attack.

Caught off guard, he would have suffered serious harm.

Fortunately, Froala had sensed the anomaly first, and Gao De had then used 【Scout Magic+】 to locate it.

Thus, it was the small ice element that was caught off guard.

Although 【Flame Arrow+】 was a cantrip, Gao De cast it at first-rank level, so its power remained considerable.

The creature's irregular form resulted from part of its body having been melted by the intense heat of the Flame Arrow.

Aaagh! In pain, the small ice element had slipped into instinctive rage.

It opened its malformed mouth and spat violently, unleashing a wave of freezing wind.

Then, a vortex of ice shards surged toward Gao De.

Gao De activated 【Shield Art】 before the ice element could cast its vortex.

【Shield Art】 (Protection, 1st Rank):

An invisible magical shield forms around you, protecting you.

Thus, confident and protected, Gao De remained unmoved, ignoring the oncoming ice vortex.

The ice element stared at Gao De, its dim eyes flickering with confusion—why wasn't it afraid of the attack?

Other creatures would have realized Gao De was prepared.

But as an elemental, the ice element's intelligence was limited, and it froze in place, bewildered.

Gao De naturally did not miss such an obvious opening.

He launched 【Flame Arrow+】 and 【Mana Burst】 in quick succession.

Two spells, each leaving a visible trail, crossed the air and struck the confused small ice element.

The flame arrow left a long fiery tail behind it; the two beams of 【Mana Burst】 followed closely behind.

Though less visually dramatic than the flame arrow, they carried deep, formidable power.

Faced with this sudden double strike, the ice element finally snapped out of its daze and frantically tried to burrow into the snow.

But Gao De precisely adjusted the flame arrow's trajectory, blocking its escape route first; the two beams of 【Mana Burst】, cast at first-rank level, sealed its path above and below.

With a deafening explosion, the high temperature of the flame arrow and the shockwave of the mana burst struck the ice element's body with pinpoint accuracy.

Part of its body instantly vaporized; the explosion shattered its remaining form into scattered fragments.

Amid violent tremors, the small ice element began to disintegrate.

Meanwhile, the fierce ice vortex, blocked by the shield, fell harmlessly to the ground half a meter from Gao De.

Gao De remained unharmed.

The battle ended in an instant—effortless and casual.

Gao De exhaled slowly.

Regardless, this was his first direct encounter with a first-rank ley-line creature; he had been somewhat tense.

Froala crawled out of Gao De's chest pocket, glanced at the shattered remains of the ice element, then at Gao De.

"Mage, you seem very powerful," Froala stared intently at Gao De, thoughtful.

"If I weren't powerful, how could I protect Lady Froala?" Gao De replied casually, focusing his mind on 【Wind Spirit Moon Shadow】.

Origin:

1st Rank—【Small Ice Element】 (1/7).

(End of Chapter)