Chapter 52
Where did he go?
The terrifying snowstorm that crashed down from the collapsed mountain swept across the entire snowfield with devastating force.
Tens of thousands of tons of snow, carrying boulders, fell down, crushing mountainsides in their path.
I don't know how much time has passed...
After the violent impact subsided, the snowfield slowly returned to calm.
The whole world fell into a deathly silence, with only the occasional mountain wind carrying tiny ice crystals whistling across the vast snowfield.
Suddenly, an arm burst out of the snow, shattering the silence and sending snowflakes flying everywhere.
The ground, which had been covered with a thick layer of snow, began to loosen, and the next moment, a figure completely wrapped in thick ice and snow burst out of the ground and stood up.
"Swish, swish, swish—" Matthew slapped his body hard, and the solidified snow fell off with a "whoosh."
He moved his body and felt no discomfort other than a throbbing pain in his muscles.
However, his wizard robes were now torn and hung on his body like rags.
Matthew didn't care; he didn't take off his robe, letting it flutter in the wind.
He glanced around and found the scenery unfamiliar, and he had no idea where he was.
Matthew didn't see anyone else, nor did he know where they had been swept away, or whether they were dead or alive.
He opened the recording to check his location, but due to the collapse of the snow mountain, the terrain recorded on the recording did not match at all.
Matthew shook his head, forced to proceed based on his vague impressions.
……
And so, Matthew continued his journey through the vast snowfield.
Despite the biting wind carrying ice particles that kept seeping into his tattered wizard robes, he was completely unfazed by the cold after merging with the bloodline of the Flame Devourer.
Soon, he passed through a grove of trees.
The sight before him made him stop in his tracks. A towering mountain appeared before him, a mountain that was not marked on the documentary film.
Matthew's gaze swept across the mountains and he spotted a deep cave entrance halfway up the mountainside.
The cave was pitch black, and his gaze couldn't penetrate it to see what was inside.
Without much thought, Matthew strode toward the cave.
He didn't move quickly. As he moved, he opened the system to check his surroundings and mentally prepared to deal with any unexpected situations.
However, when Matthew had walked less than halfway, clear footsteps suddenly came from inside the cave, and a figure emerged from it.
The figure walked out with heavy but powerful steps, and its outline gradually became clearer.
The man was a young man with a robust build and an aura of surging power. Like Matthew, he wore the robes of the Tide School wizards.
Matthew recognized the newcomer immediately, "Mold..."
Mold quickly noticed Matthew's presence, and a malicious smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
"It's been a long time. I was just about to head back to the temporary camp when you unexpectedly delivered yourself to my doorstep."
Mold looked around at Matthew and, finding no one else, his smugness grew even more pronounced, bordering on blatant.
Amidst the howling wind, his voice carried a hint of mockery, "Looks like you're lost."
The two were facing each other from a distance, their figures several tens of meters apart.
Mold strode forward, slowly approaching Matthew, his expression relaxed and confident, as if he could easily manipulate the other man.
"You think I can't do anything to you just because you've escaped back to the wizarding world? How naive!"
"This time I won't let you escape again. I hope you won't regret your decision!"
Matthew stood motionless, his expression unchanged, showing no emotion whatsoever in response to Mold's words.
He also noticed that the other person who came out of the cave was alone, and he couldn't help but ask, "Where's Todd?"
Mold stopped in his tracks, somewhat surprised, because the other person did not show the fear he had expected, and instead asked him this question.
"Todd?" He frowned, suddenly realizing something.
"Oh, you mean that kid with all those freckles on his face? I think you two were friends."
At this moment, Mold gave a meaningful smile. "You won't see him anymore. He's no longer here, but he's probably not dead yet."
"Not here anymore? But he shouldn't be dead yet?" Matthew didn't understand what that meant.
But seeing Mold's expression, Matthew had a bad feeling. His eyes were cold, and his tone was chilling. "Where...did he go?"
Hearing this probing question, Mold felt as if he had been slighted, and a surge of anger welled up inside him.
He was just a novice apprentice, a piece of trash who almost died at the hands of the Bloodclaw Beast a few months ago, someone he could easily crush with a flick of his finger, yet he was inquiring about other people's situations at a time like this.
Mold clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, and glared at Matthew. "Hmph, don't you know your own predicament?"
Matthew ignored Mold's words, his gaze growing colder as he repeated what he had just said.
"Where did Todd go?"
Silence froze in the air; at that moment, Mold was filled with rage.
"You...you're asking for it!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than he transformed into a blur, rapidly closing the distance to Matthew.
Matthew was on guard against the other party's movements, so he was prepared.
He had been channeling his magic ever since Mold appeared, and now he slammed his hands heavily onto the ground.
A thick vine suddenly shot out from the snow, quickly climbing up Mold's body and spiraling around him, binding him tightly.
Without pausing, he continued slamming his hands against the ground repeatedly.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—", thick vines sprouted from the ground one after another, binding various parts of the opponent's body.
Mold dismissed it with a disdainful snort.
"You don't think you can trap me with such a simple trick, do you?"
He grabbed a vine binding his body with both hands, his muscles tensed suddenly, and with a forceful pull, he easily snapped it in two.
Then his hands twisted and deformed unnaturally, and his originally smooth nails grew wildly, eventually sprouting a pair of sharp claws.
He flailed his arms wildly, becoming a blur of motion, tearing all the attacking vines to shreds.
Just as Mold broke through the last vine blocking his view, he was suddenly startled.
A spell scroll was floating in front of Matthew, emanating violent magical energy, and the air was filled with a scorching heat.
Matthew had completed the casting preparations for the [Firebird Scroll], and crimson runes appeared, coalescing into a spell model, with a rich aura of fire element spreading in the air.