Wizard: Starting from Escaping Another World to Pioneering

The earth was vast and desolate, and the cold wind was biting.

Dozens of apprentices dressed in the robes of the Tide School of Wizardry stood before a forest covered in ice and snow.

The apprentices were divided into two groups, one of which consisted of "cannon fodder" apprentices like Matthew who were forcibly conscripted.

The other group consisted of the school's intermediate apprentices, led by a robust young man exuding power.

Judging from his exaggerated physique, it's easy to tell that he's an apprentice specializing in bloodline cultivation.

Molderson coldly gave orders to Matthew and a dozen other apprentices.

"I'm sure everyone is aware of this mission."

"The Snow Fang Clan's lair is deep in the forest."

"This time we're going to wipe out these low-level creatures completely."

"Wait a moment, you go in first, we will follow closely behind to provide support."

"Apart from the Snow Fang Clan leader, these low-level creatures are not strong individually, but they are good at planting various magical plants in the snow to act as traps."

So everyone should be careful of their surroundings.

"But don't worry, although the school is short of resources, it will still provide what it needs."

After all, you are all elites of your respective schools of thought.

"The rings on your hands are permanently equipped with the defensive spell Round Shield, which can be cast five times."

Please use it responsibly!

Everyone in the "cannon fodder group" knew perfectly well that this mission was clearly meant to make them cannon fodder to scout ahead.

But these "elites" who were abandoned by the school of thought had no other choice.

This ring was their last hope, so everyone wore it with great care.

Aside from some everyday witchcraft, the only spell Matthew can use in combat is "Vine Growth," and this ring is his lifeline.

He stood in the crowd, pretending to make the same expression, and lowered his head to put on the ring.

At the same time, he focused his mind on the ring, and a transparent system panel appeared in front of him.

The system was only visible to him, so he looked at the information on it as if no one else was there.

【Name: Witchcraft Ring】

[Ingredients: Obsidian, Moonstone Steel, Stardust Ingot, Unknown Biopheromones...]

[Note: This item contains an unknown pheromone that may cause agitation in some magical plants, especially in cold ecological regions. Please handle with caution.]

[Can be refined to produce: special pheromones (powder)...]

"Isn't the unknown pheromone obviously just there to attract fire?"

"They're no longer just cannon fodder for scouting; they're sitting ducks to draw attacks!"

Matthew looked at the group of intermediate apprentices led by Mold, and the warning in their eyes was clearly visible.

He summoned the system to check Mold.

[Insufficient mental energy; item cannot be detected.]

"It seems that the higher the 'item' level, the more mental energy is required for detection."

Matthew shook his head; running away was clearly not an option.

He had no doubt that if anyone dared to run away, these intermediate apprentices would kill them on the spot.

At this moment, Mold spoke with great passion.

"The school will not forget your contributions."

"Alright, brave elites, it's time to set off."

There was nothing they could do; Matthew and the other "cannon fodder" had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it, no matter how unwilling they were.

……

The forest was covered in ice and snow, eerily silent.

The apprentices, who were scouting ahead, spread out three meters apart and formed a front row to advance.

Matthew walked slowly forward, cautiously observing his surroundings, ready to activate his Round Shield spell at any moment.

Fortunately, they did not encounter any danger along the way, and the group soon entered the heart of the forest.

The scouts relaxed a little, and Matthew even heard them talking quietly.

"This mission wasn't as dangerous as I expected."

"They're just a bunch of lowly creatures; they don't even know where they're making their nests."

After walking about half a mile, the wind and water remained calm.

Just when everyone thought things would continue like this, an accident happened.

Matthew suddenly heard a cry of surprise and turned to look.

A giant flower bud, as tall as a person, suddenly burst out from under the snow.

In the blink of an eye, it swelled and burst open, revealing a gaping maw that lunged at Jenny, the apprentice of the scout team.

Fortunately, Jenny reacted quickly and released a Round Shield spell before the flower bud swallowed her.

"Click—"

The sharp teeth of the flower bud rubbed against the round shield, producing a sound that made your teeth ache.

This brief obstruction gave a mid-level apprentice walking behind enough time to unleash a fire-igniting spell on the flower bud.

Although this small-scale fire magic is not very powerful, it is quite effective against magical plants.

The crimson flames danced rapidly on the flower bud, charring it black in the blink of an eye.

Mold stepped forward to examine the "charcoal" on the ground.

"This magical plant is the Snow Abyss Flower. They like to lurk in the snow, only showing the snow-white part of their heads."

It will attack anyone who passes by, so please watch your step.

Jenny felt no joy at surviving the ordeal; her chest was still heaving violently, and her breathing was trembling.

For these bookworms who hadn't experienced much combat, the scene just now was truly thrilling.

Seeing that the apprentices in the scouting group were still shaken, Mold couldn't help but urge them on.

"Alright, this was just a minor accident. We'll provide you with ample support. Keep going."

Under the cold, scrutinizing gazes of the mid-level apprentices, the scouts had no choice but to continue forward.

……

Deep in the snow-covered forest, all was silent.

After what just happened, the slightest disturbance would make the apprentices scouting ahead feel as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

They all held their breath and moved forward cautiously.

Throughout the entire process, the apprentices no longer interacted with each other, and the atmosphere was terrifyingly oppressive.

Matthew was still thinking about what Mold had just said: the head of the Snow Abyss Flower would be exposed on the snow.

If that's the case, wouldn't it be possible to detect it directly by scanning the snow with the system?

His lips twitched slightly; this way, the system could act as a detection radar.

Without hesitation, Matthew brought up the system and scanned the snow-covered ground inch by inch.

【Name: Snow White】

【Name: Fallen Leaves】

【Name: Dry Branches】

【…】

As his gaze swept across the screen, various pieces of information popped up in front of him.

In addition, he checked every single flower, plant, and tree around him using the system.

The team advanced very slowly, and every "cannon fodder" was looking around at their surroundings just like him, so no one noticed his little actions.

Soon, as Matthew passed a large tree, his gaze swept across a certain spot ahead and he noticed something unusual.

【Name: Snow Abyss Flower】

Ingredients: ...

Matthew showed no sign of anything amiss and continued to proceed cautiously.

As he passed through that snowy area.

Matthew was prepared, and as the Snow Abyss Flower reappeared, he quickly dove to the side.

Seeing this, the intermediate apprentices behind quickly followed up with a fire spell.

Matthew rolled on the ground, deliberately making the movement look clumsy, while also showing a panicked expression on his face, so that no one would suspect anything.

And so, thanks to the system's detection capabilities and his seemingly "dumb" demeanor, Matthew successfully evaded numerous attacks along the way.

Of course, he wouldn't always manage to avoid it perfectly. On two occasions when he encountered the Snow Abyss Flower, he didn't dodge directly but instead used the Round Shield Technique to block it.

As the group ventured deeper into the valley, they eventually arrived at the foot of a valley.

At this point, the original cannon fodder group was reduced from twenty people to only nine.

Matthew has three Round Shield spells left.

There is a narrow, dark opening between the rock walls of the valley.

"This should be the entrance to the Snowfang Clan's lair," Mold said after observing for a while.

Upon hearing this, the intermediate-level apprentices all began to rub their fists together in anticipation.

"Finally found those damned Snow Fang Clan."

These mid-level apprentices who voluntarily came to the Winter Realm for training were different from Matthew and his group.

They can travel to and from the wizarding world at any time and freely accept missions; each mission completed will reward them with rare resources.

Failure to complete the mission only requires paying a small amount of magic stones.

Therefore, the atmosphere among these intermediate apprentices was completely different from that of the lifeless "cannon fodder" group.

However, looking at the narrow entrance to the valley, not a single mid-level apprentice dared to go in.

Because nobody knew what awaited them behind the cave entrance.

"You, go in first."

Mold pointed at Matthew and gave the order.

"I?"