Another World

Matthew concentrated on sensing what was in his mind, and a ring-shaped metal disc appeared in his thoughts.

So this really was another world!

The disc was the key to traveling between worlds.

The red crystal on the disc could store energy, and traveling between worlds consumed the energy stored in it. It recharged automatically, taking seven days to fill.

"Traveling back and forth..." After digesting the information the metal disc had sent him, Matthew breathed a sigh of relief.

After traveling to another world more than a decade ago, he had now crossed over again. Fortunately, this time he had a return ticket.

"I can't go back for another seven days." Matthew sensed the dim crystal on the metal disc.

"It's already dark. I need to find somewhere sheltered from the wind first, then explore the area tomorrow." Matthew felt a little helpless. Surviving for seven days in this freezing, snow-covered environment wouldn't be easy.

"Awooo—" Faint wolf howls came from somewhere ahead.

"A wolf pack?" Matthew grew alert. He raised his wand and cast the Illusionary Body Spell, concealing himself.

After walking on for a few minutes, the howls drew closer.

"There seems to be another sound, too."

Before long, Matthew spotted something glowing with Pale Blue Light, moving quickly across the snow ahead.

He surveyed his surroundings, climbed a sturdy tree, and hid among its branches to watch.

Within seconds, the pale blue glow drew closer.

He saw a snow-white deer, about the size of an adult Hanoverian Horse, pulling a sled. Its antlers shone with a light that pierced the dark forest, like a lamp guiding the way through the night.

A red-haired man with a prominent nose and deep-set eyes drove the sled. He was powerfully built, and his face was full of panic and agitation as he urged the White Deer to go faster.

When the sled was twenty or thirty meters from Matthew, its right side struck a tree. The shafts and reins snapped, and the speeding sled overturned!

"Damn it!" The red-haired man shoved away the board that had fallen on top of him.

He crawled toward the Sled's Carriage in a panic, calling out, "Tina! Are you all right?"

A red-haired girl crawled out of the wrecked canopy and called back, "Dad, Tina's fine!"

She was only about seven or eight years old. The fall had hurt, and tears welled in her eyes, but she held them back.

They were speaking Ancient Runes!

Just then, more than a dozen Giant Wolves, each larger than a calf and covered in blue-gray fur, surrounded them. Their eyes glowed red, their faces were savage, and their fangs were thicker than a human finger.

"Those wolves are huge. I wonder how strong they are." Matthew stayed hidden and continued watching.

"Awooo—" After a howl, the Giant Wolves lunged at the pair.

The red-haired man's expression changed drastically. He drew the Longsword at his waist and slashed at the Giant Wolf leaping toward the girl.

A flash of green light crossed the blade. Half the wolf's head was sheared off, and its massive body collapsed to the ground. After a few twitches, it went still.

Before the red-haired man could recover his stance, a sharp pain shot through his left hand. A Giant Wolf had clamped down on his forearm, while even more wolves sprang at him!

At the same time, the girl cried out behind him. A Giant Wolf had circled around to their rear!

Hearing his daughter's cry, the red-haired man was frantic with worry. He wanted nothing more than to tear the wolves apart.

"Get away!" he roared. His sword flashed, severing the head of the wolf biting his left arm.

But the Giant Wolf behind them had already knocked the red-haired girl to the ground. It bared its fangs and lunged to bite her!

"Tina!!!" The red-haired man's eyes bulged with rage.

He desperately tried to reach his daughter, but more wolves held him back.

The girl, pinned beneath the Giant Wolf, looked terrified, but reacted quickly. She snatched up a piece of the sled scattered beside her and shoved it into the wolf's mouth!

Her quick thinking only bought her a moment. The board in her hands soon cracked, on the verge of being crushed by the wolf's jaws.

Just then, the board in the wolf's mouth suddenly transformed into a blade. It pierced through the wolf's mouth and tore its brain apart!

The red-haired girl stared blankly as the Giant Wolf toppled beside her, her mind completely empty.

The sled wreckage scattered across the ground transformed into wrist-thick vines that wrapped tightly around the dozen or so Giant Wolves.

The wolves struggled with all their might, but couldn't break free. The vines only tightened around them.

Then the vines binding the wolves turned into blades. In an instant, the blades carved the dozen or so wolves into pieces, and their remains fell onto the snow, their blood soaking into the drifts.

Matthew had acted.

Without magical abilities, they were just beasts with a little extra strength.

The red-haired father and daughter stared in shock. The dozen or so Giant Wolves that had cornered them had been killed in an instant.

"Tina, are you hurt?" The red-haired man pulled the girl into his arms, his face full of guilt and relief.

Tina buried her face in her father's chest. "Tina's fine, Dad. You're hurt."

Matthew walked over to them and dispelled the Illusionary Body Spell. He waved his wand, and the metal blades turned back into pieces of the sled.

A stranger had suddenly appeared beside them. The red-haired man was startled, but quickly recovered. Holding the shaken Tina, he knelt on one knee and said gratefully:

"Thank you, Wizard Lord, for saving my daughter. I, Chris Watson, will never forget your kindness!"

Tina looked at him curiously. She had never seen such a young wizard before.

Matthew nodded. Blue light flickered in his eyes as he met Chris's gaze and said gently, "I'm a reclusive wizard, and this is my first time here. How do I get to the nearest town?"

Chris Watson's expression went blank. He answered dazedly, "Whitestone Town is very close, Wizard Lord."

"I'm a blacksmith from Gemu Village, but things haven't been peaceful there lately. The animals nearby have become unusually aggressive and are attacking the village often."

"Those animals are just like these wolves. Their eyes glow red, and they've grown much larger."

"I'm planning to move to Whitestone Town with my daughter. It should be safer there, since the town has guards. You can come with us."

Matthew nodded. So these wolves weren't normal after all. He'd thought the wolves in this world were just like this...

He bent down and examined the wolf corpses from close range. He sensed a kind of Energy Fluctuation in them, different from a wizard's magic.

The energy was incredibly violent. Perhaps that was what made the animals so aggressive.

When Matthew touched a wolf corpse, the metal disc in his mind glimmered. A stream of red light drifted out of the corpse and was absorbed by the disc.

Matthew was startled to see the metal disc change again, then noticed that the dim crystal had grown a little brighter.

He could sense that the energy stored in the crystal had increased. The metal disc could absorb the strange energy within the Magic Wolf corpses!

He immediately touched every wolf corpse scattered on the ground.

Feeling the stored energy in the metal disc steadily increase lifted Matthew's spirits. He'd be able to shorten the wait before going back!

After touching every corpse, Matthew sensed that the crystal had stored more than a third of its energy. It would be fully charged in less than five days.

Chris thought for a moment, then rummaged through the sled wreckage and pulled out a bundle. He took an old notebook from it.

"Wizard Lord, thank you for saving my daughter and me.

"One of my ancestors was a wizard, too. This notebook was left behind by my ancestor. It records a spell, and I hope it'll be of use to you."

Chris had no Wizard Qualification, though one of his ancestors had been a wizard. Wizards weren't secretive in this world.

He was deeply grateful to Matthew. To show his sincerity, he didn't give Matthew a copy of the notes he'd made earlier, but the original.

Matthew raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected such an unexpected windfall.

The Parchment Cover was badly worn, but luckily the writing inside was still legible. The notebook was written in Ancient Runes, too.

He accepted it and decided to accompany Chris and his daughter to Whitestone Town.

"Reparo!"

The sled wreckage on the ground returned to its original state, as if time had been turned back.

A while later, Chris came out of the woods, leading the White Deer. He said with relief, "Luckily, the deer wasn't hurt and hadn't gone far."

Matthew smiled faintly. He had already bound the deer with the Full Body Restraint Spell.