On the summit of an unnamed snow-capped mountain in the Wizard World,
The over fifty-meter-long Benji landed on a flat area, carrying two snow bears with strength equivalent to level one.
The two snow bears were pierced by Benji's claws, their hearts crushed instantly, and they died without pain.
"Hurry, hurry, I'm hungry."
The snow bear's carcass hadn't been disposed of yet, but Yao Yao, a little black Yaoyao of coal, was already extremely anxious. With a white scarf tied around her neck, one paw gripping a knife and the other a fork, she was jumping around, ready to enjoy her wild feast at any moment.
Although Benji remembered that Yaoyao could survive without food, as Yaoyao was of a higher status than him, Benji could only obediently agree to the request. Then, he quickly rolled up the two snow bears and used his fire-type abilities, which he was not very good at, to roast them.
Leo sat to the side, holding a wizard's book, staring blankly at the snow-capped mountain that was tens of thousands of meters high.
This is not a single mountain, but a winding mountain range with an average height of over 20,000 meters. If such a mountain range were on Earth, it would be a miracle of nature, surely dethroning the Himalayas as the "Roof of the World." However, in the Wizard World, a 20,000-meter mountain range is just an ordinary mountain.
Normally, such ordinary mountains wouldn't have attracted Leo's attention. Along the way, he had seen too many strange landscapes, and the visual impact had long since made him unfazed.
What caught Leo's attention about this mountain range was that it split off at its highest point, with snow covering the other side. The snow was over a hundred meters deep, and the thick snow was so compacted that even large animals wouldn't be in danger of sinking.
On their side, there was practically no snow; the exposed soil was harder than stone, clearly the kind of permafrost that had existed for countless years.
Leo sniffed the air; the moisture content was sufficient, and tiny snowflakes were still falling. It was clearly not a dry desert climate, and such a strange phenomenon of no snow accumulation should not have occurred.
Even after Benji had roasted the two snow bears, Leo still couldn't figure out how this environment was formed. The environments on both sides of the mountain range were exactly the same, yet two completely opposite environmental characteristics appeared.
"This meat doesn't taste good, I'm not eating it."
Yao Yaoyao had been urging Benji to eat, took a bite of the snow bear meat, then spat it out with a look of disgust. She reached into the Shadow Space and took out the food she had prepared beforehand, and began to eat it by herself.
Benji had been holding a snow bear leg and offering it to Leo, but after seeing Yaoyao's disgusted look, he hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to let Leo eat the still-steaming snow bear leg.
"The taste is indeed a bit off, but you can have it."
The burnt, bitter smell wafted into Leo's nostrils, and Leo knew that Yaoyao hadn't lied; Benji's cooking skills weren't very good.
Leo didn't need to eat to replenish his body, and since the food didn't taste good, he was too lazy to eat. He continued to stare blankly at the snowflakes falling from the sky, pondering why such a completely opposite natural phenomenon was occurring.
"Yes, Lord Leo."
Benji retreated to the two snow bear carcasses, eating half-heartedly, a look of disgust showing in his one eye. The taste was indeed not good, and he was trying to find a reason not to eat anymore.
"Young wandering wizard, I wonder if you could share some of your food with me? I haven't tasted food for a month."
Just as Leo was in a daze, Yaoyao was enjoying her delicious meal alone, and Benji was eating the hard-to-swallow snow bear meat, a voice suddenly rang out behind them.
Leo's pupils contracted instantly from his daze, his body, which was sitting on the rock, straightened up. A chill ran from his tailbone straight to his brain, and the hairs on his body stood on end. He immediately raised the Godslaying Staff in his hand.
Benji dropped the roasted meat from its paws, its three drooping tails suddenly stood upright, and its one eye warily looked in the direction of the sound.
To be able to get so close without either Leo or him noticing means that the newcomer could kill them at any time without them knowing anything!
The newcomer's strength can only be described with one word: terrifying!
After Leo and Benji had both reacted, Yaoyao jumped onto Leo's shoulder with a cry of surprise, looking warily at the newcomer.
Holding the Godslaying Staff, Leo concealed his magical power. After turning around and seeing the newcomer's appearance, his hostility subsided considerably, but his vigilance remained undiminished, especially the two fingers on Leo left hand, which were always ready to trigger an attack.
The newcomer was a robust, honest-looking wizard with a weathered face, as if he had traveled a long way. In his hand he held a staff, or rather, not a staff, but a smooth stone stick. His wizard's robe, which appeared to be sewn from birch bark, was tattered. He walked barefoot on the frozen ground that had stood for countless years, yet he felt no cold at all.
Leo extended his spiritual power, attempting to sense the middle-aged wizard's strength. However, the moment his spiritual power touched the wizard, it was like a quail egg hitting a mountain. He felt that the wizard's strength was as deep and unfathomable as a mountain, and he could not fathom the limits of his power at all.
"If you don't mind, please come and enjoy it with us," Leo invited the seemingly honest wizard, though he was still quite wary.
"Just so you know, don't complain if it doesn't taste good," Yaoyao added, perched on Leo's shoulder.
"Haha, how could that be? We're lucky to have anything to eat."
The good-natured wizard seemed oblivious to the fact that Leo had just used his mental power to probe his strength. He strode over to the snow bear carcass, which still smelled of roasted meat, and began to eat heartily, seemingly oblivious to everyone else.
Judging from his blissful expression and the fact that he kept eating, one would assume he was savoring some delicious food.
Yaoyao even doubted the taste of what she had just eaten, so she took another bite of snow bear meat and put it in her mouth. Instantly, an indescribable taste filled her mouth, causing Yaoyao to spit it out again.
"Master, I have some other food here that tastes even better. Would you like to eat with me?"
Leo took out a lot of food that he had prepared beforehand from the Shadow Space and placed it on the flat stone in front of him, inviting the honest-looking wizard to enjoy it together.
"No, these two snow bears are enough to fill our stomachs. Wasting food is a bad habit. Although our Wizard World is rich in resources, it's not so rich that we can waste food at will."
Leo's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. Those words were so pointed!
Leo stopped talking, but instead returned the food he had just taken out of the Shadow Space. He then sat down next to the wizard and, very perceptively, handed him a few bottles of water when he had almost finished eating.
Leo had intended to force himself to eat a few bites with him, as a sign of hospitality.
But this seemingly simple-minded wizard, dressed in tattered clothes, devoured both snow bears in less than five minutes, chewing up and swallowing even the bones, not only their internal organs.
A light tap of the stone stick on the frozen ground caused it to immediately churn, burying all the internal organs inside.
"It has been a long time since I have seen a wizard who has reached the Level Two Elemental Body Refinement Wizard at such a young age. My curiosity compelled me to come and meet you."
"I've eaten your food and talked to you for so long without introducing myself; it's truly my fault."
"I am Garijivich, the Mountain Range Guardian."
After Garijivich finished introducing himself, Leo's gaze towards him changed. What Leo had previously seen as tattered clothes and a simple stone staff that looked like it had been casually carved from stone, now seemed so simple and unpretentious, embodying the principle of simplicity.
"Greetings, esteemed Mountain Range Guardian." Forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Leo bowed respectfully.
Having lived in the Wizard World for over three hundred years and even advanced to the Level Two Elemental Body Refinement Wizard, Leo was no longer the naive young man he once was. His extensive knowledge allowed him to recognize the significance of this unassuming Guardian Wizard before him.
This is a high-level guardian standing at the pinnacle of the Wizard World, second only to a few reclusive guardians who are said to maintain the World Consciousness.
He is the highest-ranking guardian that an ordinary wizard could normally encounter.
The Guardians are a group of morally upright wizards who dedicate themselves to Guardian Wizard world and Guardian Wizard.
They are dedicated to maintaining world stability and development, expelling alien life, and are the most selfless and dedicated people!
Leo didn't know the strength of the Mountain Range Guardian Garijivich, but from the fact that Garicchivic could approach him silently and that Li Xi couldn't even detect the limits of his strength, he could tell that the Mountain Range Guardian possessed terrifying power.
That's true. Guardians possess Wizard Will, so their strength cannot be judged by normal wizard levels, and the requirements for advancement are different from those of normal wizards.
If one had to assign a level to the Mountain Range Guardian before him, Leo guessed that the level of this one was at least level five.
Thinking of this, Leo's attitude became even more respectful.
When the guardians come knocking, it's usually not a good sign!
"No need for such formalities. Just treat me as an old man you met on your journey. The Wizard Will within you is the direction we guardians will protect throughout our lives. As long as you don't make any major mistakes, no one will blame you."
The Mountain Range Guardian Garijivich, looked at the three wizard badges on Leo's chest with a pilgrim's gaze, bowing slightly to show his respect.
"May I ask what brings you here, Guardian?" Leo asked.
The presence of someone with at least level five strength, and such a prominent figure in the Wizard World, in front of him, was definitely not as simple as just getting a free meal.
If he wanted a free meal, countless wizards would line up to invite him to eat; he wouldn't come to this desolate wilderness to eat such awful, burnt snow bear meat.