Chapter 24: The Girl Named Alice (Part 2)
"Hmm?" Linley turned his head, frowning slightly.
Kalan immediately walked over and said gratefully, "My name is Kalan. Thank you so much for your help. If it weren't for you, Alice would have died."
The young girl named Alice also ran over at this moment. She was clearly still shaken, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. Her hazy eyes stared curiously at Linley as she said, "Thank you for saving my life. My name is Alice, full name Alice Duff. I'm also an earth-style magician."
Linley's gaze lingered on Alice for a moment.
He had to admit, Alice was a girl with a remarkable presence. That endearing, delicate quality was innate to her, requiring no voice or makeup to create.
"Linley, when others run into danger in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, you usually don't bother to save them, do you? What's different today?" Delin Kewart's teasing voice echoed in Linley's mind. "Ah, I see—you must have taken a liking to this girl named Alice."
Linley frowned.
"Grandpa Delin, it's not that I didn't want to save them before. But deep in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the beasts others encounter are usually several level-six magical beasts or even level-seven ones. I simply didn't have the ability to help. Killing a level-five magical beast isn't hard, so I just lent a hand on the way," Linley immediately explained to Delin Kewart.
Delin Kewart chuckled and said no more.
"My name is Tony. May I ask what the great magician's name is?" another young man spoke up.
Linley looked at the group indifferently and asked, "How long have you been in the Magical Beast Mountain Range?"
"First day," Kalan said helplessly. "We never expected to run into a level-five magical beast on our very first day here. What terrible luck. According to the books, the outer areas should only have level-three and level-four beasts. The four of us thought it wouldn't be too dangerous."
"Foolish," Linley said, shaking his head.
The archer girl named Nya immediately flared up. "Hey, who do you think you are, acting so arrogant? Just because you saved Alice, you think you can insult us?"
"Nya," Kalan scolded.
Linley spoke directly. "I really admire your audacity, daring to charge into the Magical Beast Mountain Range like that. At the same time, I have to say you're very lucky—you didn't run into any bandits on the way in."
"Bandits?" Kalan and the others exchanged glances. They truly hadn't encountered any.
The Magical Beast Mountain Range stretched over ten thousand miles, with countless entry points. It wasn't unusual to avoid bandits.
"Let me tell you this: if you don't want to die, leave the Magical Beast Mountain Range right now," Linley said bluntly.
"Why? Are there a lot of level-five magical beasts in the outer areas?" the young man named Tony asked curiously.
Linley replied calmly, "In the Magical Beast Mountain Range, especially the outer parts, the most dangerous thing isn't the magical beasts—it's humans. The four of you are not only weak but also completely inexperienced. I'm sure any greedy person wouldn't hesitate to target you. You're probably only alive because it's your first day and no one's spotted you yet. Otherwise, you'd have been killed long ago."
"The most dangerous thing is humans?" Kalan frowned, then his face suddenly changed dramatically.
Kalan immediately bowed respectfully to Linley and said, "Great magician, we entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range today. We only know the basics about it, and this trip was a private decision. I hope you can help us leave the Magical Beast Mountain Range safely."
Linley couldn't help but frown.
He didn't like trouble, but if these five ran into bandits on the way back, it would be truly dangerous.
"Great magician, please help us," Alice pleaded as well.
Linley glanced at Alice. Seeing her pleading eyes and imagining the scene of her being killed by bandits, his heart softened. He nodded and agreed, "Alright. I happen to be heading out anyway, so I'll escort you part of the way. But if we encounter bandits on the road, I can only promise to do my best. If any of you get killed, there's nothing I can do about it."
Kalan was overjoyed and immediately nodded. "We're already incredibly grateful that you're willing to help us, great magician."
Linley nodded, then turned and continued forward. Without looking back, he said, "Follow me." Kalan and the others quickly fell in line behind Linley. Under his protection, they made their way out of the Magical Beast Mountain Range and headed toward the city.
*****
Along the way back, Kalan and the others learned Linley's name. Alice, also an earth-style magician, was especially admiring of Linley. She was fifteen years old this year and was considered the top genius at the Willin Magic Academy.
But even so, Alice had only just reached level-four magician this year. Such an achievement would only be considered average at the Ernst Academy.
During a rest stop, Linley, Kalan, Alice, and the others began to eat. Linley and Alice sat together.
"Brother Linley, you're amazing. You became a level-five magician at fourteen. I probably won't reach that until I'm twenty," Alice said, looking at Linley with admiration.
"I'm nothing special. The top genius at our academy, Dixie, became a level-four magician at nine and a level-five magician at twelve," Linley said casually. He didn't mention that he himself had been a level-four magician at thirteen and a level-five magician at fourteen—catching up to Dixie's three-year lead in just over a year.
"Level-four at nine? I'm fifteen and just became a level-four magician. And I'm supposed to be the academy's top genius. The gap between our Willin Magic Academy and your Ernst Academy is just too big," Alice sighed.
"Brother Linley, I noticed your Earth Spike Array seems incredibly powerful—even stronger than some fifth-year students at my academy. Why is that?" Alice, being an earth-style magician herself, had noticed Linley's uniqueness.
Linley smiled faintly. It wasn't just the power; the Earth Spike Array also erupted at an astonishing speed.
"Earth-style magic originates from the earth's elemental energy..." Linley began explaining to Alice. In truth, his understanding of earth-style magic surpassed even the teachers at Ernst Academy, thanks to his saint-level mentor.
Alice looked up at Linley, listening intently.
One spoke, one listened, and the distance between them gradually shrank. Linley was completely absorbed in his explanation. When he finished a section and paused to rest, he realized their faces were only a fist's width apart.
Linley's heart jolted. This was the first time he had been this close to a girl. Up close, he could see Alice's hazy eyes, her delicate nose, and even feel her breath and catch the faint fragrance of her body.
"Brother Linley, why did you stop?" Alice asked curiously. But a moment later, she realized the situation. She immediately pulled back, her face turning as red as an apple.
Linley also tried to calm himself. He stood up, looked at the others, and said as if nothing had happened, "Alright, everyone's eaten enough. Let's keep moving. We need to reach the city as soon as possible."