Time went back to June 5th.
That morning, after saying goodbye to his three good brothers, Lin Lei packed a sturdy leather bundle onto his back and set off on the road to the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
"Squeak~~~" The little Shadow Mouse happily jumped on Lin Lei's shoulder.
"Boss, we're finally heading to the Magic Beast Mountain Range! Wow, I'm so excited." The Shadow Mouse's voice echoed in Lin Lei's mind. Lin Lei just smiled slightly. At this moment, Derinkoort, dressed in a moon-white robe, was walking beside Lin Lei.
Derinkoort advised, "Lin Lei, be careful when you're alone. You might run into bandits."
"I know, Grandpa Derink." Lin Lei smiled.
Regarding all the precautions for being alone outside, Grandpa Derink had already explained them many times. Lin Lei was currently wearing sturdy hemp trousers and a sleeveless vest. His bulging muscles, judging by appearance alone, made him look completely like a warrior.
According to Derinkoort, wearing a mage's robe inside the Magic Beast Mountain Range was too cumbersome; this kind of attire was much better.
Lin Lei's speed was very fast. Even though the road from Ernst Academy to the Magic Beast Mountain Range was quite rough, with Lin Lei's strength as a fourth-level warrior, he easily covered forty li in an hour. Just then, Lin Lei suddenly saw three people ahead.
"Huh?" Lin Lei's gaze suddenly landed on one of them.
That person was actually wearing the standard robe of Ernst Academy. Of the other two in that group, one was exceptionally broad-shouldered and carried a huge war blade on his shoulder, while the other was lean, with a short blade at his waist. The lean young man turned alertly to look at Lin Lei.
Lin Lei couldn't be bothered with these three and sped up to pass them.
"Lin Lei, is that you?" A voice suddenly rang out.
Lin Lei turned, puzzled, and saw the youth in the Ernst Academy standard robe smiling and calling out: "Lin Lei, I'm Desate! Remember me?"
"Desate, it's you." Lin Lei stopped.
He did know this Desate.
Desate was a fifth-level student in the Wind System, just like Lin Lei. While they weren't particularly close, they were classmates after all.
Desate, along with the other two warriors, walked over. Desate said enthusiastically, "Lin Lei, I didn't expect a mage to dress like this. I almost didn't recognize you. When I saw the little Shadow Mouse on your shoulder, I looked closer to make sure it was you."
"Kava, Matt, let me introduce you. This is 'Lin Lei,' one of the two supreme geniuses of Ernst Academy. He's only fifteen but already a fifth-level mage," Desate introduced warmly.
Kava was the bear-like brawny man, and Matt was the lean warrior.
"One of Ernst Academy's two supreme geniuses! I've heard Desate talk about you, but I didn't expect to be lucky enough to meet you today," Matt said politely. Kava blinked his ox-like eyes in surprise: "You're a mage? You look more like a warrior to me!"
Lin Lei didn't say much and asked, "Are you also heading to the Magic Beast Mountain Range?"
Desate nodded: "Yes. Kava and Matt accompanied me on a training exercise last year. We coordinated well. This year, we're planning to explore the outer regions of the Magic Beast Mountain Range. Lin Lei, you should travel with us. It'll be safer together."
Lin Lei nodded.
"For now, I'll travel with them. This Desate is from my academy, so he's trustworthy. I can part ways with them once we reach the Magic Beast Mountain Range." Having made his decision, Lin Lei set off towards the Magic Beast Mountain Range with Desate and his companions.
The four of them traveled very quickly along the way.
Even Desate, with the weakest physical constitution, could cast the supplementary magic "Rapid." The group moved swiftly along the desert road.