"Hmm?" Lin Lei turned his head, frowning.
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 probably be dead."
The girl named Alice also ran over. She was clearly still shaken, her heaving chest rising and falling rapidly, but her misty eyes gazed at Lin Lei with curiosity. "Thank you for saving my life. My name is Alice—Alice Daff. I'm also an Earth System mage."
Lin Lei's gaze lingered on Alice for a moment.
He had to admit, Alice was a very striking girl. That endearing, delicate quality about her was something innate—it didn't require any voice, makeup, or other affectations to create.
"Lin Lei, when people run into trouble in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, you usually don't lift a finger to help them. What's going on today?" Derinkoort's teasing voice echoed in Lin Lei's mind. "Ah, I know—you've fallen for this girl Alice, haven't you?"
Lin Lei's brow furrowed.
"Grandpa Derinkoort, it wasn't that I didn't want to help before. It's just that deeper inside the Magic Beast Mountain Range, the beasts people encounter are at least several sixth-level magic beasts, or even seventh-level ones. I simply didn't have the ability to help. Killing a fifth-level magic beast isn't that hard, so I just helped out while I was at it," Lin Lei immediately explained to Derinkoort.
Derinkoort chuckled and said nothing more.
"My name is Tony. I wonder what the mage's name is?" another young man asked.
Lin Lei regarded the group coolly. "How long have you been in the Magic Beast Mountain Range?"
"First day," Kalan said helplessly. "We never expected to run into a fifth-level magic beast on our very first day. Just our luck. According to the books, the outer region should only have third and fourth-level magic beasts. The four of us coming here shouldn't have been very dangerous."
"Foolish," Lin Lei said, shaking his head.
The girl archer named Nia immediately flared up. "Hey, what's with the attitude, kid? So you saved Alice—what gives you the right to insult us?"
"Nia," Kalan snapped.
Lin Lei said flatly, "I really admire your nerve, charging into the Magic Beast Mountain Range without a second thought. I also have to say you've been incredibly lucky not to run into any bandits on the way in."
"Bandits?" Kalan and the others exchanged glances. They indeed hadn't encountered any.
The Magic Beast Mountain Range stretched over ten thousand li in length and could be entered from countless points, so it was perfectly normal not to come across bandits.
"I'm telling you—if you don't want to die, leave the Magic Beast Mountain Range right now," Lin Lei said bluntly.
"Why? Are there a lot of fifth-level magic beasts in the outer region?" the young man called Tony asked, puzzled.
Lin Lei replied calmly, "In the Magic Beast Mountain Range—especially the outer parts—the most dangerous thing isn't the magic beasts. It's other humans. The four of you are not only weak, but you have absolutely no experience. I guarantee any greedy person wouldn't let you go. You've probably only gone unnoticed because you just entered today—otherwise, you'd all already be dead."
"The most dangerous thing is humans?" Kalan's brow furrowed, but moments later his expression changed drastically.
Kalan immediately addressed Lin Lei with deep respect. "Mage, we entered the Magic Beast Mountain Range just today and only have a rough idea of what it's like. This trip was decided privately. I hope the mage can help us leave the Magic Beast Mountain Range together."