Strange creatures that aren't human?

Upon hearing Freg's warning, Ronald wasn't too surprised.

After all, he had prepared to deal with various troubles before setting off on this journey, so receiving such news was just another expected problem.

Reflecting on his past experiences, when had he ever gone on an expedition without encountering trouble?

"Can you describe the situation with these strange creatures in detail?"

Ronald continued to inquire.

Freg straightforwardly continued to explain:

"I discovered those things three days ago."

"After crossing this mountain, there's a rift to the west, which is where these things have gathered temporarily below. These creatures have varying appearances, but you can roughly see a few major group classifications, and there's also a noticeable magic fluctuation among them."

"If I had to make an analogy..."

"It's like a bunch of summoned beings suddenly lost their master's control and gathered in this godforsaken place."

Upon hearing this explanation,

Ronald's gaze immediately shifted to the snowman beside him.

Freg's description was highly credible. Besides his friendly demeanor, the snowman summoned being beside him also testified to his casting abilities.

Therefore, Ronald was inclined to believe Freg's view on these gathered creatures.

In that case, the result was quite intriguing...

In this icy, seldom-trodden expanse of the northern lands, a massive number of masterless summoned beings inexplicably converged here, which naturally led one to think of those interdimensional beings invading the human world.

Perhaps they are using this unique geographic environment as their stronghold?

Ronald's mind spun with possibilities.

Facing him, Freg naturally noticed Ronald's serious expression.

"Mr. Ronald, what's the matter?"

"Do you by any chance know the origin of those things?"

"..."

Freg was unaware of the issue with summoned beings?

Dragged out of his thoughts by Freg's question, Ronald looked at the caster before him, slightly surprised, but quickly realized something.

"Freg, have you been in the northern lands for a long time and haven't returned to civilization?"

"Not particularly long," Freg nodded slightly, his gaze revealing a touch of reminiscence, "After the world's change, I was worried the environment here might alter too. To verify if certain spells could continue, I immediately entered the northern lands."

That explains it...

This clears up everything.

If Freg had entered too early and missed the event where Entrode released the news of summoned beings' invasion, then his insensitivity to the phenomenon of summoned beings gathering was completely understandable.

"Mr. Freg, during your time in the northern lands, a lot has happened in the outside world." Ronald, acknowledging Freg's goodwill and exchange of information, naturally intended to return the favor:

"Actually, Entrode's current political situation is unstable, and many things have happened on the mystic side. If you're planning to return to Waterfall City soon, I can give you a heads-up on these changes..."

What followed was a simple exchange of information.

Ronald shared his intelligence on Entrode with Freg, who likewise relayed his experiences over the past two months back to him.

Eventually, they parted ways amicably.

The encounter in the snowy mountains ended there without any incident.

"..."

Ronald returned to the expedition team not long after.

Though not much time had passed, someone in the group naturally cared about what had happened during his conversation with Freg.

"Ronald, what's the situation over there?"

As Ronald rejoined the team, Giovanni, as the leader, was naturally the first to ask:

"You didn't run into any danger, right?"

Ronald quickly gave a reassuring look to his teammates.

"No danger at all."

"The other party is a caster conducting research in the northern lands, so no need to worry too much."

"..."

The group fell silent for a few seconds.

Then, just as Ronald expected, after hearing his explanation, someone in the expedition team curiously asked:

"A caster?"

"What's that?"

In this world, the term "caster" was independently coined.

Hearing Ronald's explanation naturally piqued someone's curiosity.

With a calm demeanor, Ronald produced a cloud of black mist from a spell in his hand and began to explain:

"A caster refers to someone like me who can use spells."

"Due to the constraints of ability and environment, these people generally remain hidden in the shadows of society and do not reveal their existence..."

Ronald spoke in a very calm tone, using the simplest terms to introduce the existence of casters and related information to the few members of the expedition team.

—This issue was unavoidable.

After all, this expedition to the northern lands itself destined the members to witness phenomena on the mystic side that ordinary people could never encounter. Familiarizing them with some basic knowledge beforehand was a fitting choice before these things posed a real threat to them.

While listening to Ronald's explanation, members of the expedition team reacted differently.

Giovanni was the most accepting of the matter.

This adventurer wasn't too surprised by it and instead found the information explained much of what he'd personally witnessed but couldn't comprehend during past explorations.

The hunter Yavik also reacted with considerable composure.

Years of hunting had honed his ability to tolerate various upheavals. Though Ronald's explanation surprised him, Yavik remained as composed as ever.

Conversely, Betina and the other two members of the expedition team...

They were less accepting of the existence of the mystic side. If Ronald hadn't indeed performed a spell, along with the earlier unprecedented changes in the world shocking them into belief, they probably wouldn't easily accept this truth.

...

Ronald's explanation lasted a little over a quarter of an hour.

Once all essential matters were explained, he summed up with a final remark:

"So, if anyone still has questions, just ask them sooner rather than later."

"If you're truly worried or scared, I can send you back right away. It's not too late to turn back now."

"..."

Hearing this suggestion, the team members exchanged glances, even the calm and capable hunter Yavik seemed deep in thought.

Yet, amidst the tense and subdued atmosphere,

Giovanni was the first to speak, his tone and expression showing no trace of fear:

"No problem, Mr. Ronald!"

"Adventure is inherently full of uncertainties, and I'm already prepared for it!"

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