"What's this?" Dempsey's face changed slightly, "Has that Ice and Snow Monster just been here?"
Not far in front of him were over a dozen broken domed houses, and there were some scattered remnants that resembled chunks of bodies lying nearby.
Colin's expression was solemn as he released the Detecting Three Abilities, and then he quickly walked to the second broken dome house on the left, and with a wave of his hand, he unearthed a young man with a pale face.
The boy appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, with delicate features, and was wrapped in a thick gray-white shearling coat.
At the moment, his eyes were tightly closed, his face an iron blue, and his body was stiff as iron, seemingly lifeless.
However, the results returned from the Detecting Three Abilities indicated otherwise, and Colin put his palm on the boy's chest.
The light of Healing Magic shone from where they touched.
Under the power of witchcraft, the bluish color on the boy's face visibly and rapidly faded away, and his body regained its softness.
Shortly after, the boy coughed twice and slowly opened his eyes.
"Trilly…"
Seemingly not yet aware of the situation, he murmured sorrowfully, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Where did that monster go?" Colin asked in a deep voice.
The boy was bewildered for a moment, and then, coming to his senses, looked up at Colin with a somewhat confused expression.
Colin slightly knit his brows and repeated his question.
"Answer Master Colin's question quickly!" Dempsey urged him on from the side.
"Master Dempsey…" The boy, now fully alert upon seeing Dempsey, quickly raised his hand and pointed to the right, saying:
"The last I saw the Ice and Snow Monster, it flew off in that direction!"
"Dempsey, take good care of him. I'm going to see if I can catch up with the Ice Monster."
Without further delay, Colin issued a simple order to Dempsey and then took to the air, chasing in the direction the boy had pointed.
The blizzard quickly swallowed up Colin's figure.
A flash of concern passed over Dempsey's face as he turned to the boy, "Tell me exactly what happened?"
Perhaps because the Ice Monster had left for a while, villagers were gradually coming out from the other domed houses nearby.
They carried lanterns and some clubs as tools, gathering together and walking towards them, apparently to check the situation.
"It was that monster… That monster came again!" The boy said through gritted teeth, his tone filled with fear, but even more so with hatred and rage.
"Just now?" Dempsey continued to inquire.
"Yes, it came about half an hour ago, only leaving after the blizzard started," the boy replied while scanning the surroundings with his eyes.
A sense of gloom filled Dempsey's heart, not expecting such a coincidence that they had just missed the Ice Monster.
"Master Dempsey… Why are you here?"
By now, the nearby villagers had approached, and the village chief, Hunter, using the pale blue light from the lantern in his hands, saw the figures in front of him and couldn't help but ask in surprise.
Dempsey briefly explained the situation.
"So, a wizard here to help us arrived? But now he has gone into the storm to pursue the monster?"
Hunter's emotions roller-coastered with Dempsey's words, and he voiced his concern subconsciously:
"The monster has been away for a while now, and the blizzard is so fierce; the new wizard wouldn't be in danger, would he?"
"No need to worry." Dempsey was somewhat anxious as well, but remembering the strength Colin had shown while flying earlier, he felt a little relieved.
That wizard named Colin was extraordinarily powerful, perhaps the strongest First Rank Wizard he had ever seen!
Even if he couldn't catch up with the monster, at the very least, he could return safely.
Hunter nodded slightly, his concern still lingering on his face as he looked into the raging blizzard in the distance.
"Trilly…" A suppressed sob suddenly broke the silence.
Neglected until now, the young man Robin kneeled on the snow, holding a severed finger in his hands, tears streaming down his face.
Hunter, awakened from his trance by this scene, quickly turned around and motioned to the villagers:
"Check the houses to see if there's anyone alive!"
Under the influence of the Ice Monster, the ice fragments from the collapse of the domed houses, along with the ground and remaining walls, had adhered back together as if they were one piece, making it extremely difficult to separate.
The villagers could only use hammers and chisels to pound continuously, trying to carve a new path to life through the sealed dome house ruins.
Dempsey intended to find shelter from the blizzard, but, moved by the sight and recalling Colin's earlier words, he hesitated for a moment then actively stepped forward and began helping with witchcraft.
With Dempsey's aid, the ruins of the domed houses were quickly scoured one by one, and ultimately, three more survivors were rescued.
"Thank you for your help, Master Dempsey." The village chief, Hunter, settled the three survivors, who were mostly unconscious, before turning to express his gratitude.
Hunter wore a thick black woolen cap, and a wide gray scarf covered his nose and mouth, obscuring his appearance.
But from the skin around his eyes, one could tell that Hunter was not old, probably in his thirties.
"Thank you, Master Dempsey!" The villagers behind Hunter echoed their sincere gratitude.
They knew all too well that during the last attack by the Ice Monster, none of the thirty or so affected households had survived, despite their best rescue efforts.
"No need to thank me." Dempsey waved his hand, also feeling a bit melancholic.