Wizard: I Can Refine Everything

In the dense forest, five black-robed wizards moved in silence. A layer of shadow seemed to cloak them, rendering their features and forms indiscernible.

If a wizard who had studied Shadow Magic had witnessed this scene, they would have recognized at a glance the Shadow Veil spell in use.

This spell, a lower-ranked variant of the Shadow Veil, aimed to prevent detection by spiritual power. The spiritual power of a wizard would be deceived by the Shadow Veil, mistaking the wizard deploying it for a mere patch of shadow.

Suddenly, the lead black-robed wizard halted his stride, and a Magic Barrier burst forth around him.

At nearly the same time, the wizards following him conjured their own Magic Barriers.

Yet, after their activation, the forest remained deathly silent.

"What's the matter, captain?" a wizard asked through a Spiritual Message.

Without looking back, the captain replied, "The Magic Power trace of that rat has vanished here. Be cautious—he's likely lurking in one of these shadows."

The lead black-robed wizard looked almost like a normal person, but above each of his eyes, at an oblique angle, he had an extra pair of eyes.

These eyes were completely black, devoid of any white, resembling two black gemstones.

With these eyes, he could see the traces caused by the transformation of energy into life forms, and through his vision, the faint blue traces indicating Magic Power that they had been following had suddenly vanished.

This was highly unsettling.

Before this point, there were no signs of the Magic Power trace weakening.

Unless... this place was the wizard's destination.

A flicker of panic crossed the captain's mind. He gestured to his teammates to abandon the mission.

But just at that moment, a barely audible sound, like the grinding of gears, reached his ears.

The captain remembered—there were no Alchemy Wizards among his team.

Boom!

Without hesitation, the captain waved his Magic Wand, and a fireball as bright as the sun immediately crashed towards the source of the sound.

The fireball burst, its scattering Flames dispelling the darkness of the woods.

At the same time, the captain's heart sank to the pit of his stomach.

Four Iron Giants, each over three meters tall, stood beside them, less than ten meters away.

Their bodies were painted with black Alchemy paint, effectively absorbing the scattered light of the forest, and their creators weren't satisfied with just that; these Iron Giants could also block detection by spiritual power.

No rookie was among their squad members. During the chase, their spiritual power was constantly scanning within a fifty-meter radius for traps and ambushes.

But they had somewhat forgotten that they were not fighting natives this time, but a group of Black Wizards like themselves.

Bang!

Almost simultaneously, the Iron Giants took action. Their massive three-meter stature did not affect their speed or agility; in fact, it made their movements even more overwhelming.

When a three-meter-tall Iron Giant charged with a speed of a hundred meters in two seconds, any creature in its path would tremble from the core.

The Iron Giants tore through the wizard squad in nearly an instant, their giant Chain Saw Swords slicing through the wizards' Magic Barriers as if cutting through butter.

Thud!

A wizard was cleaved into two halves, his blood instantly spraying out.

"Kava, don't be so savage," one Iron Giant said to another in a language unintelligible to the wizards.

"The Master needs these wizards' bodies."

The addressed giant flicked the blood from his blade, responding with a somewhat awkward voice:

"I didn't expect it to be so easy."

The captain watched the scene in the forest with horror and began to retreat without hesitation. The four Iron Giants had nearly instantly dispatched his teammates, seemingly with no more difficulty than slaughtering chickens.

This was certainly not something a Second Ring Wizard could achieve.

The Black Tower Wizard Academy had dispatched Three Rings Wizards for this task, and he had to report this matter to their superiors.

With a flick of his wand, the captain instantly appeared in a shadow far away.

He, too, knew how to Shadow Shuttling.

But before he could perform another Shadow Shuttling, out of nowhere, a fist-sized black fireball exploded beside him.

Although the fireball did not break his Magic Barrier, it disrupted the Shadow Shuttling he was about to use.

"Damn it!"

The captain cursed, and quickly pulled a Crystal Ball from his pocket.

If he couldn't get back in person, at least the information had to be sent back.

He was a battle-hardened wizard, after all, and had that much determination.

But just as he took out the Crystal Ball, ripples suddenly erupted on his Magic Barrier.

Fists pelted it like raindrops before suddenly vanishing, and an intense feeling of danger surged in his heart.

If he didn't dodge, death was all that awaited him.

But now, dodging or not made little difference. If he dodged this punch, those Iron Giants would kill him anyhow.

The captain quickly tapped a few times on the Crystal Ball, desperate to send the message before his death.

The next instant, a fist inscribed with Runes punched through his Magic Barrier and, without diminishing in power, ran through the captain.

The captain's hands fell limp, but on the Crystal Ball, a message had been sent.

The Iron Giants arrived just then, and with a single swing, severed the captain's head.

A beam of light shot out from the captain's body and then disappeared into the Void, never to be seen again.

"So this is why he was so fearless—he had a Life Box,"

Richard wiped the blood from his hand, having just retracted his arm.

The punch he had just delivered was the Mountain Breaking Fist, a technique he had learned many years ago. While he hadn't trained in it daily, during breaks from experiments, Richard would often find a target to punch a few times, honing his fist's sensitivity.

Now, after decades, he had achieved a small measure of skill.

Richard picked up the Crystal Ball from the ground and, after examining it, sighed helplessly.

"What a pity, he still managed to send it out. I hope this doesn't lead to any misunderstandings."

Because there was no deep-seated hatred between the two Deans, at this moment, the Three Rings Wizards of both sides tacitly took their positions within the Core Wizard Tower.

But if this tacit understanding was broken, things could get tricky.

The Wizard Academy of the Black Tower was at a numerical disadvantage. If the Meteor Star Academy were to mobilize en masse, they would be forced to fight a defensive battle for the Central Black Tower.

After tossing the Crystal Ball into his pocket, Richard thoroughly searched through the bodies of the several wizards in the forest.

These wizards were all Second Ring Wizards, and their spoils of war were rather substantial.

However, this wasn't an ideal location, so Richard could only plunder the five wizards' Magic Pockets and Magic Equipment, then set their bodies ablaze with a sweep of flames before hastily departing.

Although the bodies of these wizards had some use, as a Wizard himself, Richard felt it was better to maintain some ethical boundaries.

Shortly after Richard left, two streaks of light arrived at the battlefield.

Given the unreserved nature of their movements at this time, there was no doubt these two were Three Rings Wizards from Meteor Star Wizard Academy.

Crispin's face was somber as he examined the battlefield, while Deputy Dean Zick beside him did the same.

But unlike Crispin's somberness, Zick's expression was one of puzzlement.

After surveying the entire site, the two arrived at the spot where Richard had incinerated the bodies.

Zick bent over to pick up some ashes, rubbed them in his hands, and said with a somewhat teasing tone,

"Incinerating the bodies, quite meticulous of this Wizard."

But Crispin was in no mood for jests.

"Master, what's your assessment of the battlefield?" he asked, looking grim.

"What do I think?" Zick tossed the ashes from his hand, "I don't have much of an opinion. The youngster being pursued must've been scared stiff. I see no sign of any Three Rings Wizard involvement in this battle.

The four Iron Giants that attacked them, I'm more inclined to believe they were some sort of intelligence-controlled Magic Statue or some kind of specialized Alchemy Puppet.

These puppets have undergone specialized modifications, designed specifically for hunting wizards.

From the spiritual power screening they possess, and that Alchemy Saber capable of quickly breaking through a Magic Barrier, it's quite clear.

The Academy War didn't start overnight, and it's not unusual for Alchemy Wizards to specially modify golems for the conflict."

Crispin's face eased slightly at this.

"If that's also how Master sees it, then I'm relieved."

Zick waved his hand dismissively, "It's not yet time to relax. This Wizard should not be underestimated. Moreover, patrolling teams these past few days have also reported signs of Wizard infiltration.

The Black Tower Wizard Academy likely dispatched a group of elite Wizards at the war's outset to act as 'Black Wizards' in our territory."

"If we don't deal with these Black Wizards, we won't have peace here.

Most of the wizards we left behind are students who haven't tasted battle—they lack experience and it will be hard for them to effectively defend against these elite Wizards."

Crispin bowed his head and asked, "Master, what's your plan?"

Zick sighed, "I'll call for reinforcements. The Academy War will last fifty years; there's no need to rush."

At his words, Crispin also sighed.

"Let's do that, then. I'll draft the list."

...

The periphery of Meteor Star Wizard Academy wasn't like that of the Black Tower Wizard Academy, which was surrounded by vast expanses of hills. Instead, mountain ranges occupied a considerable amount of space beyond Meteor Star Wizard Academy.

Inside a cave in one of these mountain ranges, Richard laid out all the spoils he had collected over the past few days.

"Fifteen Magic Wands, twenty-seven Magic Pockets, twelve Magic Rings, seven Magic Necklaces, two Magic Belts... ah, not bad. As expected, robbing others sure is the fastest way to make money."

Richard counted the loot from the past few days. Although many of the wands and Magic Equipment were junk, there were still quite a few treasures among them.

[Material: Aurora Ring]

[Extractable Information: High-Energy Aurora Spell Model]

[Extraction Cost: 5 spiritual power]

...

[Material: Power Ring]

[Extractable Information: Rune Fist Magic Model]

[Extraction Cost: 5 spiritual power]

...

[Material: Armor Belt]

[Extractable Information: Magic Armor Spell Model]

[Extraction Cost: 10 spiritual power]

Looking at these three pieces of premium Magic Equipment in his hands, Richard once again marveled at how lucrative robbing others could be.

In addition to these high-quality items, Richard found many Magic Stones, Magic Essences, and research notebooks inside the slain Wizards' Magic Pockets.

Most of the notebooks contained experimental records—while not very useful, Richard didn't mind keeping them.

Experimental records are knowledge too, and one day they might just help him eliminate a possibility.

Beyond these less useful experimental records, Richard also discovered an Encrypted Notebook.

[Material: Unknown Wizard's Encrypted Notes]

[Extractable Information: Partial Principles of Great Fragmentation Skill]

[Extraction Cost: 4 spiritual power]

Looking at the information provided by the Miracle Furnace, Richard rubbed his eyes to ensure he had read it correctly and then immediately burst into elation.

The Great Fragmentation Skill, the deadliest offensive Alchemy Magic.

The Big Decomposition Cannon, outfitted with Great Fragmentation Skill, had always been a powerful siege tool for Wizards.

Richard, looking at the Encrypted Notes, murmured,

"I didn't expect to get my hands on this. I've really hit the jackpot this time."