Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

Alchemy is an intricate art that involves weaving together multiple skills to achieve the best results, whether it's for crafting magical gear, potions, synthetic beasts, or magical arrays. It requires patience, meticulous attention to detail, and sometimes a spark of inspiration.

After acquiring the necessary tools, Richard hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on his door.

To him, the process of creating the "Pale Mask" wasn't overly complex, but he still approached it with utmost seriousness.

Since he didn't buy a skull directly, Richard first needed to prepare the black-patterned water python's head.

He soaked the python's skull in a specially prepared alchemical solution for twelve hours to clean off the flesh. The process was repeated until the skull was completely free of any tissue.

While the skull soaked, Richard didn't waste time.

He ground the inferior wind-patterned stones into powder and mixed them with charcoal from the ten-year-old magic-infused wood, added 500 grams of water, and let it sit for three hours to extract the clear liquid.

This was the cartilage water used to soften the skull.

Next, he mashed the sticky mushrooms into a paste and mixed it with poisonwood ink to create the ink for inscribing alchemical runes.

This step was particularly dangerous.

Poisonwood ink is highly volatile, and when mixed with sticky mushrooms, even a slight miscalculation in the ratio can generate excessive heat.

For safety reasons, Richard rented a space in the test area for the mixing process, incurring additional expenses.

Once preparations were complete, Richard soaked the python's skull in cartilage water for an hour to soften it.

The skull, as the primary material of the mask, was easier to shape once softened.

The softened skull had a texture similar to clay, allowing Richard to easily mold it into a pale mask.

Then came the most critical step.

In general, inscribing spells on magical gear is crucial, but the Pale Mask was an exception. Its difficulty lay in drawing the magic conduction circuit. Richard had to use magical threads to guide black mercury inside the skull, creating the circuit. A single misstep or magical fluctuation would render the mask useless.

Thanks to refining Jolord's techniques, Richard excelled in magical control, completing this step in just ten minutes.

"Phew, now for the runes."

Carefully, Richard opened the ink he prepared earlier and began inscribing runes on the back of the mask with a quill.

As the quill touched the ink, a reaction occurred, causing the quill to deform. After completing each rune, Richard had to replace the quill with a new one.

The mask's magic was a first-circle spell, "Intimidate," designed to mentally unsettle enemies.

A low-level apprentice suddenly hit by "Intimidate" could become dazed, or worse, lose control of their bodily functions or faint.

After inscribing the spell, Richard wiped the sweat from his brow.

He had spent four days crafting this mask. The process went smoothly, producing a product that, while not exceptional, was certainly adequate.

This result should suffice for the test.

"But why does it feel so fragile?" Richard pondered, noticing that the mask, due to the immaturity of the skull, lacked the intended durability, feeling as if it might break easily.

"Better reinforce it with an elemental fortification array to prevent damage from minor impacts."

...

"You finished quickly," Chaxes remarked, surprised as he sipped from his flask. "It took me two weeks to make that, and I failed once."

"Maybe I got lucky and succeeded on the first try," Richard replied modestly, scratching his head.

This time, he hadn't resorted to any shortcuts; he had followed each step diligently.

"Remarkable, truly remarkable. The senior sister was right; you're a natural at alchemy," Chaxes praised. "From today, we're officially peers. Feel free to consult me on any minor issues. My studies are a bit unconventional, but I have a solid foundation."

Richard nodded, aware of the pitfalls of working in isolation.

After some small talk, rapid footsteps approached, echoing into Richard's ears.

Bang.

Anna burst in, dressed differently than before. She wore a form-fitting black outfit instead of her usual wizard robes, her fiery figure on full display.

"You're done?" Anna's sharp eyes fixed on Richard.

"I'm done. Here's the finished product."

Richard waved the bag containing the mask at Anna.

Sensing the faint magical aura from the bag, Anna's expression remained unchanged, though internally she was relieved.

She hadn't misjudged; Richard was indeed a prodigy.

"Let's go see the mentor. Chaxes, come too."

On the ninety-ninth floor of the Central Black Tower, Jolord sat before the bookshelf, frowning at his notes.

"Failed again. What's missing? Is it the lab's location affecting my luck?"

"Mentor, Richard's work is complete," Anna announced.

"Hmm?" Jolord turned to his disciple, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"Which Richard?"

Anna's face stiffened. She pulled Richard forward, exasperated.

"The student you met before, mentor."

"Oh, right, right, you brought a student," Jolord recalled, tapping his forehead. He vaguely remembered Anna introducing a student with potential, leading him to set a test.

However, he realized he might have given the wrong item due to a failed experiment souring his mood that day.

He should have given the hidden mask's design, not the Pale Mask's.

Jolord felt a bit embarrassed. How could a low-level apprentice create the Pale Mask?

The magic conduction circuit of the Pale Mask required precise and uninterrupted magical guidance, demanding high magical control. Without sufficient control, quantity was needed to compensate. Generally, only a highly talented senior apprentice could craft it after studying magical manipulation.

Both of his disciples had completed the Pale Mask during their intermediate apprentice years, despite their exceptional talents.

Yet, this apprentice seemed to have succeeded.

"Probably just a barely functional, substandard piece," Jolord thought, eyeing the bag with the mask.

Magical gear quality ranged from perfect, excellent, standard, to substandard.

Substandard gear could cast spells but had significant drawbacks in magic consumption and spell effectiveness. Compared to standard gear, substandard items consumed more magic for weaker effects.

Nonetheless, creating even substandard gear demonstrated the apprentice's talent.

Approaching Richard, Jolord tried to appear approachable, mindful of the embarrassment of giving the wrong test item.

"Don't be nervous. Show me the mask."