Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

"Crystal Spire!?"

Richard's voice suddenly rose, his face flashing with disbelief.

Having dealt with the Precursors so often, he knew all too well the characteristics of their creations.

That spire was undoubtedly a Precursor construct.

He followed Ulysses' gaze, but even when his eyes strained to the point of nearly splitting, he couldn't catch even a glimpse of the Crystal Spire.

The thin mist hanging over the Poison Swamp acted like a curtain, completely obscuring the scenery deep within.

"Don't bother looking—you won't see it," Ulysses said, his eyes returning to normal as he shook his head at Richard.

"Is it too far?"

"It's not about distance. The mist itself is the problem," Ulysses explained. "This mist is likely a product of some rule—it blocks external detection.

Even I could only vaguely make out the shape of a Crystal Spire thanks to my divine vision.

As for what lies inside, I have no idea."

Hearing this, Richard's excitement cooled instantly.

If this mist was indeed a product of some rule, it was likely one of the Precursors' defensive mechanisms.

That meant they might very well encounter weapons left behind by the Precursors.

Richard stared into the depths of the swamp, his expression conflicted.

There was no doubt that venturing into the swamp was a high-risk, high-reward endeavor.

If he gave up now, he might miss out on an immense treasure—or he might be dodging a deadly trap.

No one knew what truly lay in the heart of the swamp.

"Look at you, all tangled up," Ulysses suddenly spoke up, just as Richard was wrestling with his thoughts. "Did you come here for a vacation?

You came to test yourself and gather Precursor artifacts, didn't you?

If you can walk away from such a massive ruin right in front of you,

then you might as well forget about ever becoming a Great Wizard.

None of the paths to power are smooth. Seeking absolute safety and ease is impossible.

Besides, you're not weak compared to other Third Circle Wizards. You have my protection, a Secret Realm as a refuge, and centuries of research to back you up.

I really don't understand—what are you so afraid of?"

Ulysses' words struck Richard like a bolt of clarity, snapping him out of his hesitation.

He was right—Richard wasn't weak.

He was already a Third Circle Wizard, among the elite of ordinary Wizards.

With his trump cards, even if a World Master came for him, he stood a chance of escaping.

Could the remnants of a Precursor ruin really be more terrifying than a World Master? Even if such weapons existed, what were the odds they'd be used against him?

Richard refused to believe the Precursors could mass-produce weapons capable of threatening World Masters as casually as Alchemical Magic Stone Cannons.

Besides, how many years had passed?

Even if such weapons still existed, the relentless march of time should have worn them down to ruin.

Otherwise, Wizards entering this world would have been attacked by them long ago.

With everything now clear in his mind, Richard felt a surge of exhilaration—even his spiritual energy grew more vibrant.

"You're right, Ulysses. I was being too cautious."

Seeing Richard's renewed vigor, Ulysses nodded in satisfaction.

"That's more like it. A man can be cautious, but must never be cowardly. The path to godhood is inevitably strewn with thorns—those who lack courage will never achieve greatness."

"But before we enter, I need to make some preparations."

Richard opened the Mystic Realm Rift without turning back, saying:

"This swamp is extremely dangerous. I must be fully prepared."

Ulysses was momentarily stunned, then said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "Caw, changed yet not completely changed."

...

To explore the swamp, Richard retrieved the Mechanist Type I Individual Armor originally designed for the Fire Lizard.

This set of Personal Armor served as excellent auxiliary Magic Equipment for Richard at present.

Of course, before embarking on the exploration, Richard made secondary modifications to the armor.

First was the size adjustment. The armor was designed for the Fire Lizard, so its interior was excessively spacious for Richard.

Next was the optimization of internal components.

Several centuries had passed since the design of the Mechanist Type I Individual Armor. Over these years, Fire Lizard Artisans had continuously refined their craftsmanship, improving the armor's structure.

Now, the design of the Mechanist Type I had been significantly optimized, with many redundant structures streamlined.

Seizing this opportunity, Richard decided to perform a major upgrade.

The Alchemy Workshop once again blazed with roaring flames as the massive furnace poured out molten metal, shaping it into various alloy components.

Fire Lizard workers stood at the forging tables, using Dragon Alchemy to imbue these parts with the desired properties.

Meanwhile, at the experimental bench, Richard employed Wizard Alchemy to modify and refine the armor's internal components.

Time flew by, and two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Within the Secret Realm, a three-meter-tall steel giant stood beneath the World Mushroom, motionless as a statue.

Suddenly, a pulse of Magic Power emanated from within the steel giant.

Hum! In the next moment, the steel giant came to life.

Richard's voice echoed from within the giant: "Ulysses, we're ready to enter the swamp."

...

The Poison Swamp remained as tranquil as ever today.

A Spatial Rift opened above the swamp, and the steel giant emerged from it. Perched on the giant's shoulder, a black crow with eyes like blazing suns stared intently into the swamp's depths.

"No mistake, it's a Crystal Spire—and a damaged one at that."

Ulysses closed his eyes, and two trails of bloody tears dripped from the corners.

"Which direction?"

Richard's voice, muffled by the Personal Armor, came through.

Ulysses conjured a flame that formed an arrow in the air.

"This way. Straight ahead."

With the direction confirmed, Richard descended onto the swamp's surface in his armor. Astonishingly, the several-ton metal construct didn't sink but stood as steadily as if on solid ground.

"Then let's proceed. Be ready—at the first sign of trouble, we retreat immediately."

With that, the steel giant began striding across the swamp's surface.

The Poison Swamp, a unique geographical feature of the Green Forest World, teemed with countless Poisonous insects and snakes.

Every single one—not a single error, not a single miss, not a single omission—was accounted for in the content available at 69shu!

Richard alone had cataloged over a hundred species of Poisonous insects and more than twenty varieties of venomous snakes.

The venom from these poisonous insects and snakes was potent enough to fell even third-level creatures. It was hard to imagine what kind of enemies the Precursors had been fighting back then, to necessitate crafting biological weapons of this caliber.

Crack!

A sharp snapping sound suddenly came from Richard's leg armor.

A black, sharp-headed viper as thick as a grown man's arm had coiled around his leg, its fangs now broken halfway, the remnants still lodged in its mouth.

Though the venom of these vipers was deadly, it was only effective once inside a living organism.

Against the armor plates refined through Dragon Alchemy, the fangs of these snakes and insects could do little more than scratch the paint.

Such was the power of Magic Essence! (Laughs)

Richard aimed the flamethrower on his arm at the black snake. With a roaring blast, the searing white flames reduced the viper to a charred husk.

By now, Richard had reached the heart of the swamp.

The thin, hazy mist that had shrouded the swamp's periphery grew denser here.

Everything around Richard was blanketed in white, the sky itself swallowed by the thick fog.

From sight to sound, even to psychic perception, Richard's awareness was limited to a mere three-meter radius. Beyond that, he could glean no information.

The mist was like a mobile prison, trapping him within, eternally cut off from the light of day.

Perched on his shoulder, Ulysses' eyes gleamed as he continuously scanned their surroundings.

"Stop!" Ulysses shouted.

Richard halted immediately. Soon after, a low, guttural croak reached his ears.

Croak, croak.

A purple-skinned toad the size of a calf emerged from the mist, entering Richard's sensory range.

The deeper Richard ventured into the toxic swamp, the more frequently these purple-skinned toads appeared. It seemed every few steps, he encountered one.

Moreover, the further in he went, the higher their level became.

Judging by its Life Radiation, the toad before him was nearly second-level, each of its pustules brimming with venom potent enough to kill a third-level creature in an instant.

If this toad were to explode, its destructive power would far surpass that of the purple-skinned toad Richard had encountered earlier.

Even with his Personal Armor for protection, Richard dared not act recklessly.

He stood motionless, like a stone, silently watching as the toad slithered past him.

Suddenly, a gaping maw burst from the swamp, clamping down on the toad in one swift motion.

Richard's body tensed instantly. A Magic Barrier and a layer of dark energy shield materialized around him in the blink of an eye.

Beads of cold sweat trickled down his spine like a slow, steady stream.

But the anticipated explosion never came.

The purple-skinned toad lay motionless in the creature's jaws, its ruptured pustules leaking pale green venom onto the water's surface, instantly dissolving the surrounding toxic algae into sludge.

The owner of the gaping maw rose from the water—a massive serpent adorned with black grid-like stripes.

But Richard knew this was no python; it was merely an overgrown venomous snake.

The black snake slowly swallowed the toad whole, seemingly unaffected by the amphibian's usually lethal mucous coating.

"Fascinating. A natural predator-prey dynamic."

Richard watched in amazement. The purple-skinned toads, which ruled the swamp with impunity, were now nothing more than prey for this black serpent.

"Ulysses, lend me a hand. Let's get this thing into the Secret Realm."

Ulysses looked at the black snake digesting the toad, a flicker of surprise also flashing in his eyes.

"To be able to eat that Purple-skinned Toad, this thing is quite interesting."

With that, Ulysses extended his crow claw, grabbing the black snake in one swift motion. Before the snake could struggle, a Spatial Rift opened beside it.

"Old Mushroom, incoming delivery."

As he spoke, the black snake was thrown into the Secret Realm.

Richard continued forward, and soon, his vision suddenly brightened.

The white mist that had obstructed his perception disappeared—or rather, he had walked out of the mist-covered area.

Several kilometers ahead of him, a Crystal Spire covered in filthy cracks and moss stood silently in the depths of the swamp.

Beside it, a Purple-skinned Toad exuding a terrifying aura lay motionless on the ground.

"This toad..." Richard's expression turned grave as he observed it. "...its strength isn't right."

Ulysses stared at the toad and slowly said, "The Precursors in your world are no ordinary beings.

This toad, like the Blue Fire Lizard I encountered in the Crimson Sun World, has already broken through the limits of a third-level creature.

They are only one soul's leap away from becoming a World Master."

(End of Chapter)