Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

The Serpent King's decision was undoubtedly the correct one.

For Grand Wizard Galon, his combat prowess was far less valuable than the traits he exhibited.

A physique evolver who had broken through mortal limits was, by all accounts, natural material prepared for the study of physical evolution.

Since the Serpent King had agreed, Richard didn't waste words and immediately had the World Mushroom prepare a Fate Contract.

The binding power of a Soul Contract was limited. For creatures that had already surpassed mortal limits, a Fate Contract was undoubtedly the best method of restraint.

With the contract signed, Richard gained another powerful subordinate.

Once the contract was completed, Richard voiced a question that had been on his mind.

"Serpent King, I have a question for you. You and that toad are both creations of The Supreme. Logically, you shouldn't be enemies. How did things end up like this?"

Hearing this, the Serpent King sighed helplessly.

"Logically, that's true. But that brainless toad holds a grudge. Our kind's duty is to control the toads' population, preventing them from overbreeding.

"But that toad has no brains. As a biological weapon, it lacks inherited instincts.

"So after it grew up, it began reproducing uncontrollably, and I had no choice but to step in and deal with the problem.

"But as you can see, the results speak for themselves."

The Serpent King sighed again, exasperated. As a predator of the toads, it was nearly killed by its own prey.

What an embarrassing story that would be.

"Hmm?"

Richard frowned slightly, sensing something off in the Serpent King's words.

"Forgive me for asking, but how did you break through mortal limits, Serpent King?

"It's one thing for you to surpass them—that can be explained. But how could a biological weapon also break through?"

At Richard's question, the Serpent King froze.

Indeed, he had surpassed mortal limits because his bloodline originated from The Supreme. But those toads were disposable tools—how could they have done the same?

Mortal limits weren't like paper windows in martial arts dramas, easily pierced with a bit of spit.

The Serpent King dredged up ancient memories, growing more unsettled the more he thought about it.

"You've really stumped me with this one. Back then, I broke through because I risked my life to devour a seed of the World Tree and accidentally transcended.

"But that toad is an expendable creature that explodes at the slightest scare. How could it possibly have surpassed mortal limits?"

Seeing that even the Serpent King didn't know, Richard's interest was piqued.

That toad seemed even more worthy of study than the Serpent King.

"Gah, no need to overthink it," Ulysses interjected. "You won't figure anything out just by speculating.

"Just go kill that toad. Once its corpse becomes a specimen, the answer will reveal itself."

"Or plunge us into an unfathomable abyss," Richard added, finishing Ulysses' thought.

"But it's still a viable approach. We won't find the answer through speculation alone."

With that, he turned to the Serpent King and asked, "Do you need to prepare anything? We'll go kill that toad next."

"Prepare?" The Serpent King's face twisted into a vicious grin. "No preparation needed! I've spent every waking moment thinking about how to kill that toad. When the fight starts, just act as support and help distract it."

As the natural predator of toads, the Serpent King inherently held an advantage over them.

If not for the potency of the toad's venom, the Serpent King would have devoured it long ago.

"In that case, it's up to you now, Serpent King," Richard said with a smile. "But try to leave the corpse intact. I want to see what kind of extraordinary encounter allowed this toad, a mere biological weapon, to break through the limits of mortality."

The Serpent King gave a slight nod. "Fine, no problem."

Once outside the Secret Realm, the Serpent King entered the swamp, and energy ripples emanated from its dragon-like horns.

The energy spread through the murky waters, causing the serpents in the swamp to stir. Waves of venomous snakes surged toward the Serpent King like a tide.

Watching the endless sea of snakes converging toward the Serpent King, Richard felt a chill run down his spine.

He had never imagined the swamp concealed such an overwhelming number of venomous snakes. Even the White Wizard Legion would have to tread carefully against such numbers.

"Do you really need to summon an entire horde of snakes just to kill a toad?" Richard asked.

"Killing the toad alone wouldn't require it, but that toad can summon smaller toads," the Serpent King explained. "Though not as powerful as the old toad, they're still quite troublesome."

Richard nodded in agreement. Indeed, those smaller toads were no pushovers.

If they swarmed in large numbers, even a creature that had transcended mortal limits would face serious trouble.

Once the serpents had gathered, the Serpent King hissed a few commands in their tongue before advancing toward the Crystal Spire.

Behind it, the serpents followed like an endless, rolling white tide.

...

Beneath the Crystal Spire, the Toad King lounged leisurely, basking in the sun. Occasionally, when hungry, it would flick its tongue to snatch a Seeding Hawk from the sky—life couldn't be more carefree.

Suddenly, a subtle sense of unease prickled at the Toad King's instincts. It stood up, its bulging eyes scanning the white mist around it.

As a creature that had surpassed the limits of mortal physiology, its intuition was razor-sharp.

It could clearly sense an immense danger approaching.

"Gugu! Gugu!"

A deep croak rumbled from within the Toad King, the sound spreading instantly through the swamp's murky waters.

Countless Purple-skinned Toads emerged from the water, grass, and reeds, converging toward the Crystal Spire.

But before the Toad King could make further preparations, a dark shadow shot out from the mist—two flashes of cold light aimed straight for its head.

"Gugu!"

Though the Toad King's massive frame appeared clumsy, its movements were lightning-fast.

All four limbs pushed off at once, propelling its body forward. Meanwhile, the pustules on its back sprayed thick, viridian venom at the shadow.

The venom shot forth like arrows.

The shadow dodged swiftly, an invisible Airflow Barrier forming around it to deflect the remaining venom. Where the venom struck the ground, the swamp blackened instantly—algae and withered wood dissolving into dark sludge.

Just as the Toad King's pustules prepared for another volley—

A fierce gust of wind blasted from the mist, sending the toad hurtling into the air.

This time, the Toad King finally saw what had attacked it.

"Damnable serpent!"

The Toad King's thunderous croak carried an unmistakable intent, as clear as a telepathic message.

"Long time no see, big toad."

The Serpent King gazed at the Toad King with a sinister smile. In the next instant, streaks of lightning crackled along his dragon horns.

Boom!

A thick bolt of white-purple lightning shot from his horns, piercing through the air to strike the Toad King squarely.

Croak! The Toad King's body stiffened violently as the lightning paralyzed its limbs, rendering them unresponsive.

Before the lightning could fully dissipate, the Serpent King lunged with jaws agape, aiming straight for the airborne toad.

"Gurgle croak!"

The Toad King's body jerked midair as a sudden, ferocious gust of wind caught it, lifting it rapidly upward just in time to evade the Serpent King's snapping jaws.

Having transcended mortal limits like its opponent, the Toad King had naturally mastered elemental manipulation without formal training.

The failed attack created distance between the two beasts.

The golden-scaled Serpent King, over ten meters long, crackled with lightning between his scales like a living thunder god. Not to be outdone, the Toad King's body suddenly inflated like a pufferfish, swelling to the size of a mammoth, its pustules now appearing dangerously fragile.

These were old rivals. In their battle years ago, the Serpent King had suffered defeat, left to slowly perish from lingering venom.

Now their rematch found the Serpent King transformed.

Suddenly, a shadowy beast wreathed in black flames shot from the mist, charging straight at the Toad King.

This creature's aura rivaled both beast kings'.

Distracted by the new threat, the Toad King left an opening the Serpent King instantly exploited—his massive jaws snapping toward his foe.

As the Toad King tried to dodge, the dark beast entangled its limbs.

Squelch!

The Serpent King's fangs sank deep, bursting the Toad King's pustules. Rule-infused venom immediately corroded the serpent's maw to bare bone.

Yet the Serpent King refused to release his grip, pumping endless streams of lethal venom through his fangs into the Toad King's body.

Mortal terror seized the Toad King.

"Croak croak!"

A terrifying energy surge erupted from within the toad.

As a former biological weapon, even after transcending mortal limits, its weaponized instincts had merely been suppressed by reason—never erased.

Now, with reason gone, nothing restrained those instincts.

A biological weapon's fundamental programming: detonate when threatened.

"What's happening? This thing's about to blow!" Ulysses cried in alarm, sensing the building energy.

"Relax," the Serpent King calmly continued injecting venom. "It won't explode." As this bioweapon's natural predator, his venom served as the explosive toad's stabilizer.

Events proved him right—the surging energy quickly subsided.

Gradually, the Serpent King stretched his jaws impossibly wide, slowly engulfing the mammoth-sized toad.

Ulysses frowned. "If you eat it, how do we retrieve the corpse?"

"Not eating it means imminent detonation," the Serpent King explained between swallows. "Once I've dissolved its venom sacs, I'll regurgitate—"

Suddenly, the serpent's expression twisted. A violent energy surge erupted from within, blasting him in half.

"Holy shit! If you can't handle it, don't push yourself!"

Ulysses witnessed the scene and immediately radiated a majestic Holy Light, hurling Divine Arts at the Serpent King as if they cost nothing.

The Power of Faith could be replenished, but a life lost was gone forever.

Fortunately, the Serpent King wielded the Life Rule. Even though it had been blown in half, with most of its organs reduced to pulp by the shockwave, it could still cling to life through its rule.

The Serpent King weakly shouted, "Forget about me—check the toad's remains! I won't die. There's something inside them!"

"Something?"

Ulysses extended a crow claw and fished the Serpent King's lower half out of the swamp.

The Toad King's body had nearly dissolved entirely in the venom, leaving only a calcified sphere lying quietly in the toxic fluid.

"What the hell is this?"

...

Before long, Ulysses returned to the Secret Realm with the Serpent King.

Seeing the barely alive Serpent King, Richard urgently called out, "World Mushroom! Come help!"

Then, he turned to Ulysses and asked, "What happened? Was that toad really that strong?"

Ulysses shook his head. "The toad wasn't strong. But the big snake must've messed up—let the toad explode from inside its belly.

Oh, and this is what we pulled out of the toad's remains."

With that, Ulysses handed the calcified sphere to Richard.

Richard stared at it, momentarily stunned.

"What is this? A core?"

(End of Chapter)