Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

Richard curiously held the bone pointer in his hand, letting it rest on his palm. The pointer quivered slightly, pointing in the same direction as before.

"Cursed spells are truly fascinating," Richard remarked, handing the bone pointer back to Ellie. He then returned to the alchemical golem, storing it back in the secret realm since it couldn't navigate the narrow tunnels.

Following the bone pointer's direction, Richard and Ellie continued their descent through the tunnels.

Along the way, they frequently encountered traces of Black Crystal Insectoid activity, confirming the bone pointer's accuracy.

As they descended deeper into the hive, the environment became increasingly warm and humid, with the surrounding fungi growing denser. Many tunnels were obscured by the fungal overgrowth, necessitating mental power to locate them, significantly slowing their pursuit.

Fortunately, this environment also made the insects' tracks more apparent, allowing Richard to continue tracking them even when his spells failed.

One month later.

Boom!

With a dull thud, a small purple fireball blasted away the fungi blocking their path.

Richard and Ellie had reached the middle layer of the hive, where the surroundings were not only warmer and more humid but also contained significantly more magical energy. Amidst this magic, Richard sensed a powerful vitality.

This vitality endowed the fungi with extraordinary resilience, requiring Richard and Ellie to use spells to clear their path.

Moreover, the vitality invigorated Richard's cells, causing an overwhelming urge to fight to surge through his mind.

Richard was certain that creatures living in this hive layer would be extremely aggressive.

At least, first-tier creatures would be.

"The rules of this world are strange. The deeper we go, the higher the temperature, yet the water element concentration keeps rising," Ellie noted, a faint flame enveloping her body to keep herself dry.

The fire elemental bloodline she had merged with made her uncomfortable with the increasing water element.

As they entered the tunnel, Richard noticed the fungi they had blasted were growing back at a visible rate. It wouldn't be long before they blocked the tunnel again.

"We need to hurry. The vitality of these fungi, combined with the environment, is astonishingly robust."

The tunnel ended in a cavern where several Black Crystal Insectoids rested, some visibly injured.

Richard peered through the gaps in the fungi, observing the cavern:

"Seems like these insects are in bad shape. The injured ones have fallen behind."

The insects were in poor condition, their wounds continuously oozing green fluid that corroded the glowing moss on the ground, leaving holes.

The insects' acidic bodily fluids effectively corroded the fungi, allowing Richard to track them primarily through these corrosive traces.

"Should we attack?" Ellie asked, eager to act.

The stifling environment and the prolonged pursuit had left her with a pent-up desire to unleash her power.

"Not yet."

Richard resisted the urge to fight, mentally directing Ulysses to scout ahead.

"Caw, scouting again," Ulysses grumbled, flapping his wings and darting toward the injured insects like a black bolt of lightning.

"What's that?!"

An injured insect emitted a sharp cry from its mouthparts.

The insects were warrior types, having witnessed the wizards' abilities. Seeing the black creature, they knew it wasn't native to the hive, making the situation clear.

"Monsters!"

Despite their injuries, the warrior insects rose, their blade arms gleaming sharply.

These insects were once renowned warriors in the hive, known for their strength and luck, surviving the Black Bone Plains.

But faced with these seasoned warriors, Richard simply smirked.

Warrior insects were the hive's most common combatants, their strength best described as balanced.

Their physique, energy, and body structure were all balanced, equipped to handle various situations.

However, balanced could also mean mediocre.

The mediocrity of the warrior insects' stats meant they excelled in large-scale battles but were vulnerable in small skirmishes or one-on-one combat.

With a swift movement, Richard appeared in front of a warrior insect.

The battle urge from the environment had been tormenting him, and this was the perfect opportunity to release it.

"Monster! Die!"

Two warrior insects swung their blade arms at Richard, their sharp edges slicing through the air toward him.

If they hit, Richard would at least... get a scratch.

Richard's Adaptive Physique training focused on elemental damage, but he also trained to adapt to physical damage. Cuts below 150 energy levels couldn't even break his skin.

The injured warrior insects could barely muster 300 energy levels in their attacks, and Richard's physical resilience, combined with his black-scaled armor, rendered their strikes laughable.

Ignoring the slashes, Richard grinned and swung his staff down.

Crack!

A warrior insect's body crumpled under the blow, its carapace and muscles bursting open, spraying green fluid everywhere.

Ellie also unleashed her power, a purple fireball forming at her staff's tip. The intense heat raised the cavern's temperature as she casually cast the fireball, incinerating three warrior insects unable to dodge.

Seeing their comrades fall like grass, the remaining insects fled in panic down the tunnel.

They were already demoralized remnants, harboring fear of the wizards. Witnessing their allies' slaughter shattered what little courage remained.

But Richard wouldn't let them escape.

With staff in hand, Richard smashed the fleeing insects like a game of Whack-a-Mole, filling the cavern with green splatters.

Finally, Richard approached the last insect.

He produced a soul scroll, speaking slowly:

"Surrender, or die."

The surviving warrior insect took the contract, its blade arms trembling, and inscribed its name on the soul contract.

Fear of death broke its last vestige of dignity.

...

With the contract complete, Ellie approached Richard, curious. "Why enslave it? This insect's crippled. It's not worth wasting a soul contract."

Richard administered a life potion to the warrior insect's wounds, preventing its rapid death.

"Can you understand these insects?"

Ellie paused, realizing Richard's intent.

"You want to interrogate it."

"Not interrogate," Richard corrected, crouching before the warrior insect. "Inquire. As its master, I don't need to interrogate it."

He addressed the insect, "Tell me, what's your purpose in going to the upper hive?"

"We... we..." The warrior insect hesitated, but Richard's cold gaze made it relent.

"We went to retrieve the priest's divine gift and a relic of the Mother Insect God."

"A relic of the Mother Insect God?!" Richard's heart raced. "What is this relic?"

As a world lord, anything related to the Mother Insect God was significant.

The warrior insect explained, "The relics were treasures bestowed by the Mother Insect God to thirty-six mothers. Most were used in the war, but the Insect God's Blood is still hidden in the upper hive. Our priest learned of this and led us to retrieve it."

"Learned of it by chance? You're not from this insect nation?"

The warrior insect nodded its antennae. "Correct, we are from the Prosperous Insect Nation."

"And what's the strength of your group?"

"Most of us are one-star warrior insects. The priest is two-star, but it was severely injured in the upper hive."

Richard nodded, understanding the situation.

"What about the wizard you sealed?"

"Wizard?" The warrior insect was momentarily confused, then realized Richard referred to Lawrence.

"We're returning to the Prosperous Insect Nation, which requires passing through the mushroom field. The wizard is our offering to the field."

...

Several kilometers away, a group of Black Crystal Insectoids rested in a cavern.

A month of travel had left them exhausted.

They unloaded fungi from transport insects, each taking some to chew on.

While they could sustain themselves on magic consumption, the life-active substances in warrior fungi quickly relieved their fatigue.

In the midst of the warrior insects, a priest insect sat quietly, its black crystal forehead faintly glowing with starlight.

All the insects sensed the priest's internal discord.

An alien energy was wreaking havoc on its body, opposed by its star power.

Eventually, the priest insect extended its antennae, opening its large eyes to reveal a weary gaze.

The alien energy, rootless as it was, was temporarily suppressed by the priest's starlight.

"Priest, should we continue?" asked a leader among the warrior insects, clad in black metal armor.

Insect warriors donned in black armor were the elite among one-star warrior insects, future stars on the cusp of becoming two-star.

"Continue," the priest replied, rising. "Every minute here endangers the Mother Insect God's relic. Those two groups of monsters still pursue us. We must hurry."

With that, it opened its mouth, expelling a starlight-encased Lawrence, suspended like amber.

"May the mushroom field's spirit favor this otherworldly being," it mused.

--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there 

patreon.com/LegendaryTL

Thanks!