Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

Leaving the forest, Richard returned to the village with the stone prison containing the Nightmare Knight. At the village entrance, he unexpectedly found several powerful Nightmare Spirits peeking nervously at the forest where the Nightmare Beasts had appeared.

Seeing him approach, they quickly retreated into the shadows.

Richard found their behavior curious and grabbed a skeletal Nightmare Spirit, demanding fiercely:

"Why are you running? Don't you recognize your own boss!"

The captured Nightmare Spirit trembled, replying, "We recognize you! Of course, we do!"

"Then why are you running?"

The Nightmare Spirit wanted to cry. They all came to look, yet he was the one caught.

Facing the fearsome figure before him, the Nightmare Spirit stammered:

"Boss, you've changed so much, we barely recognized you."

"Didn't recognize me?" Richard's voice was calm at first, then he roared, "Why aren't you sleeping? What are you all doing here, gathered like this?"

The Nightmare Spirit shivered, its bones nearly rattling apart.

He knew if he didn't give a satisfactory answer, his boss would crush him and swallow him whole.

"Boss, your commotion was so loud, of course we noticed."

He glanced at the stone behind Richard, clearly sensing something inside that matched his boss's strength.

Richard turned to Ulysses, "Was it really that loud?"

"Caw, it wasn't exactly quiet," Ulysses replied.

Richard nodded, then asked:

"Which of you has lived the longest?"

"...Me, Boss," the Nightmare Spirit replied shakily.

Richard raised an eyebrow, "You? What a coincidence."

He approached the stone, using alchemy to open a window and reveal the Nightmare Knight's face inside.

"Take a look..."

"Ah! Black Knight! Black Knight! The Black Knight is here again!" the Nightmare Spirit shrieked, scrambling backward in panic.

Richard frowned, quickly grabbing the Nightmare Spirit back.

"You recognize this thing?"

The Nightmare Spirit quivered, glancing at the Black Knight. Only after realizing it was trapped by Richard did he calm down a bit.

"Boss, that's a Black Knight!" the Nightmare Spirit exclaimed excitedly. "These guys kill us on sight. My last boss, as strong as you, was skewered by a Black Knight."

Recalling his slain former boss filled the Nightmare Spirit with dread; the scene left a lasting fear in his heart.

Yet seeing the Black Knight trapped by Richard felt surreal.

His new boss was strong!

"Interesting."

Richard rubbed his chin. It seemed these beast tides were common occurrences.

"What's your name?" Richard asked casually.

"Uh... Boss, I don't have a name. Only big shots like you have names," the Nightmare Spirit replied cautiously.

"No name?"

Richard examined the Nightmare Spirit; it was the one who learned the final twist scare tactic. It seemed clever.

If he wanted to build his power in the Nightmare World, he needed followers. This Nightmare Spirit seemed suitable.

"No name? Then I'll give you one. From now on, you'll be called..." Richard glanced at its skeletal form, "Bones."

The Nightmare Spirit froze at the name, then gratefully bowed to Richard:

"Bones, Bones... Thank you, Boss! Thank you!"

As the Nightmare Spirit accepted the name, Nightmare Power within Richard stirred.

A wizardly character "Bones" formed in Richard's hand, embedding itself into Bones' body.

Names seemed to hold special significance in the Nightmare World.

Once the character entered Bones, Richard felt a connection form between them.

This bond resembled a contract, allowing Richard to sense Bones' emotions and detect any disloyalty. He could also share in the Nightmare Power Bones gained.

If Bones gained Nightmare Power, Richard would receive a quarter.

However, Richard instinctively sensed that the naming mechanism had limits. He could only name a finite number of followers; once exhausted, he couldn't name others unless he revoked an existing name.

"Ulysses, do you know anything about naming nightmare creatures?"

"Caw, naming? Never heard of it. I didn't spend much time in territories, so I only know bits about nightmare creatures, mostly from the No-Law Land."

"No-Law Land?"

Another new place to explore.

"Caw, it's where nightmare creatures not living in territories reside, living by robbing others. Usually found at territory borders."

"Don't the lords purge them?"

"Caw, sometimes they do. I once ran into one and almost got stuck in the Nightmare Crow World."

...

After naming Bones, Richard appointed him as the village's patrol, managing the Nightmare Spirits in place of Richard's avatars. Meanwhile, Richard returned to his room to dissect the Black Knight.

Time flew by, and three days passed.

In that time, Richard's understanding of the Black Knight deepened significantly.

The Black Knight's structure was similar to other nightmare creatures, but its core held no consciousness, only an insatiable hunger.

This hunger drove the Black Knight to hunt nightmare creatures, consuming them for Nightmare Power.

Richard's tests revealed this hunger only subsided temporarily with Nightmare Power intake. Soon after, the core would generate hunger like mental power, perpetuating the Black Knight's endless consumption.

If Richard hadn't seen the Black Knight emerge from the ground, he'd think it was artificial.

It seemed like a biological weapon designed to eradicate nightmare creatures.

After consuming the dissected Black Knight, Richard gained nearly ten thousand units of Nightmare Power, an odd number.

Based on his experience, the Black Knight should have yielded fifty thousand units.

The Black Knight surely held more secrets.

But such secrets were distant concerns; Richard needed to address immediate issues first.

Visitors from a nightmare territory had arrived.

...

At the village entrance, Bones confronted a Little Nightmare.

After receiving Richard's name, Bones became the village's de facto leader, patrolling daily.

To him, Richard's orders were law.

With Richard backing him, Bones grew bolder.

Facing the intruding Little Nightmare, Bones stood firm, questioning:

"Where are you from? This is our..." Bones paused, realizing Richard hadn't named their group, "...our boss's territory."

Puppet Billy, the intruder, found the Nightmare Spirit's boldness surprising.

Daring to block him?

Couldn't this fool see he was a Little Nightmare?

Maybe he'd hidden too well.

With that thought, Puppet Billy unleashed a surge of Nightmare Power.

"Surely they see it now," Billy thought.

He watched Bones expectantly, waiting for fear to drive him to panic, apologize, or at least step aside.

Billy loved scaring Nightmare Spirits, enjoying their terror before consuming them.

Fear was the best seasoning.

But Billy soon grew annoyed.

Bones showed no fear, conjuring a Nightmare Power spear instead.

"What are you doing? This is our boss's land. Are you trying to take it?"

Billy felt displeased but considered his options.

Unless this Nightmare Spirit was an idiot, its lack of fear meant its boss was stronger.

Could this be a wild Little Nightmare?

Billy decided to play it safe and meet this boss.

"Get your boss. I'm Puppet Billy, under Magic Sword Amadeus, here to investigate Black Knight sightings.

Have you seen any Black Knights near your village?"

Billy didn't expect an answer. Black Knights usually appeared in squads, skewering Little Nightmares with ease.

Even a lone Black Knight was a tough fight for a Little Nightmare.

Most ended in mutual destruction.

Bones replied indignantly, "First, I'm not a little thing! I'm Bones! Second, the Black Knights near the village were dealt with by the boss!"

Bones spoke with admiration; having a boss who could kill Black Knights was a badge of honor.

"Hmm?"

Billy was shocked. A solo Black Knight slayer meant this village's boss was formidable.

Such a Little Nightmare could join Magic Sword Amadeus.

But he questioned, "Are you sure it was a Black Knight?"

Wild Nightmare Spirits rarely lived long, and the last Black Tide was three years ago.

Before Bones could answer, a black-robed figure approached.

"I did kill a Black Knight."

Richard stood before Puppet Billy, speaking calmly:

"Who are you? State your name!"