Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

Following the magical traces left by the wizards, Richard pursued them from the village into the wilderness. During the chase, he began to sense something amiss.

These magical traces were too conspicuous. A simple flight spell couldn't leave such visible marks, even if several wizards cast it together.

Richard halted, contemplating the continuous magical traces.

"These traces... it's like they're fishing," he mused.

Looking towards the direction indicated by the traces, Richard saw a vast, dilapidated graveyard a few kilometers away.

In the Nightmare Wizard World, massive graveyards were a unique feature.

The material world's fears shape the Nightmare World's landscape. Places or objects that induce fear—like dilapidated graveyards, forests of crosses, guillotines, or classrooms—appear illogically in the Nightmare World.

Richard speculated these features were linked to the Nightmare Power absorbed into the earth.

The Nightmare Power subtly influences the Nightmare World's form.

"Is there a trap inside?" Richard muttered. "Or is it an ambush?"

Graveyards are ideal battlegrounds for necromancers. The ambient death energy reduces necromantic spell costs and enhances summoned undead.

Theoretically, given a large enough graveyard, a necromancer could form an army single-handedly.

However, this theory is akin to the fireball cult joke among wizards—more humor than reality.

The Nightmare World's graveyards are no different from normal ones. Given their vastness, any necromancer ambushing Richard would place him at a disadvantage.

So, Richard decided to proceed cautiously. It would be embarrassing to be killed before even explaining himself.

Gathering Nightmare Power, Richard spent several minutes crafting golden necklaces.

As an alchemy wizard, creating magical artifacts with Nightmare Power was trivial.

Richard donned the necklaces, each designed to trigger a life energy shield upon emergency.

Life energy shields are effective against necromantic death energy spells.

Despite this preparation, Richard felt uneasy.

He didn't know the wizards' morals. If they were dark wizards, he could be double-crossed.

This wasn't a planar battlefield bound by soul contracts preventing harm to wizards.

With this in mind, Richard crafted magic rings and a scroll.

The rings contained a spell called Life Burst, designed during the Wizard Wars' necromancer conflicts to counter undead hordes.

The scroll was simpler—a teleportation spell for escape if the enemy proved too strong.

Without Ulysses' help in the Nightmare World, Richard had to be extremely cautious.

Fully equipped, Richard followed the magical traces into the graveyard.

Upon entering, his vision revealed a web of magical threads. At the center, a wizard with spider legs watched him silently.

"Finally tracked us down?" the wizard yawned, dismissively eyeing Richard.

"Just one? Underestimating us, are they?"

"Friend, I—"

"Banshee's Wail!"

As expected, Richard's explanation was cut short as the wizard initiated an attack.

Of course, the wizard couldn't be blamed entirely. Richard's body was a genuine nightmare creature, imperceptible even to a Nightmare Lord.

The wizard, a mere first-ring, couldn't detect Richard's true nature within the Nightmare Body.

Banshee's Wail, a staple of necromancers, exists in countless variations, with each adept having their own version.

This wizard's Banshee's Wail inflicted both mental and magical shock.

The powerful blast shattered nearby tombstones.

As it wasn't death energy, Richard's prepared defenses were useless. But with ample time, he erected a magical barrier.

Buzz!

The Wail's force rippled across the barrier.

"Having seen the barrier, surely he'll stop," Richard thought.

But before he could speak, he sensed the spider wizard's eyes burning with rage.

"You abominations devoured Amanda's soul, didn't you?"

The wizard's voice dripped with venomous fury. Breaking off two spider legs, he unleashed a powerful magical wave.

"Wait, aren't those his legs? How are they wands now?"

Richard marveled at the technique, curious how the wizard achieved this.

Transforming one's body into magical artifacts was a technique Richard hadn't encountered.

But before engaging in academic discourse, he needed to subdue this deranged wizard.

The spider wizard's spell animated countless undead in the graveyard.

Skeletal remnants emerged from tombs, clad in burial garb and damp earth, with death flames igniting their sockets. These were not true undead but animated by the dull red fires in their skulls.

These newly risen undead were weak—any farmer could handle them. Necromancers' true terror lay in enhancing them with death energy.

The spider wizard waved his leg-wand, enshrouding the undead in a gray mist.

This mist, concentrated death energy, hardened bones, stabilized structures, and added death energy to attacks.

Though individually weak, the undead could reassemble if scattered, merging fragments into themselves.

Even reduced to ashes, remaining undead would absorb these remnants to strengthen.

Over time, a horde could consolidate into a single powerful undead.

"But this strategy has a fatal flaw," Richard noted.

Raising his arm, he extended a finger.

Boom!

A burst of white light erupted, clearing swathes of undead.

Those caught in the blast couldn't rise again, and others avoided them.

"Death energy is neutralized by life energy. Corpses tainted by life energy can't be reanimated until it's purged."

Witnessing this, the spider wizard's rage intensified.

To him, these techniques were remnants of Amanda's soul, a mockery and insult, wielded by a nightmare creature.

The spider wizard swung his legs, completing a terrifying necromantic spell.

Hundreds of undead disassembled into bone fragments, rapidly coalescing.

If allowed to complete, the resulting undead could rival a second-tier creature.

Such cross-tier summoning was exclusive to necromancers.

"Seems he's a white wizard—so enraged by a comrade's death he's lost reason and lacks solo combat experience," Richard assessed calmly, unfazed by the forming undead.

"In solo combat without cover, preparing such a spell is foolish, despite some undead distractions."

Nine orbs of light shot from Richard, clearing nearby undead. He then launched black fireballs, sealing the spider wizard's escape.

"Not good!"

Realizing something was amiss, the wizard noted the fireballs' power—far beyond Amanda's capability.

But there was no time to ponder. Dodging between explosions, he narrowly escaped the blasts.

Yet, as he emerged, a figure awaited him, holding a rune-covered spike.

"Seal Spike! You're not... ah!"

Before the wizard could finish, Richard hurled the spike, pinning him to the ground.

Richard landed, coldly observing the wizard, whose magic was sealed.

"I was going to say I'm not a nightmare creature, but you lost your composure and reason, refusing to listen."

Seeing Richard's cold gaze, the spider wizard shivered.

That gaze... definitely a dark wizard!

If this wizard desired, he'd kill without remorse.

"...Master's disguise was too perfect. I failed to recognize it immediately. I beg your pardon," the spider wizard pleaded humbly.

Seeing reason return to the wizard, Richard continued:

"You mentioned comrades taken by nightmare creatures? How long ago?"

The wizard's face darkened, "Nearly ten years, Master."

"Ten years?" Richard frowned, puzzled.

The administrative officer implied the wizards hadn't been captured.

"Taken by Magic Sword Amadeus?" Richard inquired.

The spider wizard nodded slightly:

"Yes, that nightmare creature."

"Single-handedly?"

A bitter smile crossed the wizard's face:

"In a way, just a projection. But as a third-tier nightmare creature, even a projection sufficed to defeat us."

Richard nodded, recalling the manor's energy pathways.

He mused, "Those parts were indeed magic arrays."

Removing the spike, Richard helped the spider-legged wizard up.

"Are you a guild or club? I heard from nightmares you're numerous."

The spider wizard saluted Richard, responding:

"Master, we're the Dreamwalkers' Club, dedicated to Nightmare World research."