Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

The Dreamwalkers' Club is a wizard club headquartered on the fifth residential layer. According to the spider wizard, the club's head found records of the Nightmare Wizard World in a cryptic journal from the Enlightenment Era. Enamored with the Nightmare World's mysteries, the head founded the Dreamwalkers' Club to gather wizards interested in studying this eerie realm.

"Ten years ago, our club met a third-circle master. With his help, we completed the ritual spell to enter the Nightmare World," the spider wizard explained, giving Richard a clearer understanding of the group.

"Even with a third-circle master, you got captured?" Richard asked, puzzled.

The spider wizard sighed, "That master acts independently. After helping with the ritual, he seldom joined us. Only our head can contact him."

Richard raised an eyebrow, "Without a third-circle wizard's protection, why provoke Magic Sword Amadeus?"

How could they dare capture test subjects in Amadeus' territory without matching combat power?

"No, no," the spider wizard denied, "This operation was organized by that third-circle master. We're just pawns, getting a share of the spoils."

Richard's interest piqued. It seemed the Dreamwalkers' Club planned to scheme against Amadeus.

Could he leverage their power to fish in troubled waters?

Sensing Richard's silence, the spider wizard grew anxious. Sharing club details wasn't just small talk; Richard clearly targeted the nightmare creatures. Recruiting him into the club could enhance their operations' security, given his impeccable disguise.

Even now, the spider wizard noticed no discrepancies in Richard's appearance.

Richard and the nightmare creatures were indistinguishable.

After pondering, Richard spoke:

"Interesting. You told me this to recruit me, right?"

The spider wizard smiled, trying to flatter, "Your wisdom is vast as the sea."

Richard studied the spider wizard and then split off a smaller avatar.

"I'm interested in this. This is my avatar. I'd like to meet your head."

The spider wizard watched the avatar form, awestruck.

The avatar resembled a nightmare creature, perhaps even more so than Richard himself, with no trace of wizardry.

This master's knowledge of nightmare creatures was terrifying.

"Alright, Master, I'll take you to meet the head."

...

As the spider wizard led Richard's avatar away, Richard explored the graveyard.

This graveyard differed greatly from others he'd seen. It spanned a vast area, comparable to a medium-sized city, with endless broken tombstones and crosses.

Having no immediate tasks back at the village, Richard decided to study the graveyard, hoping for unexpected discoveries.

Though the spider wizard had left, the gray death mist lingered, expanding and darkening due to the graveyard's unique environment.

"This massive death mist may eventually birth a formidable undead," Richard remarked.

Ulysses scoffed, "Caw, useless. In the Nightmare World, nightmare creatures are the true entities. Even a demigod undead couldn't withstand a nightmare creature with a domain."

"Oh?" Richard was curious. "You've mentioned nightmare domains often. What are they?"

"Caw, a nightmare domain is a special space condensed from nightmare rules, akin to a small secret realm. It often features absurd rules, like forbidding breathing or walking.

Breaking these rules triggers punishments.

These rules bind both intruders and the domain's user, who gains no advantage besides prior knowledge.

I encountered a domain that was an endless plain, with rules against touching the ground or being over 132 meters high.

Breaking them summoned an immortal wraith. I triggered it immediately."

"What then? How did you escape?" Richard asked, intrigued.

Ulysses replied casually, "Caw, I countered the rules, tearing a rift to escape. Nightmare domains reflect nightmare rules. With enough power, you can escape.

Few things are truly inescapable. With enough strength, these tricks can't hold you.

So, young one, grow stronger. Your strength aids my recovery."

Richard: "..."

...

Most graveyard tombstones were ruined, but some were legible.

Like the one before Richard.

"Richard, birth unknown, died 51845 Wizard Era."

Reading the inscription, Richard felt a surreal sensation.

51845 Wizard Era was this year.

And the tombstone bore his name, Richard. It was hard not to see it as his grave.

"Interesting, my tombstone," Richard mused, smiling without fear or anger.

He approached the tombstone, using Nightmare Power to conjure a shovel to dig up his grave.

Beneath the damp earth lay a coffin inscribed with his name.

Opening it, Richard found it empty.

"Seems it's not my time," Richard joked to Ulysses.

Ulysses was nonplussed, "Caw, you've got guts. Most would be unnerved, at least. You just dug it up."

Richard planted the shovel, speaking lightly:

"Firstly, according to the great truth wizards, there's no fixed future.

All prophecies and divinations are hypothetical.

This theory underpins free will. Without it, everyone's fate is predetermined."

Richard met Ulysses' gaze, eyes sharp and unyielding.

"Ulysses, do you believe your fate was set? From your birth to becoming a world master, to falling into my hands.

Was it destined before you existed?"

Ulysses shivered at Richard's words.

He'd never considered this. Now, Richard's words chilled him.

If fate existed, were all creatures puppets?

Richard replaced the coffin, lying inside.

The coffin's size fit Richard perfectly, no discomfort.

As he prepared to rise, a shower of light dots appeared from the void.

They coalesced into a white glow. Touching it, Richard absorbed it into his soul.

The tombstone changed to a blank slab, the coffin losing Richard's name.

"Badge of Courage, awarded to those breaking fear's hold."

Upon receiving the glow, Richard's mind filled with its information.

"It seems I inadvertently followed some Nightmare World rules, triggering this badge," Richard mused.

Its power was simple—helping Richard resist most fear spells.

Spells like: Intimidate, Frighten, Haunt, and more.

"This is useful," Richard thought excitedly.

But he also speculated.

If nightmare domains had strange rules, perhaps the Nightmare Wizard World did too.

He thought of the unseeable Black Sun, possibly one of the world's absurd rules.

After obtaining the badge, Richard found nothing else noteworthy in the graveyard.

After collecting some mutated plants altered by nightmare rules, Richard left, planning to explore the wilderness.

Badges like the Badge of Courage might not be unique. Perhaps other unsettling sights hid such treasures.

Meanwhile, the spider wizard had found the Dreamwalkers' Club head.

The head, a second-tier soul wizard, was dissecting a Little Nightmare, seeking the secrets of nightmare cores.

However, nightmare cores develop strong defenses against external mental forces past the first tier, leaving the head unable to investigate without damaging it.

"Firth, you're back. Mission accomplished?" the head asked, surprised at the spider wizard's return.

"Not yet, Sir." Firth admitted awkwardly, "But I met a master in the wilderness. He's interested in joining our plan."

"Oh?"

The head was even more surprised. The Nightmare World was vast, and studying it was niche.

Encountering another researcher in the wilderness was improbable.

"Where is this master? I don't see him."

The head scanned around Firth, seeing only a captured nightmare.

Firth gestured to Richard's avatar, speaking respectfully:

"Sir, this is the master's avatar."