Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

"The heart of the Nightmare Lord?"

Richard looked at the floating black pyramid once more. "You could tell I'm a wizard? I thought even the Nightmare Lord wouldn't be able to recognize me."

Since his true body wasn't in the Nightmare World, Richard felt confident in speaking freely.

If it could be seen, so be it. If the Nightmare Lord was capable of coming to the material world and eliminating him at the Truth Tower, then let him try.

The black pyramid spoke again:

"Your wizard talent is so typical, it's like you're all molded from the same pattern. Every one of you hides your identity, all wearing the same robes.

It's been so many years, and you still haven't changed."

Richard paused slightly, not expecting his identity to have been spotted due to this. But he quickly realized this was indeed a flaw. The nature and appearance of a Nightmare body often mirrored the wizard's inner essence, and wizards typically wanted to conceal their identities, proudly identifying themselves as wizards.

Thus, it was common for their Nightmare bodies to resemble each other.

In the Nightmare World, however, diversity was the norm, and being the same was unusual.

"I must say, it's been a long time since I've seen any of your kind. Has the war between wizards finally ended?" The black pyramid's tone was casual.

It seemed that the pyramid had interacted with wizards a lot in the past. From the way it spoke, it appeared to have existed since the late Enlightenment era, around the time of the wizard war.

After thinking for a moment, Richard decided to answer honestly:

"If you're referring to the Wizard War, then yes, that war ended a long time ago."

The black pyramid fell silent for a while.

"Seems like I've wasted a lot of time."

"So, what kind of deal do you want to make with me?" Richard asked.

The black pyramid paused before responding:

"I need a body, a custom body without a core. This shouldn't be too difficult for you wizards."

"Indeed, it's not hard," Richard replied flatly. "But what will you offer in exchange? The rules of wizards are based on equivalent exchange. What can you offer now?"

"Equivalent exchange?" The black pyramid's voice suddenly became amused. "After all these years, you wizards still love spouting that nonsense.

Every time we've made a deal, it's always been me at a disadvantage, while you all benefit."

"That's how you see it," Richard answered calmly.

"Alright, you wizards are still the same, and I'm relieved." The black pyramid's tone lightened. "If you make the body according to my specifications, I'll give you a fragment of a Nightmare Artifact."

"Oh?" Richard raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like quite a deal for me."

"My terms aren't finished yet. I'll need your subordinate to stay with me for five hundred years. For that time, he must obey all of my commands without question." The black pyramid added.

Richard narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected the Nightmare Lord to target Bones.

"You want Bones? I think we can renegotiate this."

Bones had to look after Richard's avatar, and if he went with the Nightmare Lord, he would inevitably have to fight. This didn't align with Richard's needs for Bones.

"Oh? Do you have feelings for this little one?" The black pyramid seemed surprised. Given Richard's status, it assumed he would have agreed without hesitation.

"Bones needs to guard this avatar of mine. He can't completely obey your commands." Richard replied calmly. "But I do have another little one who might satisfy your request."

Richard then pulled the Coachman out of his pocket.

"This little one regressed because he violated the rules, but with enough Nightmare energy, he'll recover quickly.

His strength is far greater than Bones."

"Oh, so it's this little one. I thought he had already perished." The black pyramid recognized the Coachman. "But now, he's just a Nightmare spirit. Too much Nightmare energy has been drained from him."

"You needn't worry about that. If you agree to the deal, he'll soon become a Greater Nightmare," Richard reassured.

The black pyramid was silent for a long time, seemingly considering whether the deal was worth it.

"You'll need to turn him into a Greater Nightmare first before I can agree to this deal."

Richard nodded. "No problem, but I need you to help me with something small first."

---

Three hours later, Richard threw the remains of a Greater Nightmare at the Coachman.

After absorbing a large amount of Nightmare energy, the Coachman's strength was restored to that of a Greater Nightmare.

What Richard needed from the black pyramid was simple: to summon the other Nightmare creatures.

From the energy pathways, Richard could see that a massive energy network existed beneath the inner city, with the black pyramid serving as the central hub.

Unfortunately, the Nightmare energy in these energy networks didn't originate from the black pyramid, but rather from the land of the Nightmare Realm.

The energy pathways Richard observed through the underground layers were familiar.

The black pyramid's territory just happened to cover land where Black Knights were being generated, and it had connected to this Nightmare network, activating the territory's defenses.

But these Nightmare energies, responsible for creating Black Knights, weren't to be trifled with. The black pyramid only dared to use them to activate defenses, without trying to claim any for itself.

As a Nightmare Lord, it knew many secrets of the Black Tide.

Once the Coachman returned to a Greater Nightmare, the black pyramid finally agreed to the deal.

It only needed a Greater Nightmare to help it get through the difficult early stages, and it didn't matter who that Greater Nightmare was.

"Good, now that you've agreed to the deal, please present the energy circulation diagram for the body you want me to make."

Richard eagerly looked at the black pyramid. A body custom-made by a Nightmare Lord would surely contain vast knowledge.

But the black pyramid spoke:

"Before the deal, I need you to swear on the Sea of Souls that you won't leave any secret doors or tricks in the body you make. And once the deal is complete, you must not attack me, mark me, seal me, or take any hostile actions, and you must uphold this for at least five hundred years."

Richard's face darkened. He wasn't happy to swear on the Sea of Souls.

After the oath was completed, the black pyramid sent Richard a mental message.

It was an energy circulation diagram he had never seen before—far more complex than the standard for a Nightmare spirit, but still within the realm of Nightmare spirits.

Using this diagram, the energy circulation inside a Lesser Nightmare would be several times more intricate than an ordinary Lesser Nightmare.

Richard suspected that the pyramid alone knew the true secrets of this design.

Following the diagram, Richard spent considerable time completing the body. After delivering the body, the black pyramid slowly flew to its chest and merged into it.

Three seconds later, the body's eyes opened.

"Very good. You wizards are cunning, but what you make is indeed useful."

The black pyramid stood, pulling a smaller black pyramid from its chest.

"This is the item you wanted."

Richard took the pyramid and asked, "I haven't yet asked your name."

"Name?" The black pyramid scoffed. "I wouldn't dare tell you wizards my real name. For now, just call me the Pyramid."

Richard's eye twitched. He wondered how many shady dealings his wizard ancestors had done in the Nightmare World for a Nightmare Lord to refuse even to tell a lowly wizard his name.

"Fine. Our deal is complete. The defenses in the territory have been deactivated. You may leave on your own."

With that, the Pyramid Lord signaled to the Coachman, unhesitatingly leaving the territory with no regrets.

It seemed this land wasn't his territory, but more like a cage.

---

Richard inspected the Nightmare Artifact the Pyramid Lord had given him. The artifact was about the size of a fist, made of smooth obsidian and looked exquisitely crafted.

The only flaw was a broken corner of the pyramid.

On all five faces of the pyramid, Richard found symbols that seemed like runes, but their system was completely different from wizard runes. Richard couldn't decipher them in the short term.

Pouring Nightmare energy into the pyramid, Richard felt it integrate into his body, merging with the core of his Nightmare body.

He then understood the purpose of the pyramid.

"Nightmare Amplification. When integrated into the body, the pyramid amplifies any abilities involving Nightmare rules. This power can also be shared with subordinates through the bond formed by naming."

Understanding the pyramid's purpose, Richard couldn't help but shake his head.

"What use is this? Bones, how much do you know about Nightmare rules?"

Bones shook his head. "Boss, I don't know much about Nightmare rules either."

Richard sighed. "Looks like this thing won't be much use for now."

It was obvious. If the artifact were truly powerful, the pyramid wouldn't have so easily given it to him for five hundred years.

"As it said, it's giving it to me, but it also wants me to draw the fire while it quietly grows stronger with its subordinates. Once they grow strong, it will take the Nightmare Artifact back," Richard thought coldly.

The Nightmare Lord probably never imagined that his artifact would end up like a dog chewing on a meat bun—with no return.

No matter what marks the pyramid had placed on the artifact, once Richard found a way into the Nightmare World…

Nightmare Artifact? Just a vessel for rules, and I'll turn it into raw material!

With that thought, Richard returned to the coffin.

"I've used up a lot of energy on this mission. After this, I might need some time to rest. After you leave, don't go back to that tavern. Head straight into the wilderness and find a new location. The one who released the information about the territory and the Nightmare Artifact won't let you live."

Bones nodded firmly. "Staying alive is the priority. I understand, boss."

Richard nodded, then closed the coffin and shut off the Dream World communications device.

Exiting the room where the device was stored, Richard could already feel the room was like an oven. This time, staying in the Nightmare World had put a massive strain on the Dream World communications device.

But from the looks of it, Richard's improvements to the cooling device had certainly held up well.

As Richard stepped out, he stretched his body, preparing to enter the laboratory and continue his experiments.

Suddenly, he paused.

A faint connection passed through the barriers of dimen

sions and linked with his soul.

And the source of this connection was the Nightmare Artifact.

"Could it be... I can still use this Nightmare Artifact in the material world?"

(End of Chapter)