Wizard: I Can Refine Everything

My name is Bal, a professor of archaeology at Miner University, specializing in ancient history before the Great Catastrophe.

Rumor has it that scholars researching the Great Catastrophe often encounter bizarre events, witness unimaginable scenes, and suffer inexplicable attacks. The news of my colleagues' deaths or disappearances further fuels these rumors.

In the past, I always dismissed these with a sneer.

The Great Catastrophe is an obscure field, and people often shroud unfamiliar things with mystery. Coupled with the sensationalism of unscrupulous tabloids, a subject like Curse Studies, claiming whoever touches it dies, emerged.

But today, I had to put aside the confidence brought by my education and face reality.

Perhaps, the rumors about the Great Catastrophe are true.

"Huff—huff—huff—"

I panted heavily, hiding in a hollow at the base of a hill, trying my best to keep my body concealed.

In the sky, clouds gathered ominously, with occasional Thunder streaking across it. Amid the rumble of thunder, a low-frequency eerie scream was particularly terrifying.

"Damn it!"

Hearing the scream, I knew the creature was still pursuing me. But I no longer had the strength to keep running.

I glanced at my left leg, where three straight wounds, resembling cuts from a knife, on the calf's Achilles' tendon were continuously oozing pale blue blood. Similarly, my other thigh bore the same wounds, bleeding relentlessly.

The source of these wounds came from the same creature.

I vividly remember the creature bursting out from the ruins, charging at us like a snow wolf in the tundra. Although the guards opened fire in time, their small-caliber bullets seemed laughable against it, losing all momentum and falling to the ground.

The guards who fired were the first to be killed, followed by my colleagues. At that time, I had a stomachache and couldn't witness the opening of the ruins, thus narrowly escaping, only suffering a graze from the airflow caused by the creature's claws.

Buzz!

The sound appeared again, this time with no thunder to cover it, making the low-frequency screech especially distinct.

"Oh Divine, bless me to survive. If I make it back alive, I will join the Church and become your most devout lamb."

I prayed frantically in my heart, imploring every Divine I knew. Yet the sound was drawing closer and closer.

Buzz!

I could sense that the owner of the sound was only fifty meters, then thirty meters, from me.

Did it find me?

But soon, the sound echoed again. This time, it was distinctly farther from my location.

"Did I evade it?"

I could feel my heart pounding as if a giant drum was beating in my chest.

After a long time, the long-awaited downpour finally fell, and I sighed with relief as I could no longer hear the creature's sound.

In an instant, exhaustion and pain flooded my brain like a tide, nearly making me groan. I touched my forehead, and the sizzling temperature startled me.

Relying on my experience, I immediately started to move. Because I knew, if I let my injuries worsen like this, I would crawl to seek help after the rain ended.

But as I struggled to stand from the hollow on the hillside,

that lingering sound echoed again.

This time, it was right... behind me!

I spun around abruptly, and the next moment, my body flew backward. An impact like a Siege Hammer struck my chest heavily, the crack of breaking bones mingling with the wind rushing into my ears.

Bang!

My body crashed into a bush, then slid back a few meters.

But, to my amazement, I was still alive.

My chest hadn't been torn open by the creature's claws, nor had my heart been gouged out.

I struggled to stand, pulling out my small dining knife from my waist. Though I knew it was useless, it could at least allow me to die with some dignity.

But as I stood, I saw the creature standing still, emitting a series of low growls at me.

It seemed afraid of something.

I looked at my chest, a splash of red peeked out from my torn clothes. It was a dark red leather scroll I purchased from a local antique shop after an archaeological expedition.

The shop owner told me it was an Amulet from before the Great Catastrophe, but I was certain it was nothing of the sort. The patterns and blackened text on it were definitely not of an Amulet.

Afterward, I studied the leather scroll extensively but couldn't determine its origin. Instead, I found its material astonishingly resilient, even capable of withstanding bullet impacts. For this reason, I used it as a bulletproof lining in my clothes.

But I never expected this scroll could also block the creature's claw strike.

"An opportunity!"

As a flash of lightning struck, a thought darted through my mind.

I watched the creature slowly retreat, and it seemed to have no intention of chasing. But soon, the cold brought by the rain and the aftermath of blood loss began to blur my vision.

Before I fell, I seemed to hear the sound of human voices.

"Target sighted, Level 1.5 corporeal anomalous entity..."

"Received... Activating the burn squad deployment."

At the moment my eyes closed, I saw a warm glow of fire.

...

"Want to trade? You help me open the door, and I'll help you fulfill your wish."

In the dream, Bal felt a voice constantly communicating with him by his ear. But the voice seemed very distant, he could never hear it clearly, only bits and pieces of words.

"Trade, trade what?" Bal mumbled. As he spoke, the next moment, a tremor pulled him from the dream.

Bal opened his eyes, looking somewhat dazed at the person standing next to him.

This seemed to be a soldier, dressed in an iron-gray coat, wearing a hat with a front brim. The soldier had a handsome appearance, with four eyes that looked bright and alert, under the hat was thick black long hair.

This seemed to be a woman.

"Bal Steger, thirty-seven years old, professor of archaeology at Miner University, specializing in the lost history of the Great Cataclysm. Half a month ago, you joined an expedition team exploring the Ukru Dynasty ruins, assisting as an archaeological consultant."

As she spoke, the woman looked into Bal's eyes and asked.

"Am I mistaken in what I said?"

"No problem, but who are you, where am I? That monster..."

"Professor, before I answer your questions, you must satisfy my inquiries." The woman interrupted coldly, "I noticed you were just talking about a trade. Please describe in detail what you saw in the dream."

Bal was a bit confused by this question, but once the woman asked, she seemed to have changed completely, making him tremble all over unconsciously.

"I didn't encounter anything, I just heard someone by my ear talking about something, but I couldn't hear it clearly. I only heard the word 'trade'."

"Just that?"

"I swear, just that."

The woman nodded, stood up, took out a communicator, and spoke a couple of words.

Then she looked at Bal, her expression grave, "Professor Bal, I'm sorry to inform you that until your examination is concluded, you cannot leave here. But because of this, I can answer a few simple questions for you.

The place you are in now is a logistics hospital affiliated with the Control Bureau. And I am a commissioner at the Control Bureau's K-3 base, you can call me Commissioner K.

The monster you encountered is called a Wind Beast, a creature from the Otherworld. But you don't need to concern yourself with it now, as it is of little importance."

"Then what should I care about?" Bal instinctively asked.

"Care about that voice in your dream." Commissioner K said seriously, "If you can still hear that voice, you must report it to me, as it concerns whether you can return to a normal life."

"Return to normal life? What do you mean by that!"

Bal became a bit agitated, an unknown fear gripped his heart, causing him to raise his voice. But Commissioner K didn't respond, she only called in two nurses to inject him with a unit of sedative.

...

[Project Number: 1275]

[Project Level: X]

[Containment Measures: A lanthanum metal safe with a thickness not less than ten millimeters, outside of experiments, contact is prohibited to any administrative commissioner below Forth Level, and any operative commissioner below Third Level.]

[Project Description: Project 1275 appears as a dark red leather scroll, measuring thirty by twenty centimeters. The scroll has four sentences of varying lengths inscribed in unknown script -- 1275-1, and decorations on the edges -- 1275-2.

The specific translation of 1275-1 is as follows: ████, ████. ████, ████████, ████████████.

Note: This text requires no translation, any being with intelligence over sixty can fully understand the meaning.]

Appendix: 12/3/50██

Microscopic observation revealed that 1275-2 is not merely a simple pattern, but a supplementary explanation for 1275-2 and its restrictions.

Appendix: 21/4/50██

Testing has shown that the material of Project 1275 surpasses all existing materials in toughness. Projects 111, 231, and 214 are unable to damage it. With the permission of a Fifth Level commissioner, Project 001 was observed, concluding that the material of Project 1275 is ███████.

Appendix: 21/4/50██

As of unknown date, the number of discovered 1275s has risen to 21, and it is currently impossible to confirm whether this number represents the final count of 1275.

Looking at the records in the file, Commissioner K rubbed her temples with some frustration.

On her desk were several photos taken at the time of Bal's discovery, as well as the leather scroll that saved Bal from death. The paint used to blacken the text on the scroll had been cleaned off, and although the words on the scroll were unfamiliar, anyone of normal intelligence could understand their meaning.

"Conveying the intent to trade... Is this a mutation of the project, or a result of special conditions?"

Commissioner K looked at the leather scroll on the table, her brows filled with gloom.

She had been dealing with Project 1275 for ten years, during which time she had been collecting Project 1275 across the world. During this period, Project 1275 had never shown any anomalies. But she had always known that this stability was likely just a facade.

Project Level X means the danger level of this project is unknown, it may be harmless, or it could produce a world-ending disaster.

"... What a troublesome time it is."

Commissioner K sighed, placing the files of Project 1275 into a document bag, preparing to put them back into the safe. But at the moment she opened the safe... the ground suddenly trembled.