Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

"World... Mushroom?" Richard was perplexed by the name.

Wasn't it supposed to be a World Tree?

"Yes, exactly, a World Mushroom. Master, I can expand this demi-plane, enrich its rules, and given enough time, it might even become a true world..." The World Mushroom was eagerly painting a grand picture, hoping to secure its survival.

Ulysses was more terrifying than it had anticipated. Even the bug that had once reduced it to a seed and sealed it for so long paled in comparison. It realized that if Ulysses ever fully recovered, not even the combined forces of itself and that bug would stand a chance against him.

How could such a terrifying creature call an ant its master?

"Ulysses, do you think what it's saying is credible?" Richard asked. "I've only heard of World Trees, never a World Mushroom."

Ulysses shook his feathers. "Caw, my dear master, 'World Tree' is a generic term. While it calls itself a World Mushroom, it's essentially the same as what we call a World Tree. If you've visited an earth-element-dominated plane, their World Trees are massive mountain peaks. In a water-element-dominated world, the World Tree could be a gigantic seaweed or a massive spout reaching the heavens."

As a member of the God Civilization, Ulysses had a status comparable to a Grand Wizard. He had seen countless wonders across various worlds, and a World Mushroom was hardly unusual to him.

"I see," Richard nodded. "That does sound useful. Draft a fate contract for it, and make the terms strict."

"Caw..." Ulysses hesitated, then reluctantly extracted a fragment of his soul.

Though his injuries had improved somewhat, this fragment set him back.

"Don't be so down," Richard said coolly. "If this mushroom grows, you'll benefit too. I found a mushroom in the hive that can heal soul injuries. If we can cultivate it here, your loss will be quickly recovered."

"Caw, really!?"

Richard didn't elaborate, simply producing a piece of priest fungus.

After sampling it, Ulysses eagerly prepared the fate contract. "Caw, for your benefit, master, this loss is nothing."

...

The fate contract Ulysses prepared was stringent, but the World Mushroom had fewer options than Ulysses had once had.

Ulysses had been able to resist, but the World Mushroom stood no chance against him and had to sign obediently.

Having been sealed for so long, the World Mushroom wasn't eager to face death just after regaining life.

Once the contract was signed, the World Mushroom rooted itself in the secret realm. Instantly, the realm's magic began to flow, drawn to the mushroom like rivers to the sea, spreading as mycelium.

The Holy Tree Sprites sensed the change and hid behind Richard.

Soon, the mycelium had spread across half the secret realm, and the mushroom stood ten meters tall.

Curious about this new growth, the sprites emerged from behind Richard, circling the World Mushroom.

"Boss, boss, what's this thing?"

The World Mushroom transmitted a mental message: "My lord, I am integrating with this realm's rules, which will cause some changes. These little ones might not adapt well."

"Not adapt?"

Richard frowned. The Holy Tree Sprites were quite useful to him, linked to long-term benefits.

"Can this be resolved?"

"..." The World Mushroom fell silent, making Richard feel like he was dealing with one of those old bosses with impossible demands.

After a pause, the World Mushroom sent another message: "I'm not sure, but I can try."

It extended dozens of fine tendrils to connect with the sprites. After a while, it brought good news.

"My lord, these little ones are remarkable. I can modify them. With your permission, they could become my kin."

"Kin?" Richard was puzzled. After consulting Ulysses, he learned what it meant.

Kin refers to a symbiotic species associated with a powerful entity, similar to symbiotic relationships in nature.

The kin rely on the strong for survival, while the strong benefit from the kin's services.

Hearing this, Richard decided, "Okay, but I need to ensure absolute control over them."

The World Mushroom replied, "As you wish."

Modifying the sprites would take time, as would integrating the secret realm's rules. During this period, the realm would be inaccessible.

Richard still had tasks to perform. If he disappeared or remained inactive for too long, the command might suspect slacking and question him.

Without a reasonable explanation, punishment would follow.

Thus, Richard and Ulysses had to leave the secret realm temporarily, waiting for the World Mushroom's transformation to complete.

...

"Is everything resolved?"

Seeing Richard and the restored Ulysses emerge, Ellie approached and whispered.

"Yes," Richard nodded, then turned to Lawrence.

"Lawrence, I—"

"I understand!" Lawrence interrupted, producing a contract from his pocket.

"I promise to keep this matter confidential, not disclosing a word. This is a soul contract."

The veteran wizard had a keen survival instinct. Whether it was Ulysses or the blue fungus spore, he had no intention of investigating further, especially after learning about Richard and Ellie's backgrounds.

Planar wars were no child's play, often involving extremely dangerous or suicidal missions.

Such missions were typically disguised and assigned to wizards deemed suitable by the command.

Lawrence realized that if he didn't mind his own business, with their connections, those deadly missions might fall on him.

"This... is unnecessary."

Richard accepted the contract, slightly embarrassed. He had intended to bribe Lawrence, not expecting him to be so accommodating.

After signing the contract, the trio felt more at ease, their relationship deepening.

Upon leaving the Mushroom Field, Lawrence returned to the Floating City, while Richard and Ellie continued their mission in the hive.

This was their primary task.

In the hive's middle and lower layers, numerous resistance forces thrived.

These insects, utilizing the labyrinthine tunnels, engaged in guerrilla warfare against the wizards. Though often losing, they significantly drained the wizards' resources.

This was a considerable blow to the wizards, whose numbers were limited.

The war had devolved into a quagmire, pitting both sides against each other's endurance.

...

Boom!

Richard brought his staff down with a black flame, crushing a warrior insect's head and blade arm.

The staff sizzled as the insect's green ichor evaporated.

Richard glanced around expressionlessly. This was a small settlement, home to dozens of warrior insects and numerous cultivator insects. Before Richard found their lair, these warriors had repeatedly harassed them using the tunnels.

"All clear."

A shadow beside Richard rose, forming a black-robed wizard.

After leaving the Mushroom Field, Lawrence returned to the Floating City for a new body.

For a wizard specializing in mental evolution, any body with decent physique sufficed. He wasted little time returning to the hive, rejoining Richard and Ellie.

"What about Ellie?"

A raspy voice echoed from the tunnel opposite Richard.

"Clear on my side too."

Ellie appeared with tattered clothing, her expression unreadable, exuding an aura of unapproachability.

Two years had passed since they left the Mushroom Field. In that time, they had fought from the middle to the lower hive, killing nearly a thousand insects.

Such prolonged, grim, underground warfare took a toll on their mental health.

Richard had heard that many black wizards sought soul wizards to erase some memories after wars, easing their minds.

Initially, he scoffed at this. Black wizards began killing as apprentices; slaughtering aliens in planar wars should be no different.

Why erase memories?

Those wizards must have weak psyches.

Now, Richard understood the harsh truth behind the rumor.

War was never just about glory.

After clearing the battlefield, they harvested useful parts from the insects.

Over the years, the command's research on Black Crystal Insectoids had deepened, improving the utilization of insect corpses.

Warrior insects' blade arms were rich in metal elements, suitable for refining various metals.

Priest insects' black crystals were prized, naturally attracting and storing starlight for potential use in one-time attacks.

Spider Knights were especially valuable. Their blade arms, carapaces, spider fangs, and venom glands held high utility. A disassembled Spider Knight could fetch more than a whole one.

After cleaning up, Richard took out a revealing crystal ball to map the surrounding tunnels, preparing to raid the next potential resistance nest.

But before he could act, their communication crystals simultaneously buzzed with a command message.

"All... wizards heed... significant progress in hive clearing... return immediately. Repeat, all wizards... return!"

Their deep position caused the signal to break, but the command was clear enough.

Holding the communication crystal, Richard paused, trying to suppress a smile.

"Damn, we can finally leave this hellhole!"

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