Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

"You said Nightmare Artifact?"

Richard couldn't help but interrupt Bones' narration.

A Nightmare Artifact was something that even third-circle wizards would covet. How could such a precious artifact be revealed to a group of "mercenaries"? Unless, of course, these mercenaries weren't able to spread the news.

Bones nodded. "The bartender did mention the Nightmare Artifact, and we did indeed see it."

"You saw it?"

"Yes." Bones' voice was bitter. "If we hadn't seen that artifact, how would we have ended up in this situation?"

Richard nodded. "Continue."

---

The mention of the Nightmare Artifact immediately startled everyone in the room.

These individuals were no strangers to the term "Nightmare Artifact." They were all seasoned beings, and they had heard of such artifacts before.

This type of item was typically held by at least a Nightmare Knight, and the mere mention of it stirred the greed in their hearts.

The Nightmare creatures of the Lost Lands were already a bold and daring bunch. Even though they sensed something off about this clearly bait-laden news, each of them still harbored a glimmer of hope.

What if they could get their hands on that Nightmare Artifact?

Bones, upon hearing this news, remained indifferent, neither sad nor happy. He wasn't interested in the Nightmare Artifact; he just wanted a stable and peaceful life.

The demon bartender poured himself a drink. "I've told you the information, the rest is up to you. If you come back alive, I'll waive your next ten years of fees."

With that, the bartender downed his drink.

Based on the bartender's intel, the group quickly located the abandoned Nightmare domain.

Nightmare domains were typically projections of physical world gathering zones into the Nightmare world. However, because the creatures in the physical world migrated for various reasons, areas suitable for human habitation in the Wizard World were abundant.

Thus, once-thriving cities could easily become abandoned wastelands over the course of a few centuries.

Such territories were referred to as abandoned Nightmare domains by the Nightmare creatures.

Usually, when a Nightmare lord encountered such a situation, they either ventured into the wilderness to claim new territory or declared war to seize another lord's land.

The lord involved in this task was one who tried to seize territory and ended up being defeated and sent back home.

Upon reaching the location, the group began scouting before the mission.

Anyone who had survived in the Lost Lands to the point of becoming a Greater Nightmare should have developed some basic reflexes for such operations.

From a distance, the abandoned Nightmare domain looked extremely dilapidated. Various brick and stone buildings were crumbling, with green vines and spider webs filling the broken walls.

A raven flew from the Scarecrow's body, circling above the domain. At first, it seemed like everything was fine.

But after a few minutes, the raven suddenly started spinning in place.

"This domain has spatial anomalies," the Scarecrow said. "My raven has entered a spatial loop."

Everyone nodded and began investigating the domain using their own methods.

Bones' method was to conjure a raven using his Nightmare energy, similar to the Scarecrow's.

"Hmm? You also have a raven?" The Scarecrow glanced at Bones, not familiar with his technique.

Bones nodded. "Mine's different from yours."

Bones' raven was actually inspired by Richard's method. At the time, Richard had been accompanied by Ulysses' soul projection on his shoulder, and Bones had mimicked that technique.

The scouting lasted for nearly a week. The outer perimeter of the abandoned domain had been thoroughly explored by several Nightmares, marking various spatial anomalies.

However, as soon as they attempted to probe the inner city, all their methods failed, and they gathered no useful information.

Faced with this situation, they had no choice but to enter the domain and physically explore the inner city.

The outer areas of the abandoned domain felt like a ghost town. The broken houses, constantly tainted by Nightmare energy and rules, had an eerie aura. Shadows behind hollow windows and doorways seemed to conceal unknown monsters.

This strange atmosphere should have unsettled anyone, but for these Nightmare creatures, it felt as comfortable as returning home for the New Year.

"The Nightmare domain's influence is deep in this area," the Mist Coachman suddenly spoke up. "Don't go into the houses, we don't want to get killed by residual Nightmare rules."

Among the group, the Mist Coachman was the oldest, most powerful, and most knowledgeable. When he spoke, everyone listened.

They nodded and carefully approached the inner city.

As soon as they entered the inner city, they all suddenly felt an intense, primal fear.

In the inner city, the influence of the Nightmare domain was much stronger, almost like a mini Nightmare domain itself.

The buildings here were still relatively intact, but they gave the impression of being monsters in disguise, waiting for prey to walk into their trap.

"Hiss, this money really isn't easy to earn," one Nightmare creature said.

This Nightmare creature, dressed in what resembled a cleric's robe, had an even more horrifying appearance than the demon bartender. His voice was sometimes warm and booming, other times harsh and hoarse.

As soon as he finished speaking, a movement was heard from one of the nearby buildings.

One by one, shadows emerged from the building, heading straight for the Nightmare creature who had spoken.

The other Nightmare creatures, seeing this, quickly fell silent.

It seemed that speaking might have triggered some rule.

The cleric's body suddenly swelled to over three meters tall, his muscles rippling grotesquely. A holy light emanated from his body, as though a deity had descended, though his face twisted into something far more terrifying.

**Boom! Boom! Boom!**

The cleric shattered the shadows with each strike, but the buildings on the street seemed to house a spawning cage. Without a torch, the shadows kept reappearing.

The other Nightmare creatures watched silently until the battle ended.

This battle would provide them with important information.

Eventually, the cleric was overwhelmed by the shadows, who climbed up his body and dragged him into a nearby building.

Throughout all this, not a single Nightmare creature offered to help him.

---

"Can't speak? That's interesting." Richard observed his surroundings. He was in a similar ruined building, but based on his observations, he realized he was still in the inner city.

"Then how are we able to speak here?"

Bones shook his head. "Boss, this domain has only been tainted by the Nightmare realm; it's not truly part of it. So, some rules apply in some areas, and some don't. It's completely normal."

"Oh?" Richard looked at Bones with interest. "Did you figure that out yourself?"

Bones shook his head honestly. "No, the Mist Coachman said it. He's an old guy who knows a lot."

Richard was a bit disappointed but motioned for Bones to continue.

"Skip the unimportant parts. Tell me how you found the Nightmare Artifact and how things ended up like this."

---

After experiencing more bizarre incidents in the inner city, the group lost two members.

On the thirteenth day, they finally reached the heart of the domain: a massive plaza.

At the center of the plaza stood a statue, the face of which was not human. The twisted and grotesque features clearly depicted the former Nightmare lord.

Even as a statue, the oppressive aura it radiated was enough to suffocate the Nightmare creatures, regardless of whether or not they had breathing systems.

Suspended in front of the statue's chest was a small pyramid, about the size of a palm. It pulsed with Nightmare energy, appearing mysterious and otherworldly.

"Is this the Nightmare Artifact?" a Nightmare creature, resembling a stitched-together monstrosity, asked.

The Mist Coachman, one of the more experienced Nightmare creatures, studied the black pyramid carefully, his eyes burning with more intensity than usual.

"It should be," he said, before trailing off.

Without finishing his sentence, a ghostly Nightmare creature dashed toward the pyramid.

The other Nightmare creatures, their greed for the Nightmare Artifact stirred, immediately followed the ghost. Only the Mist Coachman and Bones stayed behind.

The Mist Coachman, seeing the others rush forward, casually pulled out a smoke pipe and took two puffs, finishing his thought.

"...It's in an activated state. Anyone who touches it will be cursed."

With those words, the black pyramid suddenly released a surge of black light, shaking the entire Nightmare domain.

The Mist Coachman's expression grew tense. The pyramid's movement was bigger than he had expected.

Under the black light, all the Nightmare creatures who had rushed to seize the pyramid were obliterated, with only Bones and the Mist Coachman, who had remained at the edge of the plaza, surviving.

But before they could feel relief, the black light faded, and the domain's space began to distort.

Bones suddenly felt the surroundings shift. In the next moment, he found himself in the current location, surrounded by Nightmare creatures emerging from the ruined buildings.

Some of them were members of the scouting team who had been destroyed by the black light, while others were unfamiliar Nightmare creatures.

These Nightmare creatures, seeing Bones, immediately attacked.

Although Bones was protected by armor and wielded an exquisite sword, he was still overwhelmed by the sheer number of opponents. After a fierce battle, he was gravely injured.

The rest, as expected, was Richard waking up and beginning his killing spree.

---

After hearing Bones' account, Richard thought for a moment.

"It seems this black pyramid is the nexus controlling the domain, and it's tied to spatial rules... Wait here for a moment."

As soon as Richard finished speaking, his body suddenly went limp, and Bones rushed to support him.

After a while, Richard regained consciousness, and a black raven emerged from his shoulder.

"Ga, so this is the little guy who ran with you? Seems like it's growing faster than you."

**(End of Chapter)**