Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

"Emergency summons..."

Richard's brow furrowed as he listened to the message from the crystal ball. Emergency summons were not privileges handed out lightly.

Among the Black Wizards infiltrating the hive, only a few dozen third-circle wizards had the authority to issue an emergency summons. This power allowed them to commandeer all first and second-circle Black Wizards in their area, essentially granting them command-level authority.

However, such significant power came with strict oversight. After issuing an emergency summons, a third-circle wizard had to report to the command center, explaining their reasons and motives.

If the command center deemed their reasons inadequate, the wizard faced penalties, ranging from fines to execution.

Thus, few third-circle wizards dared use the emergency summons. Its use implied the situation was critical or spiraling out of control, requiring the cooperation of multiple Black Wizards to manage.

Regardless of the reason, an emergency summons was never a good sign.

After receiving the summons, Richard's communication crystal ball displayed an arrow-like indicator.

This arrow would guide him to the location of the wizard who issued the summons.

Richard retrieved his microwave revealing crystal ball and projected the map he and Ulysses had charted.

Following the arrow's direction, Richard traced his finger on the map until it stopped at a small settlement.

This small settlement connected several tunnels, serving as a minor transportation hub. If gathering wizards was the goal, this location was ideal.

"Ulysses, how's your recovery?" Richard asked, turning to his companion.

"Caw, I've reached the level of a second-tier creature. This body doesn't quite match, though. I'll need a new one once we're out of here."

Saying this, Ulysses emitted a surge of energy, causing Richard to pale.

"Stop! Are you an idiot? We're inside the hive!"

Ulysses reined in the energy with a laugh. "Caw-caw-caw, relax, just a little joke."

Having Ulysses at a stable second-tier was a significant boon for Richard, allowing him to face second-tier insects without immediately resorting to flight.

Moreover, with an emergency summons, a fierce battle was inevitable. Ulysses' strength would be crucial in extracting them from danger.

...

Following the map, Richard and Ulysses advanced toward the arrow's direction.

Along the way, Richard noticed the dense number of insects.

Numerous warrior and priest insects patrolled the tunnels, with security levels far exceeding anything Richard had seen in recent years.

It seemed something significant was brewing in the unexplored areas of the map.

After three days of travel, Richard reached the designated location on his map.

In the tunnel, Richard quietly observed the entire settlement.

At first glance, it appeared no different from a typical Black Crystal Insect settlement—cultivator insects toiled among the fungi, while warrior insects and Spider Knights either patrolled or rested, seemingly natural.

However, Richard, well-acquainted with insects, found the settlement's inhabitants unnaturally odd.

Activating his energy sight, the settlement transformed before Richard's eyes.

Every insect, busy or patrolling, was tethered by numerous energy threads, like marionettes—eerily lifelike.

These threads extended skyward, converging into a single strand connected to a central fungus in the settlement.

Presumably, the fungus housed the third-circle wizard who issued the emergency summons.

"He turned the entire settlement into puppets, and disguised them so convincingly. This wizard is no ordinary master."

Beside Richard, Ulysses scoffed:

"Caw, controlling a few hundred insects is child's play. We had a black spider back home that could control millions at once, coordinating them to shatter the divine core of a so-called war god. Now that's impressive."

Richard glanced at Ulysses. "Comparing demigods to gods, really?"

Emerging from the tunnel, Richard walked boldly toward the central fungus chamber. Along the way, the insects paid him no heed, as if he were just another insect.

At the chamber entrance, Richard politely knocked.

Knock, knock, knock.

The door opened to reveal a black-robed wizard seated in the center. With eight spider-leg-like appendages extending from his back, the wizard's head mechanically turned toward Richard, speaking in a robotic voice:

"Interesting, a first-circle wizard seeing through my puppet technique. Am I losing my touch?"

Richard bowed slightly. "Master, I received the emergency summons and am here to report."

Thump, thump, thump...

Suddenly, the black-robed wizard's spider legs moved, swiftly bringing him face-to-face with Richard. The wizard's puppet-like face hovered before Richard's.

"How did you see through my spell?"

Gazing at the puppet face, Richard remained calm.

"Master's craft is masterful. The average person wouldn't notice the puppetry. But you overlooked one thing..."

"What did I overlook?"

"The insects' movements were almost identical. It's believable for first-tier insects, but even the ordinary cultivator insects moved uniformly. That's suspicious."

The puppet wizard paused, then nodded. "I see. A lapse on my part."

With a wave of magic, the puppet wizard infused subtle variations into the insects' actions.

"You're the first to arrive. Find a room and settle in."

Richard found a suitable mushroom house in the fungal forest and began examining an insect egg.

In such a rudimentary setting, he was wary of studying the Forerunner crystal shards.

...

A week passed swiftly, with Black Wizards from all over the hive gathering at the small settlement. If the insects launched an assault now, the hive wouldn't need to worry about Black Wizards anymore.

Amid the crowd, Richard spotted two familiar faces.

"Richard, seems you've gained a lot in the hive."

Lawrence greeted Richard with a smile, the seasoned wizard noticing Richard's progress immediately.

Richard's constitution and the incidental mana fluctuations differed greatly from before. If not for his familiar face and the crow on his shoulder, Lawrence might have mistaken him for someone else.

"I found some opportunities, but nearly lost my life," Richard replied with a grin.

Lawrence remained unchanged. As a peak first-circle wizard, his growth was limited unless he stumbled upon treasures like Richard's Soul Essence. Otherwise, his power would remain stagnant.

Compared to Lawrence and Richard, Ellie fared worse.

Without Richard's advantages or Lawrence's power and experience, she relied on her past insect-hunting exploits in the hive to survive.

When she arrived, her wizard robes were tattered, and she was missing an arm.

"Hey, Richard!" Ellie forced a smile.

Since losing her arm to a warrior insect, this was her first attempt at smiling.

Seeing her condition, Richard frowned. Retrieving some active flesh from his pocket, he manipulated it into a tentacle.

"Ellie, come here."

Ellie approached, curiously eyeing the tentacle.

Richard lifted her robe and took out a scalpel.

"This will hurt a bit. I didn't bring anesthetic, so bear with it."

With that, Richard sliced into Ellie's stump, hot blood gushing forth. He attached the tentacle, and the active flesh instantly staunched the bleeding.

"Hiss!" Ellie winced in pain.

"Use mana to control the tentacle. I don't have the materials for bones, so make do with the tentacle for now."

Ellie smiled at Richard. "It's fine. I've almost gotten used to having one arm."

The tentacle's muscle structure mimicked the original blood flesh tentacles, boasting exceptional burst and endurance—qualities befitting the blood flesh laws it once embodied.

Once familiar with it, Ellie deftly wielded her staff with the tentacle, as if with a new toy.

"Richard, this tentacle is more useful than a hand!"

As more wizards gathered, those summoned finally arrived.

In the settlement, the puppet wizard emerged to announce the emergency summons' purpose to the assembled crowd.

"Everyone, due to a change in the Black Crystal Insects' strategy, nearly five hundred of our fellow infiltrators have been captured recently.

I've learned through intelligence that these individuals have not been executed but are being secretly transported to the inner hive's Mother God Temple.

The insects plan a grand sacrificial ceremony to boost morale, with our wizard kin as the offerings.

Therefore, I need you to join me in rescuing them from the Mother God Temple."

The puppet wizard's directive was straightforward and reasonable.

Nearly a thousand Black Wizards—almost a tenth of the Black Mushroom Insect Kingdom's infiltrators.

Rescuing them would be a tremendous gain for the wizards.

The wizard population was already limited compared to the insects, so saving even one wizard was significant.

However, after hearing the mission, Lawrence communicated telepathically with Richard:

"Richard, something's off about this."

"Hmm?" Richard's expression changed. "What's off?"

"I know this puppet wizard—Declan. Among the free wizards, he's somewhat notorious for acting only when there's profit. Plus, he never risks himself, always using puppets. He's quite cowardly.

I find it hard to believe he'd use an emergency summons to save people."

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