Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

Returning to his dorm, Richard released Wuni, directing it to fly toward Chaxes' lab.

During this time, Richard had already completed the implantation of the soul seed, allowing him not only to share Wuni's vision but also to control its movements. Through Wuni's eyes, Richard could see the ground clearly even from nearly a thousand meters above, day or night.

This was the source of Richard's confidence.

After handing Wuni over, Richard began crafting his "bullets."

Choosing the right material for the bullets was crucial.

Richard knew that Joseph was likely equipped with defensive magical gear, probably designed to counter both physical and magical attacks.

To penetrate this defense, Richard decided to invest heavily, using a magic stone per gram of anti-magic metal to craft the bullets.

Anti-magic metal possesses properties that disrupt magical barriers, making it ideal for breaching defensive spells.

Shaping, grinding, polishing... Richard spent an entire night crafting the bullets. As the morning sun streamed into the room, four dark gray, boat-tail tipped metal bullets lay on his desk.

With the bullets ready, the next step was to test their power and compensate for wind interference.

According to Richard's plan, he would control Wuni to fire from an altitude of five hundred meters, raising the issue of wind impact.

At such high speeds, even a slight breeze could divert a bullet significantly off target.

"Maybe I can cancel out the wind with a spell," Richard mused, examining the bullets.

Despite their anti-magic metal composition, which could weaken or negate magical effects, the weakening process required time.

Richard only needed the spell to last less than a second to counteract wind interference, meaning the weakening effect wouldn't matter much.

With this idea in mind, Richard added a shell-like structure to the bullet's tail. This structure housed a spell called "Airflow Barrier," designed to shield the bullet from air currents during flight.

"Caw! Caw!"

A crow's call came from outside the window. Turning to look, Richard saw the modified Wuni had returned to the balcony.

Externally, Wuni appeared unchanged. However, when Richard commanded it to open its mouth, a steel tube protruded from its throat.

Attached to Wuni's leg was a parchment, detailing its care instructions.

After the modifications, Wuni could no longer eat with its beak. Chaxes had installed a mouth on Wuni's abdomen, allowing food to be chewed and directly fed into its digestive system.

Using food to coax open Wuni's hidden abdominal mouth, Richard watched as a toothy maw emerged, devouring the meat he offered. Within seconds, the meat was reduced to mush and ingested.

"The biological modifications of wizards... truly imaginative," Richard remarked, then headed to the test area with Wuni.

He rented a private testing ground to avoid academy monitor surveillance, spending ten magic stones to rent a metal target with its own magical barrier.

Controlling Wuni to ascend to nearly five hundred meters, Richard carefully adjusted its position. At this height, even a slight misalignment could lead to a miss.

"Three, two, one, fire!"

Richard silently counted down, then activated the magical construct with his magic.

Magic coursed through the circuitry, activating the runes, and the kinetic spell propelled the bullet forward;

Bang!

A spark erupted on the metal target as the magical barrier slightly slowed the anti-magic bullet, but it easily pierced the metal body, leaving a red-hot hole.

"Impressive," Richard smiled, satisfied with the results.

He continued testing targets with double and triple barriers, concluding that the anti-magic bullet was effective against up to three layers. Beyond that, the bullet lost its lethality.

"This power is enough. If he can stack four layers of defense, I'll accept it," Richard murmured, touching the bullet hole.

...

The news of the failed curse quickly reached Joseph's ears. Corner Alley returned half the deposit, signifying their withdrawal from the job, while the remainder was their fee for attempting.

"Useless fools!" Joseph slammed his fist on the table, leaving a dent in the new surface.

Though he had anticipated this outcome, his rage was overwhelming.

He had hired a high-level curse wizard from Corner Alley. Even with Richard having an agent and another curse wizard's help, the curse should at least have caused some harm if not killed him outright.

Yet, there was no word of Richard suffering any mishap.

A thriving alchemy apprentice in the commercial district cursed to serious injury would surely be newsworthy.

But now, everything was calm.

Joseph paced his room in frustration. If Richard remained alive, his potion business wouldn't recover.

He had seen Richard's potions, and the terrifyingly consistent quality unsettled him.

How could anyone produce a hundred identical potions in a month?

Eventually, after countless circles around his room, Joseph angrily approached his drawer, extracting a curse insect and a scarecrow-like magical construct.

He knew his attempt to curse Richard couldn't remain hidden; it was too crudely executed. Anyone aware of the circumstances could deduce he was the culprit.

Luckily, Corner Alley never disclosed client identities even if a job failed, so he didn't fear academy monitors coming for him.

For now, he only needed to guard against Richard's potential retaliation using similar means.

Securing the magical construct and curse insect, Joseph left the central Black Tower for a walk to clear his mind.

As he exited the tower, a pair of eyes locked onto him.

"Finally coming out?" Richard smirked, watching Joseph through the linked senses from the fifty-sixth floor of the Black Tower.

In the pitch-black sky, Wuni's wings blended seamlessly with the night. It hovered above Joseph, adjusting its position, while Joseph felt an inexplicable chill down his spine.

He sensed something watching him.

"Who's there?" Joseph scanned the surrounding woods warily, two layers of pale blue shields materializing around him. "Fighting within the academy is against the rules."

The woods remained silent, but the sense of danger within him continued to rise.

"Who's watching me!" Joseph turned repeatedly, trying to spot whatever was tracking him. But he never saw it—above, a crow's beak glowed with magic.

Richard chuckled, and a dark flash shot from Wuni's mouth. With the Airflow Barrier aiding it, the bullet flew without touching the air, maintaining maximum speed.

Bang!

The collision of anti-magic metal and magical shield produced a loud sound, followed by an explosion of blood mist.

In the sky, the death crow cawed joyfully.