Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

Since Richard was still an apprentice, the matters related to the wizard guild had to be managed by Jolord. Fortunately, Jolord already ran an alchemy workshop, so establishing a guild wasn't too daunting for him.

The academy's investigation was quickly concluded, and once it was confirmed that Jolord hadn't directly assisted Richard, the matter quietly subsided under Ereks' management.

With increased production output, Richard's accumulation of magic stones quickly recovered.

With a steady supply of magic stones, Richard's wizard grenade project progressed smoothly. The materials and spell models were finalized, leaving only the iterative design and testing phase to arrive at the most suitable blueprint.

This was a long process, but Richard had plenty of time.

...

Testing Area.

"Test number fifty-six, begin."

Richard eyed the target in the distance and casually tossed a black cylindrical object.

This was the fifty-sixth version of Richard's wizard grenade. Its elemental isolation stability and activation flexibility had vastly improved. If all went well, this design would become the final version of the wizard grenade.

"Three, two, one!"

Boom!

As the countdown ended, the grenade exploded on cue.

Richard squinted, watching the intense light burst from afar.

The water-fire annihilation reaction produced intense light, carrying enough energy to cause severe burns to ordinary people, though for wizard apprentices, it was merely a bright glare.

As the light faded, Richard approached the crater left by the grenade. The previously solid, hardened ground now featured a pit about the height of a person.

"The energy dissipates too quickly, making it only suitable as a personal weapon."

Richard shrugged and jotted down the data in his notebook.

A personal weapon it was, but the cost wasn't high—just around a hundred magic stones for materials. This was only Richard's preliminary study; given more time, he could reduce the cost through rune arrays.

However, such research was something Richard planned to pursue only at the wizard stage. As an apprentice, there was no need to waste time on it now.

"Richard!"

While Richard was recording data, a voice called from behind him.

"What's up, Ellie?" Richard replied, not turning around.

"The news is confirmed." Ellie ran up to Richard, excitement in her voice. "The exchange with the White Wizard Academy that the Principal mentioned is happening."

"Hmm?" Richard was momentarily confused, but then remembered the Principal's words from the day he entered the secret realm.

Richard pocketed his notebook. "Didn't the Vice Principal say it might take another decade?"

"Who knows? I heard from my teacher that the efficiency of the White Wizard Academy is surprisingly high this time. In just a few years, they've even started setting up the venue." Ellie excitedly hugged Richard. "And do you know what the prize is this time?"

"What?" Richard asked, intrigued.

"The prize is a direct promotion to wizard!"

"What!"

Richard's eyes widened. A direct promotion to wizard? Such a reward was incredibly enticing.

Ellie continued, "Since it's the first time this exchange is happening, a lot of things are experimental. So, the Principal and Vice Principal decided to increase the prize a bit."

"Oh, so we're the guinea pigs," Richard realized.

Even so, the reward of a direct promotion to wizard was enticing for Richard.

"How much time do we have?"

"About four years," Ellie calculated. "I heard the blood exam is being replaced by the exchange competition."

Richard did the math. His mental power was close to reaching the senior apprentice level. With another year, he could make that advancement.

"Alright, plenty of time. By the way, what's the format of the competition?"

"Uh... my teacher didn't say. You should ask Master Jolord; he might know more."

Richard nodded. "Alright, I'll ask him."

Arriving at the laboratory on the ninety-ninth floor of the Black Tower, Richard ran into Chakus, who was also looking for him.

"Hey, junior, you're in luck with this generation!"

Chakus gave Richard a hearty pat, clearly aware of the exchange competition news.

"Haha, looks like you've heard too, senior."

"Of course, the news is everywhere," Chakus replied, pointing upstairs. "By the way, the teacher asked me to find you. You should head to the lab. He probably has some insider info for you."

In the lab, Jolord beckoned Richard over as soon as he saw him.

"You've heard about the exchange competition, right?"

Richard sat down beside Jolord.

"Yes, I heard the final prize is a direct promotion to wizard?"

"Indeed, it is," Jolord nodded, then added with dissatisfaction, "Ereks is such a miser. Even the exchange competition rewards are so stingy."

"Stingy?" Richard was puzzled.

"Of course it's stingy," Jolord complained. "The winner gets a direct promotion to wizard, which sounds impressive. But think about it; anyone who can win this competition is unlikely to fail the wizard exam."

"Uh... that's true," Richard realized. Winning the competition meant they were already likely to pass the wizard exam.

This direct promotion essentially granted early wizard status.

"Anyway, let's not dwell on that. I called you here to tell you that the wizard guild matters are preliminarily settled."

Jolord handed Richard a scroll made of leather.

"This is a guild charter issued by the Council of Truth. With this, we can legally conduct business with the academy."

"That's great," Richard's eyes lit up. "When do we start?"

"Start? We've just completed the first step of establishing the wizard guild!" Jolord gave him an exasperated look. "The charter allows our existence, but to do business, we need stable material sources, sales channels, and popular products.

Your teacher, while running an alchemy workshop, doesn't deal in potions. Establishing these channels requires starting from scratch.

Moreover, focus potions are only useful for apprentices. At the wizard level, they're not much help. To grow the business, we need new potions, preferably useful for wizards.

These are issues that can't be resolved in a year or two. Don't expect to turn a profit for at least a century or two."

Richard scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.

He had oversimplified matters. Starting a wizard guild was far more complex than selling potions in the academy's commercial district.

"Alright, just be aware of this. Also, the details of the competition are tightly guarded by Ereks. I've only got some vague information, suggesting it might be a simulated battlefield.

You have a girlfriend who's a student of Susanna, right? Susanna might know more than I do."

"Uh... Master Susanna isn't sure either," Richard admitted awkwardly.

"She doesn't know either?" Jolord was surprised but quickly returned to normal.

"If she doesn't know, she doesn't know. Regardless of the competition, improving your strength and accumulating knowledge are always the right choices."

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