Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

The Miracle Furnace—a name that sounded impressive.

Standing behind the Wizard, Richard cautiously used his mind to connect with the previously unresponsive furnace.

He needed to quickly understand what this thing could do.

Fortunately, the process wasn't complicated.

The moment Richard's mind touched the furnace, the functions of the Miracle Furnace automatically flowed into his brain.

In short, the Miracle Furnace could extract usable components from 'materials.' These components could be a substance within the material or some information contained within it.

When extracting, the Miracle Furnace required the host to continuously provide 'fuel.' The amount of fuel needed varied depending on what was being extracted.

Extracting information required mental power, while extracting substances required energy.

...

The testing proceeded swiftly, and in less than an hour, over a hundred children had been tested, with only seven passing the mental power test.

"Alright. Let these children go back." After testing the last child, the black-robed Wizard instructed the steward.

"Yes, Wizard," the steward replied with a bow.

As the other children left, the remaining seven glanced at each other.

Among these seven were a farmer's son, a baker's daughter, a blacksmith's adopted child, a merchant's youngest son...

They represented nearly all social strata of the territory, but now stood together, awaiting the black-robed Wizard's declaration.

"Alright, children. As qualifiers, you're much more exceptional than the others. You will now become the 432nd batch of wizard apprentices at the Black Tower Wizard Academy, embarking on the path to seek truth."

The Wizard's voice was pleased, seemingly satisfied with obtaining seven qualified children from the Black Forest Territory.

He beckoned to the Black Forest Baron beside him.

"Delis, take these children for a bath and have them change clothes."

"And this child," the Wizard pointed at Richard, "treat his wounds properly. If he has any problems due to his injuries during the journey... hmm."

The Wizard didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood the implied threat.

"I understand, sir," the baron replied firmly.

With that, Baron Delis instructed the castle servants to lead the children to the castle's lower level.

There, a large bathhouse featured hot springs ingeniously converted into a bath by the Black Forest Baron.

In the bath, Richard's wounds shifted from numbness to pain.

Such a luxury as a hot bath was practically a crime for commoners; the firewood used for heating could cook many meals.

Not to mention the natural hot springs, a luxury reserved for nobility.

After soaking for a while and scrubbing off the dirt, Richard quickly stepped out of the water.

His time was more pressing than the others; he needed to tend to his wounds.

...

Exiting the bath, Richard dressed in new clothes prepared by the maid.

The new clothes were made of cotton, a bit large, but warm.

Dressed in fresh clothes, Richard stood before a mirror, examining his appearance.

With shoulder-length black hair, deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin, pale lips, he looked less like a commoner and more like a noble in distress.

"Sir, you must have noble blood," the maid complimented from the side.

"Is that so?" Richard raised an eyebrow, then followed the maid to the second floor of the castle.

The corridor on the second floor was lined with portraits, presumably of past Black Forest Barons.

At the end, Richard saw the portrait of the first Black Forest Baron: a man in armor holding a greatsword.

Beside the portrait, a broken greatsword hung on the wall.

"Hmm."

As Richard noticed the broken sword, his Miracle Furnace pulsed with excitement.

"Is this the first Black Forest Baron's sword?" Richard was intrigued.

This broken sword was recognized as material by the furnace.

"Yes, sir," the maid replied.

Richard stepped forward and gently touched the broken sword.

[Material: Broken Sword of Count Black Forest]

[Extractable Skill: Wind Raven Swordsmanship]

[Extraction Cost: 5 Mental Power]

[Extract?]

Wind Raven Swordsmanship!

Richard was startled.

This was the legendary swordsmanship that made Count Black Forest renowned on the battlefield.

Even Richard, a lowly peasant, had heard bards sing of its fame.

But it was said that this swordsmanship had been lost for three hundred years.

This was also why the Black Forest lineage had declined.

Faced with such a treasure, Richard didn't hesitate to extract it.

Opportunities like this were rare!

As Richard chose to extract, he immediately felt fatigued, as if he'd been through a morning of advanced mathematics, his mind foggy.

But before Richard could succumb to drowsiness, a startling sight jolted him awake.

The broken sword disappeared!

The maid beside him was momentarily stunned—where had such a large sword gone?

But in the blink of an eye, the maid saw the broken sword reappear.

Was it an illusion?

The maid rubbed her eyes, confirming the sword was still there, while the young wizard beside her looked at her quizzically.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, sir. Let's hurry to the doctor," the maid quickly said.

...

Relieved to have fooled the maid, Richard exhaled silently.

He hadn't expected the Miracle Furnace to need to physically consume an object to extract information.

Seeing the sword vanish had made Richard's heart skip a beat.

Luckily, the Miracle Furnace completed the extraction in an instant, and the sword only disappeared for a moment before returning.

Richard's attention returned to the furnace.

On the Miracle Furnace, a white light flickered and danced.

As Richard mentally connected with the light, fleeting memories flashed through his mind.

He found himself on perilous battlefields, wielding a sword and defeating enemy after enemy.

"Sir? Sir? We've arrived at the doctor's."

The maid's voice pulled Richard from his reverie. His mind was still too fragile; even receiving memories from past warriors left him dazed.

"Oh, alright."

Richard regained his composure and hurried into the doctor's room.

Half an hour later, Richard leaned against the wall, weakly exiting the room.

For his external wounds, the doctor had used strong alcohol for pain relief, as there was no anesthetic.

Fortunately, the doctor's skill was quick, completing the removal of necrotic tissue, stitching, and application of ointment within half an hour.

At that moment, Baron Delis arrived on the second floor.

"Young Wizard, the Wizard is ready to depart."

...

Outside the castle, Richard now wore a brand-new cotton coat. Although his face showed signs of malnutrition, his demeanor was completely transformed.

"Good, you look decent," the black-robed Wizard observed Richard and nodded in satisfaction.

With a wave of his sleeve, an inexplicable force enveloped the seven, suspending them like bubbles beside the Wizard.

"This is Levitation. You'll learn it at the academy."

The black-robed Wizard explained, then shot a fireball into the sky.

Boom!

The fireball exploded.

A beam of light pierced through the leaden clouds, cutting through the explosion and striking the ground.

"What is that?"

Richard stared at the sky, where a massive gray outline was becoming clear beyond the thick clouds.

"What the... what is this thing?"

Richard's voice trembled as he looked skyward, hardly believing his eyes.

A floating airship, hundreds of meters long, emerged from the clouds like a blue whale, its eye the beam that pierced the clouds.

In his daze, Richard recalled a legend he had heard while seeking knowledge of the extraordinary.

The legend spoke of a giant beast from the clouds, visiting from the Northern Barbarian Mountains every decade.

Its form was as vast as mountains, its gaze as bright as lightning.

Now, the legend had shed its veil!

The black-robed Wizard spread his arms, carrying everyone up the light beam into the sky, like saints ascending to heaven.

Richard heard the Wizard's voice, majestic and joyful, in the minds of all the qualifiers.

"New students, welcome aboard the Zeppelin-class magical airship."