Wizard: I Can Refine Everything-Chapter 395 - 15: Into the Poison Swamp, The King of Poisonous Toads

Chapter 395 -15: Into the Poison Swamp, The King of Poisonous Toads

“Crystal Tower!?”

Richard’s voice suddenly rose, his face flashing with disbelief.

Having dealt so many times with the Pioneers’ creations, he knew all too well their characteristics.

That tower was definitely a creation of the Pioneers.

He also looked in the direction Ulysses was looking, but even though his eyes nearly popped out, he couldn’t see a trace of the crystal tower.

The thin mist above the poison swamp, like a curtain, completely obscured the deep scenery of the swamp.

“You don’t need to look; you can’t see it,” Ulysses said, with his eyes returning to normal, shaking his head at Richard.

“Is it very far?”

“It’s not about distance; there’s something about this layer of mist,” Ulysses explained, “this mist is probably a product of some rule; it can obstruct others’ probes.

Even I could only vaguely make out a crystal tower with the help of my Divine Eye.

What exactly is inside, I have no idea.”

Hearing this, Richard’s fiery heart suddenly became calm.

If this mist was the product of some rule, then it was very likely one of the defense mechanisms left by the Pioneers.

This also meant that they might come across weapons left by the Pioneers.

Richard looked at the depths of the swamp, his expression conflicted.

There was no doubt, venturing into the swamp for exploration was a high-risk, high-reward affair.

If he gave up, he might miss out on a huge treasure, but he could also be avoiding a trap.

Nobody knew what exactly was in the depths of the swamp.

“Look at how conflicted you are,” Ulysses suddenly said while Richard was in the midst of his internal struggle, “are you here on vacation?

Aren’t you here to hone yourself and incidentally collect the Pioneer’s creations?

If such a large relic is right in front of you and you can give it up,

then you don’t have to think about advancing to Great Wizard anymore.

There isn’t a single easy path to becoming stronger, seeking absolute safety, absolute smooth sailing, is impossible.

Besides, you’re not weaker than other Three Rings Wizards; you have me for protection, the Secret Realm as a refuge, and your several hundred years of research.

I really don’t understand, what are you afraid of?”

Ulysses’s words hit Richard like a bolt of enlightenment, instantly waking him from his hesitation.

Yes, he wasn’t weak.

He was already a Three Rings Wizard, among the very top of the ordinary wizard community.

With his trump cards, even if the World Master were to kill him, he’d have a chance to escape.

Could weapons remaining in this Pioneer Relic even be more fearsome than the World Master? And even if such weapons existed inside, why would they specifically target him, Richard?

Richard didn’t believe that the Pioneers could make a weapon to combat the World Master as casually usable as an Alchemy Magic Stone Cannon.

Moreover, so many years had passed by now.

Even if these weapons existed, under the corroding force of time, they should have broken down by now.

Otherwise, wizards entering this world would have been attacked by these weapons.

Realizing all this, Richard’s heart suddenly cleared, even his spiritual power started to surge with activity.

“You’re right, Ulysses. I really have been too cautious.”

Seeing Richard’s change of state, Ulysses nodded in satisfaction.

“That’s more like it. People can be cautious, but they must not be cowards. The path to becoming Divine is inevitably thorny, the timid cannot achieve greatness.”

“However, I need to make some preparations before going in.”

Richard opened the Secret Realm Rift without turning back and said:

“This swamp is extremely dangerous; I must make thorough preparations.”

Ulysses was stunned for a moment, then said with a laugh and a cry, “Well, you’ve changed but not completely.”

…

In order to explore the swamp, Richard took out the Mechanic Type One Single Soldier Armor originally designed for the Fire Lizard.

To the current Richard, this Single Soldier Armor was a very good piece of supportive Magic Equipment.

Of course, before exploration, Richard modified the Single Soldier Armor a second time.

First was size adaptation; this armor was designed for Fire Lizards, and its internal space was quite spacious for Richard.

Next was the optimization of internal parts.

It had been several hundred years since the Mechanic Type One Single Soldier Armor had been designed, and during these years, Fire Lizard craftsmen had been continuously refining their skills, optimizing the structure of the Single Soldier Armor.

Now, the design of Mechanic Type One Single Soldier Armor had been improved a lot, and many cumbersome structures had been streamlined.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Richard could conduct a major update.

The Alchemy Workshop set the blazing Flames going again; the great Melter poured out scalding molten metal, which formed into various alloy parts.

The Fire Lizard workers stood before the forging table, using Giant Dragon Alchemy to imbue these parts with the needed characteristics.

At the testing bench, Richard was also using Wizard Alchemy to modify and process the internal parts of the armor.

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, two months passed.

Inside the Secret Realm, a three-meter-tall Iron Giant stood under World Mushroom, like a statue.

Suddenly, a Magic Wave emanated from the body of the Iron Giant.

Buzz!

The Iron Giant then came to life.

Richard’s voice came from within the Iron Giant: “Ulysses, we can go to the swamp now.”

…

The poison swamp was just as tranquil today.

A space rift opened up above the poison swamp, and an iron giant walked out from it. On the giant’s shoulder, a crow’s eyes shone like the sun, staring intently into the depths of the swamp.

“That’s right, it’s a crystal tower, and a damaged one at that.”

Ulysses closed his eyes, and two trails of bloody tears fell from the corners of his eyes.

“Which way should we go?”

Richard’s voice emanated from within the single soldier armor, sounding somewhat muffled.

Ulysses threw out a ball of flames, which formed an arrow in the air.

“This way, go straight.”

Upon receiving the direction, Richard clad in armor landed on the surface of the swamp. Surprisingly, this heavy metal creation, weighing several tons, did not sink into the water. Instead, it stood as steadily as if it were on land.

“Let’s move forward then; be ready. If anything goes wrong, we retreat immediately.”

With that said, the iron giant began moving across the surface of the swamp.

The poison swamp, unique to the Green Forest World, was home to countless toxic insects and snakes.

Richard alone had identified over a hundred different toxic insects and more than twenty kinds of venomous snakes.

The venom from these creatures was so potent that even third-level creatures couldn’t withstand it, making one wonder what kind of enemy the Pioneers were fighting against back then, to engineer such biological weapons.

Crack!

A crisp sound suddenly came from Richard’s leg armor.

A black snake, as thick as a human arm, was coiled around his leg, its sharp fangs now only half remaining in its mouth.

These snakes’ fierce venom was formidable indeed, but it had to enter a living body to be of any use.

Before the armor plates refined by Giant Dragon Alchemy, the venomous fangs of these snakes and insects could at most scrape off the paint.

This, this is the power of Magic Essence! (laughs)

Richard aimed the flamethrower on his arm at the black snake, and with a “boom,” a burst of white-hot flames turned the snake into a clump of char.

At this moment, Richard had reached the depths of the swamp.

The thin mist that looked hazy at the outskirts of the swamp became increasingly thick here.

Everything around Richard was shrouded in whiteness, even the sky was enveloped by the dense fog.

From sight, to hearing, to spiritual power, Richard’s perception was limited to a mere three meters around him. Beyond this range, he could obtain no information.

The fog was like a movable cage, imprisoning Richard, doomed to never see the light of day again.

On his shoulder, Ulysses’s eyes shone bright, constantly observing everything around.

“Stop!” Ulysses shouted.

Richard halted at the signal, and soon a low rumbling sound reached his ears.

Gurgling, gurgling.

A purple-skin toad, the size of a calf, wandered through the dense fog, entering Richard’s range of perception.

As Richard ventured deeper into the poison swamp, these purple-skin toads appeared more frequently. Nearly every few meters he walked, he would encounter one.

Moreover, the deeper he went, the higher the level of these toads.

The toad in front of Richard was close to second level judging from its life radiation, and each pustule on its body contained venom that could kill a third-level creature in an instant.

If this toad exploded, its power would be many times stronger than the purple-skin toad Richard had seen before.

Even with single soldier armor for protection, Richard dared not act recklessly.

He stood still like a rock, quietly watching the purple-skin toad swim past him.

All of a sudden, a large gaping mouth burst out of the swamp, snapping the toad up in its jaws.

Richard tensed instantly, a magic barrier and a layer of pitch-black energy barrier appeared around him on the spot.

A fine sweat seeped down his spine, trickling down slowly like a stream.

But the expected explosion did not happen.

The purple-skin toad didn’t move inside the gaping mouth, the burst pustules oozing a pale green venom, which fell on the surface of the water, instantly turning the surrounding toxic algae into thick mush.

The owner of the large mouth emerged from the water, and from its size, it appeared to be a python marked with black grid patterns.

But Richard knew that this creature was not a python; it was merely a venomous snake that had grown large.

The black snake swallowed the toad slowly, the infallible mucus on the surface of the toad’s body seemingly having no effect on it.

“Interesting, mutually dependent and mutually constraining.”

Richard watched the black snake with surprise. The purple-skin toads that rampaged through the swamp, so easily becoming a meal for a black snake.

“Ulysses, lend a hand, let’s get this thing into the Secret Realm.”

Ulysses looked at the black snake, which was digesting the toad, a flicker of surprise in his eyes as well.

“To be able to eat that purple-skin toad, this thing is quite interesting.”

With that, Ulysses stretched out his Crow Claw, grabbed the black snake, and before the snake could struggle, a space rift opened up beside it.

“Old Mushroom, here’s your delivery.”

With those words, the black snake was thrown into the Secret Realm.

Richard continued to move forward, and soon, his vision suddenly brightened.

The obstructing white fog had disappeared, or rather, he had walked out of the area covered by the fog.

And a few kilometers in front of him, a crystal tower riddled with filth and moss stood quietly in the depths of the swamp.

And beside it, a formidable purple-skin toad lay quietly on the ground.

“This toad…” Richard stared at the purple-skin toad, and his face suddenly turned serious, “… its strength doesn’t seem right.”

Ulysses, gazing at the toad, spoke slowly: “The Pioneers of your world are something else.

This toad, like the Blue Fire Lizard I encountered in the Red Sun World, has already broken through the limits of a third-level creature.

They are just one leap of the soul away from becoming a World Master.”