Wizard: Starting with Symbiosis with Algae

The rainy night amidst the cold wave was noisy, but the quiet moments were terrifying.

Lynn bent down, examining the sulfurous biological powder in his hand.

"What time is it now?"

Ruby gazed at the golden light on the horizon at the edge of her vision, her brows furrowing slightly.

Hail and rain fell alternately, making it difficult to determine the sun's position.

"It's probably between nine and twelve o'clock."

Time loses its meaning in this kind of weather.

Lynn nodded.

Setting traps to catch prey is actually quite sophisticated, but such complex traps are unnecessary on this desolate planet.

The flying clubs have no natural enemies and are used to roaming freely in thunderstorms. Their arrogance will lead to their demise.

Therefore, as long as the trap is placed in the right location, the biggest problem is only ensuring that the bait's food container is not broken.

Ruby stood in front of the grinder.

She poured the potato powder and worm powder into the same feed chute.

Potato starch is pale yellow, worm starch is grayish-blue, and when mixed together they turn into an unappealing grayish-green.

To be honest, she picked up the flying rod heart with some reluctance; it was her first trophy as a wizard apprentice since arriving on this planet.

Ruby turned off the grinder, sat on a stool, braced it with one shoulder against the side of the machine, and then reached into the discharge port to scoop it out.

Then she saw Lynn adding more ingredients to the prepared mixing powder.

First came a pinch of fine yellow powder.

"What is that?"

"Would you like some cheese powder specifically for worms?"

Lynn handed it to Ruby without any attempt to hide it.

Ruby leaned closer and sniffed, then fanned her nose in disgust.

It smelled of sulfides, similar to the sulfur smell near the hot springs.

The difference is that it has an added sweet taste of algae.

Recalling Lynn's insensitivity to ammonia while seeking shelter from the rain.

Ruby is now starting to suspect that Lynn might have some kind of peculiar fetish for smells.

Lynn sprinkled some more red algae powder, which gave off a fishy smell similar to that of burnt dried fish.

Ruby asked, "What is this now?"

Lynn, seeing Ruby's keen curiosity, shook the bowl and said sarcastically, "Want some chili flakes?"

Ruby refused.

The evil red and yellow colors clearly indicate that it's not something you can eat.

She lost interest in that and turned her attention to the preservation of the worm eggs.

The temperature of the incubator needs to be recalibrated. The outside temperature has been dropping and the inside temperature has fallen below the lower limit of the normal incubation temperature.

It wouldn't be good to let them hatch directly in the cold night.

Lynn continued to prepare the bait, oblivious to everyone else.

He used a knife to scrape another wound, about two centimeters long, over the scar caused by the flying stick. He scraped off the poisoned blood and dripped it into the powder bowl, mixing it together with the heart fragments he had taken from the grinder on the corner of the table.

From its appearance, the lumps formed after mixing turned a color similar to concrete, which is hard to describe.

However, when it comes to hunting, efficiency is key.

As long as it works, that's fine. Don't worry about how good it looks or who gets hurt first. The winner is the one who is strong.

After Lynn finished preparing, Ruby selected three locations to place the bait, based on the behavior of worms.

The first one is at the edge illuminated by the hydrogen lamps near the entrance; the second is near the giant cyanobacteria, whose algal bloom is generating heat, making the ground temperature in that area slightly higher than elsewhere, where the flying rod instinctively seeks out heat sources during the cold snap. The third is in the natural crevice beneath the red boulder—a backup in the worst-case scenario.

...

A flash of lightning stopped the hail, but the rain continued.

The hunt has begun.

They were like two hyenas staring at carrion, their gaze fixed in three directions.

The sand dune planet, after the temperature drops, has a unique charm.

Ruby rubbed her hands together and stuffed the freshly made worm-shaped down pouch into her shirt. Lynn remained motionless, letting the blue algae freely emit its light. Because Lynn was warmer, Ruby, who was a little cold, naturally leaned closer. In a way, Ruby was similar to the worm.

Just then, a blue-white dot of light appeared in the southeast of the plain. Seemingly having caught the alluring scent of a fellow corpse in the air, the flying rod moved quite quickly through the cold, rainy night. The southeast was completely exposed, so the flying rod was probably in poor condition.

Ruby tugged at Lynn's sleeve, and Lynn immediately got up, turned off the lights in the room, and held his breath.

They peered out the window and watched as the worm slowly approached the bait spot closest to the shelter.

Not long after.

The flying rod circled the bait a few times before starting to feed.

The gray powder was scraped up by the horny teeth on the edge of the mouthparts and sent into the mouth.

When it took its fourth bite, it slowed down a beat, tilting its head slightly to the left, as if it sensed something was wrong, but it didn't stop.

After all, that's still too little.

Halfway through his meal, the frequency of the electric flashes on his body gradually changed from stable to intermittent.

Some of the drunkards buried their heads in their food, and the toxins began to take effect.

Lynn counted silently in her mind.

1 minutes

2 minutes.

...

About 25 minutes passed

The bait in the basin was completely eaten by the worms.

It twitched and fell into the basin, sleeping very comfortably.

Lynn also knew a crucial piece of information.

It takes about 25 minutes from when the toxin begins to take effect until convulsions occur.

The entire process, from the start to the end, takes about 35 minutes.

Due to physical weakness and increased toxins, the worms weakened much faster than when Lynn collapsed and the aquatic plants rapidly multiplied sulfur algae.

That saved some effort.

Lynn gestured to Ruby to do it, and Ruby immediately used the tether she had set up to lift the worm.

The tether is specially made in the wizarding world and is difficult for ordinary creatures to break.

Ruby gave a gentle pull, and the worm, suspended by the rope, fell onto the roof beam. She clapped her hands happily.

"That's it! So easy!"

Lynn was also delighted. He patted his thigh, and the numb feeling made him feel like it wasn't his own.

hemp!

but

Trading the dead for the living, a sure win.

This flying stick is quite a voracious eater.

Lynn's eyes lit up; he could grab something. This meant that a major enemy blocking his path to survival had been defeated.

This is a landmark event.

Lynn glanced at the basin by the door; there was almost nothing left.

All they have left to do is add more bait and continue catching new flying rods.

..

At that moment, without any warning.

The second, the third, and the fourth flying rods arrived one after another. They came from the northeast.

Lynn remembered that there seemed to be a hot spring over there, and these two worms were in much better condition than the first one.

They had all the lights on at maximum brightness, which was extremely arrogant.

Blue and white fluorescent lights writhed in the rain, occasionally flashing faster before resuming their slow pace.

It can only be said that, apart from not being able to fly, they are not much different from their heyday.

Its speed is several times that of the first stupid guy.

Seeing this, Ruby urged him somewhat nervously.

"Lynn, hurry up."

"Don't let our prey get eaten by other worms."

A 1-for-1 trade is still profitable, but a 1-for-zero trade is a huge loss.

Lynn nodded and instinctively moved closer to the worm.

When you are about 2 meters away from the worm, you will encounter it.

A string of characters appeared in front of Lynn

panel!

[Selected: Electric Worm (Magic-Rich Species)]

[Observed characteristics. Bio-electricity (magic can be used as an energy source): converting bio-energy generated from eating into electrical current. The current intensity is positively correlated with the amount of food consumed.]

[Observed characteristics. Plasma mouthparts: Teeth that gather plasma, causing significant damage to biomass.]

[Observed characteristic, Arc Release: Consumes a small amount of magic power to envelop oneself in electric light, greatly enhancing one's mobility.]

The two other worms drew closer. Lynn remained motionless.

Ruby seems to be planning to do it herself.

The physical pain was nothing compared to the fact that she would really explode if her spoils were taken away.

"Lynn, what are you waiting for? They're here."

Lynn stopped in his tracks. Just now, he had discovered a new feature.

[Observed characteristics: Nutrient extraction: Nutrients and waste products are extracted from the body, accumulate in the heart, and are removed after metabolism.]

In other words, a large amount of toxins and nutrients are accumulated in the body of the worm.

High-energy soil is a product of this nutrient extraction.

Lynn had a very bold idea

"Ruby, wanna bet big?"