Wizard: Starting with Symbiosis with Algae

With a magic power of 1.65, it is already much higher than Ruby's.

Lynn could clearly feel this growth, and now she could easily entwine the six-meter-long vines.

Only when the vines are forced to grow to their limit of seventeen or eighteen meters will a feeling of soreness and fatigue rise in the back of the head.

This is undoubtedly a personal improvement. And the sluggishness of that cold spell is gradually decreasing.

The flow of magic within his body became increasingly smooth. At this rate, he would be able to fully master the cold spell in a few more days.

"Registering as a second-level wizard apprentice is nothing special."

I wonder what life is like for a senior wizard apprentice.

He gathered his thoughts, manipulated the algae to absorb the moisture from his body, quickly dressed, and crawled into the cave to escape the cold rain mixed with ice shards.

A thin layer of white frost covered the cave walls, and the potato vines had long since dried up and curled up, like dead spider legs. Hot springs at the bottom of the cave were emitting white steam, and under the shroud of smoke, the rocks at the edges were covered with a fuzzy, dark green layer.

A hailstorm brings a chill.

However, the winter scenery was nothing special, except for the dark green that was expanding outwards from the hot spring.

Lynn crouched down. The thing was pressed against the rock surface, its texture similar to water-soaked leather; if pressed hard, a few drops of viscous, dark liquid would seep out from the fibers.

A notification popped up in front of him.

【Ash Cloak: A product of the combination of tetrad algae and a non-magical fungus (unnamed)】

【Characteristic 1: Environmental Tolerance. Supported by the photosynthetic substrate of the tetrad algae and the saprophytic decomposition ability of non-magical fungi, the ash-covered plant exhibits extremely strong environmental adaptability…】

[Characteristic 2: Matrix adhesion and erosion...]

[Do they coexist?]

Lynn stared at the list of attributes on the panel, his gaze lingering for a long time.

Unexpectedly, during the few days I was away, the tetrad algae got mixed up with the fungi growing on the potato vines on the ground and produced this strange combination.

With such strong survival ability, once we get back, we can inoculate the soil on that giant rock next to the experimental station, and we'll have that new method of soil stabilization.

"It really came to me without any effort."

……

Lynn returned to the experimental station from the hot spring, first washing his hands in the sink by the door, drying himself, and then draping the worm-shaped towel over the shelf by the door.

He crouched down and began to carefully organize the items and count the fuel.

The weather grew colder day by day. Even if the people were reluctant to move, they had no choice but to relocate.

Lynn happened to know that the sun had recently come out at the northern cliffs, and from a distance, the climate there was relatively mild, at least better than here.

As for fuel.

There weren't many originally.

However, when cleaning the oxygen collection tank, it was discovered by chance that metabolites could provide energy for the tank, which greatly alleviated the fuel shortage.

"Dried worm metabolites, 55 kilograms. High-energy soil produced by flying rods, 56 grains... Mineral oil, 6 kilograms."

Lynn paused for a moment.

There are quite a lot.

But it's still not enough.

Their plan is to fly into space, but that's far from enough.

Therefore, once we get to the north, we need to increase our efforts in raising worms and flying rods.

After finishing all that, he pushed open the door.

Logically, he should have immediately made some worm powder to fill his stomach.

But the sight before him made him stop in his tracks.

Joe's thigh was inserted straight into the core of the engine, like a straw.

That posture was just like a straw stuck in a snow-topped coffee.

The purpose seems to be to act as a control lever.

Lynn: "I'm back. What... what are you doing? Weren't you supposed to be fixing the engine?"

Joe wiped his sweat, took the scrap metal from the abandoned spaceship from Ruby, and with his hands sticky with mineral oil, he welded the metal back to the engine.

After completing the welding, Joe proudly said...

"Lynn, you're back. This is our latest idea. Don't be fooled by how weird my thigh looks with metal attached to it—"

"But it really works. The stoves are working again, both stoves were made this way."

According to Joe, his thigh had undergone alchemy, with the bone filled with a magic-conducting alloy, and the constantly throbbing magic organ muscle was just enough to fill the damaged part of the engine.

But the scene was still somewhat horrifying. Lynn asked:

"Can't you just remove the muscle and use it separately?"

Joe noticed Lynn's gaze lingering on the thigh control lever and quickly waved his hand.

"Oh, that won't do. Everything is one. Alchemy is very precise. As long as it's still functioning, my thigh is a single unit. If any part is missing, it will twitch and fail, and then explode with a bang."

Incidentally, Joe is a staunch humanist. Although he buys more supplements and enhancement accessories than most of his fellow apprentices, he refuses to have any non-human tissues or magical organs transplanted into his body. All the products he carries are high-end, commercially available.

This stance cost him dearly.

For example, when it comes to finding a partner, he also requires that they be a purely human being.

In the wizarding world's apprenticeship, women who don't receive transplants of foreign organs either come from large organizations or are descendants of powerful families. The pool of candidates is extremely narrow.

Ruby poured some oil into the engine and pressed down hard with his wizard's hand. The engine shook twice and emitted a plume of black smoke.

"What are you two talking about?"

"It's nothing."

Ruby waved to Lynn.

"Since that's the case, the engine is ready, and we've even modified the test station. Lynn, why don't you give it a try?"

Lynn observed carefully

The flight platform was attached to both sides of the test station and connected to the energy source of the water tank.

They streamlined, dismantled, and reassembled the test station, transforming it into an off-road vehicle capable of traversing this desolate wasteland.

Doesn't that mean the preparations are basically complete?

Lynn was eager to try.

"Then let's go."

……

Outside the test station, amidst the rain and snow, the crimson gravel wilderness stretched silently forward, seemingly without end.

Lynn sat in the streamlined experimental station, feeling both uneasy and hopeful.

But language is too simplistic, and there are many more emotions involved, making it difficult to accurately describe them with any words.

Because the test station really did accelerate very quickly.

"Put some effort into it, Ruby!"

"No, no! Be careful, that's my thigh."

The clouds hung low, and the wind howled.

Cold rain and snow, carrying with them the dry smell of rust and fine dust, came towards us.

The red was receding, the hot springs were approaching, and soon only a black border remained on the coast.

In the distance, several abandoned volcanic necks stand alone, while hot springs and mountains remain quiet.

There was no living creature, no sound responding to the wilderness.

The test station is running faster and faster.

Rusty dust billowed up from beneath the chassis.

The test station was violently shaken.

It ran faster and faster.

It ran faster and faster.

Until, a small slope.

The wheels rolled over the gravel at the top of the slope, and the test station glided up slightly.

The crimson earth receded abruptly into the distance, revealing ravines and rocky ridges clearly below.

"It flew?"

"Could this little broken thing really go up to the sky—?"

The next second, the fuel shortage alarm blared.

Lynn's pupils contracted, and vines, like worms, slithered out and pulled the car between two giant rocks.

"——"

Grass!

fuel!

I need more fuel.