Wizard: Starting with Symbiosis with Algae

You've never seen anything like it, Klein.

Lynn reached out and touched an oasis spider the size of her palm.

Its exterior feels cool to the touch, is covered in mucus, and has a thin shell.

As for its tail, it is indeed flat, with cotton-like fluff along the edges, which tangle when the wind blows.

That's probably the source of their perception.

The overall shape looks like a hairy, green crab, or rather, it is evolving in the direction of a crab. This is crabification.

Crabification is a recurring convergent evolutionary phenomenon in reptiles. Specifically, it involves removing excess tails, narrowing the body, and concentrating the nervous system, ultimately resulting in that classic, domineering form.

Not surprising.

Lynn even believes that if there really is an insect or crustacean in the world that can evolve intelligence, the first to succeed should be crabs rather than trilobites.

They have already completed the integration of their physical structure; all that remains is to upgrade their brains.

But right now, this oasis spider is far from being intelligent.

I'd say it's just average.

...

But just because someone is not particularly intelligent doesn't mean Lynn will be careless.

Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit, and Lynn will not be careless just because of his small size and low intelligence.

He placed his palm on the front of the spider's abdomen.

"Entwined by vines!"

After several minutes of intense strangulation, the oasis spider, which was attempting to revive, was disarmed.

A notification came through.

Lynn discovered that it had a resounding name.

【Oasis Pioneers】

【Observed Characteristics】

Night vision: The ability to vaguely see objects in low-light or no-light environments.

[Magic Disturbance Perception: Able to sense strong magical fluctuations and react accordingly.]

[Merger: Multiple units combined into one, overall abilities increased, breeding and recovery rates decreased.]

[Do they coexist?]

Symbiosis.

An aggregate. No wonder those corpses were huddled together.

Lynn commanded the aggregate to disperse, and they could disperse into tiny crabs the size of a fingertip.

It's pretty good for scouting.

And in those few minutes, he also noticed something else.

This oasis pioneer's mode of action is somewhat similar to that of hermit crabs that carry poisonous sea anemones on their shells; they like to carry other things on their backs.

If you could inoculate the Edranor grass onto the Oasis Vanguard, it would probably carry the grass around too, and the two might form some kind of synergy.

Edranor grass is responsible for absorbing and converting magic, while the Oasis Vanguard is responsible for movement and protection, each doing what they need.

However, before that, we need to find soil samples from the hometown of the Iron Man.

Lynn withdrew his hand and stood up. He could gain an agility boost from the magical fragments of Edranor Grass, but this little guy couldn't; the magical concentration was far too different.

……

A dozen minutes later, the three of them, having rested, packed their belongings and set off again.

Klein stepped over the mess of spider remains scattered on the ground, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

Lynn had a clear view of everything he did from the stone pillar; his efficiency was excessive.

As Joe pushed the wheelchair, a secret sense of pleasure rose within him.

He leaned back comfortably in his chair.

The difficulty of this adventure plummeted after Lynn appeared, dropping directly to the level of a "picnic".

That's really strange, since he didn't do anything.

..

With the addition of the two, the exploration process was much faster.

Klein's nose acted as a biological radar amidst the cave's complex odors, while Joe remained vigilant in the middle, ready to use the jet system on his wheelchair to accelerate and escape with the two of them.

At the end, Lynn had the flying stick hover above the three people's heads as a precaution.

Strange crystals began to appear on the rock face.

There are also some remaining red streaks of light that slowly drift along the cracks in the rock face, like glowing blood flowing in capillaries.

Large and small discarded stone shells were scattered along the roadside. Some were already broken, while others still retained their complete outlines, probably shells that the Oasis Pioneers had once used.

Klein touched the rock wall and said:

"Lynn, you're really good now, you finished it in just a few minutes."

"No," Lynn replied briefly.

"You're being modest."

Lynn thought for a moment and added, "I have to thank you for that. Without your advance report, my strength might not have improved so quickly."

Klein smiled, finding the words quite agreeable. Helping heroes was only right and proper. His ambition told him he had to do it.

Reporting on heroes is also a way of participating in the heroic narrative, which roughly equates to being a hero oneself.

Of course, it would be even better if one could become a hero in the process.

"By the way, when did you set off, and why are you only getting here now?" Lynn asked.

Joe scratched his head, and the wheels of his wheelchair bounced on the gravel.

"It's a little awkward, even though we're empty-handed."

"This isn't the first historical site we've visited. The previous team already looted the earlier sites and left us with nothing."

He even suspected that there might be nothing beneath the Iron Man's hometown.

Lynn expressed her understanding.

He himself also had unresolved questions: to this day, he still did not know what the legendary Iron Man core that could teach people to grow to gigantic size looked like.

Moreover, regarding the soil of the Iron Man's hometown, Professor Aigard only said, "You'll understand when you see it," without providing any specific description.

He doesn't have any clue right now.

However, on second thought, it's not entirely impossible.

Perhaps if we go a little further in, the clues will surface on their own.

Riddler is probably Egard's favorite way of speaking.

"Lynn, they're just ahead." Klein suddenly stopped and twitched his nose.

The magical energy channel at the tip of his nose glowed faintly.

"The previous team."

On the surrounding rock walls, red and blue crystals became increasingly dense.

The concentration of magic in the air was also changing, fluctuating between high and low, causing the fuzz on the surface of the Oasis Vanguard to curl up.

The three stopped simultaneously before the narrow entrance to a cave. The entrance was barely wide enough for two people to squeeze through sideways, and a faint light shone from within.

Lynn raised his hand, gesturing for the flying rod to scout ahead. Several streaks of blue lightning silently slid into the cave entrance and disappeared into the darkness.

Before long, the feedback from the flying stick made Lynn frown.

The magical interference effect almost disappeared at the cave entrance.

"What's going on?"

Lynn recalled the itchy sensation caused by excessive magic in the Edranor grass.

Is it because there's too much magic inside?

Lynn looked at the rocks at the entrance of the cave.

One of the sections bears a warning inscription: "When the Iron Man revives, the rock crystals will turn purple. Do not approach further."

Lynn, Klein, and Joe exchanged glances. Their eyes met briefly in the dim light, and they didn't hesitate for long.

The fact that the people in front haven't retreated means that, at least so far, nothing irreparable has happened inside.

Come here

"Let's go." Lynn took the lead and squeezed into the cave entrance, the vines gently sweeping across the rock wall behind him, pushing aside a few loose stones.

Klein and Joe followed closely behind. "Let's go."

Joe's wheelchair deformed in the narrow passage; he first threw the wheelchair out, then followed.

The three of them entered the narrowest crevice, and after walking for a short while, the empty shell area in front of them suddenly opened up.

It was a vast, empty hall with an extremely high dome, the curvature of which was unbelievably wide, completely defying human architectural scale.

The crystals on the rock face are more concentrated here, and the red and blue light intertwines, enveloping the entire space in a dim yet magnificent halo.

What truly captivates the eye is the enormous image directly in front of you.

It is carved on the rock wall at the deepest part of the cave, and its area is so large that it almost occupies the entire stone wall.

The scene is peaceful and serene, depicting humans and the Iron Men living in harmony. The Iron Men are square and sturdy; the humans stand beside them in relaxed postures, some talking, some carrying things, and some simply standing quietly side by side.

But the size is completely reversed.

The Iron Man figures in the picture are extremely tall, each one as tall as a building dozens of stories high. Humans standing next to them can barely reach their toes.

The Iron Man's body serves as a sanctuary for humanity. The small buildings and tools meticulously depicted along the edges of the image are all designed to fit the size of the giant Iron Man.

The height of the door frame, the span of the steps, and the worktable suspended from the Iron Man's waist—none of these are usable by humans.

"What is this...?"

"Are humans the dentists for Iron Man? Are humans responsible for repairing Iron Man's miniature machines? Are humans the probiotics for Iron Man?"

Lynn gazed in awe at this magnificent miracle.

The interior is spacious.

They were once so tall?

Why did it become so tiny?

..

The group began to explore freely.

Because of the poor visibility on the ground, Lynn climbed up a small table several hundred meters high with a puzzled look. He saw a cube of grass piled on a disproportionately large plate.

It is one-third green and two-thirds brownish-yellow.

It is so neat and orderly that it looks as if it was shaped like this.

It was so pure, completely untouched by the iron plague virus, unlike the sparkling crystals that were everywhere here.

Lynn slowly approached.

Unaffected by any iron contamination, this thing must be of extremely high value.

Joe climbed up and lay on the table, pointing at the grass block.

"This thing could sell for a lot of money."

Klein was dragged up last by Joe, panting as he turned on the camera equipment.

"Oh, Joe, our mission is complete. All we have to do is take pictures of this hall, and then we can take some artifacts with us."

"What a wonderful adventure! I want to come back again next time."

Lynn and Joe looked at the soil and began to think.

How could there be such a small amount of soil in such a spacious indoor area?

It was on the plate, but it was definitely not food.

For those once-massive iron men, this small amount of soil is equivalent to a sugar cube.

No one would eat a sugar cube as a main meal.

Joe stared at the dark cave entrance and couldn't help but shiver.

"Lynn, do you have a guess?"

"Not yet, but I think it will definitely be very useful."

"Then let's take him away."

Before Lynn and Joe could understand what the grass cubes were for, a sound came from the other side of the cave.

"Hurry! Faster, we're almost at the lobby!"

"Damn it, that iron crab is coming!"