Wizard: I Add Points and Hunt Monsters

”We were waiting for you.”

”Sorry, sorry. Balats talks way too much. It held me up.”

Lisi didn’t buy his excuse for a second. She waved to Wei’en and the others. ”Let’s go. Time to head out.”

”Okay.”

Then, led by Yegor, the group of six boarded a Secret Investigation Department mechanical vehicle and headed toward the junction of the Natali and Basil Districts.

That place...

The address had sounded familiar to Wei’en, and when they arrived, he discovered that the core of the Array was located right above the Nocturnal City.

’A coincidence?’

”Alicia, how has Nifa been lately?”

”My apologies, Minister Yegor. It’s been a while since I’ve seen my teacher as well. The last time we met, she said she would be busy for a while, helping Director Ales in the Detention Area.”

Yegor nodded and commented casually, ”I think I heard Balats mention it. Apparently, there was a small problem with the Array in the Detention Area, and it’s currently being repaired.”

”Yes.”

Wei’en led Tina along, following quietly behind while studying the extremely ordinary three-story building. Its exterior looked very much like his own residence on Golden Street.

If someone hadn’t led the way, he would have found it hard to believe that the Core Rune Array for the entire Caster City State was in a place like this.

But he soon discovered he had oversimplified things.

After passing through three security checks, they were led by a guard into a mechanical device resembling an elevator and began to descend.

After descending for about a hundred meters, they arrived at the core of the Rune Array—a vast space comparable to the Nocturnal City.

The area was filled with guards in black armor, all protecting a stone tower in the center.

[You have been scanned by Amircal Doragener’s Spirit Perception. Reward: Survival Points +1.]

[...]

[You have been scanned by Semyon Tovani’s Spirit Perception. Reward: Survival Points +1.]

Wei’en glanced at the dozens of notifications on his panel before ignoring them and counting the surrounding guards instead.

One, two, three... There were 300 guards in total.

Although he couldn’t gauge their strength, their equipment was far more refined than that of the watchtower guards he had seen yesterday.

Muskets, shields, turrets, and... Huh?

’My Spirit Perception is getting no feedback?’

Wei’en’s gaze fell on the stone tower in the center. ’Does the Rune Array also have the ability to block perception?’

Tsk.

’In a place this heavily guarded, could someone really tamper with the city-state’s Rune Array without alerting the guards?’

”This way, please. The scholars in charge of the Rune Array are on the first floor of the stone tower. They will answer your questions. However...”

The guard reminded them impassively, ”As per our orders, you have only one hour. Whether you find anything or not, you must leave when the time is up.”

Yegor said languidly, ”We know the rules.”

With that, he led the few members of the Investigation Department straight toward the stone tower.

It was then that Wei’en noticed the ground beneath his feet.

As he walked on the smooth surface, a CLINKING sound made him realize it wasn’t paved with stone slabs, but with metal.

’Sar metal?’

He looked at the metal surface, which was coated in black paint, and could already perceive the dense, intricate Rune Patterns and nodes beneath.

’Six points, nine points, twelve points... A twelve-pointed star?’

In this core area, the outer circle was a twelve-pointed star, which became a nine-pointed star further in, and by the base of the stone tower, he could already see the nodes of a Hexagram Array.

’So the city-state’s Rune Array is a combination of overlapping arrays...’

Wei’en looked around again, lost in thought. It was indeed a very complex Array structure.

Upon entering the stone tower, they saw an elderly man approaching. He wore a monocle and a black robe, the very picture of a scholar.

”Minister Yegor, I am Lin Qiaoya, on duty today. Please present your application documents.”

”Our apologies for the intrusion, Professor Lin Qiaoya.”

The usual languor on Yegor’s face was uncharacteristically absent as he respectfully handed over the parchment.

’Professor?’

Wei’en curiously studied the old man, who looked stern and unsmiling.

”Follow me.” After a glance at the application documents, Lin Qiaoya turned and walked coldly toward the back.

”Captain, who is he?”

Lisi explained in a low voice, ”A professor from Caster Public School. He’s a scholar who specializes in large-scale Rune Arrays.”

”Not only that, he’s one of the foremost Rune Experts in the entire Shetland Kingdom.”

Alicia leaned in as well, her face filled with reverence. ”His mastery of runology is just as profound as my teacher’s.”

”Are they as skilled as Wizards?”

”Wizards...”

Alicia’s smile faltered. ”They’re in different fields. Professor Lin Qiaoya specializes in the fundamental theories of runology, whereas Wizards excel at things related to Magic.”

”When it comes to the study and use of Rune Arrays, they aren’t necessarily better than my teacher and the other experts.”

”Oh.” Wei’en nodded, paying no mind to her displeasure.

’To the various city-states, the Wizard Schools have always been a separate system.’

’They’re clearly more willing to trust the scholars who live in the city-state year-round than the Wizard Schools, which only seem to sell Magic Potions, machines, or various runic tools.’

After the group passed through a long, dim corridor, they finally entered the true core of the Array.

Before them was a spacious, circular room. The walls and floor were cast from silvery-white Sar metal, both perfectly smooth and flawless. Under the glow of the Rune Patterns, the surfaces shimmered with a crystalline light.

In the center of the room stood a massive, circular platform. Its surface was densely etched with all sorts of runic nodes, with countless patterns extending outward in all directions.

Meanwhile, several other scholars dressed just like Professor Lin Qiaoya were gathered around the platform. Holding magnifying glasses, they meticulously inspected the Array’s nodes and patterns, one by one.