Wizard: I Add Points and Hunt Monsters

Wei’en’s dinner was fries with cheese and butter, accompanied by a bottle of barley beer.

Shawa sat at the dining table in her new dress, dipping each fry in the cheese-and-butter sauce before placing them one by one next to Wei’en.

While enjoying Miss Zombie’s service, Wei’en watched with great interest as the Driver educated Zero.

In mid-air, the three heads of the Ghost, Red Heart, and the Secret Master were just like him; though they were in Meditation, they were also watching the Driver, their expressions tinged with what seemed to be envy.

”...You must remember, Baba is very strong. You don’t need to block every attack. When appropriate, give Baba a chance to show off.”

”Oh.”

Zero looked at Wei’en, only half-understanding. ”He’s very strong, so I don’t block?”

Wei’en: ”...”

’What kind of messed-up way is that to teach a kid? You’re going to lead him astray!’

He glanced at the Driver, raised his hand, and shot out a bolt of Spiritual Power, sending the Driver flying.

The Driver flew back, clutching his forehead in pain. ”Zero, remember... Oof, that hurts!”

’This head is hopeless. It’s got a rebellious streak...’

Zero glanced at the Driver, who had been sent flying again, then turned to Wei’en. He held out his two ravaged hands. ”Father, they’re broken.”

Wei’en looked at his warped palms and the dents on his body left by the Thorn Demon’s attacks. ”Some of the Rune Patterns are damaged. Hmm, you don’t feel anything wrong with your body?”

Zero was different from other Mechanical Puppets. He was already a Mechanical Life form and couldn’t be judged by common sense.

Normally, if the Rune Patterns on a Mechanical Puppet were damaged to this extent, it would need to be repaired before it could be used again.

But seeing how agile Zero was, it seemed like he wasn’t affected at all.

”N-No.” Zero shook his head, still holding up his two metal palms.

Wei’en thought for a moment and said, ”Come with me to the workshop later. I’ll take a look.”

He didn’t know if replacing the damaged parts would affect Zero. ’Then again,’ he thought, ’even humans can undergo mechanical modification. Surely a Mechanical Life form won’t just die from swapping out a part, right?’

It was a desperate measure, but he had to try.

”Mhm.”

Zero’s eyes narrowed into slits, looking very happy.

After a simple dinner, Wei’en had Shawa stay behind to clear the table and led Zero and the others back to the workshop to get to work.

He took out the leftover metal from when he had made the sniper rifle and, following Zero’s blueprints, used a drill press to craft a new set of chest armor and parts for both hands.

After crafting the parts, Wei’en meticulously inscribed the Rune Patterns on them before finally detaching the damaged components from Zero.

KLACK.

’Oh?’

’The Rune Array didn’t go out?’

”Do you feel anything?”

Zero looked at his arms, now missing their hands, and the empty space on his chest where the armor used to be. He could see his Core Rune operating normally inside. He lifted his arms and moved his legs to test them.

”I don’t feel anything, Father.”

”That’s good.”

This meant that removing some parts didn’t affect Zero’s life as a whole.

Wei’en didn’t understand the principle behind it and could only attribute it to the powerful nature of the Death God’s origin.

He then finished installing the new parts on Zero. ”Move around a bit.”

”Hah, huff... Unyielding Heart.”

Zero threw a series of combination punches at the air. His arms sliced through the air with a powerful whoosh, and the speed of his punches was even a bit faster than Wei’en’s.

Wei’en nodded in satisfaction. His agility was normal, and the Rune Array activated normally.

”You saw the process I used to make the parts just now, right?”

”I’ve memorized it, Father.”

”Try making one.”

Step two of cultivating free labor: have Zero learn to make Mechanical Puppet parts.

This way, he could just delegate the work and relax.

Wei’en knew that his own tasks would only multiply in the future, and the knowledge he needed to learn would grow exponentially. If Zero could independently produce Mechanical Puppets, it would save him a lot of trouble.

Step one, creating the rough part blank, was completed smoothly.

Step two, infusing the Sal metal, had some flaws, but it was usable after a bit of polishing.

Step three...

”You can’t inscribe the Rune Patterns?”

Wei’en watched as Zero went through the entire process, but the patterns and Array nodes on the finished part were a far cry from the blueprint. He could only shake his head and give up.

When it came to operating the drill press, Zero was perfect; his precision was flawless. But the final step, inscribing the runes, was a complete mess.

Obviously, this was because Zero didn’t understand the principles of runology.

’Or maybe he could try again after he’s studied it?’

At this thought, Wei’en took out Jerry’s handbook, copied a section on basic Rune Arrays, and handed it to Zero. ”Try studying this first.”

Zero took the parchment, looked at the contents, turned it upside down to look again, and said dejectedly, ”I can’t read...”

Wei’en was exasperated. ”Go find Shawa for now. Have her teach you a few things.”

He didn’t have much time to teach Zero himself, so for now, he could only place his hopes in Miss Zombie.

’She’s not illiterate, is she?’

”Okay, Father.”

After Zero left the workshop, clutching the parchment, Wei’en shook his head and thought: ’I have to teach this first Mechanical Life form well. In the future, when I create or convert other Mechanical Puppets, I’ll have Zero teach them.’

’A Mechanical Life form that knows runology. Tell me, aren’t you scared?’

DONG, DONG...

Wei’en glanced out the window. The sky was filled with dark clouds, and the heavy rain continued to fall.

As the bell tolls faded, the red moon silently appeared in the night sky, hanging beyond the dark clouds, looking down upon the entire world.

”The red moon...”

’One hundred Origin can barely resist the red moon’s corruption for one second... I’ve still got a long, long way to go!’