Wizard: I Add Points and Hunt Monsters

A dim yellow light from an unknown source illuminated the stage within the Clown Theater. The seats below were shrouded in shadow, only revealing the faint outlines of empty chairs. A strange, ethereal melody drifted through the entire theater, as if anticipating a performance, or perhaps, waiting for the right audience.

After returning to the theater, Wei’en sat at the dining table. He had spread out a sheet of parchment and was writing on it with a quill dipped in ink.

Miss Zombie sat quietly beside him, her one intact, deathly pale eye fixed on Wei’en’s focused expression. Her other eye, a mechanical lens, whirred and shifted, betraying her inner thoughts.

”Clelia, how long has she been in there?”

”One hour,” Shawa replied, her tone clipped and even, her throat not vibrating in the slightest.

Wei’en nodded. He stopped writing, placed the quill in its holder, and picked up the parchment, shaking it lightly. He was a little puzzled.

’An hour... Did she fail to contact Menor, or does it really take this long to transmit data for the Eternal Life Association?’

’I hope we can find more information on the Twilight Secret Cultivators.’

Wei’en looked at the contents of the parchment and read them aloud under his breath.

”September 2nd, 1578 of the New Era. The Ronan sailed to an island called ’The Valiant Kman.’ Several thousand ethnic Kman live there. They have short, thick braids and very pale skin...”

”There, I encountered the Twilight Secret Cultivators. Their bodies were wrapped in bandages... More importantly, I discovered the secret of how they store killing intent, and I suspect it’s used in that Alchemy Array. Is its purpose to help a Deep Sea Giant Beast ascend?”

”Perhaps those Deep Sea Giant Beasts are also under the control of the Twilight Secret Cultivators. If so, the entire Deep Sea region will likely see some drastic changes.”

”Fortunately, I never planned to stay at sea for long. Whether in the Cordo Sea or any other waters, I am but a transient guest.”

”But I have a feeling that one day, they—the Twilight Secret Cultivators—will come for me. I must be prepared before that day comes!”

Wei’en looked at the document—nominally an intelligence report, but in reality more like a page from a captain’s log—and let out a soft chuckle.

’The diary of the Red-haired Captain of the Ronan?’

Heh.

”Any progress with the Mechanical Puppet?”

At his question, Shawa froze. Her mechanical eye whirred rapidly, its aperture dilating and contracting. ”Th-the Mechanical Puppet’s progress is... fine.”

”Oh? So there’s been progress?”

Wei’en folded the parchment and looked at Miss Zombie with a faint, teasing smile. He stood up. ”Alright, let’s go. I’ll come take a look.”

”Um, W-Wei’en, you want to see it?”

”Relax. I just want to check on your progress. And if I see any mistakes, I can help you correct them.”

”Oh.”

Miss Zombie stood and followed behind Wei’en, suddenly unsure how to coordinate her own limbs. She walked stiffly, her right arm swinging forward with her right leg, and her left with her left.

’I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed...’

Not far from the dining table, a single, dim yellow spotlight shone down.

It illuminated a single wooden door painted a garish pink. A black plaque hung from the doorknob, its design showing only a red moon with three faces beneath it.

The outlines of an old man, a youth, and a boy were faintly discernible. Their names were Eternal Life, Eternal Life, and Eternal Life.

All of them called—Eternal Life!

At that moment, behind the door, Clelia was clutching a pink doll. She sat before an exquisite vanity, staring into the mirror, her face expressionless, her usual enchanting allure gone.

”...You must remember, all peripheral members are expendable!”

”Including Wei’en?”

”Anyone!”

Menor’s reflection spoke coldly from the mirror. ”The Twilight Secret Cultivators are a pack of madmen. They don’t care if their enemy is our Eternal Life Association or the four major True God Churches. In their eyes, the entire world is dispensable.”

Clelia watched him in silence, not saying a word.

”Thousand Faces, we’re not strong enough to deal with the Twilight Secret Cultivators right now. I don’t want to clash with them before we’ve achieved our objective. It would send the entire plan spiraling out of control.”

”So?”

”So?”

Menor’s voice trailed off. In the mirror, a clear face gradually emerged from beneath the blurry, distorted image of a hood. He had thick, dark eyebrows over a pair of silver-gray eyes, a high-bridged nose, and thin, pursed lips. His expression was stern, yet ruggedly handsome.

”Are you sure you’re unwilling to abandon him? You’d choose to confront the Dusk Sect for his sake?”

”And why not?” Clelia twisted the hem of the doll’s clothing around her finger. ”You’re the one who said ’eternal life’ refers to the world itself. Now there’s a group of people aiming to destroy the world—doesn’t that place them squarely on the opposing side?”

”The opposing side...”

They met each other’s gaze for a few seconds before Menor’s cold, serious expression slowly melted into a smile. ”It seems that young Wizard has completely won you over.”

”...”

Clelia’s eyes narrowed. ”So everything you just said was a test?” she asked, her tone laced with irritation. ”You bastard!”

”My apologies, my apologies,” Menor said, blinking, his voice taking on a lazy drawl. ”In a few days, the leader is convening a meeting of the Elders. I will be nominating Wei’en to officially become a core member. Your endorsement of him is quite necessary.”

”Hmph!”

”Don’t be angry. Although that was just a little joke, the Dusk Sect you’ve managed to provoke this time is truly not to be taken lightly.”

Clelia scoffed. ”A bunch of rats hiding in dark corners. How much trouble can they be?”