Wizard: I Add Points and Hunt Monsters

Deep in the Northern Continent, ranges of snow-capped mountains rose and fell, emitting a white mist.

Amidst the mountains, a castle built from blocks of ice polished like mirrors stood atop a snowy peak. It was entirely crystalline and translucent, reflecting a shimmering blue light under the sun.

Inside the top tower of this beautiful castle, two figures clad in black robes and wide, round-topped hats were methodically busying themselves.

Before them was an apparatus with dials displaying unknown values, levers, buttons, and even some pipe-like objects connecting to a nearby box.

But the dials, levers, and pipes were all pieced together from bones of varying sizes. Most of these bones glowed with a faint white light, a clear sign their owners had not been low-level Extraordinary Creatures in life. The bones were joined by neatly polished metal fittings, creating a strangely beautiful aesthetic.

As the two figures manipulated it, the Rune Power engraved on the apparatus flickered faintly, its patterns clearly channeling streams of energy into the box.

The box shuddered lightly, and a desperate, wretched roar came from within, as if its owner were suffering the ultimate agony.

”Correlation Study of Origin and Extraordinary Characteristics, Experiment #1050. Recording.”

”Test Subject: Number 45, a contaminated Werewolf. Origin: 40. Extraordinary Characteristic: Bloodlust. Spiritual Power post-outburst: 600, a one hundred and fifty percent increase...”

”Boras, the data is recorded. Shall we proceed to that step?” a Skeleton Mage asked, its bones clattering.

The other Skeleton Mage, who was operating the levers, had an eye-like mark flickering slightly on the brow of its crystalline skull. Two points of red light in its deep, dark eye sockets stared intently at the bone box. After a few seconds of thought, it nodded and said, ”Begin, Anenep.”

”Alright!”

Anenep’s bony feet made a series of CLACK CLACK CLACK sounds as they stepped across the floor of packed ice. He walked over to the bone box and pressed a button on its side.

”Aberrant Origin, activated!”

As soon as the words were spoken, the roars from within the box ceased. The entire room fell silent in an instant, as if everything had been frozen in place like a sculpture.

But in the next second, the Rune Branding on the bone box suddenly flared with brilliant light. Accompanied by a violent tremor, a voice filled with madness and killing intent immediately followed.

”ROAR—SI! R!”

’Oh? Killing intent?’

Anenep quickly wrote the Gonzalez word on a piece of parchment with a quill. ”A Werewolf that knew no Gonzalez can now perfectly enunciate ’Sir’...”

”Boras, it seems your hypothesis was correct. When a being’s own Origin is mutated by an external one, a brief fusion occurs.”

”It’s too early to draw conclusions. It could also be a manifestation of the will attached to that portion of Origin.” The Skeleton Mage by the apparatus glanced at the dial before him and said in a cold, stiff tone, ”Origin: 85. An increase of two hundred and twenty-five percent. Spiritual Power post-outburst: 50...”

Anenep said, ”Hm? The Spiritual Power was mutated into Origin Power?”

”It appears so... Wait, something’s happening!”

BANG!

Before he could finish his sentence, the bone box violently exploded, sending shards of bone flying. A black shadow shot out, and several razor-sharp Bone Blades slashed toward the two Skeleton Mages.

Boras seemed completely unfazed. The red glints in his eye sockets shifted slightly as he glanced at the dial. ”Record. Origin: 1200. Spiritual Power: 1200. Strength...”

CRACK!

A Bone Blade struck his head. He paused for a moment, then continued in the same cold tone, ”Physical strength is approximately Regent-class.”

Anenep, who was closest to the exploded bone box, was also struck by several Bone Blades, but like Boras, he paid them no mind.

The black shadow was gradually revealed. Its wolf head was covered in bone spikes, its eyes wild and bloodthirsty. The parts of its body once covered in fur were now encased in grim white bone, forming a suit of bone armor. Behind it, several tails pieced together from bone coiled and whipped about, each tipped with a sharp Bone Blade.

”The mutated Origin Power increased drastically. What’s going on here?”

”It’s possibly a case of Origin compatibility. This Werewolf was likely just lucky.” Boras pinched the Bone Blade lodged in his head between two bony fingers and squeezed lightly. With a CLICK, the blade snapped off from the tail. He held it in his hand, examining it. ”Bone quality befitting a Regent-class undead. A fine collector’s item.”

”Oh?”

Hearing this, a flicker of excitement appeared on Anenep’s angular skull-face. He looked at the mutated Werewolf and said with a clatter of his jaw, ”As per our agreement, it’s mine.”

”Suit yourself.”

”ROAR—MPH?!”

”Quiet,”

Anenep had somehow appeared beside the mutated Werewolf, his open palm clamped over its snout. The bone spikes there were crushed by his grip as if they didn’t exist.

Then, before the mutated Werewolf could attack again, a Rune Array materialized beneath it. As black mist billowed up, countless withered arms reached out from within, grabbing its legs and dragging it downward.

”ROAR—”

No matter how the mutated Werewolf struggled, the arms didn’t budge, gripping its legs tightly as the black mist spread and gradually engulfed its body.

Immediately after, the Rune Array and the mutated Werewolf vanished together, leaving behind only a final, indignant roar.

”This research topic is getting interesting. If we can figure out the principles behind this, the power of our kind will reach a whole new level.”

”Uninteresting,” Boras said, shaking his head. ”Our master taught us long ago that Origin Power is conserved. The surge of Origin Power within that creature must have come from a source.”