Wizard: I Add Points and Hunt Monsters

”Long live the Red-haired Captain!”

Wei’en pushed open the sealed iron door of his cabin and realized it wasn’t just the deck; there were a few pirates inside the ship as well, sweeping the floor and echoing the shouts from outside.

”Red-haired Captain...”

”What’s going on?”

”Red... Captain!” The two pirates with brooms hurriedly hid them behind their backs, panic written all over their rough-hewn faces. A sheen of sweat broke out on their foreheads.

”Carry on.”

Wei’en calmly walked past them, not making things difficult for the pirates he had clearly startled.

He listened to the waves of cheers as he made his way to the wheelhouse, located in front of the crew’s quarters. There, he saw the triangle-eyed Second Officer flipping through a newspaper.

”Ronan, what happened?”

”Captain,” Ronan looked up, his triangular eyes filled with glee. ”Look, the story of you single-handedly taking on the Storm Hunter yesterday has already been published.”

”Oh?”

Wei’en took the newspaper. ”The Cordo Sea Gazette?”

’So fast?’

’I remember there wasn’t anyone within a five-kilometer radius. How did the news spread so quickly?’

He had thought the news of him killing Henrik would only get out after the Sea Crow People had sailed their ship far away and been discovered. He never expected...

”This is a newspaper company jointly founded by several prominent families from the Eastern and Northern Continents. It primarily publishes news about the Cordo Sea’s Eastern Sea Region. Look, the story about the Storm Hunter is a huge feature on the front page!”

Wei’en nodded and quickly scanned the page.

’Tsk, there are photos?’

There were three photos on the front page. The largest one was of him—well, of Marco—standing on the Storm Hunter’s crow’s nest, looking down at the pirates below.

The other two showed Captain Henrik after he had used his Extraordinary Bloodline, as well as a shot of the Storm Hunter and the *Ronan* in a standoff.

’Thank goodness...’

Seeing the photos, Wei’en couldn’t help but feel relieved that Henrik’s Extraordinary Power had summoned hundreds of waterspouts. Otherwise, the rest of the fight would have surely been photographed as well.

”SHOCKING! Marco, Red-haired Captain of the *Ronan*, Single-handedly Annihilates the Black Pearl—Storm Hunter Henrik.”

”In the Cordo Sea’s Eastern Sea Region, near the Andrea City State of the Eastern Continent, the rampaging Storm Hunter met a formidable challenger...”

’Damn, these clickbait headlines are the worst!’

’If I wasn’t sharp-eyed, I might have missed the words ”Storm Hunter Henrik.”’

’Someone who didn’t know better would think that he—well, that Marco—had destroyed the Black Pearl all by himself...’

”Is that all it is?” Wei’en asked as he continued to flip through the paper.

”Er,” seeing his captain’s calm expression, Ronan quickly pointed to a section of the newspaper. ”There’s also this. Several city-states have jointly offered to give you the bounty for Henrik.”

”A bounty?”

”Over the years, Henrik and the Storm Hunter have been wanted by every city-state on the West Coast of the Eastern Continent. The cumulative bounty is over five thousand gold pounds...”

”Five thousand? That much?”

A smile finally broke across Ronan’s face. ”Yes, Captain. Are you going to collect it?”

”Do we have to go to those city-states?”

”Yes. The bounty from each one is different... If you want to, I can change our course now. It’ll probably add about half a month to our journey.”

Wei’en thought for a moment. ”Forget it. Continue on our original course.”

”Aye!”

”I’ll take this newspaper back with me to read.”

”Alright. There’s another copy with the men outside... You have no idea how fired up they are after yesterday. They’re itching to charge Avad Island and have it out with the crew of the Black Pearl.”

”Mm.”

Wei’en treated it as a joke. ’Those pirates outside would be nothing but cannon fodder.’

He stepped out of the wheelhouse and glanced at the pirates drinking and carousing on the deck. Without disturbing them, he turned and headed back to his cabin.

”Well, if it isn’t our Captain Marco. Have you already seen the report on your heroic feats?” Clelia leaned against the doorframe, dressed in a set of leather armor similar to what her Guards wore. It revealed deep cleavage and a pair of long legs.

Wei’en ignored her teasing, instead staring into her eyes and asking, ”Do you have some special arrangement for those women? I was surprised to see you paying them so much attention...”

”Arrangements? Nope,” Clelia met his gaze without flinching. After a few seconds of silence, she leaned in closer. ”I just suddenly felt that this sea voyage was getting a little boring, and I wanted to find something to do.”

”It’s not because they’re calling you ’Queen’?”

”Of course... it is. Is that a problem?”

’Queen?’

Wei’en shook his head in resignation, ignoring the hand that had rested on his shoulder. ”I should probably mention this in advance: the Black Pearl might be trouble later on...”

”Are you worried about them? Or are you worried I’ll be heartbroken if something bad happens to them?”

”The latter!”

Hearing his answer, Clelia’s smile faded. She wrapped both arms around his neck, draping herself over him. ”That sort of thing... I got used to it a long time ago. You too, right?”

”Perhaps.”

Wei’en looked at her, so close. ”I keep forgetting to ask—does the Eternal Life Association pay a salary?”

”A salary?” Clelia was just about to rest her head on his shoulder. Hearing his question, she yanked her arms from his neck in annoyance. ”Yes! A very generous one!”

”I’m serious...”

”I—no, this Queen—is serious too! The Elders give a generous reward to everyone who participates in a mission.”

”So, what’s the reward?”

”You’ll find out when the time comes.”

Clelia shot him a glare and turned to head toward the lower decks. ’Hmph, at least those Guards are cute!’