Wizard: I Add Points and Hunt Monsters

”No, you’re wrong! It’s not like that!” Huberto’s body trembled, his face a maelstrom of conflict, confusion, and struggle. He roared in fury, ”It is Dawn who gives us hope! It is He who dispels the darkness and gives the world light! It is—”

”Lord of Judgment!”

The golden-winged Priest, Pavla, snapped out of her shock and gasped, her eyes wide.

She had already noticed something was terribly wrong with Huberto. More alarmingly, a streak of blood had appeared on the golden greatsword in his hand. As it was continuously stained with the blood of the Holy Professionals, the streak slowly began to transform into a deep, profound black...

’What is this?!’

”Blasphemy... You’re falling?! Lord of Judgment, you... you—”

’How could this heretic, with just a few words, cause a zealot of Dawn to doubt himself—to the point where his very faith was shaken?!’

[You have attacked Huberto Watson using unknown means, leaving him grievously wounded. Evaluation: Oh? A Fallen One who has betrayed Dawn? You... oh, how did you manage that... Special Reward: Survival Points +500, Resilience Level +10, Spirit Level +10.]

[You have used ”Forbidden Item 2-77: Karel’s Whisper” for ten seconds. The trajectory of your fate has shifted slightly. Current Encounter Progress: 40/100. Evaluation: Stop. That’s not how you use a Forbidden Item. Overuse will make you... Special Reward: Survival Points +80, Origin +8, Spirit Level +8, Resilience Level +8.]

Wei’en didn’t see the notification. However, when he noticed the surrounding Holy Professionals were frozen in place, he also stopped. He stepped onto the ship’s rail, turning to look back at the scene on the deck. His crimson eyes gleamed with excitement and bloodlust, as if he was greatly pleased with his masterpiece.

’Was he really controlled by deception so easily?’

’No, there has to be a reason!’

Wei’en had a sneaking suspicion as to why the Judgment Knight had fallen so easily. It was likely because the slaughter of the other Holy Professionals had already created a crack in his psyche.

As for the other Holy Professionals, they were frozen because they had witnessed their leader kill his own comrades. That, combined with the deceptive power in Wei’en’s words, had plunged them into a state of confusion.

’The only one...’

Wei’en’s gaze fell on the Priest not far away. ’She wasn’t affected?’

”Why...”

Pavla shouted for several seconds, but when no one around her stirred, a look of confusion crept onto her face.

”Why? You... what did you do to them?!”

Wei’en glanced at where the golden light-sword had vanished from the air and noted that the Power of Faith no longer surged from the surrounding Holy Professionals. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of his lips.

”It’s just as you see. They all believe that what I said is right!”

”No, it’s not like that...” The wings on Pavla’s back slowly vanished, and she collapsed weakly to her knees. Her long, golden hair fell across her face, but couldn’t hide the sorrow etched on her lovely features. Propping herself up with one hand, she covered her mouth with the other and began to sob. ”You must have bewitched them... It’s not like that...”

”Fine, let’s go with that.”

Wei’en couldn’t be bothered with her any longer. Seeing her like this reminded him of Kali. Both were just as naive, with the same unwavering faith in Dawn.

And yet, for some reason, he’d felt an urge to kill this Priest from the very beginning.

”Ghost!”

’It’s time to end this.’

’If I don’t end this now, Clelia will be done for...’

The ghost materialized, its eyes glowing crimson. It stared at the corpses on the ground and excitedly chanted an incantation: ”Siyaam, Sir, Sute!”

Several beams of dark green light landed on the corpses of the Holy Professionals. Pustules began to erupt from their bodies, bursting under the pressure of their armor and releasing a flood of green pus that oozed from the gaps in the plating.

Immediately after, their bodies began to bloat, stretching their armor into grotesque, spherical shapes. And then—

BOOM!

”No, don’t—”

Pavla watched the scene unfold, tears streaming down her face. She clasped her hands together in a gesture that was part prayer, part desperate plea for Wei’en to stop.

However, the Corpse Explosion Skill was not hers to command. The initial blast instantly spread outwards, splattering flesh and gore onto the other Holy Professionals and triggering a chain reaction of even more violent explosions.

A grisly rain of flesh and blood descended like a thick fog, blanketing the entire deck and coating the Judgment Knight.

The gruesome spray seemed to snap Huberto back to his senses. He looked down; the golden greatsword in his hand was now half-black. Gazing at the horrific carnage around him, a bitter expression twisted his features.

”Pavla... I’m sorry...”

”From now on... it’s up to you...”

As his words faded, a blinding light erupted from his body, soaring into the sky.

”Dawn... Sacrifice!”

’Sacrifice?’

Wei’en froze. ’What is this?!’