Wizard: I Add Points and Hunt Monsters

"HUFF, HUFF."

Wei’en gasped for breath as he stared at the monster before him, having lost count of how many times he’d cursed the clown in his mind.

’That damn bastard. Last night’s Sutle Dog was one thing, but tonight he actually brought an even more terrifying Abyssal Creature.’

This monster’s body was slightly smaller than the Sutle Dog’s, but its ugliness rivaled that of the aberrations.

Its body looked like it was pieced together from multiple Abyssal Creatures. Atop its triangular head, a pair of beast-like brown vertical pupils held not a trace of emotion—only deathly silence and cold indifference.

Below its flat, snake-like mouth was a pair of sharp fangs. From its neck grew a plate of pale bone that served as a mask, protecting its mouth, nose, and eyes.

If that bone plate hadn’t blocked the shots from his shotgun, this fight wouldn’t be so difficult.

The most grotesque part was its exposed musculature. Deep red muscle fibers twisted and tangled together to form its humanoid frame.

But none of that was what gave Wei’en the biggest headache. The greatest threat to him were the six barbed tentacles growing from the monster’s back.

No matter how far he dodged, these tentacles could appear before him in an instant. Their attack angles were extremely tricky, always finding the most awkward spots to strike.

And through the information on the panel, Wei’en already knew all about this monster.

But it was precisely because he knew this information that he’d given up on trying to kill this monster the same way he did yesterday.

[You have witnessed the Abyssal Creature, Skeleton Strangler. Because your Spirit level is greater than 200, your soul has not dissipated. Evaluation: This is an Abyssal Creature with almost no weaknesses. Special Rewards: Survival Points +5, Resilience Level +1, Spirit Level +1.]

[Skeleton Strangler: The laziest creature of the Abyssal Depths. It enjoys lying around and sleeping. When hungry, it uses its space-traversing tentacles to hunt Abyssal Creatures for food.]

[Note: Its tentacles are its most powerful means of attack. Be sure to dodge them, or the barbs on the tentacles will likely end up inside your body, piercing your internal organs.]

"HEE HEE HEE HA HA HA... Is that all you’ve got? Mr. Wizard?" The Demon Clown, Mr. Leonard, danced and gestured at the side.

He was still wearing that magnificent black formal suit with gold patterns, which shimmered in this dim place, but his detestable face wore a morbidly twisted smile.

Especially when he saw Wei’en get hit, unable to dodge an attack, he would even laugh so hard he’d roll on the ground.

’Damn it, you bastard clown, just you wait!’

Wei’en cursed inwardly, then pulled out a bottle of Enlightenment Potion and poured it into his mouth. He used the "rest time" the clown had deliberately given him to replenish his nearly depleted Spiritual Power.

He could already see that the Demon Clown wasn’t trying to kill him, but was using this method to make him submit.

So, whenever he was beaten bloody by the Skeleton Strangler, the Demon Clown would stop the attack and spew a few taunts.

"How does it feel? Hee hee, you’re bleeding so much."

"Eh? So your recovery is this strong... Can I play a little longer? My dear young Mr. Wizard?"

"You can even dodge that? Left, right, oh oh oh, you got grazed! So much blood..."

’Shit, there’s definitely something wrong with that Demon Clown’s head.’

The clown’s bizarre words and laughter were giving Wei’en a splitting headache. He really wanted to shove the Six-Barreled Shotgun in his mouth and pull the trigger!

However—

"ROAR!!"

A trace of impatience flashed in the Skeleton Strangler’s eyes. Two of the six tentacles behind it suddenly vanished, piercing through space to appear before Wei’en.

"Nico, Ruke."

Wei’en blinked away. Almost the instant he appeared in a new spot, he rolled forward without a second thought, dodging a second tentacle that attacked from the side.

But the barbs on that tentacle still sliced open his arm again. Blood sprayed out, and his face paled a few more shades.

"Ugh."

Wei’en gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain in his arm, and focused all his attention on the monster’s next attack.

From the beginning until now, although the Skeleton Strangler only used two tentacles at most in a single attack, it had still left a trail of wounds on Wei’en’s body.

’No doubt about it, this is a restriction the clown set up beforehand.’

When the fight first started, his unfamiliarity with its attacks meant he was tormented by the tentacles, suffering agonizing pain.

If it weren’t for the contractual power of the calamity species that could heal his body, he never would have lasted this long.

"This attack is so fucking twisted!"

From the moment the Skeleton Strangler attacked to the moment the tentacle appeared before him was a mere 0.1 seconds, leaving him an extremely short time to react.

[You have been injured by an attack from the Skeleton Strangler. Evaluation: You failed to dodge again... Idiot, don’t just rely on your eyes! Reward: Survival Points +6.]

’Don’t rely on my eyes?’

Wei’en noticed the content of the panel’s evaluation. ’Should I rely on my Spiritual Power?’

’I’ll try it!’

He focused his mind, doing his best to mobilize his Spiritual Power and cover his entire body with it.

SWOOSH!

A tentacle as thick as his head appeared from the void, its sharp barbs reflecting in his eyes.

Wei’en clumsily used the Blink Spell to dodge the attack again. This time, he "saw" it clearly—before the tentacle’s attack arrived, the space around him had fluctuated!

He had never noticed this point before, only ever dodging after he saw the tentacle...

[Your Blink (Death God) Magic has been used 100 times. Reward: Blink (Death God) Experience +1.]