Chapter 32

32.

At the highest point of the Awakened Theater.

Somewhere backstage.

Hong Seo-min sat gracefully in the chairman’s chair.

“Observe. Now.”

Hong Seo-min whispered.

[Skill, ‘Observation’ activated.]

[Sharing the vision of the controlled puppet.]

The field of view expanded widely, and the puppet’s vision was shared.

The [Puppet Master] shares the vision of the controlled puppets.

Among summoners, it’s considered quite unique.

Sending a few puppets out to scout the external situation?

Easy as pie.

Of course, higher-grade puppets are needed to resemble real people, but in her own domain, is that even necessary?

“Listen.”

A D-grade puppet, sensing its connection to its master, straightened its head.

Though it was a faceless, featureless wooden puppet, it trembled as if overwhelmed with emotion.

All available reserve puppets had been deployed for defense.

“Listen well, you insignificant thing.”

The wooden puppet crouched down at its master’s words.

A long, straight corridor.

Two figures were walking in the distance. The noisy Kang Mi-young and Lee Seong-han.

The puppets, sensing the enemy, picked up their weapons one by one and formed a defensive line.

All D to F-grade.

Occasionally, a few C or B-grades were mixed in. It was an army gathered for a delaying tactic. S-ranks are human weapons. Even with this large army, they couldn’t be stopped.

It was like Lü Bu from the Three Kingdoms.

-……

“What should we do? Should we go and show them how they’ll be swept away─”

Thud──!

The upper half of the wooden puppet, which had just taken command.

A crescent-shaped sword energy deeply embedded itself. Then, a black figure flew in.

-Die.

It was Kang Mi-young.

A chill ran down her spine.

The third existence that had overcome her hypnosis.

With a cold blade, the wooden puppet’s head flew into the sky.

With that, the connection was severed.

The clattering of the puppets just before the connection was lost. Just thinking about it sent shivers down her spine.

-…!!?!

-!!…!…

-…!…!!

That.

It must have been screams.

Even though the lower-grade puppets had their emotions stripped away, they still felt primal fear. After all, they were living beings connected by strings.

“What, what is this.”

She reconnected.

This time, it would be different, she thought. There was no way such a large force could be swept away.

She knew Kang Mi-young’s strength well.

-…!…!!

-How noisy. Die.

Thud───!

As soon as the connection was established, a blade embedded itself in the puppet’s temple.

Kicked down by a military boot, it was pinned to the ground, and as it stopped resisting, it was cleanly sliced apart. Brutal, yet neat.

“Hoh.”

Every time the vision connected, it was severed.

As if they were waiting for it.

She illuminated the entire theater. The current location was the 3rd-floor management area. Important resources had been evacuated, but there was still much left.

Equipment.

Items.

Or even information.

“It’ll be tough to stop them.”

Kang Mi-young and Lee Seong-han pierced through the puppet army like sharp spears, charging towards a single point.

That single point was her stage at the end of the theater.

The last defensive stronghold.

Breaking through to that point would be a painful loss.

The image naturally formed in her mind.

-Sir! Provide cover!

-Understood.

Whoosh────!

Kang Mi-young’s horizontal slash. The puppets prepared in advance were swept away in an instant.

[Loss of Swordsman Puppet A confirmed.]

[Loss of Healer Puppet B confirmed.]

[Loss of Archer Puppet C confirmed.]

[Loss of Mage Puppet D confirmed.]

To a third party, it might seem like too many were being killed. But that’s why they’re called S-rank specimens.

Hong Seo-min arrogantly looked up at the system.

“Repairs?”

[Impossible.]

[The ‘strings’ have been completely removed.]

[Access is not possible.]

This is nonsense.

The strings are cut?

It’s hard to maintain her composure.

‘What kind of nonsense is this.’

She gripped the armrest as if it would burst, and spat out her frustration.

No matter how shattered, as long as the strings remain, a Puppet Master can repair them. That’s their privilege.

“Reconnect.”

The vision shared with the wooden puppet. A hidden puppet beneath the pile of puppets that barely escaped notice.

-Do you have strings in your hands, sir?

-Yes. Can’t you see them?

-It’s hard to believe.

Her ability was being systematically dismantled.

-……Someone is watching us.

-Watching, huh? Kehem.

Lee Seong-han approached.

Straight ahead.

At some point, the connection was severed.

[Section 2 annihilation confirmed.]

* * *

The sound of puppets being torn apart by saw blades.

Even the puppets with severed strings.

“What is this.”

She involuntarily stopped moving. It was a scene hard to comprehend with her accumulated knowledge.

Her reactions naturally froze.

This is impossible.

To block someone else’s ability? And with just bare hands?

-Many of our strings have been severed.

A puppet attached to the ceiling reported. One of the few puppets whose vision could still be shared.

She was watching too.

How could she not know?

“Is the diversion successful?”

-Yes, it is.

“Then that’s enough.”

Hong Seo-min responded indifferently.

The shadows where not even light could enter. Hidden within them. No one would think to look at the ceiling.

‘Who knows when they’ll catch on.’

Looking at the opponent, she thought that.

Especially that Lee Seong-han.

He’s really something.

Is he really a beginner?

It’s almost enough to make you doubt.

Lately, it’s been a series of disappointing results, making the days tedious, but it felt like she had finally hooked a big fish after a long time.

After all, even the best climber falls, and the best swimmer drowns.

She had the mindset of an autumn farmer, just harvesting the dead seeds. But now, things had to change.

“Truly impressive.”

She opened her eyes slowly.

‘By the way, how did they figure it out? The secrets of the puppets. Hehe.’

Somehow, they immediately recognized the puppets’ weaknesses.

Judgment, execution ability, physical prowess.

“At the time, I thought it was a coincidence. Even the act of dying.”

Tenacity and luck. If there’s a hexagonal talent, it must be like that.

‘Especially when they destroyed my favorite puppet.’

Sigh.

Hong Seo-min, satisfied, chuckled. As if intoxicated with pleasure, she smiled slyly.

No wonder that PTSD patient is obsessed.

The puppet, hanging from the theater ceiling, relayed the situation to its master.

“Fast. Not bad.”

Hong Seo-min, who had been silent.

The first words she spat out were like that.

Tap.

She flicked her hand. A puppet, having received its master’s command, walked over from a distance.

The office was cluttered with all sorts of junk, discarded puppets, and puppets used for fun and then thrown away, making it hard to walk straight.

The puppet, zigzagging through the mess, bowed its head at a 90-degree angle.

What are your orders?

“Deploy more. Now. Pour everything you have.”

The puppet raised its head. As if surprised.

“……”

The puppet thought of its master.

Stubborn, hostile to others’ advice.

But this won’t do.

The puppet could assert that.

Deploying more will deplete the mana.

Even if the thread follows the needle, a thread without a needle is worthless. Looking at the sky through a needle’s eye doesn’t change the essence.

The master’s trust, and even the direction of the grand scheme, will be disrupted.

That much is unacceptable.

“……”

“What are you doing? Not going.”

“……!”

But how could a loyal servant defy its master’s orders!

The puppet scurried away.

Normally, it’s Hong Seo-min’s job to awaken the puppets, but this time was different.

That puppet.

It’s a messenger sent from the tower.

“Stupid thing. How dare you raise your head stiffly in front of your master.”

Hong Seo-min clicked her tongue, looking at the door the puppet had left through.

Typical of a Korean, she hates wasting time, loves the ‘quick-quick’ mentality.

Lee Seong-han.

And the Kang sisters.

Now, there were countless mayflies aiming for her neck.

And she had killed and subdued them all.

But this time was different.

It was the first time she felt danger so close.

She had to step on them here.

Reap the benefits fully.

Hong Seo-min changed her gaze.

[『Traitor Quest』]

[To reactivate the tower’s stance, your assistance is needed.]

Hong Seo-min bit her thumb.

“Is it enough? Do we have enough strength to stop that monster?”

A habit born from tension. She thought she didn’t have it. ‘That’ was still far from being ready.

The Traitor Quest wasn’t complete yet.

But it’s okay.

“No, I must win. It’s a fight I can’t lose. Hehe.”

She made a deal with the system.

To free the deactivated tower, sacrifice people.

So she did.

Using the puppets.

“Because I can become stronger.”

Hong Seo-min revered strength.

To her, the S-rank seat was like the peak of a mountain that couldn’t be climbed any higher. Like a bird gaining freedom only after breaking out of the egg’s world.

Through this, she could reach a higher realm.

There’s no reason not to.

Why should we, the new humans, sacrifice for the inferior?

This is the solution to that question.

She linked her vision again. Lee Seong-han. Despite his young age, he had already made a name for himself.

“Crazy.”

If you’re wise, the heavens will provide, but could she make him into a puppet someday? Such anticipation rose within her.

For the first time in a while, her appetite was whetted.

She felt like she could chew through anything.

Her ability doesn’t work on him?

Is it a special constitution?

Or a trait?

‘I want him.’

Hong Seo-min smiled brightly.

The best resource.

A trump card she could possess.

A unique move unmatched in the world.

Is this how Liu Bei from the Three Kingdoms felt?

With Zhang Fei on the left and Guan Yu on the right. The feeling of conquering the world.

After some time, someone ran towards the two.

-Sister.

A familiar voice from below.

She leaned forward.

-……Kang Jin-young.

-Sister, messing with other people’s things. Do you want to die? How rude. That’s a crime. A crime.

Her sister.

Kang Jin-young, was it?

She had seen her on broadcasts a few times.

She had also heard her brag about her sister a few times.

Lately, their relationship had been a bit strained.

“They’re fighting.”

The sisters exchanged heated words for a while, then calmed down.

-Let’s stop here.

Lee Seong-han, mediating in the middle.

-Let’s handle this first and then talk. When the Hatchling appears, who knows what might happen. You know that, right? It’s not time to fight yet. If we fight, let’s do it secretly. Okay?

The sisters, keeping their distance, glared at each other as if they wanted to kill.

The tension was palpable, as if they would pounce at any moment.

-……Did I say I hate my sister? You’re beyond saving. Killing someone and then crying alone.

-Don’t drag innocent people into this.

-Stop talking nonsense.

-You’re no different, Kang Jin-young. The bodyguard made a mistake, so what can you expect.

Hong Seo-min, with her chin resting on her hand, arrogantly pursed her lips.

“Ah, watching fights is always fun.”

Like the fisherman’s gain.

The fisherman’s gain, while both sides fight.

A proverb about a third party gaining without effort. Hong Seo-min felt like that fisherman. How could it be this easy?

She spoke to the puppet attached to the ceiling.

“Closer.”

The screen zoomed in.

“Light up the man. More. Just a bit more.”

Lee Seong-han’s face zoomed in and then fixed. She observed it for a while.

His face is quite handsome, not weak like other male Awakened, nor does he whine.

What is it?

It’s like he’s from another world.

Whoosh-

Suddenly, Lee Seong-han’s gaze shifted.

Hong Seo-min felt her heart stop.

A proverb came to mind.

Face like a crown jewel.

A face as beautiful as a jewel adorning a crown.

Too clean and beautiful. No wonder the Kang sisters are sharpening their blades over him.

“Where is he looking?”

Lee Seong-han’s gaze was precisely targeting the puppet’s location.

“Here it is.”

Even when moving left and right, it was the same. After a few seconds of intense staring.

-……Something is watching us.

-What are you talking about.

He drew his bow. It was cracked and creaking, its durability almost gone.

The sisters’ gazes focused on him.

-Do you have gloves?

-……Here.

-That’s it. Good.

Hong Seo-min also thought she wouldn’t notice.

The position was that good. It was filled with shadows. Even if you knew the location, it would take a while to find.

“How, how?”

Lee Seong-han waited, then pulled the taut bow that even female Awakened would struggle with.

Whoosh────!

He precisely pierced the puppet’s forehead. The vision was severed, and a brief darkness followed.

The connection was lost.

“Crazy.”

Hong Seo-min laughed maniacally, pleased.

Lee Seong-han.

She wants him.

No matter who wins, she’ll reap the benefits.

“It’s not like they can beat that. Completely crushed. Hehe.”

After all, when they arrive, she’ll be the one to get him.

Puppet play.

It’s not just any puppet play.

“Is everything ready~”

[Paper Puppet, Mirginos, has appeared.]

“You’re mine.”

She didn’t even consider defeat.

---