The Soul-Harvesting Puppeteer - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 13
Chapter 5
Grade-A Recovery Potions were precious items that even Team 1 commanders at Sungsung Group received only once a year.
But a fresh recruit had one?
Lee Jae-in dropped the printout onto Team 1 Commander’s lap.
“It’s already written in Han Eol’s personnel record, so you should have seen it. Han Eol was selected as a Top Intern and received a Recovery Potion as his prize.”
“What? A Top Intern?”
Team 1 Commander’s eyes widened.
Every year, the HR Team selected the intern with the highest performance among all interns, awarding them a prize and bonus money.
Team 1 Commander himself had achieved the best performance among his cohort and received the Superior Intern award, a fact he still took pride in.
But Top Intern was an entirely different matter.
The HR Team at Sungsung Group rarely selected a Top Intern. In fact, they hadn’t done so in the last ten years.
‘So that greenhorn was a Top Intern?’
Team 1 Commander felt his stomach drop.
Lee Jae-in was getting under his skin deliberately.
“Han Eol is such an outstanding talent that the report went all the way up to the Strategic Director. But for such talent to wither before even blooming—all because of excessive pressure? As the HR Team Leader, that’s rather… well, problematic for the group.”
“So, so what are you trying to say? What do you want?”
Team 1 Commander threw a fit, mixing equal parts embarrassment, guilt over not reading the new employee’s file properly, and irritation at the smug HR Team Leader.
Lee Jae-in fixed him with a cool stare from behind his thick-rimmed glasses.
“What I’m saying is, I’ll report it to the Director and have Han Eol transferred to either the Inspection Division or the Red Team.”
“The Inspection Division! The Red Team!”
The color drained from Team 1 Commander’s face.
If Pioneer Commander Lee Seong-u wielded the power of five combat teams as a weapon, then Strategic Director Lee Myeong-u possessed the chilling instruments of the Inspection Division and Red Team.
The Inspection Division, capable of investigating and punishing any organization within the group.
The Red Team, tasked with assassinating key figures in Enemy Cities.
The Ability Users in both organizations, though they rarely ventured into Highland, were true combat veterans who faced battlefields no less grueling than any Highland Pioneer.
‘If I lose the best talent to emerge in ten years to the Inspection Division or Red Team… what will Pioneer Commander think when he hears this?’
For Team 1 Commander, this was a nightmare scenario.
“No way. Han Eol is assigned to Team 1—he’s my responsibility. Who do you think you are, taking my charge away? Huh?”
Team 1 Commander slammed his palm down on the desk with a bang.
The impact left his handprint several centimeters deep in the thick wooden surface.
Lee Jae-in pushed his glasses up with a smooth motion.
“It’s not taking him away. It’s just that Team 1 is handling the new recruit against regulations, so the division is stepping in to protect this talent.”
“Against regulations? Who said anything about against regulations? I cherish Han Eol so much. Really, such an absurd misunderstanding. Ahem.”
In Team 1 Commander’s mind, Han Eol had just transformed from “that greenhorn” to “my Han Eol.”
That was precisely what Lee Jae-in had been aiming for.
Lee Jae-in didn’t quite understand the logic, but Strategic Director Lee Myeong-u had instructed him: “For now, keep Han Eol in the Pioneer Division and let him gain sufficient Highland experience.”
Lee Myeong-u had been especially emphatic: “Never send Han Eol to the Red Team—they fight humans, not Demonic Beasts. I absolutely forbid it.”
‘Well, at this rate the simple-minded Team 1 Commander will protect the young master like a treasure. Heh heh.’
Behind his thick glasses, Lee Jae-in’s eyes creased with a subtle smile.
Unaware of this, Team 1 Commander began making empty promises.
“Listen here, HR Team Leader. You have no idea how much I care for Han Eol. I really do. You said earlier that Han Eol had to use up his Grade-A Recovery Potion unavoidably, right? Well, I happen to have one Grade-A Potion that I received from the group at the start of this year. I’ve decided to give that precious thing to Han Eol. So how dare anyone level such absurd accusations? That I’m treating Han Eol roughly? That’s ridiculous. I’m the wronged one here.”
“Is that so?”
Lee Jae-in widened his eyes as if genuinely surprised.
“Of course it’s true. Absolutely true.”
Team 1 Commander tapped his own chest firmly with his palm.
‘Heh heh heh.’
The more he spoke, the deeper Lee Jae-in’s smile became behind his glasses.
Chapter 6
A few days after his discharge, Han Eol accessed the Sungsung Group internal intranet on his phone and saw a welcome notification pop up.
[Protective Gear Repair Completed]
The moment he read it, Han Eol rushed to the equipment repair counter on the fifth floor and picked up his Grade-A Protective Vest.
“Try not to be so rough with the gear.”
The mixed-race woman at the counter with two braids and freckles handed him the Grade-A Protective Vest while offering this advice.
“Understood. I’ll be careful.”
Han Eol replied politely, though inwardly he grumbled.
‘Like I want to be rough with it. It’s not my fault I keep getting thrown into dangerous zones.’
Despite Han Eol’s inner complaint, his face remained pleasantly composed.
‘Huh?’
The freckled woman looked at him again, as if startled by his expression.
The members of Team 1 assigned to Highland Pioneering weren’t known for their gentle temperaments. They were the type who’d shout or throw a punch at the slightest word of displeasure—true rage addicts.
But Han Eol was cut from different cloth.
‘A strange one’s joined Team 1?’
The freckled woman watched Han Eol’s retreating figure with curiosity, clutching the protective vest to her chest as he hurried eagerly down the corridor, tilting her head in puzzlement.
“According to the employee number, he’s definitely a rookie, but how did he get his hands on that piece of armor? Is he some connected kid?”
Tap-tap-tap.
As the freckled woman’s fingers flew across the keyboard, Han Eol’s basic profile appeared on the intranet screen.
“What? He’s a rookie who just converted to permanent staff, and he’s from Old Earth? That means he shouldn’t have any connections within Sungsung Group, so how did he manage to get that vest? Hmm.”
The freckled woman folded her arms with an air of superiority.
In truth, she wasn’t a mere counter clerk at the Equipment Repair Division—she was a renowned Master Craftsperson who held the title of Master Craftsperson and created items.
Her name was Rihanna.
Born to a British father and Korean mother, Rihanna had been recognized as a prodigious item creator from childhood, and by her late twenties she’d already earned the Master Craftsperson title at Sungsung Group.
The Grade-A Protective Vest that had saved Han Eol’s life twice before was actually a limited-edition masterpiece created by Rihanna herself.
Rihanna wasn’t normally one to take repair requests from new employees, but she’d been bothered to see equipment matching her own standards get damaged, so she’d personally repaired Han Eol’s vest.
Taking it a step further, Rihanna had even met Han Eol at the counter window and told him curtly, “Take better care of your armor.”
But Han Eol’s reaction was noticeably different from that of other Team 1 Ability Users.
“That guy doesn’t give off the typical macho stench you’d expect from a combat-type Esper. Come to think of it, his looks are odd too. He’s got a baby face and barely any muscle—how on earth did someone like that get assigned to Team 1?”
Curiosity piqued, Rihanna dug through the intranet to search for detailed information on Han Eol.
The intranet normally restricted access to information based on administrative privileges, and no matter how much of a Master Craftsperson Rihanna was, it should have been impossible for her to access detailed information about Team 1 members.
But Rihanna’s father was Gail, who served as both president of Sungsung Arms—the subsidiary company responsible for all item distribution across the entire Sungsung Group—and was Midland Seoul’s greatest item creator.
And Rihanna was his only daughter, the one person in the world he cherished most.
When Rihanna logged into the intranet using her father’s credentials, Han Eol’s photograph and personal information spilled across the screen.
“Oh! He won the Top Intern award. The kid’s pretty impressive for his looks. Tsk, but he’s awfully young.”
Rihanna checked Han Eol’s date of birth and pouted slightly.
But her disappointment didn’t last long.
“Well, being born in the same zodiac year isn’t so bad. People don’t hold that against you these days anyway. Hehe.”
Even as Rihanna jumped several steps ahead with her wandering thoughts, Han Eol shivered inexplicably on the other side of the city.
“Huh? It’s not even winter—why is it so cold all of a sudden?”
Han Eol rubbed his goosebumped forearms briskly.
Two weeks later, at 8 a.m. on June 9th, Han Eol knelt on the ground beneath the secret platform below the Han River and pulled his Combat Boot laces tight.
His lips trembled slightly with tension.
‘Whoooosh… whoooosh… whooooosh…’
Han Eol used Diaphragmatic Breathing to calm his sympathetic nervous system.
‘I’ve got the protective vest layered under my Combat Uniform, I’ve packed the Grade-A Recovery Potion, and I’ve made a few other preparations. So nothing should go wrong.’
As Han Eol murmured like a man chanting an incantation, his pounding heart seemed to settle slightly.
‘I’m counting on you guys.’
Han Eol stroked the vest gently with his palm.
Then he reached up and firmly grasped the Potion Necklace hanging around his neck.
The Grade-A Protective Vest had finished repairs weeks ago, so that gave him peace of mind.
The Grade-A Recovery Potion was a gift he’d received from the Team 1 Commander not long ago, but honestly, that had come as a surprise.
‘Didn’t I think the Commander viewed us as nothing but tools? Could I have misunderstood him?’
Han Eol still couldn’t make sense of the Team 1 Commander’s tsundere-like behavior.
In any case, having the Grade-A Recovery Potion gave Han Eol’s heart considerably more assurance.
‘Ahh… it feels like I’ve got an extra life tucked away in my back pocket.’
Han Eol broke into a broad smile.
Just then, the order came down.
‘Well, whatever happens, I’ll figure it out like I always do.’
Han Eol dove headlong into the shimmering blue mist.
When he regained consciousness moments later, Han Eol found himself surrounded by barren wasteland.
‘Huh? Not there again.’
This appeared to be the same place Han Eol had visited before. The proof lay in his watch—the needle wasn’t spinning aimlessly, but pointing steadily in one direction.
The needle, forged from Gold Metallic Material, pointed toward the Rare Metal it was coupled with—the very same Rare Metal Han Eol had buried beneath the Wasteland’s earth a month ago.
‘Thank goodness they didn’t discover I secretly swapped the watch needle.’
Han Eol exhaled with relief.
Sungsung Group took the loss of Gold Metallic Material very seriously, so they issued watches to all Ability Users before they entered Highland, then confiscated them again when they returned.
Moreover, each watch bore its user’s name engraved on it, ensuring ironclad accountability.
There was good reason for Sungsung Group to guard such a “mere” watch so jealously.
What if an Ability User from an Enemy City managed to steal the watch?
Then the Enemy City could use that watch needle as a compass to conduct a Guided Transmission of their forces directly into Sungsung Group’s Highland Pioneering territories.
That would mean Sungsung Group could lose the settlements they’d painstakingly established—at the cost of countless casualties, countless workers ground to dust—in a single instant to the Enemy Cities. Places like Demonic Spirit Stone mines, medicinal herb farms, Highland ruins, and all the rest.
For this reason, not only the Sungsung Group but major powers in other cities took extraordinary care in managing rare metals.
So then, why distribute such precious rare metals to a Rookie like Han Eol?
A Rookie, with just a bit of luck, could discover any number of important mines or relics.
When a Rookie strikes gold at a location, you’d place a rare metal there so the Sungsung Group’s follow-up forces could find it later, wouldn’t you?
This was precisely why the Sungsung Group distributed a pair of rare and gold metallic materials to greenhorns like Han Eol.
Then why wasn’t Han Eol held accountable for losing such a precious item?
If Han Eol had lost the Watch that allowed Guided Transmission to the Sungsung Group’s pioneering sites, he would certainly have been dragged before the Inspection Division for a rigorous investigation.
If Ability Users from Enemy Cities learned of the lost Watch and infiltrated the Sungsung Group’s pioneering sites through it, the damage would be catastrophic.
But what Han Eol lost wasn’t the Watch—it was the pair of rare and gold metallic materials in his backpack.
In this case, the damage to the Group was negligible.
If anything, they’d suffer a loss equivalent to the price of the rare and gold metallic materials, but compared to the unusual type of Demonic Spirit Stone that Han Eol had brought back from Highland—the Triangular Demonic Spirit Stone—it was nothing.
So who would reproach Han Eol?
Of course, if it came to light that Han Eol had switched the Watch, there would be chaos.
But no one at the Sungsung Group could have imagined that a new employee would attempt something so audacious.
The Puppeteer Who Harvests Souls
Author |
Junon
Publisher |
(주) Samyang C&C
Editor in Chief |
Editorial Team
Published by |
(주) Samyang C&C – Dream Books
Address |
7th Floor, Gwangseong Building, 28 Bongeunsa-ro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260703071
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter (X) |
@dreambookss
Submission |
[email protected]
Without written permission from (주) Samyang C&C – Dream Books, this book’s contents may not be used in any form or by any means.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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