The Soul-Harvesting Puppeteer - Chapter 36

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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 36
In any case, Han-eol now had four means of preserving his own life.
First, an Energy Barrier of thousands of palm-sized fish drifting in space.
This was a kind of protective shield Han-eol had acquired once he became capable of wielding Spirit Energy.
Han-eol regarded this shield as his outermost, first line of defense.
Second, the Spirit Barrier.
The Spirit Barrier that Han-eol had manifested by commanding malevolent spirits was itself a second line of defense, protecting both his body and soul simultaneously against powerful external attacks that breached the first line.
Third, Bark Skin.
The Bark Skin that Han-eol wore served not only as a means to protect him when both the first and second lines of defense were shattered, but also carried the characteristic of heightening his various resistances.
Therefore, Han-eol considered the Bark Skin his third line of defense.
Fourth, the Pyros Ring.
Should all three preceding lines of defense crumble, the Pyros Ring was the final measure that would preserve Han-eol’s life.
When the male and female pair of these rings merged, set options were added alongside the existing ones.
Among these options, the Stealth function that activated passively would render Han-eol’s body transparent when he received an impact from outside, erasing his presence and removing him from the enemy’s sight.
Another option of the Pyros Ring, the Short-Distance Teleportation function, would cause Han-eol to automatically evade the continuous assaults of his foes.
Finally, the Shove function would push back any attacker who struck Han-eol, disrupting the flow of their assault.
Han-eol bestowed upon these four lines of defense a name: the Four-Layer Defense System.
‘Excellent. With this, my defensive power is truly well fortified. Hah hah.’
Han-eol nodded his head in satisfaction.
In truth, his weak defenses had been the very thing Han-eol worried about most.
Yet through this expedition, he had significantly reinforced his shortcomings.
‘I obtained the Bark Skin before, but I gained the rest this time. When I think about it, this fifth expedition was truly worthwhile.’
Moreover, this was not the end. Beyond constructing the Four-Layer Defense System to protect his body, Han-eol had achieved something far greater.
He had inherited the foundations of the Spirit Clan, including the Blood Drop Library itself.
Perhaps this was an even greater achievement than establishing the Four-Layer Defense System.
‘All my hardship has borne fruit.’
Han-eol felt warmth bloom in a corner of his heart.
Chapter 6
The construction of the Four-Layer Defense System instilled confidence in Han-eol.
‘I need to test it in actual combat.’
This place, Facility No. 7 and its surroundings, was not suitable for Han-eol to gain practical experience.
‘No matter how well I’ve built this Four-Layer Defense System, I can’t rely on it alone to descend that sheer cliff. If I misstep from this dizzying height, no defense system would save my life. Ugh.’
Han-eol shuddered, then began searching for a suitable location.
Conveniently, his mind was brimming with geographical information about Continent 5.
‘I’ll head to Facility No. 3. That seems appropriate.’
Among the facilities the Spirit Clan had bequeathed to Han-eol, Facility No. 3 was situated on a picturesque beach in the southern part of the continent.
And at the foot of the mountain bordering that beach, a Demonic Beast called Aktos frequently appeared.
A fully mature Aktos reached nearly five meters in height and was a biped that walked on two legs like a human.
Moreover, Aktos were characterized by a horse-like head with four arms, each hand wielding a different type of weapon.
Though Aktos resembled humans in appearance and seemed intelligent, these Demonic Beasts were not particularly clever.
Therefore, they were rightly classified as Demonic Beasts rather than the Demon Race.
Instead, Aktos possessed bodies of tremendous durability.
Their appearance resembled sculptures frequently found in Southeast Asian mythology, and they were skilled at wielding weapons.
In fact, Aktos were a Demonic Beast species found with some regularity not only on Continent 5 but also on Continents 6, 7, 8, and 9.
Accordingly, Han-eol knew of the Aktos’ existence through education he had received during his internship.
Of course, the information Han-eol had acquired was based on the Aktos of Continent 9 and thus could not be compared to those of Continent 5.
The Aktos of Continent 9 and those here on Continent 5 were similar in appearance only—their power was like heaven and earth. In every respect—physical durability, agility, weapon proficiency—they were incomparable.
Yet Han-eol felt at ease.
According to the information Han-eol had acquired from the Blood Drop Library, Aktos were close-range combat Demonic Beasts and could not snipe prey from a distance.
Furthermore, this close-range combat was limited to physical attacks; they knew no magic.
Aktos could not fly.
Their intelligence was low enough that they were poor at coordinated group hunts.
Conversely, what Han-eol feared was the following:
One, ranged attacks.
Two, magical strikes that exploited an opening.
Three, the chaotic onslaught of multiple Demonic Beasts.
Yet Aktos fell into none of these three categories.
‘A close-range physical combat Demonic Beast—that’s worth testing myself against.’
This was the first reason Han-eol had chosen Aktos.
And then came the second reason.
Aktos’s advantage lay in a body as hard as diamond, but that advantage meant nothing against Han-eol.
Han-eol didn’t target the flesh—he simply ripped away the soul.
Which brings us to the third reason.
Aktos’s corpse was extraordinarily useful, and that fact had swayed Han-eol’s choice.
While Aktos presented a relatively lower combat difficulty compared to other troublesome Demonic Beasts—from Han-eol’s perspective—the Spirit Stones harvested from its body were renowned for their superior quality.
Moreover, Aktos’s thick hide and powerful bones made exceptional raw materials for crafting weapons.
Because of this, cities throughout Midland Seoul and beyond made it a priority to hunt Aktos whenever one was spotted.
‘Even the Spirit Clan seems to prefer Aktos. I saw the slaughter numbers in Control Room No. 1—they were considerable.’
Weighing all these factors together, Han-eol’s decision to fly to the southern coast of the continent and pursue Aktos had been nothing short of brilliant.
Chapter 7
Flash!
Using an Ultra-Long-Distance Teleportation Circle, Han-eol arrived instantly in the control room of Facility No. 3.
Floating spheres within the control room cast simultaneous views of various locations throughout the facility.
‘There.’
Han-eol’s gaze fixed on the Hangar.
The control room housed not only the Ultra-Long-Distance Teleportation Circle but also Short-Distance Magic Circles configured for quick jumps to key locations throughout the region.
Naturally, these circles recognized Han-eol as their master.
The Golden String the Spirit Clan had given him—the mysterious script etched into the inner walls of the Soul Core within his Upper Dantian—functioned as a master key, granting him free access to everything within the Spirit Clan’s facilities.
Han-eol vanished in a flash from the magic circle, reappearing in the Hangar of Facility No. 3.
“Huh?”
“What’s that?”
As a pillar of light erupted from the circular magic circle installed on the Hangar’s second floor, the Kilit Race slaves managing the space jumped in alarm.
Never having witnessed such a thing, they didn’t know how to respond to this stranger emerging from their master’s magic circle and faltered.
One Kilit began to bend its knees in an uncertain bow.
Another leveled eight tails directly at Han-eol.
Han-eol’s eyes swept across the gathered Kilits.
‘All mature specimens—three eyes, eight tails each. If they attacked me simultaneously, this could get dangerous. This is starting to feel risky.’
The greater problem was that these might not be all the Kilits present.
‘What if another Kilit outside the Hangar tries to snipe me from a blind spot?’
Even with his Four-Layer Defense System fully intact, his life would be forfeit.
Still, Han-eol showed no fear. He braced his abdomen and fixed the Kilits with the most arrogant gaze he could muster.
Inwardly, though, his heart raced.
Han-eol summoned his rainbow-hued hand into this world, positioning himself to harvest the souls of the Kilits before him at a moment’s notice.
Simultaneously, he drew up a surge of Spirit Energy.
In case of crisis, he needed to be ready to conjure an Energy Barrier instantly.
With his other hand, Han-eol tapped his middle finger on the Pyros Ring with his thumb, and kept aware of the Skull Bracelet fastened around his left wrist.
‘If things go wrong, I activate the Four-Layer Defense System.’
Han-eol steeled himself.
Even so, a bead of cold sweat rolled down the nape of his neck.
If only he could broadcast the Spirit Clan’s language through brainwaves, this would be far simpler.
Unfortunately, Han-eol had no idea how to use brainwaves.
He had no choice but to resort to his backup plan.
“Insolent.”
The words that tumbled from Han-eol’s mouth were in the Kilit tongue.
Gulp!
That single short utterance made the Kilit slaves swallow their breath.
The Kilit who had leveled its tails at Han-eol recoiled in shock, hastily retracting them.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
Han-eol descended into the Hangar without hesitation and selected the most magnificent-looking Airship.
The Kilit slaves only flinched; none dared stop him. They simply watched with wavering eyes, waiting to see what he would do next.
Han-eol approached the Airship and made contact with his fingertip.
Beep-beep. Click-click-click.
The Airship responded at once.
At the same moment, the Golden String within Han-eol’s Upper Dantian blazed with radiant light.
The Spirit Clan’s Airship did more than merely respond—it lowered its hull smoothly, positioning itself so Han-eol could board with ease.
All the premium Airships berthed in this Hangar belonged to the Spirit Clan master. He had inscribed each one with his seal, so any other Demon Race foolish enough to touch them would trigger an immediate attack from every vessel in the Hangar.
But the Airships remained silent.
The Airship Han-eol had chosen lowered its hull to adjust its height, making it easy for him to board.
That could mean only one thing: Han-eol was now the master.
Gasp.
“Master.”
The Kilit Race collapsed, prostrating themselves where they stood.
The one who had dared point its tail at its master, trembling as though it had seen the end of the world, steeled itself with grim resolve and drove a spike through its own abdomen with a sharp thrust.
The Kilit Race possessed such stubborn vitality that this degree of self-inflicted harm would not be fatal.
Yet with a powerful spike piercing through its belly, this creature would struggle to move for some time to come.
“Ahhh. I beg your forgiveness, Master, for my failure to recognize you.”
Having imposed punishment upon itself, the Kilit Race pleaded for Han-eol’s mercy.
Han-eol glanced at it sidelong and offered only a curt nod.
Even as he did, Han-eol discreetly pressed a hand to his chest.
‘Whew. That went better than expected.’
Han-eol, scarcely catching his breath, felt the corners of his mouth twitch faintly upward.
The Kilit Race in the Hangar remained pressed flat to the ground, unable to lift their heads, until Han-eol boarded the Airship and departed toward some distant destination.
They could do nothing but be deceived by him.
The Spirit Clan, lacking physical bodies by nature, could reshape their appearance as whim dictated.
Moreover, the owner of this facility had ascended to Continent 4 and had left his installations quite neglected for some time.
As a result, the Kilit Race slaves had no choice but to be fooled by the mere fragmentary sight of Han-eol handling the Airship.
Operating the Airship proved simpler than expected.
‘Northwest heading for now. Speed at roughly half the sound barrier.’
Han-eol first determined his direction and velocity in his mind.
Then the Golden String inscribed within the inner walls of his Soul Core transmitted his will to the Airship.
A great metallic howl tore through the air.
The Airship flew precisely as Han-eol intended.
Was it thanks to the Four-Layer Defense System?
Though the Airship raced at a speed of 170 meters per second, Han-eol standing atop it felt no fear whatsoever.
It did not take long for the Airship to travel from the Hangar to the Basin, which lay a short distance from the coast.
In the vast Basin, where fresh green grass sprouted abundantly, herbivores bounded about in herds.
Some Demonic Beasts crouched low within the brush, scheming how to seize the plump herbivores for their meal.
‘I was told there would be many Aktos here…….’
What Han-eol sought was none other than the Aktos.
The Puppeteer Who Harvests Souls
Author |
Juno
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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G720:N+A063-20260703071
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No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without written permission from Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books.

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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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