The Soul-Harvesting Puppeteer - Chapter 38

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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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Chapter 38
The scene Han Eol revealed next was equally bewildering.
Han Eol was currently defending against Aktos’s attacks using an Energy Barrier.
For the Gilit, this sight was equally incomprehensible.
“Why is our master simply taking such slow attacks head-on?”
The Gilit’s eyes grew increasingly strange.
When Han Eol then lowered the Energy Barrier and began testing a Spirit Barrier, the Gilit found themselves in a realm beyond understanding.
“What is he doing now?”
“Is he amusing himself? Seeking some new entertainment? Or perhaps……”
“Perhaps what?”
One of the Gilit answered his companion’s question with extreme caution.
“Perhaps our master suffered a grievous injury on the 4th Continent? Is he testing his strength against Aktos because his power has weakened?”
In that instant, the enslaved Gilit exchanged a chilling glance.
It was at that very moment.
From beyond the ridge, Han Eol extended a Rainbow-Colored Hand and seized the soul of one Gilit.
Thwack.
The Gilit, who had been standing fine moments before, collapsed.
But it was no ordinary collapse—two tails pierced through his belly and erupted from his mouth in a grotesque display of instant death.
‘What?’
‘Huh?’
The remaining two Gilit wore stunned expressions for a moment.
Then, realizing that Han Eol’s gaze was fixed upon them, they went pale and prostrated themselves on the ground.
“We, we beg your forgiveness, master.”
“We were only concerned for you…….”
Before the slaves could finish their excuses, Han Eol harvested the soul of another Gilit.
This one too fell dead, its tail spilling from its mouth.
“Uuuuugh.”
The last remaining Gilit trembled like an aspen leaf.
Meanwhile, Han Eol fixed a cold gaze beyond the ridge.
‘The Gilit are dangerous.’
Han Eol narrowed his eyes to slits.
His assessment was not wrong. Setting aside his broken ability, his martial strength could never match that of a Gilit.
If a Gilit harbored ill intent and took a shot at him from a distance?
He would die without ever knowing why.
Han Eol had only two ways to prevent such disaster.
First, abandon the 5th Continent’s infrastructure and never set foot here again.
Second, crush the slaves beneath a weight of terror so absolute they would never dare attempt rebellion.
Of these two options, the first was the safer choice.
‘But I can’t choose that.’
Han Eol could not abandon the legacy he had inherited from the Yeong-folk. The bounty was far too valuable to relinquish.
That left only one path forward.
‘I have no choice but to etch fear into their minds.’
Han Eol committed no further killings. He simply stood in silence, gazing beyond the ridge.
The sole surviving Gilit trembled violently and pressed his forehead to the ground.
“Th-thank you for sparing me. Thank you for your mercy, master.”
The Gilit wept and sniveled, pressing his head down even as he abandoned his kinsman’s corpse and scrambled toward the hangar.
Now that Gilit would spread word among the enslaved.
That their master had refined some terrifying mystical power on the 4th Continent—a miraculous ability so devastating that a mere glance could instantly kill any slave he chose.
The Gilit, who owed his survival to Han Eol’s mercy, would surely disseminate such a tale among his own kind.
This was precisely what Han Eol desired.
Chapter 11
Cough.
While Han Eol blinked, Aktos staggered backward.
Aktos’s Frenzy Mode had already deactivated.
As the terrified Aktos sought to flee.
“Now you can go as well.”
Han Eol murmured softly.
Before his words even finished, a Rainbow-Colored Hand descended upon the world and wrenched Aktos’s soul free.
Boom.
Aktos’s massive frame fell backward.
The ground shook violently.
Han Eol’s work was far from finished. He climbed onto the corpse of Aktos, the beast still radiating a terrifying savagery even in death.
Of course, given Han Eol’s cautious nature, he maintained an Energy Barrier and Spirit Barrier around his body as he moved with deliberate care.
The moment Han Eol mounted Aktos’s chest, he spotted the hexagonal Maryeong Stone embedded in the creature’s jaw.
‘Ugh, the stench.’
The reek emanating from the dead Aktos was overwhelming.
‘Though honestly, the smell isn’t the problem right now.’
Han Eol bit down hard on his little finger until it bled, then let droplets of his blood fall onto Aktos’s massive Maryeong Stone.
A moment later, the stone reacted with the blood, bubbling and frothing.
Han Eol waited a bit longer, and the instant the stone began to show signs of melting, he layered an Energy Barrier over it.
The Maryeong contained within Aktos’s stone then flowed steadily into Han Eol’s Soul Sea through the barrier.
The Maryeong from Aktos that appeared in Han Eol’s eyes was a deep, rich blue.
When this mixed with the yellow hue of Han Eol’s existing Soul Sea, it transformed into green.
More than just the color changed—the influx of new Maryeong caused Han Eol’s Soul Sea to expand noticeably.
‘Excellent.’
Han Eol nodded with satisfaction, then moved beyond the ridge.
Moments later, Han Eol absorbed the Maryeong from the two Gilit corpses scattered there, filling his Soul Sea to capacity.
Gilit’s Maryeong was transparent, so it didn’t affect the Soul Sea’s color, but it contributed significantly to expanding its volume.
The larger the Soul Sea grew and the more Maryeong accumulated, the stronger Han Eol’s Energy Barrier became.
‘Haha.’
Han Eol’s eyes curved into crescent moons.
Time slipped away, and October drew toward its middle reaches.
Since Han Eol had entered the 5th Highland Exploration on September 29th, a full fortnight had already passed.
During this time, Han Eol had visited the Yeong-folk’s base facilities in sequence.
Of course, he hadn’t been given enough time to tour every corner of that vast infrastructure, nor did he have any desire to waste hours doing so.
Han Eol merely visited each facility’s control room and examined the images reflected on the water-drop-shaped displays.
‘The Cliff Ruins I visited first was Facility 7, and I obtained the Blooddrop Library from Control Room 1 after that. Then my third destination was the 3rd Base Facility on the southern coast of the 5th Continent.’
It was in that 3rd facility’s hunting grounds that Han Eol had defeated Aktos.
Over the following fortnight, Han Eol had sequentially visited Control Rooms 2, 4, 5, and 6, examining the Yeong-folk artifacts stored there.
Meanwhile, he’d made regular trips to the Blooddrop Library whenever time allowed.
Floating serenely above his Soul Sea like a sun, slowly orbiting around the Soul Vessel, the Blooddrop Library was a mysterious place he could enter whenever he wished.
Time did not pass within this unique space.
While Han Eol absorbed the Yeong-folk’s vast knowledge in the Blooddrop Library, time in the outside world came to a complete standstill.
‘No one else could possibly understand how extraordinary this is.’
Han Eol clicked his tongue, then seized every spare moment to immerse himself in the Blooddrop Library, devoted to acquiring Yeong-folk knowledge.
As a result, though Han Eol had physically remained in the Highland for only about two weeks, his subjective sense of time felt like at least ten years, perhaps longer. Despite his exceptional capacity for endurance, Han Eol was still human, and limits eventually came calling.
5th Highland Exploration III—The Yeong-folk Constellations
Chapter 1
October 13th, morning.
“Whew. Have I stayed here too long? I’m feeling quite exhausted.”
Han Eol emerged from the Blooddrop Library for the first time in a while and stretched languidly.
The excessive influx of knowledge had left him with a headache; he twisted his head side to side to work the stiffness from his neck. He kneaded his shoulders with his hands.
Still, the dryness of his bloodshot eyes wouldn’t fade.
‘Perhaps it’s time to head back.’
Han Eol’s thoughts drifted to Midland.
In fact, since the Blooddrop Library was embedded as text strings on the inner wall of Han Eol’s Soul Vessel—which resembled an elliptical ceramic—he could access it anytime from anywhere, not just the Highland.
‘So there’s no reason to linger here any longer.’
The moment this thought took hold, Han Eol felt a pressing urge to leave the Highland.
‘I should prepare to depart quickly.’
Han Eol began repacking his knapsack.
The inventory of items he gathered was as follows:
Item Number
Description
Quantity
1
5th Continent Aktos’s Corpse
1
2
Aktos’s Weapons
(Spear, Axe, Hammer, Shield)
Four types
3
5th Continent Herbs
2 roots
In truth, this was more than enough. Even if Han Eol took only one of Aktos’s Weapons and a single root of herbs back to Chiang Mai, they would celebrate.
‘Still, I should do at least this much. Considering what I owe the abbot of Wat Umon, it’s only right to give him a gift of this caliber.’
Throughout September, Wat Umon had provided Han Eol with room and board, and had also given him the opportunity to receive teachings from the Wat Phra That Master.
Thanks to those precious teachings, Han Eol had been able to fill his Soul Sea with Maryeong, and after finding his Soul Axis, he had laid down his Soul Platform upon it and even erected an elliptical Soul Vessel. As a result, he had greatly improved his defense—his former weakness.
‘It’s truly something to be grateful for.’
Of course, the one who had given Han Eol direct enlightenment was not the Wat Phra That Master, but Yang Bing.
Still, Han Eol was more grateful to Wat Phra That than to Yang Bing.
‘Wait. Is the gift too meager compared to what I’ve received? A demon corpse and four weapons, plus two herb roots—that seems rather paltry.’
Han Eol was now extraordinarily wealthy, possessing an enormous fortune. Inside the seven storage facilities he had inherited from the Yeong-folk were filled not with demons, but with relics of the Yeong-folk, and piles upon piles of exotic new materials and mysterious herbs.
Against such immense wealth, Aktos’s Corpse, four of his Weapons, and two herb roots were not even worth a speck of dust.
‘This is strange. I’m starting to feel petty myself.’
Han Eol felt a sudden flush of shame.
But what could he do? If he made too much of a show, the aftermath would become difficult to manage.
Human greed knows no limits. If Han Eol gave too generously, it might become the spark of disaster. That was the thought.
In fact, during the Old Earth era, Han Eol had witnessed such cases often.
‘No. That’s not it. Moderation is best—both for me and for Wat Umon.’
In the end, Han Eol did not add any extra items to his backpack.
Instead, he carefully hid the rare metals deep within the Ruins, preparing for a future return to the 5th Continent.
It did not take Han Eol long to leave the Ruins and climb to the top of the cliff.
This was thanks to the leaf-shaped Yeong-folk Airship, which whisked him to his destination in the blink of an eye.
‘At last I’m returning to Midland.’
Inside the cave, Han Eol gazed for a moment at the surface of the Mirror Portal, its blue-green ripples undulating gently, then retrieved the Transmitter he had buried beneath it.
Then Han Eol prepared to leap into the Mirror Portal.
But in reality, he could not.
An incomprehensible, strange force wrapped around him.
‘What? Wha—what—?’
Han Eol could not resist at all, frantically flailing both arms.
Then—flash!
Han Eol vanished from the spot as if swallowed by the earth, pulled toward a bizarre place.
A brief darkness.
Then suddenly a burst of brilliant light pierced through his eyelids and struck his retinas.
‘Ugh…’
Han Eol cracked his eyes open slightly.
Then an unbelievable sight unfolded before him.
This place resembled an arena—a Circular Arena like the Colosseum of Rome.
From where Han Eol stood, looking downward, a vast circular earthen floor spread out below, surrounded by steep tiers of steps.
At regular intervals along the steps stood awnings—sunshades that cast shadows.
There were twelve of these enormous awnings in total.
Since they were positioned at regular intervals around the great Circular Arena, the sight from above would resemble the twelve markings of a clock inscribed around the circumference of a circle.
Han Eol had been summoned beneath the awning positioned at the six o’clock direction among those twelve.
‘What is this? Where exactly am I?’
Han Eol found the situation bewildering.
What was even more bewildering was the barrage of mental waves that suddenly flooded into his mind.
[Who exactly are you?]
[Where has the Zodiac Seat gone, and why were you summoned instead?]
[Wait. I sense traces of the Zodiac Seat’s mark etched upon this newcomer’s soul…]
[Yes, yes. That’s right. There are definitely traces of the Zodiac Seat.]
[Hmm. Could you perhaps be the Zodiac Seat’s successor?]
[If that’s the case, does it mean the Zodiac Seat has finally ascended to the 4th Continent?]
The mental waves flooding in all at once left Han Eol unable to collect his thoughts.
Yet even amid the chaos, Han Eol activated his Quadruple Defense System, bracing for a possible attack from his counterparts.
Whoosh!
As Han Eol summoned his will, a green Energy Barrier formed around his body.
Previously the Energy Barrier had been yellow, but after Han Eol absorbed Aktos’s dark blue Maryeong, the two colors had mixed, transforming it to green.
Across the surface of the bubble-like Energy Barrier swam hundreds and thousands of hand-shaped yellow fish, deep blue fish, and transparent fish, all moving together in schools.
It was as if a serene, leisurely scene from a tropical sea of another world had been cut out in a perfect sphere and placed here.
The Puppet Master Who Harvests Souls
Author |
Juno
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(주) Samyang C&C
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Editorial Department
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(주) Samyang C&C – Dream Books
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UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260703071
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Submissions |
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No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of (주) Samyang C&C – 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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