The Soul-Harvesting Puppeteer - Chapter 40

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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 40
The Twelfth Zodiac pressed on, his brainwaves crackling with barely contained excitement.
[Surely you all agree with this old man. In truth, our Spirit Race possesses abilities far superior to any other race. As a result, we have constructed a civilization more advanced than any other, and our lifespans are extraordinarily long, are they not? However, the majority of abilities innate to our Spirit Race—Precognition, knowledge acquisition, artifact creation, healing—leave us with a conspicuous weakness in offensive power. But then, isn’t this weakness itself a reflection of our naturally virtuous nature? Hehehehe.]
[Indeed.]
[The Twelfth Zodiac’s words truly touch my heart. How difficult it has been to live as a member of the Spirit Race among those crude races—truly, my spirit has suffered grievously. Whimper.]
Some of the Spirit Race who had fallen under the sway of the Twelfth Zodiac’s eloquence felt tears welling in their eyes.
Han Eol sank into thought.
‘Damn it. I can’t agree that the Spirit Race is virtuous. But setting aside Body Snatching and Soul Sphere—techniques that steal the bodies of other races—it does seem true that the Spirit Race’s offensive capabilities are relatively lacking.’
The civilizations that the Spirit Race had realized—the Ultra-Long Distance Teleportation Magic Circle and the Airship, for instance—were genuinely jaw-dropping in their sophistication.
In particular, the legions they had constructed using Bloodstones were destructive enough to make the other races of the Fifth Continent tremble.
The Spirit Race created powerful bodies from Bloodstone and then occupied those bodies to attack other races—an arrangement remarkably similar to piloted robots on Earth.
Beyond the Bloodstone legions, the Spirit Race also showed considerable mastery in the production of various Potions. The finest Potions supplied across the Fifth Continent could only be assumed to be Spirit Race products.
Furthermore, the Spirit Race possessed the ability to perceive the future.
Magic civilization, scientific civilization, healing, Precognition—even looking only at what he had enumerated, the Spirit Race could rightly be called a race with broken abilities.
Yet compared to such brilliant talents, the Spirit Race’s martial prowess—particularly their offensive strength—left something to be desired.
‘Of course, the Spirit Race’s combat ability would surpass that of the Girit or Cape races. One on one, they would overwhelm them. But climbing to the Fourth Continent to face the Transcendent Beings there—that seems to be beyond their reach.’
Han Eol finally grasped the Spirit Race’s true position within the Highland.
They possessed keen intellect and advanced civilization, their pride reaching toward the heavens; yet their martial capabilities lagged relatively behind, earning them subtle contempt from the Fourth Continent and beyond.
This was the Spirit Race, in essence.
‘Are they like the nouveau riche of Earth? Swaggering about with their wealth, yet looked down upon by the traditionally established, venting their frustrations on those below them?’
It wasn’t merely individuals who fit this pattern.
Even nations could resemble such parvenus—technologically advanced, flush with wealth, yet militarily weak, receiving disrespect from all sides. Developed nations suffering humiliation.
Of course, not all Spirit Race members fell into this category. Among the Spirit Race, a tiny few are born with Divine Powers specialized in offensive capabilities.
The legendary being known as the Ancestor of the Spirit Race was the archetypal example.
According to the Twelfth Zodiac’s excitedly rambling account, the Ancestor of the Spirit Race had faced an irresistible backlash while ascending from the Second Continent toward the First Continent—the final pinnacle—and had perished gloriously.
Yet the descendants of the Spirit Race, including the Twelfth Zodiac himself, maintained an almost religious belief.
Someday, the Ancestor of the Spirit Race would be reincarnated and born again into this world, or perhaps a Massacre Maker bearing a Divine Power similar to theirs would be sent to this land.
This was the shared conviction of the Spirit Race Zodiacs.
A Massacre Maker.
A term for a transcendent being who would utterly eradicate the presumptuous other races that dared to look down upon the Spirit Race, ushering in a golden age for their kind.
The Twelfth Zodiac trembled with deep emotion, clutching a nearby branch.
‘Could it be… that this newcomer is perhaps the makings of that Massacre Maker?’
The other Zodiacs harbored thoughts similar to the Twelfth Zodiac’s.
‘Or could this new Zodiac perhaps be the Ancestor himself, reborn?’
Such speculation suffused their souls with brilliant pastel-hued light.
The radiance of that benevolence was so intense that to Han Eol’s perception, it resembled fireworks bursting ceaselessly around the deep, dark hollows of the Spirit Race Zodiacs’ eyes.
Chapter 5
Han Eol mentally organized the situation as he had come to understand it.
First: This Circular Arena was the venue where the Twelve Zodiacs of the Spirit Race held regular gatherings.
Second: Among the Twelve Zodiacs, four of them—the Twelfth Zodiac, Third Zodiac, Sixth Zodiac, and Ninth Zodiac—seemed to wield significantly greater influence than the others.
To use the analogy of a clock face: where thick markings are etched at twelve, three, six, and nine o’clock, while thin markings appear at one and two—such a clock would illustrate the hierarchy.
Third: The Spirit Race member who had bequeathed his foundation to Han Eol had been the previous Sixth Zodiac.
Fourth: It appeared that Han Eol had inherited the position of the current Sixth Zodiac.
Fifth: The other Spirit Race Zodiacs seemed to be laboring under the delusion that Han Eol was the makings of a Massacre Maker. Their intense goodwill toward him likely stemmed from this misunderstanding.
Sixth: Perhaps the previous Sixth Zodiac, who had bequeathed to Han Eol the base facilities of the Fifth Continent, had also mistaken him for a Massacre Maker candidate.
This was the summary Han Eol had compiled.
‘But I’m not a Massacre Maker. Hm.’
Massacre Maker or not—Han Eol wasn’t even a member of the Spirit Race to begin with.
‘This is absolutely absurd, really.’
That said, the present situation wasn’t unfavorable to Han Eol when he considered it carefully.
The Spirit Race Zodiacs’ grievances about being looked down upon only manifested at the Fourth Continent and above. On the Fifth Continent itself, the Spirit Race occupied an absolute dominant position—masters commanding half the world.
Moreover, on the Sixth Continent below the Fifth, the Spirit Race were fearsome exploiters and lords.
Han Eol alone had inherited a staggering legacy from the previous Sixth Zodiac.
Had he carried away even a tiny fraction of that inheritance to Midland, the entire Earth would have been thrown into upheaval.
‘So I can’t complain if they’re treating me like someone special.’
The real problem lay in the Spirit Race’s current situation.
In fact, the Spirit Race Zodiacs were facing an imminent confrontation with the Dragon Race leadership.
‘The hide that the Third Zodiac is wearing—isn’t it from the Dragon Race?’
Han Eol cast a sidelong glance at the Third Zodiac.
The distinctive features of the body that the Third Zodiac inhabited were as follows:
Scales lay thick and dense across the long, muscular body.
Sturdy horns crowned the head.
Luxuriant whiskers swept the air.
Two razor-sharp claws served as hands.
The Dragon Race, who ruled the Highland and Fifth Continent alongside the Spirit Race in perfect division, bore a striking resemblance to the dragons of Eastern mythology on Earth.
Not Western dragons—Eastern ones.
Yet unlike the mythical dragons of old, the Dragon Race of the Fifth Continent wielded no divine radiance or sorcery. Naturally, they possessed no such thing as draconic speech or Authority.
Instead, the Dragon Race of the Fifth Continent were physical monsters that defied imagination.
Their defining characteristics were as follows.
― A charge of raw physical power that approached the speed of light itself.
― A body that tore through any barrier without hesitation.
― An ultra-high-temperature flame booster that erupted automatically from the friction heat generated by their devastating physical assaults.
― Claws sharp enough to shred even the flesh of Demon Race warriors who boasted the highest defenses.
― Eyes that pierced truth from falsehood.
― An aura that froze the weak in their tracks.
― Perfect immunity to fire, ice, lightning, and poison, combined with scales that rendered them nearly impervious to all forms of physical attack.
Simply reviewing these characteristics of the Dragon Race made it easy to understand how they dominated half the Fifth Continent.
If anything, the Spirit Race—who held the other half against these overwhelming odds—deserved far greater praise for their own excellence.
Yet now the Spirit Race and Dragon Race were locked in fierce contention over control of a specific region in the Central Continental Region.
[Our Spirit Race Zodiacs will soon convene with the Dragon Race leaders to resolve this deadlock, I assure you. Hehehehe.]
The Twelfth Zodiac turned to Han Eol with eyes bright with anticipation.
Then he appended the following.
[Surely our newly appointed Sixth Zodiac will also participate in those negotiations and stage a show of force against those arrogant Dragon creatures, yes? Hehehehe. Thanks to you, I’ve shed a great burden. Hehehehehehe.]
[Me? You mean me?]
Han Eol’s eyes widened.
‘They want me to face off at a negotiation table with the Dragon Race leaders? Show them force against those brutish creatures?’
For someone as attuned to safety and self-preservation as Han Eol, this was an ordeal that made no sense whatsoever. He wanted to decline at once.
But the Twelfth Zodiac’s next words sealed his mouth shut.
[Hehehehe. Surely our newly appointed Sixth Zodiac has also been itching to deal with those Dragon creatures, yes? After all, the profit zone in the Central Continental Region that those Dragon vermin covet lies directly across your territory. Heheheh.]
The Twelfth Zodiac trembled with obvious delight, frost-laden branches quivering in his wake.
[How unfortunate for those Dragon creatures. Kehehehe. They dared encroach upon the core interests of Massacre Maker material. Tsk, tsk, tsk—they must have a death wish.]
Before the Twelfth Zodiac’s soliloquy even ended, murmurs of approval erupted from every direction.
[Hohoho. Quite right.]
[It’s high time those brutes received a harsh lesson. Hehehehe.]
[This negotiation should prove quite the spectacle. Hmmmhahahaha.]
The Spirit Race Zodiacs’ voices rose—though some Zodiacs, truth be told, had neither mouths nor ears to speak or hear with.
As the Zodiacs’ anticipation grew, the color drained from Han Eol’s face.
‘Damn it. I think I’m finished.’
Han Eol bit down hard on his lower lip.
Han Eol was not a coward—he was simply acutely sensitive to danger. If anything threatened his self-preservation principles, he was more than willing to strike first.
From this perspective, the First Base Facility, located in the Central Continental Region among the seven base facilities Han Eol had inherited from the Spirit Race, was no ordinary territorial asset. Its fate was intimately tied to his future security.
‘Bloodstone refinement at the First Base Facility is crucial material that will reinforce my defenses down the line. If the Dragon Race gets their claws on it, things become… problematic.’
Han Eol drummed his fingertips against the table.
He didn’t want to fight the Dragon Race.
But surrendering the First Base Facility was even worse.
‘Ugh. Being poor was hard, but now that I have wealth, protecting it is exhausting.’
Han Eol scratched his head vigorously.
What choice did he have?
If he passively let the Dragon Race seize his territory, it wouldn’t stop at mere financial loss. The Spirit Race Zodiacs would immediately begin doubting his competence.
‘They’ll probably investigate whether I’m truly Spirit Race. And if I avoid the Dragon Race, I’ll end up fighting the Zodiacs instead.’
No matter how Han Eol analyzed it, the conclusion remained the same.
‘Damn it. I might as well stand with the Spirit Race Zodiacs and face the Dragon Race head-on. In this situation, that’s actually the safer option.’
Han Eol steadied himself with a deep breath.
‘Well, I won’t die. This could even be a good opportunity for me to take another step forward.’
As he shifted toward optimism, Han Eol’s heart grew lighter.
And his reasoning proved sound.
The Spirit Race Zodiacs, convinced that “supporting the newly appointed Sixth Zodiac Han Eol would be the key to bringing about a glorious future for the Spirit Race,” began raiding their own treasuries.
Before long, they had prepared a magnificent gift for Han Eol—one who might very well be “Massacre Maker material” or “the Reincarnation of the Ancestor.”
Chapter 6
Three days later, October 16th.
[The Bloodstone we’ve refined in this special manner serves to construct our Spirit Race legions, but depending on the circumstances, it also proves useful as material for composing our very bodies.]
The Twelfth Zodiac offered this explanation to Han Eol while gazing down at the crimson liquid.
Before Han Eol’s eyes now lay a trough-like frame filled with shimmering crimson liquid metal—Bloodstone, sloshing gently within.
‘Ugh.’
Han Eol regarded the Bloodstone with an expression of displeasure, then swallowed a sigh within himself.
[So you’re asking me to step inside there and submerge my body?]
At first, Han Eol had deliberately adopted a haughty tone when speaking to the Zodiacs.
But once the Zodiacs displayed a friendly disposition, Han Eol no longer held himself stiffly. In his own way, he showed respect to his elders.
The Twelfth Zodiac nodded as though the matter were obvious.
[Of course, one blessed like yourself—capable of striking souls directly—might have little interest in merely tempering the flesh. But you see, the method this old one has developed does far more than simply fortify the body. It binds flesh and soul together with great strength, allowing our Spirit Race’s unique divine powers to manifest through the body itself. So I beseech you, do not refuse. Accept this kindness we offer.]
The Spirit Race had always held the soul in high reverence and regarded the flesh as something fleeting.
‘If the current body displeases me, I need only exchange it for another.’
This conviction lay at the very heart of Spirit Race philosophy.
But the Twelfth Zodiac’s thinking diverged from this.
‘If the bond between soul and flesh is weak, the Spirit Race’s special abilities cannot manifest at full capacity through the body.’
This was a truth the Twelfth Zodiac had uncovered through countless experiments.
And so, long ago, the Twelfth Zodiac had begun researching methods to temper the body using Bloodstone and strengthen the connection between flesh and soul.
Recently, those efforts had borne fruit.
Naturally, the Twelfth Zodiac had revealed this secret technique to no one.
But now that a Massacre Maker worthy of leading the Spirit Race’s future had emerged, the Twelfth Zodiac wished to contribute to Han Eol’s growth by offering even his own secret methods.
The Puppet Master Who Harvests Souls
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Juno
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Samyang C&C
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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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