One-Eyed Monster

Soul Puppets are puppets controlled by a Death Wizard using the spirit power of the deceased.

The Great Witch Biggs gradually recollected this term, which felt both familiar and unfamiliar to her.

It was familiar because she had encountered the term in various Spirit Books and materials. For her, the meaning of ”Soul Puppet” was something she could recite fluently. This kind of thing wouldn’t stump her; she had a vast amount of such literature and material stored in her mind.

However, she also deemed the term unfamiliar because Soul Puppets were taboo; no Wizard would dare to touch them. They were a part of Darkness Type spellcraft, and only those who had dedicated themselves to darkness would seek to understand or interact with them. The Great Witch found it unfamiliar because, in the world as she knew it, no one had ever controlled a Soul Puppet.

Now, two Soul Puppets had appeared right before her. This shock went beyond mere vision; it profoundly shook her to her core.

The Great Witch began to hesitate, unsure whether she should take a step forward or retreat two steps.

If I step forward, it means I’ve made a firm decision, a decision that will lead me to confront the Soul Puppets. But in my current state, even dealing with a tiny grasshopper would be a problem...

If I choose to retreat two steps, it would feel like a betrayal of the title ”Great Wizard” they had called me by. I don’t want to be called a coward. Although I know I’m not particularly brave, once revered as ”Great Wizard,” I have to be mindful of my image. Retreating would disappoint my admirers, and such disappointment could be devastating.

The Great Witch resumed her customary eye-rolling, a habit when she was thinking. She was struggling, caught in a dilemma—neither advancing nor retreating seemed right. If a hole appeared in the ground right then, she would have dived in without hesitation. After all, an accident could resolve her embarrassing predicament; no one would blame someone for accidentally tripping over a stone.

However, the Soul Puppets gave the Great Witch no chance to think. Their attacks grew increasingly frequent. Stan Sol and Estev could only desperately defend, barely finding a moment to speak.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to speak, but the two Soul Puppets pressed them relentlessly. The offensive power they displayed was indistinguishable from that of a High Rank Fighter; it seemed these Soul Puppets also possessed superb Physique Techniques.

The Great Witch reverted to that ”idle,” motionless state. She had previously bluffed Wizard Gus during their ”bout” with this peculiar tactic. Would this unintentional posture work again this time...?

”The Great Wizard is about to attack!” Bunan, who was standing by, couldn’t help but exclaim.

”How do you know?” Qi Liu asked Bunan, looking puzzled. For a while, Estev and Stan Sol had kept the Soul Puppets entangled in a close-quarters battle relying purely on Physique Techniques, which gave the two young onlookers some leisure. They actually started chatting without a care. It could only be said that youth was wonderful, allowing for such fearlessness.

”Didn’t the Great Wizard defeat that guy earlier using this exact method?” Bunan jutted his chin, naturally referring to the unconscious Wizard Gus, who was tied up nearby.

”Er...” Qi Liu couldn’t refute this. He could only continue to stare at the Great Witch Biggs, full of anticipation to see how she would deal with these two monster-like beings.

Soul Puppets possessed no Spirit Power; they moved by the Power of Death, controlled by a Death Wizard. The Power of Death, some said, was the spirit power of the deceased—the Life Energy released after death. Every individual contained countless amounts of Life Energy. They took from nature when alive and released it back to nature upon death. This give and take, an Equivalent Exchange, maintained balance.

Dark Wizards understood how to control this Power of Death. They collected this power released by the deceased, which should have returned to nature, and reprocessed it. This caused Life Energy that should have returned to nature to vanish into thin air, breaking the balance in certain areas of space, blurring the lines between night and day, and plunging entire regions into chaos.

These two Soul Puppets moved with ease, clearly infused with a significant amount of the Power of Death. It seemed their master was certainly no pushover.

Estev racked his brain for a way to deal with the Soul Puppets. Unfortunately, without a Wizard’s assistance, he had no way to overcome these Soul Puppets. Although he knew many skills from various professions, he was completely ignorant of a Wizard’s key abilities. As for a Wizard’s Spirit Sensing Skills, he could only vaguely perceive them, unable to grasp their depths.

Natural Force was difficult to comprehend without considerable sacrifice. A Wizard’s sacrifices were hidden, unlike those of Fighters or Hunters, whose sacrifices were often evident in their physique.

The Soul Puppets’ attack patterns had become more varied, but they still relied solely on Physique Techniques. It was as if these two Soul Puppets only knew Physique Techniques...

This was to be expected. Soul Puppets possessed no Spirit Power; their bodies were filled with the Power of Death—to put it bluntly, a deathly aura. They couldn’t use Spirit Power skills, so apart from bare-handed melee combat, they had no other methods.

Surely, these two Soul Puppets couldn’t possibly unleash a Wizard’s Spellcraft or an Alchemist’s Exchange Spell, could they...?

However, Estev had indeed miscalculated. Soul Puppets couldn’t cast Spellcraft on their own, but they could carry it! Their very existence was a product of Spellcraft, so wasn’t it perfectly normal for them to be imbued with additional Spellcraft?

Estev truly hadn’t expected it; this Soul Puppet actually carried a Corrosion Spell! If he hadn’t dodged in time, a layer of skin on his arm would have been seared off...

No good solution for now...

All I can do is keep dodging; even blocking requires extreme caution.

Unable to help himself, Estev turned his head again towards the Great Witch Biggs.

The pressure on the Great Witch Biggs was immense. So many gazes were fixed on her, making her feel as if she could barely breathe.

The Soul Puppets themselves showed no weaknesses. Their true weakness lay with their caster, the one controlling them from behind the scenes. But right now, the caster of these two Soul Puppets was nowhere to be seen. What was the point of even talking about weaknesses?

Even if one tried to burn them with fire or scatter them with strong winds, there would be no way to eliminate these two Soul Puppets. The caster would simply reassemble the remains and send them to attack again.

Not being able to see the caster meant this Death Wizard’s Dark Arts had reached a very high level.

In other words, these two Soul Puppets already possessed independent wills. Defeating them would be anything but easy.

Everyone understood the theory, but putting it into practice was another matter entirely. Even if you knew the task was immensely difficult, you still had to press on. That was the frustrating part.

But the Great Witch Biggs was not Estev, nor was she Stan Sol. She didn’t have their wealth of combat experience or the ability to react even in dangerous situations.

All the Great Witch Biggs could do was remain as still as a statue.

The Soul Puppets’ attacks didn’t cease in the slightest. Evading like this isn’t a sustainable solution, Stan Sol thought. He wanted to release Sharkmon to bite them, but Sharkmon wouldn’t budge.

Sharkmon craved Spirit Power, and the Soul Puppets had none. Moreover, the waves of deathly aura emanating from the Soul Puppets made Sharkmon instinctively recoil, seemingly terrified of them.

Just like Estev, Stan Sol also pinned his hopes on the Great Witch.

Only a Wizard’s Spellcraft could overcome the Soul Puppets.

Everyone’s expectations now rested on the Great Witch...