The Puppeteer Pavela

The boss of Act 2. And a real nasty piece of work. Her atrocities go without saying.

The craziest, worst psycho villain who loved nothing more than fiddling with someone's mind until it broke. True to her design as the boss opposing Act 2's theme of 'comrades' and 'cooperation' to overcome the Athletic Festival ordeal—and true to her name 'Puppeteer'—this one could control humans.

To be more specific about Act 2's conditions: Erhan had to fight and defeat the 'captured heroine' midway through without killing her, precisely severing the thin thread connected to her back in one strike. Fail to cut the thread before the time limit, and the heroine's mind shattered forever, never to return. Miss the attack timing, and she'd impale herself on Erhan's sword. Not a fun scene by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠any means.

Losing the heroine like that plunged Erhan into despair, unlocking the 'Dark Route.' And the poster girl for that Dark Route was standing right in front of me.

Here's some advice from a 10,000-hour veteran to you noobs just starting out: If even one 'major' heroine with her own 'individual route' dies, that playthrough is 80% doomed. Reset is your only option. Unless you want to dive into a hopeless, straight-line tragedy of a Dark Route, ditch that route without a second thought.

Which means, obviously, I couldn't just kill Pavela here, who had her own individual route.

So, I made my decision without hesitation.

"Hehe, that fearful face. I like it."

"What's there to fear? It's just boring."

Act 2—I'd handle it solo.

Boss raids were meant to be done with comrades, but this trash was a master at puppeteering your allies to attack you or each other. I didn't even want to imagine Kalen falling to Reina's magic, or Reina, Millije, or Relbrian getting stabbed by Kalen's sword...

So, I'd do it alone. I'd handle it. And I'd claim all the rewards myself.

Not barking orders from the back, but focusing purely on my own combat. I wanted to see how far I could go with stats worse than Salenium's bottom rung.

"While I'm grinding through this, it'd be nice if the others just kept enjoying themselves oblivious."

The Athletic Festival was a pretty fun event, after all.

"I've got Daisy von Shukros covering for me in the mounted combat event, so time shouldn't be an issue."

"...What do you mean by that? Hahaha, no, you're always like this. Acting like you've got something up your sleeve when there's nothing—full of hot air and hypocrisy! Yes, let's see how your 'mind' holds up!"

A rickety shack with rotten water dripping from the ceiling and creaking floorboards. She stood before the door, while I sat on a small stool. In the pitch darkness, her left purple eye gleamed.

A faint thread, barely visible amid the shadows, shot toward me.

Retreat? Status window, if I were gonna do that, I wouldn't have come here myself.

Devil's Eye and Puppeteer's Thread. Skills that subdued the target's consciousness, forcing them to move solely by Pavela's will.

I might've mentioned this before, but Salenium's 'Darkness' hid quite a few demon remnants who luckily survived the war 300 years ago. Venture deep, and you'd find some mingling around.

"A demonic eye from a contract with a demon, huh."

"You know it, then. Now, quietly become my doll!"

And with that, I silently lifted my head and met her gaze.

Why a boss that could've fit Acts 5 or 6 shows up in Act 2? Simple.

"The real deal demons got buried underground wholesale, leaving small-fry soldier demons to skulk in the 'Darkness.'"

Of course, their power couldn't touch my bloodline. Annoyingly, it applied to Ebnis with the same bloodline too, granting her partial immunity to demon mental attacks. Which is why, if Ebnis was in the party, Act 2 was manageable.

If Erhan was already on the 'Ebnis Route,' this one wouldn't touch Ebnis and kidnap the next highest-affinity target instead.

And it didn't end there.

At the same time—

"Kyaaaaaaaah?!"

She clutched her left eye with both hands and dropped to her knees. Black liquid dripped between her fingers.

"Even with a demon contract, that's all the power you gained? Pathetic. Utterly pathetic."

I said that as I rose from the stool, drawing a dagger from my bosom instead of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the spirit wood branch and advancing.

Blasting big magic repeatedly in this cramped shack? Amateur play. Wide spells in tight spaces could backfire on me too.

So, a few basic spells and the dagger for a quick finish.

The intimidation seemed to pin her movements, but I knew better. My intimidation only worked on those with 'normal thinking.' It had little effect on the deranged.

So—

"There."

I swiftly slashed the dagger. The thread lunging from a blind spot to bisect me snapped in half and scattered into the air.

Glancing at it, I turned to her smirking face.

"You knew? Hehehe..."

"Even a third-rate theater hack could act better. Now, let's begin."

She approached, dagger in hand. Hundreds of threads, woven like a spiderweb, rushed from both sides to shred me.

So that's what she'd prepared. Pity—pointless.

I kicked off the ground, slashing reverse-grip with the dagger—slash, slash, slash, again.

Each time, she summoned mana threads, scattering them everywhere, widening the gap, then yanking them tight the moment I entered range to mince the surroundings.

"It, it won't hit? ...No way!"

I slipped behind her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flustered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠form and slashed downward with the dagger. But as a boss, she'd dodge a simple thrust easily. I wasn't a burst DPS anyway.

"I definitely saw the future! I can't be wrong!"

Her demonic eye—beyond control—could glimpse brief futures. But I'd blocked her from using it on me, sealing one pattern.

"Even if you saw the future, you had nothing else."

If she foresaw my future, I could see beyond it. Read the prediction control, predict the prediction. Can't do that, and you forfeit the veteran title.

Finger twitch, arm angle—predict next attack, defend. Spiderweb threads the size of the shack wall? Drew the spirit wood branch and Wind Bladed them all.

Damage wasn't key—precision targeting was. And the cool-headedness to maintain it.

Dagger in one hand, spirit wood in the other. Sever threads, close distance.

"Urk! What are you doing! Go! Slave Nos. 1 and 2!"

Two students with sword and spear leaped from behind her, charging from both flanks.

'Control threads connect to the exact center of the back.'

I dodged the simultaneous thrust, jumped. Midair spin, reverse-grip dagger severed their back threads on landing.

"H-How..."

I brushed my shoulders as they collapsed limply, threads cut.

"That's all? Puppeteer witch."

I'd be seriously disappointed if so.

"No... It can't end like this. Never, ever!"

She thrust both arms forward. The shack shook with vibration as a massive wave of threads surged, ends upright.

"Death throes, huh."

One slip, and those countless threads would skewer me instantly.

The thought made my heart race. Good.

"Entertain me more."

Shoulders loose, I charged into the thread wave.

My stamina would hold about 20 minutes. Zero mistakes allowed. Every single attack, even grazes, needed full focus.

Brain-melting difficulty. And with my HP, no prolonged fight.

"Haha."

I laughed. This was a boss fight worth having. Right?

* * *

A back alley at the tail end of lunch hour. A boy who'd been hiding there stepped out.

"...S-Senior?"

The main street ahead—the path that 'senior' had been walking moments ago. The boy stared blankly.

"He... vanished?"

It made no sense. The masked woman emerging from the alley, the deranged student council kids, the flash in his vision when they approached.

He'd thought the scene suspicious, moved to help—but opened his eyes to nothing. Even the senior gone.

Weird.

"This... isn't normal."

He had to tell someone. Who? Erhan pulled a ticket from his pocket right away.

The events starting post-lunch featured everyone close to that senior.

"Sub-Marquess Ebnis, Senior Kalen, Senior Wolfgang, Ms. Heilo..."

He gripped the ticket hard enough to crumple it, pure eyes sparkling.

"I have to save him, Senior!"

Alone would be tough. But tell them, and they'd surely help.

"I must let them know. We have to rescue Senior!"

Erhan vowed and dashed toward the arena.