The Puppeteer's Gift and the Trickster's Wager

“Elder. Not busy, are you?”

“You… that thing about respecting your elders… Never mind.”

That remark felt even more insulting.

Treating someone like they’d never learned basic manners? As a citizen of South Korea—the Land of Eastern Courtesy—I couldn’t let that slide.

I immediately dropped to my knees and pressed my forehead flat against the floor.

“I see you’ve arrived, most honored one.”

“…You really are a strange one. It’s been a long time since anything managed to fluster ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me at my age.”

“If I’ve provided new stimulation, then I’m glad.”

Nyx let out a heavy sigh beside me.

Put yourself in their shoes.

The colossal organization that weaves together all the darkness of the world. It made no sense for the leader of the Black Network to come calling in person the moment he received a request.

“Heh heh heh. When you grow old, you’re supposed to die.”

“People who say things like that tend to live forever.”

“You really don’t let a single word slide, do you?”

John Doe clicked his tongue.

“Fine. Where is the child who will handle the puppets?”

“He’s training upstairs. Shall I call him down?”

“No need. Let’s go to him.”

Clank. Clank.

Two-meter-tall giants in full armament closed ranks in front and behind John Doe.

“Why wrap yourself up so tightly?”

“Heh heh. When you have as many enemies as I do, caution becomes second nature.”

“With four diamond-rank puppet weapons, you’d pulverize anyone who dared attack.”

These were clearly a step above the puppet weapons I had seen during the Algeria blood war. It looked like he had already deciphered a substantial portion of the Galatea’s Blueprint and rearranged it into his own style.

Truly an astonishing man.

“Are you really in a position to say that?”

“I’m ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠simply admiring your abilities. Why the reaction?”

“You became the world’s strongest player less than two years after awakening.”

“Oh. Recognition from the very shadow master of the Black Network himself.”

“As long as one’s eyes aren’t knotholes, the promotion match alone would have made it obvious.”

Well.

Europe was full of people who wore their eyes purely as decoration.

At that moment, in the sparring field, Brother Yeongsu was training alongside the puppets.

“Is that the one?”

John Doe pointed with his cane, then watched the training in silence.

Some time passed.

The sweat-drenched Yeongsu turned his head and our eyes met.

“Guild Master. You’ve arrived?”

“Yes, Brother.”

“You should have spoken instead of waiting.”

“It’s not me. The elder beside me has business here.”

I subtly indicated John Doe.

“I am called Pygmalion.”

“A-are you perhaps the puppet artisan?!”

Pygmalion.

This was the alias John Doe used whenever he operated in the open.

There was a reason the supreme leader of the Black Network never showed his true face publicly. In the light he acted as a master puppet artisan and powerful player; in the shadows he employed several proxies like Madam. The fact that he maintained both identities without the slightest rumor leaking was proof of the old man’s skill.

“Heh heh heh. It is an honor that the commander of the Yeokcheon Guild recognizes me.”

Commander?

What was that about?

When I looked at John Doe with clear doubt in my eyes, he clicked his tongue again.

“You… that…”

“Please stop beating around the bush.”

“Don’t you keep information about your own people in that head of yours?”

Ah, my bad.

Yeokcheon’s commander.

It was the nickname Brother Yeongsu had earned during the Paris reclamation battle. His unique ability’s buffs were a given, but the way he viewed the entire battlefield and issued precise orders had sent shockwaves through the player community. The market value of command-capable players had skyrocketed, yet I hadn’t even noticed.

“Pay attention to how far those ripples spread.”

Since I already had one foot inside the Black Network as an executive, I suppose I should.

“Yes. I will engrave it deeply.”

“There seems to be a hidden meaning in your words.”

“How could I possibly add to the elder’s wisdom?”

As we bickered back and forth, Brother Yeongsu watched with a startled expression.

“You have a connection with Master Pygmalion as well?”

“Me? With our elder? We eat together. We’ve even crossed the line of death side by side.”

“You must be joking. Haha.”

It was the truth.

Look at the old man’s face—he’s completely serious.

“So, what do you think after seeing him in person?”

“As a commander he is outstanding, but his skill with puppets is… quite lacking.”

That’s too harsh, old man. Don’t drop facts on our guild member right to his face.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“However, your ability isn’t solely about puppetry, is it?”

John Doe stroked his beard with his left hand.

“It’s impressive that you’ve achieved this much without even possessing a unique ability related to puppet arts.”

“It’s all thanks to the Guild Master.”

“Hmph. What are you saying to someone who doesn’t even know his own guild member’s title?”

“So, will you do it or not?”

“Such impatience. Just wait a little.”

Pygmalion.

The concept behind John Doe’s public identity was crystal clear.

He only accepted commissions from players he liked.

–How should we move that child’s heart?

Nyx spoke softly.

Hmm.

I wasn’t sure either.

Innate talent. Current skill level. Personality. There were several players John Doe had crafted puppets for, but no obvious common thread, so I couldn’t guess his criteria.

That was exactly why Yeong had reacted so lukewarmly when I first asked for the commission.

If we failed to win John Doe’s heart, he would never make a puppet for Brother Yeongsu.

–This is unlike you. Betting on something uncertain.

There’s no other choice.

There is no substitute.

Pygmalion.

No—John Doe’s puppet-crafting skill was the best on Earth. The Tower’s artisans—that is, paying CP to dimensional merchants—was an option, but craftsmen of the old man’s caliber rarely accepted requests from lower-dimension players.

If he refused, what could we do? We’d have to settle for a slightly lesser artisan.

Brother Yeongsu’s primary strength was command. Handling puppet weapons was merely to supplement his personal combat power. Tower missions often required one-on-one or solo fights, after all.

“Fine. I’ll make it.”

“Th-thank you!”

“To specialize in mass command, it’s better to keep the controls simple.”

Huh?

I had commissioned it half expecting refusal, yet the ill-tempered old man had agreed so readily. It smelled fishy.

“Heh heh. Fate truly is mysterious, isn’t it?”

“It is an honor that Lord Pygmalion will craft a puppet.”

“Don’t forget that feeling. Who knows when this old man might need a favor later?”

As expected.

It couldn’t have been pure goodwill. With Brother Yeongsu’s value rising, he was securing favor in advance. What a flawless old-timer.

–Your expressions are growing increasingly violent.

That’s why I’m speaking through telepathy—so the old man can’t hear.

Anyway, it had worked out. That was what mattered.

John Doe departed under the escort of his puppet weapons.

“Wait. Let’s talk for a moment.”

Yeong, who had been assigned as escort, tilted his head.

“Is there something you need done?”

“Look into gates or erosion zones where giant races and dragon races appear.”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The new possibility created by combining dragon and giant essences.

To complete the Giant Divine Dragon’s Factor, I needed to devour more giant species—flame giants, cyclops, that sort.

–Wouldn’t it be better to investigate dragon races as well?

“Those guys are extremely rare.”

Lower dragon races—lesser drakes, wyverns, and the like—were almost impossible to encounter. There were fossil substitutes, of course. In my previous life I had devoured the essences of primitive species and completed the final tech tree, Primitive Evolution. It was a transformation ability that went all-in on physical stats, yet its specs still fell short of Giant Dragon Transformation, which embodied the Giant Divine Dragon’s Factor.

If I could complete the Giant Divine Dragon’s Factor… just how much power would I gain?

“Hehehehehe.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

Why are you reacting to someone else’s laughter?

With the handover to the newly recruited management specialist roughly finished, I spent three days grinding the 65th floor before finally challenging the 66th.

–Luck really isn’t on your side today.

“What are the odds of this?”

The chance of drawing a dud six times in a row from a 50/50 probability? Two to the sixth power—1/64. My liberal-arts brain was slow with the math.

“But I still got it, right?”

Numerically it might seem small, but the ability to boost power simply by spending extra mana with no conditions attached was incredibly powerful. Excluding synergy, it felt several times stronger than Spirit’s Cry. The performance gap ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was so large they didn’t even feel like the same three-star skill.

Since the one-week cooldown on Fusion Qigong had reset, I used it again immediately.

–Won’t you have to attempt it multiple times again?

“This combination has a 99% success rate, so don’t worry.”

Both skills shared the ‘radial’ trait. When fused, they merged without resistance into a dual-attribute spell that amplified each other’s destructive force. A five-star grand magic.

I wondered how devastating it would become once I added Element Boost.

Now that I had collected everything I’d postponed on the 60th-floor range, it was time to climb again.

[60/60]

[Matching completed.]

The Babel Tower application emitted a brilliant light, and I was instantly transported inside the Tower.

I had entered the Black Fortress.

–It’s structured so you cannot fight until all the seals are found.

“Oh. You catch on quickly.”

–The team that finds 100% of the seals first will gain the guardian knight as an ally.

“You’ve explored the Tower with me long enough to know without explanation.”

–Ahem. I am the exalted Goddess of Eternal Night.

For reference, the guardian knight’s combat power was around the 70th-floor level. Powerful, yes, but not an overwhelming difference against players sitting at roughly two thousand RP.

The key to the 66th floor was to complete seal exploration with minimal losses, recruit the guardian knight to your side, and crush the opposing team.

–There are traps scattered everywhere. Rushing could easily cause you to lose sight of the true objective.

“Exactly. That’s why team distribution is crucial.”

Because the spaces were separated, we couldn’t see how far the enemy team had progressed in their search.

An extreme battle of wits against an invisible opponent.

–You have no intention of actually awakening the guardian knight, do you?

“I won’t just sit idle.”

The more seals my allies discovered, the heavier the debuffs placed on the guardian knight. If I found an appropriate number of the hidden seals throughout the castle, it would make devouring the knight’s essence during phase two much easier.