The Puppeteer's Patterns
The first presentation that would become a turning point in history.
The special training that finally opened the heart of the King of Africa, who had clung so stubbornly to isolationism.
After a truly fulfilling schedule, I returned to my daily routine.
You have cleared the 67th floor mission.
As a reward, 10 kg of mithril has been granted.
I resumed my everyday life, raiding the Tower twice a day. In whatever time remained?
“Confirmed closure of the Grade A Gate in Gwangju.”
“Good work.”
Gate clearing, of course. What else?
–To think you did not immediately challenge the promotion match. Have you perhaps been seized by fear?
Huh?
Me?
That’s not even a funny joke.
–Then why do you not challenge the next floor at once?
“The conditions aren’t right. Simple as that.”
The promotion match could only be attempted after reaching the maximum level of the current tier. For the Diamond bracket, that meant level 350. My current level was 311.
–Hmm. It does seem there was such a restriction.
“You just remembered! Stop pretending you didn’t know.”
It wasn’t the first time this had happened. Ever since the first Great Erosion, I was at least gaining experience from hunting monsters inside Gates. Before that, I had to grind the same section missions over and over just to scrape together levels.
–The speed at which your level rises seems rather slow.
“That’s because the boost effect ended.”
It had already been over ten years since the Babel Tower appeared. The early clearers received experience boosts on sections they had already passed. The system claimed it was to prevent late starters from falling behind, but to me it looked like a cheap trick to lure in more players and accelerate the erosion rate even faster.
–In other words, the amount of experience gained has decreased.
“Now I have to hunt like a dog.”
–Then strive harder. You cannot afford to fall behind the others.
“Yes, yes. I’m so moved I could cry.”
The 67th floor offered the highest experience among the 60s. On top of that, the jewel tree harvesting mission provided a nice side income. Sure, the mithril duplication exploit no longer worked for RP exchange rewards, but earning twenty kilograms of mithril a day was still an incredible benefit.
Heh. Sweet. So very sweet.
And it wasn’t just experience I gained from grinding those lesser drakes.
…….
Heh. Just look at those rising stats.
Lesser drakes were monsters that didn’t belong on the 60th floor range. Their difficulty was far higher, which meant the stats they dropped were equally generous. It had been a wise decision to push my Devour past 100 percent efficiency back in the Tower’s underground. The joy of duplicated stats was something no ordinary player could understand. While others scrambled desperately for elixirs, I simply had to keep hunting on repeat!
–That is because you are special.
“Are you only realizing that now?”
–The part I am pointing out is slightly different.
Nyx crossed her arms.
–Though I have not been awake in this era for very long, I have observed mortals in my own way.
Two years was quite a long time by human standards, but she didn’t seem to think so. Lately, any mention of time or age made the goddess visibly displeased, so I avoided the subject.
–Ordinary people are not as diligent as you.
“Come on. There are plenty of hardworking people in the world. You’re overpraising me.”
–You are missing the point entirely.
Nyx clicked her tongue. The gesture looked strangely familiar. She wasn’t copying me, was she?
–You resemble a high monk who has cast aside all worldly desires to focus solely on ascetic training.
“What monk? I do everything I want.”
–Is spending every waking moment hunting monsters and training, only to sleep, truly ‘doing everything you want’?
“……”
When I thought about the age of destruction, even this lifestyle felt like luxury. Four hours of sleep was already a lot. Proper food had been nothing more than a distant dream back then.
–How long will you remain trapped by the shadow of that time?
“I’m not trapped…”
–Hmph! Did you not say you would strive so that bleak future never arrives?
Ugh. I wanted to argue that living diligently shouldn’t earn me a scolding, but saying one more word would only invite a full lecture.
–Your attitude itself is correct. However, if you only ever look forward, you will never see the scenery around you.
Coming from the same person who had just called me a pathetic weakling for not taking the promotion match, the words felt a bit rich. Still, I could sense her genuine concern, so I held back any retort.
“Fine. I’ll make some time for myself once in a while.”
–If you understand, then let us go.
Suddenly?
–A new café has opened in front of the guild house. Their desserts are apparently superb.
Sssssip.
So the whole speech had been a buildup to eat dessert. I couldn’t even get angry anymore.
Nothing I could do about it.
“Let’s go.”
Tower climbing, gate clearing, and the occasional date with Nyx. Two whole months flew by like that.
* * *
My routine had been spinning like a hamster wheel. The event that blew fresh wind into that repetition was the visit of one old man.
“Heh heh. Have you been well?”
John Doe. The white-haired elder swept his locks back and smiled kindly.
Don’t be fooled.
He was the leader of the Black Network, the man with his feet planted deep in the darkness of the entire world. That benevolent expression was nothing but a mask.
“It wounds me when you stare so openly with suspicion.”
“I didn’t realize you were so sensitive.”
“My, my. If you didn’t want to receive the item I was commissioned to make, you could have simply said so.”
Aaack!
I had completely forgotten. I immediately bent at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
“I’ve been waiting so eagerly my neck almost snapped. Master Pygmalion.”
“It seems the Yeokcheon Guild’s idea of hospitality is to leave guests standing in the hallway.”
John Doe muttered something about how the elderly should just die already and rubbed his lower back.
Damn it. Had I grown too complacent lately? I’d even forgotten about the combat puppet commission. This was all the fault of a certain goddess who kept tempting me with desserts. Definitely not my fault.
–Are you not going to cease those blasphemous thoughts?
Please don’t whisper that directly into my ear.
“Where are the puppets?”
“No need to worry. Let us head to the training ground.”
While guiding John Doe, I sent a message to Yeongsu hyung on my phone.
“Elder!”
“It is good to see you again. Commander of Yeokcheon.”
“Have you been in good health?”
“Heh heh heh. I have many small tasks to occupy me, so life is not boring.”
Small tasks?
Coming from the great villain who spread love, truth, and darkness across the entire world, calling them ‘small tasks’ felt absurd.
“Why is your expression like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
Shit. Since I’d forgotten about the puppet commission, I couldn’t even snap back at him properly.
John Doe began pulling the puppets out of his subspace pouch one by one. There were thirty in total, all humanoid. Half were armed with long greatswords. The other half carried tower shields large enough to cover their entire bodies.
“Offense and defense types?”
“Oh. What keen insight. The commander of Yeokcheon truly is different.”
“Heh heh.”
Phalanx
Legion Defense
No, anyone could tell at a glance they were offense and defense types. He was praising that?
Never mind. I decided to simply enjoy the sight of the leader of a global criminal organization flattering us.
“Since your specialty is not puppetry, I simplified the command system.”
Blue threads extended from his fingertips. Ten strands of mana thread. The ones from his right hand passed over the offensive puppets, while those from his left pierced through the defensive ones. It looked like several dried fish strung together on a single line.
“If you connect the mana threads in a line, won’t they all perform the same action?”
“Heh heh. Just watch quietly.”
John Doe twitched his fingers.
Clatter—
Red light flashed in the eyes of all thirty combat puppets. They formed ranks and lined up neatly in front of their user.
The same action, you say?
Not at all. Their stride lengths and spacing were subtly different. The angle of each puppet’s weapon also shifted slightly. They looked as if they were aiming at imaginary enemies.
“A-amazing! You linked the control system into one and made them move according to preset patterns!”
“It should pair excellently with your ability.”
“Ah. Thank you so much!”
“Since we’re on the subject, why don’t you try using them? There may be parts that need adjustment.”
John Doe withdrew the mana threads.
–I do not quite understand. Please explain.
“I’m not entirely sure myself.”
Sorry for being a liberal arts student.
Yeongsu hyung cleared his throat.
“It will be faster to show you.”
Blue threads that looked crude compared to John Doe’s rose up. Ten strands of mana thread pierced straight through the lined-up combat puppets.
Phalanx
Legion Defense
Clack, clack, clack!
The greatswords compressed and transformed into long spears. The offensive puppets formed a semicircle and thrust their spears outward. The shield-bearing puppets stepped forward to complete the perfect offense-defense formation. The delicacy felt as though he were controlling each puppet individually.
How was this possible?
“Do you know fighting games?”
Oh. I feel like I’ve heard this example recently.
“To use a technique, you must press a set sequence of buttons.”
For example, ← → A or B. John Doe’s puppets worked the same way. Once you inserted the mana threads, they moved organically according to preset patterns without colliding with one another.
“But patterns still have limits.”
“Heh heh. Did you think this old man would not have considered that?”
He had input dozens of attack and defense patterns alone. He had even taken into account the formations shown during the French Great Collapse and the promotion match.
“I have also enabled individual movement outside of patterns, so do not worry.”
Oh. A Meister-class artisan truly was on another level. I used to think he was just a cranky old man, but now I saw him in a new light!
Yeongsu hyung’s eyes sparkled brightly.
“Shall we train a little?”
“But the master is still here…”
“Heh heh. Is it not that your fingers are itching because you like my work?”
“Exactly. Haha.”
“It will take time to grow accustomed. Train hard from now on.”
“Thank you!”
Seeing Yeongsu hyung so excited brought a smile to my face.
“Then how about we moisten our throats as well?”
“Haven’t you finished your business?”
“Tsk tsk. This is why young people these days are no good. No sense of leisure at all.”
Coming to someone else’s house and boldly demanding tea was quite something.
The moment we moved to the reception room, John Doe gripped a baseball-sized artifact tightly. A pitch-black current enveloped the room. Multiple layers of magic unfolded—blocking external observation, nullifying surveillance, and even cutting off sound transmission.
“What sinister and secretive topic are you about to bring up?”
“Heh heh heh. At my age, one must be wary even of falling leaves.”
“Says the man who controlled puppets on the front lines.”
When I indirectly mentioned the Algeria desert incident, John Doe frowned.
“You refuse to yield even a single word to an old man.”
“I hear that a lot.”
From a goddess who had lived longer than I could fathom. I quickly shut my mouth, knowing what kind of wrath would follow if I added any more.
“You didn’t activate the artifact just to show it off. Shall we get to the main topic?”
“Without even serving coffee?”
He was serious. I had thought the tea talk was just an excuse to change locations!
With no choice, I ordered coffee from the first-floor café and we had a light tea time.
“Tsk tsk. To think you drink such undignified sewer water. This is why young people these days are hopeless.”
“Do not insult the iced Americano, a product of modern civilization.”
“Enough. There is no point in speaking further.”
After grumbling once, John Doe closed his lips tightly as if thinking, then spoke again after a moment.
“How much do you know about outer space?”
Outer space?
An unexpected subject had surfaced.
“I know a fair amount.”
Why are you asking me?
I stared at him silently, and he added an explanation.
“Since you explored the Dream Land, it seemed difficult to find an expert more qualified than you.”
Ah. That did happen.
The demonic realm located in Tunguska, Russian territory.
He was referring to the time I succeeded in exploring the Dream Land and handed the internal information over to Sergei.
“The truth is, I have something I wish to consult you about.”
John Doe slowly parted his lips once more.