War Puppet

Still, even so.

Ron couldn't just set off on a whim.

After all, the "Evening Bell Saint" wouldn't be easy to find.

He vaguely remembered Kurt once saying that outside the saint's room at the top of that tower prison stood a Sequence 8 "War Puppet"...

Judging by the name alone, it was clearly just a puppet, and its actual combat strength probably wasn't equal to that of an ordinary Sequence 8 Beyonder.

But in theory, it was still one rank above Ron.

Even if Ron had [Fantasy Dissolution], based on the feedback he had received in the "Potion Era," it would probably be enough to directly erase the War Puppet's "mystery" and make it vanish into thin air...

But the price would likely be the damage to [Fantasy Dissolution]'s settings immediately rising above 80%.

If he encountered any unexpected trouble afterward, Ron would lose one of his trump cards.

Considering who knew how many unknown dangers there were in that tower prison, along with the followers of the Scorched Earth Sanctuary...

It seemed he would have to try defeating it with his own strength alone.

With that thought in mind, Ron muttered as he calculated:

"[Fantasy Dissolution] has already been completely repaired, and the Ability Limiter has been opened to 9.99%. There's nothing left to improve..."

Considering that in the "Potion Era," Ron's strongest ability, [Vector Manipulation], would clearly be restricted due to a major version conflict, he couldn't rely on it too heavily.

If major version-setting conflicts didn't wear down abilities, why would he need to make so many preparations...

Ron sighed inwardly, then took out a square box—

This was something he had ordered online a few days ago, when he realized he could no longer improve his abilities and began considering going to the "Potion Era."

Although Ron had bargained furiously and spent only three hundred Credit Points in total, it still pained him quite a bit.

When he opened the box, there were several mice inside, each with a tiny camera mounted on its head and a small black box hanging from the tip of its tail.

At that moment, these mice had long since stopped breathing, yet they stiffly turned in circles where they stood—

A faint ghostly green light burned within their lifeless eyes...

This was Beyonder magic from the [Gravekeeper]!

After becoming a [Gravekeeper], Ron had learned many spells marked within the emerald ring, similar to the Magic of the [Necromancer School].

Most of these spells involved the dead, while a very small number concerned the incomprehensible "soul."

And what Ron was using now was the most advanced spell granted by the [Gravekeeper]—[Create Corpse Servant].

According to the knowledge instilled in Ron by the Potion, this spell might have been able to create monsters similar to Corpse Shells during the "Potion Era."

Their strength rivaled that of a Sequence 9 Beyonder, making them the [Gravekeeper]'s greatest support.

But in Ideal City...

Sorry, incompatible version.

Without loading [Beyonder Loss of Control] and while being restricted by the version, Ron could only rely on a ritual and spend two days transforming several mice, turning these small rodents into his servants.

These mindless undead creatures could only move according to simple commands from their master and were otherwise useless.

But for Ron, that was enough.

He had equipped each mouse with a miniature camera connected to his personal brain-computer interface, allowing them to serve as mobile biological cameras and help him explore the prison.

As long as he could uncover the dangers within the prison and begin the battle prepared, Ron was confident he could deal with every enemy before [Vector Manipulation] was completely worn down by the version.

It was about time.

He took a deep breath, picked up his spellbook, controlled two mice to hide in his hair, held one in his hand, and stuffed the remaining two into his pocket.

The next moment, he opened the Dimensional Update Manual and selected [Enter World Save].

[World Save "Potion Era" selected. Joining world...]

In an instant, Ron felt a faint wave of dizziness. His vision went black for a moment, and the familiar dim lighting appeared before him once more.

Cold stone-brick walls, slimy moss, dim kerosene lamps, rust-covered cells...

That damp, cold, rotten stench once again reached his nose, telling him exactly where he was.

Last time, the situation had been too urgent for him to observe anything. Only now did he finally have the chance.

He casually walked forward a few steps, reached a corner, and only after escaping Kurt's gaze behind him did he carefully inspect himself—

A white coarse-cloth prison uniform, completely different from the clothes he wore in Ideal City.

With a shake of his head, the two mouse servants fell out. Together with the one in his hand, they landed on the ground and circled around his feet.

But the two servants he had stuffed into his pockets had already disappeared. Apparently, they had failed to follow him from Ideal City to the Potion Era.

In other words... when traveling through the power of the Dimensional Update Manual, only objects touching my body can travel with me?

The clothes on his body had changed, yet his brain-computer interface prosthetic and the items he carried could all come with him...

Ron pondered this, coming to a realization.

Perhaps... so-called [Enter World Save] didn't refer to simple travel. Rather, while traveling, it also fabricated an identity that fit the version settings of that era.

For example, in the Potion Era, Ron's initial identity was a prisoner of the Scorched Earth Sanctuary.

But the inmates in the prison clearly had no memories of him. Even Kurt, the inmate separated from him by only one layer of iron bars, didn't know him. It was obviously a temporarily fabricated identity.

Altering the world, fabricating an existence...

As expected of the Dimensional Update Manual.

Ron marveled inwardly and stopped wasting time. He released all the mouse servants and began exploring the route to the top floor of the tower.

After loading [Fantasy Dissolution], everything in Ron's field of vision appeared perfectly ordinary. But through the camera views carried by the corpse servants, what he saw was nothing but bloodshed...

Grotesque Limb Cages stood everywhere, while dark red bloodstains marked the mottled stone floor.

Every cell held a prisoner locked down with bronze shackles.

Some had already decayed into hideous Corpse Shells; others were still holding on, but were hardly in better condition than Zombies.

The Scorched Earth Sanctuary apparently didn't care at all whether these prisoners lived or died...

Ron considered this as he followed the corpse servants and continued using them to scout ahead.

Soon, he left the cell block and saw a spiral staircase.

The spiral staircase branched in every direction, dividing into several paths that led toward different cell blocks. It was clearly the center of the tower...

Presumably, this was the path to the top floor.

Ron controlled the corpse servants to approach, only to discover two knights in heavy armor standing not far beside the stairs, rigid as statues.

Of course, the Scorched Earth Sanctuary wouldn't have left the prison without guards. So they were stationed here at the spiral staircase...

He carefully guided the corpse servants closer and examined the two knights who resembled stone carvings—

Steel helmets that concealed their faces, heavy plate armor, and faulds gleaming with cold light.

Capes hung from their backs. The red capes were somewhat tattered, marked with flame-shaped patterns.

Combined with the one-handed swords hanging at their waists, still sheathed, they gave off a somewhat...

Old-fashioned feeling.

That was right, old-fashioned.

Although civilization in the "Potion Era" was much less advanced than in Ideal City, it had clearly reached a level similar to the Victorian era.

Back then, knights dressed like this were obviously ornate but impractical, and should have been obsolete long ago. Why would the Scorched Earth Sanctuary have them serve as guards?

After a brief moment of thought, Ron immediately understood.

Presumably... these knights armed to the teeth were Beyonders.

Otherwise, what right would they have to guard a prison capable of holding Beyonders?

This was troublesome...

Ron felt a headache coming on. With these two Beyonders of unknown strength standing here, was he supposed to charge straight through?

Whether he could defeat them was one thing. Even if he did, how was he supposed to beat that Sequence 8 War Puppet after being worn down?

Just as Ron was feeling helpless, he heard some noisy murmuring.

Noisy?

Ron froze for a moment, then immediately realized the sound came from the poor-quality audio system of the miniature cameras atop the corpse servants' heads...

He listened carefully and distinguished what he was hearing—

"Fire-chasing... Fire-chasing..."

The exact same muttered words, dull and muffled, came from those two knights who resembled statues!

Fire-chasing?

What were they talking about... the Fire-Chasing Ritual mentioned in the secret letter?

Only then did Ron realize something was off about these two knights...

Though they were obviously breathing, they didn't behave like normal living people.

After all... if an ordinary person stood guard here in such heavy full-body armor, they couldn't remain silent for so long, standing there like a statue.

Even if they could manage it, they would still move around after a while.

And then there was their clearly unconscious muttering...

Could it be—they were being controlled by someone?

Or were they simply mindless?

Ron pondered this, a curve rising at the corner of his mouth.

Either way, since they looked so blank and dim-witted, they probably couldn't tell what was a trap meant to lure them, right...

He hadn't expected those little preparations he had made before coming here to actually be useful.

Ron controlled two corpse servants to run in different directions. Once they had moved a certain distance away, he remotely activated the little black boxes tied to their tails—

They were secondhand speakers he had picked up from an online shopping platform for 10 Credit Points!

"Mambo mambo, oh majiri mambo~"

In an instant, elegant music from Ideal City suddenly rang out from different directions. The two statue-like knights paused for a moment before immediately drawing the longswords at their waists.

The next moment, they burst forth with a speed beyond ordinary imagination, striding toward the source of the sound like sharks scenting blood.

...Poor little corpse servants.

Ron silently observed a moment of mourning for the two mice, then did not waste the time they had bought with their lives. He cautiously stepped onto the spiral staircase.

Then he hid to one side and let the last corpse servant scout ahead for him...

Following the spiral staircase, the corpse servant soon arrived at the top floor of the tower.

The top floor was empty. The space was not small, but there was nothing there except a wooden door in one corner.

A sign hung on it bearing the name "Idrila," with a simple little flower drawn in the corner.

It seemed this was where the "Evening Bell Saint" was.

But... where was the War Puppet they had mentioned?

Why did it look like there was nothing here?

Just as Ron was wondering, he faintly heard a "drip" amid the noisy audio.

...The sound of dripping water?

Puzzled, he controlled the corpse servant to look toward the source of the sound, only to see drops of dark red liquid falling.

Following the falling blood droplets upward, he saw a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life—

A "spider"... a monster made of countless corpses, with flesh wildly sprouting and growing, hung from the ceiling with limbs like human hands, staring fixedly at the corpse servant!

This was the War Puppet?

A horrifying monster that looked as if it had been refined from a pile of corpses... Did the Scorched Earth Sanctuary enjoy turning human corpses into tools this much?

The cells holding prisoners were like this, and this monster guarding the saint was like this too...

Watching the image sent by the corpse servant's camera, Ron could not help frowning in disgust.

He controlled the corpse servant to flee as quickly as possible, but the War Puppet clearly had no intention of letting go of the snack that had delivered itself to its door. It immediately leaped down from the ceiling and landed before the corpse servant.

Its twisted eyes, made from countless heads, revealed a humanlike cruelty and greed. It let out a shriek at the corpse servant and opened its gaping mouth...

Thin red strands of hair shot out like sharp needles, riddling the corpse servant with holes. Then it crawled over on all fours and swallowed it in a single bite.

"Bzzzt..."

The miniature camera was completely destroyed, and the image signal in Ron's brain-computer interface was cut off.

That War Puppet was really vicious.

Ron clicked his tongue. If he hadn't prepared corpse servants to scout the way and had instead charged upstairs recklessly by himself, this monster might really have caught him off guard.

After all... his [Vector Manipulation] had not yet reached the point where he could activate it indefinitely around the clock and reflect every attack.

But now that he already understood this monster's hunting method...

A smile curled across Ron's lips as he casually picked up several pebbles from the ground.

[Potion Sequence], unload!

[Superpowered], load!

He carefully followed the stairs up to the top floor, poked his head out from the stairway entrance, and carefully searched the ceiling for the War Puppet—

Soon, he spotted the mass of flesh formed from piled-up corpses.

It hid in the shadows beneath the ceiling, extending a filthy long tongue to lick its lips, as though it were still savoring its recent snack...

Ron scooped up the pebbles, and [Vector Manipulation] surged to full power. The Ability Limiter around his neck emitted a rapid series of urgent beeps.

Heh, what Sequence 8? What War Puppet?

Go talk to my [Vector Manipulation]!