Puppet Master Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Hunting

Read chapter 13 of Puppet Master by PeName on NovelPedia.

No matter how strange the dreams were, daily life had to continue. After breakfast, Tris performed his usual exercises to train his body. These included movements ranging from basic to complex, combined with the proper circulation of spiritual energy throughout every corner of his body. Exercises involving spiritual energy not only strengthened muscles but also improved bones and internal organs. Since he was still in a rapid growth phase, these exercises further enhanced his physical condition. Ever since his body became capable of movement, he had never skipped this basic training. As a result, despite his small, slender appearance, Tris’s actual physical strength was comparable to that of an adult—perhaps even superior. If physical movement was the method the Warriors used to increase their power, Mages had an entirely different approach: exercising the mind. A Mage’s power comes from three factors: total spiritual energy, the ability to manipulate it, and knowledge of different magics. Total spiritual energy could gradually increase through repeated use of magic. The more complex and difficult the magic, the more effective the improvement. And mastering complex, high-difficulty magic naturally improved one’s skill in manipulating spiritual energy. Finally, to learn and use complex magic, one needed the corresponding knowledge. These three factors were interconnected and inseparable. After physical training, Tris usually spent time studying, without a fixed topic. His focus depended on insights gained from dreams or ongoing projects. Because of a recent dream, Tris chose to study Space Magic today. Based on observations of “it,” he believed his movement skills could be greatly improved. With paper and pen in hand, he sat at his desk and began to analyze and learn. Tris spent most of that day, and the entire following week, in his room, only leaving occasionally for classes he found useful. This routine had become so frequent that his presence in the village was minimal—until he participated in last year’s competition. During this time, he didn’t forget to use “Feathers” to secretly monitor and gather information around the village. The disappearance of certain individuals raised concern among the village hunters and their families, but it proved to be nothing more than a normal reaction. With that, he ceased his monitoring. Two more weeks passed. Tris spent half a month improving his Space Magic and using it to upgrade his magical puppets. Standing on the ceiling of his room like a bat, he admired his results and planned his next steps. Today, he went to the forest to hunt for additional funds and materials to complete magical puppet No. 4. Not far from where he stood was a Giant Mantis, over 2 meters tall, with razor-sharp, spiked forelegs. This magical beast was common in this forest, known for its speed and deadly, lightning-fast attacks. Hunters in the village reportedly set traps or attack from a distance rather than confronting them head-on. ‘I choose you, No. 1: The Twin.’ With a flick of his hand, a pair of puppets appeared before him. These were the first two puppets he had made. Both wore masks that completely covered their faces and carried swords and shields. These were the puppets he used in last year’s competition—except back then, he only deployed one of them. Unlike “Feathers”, this pair was built on an opposite principle. If “Feathers” fought mainly by exploiting pre-integrated magics, “The Twin” had no pre-engraved magics to activate instantly. Instead, he designed the puppets and inscribed runes on their bodies for a single purpose: to move fluidly and optimally receive and utilize spiritual energy transmitted from their controller—Tris. Thus, each puppet became a near-perfect replica of him, capable of flexibly using various magics and combat techniques. Magical threads shot from all ten of Tris’s fingers, connecting to the puppets—five threads per puppet. With both hands, he simultaneously controlle