Chapter 29: Starting [2]

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I looked at the puppet in front of me, a B- rank goblin, a being that should crush me in seconds given the overwhelming difference in power between us.

But in a strange phenomenon, everyone had placed their bets on my victory, and the demon trembled oddly at the sight of my blade.

I pointed the sword at him, and his fears suddenly turned into drowsiness.

Even though the effects of my combat technique were well known, knowing it did not help in resisting it. Everyone knew that drowsiness comes with lack of sleep, but that did not prevent them from feeling it.

This is the advantage of having control over one of the strongest sensations and emotions; no one can resist such things. I moved toward the goblin. I couldn't put him completely to sleep due to the huge power gap, but his movements slowed significantly.

He was much stronger and faster than me, but the Commandment of the Sloth easily bridged the gaps between us.

After about the tenth strike, the goblin's sword fell from his hand, and he immediately fainted.

He couldn't resist in the end. Although my martial art is extremely powerful, I know my limits more than anyone else.

There is a certain threshold, starting at rank A-.

Reaching that rank does not happen with just training the body and mana as usual; all creatures exceed their limits there.

Therefore, I dare not rely entirely on this art, or I won't even know how I died in the future.

<First Step of the Commandment Sloth: Dream Descent>

After reaching a high level of understanding of the first step, I realized that drowsiness is not equivalent to slowness.

This helped me master the true essence of the first step and the ability to use it in battles. I raised the sword vertically above my head and brought it down slowly. Everyone around me felt a strange drowsiness, as I didn't suppress my abilities from reaching them this time.

In the middle of the swing, the sword suddenly disappeared.

Or at least that's what people around me saw; the truth is that the sword moved at an unfamiliar speed to their minds.

Although this speed isn't particularly remarkable and they should've seen it easily given their high ranks, my previous slow step made it unexpected.

This is the essence of the first step...

I heard cheers around me as people saw something new from me for the first time in a long while. Unfortunately, I couldn't put them to sleep, as they were all at least rank B.

If I tried anything extreme, it wouldn't go unnoticed, and the consequences would be disastrous.

I looked at Diana surrounded by many people; her state had changed significantly in the past few days, and her confidence began to grow more and more. On the other side, her rival, whose name I forgot, was also surrounded by many people, but they had clearly become fewer.

I sighed internally, not believing that all the tragedy that happened to me was because of a children's game to gain silly fame. This made me feel a lot of anger, but I forced myself to calm down.

I can't ruin everything for petty revenge, despite the great temptation; I am smarter than that. 

About half an hour passed until Diana finished talking with her group, receiving many different challenges for the next time. I had become one of the major sources of entertainment in this arena due to my slow and unconventional martial style.

I'm sure they will eventually get bored, but that seems far off.

And I don't care; I will leave here today no matter what... my stay will not be prolonged.

'This will be your last show... you better have had enough!'

I thought internally as I headed to a nearby carriage with Diana, bound by the same white bracelet.

This bracelet is a big problem for me. I vaguely understood its effects over the past months as it was used frequently to scare the puppets and suppress rebellion.

It has two main functions:

- Instantly transporting the puppet to the "Hell" where they will work for the rest of their lives, which is the greater punishment.

- Killing the doll, which is the lesser punishment.

I wanted neither outcome, so I planned to disable it.

I knew that as soon as I removed the bracelet, the person authorized to use me, Diana, would be notified. Her bracelet would light up with my name written on it clearly.

She would then have to go to the family office where the punishment would be carried out remotely. Also, the family office would be automatically notified if the puppet's owner died or suffered an injury up to a certain extent. Then all the owner's dolls would be automatically transferred to hell.

When I got into the carriage with Diana, I started reviewing my plan. The overwhelming increase in my statistics surprised me greatly, but the increase in charisma was the most significant.

I remember it being impossible to increase charisma by more than four ranks, as the maximum limit was etched in the genes.

I designed this rule myself; only some rare items can break this rule.

I looked at the charisma level that had increased by six levels and then smiled mysteriously as I glanced at Diana from the corner of my eye.

The puppet's society wasn't devoid of 'that' aspect, and it seemed Diana had other plans for me after people lost interest in my combat art.

Fortunately, I regained my consciousness just in time before anything could happen.

I looked outside the carriage through the window, where the palace's carriage station was visible.

I decided to act now, but Diana spoke before I could.

"I found a hint on how to use your blue energy, Ether I think. I didn't understand much of it, but you should."

She took out a book from her storage ring at that moment. It was extremely thick with seemingly endless pages.

The author was Blade Fororex again. It seemed this person delved deeply into the subject.

The book vanished when I touched it and entered my storage. I watched Diana's expressions change with interest and amusement.

I must not harm her too much so that no one discovers me, but there are no consequences in manipulating her a little.

"Where did you get this? You shouldn't have—"

I quickly elbowed her in the stomach, and she almost fainted.

Despite her frail exterior, she was still a powerful B rank and wouldn't lose consciousness from such a 'weak' blow. I watched as she fell to the floor, unable to breathe, and swiftly snatched her spatial ring.

I took out a box of the sacred fruit and found nine inside.

It seems the rest of the stock is still in the palace. Unfortunately, I can't take them all... After gaining resistance to the addiction effect, the fruit can be considered the best means for me to get stronger without many side effects.

I devoured five without any hesitation and felt the power surge into my body.

I looked at the remaining fruits in the box, then at Diana, who was staring at the floor in disbelief.

Her mind couldn't comprehend what was happening. Did her puppet just hit her? But how? She had grown up with the concept that they weren't living beings, had no emotions, and no life. The sole purpose of their existence was to bring her pleasure, and they couldn't touch her or harm her.

She could kill and destroy them as she pleased; they were just ants. But what happened now… it was breaking her mind.

"Without a unique mental protection like the Sloth's Seal, five fruits are enough to manipulate anyone."

I smiled as I grabbed her face with one hand and lifted her up.

Her physical strength was greater than mine, but she had never fought before, and her mind was in chaos. Even an ordinary human could harm her now.

I placed the fruits one by one into her mouth and forced her to swallow, then I grabbed my sword. Given her current mental state, putting her to sleep using the Sloth Seal wasn't difficult.

I held her sleeping body in my arms and stepped out of the carriage. I used a lot of power to put her to sleep; she likely wouldn't wake up for a whole day, even with external influences.

I handed her over to the guards at the gate.

Luckily, they were mentally broken and didn't have enough awareness to understand how strange this situation was. I gave them the coordinates of the room and a few sacred fruits as a bribe. She would be placed there without any issues.

I hope no problems arise…

This is my small revenge on her; I will make her live the hell of the puppets herself...

Diana the puppet, it has a nice sound!