Chapter 378: The Grand Puppet Theater [1]

’Hmm...’ Soren stared at the two floating windows in his vision and continued to track the updates in their mental states.

[Mental State: Curious, Suspicious, Analytical...]

[Mental State: Confused, Analytical, Determined...]

He was really curious what kind of questions Ramona was asking Ryan, considering how fast Ryan’s mental state was changing. One moment calm, the next baffled, then thoughtful, then confused again. It was like watching someone navigate a maze blindfolded.

However, he hoped Ryan could pass; otherwise, all their hard work would go down the drain. Still, Soren believed Ryan would pull through. Ramona had likely given him that warning to push his mental boundaries and test how he handled unexpected pressure when cornered.

A faint smile touched his lips as he waited for the interview to end.

About twenty minutes passed before Ryan and Ramona reappeared in the office.

Ryan looked a little lost, his expression dazed, as if he had just been through something he couldn’t quite process. Ramona’s expression, on the other hand, was unreadable as always.

Soren glanced between them, then asked, "How did it go, Lady Ramona? Did Ryan pass?"

Ramona gave a single nod and added, "The written exam will take place three days from now, and the practical exam will follow the day after. The exact times will be sent to you once the administrative staff processes his initial files."

Soren nodded and turned to Ryan, clapping him on the shoulder. "Congratulations. You made it through the first step."

"Ah, r-right!" Ryan snapped out of his daze, blinking a few times before giving a firm nod. He turned his attention back to Ramona, his expression carrying a mix of caution and lingering uncertainty.

Ramona casually flicked her hand. A small stack of documents materialized out of thin air, dropping onto the desk directly in front of Ryan.

"Please, read these carefully and fill them out," she instructed smoothly.

"Understood." Ryan nodded and took the papers, scanning through them carefully before starting to fill in the blanks. When he finished, Ramona called for an assistant, who led them out of the office to handle the remaining paperwork.

It took them more than half an hour to finish everything. Bidding farewell to the assistant, they made their way back to where Ethea and Zura were waiting. Zura spotted them first and waved.

"All done?" she asked.

"All done," Soren confirmed.

"Good. Then I should get going. I still have work to do." Zura turned to Ethea and pulled her into a quick hug. "Take care, Lea."

"See you again."

They said their goodbyes and left the academy the same way they came in. Soren drove straight to the weapon shop he had researched in advance. He wanted to buy new armor and boots for himself and Ryan. Their old ones were either already broken and beyond repair or didn’t meet their needs anymore.

And with the help of Eyes of Truth and Ryan’s strange luck ability, they managed to buy a few interesting and useful finds. Soren secured two sets of B-rank armor for himself, keeping a spare on hand in case the primary set took heavy damage. He also picked up a new pair of B-rank boots enchanted for mobility, featuring an automatic short-distance blink capability.

For Ryan, he bought a set of lightweight B-rank leather armor that wouldn’t restrict his agility, along with a pair of boots designed for high-speed maneuvers. He also bought another defense artifact for Ethea, adding another layer to her defenses.

After sorting out their gear, they returned to the hotel for lunch, then stopped by Ryan’s apartment to drop off Ethea before heading straight to the gate.

"By the way, can you tell me what she asked in the interview?" Soren asked as they drove to the Gate’s location. "There’s no need to force it if it’s supposed to be confidential, though."

"No, it’s fine." Ryan shook his head, then explained the details of the interview, from how the trivial questions about his biography and hobbies suddenly shifted into inquiries like taking lives. And then more questions about his inspirations and grades before jumping to whether he liked black tea or had eaten some kind of strange monster meat.

Soren nodded as he listened, the explanation filling in the gaps. ’This is probably why his mental state had spiked so wildly.’

"...And she also asked about the Golden Gate. What happened, to be more exact."

"...Did you tell her?" Soren asked after a pause.

"...No, not everything. I only told her about our fight with the drakes and the boss. But I felt like she knew or guessed what else happened."

"She might have." Soren agreed with Ryan’s view. After all, she was a Sage and a Sovereign. "But she didn’t say anything else about it?"

"Yes. She went quiet for a while, then moved on to the next question. She still asked a lot of weird, hard-to-answer questions, but thankfully, I managed to answer them all, and I think she was satisfied with my answers. Besides, I did my best to be as honest as possible because I had a feeling she could detect a lie the moment it left my mouth."

"Good call." Soren praised him. "That was a smart decision... By the way, Ryan. Do you think... I can tell Ethea what happened in the Golden Gate? But of course, I won’t tell everything in detail."

"..." Ryan fell silent and lowered his head.

Soren didn’t have to look at his profile to tell he was conflicted.

"...Alright, I trust you. I also trust her, so," Ryan finally said, "you can tell her."

"Thank you." Soren nodded. "Though if you want, you can tell her yourself. I’m sure she’d be happy to hear it from you too."

"Huh?" Ryan’s eyes lit up. "I can?"

"Of course."

"Then... I’ll do that. But you’ll be there too, right?"

Mm. Let’s have dinner together tonight. I’ll cook something good."

Ryan agreed enthusiastically, and they continued talking about what to do inside the gate. Ten minutes later, they arrived at their destination.

The gate was located in the corner of the city, tucked away between two old buildings that had been converted into a checkpoint station.

A sign above the entrance read: ’The Grand Puppet Theater — Third Circle Gate.’

They passed through the checking station, where the guards verified their identification and logged their entry. Once the formalities were complete, they stepped through the gate and found themselves in a theater.

"Whoa..." Ryan let out an exclamation at the sight.

Rows upon rows of velvet seats stretched out before them, filling the space from floor to ceiling, and every single one was occupied. Hundreds of figures sat in silence with their faces turned toward the stage, looking no different from any ordinary audience.

They breathed, blinked, and shifted slightly in their seats just like humans would. But with Eyes of Truth and Nature active, Soren could see the truth beneath the surface. They had no life force, and almost invisible threads descended from the ceiling, attaching to their limbs, their heads, and their spines, turning them into nothing more than puppets on strings.

The stage at the center was grand and imposing, framed by massive red curtains that had been drawn back. A spotlight shone down on the empty floorboards, waiting.

Then the curtains rustled.

"Welcome, honored guests."

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere at once, echoing through the theater like a whisper and a roar combined.

"Once upon a time, there was a theater that never stopped performing. Every night, the actors took the stage, the audience watched, and the story reached its happy ending. But tonight... we have intruders."

The voice paused, and the whole ’audience’ turned in their direction, their eyes hollow. It looked a bit creepy, but Ryan and Soren had seen far worse, so they weren’t affected at all.

"Uninvited guests who wish to disrupt our tale. Let us show them what happens to those who interrupt a story before its final page."

Soren and Ryan exchanged a glance. Nightfrost materialized in Soren’s hand, and Ryan summoned his beloved sword, its blade blazing with flames. At the same time, the nearest row of puppets rose from their seats and began walking toward them, while the rest turned back toward the stage.

"...Let the performance begin."

"Alright, let the training begin," Soren muttered at the same time and moved. He met the first puppet head-on, with Nightfrost already whirling in a strange pattern. The spear twisted through the air, and the puppet raised an arm to block, but the blade slipped past its guard at the last moment and pierced its chest.

’Not bad, but not as I expected...’ Soren narrowed his eyes at the fallen puppet, recalling the technique’s details.

Coiling Strike was the foundation of the Ice Serpent Spear Arts. The spear moved in a serpentine pattern, weaving and twisting through the air to confuse and misdirect opponents. The key to mastering it was unpredictability. Each thrust had to flow into the next without a set rhythm or pattern, making it nearly impossible for enemies to track or parry. Speed mattered, but deception mattered more.

Soren had chosen this gate precisely because of its puppets. They were slow, predictable, and came in endless waves. Perfect for drilling the same form over and over until it became second nature.

’I’ll learn it and raise my mastery as much as possible.’