Chapter 274: Puppetry!!

The rest of the day was disastrous to say the least. Those perverse boys kept giving me angry glares throughout all classes, making me more and more annoyed.

Hell, it went to such an extent that I called a few of them into an alley behind classes and had my subordinates beat them up good.

You know, the gang I formed on my first day.

That calmed others when they saw their conditions. As for Arza, well, she didn’t give a fuck about glarea whatsoever, though one oversmart guy did try to talk to her and convince her out of my magical spell or something, but with one cold glare along with her schythe to his neck, the guy nearly pissed himself off.

After that, the day went past uneventful as always and finally it was time for my most awaited class.

Puppet Mastery!

None of my friends were interested in this class. Hell, even in an academy this big, filled with so many people of different races, there were only two other students besides me who were interested in it.

Even they looked straight out of some deranged horror movie, their eyes glued to the empty platform where the professor should have been, their movements mechanical, like puppets.

And worse, they looked familiar to me somehow!

It even made me wonder how the hell the academy was allowing this guy to continue running such a failed class with barely two proper students.

But then again, since when was it my problem to care?

So, I just stayed still, waiting for the professor to arrive, and soon enough an old man entered along with two beautiful women, his assistants.

But I knew they were puppets as well.

The old man’s gaze passed over his two previous students before it paused on me. He took a moment, as if trying to remember me, before letting out a chuckle.

"Oh, the brave immortal ghost warrior I met in the lift back then. So you finally came, huh? I thought you would visit sooner!"

He called me by the name I had said as a joke back then before his gaze shifted to his other two students.

"Well, since we have a new student joining us today, we will revise everything from the beginning once again. Do you have any objections, Ron and Rex?!"

The two boys nodded at once.

"Great, then shall we begin!"

The two assistants quietly moved to the side, standing perfectly still as the old man began his lecture.

"We sentient beings possess what people widely call the soul. Since ancient times, many have argued over what a soul truly is! Some call it the manifestation of mana and mind, while others call it the will the world has granted us."

The old man continued dramatically.

"But to us puppeteers, the soul is merely an energy we use to manifest the threads. When we sense our soul deeply enough and project it into the outward world, we can imbue our will into objects that generally do not possess one of their own, controlling them."

His gaze stopped on me.

"The first step of puppetry is to sense one’s own soul! So, young warrior, are you ready to witness your Soul Palace for the very first time?!"

He said, a smile present on his face.

I had no idea what the old man was going on about, but I knew one thing. Whenever I used my Cards of Arcana, I did so instinctively, yet their power came from deep within me from the very place where my Domain was located.

I had long theorized that it was my soul.

And Naga had confirmed as much, but I had never been able to control it consciously. I merely let the Cards of Arcana do most of the work...

But if I could somehow learn to control my own soul consciously, I had a feeling...

It would definitely help me a lot.

So, I nodded.

But the old man popped my bubbles immediately.

"But for today, we will understand the basics before attempting to sense Soul palace!"

And with those words, the class finally began in earnest.

—

The class lasted for a whole hour as the old man taught us various theories about the soul and the methods used to sense it. From what he said, the other two still hadn’t managed to grasp the concept either.

And even though the old man seemed like a pervert for controlling two beautiful puppets like that, he was the real deal.

His knowledge was undeniable.

This was my last class of the day, so once it was over, I immediately made my way back to my dorm because there were two things I had to deal with as soon as possible.

The first was Varek, the bastard who had challenged me. The date of our duel was drawing closer, and I had to use the artifact I got from the treasury to screw over his life before then.

The second, and more important matter, was using the Soulbloom Flower to extend my lifespan before I ran out of time.

I mentally noted both tasks as I made my way toward my dorm.

There was one more thing I had to do, a thing I wanted to ignore with all my might and that was the dance-with-Gorilla session Ashanvar had arranged for me to master the martial arts manual he had given me.

But then again... when had fate ever been that kind for me to be able to do such a thing? That bitch was always lurking around the corner with a knife, just waiting for the perfect moment to stab me in the back with a smile.

Because as soon as I arrived at my dorm, a beautiful pink-haired woman was waiting for me with a pleasant smile on her face. She wore tightly fitted training clothes as she looked at me.

"H-hey, Lillith! Why are you here?"

I asked, already feeling an ominous sense of dread.

Her smile widened at my words.

"Why else? To make sure your training with Gorilla goes smoothly, according to the Demon King’s orders!"