Chapter 182

Hyeon Jinseok’s state could be described in one word: the materialization of a magic tool.

An ideal monster that could emit the powerful mana existing within an item without any restrictions.

I did not know how long that form would be maintained, but at least at this moment, he was clearly the most powerful being in Gangwon-do.

Ah, excluding me, of course.

"..."

The fellow unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks immediately after leaping.

His agility, which defied his bulky size, and his powerful punches were the most outstanding among those I had faced.

Above all, even though I blocked the attacks with the Mist-Clearing Sword, which was specialized for the dark attribute, he continued his movements without much resistance.

It was as if he had no weaknesses.

"ROOOO...!"

Hyeon Jinseok launched a reckless surprise attack from behind me.

When I barely blocked the fellow’s claws with the Mist-Clearing Sword, a sharp grinding sound rang out.

Are his claws made of some kind of metal?

I pushed him back with all my strength and ran to a place where the bottom of the canyon was visible.

It seemed the dolls had each scattered and evacuated.

Victor had already moved toward the workshop, and Bruno’s presence was also moving away as he followed him.

Therefore, it meant no one was around here.

I faced Hyeon Jinseok once more.

As expected, he was rushing toward me without even catching his breath.

He was at a speed that made measuring distance meaningless.

Just before the fellow’s attack reached me, I spread my mana in all directions.

In terms of an ability, it was Field Erosion.

Soon, as all objects were covered in the color of my mana, shadows surged up and seized Hyeon Jinseok’s body.

At least the environmental mana in this vicinity was under my control, not that of the Broom of Gluttony.

I leisurely approached him and pointed the Mist-Clearing Sword at his neck.

"No matter how much you struggle, you will not be able to move."

"ROOOO!"

"Rather than borrowing and using the mana of a mere magic tool, my mana is thicker and deeper."

If I had directly bound Hyeon Jinseok’s mana, even I might have found it difficult to handle.

His power source was more incredible than I had imagined.

Instead, if I used a physical method, I could hold him back as much as I wanted.

"Now, then."

Now all that was left was to turn him back.

Should I sacrifice some damage and bind the shadows to limit the mana?

No, if I did that, he might fall into an eternal slumber.

The body containing the mana might even explode.

Just like those who had undergone forced awakening.

Though it was a crude method, holding him until he returned to his original state was also a decent choice.

Hyeon Jinseok was currently in a state where his strength was temporarily amplified by an unknown pill.

Therefore, as time passed, he could be returned to normal without placing a large physical burden on his body.

"Leaving everything else aside, the best way would be to persuade Victor, but..."

As expected, the possibility of that being realized was slim.

I agonized for a moment, but this was the only rational method.

Stabbing the Mist-Clearing Sword into the fellow’s body to continuously inhibit the dark attribute.

Without any hesitation, I raised the sword and stabbed it into his abdomen.

Then, unlike before, he began to let out thick screams.

If it had no effect against mere blocking and parrying, did it have an effect now that it had directly entered his body?

"This is truly a troublesome sword."

The forcibly amplified mana subsided at a rapid pace.

Blood, which had not even been a drop before, now pooled on his abdomen, and soon his body normalized to the point where I could distinguish Hyeon Jinseok’s face.

"I should pull it out now."

At the moment I was about to pull back the sword, Hyeon Jinseok barely let out a breath with a hazy look in his eyes.

"Ji... Ji Seokhyeon... The villagers! Us...! Deliver us..."

"..."

Deliverance.

He was saying he wanted to escape from a life where he was used as a doll.

The fellow soon lost consciousness and collapsed.

I looked down at him for a long time after late-retrieving the Mist-Clearing Sword.

"Are you saying he maintained his consciousness until the end even in a situation where he was controlled by the mana of the magic tool..."

Fortunately, the connection with the Broom of Gluttony did not seem to be broken.

By the way, asking me for deliverance must mean he wants me to deal with all the dolls.

"Including himself."

Part of me wanted to grant his wish.

However, if Park Chaeshin’s and my calculations were correct, the fate of the dolls, including him, had long since left our hands.

That was because the doll Hyeon Juhui, who moved with the mana of the dark-attribute Broom of Gluttony, had been perfectly healed by a light-attribute item, a healing potion.

"Should I say a gamble that had a very high probability but impure intentions succeeded?"

The bizarre color of mana I saw with my Demonic Eye revealed that Hyeon Juhui was not a dark-attribute doll.

Fundamentally, the Broom of Gluttony was a dark-attribute item.

However, its effect was to amplify the environmental mana of various attributes residing in nature as if it were beyond the rift, thereby changing the site itself.

It was to make all attributes, not just the dark attribute, bloom in harmony.

In other words, dolls like Hyeon Juhui could be seen as using the environmental mana of Gangwon-do itself, which the broom had created, as their power source.

It was not so at first, but as they were exposed to the broom’s mana through continued experiments, they must have gradually evolved.

In other words, just as humanity underwent the evolution called awakening, the dolls were granted a new life in a new home.

And as a race blessed by the attributes of nature.

"In the original setting, unlike other races, there is only one race that is free from the hierarchy of attributes."

The Elves.

The only race from beyond the rift that had no diminishing attribute.

This would also be the setting of the Avid Reader...

"Thinking about it, it is not an incorrect setting either."

Because the Elves in the original work were described as being born from nature.

Even if they were half-baked entities that were made by turning human corpses into dolls and relying on mana to live, in the eyes of the Broom of Gluttony, they must have been nothing more than a part of nature.

"This is unbelievable."

Even if they lacked characteristics like pointed ears, and even if they were not called by the name of Elves, it was clear that a race had been naturally generated.

Is it strange to call them a race when they are dolls incapable of reproduction?

Well, would that be a problem?

They were dolls who could live forever as long as there were no external factors, anyway.

"If Victor, the only one who can handle dolls, disappears, they will remain as an even more complete race."

Ultimately, Hyeon Jinseok and the other dolls have no choice but to endure their fate on their own.

If they truly wanted to escape this cycle, I could directly cut the connection with the broom for them, but...

"Would he truly crave deliverance from me even in a situation where Victor has disappeared?"

That curious Hyeon Jinseok?

He would probably try his hardest to step outside the barrier.

I curled the corners of my mouth bitterly as I carried Hyeon Jinseok on my back.

"By the way, I wonder if the situation over there has also ended by now."

***

The entrance to the Forest of Silence.

Victor, who was heading toward the workshop, was ultimately caught by Bruno.

Considering the combat power of the alchemist and the psychic mafia member, it was a natural outcome, but it would have been more difficult if Ji Seokhyeon had not been perfectly holding back the monsterized Hyeon Jinseok.

Victor was also an awakened being belonging to Manyeong, after all.

"It was you after all! I thought of you the moment I heard you had vanished with that child."

Victor recognized Bruno at once.

It was natural, as he was the second-in-command of the Psychic Mafia created by his own doll.

On the other hand, although Bruno was facing Victor for the first time, the scent was familiar.

He must have contacted Catalina several times using deceptions such as a human skin mask.

Bruno asked as he pointed the MA13 straight at Victor.

"You thought of me?"

"I thought you would take care of that child. After all, she is a special child to you, is she not?"

"..."

"For the past several years, my daughter always spoke of you. She said you were the most trustworthy person among the humans she met outside the barrier."

Bruno furrowed his brow.

"Your... daughter?"

"Ah, you must not have known. Then again, there are not many even within Manyeong who know this fact."

"So you are saying now that you turned your own daughter into a doll?"

"There is no need to look so disgusted, is there? I only reclaimed what was precious to me."

No further explanation was necessary.

It meant he had reclaimed his precious daughter from death.

Bruno pulled the hammer of the MA13.

"So that was it. To think that was the reason the boss became a doll."

"Why don't we be honest? You also came all the way here because you felt that child’s absence, did you not? Surprisingly, I can restore that child again. Although all her memories will vanish once she wakes from her slumber... brainwashing and injecting them is quite easy. In some ways, it would not be bad to build new memories."

"...Build new memories?"

"Yes, an opportunity to correct what went wrong. You had that child in your heart, did you not? That child also had feelings for you. It just seemed that you two could not develop your relationship because of the obstacle called the organization. My daughter was like that even when she was alive. She was full of curiosity and wanted to do everything, but she could not ignore the responsibility she was given."

"..."

"Now, if you cooperate with me, I will let you seize the missed opportunity once again. I will head to the workshop right now and wake that child. In the meantime, your comrade will also be dealt with. I do not know how strong he is, but there is no human who can resist the power of a magic tool. Think carefully; rather, I am the one reaching out to you right now."

Victor’s boast.

However, Bruno replied coldly.

"...You are wrong."

"Wrong?"

"Because that fellow will not lose."

"What? Are you saying a human can resist a magic tool?"

"At least that fellow can."

"You are insane."

Bruno continued his words.

"And I had no intention of making any negotiations from the start."

"What? Even though I am saying I will revive your boss?"

"The reason I crossed the barrier carrying the boss was to find the reason for her death and to take revenge. I have no other intentions."

"Th-think carefully! The absence of someone precious will be more painful than you think!"

The muzzle was close to Victor’s forehead.

Then, Victor shouted urgently.

"Foolish fellow! You do not know how heartbreaking it is to lose something precious! You will suffer for the rest of your life as you envision that child’s face, and you will regret as you forcibly recall her voice that you cannot even remember!"

"Well, I suppose so."

"Are you saying you are truly fine with that!"

"Yes, I will certainly regret it, just as you said."

"Then why!"

"Because nothing changes even if the boss is brought back to life."

"What...?"

"Because the one I admire is the woman who spent the past years with me."

The muzzle emitted light.

A magic bullet.

At this moment, it was a light of annihilation that seemed like it would pierce through everything.

"So, whether as a doll, a zombie, or a ghost, no matter what form you appear in before me, nothing changes. I am merely..."

"Wa-wait a moment! I am not finished yet...!"

"Performing revenge for her eternal rest."