"Hmm. What should we do?"

"How about we go back now?"

"We still haven’t really gained anything yet."

"There’s been a fair amount we’ve acquired along the way..."

"But they said those things can be easily bought with spiritual stones, didn’t they?"

Spiritual stones were the currency of the monastic society, ores infused with spiritual energy.

"If it’s something you can easily buy with money, then I wouldn’t say it’s of much value."

"Well, I suppose so..."

Was this something someone who had only been a monk for less than a year should be saying?

Certainly, many of the things they had acquired along the way—potions, ores, spiritual herbs—would be worth a lot to those at the Practitioner level. Selling them would provide more than enough resources for training.

However, it seemed that these things didn’t impress the priest at all.

"It feels like we're almost at the end... It's easier than I thought."

"That’s something only you could say."

Hmm.

Kalstein tilted his head in confusion.

It was true that he had used heavy artillery to deal with the puppets and made it through relatively easily.

"Didn’t they say this was a relic from the ancient era, long before the Hwagum Sect was established?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Then how can it be breached so easily?"

"Normally, it’s impossible to defeat the puppets while spiritual energy is sealed."

Zhang Ilhong remembered.

As they ascended the tower, the movement of the puppets had become noticeably different. By the time they reached the top, her naked eye couldn’t even follow their movements. Even Ga-hwi, who seemed invincible, had taken damage.

During the battles, she had been waiting downstairs, patiently listening for his call.

Words like these were beyond her comprehension.

"Still... something doesn’t feel right."

"Priest, then what about turning back?"

Kalstein tilted his head.

"Don’t you have any greed?"

"Hm?"

"No, I mean, why are you talking about going back in this situation...?"

"..."

"Or are you afraid I won’t share any treasures with you?"

"N-no, it’s not like that. You came all the way here by yourself, how could I be greedy?"

"Really?"

"...Yeah."

"Then why?"

"Because life is the most precious thing."

That was true. It was a valid reason.

Was there really no greed?

"Anyway, we should at least see this through."

Just as Kalstein took a step onto the stairs leading to the upper floors, as he always did with firm confidence...

Piiing—

Kalstein’s body, which always seemed to stand firm, suddenly wobbled.

"Priest!!"

In the midst of staggering, Kalstein shoved her body, throwing her down the stairs.

And then—

Fff-

His vision went dark.

***

[I can’t believe it.]

?

What does that mean?

[I’ve been waiting for this moment, but I thought it would be impossible.]

An unknown voice.

[This place is where the souls of metal have been gathered.]

What do you mean, the soul of metal?

[You should be able to hear the voice of metal as well.]

What are you talking about?

[Ah… The impossible has been realized. The time has truly come for my wish to be fulfilled. Just the fact that you can hear my voice is enough proof…]

A wish?

[Haha. I’ve gotten too carried away talking to myself.]

Now you realize that?

[What is your desire?]

Desire? Desire, huh...

[Haha. I didn’t even need to ask. Because I can fulfill all of that.]

Hmm...

[I will give you a power so immense you can’t even imagine it.]

...Power?

[Power. Yes, with power, you can achieve anything.]

Are you seriously talking about power with me right now?

[How about it? All you need to do is answer.]

Haha. I’ve seriously underestimated this.

[You must be feeling it, even if weakly.]

Yeah. I can tell that this situation is far from normal.

This isn’t... some kind of illusion.

[Let me introduce myself.]

I’m not that curious, but...

[The name is probably forgotten now, but once upon a time, I was called Gueyuma.]

Gueyuma?

***

Gueyuma.

He was a madman obsessed with creating puppets, to the point that he turned himself into a puppet.

A war broke out between the great monastic sects just to claim him.

But he had no interest in such things.

He devoted his entire life to the creation of puppets alone.

The notorious figure from the ancient era, in order to create the puppet he dreamed of, even discarded the secrets of countless great powers to focus solely on his craft.

For Gueyuma, the only reason for living was to complete that final puppet.

The problematic material was the Sealing Stone.

The Sealing Stone, which sealed spiritual energy, was actually a material that, with his level of skill, he could obtain without much difficulty. It might take some time, but it was certainly possible.

However, what he truly coveted was the highest-grade material of Sealing Stones—the Taeheon Goldstone.

Few even knew about Taeheon Goldstone, and even the great sects only had small quantities of it, hidden deep in their secrets.

He couldn’t give up.

To create the greatest puppet he had always longed for, the Taeheon Goldstone was absolutely necessary.

If only he could see the final masterpiece move!

Despite his high level of mastery, he stole the Taeheon Goldstone for the sake of completing his puppet.

However, no matter how great his skill was, he wasn’t able to escape the entire monastic sect’s pursuit, and he was eventually cornered and almost killed.

Still, Gueyuma managed to shake off the pursuit and, gravely wounded, escaped to the lower world with only his final masterpiece.

However, was it because his final masterpiece didn’t turn out as he had expected? Or did something happen during his escape to the lower world?

His puppetry skills weren’t enough to make the creation move.

He had been sure that with the addition of the Taeheon Goldstone, it would be completed.

Ah...

He thought it was finished.

The puppet, made using “that” as the central material.

His final, unparalleled masterpiece.

Even if he tried to repair or reinforce it, the materials he needed weren’t available in the lower world.

Moreover, his body was too severely injured to function properly.

Especially since no other sects were as persistent as the Myeonggung sect. Even though he escaped to the lower world, if he drew too much attention, a pursuit might follow.

In the end, to complete his final masterpiece, Gueyuma began to use his own body—turned into a puppet—as material to make repairs, and he eventually succeeded.

But only one fragment remained.

"Hwanggeumjinmache..."

His final, greatest masterpiece completed with everything he had.

Such a masterpiece could only be moved by the Hwanggeumjinmache.

The Hwanggeumjinmache.

A talent Gueyuma never possessed.

A being with both the properties of illusion and metal, a talent that could reach its extremes.

Only someone with such a talent could move his masterpiece.

But where could he find a practitioner of Hwanggeumjinmache?

He had created it, but still hadn’t found its master!

He had prepared both the puppet and the puppetry skills, yet it couldn’t move!

He had made it, but couldn’t see it come to life!

Could there be anything more tragic for a creator?

Hwanggeumjinmache was a talent so rare that even in the higher world, it was hard to find. It certainly wasn’t something that could be easily found in the lower world.

In the end, Gueyuma set up a powerful Golden Seal, one that could only be bypassed by Hwanggeumjinmache, and sealed himself.

As the years passed, an immense amount of time passed by.

Finally, the last fragment arrived.

The last fragment, the one he had longed for, reached the floor just below where he resided at the top.

If anyone could breach the floor that turned everything into metal and reach him, then...

[Are you satisfied with your current strength?]

"Well, I don’t think it’s lacking."

Such a cocky reply.

[Do you think you made it this far because of your own strength, breaking through my puppets?]

"...?"

[The fact that you made it here alive means it was impossible without a talent like yours.]

"Hmm. So that’s what it was? No wonder the attacks felt strangely lackluster."

The puppets prepared to counter the Hwanggeumjinmache talent began to weaken, reacting to its purity. He couldn’t just kill the Hwanggeumjinmache right away.

"It was too easy."

[....]

Of course, even so, it wasn’t something that could be destroyed so easily.

Especially with his spiritual energy sealed.

The puppets on the lower floors were specifically designed to subdue and capture their targets.

They weren’t something that could be destroyed recklessly and let someone just walk up.

That was something Gueyuma had never anticipated.

So, is that why this guy was so cocky?

"So, what will you give me if I do what you want?"

[....]

Why so relaxed?

Ah, it’s maddening.

If only his body had remained intact, this guy would have already bowed his head!

"You wanted something, so you sought out this conversation, didn’t you?"

That’s right. His words.

[....]

Yes. What does that matter?

Fine.

[What I want is for you to inherit my puppetry skills.]

"Hmm? Suddenly?"

Yeah, that’ll do.

[You will inherit all of my puppetry skills and use my masterpiece. I will be satisfied just by seeing it move.]

"...?"

[Become my disciple. Under the name of Gueyuma, I will make you the strongest.]

"Disciple?"

[Yes. I will make you the best at puppetry. The name of Gueyuma is not one to be taken lightly.]

He may not know, but the name Gueyuma alone could stir the world.

No one could rival him in puppetry. Even after all this time, nothing had changed.

[With that alone, you will have my final, greatest masterpiece.]

How about it?

It was an irresistible temptation.

[No matter how many of the puppets you’ve faced, they are nothing compared to my masterpiece. No, comparing them to my masterpieces is a disgrace.]

He was proud. Proud of his puppetry and his masterpiece.

Even the puppets of the lower floors were not ordinary ones, as you can see. Could there be another puppet that moves so vividly as if alive?

But...

"Hmm... I don’t like it. I won’t be your disciple."

What?

[Why not?]

"Hmm? Ah, I just don’t want to make anyone my master, it’s embarrassing."

[....]

What should I say?

Is he being bold? Does he not understand the world?

Just looking at the Golden Seal, you can see that Gueyuma was no ordinary figure, right?

[Do you think such an opportunity will come again?]

"I don’t want to, so what can I do? Haha."

Szz—

If he still had a body, it would have made that sound.

"So, does that mean the negotiations are off?"

[Do you think you can leave here? The 49th floor, no one can escape here. You’ll be absorbed alive and slowly turn into metal.]

"Hmm?"

[So, become my disciple.]

"Nah. I don’t want to."

[....]

This crazy brat!

Even when I’m offering everything!