Ch 188.

  Matt’s puppet was beginning to feel the toll of sleeplessness when dawn broke and Louie stirred awake, yet it chose to remain silent about its fatigue. Instead, it brushed aside Louie’s attempts at conversation and guided him back to the trial grounds. Upon their arrival, they faced a lengthy wait; several hours passed before the jury was prepared to announce their verdict. By that time, Louie was a ball of nerves, his eyes darting around as if searching for potential escape routes. Recognizing his agitation, Matt’s puppet decided to intervene. “If you keep fidgeting like that, I’m going to assume you’re planning to flee,” it warned, its voice steady. “Just hold tight until they deliver the verdict before you do anything rash.”

  “You saying that only makes it worse,” Louie shot back, casting a fearful glance at Matt’s puppet. “They weren’t even given the option of letting me walk free, so forgive me if I’m freaking out.”

  “You’re forgiven, but that doesn’t change the fact that you need to calm down. I’d rather not execute you before they read the verdict.”

  “If they sentence me to die, how are you going to do it?” Louie asked, skepticism lacing his tone.

  “I’ll have you cut my head off, and then you’ll find that your head was the one that has been severed,” Matt’s puppet replied matter-of-factly.

  “What!?” Louie exclaimed, staring at Matt’s puppet as if it had sprouted an extra head. “That sounds really terrible—how does that even work?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Matt’s puppet said dismissively, “but it’s the surest way to ensure you feel no pain. I believe I should experience what I’ve condemned you to, since it won’t kill me. Even if this body were to perish, I wouldn’t.”

  Louie shook his head, a sense of disbelief washing over him as Cassie raised her hand for silence. She turned to the forewoman of the jury, whose expression was a tangled mix of concern and determination as the proceedings began. “Has the jury reached a verdict?” Cassie asked, her voice tinged with reluctance.

  “We have,” the forewoman replied, her tone steady despite the gravity of the decision. “We agree that Louie can’t be left unwatched, but we don’t believe it’s right to execute him. Therefore, we propose that he be imprisoned until a method for controlling his ability has been discovered, and he must remain under supervision.”

  “Very well,” Cassie responded, rubbing her temples as if anticipating a headache. “Matt, it will fall to you to maintain control of him in the short term.”

  “I understand,” Matt’s puppet replied, irritation creeping into its voice. “I think I’ll transport him to an island not far from the one with the dungeon; that should help ensure he can’t escape.”

  “Very well,” Cassie acknowledged with a nod, her expression resolute. “If there is nothing else, I believe it’s best that we all return to our tasks and prepare the ship for sailing.”

  Just like that the trial concluded abruptly, and the crowd began to disperse, leaving Matt’s puppet deep in thought about the next steps. A flicker of annoyance coursed through it at the prospect of being assigned to babysitting duty. At least it wouldn’t have to replicate the arduous journey its main body had undertaken while navigating to the dungeon. Already, Matt’s puppet was strategizing on how to best manage Louie during their travels, weighing options for the path ahead. It was becoming increasingly clear that a prison would need to be constructed, and it made sense for at least one of Matt’s puppets to take charge of overseeing it.

  Yet, that didn’t mean Matt’s puppet was eager to take on the responsibility; in fact, it was already scheming ways to shift the burden onto someone else. But that was a concern for another time, as right now, Matt’s puppet needed to concentrate on keeping Louie out of trouble. It considered the idea of digging a pit to contain him, but quickly dismissed it, knowing that such a simple solution would likely fail against the formidable power granted by high stats. While difficult to quantify, leaping twenty feet into the air was a trivial feat for anyone boasting over a hundred in their physical attributes. Wall jumping would be even easier, and Matt’s puppet was certain that even a pit several miles deep wouldn’t hold Louie for long. Even if he lacked that kind of vertical leap, there was always the possibility of digging himself out, especially if he received assistance.

  “I’m not going to flee,” Louie interjected, pulling Matt’s puppet from its musing. “If I did, you’d just hunt me down and kill me.”

  “You say that, but it’s exactly what I’d expect you to say,” Matt’s puppet countered, frowning slightly. “No, instead, I think we’re going to venture out and find some wildlife that’s more monstrous in nature. We’ll see if you can exert your power over them. Your current offense only necessitates that you gain control over your abilities. However, I must caution you—once you do gain that control, if you ever repeat your previous actions, there won’t be a trial.”

  “You really are just as Jaelyn described,” Louie said, a grin breaking across his face. “You claim to want nothing to do with others, yet you go out of your way to protect the world.”

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  “The last thing I need is for someone to attempt to rule the world and have the time to truly dig in,” Matt’s puppet shot back, its voice laced with irritation. “I’m already focused on the genuine threats lurking in the shadows, waiting for our integration period to conclude.”

  “Is it true that you defeated someone that was S ranked?” Louie asked, his curiosity obvious.

  “No, I survived an encounter with one, but all I can honestly claim is that I ran away or managed to trap them,” Matt’s puppet replied, its tone steady.

  “That’s still insane,” Louie remarked, visibly relaxing as the tension ebbed. “What’s the universe like?”

  “It’s terrible,” Matt’s puppet spat, frustration bubbling to the surface. “From what I’ve seen, there’s always someone pulling the strings over those weaker than themselves. I can’t deny that, in some ways, I’m doing the same. Yet people hesitate to act because if they do, they often become mere experience points for someone else. As far as I know, dungeons can reach A rank, but once you hit S rank, growth comes solely through eliminating others. Apparently, no one knows if anyone has ever reached the pinnacle of S rank, but considering the ungodly amount of death that would require, I think that’s for the best.”

  “What do you mean by an ungodly amount of death?” Louie asked, concern etching his features. “It doesn’t even take a hundred monsters per person per level. Sure, 25,000 is a lot, but that’s still a manageable number.”

  “Until you realize that every life you take has likely taken just as many,” Matt’s puppet shot back, its tone sharp. “That’s assuming you’re actually facing opponents at your level and not just aiming for a single experience point with each kill. I haven’t run the numbers, and even if I did, it would only be a rough estimate, but I suspect the count of S ranks needed to create a single opportunity to advance beyond that threshold is in the billions. It could even reach into the trillions if those who are closest to the top consistently fall to those who are rising up.”

  “Oh, I see, and that doesn’t even account for all the souls lost before they ever reach S rank,” Louie acknowledged, his brow furrowing in realization.

  “Yes, I can’t fathom the purpose of this system or why it compels us to commit murder to become stronger, but it seems indifferent to our plight. At least in our current state, I have a sense that as we continue to climb, adding more options and features to our menus, the system will grow increasingly concerned with our development.”

  “I mean, if it has to monitor trillions—perhaps even googolplexes—of beings, it likely lacks the capacity to focus on each individual,” Louie remarked thoughtfully. “So, tell me, if you were in my position, what would you do to acquire the power I need?”

  Matt’s puppet remained silent, its expression a mix of bewilderment and contemplation as it struggled to grasp the concept of a googolplex, unsure if it was even a legitimate number. It likened the term to a trillion, a vague reference to something vast and incomprehensible. The mention of Google flickered in its mind, leading it to wonder if this was some trendy slang among younger generations, a thought that made it feel oddly out of touch. Meanwhile, Louie, undeterred by the puppet’s brevity, launched into a barrage of questions, his curiosity relentless. This exchange continued for over half an hour, each inquiry pushing the limits of Matt’s puppet's patience.

  “Enough already!” it exclaimed, voice rising as they moved away from the settlement's familiar sights. “I am not going to give you a detailed account of every step I took to get where I am today. We have at least two weeks before the ship is ready to sail, and during that time, you will learn how to stand your ground or face the consequences.”

  “Wait, I was given a chance to—”

  “Gain control over your power, unless you want to become someone’s prisoner for the rest of your life.”

  Louie’s brow furrowed with concern as he attempted to argue again. “If it’s Paige, I think that we can just get married and then—”

  “You really believe she still has feelings for you?” Matt’s puppet shot back, crossing its arms tightly. “Even if she does, do you honestly think she would see you as a man if she constantly has to keep you in check?”

  “I just need to find a way for her to rely on me like I will rely on her,” Louie countered, determination creeping into his voice. “You said it yourself; she liked me, right? So, all I have to do is rekindle what was lost.”

  Matt’s puppet didn’t even dignify that with a response. As far as it was concerned, if Paige chose to forgive Louie for essentially sacrificing her to an enemy in a moment of desperation, that was her decision alone. However, the fact that Louie seemed oblivious to the enormity of his betrayal made Matt’s puppet feel that Louie required more than just a few lessons in courage. It wasn’t certain that it would be the best mentor in teaching anyone how to genuinely care for others, but it was painfully clear that Louie was far worse than Matt in that regard. Eleanor had once remarked that she believed Matt’s flaw was that he cared too much, which was a rarity in a world where empathy was scarce.

  While still mulling over these thoughts, Matt’s puppet caught sight of something crab-like nestled among the jagged rocks lining the beach they were traversing. The creature was about the size of a medium dog, but its formidable claw appeared capable of clamping down on an arm with alarming strength, making Matt’s puppet wonder if it could provide Louie with a fright. The issue was that Louie would undoubtedly bolt at the first sign of danger, and Matt’s puppet needed to prevent that from happening before things escalated into real trouble.

  “Louie, I can heal you if you get injured, so if you start running from a fight that I believe you can win, I’ll cut your legs so you can't escape. You’ll still have to face the monster, only this time, you’ll be wounded.”

  “Um, can I at least get a sword or something?” Louie replied, anxiety creeping into his voice.

  Matt’s puppet scanned the beach and spotted several pieces of driftwood, each a few feet long and sturdy enough to serve as makeshift weapons. Even though it knew they would likely splinter after just one or two strikes due to their enhanced stats, it handed them to Louie, who looked as if he had just bit into a lemon. Without showing any mercy, Matt’s puppet urged Louie to walk directly past the spot where the crab-like creature lay in wait.

  Sure enough, the crab’s claw lunged for Louie’s ankle and nearly succeeded, but Louie panicked just in time to evade it, only to find himself tumbling onto his backside. This misstep left him vulnerable, and the crab-like creature seized its chance, successfully clamping down on Louie's ankle as he let out an ear-piercing shriek that echoed across the beach.