Ch 189.
Matt’s puppet observed Louie, who was utterly paralyzed by fear, his screams piercing the air as he dropped both pieces of driftwood from his trembling hands. In a frantic attempt to escape, he began to flail wildly, but the crab-like creature clung tenaciously to his ankle, undeterred by Louie's desperate movements. It wasn’t until Louie lost his footing that the situation escalated; the creature went flying along with his foot, propelled by the force of his thrashing. The crab-like beast landed on its back about twenty feet away, its grip finally relinquished, while Louie’s severed foot lay a few feet from it. Without hesitation, the monster scuttled towards the discarded appendage, its beady eyes gleaming with hunger. Matt’s puppet paid no mind to Louie's frantic cries, exhaling a resigned sigh as it watched the creature begin to feast on the severed foot. After a moment of contemplation, Matt’s puppet approached Louie, ready to heal his injury.
This meant that Matt’s puppet found itself briefly footless, its form flickering as it lost some mass to regenerate the missing appendage, leaving it feeling momentarily weaker. Meanwhile, Louie had erupted into a tirade, hurling curses at Matt’s puppet for its lack of assistance and lamenting how he was now doomed to live as a cripple. With a heavy sigh, Matt’s puppet realized that Louie remained blissfully unaware of his foot's miraculous return, still trapped in a state of shock. As the crab-like creature finished feasting on what was left of its meal, it became evident that it was time for Louie to rejoin the fray.
“Shut up!” Matt’s puppet shouted, delivering a sharp slap across Louie’s face to snap him out of his panic. “Look at your foot!”
Louie didn’t cease his screaming until Matt’s puppet forcefully turned his head to reveal his foot, perfectly intact. Even then, clarity eluded Louie; he continued to tremble uncontrollably, his mind struggling to process the bizarre turn of events. Yet Matt’s puppet was unyielding, gripping Louie firmly and pulling him to his feet while pointing toward the crab-like monster, which was still scuttling about, oblivious to the chaos it had caused.
“I am not killing it for you, and you are not leaving here until it is dead, so you better get started,” it commanded, determination lacing its voice as it pushed Louie toward the confrontation that awaited him.
Louie attempted to convey a look of helplessness to Matt’s puppet, but was met with a chilling glare in return. He swallowed hard, feeling the weight of fear constricting his throat, and bent down to grab the pieces of driftwood. His body trembled as he focused on the crab-like monster, which was inching back toward the jagged rocks, seeking refuge. Realizing the urgency of the situation, Louie surged forward, reckless determination fueling his actions, and unleashed a scream that he hoped resembled a war cry. To Matt’s puppet, however, it sounded more like a desperate wail laced with sobs. Moments later, Louie found himself attacking the crab-like creature with the driftwood, swinging wildly. His efforts were futile; the creature dodged effortlessly, and soon enough, Louie was tumbling onto his backside once more, narrowly escaping the monster’s snapping claws.
At least this time, he managed to keep hold of his makeshift weapons, frantically brandishing them to ward off the creature, which seemed intent on claiming another foot. Yet despite his frantic efforts, the monster swatted each of Louie's attacks aside with ease. The scene was so disheartening that Matt’s puppet couldn’t help but speculate about the crab-like monster's level, questioning whether Louie truly was at level 20. It dawned on him that Louie might have chosen a path that offered no points in strength, raising the possibility that he had never trained that stat at all, resulting in a comically low score. With a resigned sigh, Matt’s puppet approached the fray, and with a single, powerful kick, sent what it discovered was a level 7 monster flying into a cloud of shattered shell and limbs, receiving a notification for the meager feat. Louie's panic was palpable as he panted heavily, struggling to regain composure while Matt’s puppet began to speak.
“What is your strength stat?”
“Thirty-three,” Louie gasped between breaths, his voice trembling. “I told you I’m not a fighter.”
“Have you even done a pushup since returning?”
“Why would I do that when—”
“Never mind. Get ready for hell; you’re about to learn how to train your stats.” Louie’s eyes widened in terror at the dark glare from Matt’s puppet, but fear rendered him mute. He merely nodded, and Matt’s puppet continued, “What are your highest stats?”
“Mind, followed by dexterity.”
“Alright, that means we need to focus on training strength, durability, stamina, and most importantly, spirit. Now that we have that established, I’m giving you one warning: if I even suspect for a second that you aren’t giving me one hundred percent, I’ll kill you on the spot. So, to start, I want you to take all those rocks over there and move them right here.”
“All of them?” Louie asked, his voice laced with worry as he glanced at the boulders that loomed over him, some nearly twice his size. “That’s impossible—”
“Are you giving up?” Matt’s puppet interjected sharply. “If so, I suppose that means you’re not giving me one hundred percent.”
“No, no, no! I’ll get started right now!”
With that declaration, Louie began to scour the area for any rocks he could manage to lift. As he worked, more of the crab-like monsters emerged from their hiding spots, but Matt’s puppet remained close enough to dispatch them before they could threaten Louie. After all, healing Louie posed a greater risk to Matt’s puppet than the weak creatures skittering about. Even so, Matt’s puppet allowed a few hits to land on Louie, intentionally pushing him to build his durability. It was clear that Louie’s frustration simmered just beneath the surface, and he longed to unleash a torrent of curses at Matt’s puppet. Yet, he wisely refrained from doing so, knowing it would only make matters worse.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
As darkness enveloped the landscape and the tide began to creep higher, Louie’s anticipation for a reprieve from his torment grew palpable. He expected Matt’s puppet to finally call an end to the grueling ordeal, but instead, a wicked smile crept across the puppet's face. With each wave that crashed against the shore, more monsters emerged from their watery hiding spots, joining the relentless onslaught that forced Louie to struggle through the night. Only when the first rays of dawn broke over the horizon did Matt’s puppet offer a glimmer of hope. “Good, now you just need to triple that pile before this time tomorrow, and I’ll let you sleep.”
Louie nearly stumbled backward at the sight of the rock pile, which loomed before him like a compact car. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes as he took in the sheer magnitude of his task. His hands were raw and blistered, muscles screamed in protest, and his body bore a patchwork of small wounds, each one stinging sharply as saltwater washed over them. Despite the agony coursing through him, he knew he had to work faster if he wanted even a moment of rest.
A part of him longed to argue, to confront Matt’s puppet about the unreasonable demands being placed upon him. Even with the two base stat points he had gained in strength, they felt utterly insignificant against the overwhelming fatigue that threatened to consume him. Yet, one glance at Matt’s puppet’s unwavering glare made it painfully clear that any protest would lead to dire consequences. So, Louie simply nodded, his spirit crushed, and resumed his labor with a lifeless determination, each movement a testament to his will to survive.
Hours dragged on as Louie trudged forward, each step a battle against the weight of exhaustion. The sun climbed higher in the sky, casting a relentless glare that seemed to sap his remaining energy. Finally, he felt a flicker of triumph as another point was added to his strength. Although three points might not seem substantial, when combined with his rank bonuses, his base stat surged from 33 to an impressive 63. This newfound power allowed him to lift boulders he once deemed impossible, but it still fell short of what he needed. After setting down a hefty stone measuring roughly two feet in each direction, his mind began to falter, overwhelmed by fatigue.
Matt’s puppet, arms crossed and expression unyielding, watched Louie collapse without a hint of sympathy. It merely waited, observing the outcome of Louie's struggle. Despite the haze clouding his thoughts, Louie sensed that his stamina had improved, even if only marginally; each additional point gained was becoming increasingly valuable due to the rank bonuses. However, that progress proved insufficient as he reached a critical limit. With each labored step, his health dwindled, dropping below 15%, leaving him vulnerable to the encroaching darkness of unconsciousness.
"So, this was his limit," Matt's puppet muttered, disappointment etching lines across its wooden face. "Oh well, I anticipated this outcome. At least now I can get some sleep without worrying about him waking up before me."
With that, Matt’s puppet sent a mental message to Bob, indicating that it would carry Louie and find the nearest shady spot to rest. As soon as they arrived at a secluded area beneath the expansive branches of a gnarled tree, Matt’s puppet wasted no time collapsing for the first time in three days. It was finally able to delve into the events that had transpired with all of Matt’s puppets since his encounter with Vassilis in their shared mental space. What it uncovered was troubling; it appeared that Matt’s mother had not been left alone, and as the situation stood, a confrontation loomed on the horizon. The troubling reality was that none of the puppets left behind had any eyes on the group holding her hostage. This oversight stemmed from the fact that they had been in a deep slumber for over a day, waiting to integrate their memories into the collective. At least they had survived long enough to reconnect, despite having been severely weakened by the clash between Matt and Vassilis.
Not long after this moment, Matt finally stirred awake after collapsing upon reaching and escaping the 65th floor of the dungeon. He had successfully ascended to level 63 and knew it was time to push himself further before advancing to B rank. However, before he could focus on that, he needed to sift through the information he had just received from all of his puppets. Beyond those on the island with him, there was a considerable amount to process. Most pressing was the realization that the owl-man he had been partially possessing had been killed, along with his puppet. The only indication he had of this loss was the sudden absence of connection; no memories of the events surrounding that demise had been added to his own.
The only explanations Matt could conjure revolved around the distance between him and the owl-man at the moment of its death or the possibility that it had perished while he was preoccupied with Vassilis. However, the notion that distance was the culprit felt illogical; if that were the case, he doubted he would have received any information at all. The only reason Matt entertained this thought was his uncertainty about how far the owl-man was from Earth compared to the distance he had been from other realms during the chaotic portal operation. Still, he was roughly 90% convinced that the events unfolding were a direct consequence of the mental clash, and unease gnawed at him, making him fear this wouldn’t be the last time he encountered such a confrontation. After all, Vassilis seemed inexplicably bent on his destruction for reasons Matt struggled to understand.
Fortunately, there was a glimmer of good news emerging from all of his puppets: the octopus had begun to forge a symbiotic relationship with the puppets contained within it. Although communication remained a challenge, the octopus's regenerative abilities had prompted it to attempt establishing a connection. For now, this interaction was limited to vague impressions of feelings and shifting shapes, yet Matt felt a flicker of hope, reminiscent of his early days working with Bob. He was more than willing to navigate this new dynamic; if he could encourage the giant octopus to grow even larger and venture closer to the island, it could transform into a formidable guardian. However, that task would have to wait for another day. At present, Matt’s thoughts were consumed by the path ahead, knowing that Rose and Spencer were once again making their way toward him. With this in mind, Matt turned his gaze toward Radoznaormr’s anchor and posed a question. “Any reason I shouldn’t take the first of the portals once I reach level 66 and select the next aspect of my path?”
“No, that is actually when I intended to advise you to do so, as by then you should hopefully be able to resolve the biggest issue regarding your departure,” came the reply.
“Do you expect Spencer to arrive by then?” Matt asked, confusion lacing his tone.
“No, by that time, you should be able to devise a method for finding your way back here after leaving.”
Matt frowned, feeling that addressing Spencer's situation was the more pressing concern, but he kept his thoughts to himself as he stood and began his journey back toward the dungeon once more.
