Chapter 183: Spirit Body Threads

Chapter 183: Spirit Body Threads

High in the sky, the sunlight was fierce, and the sea reflected a sheet of gold. Yet in Klein’s eyes, besides these things, there were countless illusory black threads.

They extended from the mermaids not far away, from his own body, and from different spots in the nearby sea. They were thin and numerous, densely packed, corresponding to different parts of the body, and stretching toward an infinite distance, reaching the end of the void.

This strange scene, possessing a dense and intricate beauty, was not unfamiliar to Klein. Several times before, when he had borrowed the power of the All-Black Eye, and when he had relied on it long-term to shape The World as a fake person, he had seen similar images.

This was the source of a Marionettist’s Beyonder abilities!

The knowledge obtained from the potion told Klein that these illusory black lines were called Spirit Body Threads. By manipulating them, one could directly influence a target’s spirit body, astral body, mental body, and ether body, then use the ether body as a bridge to control the target’s physical body.

Therefore, all of a Marionettist’s Beyonder abilities revolved around Spirit Body Threads.

First, by using the Spirit Body Threads that existed within every living creature, a Marionettist could locate hidden targets. This was the bane of a Witch’s invisibility and a Hermit’s shadow-hiding abilities. Of course, Klein was not yet sure whether there were methods that could conceal Spirit Body Threads themselves.

Second, a Marionettist could control a target like manipulating a puppet, causing their thoughts to slow, their body to stiffen, and their movements to become sluggish. This belonged to a kind of forceful control, one difficult to resist through ordinary abilities. In most cases, the target could only rely on the strength of their own spirit body to break free. For a Marionettist already at Sequence 5, there was almost no need to worry about anything below the demigod level in that regard.

Third, as time passed and control deepened, a Marionettist could completely transform a target into their puppet. Within a certain distance, they could hide behind the scenes and manipulate the puppet in battle. Under that method, the puppet could use its original Beyonder abilities!

“This really is bizarre, mysterious, and frightening. It’s practically tailor-made for a mastermind behind the scenes. No wonder Rosago called manipulation through Spirit Body Threads one of the most difficult abilities to deal with below High Sequence…

“However, it needs time. Control cannot be completed all at once. It has to deepen step by step until it is finalized. To initially control a target, in my current state, I probably need about twenty seconds. But as the potion is gradually digested, that time will clearly shorten. By the time the Marionettist potion is completely digested, perhaps it will be within five seconds. Mm. Before it produces an effect, the target can barely detect it. Those with certain prophetic abilities might be able to…

“Once I initially control a target’s Spirit Body Threads, they will immediately suffer slowed thoughts, sluggish movements, and physical stiffness, then gradually develop toward the state of a puppet or marionette. If the Marionettist has companions, they can easily finish off the target being forcibly controlled during that process. Mm. If the enemy’s spirit-body strength isn’t too high, and the Marionettist still has some spare capacity, he can even draw a gun or use mystical items while multitasking, cooperating with himself.

“If the control process isn’t interrupted by an outside force, after five minutes the target will become my puppet. In a certain sense, they will have truly died, and the matter will be irreversible. Once the potion is fully digested, the time needed to transform a target into a puppet will certainly shorten drastically.

“The current limit of puppets I can control is one. What comes afterward is temporarily impossible to judge, but it will definitely increase. The upper limit doesn’t look like it will exceed three.

“Besides time, there is also a distance restriction. At present, I can only see Spirit Body Threads within a hundred meters. And to manipulate them, I must enter within five meters of the corresponding target…

“When controlling a puppet, the main body and puppet temporarily cannot be more than a hundred meters apart. That will definitely increase later.

“Heh. Besides retaining their own Beyonder abilities, puppets can also normally use mystical items and Sealed Artifacts, and what they consume is their own spirituality rather than mine. Of course, the very act of controlling a puppet consumes a great deal of spirituality.

“This ability suits me very well. When I encounter a situation that is extremely dangerous but has to be investigated, I can send a puppet. Losing it would hurt, but it’s still better than dying on the spot myself. Heh, before that Marionettist Rosago came after me, he must have carried out other actions, which left him without a puppet. Mm. He definitely hadn’t fully digested the Marionettist potion either, so he couldn’t initially control me during the time he spent waiting for the door to open. He had no choice but to enter a face-to-face conversation.

“Overall, it truly is worthy of being a Sequence 5 Beyonder ability! And the abilities from the previous Sequences have also been enhanced by fifty percent, perhaps even more…

“I’m increasingly looking forward to it. I wonder what kind of qualitative change Sequence 4 will have after combining so many strange abilities. Sigh, I don’t even know what it’s called…” Klein finished inspecting his own condition and sighed with feeling.

Immediately afterward, relying on his experience from setting methods to activate and deactivate Spirit Vision, he placed a restriction on the ability to see Spirit Body Threads, lest he see things he should not see.

Pinching the first joint of his index finger twice with his left thumb to activate it, then repeating the motion to deactivate it. The right hand can work too… Klein withdrew his thoughts and looked forward, discovering that the remaining few mermaids had turned around and were curiously studying him with watery, azure eyes.

Considering that without their singing, without that simple ritual, he would have lost control just now and become similar to Sealed Artifact 2-049, Klein smiled at them in a friendly manner.

Influenced by the charm’s power, those mermaids also parted their lips and revealed slightly shy smiles.

As their light-purple or deep-red lips opened, Klein saw their teeth: sharp like wolf fangs, one after another, pale, gleaming, and dripping viscous liquid.

Klein froze for a moment and discovered that this was harder for him to accept than a true monster.

He had originally been mentally prepared, viewing mermaids as the sort of creature one might find in a sewer. Therefore, no matter how deranged or terrifying their forms were, he believed he could endure it. Yet the situation somewhat exceeded his expectations. The mermaids clearly had beautiful, alluring female appearances, and their tails possessed a different sort of beauty, but their teeth were so hideous, so disgusting. The contrast was far too strong, leaving Klein unable to bear looking directly at them. He nearly shifted his gaze away.

Waving his hand, he swiftly took out a charm from the Sea God domain, once again creating a strong wind that pushed the small boat back toward the Future.

On the way, Klein could not help savoring the sensation from just now.

“So the mermaids’ song is a kind of neutralization, a kind of balance. Otherwise, the vast majority of Faceless would be unable to resist the Marionettist potion’s corruption of their own Spirit Body Threads. They would directly lose control. Heh, fortunate fellows like the sea serpent Kalvetua are outside the scope of discussion. Perhaps it was precisely because it lacked the ritual’s assistance that it was relatively weak.

“In theory, as long as a sound or Beyonder ability has a similar effect, it can replace the mermaids’ singing. But someone who has not personally experienced it cannot distinguish the subtle differences at all. Therefore, unless they are a High-Sequence expert of the Seer pathway, it is very difficult to provide effective advice.”

Amid the flurry of thoughts, the small boat returned near the Future. With the help of a rope, Klein easily climbed onto the deck.

Anderson Hood stood by the ship’s rail and chuckled.

“So you were looking for mermaids because you needed them for a ritual, not because you wanted to obtain the corresponding materials.”

“That was clear enough,” Klein replied briefly.

Anderson shrugged.

“No, it wasn’t. Normal people would all assume mermaids were a material you needed, because this doesn’t match a Sequence 4 ritual. Who would have known that Gehrman Sparrow, an adventurer on the level of a pirate admiral, was only Sequence 6?”

What do you mean, “only”? Klein resisted the urge to manipulate Anderson’s Spirit Body Threads.

Ignoring the Strongest Hunter, who seemed to carry a provocation aura of his own, Klein entered the cabin, preparing to return to his room.

He had just approached the captain’s cabin when a creak sounded and the door opened before his eyes.

Admiral of Stars Cattleya, not wearing her heavy glasses, looked at Gehrman Sparrow with faintly flowing deep-purple eyes and said, “Congratulations on your successful advancement.

“Earlier, in the previous dream, did I say anything?”

“You know very well yourself,” Klein replied expressionlessly.

Cattleya fell silent for two seconds.

“You asked me about my relationship with the Queen of Mysteries?”

As she spoke, she could not help looking around.

She guessed from my rather abrupt question that the Queen of Mysteries might already have boarded the Future? Talking to smart people really requires caution… Klein nodded, passed her, and walked toward his own room. The corridor was completely silent.

Only after he opened his room door and stepped inside did Cattleya’s voice come from the captain’s cabin, echoing through the entire ship.

“Return voyage.”

Inside his room, Klein waited several minutes before entering the washroom again. He once more arranged a ritual and threw Creeping Hunger, which had no food and was becoming increasingly agitated, above the gray fog.

After doing that, he did not hurry to leave. He beckoned, making the twisted and deformed iron-black Fire Seed glove fly up from the ground and land before him.

After studying it briefly, Klein placed the Fire Seed glove inside an iron cigar case and tossed it into the junk pile.

Although this expensive glove had been ruined, Klein always firmly believed that even trash could have a use.

Immediately afterward, he leisurely removed the now-quiet Creeping Hunger and likewise placed it in the junk pile.

Phew… Klein remained calm for two seconds, then left the palace-like residence fit for a giant and walked toward the depths of the mysterious space above the gray fog.

During his previous exploration, he had discovered a bright “stairway” that seemed to lead to heaven. He suspected its number of steps was related to his Sequence. Therefore, as soon as he advanced, he came to confirm it.

After walking for a while, Klein finally saw the sacred stairway made purely of light. Compared to before, one additional step had appeared from nowhere. There were now five steps in total.

As expected… Klein sighed without surprise.

Then he climbed the stairway that seemed prepared for giants and reached the top step.

At that moment, he was no longer far from the gray fog floating in midair. It seemed that with one more step, he would be able to climb up.

Klein subconsciously raised his head and looked over. Vaguely, he saw something.