’A Puppet Master, huh?’

’Speaking of which, I have a Secret Scroll for the Puppet Master profession.’

Neither of them seemed keen on talking.

They remained silent during the countdown.

[Battle Start!]

Lu Cang’s Intuition flared. The ground beneath him was about to erupt!

Lu Cang took a light leap backward.

BOOM!

The earth heaved!

A creature resembling a giant ape burst from the ground!

BOOM!

The moment it emerged, it charged at Lu Cang, intent on killing him!

His Intuition warned him again.

But Lu Cang simply tilted his head slightly and dodged the blow.

Divine Level·Final Sense.

It allowed Lu Cang to sense all approaching crises, almost like precognition. Under this Intuition, it was as if his opponent’s attacks were announced beforehand: ’I’m going to hit you like this.’

And only then did the attack follow.

Moreover, multiple strategies for evading the danger would instantly surface in Lu Cang’s mind.

Lu Cang touched the giant ape’s arm as it swung past.

In an instant, the giant ape’s structure was analyzed in his mind.

"So that’s how it is..."

"Artificial puppets, remotely controlled."

WHOOSH—

A Water Ring pushed the giant ape away.

But just then, Lu Cang felt another warning.

His Perception picked up on several nearly invisible threads. His Intuition immediately told him that if these threads passed through his body, he would be controlled by his opponent like a puppet.

’What an interesting Profession.’

"Flame."

FWOOSH!

A raging Flame instantly flared up, burning away the nearly transparent threads.

’They’re quite fire-resistant.’

Lu Cang could feel the threads resisting the fire.

But immediately after, another premonition of danger came. He sensed that the surrounding Space was now filled with invisible threads.

These threads had the Effect of blocking Perception.

If it weren’t for his Final Sense, Lu Cang truly would not have been able to discover them.

At the same time, humanoid figures holding Weapons began to emerge from all directions.

Swords, War Spears, blades, shields, and even a Magic Staff?...

Their bodies shimmered with iridescent light; the material seemed to be the same as that of the dummies in the Promotion Hall.

’If that’s the case,’

’the physical strength of these puppets is probably on par with a Level 5 Warrior.’

’And there are so many of them.’

BANG!

Five puppets initiated a Sprinting attack at Lu Cang from different directions!

Fierce-White Slash.

Basic Combination - Air Blade Slash.

One puppet was even casting the Wind Blade Skill at him!

’Ganging up on me.’

’And the opponent himself is hiding.’

Lu Cang’s Perception had already locked onto his opponent’s whereabouts, but he didn’t expose him.

’These puppets...’

’They can not only use Combat Skills but also cast Magic.’

’This is good stuff. If I really changed my Profession to Puppet Master, I wouldn’t even need to show up in person for future operations.’

Lu Cang couldn’t help but feel a little tempted by the Puppet Master Profession.

Lu Cang easily dodged the puppets’ attacks.

He reached out and touched them.

Instantly, he deconstructed their internal structures.

Mechanical gears, the puppets’ bodies... it was a precision mechanical structure...

’Is a Mechanician involved as well?’

Lu Cang reached out to touch another puppet, using the Decryption Scholar Skill: Penetration.

Lu Cang’s power penetrated the puppet’s interior and shut down its internal mechanism.

CLICK—

In an instant, the puppet powered down. Its eyes went dark, and it ceased all movement.

’Oh.’

’So the Decryption Scholar’s Skills really work on these puppets.’

’I just wonder what the control range is.’

Lu Cang analyzed the situation with straightforward practicality.

He effortlessly dodged one puppet’s attack after another, weaving between the threads and puppets as easily as if he were strolling through a garden.

However, the Puppet Master gradually noticed something strange.

’This guy... he seems to be walking toward me.’

’Not too fast, not too slow.’

’Leisurely...’

’He’s already reached the building I’m in.’

’And now he’s coming upstairs.’

’Wait!’

’He wasn’t just dodging randomly.’

’He’s coming right for me! But how did he find me?’

’I hid myself so well!’

His second Profession was Assassin, and he had used Invisibility to hide.

An Assassin’s Invisibility on top of being a Puppet Master.

Normally, it would be impossible for him to be discovered. The end result should have been his opponent failing to find his real location and being toyed with to death by his puppets.

CRASH!

The Puppet Master smashed through a window to escape.

"Why run..."

Lu Cang, however, remained unhurried. He walked to the window, tilted his head, took a single step, and calmly evaded the surrounding puppets’ siege.

He pointed a finger.

SWISH!

A beam of Light pierced through the opponent’s body.

An easy victory.

...

After finishing him off, Lu Cang arrived at another arena as a spectator to watch a match.

This one was a Summoner versus an Extreme Intent Warrior.

This particular Extreme Intent Warrior was the one who also had the Guardian Profession.

His Extreme Battle Intent seemed to be related to defense.

Lu Cang saw a giant bear wreathed in Flame, an Undead wielding a great-axe, and a four-winged, holy creature holding a Longbow.

Dozens of half-sized monsters also surrounded the Warrior.

Meanwhile, the Summoner stood on high ground, using a Conductor’s Baton to direct them as if conducting an orchestra.

Level 4 Summoner / Level 4 Commander.

’None of these people are ordinary,’ Lu Cang mused.

Commander was a strategic Profession that provided huge buffs across the entire battlefield. Team combat with and without a Commander were two completely different concepts.

And a Summoner who was also a Commander was clearly a combination where the whole was far greater than the sum of its parts.

CLANG! 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK—

The Warrior held his shield, his defense incredibly steady. His feet were rooted to the spot, completely Unmoving.

He was focused solely on fighting the Summoned Creatures, with no intention of killing the Summoner first.

Maintaining the Summoned Creatures consumed a great deal of Magic Power, and dead ones would have to be re-summoned.

CLANG—

Shield Strike, Shield Stand, Shield Defense.

While his Defense Power was strong, his attack power wasn’t weak either.

He was just wearing his opponent down.

He absorbed attacks, converting the enemy’s offense into damage for his own next attack... triggering counterattacks while defending.

Every two or three minutes, he could take down a large Summoned Creature with a defensive counterattack.

"That’s a real... turtle-like strategy."

He wasn’t in a hurry, just slowly grinding his opponent down.

If the Summoner canceled the assault, he would take the initiative and attack.

But if the Summoner attacked him, he had to maintain his Summons, which drained his resources.

If it became a battle of attrition, the Warrior would still win.

It was an unglamorous fighting style, simply a competition of who could last longer.

Watching these people fight was quite an eye-opener for Lu Cang, showing him all sorts of bizarre strategies...

During the fight, the Summoner tried to dismiss his summons several times.

He wanted to save some Magic Power, but the moment the pressure let up, the Warrior would immediately charge his position.

[Your opponent is ready]

’Oh, their fight is over.’

Lu Cang returned to his own battlefield.

His next opponent was another Root Mage.

His name was Dusk. His entire body was wrapped in white cloth, and through the Perception-blocking bandages, one could see what looked like charred flesh beneath.

"Lu Cang."

"I’ve heard you are also a Mage who has comprehended the Root Source."

"But why have you never used Root Magic?"

Lu Cang chuckled and replied, "I’m not very proficient with it."

"If you don’t mind, we could also discuss the Root Source."

Lu Cang’s tone was very relaxed.

His opponent hesitated for a moment...

"Alright."

’He actually agreed...’

Lu Cang hadn’t actually held out much hope for a discussion.

He hadn’t expected the other man to actually agree.

’It seems that when Mages meet on the battlefield, if they can talk, they might not have to fight.’

A colorless, transparent Shield had already formed around Lu Cang’s body.

"May I see your Root Magic?" Lu Cang asked.

Dusk nodded slightly and raised his Magic Staff.

SWOOSH!

His and his opponent’s positions had changed...

He was now much farther away from him.

The moment Lu Cang saw it, his Root Source recorded the opponent’s Magic.

Source·Shift·the Dipper.

It was a Space-type Root Magic.

An extremely complex... Space Magic.