Training Puppet Skills

However with four souls to spare, Minos could slightly split some attention from each one, giving it to the fifth string.

Since each soul didn't have to give up much attention, Minos could still easily manipulate the four strings, as well as the fifth.

It was only once the seventh string was added, did Minos finally no longer have any thoughts to spare, now having invested all his thinking into controlling the seven strings.

There were two ways he could improve now. The first was to simply improve his Soul Rune Ascension technique, adding a new soul-split. The second was to further refine his manipulation skills, so that his efficiency would rise, doing more with less.

The first option wasn't really viable, after all the Soul Rune Ascension technique wasn't easy to improve at all, so Minos focused on choice two.

…

The next few days passed quickly. Minos invested most of his time into training, occasionally taking a break to practice the Moon Tempest Sword he had picked up earlier.

With each day spent manipulating strings, Minos's control would improve an inch, his efficiency raising, no longer requiring the same strenuous concentration he needed at the beginning.

The movements began flowing naturally, slowly turning into muscle memory, which meant Minos began having more thoughts to spare on manipulating new strings.

On the third day, Minos finally added the eighth string, taking another day to master its control. After that, it took another six days to finally get to the ninth string, Minos having to acknowledge he was reaching his limits.

By this point, his muscles had completely memorized all that it could, and his souls were pushed to their limits, having no room to spare.

He still had one string left, and Minos wouldn't be satisfied if he left like this, so since he had nothing to do at the sect anyways, he decided to push himself to his absolute limits.

Another week passed after Minos had made such a decision, but again, he failed to reach the tenth string, constantly getting close but never quite reaching.

This feeling just drove Minos even harder, turning into an obsession. The days once again began flowing by as Minos was completely absorbed in the art of string manipulation.

Minos had become so consumed, he had stopped bathing, only sleeping for a few hours at a time before getting right back into it.

He also completely stopped training the Moon Tempest Sword, now investing every waking second into training his puppet skills.

His hair became like a bird's nest, his robe completely disheveled, dirt stains blotting its surface.

None of this seemed to affect Minos, however, instead his world became one of puppets, with nothing else mattering.

This was Minos's biggest flaw, his obsessive character. It was this trait that drove his success, but also would sometimes get in the way of true improvement.

Minos hadn't actually made much improvement these last few days, but his obsession blinded him to the fact, forcing him down a road to nowhere.

"Caw Caw!" A sudden loud bird call woke Minos up from his reverie, forcing him to temporarily put the strings down.

With a moment to think, Minos began recalling the past few days, measuring his improvement from each day before coming to the disappointing conclusion that there wasn't much to see.

'I really lost myself there, huh?' Minos couldn't help but think as he scratched his filthy head, only just realizing how dirty he was.

Feeling grossed out by himself, he quickly found the nearest river before jumping in, cleaning off a week's worth of grim.

As he back-stroked through the water, he decided that it was time to go back. Despite how close he felt to reaching the tenth string, he knew it wasn't possible at the moment.

As much as this annoyed him, he had to accept the facts, knowing that any more time spent at this point would just be a waste.

But the last week wasn't a complete waste. While he failed to reach the tenth string, his control skills had improved tremendously, now allowing him to manipulate each rock as if it was a little person, walking to its own step.

He was now confident he could control a real puppet, so the next step was to make one, which Minos looked forward to.

After scrubbing his filthy robe clean in the river, he tossed it back on, finally heading back to the Thousand Split Sword Sect.

…

Having long since killed all his pursuers, the journey back was an uneventful one, Minos arriving at the core of the city with no problems.

Looking around, he immediately noticed the people pointing at him in wonder as they chatted to their peers beside them.

"Look, he's still alive."

"Must have escaped deep into the forest and only just found his way back."

Listening in, Minos realized that the rumor of his 'treasure' had long since spread, everyone in the sect knowing that some people had pursued Minos beyond the sect.

Most people thought Minos would definitely never return from this journey with so many people after him, so seeing him completely fine and in one piece, they couldn't help but chatter with wonder.

Again theories began flying around, the most common and accepted one being that Minos simply escaped, hence why it took him so long to get back.

Of course the idea that Minos killed all his pursuers did exist, it was just that it was simply too far-fetched, so most people only scoffed after hearing it once.

Ignoring the crowd, Minos calmly headed towards the Mission Hall, handing in his quest to the shock of the onlookers.

Escaping such a deadly pursuit was already impressive enough, but to complete a mission on top if it was truly extraordinary.

At this point, no one could deny that 'Merth' was by no means lucky, and he definitely had some skills of his own.

After claiming another five hundred contribution points, Minos headed back home, walking in on his maid as if nothing had happened.

"M-Master, back so soon?" The maid said nervously.

"You sound nervous. Did you miss me that much?" Minos said with a smirk.

"Ahh, of course!" The maid said quickly, having found a way out.

"That's good. By the way, I brought you a present." Minos suddenly said as he dropped onto the sofa comfortably.

"Present? No need Master, your presence is the greatest gift you could ever give me." The maid quickly said in a flattering tone.

"Ahahaha, you have a way with words, it's no wonder you've survived so long." Minos said with a laugh.

"But what would other people say about me if I treated my own maid poorly? Here, take it, it should actually be quite familiar." Minos said, before proceeding to pull a pill out from his robe and tossing it to the maid.

"Uhh, M-M-Master what is this?" The maid while stuttering, acting confused.

"Don't pretend with me. That pill should be the reason you betrayed me, no need to act stupid now." Minos said, his face suddenly changing from a cordial smile to complete apathy.

"Master, it's not what it seems." The maid said, as she collapsed to her knees and hugged Minos's legs, begging for mercy.

"Yola, have I ever treated you poorly?" Minos asked, suddenly using the maids real name.

"Never! Master is the best person to me." Yola said, tears beading in her eyes.

"Then why did you betray me? Yola you need to know that there are only a few sacred things in this world, and trust is one of them." Minos said as he looked down at her.

"Just like a bridge, once broken, it's naturally impossible to get past. How am I to ever believe you now?" Minos asked.

"Please Master, give me one more chance, I'll never betray your trust ever again." Yola said, tears pouring non stop as she gripped Minos's robe tightly.

"You know Yola, I don't blame you, after all your own life was on the line, but regardless, mistakes need to be paid for. So tell me, how should I punish you?" Minos said.

"Anything Master, as long as you spare my life, I'll take any punishment." Yola said with excitement as her face shot up towards Minos.

"Anything, huh? Good, then you just need to do exactly as I say." Minos said, his apathetic face once again forming a gentle smile.

…

After dealing with Yola, Minos headed back to the Resource Hall. It was finally time to attempt making a puppet, he also needed to begin the first part of his plan.

The Gold-Nibbling Mouse required a pound of Refined-Gold, Nux Powder, a Spirit Stone, along with a few other items.

All together, the resources required weren't actually much, but the value of each thing was incredibly high, showcasing the money-burning qualities of puppet-making to its fullest.

Despite the tremendous price, Minos paid with no pain. Money is ultimately external, and only after converting it into strength has it really played its role.

After buying four copies of materials, Minos's contribution points were pretty much swept clean, but he had just enough left over to get started with his plan.