Jack transformed again. His storm kamaitachi form suddenly dissolved and melt. Its golden fur and sharp blades morphed into dark wooden materials. Ones that shrunk and reshaped themselves into a small figure.
Within a second, the small, sleek beast was gone. In its place, floated a tiny, bizarre creature. It was a small puppet dressed in a tall-collared mantle and wizard hat. With a hollow jack o'lantern for a head. A bright, eerie orange fire flickered within its carved eyes and jagged grin.
This was Jack's devil puppet incarnation. Jack Lantern, the bizarre puppeteer.
Rune floated closer. She had morphed too. She was now a tiny floating lantern. Her glow was shifting to a warm orange-yellow one... to match the pumpkin head's glow. She spun a tight circle around him.
"One left. Let's do this." Jack's puppet voice croaked in squeaky and hollow vibration.
He reached into his [Spatial Belt] again. This time, he pulled out a [Mystic Topaz]. He was holding the topaz mainly with the telekinetic aspect of his [Mysterious Anomaly] power.
Jack glided forward and touched the gem to the obelisk.
This time, the monolith seemed to groan. A heavy, metallic clanking echoed within the stone. Followed by a sudden burst of grey smoke and a shower of red sparks.
A system notification re-appeared in his view.
[ANCIENT WONDER DISCOVERED!]
[EXPERIENCING BENEFICIAL POWER EVOLUTION...]
[UPGRADING POWER CLASS: BIZARRE PUPPETEER...]
[FAILED UPGRADE...]
[UNABLE TO UPGRADE BIZARRE PUPPETEER!]
Jack was stunned. Failed upgrade? But, before he could comprehend more, the notification went on...
[ACQUIRING NEW POWERS FOR BIZARRE PUPPETEER...]
[ACQUIRING BIZARRE PUPPET FUSION]
[ENHANCING PUPPETEER BODY...]
[ACQUIRING DEMON PUPPETEER PHYSIQUE]
Afterward...
[PHYSIQUE AND PASSION GAINED MAXIMUM INCREASE]
[ALL AVAILABLE ATTRIBUTES REACHED THE MAXIMUM THRESHOLD]
[REACHING THE BOTTLENECK OF POWER...]
[REQUIRING BREAKTHROUGH TO 'ILLUMINATED' LEVEL...]
Jack tilted his hollow pumpkin head. The orange fire in his empty eyes flared.
"Failed to upgrade the class?" He muttered in surprise. "The Bizarre Puppeteer is indeed, like its name... bizarre. But the compensation isn't bad."
Jack immediately re-checked his status panel. Focusing on the new and changed entries...
[CHARACTER STATUS]
[Persona: Jack Lantern]
...
[Power Class: Bizarre Puppeteer]
...
[Attributes: Physique (99) Mysticism (99) Passion (99) Essence (99)]
...
[Class Abilities: Bizarre Puppet Creation; Bizarre Puppet Summoning; Bizarre Puppet Fusion; Demon Puppeteer Physique]
He looked at the [Attributes] and nodded in satisfaction. The Obelisk of Evolution had truly boosted all attributes for all of his incarnations. Every single one of his forms was now in the maximum threshold, Just waiting to break through to illuminated stage.
He then checked his upgrades one by one. Analyzing the new additions with a cold, calculating mindset.
[Bizarre Puppet Fusion. A highly advanced, forbidden puppetry technique. The user can temporarily merge two or more active summoned bizarre puppets into a single, composite entity. Or, the user could merge a summoned bizarre puppet with his own body. The result of this fusion inherits all unique traits and gains great enhancement in all its abilities. The fusion lasts for fifteen minutes or until dismissed.]
"Fusion? Damn! This one was a cool heck of power." Jack noted in great satisfaction.
In this form, he was planning to use his puppets to work in tandem. Using quantity as the core advantage. But sometimes, quantity couldn't be used efficiently. In a small, closed space for example.
With this fusion skill, he could take some of his bizarre puppets and fuse them into a singular, more useful puppet in such situation. He could already imagine fusing all his seven sin-themed puppets into a single one. That would be... awesome.
And, the fusion ability could actually merge a bizarre puppet with his devil puppet body. This required some tests, but he could guess that it would be very beneficial in certain circumstances.
Next, he checked the other class ability. The physique upgrade...
[Demon Puppeteer Physique. A passive, body-refining ability that permanently alters the structural composition of the Jack Lantern avatar. The tiny wooden puppet body is no longer fragile. It is now woven with dense, demonic fibers and reinforced with spiritual ash, granting it the durability and regeneration that match those of a demon.]
Jack grinned. A wide, jagged, flame-lit smile carved itself across his wooden face. So, this is how the [Physique] attribute of his current incarnation jumped so high. It used to be only in the forties before it maxed out.
This was... spectacular. The form had been his most eccentric and utility-heavy incarnation. But, the tiny puppet itself was always a fragile glass cannon.
Now, he was basically a tanky little devil. A tricky devil with demon body. He could now use this form without much worry.
Jack looked at the Obelisk of Evolution. He wondered whether this relic could also upgrade his bizarre puppets.
He immediately tried that idea. Summoning one of his puppets...
A dark pearl appeared. Forming a shimmering distortion in the air. Then, it transformed into a creature that looked like a plush toy. A green, baby-ninja monkey. Envy.
He mentally commanded the puppet to use a [Spatial Amber] to touch the monument. But, nothing happened. It seemed that, like Rune, the puppets wouldn't be able to make use of the obelisk.
"Oh, well. Not a big deal." Jack murmured as he recalled the puppet. "I've done everything I need here. It's time to return."
With a thought, Jack re-activated his [Incarnation Shift]. His tiny form dissolved into a swirl of dense, liquid wood and metal. Quickly, his skeletal structure elongated. His muscles filled out. And his skin returned to its warm, human texture.
Within just a second, Jack stood up. Stretching his arms. He was back in his human mercenary form... tall, muscular, wearing his practical traveling gear.
"Come on, Rune!" Jack called. Looking at the little fairy who was also back to her mechanical fairy form.
Rune buzzed happily. Her glow shifted into a soft, comforting green. She hovered close to his shoulder.
Jack reached down and touched the [Nine-Anchor Portal Ring] on his finger. He closed his eyes and focused his mind on the anchor he had just established less than an hour ago on the Ocean Wanderer.
He could feel the faint, rhythmic rocking of the ship. He could sense the silent atmosphere of the Lakemarket City at night.
He activated the ring. The air around him warped. The dark, damp outside air of the Strangebeast Island's hidden valley vanished in an instant. Replaced by the quiet, wood-paneled interior of his personal cabin.
The transition was silent and seamless. Jack stood in the middle of the cabin. The only sound was the gentle creaking of the wooden hull and the soft lapping of the waves outside against the ghost ship's sides.
Through the circular cabin window, the soft, silver moonlight filtered in. Slightly illuminating the room.
On the large, comfortable bed in the corner, a figure stirred. Reina Night lay there. Her long, flowing black hair was spread across the white pillows like silk.
Even in her sleep, she was incredibly beautiful. Her fair skin glowed faintly in the moonlight. Her breathing was steady. But the moment Jack's presence materialized in the room, her eyes fluttered open.
She didn't panic. She knew his magical signature too well.
Reina sat up. She looked at Jack. Her sharp, clever eyes took in his appearance. She could sense the subtle, yet massive shift in his aura. The air around him felt denser. Hummed with a terrifying level of latent power that he was barely keeping under wraps.
"You're back, Dear?" Reina asked. Her voice was soft and slightly raspy from sleep.
"I am, Love." Jack replied.
He walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down. He reached out. Gently tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear. His touch was warm and gentle.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" She asked. Leaning into his hand.
"I did." Jack said bluntly. "The obelisk did its job. I'm at the peak of the enhanced level now. I can feel the bottleneck to the illuminated level. But for now, I'm as strong as I can possibly get."
Reina smiled. A practical and knowing look was in her eyes. "Good. We'll need every bit of that strength."
"This archipelago is filled with ancient, half-forgotten things." She continued. "And the map Chloe found... I'm afraid it's not going to lead us to a simple chest of gold coins. It never does."
"I expect nothing less." Jack agreed.
"Now, come to bed and rest." Reina said. Leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to his lips. "The sun will be up in a few hours. And we need to be ready to start the hunt soon."
Jack smiled. His tense muscles were finally relaxing. He pulled off his boots and slipped under the warm covers beside her. Pulling her close against his chest.
Reina rested her head on his shoulder. Her hand was resting over his heart.
Outside, the disguised sloop, Ocean Wanderer, swayed gently on the dark waters of Lakemarket City. Waiting for the morning light...