World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 36 The Puppet
"Clap!"

Kim Ji-eun's calligraphy brush fell, spreading ink in a circle. He suddenly raised his head, looking left and right, his gaze turning cold.

Someone is trying to assassinate me?
With no one around, could this person be using a remote, mysterious spell?
Is it the Foundation? Or one of the witch's minions?

"Master, what's wrong?" the older woman asked in confusion.

“We have a guest. An uninvited guest.” Kim Ji-eun said with a smile, “Auntie, I need to attend to him before I can resolve your issue. Please wait in my office for a moment.”

"oh oh……"

Kim Ji-eun locked the office door from the outside.

The next moment, a loud "bang" rang out!
The tightly closed front door of the dojo was kicked open.

As Kim Ji-eun turned around, she saw a black-haired young man wearing sunglasses standing with his hands behind his back.

"A heartbroken song, where can I find a close friend in the world!"

Lin An looked around and found that the mother and daughter had disappeared.

Where are the two people who were with you?

Kim Ji-eun sat back down at the divination table, smoothed out the annotation diagrams on the Xuan paper, and spoke in an unfriendly manner.

"who are you?"

"A mere wandering Taoist priest, not worth mentioning." Lin An adjusted his sunglasses. "I see your forehead is dark; you're bound to suffer a bloody disaster today."

Jin Zhien sneered: "On the contrary, I am sitting at the positive pole, while you are at the negative pole. You should be the one who suffers! Although I don't know who you are, anyone who has stumbled upon the secret of this place is doomed to die!"

Looking down, Lin An's footpad was dark blue, while Jin Zhien's seat was covered with red cushions.

This is a heavily modified version of Tai Chi Yin Yang Taegeuk.

The bizarre pattern made Lin An shake his head: "Tai Chi, Tai Chi, but it's been turned into Wuji, what a pity."

"shut up!"

Like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, Kim Ji-eun slammed her hand on the table and stood up, her face flushed red as she tried to defend herself.

"Just because the Dragon Kingdom's envoy brought some traditions to the Hibiscus Kingdom doesn't mean they plagiarized. Besides, that happened a long time ago. The most important thing is innovation. If the Hibiscus Kingdom didn't export its films and television shows, who would have heard of your old-fashioned stuff!"

Kim Ji-eun held up a stone slab, speaking with righteous indignation.

"Forget it, I can't be bothered arguing with someone like you. Go to hell!"

With a "whoosh," the floor-to-ceiling mirrors around the room flipped over, revealing more than a dozen clay figurines, each about half a person's height.

At the same time, several rapid conversations with the system flashed through Lin An's mind.

"Can we initiate the [Hittite Ritual] now?"

“Target selected, but…” the system said after a moment of loading, “The individual is surrounded by a long-lasting protective spell, from a higher-ranking mystic, and the energy movement trajectory is similar to that of a Hittite ritual.”

"Canaan magic?"

"Even if the mystical spell is successfully selected and used, there's a small chance it won't kill immediately. Should we still use it?"

"No, use [The Ballad from the Other Side of the Mountain]!"

Unable to stop Kim Ji-eun from activating the Canaan Magic, the pentagram rotated, and its light fell on a group of figures that looked like clay dolls. They made "ga-ga-ga" sounds from their dark mouths and began to move slowly, heavily, and clumsily.

As time passed, their speed increased rapidly. Lin An hesitated for only a few seconds before the life-sized clay figures, already possessing the agility of normal humans, pounced on him from all directions.

Train to Busan?
No, it's a golem!

Lin An immediately recognized the group of things, and the system panel appeared.

[Name]: Golem, Puppet

[Rating]: Disaster Level C

[Radiation Value]: /
[Pollution Level]: 100%
[Medium]: The Mother of Desire
The radiation levels vary, but their only commonality is that they are all 100% contaminated.

Humans die, "Comerth" radiation takes over, and the remains of the mysterious person transform into legendary creatures.

A golem is a puppet shaped from dust or clay, which the caster brings to life using ritual incantations and sequences of Hebrew letters.

Psalm 139:16 uses the word golmi, which means "raw material." Later generations believed that the golmi was a human being before God was finished. The Mishnah also uses this word to describe people whose wisdom is not yet enlightened.

Another interpretation refers to golems as "spiritless pupae," meaning that unless they are given new souls, they are just a group of puppets waiting for their master's orders.

Golems themselves also crave intelligence, which is probably the source of their "mother of desires" medium.

The golem at the front swung its massive, stone-hard hand high and slammed it down heavily on Lin An.

"Boom!"

The floor of the dojo was smashed into a large crater, and broken wooden planks arched up from under the soft cushions. Lin An rolled on the spot, and the wind whistled past his ears.

Before he could stand up, another golem blocked his way and stomped down on Lin An's chest with its large foot.

The sunglasses reflected the golem's emotionless eyes and Kim Ji-eun's arrogant smile. "You dare challenge me, so ignorant of your own limitations! Whoever you are, you'll die here today—huh?!"

Before she finished speaking, all the golems seemed to be stared at by Medusa, and stood frozen in place.

Overwhelmed by drowsiness, Kim Ji-eun clutched his bulging temples, picked up a stone slab, and slammed it hard against the back of his hand. The pain brought him back to his senses.

Pishtako's ability: wide-range hypnosis!
Both are mysteries of catastrophic level, but because Lin An's radiation level was higher, "The Ballad on the Other Side of the Mountain" successfully hypnotized the golem.

The melodious and passionate notes of "Dreamer" spread outwards, about to engulf Kim Ji-eun, when a layer of armor surrounding him suddenly shone brightly, ancient characters appeared, and the ultimate light, like a flawless mirror, protected Kim Ji-eun's body.

"Unclean spirits and other spirits, in the name of the Lord, I command you to depart!"

It really is Canaanite magic!
Unlike Carmen's case, the "Source B-level" Canaan magic has been activated, firmly attached to Kim Ji-eun's soul, making them inseparable.

However, this protective shield was neither completely close to nor completely closed to Kim Ji-eun; sometimes it fit perfectly, and sometimes it had many loopholes.

Unstable results?
There is only one medium left for the "God of Truth," and Lin An only has one chance to break the protection and kill Jin Zhien.

Although Kim Ji-eun is not the manipulator, the perfectly timed "fluctuations" of the protective shield are inseparable from his mystery. The fluctuations of energy are like the waxing and waning of the moon, seemingly closely related to mysterious fortune.

Prophetic medium...fortune telling...

Through his sunglasses, Lin An gazed at Jin Zhien, whose face was ashen, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"This, how is this possible..."

Kim Ji-eun, who had just been strategizing, pointed at Lin An with pale lips and trembling fingers.

Just a second ago, he had the upper hand, using the magic tablet to control the powerful golem, while Lin An was cornered and had no choice but to flee in a sorry state.

Unexpectedly, once they recovered from the dizziness, all the golems lost their ability to move.

Who exactly is he?!
Why must you kill me!

Oh, right, when he came in, he asked, "Could it be...?"

"Kaka..."

A faint sound rang out, and Kim Ji-eun, filled with shock and anger, looked at the still golems. Their joints moved almost imperceptibly, and the stone slabs at their fingertips transmitted a message like an electric current.

Within minutes, the golems were able to completely break free of the hypnosis.

Very good!
Jin Zhien exhaled, her expression contorted as she gripped the stone slab tightly, as if grasping at a lifeline, when Lin An spoke.

"Were all the disappearances these past few months your doing?"

"Hahaha, you're here to find someone?" Jin Zhien mocked. "What a pity, they've already turned into them! These golems! Which one are you looking for? It doesn't matter, you'll soon be one of them too!"

It turns out that these golems are the ones who have gone missing in recent months!
Influenced by Kim Ji-eun, they voluntarily became regulars at this dojo. Under his guidance and some kind of ritual, these people somehow awakened and became "golems".

Initially bewildered and even unaware, due to mismanagement, the level of pollution soared, and they gradually lost their minds and memories. They took to the streets and wandered aimlessly.

The mutations altered their appearance, voice, and physique, turning them into homeless people who were left unclaimed.

Even if acquaintances brush past each other, they would never recognize that these ugly and grotesque creatures were once important members of their lives.

The vagrants are not wandering aimlessly; the puppeteer's master is calling them.

Ultimately, they disappeared into the bustling city center of Dietrich and were sealed inside the walls of this dojo.

People weeping and wailing frantically search for missing persons, posting missing person notices until they despair and can only pray that their loved ones are still breathing the same air as them, living ordinary lives somewhere.

The root of all the tragedies lies with Kim Ji-eun... and the powerful family behind her.

"No, I have no relation to them, but your actions are contrary to the righteous path and will surely be punished by heaven."

To distract Kim Ji-eun with conversation, Lin An hid a broken piece of wood behind his back; its sharp end was perfect for use as a murder weapon.

"You're wasting your energy. You can't kill me today!" Kim Ji-eun laughed wildly.

"Since I'm already here, I'll give it a try."

Pretending to ask a question, Lin An suddenly lowered his center of gravity, aimed at Jin Zhien behind the square table, and threw the wooden board with lightning speed.

"Whoosh! — Thump!"

Immediately afterwards, he watched as Kim Ji-eun "coincidentally" bent down, picked up the remote control at her feet, and the wooden board flew past his head before falling limply to the ground.

He didn't realize my intentions!

But he perfectly dodged the sneak attack!
Damn it, is this what the prophets call "fortune"?!
Glancing at the wooden plank that had been knocked off course, Kim Ji-eun snorted and turned on the TV above their heads with a "beep," displaying the dojo's surveillance footage.

In the office, the mother and daughter huddled together, trembling.

They were hiding—in fact, a golem!
“People of the Dragon Kingdom, why don’t we have a contest to see who truly embodies the orthodox culture?” Kim Ji-eun shook the divination sticks. “From this moment on, the fate of these two women is in our hands.”

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(End of this chapter)