I swallowed Parasitic Sword: Puppeteer and departed for the Inner World.
"Hey, what business do you have with yours truly?"
Puppeteer greeted me. It was a bizarre sight I could never get used to—a shadow mimicking a human form with various body parts attached to it at random.
"Lend me your strength."
"Ah, sure. I don't see why not," Puppeteer agreed readily.
I had no idea what it was actually thinking. For all I knew, it was constantly watching for an opening to devour me.
From there, I traced the same steps I had repeated countless times before.
I obtained the Crystal of Wisdom in the hidden room to acquire Swordsmanship, defeated several monsters, and raised Swordsmanship to Level 2. Everything proceeded smoothly.
"Oh, you knew there was a hidden room here, Master?"
"Something like that."
Trading the same familiar words, I headed toward the Golden Living Armor Hidden Room.
Once there, I dispassionately began to cull the Golden Living Armors. As soon as I had accumulated enough Skill Points, I raised Master of Parasitic Sword: Puppeteer to Level 2 and unlocked the derivative skill, Pulsating Greatsword.
"Wow, impressive, Master! To think you'd defeat every single one of them... yours truly is shocked!"
I had been swinging the Pulsating Greatsword with a hollow mind, and before I realized it, every monster in the room had been subjugated. I had to admit, Puppeteer was undeniably powerful.
"Hey, hey, Master! Use your remaining Skill Points to bring yours truly up to Level 3!"
"I refuse," I shot back instantly.
"Why?! If yours truly reaches Level 3, I'll become even more powerful! I'll be able to be much more useful to you, Master."
I could have kept ignoring it, but that was becoming a hassle. I decided to just say it.
"You seem to think I haven't noticed, but I figured it out a long time ago. The moment you hit Level 3, you're planning to eat me, aren't you?"
The moment those words left my mouth, Puppeteer fell silent, as if lost in thought.
Regardless, as long as I didn't raise Puppeteer to Level 3, it would remain a useful tool for combat. With that thought, I began to drag the Pulsating Greatsword behind me as I moved to leave the room.
"Tch. How did you find out? What a pain in the ass."
Puppeteer’s voice turned rough, its true nature finally leaking through.
"Why don't you try keeping up the act a little longer?"
"Shut up. I hate it, being preached to from a high horse."
Puppeteer grumbled its dissatisfaction.
I almost snapped back with a "serves you right," but I held my tongue. There was no need for me to stoop to its level.
"Hey, Master."
"What is it?"
"How are you feeling right now~?"
"What's with the sudden change in tone?"
"No, I was just curious~. I was wondering if you were basking in high spirits, thinking you'd finally outsmarted yours truly."
"Well, I won't deny it."
"In that case, let me give you a taste of despair."
"What are you—"
An anomaly occurred immediately.
The Pulsating Greatsword began to move on its own.
It forced my arm, which was still gripping the hilt, to move with it. Before I could react, the tip of the blade was pressed firmly against my own throat.
I couldn't resist.
I desperately tried to force my arm away, to pull the blade from my neck, but Puppeteer was overwhelmingly stronger. I couldn't move an inch.
I remembered then—this sword’s Unique Ability was Autonomous Function.
Cold sweat rolled down my cheek. My breathing grew shallow and ragged. If it felt like it, Puppeteer could take my head at any second.
Having the power over my life or death held by another felt utterly nauseating.
"So, how are you feeling now?" Puppeteer asked, mocking me.
"I feel terrible."
"Ahaha, is that so? Well, since I'm feeling generous, I'll let you choose. Which do you prefer: dying now, or dying later?"
If I chose "now," I would be beheaded on the spot. If I chose "later," I would eventually be consumed by Brutal Predator.
"...How about a negotiation?" I managed to say, forcing my voice to remain steady despite the panic.
"Negotiation?"
"Your goal is to become human, right? If that's the case, simply beheading me here wouldn't be very productive for you."
"That's true. Personally, yours truly would prefer you to choose dying later."
Just as I thought. To become human, it didn't just need me dead; it needed to use Brutal Predator to consume me.
"Tell me... does the human you eat have to be me?"
Even as I spoke the words, I was disgusted by the horrific idea I was proposing.
"Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be you, Master. However, not just any human will do. The stronger the human I eat, the closer I get to becoming truly human. Also, yours truly isn't exactly the patient type. Can you provide a replacement right away?"
"Yeah. I can. I promise."
"I see."
The pressure vanished instantly as Puppeteer released its control, and my arm fell to my side.
"In that case, hurry up and lead me to where this human is."
"Yeah... I understand."
As I replied, two people came to mind.
One was the sealed Ageha. The other was the Vampire Eudite.
It seemed that if I wanted to move forward, I would have to sacrifice one of them.