Free Web NovelChapter 83: Chapter 83: Stone Puppet Hall
The entrance to Floor 9 felt different before they even stepped through.
The Tower gate released a low mechanical hum. Instead of mist, flame, poison, or battlefield pressure, the energy around the entrance felt orderly. Heavy. Structured.
Qin Mo stood slightly straighter than usual.
Han Shuren noticed and said, "Stone Puppet Hall rewards observation. Do not rush into every chamber. Mechanisms are less forgiving than beasts."
Qin Mo nodded seriously.
"I respect mechanisms."
Qin Yuheng glanced at him.
"That may be the most sincere thing you have said before a floor."
Qin Mo sighed.
"Do not ruin it."
Yu Qingmei gave them a final warning.
"Floor 9 sometimes contains storage item fragments and puppet cores. Many teams become greedy and activate too many halls at once. Do not do that."
Qin Mo immediately looked at Qin Yuheng.
"She is talking to you."
Qin Yuheng smiled faintly.
"I heard."
The Tower gate opened.
[Entering Floor 9: Stone Puppet Hall.]
Gray light swallowed them.
When Qin Yuheng opened his eyes, he stood inside a vast stone corridor lit by pale yellow crystals. The walls were carved with angular patterns. Large stone doors lined both sides of the hall. At the far end stood a sealed gate covered in puppet runes.
The floor beneath their feet clicked softly.
Qin Mo immediately raised a hand.
"Do not move."
Everyone froze.
He crouched and examined the stone tiles.
"Pressure pattern. Not lethal. Registration." frёeωebɳovel.com
A mission panel appeared.
[Floor 9: Stone Puppet Hall]
[Main Mission]
Pass through the Stone Puppet Hall and activate the exit gate.
[Side Missions]
1. Defeat 12 Stone Puppets.
2. Collect 5 Puppet Cores.
3. Avoid triggering lethal mechanism traps.
[Warning]
Puppet halls may activate based on movement, sound, weight, or energy flow.
[Current Trap Alert Level: Low]
Qin Mo looked at the panel.
"At least it tells us traps exist."
Qin Lian scanned the corridor.
"No living presence."
Qin Yuchen said, "That may not matter here."
Qin Yuheng nodded.
"Qin Mo leads mechanism reading. I command combat."
Qin Mo blinked.
"I lead?"
"For mechanisms."
"That sounds like responsibility."
"It is."
He looked unhappy, but not unwilling.
They advanced slowly.
The first chamber activated when they approached the third stone door on the left. The door opened by itself, revealing a square room with a single stone puppet standing at the center. It was humanoid, two meters tall, with thick arms and glowing yellow eyes.
[Stone Combat Puppet]
[Level: 18]
[Type: Mechanism guardian]
[Weakness: joint runes, core in chest, neck rotation ring]
The moment they entered, the door closed behind them.
Qin Mo studied the walls.
"Single combat chamber. Defeat puppet to open door."
The puppet moved.
Its first punch was direct but heavy.
Qin Yuheng dodged and struck its shoulder joint. Sparks flew. The puppet’s stone shell was dense, but the joint rune flickered.
Qin Yuchen attacked the opposite knee joint.
Qin Lian moved behind it and struck the neck rotation ring.
Qin Mo observed the chest core.
"Core shield cycles every five breaths!"
Qin Yuheng counted.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
The chest rune dimmed for a fraction of a second.
Thunder Shadow Flash.
His sword pierced the exposed core.
The puppet froze, then collapsed into stone fragments.
[Stone Combat Puppet defeated.]
[Puppet Core acquired x1.]
The side mission updated.
[Stone Puppets defeated: 1 / 12]
[Puppet Cores collected: 1 / 5]
Qin Mo looked pleased.
"Predictable enemies. Good."
The second chamber was not so simple.
It contained three smaller puppets with blade arms and a rotating floor. The floor shifted direction every ten breaths, trying to throw them off balance. Qin Mo identified the rhythm and marked safe tiles. Qin Lian used her agility to move between rotating sections. Qin Yuchen controlled one puppet while Qin Yuheng destroyed the cores.
They cleared it without injury.
The third chamber offered a choice.
Three doors.
One marked with a shield.
One with a blade.
One with an eye.
The mission panel gave no explanation.
Qin Mo inspected the runes.
"Shield is defense trial. Blade is combat trial. Eye is mechanism trial."
Qin Yuheng asked, "Reward difference?"
"Eye may give better mechanism rewards but more traps."
Qin Mo immediately looked conflicted.
Qin Yuheng smiled.
"Your choice."
Qin Mo stared at him.
"That is cruel."
"You are mechanism lead."
Qin Mo took a deep breath.
"Eye."
The eye door opened.
Inside was a room filled with floating stone cubes, laser-like rune lines, and a central pedestal holding a small puppet core.
The objective was not to fight.
It was to cross without triggering lethal mechanisms.
Qin Mo’s eyes lit up despite himself.
"This is interesting."
Qin Yuheng and the others followed his instructions precisely.
Step on dull tiles, not bright ones.
Duck under slow rune lines, stop before the fast ones.
Do not touch the floating cubes.
Wait when the eye symbol blinks twice.
Halfway through, Qin Lian noticed a hidden side pedestal.
"There is something there."
Qin Mo studied the route.
"Optional reward. Probably dangerous."
Qin Yuheng asked, "Can we take it?"
Qin Mo frowned.
"Yes. But only one person should move. Lian."
Qin Lian nodded.
Using the Silent Moon Shadow Cloak and her improved agility, she crossed a narrow path between rune lines and retrieved the item.
[C Grade Storage Item Fragment acquired.]
Qin Yuheng’s eyes brightened.
Storage item fragment. freeweɓnøvel.com
Eligible for evolution, likely.
They finished the mechanism room and gained two Puppet Cores from the reward pedestal.
The side mission progressed.
By the sixth chamber, they had defeated twelve puppets and collected five cores.
Side missions completed.
But the main exit gate remained sealed.
To activate it, they needed to pass the central hall.
When they reached the end of the corridor, the sealed gate lit up.
Twelve puppet cores floated from their inventory and inserted into the gate mechanism automatically.
The floor trembled.
A large chamber opened behind them.
At its center stood a towering puppet with four arms and a stone crown.
[Stone Puppet Commander]
[Level: 24]
[Floor Boss]
[Status: Activated due to full side mission completion]
[Danger: High]
Qin Mo stared at the panel.
"Activated due to full side mission completion."
He slowly turned toward Qin Yuheng.
"We are being punished for competence."
Qin Yuheng drew his sword.
"Or rewarded."
The Stone Puppet Commander’s four eyes lit up.
The boss chamber sealed.
The mechanism battle began.
