Chapter Summaries

Lister joined the Galactic Federation Military District as a reservist and was assigned to the Arcane Army Group recruit camp. As the new recruits arrived at the camp, Major Toke grew angry over recruits affiliated with level-four civilizations and found another Galactic noble in the roster.

• Lister and Wang Yue registered as reservists and were assigned to the Arcane Army Group recruit camp.
• After two months, Lister received orders to report for three years of recruit training and traveled with the other recruits to Planet W3909.
• Major Toke complained to Major Eerli about level-four civilizations sending recruits to the Arcane Army Group camp.
• Major Siegfried reviewed the recruit roster while Toke searched through the personnel list.
• Toke found Ian, a rank-twelve A-grade recruit affiliated with the Witchcraft Civilization.

Major Siegfried and Major Toke discussed the unusual Arcane Recruit Camp roster, including galactic nobles and Lister’s S-rank talent. At the camp, Lister sized up the two powerful nobles before Siegfried announced that training and the special resource reward would follow the prescribed standards.

• Major Siegfried noticed Lister’s S-rank listing from the Merrick Civilization, and Major Toke asked whether the roster should be reported to the Federation Military District.
• Major Qi refused to report the roster or interfere in the Arcane Civilization’s affairs, while Major Toke realized his nephew had little chance at the special resource.
• Lister scanned the crowded training ground and saw a galactic noble from the Beta Civilization and a powerful man from the Witchcraft Civilization, both rated A-rank.
• Major Siegfried introduced himself as the officer overseeing the Arcane Recruit Camp and said its training, assessments, and special resource award would follow prescribed standards.

Lister settled into the Arcane Recruit Camp, learned about its courses and resources, and discovered that the Galactic nobles Lim Aiven and Ian were seeking special resources. The chapter ended with Lim approaching Lister and inviting him to talk, her killing intent clear.

• Major Qi swept the recruits with his aura, then smiled and nodded at Lister before dismissing everyone.
• Lister moved into a dorm with Wang Yue, Reck, and Lana Ferguson, and Reck shared information about courses, supplies, and graduation requirements.
• Lister found that the military supply depot offered discounted attribute-boosting resources and learned that reserve officers could graduate early after six months if they met the requirements.
• Reck returned with news that the Galactic nobles were Lim Aiven and Ian, and that an Overlord Tier recruit was also in their intake.
• Lim came to Lister's dorm with undisguised killing intent and invited him to talk, and Lister agreed to leave with her.

Reck and Lana learned that Lister was the overlord-tier recruit from Merrick Civilization. Lim and Ian offered him resources to withdraw from the competition for the camp’s special resources, but Lister refused and Lim threatened Merrick Civilization before leaving.

• Reck and Lana questioned Wang Yue and learned that Lister was the overlord-tier recruit from Merrick Civilization.
• Lim brought Lister to a drink shop, where Ian offered him a substantial cache of resources if he withdrew from the competition.
• Lister asked what the special resources were, but Lim refused to explain unless he agreed to withdraw.
• Lister rejected the offer and said he would follow Major Qi’s assessment standards.
• Lim threatened Merrick Civilization, but Lister dismissed her threat, and Lim left in anger.

Lister questioned Ian’s interest in Jiji and the recruit camp, then attended his first active-skill class and began learning Federation footwork. Instructor Kata singled him out for detailed guidance on Federation Basic Footwork.

• Ian recognized Jiji as extraordinary, asked whether Lord Hoffman had given it to Lister, and warned him to watch out for Lim.
• Lister tried to contact Kavin through Jiji, but the message failed to reach him.
• Back at the dorm, Reck awkwardly offered to help Lister find out information, while news spread that Lister was an Overlord Tier recruit.
• Lister attended Instructor Kata’s class, where the recruits began learning Federation Basic Footwork and Federation Shunpo.
• Instructor Kata corrected Lister’s technique and explained that Basic Footwork relied on even power and steady breathing and suited longer movement better than intense combat.

Lister trained at the recruit camp and met Major Qi, who offered to shape the special-resource assessment in his favor. Her unusual warmth and favoritism left him wary about what she expected in return.

• Lister made progress toward mastering Basic Footwork but failed to learn Shunpo, then found the saber-technique class disappointing because its instructor could teach only up to B rank.
• Lister took part in formation and command exercises before a second lieutenant summoned him to Major Qi’s command room.
• Major Qi asked about Lister’s living conditions and explained that Overlord Tier recruits were rare in the Central Army Group, while Galactic nobles came to another camp to avoid competing against its strong A-rank recruits.
• Major Qi said the special-resource assessment would likely be a simulated battle and that, as its overseer, she could set its format and difficulty.
• Lister grew suspicious of Major Qi’s favor, but she told him to train hard and promised she could design the assessment to secure the resource for him if he rejected the other side’s terms.

Lister sought information about Major Qi while continuing his recruit training, where Instructor Kata helped him master Shunpo in five days. By the end of the second week, Lister had also learned teleportation and fighting techniques, and his reputation as an Overlord Tier genius had spread through the camp.

• Lister asked Reck to look for information about Major Qi, though Reck warned that the officer's records were confidential.
• Instructor Kata gave Lister individual guidance, and Lister mastered Federation Shunpo after five days of practice.
• Lister spent his remaining experience points raising Shunpo to level 5, then astonished Kata and the other recruits with his speed.
• By the end of the second week, Lister had also learned the Federation teleportation skill and Federation Fighting Technique.
• Lister used his remaining Radiance of Extreme Transcendence to raise Federation Teleportation Array to A-rank and considered establishing one on Merrick's planet.

Lister entered the recruit camp’s monthly simulated exam, won his first five battles, and was matched against Lim Aiven in the sixth. He realized Lim had prepared superior equipment to eliminate him, and his own condition suddenly felt wrong as their fight began.

• Major Qi explained that recruits would earn military merit based on their monthly exam rankings, and Major Toke activated the simulated training hall.
• Lister entered a simulated battle with only a standard uniform and basic saber, then defeated Vim Albert with ease.
• Lister won five battles, noticing that his opponents had extra equipment while he had only basic gear.
• Lister was matched against Lim Aiven, who appeared with several pieces of specialized equipment and a confident smile.
• Lister recognized that Lim had prepared to knock him out of the rankings, then felt that something was wrong with his condition.

Lister discovered that his abilities had been restricted to 90% during his fight with Lim, while Major Siegfried confronted the officers he suspected of changing the fight order. Lister began closing in on Lim as she attacked him with a rapidly controlled knife.

• Lister checked his panel and realized his attributes and skill damage had been restricted, though he remained at Overlord Tier.
• Major Siegfried accused the recruit camp officers of changing the fight order, and Major Toke tried to deflect blame and threaten him with a report.
• Major Siegfried told Major Toke to report him, then fixed his attention on Major Eerli as the likely culprit.
• Lim attacked Lister with a dark green knife controlled by her psychic Nen Manipulation Technique, and Lister blocked its repeated strikes.
• Lister checked Lim's skills, used Federation Shunpo to escape the knife's range, and charged toward her again.

Lister fought Lim in the Frost Domain despite heavy suppression, eventually exploiting an opening to defeat her. He survived with 60,000 health and advanced to the next round at rank 67.

• Lim’s Frost Domain damaged and slowed Lister, but he cut through her Nen Guard with an Iai Slash and severely wounded her.
• Lim healed with her armguard, activated a Nen Burst, and transformed her knives into gauntlets before attacking Lister at close range.
• Lister and Lim traded powerful blows, and Lister retreated when her recovery and paralysis effects made the exchange too dangerous.
• As Lim’s Nen Burst began to expire, she kicked at Lister, who countered with a Knee Strike and sent her flying.
• Lister used Shunpo to reach Lim before she landed and stabbed her through the forehead, defeating her.
• Lister received notice that he had won the match, reached rank 67, and would wait for the next round.

Lister won the final round of the monthly exam against Hannah, but Ian was missing from the rankings, raising suspicions that Lim had eliminated him. After claiming his rewards and improving his attributes, Lister heard that Major Eerli was being transferred and received an invitation to meet Major Siegfried.

• Lister faced Hannah instead of Ian in the final round and suspected Ian had been targeted by Lim.
• Hannah attacked Lister with her Illusory Thought Domain, but Lister exposed its weaknesses, destroyed it with an Iai Slash, and defeated her.
• Major Qi announced that the next monthly exam would use a challenge system, and Lister found that Ian was absent even from the top five thousand.
• Lister received 180 military merit points, exchanged them for six vials of level-two resources, and raised each of his basic attributes to 66.
• Reck told Lister that Major Eerli was being transferred, possibly to the Central Army Group, and Lister received an invitation to meet Major Siegfried.

Lister met with Major Qi, who explained his retaliation against Major Eerli and revealed that he hoped to recruit Lister into his Thirty-Ninth Army Group fleet in the future. Major Qi also described the recruit camp’s special resource as an unknown form of evolution that could help A-rank recruits reach S-rank and gain Overlord Tier talent.

• Lister visited Major Qi at villa AW-1 and drank Bloody Glory, which increased his stamina recovery speed.
• Major Qi said Major Eerli had changed the exam match order to help Lim in exchange for a lieutenant colonel's post, and that he had arranged Eerli's compulsory recruitment to a dangerous special mission.
• Lister asked why Major Qi had supported him, and Major Qi said his response to Eerli was about asserting authority rather than helping Lister personally.
• Major Qi explained that the Central Army Group offered more chances to earn military merit than the Civilization Army Group, then admitted he hoped Lister would eventually join his fleet.
• Major Qi said he did not know the exact nature of the recruit camp's special resource, but believed it could evolve recruits and had helped some A-rank recruits reach S-rank with Overlord Tier talent.

Lister learned that Major Siegfried had risen through ties to the Leviathan Civilization, then recruited Reck as a future helper. As Lister advanced his secondary profession, the fourth-act expansion launched and gave him a quest to investigate the Alchemy Civilization.

• Major Qi warned Lister to watch for schemes against him and suggested he consider joining the Central Army Group.
• Lister decided Lim had crossed a line and that he needed to get rid of her.
• Reck told Lister that Major Siegfried had joined the Thirty-Ninth Army Group and later gained promotion through a connection to the Leviathan Civilization.
• Lister paid Reck for the information and agreed that Reck could keep helping him after they joined the Arcane Army Group.
• Lister raised his secondary profession to level 33 while attending a lecture on Federation materials research.
• The fourth-act expansion opened with Lister spawned in Alchemy Ruined City, where he accepted the main quest to explore the Alchemy Civilization.

Lister prepared to confront Ian while Wang Yue agreed to an undisclosed plan, and Lim arranged to kill Lister outside the recruit camp’s jurisdiction. Lim’s trusted informant Reck then revealed himself as a shapeshifter who had already lured Lister to the warehouse, leaving Lim face-to-face with a double of herself.

• Three months later, Lister met Wang Yue, who agreed to proceed with their plan despite the risk, and reported that Ian remained secluded and difficult to investigate.
• Lister reviewed his growing strength and confidence before leaving Wang Yue and preparing for the coming confrontation.
• Reck reported Lister’s movements to Lim, who ordered him to bring Lister to the warehouse the next day.
• Lim explained that she had arranged to shift the warehouse into local jurisdiction so Lister’s death would not trigger a recruit-camp investigation.
• Reck revealed that he had already summoned Lister and transformed into a woman identical to Lim Aiven.

Lister killed Lim after defeating her defenses and having the fake Lim crush her heart. Reck arrived with intercepted signal records, leaving Lister to deal with the consequences of killing a Galactic noble.

• Lister entered the warehouse and attacked Lim, overcoming her armguards and leg wraps as Wang Yue watched.
• Lister used his transforming saber to nearly deplete Lim’s health, and Lim begged him to spare her.
• Lister agreed, but the fake Lim crushed Lim’s heart, killing her and earning Lister 110,000 experience points.
• Reck arrived and told Lister that he had intercepted three calls for help addressed to Uncle Jialiwen.

Wang Yue and Lister carried out their plan to replace Lim Aiven, with Reck providing intelligence and signal equipment. After Wang Yue contacted Jialiwen while impersonating Lim, his reaction revealed that he knew Wang Yue was close to an Overlord Tier recruit.

• Reck gave Lister information about Jialiwen and the Aiven Family, and Wang Yue recovered a damaged S-rank chip from Lim's body.
• Lister and Wang Yue chose Jialiwen as the key to making Wang Yue's impersonation of Lim succeed.
• Wang Yue altered Lim's corpse and used a blood-replacement solution to erase evidence, while Reck extracted information from the chip and left with the equipment.
• Wang Yue transferred the intercepted information to a Beta Civilization chip and contacted Jialiwen while posing as Lim.
• Jialiwen asked whom Lim had killed, then cursed her for targeting Wang Yue, someone close to an Overlord Tier recruit.

Wang Yue passed Jialiwen’s call without revealing her identity, while he decided to push “Lim” out of the military district. After the warehouse’s ownership was officially transferred, Major Qi told Lister the investigation would be dropped and offered him part of the Aiven Family’s compensation.

• Jialiwen told “Lim” to stay in her dorm and keep quiet about the recruit’s death until the warehouse documents became public.
• Jialiwen said “Lim” would likely be removed from the military district and sent to govern a planet in a level-three civilization, then ended the call when she protested.
• Lister checked the public decrees and saw that the abandoned warehouse had been assigned to the local government and removed from the recruit camp’s activity area.
• Major Qi told Lister that headquarters would not intervene in Wang Yue’s death and that the camp would stop investigating after receiving compensation from the Aiven Family.
• Major Qi gave Lister ten Beta Civilization universal level-two resources as his share of the compensation, and Lister accepted them.

Lister used ten vials to raise his attributes, then met Ian, who announced he was withdrawing from the special-resource competition and transferring to another recruit camp. Lister accepted Ian’s offer of friendship and waited for the transfer to take effect.

• Lister used ten vials and raised all four base attributes to 194.
• Wang Yue sent Lister messages showing that Ian had guided Lim and helped her target him.
• Ian invited Lister to meet and said he was withdrawing from the competition to become friends.
• Lister checked the camp notification and learned that Ian would transfer to Monroe Recruit Camp in seven days.
• Lister concluded Ian was cutting his losses and agreed to be friends with him.

Lister helped Reck improve his combat rating to Grade B, then won the recruit camp’s monthly exam and the special resource. Colonel Lafei of the Tenth Central Army Group arrived to distribute it and expressed interest in Lister’s talent.

• Lister trained Reck to defend against close-range attacks and retreat to ranged combat, helping him reach Grade B.
• Reck used Lister’s advice to defeat Jia’er and enter the top hundred in the monthly simulated combat exam.
• Lister held his top position as the exam concluded, earning 180 military merits and the camp’s special resource.
• Major Qi introduced Colonel Lafei, who praised Lister’s talent and said he would have invited him to join the Tenth Central Army Group if he were not a martial artist.

Lister used the Federation’s special enhancement resource and discovered it was a Soul Crystal, which he absorbed directly. The enhancement strengthened his soul and raised two skills to S-rank, leaving him with an SS-rank World-Ending Level rating.

• Colonel Lafei prepared the special enhancement pod and warned Lister that using the resource carried a 1–2% chance of death.
• Lister entered the pod, discovered the resource was a Soul Crystal, and chose to absorb it directly for greater utilization.
• Lister endured intense pain as the Soul Crystal entered him, then used his experience to raise Robust Soul from level 20 to level 60.
• Lister advanced Merrick Saber Technique to S-rank, gaining super armor while attacking and adding true damage to its strikes.
• Lister advanced Federation Shunpo to S-rank, gaining the ability to move through space within a 300-meter diameter.
• Lister’s overall rating rose from S-rank to SS-rank, labeled World-Ending Level.