Chapter Summaries

Su Ran led his teammates through the Rat King’s swarm by blinding the rats with a Light Spell, then returned to his apartment to open his dungeon treasure chest. He obtained a reinforced shield and an Old Skill Scroll Fragment before the chest finally disappeared.

• Su Ran used a Light Spell to blind the rats and Rat King, then directed the shield guard and spearmen as they cleared the swarm and killed the Rat King.
• The team received treasure chests and reached the dungeon exit, where Su Ran earned a 36% contribution assessment and 18 experience points.
• Su Ran returned to the city and went to his apartment, carrying his unopened wooden treasure chest in his personal space.
• Su Ran opened the chest and found a silver coin and a Reinforced Roundwood Shield.
• Su Ran opened the chest again and found another silver coin and an Old Skill Scroll Fragment, after which the chest dissipated.

Su Ran assembled a [Lesser Healing Spell Skill Scroll], learned the spell, and reflected on how much harder life was in the present than during the era of legendary awakenings. While eating, he checked the falling market price of the Mage class scroll and read a forum analysis about the decline of traditional ranged classes.

• Su Ran combined three [Old Skill Scroll Fragments] into a [Lesser Healing Spell Skill Scroll].
• Su Ran used the scroll and gained [Lesser Healing Spell Lv.1].
• Su Ran examined his class panel and compared his weak new spell and meager possessions with the legendary classes of two hundred years earlier.
• Su Ran set aside his thoughts about the past and cooked a cheap meal in his cramped room.
• Su Ran checked the [Black Iron Class Scroll: Mage] price, which had fallen to 1 gold coin, and read a forum post charting the decline of traditional ranged classes.

Su Ran read that Gunslingers offered a cheaper, more reliable path than mages for low-level awakened, but he remained committed to becoming a mage because his treasure-chest talent could help him acquire resources. The Black Dog Gang then tried to recruit him for a dangerous advance force in the Ashen Wasteland rift by offering to erase his debt and provide equipment, but Su Ran refused after recognizing the offer as a near-certain death sentence.

• Su Ran read a forum post explaining why Gunslingers outperformed mages at low levels in damage, cost, and ease of use, while mages required substantial resources and practice to realize their potential.
• Su Ran considered the cost of a mage scroll and concluded that his double treasure chest talent could help him overcome the class's resource demands, so he remained set on becoming a mage.
• A Black Dog Gang debt collector offered to erase Su Ran's 200,000-credit loan and provide fine-grade equipment if he joined an advance force targeting the Ashen Wasteland rift.
• Su Ran refused the offer, saying his low level would make him a burden, and the caller warned him to pay next month's installment before ending the call.
• Su Ran recognized that the advance force was being used as cannon fodder and discarded his terminal, no longer interested in browsing the forums.

Su Ran sold his shield and bracers at Old Henry's General Store, then bought parchment and a stamina potion with the proceeds. Back in his rented room, he began making a Light Spell Scroll using his Scholar skills and familiar spell knowledge.

• Su Ran traveled to the inner ring and sold his [Reinforced Roundwood Shield] and [Simple Bracers] to Old Henry for 6 silver and 30 copper.
• Su Ran bought ten [Blank Parchment Scrolls] and a [Stamina Recovery Potion (Trace)] for 4 silver and 50 copper.
• Su Ran returned to his rented room and prepared his equipment to try making scrolls.
• Su Ran selected a [Light Spell Scroll] as his first project and began guiding his mental power through the ink and parchment.

Su Ran practiced making spell scrolls, improving his [Light Spell] and successfully crafting two [Lesser Healing Spell Scrolls]. After resting, he contacted the shield guard to ask about preparations for [Skeleton Graveyard].

• Su Ran crafted five [Light Spell Scrolls], and his [Light Spell] increased to Lv.2.
• Su Ran failed three times while attempting to craft a [Lesser Healing Spell Scroll], learning the spell’s vulnerable points with each attempt.
• Su Ran successfully crafted two [Lesser Healing Spell Scrolls] on his fourth and fifth attempts.
• Su Ran put away the seven successful scrolls and rested for two hours.
• At 20:00, Su Ran contacted the shield guard and asked how preparations for [Skeleton Graveyard] were going.

Su Ran led the shieldguard and two spearmen into [Skeleton Graveyard (Easy)], relying on Light Spell scrolls and careful teamwork to counter the skeletons. After clearing waves of two and four enemies, the party faced eight armed skeleton soldiers as they entered an open area.

• Su Ran prepared Light Spell and Lesser Healing Spell scrolls and agreed with the shieldguard to meet the next day.
• Su Ran met the shieldguard and the two spearmen, warned them not to underestimate the skeletons, and led the party into [Skeleton Graveyard (Easy)].
• The party defeated two skeleton soldiers and collected bone powder and copper coins.
• Four more skeleton soldiers emerged, and the party destroyed them through coordinated attacks, gaining a small bone fragment as well.
• Eight burial mounds burst open around the party, revealing skeleton soldiers armed with swords, bone shields, and two rusty woodcutting axes.

Su Ran and his teammates cleared the Skeleton Graveyard by using Light Spell scrolls to disrupt the skeletons, then defeated an elite skeleton and earned their first-clear rewards. Back at home, Su Ran reached Level 2, gained one Spirit point, and saw his Personal Space expand to one cubic meter.

• Su Ran used a Light Spell scroll to weaken eight skeletons, and he and his teammates destroyed them with coordinated attacks.
• A Decaying Skeleton Saber-and-Shield Soldier appeared, and the party defeated it by disrupting its attacks and striking its exposed core.
• An exit gate and four treasure chests appeared, and Su Ran stored his chest in his Personal Space before leaving the instance.
• Su Ran returned home, checked his class panel, and used his accumulated experience to level up from Level 1 to Level 2.
• Su Ran gained one Spirit point, noticed improved control of his perception and spellcasting, and found that his Personal Space had doubled in size.

Su Ran opened the wooden treasure chest twice and obtained a Rusty Iron Sword, a silver coin, and a rare Skeleton Summoning Token. After a week of dungeon runs, he had secretly collected seven tokens and began checking public forums to gauge whether anyone else had found them.

• Su Ran opened the chest once and found a Rusty Iron Sword and a silver coin, then reset it and opened it again to find a Skeleton Summoning Token with six durability points.
• Su Ran and the Shield Guard Squad ran the easy Skeleton Graveyard daily for a week, improving their coordination and collecting ordinary loot.
• Su Ran secretly obtained seven Skeleton Summoning Tokens from the seven chests' second openings, far more than the normal drop rate would suggest.
• Su Ran decided he had to conceal some tokens because their unusual number could expose him and put him in danger.
• On the bus back to the city, Su Ran browsed trading and information platforms without searching for tokens directly, but found no public discussion of them.

Su Ran noticed a suspicious high-paying listing for undead-related objects, then the bus he was riding lost power and was dragged into an Otherworldly Rift. He realized the passengers were trapped in a dark forest and would need to find the rift’s core creature or a rare return point to escape.

• Su Ran found a recent listing seeking old objects and contract vessels with undead energy, and considered checking the buyer’s history before making contact.
• Every screen and rune lamp on the bus went dark, and the bus abruptly stalled.
• Su Ran looked outside and saw that the bus had been transported from Route 7 to a dark, ominous forest.
• The driver tried to calm the frightened passengers and said they might have entered a rift.
• Su Ran recognized the situation as an Otherworldly Rift and concluded that the passengers had to find the core creature or a return point to escape.

Su Ran and the bus passengers found themselves trapped in an Otherworld Rift, where driver Lv.4 [Twin-Blade Assassin] organized the survivors into a team to search the forest for a way out or the enemy core. Su Ran revealed his spell scrolls and Skeleton Summoning Token, then joined the group as they left the bus and entered the dark woods.

• Su Ran urged the passengers to leave the bus and search for the Rift's core or an exit instead of waiting to die.
• The driver identified himself as a Lv.4 [Twin-Blade Assassin] and asked everyone to state their class and level; four other passengers revealed combat classes, while Su Ran said he was a Lv.2 [Scholar].
• Su Ran explained that his Light Spell and Lesser Healing Spell scrolls could help the group and that his Skeleton Summoning Token might summon skeleton soldiers.
• The driver accepted Su Ran into the team, assigned everyone positions, and forced open the bus door with repeated kicks.
• The driver led the group onto the muddy path, and Su Ran followed them into the dim, tangled forest.

Su Ran and the others were surrounded in the forest by a Gnoll Warlord and at least fifteen Gnolls. At the driver's urgent command, Su Ran used his Skeleton Summoning Token and summoned two Lv.2 Skeleton Warriors as the battle began.

• The driver found fresh tracks, and Su Ran identified them as belonging to a group of Gnolls.
• Gnolls emerged from the forest and surrounded the team, led by a Lv.4 Gnoll Warlord.
• The driver rallied the group and ordered Su Ran to summon skeletons to protect the front line.
• Su Ran activated his Skeleton Summoning Token, spending about one-fifth of his mental power to summon two Lv.2 Skeleton Warriors.

Su Ran and the survivors fought the Gnoll pack and its Warlord, using summoned Skeleton Warriors to hold the line until the driver killed the Warlord. The three surviving fighters were left gravely injured, and the distant bus became slightly clearer after the battle.

• Su Ran ordered two Skeleton Warriors to defend the group as the driver attacked the Gnoll Warlord and the others fought the surrounding Gnolls.
• Su Ran healed the wounded driver with a Lesser Healing Spell Scroll, but the first Skeleton Warriors were destroyed and the saber wielder was killed.
• Su Ran summoned two more Skeleton Warriors, then used his last strength to summon a weakened one that briefly delayed the Gnolls.
• The driver took a terrible wound but killed the Gnoll Warlord, while the swordsman and spearman finished off the last ordinary Gnolls and the rest fled.
• Su Ran, the driver, the swordsman, and the spearman were the only survivors; all three fighters were gravely injured, and the bus appeared slightly clearer in the distance.

Su Ran and three other survivors returned from the otherworld rift, where four silver treasure chests appeared, and received rescue and medical care from the City Guard Hall. As investigators questioned him about the incident, Su Ran concealed how his Double Treasure Chest talent worked and claimed he had obtained his summoning token through repeated runs of the Skeleton Graveyard.

• Four silver treasure chests formed above the fallen Gnoll Warlord, and Su Ran received experience for surviving the rift and contributing to the battle.
• Su Ran and the other survivors were teleported back to the wilderness near the bus, where a City Guard Hall rescue team treated the wounded.
• A mage guard gave Su Ran a Basic Mental Power Recovery Potion, which restored most of his depleted mental power.
• The Guard Hall separated the survivors and questioned them about the rift incident and their survival.
• Su Ran told investigators he had found his Skeleton Summoning Token in the Skeleton Graveyard after running the instance seven times, concealing his Double Treasure Chest talent.

After surviving the rift, Su Ran completed his interview with the Guard Hall and returned to his rented room to assess his gains. He discovered Knowledge Insight had advanced to Lv.3, raised his level to Lv.3 and Spirit to 14, then prepared to open the silver treasure chest.

• Su Ran described the rift battle to the Guard Hall investigator, crediting the driver and his teammates with their actions.
• The investigator released Su Ran and said the driver would receive treatment, with rewards and compensation to be assessed later.
• Su Ran returned to his rented room, checked his personal panel, and noticed Knowledge Insight had risen to Lv.3.
• Su Ran leveled up from Lv.2 to Lv.3 and allocated his new attribute point to Spirit, raising it from 13 to 14.
• Su Ran washed his face and returned to the table, ready to open the silver treasure chest from the rift.

Su Ran opened a Silver Chest twice and gained valuable currency, a Berserk skill scroll, and a rare potion that permanently increased his spirit and strength. He stored the rewards safely, reflecting on how the crisis in the otherworld rift had brought him both danger and extraordinary gains.

• Su Ran opened the Silver Chest and found a gold coin and a single-use Berserk skill scroll.
• He reset the chest and opened it a second time, finding at least fifty silver coins and a rare Tear of Blood potion.
• Su Ran learned that the potion permanently increased spirit by 2 and strength by 1, but carried a warning about its powerful shock.
• He stored all the rewards in his personal space as the empty chest dissolved into silver light.

Su Ran spent nearly all his money preparing to pursue the Mage class, then took the Blood Tear Potion and survived its violent effects. His Strength and Spirit increased, leaving him exhausted but with improved attributes.

• Su Ran bought a Mind-Calming Jade Pendant to protect and focus his mental power.
• Su Ran purchased a Black Iron-Class Mage scroll, fine-grade equipment, and twenty Blank Parchment Scrolls, spending almost all his remaining money.
• Su Ran returned to his room, used the pendant to steady himself, and drank the Blood Tear Potion.
• The potion battered Su Ran's body and mind, but the pendant helped him hold on until the effects subsided.
• Su Ran checked his updated attributes and found that his Strength rose from 6 to 7 and his Spirit from 14 to 16.

Su Ran successfully changed his class from Scholar to Mage, gaining Meditation and Energy Missile while retaining his existing skills. With his new identity and seven Skeleton Summoning Tokens, he planned to sell the tokens to fund his next steps.

• Su Ran activated the Black Iron-grade Mage class scroll and endured its precise, painful transformation of his class framework.
• The scroll changed Su Ran's class to Mage and granted him Meditation and Energy Missile, while preserving his Scholar skills.
• Su Ran checked his updated status panel and tested Energy Missile, forming an unstable sphere of pale purple energy.
• Su Ran decided to sell his seven Skeleton Summoning Tokens because he had nearly run out of money.
• Su Ran reasoned that being a well-equipped Mage made his possession of an undead-summoning item less likely to draw suspicion.

Su Ran brought a used Skeleton Summoning Token to a discreet trading meet in the Still Corridor Bar’s back alley and negotiated with a middle-aged intermediary. The man offered a choice of barter items or cash, and Su Ran began examining his list.

• Su Ran disguised his appearance, gathered a Skeleton Summoning Token and spare materials, and traveled to the Inner Ring District.
• Su Ran entered the back alley behind the Still Corridor Bar and signaled a pipe-smoking middle-aged man with the token’s undead aura.
• Su Ran showed the intermediary the token and explained that it had seven durability remaining and could summon a Lv.2 skeleton warrior.
• Su Ran revealed that he had two tokens, and the intermediary offered one listed item per token, a better item for both, or about 75 to 80 silver coins each.
• Su Ran read the intermediary’s list, which included a Glimmering Crystal Fragment, a damaged Fireball scroll, and an unstable Lesser Invisibility Potion.

Su Ran traded two Skeleton Summoning Tokens to Old Tobacco Pipe for a Mana Ring and twelve Small Mana Recovery Potions, improving his mana capacity and supplies. He agreed to join Shield Guard and Spearman at Crouching Tiger Slope the next morning, while noting that his teammates were still Lv.2.

• Su Ran chose the Mana Ring and twelve Small Mana Recovery Potions in exchange for his two Skeleton Summoning Tokens.
• Old Tobacco Pipe verified the tokens and handed Su Ran the ring and potions, which Su Ran checked and equipped.
• Shield Guard messaged Su Ran about the newly opened Crouching Tiger Slope resource dungeon and its valuable drops.
• Su Ran agreed to join Shield Guard and Spearman at the dungeon the next morning.
• Su Ran reflected that Shield Guard and the others had made little progress toward Lv.3.

Su Ran prepared for a run of [Crouching Tiger Slope (Easy)] and considered how his growing strength might eventually separate him from Shield Guard's group. At the gathering point, he revealed that he had become a [Black Iron Tier Mage] and learned Energy Missile and Berserk, then Shield Guard brought up the dungeon's entry fee.

• Su Ran considered the widening gap between his abilities and Shield Guard's group and decided to keep working with them while their goals still aligned.
• Su Ran prepared scrolls, potions, and an Oak Staff for the next day's dungeon run.
• Su Ran arrived at the gathering point and surprised Shield Guard and the two Spearmen with his improved equipment and composed bearing.
• Su Ran told the group he had changed class to [Black Iron Tier Mage] and demonstrated Energy Missile, then said he could use Berserk.
• Shield Guard celebrated the party's improved prospects, then explained that Crouching Tiger Slope required a resource-gathering permit costing two silver coins per person.