Chapter Summaries

Lin Mo and Deke’s caravan was attacked by an assassin, and the arrival of Grimm and Benlo Preston revealed a plot by the Jade Merchant Guild and Duke Ster Morin to replace Benlo and take over the Preston Family. Benlo planned to continue posing as the impostor and use the scheme against the Morin Family, while Glenn agreed to cooperate.

• A black-robed Assassin attacked Lin Mo near the edge of Blackwater Marsh, but Lin Mo’s clone tricked him and Lin Mo killed him with [Meteor Stab].
• Grimm arrived with Benlo Preston and ordered his people to surround the merchant caravan, surprising Lin Mo and Deke.
• Benlo explained that his mother, the Jade Merchant Guild, and Duke Ster Morin had planned to replace him with his half-brother and seize control of the Preston Family.
• Benlo revealed that he had learned the plot from Duke Morin’s wife, contacted Grimm, and intended to play along rather than expose the scheme immediately.
• Benlo let the impostor escape so he could continue posing as him, and Glenn agreed to cooperate with Benlo to protect himself.

Benlo, Lin Mo, and Deke agreed to cooperate against the Morin Family, and Glenn persuaded the caravan to cover up Benlo’s escape. Lin Mo maxed out Meteor Stab and gained the Epic-level skill Magic Light Piercing Kill before the group completed the journey to the Royal Capital and celebrated their mission.

• Benlo explained his plan to Lin Mo and Deke, who agreed to cooperate with him against the Morin Family.
• Glenn persuaded the caravan members to support the cover story and dealt with anyone who resisted.
• Lin Mo maxed out Meteor Stab, gained Magic Light Piercing Kill, and chose the Accumulation evolution path.
• The caravan reached the Royal Capital, where Benlo joined the other side and the Jade Merchant Guild’s plan proceeded as expected.
• Lin Mo and Deke’s group celebrated the mission, agreed to split the rewards with Lin Mo receiving sixty-five percent, and planned to visit the Association the next day.

After learning Ally’s Frost Slash through Co-Cultivation, Lin Mo tested whether he could use the ice-bloodline skill and began investigating how to combine Blood Qi with mana. A fleeting compression in his layered energy suggested a path toward a new power he called Demonic Energy, which could open the way to several hybrid professions.

• Lin Mo learned Ally’s Frost Slash after Co-Cultivation reached Level 2, then tested it using Blood Qi and mana but could only produce an ordinary slash or a spell-like imitation.
• Lin Mo struggled to make Blood Qi and mana cooperate until Shefiliya’s braids gave him the idea to weave the energies together in complex sequences.
• Lin Mo repeatedly rearranged and layered the two energies while attempting to operate Frost Slash, and briefly compressed the diffuse energy before it sprang apart.
• Lin Mo concluded that refining this approach might produce a new energy, which he named Demonic Energy, and could enable him to become a Magic Swordsman, true Paladin, Magic Tank, Magic Archer, or Magic Assassin.

Lin Mo and his companions collected the generous rewards for completing the caravan escort mission, then divided the proceeds and planned purchases for improving their equipment. Lin Mo led the group to the Royal Capital’s adventurer commercial district to visit the newly opened Nolun Merchant Guild.

• Lin Mo’s group collected 8,800 Gold Coins for mission C-5547 and sold their monster materials for another 7,700 Gold Coins.
• Deke’s party received 5,775 Gold Coins, while Lin Mo’s group received 10,725 Gold Coins, and Deke advanced to Silver-ranked Adventurer.
• Lin Mo considered replacing his Mithril Gloves with Epic Rank gloves forged using the Spirit Vein Mithril he already owned.
• Lin Mo decided to prioritize buying Ice and Fire Magic Stones, along with a Low-grade Ice Elemental Reagent, while Phini waited until she was stronger to upgrade her equipment.
• Lin Mo led the group to the newly opened Nolun Merchant Guild to shop for the planned items.

Lin Mo bought stronger Fire and Ice Magic Stones and an Ice Elemental Reagent at the Nolun Merchant Guild, then confirmed the formula by which elemental affinity gains diminished. After he set out for Preston Forge, Nolun watched a magical projection of him and Phini and expressed interest in the man who had captivated her sister.

• Lin Mo purchased a Low-grade Ice Elemental Reagent and Excellent Grade Fire and Ice Magic Stones at the Nolun Merchant Guild, earning points and a customer discount.
• Lin Mo gave Ally the bitter reagent, replaced his old Magic Stones, and calculated how overlapping affinity bonuses diminished.
• Lin Mo confirmed that elemental affinity followed a diminishing formula and found that the new stones improved his Fire and Ice affinities and helped his magic flow more smoothly.
• Lin Mo finished his tea and led his companions toward Preston Forge.
• A maid informed Nolun that Phini, Shefiliya, Lin Mo, and a Half-beastman had arrived in the Royal Capital, and Nolun watched a magical projection of them.

Lin Mo visited the Preston Forge branch to commission Epic Rank Mithril Gloves, where he reunited with Edgar and persuaded master blacksmith Andre to study the Spirit Vein Mithril. Andre lent Lin Mo the Epic Rank Shadowy Blood-walking Boots, and Lin Mo's party planned a safer return route before setting out on another adventure.

• Lin Mo went to Bainlo's Preston Forge branch and asked him to find a master blacksmith to forge Mithril Gloves.
• Bainlo introduced Lin Mo to Andre, and Lin Mo discovered that Andre's son Edgar was the blacksmith he had known in Roland Town.
• Lin Mo showed Andre the Spirit Vein Mithril, and Andre agreed to study it and design the Epic Rank gloves.
• Andre lent Lin Mo the Epic Rank Shadowy Blood-walking Boots while he prepared several forging plans.
• Lin Mo's party chose to avoid Blackwater Marsh and planned to take D-rank missions near Giantstone Mine on their return journey.
• After spending the night with Shefiliya, Lin Mo gained two Agility points and prepared to set out with his party.

Lin Mo and Deke’s team traveled to Giantstone Mine to take on three missions, and Lin Mo’s Ferocious Charge Fist reached its maximum level and evolved into Mountain Shaking Fist. After gathering information at the mining camp, the group headed toward the Rock Golems’ occupied tunnel in Area 2.

• Deke selected three missions, and Lin Mo’s team jointly accepted them with Deke’s team: eliminate Rock Golems, eradicate Crystal Devouring Worms, and investigate a Crystallized Spider Nest.
• Lin Mo and the others traveled to Giantstone Mine, where he killed monsters along the road and rescued a struggling adventurer team by defeating their attackers with Ferocious Charge Fist.
• After repeatedly using Ferocious Charge Fist, Lin Mo raised it to level 6, gained Strength, and learned the evolved skill Mountain Shaking Fist, which could knock back weaker enemies.
• Deke spoke with the mining camp’s personnel, who provided information and arranged a guide to the Rock Golems in Area 2.
• The guide led the group to a damaged mine tunnel occupied by monsters, and Lin Mo prepared to test his new skills.

Lin Mo led the group into the Giant Stone Mine, where he discovered thirteen Rock Golems and began fighting them. After defeating them and evolving Grab into Assault Capture, he reached 102 base Strength and advanced from Warrior Level 9 to Level 10.

• Lin Mo sent a Shadow Split clone into the mine and found thirteen Rock Golems, whose strongest member was only Threat Level 5.
• Lin Mo switched places with his clone, killed a Rock Golem with Mountain Shaking Fist, and chose the Piercing Fist evolution path.
• Lin Mo and the others fought the Rock Golems, with Ally using Frost Slash while Lin Mo practiced Grab.
• Lin Mo slaughtered all thirteen Rock Golems, maxed out Grab, and learned the evolved skill Assault Capture.
• Lin Mo gained enough base Strength to reach 102 and advanced his Warrior profession from Level 9 to Level 10.

After defeating the Rock Golems, Lin Mo and his companions traveled deeper into Giantstone Mine to hunt Crystal Devouring Worms. On the way, Lin Mo tested Magic Light Piercing Kill on another Rock Golem, demonstrating its devastating piercing power.

• Lin Mo and the others collected 12 intact Rock Cores, returned to camp, and shared a meal made with ingredients from Lin Mo’s Ring of Space.
• Shefiliya privately worried about what the Nolun family knew about Phini, Lin Mo, and their relationship.
• The group set out for Area 3 to exterminate Crystal Devouring Worms, fighting monsters as they traveled through the mine.
• Lin Mo left the carriage to test Magic Light Piercing Kill on a Rock Golem and pierced both the monster and the mine wall with a concentrated beam of sword qi.

Lin Mo and Deke’s party found the Crystal Devouring Worm nest, and Lin Mo accidentally killed its Level 8 mother body while blasting a passage underground. After the party defeated the remaining worms, they headed toward the middle level of Giantstone Mine and discovered the magic array that carried them down.

• Deke used Magic Crystal powder to locate the Crystal Devouring Worm nest, and Lin Mo blasted a deep passage through the ground with [Magic Light Piercing Kill].
• Lin Mo’s attack killed the Crystal Devouring Worm mother body, so his clone retrieved its venom sac and lured a worm upward to bring the sac back to the surface.
• Lin Mo and Deke’s party fought off the remaining worms, collected their venom sacs, and completed the extermination mission.
• Lin Mo’s [Spear of Blazing Fire] advanced from level 3 to level 5, and he chose the Sharp evolution path again.
• Deke’s party traveled to the end of Area 3 and rode a magic array down toward the middle level of Giantstone Mine.

Lin Mo’s group traveled through the Giantstone Mine’s middle level toward their final mission, while Lin Mo learned about the Royal National Academy students training there and caught Eve and Milan’s attention. The group set out for the Crystallized Spider nest, and Lin Mo began clearing monsters along the route as they headed deeper into Area 6.

• Deke explained how arrays worked as the group crossed an Earth Element Pile Array into the Giantstone Mine’s middle level and reached its camp.
• Lin Mo learned about the Royal National Academy’s advanced students and watched Eve and Milan’s party settle into camp; Milan mentioned that Flora praised a genius she had met and used that person to push her students harder.
• After Lin Mo noticed a new Co-Cultivation proficiency increase, the group departed for its Crystallized Spider Nest Investigation mission in Area 6.
• Deke warned that Area 6 contained many powerful monsters, while Hahn checked the route on the map.
• Lin Mo used Eagle Eye to spot monsters and killed them with Blood Qi Blade as Luke and Hahn collected their crystals without stopping the carriage.

Lin Mo maxed out Blood Qi Blade and gained the Epic-level Blood Moon Sky Charge, then planned how to raise his attributes and skills. He led Deke’s team into the Crystallized Spider Nest, where they found a vast web-filled cavern and began collecting spider silk.

• Blood Qi Blade reached its maximum level and evolved into Blood Moon Sky Charge, which dealt powerful damage but injured Lin Mo when cast.
• Lin Mo chose to reduce Blood Moon Sky Charge’s self-damage and planned to raise his Warrior skills for Strength and Spear of Blazing Fire for Magic.
• Lin Mo continued killing monsters with Spear of Blazing Fire as Deke led the team toward the Crystallized Spider Nest in Giantstone Mine Area 6.
• The group entered the dark cave, and Lin Mo used Light Spell while his clone scouted ahead.
• Deke explained that most Crystallized Spiders were away during the day, and the team found a large nest covered in glowing webs.
• Deke began recording the nest and cutting free spider webs, while the team started collecting them with protective gloves.

Lin Mo and his team cleared the Crystallized Spiders guarding their nest and collected dozens of webs, while Eve’s academy team was surrounded by a Crystallized Spider Queen and its reinforcements. The two groups met at the nest entrance as the spiders closed in.

• Lin Mo killed the Crystallized Spiders guarding the nest, gained skill proficiency, and helped his team collect fifty spider webs.
• Eve’s team fought the level 10 Crystallized Spider Queen, but their attacks could not bring it down.
• Milan spotted a group of approaching Crystallized Spiders, and Eve led the team toward the nest to avoid being surrounded from both sides.
• The academy team found more Crystallized Spiders blocking their original escape route and retreated toward the nest entrance.
• Eve’s team encountered Lin Mo and the adventurers leaving the nest, while a wave of Crystallized Spiders closed in behind them.

Eve and the academy students fought alongside Lin Mo’s adventuring party against the Crystallized Spiders in Giantstone Mine. Lin Mo effortlessly killed the Crystallized Spider Queen, leaving Eve convinced that he was a genius beyond her reach.

• Eve wondered whether Lin Mo was the exceptionally talented person Teacher Flora had once encountered before the Crystallized Spiders caught up with the group.
• Deke and Eve each killed a Crystallized Spider as the adventurers and students joined forces against the swarm.
• Lin Mo amazed Eve and Milan by rapidly casting powerful Blazing Fire Spears to kill the spiders.
• When the Crystallized Spider Queen charged, Lin Mo drew an Epic Rank sword and rushed into close combat.
• Lin Mo used Phantom Sword Dance to badly wound the Queen, then finished it with a Blazing Fire Spear.
• Eve watched Lin Mo defeat the Queen and felt that no matter how hard she worked, she could never surpass him.

After Lin Mo’s party and the academy students survived a sudden collapse in Giantstone Mine, Lin Mo healed the injured and suspected the disaster had been deliberately caused. The group remained trapped underground, and the students blamed Satter’s fear of Eve in the Hunting Competition.

• Lin Mo’s battle proficiency raised Spear of Blazing Fire to its maximum level, evolving it into Sky Burning Flame Spear, and he chose the path that gave it a chance to strike vital points.
• As Lin Mo’s party and the academy students prepared to part ways outside the cave, Giantstone Mine shook violently and the ground beneath them collapsed.
• Lin Mo and Shefiliya stopped their fall against the cliff wall, protected their companions, and reached the lower level; Lin Mo then healed Luke, Deke’s group, and the injured students.
• After Milan said the chaotic mana fluctuations prevented magical communication, Lin Mo reasoned that someone could have used Earth magic to cause the collapse and conceal the traces.
• Eve stayed calm, and the academy students concluded that Satter had arranged the accident because he feared Eve in the Hunting Competition.

Lin Mo and the Royal National Academy students uncovered that Satter and Duke Ster Morin had arranged the cave-in to eliminate Eve and promote the Morin Family before the Hunting Competition. With rescue expected in one or two days, Lin Mo created a fortified shelter in the mine, but approaching footsteps signaled their first enemy was near.

• The students blamed Satter for targeting Eve, and they suspected his father, Duke Ster Morin, was involved in the cave-in.
• Lin Mo reasoned that the Morin Family wanted to win the Hunting Competition to compete with the Nolun Merchant Guild, and the group prepared to survive until rescue arrived.
• Lin Mo told Milan that Flora had taught him magic and greeted her as a classmate, leaving Milan to reconsider Flora's stories about him.
• Lin Mo sent a Shadow Split clone to search for shelter, but it found no suitable place before its duration ran out.
• Lin Mo blasted into a rock wall and used Earth magic to expand and reinforce a temporary shelter for the group.
• Hearing heavy footsteps approaching, Lin Mo led the group out to face their first opponent.

Lin Mo fought the monsters in Area 7 of Giantstone Mine and, while leveling his skills, fused magic power and Blood Qi into a new attack. He used Blazing Moon Sky Charge to cut down the Deep Rock Golem, leaving the group to face the aftermath of his breakthrough.

• Eve, Deke, and the others battled a swarm of Giant Rock Golems while Shefiliya guarded Phini.
• Lin Mo used Thunderfall, Sky Burning Flame Spear, and Blood Moon Sky Charge to destroy golems and raise his skills and attributes.
• Lin Mo stopped moving as he perceived the threads of magic power and Blood Qi intertwining, while the Deep Rock Golem advanced on him.
• Shefiliya rushed to protect Lin Mo, and Eve's sword strike failed to halt the Deep Rock Golem.
• Lin Mo awakened a fused power and used Blazing Moon Sky Charge to slice the Deep Rock Golem in two.

After defeating the monsters, Lin Mo examined his new Magic Swordsman profession and its extraordinary attribute bonuses and skill effects. While the group rested around a fire in the cave, Eve asked him about the powerful skill he had used.

• Lin Mo returned to the group after killing the greatest threat, and everyone retreated to the cave once the remaining monsters were dealt with.
• Lin Mo reviewed his Warrior and Mage advancements and discovered that changing to Magic Swordsman had granted him a separate level-one profession with enormous attribute amplification.
• Lin Mo learned that Heart of the Magic Sword let him combine skills through Demonic Energy, boost their power, and raise the proficiency of both component skills.
• Deke urged everyone to relax while they waited for the instigators to send more monsters, and Luke suggested they eat.
• Lin Mo grilled meat by the fire, drawing the group together, and Eve asked him about the skill he had used in battle.

Lin Mo explained his Special Job Change and demonstrated that he could combine Blood Qi with mana and merge different elemental powers, astonishing the academy students. While Seth ventured deeper into the Giantstone Mine to find stronger monsters for Duke Morin’s mission, Lin Mo sent out a clone to hunt an Acid Lizard and train Shadow Split.

• Deke described ordinary job changes, and Eve and Milan explained that Special Job Change fused two professions or magical attributes.
• Lin Mo revealed that he had combined Blood Qi and mana, then showed Milan that he could merge fire and water into a single spell.
• Seth decided to risk entering Area 8 of the Giantstone Mine to find monsters capable of threatening Lin Mo and the others.
• After waiting without a monster attack, Lin Mo sent a Shadow Split clone to scout and encountered an Acid Lizard.
• Lin Mo’s clone dodged the Acid Lizard’s ambush, killed it, and gained proficiency in Shadow Split.

Lin Mo’s scouting clone discovered a group of powerful Crystal Cluster Guards approaching the cave where the party had been sheltering. As the others prepared for battle, Lin Mo’s Shadow Split skill and two classes advanced, and the chapter ended as Deke recognized the monsters.

• Lin Mo learned that Shadow Split had reached Level 5 while the group waited in the mine, and Deke persuaded him to try roasted worm meat.
• After nearly a day in the cave, Lin Mo sent out a clone to scout and found a group of crystal-armored monsters in the mine’s depths.
• The clone killed a Level 9 monster but was badly injured by a much stronger crystal-armored leader before using an explosive attack.
• Lin Mo warned the group that the approaching monsters were too strong for most of them, while Eve, Deke, and Lin Mo prepared to fight.
• Lin Mo’s Shadow Split reached Level 6, and his Assassin and Ranger classes advanced to Level 8.
• The monsters arrived, and Deke identified them as Crystal Cluster Guards.