Chapter Summaries

Ailin encountered four Ghouls beneath a tower of Drowner heads by Killer Lake and quickly killed them, discovering they were weaker than he expected. He accepted the Ghoul hunting mission and turned toward the now-unguarded Drowner Jingguan.

• Ailin spotted a tower made of Drowner heads and saw several red figures moving in the bushes where he had fought Foglets.
• Four Ghouls detected Ailin and charged, so he cast Quen, applied Necrophage Oil, and used Alde Sign to interrupt their attack.
• Ailin discovered his sword could split a Ghoul's claw with one strike, then killed the group with his silver sword and Igni Sign.
• The System awarded Ailin loot, activated the Ghoul Bestiary, and offered the Ghoul I hunting mission, which he accepted.
• Ailin put away the Witcher's Handbook and looked toward the unguarded Drowner Jingguan.

Ailin discovered a blood-soaked Jingguan containing the heads of Drowners and two Foglets he had killed, and suspected it was connected to a Swamp Hag and the Ritual: Flesh Giant. After reaching Old Spearhead's cave, he drank Cat Eye Potion to test it and wondered how its vision effect could increase critical hit rate.

• Ailin examined the Jingguan and counted seventy Drowners heads arranged around a circle of flesh and bones.
• Ailin recognized two heads at the front of the mound as the Foglets he had killed, and connected the offering to the ritual classification of his Foglet Arm Bone.
• Ailin found no further clues and wondered whether the Swamp Hag and the Ritual: Flesh Giant came from the same place.
• Ailin reached Old Spearhead's cave without encountering any Drowners and drank Cat Eye Potion in the darkness.
• Ailin's vision brightened, revealing details throughout the cave, and he questioned how the potion's mild visual effect could increase critical hit rate.

Ailin tried to raise Big Stone and the other Rock Trolls’ favorability with rotten meat so he could ask them for blood, but Big Stone insisted on returning a gift. The meat ended up back in Ailin’s hands, leaving his plan in trouble.

• Ailin headed to the Rock Trolls’ lair to test Cat Eye Potion’s effect, knowing he could safely drink only two bottles.
• Broken Stone failed to recognize Ailin, while Big Stone remembered him and greeted him at the camp.
• Ailin gave Big Stone six pieces of rotten meat as a friendly gift, and Big Stone sent Broken Stone and Little Stone searching for a return gift.
• When Ailin said no return gift was needed, Big Stone refused to accept the meat and returned it to him.

Ailin gave rotten meat to Big Stone and recruited the Rock Trolls to help carry monster corpses, then went to the Circle of Elements and found signs of a recent Conjunction of the Spheres. He identified a Swamp Hag as the source of the strange traces and wondered whether the Witcher’s Handbook had caused the event.

• Ailin persuaded Big Stone to accept rotten meat as payment for helping carry things, and Big Stone agreed to bring Broken Stone and Little Stone along.
• Big Stone punched Broken Stone after he tossed Little Stone into the snow, and Ailin left the trolls to eat while he went to the Circle of Elements.
• Ailin checked the Witcher’s Handbook and saw that the Drowners Conjunction still had twelve days of cooldown remaining.
• Ailin found a huge crater, missing stones, black mud, and three-toed tracks at the Circle of Elements.
• Ailin matched the tracks’ scent to the Swamp Hag and concluded that she and the strange traces had come from another world through a Conjunction of the Spheres.
• Ailin wondered whether the recent Conjunction of the Spheres had been caused by the Witcher’s Handbook.

Ailin questioned the Rock Trolls about strange events near their camp and grew more convinced that the Witcher's Handbook had destabilized the Circle of Elements. As the trolls returned to Kaer Morhen with him, Mago spotted them carrying corpses and raised the alarm.

• Ailin lit the altar torches and tested the Witcher's Handbook, but its cooldown only decreased normally, so he set aside his questions about the Swamp Hag.
• Ailin asked Big Stone about the recent ground movement, and she recalled a loud noise and a dark-bright-dark sky on the night after the trial.
• Big Stone and Broken Stone killed several Ghouls near the Jingguan of drowned ones, and Ailin learned that Big Stone, Broken Stone, and Little Stone were a family.
• Mago and Sali guarded Kaer Morhen's gate, where Mago spotted the Rock Trolls carrying headless corpses and rang the alarm, shouting that they were attacking.

Ailin arrived at Kaer Morhen with three Rock Troll friends, alarming the fortress guards and prompting Mago to prepare for a fight. The chapter ended with Ailin introducing the Trolls to Mago, who realized Ailin had been telling the truth.

• Sali and Mago panicked when they learned a Rock Troll was approaching, and Mago prepared to defend the gate despite the locked second-floor door.
• Ailin reached Kaer Morhen with Big Stone, Broken Stone, and Little Stone carrying monster corpses, and the alarm bell rang before he could warn the guards.
• Mago took cover inside the gate passage and prepared to hold off the Trolls until reinforcements arrived, worried about the apprentices inside.
• Ailin entered the passage, collided swords with Mago, and explained that the three Rock Trolls were his friends helping transport materials.
• Ailin called the Trolls into the passage, and Mago recognized that Ailin had been telling the truth.

After Ailin returned with the Rock Trolls and his monster spoils, the witchers learned that Sali had abandoned his post and forgotten the Alde Sign. The Chief asked Ailin to demonstrate his new potions and spell, then questioned whether Kaer Morhen would be destroyed as it had been in Ailin’s dream.

• Big Stone thanked Ailin for their friendship and led Broken Stone and Little Stone away from the castle gate.
• Ailin explained that he had befriended the Rock Trolls during the Trial of the Mountains and asked them to carry the monsters he had hunted.
• Mago admitted that he had raised the alarm without understanding the situation, and the witchers learned that Sali had left his post and forgotten the Alde Sign.
• The Chief and several Witcher Masters helped Ailin process his monster materials, then the Chief asked him to discuss his potions and Ice Lance Spell.
• Ailin told the Chief that Drowner Heart Essence Fluid improved strength and constitution, and the Chief asked him to make some.
• The Chief asked whether Kaer Morhen would be destroyed as it had been in Ailin’s dream, and Ailin replied that their efforts were meant to prevent it.

Ailin made Drowner Heart Essence Fluid for Soyer, who discovered that it increased his strength and constitution even as a Witcher Master. When Vera found that ordinary people could also use it, Soyer asked whether it might help apprentices survive the Trial of Grasses.

• Ailin and the headmaster entered the Alchemy Room and found Mary blackened and crying after struggling to make Essence Fluid.
• Ailin refined Drowner hearts into Essence Fluid while Soyer and the Sorceress watched.
• Soyer drank several doses and grew stronger, though the effects diminished and nearly stopped by the fifth dose.
• The Sorceress tasted the Essence Fluid and confirmed that it worked on ordinary people.
• Soyer asked Vera whether apprentices who took the Essence Fluid could survive the Trial of Grasses.

Ailin offered the Essence Fluid formula in exchange for command of a School of the Wolf Witcher Company, arguing that it could unite Kaer Morhen and protect it from future crises. The chief agreed, triggering Ailin’s Main Quest, “The Beginning of the Monster Hunting Legion.”

• The Sorceress said Essence Fluid appeared likely to help more children survive the Trial of Grasses and agreed to teach Mary how to brew it.
• Ailin offered all the formulas he possessed in exchange for the position of Commander of the School of the Wolf Witcher Company.
• The chief confronted Ailin with Dragon’s Might, but the School Emblem hummed and the Sorceress explained the pressure was Reverse Dragon’s Might.
• Ailin said he wanted the Witcher Company to lead Kaer Morhen through future crises and described how its scattered structure had left the gate poorly guarded.
• The chief agreed to Ailin’s request, and Ailin received a Main Quest called “The Beginning of the Monster Hunting Legion.”

Ailin discussed establishing the Witcher Company at Kaer Morhen, while Farouk returned to Kedwen and reported to King Haxor. The chapter ended with Haxor asking whether the Wildcats had named their price.

• Ailin told the Chief he planned to recruit Huus, Bont, and Fred, and the Chief agreed to recognize the Witcher Company.
• Lady Vesemir offered Witcher Apprentices nearing the Trial of Grasses standard as recruits, and Ailin said they would serve as reserves and train with him and the others.
• The Chief promised to explain the Witcher Company to the Witcher Masters and encouraged Ailin before leaving.
• Farouk arrived in Adal with Robin, left the apprentice at an inn, and went to meet King Haxor.
• Farouk reported that Kaer Morhen remained as usual and that Lady Vesemir was absent; Haxor told him the plan would proceed as usual.
• Haxor stared at a blood-streaked bone and asked whether the Wildcats had named their price.

Ailin began studying ritual magic with Vesemir and learned that an Evil God had noticed him after he entered a ritual site, touched its implements, and killed Ghouls nearby. Vesemir gave him an amulet and warned him to avoid portals, leaving Ailin worried that he might be unable to reach the Drowners King.

• Vesemir gave Ailin a lesson in basic ritual studies, and he began working toward unlocking the skill.
• Ailin asked Vesemir about a ritual made from flesh, blood, and monster heads, then admitted he had entered the site, touched its implements, and killed Ghouls nearby.
• Vesemir told Ailin that an Evil God had watched him and gave him a Goddess Meritellie's Amulet for protection.
• Vesemir warned Ailin not to use portals and said he would need seven days in a righteous deity's major cathedral to fully remove the Evil God's gaze.
• Ailin worried that the warning might prevent him from using the Conjunction of the Spheres to reach the Drowners King, and asked Vesemir whether a portal could open in front of him.

Ailin told Lady Vesemir about the Swamp Hag’s ritual site, and she reforged the Foglet Arm Bone into a usable magic item. After Ailin tested its mist-form ability, Vesemir warned him to keep Meritellie’s Amulet on and stay away from the ritual site while she investigated it.

• Ailin recounted finding the Swamp Hag’s ritual site and showed Lady Vesemir the Foglet Arm Bone, while keeping his Witcher’s Handbook secret.
• Lady Vesemir examined the arm bone and found that little of the Evil God’s Divine Power remained, allowing her to reforge it into a magic item.
• Lady Vesemir released Bloodred, which absorbed the arm bone’s remaining power, then returned it to its bottle and gave Ailin the usable item.
• Ailin activated the arm bone and turned into mist, but the painful return left him nauseated, so Lady Vesemir gave him a potion and more bottles for practice.
• Lady Vesemir told Ailin to keep Meritellie’s Amulet on and avoid the ritual site until she dealt with it, then wished him good night.

Ailin accepted the Main Quest to build a Monster Hunting Legion and discovered a new Legion feature in the Witcher's Handbook. After a string of worthless chest rewards, he put on Goddess Meritellie's Amulet and opened a gold reward, suspecting the amulet had protected him from an Evil God’s curse.

• Ailin reflected on the School of the Wolf’s poor discipline and reaffirmed his plan to create a Witcher Company after the chief had approved his proposal.
• Ailin accepted the Main Quest to recruit three witchers and unlocked the Legion tab, which showed an unnamed, first-rank legion with no members.
• Ailin planned to recruit Huus, Bont, and Fred, then used monster Essence Fluids to raise his strength and agility.
• Ailin opened eight chests and received only Rotten Flesh, leading him to suspect an Evil God was interfering with his luck.
• Ailin put on Goddess Meritellie's Amulet, felt his discomfort disappear, and opened a Swamp Hag's Chest to find a gold reward.

Ailin opened Swamp Hag's Chests and obtained a mutagen inducer that could divide weekly, along with a bone chain and decoction formula. Meanwhile, Haxor plotted to provoke the wildcats into killing young witchers and declared that the world no longer needed witchers.

• Ailin received a Swamp Hag Mutagen Inducer, Swamp Hag's Mire-Throwing Bone Chain, Swamp Hag Decoction Formula, and two Experience Orbs.
• Ailin inspected the rewards and learned that the mutagen inducer divided once a week and could produce more inducers or weaker red and green ones.
• Haxor told Rado that he would pay the wildcats five hundred Oren per young wolf if they killed them by the standards used for old wolves.
• Haxor said the elves had been driven to Ban Ard and that the dean expected them to be captured soon.
• When Rado questioned the plan to destroy the School of the Wolf, Haxor told him a king must never be compassionate or be misled by chivalric virtues.

Haxor explained to Rado why he wanted the witchers exterminated, arguing that they had become monsters now that the old threats were gone. At Kaer Morhen, Ailin reviewed his new formula and growing strength, then went to recruit Huus, Bont, and Fred for his Monster Hunting Legion but realized he did not know how.

• Haxor told Rado that witchers had once protected people from monsters but had become threats themselves as their numbers grew and monsters disappeared.
• Haxor explained that the School of the Cat had killed civilians and soldiers, then claimed the more upright witchers of the School of the Wolf deserved to die even more.
• Ailin examined the Swamp Hag Decoction Formula, checked his character panel, and resolved to prepare the School of the Wolf for the future conflict with Kedwen.
• The next morning, Ailin found Huus, Bont, and Fred training and gave them fifteen bottles of Essence Fluid.
• Ailin decided to invite Huus, Bont, and Fred into his Monster Hunting Legion, then realized he did not know how to invite them.

Ailin used his Witcher skill to recruit Huus, Bont, and Fred, completing the quest to establish a monster-hunting legion. He named the company the Pact of the Wolves, while its members prepared to face the school’s crisis together.

• Ailin asked Huus, Bont, and Fred to join his witcher company, but the quest did not update until he activated his Witcher skill.
• Ailin used the skill to lock onto the three men and add them as legion members, completing the Main Quest and unlocking the Monster Hunting Legion.
• Ailin examined the legion’s Loot Lock skill and discovered that raising Appraisal to level 2 unlocked Instruction, which could boost members’ skill experience.
• Ailin used Appraisal to inspect Huus’s attributes and skills, then accepted the Witcher I subjugation quest to hunt twenty monsters.
• Huus asked what the company was called, and Ailin named it the Pact of the Wolves Witcher Company.

Ailin waited out the relentless snow at Kaer Morhen while worrying about the time left to prepare for the apprentice tournament. At a meeting, the Witcher Masters discovered that Ailin had created an inexpensive potion that improved strength and constitution.

• Ailin stayed inside as heavy snow buried Kaer Morhen and delayed his plans to hunt with Huus and the others.
• The Witcher Masters teased Ailin for staring at the snow, then reassured him that they would support him.
• The Headmaster had Lady Vesemir provide each Witcher Master with a mug of faintly blue potion.
• Dante and Aristo noticed that the potion had improved their strength and constitution, and White questioned its cost.
• Lady Vesemir revealed that Ailin had created the Drowner Heart Essence Fluid formula, astonishing the Witcher Masters.

The Witcher Masters learned that Ailin’s Drowner Heart Essence Fluid had let apprentices survive the Trial of Grasses, prompting the Chief to establish a Witcher Company under Ailin’s command. The company was named the Pact of the Wolves, and White ended the meeting by asking how they would handle the Trial of the Mountains without a Cyclops.

• The Chief explained that the mild, non-toxic Drowner Heart Essence Fluid increased strength and constitution and could also help apprentices endure the Trial of Grasses.
• The Sorceress reported that seven of ten apprentices passed the trial after taking the Essence Fluid, while the other three survived and could finish later.
• The Chief appointed Ailin commander and Aristo deputy commander of the Witcher Company, with Huus, Bont, Fred, and the seven successful apprentices assigned to it.
• Ailin named the company the Pact of the Wolves and declared, “A lone wolf dies; a pack of wolves lives,” winning the Masters’ approval.
• The Chief confirmed the name and praised Ailin’s contributions before White asked what to do about the Trial of the Mountains, which lacked a Cyclops.

Ailin persuaded the School of the Wolf masters to reshape the Trial of the Mountains into a group challenge led by members of his Witcher Company. As winter training continued, he prepared for the trial and watched the countdown to the final Conjunction of the Spheres before leaving Kaer Morhen.

• Ailin proposed that the Witcher Company accompany the apprentices on a revised route for the Trial of the Mountains, and he volunteered to take the risk despite having already passed it.
• The chief approved the plan and set the trial for twenty days later, with Vesemir and Aristo choosing the route and the apprentices set to travel to Ban Ard afterward.
• Ailin trained the Witcher Company's new members each morning, while the apprentices grew fond of him after hearing that he had created the Essence Fluid formula.
• Ailin spent his afternoons and evenings brewing potions and teaching Mary, while a sorceress continued instructing him in ritual studies.
• Four days passed, and the countdown showed that the final Conjunction of the Spheres before Ailin left Kaer Morhen would arrive in twelve hours and thirty-one minutes.

Ailin learned Ritual Studies and unlocked the powerful Flesh Giant ritual, then braved deep snow to reach the cave where he planned to hunt during the Conjunction of the Spheres. He arrived at the cave prepared to face the monsters summoned by the event.

• Ailin listened to the Sorceress's lesson on astrology and ritual studies, then secretly used the Witcher's Handbook to unlock Ritual Studies.
• Ailin learned the Flesh Giant ritual, which converted sacrificed magically infused flesh, blood, and bones into immense strength, but he wondered about its limits and side effects.
• Ailin slept in anticipation of the Conjunction of the Spheres and the rewards it might bring.
• Ailin forced a path through the deep snow with the Alde Sign, making the journey from Kaer Morhen to Killer Lake.
• Ailin reached the cave where he had first encountered the Drowners King, choosing it as a place to hunt Large Monsters.