Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Mercy”

Key Plot Points and Events

• As Chen Cheng, Wisdom Shield, and the others prepare to leave the molefolk’s underground prison, they realize the First Prince is missing.
• Despite deeply resenting his elder brother—and despite the First Prince’s earlier attack having caused their capture—Wisdom Shield asks the elderly mole whether another prisoner is being held elsewhere.
• The mole explains that the First Prince was originally sentenced to execution for attacking the molefolk king, but his life was spared because Chen Cheng and the others had performed great services. He has instead been placed in another guarded cell.
• Wisdom Shield identifies the prisoner as his elder brother. The mole promises that the First Prince will be treated well, removing the immediate danger of suspicion and easing Wisdom Shield’s anxiety.
• The group continues with its larger plan: persuading the molefolk that they understand cotton cultivation and can help locate and grow cotton seeds.
• Several prisoners from influential northwestern families genuinely know about cotton because their homeland is a major cotton-producing region. They pass the mole’s questioning.
• Monet proves especially knowledgeable about cotton farming, and the old mole begins relying on him for instruction and advice.
• While observing these events, Chen Cheng reflects on Wisdom Shield’s political character and on the importance of moderation in rulers and nations.

Character Developments

• Wisdom Shield: Though politically calculating and hostile toward the First Prince, he reveals that he still retains familial feeling and moral responsibility. His concern for his brother shows that he has not become completely ruthless or emotionally detached. His public act also strengthens his reputation as a magnanimous and principled leader.
• Chen Cheng: He becomes more approving of Wisdom Shield’s remaining humanity. Rather than seeing mercy as weakness, Chen views emotional balance and the doctrine of the Mean as valuable qualities in a ruler.
• The old mole: He demonstrates fairness by sparing the First Prince and shows a strong willingness to learn. Although ambitious and somewhat power-hungry, he is genuinely receptive to useful knowledge and talented people.
• Monet: His expertise in cotton cultivation becomes important to the group’s survival and political strategy. He gains influence as the old mole seeks his guidance.
• The First Prince: Although absent from the chapter’s action, he is shown to have been spared execution and remains a source of both political danger and complicated family loyalty.

Significant Themes

• Mercy and moral responsibility: Wisdom Shield’s decision to ask after the First Prince emphasizes that compassion and duty can survive even in bitter political conflicts.
• Humanity versus ruthless politics: Chen Cheng recognizes that a completely cold and calculating ruler would be dangerous. Wisdom Shield’s remaining conscience is presented as a strength rather than a flaw.
• The doctrine of the Mean: Chen reflects on moderation as the ideal governing principle, contrasting balanced leadership with reckless national ambition and destructive overreach.
• Knowledge as power: Technical expertise—especially knowledge of cotton—becomes a means of negotiation, survival, and influence.
• Talent and social cooperation: The old mole’s willingness to learn from outsiders suggests that progress depends on recognizing and using ability regardless of origin.
• Political upheaval: Chen connects the immediate struggle to a wider world approaching war, with old powers declining and new powers rising.

Important Character Interactions

• Wisdom Shield and the old mole: Wisdom Shield carefully asks about his brother without revealing the group’s broader intentions. The mole responds sympathetically and assures him of the First Prince’s safety.
• Wisdom Shield and Chen Cheng: Chen silently evaluates Wisdom Shield’s character and becomes reassured that his political ambition has not erased his compassion.
• The old mole and Monet: Their relationship shifts into one of teacher and student. The old mole repeatedly consults Monet about cotton cultivation, valuing his practical expertise.
• The prisoners and the old mole: Several prisoners successfully answer questions about cotton, convincing the molefolk that they may genuinely help locate seeds and establish cotton production.

Chapter Summary: “Plan Two”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Ground Ratfolk elder brings Monet, Chen Cheng, Wisdom Shield, and the others to a communal bathhouse so they can clean themselves after several days without bathing.
• While the group washes, the elder assembles a powerful escort. The Ground Ratfolk do not use Magic Runes to suppress the captives’ strength or confiscate their weapons, but they surround them with numerous elite warriors, including a guard captain whose power rivals a Platinum Rank warrior.
• Chen Cheng and Wisdom Shield realize that the Ground Ratfolk are far stronger than expected. Their original plan—using cannons to intimidate the tribe and enable Modornik to overthrow the King of Ground Rats—would be too dangerous.
• Chen Cheng secretly gives Wisdom Shield a Space Bag, and the two silently agree to implement a second plan.
• After the group reunites, the girls appear in battle attire. Their delay gives the others and the Ground Ratfolk time to calm down before the expedition begins.
• The group receives food, water, and dried provisions, then leaves the underground settlement to search for wild cotton.
• The Ground Ratfolk captain shows Chen Cheng the tribe’s farmland, explaining that the Crocodile Tribe regularly raids the fields after the stream recedes in autumn and steals their food.
• They travel toward High Ground Number One, a strategically important hill that has been leveled and prepared for cotton cultivation. Chen Cheng pretends that the high ground will help them locate wild cotton, while secretly recognizing it as the ideal place to establish their camp.
• The group’s initial nervousness fades as Monet draws everyone’s attention to the beautiful grassland and the Ground Ratfolk’s herds.
• At the hill, Chen Cheng announces that they will camp there and search the surrounding marked locations the next morning. He presents a crude map with several areas circled, convincing the guard captain that the location is a sensible base.
• The second plan is revealed: Wisdom Shield must lure the powerful Ground Rat captain away, while Chen Cheng leads the others in deploying their means of intimidation. Separating the captain from the main force is essential because Chen Cheng lacks the authority to control the young nobles and cannot risk a mistake during the operation.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates quick thinking and leadership. Once he realizes the original strategy is no longer viable, he immediately adapts and creates a more flexible plan centered on dividing the enemy’s forces.
• Wisdom Shield proves his loyalty and courage by agreeing to take on the dangerous task of distracting the Platinum-level captain. He also recognizes Chen Cheng’s limited influence over the nobles and accepts that the plan requires him to act.
• Monet helps ease the group’s fear by drawing attention to the beauty of the surrounding grasslands, restoring morale.
• Flanna and the other girls show growing readiness for battle. Their decision to change into fitted battle clothing reflects their acceptance that real combat is imminent, although their emotional excitement reveals that this is their first true fight.
• The Ground Rat captain is portrayed as powerful but not cruel. His concern is focused on protecting his people’s food supply and preventing their children from starving or freezing. He trusts Chen Cheng’s apparent search for cotton and does not suspect the group’s true intentions.
• The Ground Ratfolk elders and soldiers are shown to be pragmatic and organized, carefully preparing the expedition and deploying enough force to prevent an escape.

Significant Themes

• Adaptability under pressure: The failure of the original strategy forces Chen Cheng and Wisdom Shield to improvise rather than abandon their objective.
• Deception and hidden intentions: The search for cotton is a cover for a planned operation against the Ground Ratfolk leadership.
• Leadership and responsibility: Chen Cheng must direct the plan despite lacking social authority, while Wisdom Shield assumes a dangerous role because the group depends on him.
• The costs of conflict: The Ground Ratfolk’s hostility is tied less to ambition than to survival, particularly their struggle to protect food from the Crocodile Tribe and endure harsh winters.
• Fear versus readiness: The characters gradually transition from nervous anticipation to determination as they prepare for their first battle.
• Strategic use of terrain: High Ground Number One becomes important not because of cotton alone, but because its position offers an ideal base for separating enemies and carrying out the intimidation plan.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Wisdom Shield communicate largely through exchanged glances, demonstrating their growing trust and ability to coordinate discreetly.
• Chen Cheng cooperates with the Ground Rat captain, flattering and misleading him by presenting the camp as part of a legitimate cotton-searching expedition.
• Monet interacts with the group by encouraging them to appreciate the grassland, easing the tension among the nobles.
• The Ground Rat captain openly shares his people’s hardships with Chen Cheng, creating a temporary sense of trust even as Chen Cheng secretly prepares to act against them.
• The chapter ends with Chen Cheng and Wisdom Shield divided in responsibility: Wisdom Shield will draw away the strongest enemy, while Chen Cheng must organize the others and execute the larger operation.

Chapter Summary: “Watching from the Shadows”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Chen Cheng and Wisdom Shield leave, the Ground Ratfolk captain discards Chen’s crude map. A hidden squad of Ground Ratfolk immediately retrieves it from underground, confirming that the group is being secretly followed.
• At dinner, Chen pretends to need the map in order to plan the next day’s search. The captain falsely claims that it fell through a hole in his pocket.
• Chen calmly draws a replacement plan in the dirt and assigns tasks, using the opportunity to plant misleading information for the hidden Ratfolk.
• Chen and Wisdom Shield retreat to their tent and reveal that the missing map was a deliberate test. Since the captain could not have memorized its abstract details, their failure to recover it strongly suggests underground surveillance.
• Chen concludes that the Ground Ratfolk who once captured them may be hiding beneath the camp. He and Wisdom Shield decide that intimidation alone will not be enough and prepare to retaliate.
• Chen produces experimental wooden-handled grenades and teaches Wisdom Shield how to use them. They also assemble a howitzer in secret using low-level levitation magic.
• Their plan is for Monet and the others to create a distraction while Chen lures the Ground Ratfolk captain away. Wisdom Shield will then use the grenades, allowing the group to seize the initiative.
• Underground, the Ratfolk discuss their surveillance. They suspect the humans may be aware of them but decide to remain hidden unless the group acts recklessly.
• Monet’s deliberately loud, terrible singing makes underground eavesdropping nearly impossible. The noise torments the hidden Ratfolk until their captain orders them to rest.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates caution, strategic thinking, and ruthlessness. He uses the map as a deception test, recognizes the danger posed by the underground scouts, and shifts from passive defense to an aggressive plan.
• Wisdom Shield acts as Chen’s trusted partner and becomes familiar with the group’s new weapons. Chen relies on him to execute the most dangerous part of the plan.
• Monet proves highly perceptive by recognizing Chen’s signal and helping him maintain the deception. His absurdly loud singing also becomes an unexpectedly effective countermeasure against surveillance.
• The Ground Ratfolk captain is shown to be intelligent and suspicious rather than primitive or careless. However, he is frustrated by the humans’ tactics and especially angered by Monet’s noise.

Significant Themes

• Mutual deception and counter-surveillance: Both sides are secretly observing and testing one another.
• Intelligence overcoming apparent disadvantage: The humans and Ratfolk each rely on planning, misdirection, and specialized knowledge rather than direct confrontation.
• Technology as a force multiplier: Chen’s grenades and howitzer give the group a powerful advantage against enemies who previously captured them with ease.
• Trust and teamwork: Chen depends on Wisdom Shield and Monet to carry out a coordinated plan, while the Ratfolk also operate through hidden squads and shared information.
• Escalation of conflict: What began as an attempt to intimidate the Ratfolk is becoming a potentially violent confrontation.

Character Interactions

• Chen and the Ratfolk captain exchange polite but deceptive remarks over the missing map, each concealing their true intentions.
• Chen and Monet silently coordinate their act, with Monet encouraging the others to remain awake and carefree.
• Chen and Wisdom Shield privately analyze the threat and prepare the grenades and howitzer together.
• Chen places his safety in Wisdom Shield’s hands, emphasizing their trust and the danger of the coming operation.
• The hidden Ratfolk discuss the humans’ behavior and suffer the consequences of Monet’s intentionally unbearable singing.

Chapter Summary: “Deception Through Acting”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng rises early and begins executing his plan to deceive the Ground Ratfolk captain.
• He pretends that Monet and the others are too hungover from the previous night to travel, offering to leave with a smaller group instead.
• To make the excuse believable, he wakes Tanding and the others, then secretly visits Flanna’s tent.
• Chen Cheng explains that Flanna and the other women must remain at camp and follow Wisdom Shield, but Flanna realizes the danger of Chen Cheng luring away the powerful Ground Ratfolk captain.
• Flanna insists on accompanying him as protection. Chen Cheng gives her and the others grenades and explains how to use them.
• They stage a genuine-looking argument: Flanna beats Chen Cheng and drives him from the tent, leaving him bruised and swollen.
• The Ground Ratfolk interpret the scene as a domestic quarrel and become even more comfortable with Chen Cheng, believing him to be a fellow victim of an unruly woman.
• When the captain offers to treat Chen Cheng’s injuries, Chen Cheng refuses to avoid exposing the grenade launcher in his tent. He claims that keeping the injuries visible will prevent Flanna from attacking him again.
• After breakfast, the group sets out toward the area Chen Cheng marked the previous night.
• Flanna feels guilty because she struck Chen Cheng harder than intended. She later approaches him, annoyed that he is refusing to heal himself and making her appear cruel.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates strong improvisational ability and a talent for psychological deception. He uses embarrassment, fear, and staged conflict to manipulate the Ground Ratfolk’s assumptions.
• Flanna proves observant, brave, and protective. She deduces that Chen Cheng’s plan is dangerous and volunteers to serve as his backup despite their strained relationship.
• Flanna also shows a more sympathetic side when she regrets injuring Chen Cheng too severely.
• The Ground Ratfolk captain becomes increasingly trusting of Chen Cheng, misreading his behavior as evidence that he is a scheming but relatable man suffering under a domineering woman.
• Tanding and the others remain unaware of the full plan and mistake Chen Cheng’s staged beating for a real incident.

Significant Themes

• Deception through performance: Chen Cheng manipulates appearances rather than relying solely on force or magic.
• Trust and misinterpretation: The Ground Ratfolk’s assumptions allow the captives to conceal their true intentions.
• Cooperation under captivity: Although Flanna does not fully understand Chen Cheng’s plan, she works with him to improve their chances of survival.
• Humor amid danger: The staged domestic quarrel and the captain’s mistaken camaraderie create comic relief while concealing a serious escape or counterattack strategy.
• Magic versus preparation: Chen Cheng combines magical ability with practical weapons, planning, and teamwork.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng deceives the Ground Ratfolk captain by pretending to be embarrassed about his companions’ absence.
• Flanna challenges Chen Cheng’s plan and insists on protecting him.
• Chen Cheng secretly equips Flanna and the other women with grenades.
• Flanna and Chen Cheng perform a convincing argument, with Flanna genuinely hitting him.
• The captain sympathizes with Chen Cheng, offers him medicine, and treats him as a fellow man suffering from a difficult wife.
• During the journey, Flanna confronts Chen Cheng about his refusal to heal his injuries, revealing both her irritation and concern.

Chapter Summary: “Starting the Attack”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng continues pretending to be weak and timid in front of Flanna, answering her quietly and acting frightened when she shouts at him.
• Flanna, annoyed but not entirely heartless, takes the injury ointment from the Ground Ratfolk captain and applies it to Chen Cheng’s swollen face while scolding him.
• Once Flanna leaves, Chen Cheng drops the act, mockingly gesturing at her back. He then heals his injuries with magic and washes the ointment away.
• The Ground Ratfolk captain uses the conversation to confirm information obtained by torturing the First Prince: the “monkeys” must chant before casting magic.
• The captain reflects on the Ground Ratfolk’s lost magical inheritance, their limited knowledge of restraining magic, and the importance of the Circle of Restraint and Modornik’s teachings to their tribe.
• At the First Highland camp, Monet and the others pretend to have just woken up while secretly communicating through eye signals.
• Wisdom Shield gives them breakfast and a Space Bag containing grenades and instructions. Once the supervising vice-captain leaves, Monet distributes the weapons and explains their mission.
• Monet’s group launches a surprise attack using prototype grenades. Several detonate prematurely in midair but still kill or incapacitate an entire squad of Ground Ratfolk elites.
• Further explosions kill more reinforcements. The surviving Ground Ratfolk quickly identify the grenades as the threat and spread out before attacking with arrows and swords.
• Their arrows cannot penetrate the group’s Magic Armor, allowing Monet and his allies to keep using grenades to force a path forward and inflict heavy casualties.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates strong self-control and deception, convincingly maintaining his timid disguise before immediately returning to his confident, mischievous personality once Flanna leaves.
• Flanna is shown to be hot-tempered and domineering, but her decision to personally treat Chen Cheng’s injuries reveals a practical, caring side beneath her harsh behavior.
• The Ground Ratfolk captain becomes more calculating and strategically informed, using Chen Cheng’s actions to verify the weakness of spellcasters and considering how this knowledge can be exploited.
• Monet and his companions shift from covert preparation to open offensive action. Their initial shock at the grenades’ destructive power quickly turns into confidence and excitement.
• The Ground Ratfolk elites prove to be disciplined and adaptable: after suffering the first attacks, they analyze the grenades’ limitations and alter their formation.

Significant Themes

• Deception and hidden identities: Chen Cheng’s false helplessness and Monet’s group’s feigned laziness allow them to conceal their intentions.
• Technological advantage versus traditional strength: The unfamiliar grenades give Monet’s group a decisive advantage against physically powerful Ground Ratfolk.
• Strategic adaptation: Both sides observe and respond to the other’s methods, emphasizing the importance of intelligence in battle.
• Lost knowledge and inherited power: The Ground Ratfolk’s incomplete magical traditions show how forgotten knowledge can weaken a civilization, while preserved fragments such as the Circle of Restraint remain critically valuable.
• The human cost of warfare: The chapter shifts abruptly from teasing and preparation to mass casualties, highlighting the brutality of the attack.

Character Interactions

• Flanna treats Chen Cheng’s injuries while verbally threatening and insulting him; he silently mocks her after she departs.
• The Ground Ratfolk captain speaks cordially with Chen Cheng while secretly studying his magical abilities and confirming intelligence about spellcasting.
• Wisdom Shield reprimands Monet’s group for their late start but supports them by providing food, equipment, and instructions.
• Monet coordinates the others, distributing grenades and directing the attack.
• The attackers and Ground Ratfolk engage in a rapidly escalating exchange: the grenades cause the first devastation, while the surviving defenders respond with tactical formations and ranged attacks.

Chapter Summary: “Rumble Rumble”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wisdom Shield realizes that Monet and the others have begun their escape attempt and prepares to defend himself when Ground Ratfolk guards surround his tent.
• He first throws a Grenade, but the guards evade most of its impact. When they attempt to capture him alive, Wisdom Shield uses Annihilation Scatter, a powerful Chaos-element spell, destroying the entire squad.
• The spell severely strains him, but his mastery of Chen Cheng’s Variable Magic allows him to cast it briefly despite being overloaded.
• Monet’s group encounters Ground Ratfolk Shadow Guards emerging from tunnels beneath the camp. Because the guards had dug unusually deep, their appearance is delayed.
• Monet drops a Grenade into one of the tunnel entrances, collapsing it and scattering the underground guards. However, the group soon realizes that they have almost exhausted their supply of Grenades.
• Monet orders everyone to regroup and head toward Wisdom Shield’s tent, where artillery has been prepared.
• Wisdom Shield fires mortars at the Ground Ratfolk’s surrounding farmlands. The longer-range howitzers also provide a major threat, even though they cannot directly reach the tribe’s canyon.
• The Ground Ratfolk become enraged when they see their crops being destroyed, since the harvest is essential for surviving the winter.
• Monet uses the artillery bombardment as leverage, warning the Ground Ratfolk not to attack and demanding the release of their imprisoned companions and safe passage.
• He explains that the violence was defensive and that the Grenades were necessary because of the unexpected ambush by Ground Ratfolk hidden underground.

Character Developments

• Wisdom Shield demonstrates that he is far more dangerous and capable than the Ground Ratfolk expected. His ability to cast Annihilation Scatter without chanting reveals the effectiveness of Variable Magic, though using it leaves him physically weakened.
• Monet proves himself resourceful and decisive. He reacts quickly to the underground ambush, uses Grenades effectively, keeps his group organized after their supplies run out, and negotiates under intense pressure.
• Chen Cheng and Wisdom Shield show careful preparation by establishing an artillery position and calculating firing ranges and bearings in advance.
• The Ground Ratfolk guards’ confidence shifts into fear and anger as they realize their opponents possess unfamiliar magical and technological weapons capable of destroying both soldiers and farmland.

Significant Themes

• Technology versus conventional power: Grenades, mortars, and howitzers give the humans overwhelming battlefield control, challenging the Ground Ratfolk’s assumptions about magic and warfare.
• Deception and strategy: Wisdom Shield’s cotton-related misinformation causes the Ground Ratfolk to dig their tunnels deeper, unintentionally delaying their response and making them vulnerable.
• Deterrence and psychological warfare: The destruction of the farmland is not merely an attack; it is a calculated threat intended to force negotiations.
• Adaptability under pressure: Monet’s group adjusts rapidly when their original plan is disrupted by the hidden Shadow Guards and the dwindling Grenade supply.
• Survival and moral ambiguity: The protagonists claim self-defense, but their bombardment threatens the Ground Ratfolk’s food supply and winter survival, complicating the conflict.

Character Interactions

• Wisdom Shield directly confronts and annihilates the Ground Ratfolk squad sent to capture him.
• Monet coordinates his companions during the escape and later confronts the Ground Ratfolk, attempting to justify their actions and negotiate their release.
• A Ground Ratfolk guard urges immediate violence, while Monet tries to prevent further fighting by emphasizing their defensive motives.
• The Ground Ratfolk collectively react with fury and desperation when they see their crops being destroyed, giving Monet leverage over them.

Chapter Summary: “Magic Scrolls”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The artillery fire from Wisdom Shield’s side suddenly stops, signaling that their planned attack on the Ground Ratfolk camp has begun.
• Monet confronts the Ground Ratfolk vice-captain, insisting that their only demand is freedom. He reiterates that they will provide the cotton cultivation technique if the Ground Ratfolk honor their promise, but accuses their king of secretly planning to keep them imprisoned.
• The Ground Ratfolk argue that they treated the prisoners generously and did not retaliate for the deaths of their people. However, the narration reveals that their kindness was purely opportunistic: they wanted the cotton technique and intended to eliminate or control Chen Cheng’s group once it was obtained.
• Chen Cheng and the others’ advantage comes from their unfamiliar modern weapons. Without grenades and similar weapons, their magic and Battle Aura would not be enough to resist the Ground Ratfolk’s overwhelming numbers.
• Away from the camp, Chen Cheng realizes that Wisdom Shield has begun the diversion. Flanna immediately takes a defensive position in front of him and draws her sword.
• The Ground Ratfolk captain recognizes that the apparent negotiations were a deception and attacks Chen Cheng. Flanna intercepts him, but his superior physical strength sends her flying while injuring him internally through her Battle Aura.
• Flanna uses a grenade against him. Although he crushes it, the explosion ignites his fur and distracts him.
• The captain attacks again, ignoring Chen Cheng’s warning that continued violence will cause the Ground Ratfolk to be erased from the underground cavern’s records.
• At the last moment, Flanna activates a powerful magic scroll, Dragon’s Breath. The summoned Flame Dragon badly tears into the captain’s waist and abdomen, though he survives by twisting away from a fatal blow and stopping the bleeding through sheer physical strength.
• Flanna retreats and throws two more grenades, which the captain destroys. Chen Cheng, meanwhile, prepares his strongest current attack, Song of Ice and Fire, while Tanding and the others disengage and regroup.
• Rather than becoming fearful or furious, the wounded Ground Ratfolk captain is excited. He concludes that the “Monkeys” truly possess the inheritance of ancient Divine Beings, confirming that someone had told him about their unusual powers.

Character Developments

• Monet demonstrates restraint and strategic awareness. He avoids pointless arguments with the Ground Ratfolk, understanding that negotiation is meaningful only when backed by strength. He also recognizes the danger of allowing the Ground Ratfolk to obtain the cotton technique while retaining control over them.
• Chen Cheng acts as the planner behind the broader operation. He uses the camp attack as a diversion and attempts to deter the captain by threatening the Ground Ratfolk’s existence within the cavern.
• Flanna shows courage, loyalty, and preparedness. She immediately protects Chen Cheng, fights an opponent far stronger than herself, and reveals that she possesses expensive, high-level magic scrolls as emergency measures. Her use of Dragon’s Breath significantly injures the captain.
• The Ground Ratfolk captain is revealed to be extremely powerful, reaching Platinum Rank through physical strength alone. Though brutal and initially enraged, he is also fascinated by Chen Cheng’s group and their ancient inheritance, treating their abilities as proof of a larger mystery.
• Wisdom Shield, Tanding, and the others successfully execute the coordinated attack and break away from their confrontations, allowing the group to regroup rather than remain surrounded.

Significant Themes

• Freedom versus control: Chen Cheng’s group seeks freedom, while the Ground Ratfolk view them as resources to be exploited.
• Trust and hidden motives: The Ground Ratfolk’s hospitality is exposed as manipulation. Their apparent kindness concealed surveillance, distrust, and plans to eliminate the prisoners after obtaining what they wanted.
• Strength as the basis of negotiation: Monet emphasizes that moral arguments matter less than power in a conflict between unequal groups. The group’s weapons and magic are what give them the ability to demand freedom.
• Technology and unfamiliar power: Modern weapons such as grenades disrupt the Ground Ratfolk’s assumptions and allow weaker characters to injure a physically superior enemy.
• Ancient inheritance and discovery: The Ground Ratfolk captain’s excitement introduces the possibility that Chen Cheng’s group possesses a lost or divine legacy with greater significance than they understand.

Character Interactions

• Monet verbally clashes with the Ground Ratfolk vice-captain over their broken promise and concealed intentions.
• Flanna protects Chen Cheng and directly battles the Ground Ratfolk captain, demonstrating her loyalty and combat resolve.
• Chen Cheng tries to stop the captain by threatening the Ground Ratfolk’s status in the cavern, but the captain ignores him.
• Flanna’s swordsmanship, grenades, and Dragon’s Breath force the captain to acknowledge the group’s power.
• Chen Cheng checks on Flanna after the battle, and the two regroup with the others as both sides prepare for the next confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Special Beastfolk”

Chen Cheng counters the Ground Ratfolk ambush

The Ground Ratfolk captain activates hidden soldiers beneath the ground, causing an earthquake-like tremor. Chen Cheng stabilizes the earth with magic, crushing or killing the ambushers underground. The captain is shocked by Chen Cheng’s power.

Battle with the captain

The captain attacks Chen Cheng and Flanna while they are distracted. Chen Cheng deliberately pretends to be weak so Flanna will stay close, then uses spatial displacement to teleport them away. He combines an ice sphere and a fire sphere, creating a massive explosion that severely injures the captain and leaves a crater.

Chen Cheng demands surrender

After the captain collapses, Chen Cheng offers to heal him if the Ground Ratfolk agree to become temporary prisoners. He warns that resistance is futile, emphasizing both his own abilities and the artillery positioned on the highlands. He also reveals that Modornik’s arm ring has been removed, weakening the Ground Ratfolk king’s position.

The Ground Ratfolk lose hope

Chen Cheng explains that artillery could destroy their nest and cause enormous casualties. The Ground Ratfolk realize they cannot rely on their king or defeat Chen Cheng’s forces. However, they fear that surrender will lead to enslavement.

Argument over responsibility

One Ground Ratfolk accuses Chen Cheng of causing the deaths of many clansmen. Chen Cheng responds that the Ground Ratfolk attacked first out of greed, believing the small group was defenseless. He insists that his group never intended to rule or conquer them and only wants to demonstrate its strength and discourage future attacks.

Humiliation and prejudice

Some members of Chen Cheng’s group privately mock the Ground Ratfolk as ignorant, uncivilized beasts. They view them as little different from Orcs and believe ruling them would be pointless. Their main interest is instead directed toward Flanna’s explosive hammer-like weapon, apparently developed by Earl Huidun’s group for the ruins expedition.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Chen Cheng demonstrates strategic intelligence, magical power, and psychological control. He uses deception, teleportation, elemental magic, and artillery threats to force the Ground Ratfolk into submission without unnecessary continued combat.
• Flanna supports Chen Cheng physically when he pretends to be weakened and remains ready to defend him, though he stops her from attacking the enraged Ground Ratfolk.
• The Ground Ratfolk captain shifts from confidence to shock, rage, physical defeat, and despair as his ambush fails and his people’s defenses prove useless.
• The Ground Ratfolk soldiers are frightened and uncertain. Although they outnumber Chen Cheng’s group, they hesitate to attack after witnessing his teleportation and destructive magic.
• Tanding recognizes the danger quickly and retreats with the others before the captain’s explosion, showing practical awareness.
• The Ground Ratfolk and Chen Cheng clash not only militarily but ideologically: the Ratfolk fear enslavement, while Chen Cheng insists they are not worth conquering and were attacked only because they appeared vulnerable.

Significant Themes

• Power as deterrence: Chen Cheng seeks to end the conflict by displaying overwhelming force rather than occupying or exterminating the Ground Ratfolk.
• Greed and misjudgment: The Ground Ratfolk’s initial attack arose from their belief that Chen Cheng’s small group was easy prey, but their underestimation leads to devastating consequences.
• Civilization and prejudice: The outsiders regard the Ground Ratfolk as primitive “special Beastfolk,” revealing their own arrogance and discriminatory worldview.
• Fear of enslavement and mistrust: Even after being offered survival, the Ground Ratfolk cannot easily believe Chen Cheng’s claim that he has no interest in ruling them.
• Technology versus traditional power: Artillery and explosive weapons represent a new, terrifying force that challenges the Ground Ratfolk’s reliance on physical strength, numbers, and their king.

Chapter Summary: “Plan in Progress”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Ground Ratfolk surrender after their captain is gravely wounded and Chen Cheng convinces them that continued resistance could endanger their entire race. Chen’s group deliberately avoids massacring them, since their goal is to explore the Ancient Ruins rather than wage war.
• Chen Cheng heals the captain’s most serious blast wounds using a wand containing Healing Magic, while remaining ready to escape with Space Magic if the Ground Ratfolk betray him. He promises that the prisoners can heal the captain’s abdominal injury once they are released.
• Tanding suggests returning to support Ninth Brother, but Chen Cheng decides to remain where they are. Bringing nearly a hundred physically powerful Ground Ratfolk back with them could allow the captives to launch a devastating counterattack.
• At First Highland, Wisdom Shield’s artillery destroys much of the Ground Ratfolk farmland. The Ground Ratfolk nearly attack in retaliation, but Monet persuades them to wait for their king’s response.
• Wisdom Shield emerges after the artillery strike. Both sides hesitate, recognizing that a direct battle would cause heavy losses, especially since the Ground Ratfolk need their strongest fighters to defend against the Crocodile Tribe later.
• Meanwhile, Modornik executes the next stage of the plan. He suddenly attacks King of Ground Rats, exploiting the king’s surprise and capturing him despite the inherited treasure that had restrained Modornik.
• Modornik removes the restraining arm ring, gags the king, and escapes toward the cave entrance with him. The witnessing Ground Ratfolk raises the alarm, and the entire race soon learns that their king has been taken.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates strategic caution and restraint. Though he has the power and opportunity to destroy the Ground Ratfolk, he chooses negotiation and psychological pressure instead. He also shows concern for the captain’s survival while keeping his own escape plan ready.
• Tanding acknowledges Chen Cheng’s contribution and expresses gratitude for rescuing him and the others. His willingness to consult Chen Cheng reflects growing trust in Chen’s judgment.
• The Ground Ratfolk captain shifts from resistance to reluctant cooperation after seeing Chen Cheng heal him and realizing that surrender will not lead to the enslavement or destruction of his people.
• Monet acts as a negotiator, preventing the Ground Ratfolk at First Highland from launching an impulsive attack that his smaller group could not survive.
• Wisdom Shield proves the effectiveness of its new artillery weapons, but its members also recognize the danger of fighting the remaining Ground Ratfolk directly.
• Modornik reveals that he has successfully overcome the king’s control and is prepared to betray him decisively. His sudden attack shows that the larger strategy against the Ground Ratfolk is already underway.
• King of Ground Rats loses control of the situation when Modornik turns against him. His surprise and reliance on the inherited treasure leave him vulnerable.

Significant Themes

• Strategy over brute force: Chen Cheng and Modornik both succeed through preparation, deception, and timing rather than simply overpowering their enemies.
• Restraint and pragmatism: Chen Cheng avoids exterminating the Ground Ratfolk, recognizing the political and practical consequences of such an act.
• Psychological warfare: Chen Cheng’s bluff about the situation at the highland makes the Ground Ratfolk hesitate, while the artillery display reinforces their uncertainty.
• Power and control: Modornik’s removal of the arm ring symbolizes his liberation from the king’s authority and the collapse of the king’s control.
• Mutual vulnerability: Although Chen Cheng’s side possesses superior weapons, both groups understand that a direct confrontation could cause unacceptable casualties.
• Political upheaval: The capture of the Ground Ratfolk king threatens to destabilize the entire race and changes the balance of power within the underground world.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and the Ground Ratfolk captain move from confrontation to a tense, conditional cooperation, with Chen offering healing in exchange for the prisoners’ release.
• Tanding consults Chen Cheng about the next move, showing respect for his tactical judgment.
• Monet addresses the angry Ground Ratfolk and persuades them to delay their attack.
• Wisdom Shield’s appearance creates a standoff, as both sides recognize the destructive potential of the other.
• Modornik’s betrayal of King of Ground Rats becomes the chapter’s decisive interaction: he captures, disarms, gags, and removes the king, triggering alarm throughout the Ground Ratfolk community.

Chapter Summary: “Surrender”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Modornik captures the King of Ground Rats, the Ground Ratfolk quickly organize a pursuit. Their elders mobilize the clan’s warriors and seal the burrow’s exits.
• Modornik breaks through the blockade with a single palm strike, carries the King of Ground Rats out of the cave, and flees toward the human camp on the high ground.
• More than a thousand Ground Ratfolk, including dozens of Platinum Rank captains, chase him. Modornik repels them with a massive Battle Aura palm strike but avoids killing them so he can continue escaping.
• The King of Ground Rats attempts to threaten Modornik by invoking the safety of the other dungeon explorers. Modornik refuses to be coerced, declaring that he would rather abandon the others and exterminate the entire Ground Ratfolk race than submit to repeated threats.
• At the camp, Chen Cheng and the others realize they underestimated the Ground Ratfolk’s organizational strength. Wisdom Shield responds by using a powerful grenade launcher.
• His shell collapses the canyon entrance, burying and injuring many pursuing Ground Ratfolk. Most of the army abandons the chase to rescue their trapped clansmen.
• Modornik recognizes that the weapon’s destructive force is comparable to an Epic Rank attack. The King of Ground Rats, horrified by the casualties, finally regrets his actions and begs Modornik to stop.
• Modornik orders him to command the remaining pursuers to retreat. The King complies, offering to meet all of Modornik’s demands.

Character Developments

• Modornik demonstrates his overwhelming strength and firm resolve. Unlike before, he refuses to let the King of Ground Rats exploit his concern for others and is willing to abandon the rescue mission if necessary.
• His trust in Wisdom Shield and the others deepens after recalling that Chen Cheng secretly removed the King’s Beast Ring, a device used by the Ancient Civilization to control Magic Beasts.
• The King of Ground Rats shifts from arrogant and threatening to frightened and submissive. Witnessing the devastation caused to his people breaks his confidence and makes him recognize that Modornik cannot be controlled through intimidation.
• Wisdom Shield reveals the destructive capability of his weapon and takes decisive action to support Modornik, despite the danger of using such overwhelming force.
• Chen Cheng and the others recognize a flaw in their original plan: they accounted for controlling the king but failed to anticipate the Ground Ratfolk’s ability to mobilize collectively.
• Monet and the camp defenders are shaken by the weapon’s power and remain tense while waiting to see whether Wisdom Shield’s intervention will succeed.

Significant Themes

• The limits of coercion: Modornik’s refusal to be threatened shows that leverage only works while the target remains emotionally bound by responsibility.
• Power and deterrence: Wisdom Shield’s weapon changes the balance of power instantly, forcing the Ground Ratfolk to reconsider continuing the pursuit.
• Leadership and organization: The Ground Ratfolk’s simple hierarchy allows them to react rapidly and mobilize a large force, exposing a weakness in the rescuers’ assumptions.
• Regret and consequences: The King of Ground Rats realizes that his greed and aggression have caused catastrophic harm to his own people.
• Trust and hidden preparation: Modornik’s faith in Wisdom Shield and the others is reinforced by their concealed preparations, particularly the removal of the Beast Ring.

Character Interactions

• Modornik physically clashes with the Ground Ratfolk captains while carrying their king, but deliberately spares them.
• The King attempts to threaten Modornik, only to be silenced by Modornik’s calm threat of extermination.
• Wisdom Shield reassures Monet that he will support Modornik, then uses the grenade launcher to block the canyon and halt the pursuit.
• After seeing the devastation, the King of Ground Rats abandons his threats and pleads for negotiations. Modornik uses the weapon’s intimidating effect to force him to order a retreat.

Summary of “Simple Demands”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Modornik captures the King of Ground Rats and brings him before the Ground Ratfolk forces. Under pressure, the king orders his people to stop resisting and withdraw.
• Modornik places the Beast Ring around the king’s neck as a symbol of mutual trust rather than a true restraint, warning that the king must cooperate to ensure both sides’ safety.
• Wisdom Shield reveals that Brown and Seventh Brother were taken by a Ground Ratfolk captain and may still be in danger. The King of Ground Rats offers to send a messenger to persuade the captain to surrender.
• The king’s messenger finds the captain badly wounded while Chen Cheng’s group remains unharmed. He delivers the surrender order, and the group escorts the ground rats back to High Ground Number One.
• Wisdom Shield is relieved to see Chen Cheng and the others alive. The King of Ground Rats is shocked that his captain was defeated, since the Ground Ratfolk had believed their opponents were far weaker.
• Chen Cheng heals the injured captain using advanced Healing Magic that draws life force from the surrounding grasslands. His calm behavior and hidden capabilities unsettle the captain and impress the other ground rats.
• Modornik and Wisdom Shield present their demands: the captives must be released, and both sides must stop trespassing on each other’s territory.
• The Ground Ratfolk are surprised by the simplicity of the terms, especially after suffering heavy casualties. Monet reminds them that their kidnapping of the group provoked the conflict and that sparing them from enslavement is already an act of mercy.
• Modornik orders the king to send someone back and ensure that the rest of his people accept the agreement peacefully.

Character Developments

• Modornik demonstrates leadership, strategic thinking, and restraint. He uses the king’s authority to end the battle rather than continuing the bloodshed, while still making clear that cooperation is expected.
• The King of Ground Rats shifts from commanding an active resistance to prioritizing the survival of his people. He accepts defeat pragmatically and attempts to save as many Ground Ratfolk as possible.
• Wisdom Shield remains concerned for the safety of his companions, especially Brown and Seventh Brother, and trusts Modornik’s judgment before accepting the king’s offer.
• Chen Cheng reveals the extent of his preparation and power by using advanced healing magic on an enemy. His relaxed demeanor is shown to have concealed constant vigilance.
• Monet expresses the group’s justified anger, emphasizing that the Ground Ratfolk’s losses resulted from their decision to kidnap and attack the others.
• The injured ground rat captain realizes that Chen Cheng and his companions were much more dangerous and guarded than he had assumed.

Significant Themes

• Mercy and proportional justice: The victors choose limited demands and refuse to enslave the defeated, despite the deaths and kidnapping suffered by their side.
• Pragmatism in defeat: The King of Ground Rats abandons retaliation when it becomes clear that continuing the fight would only cause more deaths.
• Trust and diplomacy: The Beast Ring becomes a symbolic token of cooperation, while the proposed agreement establishes boundaries between the two groups.
• Hidden strength and deception: Chen Cheng’s calm appearance masked his readiness and ability, allowing his group to survive situations the Ground Ratfolk believed they controlled.
• Consequences of aggression: The Ground Ratfolk sought cotton to protect their descendants from winter, but their kidnapping and violence ultimately brought disaster upon them.

Character Interactions

• Modornik pressures the King of Ground Rats into ordering a surrender, then offers him limited trust.
• The king appeals to Wisdom Shield by promising that Brown will not be killed and arranges for the captain’s surrender.
• The messenger communicates the king’s order to the wounded captain, leading the remaining ground rats to give up.
• Chen Cheng heals the enemy captain, creating a mixture of fear, respect, and admiration among the Ground Ratfolk.
• Modornik, Wisdom Shield, and the king negotiate a peaceful separation, while Monet confronts the defeated ground rats about the consequences of their actions.

Chapter Summary: “Let Them Go”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The King of Ground Rats accepts Chen Cheng and the others’ demand: they only want to leave safely with the prisoners.
• He explains that his clan will not trust a simple message, so either he must return personally or someone must take his clan leader’s token—his Beast Ring—back to the settlement.
• Monet volunteers to accompany the ground rat captain to the clan’s territory. Chen Cheng gives him a signal flare to use if the Ground Ratfolk betray them.
• The ground rat captain returns with the token and warns his clansmen not to act rashly, fearing the destruction of the entire clan.
• After Wisdom Shield’s bombardment collapses the canyon entrance, the Ground Ratfolk rescue survivors, though dozens die. Their army then gathers to attack and recover their king.
• Monet and the captain arrive just before the attack begins. Monet is intimidated by the large Ground Ratfolk force and refuses to enter the canyon, insisting that no one move without permission.
• The Ground Ratfolk realize that their assembled elite warriors are effectively hostages: any attack or suspicious movement could provoke Chen Cheng and the others to unleash their devastating weapons.
• Inside the canyon, Monet explains the situation. The Ground Ratfolk elders are shocked that their former captives possess such overwhelming power and speculate that they may have acquired a complete ancient Divine Being inheritance.
• The ground rat captain prioritizes the clan’s survival over revenge and orders the prisoners released.
• The captives are brought out and regain their freedom, but the sight of the Ground Ratfolk army prevents them from immediately fleeing.
• The Second Prince becomes especially anxious, suspecting that Wisdom Shield and the others may have escaped or be planning something dangerous.

Character Developments

• King of Ground Rats: Regrets allowing greed to endanger his clan. He recognizes that continuing the conflict could lead to total annihilation and cooperates with the demands.
• Monet: Initially confident after the group’s victory, he becomes more cautious and realistic when confronted with the Ground Ratfolk’s full military strength. He demonstrates diplomatic firmness by using the captives and the threat of artillery as leverage.
• Ground Rat Captain: Shows practical judgment and loyalty to his clan. He abandons revenge, warns the elders against resistance, and pushes for the prisoners’ release.
• Ground Rat Elders: Shift from confusion and disbelief to fear and submission once they understand the destructive power of Chen Cheng’s weapons and the danger facing their elite warriors.
• Second Prince: Grows increasingly suspicious and frightened, uncertain whether the situation is a rescue, a trap, or the beginning of another conflict.
• Chen Cheng and Wisdom Shield’s group: Their carefully planned show of force has transformed them from seemingly helpless captives into the party controlling the negotiations.

Significant Themes

• Power and deterrence: The group’s weapons allow them to control a much larger enemy force without directly defeating every soldier.
• Greed and its consequences: The Ground Ratfolk’s greed leads to casualties, the capture of their king, and the threat of clan-wide destruction.
• Pragmatism over revenge: The ground rat captain realizes survival matters more than retaliation and persuades the clan to accept humiliating terms.
• Information and miscalculation: The Ground Ratfolk cannot understand how their former captives gained such power, while the captives’ hidden knowledge and weapons overturn the clan’s assumptions.
• Psychological warfare: Keeping the Ground Ratfolk army under threat turns the clan’s own elites into bargaining chips and prevents them from attacking.

Character Interactions

• The King of Ground Rats negotiates with Chen Cheng and the others through their demand for safe passage.
• Monet and the ground rat captain cooperate uneasily, with Monet maintaining strict control and warning him against any deception.
• The ground rat captain confronts the elders and forces them to prioritize releasing the prisoners over seeking revenge.
• The Ground Ratfolk elders question Monet about the sudden reversal of power, but he offers only a brief explanation.
• The freed captives observe the Ground Ratfolk army and hesitate to escape, while the Second Prince watches Monet and the others suspiciously.

Chapter Summary: “Stow Away”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Second Prince realizes that Wisdom Shield has abandoned the group and urges the imprisoned nobles and Ground Ratfolk captives to resist rather than be taken to execution.
• Monet overhears him and sarcastically reveals that he has come to rescue them, embarrassing the Second Prince and exposing the misunderstanding: the Ground Ratfolk had intended to release the prisoners.
• Monet notices that the First Prince is missing. The Ground Ratfolk explain that he is being treated for severe injuries and soon bring him out, wrapped in bandages.
• The First Prince angrily demands to be released and insists he can walk, but his arrogance becomes comic when he later uses a potion to heal himself, tears off his bandages, and reveals that he is wearing only shorts. The noblewomen are disgusted and embarrassed, forcing him to dress properly.
• Monet remains suspicious of the First Prince, recognizing that although he acted foolishly among the Ground Ratfolk, he is capable of controlling himself and understanding when not to claim credit.
• Once the rescued group reaches First Highland, Modornik is relieved to see that the kingdom’s important heirs have survived. The nobles thank Wisdom Shield for saving them.
• Meanwhile, the King of Ground Rats learns the extent of the losses suffered by his tribe. Believing himself responsible for their disaster, he tries to surrender his inherited Beast Ring and resign as king.
• Chen Cheng comforts him, admitting that the Ground Ratfolk’s plan would likely have succeeded without the hidden cannons. Out of sympathy and gratitude, Chen Cheng tells him that he has left cotton seeds and detailed instructions for planting, harvesting, and weaving in the prepared cave.
• Chen Cheng returns to his tent to hide the cannons, but discovers that someone has already entered and removed them. Wisdom Shield silently confirms that he has safely stored the weapons away.

Character Developments

• Second Prince: Shows fear but also courage and determination, trying to rally the others when he believes execution is imminent. His impulsiveness and misunderstanding make him vulnerable to Monet’s teasing.
• First Prince/Tamu: Appears arrogant, aggressive, and absurd, but demonstrates physical resilience and an ability to restrain himself when facing Wisdom Shield. His behavior suggests he may be more calculating than he first appears.
• Monet: Acts as the practical rescuer and maintains control through sarcasm and sharp observations. He becomes increasingly wary of the First Prince.
• King of Ground Rats: Becomes overwhelmed by guilt after seeing the cost of his failed plan and believes he is unworthy to rule. His despair reflects his genuine concern for his people.
• Chen Cheng: Shows compassion and moral responsibility toward the Ground Ratfolk despite their earlier actions. He offers them the means to develop cotton production and rebuild their society.
• Wisdom Shield: Remains discreet and strategically competent, especially by concealing the cannons before others can discover them.

Significant Themes

• Misunderstanding and deception: The prisoners mistake their release for an execution, while the true nature of Chen Cheng’s secret weapon remains hidden.
• Leadership and responsibility: The Ground Rat King blames himself for his tribe’s losses, while Chen Cheng encourages him to continue leading rather than surrender.
• Power and hidden technology: The cannons give Chen Cheng’s group overwhelming leverage, but their secrecy is essential to maintaining that advantage.
• Compassion amid conflict: Chen Cheng chooses to help the Ground Ratfolk develop cotton despite their captivity and failed attempt to control the prisoners.
• Appearances versus reality: The First Prince seems foolish, yet his self-restraint hints at intelligence; the Ground Ratfolk seem threatening, but their situation is also desperate.

Character Interactions

• The Second Prince’s attempted rally is undercut by Monet’s mocking response.
• Monet questions the Ground Rat captain about the First Prince, prompting his retrieval.
• The First Prince clashes with the Ground Ratfolk and later embarrasses himself in front of the rescued noblewomen.
• The nobles collectively express gratitude toward Wisdom Shield after reaching safety.
• Chen Cheng comforts the devastated King of Ground Rats and offers practical assistance for his tribe’s future.
• Wisdom Shield quietly coordinates with Chen Cheng, ensuring the cannons are hidden before the rest of the group can inspect them.

Chapter Summary: “Craving Power”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng’s group settles down for the night before continuing toward the ancient ruins. The recent Ground Ratfolk ambush has made the young adventurers much more cautious, and they deploy numerous defensive and danger-sensing methods.
• Wisdom Shield argues that the encounter was not entirely negative: it taught the privileged young explorers about the dangers of the underground world and revealed that the ruins—and the Ground Ratfolk’s natural abilities—have significant value.
• The group is reminded that the ruins can only be entered during a limited opening period, lasting no more than two months. They must reach and explore them before the time limit expires.
• The King of Ground Rats approaches Modornik and offers to guide the group through the unfamiliar underground terrain, especially with the rainy season approaching. In exchange, he asks to enter the ancient Divine Beings’ ruins with his followers and promises their obedience and assistance.
• Although the others initially view the request as unrealistic because the Ground Rats lack the required identity tokens, Modornik accepts the arrangement after explaining the entry requirements. He values their local knowledge and believes their help will save time.
• The King of Ground Rats leaves with the expedition, while another Ground Rat returns to inform the clan. The group begins traveling along a stream toward the ruins.
• The Ground Ratfolk initially believe their king has been taken prisoner and mourn his departure. They prepare to migrate, but after learning that he voluntarily left to seek power, they decide to remain and wait for his return.
• Heavy rain begins. The Ground Rats repair the drainage system damaged by Wisdom Shield’s cannon blast, while Chen Cheng’s group suffers delays on the journey. The King’s guidance prevents them from taking even longer detours.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng remains cautious and conflicted. He recognizes the Ground Ratfolk’s potential but has deliberately avoided exterminating or enslaving them.
• Wisdom Shield displays both practical judgment and interest in the Ground Ratfolk’s unusual physical abilities. He views the earlier conflict as a valuable lesson for the young explorers.
• Modornik shows strategic pragmatism. Rather than dismissing the King of Ground Rats, he accepts the offer because local guidance is crucial in the vast and unfamiliar underground world.
• The King of Ground Rats undergoes the chapter’s major transformation. After witnessing how helpless his people were against Chen Cheng’s group, he develops an intense desire for strength. His goal is no longer merely survival but acquiring enough power to protect his entire race.
• The Ground Rat elders and clan reveal their loyalty to their king. Their grief turns into renewed hope when they learn that he left willingly to seek power, and they choose to wait for him rather than abandon their homeland.

Significant Themes

• The desire for power as protection: The King’s ambition is motivated by fear and responsibility rather than simple greed. His humiliation and inability to defend his people drive him to pursue strength.
• Pragmatism and cooperation: Former opponents enter a temporary alliance because both sides benefit from cooperation. Survival and reaching the ruins take priority over resentment or suspicion.
• The dangers of unfamiliar territory: Even powerful outsiders are inexperienced in the Ancient Ruins. Preparation, local knowledge, and adaptability are presented as more important than strength alone.
• Survival and community: The Ground Ratfolk’s decision to repair their drainage system, remain together, and await their king emphasizes their resilience and collective loyalty.
• Limited opportunity: The ruins’ short opening period creates urgency and pressures the characters to overcome delays and make practical choices.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Wisdom Shield: Wisdom Shield reassures Chen Cheng that the recent trouble may ultimately benefit the expedition, while Chen Cheng’s restraint toward the Ground Ratfolk is implicitly acknowledged.
• King of Ground Rats and Modornik: Their negotiation is direct and pragmatic. The King offers guidance and protection services; Modornik agrees despite doubts because the expedition needs a native guide.
• King of Ground Rats and his people: His departure is misunderstood as captivity, causing widespread mourning. Once the Ground Rats learn he chose to seek power, their grief becomes confidence that he will return stronger.
• The expedition and the Ground Ratfolk: Their relationship shifts from hostility and suspicion to an uneasy alliance, with the King leading the way and his followers helping the outsiders navigate the underground world.

Chapter Summary: “Key”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng’s group travels for three days with the Ground Ratfolk, exchanging information with King of Ground Rats and his people.
• The Ground Ratfolk reveal that the Ancient Ruins are widely known in their underground world, but none of them has ever managed to enter.
• King of Ground Rats has joined the expedition hoping to gain access alongside Chen Cheng’s party.
• He learns that Chen Cheng and the others are outsiders rather than members of the Monkey Tribe. Their origins shock him, especially when he discovers that many of them are related to powerful figures and that Tamu is the kingdom’s First Prince.
• His fear that the outsiders might later send an army against the Ground Ratfolk is eased when Monet explains that entry requires rare identity tokens.
• The group reaches a moss-covered temple atop a mountain hidden in the jungle. After taking shelter from the rain, they search the temple.
• Chen Cheng notices that a large section of the temple wall has been deliberately scraped clean, suggesting that murals or carvings once existed there. Faint traces of paint and carved stone fragments support his conclusion.
• King of Ground Rats knows nothing about the missing artwork, as his tribe’s inherited knowledge only mentions the temple itself.
• In the temple’s sealed rear hall, the group discovers a carved stone door said to be the entrance to the Ancient Ruins.
• Their identity tokens activate the carved door, causing it to swing open and reveal a second door made from an unknown material.
• The second door does not respond to the tokens. Flanna, another adventurer, and finally the powerful warrior Modornik all try to push it open, but it remains immovable.
• Each attempt causes the same sequence of symbols to flash across the door. The group realizes these symbols may be the key to unlocking it.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng becomes increasingly investigative and suspicious, especially regarding the erased temple murals. He is determined to uncover information about the Ancient Civilization despite the lack of obvious clues.
• King of Ground Rats shifts from cautious host and guide to an astonished observer of the outside world. Learning about Chen Cheng’s group and their powerful connections reassures him that they are not an immediate threat.
• Tamu’s status is emphasized when King of Ground Rats learns he is the First Prince, reinforcing the political importance of the expedition.
• Wisdom Shield cooperates readily with Chen Cheng, helping clear the wall even though he initially doubts the importance of the discovery.
• Flanna and Modornik demonstrate initiative and strength by attempting to open the second door, but physical power proves ineffective.
• The entire group begins moving from simple exploration toward decoding the Ancient Civilization’s mechanisms.

Significant Themes

• Contact between isolated civilizations: The Ground Ratfolk regard Chen Cheng’s party much as humans might regard extraterrestrials, highlighting the strangeness of encountering an unknown outside world.
• The limits of inherited knowledge: The Ground Ratfolk know of the temple and ruins but lack crucial details, showing how history can survive only in incomplete fragments.
• Suppressed or lost history: The deliberately erased murals suggest that important knowledge about the Ancient Civilization was intentionally hidden or destroyed.
• Knowledge versus force: Neither identity tokens nor Modornik’s physical strength can open the final door. Progress will likely depend on interpreting symbols and understanding the ruins’ design.
• Trust and diplomacy: Honest exchanges reduce King of Ground Rats’ fear of the outsiders and create cooperation between the two groups.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and King of Ground Rats exchange information about their respective worlds, building mutual understanding.
• King of Ground Rats reacts with shock to the outsiders’ origins and social status, particularly Tamu’s royal identity.
• Chen Cheng recruits Wisdom Shield to help uncover the erased wall, though Wisdom Shield remains skeptical of the discovery.
• King of Ground Rats guides the party through the temple and explains the significance of the carved entrance.
• Monet proposes that the second door might simply need to be pushed open, leading Flanna and others to test it.
• After repeated failures, the group collectively notices that the recurring symbols appearing on the door may contain the solution.

Chapter Summary: “Cognitive Confusion”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At the entrance to the ancient ruins, Monet confirms that the door can be opened using the runes carved into it.
• Duoduo memorizes the briefly flashing symbols, reproduces them, and uses a copying spell to distribute more than a hundred copies to the group.
• Modornik orders everyone to return to camp and decipher the runes before the next day, relying on the group’s inherited knowledge and scholarly traditions.
• Chen Cheng recognizes that the symbols resemble a fusion formula he knew in his former life, leaving him deeply shaken.
• Unsure whether he is truly in another world, Chen tests reality by performing familiar gestures and attempting to expose a possible hidden camera. His companions interpret his behavior as a mental breakdown.
• After observing the underground world’s artificial sun and confirming that magic is real, Chen accepts that he has genuinely been transported to a different world.
• He concludes that the identical formula may exist because mathematics is a universal language shared by different civilizations.
• Chen solves the runes using knowledge from his previous life, apparently applying principles connected to relativity and physics.
• Rather than risk activating the door himself, Chen gives the solution to Wisdom Shield, who takes it to Modornik.
• Modornik is already studying the copied formula when Wisdom Shield presents Chen’s proposed answer.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Moves from panic and denial toward reluctant acceptance of his new reality. His scientific knowledge proves unexpectedly valuable, but he remains cautious and insecure about whether his interpretation is completely correct. His embarrassing reality-testing behavior also makes him appear unstable to the others.
• Wisdom Shield: Acts as Chen’s concerned companion, initially worrying that Chen has been affected by something in the ruins. Despite his doubts, he trusts Chen enough to present the solution to Modornik and accepts responsibility for the potential consequences.
• Monet: Responds to Chen’s strange actions with mockery and nervous distance, though he later tries to comfort him in his own crude and teasing manner.
• Duoduo: Demonstrates exceptional memory by accurately recording the fleeting runes and helps distribute copies to the group.
• Modornik: Shows intellectual seriousness rather than relying solely on strength. He studies the mysterious formula himself and entrusts the group with deciphering it.

Significant Themes

• Reality versus illusion: Chen questions whether his surroundings are artificial, comparing them to a constructed reality and testing whether he is being observed.
• Universal nature of knowledge: The familiar formula suggests that mathematical and scientific truths may transcend worlds, cultures, and species.
• Science meeting magic: Chen’s modern scientific expertise becomes compatible with the magical world, showing that the two systems may describe similar underlying principles.
• Trust and responsibility: Chen refuses to claim certainty, while Wisdom Shield chooses to trust him and bear responsibility for presenting the answer.
• Isolation and embarrassment: Chen’s knowledge separates him from the others, while his attempts to understand his situation make him appear irrational and socially out of place.

Character Interactions

• Monet and Duoduo cooperate to record and reproduce the runes, while Modornik organizes the group’s investigation.
• Wisdom Shield tries to pull Chen back into the group and later worries that the ruins have affected his mind.
• Monet teases Chen about his bizarre behavior, intensifying Chen’s embarrassment, though he also attempts to reassure him.
• Chen shares his solution with Wisdom Shield instead of directly approaching Modornik, prompting Wisdom Shield to caution him about the danger.
• Wisdom Shield ultimately presents Chen’s answer to Modornik, linking Chen’s obscure knowledge to the Governor’s investigation of the ruins.

Chapter Summary

Plot points and events

Huidun presents a mysterious symbolic answer to the ruins’ puzzle, attracting everyone’s attention. The First Prince challenges its validity, arguing that testing an unverified answer could endanger Governor Modornik and damage Huidun’s reputation. Chen Cheng steps forward and reveals that he—not Huidun—wrote the answer. He volunteers to test it himself, rebuking the First Prince by reminding everyone that he and Huidun helped save the group and open the previous passage.
Modornik, unwilling to let Chen Cheng bear the risk alone, takes the answer and tests it himself. When he writes the final symbol, the door responds with a chime and brilliant light before opening to reveal a spatial portal. The group celebrates, grateful that they can continue without casualties. Modornik postpones their entry until the next day so everyone can rest after their exhausting journey. That evening, the King of the Ground Rats visits Chen Cheng and Huidun to confirm that their agreement remains in effect. Huidun reassures him, while warning that they cannot guarantee he will ultimately be able to enter the ruins.

Character developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates confidence, courage, and strategic awareness by taking responsibility for the answer and confronting the First Prince directly. His successful solution further establishes him as an essential member of the expedition.
• Huidun remains nervous under public scrutiny but proves loyal and dependable by standing behind Chen Cheng and honoring his promises.
• Modornik acts responsibly as expedition leader, protecting Chen Cheng from unnecessary danger and prioritizing the group’s safety and rest.
• The First Prince becomes increasingly antagonistic and resentful. His attempt to undermine Huidun and Chen Cheng fails, leaving him humiliated and suspicious of their abilities.
• The King of the Ground Rats reveals his concern that the humans might abandon their bargain, suggesting his continued dependence on their cooperation.

Significant themes

• Trust and cooperation: The door is opened through Chen Cheng’s knowledge, Huidun’s support, and Modornik’s willingness to share the danger.
• Leadership and responsibility: Modornik places the group’s welfare above haste, while Chen Cheng accepts personal risk for the sake of everyone else.
• Political rivalry and jealousy: The First Prince repeatedly seeks opportunities to discredit Huidun and Chen Cheng, even after they have helped save the expedition.
• Knowledge versus prejudice: Although the princes refuse to believe Chen Cheng and Huidun could solve the puzzle independently, their answer proves correct.
• Promises and uncertain alliances: Huidun honors the agreement with the King of the Ground Rats, though the final outcome remains uncertain.

Character interactions

The First Prince confronts Huidun and Chen Cheng in an attempt to halt the test. Chen Cheng counters him with a pointed reminder of his past contributions, while Modornik intervenes to assume the danger himself. The group’s successful opening of the door strengthens their gratitude toward Chen Cheng and Huidun but deepens the First Prince’s resentment. Later, the King of the Ground Rats seeks reassurance from Huidun and Chen Cheng that their alliance still stands.

Key Plot Points and Events

• A group of people, led by Modornik, prepare to enter ancient ruins through a spatial portal.
• Some overconfident individuals leave the group to explore independently; they are later found dead.
• The King of Ground Rats, accompanied by Chen Cheng's group, enters the ruins without incident.
• When the King of Ground Rats removes his Beast Ring, an alarm blares, and the group hears screams from the earlier explorers.
• A massive bloody footprint is found outside their room, indicating the presence of a dangerous monster.

Character Developments

• Modornik demonstrates leadership and caution, warning his group about the ruins' dangers.
• The First Prince shows his grudge against the King of Ground Rats.
• The King of Ground Rats is initially suspected of causing the alarm but later appears innocent.
• Chen Cheng, Monet, and Flanna exhibit analytical skills, helping the group deduce the cause of the alarm.

Significant Themes

• Caution and Impulsiveness: Some characters act rashly, leading to tragic consequences, while others exercise caution.
• Trust and Distrust: The group initially distrusts the King of Ground Rats but later realizes he might be innocent.
• Teamwork and Individualism: The group works together to analyze the situation, contrasting with the independent explorers who met their demise.

Character Interactions

• Modornik leads the group, making decisions and setting rules.
• Chen Cheng, Monet, and Flanna work together to deduce the cause of the alarm.
• The First Prince expresses his grudge against the King of Ground Rats.
• The King of Ground Rats interacts nervously with the group, trying to clear his name.

Chapter Summary: “Exploration Team”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng proposes that the Beast Rings may possess intelligence, causing the others to dismiss him as delusional.
• He recalls the Tree Spirits greeting them with “Welcome home” when they crossed Gale Wind Canyon.
• Chen Cheng connects this greeting to the identity tokens everyone received before entering the ruins. Since the tokens contain extensive personal information, he theorizes that they are ancient national identity documents proving that the group members are considered citizens of the Ancient Civilization.
• He further suggests that the underground ruins may have once been the civilization’s city—or even the explorers’ ancestral “home.”
• Chen Cheng explains the King of Ground Rats’ ability to enter through the spatial gate: the King may have been a domesticated or servant beast of the ancient humans, while his clansmen lacked the collars or identifying items required for entry.
• This interpretation reassures the frightened group and helps preserve their unity, though it deeply humiliates the King of Ground Rats, who realizes that his kind may have been treated as pets or vicious-beast servants by the ancient civilization.
• Chen Cheng proposes sending a small group ahead to scout for danger. The scouts are to retreat if necessary and return to the main group if they find valuable opportunities, since the goal is to survive and obtain benefits rather than die pursuing them.
• Chen Cheng volunteers first, arguing that he deciphered the spatial gate and understands the ruins better than anyone else.
• Flanna joins because of her strength and quick reactions as a Warrior.
• Wisdom Shield is chosen for his versatile Chaos Magic, while Monet and Xiao Rou complete the team. Xiao Rou contributes exceptional danger-prediction abilities, and Monet is secretly a talented magic-and-martial cultivator.
• The others envy the scouts because they will face the greatest danger but will also claim the largest share of any discoveries.
• The First Prince does not challenge Wisdom Shield’s selection. Instead, he hopes Wisdom Shield will use magic, believing the poison inside him has been worsening for months and may cause his Magic Energy to go berserk and kill him.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates analytical intelligence, courage, and growing enthusiasm for uncovering the Ancient Civilization’s secrets. He becomes an informal leader by explaining the ruins’ rules and organizing the scouting plan.
• The First Prince remains hostile toward Chen Cheng and Wisdom Shield, but he temporarily restrains himself because he recognizes the ruins’ danger. His cooperation is strategic rather than sincere, and he continues plotting against Wisdom Shield.
• Wisdom Shield is placed in a dangerous position. His Chaos Magic makes him valuable to the team, but the First Prince believes his long-term poisoning is nearing its conclusion.
• Flanna establishes herself as one of the group’s strongest and most responsive fighters.
• Xiao Rou gains importance despite her limited combat power because of her remarkable ability to sense impending danger.
• Monet is revealed to be more capable than he appears, possessing talent in both magic and martial arts.
• The King of Ground Rats suffers a psychological blow after realizing that his people may have been regarded as animals or servants by the ancient humans.

Significant Themes

• Identity and belonging: The phrase “Welcome home” and the identity tokens raise questions about whether the explorers are connected to the Ancient Civilization and whether the ruins recognize them as descendants or former citizens.
• The legacy of civilization: The ruins combine magic and technology, making them a source of knowledge that could transform Chen Cheng’s understanding and future abilities.
• Survival versus greed: Chen Cheng emphasizes cooperation and survival over recklessly pursuing treasure, highlighting the need for discipline in a dangerous environment.
• Power and dehumanization: The possibility that Beastfolk were once pets or servants reveals a disturbing hierarchy between the ancient humans and other species.
• Hidden danger and betrayal: The First Prince’s secret hopes for Wisdom Shield’s death show that the expedition is threatened not only by the ruins but also by internal conflict.

Character Interactions

• The group initially mocks Chen Cheng’s theory, but the First Prince unexpectedly confirms the Tree Spirits’ exact words, giving Chen Cheng’s argument credibility.
• Chen Cheng’s explanation calms the others and prevents the expedition from fracturing.
• The First Prince and Chen Cheng cooperate temporarily despite their mutual hostility, united by the need to understand the ruins.
• Chen Cheng persuades the group to accept his scouting plan through logical reasoning rather than authority.
• Flanna, Wisdom Shield, Monet, and Xiao Rou join Chen Cheng as a balanced exploration team, combining combat strength, magic, danger detection, and technical knowledge.
• The First Prince watches Wisdom Shield closely, hoping that the scout mission will force him to use magic and trigger the poison’s fatal effects.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Modornik gives Wisdom Shield several Power Runes containing the force of his full-strength attacks. The runes are intended to protect Wisdom Shield temporarily if he encounters danger, since he lacks the support of a powerful Lineage.
• Wisdom Shield, Chen Cheng (Brown), Monet, Flanna, and Xiao Rou leave the safe white room after preparing their supplies, signals, and plans.
• They carefully bypass a pool of blood and follow the enormous bloody footprints left by the mysterious monster. Chen Cheng warns them not to touch the blood or leave traces, while Monet lightens the tension with jokes.
• At the end of the corridor, they find a sealed door. Following Chen Cheng’s advice, they use their identity tokens and search the surrounding walls instead of opening it carelessly.
• A modern-looking screen appears beside the door and presents a mathematical formula. Chen Cheng recognizes it as a problem from his previous life—one that had only an approximate solution there.
• His first answer is rejected, causing him to wonder whether the Ancient Civilization has discovered a perfect solution to the formula. He then studies both the formula and the screen’s technology, using them to assess the Ancient Civilization’s scientific advancement.
• After extensive calculations, Chen Cheng realizes that the correct answer depends on the technological level of the system rather than simply the mathematical solution. He enters another answer, which is also rejected, but this confirms his deduction.
• Before he can try a third time, Wisdom Shield and the others stop him, fearing that too many failed attempts could trigger the nearby monster. Chen Cheng insists that he is certain, and Xiao Rou’s magic detects no danger.
• Chen Cheng enters the final answer, and the door opens onto a vast, empty white plaza. The door closes behind them, leaving the group surrounded by featureless space. Flanna reveals that she has already recorded the answer outside, preserving their escape route.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng/Brown demonstrates exceptional mathematical knowledge, scientific reasoning, and confidence. He does not merely solve the formula; he analyzes the screen’s construction and uses the Ancient Civilization’s technological level to infer the correct answer.
• His unusual expertise continues to make the others uneasy, as they fear he may be connected to or even be one of the Ancient Divine Beings. However, his failed initial attempt reassures them temporarily.
• Wisdom Shield acts cautiously and responsibly, helping lead the group and preventing Chen Cheng from making a potentially dangerous third attempt.
• Monet remains humorous even in a threatening environment, using jokes to reduce tension, though he also recognizes the seriousness of the situation.
• Xiao Rou shows quiet courage by trusting Chen Cheng and speaking up despite her shyness. Her magical ability to detect danger provides important reassurance.
• Flanna proves practical and prepared by leaving a record of the answer outside, ensuring the group has a way back.

Significant Themes

• Science and magic coexist: The ruins combine advanced technology—screens, formulas, and artificial systems—with magic, magical lineages, and protective runes.
• Knowledge as power: Chen Cheng’s previous-life scientific knowledge gives him an advantage that none of the others can match, allowing him to overcome an obstacle created by the Ancient Civilization.
• Trust under pressure: The group must decide whether to trust Chen Cheng’s reasoning despite the danger of limited attempts and the threat of the monster.
• The mystery of the Ancient Civilization: The screen and mathematical challenge suggest that the civilization possessed extraordinary scientific knowledge, while Chen Cheng’s analysis hints that its technology may not be completely beyond his understanding.
• Caution versus boldness: The characters balance careful exploration with the need to act decisively before the monster or other dangers appear.

Character Interactions

• Modornik supports Wisdom Shield by giving him defensive runes, highlighting the difference between Wisdom Shield’s limited personal resources and the backing enjoyed by other heirs.
• Chen Cheng repeatedly takes the role of practical guide, warning the group about the blood, advising them to use the tokens, and interpreting the screen.
• Monet’s teasing comments create moments of levity but also echo Chen Cheng’s warnings about treating the ruins carelessly.
• Wisdom Shield and the others physically restrain Chen Cheng from making a third attempt, showing both their fear of the consequences and their growing concern for the group’s safety.
• Chen Cheng appeals to Xiao Rou’s support, and her timid agreement strengthens his position. Her shy reaction to his praise reinforces her gentle, reserved personality.
• Flanna’s final revelation—that she recorded the answer—shows her quiet attentiveness and gives the group a practical safeguard after entering the mysterious plaza.