Chapter Summaries

Li Wen seized the black stone egg and discovered that holding it rapidly increased her Twilight Erosion, leading her to suspect it was a living, life-draining egg. Meanwhile, Jeffrey joined the battle against Barty, who summoned a powerful griffin to attack him.

• Wolf Leader threw a false magical lure to escape, but Moria blocked his path and forced him into a sword fight.
• Li Wen snatched the black stone egg, noticed her Twilight Erosion rising, and found that releasing the egg stopped its rapid increase.
• Li Wen suspected the egg was alive and kicked it toward the pursuing Platinum Studio members and agents to test whether it would drain them.
• Victoria pressed Jeffrey to fulfill his duties, and he charged Barty with a greatsword of light.
• Barty summoned a legendary griffin from a magical array, and it swooped toward Jeffrey with fire, poison, and its claws.

Li Wen and White Star Studio fought Pack Leader and his former agent over the Sage's Ovum Sheath. Li Wen killed the wounded agent, while Moria survived being switched into the path of Jeffrey and the griffin's attacks, and the remaining fights continued.

• A White Star Studio agent seized the Sage's Ovum Sheath, but Yi Shi and the others wounded and surrounded him.
• Pack Leader switched places with Moria, sending Moria into Jeffrey and the griffin's attack, then bit off the agent's arm to take the egg.
• Batty struck Pack Leader and the surrounding players with lightning, while the injured agent's aberrant blood burned his spirituality to keep him alive.
• Li Wen used Poem of Paradise to immobilize the agent and severed his head with the Crow Feather Dagger, then repeatedly slashed his corpse to confirm the kill.
• Li Wen surveyed the battlefield and saw Marymana and Batty still trading magic while Moria endured Jeffrey and the griffin's combined attacks.

The black stone egg escaped White Star Fang’s grasp and began pouring out a strange black liquid after Moria cracked it. As the liquid spread through the warehouse and drained color from objects, Jeffrey and Marymana realized that neither knew what the top-secret alchemical object was.

• White Star Fang broke free of Batty’s control, seized the black stone egg, and was killed by Bai Lu’s illusory whip when he tried to flee.
• Bai Lu reached for the egg, but Batty, Wolf Leader, and Li Wen stopped her as its patterns brightened and its pulses intensified.
• Pack Leader rushed for the egg, but Moria struck it with sword light, cracking its shell and releasing black liquid across the warehouse.
• Li Wen noticed that the liquid stripped color from metal, fabric, equipment, and the agent’s corpse, while leaving sand, gravel, and mud unchanged.
• Jeffrey killed the griffin summon and asked Marymana what was happening; she revealed that she did not know what the object was.
• Jeffrey explained that his superiors had only told him a Royal Warship was transporting a top-secret object related to alchemy through Black Raven Port.

A black being named Impurities emerged from the stone egg in Leicester and revealed its connection to the Sage’s Ovum Sheath and the ancient origins of alchemy. After Victoria identified the age, Impurities recognized that destruction was approaching.

• Victoria explained that a fourth object or existence could be called the Sage’s Ovum Sheath as the stone egg crumbled.
• A giant humanoid covered in living black liquid emerged, and the liquid began falling over Leicester like rain.
• Li Wen recognized the being’s divine influence, while Victoria told it that the world was in the Black Iron Age.
• The being identified itself as Impurities, born in the Creator’s Furnace as its residue and embodiment of imperfection.
• Impurities declared that it had been awakened because destruction was approaching.

The awakened ancient being warned Li Wen and the others that the Twilight of the Apocalypse was near and that destruction could not be avoided. When it identified its awakeners only as blurred, chaotic figures, the Taranis Sky Continent came under attack, and Marymana hurried to return to the Circle of White Birds Society.

• The black being described an ancient prophecy in which the world and all existence would meet their end.
• Barty realized the struggle over the Sage's Ovum Sheath had been a ritual that drained his spirituality and sought the identity of the mastermind.
• Marymana asked who had awakened the being, which said the figures behind it were indistinct and disordered.
• Marymana connected the description to the Truth Society as the Taranis Sky Continent lit up with its defenses activated.
• The black being remarked that the attackers had their own objective, and Marymana teleported away after the Society rejected her targeted teleportation.
• Barty concluded his mission was over and vanished.

Nasha found Halik at Artificer's Hand and tried to recruit him into The Truth Society, warning him that the world faced destruction. Selwyn Lagoven confronted her, and Nasha began offering Halik a choice as the chapter ended.

• Jeffrey left to organize investigators and notify Artificer's Hand and Count Lagoven about the danger in Leicester.
• Halik remained in his room, feeling uneasy despite the books and opportunities Artificer's Hand had given him.
• Nasha arrived in combat gear, took Halik with her, and urged him to join The Truth Society to escape the coming apocalypse.
• Selwyn Lagoven confronted Nasha and revealed that he had collected the black badges of the Society members who had left.
• Nasha told Halik he had two choices, but the chapter ended before she explained them.

After the Pack Leader fled, the ancient being formed a temple and revealed that it planned to escape the Twilight of the Apocalypse by leaving the world. Victoria departed to search royal records, while Li Wen doubted the being’s claims and turned her attention to its cocoon and the more immediate threat of The Truth Society.

• The Pack Leader transformed into a rat and escaped through the sewers as the black entity spread liquid across the ruined warehouse and raised stone pillars.
• Victoria asked what the ancient being was building, and it answered that it was a temple to replace the hall lost in Babylon's old ruins.
• The ancient being said it could not resist the Twilight of the Apocalypse and intended to flee to a world beyond the void; it then sealed itself inside a black cocoon to rebuild its temple.
• Victoria left with Knight Lance, planning to search the royal house’s records for information about the apocalypse.
• Bai Lu slipped away to look for her friend’s cousin and the classmates she had been watching over.
• Moria asked whether Li Wen would return, but she ignored him and questioned the ancient being’s claims about escaping the apocalypse.

Li Wen tried to learn the whereabouts of the Original Text of Lineage from the ancient being inside the stone cocoon, but first had to convince it that she knew the truth about the Twilight of the Apocalypse. It mistook her for a Chosen Apostle, and Li Wen considered what that might mean as their conversation continued.

• Li Wen told the being in the stone cocoon that fleeing to the Void Realm could not save it from the apocalypse and that even the Pillar Deities could not stop the Twilight.
• The being opened a crack in the cocoon, froze everything around it for an instant, and asked whether Li Wen belonged to the Calamity Cult.
• Li Wen denied being a cultist and said she had personally witnessed the Twilight; the being's attempt to examine her thoughts failed.
• The being asked who Li Wen was, then concluded that she was a Chosen Apostle destined to see a world hidden from ordinary people.
• Li Wen rejected that explanation inwardly, recalling that she knew the Twilight because she carried the Strategy Group's mission and had used Urd's Thorn to send her memories into the past.

Li Wen tried to persuade an ancient being to give her the Original Text of Creation, claiming it was necessary for the Twilight Witch’s return and could help stop the Twilight of the Apocalypse. The being remained suspicious, and the chapter ended before it decided whether to spare Li Wen and Moria or reveal the text’s whereabouts.

• The ancient being threatened Li Wen after mistaking her for a Chosen Apostle, but Moria warned that killing her would make it an enemy of the Holy Church and Radiance.
• The ancient being withdrew its malice, choosing not to kill Li Wen and Moria because it feared the consequences of provoking a powerful deity.
• Li Wen urged the being to give her the Original Text of Creation instead of pursuing Illusory Void as the apocalypse approached.
• Li Wen argued that the Twilight Witch’s return could give the world a way to resist the Twilight of the Apocalypse, and claimed the Original Text was necessary for that return.
• The ancient being questioned Li Wen’s motives and dismissed her claim as one-sided, leaving its decision unresolved.

Li Wen swore to pursue the Twilight Witch and restore the vacant Twilight Pillar, but the ancient being refused to reveal the original scripture of creation. Moria offered the Holy Church’s Stairway to Heaven as a way to help it reach the void realm, and began proposing a deal.

• Li Wen swore to the Radiant Crown, the Daughter of the End, and the Holy Spirit that she would restore the Twilight Witch and the vacant Twilight Pillar.
• The ancient being said it knew where the original scripture of creation was and how to obtain it, but refused to help Li Wen.
• Moria offered the being assistance from the Holy Church if it wanted to travel beyond the Mortal World.
• Moria explained that the Church might lend the Stairway to Heaven, a sacred relic that could help the being reach the void realm.
• Moria began proposing an exchange: the being would reveal the scripture’s location and means of acquisition, and he would provide assistance.

Li Wen obtained Vantnirgen's Bone, the key to the Emerald Tablet, from the Impurity, which promised to seek the Sky Ladder from the Temple. After the entity vanished, Moria watched the battle in the Sky Dome fade, while Director Jeffrey reviewed the aftermath of the attack on Leicester and asked whether the Wolf Pack Club's leader had been found.

• The Impurity stopped Moria from swearing and told Li Wen that the Emerald Tablet lay in the Abyss of Dito, inside a black spire, and that ancient beings might know the way there.
• The Impurity gave Li Wen Vantnirgen's Bone as the key to opening the spire and said it would demand the Sky Ladder from the Temple on the next Day of the Moon Jaundice.
• The Impurity vanished along with the ruined warehouse, and Li Wen thanked Moria for helping her obtain the key to the Emerald Tablet.
• Moria watched the Sky Dome's radiance fade as the battle above Leicester appeared to reach its end.
• Director Jeffrey reviewed the night's losses, learned that only three official investigators had died, and asked whether the Wolf Pack Club's leader had been found.

Jeffrey investigated the Wolf Pack Club’s destruction and examined a strange scroll, while Li Wen spent her experience upgrading abilities and reached the limit of Supplicant lv10. Li Wen was left needing an advancement ritual to break through to the next stage of the Path of Light Chasing.

• Jeffrey wondered why Wolf Leader had sacrificed the Wolf Pack Club and considered blaming the Sage's Ovum Sheath’s disappearance on him to end the factions’ fighting.
• A subordinate gave Jeffrey an ancient scroll recovered from the Wolf Pack Club’s basement, and he found crude images of wolves killing one another instead of a contract or ritual diagram.
• Li Wen assessed her experience from killing the Agent and chose to upgrade Craving Light, Prayer Incantation, and Divine Prayer.
• Li Wen discovered that Craving Light could not be upgraded past lv3, then spent the rest of her experience to raise Prayer Incantation to lv3 and Divine Prayer by one level.
• Li Wen reached Supplicant lv10 and sensed that she needed an advancement ritual to progress along the Path of Light Chasing.

Li Wen searched Leicester for materials needed to advance to Stage Two of the Path of Light Chasing, but found the Wanderer's Tavern closed and a living dead attacker inside. The encounter left her fighting the unknown assailant after identifying what he seemed to be.

• Li Wen discussed Leicester's chaos and her plans with Moria before they parted ways.
• Li Wen considered how to obtain Dim Candle Blood and the Spirit World light required for her advancement ritual.
• Li Wen found the Wanderer's Tavern shut and entered after discovering its door was unlocked.
• Li Wen used Poem of Paradise and Spell-less Arc Light against a pale attacker dressed as an Investigation Bureau investigator.
• Li Wen realized the attacker was likely one of the living dead, cursed him, and retreated after he caught her dagger.

Li Wen defeated the ghoul in the Tavern and uncovered the hidden attacker as a Stage Three Vengeful Spirit Walker. She used Poem of Paradise to reveal the spirit, then launched a Divine Strike while the woman was still recovering from materializing.

• Li Wen evaded the ghoul in the Tavern hall and avoided a pale gray attack from the second floor, which inflicted severe pain and cost her health.
• Li Wen used Poem of Paradise and Gift of Temperance to dispel the ghoul's frenzy and the strange pain, then killed it with her tenth dagger strike.
• Li Wen restored her health with Divine Prayer as a freezing mist and a bone short sword attacked her from the second floor.
• Li Wen identified the attacker as a Vengeful Spirit Walker and used Poem of Paradise to force her out of her spirit form.
• Li Wen launched a Divine Strike at the revealed woman before she could react.

Li Wen escaped a Vengeful Spirit Walker at Wanderer's Tavern and found the Dim Candle Blood she needed for advancement. After uncovering three hidden items, she was caught in a massive Grayfire explosion and awoke in her safe house.

• Li Wen fought the Vengeful Spirit Walker, who escaped with her reanimated corpse after cloaking the Tavern in darkness.
• Li Wen deduced that the Vengeful Spirit Walker was likely injured from earlier conflicts and searched the Tavern's second floor for advancement materials.
• Li Wen found a magically concealed storeroom and recovered a bottle of high-quality Dim Candle Blood.
• Li Wen cast Gift of Temperance, revealing three hidden items on a shelf, and stored them in her treasure bag.
• A huge Grayfire explosion destroyed the Tavern, and Li Wen awoke in the safe house she had prepared for the battle over Sage's Ovum Sheath.

Li Wen narrowly avoided triggering a destructive trap beneath the Tavern before being pulled out of the game, where he reunited with his younger sister, Li Xin. He hid his true reasons for playing and left her discussing the Leicester treasure rumors.

• Li Wen realized that removing the hidden magic in the Tavern’s secret chamber could ignite the Grayfire underground and destroy the building, so he retreated from the chamber.
• Li Wen was abruptly pulled out of the game and found Li Xin waiting beside his bed after school.
• Li Wen explained that he had started playing World Tree: Origins for a virtual reality project, concealing his deeper purpose from Li Xin.
• Li Wen told Li Xin that he was in Leicester and dismissed the rumored treasure as a lure to attract players.
• Li Wen prepared dinner for Li Xin, and afterward she shared game information with him.

Li Wen returned to the game and examined the items she had obtained, discovering a legendary potion that could grant Revival and reading a letter about the Cavendish family’s dealings with a mysterious person. The letter left her with the revelation that its writer had joined that person’s group and deeply regretted it.

• Li Wen’s younger sister warned her that their mother was worried about her skipping school, and Li Wen said she understood.
• Li Wen checked her status and saw that her Supplicant level had reached the peak of Stage One.
• Li Wen identified a potion as a legendary True Soul Elixir that granted Revival and carefully set it aside.
• Li Wen examined a magically sealed black box but turned to the letter without opening it.
• Li Wen read that a mysterious visitor had eased Lord Cavendish’s father’s illness in exchange for promises, then invited Lord Cavendish to join their group.
• Lord Cavendish’s letter said he had accepted the invitation without thinking and regretted it deeply.

Li Wen examined Black-headed Kite’s letter and connected its warning about the Cavendish family treasure to Duke William’s mysterious illness and High Prism Tower. She leaned toward handing the items to the Artificer’s Hand Society, but first decided to inspect the sealed box and see what the treasure was.

• Li Wen read Black-headed Kite’s letter, which warned her not to trust the people involved and to beware High Prism Tower.
• Li Wen recalled the Cavendish family’s history and realized the letter’s sick man was Duke William Cavendish.
• Li Wen suspected the mysterious mage and Wandering Soul Walker were connected to the attempt to seize the family treasure, possibly through the Truth Society.
• Li Wen weighed keeping the legendary potion and treasure against giving them to the Artificer’s Hand Society.
• Li Wen decided to open the sealed box before choosing what to do with the items.

Li Wen opened the Cavendish family’s sealed box and used its Enchanting Rune Stone to recharge the Eye of the Transcendent before setting out for the Artificer's Hand Society. Elsewhere, Victoria spoke with Marshall about his new powers and the players, while Li Wen traveled toward the river channel near Bai Lu’s location.

• Li Wen broke the cipher seal, found the Enchanting Rune Stone, and recognized the rune engraved on it as meaning “birch.”
• Li Wen used the stone to restore the Eye of the Transcendent’s charge, then returned it to the box and planned to visit the Artificer's Hand Society before advancing on the Path of Light Chasing.
• Victoria met with Marshall, who revealed that his advancement as an Abomination Hunter had given him the powers of a Frost Giant.
• Victoria told Marshall that she believed her mother’s request to retrieve the Sage's Ovum Sheath had only been an excuse to remove her from the royal palace, and described the players as a chaotic, promising group.
• Li Wen located Bai Lu on the Magic Map, took a public carriage toward the Artificer's Hand Society, and arrived beside a river channel.

Li Wen brought Bai Lu to the Artificer's Hand Society to consult Marymana about a Wandering Soul Walker and the items she had taken. A letter and a rune stone revealed that The Truth Society might be targeting an ancient pact, prompting Marymana to warn Selwyn to check the Lagoven family's rune stone.

• Li Wen found Bai Lu in the sewers and took her to the Artificer's Hand Society to meet Marymana.
• Li Wen told Marymana she had encountered a Wandering Soul Walker in Leicester and showed her three items taken from the fugitive.
• Selwyn identified a letter as being from Ethan Cavendish and confirmed that the accompanying box contained the Cavendish family's Birch Rune Stone.
• Selwyn explained that the rune stones represented a pact made by seven mages led by Merlin before the Kingdom of Arthur was established.
• Marymana concluded that The Truth Society might be pursuing the pact and warned Selwyn to verify that the Lagoven family's Torch Rune Stone was safe.