Chapter Summaries

Gu Xi and his forces attacked a massive mad willow that concealed a powerful werewolf. Death Avatar killed the werewolf and destroyed the willow, earning Gu Xi experience as the chapter ended.

• Gu Xi deployed zombie troops and thirty Maze Devourers to protect himself while he attacked the mad willow with spells.
• A huge white-furred werewolf covered in willow branches emerged and tore through most of the Maze Devourers.
• Gu Xi summoned Death Avatar, who resisted the werewolf’s physical attacks and wounded him with bites.
• Death Avatar seized the werewolf and fired Dissolving Rays, melting half his body before the werewolf died.
• Death Avatar unleashed Death Dragon Breath on the mad willow, killing the Plant-Transformed Werewolf and granting Gu Xi 5,544 experience points.

Gu Xi ordered the battlefield cleared and recovered the Sword of Domreido and a Druid Inheritance Skull from the fallen mad willow. After collecting the Fire Rat King's Fang and salvaging lumber, he found his undead gathered around an uprooted tree pit strewn with broken pottery jars and gray-white powder.

• Gu Xi found the Sword of Domreido embedded in the fallen mad willow and ordered the stump and sword sent to Aryadovi City.
• Gu Xi had his Ghosts search the pit and discovered an Inheritance Skull that taught the Druid skill Werewolf Transformation.
• Gu Xi collected the Fire Rat King's Fang and realized it could be used to make book clasps that kept books dry.
• Gu Xi ordered the Ghost Squad to haul away the lumber for making Magic Wands.
• Gu Xi found his undead gathered around an uprooted tree pit scattered with broken Pottery Jars and gray-white powder.

Gu Xi collected pottery jars containing evidence of another player's Undead studies and learned that the Mysterious Academy's Department Heads might soon fight over rebuilding it. Before he could pursue the academy's opportunities, a gigantic Skeleton Cavalry on a Dark Blue Flame Phoenix ambushed him, and Gu Xi fought back as his Skeleton Mages drained the Phoenix's mana.

• Gu Xi ordered the pottery jars engraved with Magic Arrays sent to Aryadovi City for study, then had his undead search the area again before heading back.
• Shaya told Gu Xi that the three Department Heads who remained behind had turned against one another and might soon battle over rebuilding the Mysterious Academy.
• A gigantic Skeleton Cavalry on a Dark Blue Flame Phoenix attacked Gu Xi with a White Bone Spear and demanded that he hand something over.
• Gu Xi summoned his Death Avatar, ordered the Skeleton Mages to drain the Phoenix's mana, and drank miniature Magic Potions to replenish his own.
• After the Death Avatar used Death Dragon Breath on the Phoenix, Gu Xi cast Magic Arrow and summoned another Death Avatar.

Gu Xi's Death Avatar defeated the Nether Phoenix Cavalry with a new icy Death Dragon Breath and absorbed its flames. Shaya recovered a damaged shield from the battle, and Gu Xi sent her to investigate who had attacked them.

• The Death Avatar switched to an icy Death Dragon Breath, freezing the Phoenix and its rider before biting the Skeleton Soldier to pieces.
• The Death Avatar absorbed the Nether Phoenix's flames, killing the Nether Phoenix Cavalry and taking its purple orb.
• Gu Xi surveyed the damage and checked on Shaya, who had survived the attack.
• Shaya showed Gu Xi the damaged Three-Headed Dragon Shield she had cut from the enemy.
• Gu Xi examined the shield, returned it to Shaya, and ordered her to investigate its former owner and the attack.

After an ambush, Gu Xi stopped traveling and had Shaya investigate who had sent the attackers. He deduced that the Black Robe Skeleton wanted the skull-shaped bell and decided to use it as bait against his enemies.

• Gu Xi made camp, summoned the Steel City Gate, and noticed four strange Turtles circling the Earthbound Weird Dragon.
• Shaya reported that the attackers’ shield belonged to a missing professor from the Reindeer Department.
• Gu Xi and Shaya reviewed the battle and realized the enemy had pursued them for something beyond the mission in Mad Willow Forest.
• Gu Xi deduced that the Black Robe Skeleton had used the mission to make him kill the Death Intent Giant Armor and obtain its skull-shaped bell.
• Gu Xi sent Shaya to investigate the bell and offer it for sale to anyone outside the Black Robe Skeleton’s faction.

After the Nether Phoenix’s sphere was absorbed by one of Gu Xi’s subordinates, Vega, an administrator from the Academy Bat Building, arrived to trade for it. Vega explained that the sphere granted permission for high-speed flight within the academy, while the Soul Control Bell granted Department Heads control over Puppets and golems.

• Gu Xi arranged three City Gates into a defensive formation and sent Gargoyles to scout for threats.
• A Gargoyle reported that an armed convoy was approaching to trade, and Gu Xi saw its carts loaded with gold and jewels shrouded in black mist.
• Vega, the administrator of the Academy Bat Building, approached Gu Xi under a banner and said he had come to trade.
• Vega offered the convoy’s goods for the sphere left by the Nether Phoenix, but Gu Xi said one of his subordinates had absorbed it.
• Gu Xi offered to trade a skull-shaped bell instead, and Vega identified it as the Soul Control Bell before explaining its permissions and the sphere’s value.

Gu Xi learned how authority worked at the Mysterious Academy and was offered a chance to enroll and learn four Basic Skills. Miranda and Karimdo both sought the Soul Control Bell, and Gu Xi pressed Karimdo to offer a better deal before agreeing to cooperate.

• Vega explained the academy's hierarchy and said Gu Xi did not count as a student, while Gu Xi asked whether that meant he could learn more skills.
• Miranda, Department Head of the Bat Department, offered to enroll Gu Xi so he could learn four Basic Skills in exchange for the Soul Control Bell.
• Karimdo, Department Head of the Crocodile Department, arrived and warned that Miranda could not defeat Naweiduo, who would try to reclaim the bell.
• Karimdo asked Gu Xi to cooperate with him and Miranda, and Gu Xi said he would take Miranda's admission offer unless Karimdo matched it with something worthwhile.

Gu Xi accepted Karimdo’s offer to join the Mysterious Academy’s rebuilding effort in exchange for becoming a Department Head. After Karimdo assigned him the Mountain Leopard Department to rebuild under a new name, Gu Xi handed over the Soul Control Bell and completed the first stage of a long-term mission that could grant him the Department Head identity.

• Karimdo proposed rebuilding the Mysterious Academy and offered Miranda a Vice-Dean position and Gu Xi a Department Head position.
• Gu Xi immediately accepted and demanded to become a Department Head, surprising Karimdo and amusing Miranda.
• Karimdo agreed to appoint Gu Xi to lead the Mountain Leopard Department, which Gu Xi would rebuild and rename.
• Karimdo explained that Gu Xi could manage the department remotely through a portrait and appointed staff and professors.
• Gu Xi handed Karimdo the Soul Control Bell and completed the first round of the Light of the Mysterious Academy mission.

Gu Xi went with Karimdo to the lake, where they discussed taking control of the Mysterious Academy and met a former Dean who had returned as an oil painting. Karimdo's team waited for one final ally before moving against Naweiduo.

• Karimdo offered Gu Xi a Department Head position and opened a Teleportation Gate to his lake territory.
• Gu Xi packed away his troops and City Gate before following Karimdo through the gate, where he fell into the lake and was rescued by a Water Dragon Beast.
• Karimdo showed Gu Xi the dead crocodile that had carried the Sword of Leadership, and explained he would keep it despite the changes that might come to the Crocodile Department.
• A former Dean, now an oil painting brought back to life by Death Aura, arrived and was greeted as Professor by Karimdo and Miranda.
• Miranda explained that the Professor had agreed to help Karimdo's team break Naweiduo's control over part of the Dean-level authority, and they waited for the last person to arrive.

Gu Xi joined Karimdo and the others as they planned to defeat Naweiduo and seize his authority. Gu Xi agreed to handle the enemies stationed outside, after confirming that his department would receive its share of the academy’s authority.

• Kanaste arrived, introduced himself as a Sword Saint from the Crocodile Department, and declared that he wanted to teach Offense and pursue the War Maniac path.
• Karimdo explained that the group needed to eliminate Naweiduo’s allies and creatures before confronting him, estimating that they would face about twenty enemies.
• Kanaste noticed Gu Xi’s Orange Equipment ring and concluded that it explained how a newcomer could become a Department Head.
• Karimdo asked Gu Xi to deal with the seven or eight enemies outside Naweiduo’s immediate circle.
• Gu Xi accepted the assignment after Karimdo assured him that each Department Head was entitled to five authority privileges, then took the target map.

Gu Xi returned to Aryadovi City to prepare for a plan against Naweiduo’s forces, assigning Shaya to gather intelligence while he secured the City Gates. He then traveled to Aryadovi Tower to consult Grand Princess Anna, learning that Dimi’s campaign in the Tudor-era city would take much longer to complete.

• Gu Xi asked Karimdo to send him back to his subordinates and received three days to deal with Naweiduo’s outer forces, along with a key that proved his identity.
• Gu Xi sent Shaya to identify his assigned targets and gather information about neutral academy faculty, their locations, and the fastest routes to reach them.
• Gu Xi arranged the three City Gates in a defensive formation and gave Amirka authority to mobilize Aryadovi City’s remaining troops to guard them.
• Gu Xi traveled through the Steel City Gate toward Aryadovi Tower, where Luna joined him and reported that the Summoning Tower would be complete in three hours.
• Luna told Gu Xi that Dimi had entered the Tudor Dynasty-era Aryadovi City and was fighting through its streets, with the full city expected to take about five more days to capture.

Gu Xi visited Aryadovi Tower, where Grand Princess Anna revealed a hidden Necromancer advancement path tied to the Three Divine Skills of Death. After Gu Xi explained his plan to use Death Lord to recruit the neutral Undead at Mysterious Academy, Anna agreed it was feasible but warned that he would have to earn the skill himself.

• Luna told Gu Xi that Aryadovi City could reach level 12 if it incorporated all the land from the Tudor Dynasty era.
• Grand Princess Anna had strengthened Aryadovi Tower and transferred the Raven Soldiers there, so Crow Spearmen carried Gu Xi inside because the gates could not open.
• Anna told Gu Xi that mastering the Three Divine Skills of Death could lead to the hidden class Death Sorcerer Lord at Level 5 and the Lord of the Underworld at level 10.
• Gu Xi explained that he wanted Death Lord to subdue the neutral Undead at Mysterious Academy, including Naweiduo's forces if Naweiduo lost control or died.
• Anna said Gu Xi's plan was feasible but insisted he must complete a task to master Death Lord without her lowering its requirements.

Gu Xi returned from Aryadovi City sooner than expected, gave Luna responsibility for the city, and prepared to deploy a Summoning Tower at the battlefield. He then chose Isabella, the former Medical Wing doctor who possessed the Blood Holy Grail, as his first target, but hesitated over whether to confront her.

• Luna gave Gu Xi a Special Mirror, which he attached to his wrist alongside the Special Coin and used to amplify its effects.
• Gu Xi returned through the Steel City Gate and told Amirka to prepare a plot of land for a Summoning Tower he expected to deploy in about three hours.
• Amirka organized his troops and ordered them to clear space while Gu Xi studied a map for his next target.
• Gu Xi chose Isabella, a Vampire and former Medical Wing doctor who had used students' blood to upgrade her Blood Holy Grail.
• Gu Xi considered Isabella's unexplained history and hesitated over whether to make a move against her.

Gu Xi visited Isabella’s territory to recruit her, but she refused to serve anyone and instead healed his injuries with blood rain. After hearing why Isabella was gathering blood to revive her friend, Gu Xi offered a mercury-based alternative, and Isabella agreed to support his affairs at the academy.

• Gu Xi summoned near Isabella’s fruit-tree forest, and Isabella emerged from a blood cloud to warn him not to summon in her territory.
• Isabella rejected Gu Xi’s approach, then treated his injuries with a rain of blood after he gave her a drop of blood.
• Gu Xi learned Isabella was searching for blood that could revive her friend without making him an ordinary vampire.
• Gu Xi suggested trying a non-blood material and offered to share the mercury formula used for his Crimson Knight.
• Isabella thanked Gu Xi, revealed her name, and agreed to remain at the academy and support his affairs.

Gu Xi left Shaya’s intelligence-gathering area and attacked the academy’s blacksmith, a level 10 Stitched Monster, after learning that the nearby pet doctor Jason should be spared. When the blacksmith’s spells revealed an unexpected threat, Gu Xi stopped treating the fight as spell practice and summoned Death Avatar.

• Gu Xi encountered Shaya near the pet doctor Jason’s territory, and she warned him that attacking Jason would anger faculty members who relied on his animals.
• Shaya directed Gu Xi to a hostile level 10 Stitched Monster who had been the academy’s blacksmith, and Gu Xi went to challenge him.
• The blacksmith charged at Gu Xi, who restrained him and tested several spells that barely damaged the monster.
• The blacksmith cast a spell that gave Gu Xi an Iron Armor effect, then prepared another spell; Gu Xi dodged it with the Evil Coffin.
• Gu Xi decided to end the fight and cast Death Avatar as the blacksmith prepared another spell.

Gu Xi used a newly summoned Death Avatar to break the Blacksmith Stitched Monster’s health-sharing ritual and overwhelm him. After the Death Avatar detonated the Nether Phoenix orb inside the monster, Gu Xi asked whether he would surrender.

• The Blacksmith Stitched Monster used defensive spells and Shared Damage to force the Death Avatar into a fight where both suffered equal damage.
• Gu Xi summoned another Death Avatar, breaking the ritual’s defense balance, and the avatar attacked the Blacksmith Stitched Monster with Death Dragon Breath and Dissolving Rays.
• The Blacksmith Stitched Monster opened his abdomen to pull the Death Avatar into the furnace inside him.
• The Death Avatar entered the monster’s abdomen and detonated the Nether Phoenix orb, blasting them both apart and nearly killing the Blacksmith Stitched Monster.
• Gu Xi aimed his Cold Wind Staff at the weakened Blacksmith Stitched Monster and asked if he would surrender.

Gu Xi subdued the blacksmith Xavier, who then recommended his debtor and friend Julie as a target. Gu Xi set out to subdue another high-level undead on the way to Julie, leaving the next opponent unidentified.

• Xavier surrendered to Gu Xi and joined his team, advancing Gu Xi's temporary task to one of three high-level undead subdued.
• Xavier declined the Medical Tent's treatment and began repairing his damaged body while asking about Gu Xi's plans to recruit more faculty members.
• Xavier recommended Julie, a Ghost who had run away without paying for a suit of heavy armor, and asked Gu Xi to bring back the armor.
• Gu Xi left Xavier at the academy as a neutral faculty member who would secretly support him.
• Gu Xi chose to confront a level 11 undead who dealt with pests in the academy's gardens before seeking out Julie.

Gu Xi encountered Riccar, a powerful Mantis Man who surrendered and joined his team without a fight. Riccar asked to become departmental teaching staff and went to recruit his companions, while Gu Xi continued toward Julie with Death Avatar summoned.

• Gu Xi prepared to fight the Mantis Man, but Riccar asked to surrender, and Gu Xi accepted him into the team.
• Gu Xi learned Riccar had joined because he considered Gu Xi friendly and strong, then asked what Riccar wanted to do next.
• Riccar requested a departmental teaching position and offered to bring his friends from the academy’s Farmland to teach alongside him.
• Gu Xi agreed to the position if more than twelve of Riccar’s seventeen companions would join, and Riccar sped off to find them.
• Gu Xi headed toward Julie and summoned Death Avatar, wary of underestimating the undead in the academy.

Gu Xi's Death Avatar fought Julie and revealed a nether-blue flame clone created from the Nether Phoenix's remains. Julie was trapped inside his armor as the Ghost-burning flames consumed him, and Gu Xi ordered the Death Avatar to kill him and recover the armor.

• Gu Xi encountered Julie, who charged the Death Avatar with his battle axe and warhorse.
• The Death Avatar used the Nether Phoenix's sphere to create a flame clone, then seized Julie while the clone attacked.
• The clone's spirit-flames ignited Julie and his mount, and Julie's armor prevented him from escaping the flames.
• Julie tried to surrender, but Gu Xi ordered the Death Avatar to kill him and take the armor.

Gu Xi killed Ghost Cavalry Julie and obtained a Netherblue Temple design, then accepted a Giant Skeleton into his team. The Giant Skeleton led him to a huge white jade temple surrounded by bones, and Gu Xi entered cautiously.

• The Death Avatar's flame clone killed Ghost Cavalry Julie, and Gu Xi found a Netherblue Temple design inside her armor.
• Gu Xi learned the temple could train Netherblue Knights, a rare elite unit, and decided to keep the design and not revive Julie.
• A Giant Skeleton appeared, knelt before Gu Xi, and joined his team as a level 9 summoned creature.
• Unable to speak, the Giant Skeleton gestured for Gu Xi to follow, and Gu Xi rode the Evil Coffin northeast with the Death Avatar and Gargoyle.
• The Giant Skeleton led Gu Xi to a massive white jade temple surrounded by bones, and Gu Xi drank a Magic Potion before entering with his staff ready.