Chapter Summaries

Chen Yu received Seja’s gift and letter, learned that Yano’s petrification was likely a dormant bloodline, and offered to awaken it. Count Bran and Arthur reached the fortress, where Bran mocked Chen Yu until Chen Yu demonstrated his power by bringing down an ancient oak.

• Yano delivered Seja’s letter and a jar of Gray Grit Crystals; she had gone to the snow mountain with a Lizardfolk woman and planned to return soon.
• Chen Yu consulted Gong Xiaoshuang, who suggested Yano’s petrification came from an innate aptitude starved of spiritual energy and could be awakened.
• Chen Yu told Yano that his Petrification Disease was a dormant bloodline and offered either continued acupuncture or a full awakening; Yano left with two parchment sheets for translation.
• Count Bran and Arthur arrived at the fortress, and Bran loudly demanded that the Lord of the Swamp come out to greet him.
• After learning that Chen Yu was the Slime on the castle wall, Count Bran laughed at him until Chen Yu’s water arrow felled an ancient oak beside it.

Count Bran and Knight Arthur arrived in Chen Yu’s swamp territory, where Arthur sought a trial from the one he mistook for Nature’s Kin. To make Arthur leave and protect his workers, Chen Yu sent him west to destroy a group of Descendants of Demons.

• Count Bran tried to flee after seeing Chen Yu’s strength, but Arthur knelt and paid respects to the Lord of the Swamp.
• Count Bran boasted about their journey from the Gloomy Lands while Arthur asked Chen Yu for the contents of a nature trial.
• Chen Yu denied that there was a trial and told Arthur to return, but Arthur stayed kneeling and insisted on waiting.
• Count Bran privately asked Chen Yu to invent a trial so Arthur would leave the territory.
• Chen Yu told Arthur to destroy the Descendants of Demons occupying a fertile dungeon west of the swamp, leaving Count Bran stunned.

Chen Yu sent Arthur to face the Abyssal Spawn, then spent two days developing his sword technique before investigating reports of humans and goblins in the west. He discovered that Little Card had gained the Loyal Stalker title and reached a busy lakeshore where dark figures gathered in the mist.

• Chen Yu urged Arthur to cleanse the land of Abyssal Spawn, and Arthur set off for the dungeon with Count Bran.
• Chen Yu forged four Stone Swords and fortified himself with Stone Fortification Talismans.
• A Stinger Bee reported humans and goblins in the west, so Chen Yu rode Little Card toward the area.
• Chen Yu discovered that Little Card had gained the Loyal Stalker title, increasing its speed and stamina in swamps.
• Chen Yu and Little Card reached the foggy lakeshore and saw many dark figures gathered there.

Chen Yu sent slimes into Glen and Michele’s party to investigate the dungeon, where the adventurers found signs of another group and were ambushed by goblins. The slimes remained hidden in Glen’s backpack as the attack began.

• Glen and Michele headed for the dungeon, hoping to loot it before other adventurers arrived.
• Chen Yu sent Little Card to follow them and dispatched two slimes to sneak into the dungeon inside Glen’s backpack.
• Glen and Michele entered the dungeon and found its entrance passage stripped of Abyssal Spawn remains and other valuables.
• The pair spotted fresh footprints and metal fragments leading down a narrow passage and decided to investigate.
• Goblins surged from the passage and ambushed Glen and Michele.

Chen Yu’s two slime avatars fought their way through the dungeon, gaining new talents and attracting the protection of a powerful Metal Slime. They followed their new “big brother” into a hidden passage, with Chen Yu sensing that he was getting closer to Arthur and Count Bran.

• After goblins killed Glen and Michele, Chen Yu’s slimes escaped their backpack and the Life Slime killed four goblins with stone swords.
• The two slimes explored the dungeon, defeated and devoured monsters, and gained new levels and the Pain Numbness talent from an Underground Blind Lizard.
• The slimes hid in an abandoned storeroom to digest their food, but two greedy adventurers entered and tried to stomp the Life Slime.
• A Metal Slime burst from behind crates and struck one adventurer, driving both men out of the storeroom.
• The Metal Slime called itself the slimes’ big brother, and Chen Yu’s avatars followed it through a secret passage deeper into the dungeon.

Chen Yu discovered a hidden Slime Nest and helped its residents defeat Abyssal Spawn, then learned that Acid Secretion could rise beyond Lv.5. He heard Arthur and Count Bran fighting deeper in the dungeon and prepared to follow the commotion.

• Chen Yu followed Slime Big Brother into a cavernous Slime Nest, where the slimes welcomed the two little slimes and gave them a safe place to rest.
• A wounded slime warned that Abyssal Spawn were attacking companions, and Slime Big Brother led Metal Slimes to fight them.
• Chen Yu secretly helped defeat the Abyssal Spawn with Stone Swords and hallucinogenic mist, then looted their Magic Glands.
• Chen Yu fed the Magic Glands to the two little slimes, raising Acid Secretion from Lv.5 to Lv.6.
• Chen Yu heard Arthur and Count Bran shouting and fighting in a deeper passage.

Arthur and Count Bran became trapped in an Abyssal Spawn nest, where an intelligent Abyssal Demon attacked them. As the demon threatened Arthur and the two Slimes he protected, Arthur called on nature and received a powerful earthen barrier.

• Arthur and Count Bran lost their way through the labyrinth and discovered a cavern swarming with Abyssal Spawn.
• Arthur protected two little Slimes as the Abyssal Demon rose from its throne and attacked him.
• The Abyssal Spawn surrounded Arthur, hampering his movements and exposing him to the demon's next strike.
• Arthur called out, "Nature! Bless me!" and a rune-covered earthen barrier appeared around him.
• The demon's blow struck the barrier and rebounded, leaving the Abyssal Demon and Count Bran astonished that nature had answered Arthur.

Arthur and Count Bran survived an Abyssal Spawn attack when Arthur’s second Stone Ward held off the demons, forcing the Abyssal Demon to retreat. As they left the nest, Chen Yu’s two Slimes emerged from hiding, scavenged the remains, and collected a magical gemstone from the demon’s throne.

• The Abyssal Spawn swarmed Arthur, but a second Stone Ward resisted their Acid and attacks.
• The Abyssal Demon grew frightened by Arthur’s defenses and fled into the shadows, ordering the Abyssal Spawn to retreat.
• Arthur and Count Bran believed the two little Slimes had died in the attack, mourned them, and started back toward the dungeon exit.
• The two little Slimes emerged after Arthur and Count Bran left, ate Magic Glands from the remains, and found a green gemstone beneath the throne.
• Chen Yu used the Stone Sword to remove and swallow the gemstone before the two Slimes searched the nest and departed.

Chen Yu lost contact with the Hallucinogenic Slime during its dangerous expedition into the dungeon, then returned home with Little Card and treated his slimes to a feast. Four days later, Arthur and Count Bran finally emerged from the dungeon and were stunned by the progress on the fortress wall.

• The Hallucinogenic Slime ventured deeper into the dungeon, encountered danger, and lost contact with Chen Yu.
• Chen Yu heard Little Card longing for home, rode back to the castle with it, and roasted Moss Monsters for dinner.
• Chen Yu found Little Flower gazing at the stars and promised to build her an observatory.
• Chen Yu checked the half-built western wall, worried about Arthur and Count Bran, and began drawing Stone Pile Talismans.
• Yano returned with magic ink and Magic Paper, then left for Smaragdon to seek help translating the strange writing.
• Arthur and Count Bran returned after four days in the dungeon, and Count Bran marveled at the newly built wall.

Arthur returned to Chen Yu’s growing Swamp territory after the Abyssal Demon escaped, and Chen Yu persuaded him to stay by recasting his setback as part of a trial. Count Bran was tempted to join the Slime Kingdom as a founding member after Chen Yu promised it a hereditary Fief.

• Arthur and Count Bran arrived at the fortress and saw its walls, watchtowers, and Stinger Bees.
• Chen Yu revealed that he already knew the Abyssal Demon had escaped, and Arthur blamed himself for failing his mission.
• Chen Yu told Arthur that his setback was part of nature’s trial and invited him to stay, observe, and protect the Swamp territory.
• Count Bran objected that Arthur was its loyal attendant Knight and argued that its consent was needed.
• Chen Yu promised Count Bran a future hereditary Fief as a founding member of the Slime Kingdom, and Count Bran imagined the riches of ruling its own territory.

Chen Yu accepted Count Bran and Arthur as the first noble and knight of the Slime Kingdom, then listened as Bran recounted their dangerous journey through The Gloomy Lands. The chapter left Arthur wondering where his younger sister Alice was and whether she was safe.

• Chen Yu welcomed Count Bran and Arthur into his kingdom as a count and a knight.
• Count Bran described The Gloomy Lands as a dangerous realm of darkness, fog, and undead.
• Arthur confirmed that Count Bran had helped him escape danger in Gloomy Canyon and cross Sighing Marsh.
• Count Bran claimed that the Lady of Defiance had granted it the power to turn disasters into fortunate outcomes.
• Arthur gazed at the flower he carried and worried about his younger sister Alice.

Alice received information from Raven about Gray Mist Lake, where a figure bearing the Arevalo family emblem had been spotted, and decided to investigate despite her fading hopes of finding her brother. Meanwhile, Chen Yu gave Arthur a new trial: build an outpost and grow flowers there while guarding the territory's border.

• At the Wild Boar Tavern, Raven stopped Bart from harassing Alice by knocking him unconscious, then gave her intelligence about Mana anomalies, Rusty Keys, and a figure wearing the Arevalo family emblem near Gray Mist Lake.
• Raven told Alice that Rusty Keys and Moriarty the Weasel had also been traced to Gray Mist Lake, and Alice paid him before setting out toward the dungeon.
• Alice remembered her brother's promise to return and headed toward Gray Mist Lake beneath the Northern Mountains.
• At the Swamp Fortress construction site, Chen Yu asked Arthur what he liked, and Arthur revealed that he loved flowers and their colors.
• Chen Yu assigned Arthur to guard a planned outpost near the banyan grove and grow a flower bed there as his new trial.
• Count Bran called Arthur over to help catch a bug, interrupting the solemn exchange.

Yano was ambushed by Rusty Keys thieves on his way back with telescope components, but escaped into the Swamp Forest after his petrified skin stopped their daggers. At the fortress, Chen Yu watched Arthur leave for his farming trial, then Yano emerged from the fog and called for help.

• Kenken floated listlessly in the river, grieving the collapse of its dam and giving up on rebuilding.
• Yano noticed his petrification spreading more easily and hurried toward Chen Yu, troubled by recurring dreams of becoming a stone statue.
• Two Rusty Keys thieves ambushed Yano, but his petrified skin blocked their daggers and he activated a shield with a Blessed Leaf.
• Yano fled into the Swamp Forest, while the thieves decided to withdraw after learning he was tougher than their intelligence suggested.
• Chen Yu asked Count Bran whether Arthur would be safe alone, and Count Bran insisted Arthur needed to learn to grow without him.
• Yano emerged from the fog at the fortress construction site and told Chen Yu, “Boss, someone bullied me!”

After the Rusty Keys Rogue Guild ambushed Yano and stole his carriage and its cargo, Chen Yu decided to teach the thieves a lesson. Yano returned after securing his family and chose to accept the curse, while Chen Yu gave him Gray Grit Crystals and a breathing method that helped him sense a barrier within himself.

• Count Bran blocked Yano at the construction site, but Chen Yu introduced him as his knight and heard how the Rusty Keys Rogue Guild had attacked him.
• Chen Yu, Yano, and Count Bran returned to the oak grove and found the carriage, telescope components, and attackers gone; Chen Yu began plotting retaliation.
• Yano sent Laura and the children away to protect them, then returned to the fortress and told Chen Yu he would accept the curse.
• Yano demonstrated that he could turn his arm to stone and back, and Chen Yu gave him Gray Grit Crystals and taught him a spiritual energy breathing method.
• Yano absorbed energy from a crystal and sensed a wall separating him from the demon inside him.

Yano survived the awakening of his Stone-Descendant Bloodline and gained the ability to resist petrification and turn his body to stone. After testing his new defenses, Chen Yu sent him to the Outpost Ruins camp to lure the Rusty Keys thieves into the dungeon.

• Yano faced Medusa's Demonic Eye in his consciousness, resisted its petrifying curse, and awakened the Stone-Descendant Noble title and bloodline.
• Chen Yu explained Yano's new bloodline abilities, and Yano confirmed he could turn parts of his body to stone at will.
• Chen Yu and Count Bran tested Yano's petrified defense with a Stinger Bee and a stone sword, which failed to harm him.
• Yano worried that the Rusty Keys thieves might target his family, so Chen Yu ordered him to visit their camp at the Outpost Ruins.
• Yano accepted Chen Yu's plan to lure the Rusty Keys thieves into the dungeon.

Chen Yu arranged for Count Bran to collect Gray Grit Crystals in exchange for Spirit Stones, then advanced his cultivation and began preparing to tame Spirit Demons. Shao Qingsong delivered Chen Yu’s Beast Taming Dao Record and explained three cultivation methods, but Chen Yu lacked the Spirit Medicine needed for two of them.

• Chen Yu caught Count Bran eyeing his Spirit Stones and offered to trade one for every ten Gray Grit Crystals, sending the eager count to the riverbank.
• Chen Yu’s skills and Qi Cultivation advanced, and he split off an Earthwork Slime to handle construction of the fortress.
• Chen Yu returned to Xuxuantian, where he added another slime worker and considered moving to better quarters.
• Shao Qingsong brought Chen Yu the Beast Taming Dao Record and offered to arrange a Beast Registry for his Spirit Demon.
• Shao Qingsong showed Chen Yu three Beast Taming Cultivation Methods, and Chen Yu favored the Qian Yuan Yun Ling Gong for its economical approach to raising beasts.
• Chen Yu realized he could not find Spirit Medicine in Zeyarila, leaving him uncertain how to use the other methods.

After receiving the Qian Yuan Yun Ling Gong, Chen Yu practiced its Spirit Feed technique on Little Card and planned to cultivate an elite group of Demonic Beasts at Swamp Castle. As the fortress continued to grow, Yano finished preparing to enter the Gray Zone.

• Chen Yu received the Qian Yuan Yun Ling Gong from Shao Qingsong, who offered to help him find a secluded cottage.
• Chen Yu read the cultivation method and decided to practice its beast-taming technique on Little Card.
• Chen Yu successfully fed Little Card a small amount of Spirit Feed, leaving the crocodile warm and sleepy.
• Chen Yu chose four Queen Bees, five elite Stinger Bee Guards, and five beetles as candidates for focused cultivation.
• Chen Yu continued developing Swamp Fortress and planned to strengthen his Slimes with Spirit Feed, while Yano prepared to head for the Gray Zone.

Yano entered the Wild Boar Tavern in the Outpost Ruins camp, announced that he was recruiting teammates for a Gray Mist Lake Dungeon expedition, and paid for the drinks. His announcement drew greedy adventurers and Rusty Keys members toward the dungeon as he continued there with Chen Yu, who promised to watch over him.

• Adventurers mocked Yano and Iron Boot Town in the Wild Boar Tavern, unaware that Yano had just arrived.
• Yano revealed his identity, announced his plan to seek a Legendary Adventurer's treasure in Gray Mist Lake Dungeon, and invited people to join him.
• Yano paid for the tavern's drinks while Chen Yu reassured him and asked him to bring back ale and local desserts.
• Two Rusty Keys thieves learned of Yano's announcement and set off toward Gray Mist Lake Dungeon, expecting other guild members and greedy adventurers to follow.
• Yano left the tavern and continued along the road to Gray Mist Lake Dungeon, feeding the little Slime as the camp stirred behind him.

Yano fought three adventurers hired by Rusty Keys and used his petrification curse to defeat two of them, while Chen Yu’s stone swords killed the fleeing third. Yano continued toward Gray Mist Lake, and other bounty hunters followed, still eager to claim the reward.

• Chen Yu warned Yano that three adventurers were waiting in ambush, and Yano ordered them to drop their money pouches.
• The orc, ranger, and thief attacked Yano, but his petrification curse blocked their strikes and let him wound the ranger and kill the orc.
• Chen Yu’s stone swords caught and killed the fleeing thief after Yano was too exhausted to pursue him.
• Yano found only a few gold coins on the attackers, and he and Chen Yu threw the bodies into Gray Mist Lake and covered the bloodstains.
• Several bounty hunters arrived later, dismissed the blood scent around the lake, and hurried after Yano for the fifty-gold-coin bounty.

Arthur tended the outpost’s flower bed while Chen Yu prepared a trap for the Rusty Keys thieves in the dungeon. Yano helped Chen Yu activate a fortress that cleared the fog inside its walls, and Chen Yu revealed it was a Little Black Room for the thieves.

• Arthur planted a pale-blue flower and trusted Chen Yu’s claim that the sounds of fighting near Gray Mist Lake came from adventurers celebrating.
• Jimmy persuaded Scarface to ignore the guild leader’s warning and enter the Fog Zone to hunt Yano for his reward.
• Alice and Karen followed the thieves, suspecting that Yano and their wanted target, Moriarty, were in danger.
• Yano placed the final patterned stone as Chen Yu quickly built a temporary fortress in the Fog Zone.
• Chen Yu set four Gray Gravel Spirit Stones into the array, drawing the deadly fog around the fortress while clearing the area within.
• Yano asked if the fortress was meant to defend against the thieves, and Chen Yu called it the Little Black Room he had prepared for them.