Chapter Summaries

Chen Yi planted his last seed and waited a week without seeing it sprout, then discovered Wang Zhanbo had put 340,000 Copper Coins of purchases on his tab. Ningguang invited Chen Yi to her artifact shop’s opening, where his presence silenced the hostile crowd after he deactivated the Deception God’s mask.

• Chen Yi brought Yao Yingqian to the breeding farm, where Yao Yingqian used a worm to attract and remove the bugs.
• Chen Yi planted his last seed and spent seven days tending it, but it did not sprout.
• Yu Mo and other creditors told Chen Yi that Wang Zhanbo had charged purchases to his tab, and Chen Yi paid 340,000 Copper Coins.
• Ningguang invited Chen Yi to her artifact shop opening and offered him a discount on fuel purchases.
• Chen Yi deactivated the Deception God’s mask at Ningguang’s shop, and the crowd fell silent as its hidden malice became apparent.

Wang Zhanbo returned with a Bodhi Tree sapling, and Chen Yi transplanted it after realizing it had survived deathly energy. At Scholar House, Professor Ariel Finney dismissed Wuma Ningzhi’s question about artistic conception and insisted that magic surpassed warriors.

• Wang Zhanbo bought an expensive milkshake and narrowly avoided Chen Yi’s search before returning home with a sapling in a washbasin.
• Chen Yi prepared to punch Wang Zhanbo, then praised him after seeing the Bodhi Tree sapling he had grown.
• Chen Yi transplanted the Bodhi Tree, whose roots spread rapidly in its new environment, while his own final seed remained dormant.
• Professor Ariel Finney lectured Scholar House students that magic could accomplish anything with sufficient knowledge and ability.
• Wuma Ningzhi asked Ariel Finney whether mages should master artistic conception, and he called the concept a warrior’s delusion while arguing that mages were stronger.

The success of Chen Yi’s artistic conception path sparked a divide among mages, with supporters and opponents arguing over what it meant to be a mage. In Twilight Main City, Chen Yi planned to develop the Ice Magic Eye toward mirror-based vision and prepared to enter another game to earn more money.

• Wuma Ningzhi finished questioning Professor Wilmore Pate, whose reforms had added survival-focused courses for mages after he watched Chen Yi’s program.
• Ariel Finney angrily rejected Chen Yi’s artistic conception path, while old-fashioned mages and supporters formed opposing camps over whether it belonged among mage disciplines.
• Chen Yi studied the Ice Magic Eye and chose to develop it toward mirror-based vision rather than a flame-related ability.
• Chen Yi concluded that safely incubating the Demon Eye required a way to see through it or a Time-type ability, and that he needed more money.
• Chen Yi called Fire Dragon and Chuka to prepare for another game, having stocked up on potions, supplies, and summoned abyss fish.

Chen Yi entered Dungeon World as an unusual mage from the Heavenly Realm and discovered that his new identity was infamous enough to have landed him in prison. After learning why the prisoners recognized him, he faced a quest to protect Princess Alice as the game began.

• Chen Yi entered Multiplayer mode and arrived in Dungeon World, where 790 players gathered and received quests to find and kill other factions and protect Princess Alice.
• Chen Yi chose to replace the identity of an unusual mage of the Heavenly Realm, spending 1.05 million Copper Coins.
• Cognitive Bias placed Chen Yi in a prison, but he found that his Magic Tools and Mana remained unrestricted.
• The prisoners recognized Chen Yi as the Heavenly Realm's famous Fire Madman, a mage who had called himself an Apostle and escaped execution through the previous princess's arrangements and the current princess's guarantee.

Chen Yi was visited in prison by imperial princess Alice, who asked him to investigate the Heavenly Realm’s intermittent blackouts at the Eaton Industrial Zone. Alice reinstated Luowen Yi to his original post and assigned the adventurer Jura to assist him, leaving Chen Yi ready to depart with his team.

• Chen Yi stayed in his cell after prison guards rushed in, then read books while waiting for Alice to visit.
• Alice met Jura and took him to Chen Yi, explaining that the power plant’s blackouts and missing investigators might signal a new crisis.
• Alice asked Chen Yi to investigate the Eaton Industrial Zone, introduced Jura as his powerful ally, and Chen Yi agreed to leave as soon as possible.
• Chen Yi gave Alice a Flame Seal Sword Card for protection, and Alice ordered the prison guards to lower their weapons.
• Alice officially reinstated Luowen Yi to his original post and told Chen Yi that some of his team members were waiting outside.

Chen Yi learned about his authority and depleted team in the Heavenly Realm, then set out toward the Eaton Industrial Zone to investigate the weakened Apostle Antuen. On the way to Lutef, Fire Dragon exposed a disguised monster aboard their train, and the group prepared to fight as flames spread through the carriages.

• Chen Yi summoned Chuka and Fire Dragon, then learned from Rui and Siyue that he commanded an inspection unit with only the two of them remaining.
• Siyue explained that the Eaton Industrial Zone was far away and that strange adventurers calling themselves players had appeared near Lutef; Jura added that they could revive and behaved with uncanny purpose.
• Chen Yi, Rui, Siyue, and Jura traveled by train toward Lutef while Chen Yi considered the Heavenly Realm and its unusual culture.
• Fire Dragon sensed enemies aboard the train, and Chen Yi ordered Rui and Siyue to prepare for battle.
• Fire Dragon killed a female attendant who transformed into an insect-like monster, then devoured her corpse as flames spread through the train.
• Chen Yi used Mental Power to separate the locomotive from the carriages and slow them down.

Chen Yi fought Nana, a beast-controlling enemy who attacked the train with monsters and tried to enslave his Heart Fire. He overwhelmed her defenses, but Nana survived and her enslavement attempt provoked the Heart Fire into striking back.

• Chen Yi stopped the train before its locomotive hit a mountain of explosives, and monsters surrounded the passengers.
• Nana appeared riding a gargoyle and challenged Chen Yi while his companions went to help defend the train.
• Chen Yi sent his Flame Snake and Fire Dragon against Nana, then used Flame Sever to cut through her giant pythons and apparent body.
• Nana reattached her severed body and summoned gargoyles to form a fortress against Chen Yi's Fire Meteor.
• Nana tried to enslave Chen Yi's Heart Fire, but it burned fiercely and struck back at her.

Chen Yi destroyed the monsters attacking the fortress and drove Nana away, then headed toward Lutef with Siyue and Jura. He suspected that every train bound for Lutef had been ambushed to keep the Heavenly Realm away from the Eton Industrial District.

• Chen Yi's Heart Fire immobilized and burned through more than half the monsters, while The Left Hand of the Flame God flattened the fortress without yielding Experience Points.
• Nana revealed that damage to her was shared among her numerous slaves, then sent monsters to attack Chen Yi and Fire Dragon.
• Fire Dragon evaded the gargoyle's attacks and smashed its head, striking Nana and sending her flying.
• Nana received a voice transmission, mocked Chen Yi, and left; Chen Yi did not pursue her because completing the mission mattered more than killing her.
• Chen Yi ordered Ruyi to secure the Copper Coins and equipment, then set off toward Lutef with Siyue and Jura on a Flame Sparrow while Fire Dragon carried him.

Zuo Hua, Nana, and He Liping prepared their strategy against Antuen, planning to rely on players and a second plan to overwhelm him. Chen Yi reached the Eton Industrial District but found no sign of Antuen or the unusual adventurer, suggesting Nana’s side had already achieved its objective.

• Nana reported that Antuen could overpower the three of them in a direct fight, but preparation might let them survive and counter him.
• He Liping explained that the players would return after the war began and use instance rewards and equipment upgrades to build a vast fighting force.
• Zuo Hua confirmed that their plan remained unchanged, and he and Nana agreed to use Plan Two against Antuen.
• Chen Yi arrived at the Eton Industrial District and searched the surrounding Sea Domain but found no sign of Antuen or the unusual adventurer Jura had mentioned.

Chen Yi discovered that Antuen had appeared and that it was likely responsible for the Heavenly Realm's power outages. After Antuen devoured the Heavenly Realm's attacks and departed, Chen Yi warned other System Hosts about the coming campaign and its dangers.

• Nibel welcomed Jura and questioned Chen Yi, who asked for the latest intelligence on the industrial district.
• Antuen rose from the sea and attacked the camp with an energy beam, which Chen Yi delayed with flame mirrors until Nibel's forces intercepted it.
• Nibel's forces attacked Antuen with lasers, missiles, and physical shells, but Antuen devoured the energy and suffered only slight damage from shockwaves.
• Antuen left after feeding, and Chen Yi told Nibel it was an Apostle likely consuming energy from the industrial district.
• Chen Yi posted Antuen's appearance, the Xie Unified Clan's involvement, and a warning about a possible monster siege event to the Chat Public Screen.

Chen Yi studied magic books while Jura sought more books and information about the Apostles, and Princess Alice’s officials debated how to weaken Antuen. The Heavenly Realm decided to shut down the industrial district and sent Vice Admiral Nibel to clear out its monsters.

• Chen Yi told Jura to wait while he researched Antuen, then asked her to find more magic books.
• Chen Yi asked Siyue to gather materials for a supposed weapon against Antuen and have the princess reimburse her.
• Jura reported to Princess Alice, who asked her to find magic books and information about the Apostles.
• Vice Admiral Nibel investigated the industrial district and confirmed that Antuen’s minions had occupied it.
• The Heavenly Realm’s officials agreed to shut down the industrial district and assigned Nibel to eliminate its monsters.

Chen Yi tested whether exceptionally hard or spatially infused metals could withstand the force of his mirror-based defenses, then asked Siyue to find high-quality mirrors. After studying Magic Books, he wrote books about his understanding of flames and techniques, but Nibel struggled to understand them, leaving Chen Yi with more writing to do.

• Rui returned with 2.1 million Copper Coins, equipment, and a Legendary Quality consumable before Chen Yi sent him to investigate adventurers who behaved strangely.
• Siyue brought Chen Yi four polished metal pieces, and he tested them as mirrors against the suction force of an Earth Wall.
• Chen Yi found that neither exceptionally hard metal nor spatially infused metal could withstand the force, so he asked Siyue to find high-quality mirrors suitable for casting.
• Chen Yi studied Magic Books and decided to write down his understanding of flames and techniques.
• Nibel could not understand Chen Yi's first book, so Chen Yi rewrote it in plain language and expanded it into twelve books.
• Nibel still could not understand the first page of the revised books, and Chen Yi's explanations only confused him further.

Chen Yi struggled to write a Magic Book that ordinary people could understand, then gained a new perspective after discussing magic and technology with Pella Vien. He agreed to accompany Nibel on an assault against Antuen’s forces in the Eton industrial district.

• Chen Yi repeatedly failed to explain magic and combustion in simple terms, while Rui reported that the strangely behaving adventurers had disappeared.
• Chen Yi speculated that the adventurers were players waiting for the Antuen campaign and wondered whether the imperial princess was connected to the World Heart.
• Nibel brought Pella Vien to meet Chen Yi and explained that they were preparing a full-scale assault on Antuen’s minions in the Eton industrial district.
• Chen Yi agreed to join the assault as payment for Nibel reading his book.
• Pella Vien and Chen Yi compared technology and magic, and Pella Vien suggested that Chen Yi seek inspiration by communicating with others and experiencing their perspectives.

Chen Yi joined the Heavenly Realm army’s attack on Sman Industrial Base, where Glaenny and Flying Glaenny resisted with deadly energy-draining spheres. He and Nibel retreated as the spheres overwhelmed the defensive line, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Gongye Zaolong told Chen Yi that players had located rival guild bases and offered to team up for an Abyss Challenge, but Chen Yi declined because he was busy.
• Chen Yi questioned Heavenly Realm soldiers about magic while the army advanced toward Sman Industrial Base with Vice Admiral Nibel.
• The Heavenly Realm army attacked the monster-occupied base with drones, lasers, and heavy fire, killing many Glaenny and Flying Glaenny.
• Dead Glaenny produced blue spheres that absorbed energy and physical strength, overwhelming soldiers and resisting most attacks.
• Chen Yi used the Fire Dragon to pull Nibel back, then tried to push the spheres away with explosive fireballs, but the wind had little effect.

Chen Yi and the Heavenly Realm forces fought the monsters around the Power Station, but the Blue Energy Balls proved impossible to counter and forced Nibel to order a retreat. After the defeat, Chen Yi spotted the enemy’s contingency at Antuen and alerted the players, who began assembling for the next move.

• Chen Yi destroyed the incoming explosive arrows by coating them with Heart Fire, while Nibel reorganized the battle line and ordered the troops to retreat as they fought.
• Chen Yi investigated a Blue Energy Ball and wondered where it sent the energy it absorbed, seeing its mechanism as potentially useful for his Sealing Jutsu.
• After six hours of fighting, Nibel ordered a retreat when the monsters showed no sign of dwindling, and the Heavenly Realm lost its first battle to retake Sman Industrial Base.
• Chen Yi saw mountain-like shapes near Antuen from atop Fire Dragon and sent a message announcing that Antuen had appeared.
• I Love Gundam and Doesn't Drink Milk Tea reported that they were in position, while Gongye Zaolong and his guild members prepared to move.

After the Heavenly Realm’s first battle ended in defeat, Alice ordered an army to destroy the power stations feeding Antuen’s Glaenny. While that force was away, Nana led a vast, empowered beast army against the Imperial Capital and declared the Calamity of the Mad Beasts, leaving Alice to command the city’s desperate defense.

• Alice rallied the Heavenly Realm’s leaders and ordered troops and adventurers to destroy the power stations supplying Antuen’s parasites.
• Three days after the army departed, monsters attacked the Imperial Capital while the railway to Lutef remained damaged.
• Alice organized the city’s defenses and refused to leave the City Wall, while San Hua examined the approaching beasts with his improved eyesight.
• Nana descended before the Imperial Capital, called herself the Mad Beast Empress, and announced the Calamity of the Mad Beasts.
• Nana’s ability empowered more than 100,000 shackled beasts, and Alice ordered the defenders to counterattack as the monster army charged.

Nana launched a two-pronged attack on the Heavenly Realm, using monsters at the north gate while emerging inside the capital with a second force. The guild players fought back, and the Gunslinger Guild headed for the north gate to earn War Merit before the Ash Apostle arrived.

• Nana's monster army attacked the north gate while she revealed that her clone had been leading the assault and that she had appeared inside the capital.
• Gongye Zaolong confronted Nana, but his fellow Shinigami Players pinned him down over his unpaid drink debts before Nana trapped them in Genjutsu.
• Gongye Zaolong released Ryujin Jakka, breaking Nana's Genjutsu and letting the Shinigami Players recover.
• Nana summoned monsters, and the Shinigami Players answered with Bankai as their battle erupted.
• The Quantum Guild prepared at its headquarters, while Doesn't Drink Milk Tea led the Gunslinger Guild toward the north gate to find more enemies and earn War Merit.

I Love Gundam and the Quantum Guild combined their strength into a giant Gundam and struck He Liping with the Heaven-Ascending Sword, but he survived. Elsewhere, Gongye Zaolong battled Nana and her enslaved monsters; the fighters regrouped as Nana left to face the Gundam.

• I Love Gundam trapped He Liping with Formation A, then led the Quantum Guild in fusing their armor and metal into a three-hundred-meter Gundam.
• The Gundam cut through He Liping’s energy prison and brought down the Heaven-Ascending Sword, carving a huge scar through the imperial capital.
• I Love Gundam saw that he had received no War Merit notification and ordered the players to replace their energy sources because He Liping was still alive.
• Gongye Zaolong used Ryujin Jakka to burn and cut through Nana’s enslaved monsters, while Nana repeatedly recovered from his attacks.
• A dragon-shaped monster self-destructed and blasted Gongye Zaolong and Nana away; Nana landed beside the wounded He Liping and told him to stop playing dead.
• Gongye Zaolong and the Gundam approached, and Nana rode off on a gargoyle to fight the Gundam while He Liping remained with Gongye Zaolong.

He Leping used his spacetime abilities and powerful equipment to fight Gongye Zaolong and the Shinigami, while Nana directed monsters against the Quantum Guild’s Gundam. The Gundam’s defenses began to petrify as tentacles surrounded it.

• He Leping blocked Gongye Zaolong’s attack with his fishhook, then warned him that he would not let him reach Nana.
• Gongye Zaolong charged He Leping, but He Leping evaded through space, ensnared five Shinigami, and redirected Gongye Zaolong’s fiery slash through a spatial gate.
• The Shinigami attacked He Leping with abilities gained from Bankai, but he escaped through space and used his fishhook to kill another Shinigami from several thousand meters away.
• The Quantum Guild’s Gundam fought off Nana’s monsters with calculated sword strikes and an energy barrier, but it struggled to defeat the strengthened enemies.
• Nana ordered gargoyles to petrify the Gundam, an Underground Octopus to restrain it, and her other slaves to attack; the Gundam’s energy-net barrier began turning to stone as tentacles gathered outside.

Alice defended the northern gate while San Hua protected her, as Nana’s monsters attacked the imperial capital. Chen Yi revealed that he had secretly returned to the city and trapped Nana and her pets in the Mirror World, where another Chen Yi prepared to confront her.

• San Hua killed a giant lizard that attacked Alice, who ordered the soldiers back to defending the City Wall.
• Nana learned that Chen Yi was returning to the imperial capital and ordered He Liping to speed up his fishing attacks while she sent most of her monsters to fight.
• Chen Yi ambushed Nana using the Mirror Concealment Technique and silver flames, then sent her and her pets into the Mirror World instead of killing her.
• Nana summoned more than a thousand pets in the Mirror World, where 'Chen Yi' greeted her and the monsters remained terrified by the slaughter.