Chapter Summaries

Fang Zheng and the others traveled with Molly toward Ice and Snow Peak, but they found signs that monsters across the mountains had mobilized. They reached the Great Stone Tunnel and were stunned by what they saw there.

• Molly explained that the group would reach the pass to Ice and Snow Peak and need the dwarves' permission to pass through the Gate of Ice and Snow.
• Fang Zheng ordered everyone to raise their guard after Molly found Frost Giant footprints, and Nymph reported no nearby life.
• Molly realized the Forest of Life was unusually quiet, and the group found tracks from Frost Giants, Goblins, and Gnolls along the route.
• Molly urged the group to hurry to the Great Stone Tunnel because something might have happened to the dwarves.
• Fang Zheng and the others arrived at the Great Stone Tunnel and were stunned by the sight before them.

Fang Zheng’s group found the dwarven fortress at Boulder Tunnel overrun, with dwarves apparently struck unconscious before monsters killed them. Suspecting a dragon was responsible, Fang Zheng proposed abandoning the commission and returning to the elves’ village, just as a task notification sounded.

• Molly led Fang Zheng and the others through Boulder Tunnel to the dwarven fortress, where they found smoke, flames, and bodies scattered around the breached gates.
• Katie scouted ahead and confirmed there were no enemies inside, so the group entered the fortress and discovered both monster and dwarf corpses.
• Fang Zheng examined the dwarves’ wounds and concluded they had been killed without a fight, likely after losing consciousness to the same force that had affected the elves.
• Fang Zheng suspected the dwarves had faced a dragon and urged the girls to abandon the commission, return to the elves’ village, and report the danger.
• A familiar task notification sounded in Fang Zheng’s ear as he prepared to withdraw.

Fang Zheng received a quest to uncover the secret of Ice and Snow Peak, with a random skill loss as the penalty for failure. Fina, Hailien, Katie, and the Astrologer joined him to investigate after he warned them they might face a dragon.

• Fang Zheng reluctantly accepted the quest to investigate Ice and Snow Peak and planned to go with Nymph.
• Fina, Hailien, Katie, and the Astrologer each volunteered to join Fang Zheng.
• Fang Zheng warned the group that a dragon might be waiting at Ice and Snow Peak.
• Hailien, Katie, and the Astrologer reacted with excitement at the thought of meeting a dragon, while Fina urged them to investigate the evil dragon's intentions.

Fang Zheng and his companions encountered a dwarf patrol after learning the dwarves had suffered an attack, and they compared the incident with the elves’ troubles. When evidence suggested the monsters had gone to Ice and Snow Peak’s summit, a dwarf officer joined their search and led them toward a shortcut.

• Fang Zheng had Molly warn the elf village to stay on guard before deciding to consult the dwarves about the attack.
• A group of angry dwarves confronted Fang Zheng’s party, but Molly challenged their leader’s accusation and Fang Zheng explained what had happened to the elves.
• The dwarf officer said his group had traveled from Goldstone City without encountering monsters, and Molly concluded the creatures must have gone to the summit.
• The dwarf officer agreed to accompany Fang Zheng to find the attackers and ordered soldiers to report to the Dwarf King and reinforce the guards.
• The dwarf officer led the group toward a shortcut to the summit, and Fang Zheng and the others followed.

Fang Zheng and his companions learned that the strange flashes at Ice and Snow Peak were real and came from somewhere inside the mountain. They then encountered a vast army of monsters gathered on the slope, and Fang Zheng detected an enormous energy fluctuation at the summit.

• Stone Hammer told Fang Zheng that dwarves had lost contact with the Gate of Giant Stone and that he had been sent to investigate.
• Fang Zheng asked Stone Hammer about the nightly flashes, and Stone Hammer confirmed that dwarves had seen them inside Ice and Snow Peak but could never locate their source.
• Fang Zheng and his companions realized the flashes were a genuine clue for their Order Alliance assessment mission.
• Fang Zheng, Stone Hammer, and the girls found Goblins, Gnolls, Frost Giants, and other monsters gathered together like an army near a cave.
• Fang Zheng said Nymph had detected an extremely large energy fluctuation at the mountaintop.

Fang Zheng confirmed that an evil Dragon had come to nest in the mountain range and decided to confront it before it threatened the elves and dwarves. As the group prepared to take a hidden trail toward the summit, the monsters suddenly charged away, giving them a chance to move.

• Fang Zheng identified the Dragon as a mature creature that had attracted the evil monsters as servants.
• Molly, Fina, and the Stone Hammer dwarves worried about the threat, but Fang Zheng promised to speak with the Dragon.
• Fang Zheng rejected using Nymph's destructive song because it could not distinguish friends from enemies.
• Fang Zheng chose a difficult trail to the summit and planned for the group to avoid monsters and fight any they encountered.
• A distant roar sent the monsters rushing down the mountain, and Fang Zheng urged the group to use the opportunity to advance.

Fang Zheng’s group reached the cave near Ice and Snow Peak’s summit, where monster tribes were presenting offerings to a Dragon. As the Dragon emerged, Fang Zheng prepared to draw it away while his companions dealt with the monsters.

• Hax and Bolt fought waves of monsters, including a Frost Giant, and Hax blamed their employer’s map for leading them into danger.
• Fang Zheng’s group used Katie’s Mirror of Illusions to conceal themselves as they advanced toward the summit, with Molly and Fang Zheng silently killing monsters in their way.
• Near the mountaintop cave, Fang Zheng’s group found nearly a hundred monsters and three tribal leaders making offerings to the Dragon.
• Fang Zheng confirmed that the plan was for him to lure the Dragon away while Fina’s group fought the monsters, and he assigned Nymph to assist them.
• As the Dragon extended its head from the cave, Fang Zheng swung his sword at it.

Fang Zheng confronted the Dragon in a mysterious realm while his allies fought the monster horde outside the cave. The Dragon refused to leave Ice and Snow Peak and attacked Fang Zheng with a freezing black roar.

• Fina ordered the group to attack after the enormous shadow vanished, and Katie, Little Fire Dragon, Nymph, the Astrologer, and Molly struck the monsters with magic and arrows.
• Fina and the dwarves held the front line as Hailien transformed into a Flame Falcon and fought the Frost Giant.
• Fang Zheng found himself on a white platform before the Dragon, which claimed Ice and Snow Peak as its territory and demanded the local elves and dwarves submit.
• Fang Zheng challenged the Dragon to leave, but it recognized that he might have a weapon capable of hurting it and avoided a direct fight.
• The Dragon unleashed an icy black roar at Fang Zheng, who put away Vampire and tried to retreat.

Fang Zheng fought a mysterious living Dragon whose freezing negative-energy breath and black cloud domain made it difficult to target. He summoned Angels and used magic to counter it, then unleashed an Extreme Magic Missile Storm after catching the Dragon’s position.

• Fang Zheng used Time Exile Breath against the Dragon, but it evaded the attack and revealed that it had sought him out over a nest.
• Fang Zheng attacked with Parasitic Poison Cloud, but the Dragon vanished into its black clouds and concealed itself.
• Fang Zheng summoned the Angel Legion and sent the Angels into the clouds, where the Dragon struck them down.
• The Dragon engulfed Fang Zheng in darkness and attacked, but Fang Zheng blocked its claw with a golden Magic Hand and hit back.
• Fang Zheng located the Dragon as it emerged to attack and fired an Extreme Magic Missile Storm at it.

Fang Zheng used Holy Light to repel a Shadow Dragon’s darkness and identified it, then asked whether it would abandon its newly claimed nest. The Shadow Dragon refused, and Fang Zheng prepared to continue the confrontation.

• The Shadow Dragon nullified Fang Zheng’s Magic Missiles and sent its shadows surging toward him.
• Angels from Fang Zheng’s Demiplane suppressed the darkness with Holy Light, helping Fang Zheng realize the Shadow Dragon’s shadows were vulnerable to it.
• The Shadow Dragon’s power overwhelmed Fang Zheng until he released Holy Light, driving back the shadows and startling his opponent.
• Fang Zheng recognized the enemy as a Shadow Dragon from the Shadow Plane and asked why it had come to the Material Plane.
• The Shadow Dragon insisted that its nest belonged to it and refused to leave, so Fang Zheng stopped holding back.

Fang Zheng struggled against the Shadow Dragon, whose shadow clones and shifting real body overwhelmed his unfamiliar Dragon-form combat skills. After appearing to collapse, Fang Zheng secretly used magic on the Shadow Dragon and called for Hecate, leaving the fight poised to turn.

• The Shadow Dragon attacked Fang Zheng with shadow doubles, forcing him to evade and rely on Holy Light and magic for defense.
• The Shadow Dragon struck Fang Zheng with a torrent of shadow breath and sent him crashing into the ground.
• Fang Zheng realized the Shadow Dragon could switch places with its clones and exploited his opponent’s assumption that he was helpless.
• The Shadow Dragon pinned Fang Zheng down and struck at his head, but Fang Zheng’s foreclaw carried a magical effect into its body.
• The Shadow Dragon retreated to assess the magic, and Fang Zheng called for Hecate as azure light descended.

Fang Zheng trapped a Shadow Dragon in the Main World and had Hecate defeat it, then absorbed its remaining power and gained its essence. The Shadow Dragon died, but Fang Zheng’s quest remained incomplete.

• Fang Zheng sealed the Shadow Dragon’s escape with Dimensional Anchor and summoned Hecate to attack it.
• Hecate struck the Shadow Dragon with a storm of starlight, leaving it gravely wounded.
• Fang Zheng used Plundering Breath to drain the Shadow Dragon’s life and powers until it died.
• Fang Zheng gained the Shadow Dragon’s black essence power and sent Hecate back, where Nymph reappeared.
• Fang Zheng checked the system and wondered why the quest had not been completed.

Fina’s exhausted group tried to retreat from the monsters surrounding them, but Gnolls blocked their way and their fighters were steadily incapacitated. As Katie slid down the mountainside with monsters closing in, an invisible pressure suddenly enveloped the mountaintop.

• Fina ordered the group to retreat toward the cave, and Little Fire Dragon’s magic circle boosted their speed while Katie’s Rainbow Light Magic Wall slowed the pursuing monsters.
• Molly spotted Gnolls blocking the cave entrance, and Little M lost Sagittarius’s protection, fell, and twisted her ankle.
• Fina told Katie to seek help from Stone Hammer’s nearby dwarf reinforcements while the others held their position.
• Katie slipped down the mountainside, and Little Fire Dragon caught her collar but broke her invisibility, drawing the monsters’ attention.
• Gnolls climbed toward Katie as she screamed, and an invisible pressure suddenly descended over the mountaintop.

After the Shadow Dragon left, Fang Zheng led the group into its cave to investigate why it had fought so fiercely to remain at Ice and Snow Peak. He discovered and transplanted a rare Soul Flower, completing the Main Quest and increasing the time ratio between the Main World and Dungeon Worlds to 1:100.

• Fina guessed Fang Zheng had driven off the Dragon, and Nymph returned to confirm that he and the others were safe.
• Fang Zheng told the group the Dragon had left and led them into its cave to search for the secret of Ice and Snow Peak.
• The group found the Dragon's nest nearly empty, while Nymph detected a high-energy fluctuation near a crystalline flower.
• Fang Zheng used the Eye of Insight to identify the flower as a B+ Soul Flower that could enhance life and Soul Power.
• Fang Zheng spent 100 Dimensional Points to transplant the Soul Flower, completing the Main Quest and receiving a 1:100 time ratio between the Main World and Dungeon Worlds.

After resolving the strange flashes at Ice and Snow Peak and dividing the dragon’s treasure, Fang Zheng’s group encountered Hax’s party on their assessment mission. Nymph discovered that the box they had been hired to place on the peak contained powerful Undead energy.

• Fang Zheng used the Dimensional Codex to take the Soul Flower, leaving a deep pit where its roots had been.
• Fang Zheng reassured Katie and the Astrologer girl that they had contributed to the battle, and the group divided the dragon’s treasure among themselves.
• Fang Zheng told the others the dragon had caused the flashes, and Stone Hammer agreed to report their success to the dwarf King.
• The group met Hax and his companions, who said their mission was to place an employer’s item on Ice and Snow Peak.
• Fang Zheng stopped Hax’s party and asked to inspect their metal box, and Nymph sensed powerful Undead fluctuations inside.

Fang Zheng and the others discovered that two groups had received forged-looking commissions from the Haefaris Guild to deliver a box containing Undead aura. As Fang Zheng took the box to have it inspected, an unseen attacker tried to steal it and escaped after Fang Zheng wounded it.

• Nymph, Stone Hammer, and Molly confronted Hax and his companions over the Undead aura in their box.
• Hax and Fina revealed that both groups had received commissions from the Haefaris Guild, and their documents matched despite specifying different objectives.
• Hailien noted that the Haefaris Guild had moved away a month earlier, and Hax explained that a stranger had handed him the box while claiming to represent the guild.
• Fang Zheng offered to take the box for inspection at the White Tower and arrange an exception for Hax's group to graduate; Hax agreed and handed it over.
• Nymph raised a magical barrier when an invisible attacker lunged for the box, but the figure broke through and escaped after Fang Zheng restrained it with his time domain, struck it with Dragon Might, and wounded it with his Vampire Greatsword.

After Fang Zheng drove off a mysterious attacker and took the box, he found the group’s camp destroyed and learned that Alice had been kidnapped by Dark Elves. He refused to trade the box for her and left her fate unresolved.

• Fang Zheng wounded a shadowy attacker with the Vampire Greatsword and took the box from Hax.
• Fang Zheng led the exhausted group down the mountain, where they found their camp destroyed.
• Molly identified a Dark Elf crossbow bolt, and a mercenary reported that Alice was missing and a ransom note demanded the box.
• Fang Zheng burned the note and refused to go to the Underdark to rescue Alice.
• Hax accepted Fang Zheng’s decision to leave Alice behind.

Fang Zheng learned that his assessment had uncovered a scheme involving the Undead Orb and earned an exceptional five-star mage title from White Tower. He returned to his room to investigate a mysterious mirror that Rex said would help him break through his bottleneck, and the mirror’s mist engulfed him.

• Rex told Fang Zheng that the box he had recovered contained the Undead Orb, part of a plot involving Cultists, the Dark Elves’ Matriarch, and officials from Wealth Nation and Fire Nation.
• Rex awarded Fang Zheng the five-star mage title, a badge, and White Tower certification, granting him permission to build a Mage Tower and take apprentices.
• Rex told Fang Zheng he had found someone who could help with his problem and had left an item in Fang Zheng’s room.
• Fang Zheng returned to his room and found a person-height mirror that showed only mist instead of his reflection.
• Fang Zheng touched the mirror, and dense mist surged out and enveloped him.

Fang Zheng fought a mysterious swordsman in a trial where he could not use the powers granted by his systems. After Fang Zheng surrendered, the swordsman explained that the Sword of Will nullified attacks from someone who lacked the resolve to defeat him.

• Fang Zheng found that the trial had stripped away his system-granted abilities, then summoned weapons and attacked the swordsman with magic, the Power of Time, and Dragon Might.
• The swordsman’s slow strikes shattered Fang Zheng’s defenses and immobilized him, but Fang Zheng instinctively escaped and parried with his shortsword.
• Fang Zheng continued fighting, finding that his magic and other powers had no effect while his Dark Souls swordsmanship could only occasionally parry.
• Fang Zheng surrendered and asked the swordsman for an assessment.
• The swordsman explained that his Sword of Will only allowed attacks driven by the wielder’s will to take effect, and that Fang Zheng had focused on surviving rather than winning.

Fang Zheng confronted a mysterious figure who challenged his beliefs about survival, protection, and power, then advised him to follow his own desires and create a sword style of his own. Back in the Mage Tower, Fang Zheng recognized that his assumptions about needing a heroic will had held him back and suspected the next world might help him break through to Legend.

• The figure told Fang Zheng that he had focused on surviving rather than truly intending to defeat his opponent.
• Fang Zheng explained that he wanted to protect others but could not sacrifice his life, because their existence depended on his.
• Fang Zheng admitted he thought his will was not heroic enough, and the figure said that living for himself or others was nothing to be ashamed of.
• The figure urged Fang Zheng to follow his own heart, disregard others' opinions, and develop a sword style of his own before asking what power Fang Zheng considered truly his.
• Fang Zheng answered that any power belonging to him was his own, then returned to the Mage Tower as the mirror disappeared.
• Fang Zheng realized that his belief that his will was insufficient had limited him and suspected the next world would hold the key to breaking through to Legend.