Chapter Summaries

Tang Zheng accidentally met the requirements for a High-tier Class and advanced to Magic Swordsman, gaining new abilities and attributes. He noticed his Specialness had increased by 20 points and wondered whether it was tied to High-tier or Special Classes.

• Tang Zheng felt his mana stir and grew wary that he might have been poisoned or afflicted by a status effect.
• The Attribute Panel announced that Tang Zheng had met the requirements for Magic Swordsman, a High-tier Class, and he chose to advance.
• Tang Zheng reviewed Magic Swordsman's passives and Mana Slash, deciding the class was mediocre but worthwhile for its attribute and mana gains.
• Tang Zheng noticed his Specialness had risen by 20 points and wondered whether High-tier or Special Classes caused the increase.

Tang Zheng tested his newly gained mana and the Mana Infusion passive, discovering that it could transform Alchemical Solution into a paralysis potion. He continued adding mana to the potion to see what further changes it would cause.

• Tang Zheng used Warming to roast a wild rabbit, then gave half of it to Muguo while planning to kill the Hobgoblin after he finished eating.
• Tang Zheng infused mana into an iron sword, which cracked and shattered, then confirmed that a Mithril Dagger could withstand the infusion.
• Tang Zheng realized that Mana Infusion could shape mana beyond enchanting weapons and gathered magical energy in his palm.
• Tang Zheng infused five points of mana into Inferior Alchemy Solution, turning it into a low-tier paralysis potion that inflicted paralysis for ten minutes.
• Tang Zheng continued infusing mana into the potion to test what further changes would occur.

Tang Zheng tested Magic Infusion on an Alchemical Solution, but the water pouch exploded when it could not withstand the infused magic. After hearing the blast, Agu and an exhausted Lesser Barghest followed its direction, and Agu found Tang Zheng with Hobgoblin Muguo.

• Tang Zheng's Alchemical Solution bubbled and caused its water pouch to explode after he infused it with magic.
• Agu and two Hobgoblins heard the explosion and hurried toward it, while the Lesser Barghest used the sound to resume its pursuit of Tang Zheng.
• Tang Zheng concluded that the Venom Sac was too low-grade to withstand more magic and considered how other magical-beast materials might be used in Alchemy.
• Tang Zheng asked Hobgoblin Muguo if he had finished eating, then stopped when he heard three creatures approaching.
• Agu emerged from the bushes and recognized Tang Zheng, while Hobgoblin Muguo called out to him as Big Brother Muguo.

Tang Zheng questioned Agu, a Hobgoblin from the Jik Tribe, and learned about the Ogres ruling the depths of the Great Forest of Tob. He left with the herbs and mushrooms Agu had offered and greater confidence about confronting the Ogres.

• Agu and two Hobgoblins appeared, knelt before Tang Zheng, and offered baskets of herbs and mushrooms in exchange for Muguo's life.
• Muguo told Tang Zheng that he was a Hero of the Jik Tribe.
• Tang Zheng praised Agu's cleverness and asked him about the Ogres deep in the Forest.
• Agu explained that the Ogre lords knew about the Goblins' deaths but considered Goblins expendable, then shared what he knew about the Ogres.
• Tang Zheng stored the baskets in his Item Box, astonishing Agu.

Tang Zheng killed Agu and the two Hobgoblins who had offered him information, then left Hobgoblin Muguo to the Lesser Barghest. After the Barghest killed and ate Muguo, Tang Zheng invited it to follow him, and it eagerly went along.

• Tang Zheng used Fourth-Tier Warming to kill Agu and the other two Hobgoblins, discovering that the spell’s heat also burned him and the surrounding forest.
• Hobgoblin Muguo accused Tang Zheng of breaking his promise and tried to crawl away, but Tang Zheng said their deal had never put them on equal footing.
• The Lesser Barghest emerged from the bushes, and Tang Zheng let it fight Muguo.
• The Lesser Barghest bit through Muguo’s neck, then ate his entire corpse.
• Tang Zheng set off, and the Lesser Barghest followed after he asked why it was not coming with him.

Enri worked alone in the wheat field and met Tang Zheng while carrying weeds back to Carne Village. As they traveled together, Tang Zheng recognized her future potential and considered making plans beyond leveling up, though Hero Rank opponents could still threaten him.

• Enri pulled weeds from the wheat field and heard village women discuss the approaching tax collector, recent adventurers, and a black-haired young man who had visited before.
• Carrying a large bundle that blocked her view, Enri fell after hearing Tang Zheng's voice and the Lesser Barghest growl.
• Enri recognized Tang Zheng from his earlier visit and panicked at the sight of the Barghest, but Tang Zheng reassured her and had it carry her weeds as an apology.
• Enri followed Tang Zheng toward Carne Village while he recalled her future Goblin army and leadership abilities.
• Tang Zheng considered making arrangements beyond leveling up and judged that Mithril Rank adventurers and Hero Rank opponents could still threaten him.

Tang Zheng returned to Carne Village with a Lesser Barghest, while Rachimon recognized the monster and grew wary of the stranger. Rachimon suspected trouble in the forest and wondered whether the village should seek information in E-Rantel.

• Tang Zheng entered Carne Village with the village chief and noticed Rachimon carrying a bow and watching the Lesser Barghest tensely.
• The village chief said adventurer parties had recently stayed in the village, and Tang Zheng inferred their visits were connected to his activity in the forest.
• Tang Zheng settled into his previously used, freshly cleaned room, warned the Lesser Barghest to stay quiet around outsiders, and gave it a Goblin corpse for dinner.
• Rachimon told the village chief that Tang Zheng's companion was a dangerous Barghest pup and that Tang Zheng was not an adventurer because he carried no rank plate.
• Enri brought Tang Zheng food from her mother as thanks for helping carry weeds, and Rachimon suggested going to E-Rantel because he suspected something had happened in the forest.

Tang Zheng questioned Enri about the adventurers and realized her unusual hair color might be significant. He decided to use the Lesser Barghest as a deliberate disguise while he weighed how to present himself as a Magic Caster.

• Enri brought Tang Zheng a meal, and he asked her what she knew about the adventurers who had visited the village.
• Enri asked whether Tang Zheng was an adventurer and explained that she had overheard his conversation with the village chief; Tang Zheng said he was not one.
• After Enri left, Tang Zheng noticed that her chestnut-gold hair differed from the hair of the other villagers.
• Tang Zheng explained to himself that the Lesser Barghest could help disguise his strength and intimidate those who might cause trouble.
• Tang Zheng considered disguising his close-combat abilities by posing as an Arcane System, Divine System, or dual-system Magic Caster.
• Tang Zheng regretted that he could not recruit Enri to develop her Command System talent because he lacked an army for her to command.

Tang Zheng returned to E-Rantel with the Lesser Barghest and found the city gate guards demanding a travel permit and a search because of new orders. Recognizing him as someone who had arrived with Lizzie Bareare, the guards let him enter, leaving the cause of the heightened security unclear.

• Tang Zheng left Carne Village with the village chief and Rachimon, who felt relieved after Tang Zheng departed.
• Tang Zheng hurried through the Great Forest of Tob and reached E-Rantel in just over two hours, finding few monsters along the way.
• At E-Rantel's gate, the soldiers asked Tang Zheng for a travel permit and requested permission for a Magic Caster to inspect his belongings.
• Tang Zheng asked what had happened in the city, but the soldiers said they did not know why their superiors had ordered the inspection.
• One soldier recognized Tang Zheng as a man who had arrived with Lizzie Bareare, and the guards apologized and let him enter.

Tang Zheng returned to E-Rantel, learned that someone from the Purple Elixir Hall had sought him, and decided to sell valuable spoils from the Great Forest of Tob instead of confronting Eight Fingers immediately. He brought two Barghest Bone Chains to the Adventurer's Guild, where their rarity drew the crowd's attention.

• Tang Zheng rented his previous room from Lady Marishi and learned that a woman from the Purple Elixir Hall had come looking for him.
• Tang Zheng suspected that Eight Fingers backed E-Rantel's brothels and chose to wait for them rather than rush into a confrontation.
• Tang Zheng gathered his valuable spoils and carried the two Bone Chains to the Adventurer's Guild to sell them.
• Tang Zheng placed the Bone Chains on the counter, and the receptionist hurried away after recognizing their value.
• Adventurers noticed the Barghest Bone Chains and began discussing Tang Zheng and his Lesser Barghest.

Tang Zheng sold two Adult Barghest Bone Chains and learned that Platinum Coins bore the image of a dragon. He left with his payment and a new suspicion about the coins’ significance.

• Adventurers discussed Tang Zheng and the Lesser Barghest after an appraiser escorted him away with the Bone Chains.
• The appraiser used Magic Detection to examine the chains and offered Tang Zheng a choice between a quick sale and waiting three days for a better price.
• Tang Zheng accepted the appraiser’s offer of seven hundred and twenty gold coins for both Bone Chains.
• The appraiser paid Tang Zheng with thirty-four Platinum Coins and forty gold coins, then explained that twenty gold coins exchanged for one Platinum Coin.
• Tang Zheng examined a Platinum Coin and noticed that its reverse bore a dragon’s head rather than the Re-Estize Kingdom’s emblem.

Tang Zheng sought a Magic Caster who knew Decode Magic so he could overcome his illiteracy, but learned that the only nearby expert was nearly impossible to reach. When the Adventurer’s Guild tried to trade payment for information about the Great Forest of Tob, he refused to answer and left.

• Tang Zheng asked the Adventurer’s Guild representative to find a Magic Caster skilled in Decode Magic, but rejected the offer to summon someone from the Royal Capital because it would take two months.
• The representative named Master Belore Vanov Grigori Bert Jin, the Magic Caster’s Guild vice guildmaster, as an expert who rarely appeared in public and was difficult to meet.
• Tang Zheng prepared to leave after realizing the information was of little practical use, but the representative offered to pay him for intelligence about the Great Forest of Tob.
• Tang Zheng returned the ten gold coins to his pouch, said he did not know the forest’s situation, and left with the Lesser Barghest.
• The representative concluded that Tang Zheng must have entered the Great Forest of Tob and considered reporting it, but decided the guild’s other concerns mattered more.

Tang Zheng visited the Magic Caster's Guild to ask about a writing-translation item and offer magically made paper for sale. After a young caster accused him of lying about making it, the Guild's elderly teacher appeared and asked whether Tang Zheng was from the Slane Theocracy.

• Tang Zheng failed to learn anything useful from tavern gossip, then went to the Magic Caster's Guild seeking an item that could translate writing.
• The Guild's blue-robed caster rejected Tang Zheng's request, but became excited when he examined Tang Zheng's magically made paper.
• A black-robed caster offered to buy more paper, then grew hostile after recognizing Tang Zheng had bought a Zero-Tier Papermaking scroll a month earlier.
• Tang Zheng's cold stare frightened the black-robed caster, and the blue-robed caster went upstairs to fetch his teacher.
• The elderly teacher examined the paper, studied Tang Zheng's black hair, and asked whether he was from the Slane Theocracy.

Tang Zheng impressed Master Belore Vanov Grigori Bert Jin by producing high-quality magical paper, and Belore invited him to become his disciple. Tang Zheng followed Belore into the guild’s work area, where his Attribute Panel detected several spells he could learn.

• Tang Zheng used Second-Tier Papermaking to create seven hundred sheets, and Master Belore praised their quality and Tang Zheng’s talent.
• Albert accused Tang Zheng of having ulterior motives, but Belore rebuked him and invited Tang Zheng to become his disciple.
• The blue-robed Magic Caster identified Belore as the E-Rantel Magic Caster's Guild vice president and a maker of Third-Tier Magic Scrolls.
• Tang Zheng accepted the opportunity and followed Belore upstairs, leaving his Lesser Barghest outside.
• Belore led Tang Zheng to a work area where his Attribute Panel detected several First-Tier spells he could learn.

Master Belore brought Tang Zheng into the Magic Caster's Guild's scroll-making hall and explained how difficult it was to make Magic Scrolls. Tang Zheng watched a caster use the Second-Tier Papermaking spell and discovered that he could learn Scroll Making without a Production Class requirement.

• Tang Zheng saw that the casters in the hall were working with First-Tier and Zero-Tier spells as Master Belore asked what he knew about making Magic Scrolls.
• Master Belore explained that Second-Tier Papermaking was connected to scroll production and criticized the hall's casters for their ordinary work and high failure rate.
• A caster's spellwork exploded, knocking him down, and Master Belore ordered him back to work.
• Master Belore described the skill and talent required to make Magic Scrolls and led Tang Zheng farther into the hall.
• Tang Zheng watched a middle-aged caster combine magically made paper and parchment with the Scroll Making spell, then chose to learn the skill when it appeared on his Attribute Panel.

Tang Zheng learned how Second-Tier Magic Scrolls were made and realized Master Belore had recognized his Papermaking skill as exceptional. Belore led him into a cramped room filled with books and artifacts, where they prepared to talk.

• Tang Zheng learned that Second-Tier Magic Scrolls required Second-Tier paper and a magical solution to stabilize mana.
• The middle-aged Magic Caster praised Belore for making Second-Tier paper without magical solution, prompting Tang Zheng to realize his own Papermaking skill matched Belore's.
• Belore scolded the middle-aged Magic Caster for making only two blank scrolls and ordered him to clean the place.
• Belore guided Tang Zheng into a crowded room containing books, artifacts, and a map of the Re-Estize Kingdom and Baharuth Empire.
• Belore invited Tang Zheng to sit and talk, then remarked that talented people were different from the mediocre.

Tang Zheng watched Master Belore demonstrate how to enchant a magic scroll, recognized the technique as related to his Mana Infusion ability, and used the scroll to learn Decode Magic. Master Belore offered him an apprenticeship and promised wealth and prestige, but Tang Zheng declined.

• Master Belore demonstrated Mana Accumulation and infused a parchment scroll with a Second-Tier spell while explaining the scroll-making process.
• Tang Zheng compared the New World's enchantment method with the gold-coin method used by Titus in YGGDRASIL and recognized the process as an application of Mana Infusion.
• Master Belore gave Tang Zheng a scroll to test Decode Magic, and Tang Zheng used it to understand the meaning of written symbols.
• Master Belore offered to teach Tang Zheng scroll-making and Decode Magic, then promised that his paper-making skill could bring him wealth and recognition.
• Tang Zheng silently considered the offer and then declined.

Master Belore and the E-Rantel guild officials examined Tang Zheng’s potion and recognized that he had developed an unfamiliar alchemical technique. Tang Zheng returned to the inn planning to test scroll making and considered cultivating a low-profile identity as a genius alchemist.

• President Tikshil visited Master Belore and learned that Tang Zheng had refused his offer of scroll-making instruction.
• Master Belore showed Tikshil the paralysis potion Tang Zheng had made, and Grandma Lizzie examined it after arriving.
• Grandma Lizzie identified the potion’s production method as an unfamiliar technique rather than enchantment and took the potion with her.
• Master Belore told Tikshil that Tang Zheng had taken a Second-Tier Angel Summoning scroll, which convinced him Tang Zheng was not from the Slane Theocracy.
• Tang Zheng headed back to the inn with his Lesser Barghest and planned to test scroll-making techniques while considering the title “Genius Alchemist.”

Tang Zheng used Master Belore’s scroll to learn Second-Tier Angel Summoning, then investigated whether he could advance Divine System magic without Skill Points. After meditating, he successfully mastered Third-Tier Angel Summoning and summoned a Flame Archangel.

• Tang Zheng summoned an Angel Guardian with the scroll and learned Second-Tier Angel Summoning by spending one Skill Point.
• Tang Zheng summoned a level 14 Angel Guardian himself, but found that the spell had no Skill Point advancement symbol.
• Tang Zheng reconsidered his reliance on Skill Points and meditated on how Divine System magic could be improved.
• Tang Zheng awakened with Third-Tier Angel Summoning and summoned a level 20 Flame Archangel.

Tang Zheng experimented with Divine System magic, concluding that his Player level prevented him from summoning a Fourth-Tier Angel despite having sufficient caster levels. He tested his summoned Flame Archangel's duration and combat ability, then prepared to attack it.

• Tang Zheng summoned a Flame Archangel by imagining himself as the object of faith and sensed that he could control it with his thoughts.
• Tang Zheng failed several times to summon a Fourth-Tier Angel and realized that his Level 21 Player level was too low, despite his Divine System caster levels reaching 40.
• Tang Zheng theorized that Divine System magic drew on natural energy and that faith helped casters connect with it.
• Tang Zheng observed that the Angel Guardian summoned by a Magic Scroll dissolved after just over twenty-nine minutes, while his Flame Archangel remained.
• Tang Zheng tested the Flame Archangel's speed and strength in the room, then kicked toward its chest.