Chapter Summaries

Captain Sindji’s caravan learned that Lord Alvis had claimed a vast stretch of forest and would tax its travelers and villages, forcing Half-Elves to choose between paying and fleeing south. As the caravan continued toward Bulwark Village and the Adventure Group explored nearby mountains, a Two-Headed Dire Wolf prepared to attack two Half-Elf hunters.

• Captain Sindji told Instructor Nora how bells could keep Harpies away, and the Harpies fled into the gorge caves when she rang them.
• Elf Warriors announced that Lord Alvis had purchased the forest south of Padesto, requiring travelers and local villages to pay taxes or leave.
• Half-Elves in the next village sold goods to Captain Sindji’s caravan to raise tax money, while many young villagers chose to migrate south with it.
• Instructor Nora split the Adventure Group into two teams to explore the increasingly dangerous mountains, where Dire Wolves were said to roam.
• A Two-Headed Dire Wolf charged at two Half-Elf hunters who had killed a Wind Fox in its territory.

Roy joined the instructors in hunting an adult Dread Wolf after its roar drew the Adventure Group to a pair of attacked Elf Hunters. The group killed the beast and began harvesting its hide and magic core, then searched for another nearby.

• A Dread Wolf ambushed two Elf Hunters, killing one and chasing the other through the jungle.
• Roy used divine spells and his Magic Inscription Construct to restore his strength, then followed Instructor Gru toward the Dread Wolf's roar.
• Instructor Eleanor found the Dread Wolf killing the fleeing Elf Hunter, and the instructors formed an encirclement around it.
• Instructor Nora blocked the Dread Wolf's charge as the instructors, Magician Scarlett, and Christine attacked it with arrows, magic, and a sword.
• Instructor Gru killed the Dread Wolf with a Piercing Arrow through its skull, and Instructor Nora and Instructor Eleanor began harvesting it.
• Instructor Nora recovered the magic core and ordered Instructor Eleanor to search the area for another Dread Wolf.

Instructor Nora’s Adventure Group escorted Captain Sindji’s caravan and nearly a hundred Half-Elves through a dangerous jungle toward Bulwark Village, hunting Magical Beasts and treating the wounded along the way. After five Dread Wolves attacked the caravan, Instructor Eleanor spotted a Wolf Pack following them, and the Adventure Group prepared to deal with it.

• Instructor Nora agreed to help the caravan escort the Half-Elves after Guide Majeri warned of Dread Wolves, Lapis Lazuli Beasts, and Spider Caves along the route.
• Instructor Nora’s Adventure Group hunted Wind Foxes and lone Dread Wolves, fought Abdominal Poison Spiders, and collected Magical Beast materials as the caravan traveled south.
• The two Elf Warriors following the Half-Elves left after the caravan passed through the spider forest.
• Five Dread Wolves attacked the caravan, killing or wounding several Half-Elves; Roy used Minor Healing on the injured, including Instructor Gru.
• Captain Sindji said the caravan still needed at least seven days to reach Bulwark Village, and many Half-Elves grew frightened after the attack.
• Instructor Eleanor discovered a Wolf Pack following the caravan, so the Adventure Group armed themselves to confront it.

Instructor Eleanor discovered that sixteen Dread Wolves were following the caravan, and the Adventure Group and Half-Elf hunters prepared an ambush rather than abandon their kin. The trap caught five wolves, while Magician Scarlett's ice and an arrow from an unseen shooter stopped the sixth.

• Instructor Eleanor counted sixteen Dread Wolves following the caravan and warned Instructor Nora and Chieftain Sindji.
• Instructor Virgil proposed leaving the caravan, but Instructor Gru, Roy, Sabrina, Christine, and Instructor Eleanor chose to stay and fight.
• Instructor Nora recruited more than thirty Half-Elf hunters, assigned roles, and arranged for traps and nets to be set along the route.
• Instructor Eleanor lured a pack of six Dread Wolves into the marked trap area by wounding and provoking the lead wolf.
• Magician Scarlett covered the clearing with Icy Path as a net fell over five Dread Wolves, and a Wind Element arrow struck the sixth in the forehead.

Roy and the instructors helped the Half-Elf hunters kill dread wolves and drive the packs away from the caravan. With the pursuit over, Leader Sindji stopped to let everyone rest, and the hunters rewarded the Adventure Group with berries and Magic Herbs.

• Roy blocked a dread wolf’s leap, and the instructors and Half-Elf hunters killed it after Roy struck it with the Hammer of Judgment.
• The hunters and instructors killed the dread wolves caught in the traps, then withdrew when two other Wolf Packs approached.
• Instructor Gru praised Roy’s fighting, while Instructor Nora scolded him for leaving his healer duties to fight at the front.
• Instructor Gru lured three dread wolves into the jungle and killed them with the help of the Adventure Group, while the remaining large pack began to retreat.
• The caravan left the dread wolves’ territory, and Leader Sindji ordered a half-day camp after the pursuit ended.
• The Half-Elf hunters brought berries for the Adventure Group and gathered Magic Herbs for Instructor Nora.

Roy and the Adventure Group traveled with the merchant caravan as they prepared to enter the Lapis Lazuli Beasts’ territory, while Instructor Nora praised Roy and advised Sabrina to fight more decisively. The group spotted a griffon flying far from its usual range, leaving them wondering why it had come so close.

• Instructor Nora decided the group would stay with the caravan through the Lapis Lazuli Beasts’ territory, and the other instructors agreed.
• Instructor Nora praised Roy’s recent performance and told Sabrina to strike dreadwolves with more resolve.
• Sindji and Majeri heard a griffon’s cry, and the group climbed into the trees to watch the creature fly overhead.
• Instructor Eleanor questioned why the griffon had come so far from its range, while Instructor Virgil asked about the griffons at Griffon Bulwark.

Roy learned that beast taming was forbidden on the Pattington Plane and that its Beast Tamers had disappeared after Silver Moon Elves suppressed the Half-Elves. Instructor Nora revealed that she planned to cross Griffon Bulwark partly to investigate whether Beast Tamers still survived beyond the Bulwark Mountain Range.

• A Lapis Lazuli Beast hid from the caravan, then drove Dread Wolves away from its territory by blending into the treetops.
• Instructor Nora decided the Adventure Group would escort the Half-Elves to Bulwark Village rather than abandon the caravan to pursue magical beasts.
• Roy treated injured Half-Elf hunters, who told him that griffons once served as mounts and that a Beast Tamer might be found in Bulwark Village.
• Guide Majeri told Roy that beast taming was forbidden on the Pattington Plane and that Beast Tamers vanished after the Silver Moon Elves suppressed the Half-Elves.
• Instructor Nora told Roy that she hoped to find Beast Tamers beyond Griffon Bulwark, while Magician Scarlett dismissed the plan as unrealistic.

Roy sparred with Sabrina and Christine, then dreamed of Abbott and the fire mage who had attacked him. After discussing his plans to travel and the dangers of the seas with Instructor Gru, Roy was left considering the need for strength and trustworthy companions.

• Magician Scarlett reassured Instructor Nora that they and their friends accepted her, despite discrimination against Half-Elves in elven society.
• Sabrina challenged Roy to spar, and Christine joined him; Sabrina defeated them both and urged her to fight dire wolves with the same confidence.
• Instructor Nora ended the training and told the group to rest before they traveled out of the Lapis Lazuli Beast territory the next day.
• Roy dreamed that Abbott asked him for the Golden Key while an unfamiliar fire mage attacked him with two fireballs.
• Instructor Gru gave Roy fruit tea, offered to help him, and warned him about hostile Nagas as Roy described wanting to learn navigation and travel.

Roy and the Adventure Group reached Bulwark Village after a difficult four-day journey through griffon territory, then settled in to rest before continuing their expedition. The chapter left them recovering in the village as griffons circled overhead and Virgil fell quiet after Eleanor offered him a scouting assignment.

• After leaving the Lapis Lazuli Beasts’ territory, Captain Sindji warned the caravan about griffons near Griffon Bulwark and led them onward with two Sky-Shooting Ballistas.
• As griffons gathered overhead, Captain Sindji changed routes and guided the caravan through difficult woodland for four days while the ballistas deterred attacks.
• Roy and the others arrived at Bulwark Village, where Captain Sindji advised the Half-Elf Hunters to visit the village chief and the Adventure Group parted from the caravan.
• Guide Majeri led the Adventure Group to an inn, and Instructor Nora rented two treehouses so everyone could rest for two days.
• Roy bathed and spoke with Sabrina on their terrace as a griffon called from beyond the village’s many Sky-Shooting Ballistas.
• Instructor Eleanor offered Virgil a chance to handle scouting the next day, and Virgil immediately fell silent.

Roy, Magician Scarlett, and Christine visited Bulwark Village’s market, where Scarlett bought Blood Thistles and Christine bought Golden Thorn Grass. Roy purchased a struggling Light Flower for thirty Kole after sensing its holy glow, and the group left the market with their finds.

• Magician Scarlett invited Roy and Christine to visit the market, while Sabrina stayed behind to read.
• Roy, Scarlett, and Christine reached the market, where Half-Elf hunters stared at the two Silver Moon Elves and Captain Sindji’s caravan bought herbs and magical beast materials.
• Scarlett bargained for eight Blood Thistles for two hundred and twenty Kole, while Christine quickly bought Golden Thorn Grass.
• Roy noticed a wilted Light Flower emitting holy light, and the vendor claimed it could glow at night but was difficult to keep alive.
• After Scarlett warned that the Light Flower might die, Roy walked away from the vendor’s initial offer, then bought the plant for thirty Kole.

Roy discovered that the dying Light Flower he bought releases Divine Light, which his Light Seedling can absorb, and began seeking more plants to support his growth. Instructor Nora told him to ask Bulwark Village’s Adventurers Guild for information about where to find them.

• Roy bought a withering Light Flower from a market vendor, and Magician Scarlett and Instructor Eleanor said it had little use beyond its faint glow.
• Roy sent Holy Light Power into the flower without success, then discovered at night that its seeds released Divine Light for his Light Seedling to absorb.
• Roy realized the Light Flower could supply Holy Light Particles, while the Goddess of Freedom’s Priests remained unable to draw power from her Divine Radiance on the Elf Continent.
• Roy considered how to find more resentful spirits to purify but recognized that he had no suitable companion to help him.
• Roy asked Instructor Nora where he could find information about rare magic grass, and she directed him to Bulwark Village’s Adventurers Guild hall.

Roy and Sabrina searched the Adventurers Guild in Bulwark Village for information about Light Flower and found reports pointing to dangerous griffon nesting grounds and the end of the Valley River Stream. The story ended with Silver Moon Elf Warriors placing a boundary marker that claimed the forest north of Bulwark Village for Lord Alvis, provoking the Half-Elves.

• Roy and Sabrina visited the Adventurers Guild, where the Old Elf let them consult records about Light Flower.
• Sabrina found a report of Light Flower growing near griffon nests, and the Old Elf warned Roy and Sabrina that the area was dangerous.
• Sabrina found another report of Light Flower near the end of the Valley River Stream, and Roy said they could search there.
• Roy and Sabrina followed the Half-Elves to the stream and saw Silver Moon Elf Warriors erecting a boundary marker claiming the northern forest for Lord Alvis.
• The Half-Elves protested the loss of their hunting grounds, but the Silver Moon Elf Warriors ignored them and continued burying the marker.

Roy and Sabrina witnessed Half-Elves overturn a boundary marker at Stream Valley, then joined an Adventure Group crossing Griffon Bulwark. The group entered griffon territory and continued toward the cliffs as griffons circled overhead.

• Half-Elves drove back the Silver Moon Elf Warriors and toppled their Boundary Marker, while some worried the confrontation would escalate.
• Roy examined a dead griffon that Half-Elf Hunters brought to Bulwark Village and watched a merchant buy its corpse for four Magic Crystal Stones.
• Instructor Nora and Majeri chose Aperture No.3 as the route across Griffon Bulwark.
• Instructor Nora led the Adventure Group into the mountains after two nights in Bulwark Village, leaving their rented horses at the inn.
• Majeri warned the group that griffons attacked elves in their territory, and the group advanced over ridges beneath the cliffs.
• Instructor Eleanor saw a griffon dive toward her, but it circled after she moved and then flew away.

The Adventure Group crossed the forests and hunting grounds of Griffon Bulwark, learning how the Half-Elves trapped griffons and preparing for the dangerous climb ahead. On the fourth morning, Instructor Nora sent them out to hunt a griffon, with the instructors set to draw its attention and the students assigned supporting attacks.

• The Adventure Group traveled through the woods, camped safely, and followed Guide Majeri through the hunting grounds, where Half-Elf hunters used deep, concealed pits to catch griffons.
• Guide Majeri explained how griffons' Iron Will protected them during dives, while the Adventure Group endured the heat and spent their third night in sparse woodland.
• Instructor Nora planned a griffon hunt to test the group before they attempted the treacherous rocky slopes, and Sabrina worried about her performance while Roy continued searching for Light Flowers.
• At breakfast, Instructor Nora reviewed the battle plan and warned everyone to avoid a griffon's Iron Will, while Instructor Virgil, Elinore, and Nora would draw its attention.
• The Adventure Group packed to leave, with Guide Majeri wearing camouflage-patterned leather armor and Roy carrying his shield and Hard Leather Armor Magic Inscription Construct.

The adventure group climbed a dangerous mountainside to test whether they could fight griffons, after their attempts to lure one failed. A griffon finally attacked near a cliff, and Instructor Virgil faced it as the group watched from safety.

• Instructor Virgil waited as bait on a rock, but the griffon dove toward another slope, so Guide Majeri led the group farther uphill.
• Magician Scarlett flew to the top of a cliff and lowered a rope, allowing Instructor Eleanor, Sabrina, Miss Christine, Roy, and the others to climb up.
• Instructor Eleanor spotted a griffon diving toward the cliff, and Instructor Virgil stayed below to draw its attention while the group retreated.
• The griffon turned black with iron armor and crashed into the cliff, causing rocks to explode around Instructor Virgil.
• Instructor Virgil used his sword and Force to shield himself from the rubble, and the armored griffon burst out unharmed.

Instructor Virgil’s mistimed intervention left the griffin free to attack the group, and Roy stepped in to protect Instructor Gru from its charge. Roy survived being struck and buried in rubble, while Instructor Nora and Instructor Eleanor finally caught up to block the griffin.

• Instructor Virgil tried to shield the group from falling stones, but the griffin emerged from the rubble and struck him, sending him flying.
• Instructor Nora rushed to hold off the griffin while Instructor Eleanor pulled Instructor Virgil back from the cliff edge.
• Magician Scarlett stopped the griffin’s pounce with an ice lance, and Instructor Gru pierced its forehead with a rune-inscribed arrow.
• The griffin charged Instructor Gru, and Roy stepped in front of him with his shield raised.
• The griffin struck Roy and buried him beneath the rubble, then turned toward Instructor Gru after his second arrow hit its cheek.
• Instructor Nora and Instructor Eleanor caught up and blocked the griffin from reaching Instructor Gru.

Instructor Nora’s group killed a griffon, treated Roy and Instructor Virgil’s injuries, and prepared to continue up the Griffon Bulwark. The next day, they began climbing a narrow mountain path toward Aperture No.3.

• Instructor Nora and Instructor Elinore forced the griffon to change course, allowing Nora to stab it in the neck and Instructor Virgil to sever its head.
• Instructor Gru pulled Roy from the rubble, and Roy found that his left arm was bruised but had no internal injuries; he cast Minor Healing on himself.
• Roy treated Instructor Virgil’s shallow back cuts, and Instructor Elinore skinned the griffon before the group buried its remains.
• Guide Majeri judged that the group could kill a single griffon but would struggle against a pack, then led them toward a ridge near Aperture No.3.
• The next morning, Guide Majeri led the group up a narrow mountain road, where Roy struggled with the exhausting climb.

Roy and the Adventure Group struggled across Griffon Bulwark, surviving exhaustion, cold, griffon attacks, and a violent gale on South Wind Path. Roy used his magic and Stone Skin and Iron Armor to help the group, leaving Sabrina newly impressed by his strength.

• Roy cast Glimmer Illumination and Strength Blessing to aid the exhausted climbers, while Instructor Eleanor and Instructor Gru secured and retrieved the safety ropes' Iron Awls.
• Guide Majeri led the group to a sheltered cave, where Instructor Eleanor cleared away vermin and the others rested through a stormy night; Christine brooded over the griffon battle and Roy's near burial.
• Over the next several days, Sabrina and Christine repeatedly pushed past their limits and recovered with Strength Blessing, and Sabrina felt close to advancing to level nine.
• On the fourth day, Instructor Gru killed a griffon with a Piercing Arrow, and Instructor Eleanor recovered its magic core from the cliff face.
• The group entered South Wind Path, where a powerful gale nearly swept Roy away until he activated Stone Skin and Iron Armor and stood firm.
• Roy offered Sabrina his hand as they crossed the windy path, giving her an anchor and leaving her astonished by his strength.

The Adventure Group struggled through the South Wind Path as swarms of Ghoul-faced Bats attacked them in the gale. Roy took the lead and helped the exhausted instructors get the group through, leaving them outside the gorge with another barren ridge ahead.

• Instructor Nora led the group into the South Wind Path, where the gale and flying pebbles made every step difficult.
• Ghoul-faced Bats swarmed the group, and Instructor Nora fought them until exhaustion forced Instructor Eleanor to take the lead.
• Roy cast Strength Blessing on Instructor Nora, then stepped forward to replace the exhausted Instructor Eleanor.
• Roy used his Holy Scepter and shield to destroy the bats and lead the group more than three hundred meters while Nora recovered.
• Instructor Nora, Instructor Eleanor, and Roy took turns at the front until the Adventure Group finally crossed the South Wind Path and saw another barren ridge ahead.

The Adventure Group rested after crossing South Wind Path, then carefully traversed a narrow ridge toward Aperture No.3. They reached its cold pine forest, where Guide Majeri hurried ahead.

• Guide Majeri admitted he had never gone beyond the edge of South Wind Path or seen Ghoul-faced Bats.
• Instructor Eleanor learned that Roy's Magic Inscription Construct bore Miss Scarlett's Great Bear Strength rune, and Instructor Nora praised his strength and stamina.
• Roy explained how he had struck the Ghoul-faced Bats, and Magician Scarlett suggested they had formed from rocks enchanted by a possible Heart of Stone.
• Guide Majeri told the group the legend of the Griffon Mountain Range and warned that detours could lead through regions with fourth-rank magical beasts.
• Instructor Nora led the Adventure Group across the slippery ridge, and they reached Aperture No.3 despite being spotted by griffons.
• The Adventure Group entered the pine forest, where Guide Majeri hurried impatiently ahead.