Chapter Summaries

Xia Nan appraised Mint’s magical equipment, claimed her healing accessory, and fled before the Owlbear reached the clearing. Later, the Owlbear devoured the corpses, while Abi’s drunken tavern boast was interrupted by Xia Nan’s arrival.

• Xia Nan discovered the Tidal Surge Lure Rod was a magical spear whose rare effect required a living whale-type creature, and considered selling it.
• Xia Nan took the Tear of Spring Breath from Mint’s corpse and used its Lesser Healing effect to heal his claw wound.
• Xia Nan assessed the accessory’s powerful self-healing ability, stowed it away, and fled with Tooth Hunt as an Owlbear approached.
• The Owlbear entered the clearing and devoured the dead Adventurers and other corpses.
• At the White Tit Tavern, Abi drunkenly boasted about Xia Nan and Adeline fighting Goblins before falling twice.
• Xia Nan entered the tavern, and Abi recognized his bloodstained boots and leg guard as Xia Nan ordered Cream Mushroom Soup.

Xia Nan returned to River Valley Town, spoke briefly with Abi at the tavern, and planned how to handle his quest, spoils, and possible Beastification Syndrome. At the Adventurers Association, he submitted evidence for his investigation and asked Molly to find curse-purification options and their prices.

• Xia Nan met Abi at White Tit Tavern, learned that Adeline was handling spoils at the General Store, and noticed Abi's unease and changed behavior.
• Abi left to look for Adeline, while Xia Nan planned to submit his Investigation Quest, seek treatment for Beastification Syndrome, sell his spoils, and ask Barn about his equipment.
• Molly dealt with a dispute between Gro-lak and a dwarf before welcoming Xia Nan to the Association.
• Xia Nan submitted his account of the Sea Thorn Squad investigation and Mint's left ear for quest E-20279, and Molly said confirmation would take three days.
• Xia Nan asked Molly to investigate purification potions or remove-curse scrolls for Beastification Syndrome, including their prices and use.

Xia Nan searched for an affordable way to remove his Beastification Syndrome curse and decided to give a commission seven days before buying a costly Remove Curse scroll. He sold poison and a spent beholder-eye item to Edwina, bringing his funds close to the scroll’s price while considering how to handle his remaining equipment.

• Molly told Xia Nan that the association had no Purification Potion in stock and that a Third Circle Remove Curse scroll cost five hundred gold.
• Molly outlined alternatives, and Xia Nan commissioned the association to find a suitable Spellcaster within seven days before he resorted to buying the scroll.
• Xia Nan considered selling healing uses from his Tear of Spring Breath but rejected the idea because revealing its abilities could attract dangerous attention.
• Xia Nan visited Edwina at Green Grass Crucible and sold her poison from Veris for twenty-one gold.
• Edwina appraised Veris's spent beholder-eye item, and Xia Nan sold it for thirty-two gold, leaving him with enough savings for the scroll and three pieces of equipment still to handle.

Xia Nan visited Rock Hammer Blacksmith to have his damaged armor repaired and sell Veris’s daggers, then asked Barn for advice about selling the [Tidal Surge Lure Rod]. He chose to consign the spear through the Adventurers Association and began showing Barn another item from the quest.

• Xia Nan gave Barn his Plate Chain Composite Armor, and Barn agreed to replace its damaged breastplate for 45 Gold Coins in five days.
• Xia Nan sold Veris’s two Short Daggers to Barn for 37 Gold Coins after Barn assessed their condition and quality.
• Xia Nan showed Barn the [Tidal Surge Lure Rod] and disclosed its whale-stabbing requirement and other attributes.
• Barn explained the options for selling the magical spear and recommended consigning it through the Adventurers Association if Xia Nan could wait for a suitable buyer.
• Xia Nan decided to consign the [Tidal Surge Lure Rod] and then handed Barn Mint’s broken Yew Wood Staff to examine.

Xia Nan learned from Barn that the broken Yew Wood Staff held an unusual, waterlogged sensation that might require expert appraisal, while planning to consign it and the Stone Spear through the Adventurers Association. He returned to the Association to ask Molly about equipment consignment, and she led him upstairs.

• Barn inspected Xia Nan's broken Yew Wood Staff and found that, despite its plain appearance, it carried a strange sensation like a hard sponge saturated with water.
• Xia Nan concentrated and sensed an invisible substance clinging to the staff, then learned Barn had encountered similar traces on a blood-stained iron ingot and a ceremonial dagger.
• Barn advised Xia Nan to seek the Adventurers Association's appraisal service and suggested consigning the staff alongside the Stone Spear.
• Xia Nan discussed upgrading his Snake Scale Arm Shield with Barn, calculated that his 554 gold, 2 silver, and 6 copper plus 9 points would not cover his plans, and returned to the Association.
• Molly told Xia Nan that ordinary equipment was cheaper to sell elsewhere, then realized he had something more valuable and led him upstairs.

Xia Nan brought the [Tidal Surge Lure Rod] and a broken Yew Wood Staff to the Adventurers Association for appraisal. Towns identified the staff as a Resonance Relic and revealed that a recent commission at the branch matched its requirements.

• Molly introduced Xia Nan to appraiser Towns, who examined the [Tidal Surge Lure Rod] and recommended negotiating its price directly with a buyer because its special effects and collectible value could make it unusually valuable.
• Towns explained the Association's consignment safeguards and helped Xia Nan store the Stone Spear for sale.
• Xia Nan showed Towns the broken Yew Wood Staff after Barn had been unable to identify it.
• Towns detected that the staff was a Resonance Relic created by its holder's intense emotions and described its possible uses in rituals, enchantments, and rare class advancements.
• Towns said the staff matched a commission recently received by the Association branch, though he warned that consignment might take a long time and yield little profit.

Xia Nan met Vior to sell Mint’s broken Yew Wood Staff, a Resonance Relic, after receiving the Beastmen Investigation Quest reward and preparing to upgrade his arm shield. Vior identified the staff, but her fearful, strangely enthusiastic reaction to Xia Nan left him wondering why she seemed to recognize him.

• Xia Nan agreed to meet the buyer for Mint’s broken Yew Wood Staff in three days and decided against using his Attribute Panel to pose as an appraiser.
• Xia Nan rested for three days, then collected the Beastmen Investigation Quest reward of 300 Gold and 200 grams of Corrosion-Etched Steel.
• Xia Nan waited at the River Valley Town Adventurers Association for the buyer, who arrived exactly at the appointed time and introduced herself as Vior.
• Vior stared at Xia Nan in shock and fear, then acted warmly and examined the Yew Wood Staff.
• Vior used an improved form of Identify and confirmed that the staff was a rare Resonance Relic, while Xia Nan questioned her unusual behavior and asked about the spell.

Xia Nan sold the Resonance Relic to Vior for 400 Gold Coins, and she used a spell to cure his Beastification Syndrome. After they parted as friends, Vior fled into an alley, shaken after realizing who Xia Nan was.

• Xia Nan negotiated with Vior over the Resonance Relic, and she offered 400 Gold Coins plus magical assistance.
• Vior cast Lichimia's Transformation Resistance, drawing out the black bear phantom and clearing Xia Nan's Beastification Syndrome.
• Xia Nan and Vior completed the trade, exchanging the Yew Wood Staff for 400 Gold Coins and a Purification Ritual, then agreed to be friends.
• Vior left the Adventurers Association and checked that nobody was following her through River Valley Town.
• Vior hid in an alley and panicked as she connected Xia Nan to Climbing Cloud Province, River Valley Town, and Thin Mist Forest.

Vior rested briefly in Thin Mist Forest and remembered how Xia Nan had once destroyed the Anvil Brotherhood, realizing that he had already advanced much further than her memories of the future suggested. She chose to avoid him and continued toward her destination, uneasy about how events were diverging from what she remembered.

• Vior used an improved Alarm Spell to secure a brief rest in Thin Mist Forest.
• A Flame-Tail Velvet Squirrel approached Vior, prompting memories of the Golden Wheat Chamber of Commerce’s future slaughter of the creatures and the Anvil Brotherhood’s takeover of their pelt trade.
• Vior recalled that Xia Nan had single-handedly triggered the Anvil Brotherhood’s downfall after its members abducted girls and sought to harm him.
• Vior recognized Xia Nan from the Association meeting and worried that he had already become a Professional despite being far less advanced in her memories of the future.
• Vior decided to keep her distance from Xia Nan and resumed traveling toward her destination.

Vior cleared a Goblin nest while searching for an enchanted ring, but found it missing and left to focus on her larger plan. Two months later, Xia Nan used another Goblin nest to train his combat skills and vent his stress.

• Vior blinded and killed the Goblins in the nest with enhanced Dancing Lights and Arcane Swarm.
• Vior used Detect Magic but found no enchanted ring, then burned the cave and its corpses.
• Vior considered the ring’s disappearance alongside her encounter with Xia Nan, then chose to spend her time training Extend Spell.
• Vior dropped her Alarm Spell’s concealment and attacked a Goblin squad carrying a rotten Woodland Horse corpse.
• Xia Nan finished clearing a separate Goblin cave after two months of training in River Valley Town, pleased with his progress and the rewards.

Xia Nan celebrated the Greengrass Festival at the White Tit Tavern and caught up with Adeline about their teams and recent progress. Their conversation ended when Xia Nan spotted Wood, a familiar figure he had not expected to see.

• Xia Nan reflected on his equipment, savings, and the ongoing forging of his upgraded Snake Scale Arm Shield while enjoying a meal at the tavern.
• Adeline joined Xia Nan, told him that two newcomers had joined her team because they had heard of the Grey Sword, and asked about his former squad.
• Xia Nan explained that he had split from the Sea Thorn Squad after encountering an Owlbear, while Adeline said Abi intended to leave her team and join another squad.
• Adeline told Xia Nan she expected to qualify for the Association Second Floor by the end of the year or early next year, and Xia Nan offered to help with her advancement mission.
• Xia Nan and Adeline talked over drinks until Wood entered the tavern and caught Xia Nan's attention.

Wood delivered Xia Nan a risky escort commission to protect Hai An, the second son of Newm City's lord, as he fled to Sticky Tree Territory. Xia Nan decided to accept, while Luca struggled to cook for the hidden group in a shabby house outside River Valley Town and then heard someone knock at the door.

• Wood found Xia Nan at the White Tit Tavern and gave him a sealed letter describing an escort commission for Hai An.
• Wood told Xia Nan to consider the risks and seek him out within three days if he accepted, then left the tavern.
• Xia Nan read the letter, weighed the danger against his friendship with Hai An and Wood, and decided to help them.
• Xia Nan burned the letter and destroyed its ashes with Gravity Control.
• At a shabby house outside River Valley Town, Luca nervously cooked soup while keeping watch over the group, then moved to answer a knock at the door.

Vior joined Hai An and Wood’s escort party to prevent Sava’s future betrayal and discover what would help Sava rise in strength, but Xia Nan’s unexpected arrival disrupted her plans. The chapter ended with Xia Nan recognizing Vior and asking why she was there.

• Sava urged Wood to leave River Valley Town, while Vior considered killing Sava to prevent her future betrayal and sought the secret behind Sava’s rise.
• Hai An worried that involving the inexperienced recruit would endanger him, and Sava grew angry when she learned the person they were waiting for was a rookie.
• The party prepared for a fight when someone knocked, but Wood and Hai An relaxed after the visitor identified himself as Xia Nan.
• Vior froze when Xia Nan arrived, realizing his presence contradicted her memories of the escort mission.
• Xia Nan apologized for his delay, said he was ready to leave, and greeted Vior with surprise.

Xia Nan joined Wood’s escort team, meeting its members and welcoming Vior, a mage he already knew. The team prepared to escort Hai An to Sticky Tree Territory and planned to leave after sunset.

• Vior sprang up and greeted Xia Nan nervously when he arrived, and Wood learned that they had met before at the Association.
• Wood introduced Hai An, Luca, Sava, and Vior to Xia Nan, who introduced himself as a Warrior good at killing Goblins.
• Sava assessed Xia Nan cautiously and noticed Vior’s unusual reaction to his arrival.
• Wood reviewed the escort mission to take Hai An to Sticky Tree Territory and warned the team about monsters, bandits, and possible pursuers from Newm.
• Wood told the assembled team to check their gear during the remaining half day and set their departure for sunset.

Xia Nan traveled with Wood's escort party toward Sticky Tree Territory, reflecting on his companions and enduring the difficult journey. As the party neared the Molten Scale Mountains, an ominous roar from the heavens shattered Vior's alarm barrier.

• Xia Nan watched the party camp and wondered why Vior seemed frightened of him.
• The party crossed wilderness and Thin Mist Forest, avoiding pursuers and surviving Goblin and bandit attacks.
• After more than ten days, the party reached woodland near the Molten Scale Mountains and stopped to rest before resupplying in a nearby town.
• Xia Nan sensed something strange as Vior's magical barrier flashed red and shattered.
• A deep roar from the heavens drowned out every other sound.

Xia Nan and his escort team encountered an Adult Red Dragon whose Dragon Might left them helpless as it flew over the forest. The dragon departed without attacking, but Vior noticed Xia Nan had calmly studied it, reinforcing her belief that he would become a famous figure.

• Xia Nan and the escort team sensed an overwhelming presence, and each member reacted as the danger approached.
• Xia Nan saw an Adult Red Dragon flying above the forest and recognized the immense gap between its strength and his own.
• Xia Nan observed that the furious dragon seemed to be searching for something as it passed over the team.
• The Adult Red Dragon flew away without attacking, leaving Luca, Hai An, Wood, and Vior shaken.
• Vior recalled Xia Nan calmly watching the dragon and thought of his future reputation as 'Death Omen.'

Bogu reunited with Lawson and Hogk after stealing a mysterious metal relic from the red dragon Klaogbari’s lair, but Lawson suddenly killed Hogk as Bogu realized the betrayal. Meanwhile, Xia Nan’s escort party recovered from the dragon’s passage and reached Molten Scale Town, the last supply point before crossing the mountains.

• Bogu used his Shadow Step Stealth to wait at the meeting place with the relic taken from Klaogbari’s hoard.
• Lawson and Hogk arrived, and Bogu handed Hogk the silver-white object covered in shifting characters.
• As Bogu examined the relic, Lawson stabbed Hogk through the neck, and Bogu cried out in disbelief.
• Xia Nan’s party recovered from the Red Dragon’s Dragon Might, while Sava remained withdrawn and distracted.
• The escort party continued toward Sticky Tree Territory and arrived at Molten Scale Town at daybreak.

Xia Nan and his companions arrived in Molten Scale Town and settled in at the Resting Dragon Nest inn, where he enjoyed the local Red Scale Mushroom Soup. A possible encounter with pursuers was interrupted when a bloodied man named Lawson entered and asked for a room reserved by the Dog Tooth Squad.

• Xia Nan's party reached Molten Scale Town, and Wood proposed resting there for three days while Sava recovered from the Red Dragon's influence.
• Wood took Sava and Luca to resupply while Xia Nan, Hai An, and Vior searched for an inn; Xia Nan declined to entrust his valuable armor to the town's blacksmiths.
• Xia Nan, Hai An, and Vior booked rooms at the Resting Dragon Nest and ordered a meal, where Xia Nan found the Red Scale Mushroom Soup delicious.
• Xia Nan noticed a group of disciplined knights watching Hai An and warned his companions, who prepared to fight or flee.
• A bloodied middle-aged man entered the inn and told the receptionist that he had reserved a room under the name Dog Tooth Squad, Lawson.

Xia Nan and Hai An met Terry William at the Resting Dragon Nest tavern, where he learned that Newm was in danger and offered Hai An a safer route. Meanwhile, the wounded Bogu was abducted after colliding with Luca, and Luca confronted the men who had taken him.

• Xia Nan watched Lawson enter the tavern and considered leaving, but Hai An recognized the young Knight Terry William and said there was no need to worry.
• Terry William greeted Hai An, learned that Hai An was traveling to Sticky Tree Territory because of trouble in Newm, and offered him the cleared route his group had used.
• Bogu, badly injured and fleeing Lawson, wandered into Luca and collapsed after striking his armor.
• Two men pretended Bogu was their child and carried him away, then discovered he was a Gnome and spotted a silver-white object beneath his shirt.
• As one man reached for Bogu's treasure, Luca appeared behind them and asked why the supposed child was a Gnome.

Terry William suspected Hai An and his companions might be pursuing Duke Molton’s lost heirloom, so he ordered his knights to watch them while focusing on Lawson and Dog Tooth Squad. After Luca returned with an oval metal object taken from a dead gnome, Hai An handed it to Xia Nan for inspection.

• Terry William recalled Dog Tooth Squad’s plan to retrieve the Molton Family heirloom and ordered his knights to monitor Lawson while avoiding unnecessary conflict with Hai An’s group.
• Rotten Toe hurried into the inn, brought Lawson downstairs, and left with him; Terry William immediately followed them with his subordinates.
• Luca returned to the inn carrying supplies and an oval metal object he had found on a dead gnome after killing two slave traders.
• Hai An examined the object, then handed it to Xia Nan when Xia Nan asked to see it.