Chapter Summaries

Xia Nan decided to travel back to River Valley Town by a route that passed through Gray Valley Village, where villagers were guarding against a Goblin attack. As Tom and Mike kept watch, a strange howl sounded from the nearby forest.

• Xia Nan reflected on his wary parting with Vior and decided to visit the place she had recommended on his way back to River Valley Town.
• The villagers of Gray Valley Village prepared for Goblins after Henry's mother was attacked and disappeared in the nearby forest.
• Tom and Mike took the first night watch and discussed how many Goblins might attack the village.
• Mike warned Tom to flee with his family if a large Goblin group attacked.
• A strange howl rang out from the forest near Tom and Mike.

Tom and the villagers of Gray Valley Village prepared to face more than forty Goblins led by a Hobgoblin, while Clapham ordered Leon to warn the village to flee. Just as the Goblins began their attack, a black-haired youth slaughtered them and appeared at the fence, asking whether this was Gray Valley Village.

• Tom and Mike spotted a horde of at least forty Goblins and a Hobgoblin in the forest, so Mike sounded the warning horn.
• The villagers gathered with makeshift weapons, and Tom pulled Leon from the crowd and urged him to protect Janice and the children if the defense failed.
• Clapham restored order and sent Leon to tell the village to flee northeast and meet on the main road.
• The Goblins surrounded the wheat field, and one charged toward the villagers as Tom and the others held their ground.
• A howl and violent commotion erupted in the forest, and a black-haired youth in iron armor killed the charging Goblin with a sword.
• The youth approached the stunned villagers and politely asked whether Gray Valley Village was there.

Xia Nan destroyed the goblin force threatening Gray Valley Village, refused the villagers’ lavish reward, and explained that he had come on a friend’s commission. He learned that the village had a fifteen-year-old named Leon, though Clapham warned that the boy had never left the village.

• Xia Nan used [Tooth Hunt] to kill the hobgoblin, routed the goblins with [Night Mother's Gaze], and hunted down the fleeing survivors.
• After rescuing Gray Valley Village, Xia Nan refused Clapham’s large reward and accepted only a hot meal.
• Xia Nan reassured the nervous villagers that he would not extort them and explained that Gray Valley Village was his destination on a friend’s commission.
• Xia Nan asked whether the village had a young man named Leon, and Clapham confirmed that a fifteen-year-old Leon lived there.
• Clapham cautioned that Leon had never left the village, but Xia Nan said the name was enough to continue his search.

Xia Nan trained Leon in combat and endurance while searching Gray Valley Village for the aid Vior had hinted at. After sharing dinner with Leon’s family, he planned to begin practical combat training the next day and keep investigating the village.

• Xia Nan continued training Leon and practiced [Gravity Control] by manipulating a stream, while considering how difficult the skill was to improve.
• Xia Nan ended Leon’s training when the boy showed signs of exhaustion and reminded him to conserve stamina for danger.
• Mike urged Leon to learn from Xia Nan, and the villagers’ growing warmth toward Xia Nan reflected their gratitude for his help against the Goblins.
• Lily showed Xia Nan the mushrooms she and Janice had gathered, and Janice served him mushroom soup for dinner.
• Tom encouraged Leon to use his training to seek work as a guard or militiaman, while Xia Nan reviewed his search for Vior’s promised aid and planned practical combat training for Leon.

Xia Nan trained Leon to face Goblins by having him kill one, then found a strange, incomplete old coin in the nest that hinted at a link to Gray Valley. He left the cave suspecting the coin had come from there.

• Xia Nan demonstrated Goblin weaknesses to Leon and explained where to strike and how to survive an attack.
• Xia Nan released a bound Goblin, and Leon overcame his fear enough to kill it despite missing his first strike.
• Xia Nan had Leon search the nest, and they found six silver coins, seven copper coins, and little else.
• Leon showed Xia Nan a bloodstained half-coin, and Xia Nan's panel identified it as a relic of the Lansendom Theocracy with a note mentioning the Ash-Blaze Church.
• Leon pointed out that the coin's gray residue matched the stones the Goblins had brought from Gray Valley, leading Xia Nan to ask about the valley.

Xia Nan and Leon explored Gray Valley, where Xia Nan found ruins and an ancient brass candlestick tied to the Church of Ashes. After killing five ambushing Axe-Beak Birds, Xia Nan decided to return after daybreak and asked Leon which parts of the birds were best to eat.

• Xia Nan and Leon entered Gray Valley and noticed its strange mist growing thicker as they went deeper.
• Xia Nan found ruins and recovered an Ancient Brass Candlestick whose inscription mentioned the Church of Ashes, like the Fire-Faded Old Coin.
• Xia Nan sensed enemies hiding in the mist and used Wolf Howl to incapacitate Leon before attacking them.
• Xia Nan killed five gray Axe-Beak Birds, first biting one down as Black Wolf and then slaying the other four with his sword.
• Xia Nan decided to explore the valley again after daybreak and asked Leon which parts of the birds tasted best.

After sharing the Axe-Beak Bird meat with Leon’s family, Xia Nan learned that Gray Valley’s mist and ruins had appeared only in recent years and went with Tom to question village chief Clapham. Clapham had little information about the mist or the Ash-Blaze Church, and their conversation was interrupted by news that another group of Adventurers had arrived.

• Xia Nan shared Axe-Beak Bird meat with Leon’s family, and Tom explained that Gray Valley had once been accessible and had no known mist or ruins.
• Xia Nan asked Tom about Fire-Fading and the Church of Ashes, but Tom suggested asking village chief Clapham and led him there that night.
• Xia Nan told Leon to rest the next day while he planned to explore Gray Valley alone in search of a possible Secret Realm entrance.
• Tom and Xia Nan visited Clapham, who said he had explored Gray Valley during an old quarry survey but had seen neither unusual mist nor ruins.
• A villager hurried to Clapham’s door and announced that another group of Adventurers had arrived.

Blood Blade Squad terrorized Gray Valley Village, assaulting villagers and demanding food, gold, and young women. As Gorge charged toward a girl hidden in a farmhouse, Marcus suddenly stopped him after sensing a sharp killing intent in the crowd.

• Gorge broke into Abel’s farmhouse, ate their food, struck Abel unconscious, and carried off his wife while Stonebelly searched the house for valuables.
• Marcus ordered Gorge to take the woman outside, while the squad’s archer silently watched the abuse.
• Tom rushed to Abel, and village chief Clapham pleaded with the Adventurers to spare the villagers as Gorge demanded supplies and young women.
• Stonebelly discovered an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old girl hiding in a concealed compartment, and Gorge charged toward her.
• Marcus stopped Gorge and searched the crowd after sensing a concentrated killing intent.

Xia Nan intervened when the Blood Blade Squad threatened Gray Valley Village, and captain Marcus stopped Gorge from harming a village girl after sensing Xia Nan nearby. Marcus promised the villagers the squad would leave at dawn, and Xia Nan decided to let them go for now, planning to reconsider once they left.

• Marcus stopped Gorge from assaulting a village girl, then brought her to Clapham and demanded shelter, food, and supplies before the squad departed at dawn.
• Clapham agreed, arranged food and lodging for the Adventurers, and sent the villagers away to tend to Abel.
• Gorge and Stonebelly questioned Marcus about why he had forbidden them from preying on the villagers, while Xili mocked them and revealed that Marcus had been frightened by another Adventurer in the village.
• Marcus told the squad that another group of Adventurers was nearby and ordered them to endure the night and leave at daybreak.
• Xia Nan reflected that he had been ready to fight the squad but chose to spare them because they had not harmed anyone and a battle could endanger the villagers.

Xia Nan followed Blood Blade Squad into Gray Valley, intending to use them to scout its dangers before killing them to protect the valley’s secrets. After they discovered a ruined shrine and a praying corpse, [Green Pine] warned Xia Nan of danger as the chapter ended.

• Xia Nan tailed Marcus and the other members of Blood Blade Squad from Gray Valley Village toward the valley, noticing their stolen grain and keeping out of sight.
• The party found the ruined building Xia Nan had explored, and Stonebelly identified it as an ancient ruin while the others grew eager to claim its treasures.
• Xili examined the decapitated Axe-Beak Birds and concluded that a powerful attacker had killed them; Marcus ordered the party to continue exploring.
• Xia Nan followed the party deeper into Gray Valley, deciding to let them continue because they could help reveal the valley’s dangers before he silenced them.
• The party encountered a damaged shrine and a withered figure kneeling in prayer, and [Green Pine] sent a scorching warning through Xia Nan’s neck.

Xia Nan watched the Blood Blade Squad fight a seemingly fragile but remarkably durable Dried Corpse in the foggy valley, while Green Pine identified it as an undead creature. After the adventurers moved on, Xia Nan tested the corpse with the burning sword and easily cut through it, then disappeared deeper into the fog.

• Green Pine heated on Xia Nan’s back near the praying Dried Corpse, leading him to suspect it was an undead creature connected to a Secret Realm.
• Marcus let Gorge attack the Dried Corpse, but Gorge’s heavy club blow barely moved it and Xili’s arrow failed to pierce through its tough body.
• Gorge smashed the Dried Corpse’s head after five strikes, while Marcus suspected the valley held a dangerous but valuable relic.
• Stonebelly searched the corpse and found nothing, and the Blood Blade Squad avoided touching the broken Goddess statue before heading deeper into the fog.
• Xia Nan approached the corpse and used Green Pine to slice off half its arm with ease, then looked toward the broken statue and vanished into the fog.

Xia Nan followed the Blood Blade Squad through Gray Valley’s disorienting mist as they discovered a ruined square occupied by a grotesquely bloated knight and six dried corpses. When Xili stumbled and made a sound, the corpses awakened, leaving the squad facing an imminent fight.

• Xia Nan used the thickening mist to stay close behind the Blood Blade Squad without being detected.
• The squad found a cramped, ruined square containing a huge corpse in knight’s armor and six dried corpses.
• Gorge admitted that he was afraid, but Marcus ordered the squad to skirt the square quietly and continue toward the ruins.
• Xili’s foot suddenly grew heavy, and she stumbled, making a sound that alerted the six dried corpses.
• The dried corpses rose with metal flails, and yellow lights flared in the knight’s visor as Marcus ordered the squad to prepare for battle.

Xili’s accidental footstep alerted the Dried Corpses, forcing the Blood Blade Squad into battle against them and the bloated Knight. Marcus’s team abandoned the badly wounded Gorge as bait, but a mysterious black wolf arrived and killed the Knight before Gorge was beheaded.

• Xili’s footstep alerted the six Dried Corpses, and the Blood Blade Squad formed up to fight rather than flee.
• Marcus ordered Gorge to hold off the bloated Knight while he and Stonebelly dealt with the Dried Corpses and Xili supported them.
• Gorge’s club failed to harm the Knight, whose Metal Flail crippled him; Marcus, Stonebelly, and Xili then left him behind as they escaped into the fog.
• A mysterious black wolf appeared, and the Knight’s head was severed while Xili’s arrow remained lodged in his visor.
• Gorge saw the Knight’s head roll beside him before an unseen attacker drew a blade and beheaded him.

Xia Nan killed the obese Knight after using the Blood Blade Squad to assess the monsters in Gray Valley, then hid the Knight’s flail and followed the adventurers deeper into the ruins. The squad reached a gigantic, ruined church, while Marcus secretly considered eliminating his remaining companions for the treasure.

• Xia Nan reflected on his growing indifference to killing and assessed the Blood Blade Squad’s battle against the Dried Corpses and obese Knight, which he had influenced with [Gravity Control].
• Xia Nan killed the obese Knight with [Green Pine] and [Whirlwind Slash], finding that the sword’s Sunfire effect seemed especially effective against the corpses’ defenses.
• Xia Nan searched the battlefield, kept the Iron Stomach Flail for later sale, hid it among the ruins, and continued after the squad.
• Marcus led the surviving Blood Blade Squad deeper into Gray Valley, dismissing Gorge’s death and growing excited as Stonebelly found strange old coins.
• Marcus began imagining killing his two remaining teammates to claim the rewards alone, just as a gigantic ruined church appeared through the fog.

Marcus and the Blood Blade Squad discovered a Magic Staff in a ruined Church, but greed drove them into a deadly standoff. An unseen force made Stonebelly move first, and Marcus and Xili attacked him, leaving the staff unclaimed.

• Marcus led Xili and Stonebelly into the ruined Church, where they found a praying Dried Corpse beneath a Divine Statue and a Magic Staff on the altar.
• Marcus ordered Xili to kill the Dried Corpse, and she destroyed it with a single arrow.
• Marcus, Xili, and Stonebelly watched one another in a tense standoff over who would claim the Magic Staff.
• An unseen force pushed Stonebelly forward, prompting Marcus to attack him while Xili fired an arrow.
• Stonebelly charged for the Magic Staff, but Xili wounded his leg and Marcus stabbed him through the head.

Xia Nan killed Marcus after the Adventurer leader had slain Stonebelly and Xili, then turned toward the Magic Staff. He sensed a hidden threat in the Dried Corpse pinned beneath the Ranger’s arrow as his Wooden Sword [Green Pine] flared with heat.

• Stonebelly charged for the Magic Staff while Xili’s first arrow led Marcus to kill the dwarf; Xili then offered Marcus the spoils to spare her.
• Xili used a desperate, arrowless bowshot to wound Marcus and fled, but Marcus cut her in half and stabbed her through the heart.
• Marcus approached the Magic Staff, but Xia Nan emerged from the fog with a monstrous wolf; the Wolf Howl froze Marcus with fear, and Xia Nan beheaded him with [Tooth Hunt] and [Whirlwind Slash].
• Xia Nan confirmed the Adventurers were dead and started toward the Magic Staff, then noticed the Dried Corpse pinned by Xili’s arrow as [Green Pine] burned with intense heat.

Xia Nan fought the Snake-Scaled Dried Corpse beneath the altar, using [Green Pine] and his trump cards to behead it. As he approached the Magic Staff, the headless body began to twitch and something started emerging from its neck.

• The Priest Dried Corpse rose and revealed dark-green snake scales covering its body, causing [Green Pine] to flare with both undead and snake-type damage bonuses.
• The corpse attacked with overwhelming speed and strength, but Xia Nan dodged its strike and wounded its chest with a flaming slash.
• Xia Nan realized the corpse resisted mental and control effects but resolved to exploit [Green Pine] and his remaining defensive and recovery abilities.
• He used the [Dead Line] ring's Deflection Force Field to block an attack, then struck the corpse's neck when an unseen force briefly stopped its dodge.
• After Xia Nan confirmed the corpse had been beheaded, its body twitched and a long, deformed shadow began rising from its neck.

Xia Nan fought the transformed Snake-Scaled Dried Corpse in the Church, using his skills and weapons to overcome its poisonous mist and rapid attacks. The battle reached its climax when he drove the Beheading Longsword into the creature’s throat and released [Gravity Etching].

• Xia Nan tested the transforming corpse with a Fire Oil Bomb, then used [Gravity Control] to deflect the corrosive mist it released.
• The corpse completed its transformation into a snake-headed creature with three serpent heads on its left arm, and it evaded Xia Nan’s [Tooth Hunt] before spraying poison that melted his armor.
• Xia Nan pressed the attack with [Green Pine] and [Whirlwind Slash], severing one serpent head and kicking the corpse off balance.
• The corpse blocked Xia Nan’s next sword strike with its remaining serpents and lunged at him, but he redirected their attack and triggered [Spring Vein Purge].
• Xia Nan drew the Beheading Longsword and stabbed it through the largest serpent’s throat, then released [Gravity Etching].

After defeating the Snake Scale Dried Corpse, Xia Nan mourned the corrosion damage to his Beheading Longsword and approached the altar, where he was drawn into a vision of the Church’s past. He witnessed a swordsman take the Magic Staff and kill a priest at the priest’s request, then leave for Royal City as the Goddess statue watched.

• Xia Nan burned the remains of the Snake Scale Dried Corpse and healed his shoulder with Spring Vein Purge.
• He found that venom had pitted the Beheading Longsword and resolved to take it to be repaired rather than abandon it.
• As Xia Nan approached the altar’s Magic Staff, the Church appeared restored and he was pulled into a vision, unable to control the body he inhabited.
• A priest gave the swordsman the Magic Staff, saying it contained the final “Seed” and urging him to go to Royal City, where the last kindling lay.
• At the priest’s request, the swordsman killed him, took the Magic Staff, and left the Church beneath the Goddess statue’s gaze.

Xia Nan relived a strange past through the Secret Realm, where a warrior carrying the Priest’s Kindling fought a heavy-armored Knight and destroyed a Divine Statue before collapsing. Back in Gray Valley, Xia Nan recovered the Ember Instructor Staff, whose released inheritance appeared to be a Combat Skill and also infused his Silver Ring and a silver ingot.

• Xia Nan witnessed the Priest’s killer leave the church, defeat a heavy-armored Knight in a fountain, and head for the town exit with the Kindling.
• The warrior saw a Divine Statue with yellow snake eyes, split it in two, and collapsed after hearing a serpent hiss.
• Xia Nan woke at the entrance to the Gray Valley Ruins and found the Church had vanished, but the Kindling Staff was tied to his belt.
• Xia Nan examined the Ember Instructor Staff’s Attribute Panel and crushed its Flame Crystal to release the inheritance.
• The released fire flowed into Xia Nan’s Silver Ring, entered his mind as a possible Combat Skill, and fused with the silver ingot from Terry William.