Chapter Summaries

Horako refused the tavern owner's offer to delay his departure for news about the Pastel Gemstone, prompting the owner to hurry to the church and report to Priest Moen. At the Orange Orchard, a young woman recounted how Moen had saved her life through grafting, while Xia Nan remained uncertain whether the revered priest was involved in the town's events.

• Solding and Horako discussed the difficulty of trading ores from The Mountains, while Horako barely touched his ale.
• The tavern owner told Horako he had news about the Pastel Gemstone and urged him to stay, but Horako refused and said the caravan would leave soon.
• After Horako refused, the tavern owner left the tavern in a hurry.
• At the Orange Orchard, a young woman told Xia Nan and Margaret how Priest Moen had grafted a branch onto an orange tree to help her recover from a childhood fever.
• Xia Nan examined the graft's scar and wondered whether Moen could still be behind the events in town.
• The tavern owner whispered a report to Priest Moen at the church, and Moen remained kneeling in shadow before the goddess's statue.

Xia Nan and Margaret investigated the Pastel Gemstone’s influence over Ram Horn Town and suspected Priest Moen had been affected, while the innkeeper tested Horako and later tried to kill him. Xia Nan stopped the attack, but the innkeeper triggered the gemstone’s power, and a pink light erupted from the direction of the church.

• Xia Nan and Margaret confirmed that Ram Horn Town’s residents reacted with hostility whenever they discussed the Pastel Gemstone and learned that Priest Moen had served the town for forty years.
• Margaret suspected that the gemstone had rewritten Moen’s cognition, while Xia Nan remained unsure because the gemstone seemed to have limited influence over Professionals.
• Solding and Horako told Xia Nan and Margaret that the innkeeper had changed his attitude and might have been testing whether Horako had escaped the gemstone’s control.
• The innkeeper entered Horako’s room at night and tried to stab him, but Xia Nan sprang from hiding and knocked him into the corridor as Solding and Margaret rushed in.
• The innkeeper drove his dagger into the Pastel Gemstone beneath his shirt, sending pink energy through the room; Xia Nan resisted its influence, and a brilliant pink light erupted from the church.

Priest Moen shattered the Pastel Gemstone in the church, creating a pink light dome over Ram Horn Town. After the innkeeper attacked Xia Nan’s party and died, Xia Nan found the inn and town apparently empty and planned to test the dome and investigate the church.

• Priest Moen prayed with the Pastel Gemstone, then broke it and unleashed a pink beam that spread into a dome over Ram Horn Town.
• Xia Nan stopped the innkeeper’s attack, but the man shattered the Pastel Gemstone embedded in his chest and died after confirming Xia Nan was unaffected by its energy.
• Xia Nan’s party saw the light dome cover the town and gathered the caravan members in the inn’s hall.
• Xia Nan and A-Fu discovered that no other guests or residents were in the inn, and the streets outside were deserted.
• Xia Nan proposed testing whether they could escape through the dome, while Margaret suggested searching a house and Solding urged them to investigate the church.

Xia Nan and Blackwood Squad investigated the deserted Ram Horn Town and discovered that its residents were controlled by Pastel Gemstones. After the pink barrier resisted their attempts to break through, they turned toward the giant beam of light at the town’s center as their remaining lead.

• Xia Nan, Margaret, and Solding left the caravan at the inn and searched a nearby house, where they found a resident with a Pastel Gemstone embedded in his chest.
• Xia Nan touched the gemstone and absorbed some of its energy, freeing the man from its control, though he remained panicked and unable to explain what had happened.
• The group found more residents in the same condition, brought the people they had awakened to the inn, and decided not to search the entire town for energy.
• At the town’s edge, Solding, Margaret, and Xia Nan tried striking the pink barrier with a hammer, a sword technique, and Gravity Etching, but none broke through.
• The three turned toward the enormous beam of light in the depths of Ram Horn Town.

Xia Nan, Margaret, and Solding failed to break through the barrier around Ram Horn Town and headed for the pillar of light at its center to find the source of the disturbance. On the way, the Bald Blacksmith ambushed them, and Solding charged him as the battle began.

• Xia Nan failed to absorb energy from the light barrier, and Solding could not break through it with his Prism Hammer.
• Margaret argued that the group needed to investigate the source of the barrier, so the three returned to the inn to check on Horako, A-Fu, and the caravan before setting out for town center.
• Xia Nan, Margaret, and Solding speculated that the Pastel Gemstone's mind control grew stronger over time and that Adventurers might have stolen gemstones from the townspeople.
• Xia Nan sensed an attack from behind and blocked a thrown iron plate with his arm shield.
• The Bald Blacksmith emerged from his shop with a Pastel Gemstone embedded in his chest, and Solding charged at him while Margaret moved to the side.

Xia Nan, Solding, and Margaret defeated a gemstone-enhanced blacksmith and discovered that the Pastel Gemstone’s influence could grant victims powerful defenses. They reached the town square and found the Church was the source of the enormous pink pillar of light, preparing to face what lay inside.

• Solding drew the blacksmith’s attack and blocked his hammer strike, while Margaret’s sword wound was stopped by crystalline particles coating his skin.
• Xia Nan used gravity to expose the blacksmith’s neck and killed him with [Whirlwind Slash].
• Xia Nan found that the crystalline particles lost their defensive strength after the blacksmith died, then absorbed a small amount of energy from the Pastel Gemstone in his chest.
• Margaret suspected that victims who remained mobile and partly aware had been more deeply affected by the gemstones, and Xia Nan warned that hundreds of such enemies could overwhelm them.
• The three proceeded cautiously to the central square without meeting more attackers and saw the pink pillar of light rising from the Church.
• Xia Nan asked his companions if they were ready as they faced the Church, which Solding believed was the end.

Xia Nan, Margaret, and Solding discovered that the Church’s worshippers had been transformed by the Pastel Gemstone and fought them in Ram Horn Town’s square. Solding held off fifteen attackers while Margaret used [Double Whirlwind Slash] to cut through their defenses, and Xia Nan attacked elsewhere as the battle continued.

• Solding, Margaret, and Xia Nan entered the Church and saw Priest Moen and more than twenty gemstone-covered believers worshiping in pink light.
• The Crystal People turned on the trio, and Solding was blasted out of the Church before taking position at the front of the team.
• Margaret ordered Solding to use Taunt and hold the enemies while she and Xia Nan fought.
• Solding activated [Fearless Guardian], drawing fifteen Crystal People into pounding his light shield.
• Margaret used [Double Whirlwind Slash] to exploit a wound and split a Crystal Person in two.
• Xia Nan fought nearby as blood sprayed and several Crystal People’s heads fell.

Xia Nan drew seven Crystal People away from the main fight, weakened the crystals on their necks, and killed them with a gravity-assisted [Whirlwind Slash]. He then supported Solding, and the group defeated all twenty-seven Crystal People in the town square within ten minutes.

• Xia Nan lured seven Crystal People away from Blackwood Squad and tested their crystal-covered defenses with repeated sword strikes to their necks.
• Xia Nan used [Gravity Control] to lift the seven attackers and killed six with [Whirlwind Slash], then beheaded the last one.
• Xia Nan checked Margaret's condition, judged that she could manage her five opponents, and rushed to help the exhausted Solding hold back fifteen Crystal People.
• Solding drank a stamina potion and returned to the fight while Xia Nan disrupted the Crystal People around him.
• Xia Nan killed the final Crystal Person, ending the battle after ten minutes.

Xia Nan, Margaret, and Solding defeated the Crystal People and confronted Priest Moen inside the church. Moen released a wave of pink energy that charged Xia Nan’s Neural Terminal and knocked down his companions.

• Xia Nan killed the last Crystal Person, and the group confirmed they had only suffered light injuries.
• Margaret mourned the damage to her Longsword as the party finished searching the battlefield and found no reason to take the Pastel Gemstones.
• Xia Nan questioned why Priest Moen had not joined the fight, and the three Adventurers prepared to enter the church.
• The party entered the church and saw Moen praying beneath the goddess statue amid the pink light.
• Moen turned toward them, gripped a large Pastel Gemstone, and released a wave of pink energy that charged Xia Nan’s Neural Terminal and knocked down two companions.

Xia Nan confronted Priest Moen in the Church and learned that Moen had helped use the Pastel Gemstone to charm Ram Horn Town, claiming it was salvation. Xia Nan attacked, but Moen’s gemstone barrier repelled his strike, leaving their fight unresolved.

• The pink energy incapacitated Margaret and Solding, while the Silver Ring absorbed the energy that reached Xia Nan.
• Moen recognized Xia Nan as the person who freed Horako from Mind Control and admitted to helping cause the events in town.
• Moen claimed he had charmed the townspeople to spare them suffering, but evaded Xia Nan’s question about whether Chauntea had commanded it.
• Xia Nan charged Moen, enduring [Radiant Prayer] and blocking [Light-Guided Arrow] with his equipment before resisting [Hold Person].
• Xia Nan reached Moen and swung [Whirlwind Slash], but Moen expanded a pink barrier that struck Xia Nan and sent him flying.

Xia Nan fought Priest Moen in the Church, endured his rapid spells, and used gravity to disrupt a spell that exploded into Holy Flame. Though Moen was gravely burned and disarmed, he implanted the pink gemstone in his chest, leaving Xia Nan facing a dangerous new threat.

• Xia Nan's strike rebounded off Moen's pink barrier, and he landed safely while observing the Priest's weakening defenses.
• Moen withdrew the barrier and began casting a powerful spell, so Xia Nan used [Heart's Sight] and gravity to pull his staff arm off balance.
• Moen's disrupted spell spiraled out of control and exploded, engulfing him in Holy Flame and destroying much of his left arm and Magic Staff.
• Xia Nan rushed in to finish Moen but leapt back when Perception warned him of danger from the gemstone.
• Moen, still burning and unable to speak, forced the pink gemstone into his chest as the Goddess Statue stood silent behind him.

Xia Nan fought Moen after the Priest transformed into a powerful crystal-covered form. He discovered that [Gravity Etching] could break through Moen’s defenses, leaving him seeking one more opening to strike the Priest’s neck.

• Moen absorbed the gem and transformed into a pink Crystal Person, while Xia Nan prepared to interrupt him.
• Xia Nan tested Moen’s strength with [Tooth Hunt] and [Whirlwind Slash], but Moen blocked the strike and charged Xia Nan with overwhelming force.
• Moen fired a powerful beam from the gem in his chest, and Xia Nan dodged it before launching another attack.
• Xia Nan used [Gravity Etching] with [Whirlwind Slash] to shatter the crystal on Moen’s neck and wound the flesh beneath it.
• Xia Nan retreated and realized that one more strike to Moen’s neck could end the battle.

Xia Nan’s battle with Moen turned against him when the priest awakened the Pink Crystal power within the Goddess Statue, healing himself and gaining enough strength to injure Xia Nan. Xia Nan deliberately wounded himself to trigger a hidden power, leaving Moen confronted by the first signs of its awakening.

• Moen used a Pink Energy Barrier to repel Xia Nan’s attack, and the Goddess Statue began shedding its stone shell as the Church resonated with Moen’s cries.
• The exposed statue released a surge of pink energy that healed Moen, strengthened him, and rapidly replenished Xia Nan’s [Dreamweaver Corridor].
• Moen overcame Xia Nan’s brief stiffness and struck him, breaking through his defenses and leaving him with broken ribs, chest injuries, and internal bleeding.
• As Moen ranted about his faith and his supposed miracle, Xia Nan ignored him and stabbed himself in the abdomen to lower his Life Force.
• Moen’s muttering stopped as Xia Nan’s clothes began to burn, and ashes and crimson sparks drifted from him.

Xia Nan activated [Ember Echo] and used its brief surge of power to wound Moen, but the Priest kept healing behind his barrier. With the burst nearly over, Xia Nan gambled on a narrow opening and [Copper Sinew Iron Bone]’s chance to nullify a physical blow; the chapter ended as a coin flipped into the air.

• Xia Nan activated [Ember Echo], healing his wounds and empowering his body and [Emberfall] for sixty seconds.
• Xia Nan struck Moen with Emberfire, burning through much of the crystal protecting his arm, but retreated when Moen’s barrier expanded.
• Xia Nan realized Moen’s barrier had to complete an expansion-and-contraction cycle before it could activate again, giving him a chance to use [Gravity Etching].
• As his Ember state dwindled, Xia Nan launched a slash at Moen’s neck and refused to retreat when the barrier began expanding.
• Moen punched Xia Nan, but [Copper Sinew Iron Bone] nullified the physical damage, and a brass-colored coin flipped into the air.

Xia Nan used the Fate Coin’s effects and a split-second opening to kill Priest Moen with a Honey Tangerine empowered by Gravity Etching. Afterward, he successfully entered the dynamic password for the Dreamweaver Corridor’s Neural Roaming Terminal.

• Xia Nan tossed the Fate Coin and used Bronze Sinew, Iron Bone to survive Moen’s punch, then softened the crystals on Moen’s neck with Emberfire.
• The Fate Coin landed front side up, while Xia Nan’s waist pouch spilled its contents and a Honey Tangerine bounced into his reach.
• Xia Nan grabbed the Honey Tangerine, let his sword fly, and hurled the fruit at Moen as the barrier retracted.
• Gravity Etching detonated on Moen’s weakened neck, destroying most of his neck and part of his head and killing him.
• Xia Nan entered the final character of the dynamic password before the Fate Coin hit the ground, and the Dreamweaver Corridor verified it and opened the Neural Roaming Terminal.

After securing the Church, Xia Nan examined the Dreamweaver Corridor’s messages and discovered that its remaining energy could open a dream for only [Gravity Etching] or [Ember Echo]. He chose [Gravity Etching] in hopes of advancing his profession, and the Corridor connected to the Dreamweaver Net to begin a replacement simulation.

• Xia Nan confirmed the Priest was dead, checked that Margaret and Solding were unharmed, and searched the Church for other enemies.
• Xia Nan interpreted the Corridor’s damaged archive and localized connection messages as signs that it created dreams from memories found on the Aifala Continent.
• Xia Nan reviewed his combat skills and found that the Corridor’s 9.27% remaining energy could open a dream for [Gravity Etching] or [Ember Echo].
• Xia Nan chose [Gravity Etching] because raising it to Mastery could increase his [Meteor Blade Hunt] profession level and potentially grant him a Feat or a new combat skill.
• The Corridor failed to retrieve a relevant local experience log, detected a Dreamweaver-associated individual, accessed Dreamweaver Net, and began a replacement simulation.

Priest Moen traced his life from a childhood miracle in his family’s orchard to his disillusionment with The Church and his work as a priest in Ram Horn Town. After discovering a pink Gem Seed that weakened greed and reshaped the townspeople, he spread its influence, convinced it could redeem humanity, and ultimately died beside a crystal Goddess Statue.

• At thirteen, Moen prayed beneath an ailing tangerine tree until the Goddess appeared and restored his family’s orchard, but the neighboring orchards remained blighted.
• After decades serving The Church, Moen witnessed corruption and the exploitation of the poor, then returned home and saw his family use the miracle tree’s legacy to monopolize local orchards.
• Moen resigned from his senior Church duties, became Priest in Ram Horn Town, and devoted himself to practical service while carving a Wooden Dagger from a dead branch of the miracle tree.
• Moen found a pink Gem Seed in the Church, concealed it, and discovered that exposure weakened people’s desire for wealth and made them more generous.
• Moen returned the Gem Seed to the Goddess Statue and secretly spread its influence, transforming Ram Horn Town and drawing nearby people into its growing harmony.
• Moen died covered in crystal beside the altar, with his Wooden Dagger at his waist and a Honey Tangerine lying in his blood beneath the pink crystal Goddess Statue.

After defeating Moen, Xia Nan gained mastery of [Gravity Etching], improved attributes, and unlocked [Heavy Tide]. His panel then revealed five possible multiclass paths, including an unnamed path with 117.96% compatibility whose requirements centered on gravity, killing, and a large-scale ritual.

• Xia Nan learned that [Dreamweaver Corridor] had recreated Moen’s memories and rapidly increased his [Gravity Etching] proficiency.
• Xia Nan gained three attribute points, advanced [Meteor Blade Hunt] to Level 3, and unlocked the reusable Combat Skill [Heavy Tide].
• Xia Nan inspected his Attribute Panel and reflected on his progress since arriving in Aifala Continent.
• Xia Nan’s panel automatically searched for multiclass paths after confirming his Profession Level and level cap.
• The search listed several paths, including an unnamed option with 117.96% compatibility that required Level 5, [Gravity Control] Level 2, and a large-scale intimidation ritual; Xia Nan had already met its requirement to kill at least 999 qualifying living beings.

Xia Nan examined the Attribute Panel’s five possible secondary professions and planned to pursue several difficult paths while keeping two safer choices as fallbacks. After securing the exhausted Fate Coin and using the Dreamweaver Corridor to raise Gravity Etching to max level, he found that the Goddess Statue and Moen’s chest gem no longer responded, but noticed a small dagger at the dead Priest’s waist.

• Xia Nan reviewed five potential secondary professions, chose the unknown profession with 117.96% compatibility as his first choice, and planned to seek divination skills, ignite a Kindling, and meet its other requirements while traveling to the Southern Islands.
• Xia Nan retrieved the spent Fate Coin, cleaned it, and put it away as a treasured keepsake for the three Miracles that had helped him advance.
• Xia Nan checked that Gravity Etching had reached Level 5 using more than 170 points of proficiency, leaving the Dreamweaver Corridor with only 0.12% energy.
• Xia Nan touched the pink crystal Goddess Statue and the gem on Moen’s corpse, but neither responded after the Priest’s death.
• Xia Nan noticed a small dagger with a wooden grip and leather scabbard at Moen’s waist.

Xia Nan defeated the crystallized Priest Moen and made a dagger from the withered tangerine branch and Pink Crystal, then prepared to leave Ram Horn Town. As he received thanks and a basket of Honey Tangerines, a young Mage elsewhere discovered that eating a sour tangerine had increased the Worldline Deviation Rate.

• Xia Nan examined the [Honey Tangerine Dagger], judged it a sturdy tool rather than a main weapon, and strapped it to his waist.
• Margaret and Solding awoke after the battle, learned how Xia Nan had defeated Moen, and Solding thanked him while Margaret reconsidered inviting him to join Blackwood Squad.
• Horako offered Xia Nan three hundred Gold Coins for saving the caravan, and Xia Nan accepted the reward while declining to return to River Valley Town.
• A girl from the Orange Orchard brought Xia Nan a basket of Honey Tangerines as the townspeople began dealing with the aftermath of Moen's death.
• A young Mage in a jungle camp tasted an unripe tangerine, noticed the Worldline Deviation Rate rise by 0.12%, and reached for the fruit again.