Chapter Summaries

Xia Nan and the Adventurers fought the Shahua Mermen as Ulk used [Slow] to kill one captain and disrupt the battle. As the sacrifice ritual neared completion, Xia Nan weighed whether to attack Ulk or stop the ritual, but Ulk targeted him with another spell.

• An Elite Murloc Guard killed the grim Adventurer after Ulk's [Slow] left him vulnerable to three guards' spears.
• Lorraine, Tie Ge, Sefeng, and Sasha survived Ulk's spell with varying degrees of injury, while Xia Nan resisted its effects and killed several guards.
• Ulk recognized Xia Nan as the battlefield's greatest threat and continued preparing the sacrifice ritual using Dodd "Algae Scale"'s corpse.
• The coral altar lit up as the Shahua Mermen's Sacrifice Ritual neared completion, and Xia Nan considered whether to attack Ulk or stop the ritual.
• Ulk aimed another Magic Glare at Xia Nan before he could act on his plan.

As the Sacrifice Ritual neared completion, Ulk and the murlocs targeted the adventurers who could still interfere. Xia Nan and Sarisa destroyed the altar just as the ritual finished, but a terrifying howl erupted from within its ruins.

• Ulk ordered attacks that forced Alton into close combat, brought Hain down from the sky, and trapped Xia Nan in a web while a hidden priest struck him with [Tasha's Mind Whip].
• Xia Nan resisted the mental control, endured the damage, and realized that the ritual posed a greater threat than the enemies fighting him.
• Seeing that he could not reach the altar in time, Xia Nan used a Murloc Commander's fish spear to strike the altar from afar.
• Sarisa shot Ulk and interrupted his attempt to stop the spear, allowing it to hit the altar and collapse it in an explosion.
• Xia Nan watched the ruins as the ritual's magic settled, then heard a terrifying howl rise from within.

Xia Nan discovered that the Bloodskin Shark Beast carried the terminal Key he sought, but his attempt to disrupt its summoning only weakened it. The beast struck him into the sea, and Sekolah’s servants prepared to begin their conquest of the ocean.

• Xia Nan recognized the ring embedded in the Bloodskin Shark Beast’s chest as the terminal Key and learned that his attack had interrupted the summoning ritual, leaving the beast injured.
• The Bloodskin Shark Beast declared that the hunt was approaching, while a Murloc Commander attacked Xia Nan and he killed it with his sword.
• As Xia Nan turned back toward the altar, the Bloodskin Shark Beast ambushed him; his [Dead Line] ring and enchanted armor reduced the impact, but its punch sent him flying into the sea.
• Sarisa watched Xia Nan fall into the water, and Shahua Mermen swam toward him as the Bloodskin Shark Beast judged him seriously wounded.
• The Bloodskin Shark Beast turned its attention to the battling Adventurers and resolved to begin Sekolah’s conquest of the ocean with the bloodshed on Stodd Island.

Tie Ge was killed by the Bloodskin Shark Beast as it rampaged through the battlefield, while Xia Nan recovered from its attack and fought underwater to eliminate the murloc Spellcasters. As Xia Nan charged the last Murloc Priest, he used the powerful healing spell he had been saving as one of his two remaining trump cards.

• Tie Ge led the Raging Waves War Gang and rallied the adventurers with war cries, but the Bloodskin Shark Beast attacked him and killed him with a ship's anchor.
• The Bloodskin Shark Beast swung its anchor through adventurers and Shahua Mermen alike, becoming a deadly threat to everyone on the shore except its allies.
• Xia Nan drank an Enhanced Healing Potion and used Lesser Healing spells, then decided to attack the murloc Spellcasters underwater rather than return to the battlefield.
• Xia Nan fought through the murlocs' guards and Magic Glares, killing Spellcasters while suffering severe injuries.
• Xia Nan surfaced, killed a fleeing Murloc Priest, and charged the last elderly Murloc Priest as the [Tear of Spring Breath]'s Spring Vein Purge restored his injuries.

Xia Nan attacked the Murloc Priests beneath the sea while Lorraine, Aken, Sasha, Sefeng, and Hain tried to keep the Bloodskin Shark Beast from reaching him. The Bloodskin Shark Beast crippled Sefeng, but Xia Nan killed the aged Murloc Priest, and the two enemies’ gazes met across the battlefield.

• Xia Nan’s underwater attacks reduced the Murloc Priests’ Magic Glare and raised the adventurers’ morale.
• Lorraine, Aken, Sasha, Sefeng, and Hain surrounded the Bloodskin Shark Beast to stop it from returning to the priests.
• The adventurers coordinated their attacks, but the Bloodskin Shark Beast used a feigned opening to sever Sefeng’s legs and seize him.
• Xia Nan pierced the aged Murloc Priest through the chest and cut its body open.
• The Bloodskin Shark Beast crushed Sefeng’s skull as its gaze met Xia Nan’s across the battlefield.

Xia Nan fought through Ulk’s defenses after recovering from his wounds, killing the murloc guards and disrupting the priest’s Fireball at the last moment. The Fireball struck Ulk’s own forces, leaving him exposed as Xia Nan ran him through with his sword.

• Ulk watched Xia Nan recover from severe injuries and charge toward him, then used Entangling Thorns and Burning Hands to slow and burn him.
• Xia Nan endured the flames, killed an Elite Murloc Commander and another murloc, and advanced toward Ulk.
• Ulk began casting Fireball while two Four-Armed Elite Guards blocked Xia Nan’s path.
• Xia Nan stopped and took a defensive stance as an invisible force interrupted Ulk’s spellcasting.
• The Fireball exploded among Ulk’s guards, and Xia Nan pierced Ulk’s chest with his Grey-Black Straight Sword.

Wounded and exhausted, Xia Nan fought the Bloodskin Shark Beast alongside the Oath of Vengeance Squad and severed its tail with his final [Gravity Etching]. The beast unleashed a bloody shockwave that devastated the Adventurers, then struck Xia Nan into the sea, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Xia Nan killed Priest Ulk and faced the Bloodskin Shark Beast, dodging its anchor strike and wounding its ribs.
• Alton played his Lute to restore Xia Nan’s stamina while Lorraine, Sasha, Hain, and Aken joined the fight and attacked the beast.
• Xia Nan used his final [Gravity Etching] and severed the Bloodskin Shark Beast’s tail, though he failed to strike its head.
• The enraged Bloodskin Shark Beast released a bloody shockwave that hurled Sasha and Lorraine away and left Aken unconscious with severe injuries.
• Xia Nan blocked part of the shockwave with his arm shield, but the beast punched him across the sea and into the water.

Sarisa overcame her fear and wounded the Bloodskin Shark Beast with an arrow, but it nearly killed her before Xia Nan returned in a blazing Ember State. Xia Nan defeated the Beast in a desperate fight, leaving its head crushed and its body motionless.

• Sarisa hesitated between fleeing and attacking, then followed her heart and shot the Bloodskin Shark Beast in the neck.
• The Beast charged Sarisa and struck her down, leaving her gravely wounded as a crimson pillar erupted from the sea and Xia Nan returned.
• Xia Nan used Ember Echo to attack the Beast, endured its bloodlight explosion, and drove his sword into its wounded neck and shoulder.
• Xia Nan severed the Beast's left arm, pinned its right arm with gravity and a thrown sword, and stabbed its eye with the Honey Tangerine Dagger.
• Xia Nan repeatedly punched the Beast until its head was crushed and it lay completely motionless.

Xia Nan defeated the Bloodskin Shark Beast and collapsed, turning the battle in the adventurers’ favor. After waking two days later at a manor on Stodd Island, he learned his crew had survived but other groups had been devastated, while the mermen still blocked the port; he then discovered new combat rewards and a Battle Momentum path being sought.

• Alton stopped Xia Nan from striking the dead Bloodskin Shark Beast again, and Xia Nan pulled the [Dreamweaver Corridor] Key from its chest before passing out.
• Xia Nan’s defeat of the Shark Beast broke the Shahua Mermen’s morale, and the remaining mermen fled into the sea after another dozen minutes of fighting.
• Xia Nan woke two days later in a manor, where Alton and Raine helped him recover and told him the battle’s survivors were gathered there.
• Lorraine explained that the Oath of Vengeance Blades had lost no one, the Windforged and Raging Waves War Gang were nearly wiped out, and hidden mermen still prevented the adventurers from leaving by port.
• Xia Nan saw that his equipment was damaged but that the Shark Beast’s body and loot had been recovered for division among the adventurers.
• Xia Nan checked his combat rewards and discovered [Gravity Control] had reached Lv2, the feat [Overlapping Waves] had unlocked, and a search for the Battle Momentum path had begun.

Xia Nan learned about Battle Momentum from Lorraine and chose [Hunting Arc] to refine his [Tooth Hunt] and [Whirlwind Slash] combination. He also discovered that [Gravity Control] had reached Level 2, increasing his Perception and granting the new Feat [Overlapping Waves].

• Xia Nan asked Lorraine about Battle Momentum, and she explained how compatible Combat Skills could fuse into a distinctive fighting style.
• Xia Nan compared the three Battle Momentum options and chose [Hunting Arc] for its adjustable rhythm and potential to incorporate another Combat Skill.
• Xia Nan gained a deeper understanding of [Tooth Hunt] and [Whirlwind Slash] but stayed seated because he was injured.
• Xia Nan saw that [Gravity Control] had reached Level 2, raising his Perception to 14 and granting him the Feat [Overlapping Waves].

While recovering on Stodd Island, Xia Nan told Lorraine and Ellison that the Key to the [Dreamweaver Corridor] had belonged to their father, then activated it by merging it with his Terminal. As the team shared Alton’s Cream Mushroom Soup, the Moon Tide Feast began.

• Xia Nan considered his recovery, equipment repairs, and plans to improve his strength after escaping the Murlocs’ encirclement.
• Xia Nan showed Lorraine and Ellison the Key to the [Dreamweaver Corridor] and explained that it had been taken from the Shark Beast and was a relic of their father, Lyle Molton.
• Lorraine returned the Key to Xia Nan, and Ellison asked whether obtaining it was why Xia Nan had come to the Southern Islands.
• Xia Nan merged the Key with the [Dreamweaver Corridor] Terminal, activating it and removing the need for a separate key to enter.
• Alton brought Cream Mushroom Soup for the recovering team, and Xia Nan recognized the arrival of the Moon Tide Feast as the moon and auroras lit the night sky.

Vior set up camp and tested whether eating an unripe orange affected the Worldline Deviation Rate. After the rate surged by nearly one percent, she suspected a connection and decided to harvest the remaining oranges for further testing.

• Vior used magic to secure a forest clearing, set traps, and prepare a camp for the night.
• Vior spotted green oranges and recalled that eating a sour fruit months earlier had coincided with a small increase in the Worldline Deviation Rate.
• Vior ate a segment of an unripe orange, but the rate initially remained unchanged.
• The Worldline Deviation Rate suddenly surged by 0.99%, and Vior suspected the change might be connected to the black-haired adventurer.
• Vior reconsidered the apparent coincidence between the rate changes and eating oranges, then used Mage Hand to shake the green fruit from the tree.

After testing his improved Gravity Control on a Goblin nest, Xia Nan returned to the harbor and learned that a ship from the Governor’s Residence had arrived to rescue the stranded adventurers. Its representative, Orich, announced a policy to buy their Murloc spoils, prompting the adventurers to challenge whether they had to sell them.

• Xia Nan killed the five Goblins in their cave and tested the greatly enhanced range, power, and precision of his lv2 Gravity Control.
• Xia Nan wondered how the isolated Goblin tribe had appeared on Stodd Island, then left the cave after judging that the adventurers could wait for help or depart once he recovered.
• Alton told Xia Nan that a ship had reached the docks, where a large vessel bearing the Governor’s Residence’s silver Barracuda flag had arrived with soldiers aboard.
• Orich explained that the Governor’s Residence would buy Shahua Merman corpses and related spoils at Barracuda Bay market rates, while leaving adventurers’ personal equipment and currency untouched.
• A scarred Warrior objected that he should not have to surrender spoils he had earned, and another adventurer challenged Orich’s recovery policy.

After Orich used taxes and promises of reward to calm the adventurers’ resistance to the Governor’s Residence’s reclamation regulations, he approached Xia Nan about the powerful Shark Beast Monster. Xia Nan led Orich and his companions to the ruined altar, where its scale seemed to unsettle Orich and prompt him to ask for more details about the monster.

• The adventurers argued over the Governor’s Residence’s reclamation regulations, but Orich warned them of a thirty percent tax and promised market-price purchases and a victory celebration.
• Xia Nan noticed Orich was a capable professional and sensed a Spellcaster aboard the Governor’s Residence ship, then considered hiding the Shark Beast’s remains in his [White Pot] pocket watch.
• Orich approached Xia Nan, asked about the Shark Beast, and requested to see the altar where it had been summoned.
• Xia Nan led Orich, Alton, Lorraine, and two Guards to the ruined Coral Sea Rock Altar.
• Orich studied the altar and asked Xia Nan to tell him more about the Shark Beast Monster he had killed.

Orich inspected the enormous Shark Beast corpse and realized Xia Nan had killed a Shark Caller summoned by Sekolah. He let Xia Nan take the corpse and weapon back to Barracuda Bay, arranging for the Governor's Residence to buy the leftover materials at market price, and offered to recommend craftsmen.

• Orich arrived at the battlefield and was astonished by the scale of the collapsed coral altar and Xia Nan's account of the fight.
• Orich asked Xia Nan about the Shark Beast's remains, and Xia Nan agreed to let him inspect the corpse in town.
• Orich identified the dead Shark Beast as one of Sekolah's Shark Callers, while Alton explained the title's significance to Xia Nan.
• Orich allowed Xia Nan to take the corpse and its weapon back to Barracuda Bay and proposed buying the remaining materials at market price.
• Xia Nan accepted Orich's offer, and Orich offered to recommend master craftsmen to process the materials.

After returning to Barracuda Bay, Xia Nan rejected Orich’s offer to join the Governor’s Residence and planned to leave for River Valley Town after handling his spoils and equipment. He brought his loot to Selianne’s tailor shop, where Selianne saw the battered state of the [Abyssal Flow] armor he had made.

• Xia Nan arrived at Breaking Waves Wharf as news of the Stodd Island battle spread, and crowds gathered to welcome the surviving adventurers.
• Orich offered Xia Nan a position at the Governor’s Residence, but Xia Nan politely declined because he preferred freedom and wanted to focus on growing stronger.
• Xia Nan arranged for Lorraine to sell many of his miscellaneous spoils and planned to find buyers for his more valuable materials, weapons, and the Bloodskin Shark Beast’s corpse.
• Xia Nan decided to take a break from commissions while settling his affairs and familiarizing himself with his new Feat abilities.
• Xia Nan hired porters to bring his spoils to Selianne’s Pearl Spinning Tailor Shop, where Selianne greeted him and froze at the sight of his damaged [Abyssal Flow] armor.

Xia Nan brought his battle-damaged equipment to Selianne at Pearl Spinning, where Selianne judged the [Bone Binding Iron Greaves] unusable but found the [Abyssal Flow] armor repairable with materials from the Bloodskin Shark Beast. Xia Nan then proposed using the Bloodstone Heavy Anchor, an artifact from Shierlusk Deep Sea, as the armor’s new main material.

• Selianne inspected Xia Nan’s damaged equipment and determined that the [Bone Binding Iron Greaves] could not be repaired economically.
• Selianne offered to buy the ruined leg guards to study Rock Hammer Barn’s craftsmanship, and Xia Nan accepted his goodwill.
• Selianne explained that the [Abyssal Flow] armor’s inner lining and core could be repaired using materials from a Shark Beast.
• Xia Nan showed Selianne the Bloodskin Shark Beast corpse, and Selianne found its Fish Bladder and other materials suitable for repairing the armor.
• Xia Nan pulled the Bloodstone Heavy Anchor from beneath the corpse and suggested using it as the armor’s main material after recognizing its connection to Shierlusk Deep Sea.

Xia Nan chose to have Selianne repair the [Abyssal Flow] armor using the [Bloodstone Heavy Anchor], accepting the uncertainty in exchange for a chance at improved effects. After settling plans for new leg guards and leaving materials at [Pearl Spinning], he headed to the Adventurers Association to sell the rest of his loot.

• Selianne identified the anchor as Mossland Froststeel forged with the old Wave-Ridge technique and explained its possible connection to a Northlands fleet lost in the Divine Realm.
• Selianne outlined the risks and costs of repairing the [Abyssal Flow] armor with either the anchor or his own Special Metal, and Xia Nan chose the anchor.
• Xia Nan told Selianne he planned to leave the Southern Islands, and Selianne adjusted his repair plans around Xia Nan's future inland activities.
• Selianne proposed using the remaining anchor material for leg guards, but recommended another blacksmith because metal leg guards were not his specialty.
• Xia Nan mentioned Orich's blacksmith recommendation, and Selianne offered to review the craftsman's production plan.
• Xia Nan left the anchor, Shark Beast materials, and damaged equipment at [Pearl Spinning], then headed with the Governor's Residence Guards to the Adventurers Association to sell his remaining loot.

Xia Nan sold a Windseed Octopus horn to the Adventurers Association and consigned two enchanted weapons for appraisal and sale. He planned to sell Algae Scale Dodd’s Flamescale Hybrid through the Association to avoid the attention of a public auction before leaving Barracuda Bay.

• An Association appraiser evaluated Xia Nan’s Windseed Octopus horn and offered 530 Gold Coins for it.
• Xia Nan accepted the offer and signed the contract for the Association to transfer the Gold Coins to his account within three days.
• Xia Nan gave the appraiser the Shark Bone Magic Staff, and the appraiser recommended a starting price of 1,200 Gold Coins for its consignment.
• Xia Nan considered keeping the Flamescale Hybrid but decided its bloodline-dependent abilities and lower performance than his main weapons made it better to sell.
• Xia Nan chose to consign the Flamescale Hybrid through the Adventurers Association to seek a strong price without attracting the attention a public auction might bring.

Xia Nan arranged the sale of his spoils from Stodd Island and relaxed at the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern as Barracuda Bay celebrated the incident. He planned to return to River Valley Town, while his growing fame and connections in the bay remained unresolved.

• Xia Nan accepted the Adventurers Association appraiser's recommended 3,600-gold reserve price for [Flamescale Hybrid].
• Xia Nan walked through Barracuda Bay's celebrations and returned to the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern, where adventurers were trading stories about the Stodd Island incident.
• Xia Nan considered leaving Barracuda Bay to avoid entanglement with local factions and told Hera he would head inland first, likely returning to River Valley Town.
• Hera teased Xia Nan about his fame and his Cream Mushroom Soup, then asked whether he would come back to Barracuda Bay.
• Xia Nan saw Colin working for the Salmon Roe General Store and learned Hera had given the shop regular orders for the tavern.