Chapter Summaries

In White Tit Tavern, Xia Nan heard rumors about the destruction in Kalanfu'er and considered whether reporting what he knew might endanger Fugan. A fight between a drunken dwarf and three Calishites was about to begin when Fugan appeared at the door.

• Adventurers traded exaggerated accounts of the blast that had devastated about half of Kalanfu'er, while Chapton suspected Xia Nan knew more than he let on.
• Xia Nan reflected on Fugan's battle and decided to keep quiet about the Barbarian rather than risk causing him trouble.
• A Calishite challenged the Red-bearded Dwarf's story, and the dwarf provoked him and his two companions into a near-fight.
• Fugan entered the tavern as the men began shoving and cursing at one another.

Fugan returned to River Valley Town with a Winter Wolf Cub and gave Xia Nan a Wolf Fang as thanks for helping him find the druid. Xia Nan asked to use the favor immediately, while a dark-purple mycelium creature emerged from a goblin lair and headed away from town, calling itself a “Mad dog.”

• Fugan returned to the tavern and told Xia Nan that his pursuit had gone almost as planned, then gave him a Wolf Fang as a favor.
• A Winter Wolf Cub emerged from Fugan’s cloak and ate the raw meat Chapton brought.
• Xia Nan accepted the Wolf Fang, then asked Fugan if he could use the favor right away.
• In a goblin lair, dark-purple mycelium spread through the Hobgoblin and the goblins, consuming their bodies.
• A humanoid creature made of mycelium crawled out of the lair and traveled away from River Valley Town, muttering, “Mad dog.”

After collecting the Bear Goblin bounty and selling his gems at Fairy Wind, Xia Nan counted the fortune he had earned on the trip with Fugan. As he celebrated his wealth, he remembered the physical toll of the journey and began to worry about its cost.

• Xia Nan collected 20 gold for the two Bear Goblins and decided to keep Fugan’s favor in reserve rather than exchange it for another Combat Skill.
• Xia Nan recalled that Fugan had left River Valley Town after helping him master [Tooth Hunt], and had offered to help him complete his profession-taking in Newm before next winter if needed.
• Xia Nan visited Fairy Wind and sold Falilo twenty-one gemstones for 197 gold, receiving two Crystal Cards worth 100 gold each.
• Xia Nan calculated that the trip had brought his total wealth to 405 Gold Coins, 6 Silver Coins, and 3 Copper Coins, and celebrated how much money Fugan’s help had made possible.
• Xia Nan remembered his injuries, depleted Healing Potion, and damaged armor, then wondered about the price he had paid for his gains.

Xia Nan brought his damaged armor to Rock Hammer Blacksmith Shop for an assessment, while Barn’s son was scolded for his poor forging. Barn recommended scrapping Xia Nan’s Chainmail Shirt and said his Light Plate Armor could be repaired, though he could not guarantee its strength afterward.

• Barn harshly criticized his son’s forging and ordered him to continue working.
• Xia Nan asked Barn whether the Light Plate Armor and Chainmail Shirt damaged in his battle with the Thorn Demon could be repaired.
• Barn recognized Xia Nan and examined the unusual damage to his armor.
• Barn advised Xia Nan to scrap the Chainmail Shirt and offered to repair the Light Plate Armor with uncertain results.

Xia Nan replaced his ruined armor, bought a Healing Potion, and settled on how to build his strength after returning to River Valley Town. Seeing [Tooth Hunt] at Lv1, he abandoned the idea of resting and set out to train.

• Xia Nan sold his ruined Chainmail Shirt for 15 gold and sold the damaged Light Plate Armor for 35 gold after Barn warned that repairs could not restore its reliability.
• Xia Nan spent 97 gold at Barn's shop on a new Chainmail Shirt, Studded Leather Armor, and a dagger.
• Xia Nan considered the 300-gold Radiant Resistance Potion but bought a 50-gold Healing Potion instead.
• Xia Nan reflected on his gains, including [Tooth Hunt] and knowledge about Feats and Goblins, and planned to find Warrior Combat Skills, save for a magical Snake Scale Arm Shield, and train.
• Xia Nan saw [Tooth Hunt] at Lv1 (1/100), rejected resting, and decided to grind.

Xia Nan chose a goblin-nest bounty to practice [Tooth Hunt], while a flashback revealed how Weige stole a book from Falilo and died after being attacked by a spore-covered Thorn Demon. Goblins carried the book box to their cave, where Xia Nan later cleared the nest and found the pale red book.

• Xia Nan inspected the Association's quest board, dismissed several unsuitable jobs, and chose a bounty to clear a goblin nest in Thin Mist Forest.
• Ten days earlier, Weige entered Falilo's Fairy Wind store and stole a pale red book from a hidden wall compartment, along with some coins and jewels.
• Weige rode toward Newm, but a golden blast and a spore-covered Thorn Demon killed his horse and fatally wounded him.
• Goblin scavengers found Weige's corpse, took the book box to their cave, and left it in a corner.
• Xia Nan killed the goblins in the cave and picked up the box, opening it to see the pale red book.

Xia Nan cleared a Goblin cave and discovered that fighting raised his [Tooth Hunt] proficiency faster than practicing alone. Among the treasure left in the cave, he found a mage’s journal describing unusual experiments with spellcasting materials and the Weave.

• Xia Nan cautiously entered a Goblin cave and confirmed that twelve Goblins were inside with no other exits or stronger monsters.
• Xia Nan used [Tooth Hunt] and [Whirlwind Slash] to kill eight Goblins in one strike, then pursued and killed the four who fled.
• Xia Nan found that his [Tooth Hunt] proficiency had increased through combat and concluded that real battles accelerated his skill training.
• Xia Nan searched the cave for valuables, collected coins and a pearl necklace, and found a journal beside bones and broken limbs.
• Xia Nan read the journal of a would-be academy student who became a Mage Tower apprentice and discovered that gravity experiments worked with many different casting materials.
• The journal’s author questioned whether spell models were necessary and left the final thought about the Weave unfinished.

Xia Nan read the diary of a wild mage who discovered how to manipulate gravity without the Weave, spell models, or casting materials. He found the hidden method in the diary’s back cover and took it with him to study.

• The diary recorded how its unknown author struggled as a Mage Tower apprentice, then investigated gravity magic after discovering that spells could work without their usual materials.
• The wild mage developed a way to stir gravity with mental force alone, but his mentor dismissed him, and he later failed the Royal Magic Academy assessment.
• The diary described the mage and Lia returning to Newm after Lia became pregnant, while he remained determined to challenge the unseen force he believed constrained magic.
• Xia Nan finished reading the diary in a goblin lair and recognized that its account of gravity magic offered a new perspective.
• Xia Nan found a concealed sheet in the diary’s back cover detailing the method and carefully stored it to study at the inn.

After clearing a Goblin Nest, Xia Nan reflected on his training and cautious work as an Adventurer before unexpectedly meeting the female Adventurer from the Alchemy Shop and two companions in Thin Mist Forest. The three stopped in front of him, and Xia Nan remained ready for a possible fight.

• Xia Nan tested the simplified [Gravity Solidification] spell by watching a wounded goblin die, but he still could not control the Magic Particles.
• Xia Nan finished clearing the Goblin Nest, collected a goblin ear for his commission, and checked his [Tooth Hunt] proficiency, which had reached 89/100.
• Xia Nan decided to return to River Valley Town rather than risk searching the forest for more fights to raise [Tooth Hunt] to Level 3.
• A noise in the shrubs made Xia Nan draw his Beheading Longsword and prepare for combat.
• Xia Nan recognized the female Adventurer from the Alchemy Shop as she arrived with two male Adventurers, and he held his ground as the three stopped before him.

After leaving the Goblin Nest, Xia Nan spent two days resting in River Valley Town while the Greenskins’ dwindling numbers left him without a suitable mission. He overheard Adventurers complain about rising supply prices and learned there was a story behind the increases.

• Adeline’s party let Xia Nan leave, then entered the Goblin Nest and found that he had killed every goblin inside.
• Abi discovered the mangled corpses and vomited, while Xia Nan later ate at the White Tit tavern in River Valley Town.
• Xia Nan realized that Greenskins had become scarce and that their bounty missions were now highly competitive.
• Adventurers at a neighboring table complained that prices for supplies had risen, and one said the increase had a deeper explanation.

Xia Nan learned that Hunting Day had begun and tried to accept a Goblin-clearing mission, only to discover that special quests required a party. After leaving the registration desk to seek a trustworthy group, he became the target of Adeline’s attention.

• An experienced adventurer explained how Goblin population surges brought Hunting Day, higher bounties, and rising supply prices to River Valley Town.
• Xia Nan decided to use Hunting Day to hunt Goblins, improve his [Tooth Hunt], and earn money for future equipment or training.
• When Hunting Day began, Xia Nan went to the Adventurers Association to accept mission 1121D, but Molly told him special quests required parties of at least four.
• Xia Nan rejected registering for an unknown group and left to ask Chapton for help finding a trustworthy party.
• Adeline spotted Xia Nan in the Association hall and headed toward the entrance while Berg followed her.

Xia Nan sought a team for Hunting Day and considered Adeline’s offer to join her party as their frontliner. After Adeline told him that two young tavern servers’ mother had been killed by Bernie, Chapton revealed that Adeline’s party was known as Green Blood and began to explain the nickname.

• Xia Nan asked Chapton for help finding a team because Hunting Day quests required at least four members.
• Adeline introduced herself and invited Xia Nan to join her party, which needed a frontliner, but he hesitated because he knew nothing about her or her companions.
• Adeline reminded Xia Nan that the two young servers, Moxi and Fey, had once received jerky from him, and told him their mother had been killed by Bernie.
• Adeline explained that Bernie had been killed when Kalanfu'er exploded while he was gambling at the Full Money Bag, then invited Xia Nan to consider joining her team over the next two days.
• Chapton identified Adeline’s party as Green Blood and began explaining how she had earned the name.

Xia Nan joined Adeline’s team as a temporary member for Hunting Day and prepared to hunt Goblins. At the Association hall, Keger left to join Gap-toothed Bennett’s team, while Xia Nan noticed a mysterious man who appeared to be a Spellcaster before Adeline announced their mission.

• Chapton recommended Adeline’s Goblin-hunting team to Xia Nan, and Xia Nan accepted her invitation for Hunting Day, agreeing to leave after the festival.
• Xia Nan met Berg at the Adventurers Association while Adeline and Abi searched for a suitable mission.
• Keger confronted Berg over failing to get him into Adeline’s team, then joined Gap-toothed Bennett’s group despite Berg’s apparent concern.
• Xia Nan spotted a finely dressed man wearing rings and a patterned bracelet, suspected he was a Spellcaster, and watched him enter the Professionals-only second floor.
• Adeline returned with a mission on the outskirts of the forest that would take about two days round trip, and Xia Nan agreed to set out.

Xia Nan traveled through Thin Mist Forest with Adeline, Abi, and Berg, then learned from Adeline about the notorious Adventurer “Gap-toothed” Bennett. The party camped for the night, and Xia Nan resolved that if he ever became Bennett’s enemy, he would kill him decisively.

• Adeline led the party through the forest while Abi guarded her, Xia Nan watched for danger, and Berg covered them from the rear.
• The party mistook a fawn bursting from the undergrowth for a Monster ambush, then killed and roasted it for their camp meal.
• During their rest, Xia Nan assessed his temporary teammates and asked Adeline about Bennett, whom Berg had mentioned.
• Adeline explained that Bennett had robbed inexperienced Adventurers and was suspected of killing parties for their equipment and spoils.
• Xia Nan decided he would not hesitate to kill Bennett if they ever became enemies.

Xia Nan joined Adeline’s party in clearing a Goblin Nest, where they defeated the goblins and found a valuable Moonstone. As they headed out, Adeline noticed that the stones she had arranged at the entrance had been moved, signaling that something had changed outside.

• Adeline led the party through the Goblin Nest cautiously while Xia Nan watched and learned their methods.
• Berg opened the fight with arrows, and Adeline, Abi, Xia Nan, and Berg killed more than twenty goblins.
• Adeline and Xia Nan collected the goblins’ ears while Berg and Abi searched the nest, and Abi found a Moonstone that he handed to Adeline for the team’s shared earnings.
• The party finished clearing the nest and hurried toward the exit, with Abi excited about his expected share of the reward.
• Adeline pulled Abi back when she saw that the stones she had placed near the entrance had been scattered.

Adeline’s team left the Goblin cave and was ambushed by Gap-toothed Bennett’s Adventurers, who demanded most of their loot and Xia Nan’s equipment. As Adeline searched for a way out of the uneven fight, Xia Nan suddenly vanished in a blur and struck someone from behind.

• Adeline suspected someone might be waiting outside the cave, and she devised a plan to leave under cover of dust and confusion.
• The team rushed from the cave in different directions, but Abi was ambushed and knocked down while Xia Nan encountered two armed Adventurers blocking his path.
• Berg found Keger among the ambushers and realized Keger had helped target their team after learning about them.
• Adeline faced Gap-toothed Bennett and five other enemies with only Berg, Xia Nan, and the inexperienced Abi beside her.
• Bennett demanded two-thirds of the spoils and all of Xia Nan’s equipment, while Adeline tried to assess the team’s chances.
• Xia Nan ignored Adeline’s attempt to stop him, blurred out of sight, and struck an unseen target with his sword.

Xia Nan rejected Gap-toothed Bennett’s demand for their spoils and equipment, deciding to fight rather than trust him. As Bennett recalled the war that had destroyed his childhood and planned to kill Adeline’s weakened team, Xia Nan struck first and killed him.

• Xia Nan assessed the six Adventurers surrounding his group and decided that fighting Bennett’s team was safer than surrendering their equipment.
• Bennett remembered his childhood as a shepherd, the sheepdog that protected him, and the soldiers who destroyed his former life.
• Bennett learned that Adeline’s team was short on experienced fighters and arranged to seize their gear before killing them.
• Bennett mistook Xia Nan’s calm approach for inexperience and resolved to torture him after the fight.
• Xia Nan vanished in a burst of speed and drove his sword through Bennett’s neck, killing him.

Xia Nan killed Bennett and two other members of the Gap-toothed team with a single strike, then helped Adeline’s group defeat the remaining bandits. Ten days later, he continued training and taking missions with the team, while adventurers around White Tit began calling him “Grey Sword.”

• Xia Nan used Tooth Hunt and Whirlwind Slash to kill Bennett and two other Gap-toothed members in one strike, turning the battle in Adeline’s group’s favor.
• Adeline and Xia Nan supported their teammates, and the surviving bandits surrendered before the Green Blood team killed them and collected their equipment and valuables.
• Ten days later, Xia Nan continued practicing Gravity Solidification, sensing faint ripples in the air but making only slow progress.
• Xia Nan joined Adeline, Berg, and Abi for another outing, and he told Adeline he did not plan to form a team yet.
• Adventurers at the White Tit Tavern recognized Xia Nan and whispered about him, revealing that he had acquired the nickname “Grey Sword.”

After resting during Hunting Day, Xia Nan and the Green Blood party prepared to take another mission, and he met veteran adventurer George, who invited him to join his squad. As the party left the association, Xia Nan noticed the refined Spellcaster Conner and his high-level team, who also took note of him.

• The Green Blood party finished resting and prepared supplies for another mission, while Abi complained about Hunting Day prices and Berg advised him to befriend Kukunur for discounts.
• Adeline greeted her former teammate George, and Berg explained that George had once left Green Blood to form his own party.
• George recognized Xia Nan as Grey Sword and invited him to join his squad, but Xia Nan politely declined.
• Adeline told the party she would not hold anyone back from leaving, then led them out to begin their mission.
• Xia Nan spotted Conner descending the association stairs with three Professional teammates, and Conner noticed him before Xia Nan hurried after his party.

The Green Blood party found a mutilated adventurer and unfamiliar tracks in Thin Mist Forest before reaching a Goblin Nest that might contain a Bear Goblin. Adeline judged that other adventurers had already killed the goblins and entered the cave with Xia Nan, leaving Berg and Abi outside to support them.

• Abi excitedly questioned Xia Nan about a mage he had seen at the association, while the party discussed why high-level adventurers might be in the area.
• The party found a mutilated adventurer's corpse and tracks from an unidentified humanoid creature, then continued toward their mission.
• At the Goblin Nest, Berg and Adeline noticed signs that a Bear Goblin might be inside, and Berg urged the party to retreat.
• Adeline sensed strong blood smells and silence inside the cave, concluded other adventurers had likely killed the goblins, and ordered Berg and Abi to remain outside while she entered with Xia Nan.