Recaps

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.

Xia Nan examined the Dreamweaver Corridor terminal and kept its unusual attributes secret while Vior tried to buy it from Luca. Lawson began hunting for the missing treasure in Molten Scale Town, ordering Rotten Toe to search the town and dispose of the bodies.

• Xia Nan examined the Dreamweaver Corridor terminal, found that it had little energy and needed a dynamic password, and concealed what he learned from Hai An.
• Vior could not identify the terminal but suspected it was connected to Sava’s future, so she offered to buy it from Luca.
• Xia Nan interrupted Vior’s offer and said he was interested in the terminal too.
• In Molten Scale Town, Lawson questioned Rotten Toe about the missing inherited treasure and learned that a powerful Professional had killed two thugs.
• Lawson ordered Rotten Toe to investigate suspicious Adventurers and the dead thugs’ associates, then told him to feed the corpses to the casino dogs.

Terry William investigated the disappearance of three people and tightened surveillance on Lawson while Xia Nan and Vior spent their final day of rest in Molten Scale Town. Vior struggled with her fear of Xia Nan, and the chapter ended as they spotted the casino where Sava and Luca had gone.

• Terry William learned that Rotten Toe had brought three bodies back from an alley and that they had been chopped up and fed to dogs.
• Terry William suspected Lawson might have the Molton Family heirloom and ordered his men to watch Lawson, guard the town exits, and monitor suspicious adventurers.
• Xia Nan bought a dragon-scale-patterned waterskin and offered Vior skewers, which she accepted despite their strange taste.
• Vior recalled her past-life terror of Xia Nan and wished to finish the mission quickly so she could distance herself from him.
• Xia Nan and Vior learned that Sava and Luca had gone to the casino, then spotted it ahead.

Luca lost his wages gambling at Golden Flow Roulette, while Xia Nan and Vior watched a confrontation between three thugs and a skilled young man. After the young man defeated the thugs, Lawson recognized a familiar fighting move and seized him by the shoulder.

• Luca lost all the Gold Coins he had brought to Golden Flow Roulette, then left the table and spent his last chip on a drink.
• Xia Nan and Vior joined Luca at the casino, where the three of them noticed a young man sitting alone as three drunken thugs approached him.
• The young man broke one thug’s arm and stomped another’s knee, defeating all three without being injured.
• Lawson saw the young man’s fighting stance, grabbed his shoulder before he could leave, and said he thought he had seen the move before.

Lawson recognized Grove as a Molton Family knight and captured him, while Terry William led the family knights in an attack on Lawson’s casino. As the two men confronted each other, Xia Nan’s party prepared to leave Molten Scale Town early to avoid the brewing conflict.

• Lawson identified the young knight’s defensive stance as a technique unique to the Molton Family, then subdued him and had him taken to the casino’s inner room.
• Xia Nan recognized the captured knight as one of Terry William’s men and decided his group should leave the casino; Luca went to fetch Sava.
• After learning Grove had been exposed, Terry William equipped his knights and led them to the casino, ending their attempt to stay hidden.
• Lawson ordered Rotten Toe to kill Grove after the knight refused to talk, but Terry William’s arrival interrupted the execution and sparked a confrontation over the stolen Dragon Nest treasure.
• Xia Nan sensed movement nearby, and Wood moved the party’s departure from the next morning to that afternoon as they prepared to leave the Resting Dragon Nest.

Xia Nan’s group was trapped in Molten Scale Town while Terry William and Lawson fought over a secret treasure, and Xia Nan briefly sensed an unseen presence watching them. After Terry William rushed past, Lawson killed three Knights and slipped toward the town exit, planning to draw Terry into open ground.

• A Knight told Wood that Terry William’s forces had sealed the town exits and that travelers would face a strict search, so the group considered staying overnight.
• An explosion sounded in town, and Xia Nan sensed a presence on a nearby rooftop that vanished after a sudden sting of killing intent.
• Terry William raced across the crowded street in silver-lit Heavy Armor, and Wood ordered the group to leave town while they could.
• Lawson appeared from concealment and killed three Molton Family Knights before using his [Blood-Seeking Veteran] ability to disappear again.
• Lawson headed for the town exit, intending to lure Terry William into open ground, and recalled Xia Nan’s gaze before dismissing it as a coincidence.

Terry William gained the upper hand against Lawson by trapping him with Silver Lock Prison and weakening him with a magic scroll. Lawson crushed a red crystal that summoned a furious dragon from the storm clouds, leaving Terry frozen as the downpour began.

• Terry William struggled against Lawson, who outmatched him in their duel despite Terry’s Silver-Plated Knight abilities.
• Terry provoked Lawson by revealing Duke Molton had considered him an untrustworthy wild dog, driving Lawson into a rage.
• Terry sprang Silver Lock Prison from the ground and used a fourth-circle Curse Descent scroll to weaken Lawson.
• Lawson broke free of the silver cage but found his strength diminished, while Terry gained the advantage.
• Lawson crushed a red crystal, summoning a furious dragon whose roar shook the clouds as a torrential downpour began.

Xia Nan and Vior brought down a High Cliff Griffin, and the escort party continued through the Red Dragon’s territory while discussing the Molton Family’s stolen heirloom. A crimson beam drew the furious Red Dragon Klaogbari to them, and its Dragon Breath descended on the exposed party.

• Vior used Wind Dance to ground a High Cliff Griffin, and Xia Nan killed it with a single sword strike.
• Wood directed the party to collect valuable Griffin parts, and the six Adventurers left the corpse behind as they continued onward.
• Sava, Wood, and Hai An discussed the Molton Family’s lost heirloom and questioned whether Terry William could retrieve it from the Red Dragon.
• A crimson light rose beyond a distant ridge, and the party recognized it as the signal that had previously lured the Red Dragon from its nest.
• Klaogbari shattered the party’s Alarm Spell barrier, froze them with Dragon Might, and unleashed its Dragon Breath upon them.

Xia Nan and the escort squad faced Klaogbari’s Dragon Breath, and Hai An’s barrier—reinforced by Vior—kept most of them alive. After spotting the Dreamweaver Corridor Terminal, the furious Red Dragon stopped its second breath, landed before the survivors, and trapped them face-to-face.

• Xia Nan chose to run toward Hai An’s emerald barrier as Klaogbari swept the escort squad with Dragon Breath.
• Most of the squad reached the barrier, but Luca fell short and was incinerated, leaving the Dreamweaver Corridor Terminal behind.
• Klaogbari’s Dragon Breath cracked Hai An’s barrier, but Vior strengthened it with her Magic Staff long enough for the flames to pass.
• The barrier broke after the Dragon Breath ended, and the survivors found themselves surrounded by scorched, molten ground.
• Klaogbari spotted the Dreamweaver Corridor Terminal, halted its second Dragon Breath, and landed before the squad.

Xia Nan and the escort squad faced the Adult Red Dragon Klaogbari, who demanded to know where they had found the silver oval metal. Vior revealed a powerful spell that would banish the dragon and herself beyond the Material Plane, then began casting as Klaogbari lost control of its body.

• Klaogbari landed before the escort squad and asked in Dragon Tongue where they had found the metal.
• Xia Nan recovered from the Dragon Might and realized neither fighting nor fleeing offered a chance of survival.
• Vior told Klaogbari that the metal had been found in Molten Scale Town and linked it to Terry William.
• Vior instructed the squad to guard her, avoid attacking Klaogbari, and wait for her return while she cast a spell.
• Klaogbari tried to crush Vior but found itself bound by invisible chains as she began Extra-Dimensional Banishment.

Vior used an unfamiliar banishment spell to remove herself and the adult red dragon Klaogbari from the battlefield, leaving Xia Nan and the others to wait in the rain. When Sava rushed to claim the Dreamweaver Corridor left behind, an unseen attacker stabbed her through the neck.

• Vior cast a powerful banishment spell that held Klaogbari immobile while Xia Nan and the others guarded her.
• After five tense minutes, Vior and Klaogbari vanished, leaving the group exhausted and the Dreamweaver Corridor in the mud.
• Sava asked whether they should wait for Vior, while Wood proposed waiting only half an hour before leaving.
• Xia Nan noticed the Dreamweaver Corridor and moved to retrieve it, but Sava rushed ahead, recognizing its likely importance.
• As Sava reached for the Dreamweaver Corridor, an unseen attacker stabbed her through the neck with a rapier.