Recaps

Lawson used a Signal Crystal to lure the Red Dragon Klaogbari and seized the Silver Metal Block after killing Sava. As Lawson attacked Xia Nan’s party, Terry William struck Xia Nan with a silver needle that pierced his armor and left him collapsing from a strange, silvery poison.

• Lawson activated a Signal Crystal to draw Klaogbari toward him, then followed the dragon over a hill after it landed out of sight.
• Lawson found the Silver Metal Block and killed Sava with a single rapier thrust before taking the treasure.
• Lawson fought Xia Nan and Wood, using stealth to bypass them, but Xia Nan saw through his concealment and intercepted him with Grey Sword.
• Terry William attacked from a nearby hill with a silver needle that pierced Xia Nan’s armor and body.
• Xia Nan noticed his blood had turned silvery, weakened, and collapsed.

After Terry William’s betrayal left Xia Nan badly wounded and the others at his mercy, Xia Nan tried to find a way to survive as the fight for the Molton Family’s treasure escalated. He used the [Fate Coin] to enter a dynamic password into the [Dreamweaver Corridor], and silver-white light began to rise.

• Xia Nan used [Tear of Spring Breath] to suppress the toxin in his chest, but realized that healing would take too long and considered activating its stronger spell.
• Terry William saw Lawson holding the silver metal block and secretly decided to keep the treasure and kill everyone who knew about it.
• Terry William attacked Hai An and Wood, striking Hai An through the chest and knocking Wood unconscious after severing his arm.
• Terry William broke Lawson’s cage, stopped his escape, and cut off the hand holding the metal block, sending it rolling to Xia Nan.
• Xia Nan threw the [Fate Coin] and, after its “Miracle” made success certain, entered randomly shifting characters into the [Dreamweaver Corridor].

Xia Nan activated the Dreamweaver Corridor’s experience log for Tooth Hunt and relived Grom Wind-Eater’s memories of observing the black Winter Wolf Kalosh. After Kalosh avenged its pack by killing the centipede Magical Beast, Grom completed the combat skill Tooth Hunt.

• The Dreamweaver Corridor verified Xia Nan’s password and displayed his four combat skills, but only Tooth Hunt had enough energy to activate.
• Grom Wind-Eater recalled how his mixed heritage left him weaker than other Barbarians but helped him master combat skills and seek recognition from his tribe.
• Grom observed a black Winter Wolf cub named Kalosh, whose mother died when a centipede Magical Beast attacked the pack, leaving Kalosh isolated and eventually driven away.
• Grom followed Kalosh as it learned to hunt alone, and he used its explosive ambushes as inspiration for a new combat skill.
• Kalosh returned two years later and led Grom to the centipede Magical Beast’s lair, where it killed the monster and then disappeared into the snow.
• Kalosh’s final hunt gave Grom the inspiration to complete and name the combat skill Tooth Hunt.

Xia Nan emerged from the [Dreamweaver Corridor] with a greatly enhanced [Tooth Hunt] and the new feat [Night Mother's Gaze]. He returned to the battle, where Lawson unleashed a fatal Combat Skill and Xia Nan killed him before turning his attention to Terry William.

• Xia Nan completed the dream of Grom and Kalosh, raising [Tooth Hunt] to level five, upgrading [Meteor Blade Hunt], gaining attributes, and unlocking [Night Mother's Gaze].
• Xia Nan recovered from his injuries, found [Dreamweaver Corridor] transformed into a Silver Ring, and rejoined the fight against Terry William.
• Terry William badly wounded Lawson and believed he had won, but Lawson stabbed himself with a Short Dagger and activated [Setting Sun Blood Will].
• Lawson struck Terry William with a rapier, and Terry used a Healing Potion while preparing to outlast Lawson's temporary power.
• Terry's thoughts froze as the Black Wolf took Lawson's head, then Xia Nan appeared and finished Lawson with his longsword.
• Terry William felt suffocating fear as Xia Nan faced him beneath the phantom Wolf Head.

Xia Nan defeated Terry William in the rain after Terry’s fear left him fighting on instinct, then killed him as he fled. Terry’s severed head rolled to a stop at the feet of someone wearing an Off-white Robe.

• Terry William’s fear of Xia Nan and the looming Wolf Beast overwhelmed him as he tried to face Xia Nan.
• Terry struck at Xia Nan’s exposed-looking flaw, but his greatsword hit a reddish-brown barrier and left him open to a counterattack.
• Xia Nan cut off Terry’s right arm, dodged his left-handed strike, and severed his other arm.
• Terry fled in terror, but the Wolf Beast caught and killed him.
• Terry’s head rolled through the mud and stopped beside the small leather boots beneath an Off-white Robe.

After banishing the Red Dragon, Vior returned to find Sava dead and the worldline deviation rate far higher than expected. She discovered Xia Nan had killed the remaining enemies, but the sight of Terry William's severed head made her faint; Xia Nan saved Hai An and treated the wounded.

• Vior used [Vior's Extra-Dimensional Banishment] to send the Red Dragon away, then returned to the Material Plane exhausted and alone in the rain.
• Vior found Sava dead and discovered that her death had raised the worldline deviation rate by 0.3%.
• Vior followed a Wolf Howl around a hill and found Xia Nan in human form beside the bodies of slain enemies, including Terry William.
• Vior saw Terry William's severed head at her feet and fainted from exhaustion and shock.
• Xia Nan checked Vior's breathing, gave her a potion, and hurried to save Hai An with the Healing Potion Wood threw him.
• Xia Nan confirmed Hai An had survived, then treated Wood's missing arm as the battle ended.

Xia Nan assessed the spoils from the battle and considered Vior’s strange fear of him while the injured survivors recovered in a hidden cave. Wood insisted the group could not return to Molten Scale Town, so they planned to continue across the mountains toward Sticky Tree Territory despite their injuries.

• Xia Nan recovered [Kuli Bee Needle], [Oath of Molton Loyalty], a silver ingot, and other spoils, while leaving Terry William’s damaged armor behind.
• Wood and Hai An gave Xia Nan their shares of the spoils, and Xia Nan wondered whether Vior’s fear of him stemmed from [Night Mother's Gaze].
• Xia Nan asked whether the group should return to Molten Scale Town or cross the Molten Scale Mountains.
• Wood refused to return, warning that Terry William’s missing subordinates and the wounded survivors could draw suspicion and bring the Molton family’s Knights and town guards after them.
• Xia Nan questioned whether Wood and Hai An could endure the journey, but Wood said crossing the mountains was their only option and hoped they would reach Sticky Tree Territory safely.

After escorting Hai An and Wood safely to Sticky Tree Territory, Xia Nan collected his mission pay and considered how to handle the dangerous relics and the Dreamweaver Corridor’s unknown Key and depleted energy. He planned to return to Valley Town to retrieve his commissioned shield, then stopped when he spotted a familiar figure waiting ahead.

• Xia Nan crossed the Molten Scale Mountains with Hai An and Wood, and the party reached Wellgrove Town without further attacks.
• Hai An paid Xia Nan 630 gold for the escort and Sava’s relics, and Wood explained that he and Hai An would stay briefly in Sticky Tree Territory.
• Xia Nan worried that selling Terry William’s identifiable sword could attract the Molton Family’s attention, and considered the risks of sharing the Tear of Spring Breath’s healing effect.
• Xia Nan realized the Dreamweaver Corridor needed a lost Key and a way to recharge its energy, and decided to return to Valley Town for his Snake Scale Arm Shield.
• Xia Nan reached the agreed meeting place and saw a figure in an Off-white Robe with a chestnut ponytail react to his gaze.

Vior reviewed how her actions had raised the Worldline Deviation Rate and negotiated with Xia Nan over the Molton Family heirloom that had bound itself to him. She gave up claiming the item in exchange for learning its general effects and securing Xia Nan’s help with a future expedition to the Red Dragon’s treasury, then waited for his answer.

• Vior concluded that Xia Nan’s breakthrough and the Red Dragon’s banishment had helped raise the Worldline Deviation Rate from 0.05% to 0.3%.
• Xia Nan approached Vior and began discussing the mission’s spoils, including the heirloom that had become a ring on his hand.
• Vior acknowledged that Luca had first found the heirloom and that the item had likely bound itself to Xia Nan, so she decided not to contest his ownership.
• Vior proposed two conditions for giving up her claim: Xia Nan would explain the item’s general effects and grant her a favor at least three years later.
• Vior specified that she might ask Xia Nan to help raid Klaogbari’s treasury, with the treasury’s profits handled separately, and waited for his reply.

Xia Nan accepted Vior’s conditions and learned about a possible lead that could help him return to River Valley Town. As their arrangements concluded, he asked why she seemed so afraid of him, leaving Vior frozen in panic.

• Xia Nan judged Vior’s conditions acceptable and agreed to explain the [Dreamweaver Corridor] while promising a favor for clearing a Dragon Nest at least three years later.
• Xia Nan described how the [Dreamweaver Corridor] granted Combat Skill Proficiency through dreams, and Vior gave him a Communication Crystal for contacting her about the Red Dragon’s lair.
• Vior warned Xia Nan that the Molton Family might have sealed the route near the mountain canyon, then offered a location where he might find something useful.
• Xia Nan accepted Vior’s request in exchange for the location, and the two finished arranging the spoils and their next steps.
• Before leaving, Xia Nan asked Vior why she seemed afraid of him, and she trembled, unable to answer.

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.