Chapter Summaries

Mika and Anya fled Thought of Truth through Ankara, hoping to reach the Harpist Alliance for safety and treatment. They continued toward the Verdant Forest with a magical brooch meant to block master-level divination, but feared that Punk Sai'an or other Masters might pursue them.

• Mika hurried Anya through Ankara and admitted he was unsure whether taking her from Thought of Truth had been the right choice.
• Anya said she trusted Mika and suggested seeking help from the Harpist Alliance, but worried that Punk Sai'an could locate them with Divination Spells.
• Mika explained that he had sold his residence and a Master Level staff to buy a brooch that could block master-level divination.
• Anya thanked Mika for staying by her side, and Mika told her not to regret his decision to flee.
• Mika lifted Anya into his arms, erased the magical traces they had left in the alley, and hurried toward the Verdant Forest and the Harpist Alliance.

Punk returned to the Thought of Truth branch and discovered that Anya had disappeared, though his tracking spells suggested she was still alive and had not been taken by Kirkwell. He followed a clue to Anya’s apprentice friend Jasmine and decided to interrogate her before pursuing Anya.

• Punk entered the Thought of Truth branch after telling its gatekeepers that Nokani was dead.
• Punk discovered Anya was missing and used Divination Spells to search for her.
• Punk found that his tracking spells still pointed vaguely toward Anya, suggesting Kirkwell was not responsible for her disappearance.
• Punk used a Contact Retriever spell and learned that a Mage Apprentice who often spent time with Anya might know important information.
• Punk identified the apprentice as Jasmine and decided to interrogate her.

Punk questioned Jasmine about Anya after learning that she had disappeared, then concluded she had fled with Mika toward the Veridian Forest. He killed Jasmine to keep her from revealing what she knew and set out to pursue the pair.

• Jasmine left a crowded lesson and hurried toward her next class, but Punk seized her in the corridor.
• Punk cast a Soporific Spell on Jasmine and demanded that she tell him everything she knew about Anya.
• Jasmine revealed that Anya had changed in personality, grown close to Mika, and left on a mission the previous day.
• Punk used the information to conclude that Anya and Mika were fleeing toward the Veridian Forest, and he prepared to catch up with them.
• Punk killed Jasmine after determining that she had not shared his secrets with anyone else.

Mika and Anya rested in the Verdant Forest after fleeing Thought of Truth, but Punk caught up with them before they could escape. Mika tried to hold Punk back so Anya could run, but Punk killed him and pursued her.

• Mika apologized to the hungry Anya, shared warmed dry rations with her, and prepared to lead her across the Verdant Forest.
• Punk appeared in the woods and confronted Mika and Anya as they tried to continue their escape.
• Mika cast Imprisonment Seal at Punk and urged Anya to run toward the Ciying Imperial Nation.
• Punk's Anti-Magic Shield nullified Mika's spell, and he killed Mika with Kinetic Cone.
• Punk walked into the darkening forest after Anya, who had fled ahead.

After Mika’s death, Anya’s grief let the strange eyeball transform her into a mindless monster. Punk studied its power, killed Anya, and recovered the eyeball, leaving him with one troublesome matter still to handle.

• Mika died fighting Punk, and Anya broke down in despair.
• The strange eyeball transformed Anya into a monstrous creature driven to destroy everything.
• Punk evaded Anya’s attacks while observing the eyeball’s energy and judging its creation a failed weapon.
• After gathering the information he wanted, Punk killed Anya and recovered the eyeball and her robe.
• Punk burned Anya’s and Mika’s remains, then turned to his final, troublesome matter.

Wounded and stranded in the Raging Sands Desert, Ovakain struggled to escape Punk while his soul injuries left him unable to cast spells. After five days without water, he collapsed, and a camel caravan appeared on the horizon.

• Ovakain used the Greater Polymorph on his necklace to take human form because his injuries made traveling in his dragon body too dangerous.
• Ovakain sensed that Punk was pursuing him through their Soul Marks and fled in the opposite direction.
• Ovakain searched the desert for water but could not use spells to find an oasis or settlement.
• After five days without water, Ovakain continued walking until he lost consciousness in the desert heat.
• A caravan riding camels appeared on the distant horizon after Ovakain collapsed.

A desert caravan found the unconscious Ovakain and realized he was a living noble in need of help. The Chief Leader reluctantly decided to bring him along and leave his care to their mercenary.

• The Deputy Team Leader spotted Ovakain lying unconscious on a dune and hurried over, hoping to claim the valuables of a dead traveler.
• The Chief Leader followed, wary that the apparent corpse might be a trap, but found Ovakain alive and dressed as a wealthy noble.
• The Deputy Team Leader warned that the caravan could face execution if prophecy magic revealed they had abandoned a noble in distress.
• The Chief Leader ordered the caravan to bring Ovakain aboard and considered making their professional mercenary responsible for him.

Punk pursued the badly injured Ovakain into the Raging Waves Desert, using the Soul Mark and Divination Spells to track him despite the slow, uncertain search. While taking a break, Punk caught a Rabbit Mouse and decided to make it his dinner before continuing the chase.

• Punk entered the Raging Waves Desert and judged that Ovakain had lost most of his magic items and was struggling to survive.
• Punk used Super Speed and repeated Divination Spells to pursue Ovakain, stopping periodically to recover mana.
• Punk worried that the Soul Mark gave only a vague direction and that Ovakain could sense him and evade him.
• Punk paused in the desert, spilled fruit juice, and caught a Rabbit Mouse that emerged from the sand.
• Punk set off again with the Rabbit Mouse, planning to cook it for dinner.

Punk encountered a battle between two Master Level experts at a Ram-headed tribal settlement and tried to avoid getting involved. One combatant crashed through the palisade and greeted him as an old friend, urging him to fight alongside him.

• Punk recognized a vast desert settlement as a Ram-headed tribe and sensed two Master Level experts fighting within it.
• Punk stopped casting spells and tried to leave the area without interfering in the battle.
• The two fighters shifted their clash toward Punk, destroying buildings and carving a trench through the settlement.
• A golden-armored knight burst through the palisade and charged toward Punk.
• The knight recognized Punk-Saian as an old friend and said more than five hundred years had passed since their last meeting.

Punk recognized Kane Bisadas, a former acquaintance who had led a pursuing Ram-headed Shaman to him. The shaman sought to sacrifice both Master Level experts, leaving Punk with no choice but to fight while watching for Kane’s treachery.

• Punk recognized Kane Bisadas as the level-seventeen knight he had met over five hundred years earlier.
• Kane tried to draw Punk into his fight, but Punk refused and prepared to leave.
• Kane warned that the Ram-headed Shaman would not let Punk escape as the shaman appeared and raved about offering their souls to his master.
• Punk realized he had to fight the Ram-headed Shaman while staying wary of Kane.

Punk recognized that the Ram-headed Shaman had empowered his ancestral spirit with Abyssal Energy from an Abyssal minor lord. Kane charged into battle, drawing the shaman’s fury, while Punk tried to retreat, but the shaman vowed to stop them.

• Punk identified the Ram-headed Shaman’s ancestral spirit and warned Kane about its abilities and the shaman’s soul-draining magic.
• The shaman channeled Abyssal Energy from a carving into the ancestral spirit, revealing his connection to a newly Legendary Abyssal minor lord.
• Kane dismissed Punk’s concern and charged the shaman, insulting the Ram-headed tribe and its revered warrior Bugda.
• The enraged shaman sent the Abyssal-powered ancestral spirit after Kane as Punk decided to withdraw.
• The shaman spotted Punk retreating and shouted that neither of them could escape.

Kulong released Abyss-tainted demonic insects against Punk, but Punk’s protective spells countered them. He redirected the surviving swarm toward Kane while the knight fought the ancestral spirit.

• Kulong abandoned the ancestral spirit and unleashed swarms of Abyss-tainted insects from a clay jar at Punk.
• Punk identified the insects and cast Greater Protection from Evil and an Omnidirectional Mana Shield.
• The insects attacked Punk’s shield, but the protective spells destroyed them as they tried to bite through.
• Punk judged the swarm’s attacks mediocre and its Abyssal Energy vulnerable to his protection spell.
• Punk cast Kinetic Hurricane toward Kane, intending to make him deal with the insects while fighting the ancestral spirit.

Punk and Kane fought the Ram-headed Shaman and his ancestral spirit while each tried to use the battle to gain an advantage over the other. Punk redirected the shaman’s insect swarm toward Kane, but the shaman kept targeting Punk and vowed to sacrifice him to his master.

• Kane pretended to struggle against the ancestral spirit while secretly waiting for a chance to betray Punk.
• Punk saw through Kane’s scheme and used Kinetic Hurricane to sweep the magical insect swarm toward him.
• Kane had to defend himself against the insects while dodging the ancestral spirit’s heavy attacks.
• The Ram-headed Shaman failed to regain control of the insects and turned his attention back to Punk.
• The Ram-headed Shaman declared that he would curse Punk and offer him to his master.

Punk overwhelmed the Ram-headed Shaman with repeated Kinetic Missiles, but the shaman’s curse unexpectedly targeted Kane instead. Kane froze in midair as strange runes spread over his armor and lance.

• Punk repeatedly fired Kinetic Missiles at the Ram-headed Shaman, forcing him to dodge and retreat.
• The shaman’s glowing markings multiplied, strengthening his defenses and reducing the missiles’ effectiveness.
• The Ram-headed Shaman cut himself and gathered his blood into a sphere before unleashing a curse.
• Punk stopped attacking and raised his guard, but the curse struck Kane, freezing him as runes spread across his armor and lance.

Punk killed the Ram-headed Shaman after the shaman cursed Kane, then prepared to target Kane while Kane remained trapped in a worsening fight against the ancestral spirit and demonic insect. The shaman's death freed the spirit from his control, and it grew stronger by absorbing the souls of its clansmen.

• The Ram-headed Shaman cursed Kane and taunted Punk, expecting him to rush to his companion's aid.
• Punk ignored Kane's danger and struck the shaman with Kinetic Overwhelm and a Mana Compression-enhanced Kinetic Cone, killing him instantly.
• Punk prepared another spell and turned his attention toward Kane.
• The uncontrolled ancestral spirit continued fighting alongside the demonic insect and absorbed the souls of Ram-headed clansmen to increase its strength.
• Kane fought both enemies with his lance, but the curse restricted his movements and left him in greater danger.

Punk attacked Kane while the ancestral spirit launched a devastating punch, forcing Kane to charge through the spirit's blow as Punk's spell pursued him. The combined explosion wrecked much of the nearby city, but Kane emerged apparently unharmed and angrily accused Punk of trying to kill him.

• The ancestral spirit, empowered by devouring its tribesmen, struck at the immobilized Kane while Kane tried to activate his lance's spell.
• Punk fired a compressed Kinetic Distortion Spiral at Kane, trapping him between the spell and the ancestral spirit's punch.
• Kane burst forward with golden Battle Qi and charged toward the ancestral spirit, narrowly avoiding Punk's first beam before Punk redirected it to pursue him.
• The attacks collided in a massive explosion that collapsed space and destroyed nearly half of the nearby tribal city.
• Kane emerged from the mist unharmed and sent a Battle Qi blade toward Punk while shouting that Punk had attempted a sneak attack.

Punk and Kane survived their battle with the ancestral spirit, then judged that neither could gain enough by fighting each other and stood down. As Kane resumed his friendly act, Punk ignored him and collected the spoils scattered from the Ram-headed Shaman.

• Kane emerged alive from the ancestral spirit’s dissolving corpse, and Punk examined the remains as they reverted to Aether Energy.
• Punk deduced that Kane had burrowed into the ancestral spirit to use its body as a shield against his spell.
• Punk assessed Kane’s armor-piercing battle technique and decided against starting another fight while both were weakened.
• Kane also relaxed when Punk dispelled his spell, and the two abandoned the fight.
• Kane spoke warmly of their childhood friendship, while Punk ignored him and collected the Ram-headed Shaman’s scattered spoils.

After defeating the Ram-headed Shaman, Punk kept the valuable loot and gave Kane only rotten dried fruit. The two agreed to plunder and slaughter the defenseless Ram-headed tribe, while Punk suspected Kane had another motive.

• Kane demanded a share of the loot, but Punk hid the valuable contents of the Shaman’s storage ring and gave him rotten dried fruit.
• Kane considered fighting Punk for the loot, then decided he could not win and gave up.
• Kane proposed looting the Ram-headed tribe and collecting its inhabitants’ souls, and Punk agreed because the tribe’s Abyssal beliefs could cause trouble.
• Punk and Kane headed toward the tribe as Punk began gathering a spell for large-scale slaughter.
• The Ram-headed commoners emerged from their cellars and saw Kane and Punk approaching, unaware they were in danger.

Ovakain awakened after reliving the destruction of his kingdom in a painful dream, resolved to take revenge on Punk-Sean and build a new kingdom. He found himself recovering in a merchant caravan and planned to eat, thank his rescuers, and leave before his pursuer could endanger them.

• Ovakain dreamed of the old half-dragon shaman and wept as he confessed that the Dragon Roar Kingdom and its people had been destroyed.
• Ovakain regained his resolve, vowed to make Punk-Sean pay, and forced himself awake through Willpower.
• Ovakain realized he was in a decorated carriage and pretended to be a frail young nobleman while cautiously assessing his situation.
• A wheat-skinned girl entered the carriage, told Ovakain that dinner was nearly ready, and left.
• Ovakain remembered his dead secretary, then decided to eat, thank the caravan, and leave before his enemy could threaten his rescuers.

Ovakain joined a desert caravan and discovered that Aisha knew he was a Master Level professional, so she urged him to keep his identity secret until she could explain the desert’s dangers. He also saw merchants praying to black statues, leaving him worried that a cult could threaten his escape and his ability to stay hidden.

• Ovakain stepped out of the carriage and met Aisha, a level-nine rogue who recognized his true strength.
• Aisha told Ovakain not to reveal his Master Level or offer the merchants valuables, and promised to explain more at the bonfire gathering that night.
• Ovakain agreed to follow Aisha’s advice and learned that the caravan would rest for a day while its Giant Peak Camels slept.
• Ovakain spotted several merchants praying to strange black statues and suspected that a cult operated in the desert.
• Ovakain decided to eat and wait for Aisha’s explanation, despite his fears and his weakened soul.