Chapter Summaries

Ovakain and Aisha spoke during the merchants’ bonfire party, where Aisha revealed the threat posed by the Nightmare Cult and tried to recruit his help. Their conversation was interrupted when a wounded messenger reported that Ram-headed people were attacking nearby towns and charging toward the caravan.

• Ovakain remembered the half-dragon tribe as he watched the merchants’ bonfire and ate roasted Fire Beetle meat with Aisha.
• Aisha told Ovakain that the Nightmare Cult controlled much of the Raging Sands Desert and had infiltrated the Kingdom of Biyuchela.
• Aisha asked Ovakain for help against the cult, but he explained that he was injured and being pursued by an irreconcilable enemy.
• A wounded messenger stumbled into the camp and warned that Ram-headed people had attacked three towns and were charging toward the caravan.

After learning that Ram-headed people were attacking three towns around an oasis, the caravan prepared to fight rather than risk dying of thirst in the desert. Ovakain joined the march toward Hazelnut Grove Town, where the caravan planned to aid the militia and secure supplies.

• The merchants returned with news that Ram-headed people were attacking the three oasis towns, leaving the caravan facing the loss of its water and supplies.
• The Head Leader stopped the merchants’ panic and rallied them to fight, explaining that Hazelnut Grove Town was still holding out.
• The merchants drew their weapons and chanted as they prepared to march to Hazelnut Grove Town and join its militia.
• Aisha joined the merchants’ war chant, while Ovakain raised a decorative longsword and recalled the half-dragon tribe’s hunting songs.

As Ram-headed people attacked Hazelnut Forest Town, Aisha rescued the baron from a warrior on the wall and told him that a stronger savior was fighting below. The baron looked down and saw a black-haired youth slaughtering the Ram-headed army.

• The Ram-headed people charged through the dying flames and overwhelmed the town’s militia as the baron feared the town would fall.
• A Ram-headed warrior climbed the wall and attacked the baron, but Aisha killed it with a single stroke.
• Aisha fought more Ram-headed people and told the baron that an even stronger savior was battling below.
• The baron looked over the wall and saw a black-haired youth tearing through the Ram-headed army like a storm of blood.

Ovakain slaughtered the Ram-headed attackers who threatened the town, leaving Aisha and the baron stunned by his strength. Sensing Punk approaching through Death Sense, Ovakain ordered the caravan to hurry toward the royal capital, hoping the Kingdom of Waibien’s Protector could shield them.

• Ovakain killed the remaining Ram-headed warriors in a brief, one-sided slaughter.
• Aisha told the baron to provide supplies for the caravan, then praised Ovakain and performed a celebratory dance for him.
• Ovakain asked whether the caravan could reach the royal capital on its supplies and ordered Aisha to depart immediately.
• Ovakain sensed Punk approaching and chose to lead the merchants toward the capital, where a Master Level Protector might stop him.

Punk and Kane examined the statues found throughout the Ram-headed tribe after destroying the settlement. Punk discovered they were crude devices that radiated Abyssal Energy, but the Shaman’s statue and the identity of their maker remained unexplained.

• Punk and Kane finished burning the Ram-headed tribe and collected many of its inhabitants’ souls.
• Kane complained that the Ram-headed people had hidden in their cellars instead of fighting, while Punk questioned why Kane had come to the tribe.
• Kane denied knowing why the Ram-headed Shaman had sought him out and redirected the conversation to the statues scattered through the homes.
• Punk revealed a hidden array on a statue and identified it as a simplified Energy Gathering Array combined with a Radiation Array.
• Punk explained that the statues’ Abyssal Energy radiation could have been mistaken for a demon god’s blessing, but he and Kane still wondered who made them and how the Shaman’s statue worked.

Punk analyzed the Ram-headed Shaman’s statue and discovered it siphoned Abyssal Energy by baiting an Abyssal minor lord with souls, while the cult’s larger plans remained unclear. As Punk prepared to pursue Ovakain, he confronted Kane, who tried to persuade him to stay among the ruins and share some looted meat.

• Punk examined the statue fragment and worked out how its energy circuit drew power from an Abyssal minor lord through the lure of souls.
• Punk concluded that someone more capable than the Ram-headed Shaman had made the statue and suspected the cult’s mysteries could involve the entire Raging Sands Desert.
• Punk decided to leave the cult alone if it stayed out of his way and prepared Super Speed to pursue Ovakain, who had stopped moving.
• Kane offered Punk cured meat taken from the Ram-headed tribe and urged him to remain in the ruins.
• Punk attacked Kane with a warning Kinetic Cone and accused him of trying to use Punk as a weapon while they waited for the cult or the Good God Church.

Punk and Kane agreed to cooperate while investigating the dangerous cult in the Raging Sands Desert, though each intended to use the other for his own purposes. Kane warned that several powerful Master Level experts had vanished there, and Punk left with Kane following close behind.

• Punk's Kinetic Cone missed Kane but blasted the cured meat in Kane's hand into crumbs.
• Kane warned Punk that at least three powerful Master Level experts had entered the desert and never returned.
• Kane proposed that he and Punk cooperate to investigate the cult, and Punk accepted.
• Punk planned to use Kane to help confront Ovakain, whose spellcasting and strength would soon recover.
• Punk headed for the ruins' exit while Kane stubbornly followed him.

Punk and Kane crossed the Raging Sands Desert while Kane explained that he was pursuing a cult, and Punk revealed his interest in Kane’s hidden objective. The two ended their attempted cooperation by agreeing to pursue their goals independently and compete for whatever they found.

• Kane recounted how he had escaped the massacre in Konola City and described his journey to becoming a Master Level guardian.
• Punk recognized that Kane was trying to convince him that he had come only to investigate the cult, then said he was interested in Kane’s valuable objective.
• Kane warned Punk that greed could get him killed and proposed that they cooperate only against the cult without interfering in each other’s goals.
• Punk replied that he would seize a chance to obtain useful resources, and Kane laughed at their shared ambition to reach Legendary.
• Kane and Punk stopped in midair, then agreed to rely on their own methods and see who fell victim to greed first.

Punk and Kane descended into the same desert town, each following a lead connected to Ovakain. Kane made a destructive entrance while Punk arrived by spell, and Kane explained how he had seized control of a kingdom.

• Punk and Kane both descended toward a town, though neither revealed why he had come.
• Kane dismissed his protections and plunged into the town square, killing townsfolk and destroying nearby buildings.
• Punk arrived through an Any Door spell and criticized Kane for his reckless destruction.
• Kane told Punk that he had claimed his kingdom by killing its Protector Master Level expert and anyone who opposed his rule.

After the Hazelnut Forest burned to stop the Ram-headed people, Hazelnut Forest Town began rebuilding under Baron Tivos’s relief measures. Punk and Kane arrived in the town, and the chapter ended with Baron Tivos offering to serve the two Master Level experts.

• The people of Hazelnut Forest Town mourned the destroyed forest but began reclaiming the oasis and repairing the town after Baron Tivos offered grain and a three-year head-tax exemption.
• Punk and Kane descended on the town before noon, causing a blast that widened the damage to the walls and killed nearly everyone in the central square.
• Baron Tivos and the town’s Apprentice Level professionals reached the crater and discovered Punk and Kane standing among the rubble.
• Baron Tivos introduced himself and offered to serve the two Master Level experts.

Punk learned from the baron’s memories that Ovakain had recently fought the Ram-headed people in Hazelnut Forest Town, then decided to destroy the town to lure the black dragon back. He unleashed a massive fire spell, leaving the town under attack and Ovakain’s possible response uncertain.

• Kane inspected the ruined town and gleefully described signs of the recent bloodshed.
• Punk used Memory Reading on the baron and saw Ovakain slaughtering Ram-headed people while trying to protect the town.
• Punk concluded that Ovakain might return if the town faced another disaster.
• Punk told Kane he intended to destroy the town and hurled a powerful fire spell at it.

Ovakain arrived at Rock Sand City with Aisha and the caravan, then gave the merchants valuable sculptures and parted ways with them. He planned to seek the kingdom’s Protector expert as an ally against Punk, but Aisha had something to tell him as well.

• Ovakain and Aisha arrived at Rock Sand City with the caravan as the kingdom prepared for the approaching Sunscorched Season.
• The Head Leader asked Ovakain for further instructions, while Ovakain sensed his resentment over the lost cargo.
• Ovakain gave the Head Leader his gold-and-diamond sculptures as compensation and told him that his patron could come find him in the capital.
• Ovakain left the caravan with Aisha and planned to ask where the kingdom’s Protector expert lived so he could seek an ally against Punk.
• Ovakain and Aisha stopped outside a shop and simultaneously said they had something to tell each other.

Aisha revealed that she was Princess Aisha Breeze, the Kingdom of Waibien’s first heir, and asked Ovakain to become its Protector expert. She explained that the Nightmare Cult had infiltrated the kingdom and that its fate depended on what had happened to her great-grandfather, the current Protector.

• Ovakain asked Aisha to explain what help she needed.
• Aisha revealed her full name and royal status, then asked Ovakain to become Waibien’s Protector expert.
• Aisha explained that her great-grandfather, the kingdom’s level sixteen Protector and former king, had long kept the country peaceful.
• Aisha said the Nightmare Cult had spread through Waibien, won over nobles, and incited Ram-headed people to slaughter towns.
• Ovakain suspected something had happened to Aisha’s great-grandfather and asked for details, offering his alchemy expertise while seeking more information about the cult.

Aisha told Ovakain how the Nightmare Cult had cursed and gravely injured her great-grandfather, leaving the Kingdom of Waibien dependent on his fading strength. Ovakain refused to stay and protect the kingdom, but agreed to meet her great-grandfather to discuss possible help, the cult, and his own enemy.

• Aisha explained that her great-grandfather had attacked the Nightmare Cult alone and been trapped by three master level powerhouses.
• Aisha said her great-grandfather escaped with a scroll but suffered an incurable soul curse, and that Waibien was now held together by his deterrence.
• Ovakain told Aisha he could not remain in Waibien because a terrifying enemy was hunting him.
• Aisha collapsed in despair after Ovakain refused to become the kingdom's Protector expert.
• Ovakain helped Aisha up and offered to meet her great-grandfather, advise him as an alchemist, and discuss the cult and Ovakain's enemy.

Punk and Kane waited among the ruins of Hazelnut Forest Town for their respective enemies, each hoping to use the other against his own foe. Kane’s prey from the Nightmare Cult arrived first, and he prepared for a fight alongside Punk.

• Punk waited for his expected enemy while Kane complained about the three days they had spent in the ruins.
• Punk accused Kane of having his own reason to wait and urged him to pursue his target.
• Kane proposed that he and Punk cooperate against their enemies, but Punk dismissed the offer and planned to use Kane against Ovakain.
• Kane spotted the Nightmare Cult arriving over a distant dune and readied his lance for battle.

Punk and Kane watched a Nightmare Cult party approach Hazelnut Forest Town, expecting to capture cultists and learn their secrets. They discovered the party included a Master Level martial professional, and both prepared to fight.

• Punk agreed to cooperate with Kane against the Nightmare Cult, but admitted he wanted its wealth and secrets.
• Kane bristled when Punk claimed an interest in the cult, then held back from confronting him.
• The Nightmare Cult party approached the ruins of Hazelnut Forest Town, led by an official-level rogue and a Master Level martial professional.
• Kane guessed the cult had learned of the Ram-headed Shaman's death and destruction of the tribe, then gathered his battle aura and prepared to attack.
• Punk and Kane readied themselves for battle as the cultists drew near.

Punk and Kane faced a level sixteen Nightmare Cult ranger outside Hazelnut Forest Town, where Punk had prepared magical traps. Their taunts enraged her followers, but the ranger remained strangely composed and focused on the death of the Ram-headed Shaman.

• Punk identified the approaching Nightmare Cult woman as a level sixteen combat professional, and Kane judged her to be a ranger.
• The ranger stopped just outside Punk's magical traps and demanded to know whether Punk and Kane had destroyed the town and the Ram-headed army.
• Punk mocked the Nightmare Cult's Ram-headed allies, and Kane added that he had killed their shaman, Kulon, while insulting the ranger.
• The cultists grew furious, but the ranger restrained them with her battle aura as she continued watching Punk and Kane.
• The ranger asked whether they had really killed the Ram-headed Shaman.

Punk realized that Zuola differed from the Nightmare Cult’s other believers because she showed no signs of using or being corrupted by Abyssal Energy. As the cultists prepared to attack Punk and Kane, Zuola drew her blade and killed her own adjutant.

• Punk noticed that Zuola remained calm and carried no demon statue or signs of Abyssal Energy, unlike the other cultists.
• Kane taunted the Nightmare Cult believers about killing Kurong and destroying the Ram-headed tribe.
• Zuola’s adjutant urged her to attack Punk and Kane, and the enraged believers joined his demands.
• Punk sensed that the standoff was ending as magical power and Abyssal Energy filled the battlefield.
• Zuola agreed that it was time to act, drew her whip blade, and beheaded the adjutant beside her.

Zuola killed the cultists who accompanied her, then surrendered to Punk and Kane and offered to help bring down the Nightmare Cult. She revealed that she had come looking for the killer of Kulon and identified the cult’s leader as the 19th-level mage Sosend-Jess.

• Zuola swiftly killed the Formal Level deputy officer and dozens of cultists with her whip and blade.
• Zuola discarded her whip, surrendered to Punk and Kane, and asked them to hear her out.
• Punk questioned Zuola about her surrender, her arrival, and her betrayal of the Nightmare Cult.
• Zuola said she had surrendered because she feared dying and saw Punk and Kane as a chance to destroy the cult.
• Zuola explained that she had come to investigate Kulon’s death and find the powerhouse who killed him.
• Zuola identified the Nightmare Cult’s founder and ruler as Sosend-Jess, a 19th-level Master Level Mage.

Punk and Kane learned that Sosend-Jess, the Nightmare Cult's level 19 leader, had hunted several Master Level experts in the Raging Waves Desert to harvest their souls for Abyssal Energy. Zuola revealed that Sosend was usually sane and did not believe in demons, leaving Punk and Kane facing a powerful, calculating enemy whose true purpose remained unknown.

• Kane reacted with alarm when Zuola identified Sosend-Jess as a level 19 mage, while Punk focused on the man's record of defeating Master Level opponents.
• Punk paused his spell and demanded details after Zuola said Sosend had made several Master Level experts disappear.
• Zuola explained that Sosend had captured five Master Level souls and that only a badly wounded warrior from the Kingdom of Waibien had escaped.
• Zuola said Sosend had come to the Raging Waves Desert over five hundred years earlier, subdued Kulong, taken control of many Ram-headed tribes, and founded the Nightmare Cult.
• Zuola explained that Sosend used sacrificed or lured souls to obtain Abyssal Energy from a demon sub-lord, and hunted powerful outsiders through ambushes, traps, and direct combat.
• Zuola told Punk and Kane that Sosend did not believe in demons and was usually not insane, though she did not know why he had founded the Nightmare Cult.