Chapter Summaries

Punk, Kane, Magic Crow Vector, and Smile entered Tar Swamp to search for dangerous magical creatures, and Punk’s divination revealed three intelligent communities living near its outskirts. They headed toward the nearest one, a Mushroom People tribe.

• Punk and Kane flew into Tar Swamp through a gap Punk blasted open, with Smile carried along by magic.
• Kane complained about the swamp’s foul smell while Punk used divination spells to search for dangers.
• Punk found that a Mushroom People tribe, a Serpentfolk tribe, and a rabbitfolk tribe lived on the swamp’s outskirts, with no Master Level members expected among them.
• Punk confirmed the direction of the nearest community and led the group toward the Mushroom People tribe.

Punk, Kane, and Smile reached the crowded Mushroom People tribe, which Punk suspected was staying near the swamp’s edge because of a powerful magical creature deeper within. Punk used Mass Suggestion to conceal the group as they entered the settlement, leaving its residents unaware of the danger approaching.

• Punk observed the crowded Mushroom People settlement and suspected that a Master-level magical creature had kept the tribe from settling deeper in the swamp.
• Kane considered attacking the Mushroom People, but Punk warned him that they felt pain, were poisonous, and must not be alerted.
• Kane accepted Punk’s orders, and Punk cast Mass Suggestion on himself to conceal the group from the tribe.
• Punk led Kane and Smile past the guards and into the tribe, where even the Formal Level shaman failed to notice them.

Punk led Kane and Smile through the Mushroom People tribe toward the rock wall where the tribe’s Formal Level shaman was hidden. After pausing to let Smile examine and taste roasted mushrooms, the group continued onward, with Kane taking the remaining skewers.

• Punk headed for the rock wall at the end of the tribe, guided by the Divination Spell toward the Mushroom People shaman.
• Kane stopped with Smile to watch a Mushroom Person roast shiitake mushrooms, while Punk explained how Mushroom People cultivated fungi.
• Punk tried a roasted mushroom skewer, declared the curiosity break over, and resumed the journey.
• Kane grabbed the remaining mushroom skewers and followed Punk with Smile.

Punk, Kane, and Smile infiltrated the Mushroom People shaman’s home and captured its only Formal Level expert without raising an alarm. With the shaman subdued, the group prepared to question him about their prey in the swamp.

• Smile ate the roasted mushrooms while Vector guarded her, and Kane and Punk took positions for the capture.
• Punk dispelled the warning array and slipped past the rock wall’s concealed entrance without alerting the shaman.
• Punk appeared behind the level twelve Mushroom People shaman and subdued him with Confused Mind.
• Kane confirmed the capture, put away his lance, and joined Punk and Smile to learn more about their prey in the swamp.

Punk and Kane interrogated a Mushroom People shaman and learned that a powerful Tar Beast King lived in Tar Lake. They chose the beast as their hunting target, though they knew little about its abilities.

• Punk used Truthful Words to make the Mushroom People shaman answer questions while Kane listened.
• The shaman described the swamp’s three races and explained that the Mushroom People had fled the central wetlands because of a terrifying monster.
• The shaman revealed that the monster was a huge Tar Beast King living in Tar Lake.
• Punk judged the beast a promising target because it seemed unintelligent, lacked powerful innate abilities, and remained in one place.
• Punk extracted the shaman’s soul, and Kane agreed to hunt the Tar Beast King.

Audrey Linda entered Tar Swamp in pursuit of Punk and Kane, but her concealed aura and different route caused them to pass one another. Seeking information about the two men, she brought her grieving apprentice Claire to a Rabbitfolk tavern, unaware of the tribe’s brutal customs.

• Audrey Linda skirted the swamp’s brush and entered separately from Punk and Kane, so the three passed each other without noticing.
• Audrey Linda headed for a Rabbitfolk tribe near the Mushroom People tribe to gather information about Punk and Kane.
• Audrey Linda entered the tribe’s tavern with Claire and ordered fruit wine and roast goose while the Rabbitfolk watched them warily.
• Audrey Linda waited for the tavern’s patrons to resume gossiping and urged Claire not to let grief and resentment consume her life.

Audrey Linda accepted Claire’s decision to join her pursuit of the evil mage, despite fearing for his life. While they waited in the rabbitfolk tavern, Audrey listened to the hunters’ conversations and heard news that made her expression grave.

• Audrey Linda told Claire she regretted bringing him into danger, but Claire insisted he needed to avenge Lina and help fight their enemies.
• Audrey Linda recognized Claire as a knight committed to justice and told him she was proud of him.
• As rabbitfolk gathered for lunch, Audrey listened in on their quiet conversations while sharing a meal with Claire.
• After several rounds of drinks, rabbitfolk hunters mentioned information that made Audrey Linda turn grave.

Rabbitfolk in a tavern blamed the Wicked Woman for their misfortunes and celebrated the Elder Council’s plan to sacrifice her at the Harvest Festival. Audrey Linda listened and recognized the accused girl as an innocent child being bullied, while the sacrifice was set for the next day.

• A rabbitfolk hunter reported that a huge gap had opened in the southern jungle’s brambles and suggested it was another calamity caused by the Wicked Woman.
• The tavern’s rabbitfolk blamed the Wicked Woman for their troubles and called for her execution.
• A drunken rabbitfolk claimed the Elder Council planned to offer the Wicked Woman as a living undead sacrifice at the next day’s Harvest Festival.
• The tavern’s patrons cheered the planned sacrifice, while Audrey Linda judged the Wicked Woman to be an innocent, helpless child scapegoated by the tribe.

Claire and Audrey Linda heard rabbitfolk discussing the persecution of a young girl, whom they planned to sacrifice at the Harvest Festival. Audrey Linda restrained Claire and taught him to prioritize justice, but the revelation of the living-dead sacrifice made them realize the girl was in immediate danger.

• Claire stood up to confront the rabbitfolk who were cursing the girl, but Audrey Linda pinned him down with her battle aura.
• Audrey Linda told Claire that justice must be willing and that they should prioritize saving innocents and stopping the greatest evil.
• Claire agreed to focus first on the dangerous enemy fleeing through the swamp, intending to address the rabbitfolk later.
• The Fat Rabbitfolk announced that the girl would be offered as a living-dead sacrifice at the next day's Harvest Festival.
• Audrey Linda recognized the ritual as a cruel, barbaric practice and grew grave when she learned it would be inflicted on the helpless girl.

Audrey Linda and Claire went to investigate the rabbitkin girl condemned as a living dead offering, and Audrey Linda became convinced the girl was innocent. When they reached the cabin, two guards barred their way and attacked after Claire condemned the ritual.

• Audrey Linda decided to investigate the rumored Wicked Woman and stop the sacrifice if the girl was innocent.
• Audrey Linda found the girl’s isolated cabin and noticed the carefully tended flowers on the hill.
• Two Rabbitkin guards warned Audrey Linda and Claire to stay away from the cabin because it held an offering for the next day’s ritual.
• Claire condemned the Living Dead Sacrifice, and the guards thrust their spears at the humans, accusing them of siding with the Wicked Woman.

Claire and Audrey Linda confronted Rabbitkin guards and found Keisha, a frightened and abused young Rabbitkin accused of casting a curse. Audrey Linda comforted and treated Keisha, then realized she could not safely leave the child with her tribe, and she and Claire were left deciding what to do.

• Claire attacked two Rabbitkin guards, but Audrey Linda stopped him before he could kill them.
• The guards fled to fetch their elder after threatening Claire and Audrey Linda.
• Claire and Audrey Linda entered the hut after Keisha timidly allowed them inside.
• Audrey Linda covered Keisha with a garment and gave her a Recovery Potion.
• Audrey Linda decided Keisha could not remain with the Rabbitkin tribe, but neither she nor Claire knew what to do next.

Audrey Linda abandoned the pursuit of her enemy to rescue Little Kaisa and take her to the Church of Tir in the Kingdom of Pokkart. After the Rabbitkin Great Elder yielded to her Master Level aura, Audrey left the tribe with the girl, but her growing sense of danger suggested trouble remained.

• Audrey Linda decided to suspend the pursuit and bring the sleeping Rabbitkin girl to a town in the Kingdom of Pokkart, while Claire reluctantly accepted her choice.
• The Rabbitkin Great Elder led guards to confront Audrey and Claire after learning they were taking the Wicked Woman away.
• Audrey revealed her Master Level aura and offered gold coins for the girl, causing the Great Elder to clear their path and flatter her.
• Audrey left a bag of gold coins and carried Little Kaisa toward the tribe's entrance.
• Audrey felt her sense of danger growing stronger as she left with Little Kaisa.

Punk and Kane reached the Tar Lake to hunt the Tar Beast King, but argued over who would fight and who would protect Smile. Punk agreed to face the beast while Kane guarded Smile, then checked his defenses and advanced toward the lake.

• Punk and Kane entered the dense oilwood jungle around the Tar Lake, where they expected to find the Tar Beast King.
• Kane complained about the tar stench and offered Punk the chance to fight while he protected Smile, but Punk suspected he was avoiding danger.
• Kane angrily reminded Punk of his past contributions and accused him of taking most of their gains.
• Punk decided to concede rather than risk damaging their alliance and agreed to fight the Tar Beast King himself.
• Kane formed a protective battle-energy barrier around Smile while Punk checked his spells and equipment before approaching the Tar Lake.

Punk found the Tar Beast King sleeping beneath the Tar Lake and prepared a powerful Space Compression Blast to kill it before it could react. He sent the spell into the lake and retreated, leaving the explosion and the beast’s fate unresolved.

• Punk sensed the level sixteen Tar Beast King sleeping without vigilance beneath the Tar Lake.
• Punk decided to exploit the beast’s slumber and asked Kane to take Smile farther away.
• Punk spent half his mana preparing a Space Compression Blast enhanced with Mana Compression.
• Punk sent the compressed spatial sphere into the lake and activated Super Speed to retreat from the blast.

Punk used a Space Compression Blast to devastate the Tar Lake and fatally wound the Tar Beast King. After dodging the creature’s desperate counterattack, he destroyed its exposed brain with Kinetic Blast, killing it.

• Punk released the compressed energy at the center of the Tar Lake, causing a massive explosion that expanded the lake and shattered the surrounding swamp.
• The blast hurled the badly wounded Tar Beast King into the air, but Punk saw that it had survived and prepared another spell.
• After landing, the Tar Beast King roared and swung its remaining arm at Punk.
• Punk escaped the attack with Super Speed and struck the exposed brain with Kinetic Blast.
• The Tar Beast King’s eyes dimmed, and it collapsed dead.

Punk summoned the Filth Bird to locate the third Son of God, but the chaotic deity became enraged when it sensed Punk’s Judgment Eye Contract. It eventually calmed down and agreed to answer under their ancient contract, while promising additional information.

• Kane and Vector joked about Sian’s destructive fight, while Punk silenced Vector and urged Kane to help prepare the summoning site.
• Punk and Kane wrecked the battlefield further, and Punk used Filthy Foresight to summon a projection of the Filth Bird.
• The Filth Bird recognized the Judgment Eye Contract on Punk and angrily demanded that he cast it off.
• Punk ignored the Filth Bird’s questions and requested the location of the third Son of God.
• After raging at Punk, the Filth Bird abruptly calmed and agreed to provide the answer and some additional intelligence.

Punk and Kane learned from the Filth Bird that the God of Red Sands' Third Divine Son was nearby and accompanied by Audrey Linda, whom they had encountered before. They concluded the Deity Competition mechanism and the River of Fate were influencing events, but Punk resolved to continue pursuing Legendary advancement.

• Punk questioned why the Filth Bird repeatedly gave him information for free, and the Filth Bird angrily told him to listen or block out its spiritual power.
• The Filth Bird revealed that the Third Divine Son was only an afternoon's travel away and was accompanied by Audrey Linda.
• Punk and Kane recognized Audrey Linda's name from Red Roy City, and Kane concluded that the Deity Competition mechanism existed.
• Punk connected the strange coincidences surrounding his divination and Audrey Linda to the River of Fate.
• Punk accepted that the River of Fate had become involved in his adventure and resolved to press on toward Legendary advancement.

Punk and Kane hurried north to pursue the Divine Sons, accepting that the Deity Competition Mechanism would make the hunt dangerous. At Tar Swamp, Audrey Linda sensed an approaching threat and prepared to give Keisha a means of escape before confronting her enemies.

• Punk warned Kane that they had to move quickly to hunt three Divine Sons, and flew north.
• Kane caught up with Punk while carrying Smile, eager to face the competition.
• At the edge of Tar Swamp, Audrey Linda brooded over the tremors and her growing sense that her enemies were nearby.
• Audrey Linda worried that Keisha would be caught in the coming battle and decided to give her a summoning scroll for protection.
• Audrey Linda approached Keisha and offered her a gift.

Audrey Linda comforted Little Kaisa and helped her learn to open the magic scroll while Claire gave her food. Meanwhile, Punk and Kane prepared an ambush outside Tar Swamp, and Punk spotted Audrey Linda arriving.

• Audrey Linda eased Little Kaisa's fears and taught her how to tear open the scroll safely.
• Claire gave Little Kaisa roasted bamboo rat, and she began to accept his kindness.
• Punk and Kane reached Tar Tundra ahead of Audrey Linda and split up, with Punk waiting to confront her and Kane protecting Smile and preparing to pursue the Third Divine Son.
• After waiting for hours, Punk spotted Audrey Linda approaching through the shrubs.

Punk confronted Audrey Linda while Keisha escaped in a summoned Beast of Gallop, and he sent Kane to capture her. As Punk prepared to kill Audrey Linda quickly, he grew uneasy about Smile being left unprotected during a ten-minute vacuum period.

• Punk recognized that Audrey Linda had brought the Third Divine Son, Keisha, with her and faced the female knight in the forest.
• Audrey Linda ordered Keisha to tear open a scroll, and its Beast of Gallop swallowed Keisha and fled northwest.
• Punk contacted Kane and ordered him to intercept Keisha, while Kane complained about the long pursuit and mentioned leaving Smile in the forest.
• Punk ended the call, worried about Smile being alone, and decided to finish Audrey Linda quickly.
• Audrey Linda transformed into a blood-covered, frost-armored warrior and vowed to kill Punk for the death of her apprentice.