Chapter Summaries

Wang Zhifan sold the Fang Dagger, bought Fine Tier Warrior Skill Upgrade Scrolls, and raised his three skills to Lv4. He then used an Excellent All-Skill Upgrade Scroll to bring every skill to Lv8, greatly strengthening his blade techniques, attacks, and movement speed.

• Wang Zhifan transferred ownership of the Fang Dagger to the young Assassin in exchange for 2.1 million national credits.
• Wang Zhifan bought thirty Fine Tier Warrior Skill Upgrade Scrolls for five hundred thousand national credits.
• Wang Zhifan used the scrolls to raise Basic Blade Art, Flow State, and Sprint to Lv4, with two scrolls remaining.
• Wang Zhifan decided not to wait for future Blademaster skills and used the Excellent All-Skill Upgrade Scroll.
• Wang Zhifan raised all his skills to Lv8, gaining stronger blade mastery, physical penetration, double-damage chances, and Sprint speed.

Wang Zhifan went to meet the supposed buyer of his rare-grade longsword and discovered the deal was a trap. Surrounded by armed men in a dark alley, he remained calm as their leader threatened to kill him.

• Wang Zhifan messaged Secretary Han to arrange an earlier meeting with Boss Huang.
• Secretary Han redirected Wang Zhifan to a remote factory on the outskirts of Golden Forest City.
• Wang Zhifan entered an alley beside the factory and was ambushed by armed men at both ends.
• The gang leader demanded Wang Zhifan hand over his equipment and threatened him, claiming he knew Wang was connected to the Administration.

Wang Zhifan turned the tables on the armed gang that cornered him, using an unexplained power to immobilize them and disable their weapons. He demanded the leader’s money and equipment in exchange for his life, but the leader suddenly attacked him.

• A gang leader ordered Ironhead to shoot Wang Zhifan, but Ironhead found he could not move his hand.
• The leader’s gun failed to fire, and his remaining men froze in place as their bodies became cold and rigid.
• The leader tried to flee, but his legs became numb, and Wang Zhifan approached him as he crawled away.
• Wang Zhifan offered to spare the leader in exchange for his money and equipment, and the leader produced an item before aiming it at Wang Zhifan’s head and shouting for him to die.

Wang Zhifan gained valuable equipment by defeating five men, then prepared a second Dream Self for his next dungeon. Though he feared another brutal challenge, he chose to enter the dungeon rather than back down.

• Wang Zhifan froze the five men who ambushed him, took their equipment, and left them reduced to ice dust.
• Wang Zhifan returned to his hotel with several Fine-grade items and a Rare-grade firearm, estimating he could sell the haul for six million.
• Wang Zhifan entered a dream using the Great Dream Saber Scripture and formed his second Dream Self to prepare for the next dungeon.
• Wang Zhifan woke and reflected on how his previous dungeon had forced him into a dangerous four-dragon challenge.
• Wang Zhifan finished breakfast and chose to begin the day's dungeon despite his fears.

Wang Zhifan entered a forest dungeon with an elderly man and a wheelchair-bound boy, where they were tasked with eliminating a Lv6 Mad Treant. He learned that the boy was a terminally ill beginner who had joined the game hoping to find a way to extend his life, and the group had yet to encounter the boss.

• Wang Zhifan regained his senses in a forest and found an elderly man with a machete and a frail boy in a wheelchair among his teammates.
• The dungeon objective appeared, ordering the group to find and eliminate a Lv6 Mad Treant.
• The wheelchair-bound boy asked Wang Zhifan why their dungeon had a Lv6 boss when beginner dungeons usually had Lv2 or Lv3 bosses.
• Wang Zhifan learned that the boy was a beginner who had voluntarily become a player despite his paraplegia, and that he was willing to serve as bait if needed.
• The boy explained that he had leukemia and less than a month to live, and had joined the game hoping to find a chance to strengthen his body and extend his life.
• Wang Zhifan told the boy that dungeons could contain ways to improve his body, though finding them depended on opportunity.

Wang Zhifan explored the forest with his Dream Self and learned that the dungeon required the group to find and kill a Lv6 Mad Treant. He sent his two inexperienced teammates to search separately while he and his Dream Selves covered multiple directions, but no Mad Treant appeared.

• Wang Zhifan saw the sickly boy in the wheelchair coughing blood and judged that he had strong reasons to become a player.
• Wang Zhifan recognized that his teammates were inexperienced and sent a Dream Self into the forest to scout.
• Wang Zhifan's Dream Self found many enormous, apparently peaceful Treants, leaving him unsure how to identify the Mad Treant.
• Wang Zhifan assigned the old man and the boy separate search routes and told them to leave markers and regroup if needed.
• Wang Zhifan and his two Dream Selves searched several directions for about half an hour but found no Mad Treant.

Wang Zhifan found human remains that he suspected belonged to dead players and searched the nearby Treants for the Mad Treant. After killing several Treants with his Ice Source Power, he triggered a violent attack but still did not receive a reward panel, leaving the dungeon uncleared.

• Wang Zhifan searched the forest with his two Dream Selves but found no sign of the Mad Treant.
• One of Wang Zhifan’s Dream Selves discovered the bones of two men and torn cloth fragments in a patch of shrubs.
• Wang Zhifan concluded that the remains likely belonged to players and searched the nearby Treants for the dungeon target.
• Wang Zhifan froze a random Treant, but no reward panel appeared.
• Several nearby Treants tore free of the ground and attacked Wang Zhifan, who froze them all with his Ice Source Power.
• Wang Zhifan received no reward panel after killing the attacking Treants and realized the dungeon was still uncleared.

Wang Zhifan returned from his fruitless search for the Mad Treant and found his wheelchair-bound teammate trapped in the branches. After the boy analyzed the player bones as a clue, Wang Zhifan suspected their elderly teammate might not be a player, leaving the mystery of the instance unresolved.

• Wang Zhifan realized the treants he had killed were not the Mad Treant and returned to the starting point to check on his teammates.
• Wang Zhifan's Dream Selves found the wheelchair-bound boy stuck among branches, and Wang Zhifan freed him and brought him back.
• Wang Zhifan shared what he had learned about the player bones and the treants' uprising while the boy considered how to solve the instance.
• The wheelchair-bound boy suggested the two sets of bones pointed to two people or players.
• Wang Zhifan recalled that the old man had claimed he could not see the mission prompt, and the boy realized this might mean the old man was not a player.

Wang Zhifan suspected the old man was not an ordinary teammate and used his Dream Selves to find him secretly preparing to burn the forest. After Wang Zhifan stopped him from lighting the fire, the old man revealed he had found the Mad Treant and insisted the forest must be burned with the Sacred Fire.

• Wang Zhifan dismissed the wheelchair-bound boy’s warning to gather more evidence and said he would test the old man when they found him.
• Wang Zhifan sent his Dream Selves to search the forest while he and the wheelchair-bound boy discussed how to clear the instance.
• Wang Zhifan’s Dream Self spotted the old man chopping trees, gathering brush, and trying to start a fire by drilling wood.
• Wang Zhifan used icy power to stop the old man from lighting the fire, then confronted him beside the pile of firewood.
• The old man said he had found the Mad Treant but that there were too many treants, so he needed to burn them with the Sacred Fire.

Wang Zhifan confirmed that the hostile old man was a disguised nonhuman and killed him with Ice Source Power. He selected three rare dungeon rewards, then reflected on the dungeon’s low rewards and slow experience gains.

• Wang Zhifan challenged the old man, then used a controlled burst of Ice Source Power to test whether he was human.
• After confirming the old man was nonhuman, Wang Zhifan froze him solid and shattered the ice within his body, killing him.
• Wang Zhifan inspected the reward list and found the highest-tier options included the Mad Treant Mask, Forest's Love, Forest's Resentment, and Giant Treant Seed.
• Wang Zhifan checked his player panel and saw that his experience had risen from 11 to 46.
• Wang Zhifan chose the Mad Treant Mask, Forest's Love, and Giant Treant Seed, leaving Forest's Resentment unselected.

Wang Zhifan tested the Mad Treant Mask and discovered that it could convincingly disguise his appearance and voice without affecting him. With the mask overcoming his plans’ main obstacle, he decided to move up his equipment sales and use several identities and accounts.

• Wang Zhifan returned to his hotel room, checked the time, and tested the Mad Treant Mask in a mirror.
• Wang Zhifan used the mask to change his appearance and voice, then realized his high Mental attribute let him ignore its side effect.
• Wang Zhifan inspected the Forest's Love Priest Ring and Giant Treant Seed, deciding the seed would be easier to sell than the ring.
• Wang Zhifan decided to begin selling equipment sooner and prepare several identities and accounts.

A wheelchair-bound boy with severe leukemia returned from his first dungeon and began a video series about becoming a player. After a routine medical consultation, he checked the video’s early comments, which included disbelief that his account of defeating a Level 6 boss was true.

• The boy returned to his mansion in Dongjiang City and asked his butler whether his parents would be home, but they were still busy.
• After coughing up blood, the boy used his new healing skill and reflected that becoming a player might give him a chance to change his fate.
• The boy made and posted the first episode of his player diary, describing how a veteran player helped him clear a dungeon with a Level 6 boss.
• The butler took the boy to see specialists, who said his condition was stable but prescribed medication and advised him to take care of himself.
• The boy watched his approved video and found comments from fans and visitors, including one who called his account of the dungeon clear unbelievable.

Wang Zhifan moved into a spacious apartment and checked offers for the rare-grade equipment he was selling. After a buyer offered six million for his Love of the Forest Ring and named a nearby hotel as the meeting place, he suspected the Xia Kingdom Special Administration Bureau had found him and went to meet them.

• Wang Zhifan negotiated the apartment rent down to fifteen thousand and moved into the spacious flat so he could practice.
• Wang Zhifan checked offers on five rare-grade items and found that the Love of the Forest Ring had attracted an unexpectedly high six-million offer.
• Wang Zhifan messaged the ring's buyer, who named Wansheng Grand Hotel in Dongjiang City as the transaction location.
• Wang Zhifan suspected the Xia Kingdom Special Administration Bureau was arranging to meet him, decided not to run, and headed to the hotel.

Wang Zhifan met his buyer, Chen Ming, and discovered that the wheelchair-bound Priest was the teammate he had helped in a dungeon that morning. After selling Chen Ming the Forest's Love ring, Wang Zhifan learned why the wealthy young man had risked becoming a player to treat his illness.

• Wang Zhifan arrived at Wansheng Grand Hotel and was surprised to find Chen Ming, his dungeon teammate, waiting in a wheelchair.
• Chen Ming explained that he had become a Priest and bought a handgun to support himself in dungeons.
• Wang Zhifan handed Chen Ming the Forest's Love ring, and Chen Ming tested its healing effect before arranging payment of six million national credits by anonymous bank card.
• Chen Ming introduced himself as the second young master of the Chen Corporation and told Wang Zhifan that the hotel belonged to his family.
• Chen Ming explained that he could not find a high-level Priest to treat him through his family's connections, online offers, or the Administration, so he became a Priest himself.

Wang Zhifan formed a dungeon team with Chu Wei and Chen Ming, assuring Chu Wei that he could lead them safely despite Chen Ming’s inexperience. The three met for breakfast before their run, where Chu Wei explained that she needed a teammate because Captain He Qianqian was away and unable to guide her.

• After training, Wang Zhifan received invitations from Chu Wei and Chen Ming to team up for dungeons and agreed to bring them together.
• Wang Zhifan explained Chen Ming’s low level and disabilities to Chu Wei, but convinced her that he could lead the team safely.
• Chen Ming agreed to join the three-person team, and Wang Zhifan went to sleep in his rented apartment.
• The next morning, Wang Zhifan, Chu Wei, and Chen Ming met for breakfast at the Wansheng Grand Hotel and greeted one another.
• Chu Wei told Wang Zhifan that Ash Domain outbreaks had kept the Administration busy and that Captain He Qianqian’s absence had left her without dungeon guidance.

Wang Zhifan, Chu Wei, and Chen Ming entered a fantasy instance tasked with helping the Limitless Sect defeat its invaders. They met the sect’s leader, who promised rewards if the players repelled the attackers, as the group prepared to learn more about the coming fight.

• Wang Zhifan let Chu Wei rest at the hotel before the trio entered the instance together.
• Wang Zhifan, Chu Wei, and Chen Ming appeared on a mountaintop platform alongside nearly twenty other players and saw the Limitless Sect’s buildings.
• Chu Wei identified the central hall as the likely base of the Limitless Sect, and Wang Zhifan suspected the players would need to defend it.
• The Limitless Sect’s leader arrived with a young man and woman and thanked the players for helping fend off the Demon Cult.
• A player demanded weapons and treasures, prompting the sect leader to release a brief wave of pressure before promising rewards for victory.

Wang Zhifan, Chu Wei, and Chen Ming prepared for the Demon Gate’s expected attack while assessing the eighteen-player dungeon. When the players reported their levels and classes, the trio discovered they were more than ten levels below the group’s average, leaving Chu Wei alarmed by the dungeon’s apparent malice.

• The Limitless Sect’s NPCs led the players to a side hall and said the Demon Gate might attack within three days.
• Players discussed the lack of forum information about the dungeon and worried it might be unusually difficult.
• Chen Ming found that the wine could be stored in his inventory, and Wang Zhifan confirmed the food could be stored as well.
• Chu Wei counted eighteen players and worried about the dungeon’s difficulty and the other players’ levels.
• A Lv16 player organized a report of everyone’s levels and classes, revealing that Wang Zhifan, Chu Wei, and Chen Ming were far below the group’s average level.
• Chu Wei realized the trio should not have been matched into such a dungeon and feared it was deliberately targeting them.

Wang Zhifan reassured Chen Ming and Chu Wei after they were matched with much higher-level players, then led them to investigate the Limitless Sect. The trio reached the sect’s main hall and began questioning two guards after learning the Sect Master was unavailable.

• Wang Zhifan told Chen Ming and Chu Wei to report higher levels and classes, then claimed to be a Lv18 Warrior while they reported being a Lv14 Summoner and a Lv12 Priest.
• The players failed to agree on battle positions and responsibilities, so Wang Zhifan suggested investigating the instance with his companions.
• Wang Zhifan, Chu Wei, and Chen Ming explored the Limitless Sect and found mostly elderly servants, along with two disciples guarding the main hall.
• The guards said the Sect Master was in secluded cultivation, so Wang Zhifan asked them to answer the trio’s questions instead.

Wang Zhifan, Chu Wei, and Chen Ming searched the Limitless Sect for information, then watched several players leave for the city below without triggering an attack. Chu Wei explained that players who abandoned an unfinished instance could become trapped there and eventually be killed, leaving Wang Zhifan to consider the danger of the apparent freedom to leave.

• Wang Zhifan's group questioned two Limitless Sect gatekeepers, but they learned little about the sect's strength or the Demon Gate's plans.
• At the mountain's edge, Wang Zhifan refused Chen Ming's suggestion to visit the city below, and Chu Wei agreed they should stay together.
• Chu Wei noticed several players had already left for the city, and Wang Zhifan observed that they descended without being attacked or stopped.
• Wang Zhifan wondered whether players could exploit the lack of restrictions by hiding until the battle ended, and Chu Wei explained that deserters could cause the instance to fail and trap everyone inside.
• Chu Wei said trapped players had faced endless pursuit or become targets for later players, and she explained that a recorded deserter had gone insane and could not coexist with the players who found him.

As players fled the Limitless Sect ahead of the Demon Sect’s attack, Wang Zhifan stayed behind and urged Chu Wei and Chen Ming to seek shelter. The chapter ended with both friends refusing to leave him alone.

• Wang Zhifan, Chu Wei, and Chen Ming returned to the side hall and found that many players had already left the mountain.
• Wang Zhifan’s group watched the remaining players dwindle as the bespectacled man and his three companions debated whether to stay.
• Wang Zhifan told Chen Ming and Chu Wei they could go hide, but said he would remain behind.
• Chen Ming refused to leave Wang Zhifan, and Chu Wei said she would not abandon her friends.