Chapter Summaries

Roy arrived at the camp near a border town and learned how the Seven Towers Alliance used native Apprentices in the conquered Talin region. After studying the Talin Witch Body and experimenting with Talin, he synthesized a new Level 2 material called Black Talin Magic Potion.

• Gacia and Gard brought Roy to the camp and explained that native Apprentices were being assigned to his command.
• Roy questioned Xinde and learned that the Talin Witch Body made Apprentices powerful, resilient Heartless who drew energy from the Talin.
• Planje compared the Heartless’ Talin-based energy with the uranium energy Roy had gained after reaching Level 1.
• Roy stayed in camp to study the region and collected scattered Talin, fusing its Negative Energy with Soul Pigment - Black.
• Roy synthesized a rare Level 2 substance that Hermes' Eye identified as Black Talin Magic Potion.

Roy discovered that Black Talin could turn negative emotions into power and considered using it to strengthen golems. When Gacia called for help after the Kingdom of Xiris joined the war and ambushed their army, Roy arrived and revealed his strength on the battlefield.

• Roy learned that Black Talin was driven by negative emotions and could potentially empower golems by absorbing emotional energy.
• Xinde explained that scattered Talin quickly vanished unless it was sealed, leaving Roy unable to collect more.
• Gacia sent Roy an emergency message saying the Kingdom of Xiris had joined the war and their army was under attack.
• Roy flew to the battlefield, where elite Heartless Knights were overwhelming Gacia and Gard's forces.
• Roy struck a female knight with a Flame Ray, then landed among the enemy and astonished Gacia and Gard with his revealed power.

Roy defeated three Level 1 Heartless with overwhelming strength and skill, then attacked the combined armies of the Kingdom of Gemid and the Kingdom of Xiris alone. His Sword Blade Storm killed hundreds or more and sent the enemy forces into a rout.

• Roy caught a Heartless's hammer blow, hurled him into the soldiers' shield wall, and drew a black magic greatsword.
• Roy used his transforming body and masterful swordsmanship to kill the female Heartless and her two companions.
• Roy floated toward the combined armies of the Kingdom of Gemid and the Kingdom of Xiris and unleashed Sword Blade Storm.
• Roy's spinning sword energy cut down hundreds or more soldiers, collapsing the army's morale and scattering its ranks.

After the battle, Gacia and Gard brought Roy supplies and a prepared Corpse Princess, then explained the necromantic techniques behind making living corpses. Roy recognized a possible connection to his research on Heartless and Flesh Puppets, and agreed to support their coming attack on the Kingdom of Gemid in exchange for related secret arts.

• Gacia and Gard thanked Roy, reported their surviving enemies and seized supplies, and followed him back to camp.
• Gacia and Gard presented their inventory and the corpse of a female knight they had made into a Corpse Princess, but Roy refused her and ordered them to return her to Uller.
• Gacia explained how necromancers used Preservation Spell, Soul Capture, and sealed Talin to create Corpse Princesses and other living corpses.
• Roy connected the secret arts to his ideas about emotional drives, Heartless, and Flesh Puppets, then asked to trade for the techniques.
• Gacia and Gard agreed to share related secret arts if Roy helped them attack the Kingdom of Gemid, and Roy accepted.

Roy helped Gacia and Gard defeat a 30,000-strong army in the Kingdom of Gemid and gathered materials for his alchemical research. As their forces advanced toward the capital, Roy successfully created a Level 2 Puppet Core from Talin Stone and other ingredients.

• Roy bombarded the enemy formation with Alchemical Bombs, then Gacia and Gard led their forces in to defeat the surviving soldiers.
• Sind told Roy that Uller wanted them to collect corpses and souls, and Gacia and Gard allocated him a mine so he could obtain sulfur and mercury.
• Roy learned that the Native Nobles held the secret method for creating soulless, and he, Gacia, and Gard agreed to advance on the capital.
• Roy experimented with Talin and Flesh Fossil, created a porous material he named Talin Stone, and studied how to strengthen it by integrating it with flesh.
• By early May, the three wizard armies had surrounded the capital, and Roy refined a hard black Level 2 Puppet Core using Flesh Fossil, Talin, and Soul Pigment - Black.

Roy installed the Level 2 Heart of Talin in Lady Edwen, a golem containing Edwin and Valentina’s souls, and tested its powerful, seemingly endless spellcasting. The golem proved capable of sustained attacks and formidable battlefield output, though Roy recognized that other war machines would be limited by their energy costs.

• Roy examined the Heart of Talin and identified its powerful attributes and ability to draw energy from negative emotions.
• Roy hollowed out Lady Edwen and installed the Level 2 Puppet Core, sealing it in place with artificial flesh and blood and adding Rune Arrays.
• On May 8, Roy activated Lady Edwen in the forest and ordered her to cast, summoning eight Water Elementals and unleashing a barrage of spells.
• Roy found that the golem’s attacks were amplified by dark energy and that it could cast continuously from morning until night.
• Roy concluded that sustained power costs made giant war machines impractical and that a small Puppet Legion would be a better investment.

Roy tested his Mechanical Guards, traded two to Gacia and Gard for Talin, and continued developing stronger Hearts of Talin to power his creations. As the attack on the Kingdom of Gemid escalated, the military camp received an urgent warning that the Level 2 Heartless Nisha Frederick was approaching.

• Roy decided to focus on Level 2 Mechanical Guards and planned to make Demon Eyes that could operate independently using Hearts of Talin.
• Roy offered Gacia and Gard Mechanical Guards in exchange for Talin, and they agreed to buy one each for five portions apiece.
• Roy accepted the deal on the condition that Gacia and Gard find more buyers and help him obtain other resources.
• Roy used the Talin he received to continue refining it, hoping to create a Level 2 core for the two Mechanical Guards.
• As the forces attacked the Kingdom of Gemid, the camp received a warning that Nisha Frederick had crossed the border and was likely heading toward them.

Roy learned that Princess Nisa of Salé, a Level 2 Heartless with two abilities, was approaching, so he and his allies hid their true bodies while continuing the campaign. Nisa detected Roy’s surveillance, found the Maiden’s Skull, and crushed it before leaving.

• Uller’s intelligence identified Princess Nisa of Salé as a Level 2 Heartless who had killed a Formal Wizard while still Level 1.
• Roy learned that Nisa wielded Psionic Blade and had another unknown ability, then agreed with Gacia and Gard to conceal themselves while their apprentices commanded the army.
• Roy hid inside Valentina’s Mage Mansion but discovered that interference could disrupt the Gem Life’s long-distance communication.
• Intelligent Brain Sailen detected Nisa outside, and Nisa seemed to notice the surveillance image as she approached the hidden Maiden’s Skull.
• Nisa found the Maiden’s Skull in a tree, examined it, and crushed it underfoot before leaving with her subordinates.

Roy and Sailen analyzed Princess Nisa’s abilities, then Roy built a new Maiden’s Skull replicant while Gacia was exposed. Roy and Gard rushed to help Gacia, but Nisa confronted the three Witches and ordered her allies to handle the two men while she took on the dwarf.

• Roy watched Princess Nisa destroy the Maiden’s Skull replicant and learned that she was a Level 2 Heartless with two abilities.
• Roy and Sailen discussed Nisa’s powers and weaknesses, including the possibility of controlling her with a Kirik Magic Ring.
• Roy used Sailen’s brain tissue and a high-strength alloy to create a new Maiden’s Skull replicant and sent it outside to observe.
• Nisa discovered Gacia, who appealed to Roy and Gard for help.
• Roy and Gard left their hiding places and joined Gacia, and Nisa ordered her companions to fight the two men while she faced the dwarf.

Roy fought Nissa, but she vanished before he could defeat her. The army later conquered the Kingdom of Gemid, where Gacia and Gard killed the royal family and appointed a former minister as king.

• Roy used Dominate Human to turn several of Nissa's Heartless guards against their companions, then fought her with flaming attacks and summoned Mechanical Guards.
• Roy attacked Nissa from a distance with specially crafted javelins, but she disappeared, possibly using an ability similar to Blink.
• Gacia proposed attacking the Kingdom of Gemid, and Roy agreed to watch for Nissa while the Necromancer Wizards led the assault.
• The undead army breached the capital's defenses, and Roy flew to the Royal Palace as the kingdom's king offered to surrender.
• Gacia and Gard killed the king, the prince, and other members of the royal family, then ordered a former minister to become the new king.

Roy watched Kristoff become king with the necromancers’ support, then claimed selected treasures from the kingdom’s plunder. While researching Talin, he discovered that one of his newly made Hearts of Talin had undergone a dangerous mutation and vanished after he carried it outside.

• Kristoff accepted the necromancers’ offer, declared himself king, and led the purge of the old royal family’s forces.
• Gacia and Gard divided the kingdom’s wealth with the new king and offered Roy a share, which he used to select artistic treasures and materials related to Talin.
• Roy retreated to the Mage Mansion, refined his Talin, and made three more Level 1 Hearts of Talin toward completing his Puppet Legion.
• Roy learned from Gacia, Gard, and the others that Talin had contributed to the collapse of an ancient empire and could corrupt those who lost control of it.
• One of Roy’s Hearts of Talin began emitting black smoke and an evil aura, then burned away and vanished after he carried it outside.

Roy discovered that activated Talin volatilized into an intangible power and that gold could contain it, then used the discovery to create a stable Golden Shell core. He prepared to test whether the core could help a Bloodline Witch Body advance.

• Roy used Hermes' Eye to learn that Talin volatilized after contact with negative emotions and that gold could isolate it.
• Roy sealed an activated Heart of Talin inside a golden vessel and observed it hollow out while producing an endless stream of power.
• Roy concluded that a golden shell could contain active Talin and ordered Sailen to derive a new alchemical array for the Formation Array system.
• After nearly half a month, Roy completed a Level 2 Golden Shell core and installed it in Lady Edwen's golem, making it a genuine Heartless.
• Roy forged a Level 0 Golden Shell and asked Furia to cultivate an embryo and create an Intermediate Apprentice-level Bloodline Witch Body for an advancement experiment.

Roy traded refined Magnetic Lead and Magic Tin to Gacia for wandering souls, then discussed the war and the danger of a Legendary Expert emerging in the doomed Talin World. The chapter ended when an apprentice reported that Gard had been ambushed and killed.

• Gacia invited Roy to his residence and offered wandering souls in exchange for Magnetic Lead and Magic Tin, and Roy agreed to refine them.
• Roy discussed with Sailen how Magic Tin and Magnetic Lead could be used to create magical undead, then completed the commission and delivered the goods to Gacia.
• Roy and Gacia discussed the Wizarding World’s campaign, the Net of Ten Thousand Spirits, and the possibility that the Talin World could produce a Level 4 Legendary Expert.
• An apprentice burst in and told Gacia and Roy that Gard had been ambushed and killed.

After Nisha killed Gard in a surprise attack, Roy strengthened his surveillance and investigated how to prepare for Level 2 Promotion. He tested replacing a subject’s heart with a Golden Shell but found that the mental transformation remained uncertain, leaving him to accept the risks of his own promotion.

• An apprentice reported that Nisha had killed Gard with a Psionic Blade, and Gacia warned Roy to be careful.
• Roy planted Mimic Mushrooms transformed into Wizard’s Eyes to monitor the area around him.
• Roy asked Planje whether Nisha’s ability might be Invisibility or Shadow Stealth, then decided to focus on reaching Level 2.
• Roy studied promotion methods and transplanted a Level 0 Golden Shell into a Test Subject to examine its effects.
• Roy and Sailen could not determine whether the Golden Shell would safely guide Roy’s mental transformation, so Roy continued modifying Lady Edwen’s golem.

Roy considered the limits of the golems’ bodies and Winsbell’s current form before rushing to investigate an attack on Gacia. He joined the fight against Nisha, but when she revealed another Level 2 Heartless, Roy faced a battle of his own.

• Roy explained that Lady Edwen’s golem and Winsbell’s current body were limited by their materials, and admitted his own body could only support him up to Level 2.
• Planje reported a possible battle near Gacia, so Roy left the Mage Mansion to investigate.
• Apprentices told Roy that assassins had attacked Gacia, and he rushed toward the sound of a Banshee’s Wail.
• Roy found Gacia surrounded by attackers and chose to fight Nisha rather than intervene, telling Gacia to fend for himself.
• Nisha revealed another Level 2 Heartless, and Roy prepared to fend for himself.

Roy escaped Nisha’s encirclement with his Flowing Light Wings and killed the Level 2 Heartless who pursued him. He then turned his attention to Nisha, using taunts to unsettle her while waiting for the Kirik Magic Ring’s authority to recover.

• Roy used his Flowing Light Wings to fly away from Nisha and the Level 2 Heartless.
• Roy attacked the pursuing Heartless with his Star Iron Chain Spear, Blackening Potion, and the Kirik Magic Ring’s mental power.
• Roy used a Disintegration Spell from Bramok’s Magic Card Box (Replica) to destroy the Heartless’s armor, then poisoned and drained him until he fell dead.
• Roy noticed that the blood on his hair had activated the properties of Aquena Magic Gold and strengthened it with absorbed energy.
• Roy taunted Nisha about her failed attempts to bring him prey, then waited for the Kirik Magic Ring’s authority to recover.

Roy failed to capture Nisha after she escaped by turning into a phantom, then returned to find Gacia wounded. Gacia was betrayed and beheaded by the natives, but Roy rescued him before Gacia restored himself with matter taken from a dead man's head.

• Roy pierced Nisha with the Star Iron Chain Spear, but she used Voidification to vanish and escape.
• Roy found Gacia wounded after the attackers fled, then met Planje, who had secured the Level 2 Heartless's body.
• Gacia accused the native troops of abandoning him and threatened to punish Kristoff, but a hidden attacker shot him through the head and the natives cut it off.
• Roy received Gacia's warning about the natives' betrayal and hurried back with Planje, rescuing Gacia from the native experts and a hidden Level 1 Heartless.
• Roy put Gacia's head back in place, and Gacia fed on pale matter taken from a dead man's head to ease his injuries.

Gacia explained the Spirit Marrow Potion and offered Roy secret arts and materials in repayment for his rescue. As Roy studied the witchcraft, he developed a theory about the boundary between life and death and realized its heart-modification techniques might help him control the Golden Shell.

• Gacia described the Spirit Marrow Potion, the Head of Preservation, and the Nikmanxia Undying Art to Roy.
• Gacia offered Roy secret arts and access to his private collections as compensation, but Roy refused the Corpse Princesses and materials.
• Roy stayed in his Mage Mansion and studied Gacia’s notes on witchcraft and the nature of human life.
• Roy reasoned that the boundary between life and death involved the head, brain, soul, and memories, and that the Nikmanxia Undying Art worked on that boundary.
• Roy learned from the notes that the heart corresponded to fire and considered using the heart-modification techniques to control the Golden Shell.

Roy completed the transplant of a Golden Shell Heart, using a Level 2 Heartless's Talin and the Nickmansha Witch Tower Secret Art to transform it into a Level 2 wondrous item. He confirmed the experiment had worked, leaving him with a powerful new heart and numerous attribute bonuses.

• Roy examined his cracked Life Energy Crystal and prepared to replace it with the jeweled Golden Heart he had forged.
• Furia brought Roy the Talin Purified Liquid, and he prepared the heart using the Life Energy Crystal, Black Talin Magic Potion, and the secret art Gacia had given him.
• Roy sealed the Golden Heart, infused it with selected negative emotions, and transplanted it into his chest as Winsbell and Furia waited outside.
• Roy released his power during the ritual, and the Golden Shell Heart beat before the disturbances in the room abruptly ceased.
• Roy confirmed the transplant had succeeded and inspected the Level 2 heart's power, attribute bonuses, and 75% Sanctification Degree.

Roy advanced his body and Spiritual Power through dangerous potions, then used a Spirit Marrow Potion to break through his bottleneck. He ended the chapter sensing that the transformation had succeeded.

• Roy tested Spirit Thorn at 75 degrees and planned to push his Spiritual Power beyond 100 to trigger a transformation.
• Roy prepared a Level 2 Uranium Energy Potion while Furia assisted in protective armor, then drank it and felt his body begin to transform.
• The Uranium Energy Potion raised Roy’s temporary Spiritual Power only to about 99, revealing a bottleneck that required a transformation of the mind.
• Three days later, Roy drank a Spirit Marrow Potion made with his Cerebrospinal Fluid, and his temporary Spiritual Power surged to 200 degrees.
• Roy sensed the change and declared his advancement a success.