Chapter Summaries

Angel surveyed Firstheart City and told Frod that he planned to establish a Wizard City in Dream Wilderness, with a cautious, partial opening to trusted wizards in mind. He also asked Frod to help Mandhaila integrate into the city, learned that Leon was training elsewhere, and left without taking on a new authority until his Luck-enhancing parchment arrived.

• Angel praised Firstheart City's improving layout, while Frod pointed out its unresolved needs, including food and weather.
• Angel told Frod that he planned to establish a second city as a Wizard City, following Sanders's suggestion to prepare Dream Wilderness for a conditional opening to trusted wizards.
• Angel explained that he would bring Mandhaila into Dream Wilderness and asked Frod to help her blend in on her own.
• Frod told Angel that Leon was training combat techniques with Nausicaa and had recently sparred with Knight Sabel.
• Angel prepared to leave Dream Wilderness and decided not to inherit a new authority until his Luck-enhancing parchment arrived.

Mandhaila found herself in an unfamiliar, bustling city after Angel suggested she go and dream, and she fled when two children spoke to her. Hiding in an alley, she realized she had become an ordinary person and tried to understand whether she was trapped in a dream or illusion.

• Mandhaila appeared in Firstheart City and collided with Yada as he ran from Sunny; startled by their questions, she fled.
• Sunny dragged Yada into the Ocean Theater to learn piano, while Mandhaila watched from an alley and realized he was safe.
• Mandhaila questioned why she had run and recognized that she had instinctively recoiled from interacting with innocent children and the bright, crowded city.
• Mandhaila tested the alley wall and discovered she could no longer pass through walls or sense her soul energy.
• Mandhaila recalled her imprisonment in the tower, Angel's visit, and his suggestion that she go and dream, but remained unsure where she was or what to do next.

Mandhaila encountered Tulas, the sheriff of Firstheart City, who mistook her for a newcomer and insisted on taking her to register. As Tulas dragged her through the city, he met Leon, who was heading to Frod to ask about a rumor concerning Angel.

• Tulas crashed through a wall into an alley where Mandhaila was hiding, then introduced himself as Firstheart City's sheriff.
• Mandhaila tried to flee, but Tulas caught her and dragged her away to register her, despite her distrust of authorities.
• Mandhaila heard Tulas mention Angel and wondered what he knew about him.
• Tulas spotted Leon and hurried after him, dragging Mandhaila along as Leon said he wanted to ask Frod about a rumor concerning Angel.
• Leon questioned Tulas about a damaged statue and a broken wall, and Tulas denied responsibility for both incidents.

Mandhaila was brought to Frod in Firstheart City, where she learned Angel may have brought her there and that the wilderness outside was dangerous. Leon then revealed a rumor that Angel had broken through the Great Barrier and become an official wizard.

• Tulas brought Mandhaila to Frod, who was surprised to see her and denied bringing her into Firstheart City.
• Frod explained that Mandhaila might have been brought by Angel and warned that leaving the city could strand her in the forbidden wilderness.
• Mandhaila agreed to remain in Firstheart City for now and hoped to ask Angel about leaving when he returned.
• Frod questioned Tulas about damage near Ocean Theater, and Mandhaila confirmed that she had seen it.
• Leon shared a rumor from Sky of Truth magazine that Angel had broken through the Great Barrier and become an official wizard.

Nausicaa, Leon, and the others heard a rumor that Angel had become a formal wizard, but the magazine reporting it offered no proof. Leon left Firstheart City without confirmation, while Frod helped Mandhaila register her identity and begin a new life there.

• Shan rushed into Youthful Grace Hall and told Nausicaa and Leon that people were saying Angel had advanced to formal wizard.
• Nausicaa and Leon found that the rumor came from Sky of Truth, whose article gave no evidence and divided readers into believers and skeptics.
• Leon asked Frod whether Angel had mentioned advancing, and Frod said Angel seemed changed but could not confirm the rumor.
• Leon left Firstheart City to focus on his upcoming second Sky Tower match, while Frod arranged repairs to Ocean Theater and took Mandhaila to register.
• Frod told Mandhaila that her past would not matter in Firstheart City, and she listened without replying.

Angel gathered six White Light Bullets and went to the Soul Domain to find Isabella, learning she was in the Soul Garden. After arriving there, he was recognized by the flying pig knights, and the Holy Mountain opened a path of light for him to follow.

• Angel annihilated hundreds of undead in the Black Forest and gathered six White Light Bullets.
• Angel met Natasha in the Soul Domain, and she told him Isabella was in the Soul Garden and guided him to the teleportation array.
• Angel arrived at Xipolok, where Captain Deng Sasa recognized him as Mr. Pat, the Kula Kuka people's hope.
• Deng Sasa offered to notify High Priest Baya of Angel's arrival, but Angel said he would go to the Holy Mountain himself.
• The Holy Mountain sent a road of light to Angel, and he followed it toward the mountain's far side.

Angel followed Isabella’s summons to the heart of the Holy Mountain, where he reunited with Baya and learned that the Kula Kuka people he had taken away were thriving. He reached Isabella’s Soul-Quelling Tower, where she discussed his recent advancement and asked whether the Kou Wind had caused it.

• Angel followed a road of light to a concealed cave, where Baya greeted him and led him toward the center of the Holy Mountain.
• Angel showed Baya an illusion of the Kula Kuka people living happily in a village and told him that Babaya, Ku Doudou, and Luo Keke had become wizard apprentices.
• Baya thanked Angel and reflected that he had finally seen hope for his people, while Angel suggested they might meet again someday.
• Angel entered the Holy Mountain’s inner space, saw the Soul-Quelling Tower and its soul-beneficial surroundings, and found two Infant Spirits resting in glass spheres inside.
• Isabella greeted Angel and asked whether the Kou Wind had caused his advancement; Angel confirmed that it had before asking why she had summoned him.

Isabella told Angel how Moliya had been her beloved fellow disciple before disappearing a thousand years ago, only to return as an undead. She asked Angel to restore Moliya into an ordinary soul, and he offered two possible terms of exchange, leaving Isabella to consider his request to free Sparrow Sparrow.

• Isabella recounted how Moliya had become her mentor Karafi’s disciple first, cared for her like family, and later disappeared after Karafi left the Southern Region.
• Isabella explained that a thousand years later she found Moliya among the undead in Black Castle and used a Soul Stabilization Ritual to restrain her.
• Isabella asked Angel to restore Moliya into an ordinary soul so she could learn what had happened to her.
• Angel offered a magic-pattern hide scroll that increased luck as his first exchange option, but Isabella said such scrolls were no longer available.
• Angel proposed that Isabella free Sparrow Sparrow and let her choose whether to stay or leave, and Isabella noted that his attitude toward souls resembled Karafi’s philosophy.

Angel transformed Moliya into a soul with Prelude of Reincarnation, then returned to Black Castle and learned that Gloria and Felicia had emerged from the Ice Cavern. He and Sanders went to investigate a powerful light that had risen from the cavern and thinned the Black Cloud.

• Angel agreed to Isabella's request and used Prelude of Reincarnation to transform Moliya, taking about three hours and concluding that soul essence and total soul power affected the transformation speed.
• Moliya awoke as a soul and delightedly reunited with Isabella, while Angel left to give them privacy and speak with High Priest Baya and the priests at Centennial Hall.
• Angel returned to Black Forest, noticed that the Black Cloud had thinned, and collected six more White Light Bullets from the undead.
• Sanders told Angel that Gloria and Felicia had emerged from the Ice Cavern, and Angel decided to accompany him there.
• Sanders explained that a powerful light had shot from the Ice Cavern, dispelling the lightning serpents and thinning the Black Cloud, and he and Angel entered the cavern to investigate.

Angel and Sanders entered the Ice Cavern, where Gloria and Felicia were studying the purifying Feast, and reunited with them after Kimberly and Isabella departed. Angel recounted the circumstances of his advancement and the mysterious Frost, then Gloria turned the discussion back to the Feast.

• Sanders and Angel passed through the Ice Cavern’s dangerous purifying energy and followed the left passage to a plaza where a sphere of light released the energy.
• Angel found Gloria and Felicia working on the Feast, while Kimberly and Isabella prepared to leave after discussing their findings.
• Kimberly congratulated Angel on stabilizing his magic vortex, and Isabella left without speaking.
• Gloria remarked on Angel’s rapid growth, and Angel said he still did not believe in fate.
• Gloria asked why Angel had advanced at Black Castle, and Angel described the events involving Frost; Gloria and Felicia set aside further discussion of Frost and returned to the Feast.

Gloria explained how she and Felicia created the Purifying World Feast to cleanse Black Castle’s environment, then examined Toby and confirmed he had entered another tribulation. Angel began explaining that Toby’s latest tribulation had started after he ate an Olof Tendril Crab.

• Gloria recounted how Felicia summoned her to Black Castle and how they spent nearly half a year preparing the Purifying World Feast.
• Gloria explained that the feast was meant to purify Black Castle’s land and atmosphere, and Felicia sealed it away until most of the undead were gone.
• Gloria examined Toby and sensed the black energy of a new tribulation rising from him.
• Gloria confirmed that Toby had entered another tribulation soon after overcoming his Wrath Tribulation.
• Angel told Gloria that Toby had eaten an Olof Tendril Crab and began recounting the events that started with a Doom Pilgrim.

Angel learned that Toby had entered the dangerous Extreme Grudge Tribulation, and Gloria suggested seeking help from a soul expert. Angel returned to Xipolak and asked High Priest Baya to examine Toby, while awaiting Isabella’s reply.

• Gloria identified Toby’s possessiveness toward Angel as a sign of the Extreme Grudge Tribulation and warned that his successive tribulations made survival difficult.
• Gloria suggested that Toby’s soul might hold a clue and recommended consulting Dusk King Isabella.
• Angel left Soul Garden for Xipolak, sent Isabella a magic letter requesting help, and offered to fulfill his promise to turn the infant spirit back into a soul.
• Angel summoned High Priest Baya to Centennial Hall and asked him to assess Toby’s soul.
• Baya examined Toby and noted that this was the second time he had found him unconscious, though his soul was now in a different state.

Angel learned that Toby’s soul was being consumed by a dark poison and might never recover if his true self lost its struggle against the resentment. He brought Toby to Isabella and Isabelle for help, where their tense history with Moliya surfaced, and Isabelle warned that the struggle would likely end badly.

• Baya examined Toby’s soul and told Angel that most of it had fallen to a sinister poison, while a remnant of Toby’s true self continued to resist.
• Angel received Isabella’s wordless reply and followed its ribbon of light to the Holy Mountain, where he found Isabella and Moliya facing off as Isabelle watched.
• Angel asked Isabella to examine Toby and described his condition, including the Calamity Curse.
• Moliya mocked Isabella’s possessiveness, prompting Isabelle to end the argument and Angel to suspect Isabella had played a part in Moliya’s disappearance.
• Isabelle said Toby’s resentment and true self were locked in a tug-of-war, but predicted that the outcome would not be favorable.

Angel learned that Toby’s Baleful Poison came from a source beyond his soul, and Isabella could offer no way to cure him. He followed Isabella’s suggestion to seek Frost’s help and brought Toby to Frost, who waited to hear what Angel wanted to know.

• Isabella examined Toby and warned Angel that clearing the murk from his soul would only make it return more dangerously unless its source was addressed.
• Isabella suggested Angel ask Frost for help, since Frost had promised to trade for any price they could offer.
• Angel decided to seek Frost’s advice, then remained in the hall while he transformed one of the Infant Spirits into a soul.
• Angel visited Kimberly, confirmed that she had made a transaction with Frost, and then went to Frost’s room.
• Frost welcomed Angel and listened as Angel brought out Toby, but he asked what Angel wanted to know before discussing a price.

Angel sought Frost’s help to save Toby, whose Five Flavors Tribulation threatened his survival. After deciding to intervene, Angel heard Frost’s two options: bind Toby’s evil personality with Dark Canticle or suppress the Extreme Grudge while preserving Toby’s chance to overcome it himself.

• Frost recognized Toby’s unusual nature and explained that his tribulation was an advancement rooted in his body and soul.
• Frost warned that outside help could cause future troubles, and Angel consulted Gloria, who urged him to save Toby.
• Angel returned to Frost and chose not to give up on Toby.
• Frost explained that Dark Canticle could contain Toby’s evil personality but would put control of it in Frost’s hands.
• Frost offered direct suppression of the Extreme Grudge as a compromise, warning that it could grow stronger and eventually overwhelm Toby.

Angel chose to suppress Toby’s resentment, and Frost carried out the procedure, causing Toby to transform into a powerful Snakebird. Toby lost control and attacked Angel, but Frost’s crystal barriers kept it at bay until an eerie cry drew its attention away.

• Angel agreed to owe Frost a favor, provided any future request respected his wishes and did not endanger him.
• Angel chose the second option and confirmed that Frost should suppress Toby’s resentment.
• Frost brought Angel and Toby into the void, where Toby’s resentment formed a dense black mist and triggered a transformation.
• Toby transformed into a gigantic Snakebird with wizard-level power, a snake’s head and tail, and broad wings.
• Toby lost control and charged at Angel, but Frost’s crystal barriers blocked its attacks.
• An eerie cry sounded through the void, and Toby turned toward it.

Toby transformed into a Jealousy Snake Bird and, driven into a frenzy by the suppressed Extreme Grudge thought, massacred the Worm Buses near Angel and Frost. After Toby exhausted his energy and returned to his small bird form, Angel caught him and resolved to find a way to confront the thought before its backlash worsened.

• Angel and Frost spotted a group of Worm Buses near the Fairy Tale World, and Toby attacked them despite Angel's calls.
• Toby killed the Worm Buses with swift strikes to the glowing flowers on their heads, using the Snakebird's deadly venom.
• Frost explained that Toby's loss of reason came from transforming while his Extreme Grudge thought remained suppressed, and said he would recover either by overcoming it or by leaving the Snakebird form.
• The surviving Worm Buses fled through a hole in the void, and Toby shrank back to his palm-sized form as black mist merged into his body.
• Angel caught the sleeping Toby and resolved to find a way to eliminate the suppressed Extreme Grudge thought.

Angel asked Frost to destroy the Cruel Scholar’s Descent Object, and Frost erased it effortlessly without provoking the demon god. Frost then sensed that the Cruel Scholar neither descended nor even turned its attention toward them.

• Frost explained that Toby would have to overcome the Extreme Grudge Tribulation through its own abilities unless Angel used the Dark Canticle.
• Frost offered to resolve another of Angel’s problems, but Angel decided not to ask for help with Jon’s matter because Jon feared his homeland would be harmed.
• Angel asked Frost what he thought of Abyss demon gods and revealed that he had encountered Kurangduo, a subordinate of the Queen of Deep Prison.
• Angel presented the Cruel Scholar’s Descent Object and asked Frost to shatter it, insisting that the demon god would not descend.
• Frost destroyed the Descent Object through the spatial pouch, then sensed that the Cruel Scholar did not descend or even cast its gaze toward them.

Angel was caught in an attack by a mysterious red scarf while Frost spoke with Zorn, a fellow member of the Order Guild. Frost departed to meet Zorn near the Reincarnation Box, warning Angel that survival would be difficult and leaving Angel’s hidden secrets unexplored.

• A flame appeared before Frost, and its image showed a figure whose red scarf wrapped around Angel and plunged him into darkness.
• Frost told the unseen Zorn to release Angel, and the scarf withdrew into the image before it vanished.
• Frost explained that Zorn had come as Order Guild support and that the red scarf was an unstable mysterious object he had obtained on a mission.
• Frost said Zorn had arrived near the small world containing the Reincarnation Box and prepared a vortex to leave.
• Frost warned Angel that luck and specialness could not guarantee survival, then entered the vortex while reflecting on Angel’s many secrets.

Angel celebrated his breakthrough with Gloria, Sanders, and Felicia while Toby recovered from the Extreme Grudge Tribulation. Toby woke up, stole Felicia’s wine, and passed out drunk again, leaving the group to toast his awakening without him.

• Angel enjoyed Gloria’s magical dishes, including Wilson's gaseous spirit, while Toby slept beside him and breathed in the mist.
• Angel told Gloria that Toby’s extreme grudge had been suppressed after Frost left Black Castle, and Gloria was relieved that Toby had time to prepare for the tribulation.
• Felicia arrived with Coconut Shell Ocean wine, and Toby woke up and secretly drank a glass from her tray.
• Toby tried to fly away after Felicia caught him stealing wine, but he became drunk and fell, so Angel caught him with Magic Hand.
• Felicia gave Angel, Gloria, and Sanders wine and counted Toby’s awakening as a reason to celebrate, despite his drunken sleep.