Chapter Summaries

Richard used a bluff about iris recognition and a sequence of pointed memories to confirm that the Black-Robed Man was Old Malun, then secured his agreement to a fair conversation. Old Malun admitted he had spared Richard because he wanted to use him, but he had not yet explained why.

• Richard unsettled the Black-Robed Man with a false claim that he could identify people by their irises, then recalled a miner, Gelo, a mine, and gold coins to prompt a reaction.
• Richard revealed that he had used the Black-Robed Man’s changing emotions and his own verbal tests to confirm his identity as Old Malun.
• Richard and Old Malun challenged each other over the risks of talking, and Old Malun promised not to attack and agreed to a fair conversation.
• Richard declined Old Malun’s offer of the chair and reminded him to explain the second reason he had spared Richard.
• Old Malun said he had treated Richard specially because he wanted to use him, and dismissed Gelo as useless.

The Black-Robed Man recruited Richard to carry his revenge into White Stone Tower and gave him several magical items, while warning him not to investigate certain taboos. After the Black-Robed Man vanished, Richard confirmed he was gone, collected his hidden defenses, and considered what awaited him at White Stone Tower.

• The Black-Robed Man explained that he wanted Richard to reach White Stone Tower and cause damage there as a means of continuing his revenge against the organization.
• The Black-Robed Man gave Richard a destructive spell item, a scroll containing the Stealth Technique, and an ancient ring connected to White Stone Tower’s secret.
• The Black-Robed Man warned Richard that some taboos were too dangerous to explore, then vanished from the cabin.
• Richard used Ring No.1 and Pierce's Nerve Sensitivity Technique to confirm the Black-Robed Man had left, then gathered the White Jade Shards he had hidden around the room.
• Richard saw that Pandora was still asleep and reflected on White Stone Tower, revenge, secrets, and taboos.

As the giant ship entered shallower waters, Dempsey faced repeated extortion by maritime tax collectors while his injuries left him unable to drive them off. After paying Tax Collector Tim, Dempsey sailed into international waters and used a silent horn to summon help, then waited.

• The giant ship encountered more pirates and increasingly troublesome maritime tax collectors as it sailed through shallower waters.
• Tax Collector Tim demanded a transit fee from Dempsey, who paid him crystal coins rather than risk a confrontation while injured.
• Dempsey told Porter that the repeated extortion could not continue and ordered him to sail the ship into waters belonging to no country.
• At dusk, Porter brought Dempsey a short black horn, and Dempsey activated it and blew into it, sending a silent message.
• Dempsey returned the horn to its box, told Porter to wait, and watched the sunset while coughing up blood.

Richard and Nancy practiced swordsmanship aboard the stalled ship until two students were pulled into the sea while fishing. Wizard Dempsey summoned Macbeth, who rescued them but fled as soon as Dempsey asked him for a favor.

• Richard and Nancy practiced swordsmanship while the students waited for the ship to move, and Nancy acknowledged Richard's growing skill.
• A large fish dragged two students overboard as they tried to pull in their fishing rod.
• Wizard Dempsey appeared and called out Macbeth, who erupted from the sea and returned the two students to the deck.
• Dempsey asked Macbeth for a favor, and Macbeth immediately vanished.

Macbeth asked Dempsey to help complete his mission in Lisbon before escorting the giant ship back to White Stone Tower, but three warships pursuing him arrived and demanded to search the ship. Dempsey and Macbeth argued over the academy’s rules and the bloodshed caused by its student trials, leaving their confrontation unresolved as the warships approached.

• Macbeth returned to the deck and agreed to escort Dempsey’s giant ship after completing his mission, but asked Dempsey to lend him some men to help in Lisbon.
• Porter warned Dempsey that Macbeth had brought a tail, and three warships pursuing the giant ship came into view.
• An old commander aboard the middle warship accused the giant ship of harboring a fugitive charged with murdering a Grand Duke and threatened to board and search it.
• Macbeth warned Dempsey that he might leave the giant ship to face the warships, while Dempsey threatened to report him for deliberately endangering academy students.
• Macbeth accused Dempsey and White Stone Tower of using trials to eliminate poor students, and Dempsey defended the rules and challenged Macbeth to prove he was worthy to criticize them.

Macbeth destroyed the three warships sent to capture him and secured Dempsey’s agreement to take some students for his task. He then called for those with strong combat skills and swordsmanship to step forward.

• Macbeth fell into the sea, then burst onto a warship, admitted killing the Grand Duke, and killed the Gray Uniform Elder.
• Macbeth slaughtered the warship’s crew and priests, then destroyed that ship and the other two warships.
• Richard judged that Macbeth had used relatively weak spells and inferred that he was less powerful than an uninjured Dempsey.
• Macbeth returned to the giant ship and asked Dempsey to provide ordinary students with combat ability and swordsmanship for his task.
• Dempsey agreed, and Macbeth ordered the students with the strongest combat skills and swordsmanship to step forward.

Macbeth selected Nancy, Raymond, and Richard to accompany him on a mission from the island of Lisbon, warning them about its dangers before admitting he had been joking. After they arrived at the port, Macbeth left them behind while he went to buy something.

• Nancy and a lean boy volunteered to join Macbeth's mission, and Richard reluctantly stepped forward as the third participant.
• Macbeth told the three they would sail to an island, go ashore for a few days, and prepare for the mission; he first claimed they might die, then said he had been joking.
• Richard asked Gelo to watch over Pandora aboard the ship and keep anyone from disturbing her sleep.
• Two days later, Macbeth, Richard, Nancy, and Raymond landed at the port on Lisbon, where Nancy and Raymond felt unsteady after leaving the ship.
• Richard advised Nancy to take deep breaths, and Macbeth told the three to stay put while he went to buy something.

Macbeth led Richard, Nancy, and Raymond across Lisbon Island, bypassing a guarded border and reaching a city inn. At dinner, Nancy asked Macbeth what he had brought them there to do.

• Macbeth bought four horses and warned the group that people on the island interpreted nods and headshakes oppositely.
• After a day of travel, Macbeth attacked the border watchtower and returned alone, allowing the group to pass.
• Macbeth led Richard, Nancy, and Raymond to the Kumquat Inn and ordered a lavish dinner.
• Nancy and Raymond tasted the boiled Orange Jam and disliked it, while Macbeth ate most of it with relish and Richard refused to try any.
• Nancy asked Macbeth what the group had come with him to do, and Richard and Raymond also awaited his answer.

Macbeth explained that Pu Egypt's ambitious King Ameng, also called Khufu, had to be killed before he could turn the country into a Wizard Country. He recruited Richard, Nancy, and the other companion to help him reach the Swordsmanship Tournament finals and get close to the king.

• Macbeth told Richard, Nancy, and the other companion that he had brought them to kill someone.
• Macbeth explained that King Ameng had expanded Pu Egypt's territory and planned to make it a Wizard Country.
• Macbeth described how Wizard organizations feared countries gaining official Wizard power because they could upset the balance between nations.
• Richard realized that King Khufu was Macbeth's target and compared Wizards to strategic weapons controlled by powerful organizations.
• Macbeth explained that he would pose as a noble with swordsmen and use the tournament finals to approach and kill Khufu.
• Richard, Nancy, and the other companion nodded as they understood Macbeth's plan.

Macbeth sent Richard, Nancy, and Raymond to their rooms with a mysterious gift prepared for each, but forgot to tell them which rooms were intended for whom. Richard discovered that his gift was a half-naked young man waiting to pounce, and the man panicked when he realized Richard was male.

• Macbeth explained the Swordsmanship Tournament plan and told Richard, Nancy, and Raymond to rest before competing the next day.
• Macbeth remembered that he had not assigned the three travelers their rooms, then decided the mix-up might make the gifts more entertaining.
• The landlady told Macbeth that her husband, the innkeeper, had gotten drunk and fallen asleep, but Macbeth chose not to intervene.
• Richard entered his room and sensed a person hiding behind the bathroom partition, ready to ambush him.
• The young man pounced on Richard, who punched him into the bathtub.
• The young man climbed out, recognized Richard was male, and protested that he would serve women but not men.

Richard dealt with the unwanted man Macbeth had placed in his room, then discovered Nancy had also been given an unwanted companion. As Richard and Nancy awkwardly said good night, strange smacking and howling sounds came from Raymond's room.

• Richard defeated the man in his bathroom and learned he had been promised a woman for the encounter.
• The man offered Richard three silver coins and begged to leave, and Richard let him go with the money for his sister's dowry.
• Nancy came out of her room with a lovely woman and told Richard she was returning Macbeth's gift to him.
• Richard refused the woman, and Nancy sent her away after accusing her of grabbing her.
• Richard and Nancy tried to say good night, but noises from Raymond's room interrupted them.

Richard researched magical patterns from the Drift Bottle while Macbeth spent the night with the inn’s landlady. At dawn, Macbeth joined Richard, Nancy, and Raymond for breakfast and hurried them toward the Swordsmanship Tournament, planning to change inns that evening.

• Nancy blushed and rushed into her room after an awkward sound in the corridor, while Richard returned to his room.
• Richard studied the Drift Bottle’s magical patterns and considered adding Accelerated Recovery and the Baiting Blood-Boiling Spell to Ring No.1.
• Richard wondered whether Macbeth was using a prank to distract them, but decided to continue his research instead of investigating.
• Macbeth spent the night with the landlady under the false name Jones while her drunken husband slept beneath the bed.
• Richard, Nancy, and Raymond met for breakfast, and Macbeth arrived looking exhausted and told them to finish quickly so they could attend the Swordsmanship Tournament.
• Macbeth declined the landlady’s beef soup, then told Richard, Nancy, and Raymond to pack because they would change inns that night.

Raymond, Nancy, and Richard competed in the Swordsmanship Tournament preliminaries, each defeating an opponent. Richard’s swift victory advanced him toward the finals, where he planned to kill King Khufu of Pu Egypt.

• Raymond overcame a powerful greatsword-wielding opponent and forced him to surrender.
• Nancy attacked Tristana after she insulted her, defeated her, and made her surrender.
• Richard recalled the tournament schedule and Macbeth’s mission to keep winning until the finals, where King Khufu would attend.
• Richard struck Delai immediately after the handkerchief landed, defeating him before he could react.
• The host ruled that Richard’s attack followed the rules, and Richard left as Delai angrily accepted his loss.

Richard, Nancy, and Raymond advanced to the quarterfinals, where Macbeth urged them to keep winning before his planned attack on King Khufu. Raymond began his match against Tuo Tie, but realized his opponent had baited him into striking at a deliberate opening.

• Richard, Nancy, and Raymond reached the top eight, and the next morning they saw that King Khufu had not appeared.
• Macbeth told Richard, Nancy, and Raymond to win their quarterfinals and reach the semifinals.
• Ulas defeated the seventh-ranked swordsman and advanced after his opponent surrendered.
• Raymond entered the arena to face Tuo Tie, a sixth-ranked swordsman wielding a Two-Handed Greatsword.
• Tuo Tie overwhelmed Raymond with relentless attacks, then revealed a mocking smile when Raymond struck at an apparent opening.

Tuo Tie killed Raymond in the arena, while Nancy unexpectedly won when her opponent failed to appear. Richard then entered his match against Black Mann, who retreated as soon as the contest began.

• Tuo Tie defeated Raymond by stabbing him through the back, and the host declared Tuo Tie the winner.
• Macbeth showed little concern over Raymond's death and told Nancy and Richard to stay focused on their matches.
• Nancy returned from the arena after her opponent failed to appear, and the host's ruling gave her the win.
• Richard entered the arena to face Black Mann, the tournament's second-ranked swordsman from Iron Wheel Fort City.
• When the host started the match, Black Mann swiftly retreated more than ten meters before the handkerchief reached the ground.

Richard defeated Black Mann by repeatedly dodging his Greatsword attacks until exhaustion left him unable to fight, using the match to test the Accelerated Recovery rune in Ring No.1. After the host declared Richard the winner, Macbeth and Nancy reacted with surprise, and Macbeth hurried everyone off to eat before the afternoon matches.

• Black Mann accused Richard of winning earlier matches with sneak attacks and demanded a head-on fight, so Richard agreed to let him attack.
• Black Mann repeatedly swung his Greatsword while Richard dodged, filling the arena with dust and exhausting the spectators and host.
• After fifteen minutes, Richard briefly attacked when Black Mann demanded a fight, then retreated and provoked him into continuing.
• Richard kept dodging for half an hour to test Accelerated Recovery in Ring No.1, until Black Mann collapsed from exhaustion.
• Richard pushed Black Mann to the ground, and the host announced Richard as the winner.
• Macbeth and Nancy were surprised by Richard's tactics, and Macbeth suggested they go eat before the afternoon matches.

Richard faced Tuo Tie in the final semifinal, dodging the broadsword attacks instead of engaging directly. Tuo Tie recognized Richard’s endurance strategy and stopped moving, leaving the match at a stalemate as he challenged Richard to wait him out.

• Nancy returned injured after winning her semifinal and warned Richard to be careful, while Macbeth urged him to focus on winning efficiently.
• Richard met Tuo Tie in the arena, where Tuo Tie threatened to kill him and Nancy because he had killed Raymond.
• Tuo Tie attacked with his broadsword, but Richard repeatedly dodged until Tuo Tie realized Richard was trying to exhaust him.
• Tuo Tie stopped attacking and refused to move, and Richard said he could stand still too.
• Tuo Tie insisted he could wait all day, leaving the two swordsmen facing each other without moving.

Richard fought Tuo Tie by relentlessly attacking his vital points and wearing down his stamina, while avoiding opportunities to finish him. Just as Richard approached the exhausted Tuo Tie, Tuo Tie suddenly unleashed a fearsome aura and struck at him with a powerful sword slash.

• Richard ended the standoff and attacked Tuo Tie, explaining that he was gathering data to build a new analysis model.
• Richard repeatedly struck at Tuo Tie’s vital points, forcing him to defend while evading every counterattack.
• Macbeth speculated that Richard was deliberately exhausting Tuo Tie instead of delivering a fatal blow, and the audience became absorbed in the fight.
• After fifteen minutes of attacks, Tuo Tie collapsed from exhaustion, but Richard approached to check whether he had truly run out of strength.
• Tuo Tie suddenly surged to his feet with blood-red eyes, unleashed an aura like a Mountain of Corpses, Sea of Blood, and slashed his broadsword at Richard.

Richard defeated Tuo Tie after evading his Bloodline Seed power until it ran out, then killed him to prevent any chance of retaliation. Richard left the arena as the announced winner, while he suspected tomorrow’s final would not happen as expected.

• Tuo Tie revealed that his Bloodline Power came from an immature Bloodline Seed and admitted it had limits and side effects.
• Macbeth explained that Bloodline Seeds were rare and suspected Richard might possess an even stronger one, though it had not fully awakened.
• Tuo Tie charged at Richard repeatedly, but Richard kept dodging until Tuo Tie exhausted his Bloodline Power and collapsed.
• Tuo Tie attempted one last counterattack, but Richard stabbed him through the heart and said he was avenging Raymond.
• The host declared Richard the winner, and Richard returned to the entrance as the spectators cheered.

Macbeth explained Bloodline Seeds to Richard and suggested Richard’s strength might come from one, giving him a possible cover for his abilities. Nancy pressed Richard to become her attendant, but her question about Macbeth’s own attendant triggered a murderous aura and revealed that he had never had one.

• Macbeth explained that Bloodline Seeds could grant physical abilities and said Tuo Tie’s recently awakened power had been weak and poorly controlled.
• Richard considered pretending to possess a Bloodline Seed and told Macbeth that one of his ancestors had been a powerful warrior.
• Macbeth encouraged Richard to pursue the Bloodline Seed path and described how Wizard attendants could become lovers or spouses of their Wizards, prompting Nancy to look eagerly at Richard.
• Nancy asked whether Macbeth had a Wizard attendant, and Macbeth’s murderous aura silenced the street before he said he had never had one and warned her not to ask again.
• Macbeth, Richard, and Nancy continued to the inn, where Macbeth told them to rest before the next day’s tasks.