Chapter Summaries

Richard confronted the Golden Beetle, identified as the likely Mother Insect of the Super-Breeding Species, and discovered that its defenses resisted his Death Finger. After analyzing its body through an acid assault, Richard found its weakness and struck, leaving the Golden Beetle blinded and still facing him.

• Richard landed on the Fungal Mat, recognized the Golden Beetle as likely the Mother Insect, and attacked it with Death Finger.
• The Golden Beetle shrugged off Death Finger, so Richard scanned its body while it summoned bizarre creatures and consumed their remains to power itself.
• The Golden Beetle sprayed Richard with a storm of acid, but he held up an energy shield and continued examining it.
• Richard identified the Golden Beetle's vital point, teleported in close, and punched its mouth shut as it tried to attack again.
• Richard punched the Golden Beetle's eyes, bursting them apart.

Richard killed the Super-Breeding Species Mother Insect and recovered a dark golden stone from the ashes. Tinwood offered to verify the insect’s death by devouring the stone, and Richard suspected Tinwood wanted it for itself.

• Richard broke through the Golden Beetle’s outer shell and exposed the snow-white Mother Insect hiding inside.
• Richard caught the fleeing Mother Insect and overwhelmed its attempted self-destruction with the energy from his four Energy Furnaces.
• Richard survived the explosion, found a dark golden stone in the ashes, and watched the remaining strange creatures flee.
• Tinwood arrived and offered to verify the Mother Insect’s death by devouring one of its important structures.
• Richard accused Tinwood of using the verification as an excuse to obtain the stone.

Richard negotiated with Tinwood over the Super-Breeding Species' remaining life essence, securing control of Tinwood's future creatures in exchange. As Richard discovered the scorched oval object was still alive, he approached it to help.

• Tinwood admitted he wanted the Super-Breeding Species' life essence to recover his ability to create creatures and heal his injuries.
• Richard bargained with Tinwood, who agreed to serve him for twenty additional years and produce creatures according to Richard's wishes for ten years.
• Richard gave Tinwood the dark gold stone, which Tinwood stored inside his body to digest later.
• Richard asked Tinwood about a scorched oval object, and Tinwood said it had exposed the Mother Insect's location before apparently losing to her.
• The oval object emitted a faint energy reaction, and Richard realized its occupant might still be alive and walked toward it.

Richard freed Bi Bi from a spider web and learned that she had been sent by the Truth Society’s Dead Sea to find him. When Bi Bi mentioned Dead Sea and the Colored Ring, Richard killed her in a single strike, leaving their encounter abruptly ended.

• Richard cut open the oval web and freed Bi Bi, who explained that she had been trapped while chasing someone through the forest.
• Bi Bi followed her target’s scent and realized it matched Richard’s, then said someone had sent her to find him.
• Bi Bi identified the Truth Society and named Dead Sea as the lord who had ordered her to find Richard.
• Richard recognized the threat, activated all four Energy Furnaces at full output, and beheaded Bi Bi before she could finish speaking.
• Richard concluded that Bi Bi had been weaker than the Truth Society members he had fought before and that she had given him an easy kill.

Richard defeated Bi Bi, but she revealed that she was a puppet and offered to betray the Truth Society in exchange for protection and time to play. Richard remained wary and left her fate undecided while considering her offer.

• Richard killed Bi Bi’s body after identifying her as an enemy, but her severed head protested that he had not given her time to react.
• Bi Bi realized she had failed her mission and proposed staying with Richard rather than returning to Dead Sea.
• Bi Bi explained that she was a puppet with little loyalty by design, and Tinwood confirmed that her body was made from spell materials and magic patterns.
• Richard suspected Bi Bi’s surrender could be a Truth Society plot, but Bi Bi offered intelligence, work, and Dead Sea’s address in return for protection and time to play.
• Richard said he needed to think before deciding, and Bi Bi asked him to scratch her body’s itchy back.

Richard returned to Faro and learned that deciphering the Barta Text would require access to rare books in a royal library. A letter from Oscar invited him to meet in Xia Ya, and Richard considered how to approach the meeting while a gagged girl remained trapped in a box on his desk.

• Richard spent three days clearing aberrant creatures from the forest and repairing the nuclear material purification production line before returning to Faro.
• Hai Di delivered Circe’s letter, which explained that the Barta Text was nearly impossible to decipher without books from the Soma Alliance or Sika Kingdom royal libraries.
• Richard considered asking Molly for access to the Sika Kingdom’s library or using Oscar’s three promised requests to obtain books from the Soma Alliance.
• Sherlock arrived and gave Richard a letter from Oscar inviting him to meet in Xia Ya, where the Emperor of the Soma Alliance was staying.
• Richard decided to consider how to keep the initiative during the meeting and told the gagged girl inside a wooden box to stay quiet.

Red-armored soldiers destroyed an abandoned castle and entered its Stone Tower, where they battled hidden occupants underground. After the troops brought up the bodies, one corpse revived and tried to escape, only to be surrounded until the woman leading the assault arrived.

• Dozens of Wizards buried rune-engraved cones in the ground and rose into the air to seal off the area.
• Thousands of Red-armored Soldiers surrounded an ancient castle, smashed its walls and buildings, and entered its Stone Tower.
• The soldiers fought underground for more than an hour, then carried corpses from beneath the Stone Tower while Wizards checked them.
• A corpse revived as a Male Wizard tried to destroy its brain, blasted him away, and attempted to flee.
• Wizards and Red-armored Soldiers surrounded the corpse, and the red-armored woman who had led the assault stepped forward and asked what had happened.

The Red-armored Woman defeated Yoda, a Gold Ring who had pretended to be dead, after a prolonged battle. She ordered her Wizards to prepare soul-cleansing while worrying that an unconfirmed Rainbow Ring might threaten the Grand Plan.

• The Red-armored Woman recognized Yoda as a likely Gold Ring and fought him after his hidden attack injured her but felled dozens of Red-armored Soldiers.
• Yoda revealed his name, and the Red-armored Woman fought him for more than half a day, killing him completely after defeating him five times.
• The Red-armored Woman ordered her Wizards to treat the wounded and prepare soul-cleansing to prevent Yoda from acquiring a new body.
• The Red-armored Woman studied a map and worried that the Southern Free Federation's hidden Rainbow Ring could disrupt the Grand Plan.
• The Red-armored Woman led her team away from the ruined castle.

Richard entered Xia Ya and discovered that its celebrated prosperity was concentrated in the city center, while the outer districts were poor and underdeveloped. He found the center crowded with Wizards and continued toward his destination in the city.

• Richard traveled through the slums outside Xia Ya and entered the city.
• Richard crossed the inner walls and saw the city grow more prosperous from the outer districts to the Second Ring and the center.
• Richard heard the clock towers ring eleven times and realized Xia Ya's wealth varied sharply by district.
• Richard sensed numerous Wizards in the city center, including a Level 3 Wizard leading a group of more than ten Wizards.
• Richard turned a corner and headed toward his destination in Xia Ya.

Richard arrived at a manor in Xia Ya arranged by Oscar and received an extravagant welcome from Mas. He chose to stay alone in the courtyard and asked Mas to arrange a meeting with Oscar as soon as possible, but Mas hesitated.

• Richard arrived at the manor and Mas recognized him, then led him to a furnished courtyard prepared as his temporary residence.
• Mas presented Richard with twelve servants and promised they would fulfill his requests.
• Richard asked for the servants to leave because he preferred quiet, agreeing to keep one person at the entrance to run errands.
• Richard told Mas not to disturb him unless necessary and asked him to arrange a meeting with Oscar soon.
• Mas agreed to try, but his troubled expression left Richard wondering what the problem was.

Richard arrived in Xia Ya and was overwhelmed by visits from royal family members and officials bearing gifts. Oscar explained that the Alliance Emperor wanted to meet him, and Richard agreed to see the Emperor the next afternoon while seeking access to the Royal Library.

• Mas warned Richard that powerful people, including members of the Royal Family, would likely visit him in Xia Ya.
• The First, Second, and Fourth Princes visited Richard, followed by other royals and officials who left gifts.
• Richard asked Oscar why so many people had visited, and Oscar linked the attention to Richard's list of Truth Society members in the Southern Free Alliance.
• Richard asked to borrow books from the Royal Library to decipher ancient writing, but Oscar said only the Emperor could grant permission.
• Oscar revealed that the Alliance Emperor had requested a meeting with Richard, and Richard agreed to meet him the next afternoon.

Richard met Alliance Emperor Peter Romanov, who praised his achievements and explained that he had summoned him for a casual conversation. Their discussion turned into a philosophical debate about Bix's Self-Examination, leaving Richard in the middle of explaining his disagreement with several of Bix's points.

• Richard arrived at the Alliance Emperor's palace and met the enormous Peter Romanov, also known as the Brown Bear Emperor.
• Peter praised Richard for obtaining Oscar's list and surviving the destruction of a Truth Society branch, joking that Richard might be worth more than an army.
• Peter told Richard that he had invited him for a casual chat rather than official business and asked which book he liked best.
• Richard named Bix's Self-Examination, hoping to steer their talk, but Peter revealed he had read and studied the book closely.
• Richard agreed with Peter in general but began explaining why he disagreed with Bix's claims about inherited cognition.

Richard met with the Alliance Emperor, who approved his request for access to the Royal Library but attached conditions that Oscar could not yet disclose. Oscar offered him books and scrolls in the meantime, and Richard agreed to accept them in exchange for information about the Truth Society.

• Richard and the Alliance Emperor discussed philosophy for several hours until an attendant announced that Mortes had returned urgently from the Southern Free Federation.
• The Emperor ended the conversation, approved Richard’s request to borrow from the Royal Library, and went to hear Mortes’s report about an incident in the Southern Free Federation.
• Richard returned to the Stone Tower and wondered why the Emperor had spent so long talking with him.
• Oscar told Richard that the Royal Library request could be granted under conditions that would be explained in one or two months, and offered him books and scrolls to study while he waited.
• Richard accepted the materials but offered information about the hostile Truth Society in exchange so that he would not owe Oscar a favor.

Richard woke Bi Bi and accepted her surrender after demanding the location of her Dead Sea lord. Oscar then told the Alliance Emperor that Richard had revealed the location of the Truth Society High-Level Overseer, who was seriously injured, leaving the emperor ready to act on the intelligence.

• Richard had Lyle bring him a box containing Bi Bi's preserved head and woke her with a slap.
• Richard agreed to accept Bi Bi's surrender if she proved her loyalty by revealing her Dead Sea lord's location.
• Oscar returned to the palace and learned from the Alliance Emperor that the army faced pressure to withdraw from the Southern Free Federation while two Truth Society branches remained hidden.
• The emperor explained that he feared the powerful Truth Society High-Level Overseer and had no reliable plan to lure him out and kill him within a week.
• Oscar told the emperor that Richard had revealed the overseer's location and that the overseer was seriously injured.
• The emperor asked Oscar where the overseer was, and Oscar began to tell him.

Gray, Red, Silver, and Black armored forces were urgently redirected and gathered in the forest under Dragon Tree’s command. Dragon Tree revealed that their mission was to assassinate the Truth Society’s Colored Ring Overseer while he recovered from severe injuries, based on information from Lord Oscar.

• A Black Robe Wizard redirected the Gray Armor Knight’s troops to new orders from Lord Oscar.
• A Black Robe Wizard ordered the Red-armored Woman and her team to leave their camp again, while the Silver Armor Man immediately led his troops out after receiving the news.
• The Black Armor commander armed his troops and marched out before the messenger arrived, leaving the messenger to chase after them.
• The four armored teams assembled in the forest, where the Red-armored Woman questioned why they had all been summoned.
• Dragon Tree told the commanders that the mission was to hunt the injured, sleeping Colored Ring Overseer, whose location Lord Oscar had reportedly revealed.

Dragon Tree led the Four Teams on a mission to find Dead Sea, while Dead Sea tried to heal inside his consciousness world. The teams found and killed him, triggering an invisible fluctuation that spread in all directions.

• Dragon Tree told the Four Teams that their mission would test their coordination and combat strength, then led them out.
• Dead Sea's consciousness world repeatedly regenerated under rain, but Erosion Energy from the sun kept undoing his recovery.
• Nine suns appeared in Dead Sea's consciousness world, and their explosion forcibly woke him as someone cut into the Iron Coffin.
• Dead Sea opened the coffin and mistook the Four Teams for Bi Bi, while one man in brown clothes recognized him.
• The Four Teams unleashed a devastating attack that killed Dead Sea, and an invisible fluctuation spread through soil, air, and other mediums.

Burning Wind killed a hundred-meter giant during a containment failure, and Gray Mist and Red Moon learned that Dead Sea had died. Two days later, a square-faced man arrived at a heavily guarded complex to begin a test with Master Ameng and his craftsmen.

• Burning Wind defeated the giant at sea by turning into flames and burning through its head.
• Gray Mist told Ge Luofu that Dead Sea was dead, leaving Ge Luofu stunned.
• Red Moon learned of Dead Sea's death and saw a faint blood-red glow appear on the crescent moon.
• Two days later, a square-faced man went with a soldier through a fortified complex to meet Master Ameng and begin a test.
• The square-faced man stood in a reinforced corner and removed his clothes as Ameng's craftsmen brought in crystal spell artifacts.

Ameng's craftsmen completed the square-faced man's transformation into a golden-armored fighter, but Ande's warning about the Blood Moon came true as the entire complex exploded. No one at the site survived.

• Ameng's craftsmen embedded crystal spell devices and more than a hundred magic-patterned metal sheets into the square-faced man, then fitted him with golden armor.
• Ande refused to bring the helmet and cried out that the red moon meant judgment and everyone would die.
• Ande's abdomen began building toward an explosion, so the square-faced man struck him before he could detonate.
• Ameng dismissed Ande as a spy and crushed his head, while the others sensed something and looked toward the sky.
• The entire complex exploded in a fireball that destroyed the site and left no corpses.

After Mos Base was destroyed in a strange, soul-burning attack, the Alliance Emperor and Oscar suspected the Truth Society and ordered increased vigilance, especially along the Sika Kingdom border. At a border watchtower, the captain abruptly enforced strict discipline, leaving Frank to wonder what had changed.

• Oscar reported that crimson light and destructive flames had annihilated Mos Base, killing everyone inside and erasing their souls.
• The Emperor blamed the Truth Society’s retaliation for the Alliance’s killing of one of its Colored Ring Overseers and recognized the loss of Number Five and Master Ameng’s craftsman team.
• Oscar urged the Emperor to relocate, and the Emperor agreed while warning that the Sika Kingdom might exploit the crisis.
• Oscar said he would relay the Emperor’s orders to Reef Rock Fortress.
• A day later, the watchtower captain unexpectedly beat a soldier and ordered the usually lax guards to take turns standing watch.
• Frank watched diligently and quietly asked the patrolling captain why he was acting differently.

Frank dismissed the captain’s warning that the Sika Kingdom would attack, but the enemy launched an assault on the outpost that night. As Frank tried to hold the left wall, Vincent was struck repeatedly by arrows and died in front of him.

• The captain warned Frank that the Sika Kingdom might attack and urged him to stay alert, but Frank remained sure he would soon return home to marry Nosa.
• A fireball struck the outpost, killing a soldier, and Frank saw the Sika Kingdom’s army and Wizards advancing.
• The captain gathered the surviving soldiers and assigned Frank to defend the left wall with four men while he guarded the right.
• Frank told his group not to attack first, but an arrow struck Vincent as he stood beside Frank.
• A volley of arrows hit Vincent, who died while glaring at Frank.