Chapter Summaries

Yi Chen descended into Green Lake disguised as one of six infected bodies and fought through the Giant Eye’s mental attack to touch it, allowing Little Grape to enter. The eye then sent Yi Chen’s consciousness to an abyssal laboratory, where he encountered Fish Source—Nashatar, The Primitive Arowana.

• From the mountain, Professor Chamberson spotted Yi Chen being carried toward Green Lake among six decoy bodies and sent his owl to investigate.
• Yi Chen observed the Human Eggs and transforming Sick Ones below the lake, while Little Grape identified the Giant Eye as their target and planned to enter it through physical contact.
• The Giant Eye sent Flesh Eels to collect the decoys, and Yi Chen waited until the last eel reached his navel before cutting it apart and swimming toward the eye.
• The Giant Eye focused its gaze on Yi Chen and attacked his mind, but he endured the mental assault and touched the eye, letting Little Grape enter through its opening.
• The eye’s mental erosion sent Yi Chen’s consciousness to an abyssal laboratory, where he saw Fish Source—Nashatar, The Primitive Arowana.

Yi Chen escaped Green Lake after Little Grape killed the Watcher Giant Eye, but the encounter left him mentally injured and the town remained dangerous. After the organization ordered all examinees to assemble at the East Exit, Boss and Kadesi helped him reach the carriage, and Boss urged him to kill them if they met again.

• A strange being in an Abyss Laboratory noticed Yi Chen watching it, but Little Grape pulled his consciousness back to Green Lake before it could turn fully toward him.
• Little Grape revealed that it had drained the Watcher Giant Eye and needed a long rest, while Mermaids swarmed Yi Chen on the lakebed.
• A White Feathered Owl rescued Yi Chen from the lake and carried him to Green Shade Inn, where Boss and Kadesi treated him and Kadesi gave him Fish Head Soup to ease his mental aftereffects.
• An announcement ordered all examinees to reach the East Exit within ten minutes, so Boss and Kadesi disguised Yi Chen as a corpse and pushed him there by cart.
• Boss embraced Yi Chen and told him to kill her if they met again, then Yi Chen left for the assembly point.

Yi Chen escaped Green Lake Town with Edmund and the others, then traveled toward Zion City while pondering the entity behind the town’s outbreak. On the steep mountain road to the city, Little Grape recovered and shared an upgraded targeting ability with him.

• Dagobert pulled Yi Chen into Edmund’s carriage as it departed Green Lake Town with the surviving assessors.
• Edmund told Yi Chen that Zion City was about three hours away, and Yi Chen rested while reflecting on the Abyss Laboratory and the unknown entity behind the outbreak.
• The carriage climbed a narrow road along a cliff, and Yi Chen saw Zion City built against the mountain summit.
• Little Grape emerged from Yi Chen’s body, said it had recovered after digesting a meal, and shared a visual trait that let Yi Chen lock onto living targets for Psychic Radiation.

Yi Chen learned from Little Grape that illnessification had suppressed electricity outside safe cities, then arrived at Zion City with the other examinees. After a decontamination screening eliminated two people, Jeff Peterson welcomed the remaining group and led them toward Divine Skin Manor to receive their assessment grades and Gentleman’s Skin.

• Yi Chen noticed electric streetlights on the road to Zion City, and Little Grape explained that Gray Domains could infect electrical systems and had forced technology to retreat to the Steam Age.
• Edmund told Yi Chen that they had arrived and still needed to complete the assessment, evaluation, and award ceremony before officially joining the organization.
• Jeff Peterson directed the nineteen examinees through an isolation passage and ordered them to undergo decontamination.
• A high-pressure chemical wash and an unseen detection process eliminated two examinees, leaving seventeen people to continue.
• Jeff welcomed the group to Zion, headquarters of G&D, and led them toward Divine Skin Manor to receive different grades of Gentleman’s Skin based on their performance.

Yi Chen explored Zion City's labyrinthine Street District and learned about the organization’s doctors after one noticed his Death Aura. He and the other examinees crossed the Black Bridge and arrived at Divine Skin Manor, whose ancient, skin-like walls reminded him of the Fish Scale Abyss.

• Yi Chen observed the Street District’s layered, maze-like streets and noted how the city’s design could help isolate infected areas.
• Yi Chen noticed Zion’s refined residents, secret shops, guarded paths, and unusual pets as he followed Mr. Jeff with the other examinees.
• A masked doctor stopped to question Yi Chen about the Death Aura he carried, and Yi Chen said he had worked at a cemetery in Easton Town.
• Edmund explained that doctors used Medical Equipment to remove the Root of Disease and were powerful members of G&D.
• Yi Chen and the examinees crossed the Black Bridge and reached Divine Skin Manor, whose walls gave him a sense of ancient familiarity.

At Divine Skin Manor, William Berens received a score of 96 for his actions in Green Lake Town, earning the chance to meet the First Gentleman. White Owl Chamberson led him toward the manor’s depths, where an ancient presence tried to separate his skin from his body.

• George Chamberson announced the assessment scores, and several examinees received scores of 80 or higher.
• Chamberson awarded William Berens 96 points and praised his investigation, alliance with a Sick One, and destruction of the disease’s source in the lake.
• After the other examinees left for the Acceptance Ceremony, White Owl Chamberson offered to take William to meet the First Gentleman and warned him to endure any discomfort in his skin.
• Chamberson led William through hidden passages and down a spiral staircase beneath the manor.
• An eerie whisper made William feel that his skin wanted to leave his body, but Little Grape’s warning and support brought him back to his senses.

Yi Chen met the First Gentleman, Alexis Jin Claude, and received a large piece of Gentleman's Skin as his examination reward. Claude sensed a death-related force in Yi Chen during the transfer, and urged Chamberson to ensure Yi Chen received basic training before Yi Chen and Chamberson returned to the review hall.

• Chamberson warned Yi Chen not to speak an ancient name and asked him to describe his experiences at the Seven-Day Graveyard.
• Chamberson unlocked the lowest level of the manor, where Yi Chen saw Alexis Jin Claude suspended above an underground church altar.
• Claude invited Yi Chen to accept his skin, but interrupted their contact when he sensed a tug of death and a small black vortex within Yi Chen.
• Yi Chen received a living piece of Gentleman's Skin measuring 10 cm by 10 cm and placed it in a black box.
• Claude told Chamberson to arrange basic training for Yi Chen, then Yi Chen and Chamberson returned to the examination review hall.

Chamberson explained that the Gentleman's Skin connected Yi Chen to a system of professions, then guided him through the ritual. In the Old Hall, Yi Chen discovered three extraordinary profession letters and was left to choose among them.

• Chamberson told Yi Chen that the Gentleman's Skin was a medium that would let him choose a profession, and explained the four letter colors and their risks.
• Yi Chen joined the examinees in the ritual chamber and placed the Gentleman's Skin over his head as the priests began the ritual.
• The ritual drew Yi Chen's Consciousness Body into the Old Hall, where he found the skin covering three letters.
• Yi Chen uncovered a blue letter, a black letter, and a purple letter, and was stunned by the rare choice before him.

Yi Chen chose the Purple Letter after weighing its connection to his past against the plant and death paths offered by the other letters. He returned to the ritual chamber with his head smoking and no visible emblem, prompting George Chamberson to examine him.

• Yi Chen considered the Blue Letter's plant path and the Black Letter's death-related path, then discovered that the Purple Letter bore his graduation thesis.
• Yi Chen reasoned that the Purple Letter could let him develop both plant and death traits, recalled how books had shaped his life, and opened it.
• Yi Chen returned to the ritual chamber after the letter's information blazed into his eyes and brain.
• Edmund, Dagobert, and Julianna emerged with their chosen profession emblems branded on their bodies.
• George Chamberson found no emblem on Yi Chen and entered the formation to examine him.

After Yi Chen completed his profession selection, Professor Chamberson discovered a strange Professional Emblem formed by his brain and took responsibility for his lodging and clothing arrangements. Yi Chen explained why he had chosen the Purple Letter, and Chamberson became his first Mentor in Zion, preparing to guide him through Custom Clothing.

• Chamberson examined Yi Chen and found a book-shaped Professional Emblem formed by the grooves at the back of his brain.
• Chamberson announced that the examinees had two days to arrange Custom Clothing before their training began, and he took charge of Yi Chen's arrangements.
• Chamberson treated Yi Chen to a meal, where Yi Chen and Little Grape eagerly devoured the food.
• Yi Chen told Chamberson about the blue, black, and purple Letters he had encountered and explained that he chose the Purple Letter to pursue knowledge while balancing two attributes.
• Chamberson accepted Yi Chen's reasoning, became his first Mentor in Zion, and explained that Custom Clothing would help him inspect the changes from his profession.

Yi Chen followed Professor Chamberson to a secluded tailor shop in Chasm-Street to have his Gentleman's Skin made into custom clothing. After Chamberson left for a meeting, Yi Chen found the shop and met its unusual tailor, who recognized the rare skin and agreed to begin the complicated customization.

• Chamberson explained that the organization supported tailor shops outside its grounds and led Yi Chen into the lower district to visit an old tailoring friend.
• A ringing public telephone summoned Chamberson to a meeting, so he gave Yi Chen his owl business card and directions to the tailor shop.
• Yi Chen concealed his face and the black box, then entered a dark, sculpture-filled Gothic building at the end of the street.
• A masked, two-toned-suited shop owner descended the stairs and asked why Yi Chen had come.
• Yi Chen revealed the Gentleman's Skin, causing the stone sculptures to shed layers of stone, and the shop owner told him to put it away before inviting him to begin Full Customization.

Yi Chen completed the measurements and fitting for his first Gentleman's Attire at Kolor Ivan’s Nameless Tailor Shop, while learning that his unusual background and Purple Letter made the work especially demanding. As the outfit neared completion, he encountered a fellow examinee who proposed an intimate exchange of body inspections.

• Kolor Ivan introduced himself, questioned Yi Chen about his background and Letter selection, and decided Full Customization would take twenty-four hours.
• Ivan told Yi Chen to stay at the Tailor Shop in silence while he worked on the outfit using the Gentleman's Skin.
• Yi Chen slept at the shop and underwent repeated strange measurements and fittings until Ivan approved a sixth sample outfit.
• With an hour left before completion, Yi Chen went downstairs after hearing footsteps and met a masked, colorfully dressed examinee who had ranked second in the assessment.
• The examinee pressed his mask against Yi Chen, asked how he had killed the Watcher, and offered an equivalent exchange of body inspections.

Yi Chen visited Shopkeeper Ivan’s Tailoring Room to try on the custom clothes made from the Gentleman's Skin. When the finished suit resonated with him, Ancient Script appeared in his vision, identifying his profession as Student.

• Yi Chen refused Jin’s inappropriate invitation, and Jin followed him to meet Shopkeeper Ivan.
• Shopkeeper Ivan brought Yi Chen into the Tailoring Room and explained the outfit he had designed around life, death, and knowledge.
• Yi Chen entered the Finished Clothing Fitting Room and examined the custom shirt, waistcoat, trousers, suit, and overcoat.
• Yi Chen tried on the clothes, which resonated with his body and activated his mind.
• Ancient Script appeared in Yi Chen’s vision and displayed his profession as Student.

Yi Chen inspected his attributes and Diseased Trait, then received a tailored suit and a Zion backpack from Shopkeeper Ivan. Ivan urged him to treat the suit as a complement to his character, and Yi Chen stayed at the shop for a final comfort check before reporting to the academy.

• Yi Chen examined his inspection results, which showed his unique Student profession, attributes, Diseased Trait, unknown soul substance, and the risks posed by Little Grape..
• Shopkeeper Ivan carefully checked Yi Chen's measurements and confirmed that the outfit had an error margin of only 0.09%.
• Shopkeeper Ivan gave Yi Chen a Gentleman's Backpack that let him switch between his suit and overcoat in less than a second.
• Shopkeeper Ivan added a tie, glasses, and a G&D handkerchief, then told Yi Chen that true nobility came from surpassing his past self.
• Yi Chen thanked Shopkeeper Ivan and agreed to stay at the shop for a day so Ivan could ensure the clothes remained comfortable.

After leaving the Tailoring Room, Yi Chen reflected on his new outfit and career while learning more about the dangers and limits of becoming a gentleman. Professor Chamberson took him to begin special training at Arfros Tistic Academy, where he would report the next day.

• Jin invited Yi Chen to form a mission team, then briefly threatened him with a sudden display of killing intent before entering the Tailoring Room.
• Yi Chen and Little Grape discussed earning skin, reaching the Human Limit, and the conditions under which Little Grape might kill him.
• Professor Chamberson arrived, praised Yi Chen’s outfit, and decided to start a special training plan immediately.
• Chamberson wrote a note for Ivan and took Yi Chen toward Arfros Tistic Academy, a sealed academy where most gentlemen trained.

Yi Chen arrived at Arfros Tistic Academy with Professor Chamberson and learned about its courses, requirements, and unusual layout. While waiting in Chamberson’s office, he opened a history book and discovered that the world had an entirely new geographical system.

• Professor Chamberson guided Yi Chen and Little Grape through the academy’s railway entrance and introduced the Twin Towers, where the academy taught Gentleman Studies and Pathology.
• Chamberson explained that New Gentlemen had to reach the Human Limit within two years and complete at least one Gentleman Mission each month, but he would control Yi Chen’s free time until he was ready for missions.
• Yi Chen learned how the academy’s buildings corresponded to parts of the human body and entered Chamberson’s office in the Fetal Heart Chapel.
• While Chamberson worked on his training schedule, Yi Chen browsed a bookcase and opened World History.
• Yi Chen saw the world map unfold and realized the book described an entirely new world system, while the emblem on the back of his head began to writhe.

Yi Chen learned about the continents and the Gray Zone, but found no books explaining the disease’s origin. After spending two hours reading every book in the study, he told Professor Chamberson he had finished them all.

• Yi Chen rapidly read a world history book and learned the names and features of the continents, including that he was in Quechua.
• Little Grape explained that the Gray Zone had five levels, that high-level zones blocked travel between continents, and that the highest level allowed no one to return.
• A white owl warned Yi Chen that books about the disease could become disease mediums and said he would need to become stronger to learn more.
• Yi Chen read every book in the bookcase, and his Intelligence attribute rose slightly.
• Professor Chamberson returned with a detailed special-training schedule and was stunned when Yi Chen said he had finished all the books.

Yi Chen discussed his rare profession and the Human Limit with Professor Chamberson, then asked for physical training despite his intelligence-focused abilities. After testing Yi Chen’s strength and reflexes, Chamberson agreed to arrange training with an eccentric instructor and sent him to settle into his dormitory.

• Yi Chen demonstrated that he had read Chamberson’s books in just over two hours, and Chamberson learned that Yi Chen’s profession granted mastery of Old Living Script and the ability to raise intelligence by devouring diseased brains.
• Chamberson explained how Gentleman's Skin connected people to the growth system and said that crossing the Limit Membrane required a matching relic.
• Yi Chen asked for physical training, and Chamberson said he would give him a letter to take with his Owl Business Card to an eccentric instructor after the Pathology course.
• Chamberson tested Yi Chen’s exercises and reactions, and Yi Chen revealed that he had trained when he was young.
• Chamberson judged that Yi Chen’s body could reach the limit and told him to adapt to his new outfit, prepare for class, and move into his assigned dormitory.

Yi Chen settled into his new life at the school and arrived for his first Pathology class at the Weirsterman Teaching Building. As the classroom lights went out, a crowd of deformed Living Corpses poured through the door.

• Yi Chen recalled the harsh conditions at the Orphanage, then locked the memories away and moved into a dormitory apartment.
• Yi Chen reviewed Professor Chamberson's packed training schedule and looked forward to his Pathology class.
• Yi Chen met Edmund, who admired Yi Chen's suit, and learned that their Pathology teacher had once caused a student's death through improper teaching.
• Yi Chen and the other students passed security checks and climbed to classroom #203 in the sealed Weirsterman Teaching Building.
• The lights went out as deformed Living Corpses surged through the classroom door.

At Weirsterman Teaching Building, Yi Chen recognized that the apparent Living Corpse attack was a test and uncovered Teacher Hogney Zede. After Zede taught a disturbing anatomy lesson, Yi Chen gave him Professor Chamberson’s letter and business card, and Zede agreed to take him for special training despite warning that it could kill him.

• When the tungsten lamps went out, Living Corpses poured into the classroom, and the students prepared to fight.
• Yi Chen noticed irregularities, greeted one Living Corpse as a gentleman, and revealed Teacher Hogney Zede beneath the disguise.
• Zede explained that the corpses were disinfected teaching materials, then demonstrated human anatomy by having a Living Corpse dissect him.
• After class, Yi Chen stayed behind and gave Zede Professor Chamberson’s handwritten letter and business card.
• Zede accepted Yi Chen for special training, warned that he could not guarantee his safety, and took him along.