Chapter Summaries

After waking in the body of a thirteen-year-old apprentice, Gao De learned that Mage Seda used apprentices as subjects for lethal potion tests. He discovered that magic was real and used his inherited Mage Hand cantrip, leaving him to face life in a dangerous herb garden.

• Gao De woke after nearly a day unconscious and learned from his roommate Emil that Mage Seda's potion testing had likely killed him.
• Emil explained that Mage Seda treated the apprentices as servants and test subjects, and that Tracking Marks made escape dangerous.
• Gao De recalled dying in a library fire in his previous life and realized he had transmigrated into an orphaned apprentice's body.
• Gao De learned that apprentices regularly died testing Mage Seda's failed potions and that new beggars were brought in to replace them.
• Gao De used the Mage Hand cantrip to pour himself water, confirming that magic was real in this world.

Gao De woke in Mage Seda's medicinal garden and considered how to escape the Tracking Mark before being summoned to see Mage Seda. On the way, he clashed with Ilan and learned that Ilan had likely arranged for him to test the medicine.

• Gao De weighed removing his Tracking Mark or killing Mage Seda as possible ways to escape, but saw no way to do either with his limited magic.
• An apprentice summoned Gao De to meet Mage Seda, and Gao De left with him while Emil noticed that Gao De seemed different after waking.
• Ilan blocked Gao De in the corridor, taunted him about surviving the medicine test, and threatened him as Gao De passed.
• The messenger apprentice explained that Ilan was Mage Seda's first apprentice and warned Gao De not to provoke him.
• Gao De learned that Ilan had likely chosen him for the medicine test because he was the only apprentice able to brew Novice Spider Venom.

Gao De met Mage Seda, who used the Interrogation spell to verify that Gao De felt no change after taking the potion. Seda concluded his experiment had not worked and decided to alter the sage in the recipe, though he would have to wait nearly a month for more Spirit Bone Dust.

• Gao De entered Mage Seda’s room and said he felt no different after taking the medicine.
• Mage Seda shoved Gao De forward, seized his neck, and inflicted magical pain while questioning him again.
• Mage Seda determined through the Interrogation spell that Gao De had told the truth and let him leave.
• Mage Seda reasoned that sage might have neutralized the Spirit Bone Dust’s spirit-channeling properties and decided to try five-year-old sage instead of ten-year-old sage.
• Mage Seda realized he had to wait nearly a month for another shipment of Spirit Bone Dust and worried that he had little time to become a First Circle Mage.

After surviving Mage Seda’s interrogation, Gao De realized the mage would likely make him test the potion again and began gathering information about his situation and Ilan. He ate the apprentices’ meager dinner and prepared to begin cultivation, reviewing the methods for increasing mana and Mental Strength.

• Gao De reflected on his encounter with Mage Seda and resolved to endure his weakness while secretly seeking an opportunity to resist him.
• Gao De told Emil that Mage Seda had asked about the potion, and Emil explained that Ilan may have arranged for Gao De to test it out of jealousy.
• Gao De asked Emil about Ilan’s delivery duties and learned more about the herb garden and its routine.
• Gao De and Emil ate Rye Bread and pea soup in the dining hall, and Gao De decided he needed to resist Mage Seda rather than accept such a life.
• Emil began cultivating after dinner, while Gao De reviewed how the Guiding Method and Meditation Art developed mana and Mental Strength.

Gao De began cultivating with the Apprentice Guidance Method and Apprentice Meditation Art, then discovered that his family heirloom had appeared as a crescent gemstone in his Spell Starsea. He could not activate or move it, and the chapter left him exhausted as he went to sleep and considered his next steps.

• Gao De guided magical stardust into his body with the Apprentice Guidance Method, then switched to the Apprentice Meditation Art when his Mental Strength began to tire.
• While meditating, Gao De noticed a crescent-shaped gemstone in his Spell Starsea and recognized it as the pendant inherited from his father.
• Gao De tried repeatedly to activate the Crescent Gem with his Mental Strength, but it rebuffed him and remained motionless.
• Gao De resumed meditation and manifested the lotus pedestal and five petals before ending his cultivation session.
• Gao De found Emil already asleep, went to bed, and pondered how to escape and what to do next.

Gao De killed Ilan in his sleep and discovered that the Crescent Gem had awakened an interface requiring origin to improve his spells. Mage Seda arrived at the apprentice quarters and questioned Gao De, who calmly admitted to the murder.

• Gao De entered Ilan's room at night and repeatedly stabbed him to death with a table knife.
• The Crescent Gem activated, showing Gao De's spells and his Human origin as 1/7; he suspected he needed to kill seven humans to gain an origin point.
• Mage Seda was awakened by the commotion and went to the apprentice quarters after hearing Ilan had died.
• Mage Seda found Gao De beside Ilan's body, and Gao De confessed that he had taken the table knife from the dining hall and used it to kill Ilan.

Gao De killed Ilan in self-defense and used his value to Mage Seda’s potion research to avoid immediate punishment. After burying Ilan, he returned to his routine in the herb garden, where the other apprentices now feared him.

• Gao De told Mage Seda that Ilan had threatened his life, but Mage Seda condemned the killing and assigned Gao De Ilan’s work without the benefits of an apprentice.
• Gao De reflected that killing Ilan had secured his freedom to enter and leave the herb garden, while the Crescent Gem’s activation remained an unexpected gain.
• Gao De and Emil cleaned the room and buried Ilan in the back hills, where earlier potion-test apprentices had been buried.
• Gao De ate breakfast among the silent, frightened apprentices and reviewed his usual work schedule.
• Gao De said goodbye to Emil and headed to the herb-growing area to begin his morning tasks.

Gao De tested whether killing Ash-Eyed Rats could provide Origin and used a complete Ash-Eyed Rat Origin to enhance his Repair spell. He discovered that Repair+ could restore the magic of repaired magic items, while his Human Origin remained incomplete.

• Gao De finished tending the herb plots and fed and inspected Mage Seda’s Gray Rats.
• Gao De killed a sick Gray Rat and confirmed that its death added an Ash-Eyed Rat entry to his Origin panel.
• Gao De killed six more Gray Rats, completing the Ash-Eyed Rat Origin.
• Gao De used the completed Origin to enhance Repair, transforming it into Repair+.
• Gao De learned that Repair+ could restore the magic on a magic item as it repaired physical damage.

Gao De discovered that the Crescent Gem could enhance spells using creature sources, named it Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, and considered how it might help him resist Mage Seda. He then returned to work and successfully enchanted the ingredients for a Novice Spider Venom potion.

• Gao De confirmed that each Ash-Eyed Rat could provide only one point of source and resolved to keep the Crescent Gem secret.
• Gao De named the Crescent Gem Wind Spirit Moon Shadow and imagined using it to enhance offensive spells against Mage Seda.
• Gao De went to his workroom and began preparing a dose of Novice Spider Venom.
• Gao De used his mana and Mental Strength to enchant the Serpent Tooth Herb, boosting its poisonous property.
• Gao De enchanted the remaining ingredients and completed the first stage of potion preparation.

Gao De successfully brewed a Novice Spider Venom elixir and discovered the hidden savings and extra potion left by the previous owner. He realized the former apprentice had been an exceptionally gifted Herbologist whose talent Gao De had inherited.

• Gao De processed the Serpent Tooth Herb, Mountain Mugwort, and Green Spider Sac, then carefully combined them to brew a Novice Spider Venom elixir.
• Gao De divided the elixir among three small bottles and noticed that half an ounce remained.
• Gao De found a wooden box containing three more bottles of the elixir, six gold coins, and assorted silver and copper coins.
• Gao De counted the money and realized the previous owner had saved a remarkable fortune despite receiving no wages from Mage Seda.
• Gao De concluded that the previous owner had been a Herbology genius who could brew extra elixir, and recognized that he had inherited that talent.

Gao De delivered Mage Seda’s Novice Spider Venom to Phil’s Herb Shop and explored Hogan City’s commercial district while considering how to sell his own potions. He left Emil waiting near Pand’s Bakery and continued searching for another buyer, despite the dangers of returning through the Slums after dark.

• Gao De recalled that his predecessor had planned to earn money and escape Mage Seda’s Tracking Mark, and resolved to succeed using his savings and Herbology knowledge.
• Gao De and Emil walked from the remote herb garden through Hogan City’s impoverished streets to the commercial district.
• Gao De delivered five sets of Novice Spider Venom to Phil’s Herb Shop and received a stamped delivery receipt instead of payment.
• Gao De remembered that his own set of Novice Spider Venom was still in his pack and decided to establish a new sales channel.
• Gao De gave Emil 6 copper coins and told him to wait outside Pand’s Bakery while he looked around for another buyer.

Gao De sold Novice Spider Venom to Pierre at a fair price, then asked whether the shop sold spell formulas. Pierre warned him that private spell formula trading was forbidden, as the formulas were controlled goods and counterfeit versions could lead to dangerous fake potions.

• Gao De found Pierre's Odds and Ends in a quiet alley of Hogan City's commercial district.
• Gao De sold Pierre three bottles of high-quality Novice Spider Venom for thirty-three silver.
• Gao De asked Pierre whether he sold spell formulas, and Pierre's friendly manner turned cold.
• Pierre explained that Sien and other countries restricted private spell formula sales because formulas were dangerous, lucrative, and easy to forge.

Gao De sought new offensive spell formulas to prepare for the danger awaiting him at the herb garden, and Pierre connected him with Yom for a private transaction. Five days later, Gao De arrived with all his savings and began reviewing the formulas Yom was willing to sell.

• Gao De offered Pierre extra money for spell formulas, but Pierre refused to sell directly and offered to introduce him to a customer instead.
• Gao De paid Pierre ten Shamrock Silver Coins for the introduction and agreed to return five days later before Evening Prayer.
• During the wait, Gao De continued working in the herb garden and worried that the next medicine trial would kill him, while seeking new spells and a new Origin as possible paths to survival.
• After completing a high-quality Novice Spider Venom, Gao De took all his savings and went into Hogan City to buy spell formulas.
• At Pierre's Odds and Ends, Gao De met Yom, who handed him a list of spell formulas and their effects to review before they negotiated a purchase.

Gao De negotiated with Yom to buy three Zero Circle Spell formulas, choosing spells that would strengthen his combat abilities. After completing the deal at Pierre's General Store, Gao De left with the formulas and thanked Pierre for arranging the meeting.

• Gao De reviewed Yom's five spell formulas and bargained over their price, citing the risks of buying illicit spells.
• Pierre confirmed that Yom had lived in Hogan City for years, giving Gao De some confidence in the formulas' authenticity.
• Gao De pretended to leave when Yom rejected his offer, and Yom called him back and accepted six gold coins for three formulas.
• Gao De chose Acid Splash, Ray of Frost, and Resistance Boost, then paid Yom six gold coins.
• Yom left the store, and Gao De thanked Pierre for helping arrange the transaction.

Gao De studied the Acid Splash formula and began constructing its Spell Model in the Spell Starsea. After he successfully positioned the first three stars, the links between them collapsed and his first attempt failed.

• Gao De returned to the herb garden, ate dinner, and read through the Acid Splash formula.
• Gao De memorized the nine-node Spell Model in less than half an hour and entered meditation.
• Gao De used his Mental Strength to pin the first tiny star in place and connect a second star to it.
• Gao De moved the second and third stars toward their prescribed positions while maintaining their star tracks.
• Gao De lost control when the first star track snapped, causing the other connections to collapse and ending his first attempt in failure.

Gao De struggled to construct the Acid Splash Spell Model, then devised a coordinate-based method to simplify the process. He memorized the model’s nine Starseed coordinates and prepared to try constructing it with his new approach.

• Gao De reviewed a failed Spell Model attempt and realized a Starseed’s slight movement had caused the entire model to collapse.
• Gao De came up with the idea of fixing each Starseed’s position before connecting the star tracks.
• Gao De established a Cartesian coordinate system with the first Starseed as the origin and used vector addition to calculate the other Starseeds’ coordinates.
• Gao De recorded Acid Splash’s nine Starseed coordinates and memorized them within minutes.
• Gao De began another attempt to construct the Spell Model using his new method.

Gao De used Wind Spirit Moon Shadow as a fixed origin to complete the Acid Splash Spell Model and cast the spell successfully. After seeing its corrosive power, he realized he had exhausted his Mental Strength and went to rest.

• Gao De struggled to keep the Acid Splash starseeds aligned because the first starseed could shift without a fixed reference point.
• Gao De recognized that Wind Spirit Moon Shadow remained motionless in his Spell Starsea and used it as the new origin for the starseed coordinates.
• Gao De constructed the nine-starseed Acid Splash Spell Model and mastered the cantrip in one day.
• Gao De cast Acid Splash at a wall corner, where it corroded the stone floor and wall before vanishing.
• Gao De overdrawn his Mental Strength after constructing Spell Models three times and returned to his room to rest.

Gao De mastered Acid Splash, Resistance Boost, and Ray of Frost using his new Spell Model method, then considered how to strengthen his limited magic and obtain more Origin. His roommate Emil revealed what he knew about Mage Seda and agreed that they could not simply wait to die.

• Gao De tested Ray of Frost on a Gray Rat corpse and confirmed he had mastered all three new cantrips in six days.
• Gao De realized his mana could only support five cantrip casts and decided to seek money and more Origin to improve his spells.
• Gao De returned to the bedroom and found Emil awake, where Emil asked whether he wanted to deal with Mage Seda.
• Emil said he would not sit by and wait for death, then told Gao De that Mage Seda used a touch spell that weakened its target.
• Emil shared Ilan's advice that mages should never let others know their spells, hoping it would help Gao De.

Gao De learned that Mage Seda’s spells required physical contact and considered how to exploit that if they faced off. While buying ingredients in Hogan City, he was ambushed in the Slums by three robbers, but he retaliated with Ray of Frost.

• Emil told Gao De that Ilan had mentioned the Three Tenets of Mages and that Mage Seda’s spell had required touching Nio.
• Gao De recalled Mage Seda’s painful spell and resolved to avoid contact if he had to fight him.
• Three robbers watched Gao De leave Seda’s Herb Garden and planned to steal the money they believed he carried.
• In the Slums, the robbers attacked Gao De with wooden clubs, striking his back before he dodged their second blow.
• Gao De distracted the robbers and hit their leader with Ray of Frost, freezing his skin and filling him with pain.

Gao De defeated three miners who tried to rob him and learned they had targeted him because they believed he carried money to collect herbs from Phil's Herb Shop. He confirmed the rare herbs had not arrived yet, leaving him anxious about his limited time and eager to test his growing magical power.

• Gao De struck the gang leader with acid after slowing him with Ray of Frost, leaving the man badly burned and making the other two beg for mercy.
• Gao De questioned the surviving miners and learned they had lost their jobs at Nottingham Coal Mine and planned to travel to Bremen City for work.
• The second miner explained that the boss had targeted Gao De after hearing that the young apprentice handled purchases and deliveries for Elixirist Seda's herb garden.
• The third miner revealed that Phil's Herb Shop was waiting for a shipment of rare herbs and that the miners had assumed Gao De was going to collect them.
• Gao De let the three miners go, then visited Phil's Herb Shop and learned the herbs would not arrive until the end of the month.