Chapter Summaries

Gao De worked on restoring Jerica’s magic necklace while weighing how to approach Lady Misu about the Letter of Recommendation and building his repair business. After a quiet week, he finished the necklace and learned that it could automatically cast Feather Fall once before being damaged.

• Gao De restored part of Jerica’s necklace, trained his magic, and considered ways to earn Lady Misu’s trust without resorting to force or risking exposure to a hidden enemy.
• Gao De spent the following week training, constructing spell models, gathering information about Saint Sien City, and watching for suspicious people.
• Several prospective customers declined to wait for Gao De’s repair services, but he remained confident he would attract business as his reputation grew.
• On Sunbeam Month, day 9, Gao De completed the necklace’s restoration and discovered that it gathered and stored a little mana and could cast Feather Fall once when its wearer fell at least 20 feet.

Gao De repaired Jerica’s valuable necklace, Lake Heart, and she paid him fifteen Sien Gold Coins. Before leaving, Jerica gave him a calling card for the Lord’s Manor at 1 Deepstream Street, revealing her connection to Bremen City’s most noble family.

• Gao De realized Lake Heart’s damaged gemstone had been split by its attached Feather Fall spell and considered the necklace’s high value.
• Jerica visited Gao De, and he returned Lake Heart fully repaired; she inspected its Mystic power and praised his craftsmanship.
• Jerica paid Gao De fifteen Sien Gold Coins and said Lake Heart had been left to her by her mother.
• Jerica gave Gao De a calling card bearing the Bremen Mage’s Association’s bird emblem and invited him to seek her help at 1 Deepstream Street.
• Gao De recognized 1 Deepstream Street as the Lord’s Manor and carefully kept Jerica’s calling card.

Gao De’s repair business prospered through the rest of Sunbeam Month, while he continued watching Lady Misu’s home and expanding his spell library. On Harvest Month’s first day, he visited Pierre in Devis District, bringing him two bottles of wine.

• Jerica defended her decision to repay Gao De for repairing Lake Heart, and his repair business soon grew through word of mouth.
• Gao De repaired sixteen alchemical creations in two weeks, earned twenty-five gold coins, and completed Spell Models for Detect Poison, Minor Illusion, Open/Close, and Message.
• Gao De continued observing the area near Lady Misu’s home but found no suspicious people and decided he would stop watching after the month ended if nothing changed.
• On Harvest Month, day one, Gao De closed his shop, bought two bottles of sparkling wine, and traveled to Devis District.
• Gao De arrived at Pierre’s home, and Pierre welcomed him inside and asked when he had reached Bremen City.

Gao De learned more about Maso Rats and Bloodthorn Vines from Pierre, who gave him a notebook about Leyline Creatures to help with his future hunts. When Gao De asked how to reach Saint Sien City, Pierre revealed that an airship offered a direct route, though it was beyond ordinary people’s means.

• Gao De told Pierre that he had left Hogan City after finding signs of a leyline and discovering Maso Rats in the sewers.
• Pierre explained Maso Rats’ value, their symbiosis with Bloodthorn Vines, and the dangers of hunting them in packs.
• Gao De revealed that he was a Second-Order Apprentice, and Pierre gave him his notebook of records about common Leyline Creatures in the Bremen Region.
• Pierre shared stories from his years hunting Leyline Creatures, while Gao De listened and thanked him for his help.
• Gao De asked how to travel from Bremen City to Saint Sien City, and Pierre said an airship could take him there directly.

Gao De learned that airships were unavailable in Bremen City, complicating his journey to Saint Sien City, then visited Lady Misu with Mage Seda’s unsent letter. He revealed that he had been Seda’s apprentice and left believing Lady Misu did not know about Seda’s herb-garden experiments.

• Pierre explained that airships were reserved for authorities, trading houses, and nobles because Sien was poor and could not support civilian service.
• Pierre took Gao De to an extravagant restaurant for lunch, and Gao De shared where he lived and worked.
• Gao De visited Lady Misu and used his Open/Close spell to shut the door before giving her Mage Seda’s letter.
• Lady Misu asked why Gao De had her husband’s letter, and Gao De admitted he was Seda’s apprentice from Hogan City.
• Gao De described Seda’s care for the orphaned apprentices while withholding that Seda had used them for drug testing, and concluded Lady Misu had not known about it.

Gao De told Lady Misu that Mage Seda had died and delivered his unfinished Spirit-Linking Potion formula. Lady Misu revealed the history of the Ceres Academy recommendation letter and gave it to Gao De, while privately recognizing that his story was false and choosing not to challenge him.

• Gao De told Lady Misu that Mage Seda had died and handed her his unfinished Spirit-Linking Potion formula.
• Lady Misu identified the second item as a Ceres Academy of Magic Letter of Recommendation and explained that the Haller Family had driven Seda away to obtain it.
• Lady Misu said she would not risk taking the letter to Saint Sien City and gave it to Gao De, who could use it without the Haller Family recognizing him.
• Lady Misu explained that the Norman Family had kept the letter for a talented heir, but its decline and the difficult journey to the academy had prevented them from using it.
• After Gao De left, Lady Misu recognized inconsistencies in his claim to be Seda's apprentice but chose to accept his account and give him the letter to gain his goodwill.

Gao De resolved to find a way to reach Saint Sien City, while a leyline formed near Hogan City and unleashed an assault that threatened the city. The chapter left Hogan’s residents facing an overwhelming horde of Hound Demons.

• Gao De decided he had to reach Ceres Academy of Magic in Saint Sien City, no matter how difficult the journey was.
• Viscount Charles learned that the report of surging magic power near Hogan City had been sent to Saint Sien City and waited for help.
• A violent tremor and brilliant light revealed that a leyline was forming near Hogan City, so the sentry captain ordered the highest-level alarm.
• The leyline opened and poured out countless Leyline Creatures, many of which charged toward Hogan City.
• The sentries spotted hundreds of Hound Demons approaching the walls and realized the city faced a deadly attack.

Gao De joined Bremen City's defense after learning that a swarm of Dire Bats was approaching amid a Leyline Creatures’ riot. He received his reward, joined Team Seven, and reached the western city wall before the attack arrived.

• Gao De planned his journey to Saint Sien City before citywide alarms announced that Dire Bats were heading for Bremen City after a Leyline Rebirth near Hogan City.
• Gao De decided to answer the city's call, hoping to earn gold and gain a fragment of Origin while defending from the city wall.
• Gao De registered as a Second-Order Apprentice, received five gold coins, and was assigned to Team Seven.
• Lilo took command of Team Seven and led its seventeen members to defend a hundred-meter section of the western city wall.

Gao De and Team Seven defended Bremen City from a swarm of Dire Bats, with archers weakening the creatures before the Mage Apprentices finished those that reached the wall. Gao De killed one with Flame Arrow+ and gained a coin and Dire Bat Essence, then prepared to target the next wave.

• Lilo briefed Team Seven on the Dire Bats, their disease-carrying bites and scratches, and the need to conserve mana while supporting the City Guards.
• Thousands of Dire Bats emerged from the forest and flew toward Bremen City, where archers began shooting them as they neared the wall.
• The arrows wounded and killed many bats, while others broke through the archers' barrage and approached Team Seven's section of wall.
• Lilo ordered the Mage Apprentices to attack, and they used their spells to kill the wounded Dire Bats that reached the wall.
• Gao De killed a Dire Bat with Flame Arrow+ and received one coin and Dire Bat Essence, then focused on claiming kills in the next wave.

Gao De and Team Seven defended the city wall against successive Dire Bat attacks until a swarm led by First-Ring Dire Bats threatened to overwhelm them. A High-Ring Mage wiped out the attackers, and after the battle Lilo praised the team and explained how they would report their kills for rewards.

• Gao De killed three more Dire Bats with Flame Arrow+, bringing his Dire Bat essence progress to (4/7).
• A swarm led by four First-Ring Dire Bats charged Team Seven's section of the wall, and Lilo calmed the panicking apprentices.
• A High-Ring Mage unleashed a storm of magical daggers that killed the First-Ring Dire Bats and nearly a hundred others.
• Gao De watched the defense continue until the remaining Dire Bats fled, though several City Guards had been injured.
• Lilo praised Team Seven for completing their first mission with few casualties and told the apprentices to report their kill counts to receive their promised rewards.

After the Dire Bat attack ended without casualties, Gao De used its Origin to upgrade Blade Ward. Pierre explained that the newborn leyline could transform the Bremen Region, while Hogan City had already fallen; they waited for help from Saint Sien City.

• Gao De collected seven additional gold coins for his role in the defense and gained a new Dire Bat Origin point.
• Gao De spent the Origin point to upgrade Blade Ward, allowing him to cast it without tracing its protective sigil.
• Pierre explained that leylines connected the Mage Plane and Leyline Plane, and that the newborn leyline could attract creatures and create valuable resources.
• Pierre told Gao De that Hogan City had fallen in the first wave of Leyline Creature riots, and they discussed the danger of the newborn leyline exceeding Level Three.
• Pierre said the region needed help from Saint Sien City before it would be safe.

A massive airship from Saint Sien City arrived in Bremen, bringing Mage Frey to prepare for an expedition to the newborn Hogan Leyline. Gao De accepted a paid summons to join the authorities' hunt for Leyline Creatures the next morning.

• A silver airship arrived over Bremen City, landed in the city square, and revealed Mage Frey, who ordered supplies prepared for his departure to the Hogan Leyline.
• A Bremen City official told Gao De that the authorities were recruiting mages for a large-scale hunt and clearing operation the following day.
• The official explained that Mage Apprentices would hunt around the leyline's affected outskirts alongside the City Guard while mages from Saint Sien handled the interior.
• After considering the danger and the pay, Gao De agreed to join the hunt for a daily wage.
• The official told Gao De to gather at Black Horn Square at seven the next morning and handed him a summons.

The author reflected on the launch of Beyond the Archmage!, explaining its style, worldbuilding, protagonist, and update plans. He promised to finish the story and asked readers to subscribe only if they genuinely liked it.

• The author said he liked Beyond the Archmage! and would work to write and finish it well.
• He explained that the Western Fantasy setting used accessible language, Chinese-style foreign names, and a Xuanhuan foundation without battle aura warriors.
• He described the research behind ordinary prices and his formulas for pricing Mystic Items, and invited readers to point out errors with supporting evidence.
• He said most spells came from D&D, while the rest of the background was his own, and invited readers to suggest spell applications and developments.
• He compared the book's early results with Sword Cultivator, promised stable updates and completion, and explained Gao De's lawful-neutral character and mathematics background.
• He discussed accusations of copying, his use of detailed worldbuilding and foreshadowing, and asked readers to subscribe only if they liked Beyond the Archmage!.

Gao De prepared for Bremen City’s Leyline Creature-clearing operation, then joined the summoned mages as they set out for Karmond City. The convoy reached the mountain forest, where the mages were to spread out and clear creatures from both sides of the road.

• Gao De bought Azure Radiance Draughts and Minor Healing Potions but found no useful alchemical creations left to purchase.
• Gao De packed for the operation, rested overnight, and arrived at Black Horn Square before the appointed time.
• Gao De registered with the other summoned mages and received his departure compensation.
• Mage Wiersa, a Second Circle Mage from the enforcement squad, arrived and ordered the mages to depart.
• Gao De traveled with the convoy toward Karmond City as City Guards handled logistics and walked beside the carriages.
• The convoy entered the mountain forest, where the mages were ordered to hunt Leyline Creatures within two kilometers of the road.

Gao De’s team entered the forest to hunt Leyline Creatures, where a sudden bird attack wounded one Mage Apprentice and forced the group to take the dangers of the wilderness seriously. After killing the bird and sending the injured apprentice back to the convoy, the team continued its mission under the middle-aged mage’s warning.

• Mage Wiersa ordered mage teams to sweep the forests along the convoy’s route, and Gao De joined a team led by a middle-aged mage.
• A gigantic black bird ambushed the Mage Apprentice at the rear of the group and tore open his chest.
• The middle-aged mage struck the bird’s wing with an Ice Shard, and the apprentices finished it off with their spells.
• The middle-aged mage gave the injured apprentice a Minor Healing Potion and ordered another apprentice to escort him back to the convoy.
• The middle-aged mage warned the team about ambushes, and Gao De realized he could not rely on others for safety in the wilderness.

Gao De and the party fought a swarm of Gray Spine Bees that had settled near the newborn leyline. They drove the bees into the forest after several attacks, though the stingers wounded many Mage Apprentices.

• The leading middle-aged mage spotted Gray Spine Bees clinging to a towering tree and explained their weakness to fire.
• The middle-aged mage led the fire mages, including Gao De, in an attack that burned away more than half the swarm.
• Mage Apprentices with area-of-effect spells attacked the surviving bees, and the fire mages followed with another wave.
• The remaining Gray Spine Bees fired stingers at the party, but Gao De used Blade Ward+ to repel the shots while other Mage Apprentices were wounded.
• The party attacked again until the surviving Gray Spine Bees scattered into the forest, and the middle-aged mage chose not to pursue them.

Gao De recovered his mana after the team’s early battles, spent a Gray Spine Bee Origin to upgrade Resistance Boost, and continued the day’s mission. After the team returned to camp, one injured Mage Apprentice chose to go home while Gao De decided to keep fighting.

• Gao De rested after two battles, replenished his mana, and saw that he had gained a complete Gray Spine Bee Origin.
• Gao De used the Origin to upgrade Resistance Boost, gaining increased spell resistance and the ability to extend the spell indefinitely on himself.
• The team fought six more battles, including a White-foot Centipede ambush that the leading mage stopped with an Ice Shard.
• The leading mage led the exhausted team back to camp, where Gao De ate dinner and saw the two injured Mage Apprentices recovering.
• The Mage Apprentice injured by the flying Leyline Creature decided to return home, while the Mage Apprentice stung in the eye chose to stay; Gao De also decided to continue.

Gao De joined the wilderness reclamation mission, kept up his cultivation while fighting Leyline Creatures, and improved his mana capacity. By Harvest Month 8, his team had survived without casualties, but he remained frustrated that he had not gained more Origin progress by securing kills.

• Gao De confirmed he would stay on the mission, received his daily wage, and bought more potions to support his mana training.
• The next morning, Maciej introduced himself as a 1st Circle Mage, and the twenty-three members of Gao De's team shared their names and ranks before setting out.
• Over the following days, the teams steadily improved at clearing Leyline Creatures, though Mage Apprentices across the mission began dying in combat.
• On Harvest Month 8, Gao De broke through another level in his Guiding Method, gaining enough mana to cast eight cantrips.
• Gao De reviewed his Origin progress and recalled the dangerous Magic Blast Toads and Earth Devil Bats his team had fought, then complained that stealing kills was difficult.

A 2nd Circle Purple Worm attacked the camp, swallowing five people before Mage Wiersa arrived and led the fight against it. Wiersa and the enforcement team killed the worm after she wounded it and blocked its escape underground.

• A Purple Worm burst from beneath the camp and swallowed four guards and a Mage Apprentice while the apprentices’ spells failed to harm it.
• Mage Wiersa arrived and struck the Purple Worm with Magic Missiles, then used a gravity spell to slow it and worsen its wounds.
• Wiersa ordered the enforcement team’s 1st Circle Mages to fire Magic Missiles at the Purple Worm’s wounds.
• The Purple Worm tried to burrow away, but Wiersa’s Earth Tremor had hardened the ground and blocked its escape.
• Wiersa and the enforcement team continued attacking until the Purple Worm collapsed.

After a Purple Worm killed five people, Gao De learned how mages awakened Specialties and why Mage Wiersa’s Combat Specialties made her so powerful. The group continued clearing the woods as its members pondered what abilities they might awaken when they advanced.

• Mage Wiersa defeated the Purple Worm, which had killed five people, and the guards buried the victims and recovered their belongings.
• On Harvest Month, Day 9, the land-clearing operation resumed, and Maciej explained why the team had been fortunate to have Wiersa leading it.
• Maciej described how mages randomly awakened Specialties upon advancing a Circle and outlined the different kinds, including Combat, Creation, Metamagic, Support, and Unique Specialties.
• Maciej explained that a mage’s knowledge, spells, Guiding Method, and Meditation Art influenced which Specialties they might awaken, making the randomness partly controllable.
• Gao De and the other Mage Apprentices considered what Specialties they might awaken after becoming 1st Circle Mages.