Chapter Summaries

Linsey traveled east through the fir forest as the temperature dropped unusually fast, then found wild potatoes and left one plant behind. From a hilltop, he saw a vast wasteland ending in snow despite it being mid-autumn, confirming his fears of an abnormal change spreading from the east.

• Linsey noticed the cold worsening and suspected that something in the Black Mountain World was affecting the Hidden Borderlands.
• Linsey used his Map Skill to find a route toward a river and spotted wild potato plants at the edge of the forest.
• Linsey dug up two potato plants and left the third to grow, following Finn's teachings.
• Linsey crossed the hill and saw a distant wasteland covered in snow, an unnatural sight for mid-autumn.
• Linsey tried to map the wasteland but could not reach its boundary, then hurried down the hill to find a place to camp.

Linsey prepared for the Snowy Wasteland, made spears from oak branches and recovered stibnite arrowheads, then crossed into the deep snow. He improvised wooden snowshoes and continued onward into the frozen wilderness.

• Linsey caught a Grayling Fish for breakfast, cut oak branches into shafts, and made two spears with the recovered stibnite arrowheads.
• Linsey killed two coyotes that approached from the north and south, while a third fled west under his aim.
• Linsey crossed the wilderness and entered the Snowy Wasteland as a cold wind swept over him.
• Linsey found the snow nearly a meter deep, carved wooden boards, and tied them beneath his feet to walk more easily.
• Linsey continued deeper into the boundless snowy wilderness wearing his improvised snowshoes.

On his third day in the Snowy Wasteland, Linsey traveled east toward the World Boundary and found the bodies of numerous magical beasts beneath the snow. Their mass flight suggested a crisis in the Black Mountain World, and he finally reached the boundary between it and the Hidden Borderlands.

• Linsey left his Snow Cave after breakfast, planned to spend two more days exploring, and set off east using his Map Skill to stay on course.
• Linsey found a frozen Fire Fox corpse but left it behind because he could not collect or carry it.
• As he continued east, Linsey discovered more buried magical beast corpses and concluded that a crisis in the Black Mountain World had driven them to flee.
• At dusk, Linsey reached the edge of the Snowy Wasteland and realized the Black Mountain World lay beyond the boundary less than a hundred meters ahead.

Linsey discovered that the Climbing to Heaven Vine linked the Hidden Borderlands to the Black Mountain World and began climbing down to investigate. After killing a fleeing treant, he spotted more than a dozen hostile markers approaching from below.

• Linsey inspected the Climbing to Heaven Vine and realized it was a living manifestation of a connection between worlds.
• Linsey descended the frozen Vine cliff, using his dagger to carve footholds as he searched the void below.
• Linsey’s map revealed an approaching enemy, so he hid behind a bundle of Vines.
• Linsey ambushed a treant climbing upward and struck its weak point with his Stibnite Spear, sending it falling to its death.
• Linsey confirmed the treant’s death in Hunting Notes and then saw more than a dozen Red Markers approaching from below.

Linsey used the Ivy Circlet to avoid a passing group of twenty-one magical beasts on the cliff, then climbed back to the Snowy Wasteland to investigate their escape. He discovered that intermittent cold winds froze the beasts instantly while leaving him unharmed, and wondered what in Black Mountain World had driven them to flee.

• Linsey put on the Ivy Circlet and let twenty-one hostile magical beasts climb past him toward the Hidden Borderlands.
• Linsey decided that descending to Black Mountain World was too dangerous and climbed back to the top of the cliff.
• Linsey switched to Hunting Simulation, followed the freshest tracks across the Snowy Wasteland, and caught up with the fleeing beasts.
• A bone-chilling wind froze the magical beasts into ice statues, while Linsey remained unharmed.
• Linsey realized the beasts had been crossing the plain between cold-wind blasts and questioned why the wind affected them but not him.

Linsey investigated the frozen magical beasts and kept watch overnight at the cliff to learn how often cold winds and beasts emerged from below. After finding that the winds were irregular and only one group of beasts climbed up during the night, he headed back to Hidden Borderlands to warn the town.

• Linsey examined the frozen magical beasts, stored one in his Personal Baggage for the Awakened to study, and returned to the cliff.
• Linsey dug a Snow Cave beside the Climbing to Heaven Vine and spent the night watching the cliff without lighting a fire.
• Linsey observed that cold winds blew at irregular intervals and that only one group of Black Mountain magical beasts climbed up during the night before freezing on the Snowy Wasteland.
• Linsey concluded that the beasts were less numerous than he had feared, then destroyed the Snow Cave to keep future beasts from using it as cover.
• Linsey set off across the Snowy Wasteland toward town, deciding to report the danger instead of gathering wild crops.

Qiao Er cared for Linsey’s plants while Linsey was away, then Linsey returned from Black Mountain World and hurried to report what he had discovered to Anrui. Linsey revealed his unusual spatial ability and explained that a freezing wind kept magical beasts from crossing into their world, while completing his potato transplant unlocked a new module.

• Qiao Er finished his work, watered Linsey’s plants, and read adventure stories while waiting at Linsey’s cabin.
• Linsey returned, planted two potato plants, and told Qiao Er that his unusual ability created a spatial pack.
• Linsey explained that magical beasts in Black Mountain World were frozen by a cold wind before they could enter their world, and confirmed that the treant controlling the Ice Badger had crossed over.
• Qiao Er left to tell his teacher what Linsey had revealed, while Linsey headed to the Lord’s Manor to speak with Anrui.
• After returning from his trek and transplanting the wild potatoes, Linsey unlocked the Survival Building Module.

Linsey returned to Border Town and told Anrui that the border with the Black Mountain World had transformed into a frozen wasteland, with magical beasts climbing across it. Anrui confirmed the changes were recent and likely connected to the draconic beast, and Linsey left to rest after Anna fussed over his injuries.

• Linsey discovered that he had unlocked the Survival Construction Game Module, then hurried to Anrui's Lord's Manor.
• Linsey reported seeing a snowy wasteland, frozen vines, and magical beasts at the border between the Hidden Borderlands and the Black Mountain World.
• Anrui said the border had been a normal wasteland seven years earlier and that the vines had not been frozen.
• Anrui explained that magical beasts rarely crossed the world border and suspected that the draconic beast in Black Mountain had caused the changes.
• Linsey and Anrui agreed that Border Town needed to prepare for possible danger from Black Mountain.
• Anna inspected Linsey and scolded him for being reckless until Anrui intervened and told Linsey to go rest.

Linsey tested his new Survival Construction skill and discovered that it converted real-world resources into game-like supplies. After exhausting much of his Source Material, he returned to the church excited about the ability’s future potential and fell asleep planning his next experiment.

• Linsey switched to the Survival Construction module and found that striking a fir tree with his dagger did not affect it.
• Linsey fetched an axe and used the resource skill to make a fir tree break down into neatly stacked logs.
• Linsey discovered that he could also convert a tree using his bare hands, and that converted logs occupied a separate baggage slot from ordinary wood.
• Linsey felled a maple tree and obtained logs and Maple Syrup, then tested converting soil and stones into blocks.
• Linsey depleted most of his Source Material, confirmed that converted supplies still worked normally, and returned to the church to rest.

After recovering from his journey, Linsey tested how Resource Conversion affected weapons and a torch, discovering that objects behaved differently and some consumed source material over time. He headed to his cabin with a new idea: using the ability to cultivate plants.

• Linsey slept in, then tested Resource Conversion on his Skinning Knife and found that it did not improve the knife’s ability to chop a tree.
• Linsey Resource Converted a lit torch and discovered that it stuck to a tree and burned while slowly consuming source material.
• Linsey reasoned that Resource Converted objects behaved differently and that some effects lasted while others gradually depleted.
• Linsey found Red Moon absent, cleaned the church and his cabin, then headed to his former cabin to test whether Resource Conversion could help him grow crops.

Linsey tested his Resource Conversion Skill on wheat seeds, then spent the afternoon learning what local farmers wanted improved in their crops. When he returned to the Glass Greenhouse, the seeds had already sprouted into green seedlings.

• Linsey used his Resource Conversion Skill on three wheat seeds, and the transformation consumed more than half his source essence.
• Linsey planted the seeds in the Glass Greenhouse, waited an hour without seeing any growth, and studied Qiao Er's plant journal.
• Linsey visited the Farmland and asked Ke Te and other farmers about crop improvements they needed.
• Ke Te asked about the border and the town's chances of reconnecting with the outside world, and Linsey said a heavy snowstorm made crossing extremely difficult.
• Linsey returned to the Glass Greenhouse and found that the three wheat seeds had sprouted into vibrant green seedlings.

Linsey discovered that his resource-converted wheat seeds grew rapidly but could not pass their traits to their offspring, then completed his transaction with Suo Mu Jin and discussed Border Town’s response to the danger beyond Black Mountain. Suo Mu Jin revealed Anrui planned to investigate, and Linsey argued that any attempt to break through should account for the town’s civilians.

• Linsey inspected three rapidly sprouted wheat seedlings and learned that their enhanced traits could not be inherited.
• Linsey resource-converted food and concluded that the effects of converted items depended on how much source essence they consumed.
• Suo Mu Jin visited Linsey, accepted his report, and bought an Ice Badger leg for two silver coins.
• Suo Mu Jin told Linsey that Anrui planned to investigate the growing threat personally.
• Suo Mu Jin asked whether Border Town should wait or break through Black Mountain, and Linsey said Awakened might escape but civilians would likely die if they came along.

Linsey reviewed how his Game Modules awakened and planned to pursue a Rhythm Game, while his converted wheat grew into an exceptionally abundant harvest. After returning to the church, he learned that Anrui had been looking for him.

• Linsey examined his newly upgraded Simulation Management ability and recorded how each of his four Game Modules had awakened.
• Linsey decided to seek out a Third Stage artist to learn a Rhythm Game, and planned to build a house to advance Survival Construction.
• Linsey watched the converted wheat mature overnight, harvested its unusually plentiful grain, and stored it in his pack.
• Linsey returned to the church and found Red Moon praying in the cemetery.
• Red Moon told Linsey that Anrui had been looking for him and wanted him to visit after he had rested.

Anrui took Linsey on an urgent journey to inspect the boundary between the two worlds, carrying him at incredible speed through the wilderness. After traveling for a day and a night, they stopped to rest, still several days from their destination.

• Anrui summoned Linsey and told him they would travel together to inspect the boundary between the two worlds.
• Anrui arranged for Ryan to notify Red Moon Lady and for a maid to tell Qiao Er to care for Teacher Finn's plants.
• Anrui carried Linsey beneath his arm and sprinted through the wilderness, knocking aside beasts that blocked their way.
• After traveling through the night and the following day, Anrui stopped at a sheltered mound and told Linsey they were about four days from the boundary.
• Anrui explained the War School's three branches and made beds for them to rest before continuing their journey.

Linsey asked Anrui about Nal Kebandek’s War School and learned how its Defender and Ravager branches advanced. As they set out on their journey, Linsey considered the restrictions tied to different Awakened paths and wondered what constraints applied to a Game Player.

• Linsey prepared breakfast, and Anrui praised his cooking while recalling his time as a warrior apprentice in Nal Kebandek.
• Anrui explained that Defenders developed exceptional durability and resilience, while Ravagers specialized in offense and grew stronger by fighting and winning wars.
• Anrui said Invincible King Daniel, a Ninth Stage Awakened and leader of the Combat Essence branch, kept Ravagers from unleashing their violence freely.
• Anrui explained that Ravagers who fled Nal Kebandek could not reach the highest stages because their path required conquering through violence.
• Linsey connected the branches’ requirements to the restrictions facing Law Knights and Righteous Walkers, then wondered what restrictions applied to Game Players.
• Linsey finished breakfast and set off with Anrui for the day’s journey.

Anrui and Linsey returned to the Snowy Wasteland, where Anrui confirmed that its deadly cold and the deaths of the creatures there were caused by icy source essence. They reached the cliff and prepared to descend into the Black Mountain World, but Linsey insisted on going with Anrui.

• On the fourth day of their journey, Anrui brought Linsey into the Snowy Wasteland and discovered that a pine tree had frozen to death.
• Linsey removed his Ice Badger Claw Pendant, felt the full force of the deadly cold, and admitted he had misjudged the danger.
• Anrui uncovered a Fire Fox corpse and determined that a change in its source essence, not ordinary cold, had killed it.
• Anrui explained that Ascendants and certain professions could gain clear perception of source essence.
• After traveling through the snow, Anrui and Linsey reached the cliff and confirmed that icy source essence influenced the wind rising from below.
• Anrui told Linsey to wait while he descended into the Black Mountain World, but Linsey insisted on going with him.

Linsey and Anrui descended into the Black Mountain World and discovered Mirror Lake beneath the Climbing to Heaven Vine, where magical beasts gathered around its roots. As the temperature rose and the ice melted, Anrui attacked the tree spirits and told Linsey to stay above and cover him with arrows.

• Linsey convinced Anrui to descend with him, and the two climbed down the frozen Vines together.
• After five hours, Linsey spotted a glow below, and Anrui explained that they were nearing the bottom.
• They reached Mirror Lake and saw many magical beasts, including tree spirits clinging to the Climbing to Heaven Vine's roots.
• Linsey realized the tree spirits sensed conditions above and likely led other magical beasts toward the Hidden Borderlands.
• The air grew hotter as the ice melted from the Vines, and Linsey urged Anrui to clear the beasts below before they investigated further.
• Anrui rushed the tree spirits, killed two, and faced the surrounding beasts while ordering Linsey to remain above and shoot arrows.

Linsey and Anrui crossed Mirror Lake after Anrui slaughtered the magical beasts there, and Linsey unlocked the Task Bar and Weakness Survey abilities. They gathered materials and entered the forested hills beyond the lake at dawn to investigate the world's abnormal temperatures.

• Anrui overwhelmed the magical beasts at Mirror Lake while Linsey supported him with arrows from the Climbing to Heaven Vine.
• After the beasts fled, Linsey leveled up his RPG and Hunting Simulation abilities, gaining Task Bar and Weakness Survey.
• Linsey opened the Task Bar and found tasks to cultivate cold-resistant crops and investigate the world's changes.
• Linsey claimed new Hunting Notes achievements and gathered materials from the magical beast corpses as Anrui urged him to hurry.
• Linsey and Anrui left Mirror Lake and entered the forested hills at dawn to investigate the anomaly.

Linsey and Anrui traveled deeper into Black Mountain World to investigate the strange source essence and its effects. They entered a forest transformed by vast spiderwebs, where Anrui warned that the danger they sought might have found them.

• Linsey reviewed his achievement equipment and materials, wearing the Bat Claw Pendant but deciding not to wear the Treant Flower Crown.
• As Linsey and Anrui traveled through the hills, Anrui explained that he needed to find a powerful magical beast to learn whether the world’s changes came from its source essence or the dragon beast.
• Linsey and Anrui crossed into a dense mountain forest, where heat, hidden rivers, and poor visibility made travel dangerous.
• Linsey spotted enormous webs covering the trees and green footprints showing that their maker was active throughout the area.
• Anrui said the forest had not been covered in webs forty years earlier, then warned Linsey that trouble was approaching as something scraped rapidly across the trees.

Anrui and Linsey fought their way through a forest crawling with giant spiders, but a seemingly invulnerable Fifth Stage black spider wounded Anrui. After Linsey struck its weakness with his final Stibnite Arrow, Anrui grabbed him and fled back the way they had come.

• Anrui and Linsey battled a swarm of giant spiders, killing many until more emerged from deeper in the forest.
• Anrui refused to retreat and wielded two spider corpses as weapons, cutting down large numbers of the attackers.
• A pure-black spider ambushed Anrui, resisted his strike, and pierced his left arm with its fangs.
• Linsey hit the black spider's abdomen with his final Stibnite Arrow, and the wounded creature was dragged into the thicket by smaller spiders.
• Anrui scooped Linsey up and sprinted back the way they had come.