Chapter Summaries

Anrui and Linsey fled the forest while a horde of spiders pursued them, and Anrui struggled against venom from a Fifth Stage spider. After Anrui sacrificed his ruined arm and urged Linsey to warn the town about the Dragon Beast’s attempt to reach the Eighth Stage, Linsey instead carried him onward, promising to get them both home alive.

• Anrui carried Linsey through the trees to escape the pursuing spiders, but his strength faltered and they fell in the Hilly Area.
• Linsey used Survival Construction's Resource Conversion to prepare herbs that eased Anrui's pain but could not fully counter the Fifth Stage venom.
• Anrui tore off his decaying left arm to stop the venom from spreading and told Linsey to return to town with a warning about the Dragon Beast's plan to reach the Eighth Stage.
• Anrui turned to face the pursuing spider horde alone, but Linsey picked him up and continued toward the world boundary, promising to save them both.

Linsey refused to abandon the badly injured Anrui and carried him through the forest toward Mirror Lake, where magical beasts blocked their path. Linsey used a Rose Wreath to make the beasts wary, then set off with Anrui, promising they would both return alive.

• Linsey ignored Anrui's order to leave him behind and carried him while fleeing the pursuing spiders.
• Anrui realized Linsey had grown into an outstanding Awakened and reluctantly accepted his plan to keep going.
• At Mirror Lake, Anrui urged Linsey to leave him behind because magical beasts blocked the way and the spiders were closing in.
• Linsey placed a pink Rose Wreath on his head, causing the magical beasts to watch them warily instead of attacking.
• Linsey picked Anrui up again and walked toward Mirror Lake, promising they would return alive together.

Linsey used the Hidden Map of World Boundary to find a secret passage beneath the Vines and led Anrui through it. They emerged at a hidden lake with a flower-covered mound and a green wooden longsword, leaving its significance unknown.

• Linsey explained that the flower crown could suppress the magical beasts' hostility but could not stop the spiders pursuing them.
• Linsey used the Hidden Map of World Boundary coordinates to find a concealed passage beneath the Vines at Mirror Lake.
• Linsey opened the passage by touching the Vines with a torch, then helped Anrui swim through the narrow underwater tunnel.
• Anrui asked how Linsey had discovered the hidden passage, and Linsey vaguely explained that his Game Player skill gave him unusual abilities.
• Linsey and Anrui followed the lit tunnel to a hidden lake, where they saw a flower-covered mound and a green wooden longsword embedded in the ground.

Linsey found and retrieved the Purple Leaf Vine Branch, a rare seedling that could sever abnormal spatial connections, while he and Anrui recovered in the hidden space. Anrui questioned why the spiders and so many magical beasts had gathered around Mirror Lake, leaving their motives uncertain.

• Linsey appraised the Wooden Sword and discovered it was a Purple Leaf Vine Branch with the ability to sever abnormal spatial connections and the potential to connect worlds when mature.
• Linsey pulled the Purple Leaf Vine Branch from the ground and showed it to Anrui, who confirmed it was fragile and warned him to handle it carefully.
• Linsey treated Anrui's wounds, then lit a fire and prepared food while they dried off and recovered.
• Anrui told Linsey that the Fifth Stage spider and its many subordinates had appeared unusually quickly near Mirror Lake.
• Anrui pointed out that the spiders' hunting should have left fewer magical beasts around the lake and questioned why the spiders were there.

Linsey and Anrui reasoned that the Dragon Beast had sent the Black Spider to watch for Awakened near Black Mountain World, while the spiders later hunted around Mirror Lake before retreating. After the danger passed, Linsey’s accumulated experience strengthened his attributes and advanced his archery skill to Forest Archer, and Anrui suggested humans might be affected by the world’s changes but said Linsey need not worry yet.

• Anrui explained that the Black Spider had likely served the Dragon Beast and acted as a watcher, and Linsey inferred it was monitoring the route to Black Mountain World.
• Linsey tracked the spider army on his map as it slaughtered magical beasts around Mirror Lake and searched the Vines, but it failed to find him and Anrui inside their hidden passage.
• After the spiders retreated and ordinary magical beasts returned, Linsey’s accumulated experience raised his attributes and advanced Basic Archery to master level, changing Quick Shot’s suffix to Forest Archer.
• Anrui awoke, and Linsey told him the spiders had stayed around Mirror Lake for about five hours before leaving.
• Linsey asked whether human Awakened could be affected by the world’s changes, and Anrui said it was theoretically possible but Linsey need not worry given the Dragon Beast’s current state.

Linsey and Anrui discussed how source material behaved and why studying it had yielded no results, then rested while Anrui recovered from his injuries. Anrui argued that breaking through Black Mountain was too dangerous and said he hoped outsiders would reopen contact with the Hidden Borderlands, leaving Linsey caught between that caution and the townspeople’s hopes.

• Anrui explained that Black Mountain’s environmental changes could affect magical beasts but were unlikely to target human Awakened specifically, and Linsey shared what he had learned from the map.
• Anrui said attempts to study source material or gather it during the Source Material Tide had failed because it changed when handled or mixed with other things.
• Linsey checked Anrui’s recovery, and Anrui chose to wait four more hours before leaving the cave in case the spiders returned.
• Linsey reviewed his Hunting Notes, saw that he had completed the first two Corrupted Poison Spider achievements, and gained the Eight-Claw Spider Silk Hook.
• Linsey asked Anrui about breaking through Black Mountain, and Anrui called the plan foolish and dangerous, citing the Dragon Beast and powerful spiders.
• Anrui said he had a duty to protect Border Town and hoped people outside the Hidden Borderlands would break through Black Mountain and restore contact, while Linsey remained mindful of the townspeople who still wanted to escape.

Ju spent the morning checking on his mother and helping Red Moon repair the cemetery fence while Linsey and Anrui were away. Linsey and Anrui returned to town, with Anrui missing his left arm, and Linsey went to report to Red Moon before learning about the recent spider-beast attack.

• Ju found Dan keeping watch over the Farmland and saw her return to her post after greeting him.
• Ju decided to help Red Moon while Linsey was away and went to the church to repair the cemetery fence.
• Ju spotted Linsey and Anrui returning, noticed Anrui had lost his left arm, and rushed over to ask what had happened.
• Anrui said he had encountered danger and owed his survival to Linsey's help.
• Linsey went to the chapel, greeted Red Moon, and told her what had happened during their journey.
• Linsey heard Ju telling Anrui about the spider-like magical beasts that had attacked the Farmland.

Linsey returned to Border Town and saw the devastation left by the Corrupted Poison Spiders, then showed Qiao Er the high-quality materials he had collected in Black Mountain and commissioned new equipment. The chapter ended with Dan inviting Linsey to join a Distant Hunt in a few days.

• Linsey hurried to the southern Farmland after learning it had been attacked and confirmed that Finn's Plant Hut and the Glass Greenhouses were intact.
• Linsey saw the fields badly damaged and learned from Qiao Er that the town faced a difficult winter.
• Linsey told Qiao Er that the spiders were connected to the Dragon Beast of the Black Mountain World, which was attempting to advance.
• Linsey displayed his collected magical beast materials and offered them to Qiao Er as payment for making him equipment.
• Qiao Er accepted the commission and left with the materials to begin crafting.
• Dan invited Linsey to join the town hunters on a Distant Hunt in a few days.

Linsey declined Dan’s Distant Hunt invitation to tend the greenhouse, then told her that Anrui had lost his left arm during their journey to Black Mountain. After returning home, Linsey tested his new spider-silk equipment while Anrui summoned the town’s Awakened to discuss what they had discovered.

• Linsey refused to join Dan’s Distant Hunt but offered to hunt near town and contribute any extra prey.
• Dan asked about Anrui, and Linsey explained that a Fifth Stage magical beast had poisoned his left arm and it had been lost.
• Dan pressed Linsey for a detailed account of the journey to Black Mountain before leaving.
• Ju arrived looking troubled, then ran home after Dan questioned him; Linsey suspected he had argued with Anrui about breaking through Black Mountain.
• Linsey tested the Eight-Claw Spider Silk Hook, then reviewed Qiao Er’s plant records and planned the next cultivation work.
• Anrui summoned the town’s Awakened to the Lord’s Manor to discuss how to respond to their discoveries in Black Mountain.

Anrui warned the town's Awakened that the Dragon Beast was advancing toward the Eighth Stage, prompting a fierce debate over whether to flee or wait. While Suo Mu Jin urged them to seize the beast's distraction and escape, Anrui condemned the plan; elsewhere, Linsey began cultivating promising new crops.

• Anrui told the Awakened that the Dragon Beast was trying to advance by fusing with the world's source essence, a process that could take six to ten years and threaten Hidden Borderlands.
• Iruier argued that the Dragon Beast might die if its reckless advancement failed, while the Female Hunter warned that success could freeze their world.
• Suo Mu Jin reminded Anrui that spider beasts had recently destroyed the Farmland and argued that the town should try to escape while the Dragon Beast was occupied.
• Anrui angrily rejected Suo Mu Jin's plan to cross Black Mountain and accused him of risking others' lives for his own escape.
• Linsey tended newly sprouted seeds and hoped his experiments with the Resource Conversion Skill would end the town's food shortages.

Linsey used resource-converted materials and Bone Meal to speed up crop growth, then hunted prey and gathered lumber while planning improvements to his cabin. When he returned to town at night, he found Qiao Er waiting inside with a troubled expression.

• Linsey harvested enough crops for about a week of meals and realized that his day-night schedule had reversed after sleeping through the morning.
• Linsey ground leftover bones into Bone Meal and found that it cut crop growth time to one hour, though he worried that faster planting would exhaust his Life Source Material.
• Linsey recorded plans to compare Bone Meal and water, then went hunting and returned with two Squirrels, three Wild Rabbits, and a Frozen Wind Sparrow.
• Linsey collected a freezing feather from the magical beast and felled several fir trees to use in building a Firewood Room and digging a cellar.
• Linsey returned to town at night with the lumber and found Qiao Er sitting in his cabin with a troubled expression.

Qiao Er told Linsey that Border Town's Awakened were divided over whether to leave the Hidden Borderlands as the Black Mountain Dragon Beast advanced. Linsey realized the conflict could tear the town apart and resolved to grow stronger and address its root cause.

• Qiao Er returned Linsey's cabin key and told him Lord Anrui had clashed with Awakened who wanted to leave the Hidden Borderlands.
• Qiao Er asked Linsey whether survival or escape mattered more, but Linsey urged him to consider how circumstances shaped people's priorities.
• Linsey explained that neither life nor duty was always right or wrong, and that only action could reveal the answer for each person.
• After seeing Qiao Er back to the Artisan's Cottage, Linsey feared the disagreement could lead to the town's collapse or internal violence.
• Linsey looked at his status panel and decided he had to grow stronger to solve the conflict at its root.

Linsey built a Firewood Room beside the Glass Greenhouse, discovered that doing carpentry without Resource Conversioned tools increased his skill gains, and advanced his Carpentry to Proficient. After the Distant Hunt party left town, he found a new quest to build a Firewood Room and cellar, which promised an upgrade to the Survival Building Module.

• Linsey began building a Firewood Room with Fir Trees and Resource Conversioned tools, but initially failed to gain a Carpentry skill.
• Linsey realized that relying on his own ability instead of Resource Conversioned tools increased his experience gains, and he reached Carpentry (Proficient) while finishing the roof.
• Linsey watched Female Hunter Dan lead the Distant Hunt party out of town and noticed that Ju was absent.
• Linsey checked his status panel after the hunters departed and discovered the quest to build a Firewood Room and cellar.

Linsey finished building a Firewood Room and cellar, discovered that his Resource Conversion skill could create temporary water sources and extend an item’s lifespan by spending more source essence, and unlocked a Workbench crafting ability. Just as he prepared to experiment with crafting, Ju called for him from outside.

• Linsey completed the cellar and tested a two-by-two water pit, discovering that its water supply consumed source essence and would eventually run dry.
• Linsey found that spending twice as much source essence when converting a torch could double how long it burned.
• Linsey reinforced the cellar, covered its entrance, and completed the task of building the Firewood Room and cellar.
• Linsey claimed his reward and upgraded Survival Construction to Level 2, unlocking the Workbench ability.
• Linsey took out saved materials to test crafting, but Ju called for him, so Linsey answered from behind the house.

Linsey reassured Ju about the town’s disagreements among its awakened ones and helped him work through his conflict with Dan over joining the dangerous attempt to cross Black Mountain. After Ju left, Linsey tested his Workbench skill and crafted a Wooden Workbench, discovering it was required for making more complex items.

• Linsey recognized that Ju had come to discuss the town’s current situation and advised him that disagreement among its awakened ones was normal.
• Ju told Linsey that Dan had scolded him for wanting to join the attempt to break through Black Mountain, despite supporting the plan herself.
• Linsey explained that Dan’s concern came from loving Ju and urged him to consider his life with Dan and the Hunting Team; Ju calmed down and asked whether he could catch the Distant Hunt.
• Linsey told Ju the Distant Hunt had already been gone for over a day and advised him to go home and wait for a future hunt with Dan.
• After Ju left, Linsey decided to inspect his Workbench skill and found that five pieces of wood could craft a Wooden Workbench.
• Linsey spent a small amount of Essence to create the Wooden Workbench and examined its carved design.

Linsey experimented with his new synthesis ability, crafting a Treant Crown and a powerful Frozen Stibnite Arrow while discovering recipes that required rare materials. After reviewing the equipment he could eventually make from his Purple Leaf Vine Branch, he decided to visit Uncle Anrui the next day to learn more.

• Linsey tested his synthesis ability by crafting basic wooden items and learned that more complicated recipes required the proper workbench or tools.
• Linsey planted a potato in the greenhouse, used its flowers to make a Treant Crown, and discovered it could serve as material for a Forest Brooch.
• Linsey fell into his water pit, cleaned himself and his clothes, and then crafted a Frozen Stibnite Arrow from a Stibnite Arrowhead, a Wooden Stick, and a Frozen Wind Sparrow Feather.
• Linsey examined the difficult recipes for his Purple Leaf Vine Branch and found options including a sword or saber, a bow, and a fishing rod.
• Linsey decided to take a break from farming the next day and visit Uncle Anrui to ask about the details.

Linsey spent his mission experience points on Charisma and went to ask Anrui how he planned to handle the crisis and divisions in Border Town. Anrui explained the power of Organizers and warned that, if persuasion failed, he might use fear to stop those treating lives cheaply.

• Linsey allocated his mission experience points to Charisma, raising the attribute to 9.
• Linsey visited Anrui and asked how he intended to handle the crisis facing the Hidden Borderlands and the conflict among the Awakened.
• Anrui explained that Organizers grew stronger by governing more people and could make those under their control support their orders.
• Linsey realized that Leiner had been an Organizer and that the villagers of Anville Village had been the source of his power.
• Anrui said that benefits might not change people's minds and that, if necessary, he might rely on fear as a warrior of the War School.

Linsey visited Anrui to learn the town’s situation and ask where he could find ore, then traveled north to the open-air mine and gathered several kinds of ore. After smelting iron ingots and collecting enough materials for his plans, he noticed the first snow and realized winter had arrived.

• Linsey asked Anrui where he could find ore, and Anrui directed him to a mine north of town.
• Linsey collected nut cakes from Leina, who warned him that Anrui had been in a bad mood and had argued with the others in the manor.
• Linsey reached the open-air mine, greeted its guard Suna, and found hematite exposed on the ground.
• Linsey gathered different ores and used his furnace to smelt four pieces of iron ore into an iron ingot.
• Linsey finished collecting enough ore for his plans, then saw snow begin to fall and realized winter had arrived.

Linsey smelted ore and crafted upgraded weapons, then experimented with steel and firearm recipes as the early snowfall signaled the Black Mountain World's growing influence. As he prepared to return to town, several Red Dots appeared on his map, approaching the mine from the north.

• Linsey noticed the unusually early snow and concluded that the Black Mountain World's influence over the Hidden Borderlands was deepening.
• Linsey smelted his ores and crafted Armor-Piercing Arrows, an Ice Fang Dagger, an Ice Badger Mace, and an Iron Horn Great Bow.
• Linsey tested the bow and arrow, confirming that the shot's Corruption effect pierced and corroded a birch tree.
• Linsey discovered a firearm recipe but lacked a Flintlock Mechanism, triggering the First Gunshot quest and deciding to ask Qiao Er for help.
• Linsey made Titanium Iron Powder and Steel Ingots, which he planned to bring to Qiao Er for use in town.
• As Linsey packed to leave the mine, several Red Dots appeared on his map, approaching from the north.

Linsey killed a pack of magical beasts that attacked the mine, then used a Wind Whistle to drive off the others. After returning to town with Suna, he warned Anrui about the unusual attack, and Anrui prepared to investigate.

• Linsey used his Iron Horn Great Bow and Armor-Piercing Arrows to kill a Black Horn Snow Deer and several other beasts at the mine.
• Linsey blew the Wind Whistle, scattering the remaining hostile beasts, then collected materials from his kills.
• Suna woke and praised Linsey’s skill, and Linsey urged him to return to town and warn Anrui about the agitated beasts.
• Linsey and Suna met Anna near the manor, and Linsey began explaining the attack.
• Anrui came down from the second floor, asked Linsey what had happened, and said he would go investigate.