Chapter Summaries

Linsey used the Mountains Crest to stab the Black Scale Lizard Dragon beneath its belly, forcing the wounded beast to flee. As he pursued it, a Glacier Elemental appeared and other elementals began converging, but poison from the dragon’s saliva suddenly made Linsey dizzy and nauseated.

• Linsey switched to the Mountains Crest and burrowed beneath the Black Scale Lizard Dragon, stabbing its belly with the Ice Badger Dagger.
• The Black Scale Lizard Dragon rolled and flung Linsey away, then fled toward Central Lakeside after suffering a severe wound.
• Linsey chased the dragon but stopped when a sudden cold wind revealed a new Red Dot on his map.
• Linsey found a Glacier Elemental and saw other Glacier Elementals turning hostile and gathering nearby.
• Linsey prepared to fight the Glacier Elemental, then realized the Black Scale Lizard Dragon’s poisonous saliva had left him dizzy and nauseated.

Linsey escaped the Black Scale Lizard Dragon’s poison and the Glacier Elementals, but collapsed before learning why a neutral Glacier Elemental had intercepted him. After the elemental explained that it wanted to negotiate, it revealed that it sought freedom.

• Linsey drank an Antidote Potion, used a Flame Bomb against a Glacier Elemental, and fled on a summoned Snow Wolf while poisoned.
• Linsey lost consciousness as the Snow Wolf carried him away, and later awoke with the toxin suppressed by the Antidote Potion and Life Source Material.
• Linsey discovered that a Glacier Elemental had killed his Snow Wolf and waited for him to wake, then apologized and asked to talk.
• Linsey realized his Mountain Blessing had helped the Glacier Elemental sense his friendliness and asked what it wanted.
• The Glacier Elemental said it rejected the arrangement its kin had accepted and wanted freedom.

Linsey questioned a Glacier Elemental about the Dragon Beast and learned that killing the Black Scale Lizard Dragon would free the Elementals from its lake-bound prison. After naming the Elemental Kaldr, Linsey studied the dragon’s weaknesses and planned to act that night.

• The Glacier Elemental told Linsey that a powerful Dragon Beast had driven its kind from their glaciers and that it did not know whether the glaciers were connected to the Beast’s advancement.
• The Glacier Elemental explained that the Black Scale Lizard Dragon restrained it through the lake water, and that killing the dragon would free it and its kin.
• Linsey learned that dead Glacier Elementals would be reborn in their glaciers after five to ten years, without the Dragon Beast detecting the process.
• Linsey found new weaknesses in the Black Scale Lizard Dragon’s Hunting Notes, including its eyes and reduced bodily activity at night.
• Linsey named the Glacier Elemental Kaldr, and they agreed to fight their common enemy that night.

Linsey and Kaldr lured the injured Black Scale Lizard Dragon away from its lake and trapped it in a sealed pit, where explosions shattered its gaseous shield. Linsey aimed a flaming Armor-Piercing Arrow at its eye, poised to finish the fight.

• Linsey cooked Maple Syrup Pancakes and Fruit and Vegetable Roasted Meat, raising his Constitution from 23 to 27 and speeding his recovery.
• Linsey and Kaldr crossed the Frozen Swamp, using Linsey's map and Kaldr's vision to avoid Glacier Elemental patrols.
• At the lake, Linsey dug a pitfall while Kaldr disguised the entrance, then provoked the Black Scale Lizard Dragon into chasing it onto land.
• The Black Scale Lizard Dragon fell into the pit, and Linsey struck it with the Ice Badger Mace before sealing it in and detonating several Flame Bombs.
• The explosions tore apart the dragon's gaseous shield, and Linsey aimed a flaming Armor-Piercing Arrow at its eye.

Linsey killed the Black Scale Lizard Dragon, freeing Kaldr and earning an elite kill achievement. After claiming the dragon’s headgear and crafting a protective cloak, Linsey prepared to leave the Frozen Swamp, but violent tremors began beneath him.

• Linsey killed the Black Scale Lizard Dragon with an arrow through its eye, gaining experience and the Elite Kill Achievement.
• Kaldr explained that the dragon’s death had freed him from the cage tied to its source essence, then left the Frozen Swamp.
• Linsey claimed the Black Scale Lizard Dragon Head achievement item, gaining heightened senses and two points each in constitution and strength.
• Linsey crafted a Double Qi Cloak from the dragon’s hide, his Wilderness Cloak, and spider silk, then tested its resistance to a dagger.
• Linsey took meat from the dragon and prepared to head east, but violent tremors shook the swamp beneath him.

After the Black Scale Lizard Dragon’s rage devastated the swamp, Linsey claimed a reward that upgraded his RPG Module with an Equipment System. He defeated the Glacier Elementals that attacked him, gathered their materials, and fused an Ice Shield Emblem with his Meteor Fire Brooch to create a powerful new accessory.

• Linsey survived the Dragon Beast’s outburst as it drained the lake and split the swamp with fissures, completing Ice Crystal in a Temperature Difference Dilemma.
• Linsey claimed the task reward and unlocked Equipment and Glamour Slots, letting him combine gear bonuses and appearance customization.
• Linsey fought off the hostile Glacier Elementals with arrows empowered by his equipped Ice Badger Mace, then collected their Frost Crystals.
• Linsey claimed an Ice Shield Emblem achievement reward and synthesized it with his Meteor Fire Brooch to make the Emblem of Ice and Fire.

After the battle, Linsey followed his treasure map to the Black Scale Lizard Dragon’s former lair and found a cache buried deep underground. He uncovered an extraordinarily hard piece of Source Isolation Ice Jade and resolved to find a way to remove it.

• Linsey sorted his battle spoils, studied the Emblem of Ice and Fire’s difficult follow-up synthesis, and decided to leave the dangerous swamp.
• Linsey found that the treasure map pointed to the ruined pool where the Black Scale Lizard Dragon had lived and began digging with his Meteorite Pickaxe.
• Linsey fell through collapsing ground into a network of muddy underground fissures and continued excavating while checking the map.
• Linsey uncovered Source Isolation Ice Jade, an extremely hard ore that isolated source essence and was likely valuable.
• Linsey tried his Meteorite Pickaxe, a steel pickaxe, and Flame Bombs, but none could break through the jade, so he resolved to use heating and rapid cooling to free it.

Linsey uncovered a sleeping girl sealed inside Source Isolation Ice Jade and learned that an underground volcano was about to erupt. He rescued her and escaped to the surface just as the volcano erupted, then ordered his Snow Wolf to run.

• Linsey used the Emblem of Ice and Fire and steel wedges to crack open the Source Isolation Ice Jade, discovering a human figure inside.
• Linsey widened the fissure and triggered an Earth Fire task warning that an underground volcano was about to erupt.
• Linsey decided to rescue the sleeping girl rather than abandon her, even if she might be an enemy.
• Linsey dug through the jade, carried the girl to the surface, and put her on the Snow Wolf.
• The volcano erupted with a violent earthquake, and Linsey shouted for the Snow Wolf to follow him and run.

After escaping the volcanic eruption, Linsey examined the unconscious girl he had rescued and discovered she was an Awakened who had lost her skills and Source Material. She woke to find herself beside him, but seemed to have lost her memories and asked who she was and whether she should call him Father.

• Linsey checked his Pocket Watch and worried that the Dragon Beast might come after them after noticing the volcanic eruption.
• Linsey placed the unconscious girl on the Snow Wolf and appraised her, learning she was a human called a Source Material Lost One.
• The girl woke but was too weak to sit up, so Linsey supported her and offered her water mixed with Maple Syrup.
• The girl stared at Linsey with resolute red eyes before a nearby falling rock startled her.
• The girl asked Linsey where she was, who she was, and whether she should call him Father.

Linsey encountered a memoryless Source Material Lost One who remembered only that she had to kill a powerful threat to the world. After learning that the Dragon Beast was her likely target, she joined Linsey on his journey to take it down.

• The girl rejected Linsey’s sugar water at first, questioned him about who she was, and remembered that she had to kill something powerful.
• Linsey suspected the girl had once challenged the Dragon Beast, then weighed whether to leave her behind or bring her along.
• The girl recovered her strength with sugar water, learned that the Dragon Beast had caused the volcano, and asked Linsey about source material and skills.
• The girl proposed that regaining her lost abilities might restore her memories, and Linsey agreed to travel with her toward the Dragon Beast.

The Dragon Beast sensed that humans had entered its world from the west but chose to remain dormant and focus on advancing. Meanwhile, Linsey and the rescued girl traveled toward the rift valley, arguing over her name until she asked him to describe his first impression of her in the Common Language.

• The Dragon Beast told its attendant that humans had entered its world from the west, then suppressed its fury and lay dormant to gather source essence.
• Linsey and the girl traveled through a basin toward the rift valley and argued over names she disliked.
• Linsey suggested the name Smaug, which the girl briefly liked before realizing it might not be a person's name.
• The girl tripped while walking backward, and Linsey caught her before she fell.
• The girl reasoned that she should learn the Common Language to find a fitting name and asked Linsey what word had come to mind when he first saw her.

Linsey helped the amnesiac girl choose the name Red and taught her Common Language, which she learned with astonishing speed. At their campsite, Linsey began explaining Awakened skills, and Red eagerly asked to learn the skill that let him pull things out of nowhere.

• The girl chose Red as her name after Linsey explained its meaning, and Linsey agreed that he liked it.
• Red learned Common Language so quickly that she was conversing with Linsey within two hours and had abandoned beast tongue by evening.
• Linsey stopped Red from wiping greasy fingers on her dress or licking them and crafted a rag for her to use.
• Red asked Linsey about his skills and source essence, so he began teaching her the basics of Awakened abilities after dinner.
• Linsey offered to teach Red his skills, and she interrupted to ask for the one that let him pull things out of his butt.

Linsey explained the Four Great Paths to Red, but she insisted on learning the ability that let him pull things out from behind himself. After accepting that his skill could not be copied, Red chose to train in War and showed signs of recovering her ability to control Source Material.

• Red demanded that Linsey teach her the skill that let him pull things out from behind himself, and he explained that it could not be replicated without special tools.
• Red admitted she felt unwilling to accept that she could not have what she wanted, and Linsey used a snapped piece of firewood to illustrate that some things could not be restored.
• Red decided to begin with War so she could prepare to subdue the Dragon Beast, then chose a wooden spear as her weapon.
• Linsey taught Red the basics of Advantage Strike, and she quickly displayed impressive spear skills that suggested she had used one before losing her memories.
• Linsey had Red hold his hands to sense Source Material, and Red felt familiar with it and said she could control it.

Linsey and Red crossed the basin and entered a sprawling canyon region, where they struggled to find a route east. After Red hunted a Third Stage magical beast, the pair prepared for another training match, with Linsey offering Maple Syrup if she could fight him to a draw.

• Linsey and Red reached the end of the basin after thirty-two days and consulted the Expedition Team's notes about the canyons ahead.
• Linsey and Red traveled through the difficult canyon terrain, detouring around cliffs before making camp for the night.
• Red returned from scouting with a freshly killed Third Stage Spotted Leopard Cat, showing how much her strength had recovered.
• Red complained about eating roasted meat and tried to persuade Linsey to share his Maple Syrup.
• Linsey challenged Red to fight him to a draw in exchange for Maple Syrup, and Red charged at him with her spear.

Linsey sparred with Red and discovered that she had advanced to the Third Stage Awakened, gaining the ability to create tangible afterimages. Their attempted rest at camp turned into another round of martial training after they argued over a cold-resistance pendant.

• Linsey and Red tested their new Meteorite weapons in a spar, and Linsey confirmed that Red had reached the Third Stage Awakened.
• Red used a new technique to create several tangible afterimages, but Linsey blocked her attacks and won the spar.
• Linsey analyzed how Red's earlier advancements had strengthened her combat abilities and wondered about her past.
• Red said she felt uncomfortable in the heat and asked to sleep somewhere cooler the next day.
• Linsey gave Red his Ice Badger Claw Pendant, but their argument over the gift ended with them wrestling and training instead of resting.

Linsey and Red traveled through a gorge in silence during their cold war, but Red saved Linsey from a Rock Golem's ambush. After they defeated it, the two began examining the creature together, their quarrel forgotten.

• Linsey and Red continued their journey without speaking and chose to camp at the bottom of a broad gorge.
• Red found a vulture nest and returned with its owner and three eggs for dinner.
• Red spotted a Rock Golem approaching Linsey's shelter and warned Linsey, then attacked it with her Meteorite Spear.
• Linsey struck the Rock Golem with three arrows, and Red pierced its head before leaping back in case it counterattacked.
• Linsey confirmed the Rock Golem was dead, identified it, and began gathering Prey Material as Red joined him.

After a Rock Golem ambushed Linsey and Red, Linsey suspected someone was controlling it and checked that no other danger was nearby. He used his skills to grow crops and cook braised vulture noodles, deciding to focus on the meal rather than exhaust himself watching for an unseen enemy.

• Linsey explained that the Rock Golem was controlled by someone, then checked the surroundings for other threats.
• Red mourned the shattered bird eggs and complained that their enemies should not keep them from eating.
• Linsey found crop seeds and used Resource Conversion to grow food while Red prepared the vulture.
• Linsey harvested wheat, made flour and noodles, and cooked braised vulture noodles.
• Linsey chose to concentrate on cooking while the bat kept watch, and he and Red shared the meal.

Linsey and Red traveled on after the Rock Golem vanished, while the unseen attacker stayed out of sight. After two weeks without another ambush, they reached a vast forest and heard a warning from behind them.

• Linsey planted potatoes and cabbages, then found no sign of an attacker during the night.
• Linsey and Red discovered the Rock Golem had vanished, and a bat reported that it had merged into the earth after they went to sleep.
• Linsey and Red harvested their crops and recovered the cultivated soil before continuing their journey.
• Linsey and Red crossed cliffs and fissures for two weeks without encountering another ambush.
• Linsey and Red reached a vast forest, where an unseen voice warned them not to enter.

Linsey and Red subdued a Root Elder that claimed it had only tried to warn them. Linsey discovered it was hiding another reason for stopping them, and the Root Elder began to reveal a dangerous creature in the forested mountains ahead.

• Linsey and Red attacked the Root Elder, which defended itself with earth and stone magic before Linsey knocked it down.
• Linsey realized the Root Elder was marked neutral and questioned its claim that it had never attacked them.
• Red threatened to eat the Root Elder, which begged them to spare its life.
• Linsey identified the creature as a Root Elder and concluded that it had concealed part of the truth.
• Linsey and Red demanded an honest explanation, and the Root Elder revealed that a dangerous creature lived in the forested mountains ahead.

The Root Elder explained how the Dragon Beast’s demand for source essence had twisted the Tree Mother and driven forest beings to flee Starshine Forest. Linsey uncovered that someone had sent the Root Elder to warn them, and as Red attacked, a hidden figure invited them to follow the Rock Golem to learn the truth.

• The Root Elder said the Tree Mother had submitted to the Dragon Beast, but an envoy later ordered the forest’s supernatural beings to surrender their source essence, making the Tree Mother violent and beastlike.
• Linsey questioned why the Root Elder had warned them and concluded that someone else had directed it, connecting that figure to the Rock Golem that had infiltrated his camp.
• The Root Elder refused to reveal who was behind the warning, and Red ignited her Meteorite Spear to kill it.
• A Rock Golem emerged from beneath them and tried to carry the Root Elder underground as the ground shook.
• A voice from the Rock Golem claimed the Root Elder had only followed its orders and invited Linsey and Red to follow it, but Red hurled her Meteorite Spear at the golem.