Chapter Summaries

Arro modified Soldier Heavy Armor to suit his body and manage the heat from his Blazing Greatsword. As he finished a usable upper section, he heard Claire approaching on a Scale-Horned Horse while the shadow puppets awakened, and he ran to meet her.

• Arro planned to remove the helmet, alter the joints, add cooling and exhaust vents, and resize the Soldier Heavy Armor, but discovered every suit was too large for him.
• Arro used Fire Melting Stones and the spare Blazing Greatsword to reshape the armor, carving a Mortise and Tenon Structure and cooling the unfinished upper section in water.
• A skilled rider approached through the night on a Scale-Horned Horse, whose half-charge rhythm marked the rider as a formidable knight.
• Arro recognized the hoofbeats as likely belonging to Claire and realized the shadow puppets had awakened.
• Arro grabbed the Blazing Greatsword and ran outside, worried that Claire might take the shadow puppets that he wanted as Experience Points.

Claire charged through the Shadow Puppets surrounding Peran Castle and destroyed them with his spear and Scale-Horned Horse. After the battle, he dismounted and checked whether Arro was hurt.

• Shadow Puppets gathered around the castle and attacked as Claire rode out of the darkness toward them.
• Arro warned Claire, but Claire charged into the horde on his armored Scale-Horned Horse.
• Claire and his horse crushed and scattered the Shadow Puppets, preventing their bodies from re-forming.
• After Arro finished killing a few nearby Shadow Puppets, Claire rode over, removed his helmet, and asked whether Arro was hurt.

Arro used the Blazing Greatsword’s Eye of Lava to amplify his Solar Fist and destroy the Shadow Monsters around the castle. Claire witnessed the display and realized the creatures that had threatened his subjects had all been cleared away.

• Arro claimed the castle’s spoils and said he had deliberately left the Shadow Monsters outside for later.
• Arro gathered Fire Elemental Power into the Eye of Lava while Claire watched the greatsword in confusion.
• Arro unleashed Solar Fist, producing a towering pillar of light that erased the Shadow Monsters.
• Arro gained 7,350 Skill Experience and, exhausted from the repeated spells, lowered his greatsword.
• Claire opened his eyes and saw that the ground around the castle was clear of Shadow Monsters.

Arrow warned Claire about the dangers of moving his people through Peran Territory at night, while Claire explained why he planned to leave his son Bevan behind. After learning Bevan could sense Shadow Creatures and had absorbed a treasure, Arrow agreed to keep him at the castle, though he warned Claire that understanding the creatures could make them more dangerous.

• Claire greeted Arrow and asked whether the castle had been cleared of monsters, and Arrow said dangerous creatures might still hide on the first floor.
• Claire decided to move his people from the manor despite the dangers, and Arrow made clear that he would not protect them during the journey.
• Claire explained that he needed to leave Bevan behind to retain his territory and asked Arrow to teach the boy wizardry, but Arrow refused to teach wizard knowledge.
• Claire revealed that Bevan could sense Shadow Creatures and had absorbed the treasure Claire bought from Arrow, prompting Arrow to consider keeping him at the castle.
• Arrow agreed to shelter Bevan and explained that knowledge of Shadow Creatures could strengthen them, and Claire accepted the risk because Bevan had chosen this path.

Arrow leased Peran Castle from Claire for a year in exchange for equipping a few elites with Soldier Heavy Armor, then rested there while Claire and his people returned to the Night Curtain. After waking, Arrow learned that Claire had made Bard the castle’s butler, though Arrow doubted Bard was suited to the role.

• Arrow insisted that Claire make clear to the castle’s servants and guards that Arrow’s authority would go unchallenged during the lease.
• Arrow stored the modified heavy armor, cleared Shadow Creatures from the Second Floor, and meditated with a Fire Melting Stone before sleeping.
• Claire brought people from Peran Manor to the castle, outfitted trusted men with Soldier Heavy Armor, and rode back into the Night Curtain.
• Arrow woke the next day and found Bard dressed as a butler in the guest corridor.
• Bard explained that Claire had promoted him to butler, and Arrow questioned whether he could handle the job.

Arrow learned that Bard had been appointed butler while Dylan, Bevan’s personal valet, served as deputy and held the practical authority over the servants. As Arrow went to the dining hall, he found that fear of the Castle’s shadows had kept the servants from sleeping or working normally, and Dylan explained that their meal had been prepared outside with limited supplies.

• Bard told Arrow that Claire had made Bevan’s personal valet, Dylan, deputy butler and assigned him to manage the servants.
• Arrow asked whether the washroom had been cleaned, and Bard said Dylan had ordered it and the dining hall cleaned after Claire left.
• Arrow noticed that the servants looked exhausted and asked why they had not rested.
• Bard explained that servants who slept downstairs had disappeared and Dylan had forbidden them from sleeping in the master rooms.
• Dylan greeted Arrow at the dining hall and said the servants had cooked outside because they were afraid to enter the downstairs kitchen.

Arrow ate a simple meal in the Castle and addressed Dylan’s attempt to emphasize Baron Claire’s support, then asked where Bevan was. He planned to take Dylan and several capable servants to clear monsters from the first floor.

• Arrow sat down to eat mushroom soup, mashed potatoes, and eggs while Dylan and Bard attended him.
• Arrow praised Dylan and told him and Bard they need not be so formal when there were no guests.
• Dylan explained that Baron Claire had supplied the Castle’s food, and Arrow replied that he could manage on his own and valued quiet more than meat.
• Dylan told Arrow that Bevan had spent the morning sitting in the Master Bedroom.
• Arrow declined to have Bevan summoned and ordered Dylan to bring several capable servants to help clear monsters from the first floor.

Arrow began organizing the servants to clear Shadow Creatures from Peran Castle and train shadow hunters. He met Bevan, learned that Bevan feared the creatures because of what he had witnessed, and prepared to take him and Bard downstairs, where Holly asked to join them.

• Arrow explained how faith in a wizard and closed eyes could protect people temporarily from Shadow Creatures, but decided the castle needed to be cleared.
• Arrow met Bevan in the master bedroom and learned that Bevan feared Shadow Creatures because he had seen them erupt from his mother's body.
• Arrow ordered Bevan and Bard to bring down two Treasure Lamps and join him downstairs.
• Dylan arrived with several servants, and Holly asked Arrow to let her go with them.

Arro taught the group how light affected Shadow Monsters and demonstrated how to kill and drive them out of hiding. The creatures fled into Arro’s shadow, but he reassured the frightened servants that they were weaker there and could not harm him.

• Arro lit the corridor’s lamps and asked the group where the Shadow Monsters were hiding, while Holly pointed out shadows in the dark corners overhead.
• Arro explained how light affected the monsters and used Solar Fist to trap and kill two of them.
• Arro praised Holly for realizing that bright light kept the monsters from moving.
• Arro demonstrated how shining light from the side drove the remaining shadows out of a corner and into his own shadow.
• Bard and the servants panicked, but Arro reassured them that Shadow Monsters hiding in his shadow were weaker and could not bite him like venomous snakes.

Arrow taught the group how to trap and destroy Shadow Monsters with the Treasure Lamp and reflected sunlight. After Holly stubbornly managed to shine sunlight beneath Arrow's feet despite her injured arm, the group continued onward, defeating the monsters without danger.

• Arrow explained that Shadow Monsters attached to a person's shadow could be destroyed by trapping them in bright light from a Treasure Lamp.
• Arrow demonstrated how to use a Reflecting Magic Mirror to direct sunlight into shadowed areas, then invited Holly to try.
• Holly refused Bevan's help and endured pain from her injured arm until she successfully reflected sunlight beneath Arrow's feet.
• Arrow praised Holly and handed the mirror to Bevan before leading the group onward.
• Bard and Dylan used their Trumpet-shaped Candlesticks while Arrow attacked with Solar Fist, and the group destroyed the Shadow Creatures.

Arrow helped the others overcome their fear of the Shadow Creatures by letting them lure the monsters into sunlight, then upgraded Solar Fist while clearing the first floor. He left Dylan in charge of the Horn Lamp and continued protecting everyone by letting them believe the lamp and mirror were responsible for destroying the shadows.

• Holly repeatedly lured Shadow Creatures into her body and led them into sunlight, where Bevan's reflected light destroyed them.
• The group grew excited rather than fearful as they continued clearing the shadows, and Arrow competed with them to gain Solar Fist experience.
• Solar Fist reached second level, allowing Arrow to maintain a Light Spell while casting it and enabling his Double Flash technique.
• Arrow stopped fighting for monsters and told Dylan to come with him while the others continued clearing the area.
• Dylan handed the Horn Lamp to a servant, and Arrow approved as the group treated the lamp as their protection and hope against the Shadow Monsters.

Arro rested in the sunlight and clarified that his priority was finding an Extraordinary Market to sell Shadow Wolf materials, buy Purification Potions, and gather supplies for Lead-Iron Heavy Armor. He ended by considering whether he should approach Viscount Corey, the only person nearby he knew had Extraordinary Power.

• Arro rested outside the Castle and reflected on how his ideas had to serve the main goal of survival through Combat Power.
• Arro decided that finding an Extraordinary Market was the fastest way to restore his strength by buying a Purification Potion and materials for Lead-Iron Heavy Armor.
• Arro judged that the market's benefits outweighed the risk of encountering enemies, since his modified Soldier Heavy Armor could handle Advanced Apprentices and he still had a Lesser Substitute Puppet.
• Arro concluded that recovering Formal Wizard-level Combat Power would provide lasting safety, unlike relying on a one-time escape item.
• Arro wondered whether he should approach Viscount Corey to learn how to find an Extraordinary Market.

As winter set in, Arrow let Holly join his studies after she asked to learn, and began considering training her to assist with his experiments. At a celebration in Viscount Corey's manor, a Knight delivered a letter mentioning a wizard, and Corey left the gathering to deal with it.

• The servants gathered wood as the castle grew colder, while rumors spread that Arrow's Magic Lamps could heal illnesses and that the Magic Mirror had miraculous powers.
• Holly took the mirror to Arrow's laboratory, where Bevan escorted her inside and Arrow explained that it only reflected sunlight to destroy Shadow Monsters.
• Holly asked to learn from Arrow and offered to help, so Arrow agreed to let her listen and considered having her assist with research.
• At a gathering in Viscount Corey's manor, an armored Knight brought Corey a letter concerning a wizard.
• Corey excused himself from the nobles and followed the Knight into the rear of the hall.

Viscount Corey examined a dead prisoner's letters about the wizard in Peran Castle and decided to learn more before risking a military campaign. Arrow taught Bevan and Holly about controlling curiosity, began discussing experimental design, and then met White Deer, who had come to visit after the Demon Tree’s leaves fell.

• Viscount Corey learned that the letter writer had died after two rounds of questioning, then ordered the jailer to complete the questioning himself.
• Viscount Corey studied the reports of Arrow’s actions and chose not to send soldiers, deciding to assess Arrow’s intentions and knowledge first.
• Arrow warned Bevan and Holly to control their curiosity, reprimanded Bevan for bringing Holly without permission, and began teaching them experimental design.
• Arrow asked Holly and Bevan about magnets, learned that neither knew of them, and considered searching the Extraordinary Market or asking an apprentice who could wield lightning.
• Bard told Arrow that a beautiful girl was looking for him, and Arrow discovered White Deer waiting outside the castle.
• White Deer told Arrow that the Demon Tree had shed all its leaves and its elves had not reappeared, so she had come to find him and play.

Arro refused White Deer’s request to help her bear children, explaining that he was not prepared to attack the Demon Tree and did not share her feelings. White Deer said she would wait until he became an adult and try to make him like her way of thinking, leaving Arro flustered by her teasing.

• Arro learned that the Demon Tree had shed its leaves and dismissed its fairies, but told White Deer he was not ready to destroy it.
• Arro said he was focused on preparing for the Transcendents Market and had no time to play with White Deer.
• White Deer asked why Arro so strongly refused to help her bear children, and Arro explained his lack of desire, feelings, and adulthood.
• White Deer declared that she would wait until Arro became an adult and try to make him like her way of thinking.
• White Deer clarified that she liked Arro’s way of thinking only at that moment, then laughed as Arro blushed and grinned.

Arro spoke with White Deer after she confessed to him, but she refused his offer to stay at the Castle because she disliked its stone walls and sensed that its residents were mentally filthy. She left with her elk companions, and Arro returned to the Castle to learn that Viscount Corey had sent an emissary.

• Arro invited White Deer to his new home so she could warm herself, but she refused because she disliked stone houses.
• White Deer told Arro that looking into the Castle residents’ eyes made her sense a foul smell, which Arro understood as her ability to detect their thoughts.
• Arro lit a fire beside White Deer’s shelter and waited with her until her elk companions arrived.
• White Deer climbed onto the strongest elk and left with the herd after saying goodbye to Arro.
• Arro returned to the Castle and learned that Viscount Corey’s emissary had sent word.

Arro received a note bearing Viscount Corey's seal, inviting him to meet a messenger at the Trullo River, and set out in armor. On the way, he heard a herd of angry deer charging through the shrubs.

• Dylan confirmed that the note carried Viscount Corey's personal seal, and Arro learned that the Trullo River was the river they had passed earlier.
• Arro put on modified Heavy Armor beneath a gray Wizard Robe, took his ornate Cross Longsword, and left the Castle for the riverbank.
• As he walked through the cold, Arro considered adding fur to his armor joints and installing heating and cooling in future armor.
• Arro heard hostile cries and pounding hoofbeats from the shrubs, recognized them as angry deer, and turned to face the disturbance.

Arro found White Deer bound to a tree after a Blood Bat named Edmund Thomas captured her and attacked her herd. As Edmund tried to bargain with Arro, Arro rushed to rescue White Deer, igniting his sword as he charged up the tree.

• Arro followed the deer cries through the forest and discovered White Deer tied to a tree while elk tried to break it down.
• Arro identified the pale, clawed man as a Blood Bat, and the man introduced himself as Edmund Thomas, a Sacred Race born with Three Elements of Magic Power.
• Edmund offered Arro Magic Stones to compensate him for capturing White Deer, raising his offer as Arro considered how to deal with him.
• Edmund quietly extended his shadow toward White Deer, and her cry prompted Arro to act.
• Arro used Body Flickering Technique and Cat Form Fist-Tree Climbing to rush toward White Deer, then launched a charged fire attack.

Arro rescued White Deer and fought Edmund, who wanted to sell her for five hundred Magic Stones. After Edmund refused to give up and attacked White Deer, Arro declared that his patience had run out.

• Arro cut White Deer free, but Edmund attacked him to claim the reward for capturing her.
• Arro blinded Edmund with Solar Fist and knocked away his hidden Blood Swimming Snake, then warned him off by reigniting his Blazing Greatsword.
• Edmund admitted that he wanted White Deer for the Magic Stones and tried to persuade Arro to sell her, even boasting that he had once reported his own parents for a reward.
• Arro attacked Edmund after hearing his story, but Edmund used Blood Protection to evade the strike and regained confidence that Arro could not repeat his earlier powerful attack.
• Edmund turned into Blood Bats and sent them toward White Deer, but Arro intercepted the swarm and burned it with Fire Blazing.
• Edmund threatened Arro, who stood ready to fight and declared that his patience had run out.

Arro used the Blazing Greatsword and Abyss-powered techniques to battle Edmund, who relied on blood armor, clones, and transformations. After tricking Edmund with repeated flashes and forcing him to miss a crushing attack, Arro appeared beside him before his Bat Transformation was complete.

• Arro realized the Blazing Greatsword alone could not overcome Edmund, who coated himself in armor made from elk blood.
• Arro told White Deer to close her eyes and activated the Black Flame Fire Phoenix with Abyss Power.
• Arro used Phoenix Strike and Body Flickering Technique to vanish into the night, while Edmund mistook him for a Junior Apprentice relying on his armor.
• Edmund used Blood Shadow Clone to attack the fiery image of Arro, but Arro struck back with Solar Fist and blinded him with a second flash.
• Edmund began transforming into a bat and sent his blood claw crashing down, but he missed Arro.
• Arro appeared beside Edmund as his transformation was unfinished and challenged him to look straight at him.