Chapter Summaries

Arro explored a wood-chip-covered road, killed an Iron-backed Centipede, and discovered its body contained highly corrosive venom. After finding only a poison-covered horse corpse, he turned to leave, but a young figure emerged from the jungle.

• Arro cautiously entered the road and noticed a foul odor beneath the wood chips.
• An Iron-backed Centipede attacked Arro, and he killed it with the Arc Moon Sword Technique—Waning Moon.
• Arro found that the centipede's venom corroded even his Blazing Greatsword, then collected the venom and shell.
• Arro uncovered a horse corpse covered with poisonous insects and decided to retrieve the Werewolf's corpse tissue instead.
• A young figure emerged from the jungle as Arro turned to leave.

Arro questioned Redd Ranelli, who revealed that the Fernando Wizard Family was turning the count’s territory into an Undead breeding ground while the Ranelli Family avoided confronting them. Arro connected the conflict to the Demon Hunter Academy and suspected the Ranelli wizards had invited the Saint Fernando Empire into the kingdom.

• Arro challenged Redd Ranelli about waiting in ambush, and Redd said he had been using corpses to lure out Ghouls for a Ghoul Heart.
• Redd explained that the Fernando Wizard Family intended to cultivate apprentices with Necromancy Potion by turning the count’s territory into an Undead territory.
• Redd said the Ranelli Family wanted to rescue the people but feared the Fernando Family’s Formal Wizard, and denied responsibility for the Shadow Monsters in Peran Territory.
• Redd admitted that he had come to punish Viscount Corey for acting independently and to make him hand over more Despair Powder.
• Arro reasoned that the Demon Hunter Academy threatened the Ranelli Family’s gains and suspected the Saint Fernando Empire had been invited into the Ranelli Kingdom.

Arro confronted Redd Ranelli over the kingdom’s use of citizens to produce materials, then warned him that he would intervene if the Ranelli Kingdom committed similar cruelty. Redd invited Arro to tea, and Arro agreed so he could learn why Redd was there and what threatened the Earl’s territory.

• Redd Ranelli explained that the Ranelli Kingdom gathered materials from its citizens’ normal lives and deaths, and said the family opposed Viscount Corey’s methods.
• Arro decided the Ranelli Family had sheltered the region despite its selfish motives and warned Redd that he would target him if he found similar brutality in the kingdom.
• Redd asked whether Arro would confront stronger people, and Arro said he would act within his abilities or wait until he grew stronger.
• Redd praised Arro’s words about hiding when one lacked the strength to shine and invited him to a campsite for tea.
• Arro accepted the invitation to learn why Redd had come, whether Formal Wizards would appear, and what threatened the Earl’s territory.

Arro questioned Redd Ranelli’s offer to pay him for hunting Undead, suspecting the Ranelli Family wanted to use him as bait against the Fernando Family. After learning the family could station only Advanced Apprentices in the Saint Fernando Empire, Arro began considering the offer, while worrying that a second Record Stone of his battle could expose his techniques.

• Redd Ranelli warned Arro that the Fernando Family might notice Peran Territory had been opened and explained that the Ranelli Family would buy Undead materials.
• Arro rejected the offer, accusing Redd Ranelli of trying to use him as bait to lure a Formal Wizard.
• Redd Ranelli said the wizard families were headquartered on the Dark Plain and could station at most Advanced Apprentices in the Empire.
• Redd Ranelli admitted he had seen Arro’s deeds at Mannheim Market through a Record Stone of “Dance Under the Moon.”
• Arro considered the risks of a second Record Stone revealing his identity and techniques, then asked whether only Advanced Apprentices were stationed in the Saint Fernando Empire.

Arro learned why wizard families avoided basing themselves in Mortal Kingdoms and heard how the Ranelli Family planned to handle the Saint Fernando Empire’s Undead territory. He offered to help Baron Claire become master of the Viscount Territory, while using the arrangement to protect Little Heli and Bevan and negotiate for benefits.

• Arro reflected that Mortal Kingdoms were difficult to manage because of scarce resources, dangerous creatures, hostile wizards, and the risk of betrayal.
• Redd Ranelli explained that the Fernando Family was establishing an Undead territory with ghouls and would replace any people who fled the Earl’s territory.
• Arro concluded that Redd wanted him to take the risks and serve as a scapegoat, but decided the Ranelli Family could still help with cleanup work.
• Arro asked Redd to arrange for Baron Claire to become master of the Viscount Territory, citing Claire’s rescue of citizens and his own dislike of the situation.
• Redd questioned whether Arro should transfer his merit to a mortal noble, and Arro asked what benefits the Ranelli Family would offer, including materials, Ghoul Hearts, or Fernando wizards.

Arro examined a Werewolf’s cells and hair, concluding that its transformation involved real changes to its body, while considering how to build a stronger microscope. At Peran Castle, Bevan told Arro that something had happened to Heli, leaving Arro hurrying to the laboratory to find out what.

• Arro examined the Werewolf’s blood, tissues, hair, and hair follicles, finding ordinary cells and no unusual hair-retraction structure.
• Arro concluded that a Werewolf’s transformation involved material changes to its body and wondered whether its cells enlarged or its flesh and blood were converted into energy.
• Arro considered building a high-powered microscope but realized he would need to relearn much of the mathematics required to design it.
• Arro returned to Peran Castle and asked Bevan whether anything unexpected had happened.
• Bevan said the problem involved Heli, so Arro hurried toward the laboratory to ask her what had happened.

Arrow found that Heli's generator inexplicably drew his gaze, while Heli revealed that the Copper Pendant he had given her had become an Extraordinary object with electrical and summoning powers. The pendant responded to Heli but not Arrow, and she suspected it needed to be charged again.

• Arrow returned to the laboratory and found himself unable to look away from Heli's crude generator, though Heli and Bevan said it had not affected them.
• Arrow asked Heli whether she had used any materials besides those he had provided, and she said she had followed his instructions exactly.
• Heli revealed that the Copper Pendant could summon itself, and it shot into her hand in a burst of electricity that shocked her.
• Arrow sensed Void Energy in the pendant and identified it as an Extraordinary Treasure or Extraordinary Material, but he could not activate it himself.
• Heli tried summoning the pendant from Arrow's hand, but he held on until its force faded and its heat increased, then ordered her to stop.
• Heli explained that the pendant needed to be charged before it would answer her summons.

Arro learned that Heli’s Copper Pendant had changed during a lightning strike while a generator was being made, possibly as a phenomenon reward, but he left its investigation to her and went to the storeroom. Elsewhere, starving refugees argued with Aunt Sam about whether she should keep carrying her dead baby as they traveled.

• Heli explained that the Copper Pendant moved when she intended it to, though Arro and Bevan could not activate it themselves.
• Arro learned that lightning struck during the generator’s construction when the Copper Pendant changed, and suspected both changes were connected to phenomena.
• Arro asked Heli to study the pendant’s properties and went to the storeroom without investigating the generator further.
• Aunt Sam offered Little Harry freshly sprouted grass while carrying her dead baby, and Little Harry urged her to leave the child behind.
• Aunt Sam refused to abandon the body because monsters might eat it, while other refugees criticized her for risking the group’s safety.

Arro, using the alias Yue, revealed himself as a Demon Hunter and wizard after refugees accused Aunt Sam of bringing monsters to their village. When the refugees refused to guide him to the monsters, Little Harry volunteered, but Arro dismissed him.

• The refugees blamed Aunt Sam for the village's destruction and accused her dead son of being a monster.
• Arro approached the crowd, introduced himself as Yue, and asked where their village was.
• Arro summoned a Light Sphere and revealed that he was a Demon Hunter and wizard, then challenged the crowd about the monster they had accused Aunt Sam of being.
• The refugees knelt and begged Arro to save them from monsters in their village, but none would guide him there.
• Little Harry volunteered to lead Arro, but Arro dismissed him, while the old villager insisted that the boy could remember the way.

Arro followed the refugees’ directions to a remote village, sensing Undead System Void Energy as the land grew desolate. He found bloodstains and monster scratch marks but no creatures, then camped nearby as dusk approached.

• Arro declined to take Little Harry with him, wondered if someone had targeted him, and continued toward the village alone.
• Arro sensed rising Undead System Void Energy along the road and saw withered trees and signs of refugees fleeing.
• Arro entered a dilapidated village and found recent human bloodstains scattered across its walls.
• Arro examined scratch marks on the houses and concluded that the creatures responsible seemed too weak to have caused the bloodshed directly.
• Arro searched the village but found no monsters, then left to camp on high ground as dusk approached.

Arro traced the undead energy near the village to an old graveyard and discovered it was infested with Necrotic Beetles. He fought off the swarm while retreating, keeping the beetles from reaching him.

• As night fell, Arro searched the woods and found Bone Spirit Grass, which suggested the undead energy had lingered there for years.
• Arro followed a trail to a recently burned graveyard and noticed signs that the fire had failed to destroy it.
• Necrotic Beetles swarmed Arro when he illuminated the graveyard, and he identified them as ordinary insects rather than Supernatural Creatures.
• Arro struck down the beetles and gained small amounts of experience, concluding that their numbers still made them dangerous.
• Arro fought while retreating and maintained his defensive distance from the advancing swarm.

Arro used the Blazing Sword Technique to slaughter Necrotic Beetles and rapidly gain Experience Points, but their chirping summoned nearby Undead creatures. He continued fighting as the Undead staggered into the light around him.

• Arro burned through a dense swarm of Necrotic Beetles, earning nearly two hundred Experience Points with one sword strike.
• Arro focused on Basic Sword Moves with the Blazing Sword Technique to maximize his Personal Experience, but the beetles began chirping and slowing their advance.
• Arro used Solar Fist to illuminate the jungle and revealed mutilated corpses rising as Undead creatures, with Necrotic Beetles crawling among them.
• Some beetles charged Arro while others retreated toward the Undead, and he used his flaming greatsword to kill the attackers.
• Arro's Experience Points reached twenty-eight thousand as the Undead staggered into the light.

Arro fought Necrotic Beetle-enhanced Rotting Corpses and learned that the beetles strengthened their hosts without making them a threat to him. After defeating the horde, he reached Personal Level 22.

• Necrotic Beetles enhanced the Rotting Corpses, reviving some corpses and increasing the speed of undead already on their feet.
• Arro killed an enhanced Rotting Corpse and gained 109 Experience Points, concluding that the beetle-enhanced creature had the combat power of an ordinary soldier in full armor.
• Arro cut down more Rotting Corpses as Necrotic Beetles shifted between hosts, earning experience with each kill.
• Arro used Cat Form Fist - Running to find a route through the approaching horde and cut down the Rotting Corpses with his sword and flames.
• Arro defeated the remaining enemies and reached Personal Level 22.

Arro burned the rotten jungle, dispersing the death energy and gaining only a small amount of Experience Points. While deciding how to spend his Skill Point, he noticed a hidden presence in the wilderness, which emerged and asked how he had found it.

• Arro set fire to the rotten jungle, and the flames dispersed the accumulated death energy while granting him a little over seventy Experience Points.
• Arro concluded that the forces behind the Undead Disaster had likely left the Earl's territory and departed for the night.
• Arro considered spending his available Skill Point on a Composite Trick, the knight path, or Magic Strike Technique.
• Arro sensed a presence in the shadows and challenged it, and a gelatinous figure emerged to ask how he had discovered it.

Arro confronted a Magic Power Servant on the Fernando Wizard Family’s pasture and learned how its wizards viewed ordinary people. After Arro attacked, a hidden Spellcaster fled into the night, leaving Arro unable to catch up and wondering who he was.

• Arro questioned the Magic Power Servant, which ordered him to leave the Fernando Wizard Family’s pasture.
• Arro accused the servant of causing atrocities, and it defended the wizards’ treatment of ordinary people as slaves.
• Arro used the Body Flickering Technique and Waning Crescent Moon to strike the servant, disrupting its spell.
• Arro spotted a thin man in a black robe a hundred meters away and pursued him.
• The man drank a vial, enhanced his speed with sorcery, and escaped into the darkness while Arro stopped short of catching him.

Arro analyzed the gaunt man’s abilities and concluded that someone powerful was targeting him, possibly an Advanced Apprentice or even the Formal Wizard backing the Fernando Wizard Family. He resolved to improve his conventional combat strength quickly and considered which spell to enhance.

• Arro reasoned that the gaunt man was unlikely to be a Low-level Apprentice and probably was not an Advanced Apprentice, leaving an Intermediate Apprentice as the likeliest possibility.
• Arro questioned why the gaunt man had fled immediately despite having speed-enhancing treasures, and realized the man might have known Arro was dangerous.
• Arro connected the man’s detection ability, escape, and timing after the Withered Forest burned to conclude that he had been targeted.
• Arro decided to seize the opportunity to gain experience while preventing the Fernando Family from sacrificing countless lives, and sought a way to strengthen his conventional combat ability.
• Arro considered adding points to Feather Fall Spell, Growth Spell, or Lava Burst.

Arro examined the Meditation Technique’s Lava Burst, Growth Spell, and Feather Fall Spell, dismissing the first two and considering how to modify Feather Fall Spell. He realized that using it with his Glider could create dangerous drag and flipping inertia, leaving its practical use unresolved.

• Arro assessed Lava Burst as a weak, short-range spell chiefly useful for burning corpses and ruled it out.
• Arro concluded Growth Spell was a farming trick with no real combat value.
• Arro considered Feather Fall Spell for slowing falls, braking, and avoiding unnecessary use of his life-saving Pendant, but rejected it as a way to defend against arrows.
• Arro explored pairing Feather Fall Spell with an external object like his Glider, then realized the spell could create drag and make the Glider flip and crash.

Arro searched for a way to modify the Feather Fall Spell and realized he could use wind resistance to turn the inertia of a charge into rotational force. He named the resulting sword move Cyclone Slash and planned to combine it with his other techniques.

• Arro considered several ways to adapt the Feather Fall Spell but rejected emergency braking and sudden movement as ineffective.
• Arro recalled Bernoulli's Principle and reasoned that angled airflow could produce sideways force, though it would make him spin while charging.
• Arro recognized that he could convert a charge's inertia into rotational force, then slash at the end of the charge to avoid spinning endlessly.
• Arro planned to combine the move with the Arc Moon Sword Technique, the Blazing Greatsword's Power Core, Body Flickering Technique, and Half-Body Assassination.
• Arro named his new move Cyclone Slash.

Arro devised two movement techniques that used Feather Fall Spell and Bernoulli’s Principle to increase his speed, range, and impact. He named them Soaring Dragon Movement Technique and Dragonfly Skimming the Surface, but rejected the prompts to learn them.

• Arro calculated how perpendicular lateral force and Inertial Force could combine into an arc-based movement technique that increased horizontal travel and charging power.
• He named the movement technique Soaring Dragon Movement Technique and rejected the prompt to learn it.
• Arro designed a second technique that shaped wind-element Void Energy like glider wings to boost him upward and forward, then amplify his momentum as he descended.
• He named the lightness skill Dragonfly Skimming the Surface, and rejected the prompt to learn the combined techniques.

Arro used a skill point to learn the Soaring Dragon Movement Technique, but discovered that he could perform only its two extreme forms and still had to train its intermediate level. He kept his remaining point for Magic Strike Technique and continued along the path, relying on his new movement skills to help him survive encounters.

• Arro learned the Soaring Dragon Movement Technique and examined the gaps in his knowledge of it and Dragonfly Skimming the Surface.
• Arro divided the movement technique into Seeing the Dragon in the Field, Hidden Dragon, Do Not Use, and Riding the Six Dragons, and found he could perform only the first two.
• Arro concluded that the system's skill point had taught him the moves without bringing the technique to Beginner level, then changed the system's label for Advanced skills to Perfected.
• Arro kept his remaining skill point in reserve for Magic Strike Technique, extinguished his campfire, packed his Glider, and continued along the path.
• Arro judged that his new movement skills could help him pursue or escape Advanced Apprentices from the Fernando Family, but that he would need Magic Strike Technique to have a chance against a Formal Wizard.