Chapter Summaries

After five years of slumber, Keosius awakened with new Dragon Spells and emerged to find the Burned-Out Nest transformed into a fortified territory. Lang Pu reported on its growth, then announced that his Alarm Spell had detected arriving adventurers.

• Keosius tested the Scratch Spell and Go Through Fire and Water, damaging a pillar and colliding with a stone wall while learning to control the teleportation.
• Keosius left his cave and saw the expanded defenses, barracks, watchtowers, and Mage Tower in the Burned-Out Nest.
• The followers recognized Keosius as their awakened master, and Lang Pu flew over to greet him.
• Lang Pu presented Keosius with a report on the territory, its followers, mining, beast taming, and Bator City, and Keosius praised his work.
• Lang Pu's Alarm Spell was triggered, and he told Keosius that more adventurers had arrived.

Bennett’s adventuring party infiltrated Dragon Valley in search of the Red Dragon and its treasure, but discovered a heavily defended fortress. Their attempt to advance ended when Ivan triggered a guardian inscription and was burned by its flames.

• Bennett, Ivan, Vincent, and the rest of the party used invisibility and aura-isolation potions to approach Dragon Valley.
• The party followed a Hobgoblin patrol and spotted an armed fortress guarded by Hobgoblins, siege weapons, watchtowers, and wyverns.
• Bennett warned the others to avoid a direct fight and sneak inside, but a distant dragon’s roar interrupted him.
• Ivan stepped on a guardian inscription, and Bennett cast Protection from Energy Damage to shield the party from its flames.
• The flames scorched Ivan’s foot, and Bennett wondered why the valley had such a powerful spell.

Bennett realized the Red Dragon had anticipated the adventurers’ arrival and trapped them in its lair. The dragon overwhelmed the party, and Bennett’s attempt to immobilize it failed when a Spell Invalidation Barrier blocked his magic.

• Bennett spotted an Alarm Spell and concluded that the Red Dragon had prepared a trap for the adventurers.
• The Red Dragon appeared amid a storm, and Bennett recognized its size and Control Weather spell as far beyond what the group had been told to expect.
• Tristan raised his Dragon Scale Shield while Bennett cast Wall of Force, and the Red Dragon tested their defenses with Flame Breath.
• Ivan attacked the dragon but was killed by its lightning, and Vincent’s Dragon Slayer Arrow failed to penetrate its defenses.
• The Red Dragon swept into the party, killing Vincent and striking Tristan with lightning as the adventurers scattered.
• Bennett cast Monster Immobilization Spell, but a Spell Invalidation Barrier stopped the spell and confirmed his suspicion that the dragon was a Mage-Eater Dragon.

Bennett and the surviving adventurers were captured after their attempt to escape and flatter Keosius failed. Keosius ordered the prisoners divided for interrogation, recruitment, execution, and propaganda writing.

• Bennett tried to escape through a Dimensional Door, but Keosius's Spell Invalidation Barrier closed the portal.
• Eugene knelt and praised Keosius, persuading the other surviving adventurers to beg for mercy too.
• Keosius dismissed the flattery and ordered Dolo and the Hobgoblin troops to take the adventurers to the dungeon.
• Lang Pu explained how his traps had been set around the adventurers' hiding place.
• Keosius ordered Bennett's magical equipment and spells seized, half the other adventurers killed and half allowed to escape, and Eugene forced to write propaganda pieces.

After defeating the adventurers, Keosius examined their equipment and advanced to True Dragon Sorcerer level 7, gaining Fearful Tremors and Polymorph. He tested Polymorph, chose a more dignified human appearance, then returned to his dragon form and reviewed his upgraded status.

• Keosius considered how the surviving adventurers and a bard would spread stories of the Red Dragon’s power across the North.
• Keosius inspected the Magic Equipment taken from Bennett and the other adventurers, much of it collected by Lang Pu as bait for treasure seekers.
• Keosius reached True Dragon Sorcerer level 7 and gained the cantrip Fearful Tremors and the Fourth Circle Spell Polymorph.
• Keosius used Polymorph to take human form, adjusted his appearance into a handsome young man, and judged the form’s restricted abilities.
• Keosius dispelled Polymorph, returned to his dragon form, and examined his updated character panel and abilities.

Keosius prepared for Erezege’s Internal Beta by unlocking player-facing systems and planning how to manage the incoming players. As the beta began, the first player, Mantou, entered the game and spawned in Bator City.

• Keosius reviewed the Internal Beta’s setup and recalled how Mezhuolash and the Tiefling would use players to oppose Duke Brad’s conspiracy.
• Keosius unlocked player interaction, faction, and forum features, then left his cave to teach his followers how to handle players with profit and force.
• Mantou bought an Erezege account after its gameplay footage rekindled his interest in fantasy games.
• Mantou scanned his face to create a character and received a Charisma score of 9, which upset him.
• The Internal Beta began, and Mantou spawned in Bator City.

Mezhuolash led the Tiefling guards to meet the newly arrived Starfallers, whose strange behavior quickly tested the order of Bator City. After one player was killed for attacking Mezhuolash, the others laughed instead of backing down, leaving him to reconsider how to handle them.

• Mezhuolash warned his guards not to trust the Starfallers and to kill anyone who attacked them.
• Mantou arrived in the cave and joined the gathered players, who marveled at the game's realism and joked around.
• Freedom Wings stripped naked in the plaza, while Mantou reminded him that the game used facial recognition.
• Lang Li Bai Tiao insulted the Tieflings and threw stones at Mezhuolash, earning a severe drop in favorability.
• Mezhuolash ordered the guards to kill Lang Li Bai Tiao, and they riddled him with arrows.
• The players laughed at Lang Li Bai Tiao's death, and Mezhuolash concluded that Starfallers could not be judged by ordinary standards.

Mezhuolash welcomed the newly arrived players to Bator City, warning them to prove their worth and introducing the city’s quests and services. As the players began exploring and working, he realized their arrival could rapidly strengthen the city despite the chaos they brought.

• Mezhuolash introduced himself as Bator City’s acting administrator and demanded that the players contribute to its development.
• Steamed Bun used a detection skill on Mezhuolash, who noticed the probing and gave him a dangerous look.
• Damakos brought out Lang Li Bai Tiao’s arrow-riddled corpse, and Mezhuolash used it to silence the players with a warning.
• Mezhuolash explained the city’s shops, guild, and quests, which mostly involved construction and other labor.
• The players explored Bator City, reacting with surprise to its residents and Dragon Statue, while Mezhuolash considered the potential their arrival offered.

After four days in Erezege, Mantou uploaded a popular video that drew widespread attention to the game. Keosius saw players dismissing Faction Contribution as worthless and decided to meet them in person to change their minds.

• Players explored Bator City, reached Level 1, and chose classes, while Mantou chose Fighter.
• Mantou edited and uploaded a gameplay video featuring his adventures and mishaps in Erezege.
• The video gained millions of views and pushed Erezege to the top of the gaming trends.
• Keosius read Singo's beginner guide, which urged players to prefer money and equipment over Faction Contribution.
• Keosius used Polymorph to become a black-haired young man in a crimson robe so he could meet the players in person.

Steamed Bun joined Singo, Xia Ye Qiuyu, and Born Battle Maniac after they asked him to contribute his Gold Coins toward a costly Mysterious Invitation. The four players agreed to buy it and pursue the unknown quest together.

• Steamed Bun nearly died fighting a Savage Boar before Xia Ye Qiuyu protected him and Singo killed it with an arrow.
• Singo, Xia Ye Qiuyu, and Born Battle Maniac approached Steamed Bun and asked about the four Gold Coins he had saved.
• Born Battle Maniac explained that the team needed money for a Mysterious Invitation and complained that guilds monopolized profitable quests.
• Xia Ye Qiuyu showed Steamed Bun the invitation, which cost 10 Gold Coins and could take up to four users to an unknown realm.
• Steamed Bun agreed to contribute his Gold Coins in exchange for a bigger share and more authority in their follow-up quests.

Singo, Steamed Bun, Xia Ye Qiuyu, and Born Battle Maniac used the Mysterious Invitation and reached a cavern where they met the mysterious dragon-vein sorcerer Keosius. The chapter ended with Keosius confronting them for using Detection as soon as they met.

• The four pooled ten Gold Coins to buy the Mysterious Invitation and opened it to reveal a message promising they would meet an esteemed person.
• Born Battle Maniac used the invitation to open a fiery portal, and the group prepared with spells, potions, and weapon oils before stepping through.
• The four crossed a hot, dark tunnel and entered a vast cavern illuminated by hundreds of dragon-head oil lamps.
• They saw a handsome, horned man in an extravagant robe at the end of a flame-lined road.
• Steamed Bun used Detection on the man and identified him as Keosius, a Mysterious Dragon Vein Sorcerer of the Burned-Out Nest with an extremely dangerous rating.
• Keosius addressed the group and asked whether it was impolite to use Detection as soon as they met.

Keosius gave the four players a quest to investigate the Tieflings and Ember Nest, then revealed shops filled with powerful equipment and class unlocks tied to Faction Contribution. Mantou resolved to become a Dragon Knight after seeing the Red Scale Conqueror class.

• Mantou tried to improve Keosius's favorability, but it dropped further and Keosius issued the players a quest to investigate the Tieflings' history and their migration to Ember Nest.
• The players found that Keosius had opened his personal shop, where the Mithril Shop offered rare equipment but required 3,000 Ember Nest Faction Contribution to unlock.
• Singo realized Faction Contribution could unlock valuable shop access, while Keosius privately planned to use it to make players work for the faction.
• Singo saw that the Adamantine Shop required 10,000 Faction Contribution and offered Dragon Blood Secret Medicine and Crimson Scale, which unlocked the Red Scale Conqueror advanced class.
• Mantou vowed to become a Dragon Knight.

After returning from Keosius’s shop, Singo and the others planned to exploit their knowledge of Faction Contribution and Red Scale Conqueror to gain an early lead. They stripped and pawned their gear to buy more Mysterious Invitations, then spent over ten days grinding quests until the Black Slave Four-Person Group became famous.

• Keosius sent Steamed Bun, Singo, Xia Ye Qiuyu, and Born Battle Maniac back to the cabin, where they discussed Red Scale Conqueror and the value of Faction Contribution.
• Singo planned to reveal the information once major guilds began competing for contribution quests, while the group first built up its own lead.
• Singo persuaded the others to put their equipment up as collateral for Gold Coin loans so they could buy another Mysterious Invitation and pursue more quests.
• Over the next ten days, the four took on all kinds of work and raised their Faction Contribution to nearly five thousand, earning the nickname Black Slave Four-Person Group.
• Steamed Bun kept mining under a Hobgoblin overseer’s whip while insisting to himself that he would become a Dragon Knight.

Keosius watched the players build up Bator City while learning that northern nations were assembling a coalition against Ember Nest. He ordered Dolo and Lang Pu to prepare for war, leaving Ember Nest with three months to ready its forces.

• Keosius reflected on how the invited players and their Faction Contribution would encourage the wider player base to work for Ember Nest.
• Dolo reported that Eagle Guards had appeared near the Storm Highlands and that the Rackman Dynasty, Bosk Family, and Nott Family planned to form an army against Ember Nest.
• Keosius warned Dolo not to trust the Pureblood Snake People and agreed with Dolo and Lang Pu that war was necessary.
• Dolo estimated the coalition would need at least three months to assemble, and Keosius ordered him to prepare troops while Lang Pu organized logistics.
• Hobgoblins, Ogres, Goblins, and Kobolds began preparing weapons, supplies, and defenses as Keosius set Ember Nest's war machine in motion.

After eighteen days of labor to repay their loans, Singo revealed that he had completed the Tiefling quest and Steamed Bun discovered a statue inscription identifying their mysterious NPC as Lord Keosius. The group decided to publish a Faction Contribution guide and rally players against the major guilds, while Steamed Bun ended the chapter still working for Singo.

• Singo told Steamed Bun, Xia Ye Qiuyu, and Born Battle Maniac that he had completed the Tiefling quest, earning each of them 500 Faction Contribution.
• Steamed Bun learned that Singo had sold his equipment to fund the bribe that uncovered the Tieflings' history.
• While chasing Singo, Steamed Bun spotted an inscription naming Keosius Claudeu Norikesius as Bator City's Red Dragon ruler, and the group connected him to the mysterious NPC Keosius.
• Singo said the major guilds were pursuing Faction Contribution and proposed releasing quest information to get other players grinding and slow the guilds down.
• Singo told Steamed Bun to make a video while he prepared a forum guide, but Steamed Bun realized that he was still working after everyone else had logged off.

Steamed Bun released a video about his eighteen days of slave labor in Erezege, revealing Keosius's identity and the benefits of Faction Contribution and the Red Scale Conqueror class. The video made Keosius famous among players and beyond, while Singo's guides and Lang Chu's antics stirred up forum outrage.

• Steamed Bun posted the first episode of Erezege Log, showing his party meet Keosius and discover Ember Nest's shops, Faction Contribution, and the Red Scale Conqueror class.
• The video showed Steamed Bun's eighteen days of mining and other grueling labor, and its popularity spread information about Keosius throughout the gaming community.
• Keosius browsed the forums and saw Singo's guides draw furious accusations from players who had followed his misleading beginner advice.
• Singo told angry players to hurry and complete quests, while players threatened to camp his Respawn Point.
• Lang Chu denied being a thief after players accused him of using Mage Hand to steal potions.

Players rushed to earn Faction Contribution after Mantou and Singo’s guide sparked a frenzy, prompting Keosius to introduce faction positions. Mantou, Xia Ye Qiuyu, and Born Battle Maniac became Peace Officers while Singo chose Tax Officer, and Keosius planned to raise the contribution requirements and keep the players working.

• Players mobbed Faction Contribution quests after the Mysterious Invitations sold out, and Mezhuolash added new quests to meet the demand.
• Keosius introduced the Faction Position System, offering Tax Officer, Scribe Officer, and Peace Officer roles to players with enough Contribution.
• Mantou, Xia Ye Qiuyu, Born Battle Maniac, and Singo qualified for positions; the first three chose Peace Officer while Singo chose Tax Officer.
• Mantou’s group received uniforms, iron weapons, a dormitory, and permission to use horses, then Mantou warned a player against insulting Peace Officers.
• Keosius laughed at Mantou’s new airs and planned to add a Diamond Shop, raise Contribution requirements, and make players keep working for the Ember Nest.

Charlotte led four Magic Coin Guild players to Dragon Valley in search of spells for Mages, but their attempt to sneak into Stone Fortress through a passage ended in traps and chaos. Ming Yue died, Charlotte became a sheep after Flying Witch triggered a Wild Magic Surge, and the remaining players were caught in another trap as they tried to escape.

• Charlotte guided the Magic Coin Guild group along Bumpy Road to the Tower of the Great Wise One, hoping to find spells for Mages.
• Ming Yue stepped into a Guardian Inscriptions trap near Stone Fortress and was killed in its explosion.
• As Hobgoblin guards approached, Charlotte ordered the survivors to retreat through a passage and asked Flying Witch to cast Mage Armor on him.
• Flying Witch's spell triggered a Wild Magic Surge that transformed Charlotte into a sheep.
• The players crawled into the passage, where one triggered a Web Spell and a rolling boulder crushed those trapped inside.

Charlotte found Lang Pu, a powerful mage who opened a shop selling magic scrolls in exchange for Gold Coins and Ember Nest contribution. After players mocked the cost of the Mage class on the forum, Charlotte used his savings to buy a Mage Hand scroll and cast magic for the first time.

• Lang Pu dispelled Charlotte’s sheep form and dismissed his request to learn magic.
• Charlotte clung to Lang Pu’s leg until Lang Pu agreed to teach him in exchange for money and contribution.
• Charlotte unlocked Lang Pu’s Magic Shop and saw scrolls ranging from Mage Hand to Wall of Fire.
• Charlotte posted about Lang Pu and the newly opened Dragon Valley on the Player Forum, where players argued over the Mage class’s cost and strength.
• Charlotte bought a Mage Hand scroll with his savings and cast the spell as his guild celebrated.

Lang Li Bai Tiao was arrested by Steamed Bun for theft and imprisoned in Bator City. After finding a guide to North Wind Fortress, he escaped and set out for adventure, only to be chased by hill giants at the edge of the Storm Highlands.

• Lang Li Bai Tiao was mocked by players at Caroline's Home for repeatedly stealing and getting caught.
• Steamed Bun arrested Lang Li Bai Tiao for theft and earned faction contribution, while the tavern cheered.
• Lang Li Bai Tiao spent three days in prison, where he read about North Wind Fortress and decided to leave Bator City.
• Lang Li Bai Tiao escaped through his cell door and left a boastful message before guards found the prison empty.
• Lang Li Bai Tiao ran through the Storm Highlands as several hill giants chased him.