Chapter Summaries

Murphy, a newly arrived vampire living in poverty at Lady Triss’s ruined manor, received a dangerous assignment to carry a confidential order through a Witch Hunter blockade. He anticipated his beta administrator system finishing installation that afternoon as he prepared for the mission.

• Murphy collected relief rations while ignoring the townspeople’s gossip and a vampire’s ominous hints about his coming journey.
• Murphy returned to Triss’s manor, where the broken gate triggered another skill notification from his system.
• A Blood Eagle Guard delivered Lord Salokdar Lasombra’s order for Murphy to take a sealed pouch to the Midnight Hunters’ camp within three days.
• Murphy learned he would have to cross a Witch Hunter cordon at midnight, but the guard promised equipment and blood thralls before he left.
• After the guard departed, Murphy checked his system installation progress, which had reached 99.87%, and anticipated gaining its power before setting out.

Murphy received Triss’s old Blood Eagle gear before his long-delayed system finished installing, then used its summoning skill and brought two ordinary humans into the basement. The strangers appeared to believe they were playing a game, leaving Murphy stunned by what his cheat system had actually summoned.

• Murphy returned home and found Triss asleep drunk, then woke her and served her porridge.
• Triss examined the Blood Eagle message Murphy had been ordered to deliver and warned him that Salokdar was using him as bait in a double-sided scheme.
• Triss directed Murphy to a hidden basement compartment, where he recovered her old armor, cloak, and psionic rapier.
• Murphy put on the gear as the system finished installing and revealed his character card, beginner skills, and a tutorial mission to perform his first summon.
• Murphy activated the summoning skill and spent some of his psionic energy to summon two ordinary humans.
• The two newcomers exclaimed about the game’s graphics and tried to interact with Murphy, who realized they mistook the otherworld for a game.

Murphy welcomed two summoned players, tested their abilities, and recruited them to help with his plans while preparing to leave the manor. After the players returned to their world, he received a new combat tutorial and set out to buy supplies for Triss.

• Murphy sent out the remaining invitation codes and ordered the two players to search the basement for valuable items.
• Murphy introduced himself as their guide and protector, then watched them explore while he worried about explaining them to Triss.
• Murphy found Triss burning herself in the sunlight, bandaged her fingers, and promised to leave blood thralls behind to care for her while he traveled.
• The players returned dwarf ale, a drinking set, a pocket watch, and a pile of coins, then introduced themselves as Meow King and Leading Pigeon.
• Murphy dismissed the players, unlocked a reconnaissance feature and a live-combat tutorial, and left to buy food and drinks for Triss.

Murphy left Cadman City on a dangerous mission after Triss urged him to flee the Blood Eagle Clan and revealed her full name, but he refused to abandon her. In the other world, Ge Bao and other recipients received black helmets for the True Otherworld game, while new players elsewhere began discovering theirs.

• Murphy stocked the manor with food and left Triss a detailed cooking guide before setting out with eight blood thralls and equipment provided by Lord Jade.
• Triss warned Murphy to flee Blood Eagle territory, explained that the clan had violated the Veil Codex, and gave him her full name and possible refuges.
• Murphy left in the carriage but resolved to return for Triss rather than run away alone.
• Triss blamed Salokdar for sending Murphy to his death and vowed to stay and witness the downfall of him and his family.
• Ge Bao's roommates mocked his claims about the game until a delivery brought black helmets for all six of them.
• Two former factory owners and a student abroad also received black helmets and wondered what the devices were.

Murphy and Maxim traveled toward the Midnight Hunters’ camp, but Witch Hunters ambushed their carriage near Morland Village. Murphy summoned six outworlders to help fight, and the chapter ended with him ordering them to charge.

• Murphy learned that Maxim Sena Vlad was a devoted blood thrall and gave him armor and a rapier for the journey.
• Murphy spotted hostile figures near Morland Village and pulled Maxim from the carriage before the Witch Hunters attacked.
• The Witch Hunters killed the eight blood thralls and the carriage horse, then searched the area for survivors.
• Murphy summoned six outworlders, and one was killed by a crossbow bolt moments after arriving.
• Murphy urged the remaining outworlders to distract the Witch Hunters while he and Maxim charged from the front.

Murphy and the players killed four Witch Hunters in their first battle, but Murphy was weakened after drinking poisoned blood. As Maxim led the surviving players into Morland Village to investigate, an explosion engulfed part of the village.

• Murphy and Maxim fought the Witch Hunters, and Murphy’s first taste of blood triggered a dangerous hunger before the hunters’ poisoned blood made him sick.
• Leading Pigeon and the other players helped kill the remaining Witch Hunters, though three players and eight blood thralls died and Maxim was injured.
• Murphy refused Maxim’s offer of blood and sent him with the surviving players to search the village, arm themselves, and look for the rest of the Witch Hunter squad.
• The players looted the Witch Hunters and followed Maxim into Morland Village, while Murphy complained about their performance and their three-day respawn timer.
• An explosion suddenly engulfed one-sixth of Morland Village as Murphy began checking his rewards.

After the Witch Hunters’ attack left Morland Village burning, Murphy persuaded the players to join his cause and sent them to search for survivors and supplies. As he unlocked the game forum and considered his next quest, a gunshot rang out, leaving him fearing for the players’ safety.

• Leading Pigeon and the others recovered from the explosion and saw the Witch Hunters’ attack had set Morland Village’s warehouse and villagers ablaze.
• Maxim explained that the Witch Hunters had trapped villagers in the warehouse to burn them, and he prayed over the ruins.
• Murphy asked the players to join his cause, and Ge Bao accepted on their behalf.
• Murphy sent the players to search for survivors and unclaimed valuables while he explained to Maxim how the players could be paid for their help.
• Murphy checked his new combat quest and unlocked the game forum, then heard a gunshot and feared the players had been killed.

Murphy and the players captured a woman hiding in Morland Village, where he found proof that the Witch Hunters had targeted him using information from a traitor inside the Blood Eagle Clan. With the Witch Hunters closing in, Murphy sent Maxim away with the clan leader’s letter and stayed behind to prepare a defense and question his players.

• Murphy and the players found a woman hiding in a cellar, and Murphy disarmed her after baiting her into firing her rifle.
• Murphy resisted his thirst for the woman’s blood, then found a Witch Hunter’s scroll labeling him a high-priority target and realized the ambush had been planned with help from a clan traitor.
• Murphy told Maxim that the Witch Hunters were closing in and ordered him to carry the clan leader’s sealed letter to the Midnight Hunters for reinforcements.
• Maxim accepted Murphy’s promise of the Embrace and left with the letter, a Dwarf Rifle, and ammunition.
• Murphy settled the players’ quest reward, ended their test session, and began preparing to face the Witch Hunters while planning to question the players on the forum.

Murphy coordinated the players through the forum, arranged another combat test, and learned that player deaths disappearing in bursts of light could expose them to suspicion. After freeing Mirian and making her gather equipment, he prepared to hibernate at dawn and resolved to finish his tutorial quest so the players could grow stronger before the Witch Hunters returned.

• Murphy inspected the forum tools and invited all ten testers to a private group, where he collected feedback and announced that the development team wanted another live combat test.
• The players discussed their first test, and Alpha explained the death penalties, shared an application link for new testers, and promised to announce the next test shortly before it began.
• Murphy realized that players vanishing after death could look suspicious to locals if their numbers grew, then noticed Mirian bound and gagged in the house.
• Murphy freed Mirian, learned that she was a university student and the village chief's illegitimate daughter, and warned her that the Witch Hunters would pursue her for killing one of their companions.
• Mirian obeyed Murphy's order to gather weapons and armor for ten people, while Murphy prepared for hibernation and resolved to complete his tutorial quest before returning to Cadman City.

Murphy approved five player applications, bringing his available force to fourteen, and prepared Mirian to help defend Morland Village while he recovered his strength. As dusk fell, a Witch Hunter squad entered the ruins searching for the wounded vampire courier and his letter, unaware that Murphy was watching them and summoning his players.

• Murphy approved the applications of Chen Dian Niu Niu Not Afraid of Difficulty and four other applicants referred by Meow Brother, bringing his available force to fourteen with Mirian and himself.
• Murphy asked Mirian to act as bait and draw the Witch Hunters into ambushes, then demanded a bottle of her blood to restore his psionic energy.
• A Witch Hunter squad led by a huntress arrived at Morland Village, suspecting Malus's team had fallen and searching for the vampire courier's letter.
• The squad entered the burned village, and a psionic scout detected an injured young woman in a house at the far end.
• Murphy watched from beneath the water tower as the Witch Hunters split into groups, then summoned his players through the forum chat.

Murphy and the summoned players ambushed the Witch Hunters at the village, using traps and overwhelming numbers to fight back. Their victory nearly collapsed when Natalie deployed an Automatic Hunter Crossbow, but the players emptied its magazine and poisoned her, leaving her defeated.

• Murphy summoned six players, then summoned six more to surround the Witch Hunter scout Amber and attack the huntress Natalie.
• Leading Pigeon ignited an oil-soaked carriage and bombs at the village entrance, blocking the Witch Hunter reinforcements while players fired crossbows at them.
• The players and Mirian overwhelmed Porter and another Witch Hunter, while Murphy fought Natalie and Lumina Sunscar wounded her with a hunting rifle.
• Natalie used her Automatic Hunter Crossbow to drive Murphy and the players into cover and wound Lumina Sunscar.
• Chen Dian Niu Niu Not Afraid of Difficulty stabbed Natalie with a needle as her crossbow ran empty, and Murphy knocked her down.

After the players defeated the Witch Hunters at Morland Village, Murphy completed the fourth tutorial mission and let the survivors remain briefly, while the system assigned him a more demanding assessment. The Witch Hunters who escaped were intercepted by Blood Eagle Midnight Hunters, and Norman ordered his squad to charge.

• Meow Brother and the surviving players celebrated their victory, and Murphy honored Chen Dian Niu Niu with the huntress's saber.
• Spicy Gugu Chicken reported that four Witch Hunters had escaped, while A-Cha and the players rescued the badly injured Ge Bao.
• Murphy received an excellent completion for the fourth tutorial mission and agreed to let the players stay until nightfall.
• The system assigned Murphy the fifth mission, requiring him to plan and lead a complex operation and kill its target faction's leader.
• Norman refused Mond's plea to return for Natalie and led the Witch Hunters onward, trusting the prophecy that she would survive.
• Blood Eagle Midnight Hunters intercepted Norman's group, and Norman drew his saber and ordered his squad to charge.

After Murphy’s players helped defeat the Witch Hunters at Morland Village, the Midnight Hunters arrived and revealed that their leader was Lady Femis, the Blood Eagle clan leader’s daughter. Murphy agreed to join her secret mission but began asking her for a favor for his servants.

• Mirian explained that the players’ grave-digging could lead to undead, then helped Chen Dian Niu Niu operate the Automatic Hunter Crossbow.
• A Blood Eagle firework signaled the Midnight Hunters’ arrival, and Murphy dismissed the players with a promise of rewards.
• Murphy ordered Mirian to treat the captured Witch Hunters and reunited with Maxim, who had successfully delivered the clan leader’s message.
• The Midnight Hunters’ leader used Murphy’s psionic decoding seal to open the secret order, and Murphy recognized her as Lady Femis Cecilia Lasombra.
• Femis requisitioned Murphy and his servants for a secret mission, and Murphy accepted after learning her identity, then asked her for a favor for his people.

Murphy inspected his captured weapons and negotiated with Femis Cecilia Lasombra over supplies for a dangerous mission. He agreed to help intercept a Plantagenet convoy in three days in exchange for equipment and training materials, leaving his witch hunter prisoners in Femis's hands.

• Murphy used his item identification ability to inspect his combat knife and Natalie Finnockia Lawson's Blessed Sacred Blade, then kept the better weapons and set aside the rest for the players.
• Femis told Murphy that a Plantagenet military convoy carrying special supplies would pass through Smuggler's Woodland in three days and ordered him to harass it so her hunters could ambush it.
• Murphy recognized that Femis was assigning him and his followers as bait, but accepted the mission after demanding armor, weapons, commander's gear, and manuals.
• Femis agreed to provide Murphy's requested supplies in exchange for his three witch hunter prisoners, whom her interrogator would question about the White Oak Warband.
• Murphy accepted the exchange and praised Femis's generosity.

Murphy gathered equipment from Femis and prepared Maxim to impersonate him, then trained and studied to improve his swordsmanship. His handbook study raised Blood Vulture Swordsmanship to Proficient and unlocked a class advancement option, leaving him to decide whether to become a Blood Vulture Swordsman.

• Femis gave Murphy handbooks, armor, and weapons, and Murphy persuaded her guard to hand over his elite gear as well.
• Murphy gave the guard’s armor and cloak to Maxim, naming him his Shadow Warrior and tasking him with impersonating Murphy during their return to Cadman City.
• Murphy sparred with Maxim, discovered that practice raised his experience, and learned how character level and class level reflected different kinds of growth.
• Murphy studied Femis Cecilia Lasombra’s swordsmanship handbook and advanced his Blood Vulture Swordsmanship to Proficient, unlocking One-Handed Sword Mastery.
• Murphy received a prompt offering to advance his Blood Eagle Apprentice class to Blood Vulture Swordsman.

Murphy changed classes after studying swordsmanship and psionic manuals, gaining new talents and techniques that made his hard work pay off. As the vampire party assembled for Adele’s ambush, he protected Mirian from the other vampires and prepared to leave before dawn.

• Murphy changed his main class to Blood Vulture Swordsman and learned new sword talents, then studied Femis Cecilia Lasombra's manual until he learned several Psionic Impact branches and changed his secondary class to Dark · Psionic Apprentice.
• Murphy and Maxim trained for three hours, raising Murphy’s swordsman level to Level 2 through practice.
• Murphy learned that Mirian could drive the carriage and asked her to take the reins for the journey to the ambush site.
• More than thirty Blood Eagle Vampire Rangers arrived to join Miss Femis’s gathering, and Murphy admired their wings while planning to rest in the carriage.
• Murphy warned Mirian that the assembled vampires would prey on her if they learned she was not his blood thrall, so she accepted Maxim’s Midnight Cloak and stayed under Murphy’s protection.

After the Battle of Morland Village, Murphy arranged a new group test and decided to create a hidden likeability system for himself and Maxim. Meow King received an invitation to evaluate his game headset, which revealed unexpected functions and left him eager to investigate further.

• Murphy read the players’ forum discussions, scheduled the next test for 9 p.m., and told the players they would coordinate tactics with the main-story NPC.
• After Chen Dian Niu Niu Not Afraid of Difficulty asked about NPC likeability, Murphy decided to launch a personal likeability system and plan one for Maxim.
• Meow King submitted feedback about the game’s time difference, lack of a quest log, and limited test access, prompting Murphy to send him a headset-evaluation invitation with the promise of a rare in-game reward.
• Meow King examined his headset and discovered it had airflow, air conditioning, massage, bioelectric power, and external power options.

Murphy secretly summoned the players during the caravan’s journey and tasked them with devising a plan to intercept a potentially powerful enemy force at the Filthy Swamp. After Adele noticed signs of his meeting, she decided to report her suspicions to Lady Femis.

• Murphy summoned the players in a grove and rewarded Chen Dian Niu Niu with a crimson cloak representing the Blood Eagle Clan’s protection.
• Murphy explained that their target might include Plantagenet soldiers, Tower of Rings psionic mages, and Wolfsbane vampires, so the players needed to avoid a direct fight.
• Meow Brother, Ge Bao, and A-Cha offered to consult friends with military experience and develop an operation plan before the caravan reached the swamp.
• Murphy dismissed the players, told them to prepare, and returned to the carriage after sensing someone watching him.
• Adele searched the grove, found no useful traces because Murphy had erased them with Psionic Impact, and resolved to report her suspicions about him to Lady Femis.

Meow Brother recruited a tactical expert to help the players prepare for the fight against Miss Femis's convoy, while Lumina received advice from Sister Cement on how to rethink the mission. As the convoy reached its staging area, Lumina began presenting her idea to Murphy.

• Meow Brother asked an old friend with military experience to devise a plan for the eighteen players facing more than two hundred enemies, and Murphy approved giving the friend an invite code.
• Sister Cement told Lumina to redirect the enemy's attention toward the stronger group while the light cavalry struck the main target, and Lumina invited her to join the game.
• Miss Femis's convoy arrived at the designated location, and Murphy gathered sixteen players to discuss tactics.
• Meow Brother's newly recruited friend logged in, marveled at the game's realism, and left with a group to scout the terrain.
• Lumina told Murphy that she had a half-baked idea based on approaching the problem differently, and Murphy invited her to explain it.

Murphy enlisted the players to prepare an ambush for Lady Femis’s operation, while secretly arranging for Mirian to tell the Witch Hunter prisoners how to escape. The chapter ended with Natalie learning that the raid would target the Golden Lily Transport Team and preparing for a last stand the following night.

• Happy Stick proposed mounting the Automatic Hunter Crossbow on a carriage and digging fortifications, and Murphy agreed to provide tools and workers.
• Murphy ordered Mirian to deliver a message to the Witch Hunter prisoners and promised to help her reach Chardo Port afterward.
• Murphy provoked Lady Adele into summoning the caravan’s human servants, distracting her while Mirian entered the prisoners’ carriage.
• Mirian showed Natalie a message revealing that the raid would target the Golden Lily Transport Team tomorrow night and promised to free her.
• Natalie understood the warning, concealed Mirian’s scent by spilling bloody water, and rested in preparation for the next night.