Recaps

He Xi visited Zander with Flora and proposed returning to the Gray Mist Forest cave to search for Lily and recover Zander’s lost memories. Zander agreed to join them, and Flora said they could teleport directly to the cave the next day.

• Ms. Castien introduced He Xi and Flora to Zander, who thanked them for helping him recover.
• He Xi explained that he and Flora planned to explore the cave where they had found Zander and offered to look for Lily.
• Zander said he remembered Lily’s name but had lost all memories of her and what happened in the cave.
• Ms. Castien explained that Zander’s memories were lost in the cave and that returning might be the only way to reclaim them.
• Flora reported that the Adventurer Guild in Lingang City was settled, and Zander agreed to join the expedition.
• Flora pointed out that they could teleport from the Magic Staff Shop to the cave instead of traveling from the town’s eastern gate.

He Xi and Flora returned to the Magic Staff Shop, where Fivik explained the Adventurer Guild’s New Dungeon Exploration commission and its detailed survey form. She taught He Xi how Dungeons formed and warned that abnormal magical environments could make exploration deadly, leaving him worried about the Mist Cave.

• Fivik complained that another party had reported the Dungeon first, costing her the one-Gold-Shield reward, though her team could still accept the exploration commission.
• He Xi read the Adventurer Guild’s extensive Dungeon survey form and asked why its magical environment assessment was emphasized.
• Fivik asked He Xi how Dungeons formed, but he was distracted by a notification showing that her favorability had earned him five Parsing Points.
• Fivik explained that dense mana could distort reality into a semiautonomous plane and that Dungeons varied in size, structure, and inhabitants.
• Fivik warned that abnormal magical conditions could kill ordinary adventurers and strengthen a Dungeon, prompting He Xi to worry that the Mist Cave was forming into one.

He Xi told Fivik about the demon’s projection and his contract with it, then escaped her questions with Flora’s help. As he considered how Parsing Points reflected relationships, he realized his feelings for Zoya and decided he wanted to see her right now.

• Fivik sensed a faint aura where the demon had appeared, and He Xi and Flora explained the encounter and his contract with the demon.
• Fivik scolded He Xi for keeping the danger from her, then checked that he had suffered no harm while unconscious.
• Fivik noticed He Xi and Flora’s unusual closeness, but Flora distracted her by teasing her about the costly mansion spell, letting He Xi slip away.
• He Xi reasoned that Parsing Points depended on the depth and nature of relationships, and wondered why Zoya continued to provide them.
• He Xi recognized that he liked Zoya and decided he wanted to see her right away.

He Xi watched Zoya cook and received her wooden pendant and confession after Jonathan proposed to Cassandra. Meanwhile, Serina confronted Jared at the Baron Mansion, where his deluded response to her anger left her furious.

• He Xi returned home and found Zoya cooking grilled meat patties for Bruce with Cassandra.
• At dinner, Jonathan confessed to Cassandra and presented her with a silver pendant, while Thomas helped the pair have privacy.
• He Xi stepped outside, reconsidered his impulse to confess to Zoya, and wondered what gift she might like.
• Zoya gave He Xi a wooden carving of the two of them with Bruce and told him she liked him.
• Serina returned to the Baron Mansion after failing to find Annis and went to question Jared.
• Jared mistook Serina's whipping and anger for proof that his dream of marrying her was real, prompting her to slap and kick him.

Mithril-rank wizard Rodney and his adventuring party rested in a former Goblin cave after collecting cave spider venom. Suspecting the Gold-rank party had avoided the newly formed Dungeon, Rodney ordered his team to prepare to enter it before other adventurers arrived.

• Ailande collected paralyzing venom from cave spiders while the halfling asked him to save some for poison.
• Rodney said the party hired by the Tidal Trade Union had not dared enter the Dungeon, though he suspected they might have gone in and been driven back.
• Rodney explained the potential rewards of exploring an untouched Dungeon and rescuing the missing young lady alive.
• Ailande and the halfling talked about relaxing in Lingang City after the commission, while Rodney reminded them that others might soon arrive.
• Rodney ended the ten-minute rest, raised his staff, and led the party toward the Dungeon.

He Xi and his companions teleported to the Cabin in the Woods, then traveled to the cave in Gray Mist Forest to investigate its mysterious mist. After Fivik used magic to scout the cave, Zander prepared to enter, with Bruce’s translucent magical duplicate leading the way.

• Fivik teleported He Xi and the group to the cabin, though Bruce became stuck halfway through the roof.
• The group recovered from the teleportation and walked to the cave where He Xi had once found Zander.
• Flora examined the gray mist and confirmed it resembled the mist filling Gray Mist Forest, possibly affecting memory.
• Fivik used a beast bone and silver wire to create a translucent scout resembling Bruce, then told Zander the cave’s first few dozen meters were safe.

He Xi and his companions entered a hidden passage through the fog and discovered a vast ruin that reminded Fivik of Sail Harbor City's Lost Cavern. As they explored, Fivik explained the Cavern's connection to the ancient Thousand-Faced Beast Mor, but the group found no creatures in their new surroundings.

• He Xi, Zoya, and Bruce followed Zander through the fog and squeezed through a narrow gap into a spacious, paved stone passage.
• Fivik recognized the passage's construction as similar to the entrance of Sail Harbor City's Lost Cavern.
• Fivik explained that the Lost Cavern had formed around the sleeping Thousand-Faced Beast Mor, whose power caused magical beasts to multiply and mutate.
• Fivik recalled the bustling shops and food stalls on the Lost Cavern's first underground floor and explained that the Adventurer Guild's planned branch there had failed because communication magic could not cross space.
• After the group walked for half an hour without encountering any magical beasts, Fivik wondered what kind of place they had entered.

He Xi and his companions fought Mist Demons in a fog-filled Dungeon before reaching a dusty room and stopping for lunch. As Zoya rested against He Xi, Fivik and Flora watched the young couple, and Flora reflected that being young was wonderful.

• Fivik and He Xi destroyed more than a dozen Mist Demons with Magic Missiles as the group climbed through the fog.
• Fivik chose to keep the fog in place, and the group continued upward while Zoya struggled with the stuffy air.
• Zander opened a wooden door at the top of the passage, revealing a dusty room with traces of former habitation.
• Fivik conjured a table and chairs, and the group rested over meat pies while Zoya leaned against He Xi.
• Flora watched He Xi and Zoya together and said that being young was wonderful.

Rodney’s party struggled through a memory-eroding fog and followed mysterious Black Robe guides to a sanctuary. When the guides demanded a memory as payment for safe passage, the Half-Orc attacked and was stripped of his memories, leaving the others to choose whether to pay or suffer the same fate.

• Ailande and the party fought attackers in the fog while Rodney exhausted himself trying to keep their path clear with [Wind Creation Spell].
• Rodney suspected the fog was erasing memories after he suddenly forgot part of the incantation for [Fireball Spell], and Ailande discovered the party had been walking in circles.
• Black Robe guides appeared and led the exhausted party deeper into the fog toward a sanctuary they called the home of the Sacred Item.
• The guides demanded that each person offer a memory in exchange for the correct path, but the Half-Orc charged at them and his axe passed harmlessly through the leader.
• A Black Robe Person countered Rodney’s spell, and the fog swallowed the Half-Orc until he forgot his identity and mission.
• The guides declared that the Half-Orc had been purified and demanded that the rest of the party choose whether to offer the price willingly or become the price themselves.

He Xi and his group explored a strange underground complex, finding an old Adventurer Guild commission and discovering that the rooms sat high above the fog-filled main body of the Dungeon. They descended into the mist, where Fivik summoned three enormous Air Elementals to clear it, revealing the space below.

• He Xi found an old escort commission for a merchant named Olders and questioned why it had been left in the complex.
• He Xi asked Fivik whether Dungeons could have multiple entrances, and she confirmed that some did.
• He Xi used glowing orbs to discover that the complex stood on a cliff above a vast cavern filled with gray mist.
• He Xi and the others descended toward the cavern floor, where the air grew damp and the fog thickened.
• Fivik summoned three massive Air Elementals, which swept in different directions and tore away the fog.

He Xi’s group explored the underground cavern, where they found a deranged adventurer whose mind held only hunger. Fivik decided they would head toward the cavern’s center while concealed, leaving Zander and Bruce to lead, and He Xi took comfort from Zoya as he worried about Annis.

• Fivik gave He Xi and Bruce Dark Vision, while Flora cast it on Zoya and Zander.
• A Level 16 adventurer crashed into the cavern, then charged the group; Flora immobilized him and found his mind emptied of everything but hunger.
• Fivik decided the group would head toward the center invisibly, with Zander and Bruce walking ahead to reveal how any inhabitants reacted.
• He Xi worried that Annis might have suffered the same fate, and Zoya comforted him by holding his hand.
• He Xi’s group prepared to follow the Dog Head Vanguard into the darkness.

Rodney and his group reached a black stone that took memories as a supposed price for escape, but Zander and his talking dog Bruce arrived and resisted the Black Robe People’s magic. Bruce revealed that he had spotted the group’s hidden real body and announced his identity as the Dream Weaver Dog, Lord Bruce.

• A human warrior offered his memories from the past six months to the black stone and forgot what had happened during that time.
• Several adventurers followed the warrior, and the Half-Orc offered all his memories while Rodney questioned why the Black Robe People needed a ritual.
• As Rodney prepared to make his own offering, a violent gale swept away the fog and Zander arrived with a dog.
• Zander demanded his memories back and asked where Annis and Lily were, then refused to offer anything to the black stone.
• The Black Robe People’s fog failed to affect Zander, and the dog revealed their use of Suggestion Spell and identified their leader’s hidden real body.
• The talking dog introduced himself as Bruce, the Dream Weaver Dog and a legendary mage.

Flora and Fivik stopped the black-robed figures from escaping and uncovered their connection to the Kareen Cult and the memory-devouring Giant Stone. They learned the cult used the stone to create Empty Shells, while Rodney remained unsure whether his teammates’ lost memories could be restored.

• Bruce struggled to relay conflicting instructions from Flora and Fivik, then barked at the voices in his head.
• Flora and Fivik revealed themselves, and the black-robed leader tried to flee with a Teleportation Scroll before finding Mao Mao Snake wrapped around his wrist.
• Flora immobilized the other black-robed figures, while Rodney worried about whether his teammates could recover their memories.
• The cultists began to speak about sacrificing memories to the Giant Stone, but Flora silenced them as gray mist poured from it.
• Flora read the thoughts of an unaffected cultist and learned that the Kareen Cult used the Giant Stone to devour memories and create Empty Shells.

Flora explained that the Giant Stone erased memories and that the cult recruited some of its victims as loyal members, while Fivik studied the stone for a way to restore Zander’s memories. Bruce explained that prior exposure to the Empty Shells had psychologically primed Rodney’s party to succumb to a Suggestion Spell, and Fivik then called He Xi over with a possible way to recover memories.

• Flora told He Xi that the cult indoctrinated some people whose memories had been erased by the stone and abandoned the failures as Empty Shells.
• Fivik pulled He Xi away from the stone and examined it while Flora warned him not to learn the One’s Real Name.
• Zander failed to recall Lily’s appearance, and He Xi comforted him, raising Zander’s favorability.
• Bruce explained to Rodney that fear of becoming an Empty Shell had psychologically primed Scal to be affected by the Suggestion Spell.
• He Xi checked on Zoya, who said the thinner fog made breathing easier, before Fivik called him over and said there was a way to recover memories.

Fivik explained the Giant Stone’s Melshawk Empire origins and its ability to convert memories into magic, while Flora prepared to open a path into its memory store. Zander agreed to enter and search for his lost memories, and Flora asked Rodney about the cave entrance.

• Fivik told He Xi that the Giant Stone’s runes came from the Melshawk Empire, an ancient Serpentman civilization whose people had treated other races as experimental materials.
• Fivik explained that the array extracted intelligent beings’ memories to create magic power, which could speed spell training but might erode the minds of those who absorbed too much.
• Flora said she could reverse the array and open a temporary passage into its chaotic store of memories, where Zander could search for his own.
• Flora warned that Zander might forget his recovered memories again, so she recommended that someone accompany him; Zander agreed to enter.
• Flora asked Rodney whether he had entered through a cave with spiders or Goblins, and Rodney confirmed that the Gray Mist Forest cave had signs of Goblins and Red-Spotted Spiders.

He Xi entered Zander’s memory with Zoya and saw the party being lured into a Red-Spotted Spider nest and ambushed by black-robed figures. When Zander tried to flee, He Xi’s viewpoint was thrown back to the ground, leaving him inside the memory.

• Flora guided He Xi, Zoya, and Zander into the magic array while Fivik stayed outside with Rodney.
• He Xi awoke in Zander’s memory among Goblin corpses and recognized the companions, including Lily and the dwarf.
• Merchant Olders persuaded Captain Ralph’s party to follow him toward the Red-Spotted Spider nest’s core.
• Lily warned the party that Olders was suspicious, and five black-robed figures emerged from the mist to ambush them.
• The black-robed figures defeated Ralph, the dwarf, and Lily, while Zander fought on against them.
• He Xi felt Zander’s viewpoint turn as he tried to escape, then hit the cold ground and realized he had not escaped the memory.

He Xi relived the memory of the black-robed cultists capturing Zander and the others, erasing their memories, and taking Lily away. After helping Zander resolve to find her, He Xi entered another memory that began with Zander’s party riding toward the cave.

• He Xi watched the Oracle use the black Giant Stone to erase the captives’ memories and send them back to the forest, while Lily and Zander were taken away.
• In the altered memory, Zander realized Lily was missing and tried to return to the cave, but Zoya stopped him and He Xi urged him to restock first.
• He Xi relived Zander buying the Battle Axe Skullcrusher at Four Seas General Goods, then returned to the Dungeon with Zander and the others.
• Fivik searched the dungeon entrance and found only a rusty broken sword, while Zander feared Lily might have forgotten him.
• Zoya argued that Lily’s memories were part of who she was and that her calling for Zander showed he mattered to her; He Xi urged Zander to find Lily and ask her himself.
• Flora activated the magic formation, and He Xi entered another memory of Zander’s party racing toward the cave on Land Birds.

He Xi relived the memories of a Black Robe People mole who betrayed Annis and Zander, then saw Lily sacrifice her memories to the Giant Stone to send Zander away. He returned to the present as Zoya watched Lily, and Lily began offering all her memories to save Zander.

• He Xi recognized Annis as the warrior carrying Zoya’s consciousness and saw the mole’s symbol on his own wrist.
• The mole led Annis and her teammates to a cave, where the Black Robe People captured them and the Oracle ordered them drained into Empty Shells.
• The Oracle’s followers said Lily had willingly accepted the Lord’s gift and was adapting to its power.
• At the Giant Stone, Lily emerged with her face partly covered in black material and offered her memories to open an exit for Zander.
• Lily also offered He Xi’s memories, causing him to return to the present beside Teacher Fivik while Zoya watched Lily cry.
• Lily offered all her memories to save Zander, and the Giant Stone shone as he vanished.

He Xi learned from Fivik and Flora that Lily may have been forced into a pact and chosen as a vessel for a possible Divine Descent. Flora reassured him that the Dungeon was safe for now, but He Xi was left thinking about how he would protect himself and Zoya.

• He Xi recounted Lily's transformation, and Fivik explained that Pact Masters borrowed power from powerful beings at a cost.
• Fivik warned He Xi not to look for loopholes in a pact and suggested Lily had been forced into one by the Black Robe People's patron.
• Flora said Lily might be a candidate to become a Chosen of God and explained that the being could want a suitable body for a Divine Descent.
• Flora reassured He Xi that Divine Descent was difficult and that she and Mao Mao Jiao could protect the group while he practiced in the Dungeon.
• He Xi looked at the unconscious Zander and troubled Zoya and wondered how he would save Zoya if she were taken as a vessel.

Zoya told Zander that Lily had sacrificed her memories to save him and was now under the Black Robe Person’s control. Zander chose to return to Rose Town to seek guidance and prepare to rescue Lily, while Fivik agreed to help him after they investigated the dungeon.

• Zoya explained how Lily gave up her memories to send Zander away and was taken under the Black Robe Person’s control.
• After considering the risks, Zoya decided to tell Zander the truth herself.
• Zander thanked Zoya and said he would return to Rose Town to ask Pastor Ms. Castien for advice before attempting to rescue Lily.
• He Xi stopped Zander from setting out alone, and Fivik offered to take him back to Rose Town after they searched for more clues.
• Fivik noted that the Oracle and Annis were absent and proposed waiting in the dungeon in case anyone arrived.

Fivik led He Xi, Zoya, Bruce, and Rodney through the misty cave while teaching He Xi about Alarm Spells. They found a recently used Teleportation Magic Array, which Fivik began altering into a trap as Rodney prepared to leave with his group.

• He Xi and Zoya joined Fivik as she set an Alarm Spell, and Rodney paid twenty Gold Shields to have his group follow them.
• Fivik explained how Alarm Spells worked while they passed through the cave exit and reached a crossroads.
• He Xi sensed magic from the direction Zander and the others had gone, and he and Zoya followed it with Fivik and the rest.
• The group found a crude Teleportation Magic Array that Fivik said had been used a few hours earlier, around the time they projected their consciousness into the stone.
• Fivik decided to drain the magic of anyone using the array and redirect them into a stone wall, while Rodney declined to use it and asked Ailande for the survey report.

He Xi and Rodney agreed to share information about Annis and the Kareen Cult while Rodney kept the Tidal Trade Union commission. As Rodney’s team rested and ate, Ailande felt the cave was familiar, but Rodney cut him off before he could say more.

• Rodney gave He Xi the preliminary survey report to submit to the guild and asked how to respond to the employer about Annis.
• He Xi declined to take over Rodney’s commission and proposed that they exchange any leads they found about Annis or the Kareen Cult.
• Rodney gave He Xi the team’s contact details and left with his companions.
• After the group stopped to eat, Ailande said the cave felt familiar, and Rodney reminded him that he had collected Red-Spotted Spider venom there before.
• Ailande spoke about returning to Lingang City and taking a long rest, but Rodney covered his mouth and ordered him to eat and get ready to leave.

He Xi sealed the passage to the Dungeon with an immense Earth Spike Technique, causing a cave-in before Fivik could stop him. Fivik became intrigued by his unusually powerful, instant-cast spell and sent him to search the unconscious Black Robe People, where he found an unopened scroll and some money.

• He Xi offered to seal the passage, then raised massive stone pillars that blocked it and triggered a collapse.
• He Xi, Fivik, Zoya, and Bruce hurried back into the Dungeon as rocks fell around them.
• Fivik asked He Xi to cast the Earth Spike Technique again and examined the pillar, puzzled by its power and instant casting.
• Fivik brought He Xi to Flora and had him demonstrate the spell again before sending him to search the unconscious Black Robe People.
• He Xi found an unopened scroll and a pouch containing three Gold Shields and a handful of Silver Scales on the Black Robe leader.

After Fivik and Flora finished their discussion, Flora gave He Xi a teleportation scroll and three Gold Shields as a welcome gift. He Xi extracted two possible entries from Zander and asked Fivik what sensing natural elements would do for a spellcaster.

• Flora explained that the third-circle Teleportation Scroll could instantly transport its user up to around two hundred meters, then gave it to He Xi along with three Gold Shields.
• He Xi decided to spend 25 of his Parsing Points on extracting an entry from Zander while saving the points he had gained from his teacher.
• He Xi obtained the entries [Survival Instinct] and [Shaman's First Encounter] and weighed their practical and magical benefits.
• He Xi asked Fivik how sensing differences in natural elements would affect spellcasting, and Fivik asked whether he had heard their earlier discussion.

Fivik decided to send He Xi to Fernandez to study magic while she prepared to advance to the next stage. He Xi agreed to consider going alone, and Fivik began explaining how powerful mages were assessed.

• Fivik told He Xi she would send him to Fernandez to study magic systematically.
• Bruce excitedly celebrated going to Fernandez, and He Xi recalled the city's magical conveniences and high cost of living.
• Fivik said she would not accompany He Xi because she needed to prepare for her next stage and visit dangerous places.
• He Xi asked what it took to become a Legendary Mage, and Fivik said mastering Nine-Ring Magic was only the baseline.
• Fivik reassured He Xi that Flora would be returning to Fernandez and that she could teleport over if anyone bullied him.
• Fivik began explaining that powerful mages were judged by their mastery of spells rather than just their attributes.