Recaps

Fivik explained why He Xi should study at the Magic Academy in Fernandez, where he could explore different schools of magic and buy specialized Skill Scrolls. She offered to pay his first year’s tuition if he became a professional, and He Xi chose the trait Shaman's First Encounter.

• Fivik said her converted level was about 94 and explained that her specialty was Conjuration, while Flora had mastered Nine-Ring Magic.
• Fivik told He Xi that her limited spell proficiency made Skill Scrolls a better way for him to learn advanced magic, and she urged him to explore different schools before choosing a specialty.
• Flora revealed that Fivik had blown up the school, and Fivik warned He Xi not to mention their teacher-student relationship in Fernandez until she returned for revenge.
• Fivik promised to cover He Xi’s first year of tuition if he became a professional before the school term began, while Zoya and Bruce offered to help him earn money.
• Fivik explained that Fernandez had a vast Adventurer Guild commission network and an extensive teleportation system, and He Xi selected the trait Shaman's First Encounter.

He Xi and his companions rested in the Dungeon, where Flora explained the elves’ coming-of-age Deep Remembrance. He Xi learned that Zoya’s seal might endanger her when her magic awakens, but Fivik and Flora offered ways to investigate it before they settled in for the night.

• Fivik and He Xi agreed to stop exploring and rest after Flora pointed out that it was already late at night.
• Flora explained that elves undergo Deep Remembrance when they come of age, and told Zoya that her own coming of age was approaching.
• He Xi asked Fivik and Flora about Zoya’s seal, and Flora warned that it might interfere with Zoya’s magic awakening while Fivik offered to find a Protection School mage to examine it.
• He Xi squeezed Zoya’s hand and resolved to find a way to remove the seal, while Zander volunteered to keep watch and Fivik relied on protective spells.
• Bruce squeezed between He Xi and Zoya’s beds, so He Xi used Mage Hand to move him beside Zander.

He Xi practiced Magic Missile in the Dungeon, defeating Mist Demons and Empty Shells while improving his proficiency. When Fivik offered to return to Rose Town, He Xi arranged for teleportation arrays so he could travel back to the Dungeon whenever he wanted.

• Flora told He Xi that the Giant Stone's magic array no longer eroded his memory, though the lingering mist still required caution, and Fivik gave him an Air Elemental to keep the mist away.
• He Xi, Zoya, and Bruce explored the Dungeon, where He Xi blasted Mist Demons and an Empty Shell with Magic Missiles.
• He Xi spent hours fighting Dungeon enemies and raised his Magic Missile proficiency to Lv.3 (35/40).
• Fivik said the Dungeon was safe for practice and offered to take Big Guy and the others back to Rose Town.
• He Xi asked to return to the Dungeon whenever he wanted, and Fivik agreed to set up teleportation arrays near the Kobold cave if He Xi paid about 120 Gold Shields for the materials.

Trist found inspiration for a new gourmet-themed novel after befriending Galen, though he hid his deadly familiar, Little Black, from him. When He Xi and the others returned to the Magic Staff Shop, Trist emerged from the basement, and He Xi reminded Zoya of the unfinished novel she had been waiting to read.

• Trist read the Dungeon Ingredient Handling Guide and wrote a new novel, The Picky Gourmet, drawing on his friendship with Galen and his new interest in food.
• In Trist's story, Galen wanted to eat grilled Loss Beast, while Trist secretly let Little Black drain the beast's blood and warned it not to attack Galen.
• Hungry and out of sauce, Trist decided to explore town again in search of Slimes, hoping to try Gelatinous Stew.
• He Xi, Madam Fivik, Zander, Zoya, and Bruce teleported back to the Magic Staff Shop, where Zander crashed into a shelf and was told to clean up the mess.
• Trist emerged from the basement, and He Xi asked Zoya if she remembered The Skin Peeler in the Woods.

He Xi took Trist shopping for ingredients and magic materials, finding a black opal for the teleportation array and sharing a meal invitation that pleased Trist. As they headed outside Rose Town, a black liquid suddenly swallowed Bruce.

• Zoya learned that Trist was the author of the unfinished book she and Fivik liked, and Fivik threatened to cut his rations if he failed to write a new chapter.
• He Xi took Trist to Four Seas General Goods, where Trist bought Dragon's Breath Chili Powder and Mushroom Cheese while He Xi purchased supplies for the teleportation array.
• He Xi found a suitable black opal at Rocknor's stone shop and bought it for 100 Gold Shields.
• He Xi invited Trist outside Rose Town, where Trist enjoyed the cold wind and accepted an offer to eat at the tavern.
• Bruce ran excitedly through the snow toward the tavern, but a black void opened beneath him and a monstrous mouth emerged from it and swallowed him.

Bruce was trapped by a maw formed from his reflection as Trist detected a hidden threat and attacked a figure from his past. Trist recognized the apparent Quillendra, his wife, but pierced the shadow beneath her disguise and revealed that he had resisted her command to kneel.

• Bruce was swallowed by the black hole in his reflection and could not make his cries for help reach He Xi.
• He Xi found Bruce trembling, while Trist sensed a familiar, hated presence in the shadows near a distant grove.
• Trist used West Wind Strike to reach the grove and attacked the moving shadow with a Cross Slash.
• The figure revealed herself as Quillendra and ordered Trist to kneel, weakening his legs with invisible webs.
• Trist resisted, drove his blade into the figure, and discovered that her body was made of writhing black shadow.

He Xi and Trist fought off Kareen Cult Pact Masters who had ambushed them in the snow. After defeating their attackers, He Xi turned to find a massive, many-eyed creature hovering before Trist.

• Trist warned He Xi through [Telepathic Communication] that his opponent was preparing [Mana Burst], and He Xi disrupted the spell with repeated [Earth Spike Technique] casts.
• A second Black Robe Person struck He Xi with dark purple magic, but He Xi called on Bruce and killed one attacker with [Enhanced Earth Spike Technique].
• Bruce and He Xi coordinated their attacks to bring down the Black Robe Person Bruce was fighting.
• He Xi sensed a powerful aura from Trist's direction, finished off his opponent, and saw a huge floating creature with a central scarlet eye and four eye-tipped stalks.

He Xi learned that the creature confronting Trist was a summoned Observer Beholder and tried to stop the Black Robe Person sustaining it. Bruce’s attack failed against the man’s shield, but He Xi disrupted his aim and saved Bruce from a Mana Burst.

• He Xi identified the floating creature as an Observer Beholder, and Trist warned him to escape while explaining that the Black Robe Person had summoned it.
• He Xi recalled that disrupting a summoner could make a summoned creature disappear or lose control, so he sent Bruce to find the Black Robe Person in the Withered Wood Forest.
• Bruce found the Black Robe Person and attacked, but an icy spherical shield blocked his burning paw and froze his foreleg.
• The Black Robe Person gathered dark-purple magic to strike Bruce, but He Xi raised an Earth Spike and used Mage Hand to shove Bruce aside.
• The Earth Spike tilted the Black Robe Person enough to spoil his aim, and his Mana Burst missed Bruce and blasted a crater in the snow.

He Xi pretended to be Galen Demacia when a Black Robe Person identified him by his Real Name and tried to capture him. With Bruce's help, He Xi broke the man's shield and used a powerful earth spell to launch him into the air, then fled.

• The Black Robe Person targeted He Xi, and He Xi questioned him while keeping watch over the distant battle between Trist and their attackers.
• When the Black Robe Person called him He Xi Atmesia, He Xi denied it and claimed to be Galen Demacia while resisting the man's [Detect Thoughts].
• The Black Robe Person dismissed He Xi's claim and began casting [Mana Burst], but Bruce's flames broke through his ice-blue barrier.
• He Xi struck the exposed Black Robe Person with three Magic Missiles, but the man quickly restored his shield.
• The Black Robe Person resumed casting, but He Xi raised the ground beneath him into a pillar, launching him upward as He Xi fled.

He Xi fled the Black Robe Person but was captured by the darkness and its chilling magic. Trist unleashed a terrifying shadow power to seize their enemy, then accepted the ancient force’s demand to open the door so he could save He Xi.

• He Xi tried to escape toward Rose Town, but a dark spell enveloped him and stopped him from using his Teleportation Scroll.
• The Black Robe Person incapacitated He Xi and turned to attack Trist with a slimy tentacle.
• Trist’s shadow swallowed the tentacle and bound the Black Robe Person with tendrils of darkness.
• An ancient voice spoke through Trist’s shadow and demanded that he open the door for its feast.
• Trist stopped resisting the power so he could save He Xi.

Trist killed the Black Robe Person after his shadow power overwhelmed him, and He Xi woke to find himself and Bruce alive. As they headed back toward Rose Town, Trist asked He Xi whether he would mind if Trist tasted human flesh.

• Trist's shadow devoured the Black Robe Person, and its voice warned him to remember the price of power.
• He Xi woke in the wilderness beside Trist and learned that Bruce was alive and the Black Robe Person had been buried.
• He Xi noticed Trist's level had risen and thanked him without pressing him about the battle.
• He Xi summoned Slag, transferred Bruce's Shadow Dodge entry to him, and ordered him to sneak into the Magic Staff Shop.
• On the way to Rose Town, Trist asked He Xi whether he would mind if Trist tasted human flesh.

He Xi learned that Trist needed to consume the souls of intelligent creatures to maintain and increase his strength, and offered to find suitable prey for him. The two went to The Orc and the Lute for roasted meat, where Grimm’s mention of Door-Knocker startled Trist.

• Trist explained that he needed the souls of intelligent creatures and found Goblin souls too unpleasant to consume regularly.
• He Xi offered to find suitable intelligent creatures for Trist, hoping that helping him grow would earn Parsing Points.
• Trist’s favorability toward He Xi increased, and He Xi directed Slag to carry out new orders.
• He Xi and Trist entered The Orc and the Lute to eat, and Grimm greeted them with news that he had made Door-Knocker stew.
• Trist’s pupils contracted at Grimm’s mention of Door-Knocker.

He Xi and Trist ate at Grimm’s restaurant, where Trist enthusiastically praised the ribs and sauce. He Xi overheard adventurers discussing signs that the Baron Lord was preparing for a wedding and connected the rumors to Jared.

• He Xi ordered roasted ribs and Orcish Liquor from Grimm, who gave Trist two jars of his Special Sauce.
• Trist sampled the ribs and praised their cooking and flavor, while Bruce begged for a taste.
• He Xi dwelled on the dead Black Robe Person’s knowledge of his Real Name and Atmesia.
• Adventurers discussed a lunatic claiming the Baron Lord would marry him and rumors of gold dining ware and formalwear being prepared at the Baron Mansion.
• He Xi connected the wedding rumors and the lunatic to Jared.

He Xi told Fivik about the Black Robe People while concealing some details, and persuaded her to let Trist remain at the Magic Staff Shop. He Xi then gave two Goblins the Nortonholt Common Tongue entry so Trist could test whether their souls would satisfy his needs, but the Lord of Rifts and Dimensions sensed an unexpected flavor as it began devouring one.

• He Xi revealed part of the Black Robe People incident to Trist, who offered to help eliminate them and agreed to wait for Fivik's decision about where he would stay.
• He Xi delivered the teleportation-array materials to Fivik and described Trist as a powerful helper who had protected him, leaving out that he had passed out during the battle.
• Fivik agreed to let Trist stay at the Magic Staff Shop for now, partly because he still owed her a book.
• He Xi brought two unconscious Goblins to the basement and gave them the Nortonholt Common Tongue entry so Trist could test whether they counted as intelligent creatures.
• Trist summoned the Lord of Rifts and Dimensions and offered a Goblin's soul, but the entity paused its devouring and exclaimed that it tasted delicious.

He Xi confirmed that helping Trist Solarin gain power through a soul sacrifice earned him Parsing Points, then spent points to draw traits from Trist. Trist gained the [Boon of Contract] and new contract weapons, while He Xi discovered the drawbacks of one trait he acquired.

• Fivik mistook He Xi's late-night wait at the shop for trouble with his partner, but He Xi said he had no idea what she meant.
• He Xi received three Parsing Points when Trist's Favorability increased after the Goblin's soul was devoured.
• Trist learned about [Boon of Contract] and activated [Blade Demonic Contract], transforming his sabers into two black [Contract Weapons].
• He Xi received thirty Parsing Points when Trist gained his new power, bringing his total to sixty-two.
• He Xi spent forty points to draw [Sunlight Sensitivity] and [Extraordinary Lifespan] from Trist, learning that the latter also made it harder to kindle a new life.

He Xi transferred the Extraordinary Lifespan trait to Bruce, who immediately began imagining a long future and a mate with a similar lifespan. He Xi went to see Zoya, and Bruce eventually realized that their supposed discussion about the Black Robe Person was really a private meeting.

• He Xi chose the Extraordinary Lifespan trait and transferred it to Bruce, whose eyes grew bright with vitality.
• Bruce wondered whether Elf Dogs existed and fretted about finding a long-lived mate and having puppies.
• He Xi recalled that the trait made starting a new life more difficult, then left to speak with Zoya about the Black Robe Person.
• Bruce overheard He Xi and Zoya discussing bedsheets and heard He Xi blame a supposed accident on Bruce's aging.
• Bruce deduced that He Xi had gone to discuss a Half-Elf with Zoya rather than the Black Robe Person.

Jared, driven mad by a potion, believed he was engaged to Serina and boasted about their coming wedding in front of the Baron Mansion. A group of men exploited his delusion and led him toward a secluded alley after promising to outfit him for the wedding.

• Jared chased away Wild Dogs and bought a flower with a copper nail, claiming he would give it to Serina at their wedding.
• Jared told two servants carrying a heavy crate that Serina had requested golden candlelight for the wedding.
• Daren told the young servant that the Baron Lord had ruined Jared’s mind through potion testing and had cast him out to die.
• Lai Li Tou and the other men encouraged Jared’s belief that he would marry Serina and asked when the wedding would be.
• A man in black leather armor offered Jared a suit and haircut, and Jared followed the men toward a secluded alley.

He Xi interrogated Jared and confirmed that Night Thorn Baron planned to marry Annis to Count Holt's Second Son, while valuable goods from the Baron Mansion were being sent to Holder. After learning that the Kareen Cult might be active there and Lily could be held there, He Xi decided to travel to Holder with Zander and Trist.

• Wilson and the Shadowless Squad lured Jared into the apothecary, knocked him out, and brought him to He Xi for questioning.
• He Xi asked whether Night Thorn Baron truly planned to marry Annis to Count Holt's Second Son, and Trist's Detect Thoughts confirmed that it was the Baron's plan.
• He Xi connected the Baron Mansion's shipment to Holder with news that the Great Night Cathedral had found signs of Kareen Cult activity there.
• Zander asked what He Xi planned to do about Lily, and He Xi decided they would ride to Holder.
• He Xi sent Trist to deliver notes to his teacher and Mr. Rodney, then told Zander to rent three horses and arranged to meet at the town's east gate.

On Night of Silence, Cody struggled to afford bread under the Lord’s new oven tax and glimpsed firelight in an abandoned house. At Holt Family Manor, Gri plotted against his brother Ganon and abused Ganon’s silent bride, while unseen eyes watched him with mockery.

• Cody paid the increased fee at the public oven and hurried home with his overbaked loaf.
• Cody noticed firelight inside the supposedly abandoned Red Brick House but continued on to his mother.
• Ganon ate lavishly at the Holt Family Manor as Gri warned him to wait for a future treat tied to Serina’s plans.
• Gri went to a guest room, where Ganon’s chestnut-haired bride obeyed him silently.
• Gri spoke of asserting control over women and struck the bride while an unseen observer watched with mocking eyes.

He Xi and his companions learned from Priest Ashir that missing people, Black Robe People, and the Holt Family might be connected, with a sudden wedding planned in two days. They settled into an inn in Hord, where the owner recognized their familiarity with the place and asked if they were from Rose Town.

• He Xi, Zander, and their companions arrived at the Church of the Dark Night, where Priest Ashir told them that people in Hord's North District had been disappearing and that witnesses linked the abductions to Black Robe People and the Holt Family.
• Ashir said the Holt Family's second son would hold a sudden wedding in two days and suggested the estate might be worth investigating; he then comforted Cody, whose father had disappeared.
• He Xi considered whether Annis was the bride, wondered if the Tidal Trade Union and President Raymond knew about the situation, and hoped Fivik and Rodney would respond before the wedding.
• He Xi's group checked into the Stone Wall Inn, where He Xi challenged the owner's inflated prices and paid three Silver Scales for rooms, food, and ale.
• The inn owner noticed He Xi's familiarity with the place and asked whether the group were adventurers from Rose Town.

He Xi received Rodney’s letter explaining that Flameheart had accepted another commission and would not help him investigate Anise’s situation. The letter revealed that Anise was safe and set to marry into the Holt Family, leaving He Xi convinced that the family and the Kareen Cult were conspiring and determined to stop the wedding and claim the money he expected.

• He Xi read Rodney’s letter and learned that Anise had contacted Raymond and would soon marry a noble from the Holder Region.
• He Xi connected the Holt Family’s marriage plans to the Kareen Cult and the Black Robe Person who had visited the lord’s manor.
• He Xi recalled that the cult and Holt Family had once pursued Anise separately, and suspected they had traded people or protection to reach their current arrangement.
• He Xi worried that Anise’s marriage would cost him the reward he expected, since Raymond had previously planned to pay his future son-in-law.
• He Xi decided to investigate Raymond and prevent the marriage from going ahead.

He Xi and Trist located Raymond’s residence by following a lead from Cody, a poor boy whose father had disappeared. After He Xi sent Raymond a message under the name Hoxi Atmesia, Raymond hurried to the Church of the Dark Night, and He Xi and Trist followed him.

• He Xi and Trist left the inn to find Raymond’s residence, while Zander and Bruce stayed behind.
• Cody approached He Xi and offered to help in exchange for money, explaining that his father had vanished while moving cargo.
• Cody led He Xi and Trist to a wealthy district, where they found carriages bearing the Tidal Trade Union’s golden wave emblem outside a red-brick house.
• He Xi paid Cody, then told the steward that Hoxi Atmesia wanted to meet Raymond at the Great Night Cathedral that night.
• After hearing the name Hoxi Atmesia, the steward hurried to alert Raymond, who ordered a carriage to the Church of the Dark Night.
• He Xi and Trist followed Raymond’s carriage toward the church.

He Xi confronted Raymond about Annis’s arranged marriage and learned she had lost her memories after visiting a cave. On the wedding day, He Xi interrupted the ceremony, recognized a strange mark on Annis’s hand, and changed his prepared words to a New Year’s greeting.

• He Xi met Raymond at the Church of the Dark Night and asked why he was marrying Annis to the Holt Family.
• Raymond admitted Annis no longer remembered her identity or past and was staying at Holt Manor for treatment.
• He Xi left after telling Raymond not to arrange Annis’s life again if she regained her memories, and said he had no intention of marrying her.
• On January first, Annis walked woodenly toward the dais at Holt Family Manor to marry Ganon Holt.
• He Xi burst into the ceremonial hall, noticed a strange pattern on Annis’s hand, and greeted everyone with “Happy New Year.”

He Xi’s plan to rescue Annis changed when he recognized that the bride was an Oracle impersonator, so he exposed the Holt Family’s cult connection during the wedding. As the hall descended into panic, He Xi and the other masterminds disappeared, leaving Ganon Holt and Gri Holt beside the corpse.

• He Xi recognized the bride as an Oracle impersonating Annis and sent Serina Nightthorn a telepathic message to follow the plan.
• Jared grabbed Serina and publicly displayed her filthy underskirt, stirring outrage and confusion among the wedding guests.
• An axe-wielding figure killed the disguised bride, revealing the corpse of a Black Robe mage and prompting guests to suspect the Holt Family’s collusion with cultists.
• Bruce repeated He Xi’s accusations and startled a young noble by analyzing the political situation like a dog.
• He Xi and the other masterminds vanished as guests reacted, leaving Ganon Holt and Gri Holt staring at the corpse and its severed head.

He Xi captured Serina Nightthorn and questioned her about the Black Robe People and the missing people in Holder City. After she revealed they had used the manor cellar and dug a tunnel outside the city, He Xi killed her and left to pursue the investigation.

• He Xi and Zander confirmed the Black Robe People they had caught were neither Lily nor Annis, and the captives had killed themselves.
• He Xi sent Zander to find Mr. Ashir and take control of the manor scene while he went to question Serina Nightthorn.
• Serina tried to seduce Jared, but he struck her before He Xi arrived and identified himself.
• He Xi questioned Serina, who admitted she had let the Kareen Cult use the manor cellar and learned they had dug a passage outside Holder City to transport missing people.
• He Xi told Serina he would let her go, then revealed he had lied and killed her.