Recaps

He Xi, Lidona, and Anya crossed White Heron Ferry by using illusions to distract the guards and coordinated spells to defeat the monsters. After entering the second-step illusion, they woke inside He Xi’s protective ritual barrier, where the mist was thinner and their magic drained more slowly.

• He Xi chose Lidona’s safer eastern route and declined several opportunities to stop for loot as they traveled through the mine.
• At White Heron Ferry, He Xi and Anya created convincing illusions while He Xi and Lidona killed three ogres and two orc riders with coordinated spells.
• The group crossed the bridge safely, and Anya reached the opposite bank for the first time before they entered the second-step illusion together.
• Lidona woke beside He Xi with seventy percent of her mana remaining and noticed that the mist around them had thinned.
• He Xi explained that his ritual spell had created a barrier that kept out the mist, while Anya guessed that it was the Dwarf Hut Spell.

He Xi, Anya, and Lidona waited out the night in the eerie forest before setting a trap for Rowan, who carried a letter linked to their investigation. After they killed him, they searched his remains for clues and He Xi prepared to question the corpse.

• He Xi told Anya and Lidona to stay inside the [Mao Mao Jiao Hut] barrier until dawn while they rested in shifts and watched a Deadbranch Monster pass by.
• He Xi explained that they should meet Rowan to obtain the letter and other clues, then planned an ambush using his magic and the Book of Shadows’ divine spells.
• Lidona approached Rowan near his overturned carriage, questioned him, and accepted his letter while He Xi and Anya remained concealed.
• Rowan realized Lidona was stalling and tried to draw his dagger, but Anya struck him with holy light and spells before Lidona killed him with [Fireball Spell].
• He Xi, Anya, and Lidona searched Rowan’s charred body, collected strange metal pieces, and He Xi cast [Speak with Dead].

He Xi, Anya, and Lidona followed clues from Rowan’s corpse and a letter to reach Balvey Town, where they hoped to learn why Celia was in danger and how to escape the fog. After the townspeople and tavern patrons refused to help, a man revealed himself as Miles Stafield.

• He Xi questioned Rowan’s shade and learned that Rowan had copied a letter to Ilko and that the original was on the road to town near a corpse.
• He Xi, Anya, and Lidona found Rowan’s remains, beast tracks, and a letter from Miles Stafield asking Ilko to find outsiders who could help Celia after a Vampire bit her.
• The trio decided to use Miles’s letter to approach Celia and seek answers from Miles if he was alive, then continued toward Balvey Town.
• In Balvey Town, residents avoided the outsiders, empty shops offered no help, and a tavern keeper directed them to a trading house across the street.
• When Anya threatened the tavern patrons into answering, one of them identified himself as Miles Stafield.

He Xi, Lidona, and Anya learned that a vampire lord was threatening Miles's sister, Celia, and agreed to help her escape Balvey Valley. Their search for clues ended when Lidona attacked a pastry seller who turned out to be part of a coven of Hags, forcing them out of the illusion; other students also reported encountering the Hags.

• He Xi showed Miles Ilko's letter, and Miles explained that a vampire lord controlled the valley and was trying to take Celia as his bride.
• Miles agreed to guide He Xi, Lidona, and Anya in exchange for their help getting Celia somewhere safe.
• The group visited Celia, who asked to wait until her father's burial before leaving for Blake Town.
• He Xi, Lidona, and Anya followed a pastry seller after Miles warned them about her muffins, then watched her try to take a boy because his father owed her money.
• Lidona attacked the pastry seller, who revealed herself as a Hag and summoned two more Hags, causing the trio to return to the Tower of Illusions.
• Adrian and Kalan emerged from the illusion and told the waiting students that three Hags had appeared at the mill.

He Xi and his companions escorted Celia from Balvey Town to Blake Town, where Father Press agreed to shelter her from the vampire who had bitten her. When undead attacked Blake Town’s West Gate after nightfall, He Xi prepared to test his combat techniques and anti-undead spells.

• Anya discovered that He Xi’s loot had raised her ranking, and He Xi learned that Adrian held Alser’s Staff and was expected to compete for first place.
• He Xi, Anya, and Lidona repeated the journey through Balvey Town, retrieved Miles’s letter to Ilko, and attended Dalton Sterfield’s funeral, where Lidona noticed the priest’s ritual seemed to lack divine power.
• The priest told Celia to seek help from Father Press in Blake Town, while screams and pounding came from beneath the floor of his ruined church.
• Miles drove the group toward Blake Town, where they killed several Dire Wolves and learned that Baron Dakester was holding a Wolf Head Carnival.
• Father Press read the letter and agreed to protect Celia at Saint Andral Church, while Miles stayed with her and promised to fulfill his reward if she remained safe.
• After undead attacked Blake Town’s West Gate at night, He Xi revealed that his combat techniques and black book were unaffected and asked who would join him.

He Xi and the others helped defend Blake from a zombie attack, then encountered a wounded Vampire near Saint Andral Church. Father Press blessed them with Saint Andra’s protection, lifting He Xi’s curse and allowing night spellcasting as they prepared to hunt undead for points.

• He Xi, Lidona, Anya, and Miles joined the guards at the West Gate, where He Xi used [Holy Fire Spell] to destroy zombies.
• A burst of light near Saint Andral Church drew them back, and they saw a wounded Vampire flee up a wall into the fog.
• Baron Dakester’s servant invited He Xi, Lidona, and Anya to the Wolf Head Carnival and promised them a gift for defending Blake, but excluded Miles.
• Father Press blessed the three outsiders, removing He Xi’s curse and granting them protection from powers that would peer into his soul.
• Father Press explained that Saint Andra’s Remains sustained the church’s holy ground, and He Xi realized he could cast spells normally at night and hunt undead for points.

He Xi, Anya, and Lidona visited Baron Dexter Maverick and were recruited to appear as heroes at Blake’s Wolf Head Carnival. They saw signs that Blake’s hopeful public image hid the townspeople’s fear and hardship, and the chapter ended with Dexter ordering a man who laughed at his fall to be dragged behind his horse as a supposed devil’s spy.

• Henry woke Lidona, He Xi, and Anya before dawn, and they traveled from the church to Baron Dexter Maverick’s manor.
• Dexter offered the three thirty Jin Bi to attend the Wolf Head Carnival and present themselves as heroes who would inspire Blake’s people.
• At the fountain, He Xi, Anya, and Lidona saw townspeople flee from guards while carrying water despite a notice that water collection was prohibited.
• Dexter addressed the crowd, falsely claiming he had foreseen the zombie attack and personally arranged for the three heroes to defend Blake.
• Dexter fell from his horse while raising a wolf head, and when a man laughed, Dexter accused him of being a devil’s spy and ordered him tied behind the horse.

After witnessing Blake Town’s grim festival, He Xi, Anya, and Lidona found a little comfort at the Blue Sky Inn before returning to Saint Andral Church. Father Press revealed that Saint Andra’s Holy Relic Bones had vanished, and a scream from above interrupted their inquiry into the orphan Leo.

• He Xi, Anya, and Lidona collected their payment from Baron Lord Dexter and stopped at the Blue Sky Inn, where they ate cheap roast wolf chops and learned that the innkeeper Danica and her husband Markov fed ravens.
• Anya admitted she still hoped the people of Blake Town could find happiness and hurried back to the church, eager to protect someone.
• Father Press told the three that Saint Andra’s Holy Relic Bones had disappeared while he was performing the festival’s rite of atonement.
• He Xi learned that Press had told the orphan Leo where the relic was kept, though Leo had asked about its location before He Xi and the others arrived.
• As He Xi prepared to question Leo, a terrified scream rang out from above them.

Vampires attacked the church, and He Xi, Lidona, Anya, and Miles fought to protect the townspeople. He Xi and Lidona held back the attackers with spells, but the vampires threatened to break through their defenses.

• Miles spotted six vampires entering the rear courtyard and urged the townspeople to take shelter.
• He Xi emerged from the floor, interrupted a vampire feeding on a woman, and struck it with repeated [Lightning Bolt] spells until it stopped moving.
• Lidona used [Vortex Warp] to rescue a bitten civilian, while Anya cast [Enlarge] on another victim to force a vampire to release him.
• He Xi cast [Weave Spiderweb] to trap two vampires and block the others, then used [Lightning Bolt] to bring down another attacker.
• Lidona raised a [Water Wall Spell] as He Xi attacked the vampires, while Miles guarded her and Father Press sheltered the rescued civilians.

He Xi, Lidona, and Anya coordinated their attacks to kill the Vampires, but Miles suddenly turned on them and an elf from the rooftop joined the attack. After they died and woke in the Tower of Illusions, Anya cheered up Lidona and He Xi, and the three planned to try again after sunrise.

• He Xi and Lidona realized the Vampires avoided crossing the water wall, so Lidona dropped it and used the water on the ground to help their lightning attacks.
• He Xi and Lidona killed several Vampires with coordinated spells while Anya cheered them on and Miles held the line.
• Miles stabbed Lidona and attacked Anya as an elf on the rooftop distracted He Xi and sent blades and Vampires against him.
• He Xi, Lidona, and Anya returned to the Tower of Illusions after dying, where Lidona felt dejected about their near victory.
• Anya comforted Lidona, then winked at He Xi and helped lift her spirits; He Xi praised her for being in the stratosphere.

He Xi and his companions returned to Blake, fought undead, and used his knowledge of the previous timeline to persuade Father Press to let them guard Saint Andra’s Holy Relic. When Press opened the stone coffin, they discovered the relic was missing.

• He Xi reviewed the group’s point breakdown and learned they had earned points for killing Fledgling Vampires, but none for helping Celia.
• He Xi, Lidona, and Anya returned to Blake and helped Miles fight zombies at the West Gate.
• He Xi persuaded the Baron’s servant that they would attend the celebration, then convinced Press to let them see and guard the Holy Relic.
• Press led the group to the basement and opened the stone coffin, revealing that the Holy Relic was gone.

He Xi and his companions investigated the disappearance of Saint Andra’s Holy Relic, which had vanished earlier than expected and left Father Press unable to use divine power. They exposed Henry as the thief and tracked the relic to Madam Drasa’s manor, where He Xi found the saint’s bone in a wooden box.

• He Xi questioned Leo and the townspeople but found no useful clues, while Father Press discovered at dawn that he could no longer sense the Holy Relic.
• Celia decided to seek Jislav and offer to marry him, but He Xi persuaded her to wait while they tried another approach.
• Father Press falsely claimed the real Holy Relic was safe and used a resistance spell to reassure the townspeople that Celia was not a vampire.
• He Xi recognized Henry, the graveyard keeper, as suspicious; Anya exposed his lies, and Henry confessed that he had stolen the relic for Madam Drasa in exchange for ten gold coins.
• He Xi, Anya, and Miles confronted Madam Drasa, who retrieved a wrapped wooden box containing a bone glowing with Saint Andra’s divine power.

He Xi recovered Saint Andra’s relic and refused Madam Drasa’s offer to help overthrow Dexter, then learned why Henry had stolen the relic. After a quiet night, reports of vampire attacks brought frightened townspeople to the church, where guards and Lord Oleg arrived and identified He Xi, Anya, and Lidona.

• He Xi rejected Madam Drasa’s plea to keep the relic and help remove Dexter, then returned to the church and secured permission from Father Press to carry it.
• Henry revealed that he had stolen the relic to repay Madam Drasa for helping him care for two children whose parents were addicted to a hag’s muffins.
• Lidona kept watch with Saint Andra’s arm bone, heard a faint disturbance outside, and found no vampires entering the church.
• He Xi received seventy-two gold from Miles and planned to seek points around town before returning for Father Press’s blessing.
• Townspeople reported vampire attacks around Blake Town and sought shelter in the church.
• Guards entered with Lord Oleg, and a guard recognized He Xi, Anya, and Lidona as the outsiders.

He Xi and his companions were accused of aiding the Vampires, then ordered by Dexter to find the Vampires hiding in Blake. After receiving an invitation from Jislaf von Karnstein, He Xi agreed to meet the Vampire lord while Lidona chose to confront Dexter with Anya.

• Oleg accused He Xi, Anya, and Lidona of being the devil’s spies and took them, along with Henry, to the Baron Mansion.
• Dexter demanded that the three find and kill the Vampires hiding in town within three days to prove their innocence.
• Dexter planned to burn Henry at the next Blazing Festival, and Lidona objected to the punishment.
• Drasa denied arranging the attack and gave He Xi a letter inviting the group to Jislaf von Karnstein’s castle for dinner.
• He Xi decided to accept Jislaf’s invitation, while Lidona asked to stay behind and attack Dexter; He Xi agreed and sent Anya with her.

He Xi met the Vampire lord Jislav, learned how Jislav empowered his servants, and reunited with Lidona and Anya after their mission. He mastered Fireball Spell at the Academy and then unexpectedly encountered Isla at the Tower of Illusions.

• He Xi waited at the Blue Sky Inn, then met the bard Anderson, who asked to join him before He Xi left for Jislav's castle.
• Jislav offered He Xi immortality in exchange for loyalty, while He Xi questioned him about becoming a Vampire and how strong he was.
• Lidona and Anya returned after dealing with the baron, and the trio confirmed that their mission had raised their rankings.
• At Mirabelle's class, He Xi mastered Fireball Spell, completed its written test, and heard her warning about Fireball Spell Dependency Syndrome.
• He Xi reached the Tower of Illusions and found Isla among a crowd of students; she greeted him after turning around.