Recaps

He Xi set out from Rose Town with Hulk, Belt, Laila, Zoya, and Bruce, heading toward Stone Creek Village for their mission near the Gray Mist Forest. Along the way, Belt asked how many times He Xi could cast Earth Spike, leaving He Xi to consider how to describe his unusual mana reserves.

• He Xi discovered that eating Cracked Hoof Bull meat had temporarily increased his physique and strength by 2 points each, bringing him close to Level 10.
• He Xi met Hulk and the others in the morning, and Hulk arrived with a rented Land Bird to carry the party’s packs.
• He Xi, Bruce, Hulk, Belt, Laila, and Zoya set out west from Rose Town toward Stone Creek Village.
• As the group traveled, He Xi noticed Zoya repeatedly glancing toward his lower half, though he found nothing unusual about his clothes.
• Belt asked He Xi how many times he could continuously cast Earth Spike, and He Xi decided to give a conservative estimate of his mana reserves.

He Xi and Hulk’s party traveled to Stone Creek Village to deal with Spined Boars, while He Xi planned to use Earth Spike Technique to land the final blows. They arrived near dusk and learned that the boars were threatening the village, with villagers divided over whether to send the weary adventurers out immediately.

• He Xi told the party he could cast Earth Spike Technique around twenty times in a row, and planned to use it to finish off the Spined Boars.
• Belt teased Laila about failing to become a mage, and she grew angry and kneed him after he tried to make peace with dried venison.
• Hulk called a rest by a stream, while Laila warned Belt against drinking unboiled water and he ran off to refill his canteen.
• The party traveled safely through the woods and reached the sign for Stone Creek Village near dusk.
• A villager hurried ahead to alert the village chief, and He Xi’s party found villagers arguing about the boars’ destruction and whether the adventurers should act that night.

Hulk’s team discussed whether to confront the Spined Boars at night after learning the beasts had taken over Stone Creek Village’s water source and damaged its crops. He Xi advised against a rushed attack, and Zoya added that the boars slept during the day and foraged at night.

• Village chief Oliver told Hulk and his team that the Spined Boars had seized the stream, ravaged fields, and left several families trapped in their homes.
• Hulk led He Xi, Belt, Laila, and Zoya aside to discuss whether to act that night or wait until daylight.
• Laila urged the team to wait, while Belt argued they should rescue the villagers immediately.
• He Xi demonstrated his Light Spell, then explained that darkness would make it hard to locate the boars and could put villagers at risk.
• Zoya quietly said that the boars slept during the day and foraged at night.

Captain Hulk’s party planned to attack the Spined Boars during daylight and camp near the stream overnight, while Zoya scouted the herd. The group reached the water source, where Zoya slipped into the shadows to begin her reconnaissance.

• Hulk agreed with the party that the Spined Boars’ keen smell made nighttime action too risky and arranged for Zoya to scout their numbers, distribution, and any trapped villagers.
• Hulk told Village Chief Oliver and the villagers that the party would purge the herd during the day and guard the village overnight, drawing complaints from the crowd.
• Laila silenced a villager who complained about his potato field by threatening to drive the boars there if he kept shouting.
• Oliver provided Tom to guide the party toward the stream and offered village youths to help with the operation the next day.
• Tom led He Xi’s group to the stream, where Zoya moved ahead and blended into the darkness.

After Zoya scouted the Spined Boars and found the villagers safe, Hulk organized the party’s watches and prepared them for the coming fight. On the last watch, He Xi woke and found Zoya reading a horror novel, leaving them sharing a brief, awkward conversation about it.

• Zoya returned with a map showing seven Spined Boars feeding in the fields, away from the village houses.
• Hulk sent Tom back to reassure the villagers, then arranged the night watch and laid out a plan in case a boar approached the houses.
• At dawn, Bruce woke He Xi by licking his cheek while Zoya kept watch beside the campfire.
• He Xi noticed Zoya reading The Skin Peeler in the Woods and decided not to startle her.
• He Xi asked whether Zoya was reading a novel, and she told him that it was good.

He Xi and Zoya talked about novels during an early-morning walk, and he learned from a system notification that Zoya was an elf. After the party woke, Hulk outlined a plan to deal with the Spined Boars in the fields.

• He Xi and Zoya checked that the Spined Boars were staying in the fields, then discussed horror, romance, and adventure novels.
• Zoya recommended Golden Goblet Inn Oddities and complained that the author of The Skin Peeler in the Woods had stopped writing.
• He Xi offered to tell Zoya the plots of frightening stories, increasing her favorability and earning a notification identifying her as Moon-Eyed Elf Zoya Selene.
• Hulk told He Xi that Zoya and his partner had kept watch so he could rest, while Belt and Laila woke up and the party prepared to move.
• Hulk put on his armor and described the boars’ positions, noting that four were resting in a haystack and three were still wandering outside.

Hulk led the party in a planned attack on the Spined Boars, using a prepared battlefield to protect the villagers and farmland. The first fight began successfully, but He Xi discovered that even the boars’ bellies resisted his Earth Spike Technique.

• Hulk assigned the party their roles and explained how to handle the boars and protect themselves from Spine Barrage.
• The group dug ditches and piled earth in the clearing near Gray Mist Forest to slow the boars and create a safer battlefield.
• Hulk engaged two boars while Belt fought another, and Laila shot Belt’s target in the eye, giving him a chance to wound it badly.
• The scream roused four boars from their nest, and He Xi struck their charge with three Earth Spikes.
• He Xi stopped the lead boar and knocked two others onto their sides, but their tough bellies were only lightly scraped.

He Xi used Earth Spike Technique to kill one Spined Boar and badly wound the giant boar king while Hulk, Belt, and Zoya fought the rest. Just as the group began to gain the upper hand, Bruce warned them that six more Spined Boars were charging from the Gray Mist Forest.

• He Xi killed a charging Spined Boar by striking its throat with an Earth Spike.
• Zoya killed a boar with a strike to the neck while Hulk and Belt fought the others.
• He Xi wounded the giant boar king, and Hulk shielded him from its Spine Barrage.
• Bruce warned the group that many fast-moving creatures were approaching from the Gray Mist Forest.
• Six more Spined Boars charged out of the forest, led by a massive sow.

He Xi and the others were surrounded by ten Spined Boars until Quick-Legs Tom and several villagers disrupted the beasts with eggs. He Xi killed two smaller boars and wounded their leader with his Earth Spike Technique, while Hulk went to help Belt and Zoya.

• A Spined Boar struck Belt with [Spine Barrage], leaving him wounded while He Xi and Hulk remained pinned down by two smaller boars and their leader.
• Quick-Legs Tom and several villagers threw eggs at the boars, disrupting their vision and sense of smell.
• He Xi told Hulk to help Belt and Zoya, and Hulk charged toward them after knocking a boar aside with his shield.
• He Xi hit the boar leader with [Enhanced Earth Spike Technique], sending it tumbling across the ground.
• He Xi killed one smaller boar with a triangular formation of earth spikes and gained the Savage Charge trait.
• He Xi used another triangular formation to kill the last smaller boar.

He Xi killed the Spined Boar leader by using Bruce to distract it, then chose its Thick Skin trait. He turned to help his teammates, who were still fighting the remaining boars, and charged toward the boar battling Belt.

• The Spined Boar leader charged through He Xi's earth spikes, but the spikes finally stopped it and left it briefly unconscious.
• He Xi ordered Bruce to draw the boar leader's attention, then charged in and stabbed its exposed neck with his dagger, killing it.
• He Xi chose the Thick Skin trait from the two traits extracted from the boar leader and gained two points of Physique.
• He Xi saw that Hulk was holding off the Sow Leader, Belt was fighting another boar, Zoya was evading four boars, and Laila was firing arrows from a tree.
• After recovering enough magic to cast ordinary Earth Spike Technique, He Xi charged toward the boar fighting Belt.

He Xi used his enhanced physique and Earth Spike Technique to turn the battle against the Spined Boars, rescuing Belt and helping Zoya and Hulk. After killing the smaller boars, he replenished his mana and prepared to attack the Sow Leader.

• He Xi charged in and killed the Spined Boar threatening Belt, then told the injured Belt to rest.
• He Xi killed a wounded small boar with Earth Spike Technique and sent Zoya to help Hulk against the Sow Leader.
• He Xi killed the three remaining small boars with successive earth spikes, while Laila repeatedly lost her chance to land a killing shot.
• He Xi drank some of his spare mana potion and shouted for Hulk and Zoya to get out of the way.

He Xi killed the Sow Leader with a powerful earth spell combination, surprising Laila with magic far beyond what she expected from a level 9 Apprentice Mage. After the party began salvaging the boars, He Xi asked Laila to teach him how to process the carcasses.

• Zoya and Hulk moved clear of the Sow Leader as He Xi prepared his attack.
• He Xi launched the Sow Leader into the air with Enhanced Earth Spike Technique, then killed her with Earth Spike Technique.
• Laila questioned how He Xi could cast such a powerful spell as a level 9 Apprentice Mage, while Belt praised him.
• Hulk led the group in collecting valuable materials from the Spined Boars, and Laila told the injured Belt to rest.
• He Xi asked Laila to teach him how to process the carcasses, and she began demonstrating with her Skinning Knife.

Hulk's group cleared the battlefield, collected the boars' valuable materials, and discovered a rare core above the leader's carcass. He Xi claimed the core but insisted the rest of the spoils be split evenly, and the group prepared to leave together.

• Hulk had Quick-Legs Tom find a cart, and the group loaded their collected materials while burying the ruined boar carcasses.
• Quick-Legs Tom offered to buy the remaining small boars, and villagers pooled their money to purchase them for twenty Silver Scales each.
• The group found a dark red core floating above the boar leader's carcass, and Hulk explained that cores were rare, valuable monster essences used to enchant equipment.
• Laila and Hulk declared that the core and other spoils from He Xi's solo fight belonged to him, while Belt and the others gathered the materials.
• He Xi decided the core was his reward but asked Hulk to split the boar materials and meat-sale money evenly, crediting the team for helping him survive.
• Hulk agreed to divide the spoils equally, and He Xi stowed the core away, planning to have it appraised and later repay his companions if it proved extremely valuable.

The adventurers rested overnight in Stone Creek Village after sharing a bonfire meal of tough Spined Boar meat. He Xi tested the effects of Primal Feast and temporarily reached level 10, where he saw the first threshold of the new level system.

• Oliver arranged a communal house in Stone Creek Village for the adventurers to spend the night.
• Belt shared roasted boar with the village children, while He Xi and Laila found the meat tough and unpleasant.
• Laila moved beside Zoya and teased Belt and Hulk about sleeping arrangements, while Hulk explained how he would prepare the boar meat properly.
• He Xi checked his status and found that Primal Feast had increased his Constitution by three and temporarily raised his level to 10.
• He Xi recalled that level 10 marked the start of the entry-level tier, though his temporary boost would expire in about six hours.

He Xi discovered that his trait slots had increased and that trait-based attribute bonuses stayed with him permanently, while his Salamachis's Contract was due to activate around midnight. He also learned Zoya was a Moon Pupil Elf whose traits required 200 Parsing Points, then followed the group back to rest as Laila reprimanded Belt.

• He Xi found that he could equip four traits and that the attribute bonuses from acquired traits remained permanent even when unequipped.
• He Xi noticed Salamachis's Contract would extract his Bloodline Power in a little over four hours and trusted that his Bloodline Solidification trait would protect him.
• He Xi saw that Zoya was a Moon Pupil Elf and that extracting one of her traits required 200 Parsing Points, prompting him to wonder what secret she was hiding.
• Belt teased He Xi about sharing a room with women and claimed Laila was his, but Laila grabbed his ear and scolded him for suggesting a costly night out.
• Hulk told the group to return and rest, and Zoya and He Xi followed while Bruce later mocked Belt before catching up with its Mistress.

He Xi fell asleep beside Zoya, then endured Salamachis's contract trying to extract his Bloodline Power, with [Bloodline Solidification] protecting him. He woke to find Zoya touching him in the moonlight, and the two stared at each other in stunned silence.

• He Xi equipped [Bloodline Solidification] before falling asleep beside Zoya.
• A cool, floral fragrance and a comforting warmth drifted over He Xi as he slept.
• At midnight, Salamachis's contract tried to pull He Xi's Bloodline Power from him, but [Bloodline Solidification] blocked it.
• He Xi felt a real hand exploring his body and opened his eyes.
• He Xi found Zoya beside him with her hand stopped on his abdomen, and they froze as Belt snored nearby.

He Xi confronted Zoya after discovering she had hypnotized him during the night and learned that she had done it because she wanted to touch his dagger. He suspected the dagger might have belonged to the elf Elina, and Zoya reacted unexpectedly when he asked about her.

• He Xi confirmed that Bloodline Solidification had protected him from the midnight contract, then quietly left the house with Zoya to talk.
• He Xi confronted Zoya about hypnotizing him, and she admitted that she had done it.
• He Xi tried to bluff Zoya into revealing her purpose, but she explained that she had wanted to touch his dagger, not steal it.
• He Xi connected the dagger to David's Adventure Notes and asked Zoya whether it had belonged to an elf named Elina.
• Zoya reacted in a way He Xi had not expected when he mentioned Elina.

He Xi offered Zoya the dagger that carried traces of elven blood and asked about the danger she faced. Zoya revealed how another elven tribe destroyed her people and held her and her mother captive, then began to explain her escape.

• Zoya accepted He Xi's dagger and asked how he knew she was a Moon Pupil Elf.
• He Xi offered to help Zoya and asked what her enemies had done to her people.
• Zoya explained that a rival elven tribe attacked the Moon Pupil Elves to seize their Star Magic and killed her father and most of her people.
• The rival tribe imprisoned Zoya and her mother, sealed Zoya's magic, and forced her mother to decipher Star Magic.
• A year earlier, Zoya's mother caused chaos to help her escape and told her to stay alive rather than seek revenge.
• Zoya faltered as she began to tell He Xi what happened to her mother.

He Xi reassured the lost Zoya and promised to protect her while helping her grow stronger and break her Magic Seal. As He Xi drifted to sleep, a mysterious, seductive voice spoke inside his mind and said it would come find him.

• He Xi asked Zoya whether she wanted revenge, and she admitted she did not know what to do.
• He Xi told Zoya to focus on getting stronger, promised to find a way to break her Magic Seal, and pledged to protect her.
• When Zoya asked why he was helping her, He Xi called himself a Partner of Justice, and she agreed to listen to him.
• He Xi and Zoya returned to the house, where He Xi went to bed and fell toward sleep.
• A seductive voice spoke in He Xi's mind and promised to visit him when it had time to play.

He Xi woke after receiving Mora's Blessing and Salamachis's Mark, resolving to grow strong enough to challenge the demon who had marked him. The group set out from Stone Creek Village for Rose Town, while Laila noticed He Xi's stamina had improved and sensed a subtle closeness between him and Zoya.

• He Xi checked his status and realized Salamachis had marked him, then resolved to grow powerful enough to surpass her.
• Unable to sleep, He Xi moved closer to Zoya, whose calming fragrance soothed him as she quietly moved nearer too.
• Before dawn, He Xi and the others left Stone Creek Village with a cart loaded with Spined Boar materials and villagers' well-wishes.
• Belt interrupted He Xi and Zoya as they walked together, but Laila ordered him back to the front to watch the road.
• Laila noticed He Xi's improved stamina and wondered at how quickly his physique was developing.

On the journey back to Rose Town, He Xi learned that Zoya was nearing adulthood and would undergo a major awakening that could loosen her restraints. Hulk explained how racial awakenings compared with professional advancement, leaving He Xi to realize that Zoya’s combined advantages might make her extraordinarily powerful.

• Belt returned to the front of the group after Laila scolded him, then traded an insult with Bruce.
• He Xi learned that Zoya was staying at the Treeheart Inn for two Silver Scales a day and offered to find a rental they could share in Rose Town.
• Zoya told He Xi that she was around fifty but not yet an adult, and that Moon Pupil Elves awakened their powers upon reaching adulthood.
• Zoya explained that awakening increased her strength, physique, agility, and especially wisdom, which could double by the Adventurer's Guild's measure.
• He Xi asked Hulk about adulthood awakenings, and Hulk explained that some races gained a major boost at a key developmental stage.
• Hulk told He Xi that professional advancement also permanently improved core attributes, and He Xi realized Zoya could combine that boost with her racial awakening and Star Magic talent.

He Xi learned how racial coefficients affected attribute values and reflected on Salamachis’s bloodline schemes while returning to Rose Town with Hulk’s party. The Dragon Fang Squad received increased pay for their completed commission, and He Xi updated his badge to Black Iron III.

• Hulk explained that the Adventurer's Guild used humans as its baseline for attributes and applied racial coefficients when assessing other races.
• He Xi connected racial potential to the Parsing Points needed to extract traits and vowed to take revenge on Salamachis.
• Hulk and the others submitted their signed report at the Adventurer Guild, where Karin raised the reward from eighty to one hundred and twenty silver scales after confirming twelve Spined Boars had been exterminated.
• Karin divided the reward equally among the five members of the Dragon Fang Squad, giving each twenty-four silver scales.
• Hulk suggested that He Xi update his badge, and Karin issued him a Black Iron III badge.

He Xi spent the night at the Stone Toad Inn and began a day of errands to appraise and sell his Dark Red Crystal Core and shop for supplies, starting with breakfast with Bruce. He headed toward Copper Nail Alley, where he hoped to find better prices than at Four Seas General Goods.

• Hulk arranged to sell the Spined Boar materials and invited Laila and Belt to join him, while Belt suggested the group celebrate at a tavern.
• He Xi parted from Zoya outside the guild, then took Bruce to the Stone Toad Inn for the night.
• He Xi woke, planned his errands, and decided to have his Dark Red Crystal Core appraised and prioritize buying a magic staff.
• He Xi bought Flavorful Wheat Soup and white bread for breakfast, sharing some bread with Bruce.
• He Xi and Bruce headed southwest toward Copper Nail Alley to look for fairer prices on materials and equipment.

He Xi visited Copper Nail Alley to find a buyer for his dark red crystal core and learned that a similar core was valuable enchantment material. The shopkeeper had not yet quoted a price, leaving He Xi to continue weighing what to do with his own core.

• He Xi visited Copper Horn Enlightenment House, but discovered the old shopkeeper had no crystal cores and planned to buy one elsewhere to resell at a markup.
• He Xi went to Land Bird's Luggage and learned from other customers that its owner was a reputable traveling merchant who sold quality goods at low prices.
• He Xi asked the shopkeeper to show him crystal cores, then spotted one similar to the core in his backpack.
• The shopkeeper identified the core as coming from a Berserk Snake Lizard in a Dungeon and said its [Berserk] effect could temporarily boost strength when its wielder was injured.
• He Xi compared [Berserk] with the [Furious Pain] trait he had gained from the Spined Boar chieftain and realized his power was more direct and powerful.
• The shopkeeper said the core was very expensive and advised He Xi to buy a better weapon instead.

He Xi nearly sold a Spined Boar crystal core to a dishonest shopkeeper before Bruce exposed the shop’s planted shills. After leaving Copper Nail Alley’s crooked shops, He Xi planned to use Bruce to find trustworthy merchants while he bought armor.

• The shopkeeper offered He Xi five gold shields for his Spined Boar crystal core after claiming it was poor quality, and Bruce warned him that the shop’s customers were planted shills.
• He Xi took back the crystal core and left with Bruce, while the shopkeeper waited in vain for them to return.
• He Xi realized the shops in Copper Nail Alley were trying to swindle him and decided to have Bruce identify which shops experienced adventurers trusted.
• He Xi told Bruce to scout the alley while he bought cloth armor, but Bruce suggested going to Four Seas General Goods and possibly seeing Miss Anise, angering He Xi.