Chapter Summaries

Fletcher told Kane that Galen had explained his strange powers through the Feywild and Wild Magic, and invited him to meet the Archmage. He Xi investigated the new frogman contract while training with the gnoll skeleton, and Mage Armor finally reached level 2.

• Fletcher returned to the inn and told Kane about Galen's explanation of his powers and invitation to visit the Archmage in Rose Town.
• Fletcher said Galen had seemed unusually interested in him, so Kane decided to wait until daytime before seeking Galen's advice privately.
• He Xi concluded that the frogmen might have come from the swamp's kingdom and sent Healy to ask about the additional contract while he trained with Bruce.
• He Xi cast Mage Armor on the gnoll skeleton and attacked it alongside Bruce, but their spells could not break through its defenses.
• After hours of training, the gnoll skeleton's Mage Armor shattered, raising He Xi's Mage Armor to level 2 and increasing his Wisdom.

He Xi and Healy visited the Adventurer Guild in Trout Town to seek teammates and learn about the frogmen contract. Since no suitable adventurers would venture deep into Blackwater Swamp, He Xi decided they would investigate it themselves the next morning.

• Healy asked He Xi to visit the Adventurer Guild with her and told him that director Elton had proposed paying adventurers by webbed toe.
• At the guild, He Xi found that most local adventurers were low-level and inspected a dockworker contract bearing a warning Labeling Spell.
• Elton addressed the adventurers, urging them to clear frogmen near the trade route and promising the contract rewards would remain available.
• Healy told He Xi that experienced adventurers were unwilling to explore deep into Blackwater Swamp, while the few interested recruits were too weak.
• He Xi decided he and Healy would enter the swamp themselves the next morning, and Healy agreed to ask the guide to prepare a boat.

He Xi and his companions traveled through Blackwater Swamp with Hom, who guided their boat through the shallows. He Xi used his Earth Spike Technique to harvest valuable Drowning Light Water Moss, and the group continued toward the deeper part of the lake.

• Hom guided He Xi, Greck, Healy, Hughes, and Bruce into Blackwater Swamp in a shallow-draft boat.
• Hom pointed out Drowning Light Water Moss beneath the water and explained that it could be sold or used to make Revealing Potion.
• He Xi raised stone pillars with his enhanced Earth Spike Technique, letting the group scrape moss from the submerged patches.
• He Xi and the others filled two sacks halfway with moss before the boat rode too low to collect more.
• Hom shared his knowledge of navigating the swamp as he poled the boat toward the deeper lake.

He Xi and the party reached the frogmen’s shore, where he quickly killed five frogmen with Magic Missile. They found the frogmen’s cave and entered it, with Healy leading the way under He Xi’s Light Spell.

• Hom guided the boat toward the shore after He Xi approved approaching the frogmen.
• The frogmen’s leader, Roar of the Great Swamp, and two companions threatened the party, but He Xi killed them with Magic Missile.
• He Xi shot down two fleeing frogmen and gained Magic Missile proficiency.
• Greck collected the frogmen’s webbed feet, and Hom led the party to a foul-smelling cave beneath tree roots.
• He Xi lit Healy’s War Hammer with Light Spell, and Healy entered the cave first with the party following.

He Xi, Healy, Greck, and Bruce swiftly defeated the frogmen in the cave, though the yellow-spotted leader tried to escape. After Greck gathered the corpses’ webbed feet, He Xi went to search the frogmen’s stash, leaving Greck to loot the spoils.

• Healy opened the attack with her war hammer while He Xi killed several frogmen with Magic Missiles.
• The yellow-spotted frogman leapt deeper into the cave, but He Xi eventually struck it down with a Magic Missile.
• Bruce and Greck helped finish off the remaining frogmen as He Xi continued landing the final blows.
• Hom arrived at the cave entrance and was amazed that the adventurers had cleared out the frogmen so quickly.
• Greck gathered the frogmen’s webbed feet and sent He Xi to inspect the stash deeper in the cave.

He Xi and his companions looted frogman caves in the shoals, finding a pearl and earning silver scales as they cleared out the nests. During lunch, Hom described the dangers rumored to lie at the swamp’s center, while He Xi learned that Slag had gathered frogmen at another shoal.

• He Xi found a milky-white pearl among the frogmen’s meager belongings and tossed it to Healy.
• Greck searched the cave, and the group celebrated their haul and the silver scales earned from killing frogmen.
• After clearing another cave, He Xi shared smoked ribs with Hom and asked whether the abandoned caves would stay empty.
• Hom explained that other frogmen would soon claim the caves and described the rumors of a magic-wielding giant frogman in the swamp’s center.
• He Xi received Slag’s report that it had cleared two nests and gathered frogmen’s right webbed feet, then ordered it to keep searching.

He Xi and his squad hunted frogmen in the reed beds before finding the Loach Squad surrounded and outnumbered. They helped defeat the frogmen, and Theo approached them afterward.

• Hom guided He Xi's squad through the reed beds as they hunted frogmen and searched caves for loot.
• Bruce spotted a fight, and the squad found Theo and the Loach Squad surrounded by more than a dozen frogmen.
• Theo asked He Xi's squad for help and offered to split the spoils, while the Mudskin King demanded they surrender their valuables and leave.
• He Xi agreed to fight, and Greck, Healy, Bruce, and He Xi attacked the frogmen.
• The Loach Squad fought back with the pressure relieved, and the adventurers defeated the remaining frogmen.
• Theo led his teammates over and scrutinized He Xi before turning to Healy.

He Xi and Healy’s group continued deeper into the reed marsh after declining Theo’s offer to cooperate. A band of murderous adventurers spotted their boat and set out to ambush them for their fins and belongings.

• Theo told Healy that adventurers were crowding the trade route and frogmen were becoming more numerous farther into the marsh.
• He Xi advised against joining Theo’s team, and Healy declined the offer before accepting their share of the frogmen fins.
• He Xi and his companions boarded Hom’s boat and continued deeper into the reeds.
• A four-person band led by a middle-aged man with protruding front teeth killed eight frogmen and discussed robbing outsiders for profit.
• An archer reported seeing Hom’s boat carrying unfamiliar people, and the band’s leader ordered his group to follow and kill everyone aboard.

He Xi and his companions defeated a frogman outpost, then found a human corpse among the frogmen’s stolen loot. A deep knife wound suggested a person had killed him, and Hom named Rotmouth as a possible suspect.

• He Xi killed the frogman chief with a Magic Missile and an Earth Spike, while Greck and the others fought the remaining frogmen.
• The last frogman surrendered, but He Xi killed it with a Magic Missile after Greck stopped his sword swing.
• He Xi chose the Jumping Tendons trait and gained one Strength and one Agility.
• The group collected loot and found twenty-three Silver Scales and a human corpse in the cave.
• Greck identified a deep knife wound on the corpse, and Hom suggested Rotmouth might be responsible.

He Xi's group prepared to leave the cave, but Rotmouth and his gang ambushed them before fleeing in terror after Rotmouth recognized the Hag's head on He Xi's wand. Rotmouth then led his men toward a nearby burrow, where they heard someone fighting frogmen and decided to attack the lone adventurer inside.

• Hom explained that Rotmouth had survived a swamp expedition and was suspected of looting the bodies of dead adventurers.
• He Xi found a fine battle axe among the frogmen's spoils, and the group agreed to return to town before dark.
• Rotmouth and four armed men appeared at the cave entrance, but Rotmouth recognized the Hag's head on He Xi's wand and ordered his gang to retreat.
• Rotmouth told his men that He Xi's group had been too dangerous to attack, then led them toward the sound of frogmen in a nearby burrow.
• Rotmouth concluded that only one weak, exhausted scout was inside the burrow and ordered his men to creep in and kill them.

Slag gathered and bound the frogmen while a group led by Rotmouth entered the cave to steal them. Slag killed Rotmouth and his companions with powerful combat techniques, leaving the frogmen in its custody.

• Slag gave up counting the frogmen and led the bound captives toward the cave exit, with the yellow frogman guarding the rear.
• Rotmouth and four companions crept into the cave, intending to take the frogmen, but encountered Slag and its captives.
• Slag cut down Rotmouth’s burly subordinate and then killed another archer with a swift strike.
• Rotmouth charged Slag, but Slag used Earth Splitting Strike to launch him into the air and shatter his cleaver.
• Slag cut Rotmouth in half, while the yellow frogman celebrated beside his severed torso.

He Xi found that Slag had captured a crowd of Swamp Frogmen after killing the adventurers who tried to steal them. He Xi harvested their traits, learned their language, and fused all three traits into a new Swamp Frogman Trait.

• He Xi took Bruce by boat to find Slag, who reported that several humans had tried to steal the frogs and been killed.
• He Xi found the dead adventurers at the cave entrance and recognized Rotmouth among them.
• He Xi entered the cave and saw that Slag had tied up more than a hundred Swamp Frogmen, leaving one short, fat frogman untied.
• He Xi killed bound Swamp Frogmen with Magic Missile and chose Swamp Frogman Common Tongue and Frog Croak Deterrence as extracted traits.
• He Xi fused Swamp Frogman Common Tongue, Jumping Tendons, and Frog Croak Deterrence to obtain the new Swamp Frogman Trait.

He Xi learned that the frogmen attacking the trade route came from the Place of Great Noise, where their dying king had sent them to find a missing item. He set aside the mystery for now, gathered his spoils, and left Slag and Jin Bi to question more captives while he headed to sell what he had collected.

• He Xi equipped an integrated trait that let him understand and speak the frogman language, then named the short frogman Jin Bi.
• Jin Bi told He Xi that the trade-route attackers came from the Place of Great Noise and were searching for an item their king had lost.
• Jin Bi explained that the frogman king wielded powerful water magic but was old, near death, and had been sleeping, so it sent underlings to search instead.
• He Xi decided not to investigate the missing item himself and counted the frogmen he had defeated toward his extermination commission.
• He Xi collected Rotmouth's group's valuables and equipment, then ordered Slag and Jin Bi to keep catching frogmen and question them about the missing item.
• He Xi boarded the small boat with the spoils to sell them for Gold Shields.

He Xi earned a large reward by turning in 121 webbed feet, then agreed to join Healy and Kane’s teams to explore deeper into the swamp. Over dinner, Kane asked to visit He Xi’s teacher in Rose Town, and a notification revealed Kane was a werewolf whose favorability toward He Xi had increased.

• He Xi turned in 121 webbed feet at the Adventurer Guild and learned he had earned nearly twenty-seven Gold Shields.
• He Xi met Healy and Kane outside the Gasping Pufferfish, where Healy explained that Greck had left and both teams needed more members.
• He Xi agreed to combine teams with Healy and Kane to explore deeper into the swamp.
• Kane treated He Xi to dinner and asked to borrow monsterology books, then requested to accompany him to Rose Town to meet Teacher Fivik.
• A notification revealed that Werewolf Kane Crowley’s favorability toward He Xi had increased by three Parsing Points.

Elton sought help from Aunt Jing Shui after learning that adventurers had killed 121 frogmen and were venturing deeper into the swamp. Meanwhile, He Xi tried to improve his relationship with Kane to earn Parsing Points, but Kane misread his compliments and fled the tavern.

• Elton hurried to the edge of Trout Town after the Adventurer Guild demanded that he replenish 150 Gold Shields for the commission.
• Elton worried that adventurers were disrupting his plans in the swamp and sent a toad to ask Aunt Jing Shui to silence them.
• He Xi checked that extracting Kane's entry required 40 Parsing Points and decided to get closer to him, hoping the werewolf would help if danger arose.
• He Xi paid for Kane's meal and praised his physique and clothes, making Kane believe that He Xi was attracted to him.
• Kane invented an excuse to leave the tavern, while He Xi wondered why his praise had not raised Kane's Favorability and searched his manual for information about werewolves.

Hom celebrated his lucrative work guiding a powerful adventuring group, but River Claw boss Jeff beat him and forced him to lead the group to Still Water Lake. Hom was left facing a choice between obeying Jeff and being crippled and thrown into the river.

• Hom bragged in the Gasping Pufferfish tavern that Galen and his companions had killed more than eighty frogmen in a day, and he planned to guide them again after their rest day.
• Jeff and two River Claw men ambushed Hom outside his home, dragged him to an abandoned cellar, and beat him over his unpaid debt.
• Jeff questioned Hom about whether the outsiders had discovered where the frogmen came from, and Hom denied knowing anything.
• Jeff showed Hom a swamp map and ordered him to take the adventurers to Still Water Lake the next day, threatening to break his leg and throw him in the river if he refused.

Hom confessed that the River Claw gang had beaten and coerced him into leading the adventurers to Still Water Lake. He Xi connected the lake to the frogmen’s missing treasure and planned to investigate the gang while continuing the frogman hunt, leaving the group sailing toward their mission.

• Healy and the others noticed Hom’s bruises, and Hughes healed him while urging him to trust his companions.
• Hom admitted that Jeff and the River Claw gang had beaten him and forced him to guide them to Still Water Lake.
• He Xi linked Still Water Lake’s Aunt Jing Shui to the frogmen’s search for their missing pale blue stone and suspected the Hag had helped set events in motion.
• He Xi planned for the group to clear out the frogmen, then have Hom return to town as bait while Kane, Brendan, and Dorick watched for the gang.
• The group sailed off to hunt frogmen, and Hom explained that Still Water Lake lay in the swamp’s southern forest near Gray Mist Forest.

Kane’s group uncovered Councilor Elton’s role in sending them into a trap, while He Xi prepared to investigate the Hag who likely held the missing item. The chapter ended with He Xi reaching the Hag’s cottage and sending Slag to draw her out.

• Kane appeared to stop Jeff from killing Hom, while Brendan and Dorick knocked out the River Claw thugs and Jeff.
• Jeff confessed that Elton had paid him to lure the adventurers into Still Water Lake, and He Xi concluded Elton wanted to hide the frogmen’s origins.
• Old Nick told He Xi how Elton had used the growing frogman threat to win support, raise taxes, and strengthen his position in the trade guild.
• He Xi advised the group to wait for Elton to panic rather than attack him without evidence.
• Slag reported finding a human woman near Still Water Lake, and He Xi upgraded Slag and instructed him to lure the Hag from her cottage.
• He Xi reached the Hag’s cottage in the Elm-Crowned Forest and signaled Slag to move out.

He Xi had Slag lure Aunt Jing Shui away from her hut with an awkward romantic invitation, then entered with Bruce to search for something. He Xi began checking under the bed, while Bruce searched the floor.

• Aunt Jing Shui heard that a stranger was nearby, then opened her door to find Slag waiting outside.
• Following He Xi's instructions, Slag complimented Aunt Jing Shui and invited her for a walk, and she agreed.
• He Xi realized Aunt Jing Shui had not used a disguise, then stealthily led Bruce toward the hut after she and Slag left.
• He Xi and Bruce entered the hut, where He Xi searched beneath the bed and Bruce looked across the floor.

He Xi searched Aunt Jing Shui’s house and found the Blue Stone in a magically concealed chest, along with a book. He Xi and Bruce escaped into the night while Aunt Jing Shui was delayed outside.

• He Xi found potions, strange parchment, and a jar containing bloody hair while searching the house with Bruce.
• A talking toad warned that someone would notice three moved objects, and He Xi realized its alcove had a limited view.
• He Xi had Slag taunt Aunt Jing Shui to keep her occupied as she rushed back to the house.
• He Xi stepped into the toad’s blind spot, revealed his disguise as Elton, and located an invisible chest by feeling along the wall.
• Peggy broke the chest’s magical lid, and He Xi took the Blue Stone and a decayed book from inside.
• He Xi and Bruce escaped into the night after he knocked over the cauldron and filled the house with steam.