Chapter Summaries

Anya learned that He Xi had rescued her father and secretly followed him and Flora, whom she suspected was the legendary Dream Weaver. He Xi and Flora reached Lamasha’s establishment to discuss a contract, where he publicly called Flora his wife.

• Anya reunited with her unharmed father, Baxter, who described how a young adventurer had rescued him from the cultists.
• Anya fled her parents’ marriage talk and spotted He Xi leaving the trading company after receiving a letter from Beilu.
• He Xi read his teacher’s letter about summoning demons, then met Flora at the agreed street corner.
• Anya followed He Xi and Flora, recognized Flora’s resemblance to the Dream Weaver on an Adventure Card, and wondered about her connection to He Xi.
• He Xi and Flora arrived at Lamasha’s establishment, and He Xi called Flora his dear wife so the woman at the entrance would hear.

He Xi and Flora entered Descent into Malbolge with Lamasha to investigate her proposed contract, while Anya misunderstood what she saw and decided that Flora was corrupting her junior. When Lamasha summoned witnesses from the Nine Hells, they recognized Flora and treated her with deference, leaving Lamasha stunned.

• He Xi called Flora his wife, and Flora linked arms with him to maintain their cover as they entered the establishment.
• Anya learned that He Xi had gone inside with Flora and Lamasha, blamed Flora for beguiling him, and resolved to confront him later.
• He Xi, Flora, and Lamasha went to the third floor, where a drunken customer mistook the scene for a dream and was punished for approaching Deborah.
• Flora sensed that Lamasha bore devil blood despite her connection to Salamachis, and she and He Xi agreed to continue observing her.
• Lamasha began explaining her contract, but Flora asked her to state its terms and benefits before they agreed.
• Lamasha summoned three Sisters of Justice to witness the contract, and they bowed to Flora before introducing themselves, causing Lamasha's confidence to falter.

He Xi questioned Lamasha about Salamachis and learned that the devils considered the subject a dangerous secret. Phio tried to take Lamasha back to Baator, but she presented the contract instead, and He Xi eagerly read its terms.

• He Xi asked Lamasha what power Salamachis had possessed in the Nine Hells, and Flora sensed Lamasha's fear and hatred of Salamachis's betrayal.
• When Lamasha denied that Salamachis had betrayed the Nine Hells, Phio bound and tortured her, then attempted to take her back to Baator.
• Flora challenged Phio over her haste to remove Lamasha, and Lamasha claimed Phio was obstructing a lawful contract because she feared Lamasha would regain her power.
• Phio produced the soul contract and a Common translation, emphasizing that the Sisters of Justice only witnessed and notarized transactions.
• He Xi read the contract and excitedly told Flora that Lamasha offered power in exchange for ownership of his soul after death, which would go to Baator.

He Xi questioned Lamasha’s soul contract and proposed reversing its terms, while Flora tried to stop him. The chapter ended with He Xi asking what would happen if he could qualify as the Sect Master party after Phio said he could not.

• Flora warned He Xi that devils would not safely extend his lifespan and urged him not to sign Lamasha’s contract.
• He Xi challenged Lamasha’s motives and asked whether the contract’s powers were real, and Phio explained that [Pact Blessing] came from the Primordial Pact.
• Flora guessed He Xi wanted to extend his life so he could stay with her, and He Xi embraced her while privately telling her to play along.
• He Xi asked Lamasha to prove he would benefit from the contract, then proposed that he become the Sect Master party instead.
• Phio said He Xi lacked the power-sharing ability required to become a Sect Master party, and He Xi asked, “What if I can do it?”

He Xi forced Phio to let him test a revised contract with Lamasha, then fulfilled its power-granting clause in a shocking way. As the contract took effect, He Xi sensed three connected abilities and realized he could actively choose two of them.

• Phio tried to leave with Lamasha, but Lamasha resisted and urged her to let He Xi test his reverse-contract idea.
• He Xi provoked Phio into drawing up a revised contract, then objected when she removed the Pact Blessing clause and made her restore it.
• Lamasha signed the contract first, and He Xi signed as the first contracting party; Phio invoked the Primordial Pact to bind them.
• He Xi placed his hand on Lamasha's head, causing her abdomen to swell rapidly and leaving everyone stunned.
• He Xi sensed the Blade Pact, Book Pact, and Chain Pact abilities, and realized he could actively choose two of the three.

He Xi tricked Phio into granting him a [Pact Blessing] while avoiding the contract that would sell his soul. After Phio and her sisters left, Lamasha chose [Book Pact], but He Xi refused to give her spells or change her other ability and proposed making her his magical pet through [Chain Pact].

• He Xi explained Lamasha’s new gas ability, and Lamasha blasted Phio and her sisters with poisonous fog.
• Phio presented the soul-sale contract, but He Xi obtained the already-effective reverse contract, then refused to sign and kept the [Pact Blessing].
• Phio and her sisters departed, and He Xi confirmed that his achievement for taking control of the contract transaction had been completed.
• He Xi explained [Book Pact], [Blade Pact], and [Chain Pact] to Flora and Lamasha.
• Lamasha chose [Book Pact], but He Xi refused to add spells or replace her gas ability and offered to make her his magical pet with [Chain Pact].

He Xi bound the Cambion Lamasha to a one-year contract and learned from Flora about Asmodeus, the Nine Hells, and the Blood War. After returning home with a Dusk Demon Horse, he used [Blade Pact] to bind [Vicious Cut] and discovered he could summon it from the void.

• Lamasha resisted becoming He Xi’s pet, but she signed an additional agreement making her a contract beast for one year, with summoning limits and magical costs borne by her.
• He Xi used [Chain Pact] to bind Lamasha, then removed [Putrid Body] and left the pleasure den with Flora.
• Flora told He Xi that Asmodeus had been an archangel, established the Primordial Pact, and later became the Lord of the Nine Hells; she also explained how devils and demons differed in the Blood War.
• He Xi and Flora discussed Salamachis’s former identity as a devil and parted near the Golden Scales Trading Company.
• He Xi bought a Dusk Demon Horse, rode it back to Sea Breeze Street, and found that Zoya was still away while Bruce slept at home.
• He Xi bound [Vicious Cut] with [Blade Pact] and repeatedly practiced making the dagger vanish and return to his hand.

He Xi practiced [Overlapping Edge Swift Strike], attended Adeline’s [Major Image] class, and cleared up Anya’s suspicion that he had been coerced by Lamasha. He asked Anya to invite Lidona to join him at Alser’s Steps, and Anya planned to reserve a team spot for herself.

• He Xi practiced [Overlapping Edge Swift Strike] at breakfast, accidentally sending his dagger toward Tata before Zoya kicked it aside.
• Anya called He Xi over in class and asked whether he had gone to Lamasha’s place willingly, whether he had been forced into anything, and whether he was married; He Xi explained that he and Lamasha were investigating together.
• He Xi and Anya practiced [Major Image] during class, and He Xi gained proficiency and Wisdom.
• He Xi asked Anya to invite Lidona to join him at Alser’s Steps, and Anya offered to find a fourth teammate.
• Anya decided she would join He Xi herself and planned to persuade Lexi to give up her spot, while keeping He Xi’s connection to the Dream Weaver as possible leverage with Lidona.

He Xi arranged to join Lidona and Anya for the next Alser's Steps run, hoping to help Lidona recognize the value of Flora's support. After mastering a dagger technique, he visited Bishop Kolfus to seek divine arts that might help him face Rowan in the illusion realm.

• He Xi planned to show Lidona his abilities without humiliating her, then gently encourage her to seek Flora's help.
• Anya told Lidona that He Xi wanted her on the team, and Lidona agreed to join him and Anya while asking Anya to conceal her failed attempt to fool her.
• He Xi mastered Overlapping Edge Swift Strike, gained two Agility, and arranged to meet Lidona and Anya at the Tower of Illusions.
• He Xi went to the Church of the Sufferer and asked Bishop Kolfus to reveal divine arts in a book.
• Bishop Kolfus used a prayer to reveal Light-forging Incantation, Holy Fire Spell, and Resistance Spell.

Adrian Devol shared clues about the second step of Alser's Steps, while Reese passed them on to He Xi and his companions. He Xi, Lidona, and Anya entered the illusion realm and found themselves on a battlefield facing an approaching orc army.

• Adrian Devol explained the dangers and clues of Balvey Town to Margot and Reese, including the mayor's daughter, a mysterious killer, and a mill that might hold an important clue.
• Kalan revealed that Adrian and his team had also found a route to a nomad camp, and Adrian agreed to share information because exploring further could help him qualify for advanced professions.
• Adrian expressed anticipation about He Xi potentially surpassing him, while Kalan privately resented Adrian's confidence that a junior would take first place.
• Reese left Margot to tell He Xi, Lidona, and Anya the clues he had gathered, prompting Anya and Reese to trade insults over seniority.
• At ten, He Xi, Lidona, and Anya entered Alser's Steps and appeared amid a battlefield as wolf cavalry broke through a chevaux-de-frise and an orc army advanced.

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.