Chapter Summaries

He Xi learned that Trist’s inscription was written in Drow script and suspected the gourmet was connected to the underground world. Fivik recognized Trist as the author of a novel she was desperate to see finished, and left to find him and investigate the cave.

• Fivik identified the inscription He Xi remembered as Drow script and explained that Drow lived in the vast underground realm of Andelker.
• He Xi wondered whether the foggy cave near Trist’s cabin led to Andelker, but Fivik said it was probably an ordinary Dungeon ruin.
• Fivik translated the inscription as “The Skin Peeler in the Woods—The End” and realized it matched Zoya’s unfinished horror novel.
• Fivik decided Trist must be a Drow author and vowed to force him to finish the novel; He Xi gave her Trist’s location in exchange for a better Staff Head.
• Fivik teleported away to find Trist and inspect the cave, leaving He Xi stunned by her magic.

He Xi and Hulk sold the rubies they had recovered and visited Belt and Laila, where they learned that Laila was pregnant. Belt stopped sulking when Bruce falsely told him Laila’s stomach hurt, and he began worrying over how to care for her and the baby.

• Hulk, He Xi, Zoya, and Bruce sold thirteen rubies to Rocknor and divided the proceeds.
• He Xi and Hulk decided to visit Belt, who was sitting miserably outside his home while Laila rested inside.
• Laila explained that she had discovered she was pregnant and had left on the commission without telling Belt because she knew he would try to stop her.
• Bruce realized Belt was sulking because Laila had not told him, then rushed outside and claimed her stomach hurt.
• Belt hurried to Laila, apologized, and began planning how to keep her warm and prepare food for her.

During a farewell dinner at the Orc and Lute, Hulk announced he was leaving Rose Town to escort Karin south, and He Xi revealed that he had no teacher. The chapter ended with the Dragon Fang Squad reacting to He Xi’s claim that he was self-taught.

• He Xi brought Hulk and the Dragon Fang Squad to the Orc and Lute, where Grimm served them ribs and Barin worked as a waiter while watching the elven bard.
• Hulk toasted the group’s successful commission and Laila and Belt’s departure, then announced that he was leaving Rose Town too.
• Laila revealed that Hulk planned to travel south with Karin, lifting the table’s somber mood as the others teased him.
• Hulk asked He Xi why he had become an adventurer instead of continuing his magical studies, and He Xi said he had no teacher.
• Belt expressed disbelief that He Xi had taught himself, while Hulk appeared to understand something about his answer.

He Xi asked Hulk how professionals awakened and learned that accepting another profession’s guidance could block the path he wanted. He decided to seek Fivik’s advice, then said goodbye to Belt and Laila as they left Rose Town for Woterdan.

• He Xi asked Hulk about professional requirements, and Hulk explained that attributes and skills could trigger guidance that awakened a profession.
• Hulk warned He Xi that obscure professions could offer guidance first and be difficult to leave, prompting He Xi to decide he needed a mage teacher.
• He Xi thought of Fivik, a graduate of the Magic Academy, and resolved to ask her for help.
• Three days later, Belt and Laila prepared to leave Rose Town for Woterdan, and Laila gave He Xi their address.
• Belt asked He Xi to guide his son in magic if the boy showed talent, and He Xi agreed before the couple departed.

He Xi visited Fivik to receive a staff head and asked her to officially take him as her student. After examining his self-taught spell notes, Fivik brought out a much larger, more powerful head, leaving He Xi stunned.

• He Xi found Fivik at her shop, where she offered him the head of a Green Hag for his staff.
• Fivik explained that she had killed the hag and used its corpse as an excuse to capture Trist, whom she had found writing in a cottage basement.
• He Xi accepted the Green Hag's head and asked Fivik to become his teacher.
• Fivik examined He Xi's notebook and said that learning Earth Spike Technique from its flawed notes showed greater talent and luck than she had expected.
• Fivik went into the back room and returned with a gigantic black head radiating far more magic than the Green Hag's.

Fivik informally accepted He Xi as her apprentice and began turning the Ghoul Hag’s head into a staff. She gave him a magical monster reference manual to study, leaving him with a new resource for learning about Hags and the Witch Coven.

• Fivik confirmed He Xi already met her standards and accepted him as her student, then promised to improve his apprenticeship gift.
• Fivik began working on the Ghoul Hag’s head and explained that she hoped to preserve some of its innate magic in the staff.
• The Ghoul Hag’s head suddenly opened its eyes and snapped at He Xi, but Fivik slapped it into behaving.
• Fivik revealed that the Witch Coven explained her experience with Hags and gave He Xi her Personal Monster Quick Reference Manual.
• He Xi appraised the manual and learned it could provide monster records when its user stroked the spine and silently recited a monster’s Real Name.

He Xi received Pig Knuckle Peggy's Finale, an epic magic staff made from a Ghoul Hag's skull, and learned its powerful abilities. After binding the staff to himself, he realized Fivik genuinely treated him as her disciple, while her favorability toward him increased.

• He Xi read the book's information about hags and learned that a coven could be a catastrophic threat.
• Fivik showed He Xi the completed staff, Pig Knuckle Peggy's Finale, and told him to appraise it.
• He Xi discovered that the staff amplified spells, could bite targets, and granted Animate Dead and Witch Disguise.
• Fivik warned He Xi about the risks of using Animate Dead on creatures far stronger than himself.
• He Xi infused the staff with magic and formed a mental bond with it.
• Fivik's favorability toward He Xi increased, and she awkwardly told him to stop looking at her so sentimentally.

He Xi learned to disguise the information on his equipment and began a question-and-answer session with Fivik as her new student. After revealing his real identity and the danger from Rose Town’s baron, he learned that Fivik was over eighty, despite insisting she was eighteen.

• Fivik taught He Xi how to disguise equipment information, and he labeled his wand with a warning about Lady Pig Knuckle Peggy.
• Fivik began questioning He Xi about his hobbies, wisdom, spells, and age.
• He Xi confessed that his real name was Hoxi Atmesia and explained why he had used the alias Galen in Rose Town.
• Fivik started to cast Teleportation Spell to address the threat from the baron, then decided He Xi should investigate and handle it himself.
• He Xi asked Fivik about herself, and she revealed her food hobbies and accidentally disclosed that she was over eighty before showing an old academy recording.
• Fivik ended the exchange by asking how much He Xi knew about professionals.

He Xi learned from Fivik how sorcerers and mages differ and what it takes to awaken as an orthodox mage. He left determined to pursue the mage’s path, while Fivik warned him to stay away from the Mist Cave as she investigated it.

• Fivik explained that sorcerers gain power through their bloodlines, while mages develop through learned spells, and He Xi decided to save the [Weak Red Dragon Bloodline] trait for Bruce.
• Fivik told He Xi that awakening as a mage required 58 Wisdom and maximum proficiency in [Mage Hand], [Mage Armor], and [Magic Missile], and advised him against pursuing a hidden profession.
• Fivik offered to teach He Xi the other two basic spells and told him to return when he reached a genuine bottleneck.
• Fivik warned He Xi that the Mist Cave in the Gray Mist Forest was protected by a powerful magical barrier and told him to stay away while she investigated it.
• He Xi headed home with his new staff, forgot that he had planned to meet someone, and wondered how Bruce would react to the possibility of breathing fire.

Cardassana welcomed He Xi home and mistook his monster-headed staff for a huge mop, then fed him and Bruce until they were stuffed. The next morning, He Xi and Thomas went to Jonathan’s training ground, where Jonathan mistook the staff for a Hag’s head and chased off two boys.

• Cardassana recalled how Galen’s advice had helped Thomas grow more serious and prepared extra grilled meat patties for dinner.
• He Xi arrived with the monster-headed staff, and Cardassana mistook it for a mop before accepting his explanation.
• He Xi and Bruce could not finish dinner, so Thomas ate the remaining patties.
• He Xi and Thomas went to Jonathan’s training ground the next morning, and He Xi paid to use the magic training ground.
• Jonathan examined He Xi’s staff, guessed it was a Hag’s head, and then ordered two sneaking boys to leave.

Wilson returned to the Shadowless Squad and announced plans to stabilize its business by recruiting competitors and putting them on a Long-term Disability Pension. After Dimi found Galen with the Undead Dog, Wilson decided Galen would be the first target.

• Wilson gathered the Shadowless Squad and announced a strategic overhaul of its business.
• Wilson proposed recruiting competitors and injuring them so they would qualify for the squad’s Long-term Disability Pension.
• Wilson privately worried that his members knew he had been arrested and hoped to restore his authority by beating Galen.
• Dimi reported that he had found Galen with the Undead Dog and a strange monster head.
• Wilson named Galen the first person on the Long-term Disability Pension list.

He Xi watched Bruce struggle to control the flames awakened by his new red dragon bloodline, then encouraged him to practice directing them through his paws. He Xi went to test his new wand on iron targets, which Jonathan agreed to provide for free.

• Bruce ran around the training grounds with flames spurting from his backside, and He Xi realized the dog's emotional excitement was making the fire flare up.
• Bruce discovered that scales protected its burned skin and that it could still use its hindquarters, but it became upset about losing its fur and tail hair.
• He Xi cheered Bruce up by promising to help its fur grow back and urged it to practice controlling its flames before it burned its new coat.
• He Xi told Bruce to guide the heat through its paws, then left it practicing while he carried his new wand to find sturdy targets.
• Jonathan offered He Xi two discarded iron targets without charge and complained that rich people were worse than goblins at haggling.

He Xi tested the new staff’s spell amplification and biting powers, finding that Peggy could strengthen Earth Spikes and tear chunks from iron targets. Outside the training ground, Wilson’s men argued with the loud newcomer Lai Li Tou, who learned that his cousin Cross-Eyed Hans had been arrested after asking the Baron Lord to marry him.

• He Xi cast Earth Spikes through the staff and found they became harder, more stable, and precise enough to deform an iron target.
• He Xi swung the staff at another iron target, and Peggy bit a large chunk out of it.
• Dimi warned Wilson that Lai Li Tou’s loud demands could draw trouble, and Wilson scolded Lai Li Tou for not understanding Rose Town’s power structure.
• Wilson asked Lai Li Tou whether he had arrived with Cross-Eyed Hans, then explained that Hans had been arrested after proposing to the Baron Lord.

Wilson rallied the Shadowless Squad’s recruits against He Xi, but their ambush was stopped by He Xi’s Earth Spike Technique and Bruce’s sudden, ferocious attack. Bruce left Lai Li Tou badly burned and struck another attacker with a Flame Ray as the fight began.

• Wilson told the new recruits that He Xi was a mage and promised to teach him a lesson with his Curved Saber.
• He Xi left the training grounds with Bruce after practicing a new attack, while Bruce admitted he had lingered to avoid showing his bare bottom.
• The Shadowless Squad sprang from the roadside bushes and attacked He Xi, who blocked Wilson’s saber with three stone spikes.
• Bruce roared at the attackers, then used a burst of flame to charge Lai Li Tou and tear through his shield and armor.
• Bruce redirected himself with another burst of flame and hit a fleeing red-nosed man with a Flame Ray, setting him ablaze.

Bruce’s Red Dragon bloodline transformed him and left Wilson terrified, while Dimi escaped by offering his belongings and stripping. He Xi blocked Wilson’s escape and revealed through Appraisal Spell that Wilson was level 16, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Bruce’s transformation finished, and he advanced on Wilson while Dimi warned him that Bruce was an Undead Dog.
• Dimi tossed down his belongings, stripped, and offered himself to He Xi, who told him to leave.
• Wilson copied Dimi by offering his valuables and stripping, then tried to inch toward town.
• He Xi raised stone spikes to block Wilson’s path and approached him with the grinning head on his staff.
• He Xi revealed that he had used Appraisal Spell on Wilson and found him to be level 16.

He Xi intimidated Wilson into revealing why the Shadowless Squad had ambushed him, then spared him in exchange for gathering intelligence on Lady Rose and the missing Annis. Wilson left with the squad’s weapons and a promise to keep the encounter secret.

• He Xi raised the charred corpse as a skeleton, convincing Wilson that he was an Undying Sage and frightening him into pleading for his life.
• Wilson confessed that Rupert’s mistaken judgment and his plan to make an example of He Xi had led the Shadowless Squad to attack.
• He Xi threatened to turn Wilson into a zombie, then offered him a chance to live if he gathered information about Lady Rose.
• Wilson mentioned that Annis had disappeared, prompting He Xi to order him to investigate her as well.
• He Xi ordered Wilson and his men to keep quiet and promised to reveal the path to true power if they served him well.
• Wilson gave He Xi the address of the Nettle and Catnip Apothecary, collected the weapons, and disappeared into the darkness.

He Xi chased after the skeleton he had created with [Animate Dead] when it escaped and fled into Rose Town. As the skeleton and Bruce raced into the town, He Xi disguised himself and followed, leaving the town in chaos.

• He Xi discovered that his skeleton had wandered off, and Bruce tracked it toward Rose Town's gate.
• The guards surrounded the skeleton, but it spotted Bruce, leapt over their spears, and ran into town with Bruce chasing it.
• He Xi feared being exposed as an undead mage, hid in the bushes, and used his bonus spell to disguise himself as a well-dressed man with a war hammer.
• The skeleton's appearance sparked panic among Rose Town's residents, while Kolding and Thorin decided to follow it.

He Xi learned that the escaped skeleton had reached the town and been pursued by Loris of the Holy Sun Church, but Wilson’s thrown saber helped it get away. Loris declared the skeleton was not a necromantic creation because it showed consciousness and a strong will to survive, leaving He Xi puzzled as he returned home with Bruce.

• He Xi found the remains of the skeleton’s severed arm and heard that Loris had nearly destroyed it before Wilson’s Curved Saber distracted him and let it escape.
• He Xi slipped away from the crowd and reunited with Bruce, who described how the skeleton’s behavior had suddenly changed and it had begun fleeing in a purposeful direction.
• Loris met with two church members, then announced that the undead creature had escaped through the town’s West Gate and that the Hand of Radiance would investigate.
• Loris claimed the skeleton was not a creation of necromancy because it showed consciousness and an unusually strong instinct for survival, confusing He Xi, who had made it with Animate Dead.
• He Xi decided to ask his teacher about the matter the next day and left for dinner with Bruce.

He Xi bought pastries for Fivik before their magic lesson, earning her favor and choosing the Solace of Home trait. He learned Mage Armor and Magic Missile with striking speed, leaving Fivik convinced that both he and she were geniuses.

• He Xi bought Rose Thousand Layer Cakes and pear tarts from Martin, who recognized him as Belt’s teammate and gave him a discount.
• He Xi gave Fivik the cakes, increasing her favorability, and chose the Solace of Home trait after receiving 25 points’ worth of traits.
• Fivik taught He Xi the principles of Mage Armor and Magic Missile.
• He Xi learned Mage Armor and Magic Missile, gaining Wisdom from each spell and impressing Fivik with his rapid progress.
• Fivik decided He Xi’s talent proved that she was a genius too, and she was pleased that he had brought her cakes.

He Xi learned that Fivik suspected he might have a talent for Necromancy after his skeleton displayed impossible agility, though neither of them knew what caused it. Fivik left him with instructions to practice his professional spells and bring food to the Drow in her basement, where He Xi discovered the supposed captive had chosen to stay.

• Fivik questioned He Xi about the level 7 skeleton’s extraordinary speed and wondered whether he had a special talent for Necromancy.
• He Xi considered whether his transmigration might explain his connection to necromancy, while Fivik admitted she could not explain the skeleton’s behavior.
• Fivik told He Xi she would visit an old friend in Fernandez for about a month and instructed him to practice three spells and bring Goblins to the Drow in the basement.
• Fivik revealed that the Drow Elf Trist had refused to leave the basement and that she had never locked him in.
• He Xi descended into the vast basement and found a silver-haired Drow Elf reading on a sofa.
• The Drow Elf recognized He Xi as Mister Galen, the apprentice Madam Fivik had mentioned.