Chapter Summaries

The adventuring party Sword of Darkness was ambushed by bandits after returning to investigate a noise in the forest. Peter, Dyne, and Lukrut sacrificed themselves to help Ninya escape, and she ran blindly into the path of three strangers.

• A bandit leader surrounded the wounded Peter, Dyne, Lukrut, and Ninya and refused to spare them for their money.
• Peter blamed himself for leading the party back into the forest, but Lukrut and Dyne reminded him that they had chosen together.
• Peter, Dyne, and Lukrut decided to make a path for Ninya so she could survive and save her sister.
• Dyne drank a strength-enhancing potion, cast Blessing of Nature on Ninya, and raised two walls of earth to block the bandits.
• Peter and Lukrut fought the bandits while Ninya ran past them without looking back.
• Ninya kept running until she nearly collided with three figures standing in her path.

After losing Helheim’s World Champion final to Touch Me, Naiyuan followed a one-use map into Blood Maple Forest to seek a hidden class. A level 35 boss chased him deeper into the forest, but he escaped with a Pay-to-Win Item.

• Naiyuan recalled losing the World Champion final to Touch Me and receiving an ancient map as Helheim’s runner-up.
• Naiyuan prepared with potions, an invisibility cloak, rare items, and a teleportation scroll before entering Blood Maple Forest.
• Naiyuan avoided dangerous monsters, including a level 35 Blood Soul Magic Lizard, while following the map deeper into the forest.
• A level 35 Calamity Giant Lizard caught sight of Naiyuan and chased him through the woods.
• Naiyuan activated the Pay-to-Win Item Blessing of Wind, outran the Calamity Giant Lizard, and disappeared into the forest.

Naiyuan reached a mountain cave in Blood Maple Forest in search of a hidden class and fought his way past a Level 25 Sub-Dragonoid. After gaining a level and collecting a useful experience-boosting bracelet, he continued deeper into the cave.

• Naiyuan used rings that boosted his agility and let him walk on walls to climb the mountain and enter the cave.
• Naiyuan encountered a Level 25 Sub-Dragonoid and weakened it with explosive fruits that inflicted several debuffs.
• Naiyuan paralyzed the Sub-Dragonoid with a potion and defeated it with a series of attacks.
• Naiyuan gained enough bonus experience to reach Level 22 and took a bracelet that doubled experience up to Level 30.
• Naiyuan sorted through the drops and continued deeper into the cave.

Naiyuan left the cave after reaching level 25 and entered a forest, where he rescued a poisoned old man from a Blue Water Profound Snake. He accepted the old man's quest to kill a Sub-Dragon and retrieve its Dragon Heart, then set off toward the cave where it lived.

• Naiyuan continued grinding in the cave until he reached a new area and emerged into a forest.
• Naiyuan heard a cry for help and found a Plain Old Man being attacked by a Blue Water Profound Snake near a waterfall.
• Naiyuan killed the Blue Water Profound Snake, gathered its drops and the nearby rare herbs, and went to check on the injured old man.
• The Plain Old Man told Naiyuan he had been poisoned and asked him to retrieve a Sub-Dragon's Dragon Heart.
• Naiyuan accepted the quest and headed toward the Sub-Dragon's cave.

Ninya woke after Naiyuan, Herohero, and Momonga revived her, believing they had rescued and cared for her. The chapter revealed that Herohero had killed her to learn her story, and ended with Naiyuan and Momonga knocking Herohero into the sky after he demanded a massage.

• Ninya awoke in the forest, thanked Naiyuan, Herohero, and Momonga for saving her, and accepted their food.
• Naiyuan and Momonga confirmed through communication that Ninya's resurrection had worked and her memories remained intact.
• The chapter revealed that Herohero had killed Ninya while she was unconscious so the group could learn about her experiences.
• Herohero made Naiyuan and Momonga massage him, while they secretly cast buffs on themselves.
• Naiyuan and Momonga attacked Herohero with enhanced punches, sending his Slime body flying out of sight.

Naiyuan, Momonga, and Herohero discovered that Ninya’s Talent could be extracted from her heart, and Naiyuan saw it as a way to learn the New World’s magic. They began repeatedly reviving Ninya and taking her heart, hoping to collect hundreds of Talents.

• Herohero recalled Ninya’s identity, and Momonga suggested reviving her after the three of them had killed her.
• Naiyuan asked Herohero to extract Ninya’s Talent, and Herohero found its power in her heart.
• Naiyuan argued that the Talent could help them learn the New World’s magic, including Wild Magic, and Momonga agreed to pursue it.
• The three decided they needed hundreds of hearts, activated a Magic Isolation Barrier, and began their work.
• Half an hour later, Ninya began to regain consciousness.

After learning how her greed and weakness had led to her companions’ deaths, Ninya chose to become strong enough to save her sister and avenge them. The Naiyuan Trio gave her powerful equipment and a resurrection scroll, and she set out to revive her companions and seek revenge.

• Naiyuan asked Ninya what she planned to do, and she admitted she was unsure how to live after losing her teammates.
• Ninya blamed her companions’ deaths on their greed, but Herohero and Naiyuan told her their weakness had left them unable to control their fate.
• Naiyuan asked whether Ninya wanted to become strong, and she declared that she wanted to save her sister and avenge her companions.
• Naiyuan gave Ninya a defensive bracelet, Momonga gave her a leveling necklace, and Herohero gave her a resurrection scroll, a Magic Robe, and a book.
• The Naiyuan Trio left, and Ninya returned through the forest determined to resurrect her companions and seek revenge.

Naiyuan reunited with Aura and Mare in the forest and gave them Ability Seeds, pretending he had prepared them himself. The group followed the siblings to a cave to find the Wise King of the Forest.

• Naiyuan, Momonga, and Herohero left the place where Ninya had disappeared and continued through the forest toward Aura and Mare.
• Momonga crushed the hearts of Trolls and Goblins they encountered while Naiyuan and Herohero plotted to edit photos of him squeezing the Inquisitor's chest.
• Naiyuan called for Aura and Mare, and the siblings rushed out of hiding to embrace him.
• Aura asked Naiyuan for compensation, and he gave her and Mare Ability Seeds while claiming he had prepared them himself.
• Aura and Mare ate the seeds, then led Naiyuan, Momonga, and Herohero to a cave where they would seek the Wise King of the Forest.

Naiyuan and his companions found the Wise King of the Forest, a giant Djungarian hamster, and tried to recruit her as Momonga’s pet. After Naiyuan and Herohero transformed into enormous, terrifying forms, the hamster agreed and Momonga named her Hamsuke.

• Aura lured the Wise King of the Forest out of her cave with her Aromatic Scent skill.
• Momonga and Herohero recognized the Wise King as a Djungarian hamster, who asked whether they knew others of her kind.
• Momonga invited the Wise King to become his pet, but she refused and prepared to fight.
• Naiyuan and Herohero transformed into their true forms while Mare activated a Magic Isolation Barrier.
• Terrified by the two enormous beings, the Wise King begged Momonga to make her his pet, and he named her Hamsuke.

Naiyuan, Momonga, and Herohero questioned Hamsuke about her origins and concluded that she was likely descended from creatures brought to the New World by Players. They left the story resolved to investigate evidence of other Players as they explored.

• Naiyuan asked Hamsuke why she referred to herself as “this one,” and she explained that she had spoken that way since birth.
• Momonga questioned Hamsuke, who said she was about two hundred years old, had never known her parents, and had learned magic from a human after saving one.
• Naiyuan gave Hamsuke a giant corn kernel and sent Aura and Mare to keep her company.
• Naiyuan speculated that Players had brought Hamsuke or her parents to the New World.
• Herohero suggested that the Eight Greed Kings and Six Great Gods had been Players, based on memories he obtained from Nigun.
• Momonga, Naiyuan, and Herohero agreed to watch for information about other Players during their explorations.

The Naiyuan Trio left the forest for E-Rantel with Hamsuke, carrying enough Goblin ears to complete their quest. Aura and Mare stayed behind to gather resources for Nazarick, while Naiyuan reflected on letting his children become independent; the group reached E-Rantel before sunset.

• The Naiyuan Trio set out from Hamsuke's cave with the Goblin ears they had collected and brought Hamsuke along to raise their reputation.
• Aura and Mare stayed in the forest to fulfill Momonga's orders to gather rare resources for Nazarick.
• Aura decided to kill two powerful monsters in the forest, and she and Mare erased the group's tracks before leaving in another direction.
• On the journey, Naiyuan admitted he missed Aura and Mare, but said they needed space to become independent.
• Hamsuke reassured Naiyuan that the young mistresses would be fine, and Naiyuan promised to bring Hamsuke to Nazarick someday.
• The Naiyuan Trio and Hamsuke reached E-Rantel before sunset.

The Naiyuan Trio returned to E-Rantel riding Hamsuke, drawing a crowd as they revealed that the Wise King of the Forest had become their pet. At the Adventurer Guild, they turned in their Goblin extermination quest and waited for the staff to inspect their rewards.

• The Naiyuan Trio rode Hamsuke into E-Rantel, attracting astonished onlookers while Naiyuan waved to the crowd and Herohero struggled with the attention.
• The trio spotted A-Jie in the crowd and returned his greeting before arriving at the Adventurer Guild with Hamsuke waiting outside.
• Naiyuan told the Guild staff that Hamsuke was the Wise King of the Forest, while Momonga placed a sack of Goblin and Troll ears on the counter as proof of their quest.
• Hamsuke rose outside and demonstrated its imposing presence, convincing adventurers that it was the Wise King of the Forest.
• The Guild staff arranged an inspection and began calculating the trio’s reward, while Naiyuan joked with a red-haired adventurer about protecting her.

After ranking up to Gold, Naiyuan explored E-Rantel’s Gourmet Street and met the blonde adventurer Clem, whose hidden identity he recognized as Clementine. They parted after an enjoyable evening, leaving Naiyuan to return to the inn without learning why she had approached him.

• Naiyuan, Hamsuke, and their companions ranked up from Copper to Gold, while the Adventurer Guild declined to promote them further because of its rules.
• Naiyuan sampled grilled meat made from Two-legged Sheep and recognized the name from Demiurge’s farm.
• Clem joined Naiyuan at the stall, and he noticed that she was more interested in his Gold-ranked Adventurer badge than she let on.
• Naiyuan and Clem ate and wandered through Gourmet Street together, chatting and laughing.
• Clem hugged Naiyuan, said she hoped he would not be frightened when they met again, and disappeared into the darkness.
• Naiyuan recognized Clem as Clementine, let her leave without pursuit, and returned to the inn.

Naiyuan left a morning drinking contest at the Big Bird Inn after Clem came looking for him. He walked out with Clem, while Momonga took Herohero away and warned Naiyuan that Clem was level 36.

• Naiyuan defeated dozens of challengers in a drinking contest as Momonga and Herohero watched.
• Clem arrived at the inn and waved to Naiyuan, who left the contest to meet her.
• Herohero teased Naiyuan about Clem, and Momonga dragged Herohero away while warning Naiyuan that Clem was level 36.
• Naiyuan complimented Clem’s appearance, and Clem praised his physique.
• Naiyuan put on his clothes and walked out onto the street with Clem.

Naiyuan and Clem spent a day shopping and wandering through E-Rantel, enjoying an easy friendship that Clem had never experienced before. At night, Clem left to handle her own affairs and warned Naiyuan that things might become chaotic over the next few days.

• Clem ate her way through Gourmet Street without bringing money, so Naiyuan paid for her food and stole a bite of her skewer in compensation.
• Naiyuan patted Clem's head, and she admitted she did not dislike his strange behavior.
• Naiyuan robbed and beat an alley robber who threatened them, then Clem punched a restaurant owner before she and Naiyuan fled.
• Outside E-Rantel, Clem told Naiyuan that the day was the happiest of her life and that she would always be Clem with him.
• Clem left during the night to deal with her affairs and warned Naiyuan to be careful because the next few nights might grow chaotic.

Herohero ate Nfirea’s heart to take his Talent, then unexpectedly encountered Clementine in the potion shop and fled after recognizing her as Naiyuan’s friend. Clementine survived the confrontation but was left shaken.

• Clementine entered the potion shop, intending to punish whoever had reached her prey first.
• Herohero ate Nfirea’s heart and extracted three Ability Seeds, then used Soul Corrosion to destroy the souls of Nfirea and the old man.
• Herohero sensed Clementine approaching and prepared to leave, but she burst into the room and attacked him with a stiletto.
• Herohero caught Clementine’s weapon and spread corrosive gas through the room before recognizing her and withdrawing it.
• Herohero fled through a black hole, and Clementine waited half an hour before lowering her guard and collapsing in relief.

After barely surviving an encounter with Herohero, Clementine decided to flee E-Rantel and teleported a corpse to Khajiit to disrupt his plans. Unaware that Naiyuan had watched her through a mechanical eyeball, she disappeared into the night while Naiyuan looked forward to seeing her again.

• Clementine recovered from Herohero’s corrosive gas with potions and reflected on how overwhelmingly powerful he was.
• Clementine decided to find Naiyuan the next day and leave E-Rantel before the Slane Theocracy’s trackers caught up with her.
• Clementine teleported a young man’s corpse away with a scroll, intending to help draw Khajiit’s attention, then slipped into an alley to prepare her departure.
• A mechanical eyeball watched Clementine leave before flying back to Naiyuan, who revealed he had been monitoring her and planned to see her again.

Khajiit prepared to slaughter E-Rantel as part of his plan to gain the power to resurrect his mother. After discovering that Nfirea’s soul had dispersed, he replaced it with Pucci’s soul and summoned Clementine as the plan neared its start.

• Khajiit completed preparations for his ritual and reaffirmed his plan to slaughter E-Rantel so he could gain power to resurrect his mother.
• A disciple brought Khajiit Nfirea’s body, and Khajiit discovered that Nfirea’s soul had dispersed.
• Khajiit asked Pucci if he would die for him, then forcibly extracted Pucci’s soul and killed him.
• Khajiit placed Pucci’s soul into Nfirea’s body and confirmed that the fusion succeeded.
• Khajiit ordered his disciples to find Clementine and tell her to prepare for the plan.

After Lizzie Bareare was murdered and Nfirea disappeared, E-Rantel fell into panic while Naiyuan remained at the Big Bird Inn with Clem. Naiyuan gave her Dragon Blood Brew to counter the poison in her body, called her his friend, and arranged to meet her in the forest that night, leaving her stunned.

• Lizzie Bareare's murder and Nfirea's disappearance prompted soldiers to patrol E-Rantel as frightened residents stayed indoors.
• Naiyuan ate breakfast at the Big Bird Inn and realized Momonga and Herohero were advancing their magical knowledge while he lagged behind.
• Clem surprised Naiyuan at the bar, and he invited her to try his blood-red Dragon Blood Brew.
• Naiyuan gave Clem the brew, which could counter the corrosive poison that threatened to kill her within a week.
• Naiyuan told Clem he regarded her as a friend and invited her to meet him in the forest outside the city gates that night.

Clementine remembered how her family abandoned her after she was kidnapped, and how later torture drove her mad. After reflecting on the man who had appeared before her too late to save her, she chose to go to the city gate and face him rather than leave without a word.

• Clementine recalled being neglected by her family and abducted at age seven, then abandoned when her parents refused to pay her ransom.
• Clementine escaped her kidnappers during a chaotic battle, but her friend remained behind, and she later joined a mercenary company.
• Clementine was captured on a mission and repeatedly tortured until she lost her sanity.
• Clementine remembered wishing the man before her had saved her in the past and wondered why he had come only now.
• Clementine hesitated at the city gate, then decided to face the situation so she would not regret running away.