Chapter Summaries

Kongsha tried to make Sol’s mind collapse so she could use the resulting Hidden Crystal Substance to obtain a new Locator and control the Ancient Soul-Devouring Demon Swamp. Sol revealed that he had been pretending to falter and turned the tables, leaving Kongsha bound and shocked by his transformed adult appearance.

• Kongsha told Sol that Gorsa planned to use him in the Resurrection Experiment and described how he had turned another student’s body into Lady Ula’s Shadow Cloak.
• Kongsha revealed that she had undergone Alienation and planned to use Sol’s Hidden Crystal Substance and Spirit Body power to replace her Locator with the Elf King’s Head.
• As Sol appeared close to losing control, he called for Penny, and a silver butterfly landed on his forehead and announced that the Emotion Module suppression was complete.
• Sol revealed an advanced Witchcraft Array on his tongue, then used gray tentacles to bind Kongsha and rose from the ground unharmed.
• Kongsha realized Sol’s trembling had been a deception and saw that he had changed from a boy into an adult man.

Thor defeated Kongsha on the Consciousness Battlefield and returned to the collapsing Palace, where he found her still alive beside the shattered glass head. As the Ancient Soul-Devouring Demon Swamp began to retreat, Kongsha asked Thor if she was pretty, and he told her she was the most beautiful.

• Thor trapped Kongsha on his Consciousness Platform and used the Diary to absorb the Elf King's Mental Power and intimidate her.
• Thor showed Kongsha her true reflection in a Mercury Dressing Mirror, and she became absorbed in seeing the self Gorsa had erased as the tentacles drained her Spirit Body.
• Thor withdrew his tentacles, sent the four Consciousness Entities back into the Diary, and left the Consciousness Battlefield.
• Thor healed himself and sat beside Kongsha as the Palace collapsed and the Ancient Soul-Devouring Demon Swamp began to retreat.
• The cracked glass head beside Thor spoke, and Kongsha asked whether she was pretty; Thor told her she was the most beautiful.

Thor found the Half-Elf’s eye after Kongsha died, then reached the Pure White Throne with the Elf King’s Head. Penny revealed that the valley’s exit had never been closed and explained that the vanished Elves had been destroyed after their new king used his people’s Mental Power to observe a mysterious hollow in the world.

• Kongsha told Thor to take the Half-Elf’s eye, then shattered and melted away after warning that Gorsa would use people.
• Thor found the crystal-like eye, and the Diary identified it as the Eye of Exile, which could reveal illusion and reality but expose its owner to Corruption.
• Thor and Penny carried the Elf King’s Head up the reappeared Twisted Staircase to the Pure White Throne as snow spread through the tower.
• Penny told Thor that the passage out of Elf Valley had never been closed, and Thor used the Throne to see a vast hollow on the planet’s far side.
• Penny explained that the new Elf King had used the combined Mental Power of his people to observe the hollow, causing the Elves to vanish, though she did not know what it was.

Thor learned that the world rejected Consciousness Entities that existed independently from bodies, then used Seam to peer into the Elves’ world. As several strange white outlines reached him, he received a message asking to go back.

• Penny told Thor that her creator, a powerful Half-Elf, had been destroyed after the world rejected him, and said consciousness could not exist independently from a body.
• Penny revealed that she and Elven Whisper had altered Seam so it could show the Elves’ world, hoping Thor would see their situation.
• Thor placed Seam on the Woven Painting and looked through its fissure after confirming that the Diary gave no warning.
• Thor saw a shifting, non-material world and several white outlines approach him.
• Thor received a signal in his mind: "Want to go back."

Thor resisted the Elves’ attempt to alter his consciousness and learned that their creation of a Consciousness World had led to their imprisonment and corruption. As he considered what to do with the Elf King’s Head, a mysterious figure called Half-Elf appeared and asked for it.

• Thor’s Consciousness Entities discovered that an invading thought was changing Thor’s mind, while Thor pulled his gaze away from the crevice and the Puppet Doll shattered.
• Thor sent Penny back into the Diary and realized that the Diary had repelled the mental attack, leaving him with knowledge about the Elves’ Consciousness World.
• Thor concluded that the world had trapped and compressed the Elves after they created their new world, and that their corrupted consciousnesses could threaten humans by seeking vessels.
• Thor decided neither to take the Elf King’s Head out of the valley nor place it on the Pure White Throne, and wondered where to hide it.
• Half-Elf entered through a snow-filled doorway, introduced themself by that name, and told Thor to give them the Elf King’s Head.

Thor agreed to let the Half-Elf destroy the Elf King's Head, and watched him draw out its colorful thread and offer it to the Woven Painting. The Half-Elf sent Thor out of Elf Valley and passed on his remaining Magic Power, leaving Thor close to becoming an Official Wizard.

• The Half-Elf told Thor he would destroy the Elf King's Head without taking it from him, and Thor agreed after hearing that the Elves' return would irreversibly Corrupt the world.
• The Half-Elf drew a colorful thread from the Elf King's Head until it died, then offered the gathered light to the Woven Painting and collapsed beneath the Pure White Throne.
• The Half-Elf asked whether Thor had the Eye of Exile, warned him never to answer an Elf's request, and used the Throne to send him out of Elf Valley.
• Thor returned to the forest without the four Vessels he had left behind, then realized the Half-Elf had given him all his remaining pure Magic Power.
• Thor looked back into the forest and thanked the nameless Half-Elf, whose gift had brought him close to the minimum Magic Power required to become an Official Wizard.

Sol left the forest with Penny, who revealed that Nightmare Butterflies had been created by a Tier 4 Wizard, then returned to Gorsa and learned about a new experiment to create a long-lasting Vessel for Ula. The chapter ended with Gorsa hinting that he had a backup plan he might otherwise have used.

• Sol asked Penny why she was crying, and she explained that a Wizard had created Nightmare Butterflies and that her perception had been altered.
• Penny described the growing powers of Wizards across the first three Tiers and said she had once been around Tier 2 strength.
• Sol reached the carriage and found Mark's head beside Gorsa, who said Mark had begun undergoing Alienation after consuming too much Hidden Crystal Substance.
• Gorsa took Sol back to the Wizard Tower and explained that Kazi and Rum had discovered Blue Water Soul for the Resurrection Experiment.
• Gorsa said the experiment might create a Vessel for Ula that could last ten years without triggering Alienation, then hinted that he had a backup plan.

Thor discussed the Elves and their abandoned bodies with Gorsa, then learned that Ula’s Mental Power mark had been on his damaged puppet. Earlier, Byron presented his Gray Matter research to Rum and Ula, who said the resurrection experiment might begin within six months.

• Gorsa guessed that the Elves had abandoned their bodies and created a Back Garden that became an Abyssal Prison, while Thor shared his theory about the depression on the Back of the World.
• Gorsa praised Thor for completing Wizard Body Modification twice and explained that Ula’s Mental Power mark had been on the Red-Eyed Puppet.
• Rum questioned Byron about the Gray Matter potion formula Byron had submitted and offered to recommend him for the Resurrection Experiment if his reasoning held up.
• Ula arrived at Rum’s room, learned Byron had also discovered the Blue Water Soul, and said Gorsa planned to begin formal testing within six months.
• Byron took Gray Matter from his pouch and handed samples to Ula and Rum to demonstrate his research.

Byron realized that Gray Matter and Blue Water Souls released the same malevolent mist, but Ula discovered his attempt to send a message and killed him by splitting his body in two. Luokai arrived afterward, destroyed Byron’s paper, and erased the marks he had left on the desk.

• Byron warned Ula and Rum that his Gray Matter potion might have a hidden hazard, and Ula suffered an attack on her Spirit Body before absorbing mist from a Blue Water Soul and Gray Matter.
• Byron recognized the mist as a malevolence capable of driving ordinary souls mad, concealed his alarm from Ula and Rum, and returned to his dormitory.
• Byron began writing complex three-dimensional coordinates, but Ula appeared behind him and accused him of sending a message.
• Ula killed Byron by splitting his body in two, then welcomed Luokai into the dormitory.
• Luokai burned Byron’s paper and roughened the desk to erase the marks left by his writing.

Sol returned toward the Wizard Tower with Gorsa after absorbing the Half-Elf’s Magic Power, and Gorsa explained that the Half-Elf’s impossible beauty came from the uncontrolled power surrounding him. Kira met their carriage after fighting the Land Boat’s occupants, and Sol left the chapter facing her challenge to fight when he reached Second Rank.

• Sol absorbed the Half-Elf’s Magic Power during the journey and planned to improve his elemental sensitivity before advancing.
• Gorsa told Sol that the Half-Elf’s beauty was an effect of the Elf power gathering around him and sustaining his decaying body.
• Kira stopped the carriage and confronted Gorsa about being sent to eliminate the Land Boat’s occupants and about Wilde’s escape.
• Gorsa said Wilde had been tainted by Corruption and dismissed Kira’s concern that he might face consequences for violating the Western Treaty.
• Kira asked Sol when he would advance to Second Rank so they could fight, and Sol awkwardly said it would be soon.

Thor returned to the Wizard Tower with Gorsa, where Keli presented her breakthrough in Adhesive research to the Tower Master. Later, Thor saw Senior Byron leave on a mission with Jero and sensed something was wrong, but Byron signaled him not to join them.

• Kira offered to kill Aruba of Kenas, but Gorsa said Baidong Academy was already moving to protect him, and Kira left.
• Thor and Gorsa returned to the Wizard Tower, where Mentor Gudo introduced Keli and reported her breakthrough in Adhesive research.
• Gorsa took Gudo and Keli to the nineteenth floor, leaving Thor behind to consider the Resurrection Experiment and Keli's work.
• Thor spotted Senior Byron leaving with Jero and grew suspicious, but Byron shook his head when Thor started to join them.

Thor suspected that Byron had been killed and his body taken after seeing black threads around him, then investigated Byron’s dorm for clues. He found evidence that someone had destroyed a freshly written page and discovered the word “Gray” carved into Byron’s Quill.

• Thor watched Jero and Byron’s carriage depart, then returned to his dorm while Luokai remained behind and watched the carriage leave with a cold glint in his eyes.
• Thor used Soul Projection to investigate Byron’s dorm after seeing black threads and a fissure on Byron during their farewell.
• Thor found a corroded mark on Byron’s desk that suggested a freshly written sheet of paper had been destroyed or taken.
• Thor concluded that Byron was likely dead and suspected Luokai and Jero had killed him and taken his body.
• Thor noticed the faintly carved character “Gray” on Byron’s Quill.

Thor suspected that Byron’s research into Gray Matter had led to his disappearance, so he took over a neighboring apprentice’s room to investigate. His Soul Extraction Array found no trace of Byron, but Thor realized that the complete absence of soul fragments might itself be a clue.

• Thor suspected that someone was monitoring him as he went to Byron’s dormitory and forced the neighboring Level 3 Apprentice to give up his room.
• Thor explained to Penny that he chose to act openly because Luokai was already watching him, then prepared a Soul Extraction Array in the room nearest to Byron’s.
• Thor used his blood to draw the array and tried to summon Byron’s soul, hoping it would help him condense a fifth Black Page and seek revenge.
• The array found no fragments of Byron’s soul and produced no Black Page before its flames faded.
• Thor stopped Penny from entering Luokai’s Dreamscape, then concluded that Byron’s room was suspiciously clean.

Thor suspected Byron’s Spirit Body had survived and planned to search for him through a Dream Tour, while preparing a Gray Matter Potion in the Second Warehouse. The chapter ended with Xiao Zao waking and physically swallowing Penny, revealing that it could now touch the Nightmare Butterfly.

• Thor moved into the room beside Byron’s and let a Level 3 Apprentice investigate it, while Penny secretly made the apprentice act out his suspicions without changing his memories.
• Thor explained that Byron’s missing Soul Fragments suggested his Spirit Body had separated from his body, and decided to search for him without exposing him to their enemies.
• Penny proposed using her power to take Thor on a Dream Tour, and Thor agreed to try it that night after entering the Second Warehouse.
• Thor checked Hayden’s Spirit Body and brewed a Gray Matter Potion from Byron’s notes, confirming that it could strengthen a Spirit Body.
• Xiao Zao woke and swallowed Penny, then spat her out when Thor ordered it to, showing Thor that Xiao Zao could now touch the Nightmare Butterfly.

Thor explored dreams as a Nightmare Butterfly to search for Byron, but failed to find him. He then met Keli, who gave him the High-Quality Adhesive formula, and asked whether it could conceal a dangerous property.

• Little Zao bit Penny, and Thor promised Penny half a piece of Hidden Crystal Substance as compensation.
• Thor entered the dream world with silver butterfly wings and searched through dozens of dreams, but found no trace of Byron before exhaustion forced him to sleep.
• For three days, Thor studied the Gray Matter Potion by day and searched for Byron in dreams each night, without success.
• Keli arrived at Thor's dormitory after making ten batches of High-Quality Adhesive under Gorsa's supervision.
• Keli copied out the High-Quality Adhesive formula and explained its ingredients to Thor.
• Thor asked Keli whether adding an ingredient with a certain property could make the Adhesive highly poisonous.

Thor considered whether Gray Matter and Blue Water Soul were connected to Senior Byron’s murder and the Resurrection Experiment, then brought his prepared experiment to Gorsa for preliminary testing. At the 20th Floor, he found Gorsa dismissing a notebook that appeared to belong to Mentor Monica.

• Keli explained that many witchcraft materials could alter a potion’s properties, and said she had improved High-Quality Adhesive with a weakened Alpha catalyst.
• Thor reflected on the possible secrets behind Blue Water Soul and Gray Matter, and questioned whether Mentor Kazi and Mentor Rum could be trusted.
• Thor told Gorsa through his Message Quill that his Resurrection Experiment was ready for preliminary testing, and Gorsa summoned him to the 20th Floor.
• Thor had Xiao Zao carry a corpse as he brought his ingredients and notes through the East Tower, alarming apprentices who recognized the body.
• Thor found Gorsa beside an open Stone Coffin and picked up a notebook Gorsa told him to throw away; its title made Thor suspect it was Mentor Monica’s work.

Thor showed Gorsa his experiment using Bill’s corpse and proposed joining Gorsa’s upcoming Resurrection Experiment. Gorsa agreed to let Thor participate and gave him the Blue Water Soul research notes, while Thor wondered what Gorsa’s warning about Wizard-made inventions implied.

• Thor demonstrated his method for delaying a Vessel’s rejection of a Spirit Body and gave Gorsa his Research Notes.
• Gorsa offered to examine Thor’s unusual nature, but declined after Thor warned of a possible backlash.
• Thor asked to join Gorsa’s final Resurrection Experiment and argued that his method used materials already documented in the Wizard Tower’s archives.
• Gorsa agreed Thor could participate and said they could use Thor’s method or run it alongside the Blue Water Soul approach.
• Gorsa handed Thor the Blue Water Soul experiment notes and warned that Wizards’ creations could bring disaster.

Thor reconsidered the Diary’s warning after Keli invited him to join Mentor Gudo’s Laboratory and the Blue Water Soul Resurrection Experiment. He agreed to visit the Laboratory so he could investigate its participants, then set out to stop the experiment.

• Keli sought out Thor and invited him to visit Mentor Gudo’s Laboratory, where researchers were studying the Blue Water Soul Resurrection Experiment.
• Thor connected Keli’s invitation to the Diary’s warning about Pain serving a delicacy and considered whether its warnings described four separate choices.
• Thor agreed to visit Keli’s Laboratory at two in the afternoon, intending to observe Mentor Gudo and his assistants.
• Thor suspected Luokai and Jero had powerful backers and believed the Resurrection Experiment concealed a plot against Gorsa and anyone left uninformed.
• Thor left to begin shutting down the Blue Water Soul experiment.

Thor visited Mentor Gudo’s laboratory, where Keli showed him how she prepared Adhesive and handled radioactive toxins. The chapter ended with Keli carefully transferring the solution into the enclosure containing Diminished Alpha.

• Thor entered Mentor Gudo’s busy laboratory and noticed Keli directing apprentices while Billy sat alone in a corner.
• Keli invited Thor to help observe her preparation of Optimized Adhesive and explained that its ingredients included poisonous substances.
• Keli led Thor to two sealed glass enclosures holding copper-colored metal, identifying them as Alpha and Diminished Alpha.
• Keli opened a small hole in Diminished Alpha’s enclosure and carefully poured in the bubbling Adhesive solution, then sealed it again.

Thor joined Keli’s research into separating Spirit Bodies and anesthetizing Consciousness Entities, while privately worrying that the Resurrection Experiment’s apparent progress concealed danger. He learned Billy was preparing to advance, and Billy warned him not to get involved in too many things.

• Keli explained that the Optimized Adhesive still caused Spirit Bodies severe pain, delaying the final Resurrection Experiment test on Lady Ula.
• Thor agreed to develop a targeted drug for Consciousness Entities, drawing on what he knew about the Black Page and the Death Wizard Diary.
• Keli told Thor that Billy was not involved in the Resurrection Experiment and was preparing to advance after surpassing their mentor in Soul Toxin research.
• Thor asked Billy about escaping Mofan Town, and Billy said he had needed over half a year to recover from his injuries.
• Billy refused to reveal whether Lady Ula had been alone, then warned Thor not to get involved in too many things because it was dangerous.