Chapter Summaries

Ron endured dangerous mental contamination while meditating on "Whispers of the Star Eater," but Artificial Star Dew and his Silver Pocket Watch protected him and helped him recover. After gaining mental strength, he went to Mrs. Allen's shop to report his experience.

• Ron glimpsed a vast cosmic entity during meditation, and Artificial Star Dew's mental shield helped him resist its influence.
• Ron used his Silver Pocket Watch to reset moderate mental contamination, then saw his Mental Strength rise from 2.4 to 2.6.
• Ron recorded his experience, slept, and woke after dreaming of a cold gaze watching him in the Star Sea.
• Ron went to the Herb Shop to report his meditation to Mrs. Allen, who immediately recognized that he had tried it.

Ron learned that his ability to enter the first stage of Whispers of the Star Eater was extraordinarily fast because of his natural affinity, but Mrs. Allen warned him that its severe, cumulative mental contamination could endanger him. After receiving further instruction, Ron left the Herb Shop resolved to pursue the Meditation Method while remaining cautious, still wondering about Mrs. Allen and the Devourer he had seen.

• Ron told Mrs. Allen that his first meditation had shown him the Devourer consuming stars and galaxies, and she recognized his progress as unusually rapid.
• Mrs. Allen explained that Ron had a natural affinity for Whispers of the Star Eater and warned that heightened inspiration could expose him to dangerous truths and cumulative mental contamination.
• Mrs. Allen examined Ron's consciousness, found his condition better than expected, and taught him how to consolidate his initial rune and deepen his meditation.
• Mrs. Allen cautioned Ron not to rush, explaining that stabilizing the first stage usually took at least half a year.
• On his way from the Herb Shop, Ron questioned the nature of the Devourer and Mrs. Allen's mysterious origins, then decided to keep learning the Meditation Method for the strength it could provide.

Ron cautiously cultivated Whispers of the Star Eater, using the Time Guardian's Pocket Watch to clear contamination and fatigue while advancing his skills. Meanwhile, Edmond warned Count Ralph that the family's finances were near collapse, partly because of the Magic Stone Fragments sent to Ron.

• Ron carefully practiced Whispers of the Star Eater, gained experience, and used the Pocket Watch to purify mild mental Contamination.
• Ron reviewed his progress, estimated that he could become an Intermediate Apprentice within two months, and continued swordsmanship training by repeatedly resetting his fatigue and soreness.
• Ron dreamed of walking through the Star Sea and found its babbling voices slightly more comprehensible.
• Edmond told Count Ralph that poor harvests, plague, and the Magic Stone Fragments sent to Ron had pushed the family estate to the brink of collapse.

Count Ralph and Edmond learned that Ron had become a Primary Apprentice with Intermediate Potential, and the Royal Family envoy reported that Hawkins had been executed for stealing the Magic Stone Fragments. The envoy delivered Ron’s repayment to the Ralph Family, including gold and two shop contracts.

• Edmond urged Count Ralph to stop sending Magic Stone Fragments to Ron because the family could no longer afford the expense and Hawkins might be stealing them.
• Count Ralph agreed to suspend financial support starting the month after next, but a Royal Family envoy named Orlando Wilson arrived with urgent news.
• Orlando told Count Ralph and Edmond that Ron had passed the qualification assessment for a Primary Apprentice and earned an Intermediate Potential classification at the Black Fog School.
• Orlando reported that Hawkins had withheld Ron’s Magic Stone Fragments and had been beheaded, while his family had been exiled into slavery.
• Orlando delivered twenty thousand pure gold coins and contracts to two shops in the East District of the Royal Capital as Ron’s repayment to the Ralph Family.

The Ralph family received wealth, an apology, and news that the Royal Family would fund Ron’s cultivation, prompting the earl and Edmond to realize how far Ron had come. Back at the Black Mist Forest, Ron used his new understanding of resonance to develop the Sonic Spell and explore whether sound could transmit curses remotely.

• Orlando delivered the Ralph family twenty thousand gold coins, East District shops, and Ron’s letter, then told the earl and Edmond that the Royal Family would provide Ron twenty Magic Stone Fragments each month.
• The earl told Orlando to convey that he was proud of Ron and that the family would welcome him home, while Edmond admitted they had underestimated Ron.
• Ron read the Royal Family’s letter and received twenty Magic Stone Fragments as a congratulatory gift for becoming a Primary Apprentice.
• Ron studied Darund’s notes and concluded that the Sonic Spell depended on finding resonance between magic power and mental power.
• Ron realized that sound might carry curse energy over a distance without a physical medium, then began testing the idea in an independent experimental compartment.

Ron improved Sonic Oscillation and advanced his Potion Brewing, then discussed paid courses and mentor politics with Trish. Trish warned him that Holt's interest could draw him into the School's competition for the Candidate Wizard Sequence.

• Ron refined Sonic Oscillation into a precise resonant spell that turned an experimental stone to powder.
• Ron continued his demanding routine while balancing training, study, Herb Shop work, and potion commissions.
• Trish collected her potions, praised their quality, and paid Ron thirty Magic Stone Fragments plus five extra.
• Ron and Trish discussed paid courses, including Magic Circuit Optimization, Mental Power Stabilization Techniques, and Pharmacological Resonance.
• Trish warned Ron that Holt's interest and his rapid progress could entangle him in conflicts among High-level Apprentices, and Ron asked for advice based on her connection to Lady Corinna.

Over a month, Ron followed an intense routine of body tempering, meditation, potion study, and swordsmanship, steadily improving his abilities. On the final day, an Inspiration warning interrupted his meditation, leaving him facing an unknown danger.

• Trish warned Ron against curse-specialist mentors and suggested Mrs. Allen might be able to introduce him to a mentor.
• Ron committed to advancing his Potion Master and Knight professions before considering other career paths.
• Ron practiced Breathing Body Tempering and Whispers of the Star Eater daily, raising his physique to 1.7 and his mental power to 2.9.
• Ron studied potion formulas at Mrs. Allen's shop and practiced Corona Swordsmanship, bringing his skills close to breakthroughs.
• After finishing his breathing practice on the month's final day, Ron began meditating and received an Inspiration warning as darkness tore through his conscious scene.

Ron endured the intense mental impact of the Devourer and discovered the rhythm behind Whispers of the Star Eater, allowing him to break through to Intermediate Apprentice. After clearing his mild Mental Contamination, he prepared to leave his dormitory for the Herb Shop, recognizing that his current living situation no longer suited him.

• Ron maintained his mental balance while confronting the Devourer and gained insight into the fundamental rhythm of Whispers of the Star Eater.
• Ron’s mental power rose from 2.9 to 3.0 and his mana from 0.7 to 1.0, making him an Intermediate Apprentice.
• Ron used the Silver Pocket Watch to remove his Mild Mental Contamination and gained experience in Whispers of the Star Eater.
• Ron packed for his trip to the Herb Shop and reflected that his dormitory had become unsuitable and increasingly unsafe.

Ron completed a large potion order, and Mrs. Allen told him he was ready to graduate and gave him a Silver Wing Separator. She began explaining why Wizards teach apprentices, introducing an ancient occult rule called “Grace.”

• Ron helped Mrs. Allen brew thirty Refreshing Potions and twenty Wound Healing Potions for the School's Enforcement Squad.
• Mrs. Allen praised Ron's potion skills and told him he was ready to graduate from her shop.
• Mrs. Allen gave Ron a Silver Wing Separator, recalling her past work at the Crystal Spire and hinting at the wider magical world.
• Mrs. Allen told Ron that teaching apprentices benefited Wizards and introduced the ancient occult rule of “Grace.”

Ron decided to apply for the School’s Potion Master certification after Mrs. Allen explained its benefits, including better pay, access to materials, and a possible workshop. After receiving a letter and Magic Stone Fragments from the Farouk royal family, he applied for the assessment and began preparing for the exam one week later.

• Mrs. Allen advised Ron to pursue Potion Master certification and offered to recommend him for a workshop if he passed.
• A messenger delivered Ron a royal letter, a family letter from Count Ralph, and twenty Magic Stone Fragments.
• Ron learned that his family had received the gold coins and assets he had arranged to send.
• The day after graduating from Mrs. Allen’s tutelage, Ron applied for the Potion Master assessment, scheduled for a week later.
• Ron planned to replenish his potion materials and practice with Velvet Pollen and Evening Primrose while keeping his Intermediate Apprentice-level spiritual power secret.

Ron shopped for potion ingredients and considered buying Beastkin slaves to help with his future workshop. Meanwhile, Andre broke through a Knight cultivation bottleneck, then received a Royal Family order that he delayed by claiming he needed to prepare for a Bloodline Awakening Ritual; Ron arrived at Blake Exotic Exchange to inspect its wares.

• Ron replenished his Evening Primrose and Velvet Pollen, bought other materials, and decided to visit the Beastkin slave exchange for potential servants.
• Andre drank Ron’s Blood-Qi Potion during his cultivation and broke through to the third stage of Knight cultivation.
• Andre received a letter from the Farouk Royal Family ordering him to visit Lady Cynthia at the beginning of next month.
• Andre replied to Sir Lance that he needed a month of secluded preparation for a Bloodline Awakening Ritual, buying himself time to pursue becoming a Formal Knight.
• Ron went to Blake Exotic Exchange, where the Orc guards admitted him and a short, fat man offered to show him newly arrived goods.

Ron toured a slave exchange, where a merchant showed him several alien creatures and explained their abilities and treatment. Ron found a Tree Spirit whose knack for sensing herbs made it a promising Potion Brewing assistant, but he had not yet bought it.

• Ron told the merchant he wanted a slave to assist with Potion Brewing and to learn about other kinds of slaves.
• The merchant showed Ron an Elemental Fairy Descendant and a former dwarf chieftain whose memories had been reshaped and who had been tamed with a Control Mark.
• The merchant introduced a Mixed-blood Nightmare Beast that could fly at night and sense magical energy, then showed Ron two Water Snake-man sisters captured by the School's slave-hunting parties.
• The merchant brought Ron to a chained Tree Spirit and explained that it could understand plants and sense the vitality of herbs.
• Ron judged that the Tree Spirit's abilities could improve his Potion Brewing, but he made no purchase.

Ron went to the market square, where he learned that Cynthia was using a dispute over an ancient astrology tome to challenge Trish and improve her standing in the Candidate Wizard Sequence. Trish calmly rebuffed Cynthia’s accusations, and Cynthia proposed settling the dispute by the School’s traditional method.

• Ron left the Blake Exchange after hearing a commotion at the central square and considered cultivating a Battle Slave in the future.
• Ron found Trish confronting Cynthia and learned from Norris that both were members of the Candidate Wizard Sequence, where apprentices earned points and resources based on performance.
• Norris explained that Cynthia had raised the ancient tome dispute as a pretext to suppress Trish’s recent rise in the Sequence and gain points herself.
• Cynthia questioned whether the tome belonged with Corinna, but Trish defended her claim using information recorded in the School’s archives.
• Cynthia proposed settling ownership of the ancient tome according to the School’s traditional method.

Trish accepted Cynthia’s Slave Duel challenge over access to the Ancient Astrology Tome and wagered Magic Stone Fragments. She prepared Li Yue for the fight with Ron’s Bloodline Activator, while Cynthia secretly enhanced her Orc warrior with a Berserk Crystal before announcing the duel’s stakes.

• Cynthia challenged Trish to a Slave Duel, risking Sequence points and control of priority access to the Ancient Astrology Tome.
• Trish accepted the challenge and brought out Li Yue, then ordered her to drink Ron’s Bloodline Activator.
• Li Yue underwent a complete Bloodline Awakening, revealing power near the threshold of the Wild Hunter profession.
• Cynthia brought out Grush, her Orc warrior, and forced him to swallow a Berserk Crystal despite the item being forbidden in formal duels.
• Cynthia announced that the duel’s winner would gain priority access to the Ancient Astrology Tome and that the result would affect their Sequence points.

Trish’s Leopard Girl, Li Yue, defeated Cynthia’s Orc, Grush, in a slave duel, winning her faction priority to use the Ancient Astrology Tome and gaining Sequence assessment points. After the victory, Trish spotted Ron in the crowd and walked toward him.

• Norris agreed to witness the duel and explained its rules before starting the match.
• Li Yue used her speed and trained tactics to wound Grush, while Trish and Cynthia directed their fighters.
• Cynthia ordered Grush to activate Berserk, and his transformation injured Li Yue with flying stones.
• Li Yue tricked Grush into defending against a feint, then slashed his neck and chest and attacked his back until he could no longer fight.
• Norris declared Trish the winner and awarded her faction priority to use the Ancient Astrology Tome, along with Sequence assessment points.
• Trish noticed Ron in the crowd and walked toward him.

Ron congratulated Trish after Li Yue defeated Cynthia’s Orc, and Trish credited Ron’s Bloodline Activator for Li Yue’s increased strength. As Trish hinted that she would explain Li Yue’s origins, Oliver drew Cynthia into a secretive discussion, leaving Ron wary of their plans.

• Ron congratulated Trish on Li Yue’s victory, and Trish said Ron’s Bloodline Activator had greatly improved Li Yue’s combat ability and resilience.
• Ron told Trish he could not take new potion orders because he was preparing for his Potion Master certification exam in one week.
• Trish explained that Cynthia had targeted her as an easy opponent, while Oliver calmed Cynthia and whispered something that left her shocked and excited.
• Servants dragged the badly injured Orc away to be processed by the School’s Resource Recycling Office, with Cynthia set to receive half the Magic Stone Fragments.
• Ron praised Li Yue’s unusual Bloodline Activation, and Trish offered to tell him about Li Yue’s origins.

Trish told Ron that Li Yue survived the destruction of the Fireflow Tribe and was modified and trained as a Battle Slave. She advised him to consider a Multi-armed Snake Demon as a future companion, while Ron weighed the idea against its cost and his ambitions.

• Trish revealed that Mentor Corinna exterminated the Fireflow Tribe about fifteen years earlier and that Li Yue had been an infant survivor with a Monarch Bloodline.
• Trish explained that a Modulator altered Li Yue for obedience and that Mentor Corinna gave her to Trish as a Battle Slave.
• Trish described Battle Slaves as common among Candidate Wizard Sequence members and criticized Cynthia's Orc and its Berserk Crystal.
• Trish recommended a Multi-armed Snake Demon to Ron, describing its multiple arms, intelligence, swordsmanship, and high price.
• Ron considered training a Multi-armed Snake Demon in Corona Swordsmanship, but recognized that he needed to earn more and advance first.
• Trish left after the plaza crowd dispersed, and Ron looked once more at Li Yue.

Ron learned that the Royal Family had ordered Andre to meet Cynthia, who sought male slaves, and reassured him that his upcoming Potion Master examination could improve their position. Andre also brought Ron a hereditary noble title insignia, while they discussed Trish’s victory over Cynthia’s Orc.

• Andre told Ron that he had reached the third stage of Breathing Body Tempering with Ron’s Blood-Qi Potion, but a Royal Family letter ordered him to meet Cynthia.
• Andre explained that his siblings had arranged the order to keep him from returning to the kingdom and threatening their claim to the throne.
• Ron urged Andre to use the month he had secured to prepare for the Bloodline Awakening Ritual while Ron pursued Potion Master certification.
• Andre delivered a Gold Emblem bearing the Farouk Corona and told Ron that his father had reserved him a hereditary title, fief, and castle.
• Ron recounted how Trish’s Leopard Girl defeated Cynthia’s Orc, explaining that Cynthia had used a prohibited Berserk Crystal too early and Trish’s potion helped turn the battle.

Oliver explained that he had stopped Cynthia from losing control in the plaza because it would draw attention to Trish, then supplied her with Joy Liquid, an experimental subject, and the Black Crystal of the Sinful Domain in exchange for more materials. The chapter ended with Oliver warning Cynthia not to provoke Ron or the Thirteenth Prince promised to her by the Farouk Royal Family.

• Ron told Andre that Cynthia’s hostility did not concern him and urged him to prepare for the Potion Master certification and the Ritual.
• Cynthia confronted Oliver in his remote laboratory and demanded to know why he had stopped her from losing control in the plaza.
• Oliver warned that Cynthia’s outburst would have drawn attention to Trish and questioned how the Daughter of the Hunter had trained an ordinary Leopard Girl so quickly.
• Oliver gave Cynthia a stronger Joy Liquid formula and showed her a Stitched One altered to provide intense pleasure.
• Oliver revealed prohibited substances and a Black Crystal of the Sinful Domain, which Cynthia accepted as part of their bargain for more materials.
• Oliver warned Cynthia to behave and avoid provoking Ron or the Thirteenth Prince promised to her by the Farouk Royal Family.

Oliver recalled how he had used the forbidden Brain Extraction Technique to steal talents and rise in power, and he set his sights on uncovering Ron’s secret. Meanwhile, Ron intensely prepared for the Potion Master certification until Andre arrived with new investigation news.

• Oliver and Cynthia agreed to wait before targeting Ron, while Cynthia prepared to test her new device on a hypnotized orc.
• After leaving Cynthia, Oliver remembered discovering the Brain Extraction Technique and using it to extract talents from captives, including a child with Nature Affinity.
• Oliver reflected that the forbidden experiments had made him a powerful Candidate Wizard and vowed to uncover Ron’s secret.
• Ron spent three days practicing potion formulas and using his Silver Pocket Watch to remove fatigue as he prepared for the Potion Master examination.
• Andre arrived at Ron’s dormitory with news from his investigation.