Recaps

Sylutia studied the nearby Secret Realms, settled into the town, and explored its shops while waiting for an expedition party. Bad Apple and the Shaking Coin party approached her at the tavern and invited her to join their next expedition.

• Sylutia registered to join a party heading to Deep Forest Path and stayed at the tavern.
• Sylutia explored the town’s herbal shops and learned about the work and earnings of Pharmacist apprentices.
• Sylutia bought a Spiral Goat Horn for three gold coins, and the shopkeeper gave her a pack of Dried Mutton.
• Sylutia browsed the town’s combat gear shops and familiarized herself with the area.
• Bad Apple, captain of the Shaking Coin party, approached Sylutia with a Heavy Swordsman, a Wizard, and a cook, and invited her on their next expedition.

Sylutia joined Bad Apple’s expedition team after demonstrating her archery and plant-growth abilities. Over dinner, Bad Apple explained the team’s members and goals in the Fir Black Forest, and Bona welcomed Sylutia with a homemade steamed pumpkin cake.

• Sylutia showed the team her archery by hitting a distant tree and covering it in vines, then accepted Bad Apple’s invitation to join.
• Bad Apple introduced Yan, Carlinson, and Bona and explained how the team had formed.
• Bad Apple described the team’s goals: finding an Ash Evil Fruit, resources to strengthen Yan, and Stone Mist Spring Water near the Gate of Distant Mountains.
• Bona served dinner and gave Sylutia a steamed pumpkin cake to welcome her to the team.

Sylutia learned the basics of Secret Realm expeditions from Bad Apple and prepared supplies and procedures with the party. After a restless night of excitement, she was ready to set out on her first expedition the next day.

• Bad Apple explained how Aspect Power and Distortion pollution affected explorers and advised Sylutia to plan safe routes, watch pollution levels, and rely on cleansing tools when needed.
• The party agreed that Sylutia would join them to buy supplies the next morning and that they would set out the day after.
• Sylutia ate breakfast with the party, where she learned that Bona's cooking skill made her apple pie exceptionally nutritious and tasty.
• The party showed Sylutia expedition supplies, explained their uses, and reviewed enemy procedures and hand signals.
• Sylutia lay awake with excitement about her first Secret Realm expedition before finally falling asleep.

Bad Apple led Sylutia, Yan, Bona, and Karl into the Deep Forest Path to explore safely and help Sylutia learn the ropes. They found and cut down a Twisted Dead Tree, revealing the Corpse Wraith that had been nurtured inside it.

• Bad Apple explained how colored traces marked safe routes through the World of Shadows, and the team followed the main path.
• The team passed several waypoints and reached the dim, damp Deep Forest Path, where Bad Apple urged everyone to stay alert.
• Karl noticed a strange tree in the woods, and Sylutia described its twisted face so the group could locate it.
• At Bad Apple’s direction, Yan struck the dead tree with an axe while Sylutia and Bona kept their distance.
• Karl explained how Twisted Dead Trees were used to nurture walking corpses and Ghosts, as Yan split the trunk open.
• The Wraith Cat warned of something unseen, and Karl scattered fluorescent powder to reveal the Corpse Wraith attached to the bones inside the tree.

Sylutia traveled through the distorted Woodland with Karl’s group, helping them find and defeat monsters with her growing skill as an archer. By nightfall, they had collected useful spoils and camped, where Sylutia considered learning Bona’s cooking techniques.

• Karl defeated a Corpse Wraith with his Wraith Cat and absorbed it into a black skull, claiming the spoils in exchange for four gold coins from his share.
• Sylutia spotted a camouflaged Twisted-Horn Forest Deer and pinned it with a Sickle-Thorn Vine arrow before Bad Apple killed it and the group harvested its parts.
• Sylutia repeatedly detected and shot other creatures along the route, making the journey easier for the group and adding more spoils to their packs.
• The group found a safe campsite at evening, where Bona prepared roast venison and mushroom vegetable soup.
• Sylutia checked her bow by the campfire, enjoyed her growing accuracy, and thought about learning cooking from Bona.

Sylutia’s group traveled through a dangerous canyon in search of the Ash Evil Fruit, and her reconnaissance helped them detect a powerful Blood-Coil Python. The chapter ended as the team faced the Blood-Coil Python after it struck Yan’s shield.

• Bad Apple reviewed the group’s hunting gains and checked how much their Fate Cards had eroded, while Sylutia used a metal sphere to confirm she was below 5%.
• Bad Apple assigned Yan, Karl, and himself to the night watch, and the group rested before continuing through the forest the next morning.
• At a waypoint, the group chose the dangerous canyon route over the safer mountainside because they hoped to find unusual fruits and needed to search for the Ash Evil Fruit.
• Sylutia detected a creature moving through the tall grass, and Bad Apple ordered everyone to prepare for battle.
• The Blood-Coil Python attacked, Yan blocked its strike with his shield, and Sylutia identified the creature and its abilities.

Sylutia and the party defeated a giant python, and her Blood Vine killed it after it fled. The group harvested Blood Red Fruit and snake materials, rested, and left Karl recovering from the blood drain.

• The python targeted Bona, but Bad Apple kicked her clear and took the tail strike while Yan drew the monster's attention.
• Sylutia planted thorny vines in the python's mouth, allowing Yan and Bad Apple to wound it before it attacked Karl and flung Sylutia aside.
• As the injured python fled, Sylutia shot a seed into one of its wounds, and Blood Vine grew through its body until it died.
• Bad Apple checked the corpse, and Sylutia harvested ten Blood Red Fruits for Karl, who ate them and began recovering.
• The party collected the remaining fruit, a fang, and usable snake hide, then cleared the area and rested.

After the giant serpent attack, Sylutia and Bona kept watch while the others slept and shared a quiet meal by the fire. Bona decided she would stop joining future expeditions and focus on cooking for the group, while Sylutia reflected on the importance of growing stronger.

• The captain assigned Sylutia and Bona the first watch because Karl needed rest, while Yan and the captain took the second half of the night.
• Sylutia briefly fell asleep, woke herself, and comforted Bona as she struggled with the serpent attack.
• Bona roasted potatoes and jerky, then told Sylutia about her years in the Woodland and how cooking had given her purpose and happiness.
• Bona decided she would no longer join the group's expeditions because she feared her weakness put everyone at risk.
• Sylutia and Bona shared the roasted food, and Bona offered to teach Sylutia her secret recipe.

Sylutia and her team recovered from a dangerous battle, found the Ash Evil Fruits they sought, and returned safely from the Secret Realm. After reporting their expedition, the team parted ways, and Sylutia recorded the experience in her journal.

• Sylutia woke after sleeping late, and the team rested through the morning while Karl recovered from his injuries.
• Bad Apple chose to follow the planned route while avoiding the most dangerous areas, and the team set out after lunch.
• Yan and the others defeated a Half-Beast Skeleton and collected two Ash Evil Fruits for Karl.
• Sylutia and her teammates traveled back through the Deep Forest Path, overcame several monsters, and returned to the Fir Black Forest on the seventh day.
• The team reached the town, reported to the Association, and agreed to divide their loot the next day.
• Sylutia took a hot bath, changed into pajamas, and wrote about her first expedition.

Bad Apple’s team divided the spoils from their expedition, and Sylutia bought Morning Dew Pomelos to try cultivating. As the team planned their recovery and next steps, Bona decided to stop joining future expeditions and asked Sylutia to learn cooking from her.

• Bad Apple tallied the expedition’s spoils and reimbursements, then divided the remaining gold among the five members, giving Sylutia 47 gold coins.
• Sylutia spent 9 gold coins to buy the three Morning Dew Pomelos and planned to try cultivating them.
• Yan planned to repair his equipment and study for the Heavy Swordsman Class, Karl prepared to help Black Cat advance, and Bad Apple planned to forge a weapon from the Vampire Snake Fang.
• Bona told the team she would stop joining their future expeditions and instead prepare supplies and meals for them.
• Bona invited Sylutia to learn cooking, and Sylutia agreed to take lessons from her.

Bona taught Sylutia ordinary cooking and the principles of the Gold Steam Aspect while they stayed in Berg Town. Sylutia mastered the Roasting ability, gaining a new way to transform ingredients through precise heat and understanding.

• Bona explained that the Gold Steam Aspect developed from Alchemy and was shaped by the invention of the Steam Engine.
• Bona taught Sylutia how ingredients behaved and how to prepare common foods, including breads, pastries, and roasted meat.
• Bona warned Sylutia that learning an extraordinary cooking ability would use a precious ability slot, but Sylutia chose to study it anyway.
• While roasting meat, Sylutia realized that Gold Steam relied on precise understanding and control of physical transformations.
• Sylutia gained [Roasting Lv.1 (Gold Steam)] in her Fate Disk.

Sylutia tested the effects of her Rare Charcoal Grilled Venison, shared it with Bona, and learned that her cooking had produced a powerful dish. When the team reunited, Bad Apple announced their next expedition to the Gate of Distant Mountains to seek Rare Stone Mist Spring Water.

• Sylutia ate Charcoal Grilled Venison and tested how its stamina recovery and boosted blood circulation improved her speed and swordsmanship.
• After realizing she had cut down a town-owned tree, Sylutia worried that she might have to pay for it.
• Sylutia brought her roasted venison to Bona, who recognized its Rare quality and praised her cooking.
• Three days later, the team reunited at the tavern, where Bad Apple showed his new Snake Fang Dagger and Karl held a Wraith-Condensed Black Cat.
• Bad Apple announced that the team would travel to the Gate of Distant Mountains to find the spring-fed pool containing Rare Stone Mist Spring Water.

Sylutia and her party traveled toward the Misty Mountains with two Aspect-powered packhorses and made camp at their foot. After Sylutia cooked a hearty dinner, they spent a peaceful first night before entering the mountains the next day.

• Yan brought out two half-breed Friesian Horses that could travel through both worlds of shadow, and the party loaded their luggage onto them.
• The party rode north, collected Blue-Red Berries, and discussed horses and the challenges of the Knight Class.
• After three hours, Yan, Karl, Bad Apple, and Sylutia made camp at the foot of the mountains.
• While Yan fetched water, Sylutia baked Mushroom and Meat Pie and prepared creamy vegetable soup.
• The party eagerly ate Sylutia's dinner, and their first night on the way to the Gate of Distant Mountains passed peacefully.

Sylutia and her companions traveled through the mist-shrouded mountains, where poor visibility and dangerous creatures forced them to stay alert. After discovering a Snow-Furred Trapdoor Spider, they prepared to fight it, and Yan faced its first attack.

• Sylutia warned the group about two invisible, six-eyed monsters, wounded one with an arrow, and Bad Apple identified their blood as belonging to second-order Mist Shadow monsters.
• Sylutia collected more than thirty Cyan Blue Berries as the group continued through the mountains and avoided venomous snakes, strange insects, and concealed pits.
• The companions agreed to investigate a pit when they found one alone, and Sylutia gave them warmed Roast Meat Pies before the approach.
• Yan lured the hidden creature out with a stone and blocked its pouncing attack with his shield.
• Sylutia and the others identified the attacker as a second-order Snow-Furred Trapdoor Spider with blade-like forelegs.

Karl, Yan, Sylutia, and Bad Apple pressed deeper into the Mist Mountains, surviving attacks by Cave Spiders and a flock of Sonic Bats. After deciding to continue toward the Stone Mist Spring, Karl reflected on how much he trusted his companions.

• Yan, Sylutia, and Bad Apple killed a Cave Spider, and Karl identified its fangs and forelegs as useful spoils.
• Bad Apple planned the route and night watches, while the group discussed the dangerous, outdated map and Sylutia's apparent knack for avoiding stronger venomous snakes.
• Sylutia shot down a Sonic Bat, but more than thirty attacked with dizzying sound waves until Karl summoned his Ghost Black Cat to kill them.
• The group chose to continue deeper toward the Stone Mist Spring, and Bad Apple offered to retrieve its water alone.
• Yan said he expected Bad Apple to help with his next Promotion Trial, and Karl reflected on how the team had earned his trust.

Karl and his companions climbed through fog toward the Gate of Distant Mountains, while Karl remembered his teacher’s lessons and promised Bad Apple he would explain the Wraith Cat’s past after their adventure. At their destination, Bad Apple exposed the illusion concealing an ancient stone archway between two mountains.

• Karl recalled his teacher’s teachings about wizards and how they should approach the unknown, and reflected on how his team’s respect had helped him feel comfortable with them.
• Bad Apple asked Karl about his Wraith Cat, and Karl promised to tell the cat’s story after the adventure.
• At dawn, Karl, Bad Apple, Yan, Sylutia, and the others continued toward the Gate of Distant Mountains through steep, foggy terrain.
• Bad Apple used a Rising Wind Torch to clear the mist as the group climbed toward the end of the map.
• At the destination, Bad Apple revealed that Mist Shadow had concealed the area with an illusion, exposing a stone staircase and an ancient archway between two mountains.

Bad Apple Rodriguez stealthily approached the spring at the Gate of Distant Mountains to collect Stone Mist Water, but a giant lizard disguised as a rock petrified him and the water spilled away. After hearing the monster growl, Sylutia, Karl, and Yan hurried toward the gate to save him.

• Bad Apple Rodriguez prepared stealth gear and potions, then went ahead to scout the spring while Karl, Sylutia, and Yan ate Alfalfa Tea Snacks to restore their strength and Aspect Power.
• Rodriguez carefully lowered a container to the spring’s bottom and collected Stone Mist Water without noticing that a nearby rock was turning into a giant lizard.
• The lizard sprayed Rodriguez with white mist, stiffening his body, and he dropped the bottle before he could seal it, spilling the Stone Mist Water onto the ground.
• Sylutia heard the lizard’s growl and led Karl and Yan up the steps toward the gate to rescue Rodriguez.

Sylutia, Yan, and Karl fought a Third Tier Petrification Lizard while rescuing Bad Apple, but its mist abilities blocked their escape. Sylutia analyzed the monster as it appeared in mist form, revealing its Beast of Shifting Mist Core Card.

• Sylutia used Emerald Nectar vines and Thick Wood Vine to distract the Petrification Lizard, then resisted its stiffening gaze with the Moonlight Breathing Technique.
• Yan charged the lizard behind his shield while Karl struck it with corrosive Dead Ember powder, giving Sylutia time to carry Bad Apple to safety.
• The lizard dissolved into mist and reappeared ahead of the retreating group, freezing Yan and Karl with its breath while Sylutia barely escaped its reach.
• Sylutia resisted the lizard's petrifying breath and stiffening pupils with a silver halo, then analyzed it and identified its Beast of Shifting Mist Core Card.

Sylutia fought the Petrification Lizard alone on the mountain path, enduring its petrifying breath and repeated recoveries until she used her Radiant Moon abilities and the spring pool to kill it. The three petrified companions remained below, unable to see the battle.

• Sylutia chose to face the Petrification Lizard and attacked it with her Tree Jade Spirit Sword.
• The lizard repeatedly dissolved into mist to heal, while Sylutia dodged its attacks and used grass seeds to wound it.
• Sylutia’s three Radiant Moon abilities resonated, strengthening her recovery and stamina as the battle dragged on.
• Sylutia lured the lizard into the spring pool and used its water to prevent it from escaping as mist.
• Sylutia stabbed the lizard through its throat and head, and it died in the pool.

After Sylutia killed the Petrification Lizard and revived Bad Apple, Yan, and Karl, the companions camped beyond the stone archway and shared stories of past brushes with death. Karl began recalling how he had first learned about Transcendents and his senior.

• Sylutia revived Bad Apple, Yan, and Karl after killing the Petrification Lizard, and the group realized she had saved their lives.
• Bad Apple took responsibility for the danger and apologized, while the others reassured him that they had all chosen to explore The Woodland.
• The companions camped beyond the stone archway, examined the lizard's corpse, and gathered around a bonfire to share memories.
• Bad Apple recounted how perfume had attracted a Wolverine during an early mission, nearly killing his team before higher-order students rescued them.
• Yan described how a second-order lion attacked his exam group and how a Knight eventually saved him after his three companions died.
• Karl began telling the others about his apprenticeship under an elderly Wizard and his senior from ten years earlier.

Karl recalled his youth with Luna, the talented senior apprentice he admired, and how her cold pursuit of Teria-Lucia's Black Serpent made him fear her. Luna left for the Land of Ailian after confessing she had considered killing him, and Karl never saw her again.

• Karl remembered how he and Luna remained with their ailing teacher and studied Teria-Lucia's Black Serpent together.
• After the teacher died, Luna removed his head to use his skull as a casting medium, frightening Karl with her calmness.
• Luna asked Karl to help her cast the secret art, but neither apprentice managed to master it, and Luna eventually gave up.
• Luna told Karl she was leaving for the Land of Ailian to seek help learning the secret art.
• Before departing, Luna confessed she had considered killing Karl or using him as a sacrifice, then asked him to care for her little cat if he still liked her.
• Luna disappeared into the night, and Karl never saw her again.

After defeating the Petrification Lizard, Sylutia and the expedition team salvaged its remains, collected a small amount of Stone Mist Water, and exchanged gifts before returning to Berg Town. The group parted to recover from Distortion, while Sylutia looked back on her first adventure.

• Bad Apple divided the Petrification Lizard’s valuable remains among the team, giving Sylutia the spoils and Karl two bones.
• The group gathered a small bottle of relatively clean Stone Mist Water, which Bad Apple planned to purify for making Breath of Mist.
• Bad Apple gave Sylutia a Mist Veil, Karl gave her a Reveal Powder recipe and powder, and Yan promised to send her a gift.
• The team traveled for three days back to Berg Town and agreed to take a break while recovering from Distortion.
• The companions planned to celebrate their journey with Bona, and Sylutia looked back at the fog-covered mountains as she considered her first adventure.

After reuniting in Berg Town, Bad Apple and his companions shared a feast and sparred before parting ways. Sylutia returned to the Golden Radiance Plain and went to the Woodland Association, unaware that the White Stone Citadel had already decided her future assignments.

• Bona heard about the danger Bad Apple's team had faced and offered to prepare a meal, so they arranged a feast for the next day.
• The team spent a day at Bona's house eating, playing cards, and watching Sylutia defeat Bad Apple repeatedly in a sparring match.
• The team parted at the town's teleportation array, and Bona gave Sylutia a booklet of recipes before Sylutia left.
• Sylutia returned to the Golden Radiance Plain by carriage, briefly sharing the ride with a polite girl with chestnut-gold hair.
• Sylutia went to the Woodland Association to report in, unaware that the higher-ups at the White Stone Citadel had already decided her future assignments.

Leaders of the Woodland Association discussed the Mage Alliance’s growing influence and the reforms needed to strengthen their own faction. They decided to delay Sylutia’s transfer for six months, giving others time to recruit her before the Association reclaimed her.

• A Knight reported that the Association had approved reduced supply deductions and local student resources, but demanded that Sylutia be transferred.
• The leaders discussed the Mage Alliance’s expansion, new advancement secret arts, and the Woodland Association’s disadvantages in knowledge-sharing and resources.
• A scholar explained how the Woodland Association’s varied origins and lost traditions had left it less unified than the Mage Alliance.
• The leaders learned that the Association planned to loosen restrictions on the southern countries, potentially leading to wars and political consolidation.
• The Knight Commander decided to request six more months before Sylutia’s transfer and urged others to win her favor or recruit her before then.

Sylutia met leaders of the Woodland and learned how Transcendents advanced to the Third Order by awakening a Core Card tied to their fate. Kurand Hill demonstrated his Summer Garden, one of the specialized Courtyards used by gardeners.

• Sylutia climbed the fortress tower and met Commander Cassius, a giant-blooded man, Serophi, and Kurand Hill.
• Cassius told Sylutia that the Association had approved her excellent evaluation and sent her a reward.
• Cassius explained how reaching the Third Order awakened a Core Card and how different professions shaped theirs into a Class.
• Kurand explained that gardeners cultivated special plants in specialized Courtyards and said the Four Seasons Alliance mastered four advanced Courtyard arts.
• Kurand displayed his Summer Garden, transforming the hall into a sunlit woodland filled with trees, flowers, and fruit.