Chapter Summaries

Ruger recovered from another encounter with an overwhelming presence, then joined the Vango Family’s wait for Normanu Vango to appear. Immanuel revealed that Normanu had already died in his room, leaving Ruger stunned among the gathered Wizards.

• Ruger awoke from a tormenting experience that resembled what he had undergone on the Isolated Island, and his mental power had become slightly stronger and more condensed.
• Ruger met Mahama and Varin, who explained that Normanu Vango had not appeared and Phyllis was waiting outside his room.
• Ruger, Mahama, and Varin traveled with Wizard Dalton to meet the Wizards gathered to await Normanu Vango.
• Ruger stood with Wizard Dalton as the crowd waited, while the Savens Family’s Wizards grew impatient.
• Immanuel appeared beside Ruger and said Normanu Vango had died in his room, with no trace of a Four-Ring Wizard’s life remaining there.

Ruger wondered whether Normanu Vango had died during a trial or been killed by the Demon Wizard as the Vango Family faced mounting pressure from the Savens Family. The chapter ended with Ruger warning Dalton that Normanu might be unable to intervene for a long time.

• Ruger considered whether Normanu Vango had died because of the Demon Wizard or the dangers of a trial, and questioned whether the Demon Wizard appeared periodically.
• A Savens Family representative arrived on a boulder and challenged the Vango Family to defend its reputation in the Cavern Domain.
• Dalton rejected the representative's accusations and insisted that Normanu was occupied with important matters and an experiment.
• A Vango Family Wizard apologized for the earlier proposal, then suggested replacing it with five matches between Three-Ring Wizards.
• Ruger realized the Savens Family was publicly testing the Vango Family's strength and that the Vangos might not have enough Three-Ring Wizards to fill the matches.
• Ruger warned Dalton that Normanu's experiment might keep him from intervening for a long time.

Ruger and Dalton faced the Savens Family’s demand for an answer, while Ruger prepared for the Vango Family’s possible defeat. Darius Vango, the family’s missing Four-Ring Wizard, appeared and confronted Duo Ge Savens, revealing that he had been living in the city in disguise.

• Dalton told Ruger that he would report the matter to Family Head Phyllis and stall for time while the Savens Family demanded an answer before the Wormhole darkened.
• Ruger planned how to get Big Guy and Varin to safety and then protect the Vango Family Library if the crisis began.
• An old man arrived and offered the Savens Family an immediate answer, drawing Dalton’s delighted recognition and Varin’s respectful bow.
• Ruger recognized the old man as the disguised shopkeeper he and Big Guy had met in Moonworm City and realized he was Darius Vango.
• Darius confronted Duo Ge Savens, whose stone body cracked as he acknowledged Darius was still alive.

Ruger watched Darius Vango unleash his powerful Two-Phase Corroboration spell against Duo Ge Savens. The fight continued as Darius repeatedly shattered Duo Ge, who reassembled himself, while Darius threatened the Savens Family’s hidden vessels and dwelling.

• Darius Vango emerged from the boulder and immediately attacked Duo Ge Savens with a storm of Mental Power.
• Ruger and the other nearby Wizards fled the attack, then watched from rooftops as Wizard Dalton explained Darius’s Two-Phase Corroboration and his damaged prospects for advancement.
• Darius swallowed his own sphere of mental force and reconstructed his body from countless fragments, astonishing Ruger.
• Darius pressed his attack, repeatedly scattering Duo Ge Savens into fragments as he questioned whether the Wizard had other vessels or dwellings in Moonworm City.

Ruger watched Dorg Savens escape the Old Wizard after the Vango Family’s forces moved against the Savens Family. The Old Wizard then took Ruger, Big Guy, and Varin to the family castle, where his failing condition suggested the Vango Family would soon lose its newly restored Four-Ring Wizard.

• Wizard Dalton explained Dorg Savens’s condition and the grotesque alchemical vessels he made from family members who had committed offenses.
• Immanuel warned Ruger that someone in poor condition might die soon as the Savens Family Wizards began scattering and the Vango Family’s Wizards pursued them.
• Dorg Savens reassembled and cast a spell that let him escape the Old Wizard, who disappeared after watching the light vanish.
• The Old Wizard appeared beside Varin, invited Ruger and Big Guy into his carriage, and asked Varin to take him to the Family Head.
• The Old Wizard thanked Ruger and Big Guy for helping the Vango Family and urged Varin to reclaim his potential before the carriage reached the family castle.

Ruger speculated that the Demon Wizard’s strange trials might be a selection process for an inheritance, then fell asleep in the Library. After waking, he heard Immanuel report that Darius Vango had entered a deep sleep in a special coffin and could be awakened only once, while the death of the other Four-Ring Wizard was confirmed.

• Ruger wondered whether the Demon Wizard was testing his disciples to choose an heir, and hoped his theory would help him survive.
• Ruger fell asleep in the Library after thinking through the possible rules behind the Demon Wizard’s actions.
• Ruger woke and asked Immanuel how his investigation had gone.
• Immanuel said Darius Vango had exhausted his chance to live peacefully, entered a deep sleep in a special coffin, and could be awakened once for a final battle.
• Immanuel confirmed the other Four-Ring Wizard’s death and remarked on Ruger’s friend’s interesting expression.

Ruger continued studying in the Library while the Vango Family celebrated its apparent recovery, unaware that Normanu Vango had died and Darius Vango was near death. Mahama told Ruger that the Supreme Council was expanding its seats, and Ruger learned the first new seat had gone to the Fluffy Enthusiasts Association.

• Ruger asked Immanuel about Normanu Vango's death and the Demon Wizard, but Immanuel recalled nothing about the Demon Wizard and thought it might be important to him.
• Ruger noticed a young Vango girl asleep beside a bookshelf and considered how her brother's death might shape her future.
• Ruger immersed himself in the Library until Mahama visited and said the Vango Family was holding a grand banquet for having two Four-Ring Wizards.
• Big Guy said someone wanted a girl to stay, and Ruger replied that only she could decide for herself.
• Mahama explained that the Supreme Council was creating nonvoting seats for Wizard organizations with at least three Eight-Ring Wizards.
• Big Guy revealed that the first new seat had gone to the Fluffy Enthusiasts Association, and Ruger used Spirit Fur Nourishment to steady himself.

Ruger spent a long stretch reading in the Castle Library while Mahama arranged their departure to give Varin more time with her sister, Family Head Phyllis. When Ruger finally left the Library, he found Mahama waiting in a carriage on the elevated terrace.

• Mahama and Ruger discussed the Fluffy Enthusiasts Association, Mahama’s growth, and his ambitions as a Wizard.
• Mahama confirmed that he would finish his current work and resume training before departing, giving Varin more time to decide whether to stay with Phyllis.
• Ruger continued reading in the Library for a long time, considering what he had learned about bloodline Wizards.
• Ruger noticed Little One reading between the bookshelves but left without disturbing her.
• Ruger walked to the elevated terrace and found Mahama waiting in a carriage, having grown bigger again.

Ruger and his companions left the Vango Family with gifts, and Ruger discovered that Phyllis had given him a Bloodline Genealogy. He learned it described a powerful artificial draconic bloodline, but wondered whether to use it or seek a bloodline with greater potential.

• Varin greeted Ruger and helped him board the carriage, while Wizard Jillian rode with them and Phyllis did not come to see them off.
• Mahama gave Ruger five bags of edible insects intended for Kurt and explained how they could be raised on the island.
• Varin presented Ruger with a pouch from Phyllis as the Vango Family's token of gratitude and friendship.
• Ruger read the pouch's ancient scroll with his Mental Power and learned it contained a Bloodline Genealogy for the Blood-Bathed Dragon Guard.
• Ruger considered using the draconic bloodline to advance his connection to dragonkind, but worried that its potential was too limited and that further modifications could make future ones more dangerous.

Ruger returned to Kurt’s island with Varin, greeted Zorn and Mona, and shared a lavish Insect Sea feast before Jillian and Varin volunteered for demon-hunting incidents. After returning to his own island to wait for a visitor, Ruger saw that the guest was not Mona but a shorter figure.

• Ruger and Varin passed his little island and arrived at Kurt’s island, where Mona was waiting and Zorn had fallen asleep in his chair.
• Zorn accepted wine from Varin and Ruger, then joined them for the specialty insect-meat dishes Varin had brought.
• Jillian and Varin volunteered to handle several demon-hunting incidents in the Chaotic Star Sea, leaving Ruger pleased to have free time.
• After Kurt was absent when Ruger tried to visit him, Ruger returned to his island and waited outside his Wooden House for a guest.
• Ruger saw a shorter figure arrive instead of the impatient Mona.

Ruger and Jillian discussed the Fluffy Enthusiasts Association, its power, and Jillian’s Groomer Ascension Ritual, while wondering why it had not answered their old token. After Jillian left, Mona told Ruger she had also encountered the Demon Wizard, and Ruger revealed Normanu Vango’s death, leaving Mona visibly shaken.

• Jillian questioned Ruger about what he knew of the Fluffy Enthusiasts Association, and he explained that it had publicly claimed a Supreme Council seat and had at least three Eight-Ring Wizards.
• Jillian revealed that the Association had influenced her path and provided the Ascension Ritual she chose, which she called Groomer.
• Ruger connected the term Groomer to paths in the Knowledge Temple, and Jillian silently waited with him by the sea before combing him and departing.
• Mona arrived, and Ruger said he had encountered the Demon Wizard twice, including once shortly before they left the Vango Family.
• Mona said she had also encountered the Demon Wizard twice, and Ruger told her that Normanu Vango had died, asking her to keep the news secret.

Ruger and Mona compared their encounters with the Demon Wizard and found that his height changed each time, while Mona accepted Ruger’s theory and decided to advance when her premonitions warned her. After Mona left, Ruger meditated and welcomed his companions back to the Endless Sea, where Immanuel appeared and noticed that Aisijin was sleeping again.

• Ruger and Mona discussed her visions of the Demon Wizard and compared details of their six encounters, discovering that his height had differed every time.
• Ruger suggested that they keep improving themselves, and Mona decided to set an early warning threshold for advancing to a Two-Ring Wizard.
• After Mona left, Ruger meditated, opened the Spatial Gate, and sent his companions to fish in the Endless Sea.
• Immanuel appeared at Ruger’s table, remarked that his companions were special, and noted that Aisijin was asleep again.
• Zhizhi caught a fish while Serious Mouse helped drag a large fish ashore.

Ruger reflected on the strange nature of his teacher, Immanuel, and invited him to join the group on the island. As preparations for a meal continued, Ruger noticed that Immanuel was difficult for others to perceive, while Stray Hair One and the others remained occupied building the Divine Temple.

• Ruger considered how Immanuel seemed both simple and complex, and concluded that bringing him among his friends might soften his strangeness.
• Ruger read Master Benson's research on increasing meditation efficiency as he considered ways to progress faster beneath the Demon Wizard's gaze.
• Tuzel pointed out the unfamiliar wizard watching them, and Ruger identified him as his teacher, Mr. Immanuel.
• Ruger observed that Big Silly Hum only gradually noticed Immanuel, and he committed the unusual phenomenon to memory.
• Tuzel explained that Stray Hair One and the others were absorbed in building the Divine Temple.

Ruger watched his companions prepare and preserve food while discussing Wizardry with Immanuel and Tuzel. As he studied Lord Benson’s ideas for a meditation experiment, he realized he could adapt them with his own methods and the Lucid Dream Simulation Spell.

• Big Silly Hum helped Zhizhi select ingredients and carried food as the group prepared to store their plentiful catch.
• Nisote questioned Immanuel about Wizardry and explained that Ruger was the Little Fairy’s future teacher.
• Ruger asked Tuzel about Demon Wizards, and Tuzel criticized the audacity of the title before returning to work.
• Ruger used Spirit Fur Nourishment on Tuzel and continued studying Lord Benson’s ideas for improving meditation.
• Ruger decided to adapt Benson’s experiment using his dragon bloodline, nightmare power, and the Lucid Dream Simulation Spell.

Ruger enjoyed a lively meal with his teacher and the furry friends, then visited the spirit furs preparing a divine temple in the Bedroom Space. Stray Hair One asked for blood crystals to use as materials, and Ruger approved as the temple neared completion.

• Ruger shared a feast with his teacher and the furry friends, who left the dining table in a lively mess.
• Ruger watched Tuzel teach Immanuel Rabbit Chess before heading into the Bedroom Space.
• Ruger found the spirit furs using faith power to purify crystals for a divine temple designed to address his shortcomings as a faith wizard.
• Stray Hair One told Ruger that preparations for the temple had reached their final stage and asked for high-purity blood crystals.
• Ruger gave permission, and Stray Hair One sent spirit furs to fetch five small blood crystals.

Ruger checked on Aisijin and Little Regna while they slept, then used Aisijin’s snores to inspire a new meditation spell. He finished designing a spell that would use his draconic bloodline and lucid dreaming to support mental growth during sleep, and prepared to complete its final step.

• Ruger entered the room where Aisijin slept on a stone bed with Little Regna curled in her arms and searched for anything unusual.
• Ruger found only Aisijin’s faint, familiar trace of nightmare power and considered whether Little Regna’s presence had changed her deep sleep.
• Ruger reread Wizard Benson’s book and devised a way to combine an unnamed spell from the Hundredfold Meditation experiment with the Lucid Dream Simulation Spell.
• Ruger refined the spells into a design that used snoring to stimulate natural mental growth during deep sleep while allowing normal meditation in a lucid dream.
• Ruger examined his simple magic array, rose from the stone bed, and prepared to complete the design’s final step.

Ruger tested a method to stimulate mental power growth and encountered a mysterious hand at the inn before returning to find Immanuel playing chess with Tuzel. The group headed to the inn to meet the new guest while Ruger asked Immanuel to examine a magic array he wanted inscribed on his throat.

• Ruger reflected on his experiment and the limits of his dragonborn kobold bloodline as he walked toward the inn.
• Ruger found a hand standing on the inn counter that seemed to watch him, but sensed no malice and left for the Spatial Gate.
• Ruger returned to find Tuzel losing to Immanuel at Rabbit Chess, with Big Silly Hum, Zhizhi, and Serious Mouse gathered around the board.
• Ruger suggested moving the game to the inn and told Serious Mouse that a guest had arrived.
• The group entered the Bedroom Space and headed toward the inn, while Ruger gave Immanuel his magic-array design and explained where he wanted it inscribed.

Ruger’s teacher, Immanuel, helped him inscribe and stabilize a magic array in his uvula for his new Bloodline Snore spell. At the Inn, they found a floating, drinking hand searching for its owner, and Ruger decided to sleep so he could test his spell.

• Immanuel approved Ruger’s magic-array idea and showed him how to engrave it using spirit furs instead of specialized tools.
• Immanuel inscribed the array in Ruger’s uvula and used crushed merit stone to stabilize it.
• Ruger named his modified One-Ring spell Bloodline Snore and entered the Inn with Immanuel.
• Ruger found a floating hand playing chess, drinking wine, and paying with a Silver Moon Coin while a rabbit whispered hints.
• Serious Mouse told Ruger that the hand communicated through gestures and was looking for its owner, so Ruger decided to sleep and test his spell.

Ruger tested a spell that let him meditate while asleep, using snoring to stimulate his bloodline and ease mental fatigue. He found the method promising and continued experimenting through the night.

• Ruger left the Inn’s gathering and went to bed after passing Monster Wolf outside Aisijin’s room.
• Ruger activated his modified spell as he fell asleep, then used his first snore to trigger bloodline stimulation while meditating beneath the dream trees.
• Ruger sensed concentrated nightmare power leaking from Aisijin and Little Regna’s room, then began a cycle of the Demonic Mark Meditation Method.
• Ruger found that snoring caused faint tremors in his mental power space that eased meditation fatigue, though his efficiency would take three to five days to return to normal.
• Ruger concluded that sleeping meditation could improve his overall meditation efficiency and continued practicing through the night.

Ruger tested how long he could sleep and meditate without interruption, managing twenty days of sleep but failing to meditate continuously for ten. When he awoke, he learned that a polite hand had been evenly matched with his teacher Immanuel in a long Rabbit Chess game, suggesting the hand possessed immense mental power.

• Ruger began a twenty-day sleep and ten-day continuous meditation experiment in the room Serious Mouse had reserved for him.
• Ruger learned that lower-rank wizards needed rest between meditation sessions to consolidate gains and absorb subtle growth from the world.
• Ruger completed twenty days of sleep after three meditation stretches, the longest lasting a little over seven days, and failed to reach ten days of uninterrupted meditation.
• Ruger went to the inn's front hall and found his companions gathered nervously around Immanuel and the polite hand.
• Tuzel told Ruger that the hand had matched Immanuel through fifty games of Rabbit Chess, and the fifty-first was underway.