Chapter Summaries

Rumors that Ian Marcus had killed three Withering Council deacons spread through Shadowmoon Tower, changing other wizards’ view of him to wary respect. At Starlight Apothecary, Ian confirmed that supplies and business had resumed, then turned his attention back to the dangers and resources ahead.

• First-Level Wizards at the High Tower linked the deadly battlefield near the Dark Hills to Ian and the Withering Council, and grew wary of his strength.
• Ian noticed the changed, respectful behavior of the wizards in the corridor, then returned to his Alchemy Room and examined his healing wound while Gaga recovered.
• Ian recalled Hector’s safeguard and the mysterious [Eye of the Gazer], concluded the Withering Council would remain a threat, and prepared to continue his work with an Abyssal Rune Stone.
• At Starlight Apothecary, Robert reported that supplies had arrived at their old prices and that the Violet Orchid Guild showed no movement.
• Monica told Ian that unfamiliar visitors had asked about his habits and the shop’s security; Ian ordered her to refuse them if they returned, then left the shop for more important matters.

Malena visited Ian for help with her failing Nature’s Ring model, and he redesigned it for her. Three days later, Robert brought Ian news that the Sleeping Catacombs would soon enter a stable period, prompting Ian to prepare quietly while watching the rival factions.

• Malena told Ian she had failed seven times to construct Nature’s Ring, and Ian revised her model to make it more stable.
• Malena thanked Ian for his help and asked how strong he was, but Ian gave her a dismissive answer.
• Robert told Ian that rumors linked the Sleeping Catacombs to an ancient alchemy laboratory and a Rule Crystal mining area, and that the site would become accessible in three months.
• Robert reported that Black Blade Kalle was buying defensive supplies, the Withering Council had appeared near the buffer zone, and a Crimson Court team had surveyed the catacombs’ outskirts.
• Ian ordered Robert to keep gathering information without drawing attention and told Kenna to quietly acquire materials for Boundary-Fixing Dust and Anti-Disorder Potion.

Kevin and Alivia each visited Ian with information and requests concerning the Sleeping Catacombs, where a Void Anchor Stone vein had been found. Ian agreed to participate in the upcoming exploration assessment and accepted Alivia’s commission to retrieve Sands of Time.

• Kevin told Ian that the tower was drafting an exploration list for the Sleeping Catacombs and that a confirmed Void Anchor Stone vein would draw fierce competition.
• Kevin asked Ian to bring back Dungeon Wraith Dust if he secured a slot, and warned that the assessment would likely take place in three months.
• Alivia gave Ian a top-secret survey report and explained that she and Malena would not enter the catacombs.
• Alivia offered Ian an advance payment to retrieve Sands of Time and warned him that the Withering Council and Crimson Court would send dangerous competitors.
• Ian agreed to participate because he needed the Void Anchor Stone, then stored the report after reviewing the vein’s hazardous location.

Ian discovered a seed of Crystallized Mental Power hidden in the Eye of the Gazer and endured its absorption. The transformation advanced him to the middle stage of the First-Level Wizard realm and gave him a trace of Crystallized Filament’s soul-piercing power.

• Ian examined the depleted Eye of the Gazer and realized its remaining golden core might contain a seed of Crystallized Mental Power.
• Ian drew out the golden thread and endured severe pain as he guided it into his Mental Sea.
• The thread fused into Ian’s Mental Sea, changing its texture and sharpening his perception.
• Ian’s Status Panel showed that he had reached the middle stage of the First-Level Wizard realm at 38.1%.
• Ian tested his new Crystallized Filament on an iron mannequin, piercing it and destroying its internal rune nodes.

Ian prepared for the dangers of the Sleeping Catacombs by brewing more than fifty high-quality potions and developing an unconventional weapon from conflicting energy materials. He successfully tested the crystal sphere, which created a small black hole powerful enough to annihilate nearby targets, and planned to improve its safety.

• Ian gave Gaga five Blood Essence pellets after Gaga asked for more to help it reach the mid-stage.
• Ian brewed more than fifty reserve potions, including healing, antidote, recovery, and temporary enhancement formulas.
• Ian devised a plan to fuse Abyss Crystal Fragments, Solar Crystal Dust, and Dimensional Stone Dust into an unstable energy weapon.
• Ian used refined Boundary-Fixing Dust and crystallization-infused mental power to fuse the materials and seal them inside a brittle crystal shell.
• Ian tested the crystal sphere, triggering a black hole that obliterated nearby Adamantine targets and left a deep crater.

Ian passed Shadowmoon Tower’s assessment and joined its team for an expedition into a dungeon in Grayrock Canyon. As the three factions gathered before entering, a bloodthirsty Crimson Court wizard fixed Ian with hostile attention.

• Ian defeated a blue-robed wizard in the assessment with a single bare-handed strike and was named seventh among the twenty selected participants.
• Ian saw Douglas on the final list and told Kevin he would bring back Dungeon Wraith Dust if he found any.
• Three days later, Ian boarded a black airship with the other Shadowmoon participants and traveled to Grayrock Canyon.
• Ian arrived with the Shadowmoon team and saw the Crimson Court and Withering Council gathered at the dungeon site.
• Hogan warned the assembled wizards that surviving the dungeon mattered most, while Ian noticed a towering Crimson Court wizard watching him with killing intent.

Ian entered the Sleeping Catacombs and became separated from the others in the Illusion Corridor, where chaotic forces distorted his senses and killed a Crimson Court wizard. He detected a stable, high-order fluctuation ahead that might be a Void Anchor Stone.

• Hogan, Phoenix, and the leaders of the Withering Council entered the catacombs with their factions after the obsidian gate opened.
• Ian was pulled through the entrance alone and landed in the Illusion Corridor, resisting its disorienting force with the Forge Body Tempering Art and Soul Devouring.
• Ian explored the corridor with Gaga while guarding his mind against distorted carvings, voices, and false perceptions.
• Ian found a dead Crimson Court wizard and removed a tracking marker from the corpse without taking its Dimensional Bag.
• Ian sensed an unusually stable fluctuation ahead and suspected it came from a Void Anchor Stone.

Ian fought through the Sleeping Catacombs, defeated a group of Fishmen, and followed the Void Anchor Stone’s ripple to a sealed garden. After the gathered wizards shattered its protective barrier and entered, Ian crossed the threshold and frowned at what he saw inside.

• Ian left the Illusion Corridor and traveled through the Sleeping Catacombs, passing other wizards and fighting off hazards along the way.
• Ian killed thirty-four Fishmen at the shore of an ink-green lake with his magic, physical strength, and Gaga’s help, then collected their Blood Essences.
• Ian followed the Void Anchor Stone’s ripple to a garden entrance, where Hogan, Katherine, Phoenix, and wizards from several groups had gathered.
• Hogan organized the wizards into a joint attack, and their combined strikes shattered the runic barrier and opened the gates.
• A Crimson Court wizard rushed inside first, and Ian followed Shadowmoon Tower’s group through the gates before frowning at the sight within.

Ian fought through the monsters in the medicinal garden and found a Silver Sapling with five strange fruits, but it vanished underground when Samael ambushed him. Samael revealed that he wanted the [Eye of the Gazer] and vowed to devour Ian, leaving the two poised to fight.

• Bloodthirsty Demon Vines, Fear Mushrooms, poisonous flowers, and Ancient Wraiths attacked the scattered intruders, while Ian defended himself and made his way deeper into the garden.
• Ian reached a clearing and discovered a Silver Sapling bearing five silver fruits, but the tree burrowed underground when he was attacked from behind.
• Samael identified himself as captain of the Death-Curse Squad and said he had been waiting for Ian Marcus after Ian killed members of Jackdaw's group.
• Samael demanded the [Eye of the Gazer], then realized Ian had absorbed its core and declared that devouring him could help his Mental Power reach Crystallization.
• Ian's killing intent rose as he challenged Samael's threat to devour him.

Ian defeated Samael, captain of the Death-Curse Squad, then pursued the vanished Silver Sapling underground. He found the sapling curled above a mass of silver-gray gelatinous mud in a ruined laboratory and began examining the ancient inscriptions nearby.

• Ian fought Samael, using his spells, invisibility, and Crystallization power to overcome the wizard’s attacks.
• Gaga disrupted Samael with her Eye of Omen, allowing Ian to strike him down and devour his remaining spiritual power and soul essence.
• Ian discovered that the Silver Sapling had vanished, sensed its energy deep in a hole, and followed it underground with Gaga.
• Ian and Gaga reached a ruined laboratory where they found the palm-sized Silver Sapling above a living mass of silver-gray mud.
• Ian cautiously approached the stone platform and picked up an ancient metal plate bearing wizard-language writing.

Ian fed the Silver Sapling and its Darksoil Core Blood Essence, then lured and captured its five animated fruits with Concentration Potion. After promising to care for them, he stored the fruits and left to search for the Void Anchor Stone.

• Ian offered the Darksoil Core a refined Blood Essence, restoring the Silver Sapling and calming it through equivalent exchange.
• Ian used Concentration Potion to lure Lucy and the other four silver fruits away from the stone platform.
• Ian and Gaga captured Lucy, Vivian, Amy, Milly, and Dum-Dum, then persuaded them to come with him by promising safety and more potion.
• Ian placed the five fruits in a jade box and poured the remaining potion beside the Darksoil Core, promising the Silver Sapling he would care for them.
• Ian left the laboratory with Gaga to find the Void Anchor Stone.

Ian entered the dangerous Twisted Corridor to find Void Anchor Stones, then fought through its traps and guardians to retrieve all five. As he escaped the collapsing defense array, the Crimson wizard and two others blocked the only exit.

• Ian followed the resonance into the warped passage despite Gaga warning that its shadows could hinder him.
• Ian found Void Anchor Stones in a damaged control console and tested the defensive array, identifying its lethal trigger point.
• Ian attacked a toxic creature in the shadows while Gaga distracted three Alchemy puppets emerging from the wreckage.
• Ian collected all five Void Anchor Stones and used a high-concentration energy neutralizer to stop the array's second attack.
• The Crimson wizard and two companions appeared at the passage entrance and confronted Ian.

Ian killed the three Crimson Court attackers, took their belongings, and fled into the Illusion Corridor after the Void Anchor Stones awakened an enormous presence deep underground. The pursuing entity rapidly closed in as Ian raced through the twisting passage with a Black Hole Potion in hand.

• Blood Butcher, a female wizard, and a male wizard tracked Ian to the underground hall and attacked him, but Ian killed the male wizard with Crystallized Filament.
• Ian used Mimicry, Frost-Ember Ray, runes, and a Black Hole Potion to kill Blood Butcher, while Gaga killed the female wizard.
• Ian searched the three bodies, took a Crimson token and other valuables, burned the corpses, and hurried back into the Illusion Corridor.
• The corridor shook as a hungry ancient presence awakened and locked onto Ian and the Void Anchor Stones in his Dimensional Ring.
• Ian drank Spirit Cat Potion and sprinted through the changing corridor as the entity pursued him, gripping one of his remaining Black Hole Potions.

Ian escaped the Illusion Corridor by using a Black Hole Potion to draw the pursuing threads onto the Death-Curse Squad, then reached a vast underground cavern. After recovering briefly, he set off with Gaga to find safety and inspect what he had taken from Blood Butcher.

• Ian entered a passage where the remaining four members of the Death-Curse Squad were battling gargoyles and used Frost-Ember Ray to slip past them.
• Ian threw a Black Hole Potion near the passage entrance, and the pursuing threads attacked and consumed the gargoyles and all four wizards.
• Ian escaped through a narrow gap while the threads paused after feeding, then ran through another corridor and reached a cavern beyond the Illusion Corridor.
• Ian rested and replenished his and Gaga’s strength, then headed deeper into the cavern to find somewhere safe and inspect the items he had taken from Blood Butcher.

Ian learned that the catacombs’ Void Anchor Stones maintained a seal containing the ancient Void Weaver, and that the Crimson Court intended to exploit the creature. He chose to head for the Sleeping Altar and confronted two Crimson Court guards at its entrance.

• Ian examined his five Void Anchor Stones and Blood Butcher’s recording crystal, discovering that removing too many stones could release the Void Weaver from the Sleeping Cocoon.
• Ian decided to investigate the Core District despite the danger, memorized Crimson Court signals, and told Gaga to stay hidden if they encountered enemies.
• Ian followed the map to a massive rune-covered stone door, where he overheard two Liquefaction-stage Crimson Court guards discussing Phoenix and a Blood Sacrifice Token.
• Ian abandoned his plan to bluff with the Crimson Command Token, revealed himself, and walked toward the guards as they prepared to fight.

Ian killed the two wizards guarding the sealed stone door, but the door opened from within and revealed a blood cocoon unleashing a deadly assault on the gathered wizards. As survivors tried to flee through the entrance, Ian killed several attackers and watched the threads continue spreading through the cavern.

• Ian killed the male wizard with Crystallized Filament and defeated the female wizard with a Gravity Collapse Ball and a punch before finishing her with a stomp.
• Ian searched the bodies, collected potions, a Dimensional Ring, and a string of skulls, then burned the corpses and tried to open the stone door with Blood Butcher's token.
• The door shook apart, revealing a blood cocoon on an altar, dozens of Void Anchor Stones, and a Rank Two aura as its threads began draining wizards, including two Crimson wizards.
• A fleeing wizard attacked Ian at the doorway, but Gaga broke the man's wrist and Ian froze him; Ian then killed three more attackers with his barrier, crystal guards, physical strength, and frost magic.
• Ian looked into the cavern as the cocoon's threads spread through the crowd, binding and draining people while more wizards died.

Phoenix's attempt to control the cocoon failed, and it devoured him before turning on the survivors in the cave. Ian killed the Withering Council squad and let the remaining factions escape, but the cocoon's main tentacle fixed its attention on him as they fled.

• Phoenix used the Blood Sacrifice Token to communicate with the cocoon, but its main tentacle seized and devoured him.
• The Withering Council captain led five men in an attack on Ian at the stone gate, and Ian killed the captain with a Gravity Collapse Ball and a close-range strike.
• Ian used his Crystal Energy Barrier, Floating Crystal Guards, Frost-Ember Ray, and Gaga's help to kill two more gray-robed men; the cave's threads dragged the last two away.
• With the cave's threads spreading and fewer than twenty people left alive, Ian stepped aside and allowed Hogan, Katherine, and the other survivors to escape.
• As the last survivor squeezed through the stone door, the cocoon's main tentacle turned toward Ian and locked onto him.

Ian survived the cocoon’s attack when the Status Panel devoured its compulsory soul contract, destroying the Soulweaver Civilization’s ancient will. He escaped the collapsing underground palace with the Phase Soulweaving Art and an Abyssal Binding Ritual fragment, but the new art remained inactive until he met its conditions.

• Ian and Gaga fought off the cocoon’s tentacle, and Ian prepared to flee as the creature targeted him with a compulsory soul contract.
• The Status Panel purified the contract’s power in Ian’s Mental Sea, destroying the cocoon and the ancient will crystal.
• The crystal’s final information merged with the purified power, giving Ian the Phase Soulweaving Art and a warning about its conditions and risks.
• Ian collected twenty-three Void Anchor Stones and recovered a fragment of the Abyssal Binding Ritual from the altar.
• Ian and Gaga escaped the collapsing underground palace and found corpses from several factions outside, while Hogan and Katherine were gone.
• Ian checked the art in his Mental Sea and found that it was inactive until he built a complete Abyssal Altar, formed an otherworldly contract, obtained the Initial Loom’s coordinates, and paid compensation.

Ian raced to escape the collapsing underground palace, but turned back to rescue the Silver Sapling so it could reunite with its children. He escaped with the sapling and Darksoil Core just before the entrance collapsed.

• Ian fought through the monsters pouring from the unstable underground palace and headed for the exit.
• Ian learned that Lucy's mother, the Silver Sapling, remained in the laboratory and turned back to rescue her.
• Ian followed Lucy's directions through the collapsing passages and reached the laboratory.
• Ian persuaded the frightened Silver Sapling to leave, then placed it and the Darksoil Core in a jade box with Life Energy soil.
• Ian and Gaga fought and dodged their way back through the collapsing palace and escaped just before its entrance caved in.

Ian escaped the collapsing Sleeping Catacombs with Gaga, the Cowardly Alchemical Tree, and five living Flesh Transformation Cores, then headed back to the High Tower. The surviving factions learned of his power and losses, and the Crimson Court and Withering Council began planning to kill him.

• Ian escaped the collapsing catacombs with Gaga and their treasures, then set off for the High Tower while anticipating retaliation.
• Callum heard from Hogan and Katherine that Ian had killed Blood Butcher, Samael, and the Death-Curse Squad, and praised his achievements.
• Bazar learned that Ian had killed Blood Butcher and ordered the Crimson Court to watch for a chance to attack him outside Shadowmoon's territory.
• Silas learned the details of Ian's strength and arranged for the Withering Blade to eliminate him before he advanced to Second Order.
• Hogan and Katherine discussed Ian's frightening abilities as the three airships departed in different directions.