Chapter Summaries

Ian secretly caused the muscular apprentice to stumble into a Venomclaw Nightstalker's self-destruction as the apprentices fought off the monsters. After the costly victory, Kellem destroyed the nest and ordered the survivors to secure the area, while warning that the number of monsters suggested something was happening deep underground.

• The Shadow Devourer and two Venomclaw Nightstalkers broke through the apprentices' defenses, killing several apprentices and throwing the group into chaos.
• Ian secretly iced the rock beneath the muscular apprentice's foot, delaying his retreat long enough for a Venomclaw Nightstalker's explosion to kill him.
• Kellem, Rod, Kelly, Ian, and the other apprentices defeated the remaining monsters, leaving seven dead and eight gravely wounded.
• Kellem destroyed the Monster Nest and warned the survivors that the unusually powerful and numerous monsters pointed to an unknown event deep underground.
• Kellem assigned the wounded to treatment, ordered Rod and Kelly to secure the area, and sent the rest to reinforce defenses and gather materials.
• Ian extracted a crystal from a Venomclaw Nightstalker's corpse as Gaga praised his efficiency, and he looked into the cave's darkness.

Ian hid Gaga’s abilities from the other apprentices while the Western District Sixth Sweep Team fought its way through the Underground World’s monsters. After three days of mounting casualties, Ian and Gaga found a moment alone, and Ian took out two saved potions.

• The apprentices built a circular defensive position, and Ian set up his tent in a secluded corner.
• Ian told Gaga to conceal its abilities except when they were alone or facing mortal danger, and Gaga agreed to watch for witnesses.
• The Western District Sixth Sweep Team expanded its cleanup range, suffering casualties as Nightwalkers exploited illusions, a Lava-scaled Beast struck back, and an Abomination used a plea for mercy to lure an apprentice.
• Kellem warned that the monsters were evolving and learning as the battles drained the apprentices and casualties mounted.
• On the third day, Ian confirmed no one was nearby, and Gaga detected no living humans within two miles.
• Ian took two saved potions out inside the cave.

Ian combined the limit-break Rock Bear Potion with Sterling’s Dream Potion, transforming his body through earth energy and a vision of the Earthvein Molten-core Behemoth. The Status Panel purified the dream’s bloodline imprint, leaving Ian with enhanced physical abilities and Earth Vein Resonance as he emerged from the cave ready to act.

• Ian drank the limit-break Rock Bear Potion and the Dream Potion together, beginning a painful transformation powered by earth energy.
• Ian’s dream showed him the Earthvein Molten-core Behemoth and its connection to the earth veins.
• An ancient bloodline imprint tried to assimilate Ian, but his Status Panel shattered it and preserved only its strengthening traits.
• Ian awoke with greatly enhanced strength, resilience, control, and Earth Vein Resonance.
• Gaga examined Ian after he emerged from the cave, and Ian turned his attention to the monsters gathered outside.

Ian and Gaga secretly cleared monsters around the Western District Sixth Sweep Team, gathering Abyss Crystals and materials while leaving the team puzzled about the powerful “Mysterious Scavenger.” As Kellem grew suspicious, Ian returned to camp disguised as an ordinary Advanced Apprentice and planned to hunt stronger monsters later.

• Ian and Gaga swiftly killed monsters across the area, collected their Abyss Crystals and valuable materials, and continued hunting for a week.
• The Western District Sixth Sweep Team found monster territories mysteriously cleared and discovered a Rock-Armored Worm killed by precise ray attacks.
• Kellem ordered the team to strengthen its watch but not search for the suspected Scavenger, while the apprentices speculated about the unknown hunter.
• Ian counted more than five hundred small Abyss Crystals and four crystals from First Order monsters, then told Gaga they would seek stronger prey after studying monster distributions.
• Ian returned to camp disguised as an exhausted ordinary Advanced Apprentice while rumors about the Mysterious Scavenger spread among the apprentices.

The Sixth Sweep Team encountered increasingly strange monsters as it traveled north, then fought a Shadowweaver Demon in a maze of stone pillars. The demon remained dangerous, with one apprentice maimed and another being dragged toward it.

• The Sixth Sweep Team cleared the western region of Ironspine Gorge and Kellem ordered it to rest before heading north toward the Eastern Seventh War Zone headquarters.
• As the team crossed into unfamiliar territory, it faced bizarre monsters and suffered growing casualties and mental exhaustion.
• Kellem spotted a Shadowweaver Demon among the stone pillars and ordered the team to prepare for its attack.
• The Shadowweaver Demon disrupted Rod's assault and sent shadow threads slicing through a Force Field Wall, but Ian's Scorching Ray diverted a thread and let two apprentices escape.
• Kellem identified the demon's chest core, and coordinated attacks dimmed it while Rod's Despair mist slowed its movements.
• The enraged demon lashed out with shadow threads, severing one apprentice's arm and dragging another toward it.

Kellem and Ian’s team defeated a Shadowweaver Demon and reached the Eastern Seventh War Zone headquarters after days of unnaturally quiet travel. Ian explored the fortified base, traded for Memory Softgold, and sensed a powerful Rank Two Wizard in the central fortress.

• Kellem burned through the Shadowweaver Demon’s threads while Ian struck its core with frost, and Kellem shattered the demon’s dark-purple light spots.
• The team collected the Shadow Crystal and shadow threads, then traveled north for seven days as monsters grew scarce and the few they encountered fled wounded.
• Ian’s team reached the Eastern Seventh War Zone headquarters, a heavily fortified base near the Rotmoss Caverns, and saw wizards and other races gathering in its busy plaza.
• Ian traded Razorclaw Lizard finger bones, rock flakes, and other materials for Memory Softgold from a Dwarf vendor.
• Ian surveyed the stronghold and sensed a terrifying aura from the central stone fortress, which he judged belonged to a Rank Two Wizard.

Ian learned that Garde had maimed Hawk and helped him recover before checking the Mission Hall, where he registered his monster kills and earned 1,968 merit points. He left without taking a mission and examined the outpost’s lodging options, finding that better housing required steep monthly merit-point payments.

• Ian found Hawk badly injured and learned that Garde had attacked him over a monster kill before a later ambush cost Hawk his left arm.
• Ian gave Hawk healing and Spirit Recovery Potions and urged him to recover and return to the assembly point.
• Ian submitted Abyss Crystals at the Mission Hall and received 1,968 merit points for killing Rank Zero and First Order monsters.
• Ian reviewed the available missions and assessed his strengths and Gaga’s abilities before leaving without accepting a task.
• Ian surveyed the outpost’s districts and learned that lodging fees were paid monthly in merit points, with better rooms costing more.

Ian rented a stone house, shaped Memory Softgold into a prototype of close-fitting armor, and accepted a scouting mission at Poisonmist Rift. As he approached the rift, Gaga spotted five Advanced Apprentices from the Crimson Court ahead.

• Ian found the Source Essence Annihilation Array but learned that its price and limited efficiency made it inadequate for safe cultivation.
• Ian rented the stone house Middle-74 for thirty merit points and shaped Memory Softgold into a thin armor prototype.
• Ian studied nearby mission locations and accepted a three-day scouting mission for Poisonmist Rift.
• Ian left the garrison with Gaga hidden in his chest pocket and followed the map toward Poisonmist Rift.
• Gaga warned Ian that five powerful Crimson Court apprentices were ahead, and Ian's expression turned cold.

Ian completed his reconnaissance of the Poisonmist Rift, then returned to ambush the five Crimson Court apprentices. He killed four of them, but Blood Axe Barton survived and Ian closed in to fight him.

• Ian spotted five Crimson Court apprentices, learned that their strongest member was Blood Axe Barton, and decided to complete his mission before returning to attack them.
• Ian surveyed the Poisonmist Rift, recorded magical-creature sites and a suspected nest, and killed more than a dozen creatures along the way.
• Ian tracked the Crimson Court group into a Stone Forest and ambushed them with Frost Rays and Scorching Rays, killing four apprentices.
• Barton charged Ian, but Ian stopped him with [Crystal Energy Barrier] and slowed him with [Deep Bond].
• Ian rushed into close combat with Barton, who welcomed the fight as a body-refinement specialist.

Ian killed Barton and the other four attackers, then discovered the Crimson Codex’s Forge Body Tempering Art, which could turn his stockpile of purified Blood Essence into a path toward greater physical strength. He kept the dangerous codex and considered using the art to overcome his body’s limits.

• Ian overpowered Barton in close combat, transformed into a silver-gray giant, and beat him to death.
• Ian and Gaga looted the five corpses, erased tracking traces, and returned to the outpost.
• After handing in the mission, Ian searched Barton’s Dimensional Bag and found the Crimson Codex.
• Ian discovered that the Forge Body Tempering Art could refine Essence Blood from any extraordinary bloodline into physical strength and defense.
• Ian decided the art suited his supply of high-purity Blood Essence, but recognized the danger of possessing the Crimson Court’s core codex.

Ian began using Blood Essence to practice the Forge Body Tempering Art while the Crimson Court investigated the disappearance of Barton’s team. A month later, Ian had made steady progress in tempering his body and unlocked True Sight through another Limit Break of the Eye of Vigilance.

• Ian poured out his stored Blood Essence and persuaded Gaga to let him use it for body tempering in exchange for double the remaining essence later.
• Ian began practicing the Forge Body Tempering Art and saw its proficiency appear on his Status Panel.
• At the Crimson Court stronghold, Bloodscar Wizard ordered a search for Barton’s missing team and especially Barton’s Dimensional Bag.
• After a month of practice, Ian had raised the Forge Body Tempering Art to 68/400 and felt his strength and bones improve.
• Ian’s Eye of Vigilance underwent a second Limit Break, granting True Sight that could detect low-level illusions and energy-based disguises.

Ian exchanged merits for a Top-Tier First-Order Source Essence Annihilation Array Disk and began preparing to brew Concentration Potions as the Demon-Hunting War’s forces gathered for an assault on the Rotmoss Caverns. In the plaza, Mila heard Robert mention Ian, and Sterling recognized the name and fixed his attention on Robert.

• Ian spent 3,000 merits on a Top-Tier First-Order Source Essence Annihilation Array Disk and exchanged for Concentration Potion materials.
• Ian activated the array disk, purifying the stone house’s Magic Power, and began processing potion ingredients to strengthen himself before the coming battle.
• Robert told a teammate that Ian had once given him a Bloodline Potion, and Mila approached to ask about Ian.
• Robert denied knowing Ian, but Mila suspected his connection to Shadowmoon Tower was more complicated than she had thought.
• Sterling heard Ian’s name, opened his eyes, and focused on Robert and Mila.

Ian learned that Sterling had taken an interest in him and deliberately separated from his team after the Rotmoss Caverns mission to confront the wizard. Sterling revealed that he wanted Ian’s potion-making knowledge and attacked him with the Molten Star Ring.

• Sterling recognized Ian’s name at the base and planned to capture him for the secrets behind his improved potion formula.
• Mila warned Ian that Robert was in the Seventh War Zone and that Sterling had shown unusual interest in him.
• Ian completed his assignment at Split-Tooth Canyon while concealing his strength, then turned away from the withdrawing apprentices and headed deeper into the Stone Forest.
• Sterling waited for Ian among the black rocks and questioned him about his background and knowledge.
• Ian challenged Sterling over hunting someone under his command, and Sterling summoned thirteen fireballs with the Molten Star Ring, demanding Ian reveal his secrets.

Ian defeated and killed Sterling after a fierce battle in the black Stone Forest. He took Sterling’s Dimensional Ring and left with Gaga, determined to rely on his power and show no needless mercy.

• Ian attacked Sterling with freezing rays and a Scorching Ray, breaking through his defenses and forcing him to drink a Molten Heart potion.
• Sterling empowered thirteen enormous Fireballs while Ian and Gaga disrupted their formation with Eye of Omen and Floating Crystal Guards.
• Ian combined two Lesser Frost Rays with a Scorching Ray to create an Icefire Spiral that struck Sterling’s half-formed Fireball and critically injured him.
• Ian answered Sterling’s final questions, then killed him with a Scorching Ray through the brow.
• Ian took Sterling’s Dimensional Ring and empty Molten Heart vial, erased the battle traces, and left with Gaga.

After killing Sterling Vance, Ian searched his Dimensional Ring and found Sterling’s customized First Order spell manual and the complete formula for the Molten Heart Potion. The chapter left Ian with new knowledge to study and the potion formula to examine.

• Ian reflected on his victory over Sterling Vance and recovered from the mental strain of their battle.
• Ian erased the Mental Imprint on Sterling’s Dimensional Ring and found more than a hundred Rank Zero Abyss Crystals and three First Order crystals inside.
• Ian discovered Sterling’s Moltenfire Thirteen Star-Ring Arcana, which detailed the Molten Star Ring spell and Sterling’s personal improvements to it.
• Ian picked up a yellowed parchment and recognized it as the complete formula for the Molten Heart Potion.

Ian studied Sterling’s legacy, erased traces that could link him to the wizard’s death, and recognized that Shadowmoon Tower and the Crimson Court might come after him. He worked to strengthen himself and left for the outpost to seek missions and merit.

• Ian examined the Molten Heart formula and put it away with Sterling’s other legacy.
• Ian burned items that could reveal Sterling’s identity or connect him to his death, then reflected on the investigations and enemies he might face.
• Ian cultivated the Forge Body Tempering Art with two Stone-Skinned Mandrill Blood Essences and sorted magical beast materials for potions.
• Ian decided he needed more merit and checked his Demon-Hunting Jade Token for suitable missions.
• Ian activated his stone house’s warning runes and went out into the busy outpost.

Ian completed the final Will Rune and advanced to First-Level Wizard, liquefying part of his Mental Power. As the Wizarding World’s rules descended, he began fusing Scorching Ray and Lesser Frost Ray into his innate spell.

• Robert visited Ian, returned the nine hundred magic stones he owed, and remarked that Ian had changed before leaving.
• A month later, Ian reached 99.9% of the Advanced Wizard Apprentice realm and prepared to break through inside his stone house.
• Ian completed his eighty-first Will Rune, formed a stable array, and liquefied his Mental Power into a small silver pool.
• When the World Rules descended, Ian chose the composite model of Scorching Ray and Lesser Frost Ray rather than a defensive spell.
• Ian pushed the two ray spells toward fusion as the Wizarding World’s rules stirred outside.

Ian advanced to Formal Wizard and created the First-Order Innate Witchcraft [Frost-Ember Ray]. He left for the Central Fortress to check the newly updated merit exchange list.

• Ian's advancement triggered a powerful Rule Descent that disrupted Magic Power throughout the outpost and drew the attention of its Wizards and Apprentices.
• With the rules aiding his insight, Ian fused [Scorching Ray] and [Lesser Frost Ray] into [Frost-Ember Ray], a powerful instant-cast spell combining freezing and incineration.
• Ian completed his advancement to Formal Wizard, gained liquefied mental power, and felt his body grow stronger.
• Ian left his stone hut as the gathered Apprentices recognized his new status; Robert watched him go and resolved to grow stronger.
• Ian headed to the Central Fortress to see whether the updated merit exchange list offered what he needed.

Ian exchanged merit for knowledge, a Core District residence, potion materials, and Focus Dew after being promoted to First-Level Wizard. Eugene explained Ian’s new privileges and offered him a theater-command reward, and Ian spotted Elena’s name among the Northern Theater’s top ten.

• Ian submitted his Abyss Crystal and Jade Token, confirmed his First-Level clearance, and spent merit on three knowledge scrolls, a Core District residence, Concentration Potion materials, and ten bottles of Focus Dew.
• Ian’s Jade Token gained First-Level clearance, and Eugene guided him to his rented residence, No. 73, and handed him its control token.
• Eugene explained Ian’s new privileges and said the theater command would grant him an extra reward for ranking ninth in the Eastern Theater.
• Ian reviewed the theater rankings and saw Elena’s name in the Northern Theater’s top ten.

Ian accepted a defensive wizard artifact and settled into his new residence in the Core District, where he began studying his newly acquired knowledge. As the Demon-Hunting War’s final stage approached, he continued strengthening his abilities while Robert and Mila pursued their own goals.

• Ian chose a defensive artifact instead of merits or Rank Two Wizard guidance, and Eugene gave him the Layered Peaks Ring.
• Ian followed his token to Residence Number Seventy-Three, inspected its purification array, and imprinted the ring with his Mental Power.
• Ian collected three knowledge scrolls, and Gaga explored the quiet residence while Ian reflected on the resources and inheritance he had gained.
• Robert heard rumors about Ian’s advancement and resolved to become a Formal Wizard, while Mila looked toward the Core District before returning to meditate.
• Ian studied his new scrolls, improved his control over liquefied Mental Power, and continued cultivating.