Chapter Summaries

Ian attended a gathering for newly advanced wizards at the Central Fortress, where the other attendees questioned his background and specialty. The old wizard began the meeting by asking Freya to introduce herself first.

• Ian learned that the newly advanced wizards' gathering would take place at the Central Fortress and agreed to bring Gaga.
• Ian dressed without Shadowmoon Tower insignia and entered the gathering after presenting his Jade Tablet.
• Ian met seven First-Level Wizards, including Freya, a Tidefolk wizard, a Withering Council wizard, and a powerful old man.
• Ian identified himself as an independent practitioner from the Eastern Seventh War Zone and said he specialized in potions and elemental wizardry.
• The Withering Council wizard disparaged Ian's First Order potion skills, while Gaga quietly tried to eat the refreshments.
• The old man opened the meeting and asked Freya to begin introductions.

At a wizards’ information exchange, Ian learned that the Wither Forest was linked to missing apprentices, mental contamination, and abnormal energy flows. Despite warnings that the area was dangerous, he chose to accept an independent mission there and began preparing to go.

• Freya, Xi Lan, Edwin, and Liana reported unusual dangers in several regions, including rising heat, contamination, mutated mushrooms, and disappearances near the Wither Forest.
• Ian described encountering mentally contaminated creatures in Blackstone Woods, and the old wizard revealed that twenty-seven apprentices had gone missing in the Wither Forest and nearby areas.
• Freya arranged to buy Ian’s Fire Resistance Potions, while Xi Lan offered to trade water-element materials.
• After the gathering, Xi Lan warned Ian that ley-line flows under the Wither Forest were chaotic, as though something were breathing.
• Ian decided to take the independent Wither Forest mission and planned to prepare Focus Dew, his spells, and Soul Devouring.

Ian accepted an independent mission to investigate abnormal energy in the Eastern Wither Forest and fought his way through its contaminating growths using Soul Devouring and his other abilities. He reached a clearing and encountered three First-Level wizards from different groups.

• Ian accepted the mission and prepared supplies, taking some of Gaga’s Blood Essence with a promise to repay it double.
• Ian entered the Wither Forest, detected a mental contamination field, and used Soul Devouring to resist its whispers.
• Ian fought off attacks from tentacled trees with Gaga’s help and destroyed the trees with his spells.
• Ian purified three contaminated corpses, replenishing his mental power with the contamination they released.
• Ian advanced through the forest and reached a clearing, where he met a Withering Council wizard, an Elf, and a Sea Folk wizard.

Ian joined Hector, Legolas, and Xi in a fragile alliance to investigate the strange pulses beneath Wither Forest. After the group uncovered a vast underground organism and its fleshy core, a giant eye opened in the tumor and welcomed them to its world.

• Ian, Hector, Legolas, and Xi agreed to cooperate while investigating the forest's strange energy and slow, heartbeat-like pulses.
• Xi and Legolas detected contaminated signatures underground, and three Rotting Walkers attacked the group.
• Ian used the Bloodline Purification Art and Soul Devouring to drain the monsters, alarming his allies and widening the distance between them.
• Xi discovered a vast underground hollow with a beating heart, while Legolas sensed many synchronized hearts beneath the forest.
• The fungal carpet and trees attacked with countless arms and blood-red mist, and the group found a massive fleshy tumor that appeared to be their core.
• A huge black eye opened in the tumor and spoke to Ian, Hector, Legolas, and Xi, welcoming them to its world.

Ian, Hector, Legolas, and Xi were dragged into an underground cavern by psychic tentacles and discovered a Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon, an ancient abyssal monster. As it unleashed a mental torrent and more tentacles against them, they faced an all-encompassing assault.

• The collapsing fungal ground and psychic tentacles overwhelmed Ian, Hector, Legolas, and Xi, pulling them into a deep abyss.
• The four landed in a cavern whose entrance was sealed by roots, and Xi sensed that they were inside the creature’s body.
• Ian detected a vast hostile presence as the group followed the passage into a cavern filled with watching eyeballs.
• The group found a massive Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon, and Hector identified it as an ancient abyssal monster that grew stronger by devouring souls.
• The demon’s eyes unleashed a multicolored mental torrent as tentacles attacked the four from every direction.

Ian, Hector, Legolas, and Xi fought the Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon, whose mental attacks and tentacles overwhelmed their defenses. Legolas and Xi escaped, leaving Ian and Hector to face the demon and the Eye of the Gazer together.

• Ian unleashed his Frost-Ember Ray and joined Hector, Legolas, and Xi in attacking the demon's central dark golden eye.
• The demon broke through Legolas and Xi's defenses, gravely wounding them, while Ian's shields shattered under its focused attacks.
• Legolas and Xi used their secret arts and Wizard Tools to break through the cavern seal and escape.
• Hector eyed the Eye of the Gazer and revealed his greed and murderous intent toward Ian.
• Ian agreed to join Hector in killing the demon and turned with him to face it.

Ian and Hector joined forces to defeat the Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon, but Hector betrayed Ian and was killed. As Ian prepared to finish the weakened monster, it compressed itself into the [Eye of the Gazer], which then developed a tiny crack.

• Ian and Hector attacked the Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon together, while Hector secretly prepared to strike Ian.
• Hector attacked Ian from behind with a death ray and a [Soul-Extinguishing Nail], but Ian's shield blocked both weapons and Gaga ambushed Hector.
• Ian killed Hector with [Frost-Ember Ray] after Hector defended against [Scorching Ray].
• Ian turned to the wounded Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon as the [Eye of the Gazer] began forming at its core.
• The monster compressed its flesh, Mental Power, and soul into a fist-sized dark-gold eyeball, and a tiny crack appeared on its surface.

Ian survived the Abyssal contract by purifying its corruption with his Status Panel, then collected the remains of the defeated demon and completed his mission. He returned to the fortress with a sealed prize for Gaga and 1,800 merit points, while recognizing that Hector’s disappearance could draw the Withering Council’s attention.

• The Abyssal contract tried to mark Ian as a shepherd, but his Status Panel purified the corruption and preserved a damaged fragment of the Abyssal Soul Pact as knowledge.
• Ian collected the dark golden Eye of the Gazer, searched Hector’s remains, and burned away traces of the battle.
• Ian found Resentment Soul Threads among the Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon’s remains and sealed them for purification before Gaga could consume them.
• Ian returned to the fortress and reported the Wither Forest mission as completed, earning 1,800 merit points and lowering the regional threat level to Green.
• Ian worried that the Withering Council would investigate Hector’s disappearance, while the Silver Circle wizard offered him no special attention.

Ian purified the Resentment Soul Threads and let Gaga consume them, greatly strengthening Gaga’s abilities and potential. With Gaga’s advancement complete, Ian remained concerned that the Withering Council would retaliate over Hector’s disappearance and resolved to grow stronger.

• Ian used Dawn Purification Powder, morning dew, Mental Power, and Soul Devouring to remove resentment from the soul threads, then purified them with Moonlight Essence.
• Ian sealed the soul threads in a rune-inscribed jade box to stabilize for a day while he refined the Eye of the Gazer.
• Gaga impatiently waited for the soul threads to be ready, repeatedly checking the box and eating Wind-Pattern Fruits.
• Ian gave Gaga the stabilized soul threads, and Gaga grew larger and stronger as its shadow energy and soul origin improved.
• Gaga demonstrated that its Shadow Jump had greater range and stability and that its Eye of Omen could disrupt an Alchemy puppet from farther away.
• Ian thought of Hector and the Withering Council’s likely retaliation, then resolved to increase his strength quickly.

Ian refined his Mental Power and completed a new shield system by integrating [Energy Shield] principles into [Crystal Energy Barrier]. As the Demon-Hunting War entered its final stage, he prepared to leave with the army for the Eastern General War Zone.

• Ian watched Silver Circle members court other First-Level Wizards, then focused on cultivation and spell research while his Mental Power advanced deeper into Liquefaction.
• The Seventh War Zone's cleansing operations destroyed most nearby Monster Nests, and the wizards received orders to join the final encirclement in the Eastern General War Zone.
• Before departing, Ian used [Crystal Energy Barrier] as the foundation for a new shield, incorporating [Energy Shield]'s dynamic energy allocation and adaptive reinforcement.
• Ian transformed [Floating Crystal Guard] into miniature Crystal Spikes that could fly faster, pierce targets, block spells, and replenish damage to the main barrier.
• Ian completed an integrated defense system with an enhanced [Crystal Energy Barrier] and up to thirty-six [Miniature Floating Crystal Cones].

Ian prepared for the final battle and reached the fortress surrounding an Abyssal Rift, where a failing seal contained a powerful presence. There, he identified Murphy as an enemy and unexpectedly reunited with Malena.

• Ian finished preparing his supplies and set out with Gaga for the underground Monster Nest.
• After two days, Ian and the wizards reached a vast ring of fortresses surrounding an Abyssal Rift, where a cracked seal strained against a pulsing force below.
• Ian surveyed the gathered forces and spotted Murphy among the Crimson Court, resolving to kill him if the chance arose.
• Ian searched the fortress for a place to rest and turned when a familiar voice called his name.
• Ian recognized the woman in a Shadowmoon robe as Malena.

Ian reunited with Malena at the Circular Fortress, learned how war had changed their old friends, and told her he would return to Shadowmoon Tower after the coming assault. As the wizards prepared to enter the Abyssal Rift at dawn, Ian sensed a suspicious figure near Shadowmoon Tower’s camp and received a final notice through his Demon-Hunting Jade Token.

• Ian recognized Malena, who was astonished that he had advanced to become a Formal Wizard in less than two years.
• Malena told Ian that Clayton had returned to his family to fight and Harvey was recovering from serious injuries, while Wizard Alivia was well.
• Ian told Malena he would return to Shadowmoon Tower to settle old grudges and make arrangements for his family, and she gave him her Arcane Mark.
• The Third-Level Grand Wizard of the Silver Circle announced that the seal would be lifted for three breaths at dawn so Level One and higher wizards could enter the rift and destroy the source of contamination.
• Ian sensed a cold, deathly aura from a thin figure near Shadowmoon Tower’s camp and wondered if it was connected to the Withering Council.
• Ian felt his Demon-Hunting Jade Token grow hot, read the headquarters’ final notice, and his pupils contracted.

Ian learned that the demon cave was an Earth Hernia, a living distortion of the world's laws that bred monsters and assimilated powerful creatures. He joined the invasion force and entered the corrupted caverns alone, where Gaga detected three contaminated signatures ahead.

• The Demon-Hunting Jade Tablet revealed that the Earth Hernia was a malignant scar in the world's laws, capable of distorting its surroundings and assimilating creatures, including the Cave Lich.
• Ian recognized the danger of the mission and considered whether the Earth Hernia's remnants could confirm knowledge from his Status Panel.
• Before dawn, eight powerful figures entered the Abyssal fissure, followed by more than a thousand Wizards, including Ian.
• Ian landed in the distorted caverns, activated his Crystal Energy Barrier when gravity reversed, and chose an empty passage to travel alone.
• Ian sensed the contaminated energy and suffering ley lines as he advanced through the Earth Hernia, and Gaga detected three contamination signatures ahead.

Ian fought through the maze and discovered that three masked figures had been stalking him to eliminate him. He killed one attacker, but the other two continued their assault as Bloodhand died to the demon hounds.

• Ian killed three Rockskin Demon Hounds with Crystal Spikes and destroyed a pool of Shadow Slime with [Frost-Ember Ray], collecting materials from both.
• Gaga warned Ian that three people were following him, and Ian secretly prepared his Crystal Spikes for a counterattack.
• Ian found the wounded Bloodhand surrounded by demon hounds, but the hounds turned on Ian as three black-robed figures revealed themselves and launched a coordinated attack.
• Ian endured their Soul Spikes, destroyed their restraints, and pierced the central attacker with a Crystal Spike, killing him after he sent an unknown signal.
• The remaining attackers renewed their assault while the demon hounds killed Bloodhand; the black-robed figure declared Bloodhand eliminated and turned back to Ian.

Ian fought off three black-robed attackers, learned they belonged to a force hunting lone travelers, and fled through the shifting maze. He followed traces of purified energy toward possible allies, then encountered a familiar figure at the end of a passage.

• Ian blocked a bone-spike attack, destroyed the right black-robed man's Soul Dagger, and killed the left attacker with [Frost-Ember Ray].
• The surviving black-robed man called his group an outermost cleanup squad before detonating himself; Ian found a token marked with a pupil-less eye and escaped as more pursuers approached.
• Five black-robed figures arrived, identified the dead attackers, and sent a hunting group to ambush Ian at the seventh intersection.
• Ian hurried through the changing maze as its demonic energy intensified, then followed Gaga's warning into a passage with traces of orderly energy and purification magic.
• Ian decided to seek the wizard team that had cleansed the passage, but found a familiar figure waiting around the next bend.

Ian fled through the aberrant caves while Murphy pursued him, hoping to capture Ian and uncover his secrets. Guided by the Abyssal Soul Pact, Ian reached an ancient altar, where he and Gaga prepared to fight Murphy and four powerful Skeleton Guards.

• Murphy attacked Ian with Death Fingers, corrupted Skeleton Guards, and a Withering Ripple, breaking through parts of Ian’s layered defenses.
• Ian fought off the Skeleton Guards and pretended to flee, drawing Murphy through the maze-like cave system.
• The Abyssal Soul Pact guided Ian toward a hidden cavern containing an ancient altar and a dark-red energy vortex.
• Murphy followed Ian into the cavern and summoned four dark-gold Skeleton Guards while preparing a powerful sorcery.
• Gaga disrupted Murphy’s chanting with the Eye of Omen, dodged a Soul Lash, and attacked a Skeleton Guard as Ian seized the opening.

Ian defeated Murphy in a deadly battle at the altar, then destroyed the structure that had been sending a signal toward the Abyss. The altar’s collapse replenished the Abyssal Soul Pact, which began analyzing some information.

• Ian and Gaga fought Murphy and his Skeleton Guards as Ian retreated toward the altar.
• Murphy used his ultimate Blight spell, but Ian countered it with a fully compressed Frost-Ember Ray, leaving both wizards badly wounded.
• Murphy tried to detonate his remaining soul, but Ian used Soul Devouring to drain and kill him.
• Ian rested, then destroyed the altar’s runes and dispersed its energy vortex.
• A wisp of gray light entered Ian’s chest, replenishing the Abyssal Soul Pact and enabling it to analyze some information.

Ian discovered that the purified Abyssal Soul Pact could let him build an altar to trade with intelligent beings in other worlds, though he was not yet strong enough to do so. After collecting rune stones and making his way toward safer territory, he joined Alivia and Aislin’s battle against Blood-Weeping Giants.

• Ian learned that the collapsed altar had been a simplified contract anchor and that his status panel had purified the Abyssal Soul Pact of its pollution and enslavement effects.
• Ian collected more than a dozen Abyssal Rune Stones from the altar ruins and treated Gaga’s burned wing.
• Ian turned toward the core battlefield, fought off scattered magic monsters, and noticed possible pursuers in the shadows.
• Ian found Alivia, Aislin, and other Shadowmoon Tower wizards fighting three Blood-Weeping Giants in a natural cave.
• Ian crippled one giant and cracked another’s core, allowing Alivia’s team to destroy all three giants.

Ian joined Alivia’s Shadowmoon Squad after warning them that the Eye of Twilight was hunting lone high-ranking wanderers. The group defeated a Cave Lich avatar, and Ian accepted its core fragment as his share of the spoils.

• Ian told Alivia that the Eye of Twilight had attacked him, and she explained the organization’s threat before inviting him to join her squad.
• Alivia introduced Ian as a teammate, gave him Moonlight Dew for his mental injuries, and led the squad onward toward the Core District.
• The squad encountered a Cave Lich avatar, whose mental attack injured two wizards before Alivia shielded the group.
• Ian used his Crystal Spikes to drain the blood vessels powering the avatar, while Gaga disrupted its vortices and Alivia led the squad’s counterattack.
• Alivia and the squad purified the avatar’s regenerating remains, then Alivia gave Ian its core fragment as his spoils.

Ian joined Alivia’s squad as the wizard coalition fought to purify the Earth Hernia. After the Third-Level Grand Wizards sealed its core, Ian secretly collected three Abyssal Law Crystal Fragments as the Demon-Hunting War ended.

• Ian helped Alivia’s squad advance through distorted rules and reach the coalition’s temporary camp.
• Ian followed Alivia’s squad to the Earth Hernia core, where the four major organizations battled the aberrations.
• Ian fought the aberrations with his Crystal Spikes and spells while Gaga disrupted rule echoes.
• A Silver Circle Grand Wizard unleashed a sealing relic, and the four Third-Level Grand Wizards tore the Primordial Scab from the tumor and sealed it.
• Ian collected three Abyssal Law Crystal Fragments from the collapsing tumor and returned to Alivia’s exhausted squad.