Chapter Summaries

After leaving the secret realm, Dago reached Windrest Harbor and sought help finding Ghost-Screaming Fish in the dangerous Verdant Glow Abyss. A local wizard offered to take him to a descendant of the Sea Folk who knew the abyss, and Dago followed him into the harbor’s slums.

• Dago practiced Astrolabe Divination in Windrest Harbor and came close to completing its basic form.
• Dago met Meleager Becker, gave him magic stones, and disappeared before Mele could thank him.
• A black-haired First-Ring Wizard explained the Ghost-Screaming Fish and revealed that a Sea Folk descendant lived in Windrest Harbor.
• Dago agreed to meet the descendant and followed the black-haired wizard into a poor district to learn how to reach the Verdant Glow Abyss.

Dago hired Chuck, a Sea Folk remnant, to guide him to the Verdant Glow Abyss and hunt Ghost-Screaming Fish. As they traveled by Spell Airship, Chuck explained that catching the fish required Sea Folk blood and began recounting what he had learned from his grandfather.

• A black-haired wizard gave Chuck suppressant for his sea poison disease and left him to speak with Dago.
• Dago paid Chuck several hundred low-grade magic stones to guide him to the Verdant Glow Abyss.
• Chuck spent the money with his lover, then returned ready to leave with Dago.
• Dago and Chuck sailed toward the abyss aboard a Spell Airship, and Chuck examined Dago's dying Roaring Fish.
• Chuck told Dago that Ghost-Screaming Fish were drawn only to the flesh and blood of someone with Sea Folk ancestry.
• Chuck said the fish had been created by demons to hunt and enslave the Sea Folk, but admitted his knowledge came from his grandfather's stories.

Chapter Summary: “Verdant Glow Abyss: Fear Buried by Time”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chuck recounts the history of the Verdant Glow Abyss, once the center of the Sea Folk kingdom known as Merfolk’s Song. The kingdom was destroyed overnight when terrifying demons appeared, slaughtering countless Sea Folk and turning the sea green with their blood.
• Dago and Chuck travel by Spell Airship into the abyss at night. The peaceful, beautiful surface contrasts sharply with the ominous ruins and dangers believed to lie below.
• During the full moon, Chuck asks permission to enter the sea, hoping to catch rare creatures. Once underwater, his Sea Folk abilities become apparent: he moves with great agility, breathes through gills, and displays greatly increased physical strength.
• Dago uses [Eye of Truth] to examine the seabed. He discovers increasing concentrations of strange black matter, resembling densely packed worms, and eventually glimpses the hazy outline of an ancient city.
• A terrifying, ancient presence suddenly appears within his vision. The encounter causes immense fear, damages the Eye of Truth, makes Dago bleed, and weakens the nine Soul Crystals in his mind.
• Dago realizes that the legend of Merfolk’s Song’s destruction may be true and that an unimaginably powerful evil may still exist beneath the abyss.
• He connects the ruins of Merfolk’s Song with the vanished Elder Mirror Forest and the dwarven kingdom of Mechanical Heart, suspecting that all were destroyed through the influence of a single ancient force or conspiracy.
• Abandoning his curiosity about the ruins, Dago decides to focus only on finding the Ghost-Screaming Fish and escaping the area.
• Chuck returns from the sea with two rare Beauty Clams, each containing a tiny girl-like creature with seaweed-colored hair. The creatures sing an enchanting ancient song and are associated with rumors of eternal youth and an oceanic curse.

Character Developments

• Dago shifts from curious observer to cautious survivor. His encounter with the entity beneath the sea teaches him that the abyss contains dangers far beyond his current ability to confront.
• His newly strengthened [Eye of Truth], reaching the realm of Double Domain Resonance, allows him to perceive deeper truths but also exposes him to a terrifying power capable of harming both his body and soul.
• Dago’s suspicion grows that several ancient civilizations were destroyed as part of a much larger, deeply buried conspiracy.
• Chuck reveals his hidden strength and Sea Folk heritage. Though he appears weak and ordinary on land, he is powerful, agile, and highly capable underwater.
• Chuck remains cheerful and opportunistic, treating the capture of the Beauty Clams as a fortunate discovery despite their possible connection to divine curses.

Significant Themes

• Beauty concealing horror: The tranquil moonlit sea and beautiful ruins conceal black matter, ancient evil, and the remains of a destroyed civilization.
• The danger of forbidden knowledge: Dago’s attempt to uncover the truth grants him insight but causes severe spiritual and physical harm, showing that some secrets are dangerous to pursue prematurely.
• The persistence of history: The destruction of Merfolk’s Song continues to shape the region, while its hidden cause may connect to several other lost civilizations.
• Limits of power: Even as a Third-Ring Wizard with an advanced supernatural ability, Dago is forced to recognize that he remains vulnerable before ancient forces.
• Myth and uncertainty: Legends about the Sea Folk, demons, Beauty Clams, and oceanic curses blur the line between superstition and reality.

Character Interactions

• Chuck shares the history of Merfolk’s Song with Dago, sparking Dago’s reflection on the lost civilization.
• Dago permits Chuck to leave the airship and observes his transformation underwater, gaining a better understanding of Chuck’s Sea Folk bloodline.
• After returning, Chuck proudly presents the Beauty Clams to Dago, hoping to please him.
• The tiny clam girls respond to Dago with fear and desperate pleading before using their hauntingly beautiful song, creating a striking contrast between their helpless appearance and mysterious supernatural nature.

Chapter Summary: “Deep-Sea Sacrifice: The Secret of Ghost-Screaming Fish’s Life Force Eruption”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago accepts two Beauty Clams from Chuck, intending to keep them as magical, singing companions alongside his Dust Sprite, Arrietty.
• As a reward, Dago offers Chuck Magic Stones and other treasures. Chuck accepts only a gemstone necklace, planning to give it to Maggie, the woman he loves.
• Dago warns Chuck that Maggie may be using him and that her unborn child might not be his. Chuck nevertheless defends her, revealing that he views his sea-folk heritage as a curse and hopes his future child will avoid inheriting it.
• Before entering the Verdant Glow Abyss, Chuck applies a potion and later cuts himself to spread his blood through the sea, using it as bait to attract Ghost-Screaming Fish.
• When the fish approach, Dago pulls Chuck from the water and takes over the experiment. His real goal is not simply to capture the fish, but to discover how they produce their sudden eruption of life force and potentially improve his Life Orb compression technique.
• Dago uses his Mental Force Field to seize several fish and allows them to activate their sonic attack while he examines their bodies with mental power.
• The fish unleash devastating screams, but Dago neutralizes the soundwaves effortlessly. Afterward, the fish appear lifeless.
• Dago discovers the secret behind their vitality eruption: each fish contains a tiny, shattered, strangely shaped conch.

Character Developments

• Dago displays his detached curiosity and experimental mindset. He treats the Beauty Clams as fascinating magical specimens and views Chuck’s sacrifice primarily as part of a controlled investigation.
• He also shows a degree of fairness and responsibility by rewarding Chuck, giving him a healing potion, monitoring his condition, and preventing him from remaining in danger longer than necessary.
• Chuck remains humble and deeply devoted to Dago, treating even minimal recognition as an immense blessing. His loyalty and willingness to injure himself demonstrate both his desperation and his trust.
• Chuck’s defense of Maggie reveals his emotional vulnerability and desire for acceptance. He believes his sea-folk identity makes him undesirable, yet still dreams of building a family with someone who does not reject him.
• Dago’s warning introduces a more protective or pragmatic side of him, though he ultimately respects Chuck’s feelings rather than pressing the issue.

Significant Themes

• Exploitation and sacrifice: Chuck willingly offers his blood and body as bait, while Dago uses the situation for magical research.
• Identity and inherited stigma: Chuck sees his sea-folk bloodline as a curse and fears passing his appearance and fate to his child.
• Love versus self-deception: Chuck idealizes Maggie despite Dago’s suspicion that she may be exploiting him, showing how his longing for acceptance shapes his judgment.
• Scientific curiosity and magical experimentation: Dago prioritizes discovering the mechanism behind the fish’s power over simply killing or collecting them.
• Life hidden within apparent death: The Ghost-Screaming Fish seem to die after their attack, yet their terrifying power comes from an internal, mysterious artifact.

Character Interactions

• Dago and Chuck’s relationship is marked by strong hierarchy and reverence: Chuck kneels and kowtows, while Dago responds with rewards and measured concern.
• Their discussion of Maggie exposes contrasting perspectives. Dago is skeptical and analytical, whereas Chuck is loyal, hopeful, and emotionally invested.
• Dago and the Beauty Clams have an unequal but nonviolent interaction: he treats them as collectible curiosities, while their fear drives them to sing until they collapse.
• During the experiment, Chuck serves as the bait while Dago acts as the observer and protector, but Dago ultimately intervenes before Chuck can be placed in greater danger.
• The chapter ends with Dago’s discovery of the shattered conches, establishing a new mystery and likely direction for his research.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago captures and dissects several Ghost-Screaming Fish, discovering fist-sized, snail-like Monster Conches parasitizing their bodies.
• The Monster Conches are covered in spikes, teeth, and tentacles. When disturbed, they emit an infant-like cry, self-destruct, and leave no remains, explaining why previous examinations of the fish revealed nothing.
• Dago concludes that the Monster Conches enable the Ghost-Screaming Fish to gather their vitality and convert it into powerful explosive soundwaves.
• To uncover their secret, Dago deliberately attracts enormous numbers of Ghost-Screaming Fish and observes the parasites at the precise moment they unleash their roars.
• He notices that intricate spiral patterns, resembling runes, briefly illuminate on the Monster Conches, but they vanish too quickly to identify.
• Dago activates [Winter’s Stillness], a meditative state derived from the [Gray Sun Meditation Method], using his heightened focus and nine Soul Crystals to reconstruct the fleeting pattern in his mind.
• As the fish swarm grows, their combined soundwaves gradually weaken Dago’s Mental Force Field. He remains motionless and focused despite blood beginning to flow from his eyes and ears.
• At the chapter’s climax, after enduring a massive tide of Ghost-Screaming Fish, a dazzling golden radiance erupts through the swarm, resembling a brilliant sun rising from the sea.

Character Development

• Dago demonstrates exceptional analytical ability, identifying the Monster Conches as the source of the fish’s power rather than simply destroying the creatures.
• His patience and willingness to expose himself to overwhelming danger reveal his determination to obtain knowledge and master unfamiliar abilities.
• By entering [Winter’s Stillness], Dago shows greater command of his mental techniques and uses meditation, memory, and Soul Crystals together to solve a nearly impossible observation problem.
• His calmness remains intact even as his defenses approach collapse, emphasizing his discipline and extraordinary mental resilience.
• Chuck, observing from the airship, becomes visibly alarmed by the unprecedented scale of the fish swarm, highlighting the danger of Dago’s experiment.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge through danger: Dago accepts extreme risk to uncover the hidden mechanism behind the Ghost-Screaming Fish.
• Observation and comprehension: The chapter emphasizes that understanding a phenomenon may require capturing an event that lasts only an instant.
• Control versus overwhelming force: Dago’s stillness and mental discipline contrast with the chaotic, ever-growing tide of fish and soundwaves.
• Transformation and emergence: The golden light at the end suggests the culmination of Dago’s insight and possibly the birth or awakening of a new power.
• Mystery and parasitism: The Monster Conches introduce a deeper, unexplained layer to the Ghost-Screaming Fish and hint at larger supernatural forces.

Character Interactions

• Dago interacts primarily with the Ghost-Screaming Fish and their parasitic Monster Conches, using freezing currents, Yitai surgical blades, and his Mental Force Field to study them.
• The fish respond collectively, swarming toward Dago and attacking him with increasingly powerful soundwaves.
• Chuck watches Dago’s experiment from the airship and reacts with fear as the number of fish becomes unimaginably large.
• The Monster Conches’ self-destruction prevents direct communication or examination, making Dago’s indirect observation and mental reconstruction essential.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago’s golden giant python, Yitai, is forced to retreat after briefly contacting the dense gray fog. The fog corrodes both Domains and energy particles, proving deadly even to powerful Miracle Wizards.
• Unable to return the way he came, Dago proceeds deeper through the Wailing Fish King’s intestinal-like passages. The route narrows, becomes increasingly foul and devoid of energy, and fills with inert white tentacles, ancient bones, and decayed objects.
• After the pursuing gray fog disappears, Dago follows a strange bone-chattering sound into a vast internal cavity.
• He discovers the enormous black Monster Conch parasitizing the Wailing Fish King. Its crystalline shell is covered with bone spikes bearing clusters of grotesque, spirit-like heads.
• Using the Eye of Truth, Dago realizes the heads may once have belonged to seafolk from Merfolk’s Song. Their expressions and constant chattering create an atmosphere of terror and suffering.
• When Dago approaches the Monster Conch, the heads attack him en masse. He summons the powerful spirit Aihaxiya through the Square-Horned Cowbell.
• Aihaxiya protects Dago and easily devours the attacking heads, turning from a defensive shield into an active hunter.
• Dago reaches the sleeping Monster Conch and touches its immense shell. He then prepares to use [Voidmind Focus], gathering his spiritual power and entering an elevated, near-transcendent state.

Character Developments

• Dago: Demonstrates caution and adaptability by abandoning direct confrontation with the gray fog and searching for another route. Despite the grotesque surroundings, he remains calm and curious, especially upon finding the Monster Conch. His ability to enter [Voidmind Focus] more steadily suggests growing mastery of his spiritual power.
• Yitai: Suffers some depletion after contact with the corrosive fog, emphasizing the fog’s extraordinary destructive strength despite Yitai’s advancement beyond the third tier.
• Aihaxiya: Revealed as an exceptionally powerful spirit, nearly capable of reaching the fourth level. He proves loyal and highly effective, shielding Dago and consuming the ghostly heads with ease.
• Monster Conch: Established as an ancient, powerful parasitic entity. Its peaceful sleep amid the surrounding supernatural activity suggests immense strength or an unusual connection to the Wailing Fish King.

Significant Themes

• Exploration of the unknown: Dago’s journey deeper into the creature’s body reveals an ancient and horrifying hidden world.
• Corrosion and decay: The gray fog, dissolving remains, depleted energy, and parasitic environment emphasize the destructive, deathlike nature of the setting.
• Ancient suffering: The heads attached to the Monster Conch may be remnants of former seafolk, linking the creature to forgotten history and accumulated torment.
• Power through composure: Dago survives by remaining analytical and controlled rather than acting recklessly, eventually preparing to unleash his highest spiritual state.
• Beauty and horror intertwined: The Monster Conch is both majestic and grotesque—its crystalline shell and luminous tubes contrast with the malformed heads and skeletal imagery.

Character Interactions

• Dago and Yitai act in coordination against the gray fog, but the threat forces them to retreat.
• Dago confronts the spirit heads, who collectively shift from silent observation to an organized attack.
• Dago summons Aihaxiya with the Square-Horned Cowbell and commands him to defend against the spirits.
• Aihaxiya becomes Dago’s protector and predator, destroying the heads while Dago focuses on examining the Monster Conch.
• Dago physically and mentally engages with the sleeping Monster Conch, touching its shell before preparing a powerful technique against or involving it.

Dago endured the Monster Conch’s devastating shriek while memorizing the pattern revealed in its shell, and touching it exposed visions of an ancient ocean world and the Comb-Bone Demon Conch. His body then burst apart as a colossal sea creature rose beneath Chuck’s airship and forced Chuck to flee.

• Dago attacked the being inside the shell with [Golden Head], but its shriek shattered [Golden Heart] and wounded him as it destroyed the spectral beings, including Aihaxiya.
• Dago activated his despair winter dragon bloodline, Complete Despairfication, and [Frost Element] to withstand the sound and approach the shell.
• Dago touched the crystalline shell and saw visions of a world-spanning ocean, a black vortex, and creatures carrying bone-spiked conch shells; he identified the Comb-Bone Demon Conch.
• Dago’s Blue Demon Physique burst apart in an eruption of black runic light.
• A colossal shadow ordered Chuck to go and sent him and the Spell Airship speeding away as an island-sized fish corpse rose from the sea.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Falin Leon hurries through the Arcane Energy Workshop’s palace to meet Dago, who is staying in a secluded courtyard.
• A blonde witch informs Falin that Dago recently purchased many healing potions because he had apparently been injured. Falin criticizes her for charging him, insisting the Workshop could have provided them freely.
• Falin finds Dago seated beside a magical pool. Dago’s appearance—especially his pale hair and overwhelming presence—shocks Falin, who briefly loses focus upon seeing him.
• Falin explains that Ewakuai had left Magic Stones with the Arcane Energy Workshop a year earlier to arrange transportation to the Central Continent for a friend. He now realizes that the “friend” is Dago.
• Falin hopes to entertain Dago and persuade him to stay, but Dago firmly insists on leaving immediately because he has urgent matters to resolve.
• Falin personally escorts Dago to the teleportation array and watches him depart for the Central Continent.
• Afterward, Falin’s master appears and asks whether the visitor was the famed Dago Heka. Falin admits that Dago has become far stronger since the Prodigy Battle and believes he might lose to him in a single exchange, even while using the Forbidden Blade.
• Falin’s master explains that Dago sensed his hidden presence, demonstrating exceptional awareness and vigilance.
• The master advises Falin to stop wasting energy on superficial pleasures and instead improve his knowledge and strength if he truly wishes to become Dago’s equal.
• He reveals that he has arranged for Falin to study in the Central Continent six months later.
• When Falin doubts that he can ever catch up to Dago, his master warns him that Dago’s apparent advantages may be misleading: the Omnipotent Ring is deeply divided and politically complicated, so Dago’s position there may be worse than Falin’s own starting point.

Character Developments

• Dago is portrayed as powerful, mysterious, injured but composed, and intensely goal-oriented. He refuses unnecessary hospitality and prioritizes urgent personal objectives.
• Falin is revealed to admire and perhaps fear Dago. He recognizes the enormous gap between them but also shows concern for Dago’s well-being. His confidence declines when comparing himself to Dago, though his master gives him renewed hope.
• Falin’s master emerges as perceptive, disciplined, and supportive but strict. He understands Dago’s strength while encouraging Falin to abandon distractions and pursue genuine improvement.

Significant Themes

• The gap between prodigies and ordinary talent: Dago’s rapid growth makes even renowned geniuses seem inferior.
• Self-improvement over flattery: Falin’s master emphasizes that true recognition must be earned through strength and knowledge, not hospitality or servile admiration.
• The uncertainty of apparent advantages: Dago’s inheritance and connection to the Omnipotent Ring may come with political burdens, suggesting that his future will not be easy.
• New beginnings and rising stakes: Dago’s departure to the Central Continent marks the start of a larger stage, while Falin’s planned studies suggest that both characters’ paths are only beginning to diverge and develop.

Character Interactions

• Falin and the blonde witch discuss Dago’s injuries and preparations for his departure, revealing Falin’s concern and the Workshop’s interest in him.
• Falin and Dago share a brief but significant reunion. Falin attempts to delay him, but Dago’s firm determination overrides the conversation.
• Falin and his master discuss Dago’s abilities, Falin’s shortcomings, and the possibility of surpassing him. The master’s guidance transforms Falin’s discouragement into renewed motivation.

Chapter Summary: “Rejecting All Temptation, Seeking Only Greater Strength”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago undergoes long-distance teleportation from the southern region, experiencing severe vertigo but gaining limited insight into spatial principles. He recognizes that the true power of spatial magic lies in lost offensive techniques such as spatial shattering, which he has only begun to understand.
• Upon arrival, an Arcane Energy Workshop wizard escorts him to a specially prepared long-range airship. The luxurious vessel is powered by numerous rune arrays and supplied with Magic Stones by Ewakuai.
• Falin has arranged four maids to accompany Dago during the journey. Dago rejects the arrangement immediately, asking that they leave, and begins his voyage to the Central Continent alone.
• During the journey, Dago reviews the gains from Windrest Harbor. His spiritual power has advanced dramatically after three purifications, entry into the Wizarding Forbidden Zone, and the formation of his tenth Soul Crystal.
• Dago determines that his spiritual power is already several times greater than that of an ordinary newly advanced Fourth-Circle Wizard and may eventually rival that of a mid-stage Fourth-Circle Wizard.
• His refined spiritual power allows him to complete an Astrolabe Divination, causing the [Gray Sun Meditation Method] to evolve into the [Primordial Stellar Meditation Method]. Its former traits are retained and strengthened, though the new method is far more complex and its progress resets.
• Dago reflects on Isidore’s ambition to pursue and surpass the primordial beings, realizing that such an immense goal may explain Isidore’s ruthless refusal to be distracted by lesser concerns.
• He then examines his harvest from the Verdant Glow Abyss: a complex rune-like energy circulation system derived from the Comb-Bone Demon Conch, which he names [Conch Palace]. It may improve the compression and use of the energy spheres within his [Blue Demon Physique].

Character Development

• Dago demonstrates intense discipline and resistance to temptation by rejecting both the maids arranged for his comfort and the secret spiritual refinement methods offered by Michael.
• He gains confidence that his repeated spiritual power purifications have given him a foundation superior to that of elite successors from top-tier schools.
• His ambitions become more aligned with Isidore’s pursuit of primordial power. Rather than merely seeking ordinary advancement, Dago begins to consider a path toward the origins of wizardry and possibly surpassing Primordial Wizards.
• His abilities continue to evolve rapidly, especially in spiritual power, meditation, divination, and energy manipulation.

Significant Themes

• Strength over comfort and temptation: Dago refuses distractions and luxuries that might interfere with his pursuit of greater power.
• Foundation versus inherited advantages: Although he lacks the secret methods and resources available to elite wizards, his repeated spiritual purifications may have produced an even stronger foundation.
• The pursuit of primordial power: The chapter emphasizes the vast ambition required to trace magic back to its earliest and most powerful origins.
• Transformation through understanding: Dago’s spiritual metamorphosis enables breakthroughs in divination, meditation, and the refinement of his magical system.
• Lost knowledge and hidden potential: Spatial shattering, the Primordial Stellar Meditation Method, and the Comb-Bone Demon Conch all represent fragments of ancient or forgotten power that Dago is gradually recovering.

Character Interactions

• Dago briefly interacts with the Arcane Energy Workshop wizard, who escorts him and presents the prepared airship. The wizard obeys Dago’s order to remove the maids despite his surprise.
• Falin’s attempt to provide Dago with personal attendants highlights his tendency to arrange comforts and social conveniences that Dago dislikes.
• Dago’s thoughts about Michael reveal his rejection of the latter’s invitation and secret purification methods.
• Dago also develops a deeper intellectual connection with Isidore, interpreting the will within Isidore’s inheritance and recognizing a shared willingness to pursue overwhelming power at any cost.

Chapter Summary: “Conch Palace Takes Shape, Mastering the Forbidden Method of Burst Power”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago learns from the fragmented memories of the Ghost-Screaming Fish King that the Comb-Bone Demon Conch originated from another world. Its true species once ruled an entire world and possessed the ability to consume souls and convert ghostly power into devastating sound waves.
• The conches inhabiting the Verdant Glow Abyss are revealed to be degenerated, bloodline-impure descendants. They survive by parasitizing Ghost-Screaming Fish and use the host’s vitality rather than ghostly power to unleash a single, catastrophic attack.
• After killing the Conch King, Dago obtains a rune pattern and begins studying the conch’s method of converting vitality into explosive power. He recognizes that this technique is far more advanced than his own crude method of compressing and detonating Life Orbs.
• Dago hopes to develop the [Conch Palace] technique to compensate for the physical strain caused by his high-grade [Frost Element] rune and strengthen his [Blue Demon Physique].
• He tests the newly advanced [Frost Element] by activating [Blue Demon Physique] aboard the airship. The power rapidly spreads through his body, causing severe internal destruction and bursting nearly half of his upper body apart.
• Despite his injuries, Dago releases a devastating attack that tears through distant space, twisting and collapsing it into deep ravines across the wasteland.
• Afterward, he uses large quantities of healing potions to repair himself. The recovery leaves him visibly aged, with white, lifeless hair, wrinkled skin, and diminished vitality.
• Dago concludes that [Frost Element] has reached a level comparable to a Miracle Domain, making it his third power of that tier. However, his body is not yet strong enough to contain its full force.

Character Development

• Dago demonstrates his growing ability to analyze and adapt foreign powers. Rather than merely copying the Comb-Bone Demon Conch’s ability, he recognizes how its vitality-conversion method could be integrated into his own cultivation.
• His strength has advanced dramatically: [Frost Element] is now powerful enough to rival Miracle-level spells, but this advancement exposes a serious weakness—his body is being destroyed every time he uses it.
• Dago becomes increasingly aware that raw power is not enough. To control [Frost Element], he must either increase the vitality stored in his Life Orbs or reinforce his body, particularly his [Blue Demon Physique].
• His seemingly indifferent attitude contrasts with the severity of his condition. Even after suffering catastrophic injuries, he calmly tests his power and treats the consequences as a problem to solve.

Significant Themes

• Power versus control: Dago’s abilities have become powerful enough to exceed his body’s limits, emphasizing that mastery requires containment as well as strength.
• Adaptation and transformation: The degenerated Comb-Bone Demon Conch’s altered talent becomes useful to Dago, showing how abilities can evolve—or be repurposed—under different conditions.
• The cost of advancement: High-level power demands immense vitality and inflicts lasting physical damage, with Dago’s aged appearance illustrating the price of cultivation.
• Body as weapon and vessel: The chapter compares [Frost Element] to a blade and [Blue Demon Physique] to its sheath, highlighting the need to strengthen the body so it can safely contain destructive power.
• Forbidden burst power: The Conch Palace method represents a dangerous technique based on sacrificing vitality for overwhelming short-term strength.

Character Interactions

• Dago’s main interaction is with the remnants of the Conch King’s memories and bloodline. Although the Conch King is already dead, its inherited knowledge provides Dago with the rune pattern and the foundation for the [Conch Palace] technique.
• Dago also interacts indirectly with the Ghost-Screaming Fish King, whose parasitic conch revealed the nature and limitations of the degenerated species.
• No substantial dialogue occurs with other living characters in this chapter; the focus is on Dago’s experimentation, self-analysis, and confrontation with the limits of his own body.

Dago spent five months constructing the first layer of the Conch Palace while traveling to the Central Continent. After arriving, he contacted Ewakuai at their agreed meeting place.

• Dago planned to adapt the Comb-Bone Demon Conch’s vitality-mobilizing ability into a Conch Palace and named its sonic-release system World-Ending Voice.
• He spent nearly all five months constructing a rudimentary Conch Palace, completing the First-Layer Conch Palace during the airship journey.
• Dago arrived in the Central Continent, found its free energy particles two to three times denser than in the south, and examined the Blue Conch inside his Life Orb.
• After surviving five mishaps, Dago reached the meeting place beside a stream, where his badly damaged airship could go no farther.
• Dago burned the medicinal powder Ewakuai had given him, and Ewakuai appeared in the flames and thanked him for keeping his promise.

Chapter Summary: The Full Moon Approaches! Dago Enters the Spirit Wizard Trial Grounds

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Ewakuai’s giant green-flamed apparition disappears, Dago remains by the stream as instructed. He is unfamiliar with the Middle Continent and lacks detailed directions to the Omnipotent Ring or the Hall of All Spirits.
• Dago studies the basic map given to him by Falin, noting the three major wizard empires—the Emerald Court, the Fate Pendulum, and Tangista—and realizing that the Middle Continent is a far more powerful and dangerous region than the south.
• While waiting, Dago catches and cooks unusual purple-scaled river fish. His powerful aura scares away nearby beasts and magical creatures.
• Beneath the full moon, Ewakuai arrives in the form of a flock of black-bodied, white-headed owls that merge into a humanoid figure.
• Ewakuai warmly greets Dago and praises his progress, observing that Dago’s soul problem has nearly been resolved and that he is much stronger than he was during the Prodigy Battle.
• Ewakuai suggests that successfully completing the upcoming spirit trial may allow him to eliminate the remaining trace of Behelet’s will within Dago.
• The two travel for five days through the wilderness and reach the entrance to the Hall of All Spirits, located in a foul, decaying swamp. Three days remain before the full moon, when the entrance or trial will become accessible.
• Ewakuai enters the swamp to perform preparations. He retrieves a rotting bird corpse and begins an ancient, solemn ritual, suggesting that the trial requires spiritual or sacrificial rites.

Character Developments

• Dago is shown as patient, self-sufficient, and increasingly powerful. Despite being a Third-Ring Wizard, he still enjoys ordinary food and remains connected to mundane needs.
• He becomes more aware of the Middle Continent’s vast scale and the strength of its wizard factions, developing anticipation for the greater challenges ahead.
• Dago’s soul condition has improved considerably, but Behelet’s residual will remains a serious unresolved threat.
• Ewakuai reveals a gentler, more sincere side than the domineering figure Dago knew from the Prodigy Battle. His gratitude and warmth indicate that he regards Dago as a genuine friend.
• Ewakuai’s knowledge of spirits and souls makes him potentially capable of solving Dago’s lingering spiritual problem, though his own caution shows that he remains vulnerable to powerful factions.

Significant Themes

• A larger and more dangerous world: The Middle Continent introduces a setting where even Fourth-Ring Wizards may be only moderately powerful, expanding the story’s power scale.
• Trust and friendship: Dago and Ewakuai’s mutual gratitude and willingness to help one another deepen their alliance.
• The burden of hidden powers: Behelet’s blood and lingering will continue to threaten Dago, demonstrating that borrowed or inherited strength comes with consequences.
• Spirituality and ritual: Ewakuai’s reverence for ancient spirits and his ritual with the dead bird emphasize the mysterious, sacred nature of the Spirit Wizard trial.
• Preparation and patience: Both the journey and the waiting period before the full moon reflect the importance of careful preparation before entering the unknown.

Important Character Interactions

• Dago and Ewakuai exchange sincere thanks for the assistance they have given each other.
• Ewakuai assesses Dago’s improved condition and offers hope of removing Behelet’s remaining influence.
• Ewakuai explains the dangers of the Middle Continent and why Spirit Wizards must avoid drawing the attention of major wizard factions.
• At the swamp entrance, Ewakuai separates from Dago to conduct a mysterious preparatory ritual while Dago waits and observes.

Chapter Summary: Moonlit Spirit Worship: The Entrance to the Hall of All Spirits Opens!

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ewakuai performs a ritual over several days, dissolving animal corpses in the swamp and releasing their souls into the forest. Dago observes, reflecting on the relationship between flesh and spirit and experiencing an unusual sense of peace.
• After three days, the swamp disappears, leaving a dry basin containing a faceless black stone figure.
• Under the full moon, Ewakuai explains that both he and Dago must offer blood to the figure to qualify for entry into the Hall of All Spirits. He warns Dago that most spells cannot be used inside and gives him the chance to withdraw.
• Dago accepts, cuts his palm, and adds his blood to the ritual. This strengthens Ewakuai’s trust and affection toward him.
• Ewakuai chants and covers the stone figure in blood-drawn runes. At the moon’s peak, the statue awakens, producing silver mist and black liquid from newly formed “eyes.”
• Dago recognizes the stone’s similarity to a Sacred Shrine artifact he previously encountered. Ewakuai confirms that it is made from Sacred Shrine Stone.
• Ewakuai explains the history of Divine Shrines, Sacred Shrines, divine power, and their connection to ancient wizard civilization.
• The chapter ends with Dago reacting intensely to Ewakuai’s mention of Rune Magic Arrays. His heart pounds, and the God-Prison Tree pattern within him becomes unstable, suggesting a significant hidden connection.

Character Development

• Dago: Demonstrates growing trust in Ewakuai by willingly participating in the dangerous ritual. His curiosity about Sacred Shrines deepens, and his physical reaction to Rune Magic Arrays hints at buried powers, memories, or a connection to the God-Prison Tree.
• Ewakuai: Reveals himself as a knowledgeable practitioner of ancient spirit-worship traditions and a guide to forgotten wizard history. His warning shows concern for Dago’s safety, while Dago’s compliance makes him more emotionally trusting and intimate toward Dago.

Significant Themes

• Soul and mortality: The animal-soul ritual emphasizes the separation and relationship between body and spirit, as well as the possibility of survival beyond bodily death.
• Ancient history and lost civilizations: The chapter expands the setting’s mythology by introducing the Mythic Era, fallen gods, Divine Shrines, and the origins of wizard civilization.
• Faith transformed into knowledge: Ancient wizards studied and repurposed divine power, turning religious remnants into magical tools, arrays, potions, and Sacred Shrines.
• Trust and initiation: Dago’s blood offering serves as both a literal ritual requirement and a symbolic step into Ewakuai’s hidden world.
• Hidden power within Dago: His reaction to Rune Magic Arrays suggests that his past, body, or God-Prison Tree is connected to the ancient forces being revealed.

Character Interactions

• Ewakuai acts as Dago’s guide and warns him honestly about the dangers and limitations of entering the Hall of All Spirits.
• Dago’s decision to proceed reassures Ewakuai, deepening their mutual trust.
• Their conversation about Sacred Shrine Stone allows Ewakuai to share forbidden or obscure knowledge, while Dago’s questions reveal his continuing investigation into the mysterious artifacts he has encountered.
• The ritual creates a bond between them as both contribute blood to the same ancient stone and prepare to enter the Hall together.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago and Ewakuai prepare to leave the swamp after discussing their next objective: using Dago’s remnant of a Sacred Shrine Stone to search for the hidden Ancient Shrine Altar.
• The No-Faced Stone Man’s black liquid fills the basin, and Ewakuai declares, “At the end of the Soul Lake lies homecoming,” before submerging himself. Dago follows.
• The black liquid enters Dago through his pores and orifices without causing pain, transporting him and Ewakuai into a dark transitional realm called the Myriad Spirits Space.
• Ewakuai explains that this space was created by countless Elder Spirit Wizard Sages and is normally suited only for Soul Bodies. Their physical entry, enabled by the power of the Sacrificial Spirit, is temporary, so they must move quickly.
• Holding Dago’s hand to prevent him from becoming lost, Ewakuai guides him through the void. They eventually reach a gateway marked by two flaming black stone pillars and an ancient staircase.
• After climbing the silent staircase, they arrive at an enormous sacrificial plaza filled with countless black stone statues.
• Ewakuai identifies the location as the lowest level of the Abode of All Spirits, where each statue represents a spirit wizard who possessed at least Miracle Tier strength. These ancient wizards entered slumber after the myriad spirits were exiled, and some have already vanished entirely.

Character Developments

• Dago demonstrates trust and courage by following Ewakuai into the mysterious black liquid despite not knowing exactly what will happen.
• His body and consciousness undergo a supernatural transformation, allowing him to enter the Myriad Spirits Space in physical form.
• Dago is humbled when he compares his Soul Light—the visible reflection of soul aptitude—with Ewakuai’s much stronger glow. He realizes that, despite his own growth, he remains far behind Ewakuai in soul talent.
• Ewakuai reveals greater knowledge and control than Dago, successfully guiding them through the dangerous transitional realm. His satisfaction at their smooth entry suggests he had expected the process to fail.
• Ewakuai’s attitude shifts to solemn reverence upon entering the ancient Hall, showing his deep respect for the lost Elder Spirit Wizard civilization.

Significant Themes

• Ancient glory and decline: The endless statues reveal the former greatness of the Elder Spirit Wizard lineage, while their cracks, decay, and disappearance symbolize the passage of time and the collapse of an ancient civilization.
• The nature of souls: The chapter emphasizes soul aptitude, Soul Light, Soul Bodies, and the relationship between physical existence and spiritual realms.
• Trust and guidance: Dago must rely on Ewakuai’s knowledge and maintain physical contact with him to avoid being lost in the Myriad Spirits Space.
• Awe before the past: The characters’ solemn reaction to the Hall reflects the overwhelming power and historical weight of the spirits who once inhabited it.
• Mortality and fading: Even beings of Miracle Tier strength are not immune to extinction, as some of the statues’ spirits have completely faded during their long slumber.

Character Interactions

• Dago and Ewakuai discuss their future search for the Ancient Shrine Altar before entering the Soul Lake.
• Ewakuai leads Dago through the dark void while holding his hand and warns him not to let go.
• Dago questions their destination and observes the strange properties of the realm, prompting Ewakuai to explain the Myriad Spirits Space and Soul Light.
• At the plaza, Ewakuai touches one of the statues with reverence and explains its significance, allowing Dago to understand the immense scale and former power of the spirit wizard civilization.

Dago followed Ewakuai through the Hall of All Spirits to the square of the twenty-four witch chieftains, where he discovered the dragon chieftain Bahafus. Ewakuai urged him to try for Bahafus’s inheritance to resolve his remaining soul-energy problem, and Dago agreed to attempt it.

• Ewakuai led Dago past several statue squares, explaining that the higher they climbed, the more powerful and exalted the Spirit Wizards represented by the statues had been.
• At the fifth square, Ewakuai identified the twenty-four giant statues as the witch chieftains, and Dago saw that most had collapsed or were badly cracked.
• Dago recognized one of the eight better-preserved statues as a dragon, and Ewakuai explained that Bahafus had been a pureblood dragon and a grandmaster of the Soul-Transformation System.
• Ewakuai warned Dago that Bahafus set the harshest inheritance requirements and might refuse anyone outside dragonkind.
• Ewakuai suggested that Bahafus’s inheritance could solve Dago’s remaining soul-energy problem, and Dago agreed to try for it.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ewakuai instructs Dago to place his hand on the statue of Bahafus, the ancient Dragon Wizard Chieftain, in hopes of receiving a trial and inheriting his legacy.
• Dago enters a spiritual vision after connecting with the statue. He finds himself in a catastrophic volcanic realm dominated by a colossal golden-black dragon—Bahafus.
• The dragon’s overwhelming presence nearly forces Dago to submit, but Dago resists and refuses to kneel, relying on his Soul Crystals to withstand the pressure.
• Before he can approach Bahafus, Dago is assaulted by horrifying mental noise and soul-destroying contamination. Within it, he overhears an exchange between two powerful, higher-dimensional voices—one apparently calling Bahafus and another furious female voice rejecting it.
• Bahafus suddenly roars, shattering the vision and forcibly ejecting Dago back into the real world.
• Ewakuai gives Dago a healing potion. Dago recovers but confirms that Bahafus gave him no message, trial reward, or golden scale.
• Ewakuai concludes that Dago failed and suggests he try communicating with other ancient wizard chieftains. Dago refuses, deciding that the Elder Spirit Wizard inheritance represents a dead and doomed path.

Character Developments

• Dago: Demonstrates patience, courage, intellectual curiosity, and strong self-awareness. Despite being crushed by Bahafus’s higher-level aura and severe mental contamination, he refuses to submit or abandon his principles. His rationality ultimately outweighs his desire for power; he recognizes that the Spirit Wizard lineage has already declined beyond recovery and chooses not to pursue its inheritance.
• Ewakuai: Acts as Dago’s guide and provides emergency aid after the failed contact. He reveals that even his own first attempt to approach Bahafus was worse, suggesting that Bahafus routinely rejects weaker Formal Wizards.
• Bahafus: Appears as an immensely powerful, proud, and intimidating ancient dragon whose presence alone can overwhelm lesser souls. Though Ewakuai claims Bahafus is not malicious, his harshness and refusal to acknowledge Dago emphasize the enormous gap between ancient wizard chieftains and modern wizards.
• The Unknown Voices: Their strange argument introduces the possibility of hidden entities, dimensional interference, or a deeper conflict connected to Bahafus’s legacy.

Significant Themes

• Power and hierarchy: Bahafus’s aura demonstrates the absolute difference between ordinary wizards and ancient higher-dimensional beings.
• Defiance and wizardly dignity: Dago refuses to kneel even before a superior existence, embodying the ideal that a wizard should pursue knowledge rather than servility.
• Curiosity versus self-preservation: Dago continues listening to the mysterious voices despite the danger, showing the relentless intellectual curiosity of a wizard.
• Rational acceptance of failure: Rather than forcing himself into repeated trials, Dago objectively evaluates his limitations and the historical fate of the Spirit Wizard lineage.
• The decline of civilizations: The ancient Spirit Wizards’ former glory cannot change their ultimate extinction, raising questions about whether inherited power can truly overcome historical decline.

Character Interactions

• Ewakuai encourages Dago to attempt the inheritance ritual and later comforts him after the rejection.
• Dago accepts Ewakuai’s healing potion but remains briefly wary, reflecting his cautious nature.
• Dago and Ewakuai disagree over what Dago should do next: Ewakuai recommends trying other chieftains, while Dago firmly rejects the idea.
• In the spiritual realm, Dago involuntarily witnesses a hostile exchange between Bahafus and an unidentified female or higher-dimensional entity, hinting at conflicts beyond the immediate trial.

Chapter Summary

Plot and Events

• Ewakuai brings Dago before the enormous statue of the Wolf Chieftain, one of the three grandmasters of the soul-transformation system and the source of Ewakuai’s spiritual shaman inheritance.
• Ewakuai explains that he is about to enter the Wolf Chieftain’s inheritance trial and asks Dago to guard his Soul Disc, a stone-mill-like object. If it reverses during the trial, Dago must turn it back.
• He finally reveals the hidden cost: each failed trial attempt requires someone to sacrifice roughly ten years of soul lifespan to stabilize the trial. Ewakuai has already exhausted many Uta Tribe elders and has only one chance left.
• Dago realizes that he may be forced to sacrifice up to thirty years of lifespan if Ewakuai fails three times. Ewakuai promises to compensate him and offers to sign a high-grade contract, but Dago neither accepts nor refuses.
• Dago probes further, asking what would happen if the Soul Disc were damaged. Ewakuai admits that this would immediately fail the trial and cause irreversible damage to his soul.
• Ewakuai enters the black ripples beneath the Wolf Chieftain statue, leaving Dago alone in the square with the Soul Disc.
• While waiting, Dago reflects on Ewakuai’s manipulation of the Uta elders and the wolf girl, concluding that spiritual shamans—and perhaps the inheritance system itself—are governed by ruthless survival instincts.
• Dago examines the other statues, particularly Dragon Chieftain Bahafus and an ancient, badly cracked humanoid statue. He recalls an uncertain conversation involving Bahafus and another figure who appeared to invite her into a larger scheme, though he cannot determine whether the memory was real or a hallucination.
• The chapter ends when Dago hears a heavy grinding sound. The Soul Disc is still turning silently and the statues should be immobile, leaving him alarmed about the unknown source of the noise.

Character Developments

• Dago becomes increasingly cautious and analytical. Rather than accepting Ewakuai’s request out of trust, he investigates the hidden costs and possible failure conditions before cooperating.
• His admiration for Ewakuai and the spiritual shamans diminishes after learning that Ewakuai sacrificed or exploited others to pursue power and survival.
• Ewakuai is revealed to be desperate, manipulative, and near the end of his lifespan. His previous concern for Dago is shown to be partly motivated by the need for someone else to bear the trial’s costs, though his guilt appears genuine.
• Ewakuai shifts from confident guide to pleading supplicant once his true motives are exposed.

Themes

• Equivalent exchange and hidden costs: Every favor carries a price, and Dago insists on understanding that price before acting.
• Survival and selfishness: The chapter portrays the soul-transformation system as cruel, where power is purchased through the sacrifice of others.
• Trust and manipulation: Ewakuai’s apparent goodwill is reinterpreted as calculated self-interest.
• Moral disillusionment: Dago recognizes that not all powerful or ancient beings deserve admiration; only exceptional individuals such as Melville seem to escape this pattern.
• Uncertainty and hidden danger: The mysterious grinding sound suggests that the statues, the trial, or another unseen presence may be active.

Character Interactions

• Ewakuai respectfully introduces Dago to the Wolf Chieftain statue and explains the inheritance trial.
• He confesses the lifespan cost and begs Dago for help, offering future compensation and a contract.
• Dago responds with controlled skepticism, questioning the terms, the Soul Disc’s function, and the consequences of its destruction.
• Their interaction changes the balance of power: Ewakuai needs Dago’s cooperation, while Dago carefully evaluates whether helping him is worth the potential loss.

Dago investigated a change in the shadow beneath Bahafus's statue and was trapped in an endless darkness, where a huge, hungry creature attacked him. The creature's blow hurled Dago across the square and left him gravely injured.

• Dago noticed that Bahafus's statue cast a larger shadow and entered the darkness to inspect it.
• The darkness swallowed the square, and Dago's firelight faded as the statue and the way back disappeared.
• Dago cast a fireball and saw a huge scaled creature watching him hungrily in the shadows.
• The creature attacked Dago with an enormous claw, and he tried to defend himself with Yitai.
• The blow sent Dago flying across the square and embedded him in another statue's base, with numerous broken bones and bloodied robes.

Dago encountered a living dark-silver Tailless Giant Dragon in the square and struggled to survive its overwhelming power. He unleashed his Despair Winter Dragon secret art against it, but the chapter ended before the attack's outcome was clear.

• Dago climbed from the crater after crashing into an ancient statue and saw the dark-silver Tailless Giant Dragon emerge from the shadows.
• The dragon attacked, and Dago tried to evade it by sprinting around the square, hoping Ewakuai would return from his trial.
• With the dragon nearly catching him, Dago activated [Ancient Ice] and struck it with [Winter Star in the Palm], but it crushed the spell effortlessly.
• Dago gathered the scattered frost into an ice lake and invoked [Despair Winter Dragon's Devouring of Heaven] against the dragon.

Dago failed to hold back the dark-silver Tailless Giant Dragon and struggled to escape while Ewakuai’s Soul Disc began reversing. He chose to turn the disc despite the soul-searing pain, giving Ewakuai another trial as the dragon closed in to attack him.

• Dago’s [Despair Winter Dragon's Devouring] briefly froze the dark-silver Tailless Giant Dragon, but the dragon shattered the ice and sent Dago flying.
• The dragon pursued Dago across Statue Square, while he found no safe escape and realized he would have to stall it.
• The Soul Disc began rotating backward, showing that Ewakuai had failed his first trial and needed Dago to turn the disc for another attempt.
• Dago hesitated between letting Ewakuai emerge and preserving his own final chance, then chose to help Ewakuai.
• Dago endured searing pain in his soul as he turned the Soul Disc, while the Tailless Giant Dragon caught up and reached for him with its claw.