Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “The General Assault Begins”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago races above Aina Town and releases his powerful mental aura, attracting the attention of wizards throughout the town and even distant academies.
• He publicly warns everyone that a large force of Black-Robed Wizards is approaching, led by two Formal Wizards. His warning triggers widespread panic and evacuation, with civilians and wizards fleeing toward the Wizard Hall, the academy, or out of town.
• Dago reports the imminent attack to the academy’s Half-Step Formal Wizards, who return to inform the dean and organize a defense.
• Within minutes, the sky turns blood-red as the Duskblood Council’s forces arrive. Flax, a councilor, commands the assault in the name of the Blood Mother, Esog.
• A massive blood wave crashes toward the Wizard Hall. Its living tentacles attack the hall’s protective barrier, draining its energy while causing widespread terror among civilians.
• Four academy airships, including Dean Jodes’s, launch a counterattack. Their spell cannons and the wizards’ defensive magic temporarily push back the blood wave and establish a defensive line.
• The attackers deploy dozens of Third-Level Apprentice Wizards, forcing the defenders into close combat. Wounds caused near the blood wave cannot heal, as the victims’ blood is absorbed into it.
• A Formal Wizard from the Duskblood Council attacks the airships, forcing them to stop bombarding the blood wave and defend themselves.
• Struggling with whether to intervene, Dago ultimately chooses to fight rather than remain a bystander.
• Before he can attack the blood wave, Flax approaches and offers Dago a position as a Duskblood councilor. Dago rejects the offer and challenges him.
• Flax attacks with a blood-red scythe. Dago counters with Air Bullets, but it takes two of his spells to destroy a single scythe, revealing Flax’s superior power and setting up a dangerous confrontation.

Character Developments

• Dago: Demonstrates his growing power by flying rapidly, projecting an aura visible across the town, and rallying people with his warning. Although initially conflicted about becoming involved, his conscience and sense of morality push him into battle. He remains defiant and confident when confronted by Flax, despite recognizing the danger.
• Flax: Establishes himself as a powerful and cruel antagonist. He treats the town’s inhabitants as sacrifices to Esog and personally takes interest in Dago, attempting to recruit him before attacking him.
• Dean Jodes and the academy wizards: Respond quickly to Dago’s warning and organize an active defense using airships, spell cannons, and coordinated magic.
• The townspeople: Shift rapidly from curiosity and envy at Dago’s aura to panic and terror as the blood-red invasion begins. Their varied decisions—defending, gathering at the Wizard Hall, or fleeing—reflect the uncertainty of crisis.

Significant Themes

• Moral responsibility versus self-preservation: Dago must choose between protecting himself and helping others. His decision to fight affirms his developing sense of responsibility.
• The terror of overwhelming evil: The blood wave and Esog’s sacrificial doctrine portray human life as disposable, emphasizing the horrifying scale of the attack.
• Power and envy: Dago’s aura inspires admiration and envy, but his strength also attracts the attention of dangerous figures like Flax.
• Choice amid chaos: The townspeople and wizards make different choices when confronted with disaster, reinforcing that individual decisions shape events even when the outcome is uncertain.
• Temptation and corruption: Flax’s offer presents power and status through alliance with the Duskblood Council, but Dago rejects the opportunity to preserve his independence.

Character Interactions

• Dago warns the townspeople and communicates the threat to the academy’s Half-Step Formal Wizards.
• The academy forces cooperate with the Wizard Hall’s defenders to repel the blood wave, while the Duskblood forces coordinate their assault through the blood magic and attacking apprentices.
• Flax attempts to recruit Dago by offering him a councilor position, but Dago mocks the idea and refuses.
• The chapter ends with Dago and Flax exchanging their first direct attacks, establishing a significant power imbalance and a looming duel.

Chapter Summary: “When Kings Finally Meet”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Flax attacks Dago with the Blood Mist Hand, but Dago counters with an Ice Crystal Cannon, freezing and shattering the attack.
• Empowered by the Blood Mother Esog, Flax’s strength and madness intensify. Dago realizes he can no longer defeat him alone and retreats toward the academy’s airships.
• The battle around the Wizard Hall worsens: two of the academy’s four airships are destroyed, Headmaster Jodes is fighting another Formal Wizard, and a blood tide made of tentacles is overwhelming the Hall’s protective barrier.
• Dago unveils his second Apex of Sorcery, the Activated Ice Crystal Technique, creating a giant Ice Crystal Raven modeled after Gugu. He uses compressed-air rings to increase its speed while escaping Flax.
• Dago calls on Jodes to restrain the other Duskblood Council Formal Wizard. With the enemy trapped in Jodes’s Triple Binding Ring, Dago unleashes the Flame Core Air Bullet.
• The attack obliterates the captured Formal Wizard and creates a massive explosion over the town, briefly interrupting the surrounding battle and momentarily clearing Flax’s mind.
• Exhausted from the spell, Dago asks Jodes to hold Flax off while he recovers.
• Flax summons countless Blood Leeches through the Blood Leech Sigil, forcing Jodes to engage him directly. Jodes responds with a Flame Ring Sigil, releasing a swarm of firebirds.
• The chapter ends as the decisive battle between the two faction leaders begins.

Character Developments

• Dago demonstrates that he has advanced from Apprentice Wizard to Formal Wizard, shocking Headmaster Jodes. He also reveals mastery of multiple powerful Apex spells, proving his rapid growth and exceptional potential.
• Despite his strength, Dago recognizes his limits. He uses strategy and evasion rather than confronting the enhanced Flax head-on, then relies on Jodes to create an opening for his devastating attack.
• Flax becomes increasingly unstable and dangerous under Esog’s blessing. His blood-based magic grows more powerful, while traces of his former awareness briefly resurface after Dago’s explosion.
• Headmaster Jodes discovers Dago’s true advancement and spellcasting ability. Though surprised, he immediately accepts the need to fight Flax and fulfills his role as the academy’s leader.

Significant Themes

• Power and transformation: Dago’s sudden rise to Formal Wizard contrasts with Flax’s monstrous empowerment by Esog.
• Strategy versus brute force: Dago survives by combining detection, mobility, mental-force techniques, and carefully timed cooperation rather than matching Flax’s raw strength.
• Leadership and responsibility: Both Jodes and Flax represent opposing factions, making their confrontation more than a personal duel.
• Desperation amid collapse: The destruction of the airships and the failing Wizard Hall barrier emphasize the academy’s imminent defeat.
• The cost of power: Dago’s strongest spell achieves a decisive victory but leaves him physically and energetically drained.

Character Interactions

• Dago and Flax clash repeatedly, with Dago evading Flax’s relentless attacks while searching for a way to survive.
• Dago asks Jodes to restrain the opposing Formal Wizard, enabling Dago to destroy him with the Flame Core Air Bullet.
• Jodes reacts with disbelief to Dago’s hidden advancement and Apex-level spellcasting, then cooperates with him against Flax.
• After Dago withdraws to recover, Jodes faces Flax alone, beginning the chapter’s central “king versus king” confrontation.

Summary of “Corrupted Flax”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago observes a fierce magical battle between Flax and Headmaster Jodes while using his Detection Technique and Meditation Method to monitor the fight and recover mental power.
• As the duel devastates the town, the Wizard Hall’s protective barrier weakens and eventually shatters. The Blood Mother, Esog, invades through the breach, sending bloody tentacles into the hall and killing or consuming countless people.
• The remaining airships retreat to the academy. The town becomes the center of a Blood Bath Ritual, with blood rain covering the streets and Duskblood Council members worshiping Esog.
• Flax abandons his battle with Jodes and approaches the Blood Mother’s flesh-and-blood mound. Esog transforms him into a corrupted servant, encasing him in a blood cocoon.
• After the ritual, Flax emerges as a grotesque, powerful monster covered in tumors, pulsing veins, and three barbed tentacles. Jodes explains that Flax has become the Blood Mother’s loyal guardian while her true form attempts to descend into reality.
• Dago and Jodes jointly attack Corrupted Flax, but their initial spells are effortlessly destroyed. Flax’s blood scythes overwhelm them, forcing both wizards to evade and defend themselves.
• Although Dago considers retreating, he realizes that abandoning Jodes would leave the headmaster vulnerable and allow Flax to pursue him. The two therefore decide to fight together.
• Dago uses the Ice Crystal Raven and freezes Flax temporarily. He then tricks Flax by ordering Jodes to attack, allowing Jodes’s fire dragon to strike the immobilized monster.
• The fire attack melts the ground and burns Flax down to a charred outline. Dago and Jodes survive and finally relax after the exhausting battle.

Character Developments

• Dago demonstrates increasing combat awareness and tactical creativity. Though he is tempted to flee because he is not an official academy student, he ultimately chooses to cooperate with Jodes and risks his life.
• Headmaster Jodes remains determined to defend the Wizard Hall and the town. Despite being badly pressured by Flax, he works with Dago and delivers the decisive fire attack.
• Flax undergoes a complete transformation from opponent to monstrous servant. His corruption erases much of his former humanity, replacing it with madness, cruelty, and absolute devotion to the Blood Mother.
• The Blood Mother, Esog, establishes herself as an immense supernatural threat. By devouring the Wizard Hall’s inhabitants and beginning her descent, she turns the entire town into a ritual ground and weakens the barriers protecting reality.

Significant Themes

• Corruption and loss of humanity: Flax’s grotesque transformation shows the physical and spiritual consequences of serving Esog.
• Overwhelming supernatural horror: The destruction of the town, mass deaths, blood rain, and ritual emphasize the terrifying scale of the Blood Mother’s power.
• Cooperation under pressure: Dago and Jodes must set aside their difficult circumstances and combine their abilities to defeat a stronger enemy.
• Moral choice and responsibility: Dago’s hesitation about risking himself contrasts with his eventual decision to protect Jodes and resist the spreading threat.
• Sacrifice and exploitation: The Blood Mother consumes the townspeople as fuel, while her followers willingly injure themselves to participate in her ritual.

Character Interactions

• Dago and Jodes shift from separate combatants and observers into reluctant allies.
• Flax’s corruption turns his former conflict with Jodes into a one-sided assault against both Jodes and Dago.
• Dago and Jodes coordinate their defenses and combine ice and fire magic, with Dago’s tactical deception creating the opening for Jodes’s finishing attack.
• The Duskblood Council’s worshipful submission to Esog contrasts with Dago and Jodes’s resistance, reinforcing the conflict between devotion to the Blood Mother and opposition to her descent.

Chapter Summary: The Academy’s End

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago and Headmaster Jodes eradicate the remaining Black-Robed Wizards, whose Third-Level Apprentice Wizard abilities are no match for them.
• They approach the Blood Flesh Mound, the monstrous manifestation of Blood Mother Esog that has consumed the Wizard Hall. Its presence thickens their blood, weakens their perception, disrupts flight, and assaults their mental force fields.
• As Dago and Jodes prepare a combined attack, the supposedly dead Flax suddenly revives. His charred body regenerates enough to move, revealing that he has become an inhuman vessel of blood-fueled power.
• Flax instantly kills Headmaster Jodes by punching through his chest and ripping out his heart. Jodes dies with his Flame Ring Sigil dispersing and his final attack unfinished.
• Dago fires a Flame Core Air Bullet at the Blood Flesh Mound. Flax sacrifices himself—or shields the Blood Mother—to intercept the blast, but the explosion incinerates his body.
• Even after the blast, Flax’s heart continues beating. Embedded within it is a Darkblood Crystal, and the heart begins regenerating through pus-filled tumors and devouring nearby flesh.
• Dago destroys the regenerating mass with another Air Bullet, then tears the heart free using an Ice Claw. Because the heart corrodes everything it touches, he freezes and seals it inside his storage space.
• With Flax finally contained, Dago stores Jodes’s corpse as well and escapes the Blood Mother’s influence. He uses his Self-Cleansing Rune to remove the corrupting pus and flees toward the city’s outskirts.

Character Developments

• Dago demonstrates courage, quick thinking, and increasing emotional maturity. Despite severe injuries and fear, he acts decisively to stop Flax’s resurrection and preserve Jodes’s remains.
• His victory leaves him disturbed rather than triumphant. Flax’s fate makes Dago question whether power gained through corruption destroys a person’s identity.
• Headmaster Jodes dies heroically but abruptly, overwhelmed by Flax’s transformed strength. His death marks the collapse of the academy’s leadership and intensifies the tragedy of the attack.
• Flax is revealed to have lost nearly all human qualities. Even death cannot stop his flesh from consuming, regenerating, and seeking greater strength, showing the final consequence of becoming the Blood Mother’s servant.

Significant Themes

• Corruption and loss of identity: Flax’s devouring heart raises the question of whether someone remains themselves after their body and mind are endlessly replaced by corrupted flesh.
• The price of power: Flax’s supernatural strength comes at the cost of humanity, while Dago begins fearing what kind of fate may await him.
• Death and failed victory: Although Dago defeats Flax and escapes, Jodes dies, the academy is devastated, and the Blood Mother remains an active threat.
• Temptation and assimilation: The Blood Flesh Mound exerts a psychological pull on Dago, symbolizing the seductive danger of surrendering oneself to monstrous power.
• Survival amid catastrophe: Dago’s escape reflects the chapter’s shift from victory to endurance as the surrounding city descends into hell.

Character Interactions

• Dago and Jodes cooperate against the Black-Robed Wizards and prepare a joint assault on the Blood Flesh Mound.
• Flax interrupts their attack, killing Jodes before confronting Dago’s spell.
• Dago’s attack destroys Flax’s body but not his heart, forcing Dago to confront and physically contain the remains himself.
• Dago silently preserves Jodes’s corpse, expressing respect and grief without words, then escapes alone while resisting the Blood Mother’s influence.

Chapter Summary: Thorn Ring

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago visits the grave of Jodes, the deceased headmaster of Ainak Wizard Academy, and bows three times in respect. Although he has inherited Jodes’s legacy, Dago accepts that he cannot risk his life for the academy or its remaining inhabitants.
• Using an address left by Selena and a map from Jodes, Dago chooses Kletam City in the Thorn Ring as his next destination.
• He spends more than a month traveling there while studying Jodes’s legacy and improving his skills through accumulated progress points.
• Dago finally reaches the region surrounding Kletam City, discovering that it is a vast floating city built above a massive rift valley. Thorn-like structures form its foundation, while rune-powered pathways connect the surrounding terrain.
• The city contains four enormous wizard towers, extensive rune arrays, airships, magical infrastructure, and a large population of mortals who possess basic rune energy. Many citizens wear thorn circlets, reflecting the city’s distinctive culture.
• To enter the city, Dago purchases a wooden Thorn Ring badge functioning as a temporary access key. Its one-month validity costs him a Mid-Grade Magic Stone, prompting him to complain about the city’s expensive fees.
• Dago is approached by a young man named Stuo Jeanbek, who offers his services as a city guide for two Low-Grade Magic Stones per day. Dago hires him first to find lodging.

Character Developments

• Dago: Demonstrates grief and gratitude toward Jodes while also showing emotional distance from the people of this world. He prioritizes survival and future advancement over loyalty to the academy. His amazement at Kletam City reveals how unfamiliar and technologically advanced the Thorn Ring is compared with places he has previously known. Despite his powerful status, he remains cautious, observant, and willing to use local help.
• Jodes: Though deceased, Jodes continues to influence Dago through the legacy he left behind. Dago’s ongoing study of that legacy remains an important part of his development.
• Stuo Jeanbek: Introduced as a cautious, opportunistic but respectful young man seeking work as a guide. Dago’s friendly response quickly puts him at ease.

Significant Themes

• Loss and responsibility: Dago mourns Jodes but refuses to sacrifice himself for a society to which he feels no personal connection, emphasizing the conflict between inherited duty and self-preservation.
• Transition and new beginnings: Dago’s journey to the Thorn Ring marks another major relocation and the beginning of a new stage in his life.
• Wonder at civilization and power: Kletam City represents a far more advanced wizard society, filled with rune technology, floating architecture, powerful wizards, and integrated magical infrastructure.
• Outsider identity: Dago feels like a newcomer or “country bumpkin” in the city, highlighting his unfamiliarity with its customs, technology, and social structure.
• Commerce and inequality: Entry to the city is expensive, and the contrast between powerful wizards, ordinary mortals, and paid guides suggests a strongly stratified society.

Character Interactions

• Dago pays his respects to Jodes through a silent ritual at the grave.
• He internally reflects on Selena’s directions and Jodes’s legacy while deciding his next destination.
• Dago observes the powerful wizards aboard a rune ship, comparing their strength to his own and recognizing the gap between them.
• Stuo approaches Dago respectfully and offers guidance. Dago lightly teases him by requesting an introduction, then hires him to locate accommodation, establishing their initial partnership.

Chapter Summary: “Rose Inn”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Stuo brings Dago through Thorn Ring to find lodging, passing a mysterious rose-filled villa with a rune fountain, a thorn-covered statue, and two beautiful maids.
• They settle on the Rose Inn, an aging but respectable establishment in the residential district. After negotiating, Dago secures a room for eighteen Low-Grade Magic Stones per month, including three daily buffet meals.
• Dago pays the innkeeper for his room and gives Stuo two additional Magic Stones as a tip, allowing him to finish work early and preventing the innkeeper from reprimanding him.
• Once alone, Dago finally relaxes after a month of travel and the exhaustion of a recent life-or-death battle.
• He examines the changes caused by the Elemental Resonance Art’s Metamorphosis, discovering that his body has become increasingly transformed by ice-elemental power.
• Dago reviews his system panel and confirms that his major abilities—meditation, spellcasting, elemental resonance, and dimensional detection—have reached their ultimate level. Only Potion Brewing remains undeveloped.
• He reflects on his inability to become a true Formal Wizard without a Soul Imprint and a proper inheritance. His immediate plan is to join Thorn Ring and obtain an inheritance through the organization.

Character Developments

• Dago: Shows greater financial security and authority, negotiating confidently and rewarding Stuo’s assistance. Despite outward composure, he is physically and mentally worn down by his journey. His body is becoming less human due to the Resonance Art, with ice energy transforming his flesh and granting him unusual physical properties. He also becomes increasingly concerned about the dangers of advancing without guidance.
• Stuo: Proves helpful and respectful toward Dago, successfully negotiating the reduced rent. His gratitude after receiving the tip suggests that Dago’s generosity has strengthened their relationship.
• Rose Inn’s daughter: Immediately develops an obvious fascination with Dago, while her father reacts protectively and suspiciously toward her interaction with Stuo.
• Innkeeper: Initially concerned about his daughter’s behavior and Stuo’s presence, but becomes quiet after Dago pays for the room and tips Stuo.

Significant Themes

• Transformation and loss of humanity: Dago’s ice-elemental metamorphosis is changing his body beyond normal human limits, raising questions about how much of his humanity he may eventually retain.
• The dangers of power: Dago recognizes that advancing into Scale Two exposes Wizards to demonic possession, madness, and destructive emotions. Power requires confronting the abyss, which may ultimately alter or consume the practitioner.
• The need for guidance and inheritance: Although Dago has perfected several abilities through the system, he lacks the Soul Imprint and inheritance needed to become a genuine Formal Wizard. His self-taught progress may leave him unable to recognize when he has gone astray.
• Rest and temporary stability: The Rose Inn provides Dago with a brief refuge after his exhausting travels, marking the beginning of a new stage in Thorn Ring.
• Memory and continuity: The inn’s name briefly reminds Dago of the unnamed Wizard Inn in Aina Town, linking his new life in Thorn Ring with his earlier experiences.

Character Interactions

• Dago and Stuo establish a respectful working relationship, with Dago encouraging Stuo to call him by name while Stuo continues to address him formally.
• Dago negotiates indirectly through Stuo with the inn’s front desk, then personally confirms the room and payment with the owner.
• Dago’s tip to Stuo earns him the young man’s gratitude and diffuses the tension between Stuo and the innkeeper.
• The innkeeper’s daughter openly admires Dago, while her father attempts to control or question the situation, creating a small undercurrent of social tension at the inn.

Chapter Summary: “Basic Swordsmanship”

Plot Points and Events

• Dago begins the morning attempting to unlock the mysterious silver metal box he obtained from Jodes, but he stops when breakfast arrives and stores it away.
• Linda, the freckled daughter of the Rose Inn’s owner, delivers his meal and repeatedly watches him. During their conversation, Dago learns that her father hopes she will marry or become the mistress of a Formal Wizard, particularly someone talented like Dago.
• Dago discourages Linda from making him the center of her life or forcing herself into a world she does not belong in. Although disappointed, Linda asks to continue bringing him meals, and Dago agrees.
• Dago meets Stuo at the inn and asks him to guide him to a local swordsmanship dojo.
• After paying the tuition, Dago learns the fundamentals of swordsmanship: cutting, thrusting, blocking, returning, drawing, along with proper force, footwork, and breathing.
• His first attempt is extremely poor. The dojo master criticizes his unstable grip, weak off-hand, loose footwork, and stiff joints, assuming swordsmanship is merely a passing interest for a wizard.
• Dago deliberately trains until the system detects Basic Swordsmanship as an improvable skill. He discovers that earning progress points requires intense concentration and mastery of the complete five-step sequence.
• Though his relentless practice irritates the other trainees, they soon realize he is following the techniques seriously and improving at an extraordinary rate. Within minutes, his sword begins cutting into the rune training dummy.

Character Development

• Dago: Demonstrates both emotional awareness and blunt practicality by rejecting Linda’s unrealistic hopes. He also reveals his determination to expand beyond spellcasting and master swordsmanship, motivated by the requirements of one of his future skills. Despite having poor natural technique, he compensates through focus, stamina, and the system’s ability to improve skills.
• Linda: Initially views Dago as an opportunity to escape hardship through marriage or patronage. Dago’s advice makes her reconsider her dependence on others, though she still hopes to remain close to him by preparing his meals.
• Stuo: Continues acting as Dago’s respectful guide and local source of knowledge.
• Dojo Master and Trainees: The master initially dismisses Dago as an inexperienced wizard indulging a temporary whim. The trainees first resent his reckless-looking practice but gradually recognize his discipline and rapid improvement.

Significant Themes

• Independence versus dependence: Dago urges Linda to build a life of her own instead of relying entirely on a powerful man.
• Effort, discipline, and mastery: Swordsmanship requires the unity of mind, body, and technique, emphasizing concentration rather than supernatural power alone.
• Breaking expectations: Dago is a wizard pursuing a close-combat path that others consider unpopular or unusual.
• Systematic growth: The system rewards genuine practice, showing that Dago cannot simply acquire every ability effortlessly; technique-based skills demand focused repetition.
• Appearance versus reality: Dago’s frantic, nonstop swings initially seem careless, but the trainees realize he is practicing with complete concentration and producing real results.

Character Interactions

• Dago’s conversation with Linda exposes the social pressure placed on her by her father and establishes Dago’s unwillingness to exploit her admiration.
• His agreement to let Linda continue serving him leaves her encouraged, despite his attempts to moderate her expectations.
• Stuo supports Dago’s new goal by leading him to the dojo.
• The dojo master teaches and evaluates Dago, while the other trainees shift from irritation and judgment to surprise as they witness his rapid progress.

Chapter Summary: “Everyone Saw Things Differently”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago continues practicing Basic Swordsmanship in the training hall, repeatedly receiving system notifications that his progress has increased.
• The advanced trainee initially assumes Dago is merely exercising to develop his physique and expects him to tire quickly.
• Instead, Dago trains continuously for two hours, completing roughly 2,400 sword swings without resting.
• His strikes gradually penetrate all three protective layers of the Rune Training Dummy, reaching its rune core. This means that, despite using only a wooden sword, Dago could potentially kill a Third-Level Apprentice Wizard.
• The trainees and hall master become increasingly shocked by Dago’s stamina, speed, strength, precision, and rapid improvement. The advanced trainee is driven into despair, feeling that his years of swordsmanship training have been rendered meaningless.
• When Dago finally stops, everyone assumes he is exhausted, but he shows no real fatigue. He then floats into the air using spiritual force, unintentionally revealing that he is a Formal Wizard.
• Dago offers the demoralized trainees encouragement before leaving the dojo.
• He checks his system and sees that Basic Swordsmanship has reached Metamorphosis, 897/10,000.
• Dago reunites with Stuo, jokes about docking his wages for counting ants, then reassures him that he was only teasing.
• The two begin traveling toward the Wizard Tower in Kletam City, a place ordinary people are normally forbidden even to approach.

2. Character Developments

• Dago: Demonstrates extraordinary swordsmanship talent, endurance, and learning speed. His system-driven training allows him to improve continuously, while his Formal Wizard status explains—but does not fully account for—his monstrous abilities. He remains casual and playful, treating his spectacular achievement as routine. His sympathy toward Stuo also reveals that he understands the oppression and helplessness experienced by ordinary workers.
• The advanced trainee: Begins as a proud, experienced swordsman who looks down on Dago, but becomes completely shaken by Dago’s performance. His confidence collapses into jealousy, despair, and even a desire to abandon swordsmanship and return to farming.
• The hall master: Starts as an observer investigating the commotion but soon becomes equally stunned. Watching Dago destabilizes his own confidence and “Dao heart,” especially when Dago reveals that he was not truly exhausted.
• Stuo: Appears timid and submissive, instinctively apologizing when frightened by Dago. His situation prompts Dago to reflect on how workers can become trapped in systems of exploitation.
• The trainees: Initially mock or misunderstand Dago, then become spectators to what seems like an impossible swordsmanship performance. Their despair is partially relieved when Dago’s Formal Wizard identity gives them an explanation for his abilities.

3. Significant Themes

• Different perspectives and misinterpretation: The title reflects how each character interprets Dago’s actions differently. The advanced trainee sees him as a misguided novice, while the hall master and trainees gradually recognize him as a superhuman genius.
• Talent versus years of effort: Dago reaches a level that took the advanced trainee years to achieve, raising questions about innate talent, hard work, and the unfairness of comparison.
• The fragility of pride: The swordsmen’s confidence collapses when confronted with someone far beyond their expectations. Their “Dao hearts” symbolize the psychological foundation supporting their ambitions.
• Hidden strength and mistaken identity: Dago appears to be an ordinary new trainee but is actually a powerful Formal Wizard. His concealed abilities repeatedly cause others to underestimate or misunderstand him.
• Social hierarchy and fate: The discussion on the way to the Wizard Tower emphasizes how society’s established power structures become “fences” that ordinary people mistake for natural boundaries.
• Freedom and aspiration: Stuo’s metaphor suggests that commoners yearn to enter the wizards’ world, while Dago counters that even those at the top may long to cross into another world. This presents ambition and social mobility as universal desires.

4. Character Interactions

• The advanced trainee watches Dago obsessively, hoping to see him fail, but instead becomes emotionally devastated by Dago’s uninterrupted progress.
• The hall master questions the advanced trainee, then joins the trainees in watching Dago and experiences the same shock and insecurity.
• The trainees gather around Dago after his training, treating him as an incomprehensible monster until his levitation reveals his Formal Wizard status.
• Dago briefly encourages the trainees with a speech about perseverance, though he immediately leaves after displaying his strength.
• Dago teases Stuo for neglecting his work, frightening him, then reassures him that his wages will not actually be reduced.
• While traveling together, Dago’s conversation with Stuo broadens the chapter from swordsmanship to the social divisions between commoners and wizards.

Chapter Summary: The Fall of the Grey Sun

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago reaches Kletam City and attempts to enter the eastern Ring Tower, the headquarters of the Thorn Ring faction.
• He discovers that joining the Ring Tower requires either:
  • Being a Third-Level Apprentice Wizard who has lived in a Ring Tower city for twenty years, or
  • Having a recommendation from an official Ring Tower member.
• Since Dago has neither, his attempt to register fails. His offer of Magic Stones is rejected, forcing him to search for a member willing to recommend him.
• While waiting for an opportunity, Dago asks Stuo to search for Selena’s surviving family and plans to locate Selena himself, remove Hyram’s Tear, and continue practicing swordsmanship.
• Dago spends several days studying Kletam City’s structure. He identifies the Wizard Hall, Sanctum of Wisdom, and Wizarding Alliance Bank as the city’s major institutions, while local wizard factions control defense and military power.
• He meditates in the Wizard Hall, but his cultivation progresses slowly because of the unusual structure of his Mental Space. His Despair Black Orb remains caught between the Grey Sun and the Sea of Despair.
• Frustrated by his lack of progress and Selena’s disappearance, Dago falls into profound despair. Memories of his previous life overwhelm him, and black despair begins consuming both his mind and body.
• The chapter ends with the Grey Sun in his Mental Space sinking into the black sea of despair, signaling a dangerous spiritual and psychological collapse.

Character Developments

• Dago becomes increasingly aware of his outsider status in the wizarding world. His strength alone cannot grant him access to true knowledge; he needs connections, legitimacy, or a costly favor.
• His usual resourcefulness is weakened by repeated setbacks. Bribery fails, he cannot find Selena, and his cultivation difficulties leave him without guidance.
• Dago’s motivation deteriorates. He recognizes that his pursuit of power has become an empty survival instinct rather than part of a meaningful life.
• His firm will, previously strengthened through hardship, begins to crack under accumulated frustration, loneliness, and memories of his former life.
• Stuo remains useful as an investigator, tasked with finding Selena’s family, though he has limited ability to help Dago enter the Ring Tower.
• Selena does not appear directly, but her disappearance and family history remain central to Dago’s plans.

Significant Themes

• Access to knowledge and institutional control: Wizard factions restrict entry and information, protecting their power through residence requirements and recommendations.
• Isolation between wizards and ordinary society: Formal Wizards are separated from mundane life because of corruption risks, while Apprentice Wizards act as intermediaries.
• The dangers of wandering wizardry: Wandering wizards lack reliable knowledge, face greater corruption risks, and are associated with terrorist organizations.
• Loneliness and purposelessness: Dago realizes that strength alone cannot provide meaning, leaving him emotionally vulnerable.
• Despair and spiritual corruption: His psychological despair manifests directly within his Mental Space, threatening the Grey Sun and potentially his entire existence.
• The conflict between survival and purpose: Dago continues seeking power, but he questions whether survival and advancement are enough reasons to live.

Character Interactions

• Dago argues with the Ring Tower registration clerk, who explains the strict requirements and dismisses his attempt to use Magic Stones as a bribe.
• He delegates the search for Selena’s family to Stuo while pursuing the Ring Tower entrance himself.
• Dago observes the separation between ordinary citizens, Apprentice Wizards, and higher-level Formal Wizards, deepening his understanding of the city’s social and political hierarchy.
• His most important interaction is internal: memories of his past self confront his present loneliness, causing his despair to overwhelm his will.

Chapter Summary: Spell Training Hall

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago narrowly rejects a system prompt asking whether he agrees to have his soul binding severed. He realizes that embracing despair might transform him into its spokesperson and cause the Grey Sun in his Mental Space to sink completely into the Sea of Despair.
• He reaffirms his ambitions—to become a legendary grand wizard, explore the Spirit World, master powerful spells, and defy fate—and chooses hope and perseverance over despair.
• While walking through Kletam City, Dago discovers the Sanctum of Wisdom’s new spell training hall, where wizards can measure the strength of their spells.
• He spends one Mid-Grade Magic Stone to rent a first-level training room. The room contains a crystal testing wall made of energy-absorbing fragments that reveal a spell’s power by how many crystals it illuminates.
• Dago learns that Formal Wizards are divided into three Rings according to the materialization of their souls. Third-Ring Wizards possess fully materialized souls, can travel between reality and other realms, and may exist as elementalized energy lifeforms.
• He tests the Flame Core Air Bullet using roughly half his mental power. Its strength reaches the level of a mid First-Ring Wizard.
• After recovering his mental power through the Gray Sun Meditation Method, Dago unleashes the spell at full power. The resulting attack nearly reaches the standard of a Second-Ring Wizard.
• This result restores Dago’s confidence. He realizes that although he lacks a soul imprint and may have to wait twenty years, his combat power can still overwhelm late First-Ring Wizards.
• He decides that testing the Activated Ice Crystal Technique and Elemental Resonance Art would be unhelpful because they are primarily auxiliary spells. He then turns his attention to testing the Ice-Core Cruise Missile.

Character Development

• Dago: Moves from fear and emotional instability toward renewed determination. He confronts the possibility of corruption by despair but consciously chooses hope, ambition, and continued advancement.
• His successful spell test significantly improves his confidence. He recognizes that his actual combat strength is far greater than his cultivation level suggests.
• Dago also becomes more analytical, using the training hall to objectively assess his abilities and plan his future rather than allowing anxiety over his soul imprint to control him.

Significant Themes

• Hope versus despair: Dago’s inner struggle emphasizes that despair is not inevitable; maintaining hope requires conscious resistance and courage.
• Perseverance: Victory and failure are presented as temporary states. What matters is continuing forward despite fear, loss, or uncertainty.
• Power beyond formal rank: Dago’s spell strength demonstrates that cultivation level alone does not determine combat ability. Technique quality, mental power, and special abilities can allow a weaker-ranked wizard to defeat stronger opponents.
• Self-knowledge and preparation: Measuring his spells gives Dago concrete knowledge of his capabilities, allowing him to make better strategic decisions.
• Wonder and danger: The wizarding world contains extraordinary marvels, but it is also threatened by evil gods and demons, reinforcing the need for both ambition and caution.

Character Interactions

• Dago has no major direct interaction with another character in this chapter.
• He interacts briefly with the training hall’s front-desk staff to obtain access.
• His most important “interaction” is with the system and the lingering influence of the Grey Sun and Sea of Despair, as he rejects the system’s unbinding prompt and resists spiritual corruption.

Chapter Summary: “Ice-Core Cruise Missile”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago successfully completes and tests a powerful new spell: the Ice-Core Cruise Missile.
• The spell condenses vast amounts of ice-element energy into a translucent ice missile with:
  • An autonomous flight path guided by Dago’s thoughts
  • The ability to avoid obstacles
  • An icy defensive shield
  • A freezing explosion capable of turning everything within thirty meters into ice
• Dago fires the missile at the spell-training hall’s testing wall. The resulting blast overwhelms the wall, damages numerous energy-absorbing crystals, and triggers an alert stating that the wall can only withstand late first-ring spell energy.
• Realizing he may be held responsible, Dago secretly flees the training hall.
• Shortly afterward, Campbell, a noble member of the Thorn Ring, arrives by rune airship to investigate the unusually powerful spell.
• The hall’s administrator reports that an unidentified wizard used a first-ring training room but cast a spell powerful enough to suggest a late first-ring or even second-ring wizard.
• Campbell examines the room and confirms that an exceptionally powerful wizard had drained the surrounding energy particles. Hoping to recruit this talent and gain a reward, he orders the administrator to find the caster and waive the damage costs.
• The investigation incorrectly focuses on finding a mid- or late first-ring wizard, since the administrators believe Dago—listed as an early first-ring wizard—could not have caused the damage.
• Dago returns safely to the Rose Inn, where Linda greets him enthusiastically. He remains nervous because of the damage but soon convinces himself that the testing wall was simply inadequate.
• Feeling confident after witnessing the strength of his spell, Dago resolves to act more boldly and make the most of his opportunities.

Character Developments

• Dago gains significant confidence in his magical abilities. The successful test proves that his trump-card spells are far stronger than expected.
• His initial guilt and anxiety over damaging the training hall quickly disappear as he rationalizes that the equipment was too weak to contain his power.
• Dago’s attitude shifts toward greater ambition and fearlessness, reflected in his belief that the world is his “playground.”
• Campbell is introduced as an elegant, arrogant, and calculating noble associated with the Thorn Ring. He recognizes the value of powerful talent and is motivated both by recruitment prospects and personal advancement.
• Linda continues to show eager loyalty and enthusiasm toward Dago, though her sudden greeting startles him.

Significant Themes

• Hidden power and misjudgment: Dago’s apparent rank causes others to underestimate him, allowing him to escape suspicion even after displaying strength far beyond what an early first-ring wizard should possess.
• Ambition and self-confidence: The successful spell test encourages Dago to abandon excessive caution and pursue greater opportunities.
• Power versus institutions: The training hall’s equipment is unable to withstand Dago’s spell, suggesting that established systems and classifications may not be adequate for measuring his true abilities.
• Self-justification: Dago eases his guilt by blaming the damaged equipment, revealing both his humor and his growing willingness to act boldly without dwelling on consequences.
• Recruitment and competition: Campbell’s investigation highlights the value powerful wizards hold within magical organizations such as the Thorn Ring.

Character Interactions

• Dago interacts briefly with Linda at the Rose Inn; her respectful, excited greeting contrasts with his irritation and lingering nervousness.
• Campbell questions the training hall administrator about promising wizards and the mysterious spellcaster.
• Campbell’s inspection and instructions establish his interest in locating Dago, though neither he nor the administrator realizes Dago is the culprit.
• The chapter ends with Dago unknowingly becoming the target of Campbell’s recruitment efforts while growing increasingly confident in his own abilities.

Chapter Summary: Winter Star

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago finally unlocks the mysterious silver metal box inherited from Headmaster Jodes after spending more than a month studying its mechanisms.
• Inside, he discovers a transparent diamond-shaped soul crystal containing a constantly shifting runic character.
• By probing the crystal with his mental power, Dago receives the knowledge stored within it: the Winter Star Soul Imprint, an exceptionally powerful and potentially evolving ice-type inheritance.
• The crystal also transmits the tragic history of Yakut and the Frost Prison Palace:
  • Sisters Karida and Mappel founded the Frost Prison Palace and brought order to the frozen land of Yakut.
  • Karida’s hunger for power led her to make a pact with Mamentos, the Great Demon of Greed.
  • Mamentos invaded the real world, unleashing demons and devastating Yakut.
  • Realizing her mistake, Karida betrayed Mamentos and froze it beneath the Frost Prison Palace.
  • To accomplish this, she also froze Mappel and their loyal allies, sacrificing her sister’s trust and condemning herself to guilt, madness, and Mamentos’s whispers.
• Mappel preserved this history in the Constant-Change Incantation and attached a commission to it: whoever inherits the Soul Imprint must save Karida within one hundred years or suffer Mappel’s curse.
• Dago accepts the inheritance without hesitation, confident that his Progress System will allow him to rescue Karida and potentially conquer Yakut within ten years.

Character Developments

• Dago demonstrates his patience, intelligence, and willingness to investigate unknown magical artifacts. His successful unlocking of the box marks a major advancement.
• He gains the powerful Winter Star Soul Imprint, giving him a promising new path as an ice-type wizard.
• Dago’s detached, pragmatic personality is emphasized. He shows little emotional sympathy for Karida and Mappel’s tragedy, focusing instead on the strength of Mamentos compared with other powerful beings.
• His ambition and confidence grow: rather than fearing the hundred-year deadline or Mappel’s curse, he treats the mission as a valuable opportunity.
• Karida is revealed as a tragic but morally compromised figure—corrupted by greed, responsible for Yakut’s devastation, yet ultimately willing to sacrifice her sister and herself to stop Mamentos.
• Mappel appears compassionate and self-sacrificing. Even after death, she seeks to save her sister and gives the inheritor a generous deadline to fulfill her request.
• Jodes is shown to have protected the inheritance, possibly intending to sell it or avoiding the responsibility attached to it, though his exact motives remain uncertain.

Significant Themes

• Power and corruption: Karida’s desire for immortality leads her to unleash a disaster far beyond her control.
• Sacrifice and responsibility: Stopping Mamentos requires Karida to sacrifice her relationship with Mappel, while inheriting Winter Star requires Dago to accept the duty of saving Karida.
• Fate and opportunity: Dago views the inheritance as an unexpected opportunity created by a chain of unpredictable events.
• Emotional detachment versus tragedy: The story presents profound suffering, but Dago interprets it pragmatically, valuing the power and future potential of the Soul Imprint above the emotional history behind it.
• Growth and potential: Winter Star’s ability to develop makes it especially valuable, reinforcing the importance of long-term advancement in the wizarding world.

Character Interactions

• Dago and Jodes: Jodes’s inheritance indirectly changes Dago’s future, though Jodes is absent from the immediate events. The artifact carries both Jodes’s legacy and the burden he avoided or sought to profit from.
• Karida and Mappel: Their sisterly bond begins as one of mutual leadership and trust but is destroyed by Karida’s pact and betrayal. Karida’s final sacrifice preserves Yakut at the cost of Mappel’s trust and freedom.
• Karida and Mamentos: Their alliance is based on greed and manipulation. Mamentos offers power and near-immortality, but its invasion forces Karida to oppose the very demon she summoned.
• Mappel and Dago: Though they never meet directly, Mappel places her hope and commission in the future inheritor of Winter Star, binding Dago to her unfinished wish.
  The chapter ends with Dago opening the curtains of his shabby room, allowing sunlight to drive away the gloom—a symbolic moment suggesting the beginning of a new stage in his life and magical development.

Chapter Summary: Beginning Soul Imprint Training

Key Plot Points and Events

• A powerful wizard from the Thorn Ring, Lord Campbell, arrives at Dago’s room with Linda and questions him about the damaged spell-training room.
• Campbell’s mental force field overwhelms Dago’s, revealing that he is at least a late First Ring or possibly Second Ring wizard. Dago remains outwardly calm despite fearing that the spell-training hall may be investigating him.
• Campbell confirms that Dago is only an early First Ring wizard and has not yet condensed a Soul Imprint. He dismisses Dago’s request to join the Thorn Ring because Dago lacks both wealth and influential connections.
• Outside the inn, Campbell reports to his subordinate, Gu Wei, that Dago is merely a refugee who recently advanced to the First Ring and is therefore unlikely to be the person they are searching for. Nevertheless, Campbell orders continued surveillance of possible suspects.
• After watching Campbell leave, Dago decides he can no longer postpone training his Soul Imprint, Winter Star.
• Using the Soul Crystal and the Constant-Change Incantation, Dago begins the imprinting process in his Mental Space.
• The process violently transforms his spiritual right arm into an icy construct. His arm eventually detaches from his Soul Body, causing intense soul-deep pain.
• The severed hand becomes Winter Star, a dark planet roughly one-third the size of Grey Sun, filled with icy-blue cracks and flowing blue energy.
• Dago struggles to control Winter Star as though competing against another force, but eventually brings it near Grey Sun and regains command of it.
• The chapter closes with the suggestion that Mappel’s commission involves a powerful, higher-dimensional presence observing Dago from the Spirit World.

Character Developments

• Dago demonstrates composure and caution when confronted by Campbell, concealing his fear and accurately assessing Campbell’s strength.
• His failed attempt to join the Thorn Ring exposes his lack of status, money, and connections, reinforcing his position as an outsider.
• Dago becomes more decisive after Campbell’s visit, abandoning hesitation and beginning the dangerous Soul Imprint training.
• His willingness to endure severe pain shows growing determination and confidence in his own abilities.
• Lord Campbell is portrayed as powerful, arrogant, and dismissive. He treats Dago as insignificant but remains methodical in investigating potential candidates.
• Linda is shown as intimidated by powerful wizards, retreating quickly when Campbell enters.
• Gu Wei acts as Campbell’s subordinate and informant, helping monitor suspects connected to the investigation.

Significant Themes

• Power hierarchy and social status: Magical strength, faction membership, money, and connections determine one’s position in wizard society. Dago’s talent alone is insufficient to gain entry into the Thorn Ring.
• Concealment and uncertainty: Dago hides his abilities and intentions, while Campbell’s group investigates an unidentified candidate whose identity remains unresolved.
• Pain as a path to growth: The creation of Winter Star requires Dago to endure the destruction and transformation of part of his soul.
• Isolation and perseverance: Dago lacks powerful allies, forcing him to rely on his own judgment and determination.
• The unknown and higher dimensions: The mysterious force connected to Mappel’s commission hints that Dago’s actions are being watched or influenced by powers beyond ordinary wizarding realms.

Character Interactions

• Dago and Linda: Linda nervously introduces Campbell and immediately withdraws, reflecting her fear of the visitor’s authority.
• Dago and Campbell: Their polite conversation masks a confrontation of power. Campbell investigates Dago, while Dago tries to gain access to the Thorn Ring. Campbell rejects him contemptuously.
• Campbell and Gu Wei: Campbell reports his assessment of Dago and orders Gu Wei to continue monitoring possible suspects.
• Dago and Winter Star: During training, Dago treats the emerging Soul Imprint almost as an independent force, struggling to reassert control over the transformed soul fragment.

Chapter Summary: “Frost Prince”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago awakens after successfully condensing the [Winter Star] Soul Imprint, having lost consciousness from the intense pain of his soul being torn apart.
• He discovers that the imprint has transformed his soul aura, making him closely aligned with the ice element and officially placing him among first-circle wizards.
• The [Winter Star] enhances his ice spells and allows his spiritual force field to become a growing Frost Domain. Its strength and range increase as Dago develops his ice-element abilities.
• Dago reviews his system abilities and realizes that the Soul Imprint can be trained both in reality and within his Mental Space. He also learns that Soul Imprints can revert into Constant-Change Incantations after death, potentially allowing him to recover other powerful incantations from the Silver Sea.
• He briefly encounters Campbell at the spell training hall. Campbell ignores him despite their previous acquaintance, while Dago remains emotionally indifferent to the interaction.
• Dago spends five days intensively training in a second-circle spell room.
• By combining Elemental Resonance Art with his Ice Crystal Wand and swordsmanship, he creates an ice sword called “Dance of Fine Snow.” Its casual strike reaches the destructive power of an early first-circle wizard.
• When Dago activates the [Winter Star] alongside his meditation and elemental techniques, he manifests a powerful Frost Domain. Ice-blue patterns spread across his body, a blizzard fills the room, and he takes on the appearance of a noble “frost prince.”
• Testing the domain against the spell wall, Dago determines that its central power approaches that of a late first-circle spell, while its outer range extends roughly ten meters and retains mid first-circle strength.

Character Development

• Dago undergoes a major transformation, becoming far more powerful and visibly connected to the ice element. His appearance and aura become colder, more mysterious, and almost otherworldly.
• He demonstrates growing confidence and analytical ability by carefully measuring the limits of his new Soul Imprint and Frost Domain.
• His combat abilities expand beyond spellcasting: “Dance of Fine Snow” gives him a strong close-combat option during periods when he cannot cast spells.
• Dago also becomes increasingly detached from former relationships and external recognition, shown by his lack of reaction to Campbell’s deliberate coldness.
• Linda remains openly infatuated with Dago and reacts enthusiastically to his enhanced appearance.

Significant Themes

• Transformation through power: Dago’s Soul Imprint changes not only his abilities but also his presence and identity.
• Growth and potential: The [Winter Star] possesses a unique growth trait, amplified by the Progress System, suggesting that Dago’s strength can develop far beyond ordinary wizard limits.
• The dual nature of power: The Silver Sea offers humanity powerful incantations while also producing terrifying demons embodying the seven deadly sins.
• Independence and emotional detachment: Dago’s indifference toward Campbell reflects his increasing separation from past connections and his focus on personal advancement.
• Mastery through experimentation: Rather than merely acquiring power, Dago methodically tests its range, strength, and practical applications.

Character Interactions

• Dago and Linda: Linda anxiously checks on Dago after his disappearance and is dazzled by his improved appearance. Dago responds politely but humorously sends her away so he can eat and train alone.
• Dago and Campbell: They pass one another at the training hall. Campbell pointedly acts as though Dago is a stranger, but Dago shows no visible emotional response.
• Dago and the training environment: Through repeated testing with the spell wall, Dago interacts with his new abilities in a scientific, controlled manner, determining the exact performance of his sword technique and Frost Domain.

Chapter Summary: “Wizard Tower”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After testing the [Winter Star] Soul Imprint, Dago realizes its “Ice-Cold Domain” is extremely powerful but consumes mana rapidly. He decides to use it mainly as an auxiliary ability rather than a frequently cast spell.
• He travels to the Wizard Tower in Kletam City to claim the rewards and privileges granted to a newly recognized first-ring Formal Wizard.
• At the Formal Wizard floor, he observes elderly wizards consuming Pain Candy, a soul-affecting drug that causes pain to stimulate minor soul growth. Disgusted by their dazed, addiction-like state, he decides not to try it.
• At the Wizarding Alliance counter, Dago activates a golden Alliance Badge with his mental power, proving that he meets the requirements for Formal Wizard status.
• He is offered the chance to be assigned a town to govern. Although the position would provide autonomy and status, Dago rejects it because mundane administration would slow his magical progress.
• He receives a set of high-quality blue wizard robes suited to his water-and-ice affinity. The robes contain several practical runes, including ones that improve mental force-field deployment.
• Dago visits the eighth floor’s potion district and buys two High-Grade Mental Recovery Potions and one bottle of Soul-Replenishing Dew for ten Mid-Grade Magic Stones.
• The potion shopkeeper warns him that excessive reliance on potions can pollute the soul, make one vulnerable to the demons of the Silver Sea, and ultimately lead to corruption.

Character Development

• Dago demonstrates greater self-awareness regarding his limitations: he recognizes that [Winter Star] is mana-intensive and that his current strength does not allow unlimited use.
• He confirms his transition from apprentice to Formal Wizard, gaining access to new resources, clothing, and social privileges.
• His rejection of town leadership shows that he values long-term magical advancement over comfort, wealth, or political influence.
• Dago’s caution and practical mindset are reinforced by his refusal to consume Pain Candy and his thoughtful response to the dangers of potion dependence.
• His personality remains dry, observant, and independent. He handles flirtation with humor, avoids unnecessary entanglements, and treats the Wizard Alliance’s benefits pragmatically.

Significant Themes

• Power and limitations: Even a powerful spell or Soul Imprint is only useful if the wizard can support its mana cost.
• Pursuit of advancement: Dago chooses the uncertain path of continual growth instead of settling into a comfortable administrative life.
• Temptation and corruption: Pain Candy and magical potions represent shortcuts to improvement, but both carry risks to the soul and future development.
• Institutional influence: The Wizarding Alliance maintains loyalty through generous benefits, high-quality equipment, and autonomy for Formal Wizards.
• Practicality over indulgence: Dago repeatedly avoids distractions, whether drugs, romance, or mundane responsibilities, in favor of strengthening his wizarding path.

Character Interactions

• A bald Apprentice Wizard guides Dago through the Formal Wizard passage and is visibly impressed by his status.
• Dago playfully deflects the female receptionist’s flirtation by suggesting she use Spirit-Eye Grass juice for her dry eyes, leaving her embarrassed and annoyed.
• The receptionist formally verifies Dago’s soul aura, presents him with the Alliance placement form, and gives him his faction-appropriate robes.
• In the potion shop, Dago silently examines the merchandise while the eccentric old shopkeeper reads an erotic picture book.
• The shopkeeper’s warning about magical potions provides Dago with valuable information about soul impurities, spatial theft detection, and the dangers of Silver Sea demons.

Chapter Summary: Manor Castle

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago returns to the Rose Inn, where Stuo reports finding a fallen noble family connected to Selena. The family lives at Number 60 Oak Street in Kletam City.
• Dago rewards Stuo with Magic Stones, encouraging his dream of becoming a wizard.
• Dago arrives at the neglected Krog family estate. After receiving no response, he enters and is immediately attacked by thorny vines and a massive log.
• He easily defends himself with Air Bullet and ice magic, revealing that the estate is protected by powerful defensive measures.
• A late First-Circle Wizard challenges Dago for trespassing and identifies the estate as belonging to the Krog Family. After a tense exchange, Dago is allowed inside.
• Dago enters the decaying castle and follows the wizard’s voice into a dark, potion-filled basement covered in active rune arrays.
• He meets Bernal Krog, a powerful and hostile-looking nobleman who reveals himself to be Selena’s older brother and a member of the Thorn Ring.
• Dago explains that he came because he knew Selena. Bernal’s hostility lessens when he learns Dago was her companion at Ainak Wizard Academy.
• At the end of the chapter, Dago notices a huge crystal coffin in the depths of the basement, suggesting a hidden mystery or someone being preserved inside.

Character Developments

• Dago: Demonstrates greater caution and combat ability when confronted by the estate’s defenses. Although initially confident, he is unsettled by learning that Selena has an older brother and by the mysterious atmosphere of the castle. He remains respectful and diplomatic when dealing with Bernal.
• Stuo: Shows dedication and investigative skill by locating Selena’s family. His desire to become a wizard is reinforced when Dago rewards him with Magic Stones.
• Bernal Krog: Introduced as a powerful, suspicious, and emotionally hardened wizard. His neglected appearance and decaying surroundings suggest the Krog family’s decline. Despite his initial hostility, he becomes more receptive after learning of Dago’s connection with Selena.
• Selena: Does not appear directly, but the chapter reveals that she comes from the fallen Krog noble family and has an older brother, Bernal. Her past is shown to be more complicated than Dago realized.

Significant Themes

• Pursuit of dreams: Dago’s reward to Stuo emphasizes that individuals deserve the opportunity to pursue their ambitions.
• Decline and ruin: The abandoned estate, decayed castle, neglected garden, and Bernal’s appearance reflect the Krog family’s fall from nobility.
• Hidden pasts and revelations: Dago discovers unexpected information about Selena’s family and realizes how little he knows about her history.
• Trust and guarded relationships: The hostile defenses and Bernal’s suspicion show the difficulty of entering a family burdened by calamity and secrecy.
• Power and caution: Dago’s confrontation with the estate’s defenses and Bernal highlights the importance of judging an opponent’s strength before acting.

Character Interactions

• Dago and Stuo interact respectfully, with Dago rewarding Stuo’s service and encouraging his aspirations.
• Dago and Bernal begin with conflict: Dago trespasses, is attacked by the estate’s defenses, and faces Bernal’s warning.
• Their relationship shifts toward cautious conversation after Dago identifies himself as Selena’s former companion.
• Bernal acknowledges Dago’s status as a Formal Wizard, while Dago recognizes Bernal as a stronger, late First-Circle Wizard.
• The mysterious crystal coffin remains an unresolved point of tension and likely connects to the Krog family’s calamity.

Summary of “The Crystal Coffin”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bernal asks Dago to help maintain a crystal coffin containing his sleeping wife. The coffin is covered in complex runes, several of which have begun to fail.
• Bernal explains that his wife, a member of the Thorn Ring, inexplicably fell into an eternal sleep in the Ring Tower library, apparently losing her soul. He suspects the Thorns of Pain Society, who coveted his family’s inherited magical imprint, were responsible.
• To preserve his wife’s body, Bernal has kept her in the crystal coffin and uses ice-based magic to maintain the protective formation.
• Dago channels his ice-element energy into a damaged rune formation, restoring it and covering the woman’s body in frost. The process visibly comforts Bernal and temporarily improves his emotional state.
• After paying Dago with several Mid-Grade Magic Stones, Bernal orders him to leave and warns him that nothing can happen between him and Selena because Dago is only a wandering wizard.
• Insulted, Dago confronts Bernal. Their magical auras clash, but Dago’s strength overwhelms Bernal’s Late First-Ring power. Dago bluntly calls Bernal weak.
• The confrontation quickly shifts into cooperation. Five minutes later, the two are peacefully talking in the main hall, discussing Dago’s academy experiences and the descent of Esog, the Blood Mother.
• Bernal warns Dago never to casually invoke the names of evil gods, explaining that such beings can locate and seize souls through the Spirit World. He reveals his suspicion that the Thorns of Pain Society worships an evil god and used his wife’s condition to force him into serving them.
• Dago offers to investigate the Thorns of Pain Society if Bernal sponsors his entry into the academy. Bernal hesitates because becoming Dago’s guarantor would make him responsible for Dago’s actions.
• Dago raises the possibility of recovering Bernal’s wife’s soul, causing Bernal to waver emotionally and consider accepting the risk.

Character Developments

• Dago demonstrates technical skill with ice magic, emotional restraint, and a fierce commitment to personal dignity. He refuses to tolerate Bernal’s condescension and proves that his strength exceeds Bernal’s expectations.
• Dago also shows strategic intelligence by using Bernal’s love for his wife to persuade him toward cooperation rather than simply demanding assistance.
• Bernal is revealed as a grieving, guilt-ridden husband who has become defensive and irritable after failing to protect his wife. Though powerful enough to be an official wizard, he has withdrawn from the wider world and devoted himself to preserving her body.
• Bernal’s hostility toward Dago stems partly from protectiveness toward Selena and partly from his fear of hidden dangers. His attitude changes once Dago proves his strength and offers a possible solution to his wife’s condition.
• Bernal’s love for his wife remains his greatest emotional weakness, overriding his caution and rational judgment.

Significant Themes

• Love and obsession: Bernal’s devotion preserves his wife’s body but also traps him in grief and prevents him from moving forward.
• Dignity and power: Dago believes respect is secured through strength, and he immediately challenges Bernal when insulted.
• Soul versus body: The crystal coffin preserves the wife physically, but the story emphasizes that true restoration requires recovering her lost soul.
• Manipulation and vulnerability: Bernal’s desperation may make him susceptible to both the Thorns of Pain Society and Dago’s proposal.
• Cosmic danger: Evil gods and the Spirit World represent forces far beyond ordinary wizard conflicts, making even the mention of their names dangerous.
• Trust and responsibility: Bernal must decide whether Dago is trustworthy enough to sponsor, knowing that he would bear responsibility for Dago’s future actions.

Character Interactions

• Bernal begins by treating Dago as a useful outsider and then dismisses him as unworthy of Selena. Dago responds by demanding respect and overpowering him in a magical confrontation.
• Their conflict unexpectedly develops into mutual recognition: Bernal acknowledges Dago’s strength, while Dago recognizes Bernal’s grief and uses it to propose an alliance.
• Dago’s offer to retrieve Bernal’s wife’s soul creates the first real possibility of cooperation between them and leaves Bernal caught between rational suspicion and emotional hope.

Chapter Summary: “Entrance Examination”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bernal agrees to let Dago join the Thorn Ring, provided Dago passes an entrance examination in three days. He also promises to let Dago see Selena, whom he has placed in a safer location outside Krog Castle.
• After waiting anxiously outside Bernal’s manor, Dago is reunited with Selena. Their meeting is emotionally charged, especially for Selena, who is visibly overwhelmed by seeing him again.
• Bernal observes that Dago’s aura and mastery of ice magic have improved significantly in only three days. He reveals that Dago’s first task after joining the Ring will be helping investigate the Thorns of Pain Society.
• Bernal explains that the entrance examination should be easy for Dago, whose strength now surpasses Selena’s. He also hints that Dago should conceal his true abilities and “play the pig to eat the tiger.”
• At the Thorn Ring’s registration hall, Dago encounters the same middle-aged receptionist from his previous failed attempt to join. The man is shocked to learn that Bernal is sponsoring Dago.
• Dago discovers that Bernal is widely disliked because his investigation into the Thorns of Pain Society and his wife’s murder caused him to offend nearly half the Ring’s wizards. This makes Dago’s sponsorship politically dangerous.
• Despite the risks, Dago decides not to withdraw. He is eager to enter the Ring, gain access to Soul Imprint inheritances and better resources, and accelerate his advancement.
• Dago, Bernal, and Selena enter the examination area. There, Dago unexpectedly encounters Campbell, the wizard he had previously approached for sponsorship. Campbell has brought several candidates to be tested, suggesting a possible rival or future source of conflict.

Character Developments

• Dago: Demonstrates rapid growth in ice magic and has reached the level of a Formal Wizard. His impatience and bluntness remain evident, but he is becoming more calculating and ambitious. Rather than being deterred by Bernal’s enemies, he views the danger as an exciting challenge and remains focused on joining the Ring.
• Bernal: Reveals more of his complicated history and political isolation within the Ring. Though he appears indifferent and enjoys teasing Dago, he is honoring his promises and intends to use Dago in the investigation of the Thorns of Pain Society.
• Selena: Is visibly overjoyed and emotionally shaken by her reunion with Dago. She has grown physically but remains only a Third-Level Apprentice Wizard, making her aware of the gap between her current strength and Dago’s. Her affection for Dago is clear, while her position between Dago and Bernal leaves her unable to support either openly.
• Campbell: Reappears as a significant figure connected to the entrance examination. His elevated status and group of sponsored wizards imply that he may compete with or oppose Dago.

Significant Themes

• Dangerous alliances: Dago and Bernal distrust and dislike one another, yet their mutual goals force them into cooperation.
• Hidden strength and deception: Bernal encourages Dago to conceal his true power, foreshadowing strategic conflicts within the Ring.
• Ambition and advancement: Dago accepts political danger because membership offers superior resources, inheritances, and opportunities for rapid growth.
• Emotional reunion and separation: Selena and Dago’s reunion highlights their strong bond, while their differing levels of magical power suggest increasing distance between them.
• Political consequences of truth-seeking: Bernal’s investigation into his wife’s murder has made him many enemies, demonstrating the personal cost of challenging powerful organizations.

Character Interactions

• Dago and Bernal maintain a hostile but necessary partnership, trading insults and veiled warnings while relying on each other.
• Dago and Selena share a tender, emotionally intense reunion, though Bernal’s presence prevents them from spending much time together.
• Selena reacts defensively when Bernal insults her abilities, pinching him in anger.
• The receptionist’s fear and surprise at Bernal’s name reveal the extent of Bernal’s reputation within the Thorn Ring.
• Dago and Bernal silently assess one another before the examination, both aware that their alliance may collapse depending on the outcome.
• Dago’s unexpected encounter with Campbell establishes a likely confrontation or rivalry during the upcoming examination.

• Plot and events: Bernal explains to Dago that “hunting dogs” who recruit wizards for the Thorns of Pain demand a large share of their future mission rewards—typically thirty percent for ten years—in exchange for guaranteeing entry. Dago is relieved that Campbell once rejected him, preferring Bernal’s openly villainous honesty to Campbell’s exploitative methods.
  The Thorn Ring’s entry assessment begins. Campbell’s recommended fire-marked wizard enters first but fails after being forced to face a late-stage first-ring Earthshaking Rock Beast enhanced with a Fury Potion. The examiner, Franz, has made the standards exceptionally harsh: surviving two minutes is required to pass, while five minutes is needed for core membership. Campbell realizes Franz is deliberately targeting Thorns of Pain and vows revenge. He then manipulates the assessment order so his remaining candidates can enter after the potion’s effects weaken.
  Dago is next. After receiving brief advice from Bernal, he enters a folded-space arena consisting of a protected white plaza and a fog-shrouded wilderness. A sinister bald examiner and a middle-aged wizard await him. Dago is ordered to proceed into the wilderness without retreating into the rune array’s protection, marking the beginning of his test.

Character developments

• Dago becomes more discerning about the competing factions and recognizes the value of Bernal’s straightforwardness. Despite being mocked for his low cultivation, he remains composed and seeks practical advice before entering the assessment.
• Bernal is established as a cynical but reliable recommender who openly explains the financial exploitation associated with recruitment. He remains calm and supportive during Dago’s assessment.
• Campbell is revealed as both manipulative and politically connected. His shock at Bernal’s three Thorn Knots suggests Bernal’s status is far greater than his apparent strength indicates. Campbell’s anger at Franz exposes his sense of entitlement and willingness to seek revenge through Thorns of Pain.
• Franz emerges as a hostile examiner who deliberately raises the difficulty and refuses to favor Campbell’s faction.
• Selena encourages Dago, providing him with moral support amid the hostile atmosphere.
• Themes: The chapter emphasizes exploitation and transactional relationships within wizard society, particularly through the “hunting dog” recruiters who profit from candidates twice. It also explores factional politics, hidden status, unfair competition, and the contrast between apparent weakness and concealed influence. The brutal assessment highlights the harsh, survival-based nature of advancement.
• Character interactions: Bernal mocks Campbell while explaining the recruitment system to Dago, and Dago silently agrees with his assessment. Campbell notices Bernal’s three-knot emblem and becomes suspicious of his unknown background. After the fire-marked wizard fails, Campbell consoles neither him nor Dago, instead manipulating the assessment schedule. The fire-marked wizard insults Dago, while Bernal and Selena encourage him. The chapter ends with Dago facing the anonymous examiners and being sent into the dangerous wilderness.

Chapter Summary: “Earthshaking Rock Beast”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dago enters the wilderness beyond the rune-array barrier to take part in the assessment, despite being only an early First Circle wizard and having no equipment.
• The supervising bald wizard interprets Dago’s presence as an insult from Campbell and threatens to cripple or kill every wizard Campbell sends until Campbell’s backer, Thorns of Pain, offers him something valuable.
• A massive magical beast awakates: a mountain-sized creature covered in dark-gray rock armor, with glowing yellow energy crystals, immense strength, and terrifying speed.
• The beast possesses an earth-element ability that creates a gravity field, severely restricting Dago’s flight and movement.
• Dago uses his Elemental Resonance Art, Ice Crystal techniques, physical enhancement, and Dimensional Detection Technique to evade the beast’s earth spikes.
• His attacks—Icewind Cross Slash and Ice Blade Wave Sword—prove ineffective against the creature’s rocky body and defensive crystal shield.
• Dago is gradually driven back toward the starting area. When he nears the safety barrier, the middle-aged wizard attacks the ground beside him as a warning, making it clear that Dago is not allowed to retreat or voluntarily abandon the test.
• Trapped between the giant beast and the hostile examiners, Dago finally stops panicking and regains his composure, preparing to confront the danger directly.

Character Developments

• Dago: Initially overwhelmed by the wilderness and terrified by the beast’s presence, he quickly demonstrates strong survival instincts by fleeing and using his abilities strategically. His combat skills, enhanced physique, energy perception, and spell control allow him to evade attacks that would kill an ordinary First Circle wizard. However, his offensive power is insufficient to penetrate the beast’s defenses. By the end of the chapter, he develops a calmer, more determined mindset after realizing retreat is impossible.
• The bald wizard: Revealed as cruel, vindictive, and politically motivated. He uses the assessment to punish Campbell and pressure Thorns of Pain, treating Dago as expendable entertainment for his “pet.”
• The middle-aged wizard: Acts as the bald wizard’s enforcer. He reinforces the rules through intimidation and deliberately attacks near Dago to prevent him from escaping.
• The rock beast: Established as an exceptionally powerful First Circle magical beast with enormous durability, speed, earth-based abilities, and instinctive aggression.

Significant Themes

• Power imbalance and exploitation: Dago is placed in a deadly test not simply to assess him, but as part of a political struggle between powerful wizard factions.
• Survival under coercion: The examiners deny Dago the right to retreat, turning the assessment into a forced life-or-death battle.
• Adaptation versus raw strength: Dago survives through perception, mobility, and technical spell use, but his refined abilities initially cannot overcome the beast’s overwhelming durability.
• Composure under pressure: The chapter ends with Dago moving beyond fear and panic, suggesting that mental control may be essential to overcoming the seemingly hopeless situation.

Character Interactions

• The bald wizard and middle-aged wizard discuss Campbell contemptuously and agree to make his representative suffer.
• The bald wizard views the rock beast as a personal weapon and deliberately releases it against Dago.
• The middle-aged wizard blocks Dago’s retreat with a threatening attack, reinforcing the bald wizard’s authority.
• Dago has no direct dialogue with the beast, but their interaction forms the chapter’s central conflict: the wizard relies on evasion and calculated spellcasting, while the beast answers with brute force, earth magic, and relentless pursuit.