Chapter Summaries

Cui Ciyou and his F-rank party, the Saviors, took a low-rank quest to find a missing Owlcat named Little Black. They quickly located and returned the cat, leaving Alice eager for a more challenging job.

• Alice spotted a C-rank scorpion quest, but Cui Ciyou explained the Saviors could only accept F- or E-rank work and chose the quest to find Little Black.
• The Saviors met the blind elderly client, who tearfully explained that Little Black was her beloved companion.
• Cui Ciyou and Sylphy searched the southern and central districts while Alice and Rujierd covered the eastern and northern ruins.
• Cui Ciyou sensed nearby small predators and food, while Rujierd detected feline tracks, leading the party to a grilled-meat stall where they found Little Black.
• Cui Ciyou caught Little Black and distracted it with jerky, then the Saviors returned it to the old woman and accepted roasted monster meat as their reward.
• Alice complained that the quest had been too easy and vowed to take a tougher job next time.

Cui Ciyou focused on earning money and advancing the Saviors party, leading his companions through nine E-rank quests in one day. The party reached E-rank at record speed, and the chapter ended as Alice spotted a strange glow outside their inn window.

• Cui Ciyou chose an E-rank carrion-rat quest for the F-rank Saviors party.
• Cui Ciyou and Rujierd used their perception abilities to locate quest targets while Alice and Sylphy practiced fighting them.
• The Saviors completed nine E-rank quests, earning coins and useful materials.
• The guild receptionist promoted the party to E-rank, remarking that they had advanced from F-rank in a single day.
• Rujierd sorted the monster materials, and Alice noticed a strange glow outside the inn window.

Cui Ciyou and his companions explored Old Kishirisu City at night, illuminated by demonlight stones. The beautiful view lifted their spirits as Cui Ciyou resolved to continue toward Fittoa and reunite with Roxy and the others.

• Alice noticed the city glowing outside the inn, and Rujierd explained how demonlight stones absorbed energy by day and shone at night.
• Cui Ciyou agreed to take Alice, Sylphy, and Rujierd for a cautious walk through the city.
• Alice excitedly explored the night streets while Sylphy admired the scenery and Rujierd silently recalled the city's painful past.
• Sylphy wished Migurdia Village had demonlight stones, and Cui Ciyou considered bringing some there someday.
• At an elevated ruin, Cui Ciyou admired the illuminated city and resolved to earn money, find Roxy and the others, and head toward Fittoa.

Cui Ciyou and the Saviors party returned to the Adventurers' Guild after reaching E-rank in a single day and set their sights on D-rank quests. When Kurt's Dokurab Village Delinquent Squad invited them to tackle a quest together, Cui Ciyou declined.

• The Saviors party attracted curious looks at the Guild after completing ten E-rank quests and advancing to E-rank in one day.
• Alice proudly noticed the party's new rank, while Cui Ciyou searched the D-rank board and proposed completing ten quests to reach C-rank.
• Kurt, Gabul, and Bachilo introduced themselves with an elaborate performance as the Dokurab Village Delinquent Squad, drawing laughter from the Guild.
• Kurt invited the Saviors party to join the Delinquent Squad's quest to clear Acid Slimes from the Weeping Cave and split the reward.
• Cui Ciyou assessed the boys as inexperienced and declined the invitation, prompting Kurt to react with disdain.

Kurt hit on Alice, but when he tore the Hair Ribbon Cui Ciyou had given her, she flew into a rage and beat him and his teammates. Cui Ciyou stopped her and promised to replace the ribbon, while the battered boys learned to avoid Humanfolk girls.

• After his party invitation was rejected, Kurt approached Alice and asked her to join his party.
• Alice retreated without understanding Kurt, who grew angry and grabbed her arm.
• During their struggle, Kurt accidentally tore Alice’s treasured Hair Ribbon, and she attacked him and his two teammates.
• Cui Ciyou restrained Alice and calmed her by promising to give her two replacement ribbons.
• Cui Ciyou explained the misunderstanding to the injured Demonfolk boys, who were left terrified of Humanfolk women.

After accepting the blind Demonfolk woman's request to find Little Black, Cui Ciyou and the Saviors searched the city but found no trace of the cat. Rujierd discovered evidence of people capturing small felines with ropes, sacks, and sedatives, leading Cui Ciyou to suspect the thieves were operating from an abandoned area outside the city.

• The blind elderly Demonfolk woman asked the Saviors to find Little Black, who had gone missing again, and Cui Ciyou accepted her request.
• Cui Ciyou split the search, sending Rujierd and Alice to the ruins while he and Sylphy checked the places Little Black had visited before.
• Cui Ciyou could not detect Little Black anywhere in his range, despite searching much of the city.
• Rujierd found fresh traces of capture ropes, sacks, and sedative near rubbish dumps in the west of the city.
• Cui Ciyou suspected an organized pet-stealing operation and concluded the thieves were likely hiding in an abandoned area outside the city.

The Saviors team found and confronted the Demonfolk adventurers who had been stealing pets, rescuing Little Black and the other animals. After Cui Ciyou gave the old woman a Guardian Magic Crystal and some money, the team left Old Kishirisu City as it lit up.

• Cui Ciyou located three Demonfolk adventurers hiding with stolen pets in abandoned stone houses outside the city.
• Alice charged into the hideout, and Cui Ciyou, Rujierd, and Sylphy frightened the thieves into confessing and promising to raise their team's rank to C.
• The team returned Little Black safely to the old woman, and Cui Ciyou made her a Guardian Magic Crystal to keep the cat near home.
• Cui Ciyou left a purse of Iron Coins for the old woman, and the team departed as Old Kishirisu City lit up.

After the Saviors gained fame in Old Kishirisu City, a young Ogre named Stein declared himself Laplace’s successor and challenged Alice to a duel. He fled when his brother warned him about Alice, and Rujierd insisted that Stein still deserved protection because he was a child.

• The Saviors turned in a C-rank moonlight grass request, and Alice complained that their recent missions were too easy.
• Stein appeared at the guild, proclaimed himself the heir to Demon God Laplace, and drew laughter from the adventurers.
• Cui Ciyou explained Laplace’s power to Sylphy while Alice mocked Stein, who challenged her to a duel.
• Kurt warned his younger brother Stein that Alice had nearly beaten his team half to death.
• Stein abandoned the duel and ran off, and Rujierd said he would protect the boy because he was a child.

After saving enough money to consider returning to the Central Continent, Cui Ciyou chose a B-rank monster-hunting commission in the Petrified Forest as the Saviors' final mission in Old Kishirisu City. The team sensed unusual magic in the forest and heard a battle and cries for help ahead.

• The Saviors' team reached B rank, and Cui Ciyou decided their savings were enough to plan a return to the Central Continent.
• Cui Ciyou accepted a B-rank commission to investigate and eliminate a mysterious monster in the Petrified Forest for the Merchants' Guild chairman, Bega Moore.
• Rujierd described the forest's petrified trees and unusual, powerful monsters, while Cui Ciyou planned to ask Bega Moore about routes to the Central Continent after the mission.
• The Saviors traveled to the forest, where Sylphy sensed dense, unusual magic power that seemed greater than a B-rank monster could cause.
• Cui Ciyou activated his mental-power perception as the team ventured deeper, then heard weapons clashing, monster roars, and familiar cries for help ahead.

Cui Ciyou and his companions found Kurt’s party and three Pig-Headed Demonfolk surrounded by an A-rank Redfang Serpent in the Petrified Forest. They worked together to disable the serpent’s magic and kill it, rescuing the adventurers.

• Cui Ciyou recognized Kurt’s panicked voice and led his companions to a clearing where the Dokurab Village Delinquent Squad and three Pig-Headed Demonfolk were under attack.
• Rujierd identified the monster as an A-rank Redfang Serpent and insisted they save the trapped adventurers.
• Cui Ciyou assigned roles: Rujierd would engage the serpent, Alice would attack its eye and vital spots, Sylphy would disrupt its movements, and Cui Ciyou would suppress its magic.
• Rujierd and Alice attacked while Sylphy’s Water Bullets and Wind Blades created openings, and Cui Ciyou’s Anti-Magic Field stopped the serpent’s venom and fang magic.
• Rujierd struck the serpent’s vital spot and Alice stabbed its left eye, killing the Redfang Serpent.

After the Saviors defeated the Redfang Serpent, Rujierd revealed that he was a member of the Superd Race, frightening the adventurers he had rescued. Cui Ciyou challenged their reaction and asked them to tell others how Rujierd saved them, while Rujierd felt his guarded heart begin to soften.

• Cui Ciyou suppressed the pain from his old injury as Kurt and the surviving adventurers thanked the Saviors for defeating the Redfang Serpent.
• Rujierd revealed his identity as a Superd warrior, and the adventurers recoiled in terror when they recognized him as Dead End.
• Cui Ciyou confronted Kurt and the others for fearing Rujierd despite his having saved their lives, and told them about Rujierd's years of helping people.
• Cui Ciyou asked the adventurers to spread the truth that Rujierd and the Saviors had rescued them, and Kurt and the others promised to do so.
• Cui Ciyou considered how Rujierd could clear the Superd's reputation, while Rujierd felt some of the ice in his heart melt.

After Kurt kissed Alice’s hand to express gratitude, Alice demanded that Cui Ciyou kiss it too, then secretly kissed the same spot herself on the way back to the Adventurers' Guild. Cui Ciyou and the others noticed her secret gesture, but he decided not to tell her.

• Kurt thanked Cui Ciyou and his companions, then kissed Alice’s gloved hand according to an Ogre custom before leaving with the survivors.
• Alice recoiled, discarded her glove, and scolded Cui Ciyou for not reacting to Kurt’s gesture.
• Cui Ciyou called Alice a kid, making her furious, so she demanded that he kiss her bare hand to earn her forgiveness.
• Cui Ciyou gently kissed Alice’s hand, and Alice blushed intensely.
• On the walk back to the Adventurers' Guild, Alice secretly kissed the spot Cui Ciyou had kissed, while Cui Ciyou, Rujierd, and Sylphy noticed; Cui Ciyou kept quiet.

Cui Ciyou’s party earned an A-rank promotion after killing an A-rank Redfang Serpent, and Cui Ciyou met with Bega Moore to learn the possible routes back to the Central Continent. He learned that the safest route would take about three years, while the faster alternatives were extremely dangerous.

• Cui Ciyou presented the Redfang Serpent’s fangs to the Adventurers’ Guild, whose officials verified the kill and upgraded the commission to A-rank.
• The guild awarded the Saviors five Green Ore Coins and promoted the party and its members to A-rank.
• Cui Ciyou met with Merchants’ Guild president Bega Moore, who gave him five additional Green Ore Coins and explained three routes home.
• Bega Moore described the three-year official trade route through Wen Harbor and the Millis Continent as the safest option.
• Bega Moore warned that the overland route across the Heaven Continent was treacherous and led to the lawless Northern Lands.
• Bega Moore explained that the illicit sea route was the fastest but risked shipwreck and deadly attacks by the Seafolk.

Cui Ciyou chose the safest route home, accepting a three-year journey rather than risk his companions’ lives for a faster return to Roxy. His team trusted his decision and prepared to travel together.

• Cui Ciyou returned to the inn with information about the three routes and the Green Ore Coins, while Alice celebrated the team’s new A-Rank badge.
• Cui Ciyou explained that the safest route would take three years, the faster route through the Heaven Continent Forbidden Zone would be dangerous, and the Black Sea Route was nearly suicidal.
• Alice, Sylphy, and Rujierd entrusted Cui Ciyou with choosing their route home.
• Cui Ciyou weighed his desire to reach Roxy sooner against the danger to his companions and rejected the faster routes.
• Cui Ciyou chose the three-year official trade route, and Alice, Sylphy, and Rujierd agreed to travel with him.

Cui Ciyou and his companions planned the first leg of their journey from Old Kishirisu City to Wen Harbor and learned how the Demon Continent’s demon kings and lawless lands were governed. Rujierd explained the dangers beyond the rulers’ limited territories as the party prepared to travel south.

• Cui Ciyou spread out the map and discussed the route from Old Kishirisu City to Wen Harbor with Alice, Sylphy, and Rujierd.
• Cui Ciyou asked Rujierd about the lawless lands they would cross, and Rujierd explained that roughly thirty demon kings ruled separate, limited territories.
• Cui Ciyou and Rujierd explained that demon kings rarely fought because most cared little about governing or expanding their lands.
• Rujierd warned that the lawless lands were vast, dangerous regions where monsters roamed and the strong preyed on the weak.
• Rujierd described demon king forces as town guards and local security patrols rather than proper national armies.

Cui Ciyou and his companions learned about the Demon Continent’s rulers from Rujierd, who explained the Three Great Demon Kings and their histories. Cui Ciyou compared their territories with the group’s planned route, while Alice and Sylphy reacted to what they had heard.

• Cui Ciyou asked Rujierd who ruled Rikarisu Town, and Rujierd said it nominally belonged to the Wisdom Demon King, Badigadi, who had died in the Laplace War and had not yet revived.
• Rujierd described the Immortal Demon King, Atofe Latoreia, as Badigadi’s elder sister and ruler of the warlike Gaslow Region.
• Rujierd explained that Badigadi’s officers and Rikarisu’s governing bodies managed his territory while he remained dead.
• Rujierd identified the Discipline Demon King, Vignette, as ruler of Demon City Valpurge and praised his role in negotiating peace after Laplace’s defeat.
• Cui Ciyou placed the three Demon Kings’ territories in relation to the group’s route, while Alice expressed interest in fighting Atofe and Sylphy took interest in Vignette’s peace efforts.

After eight months of adventuring, Cui Ciyou and his companions reached S-Rank and arrived at Wen Harbor, where they sought passage across the sea. A harbor clerk recognized the Saviors team and recited their embarrassing nicknames, while Cui Ciyou stopped Alice from reacting to hers.

• Cui Ciyou and his companions rose from F-Rank to S-Rank over the course of their travels across the Demon Continent.
• The Saviors team reached Wen Harbor, the continent’s main maritime hub, and Cui Ciyou set out to find a ship across the sea.
• A harbor clerk recognized Alice, Rujierd Speldia, Sylphy, and Cui Ciyou as members of the Saviors team.
• The clerk listed their nicknames, including “Mad Dog-Alice” and “Nullifier-Cui Ciyou,” and Cui Ciyou stopped an angry Alice from exploding.

Cui Ciyou's party asked about sailing to Millis, but the harbor clerk demanded an exorbitant fare for Rujierd because of his claimed Superd identity. Cui Ciyou stopped his companions from reacting as they prepared to confront the clerk.

• Cui Ciyou asked the Wen Harbor clerk for tickets to Millis, and the clerk quoted five Stone Coins each for Alice and Sylphy.
• The clerk mistook Cui Ciyou for someone connected to the North God family and offered him free passage and waived expenses.
• The clerk demanded two hundred Green Ore Coins for Rujierd, citing harbor rules for passengers associated with the Superd Race.
• Alice protested the charge, while Cui Ciyou recognized that it exceeded the party's available funds.
• Alice reached for her sword, Rujierd gripped his spear, and Sylphy's eyes began to turn blue before Cui Ciyou raised a hand to stop them.

After their passage to the port was blocked by a demand for 200 Green Ore Coins, Cui Ciyou and his companions settled into Wen Harbor and shared a seafood meal. Cui Ciyou told Rujierd he had several plans to obtain tickets and asked him to choose how they would proceed.

• Cui Ciyou stopped Alice and Sylphy from attacking the swindler at the docks, and the group left to find lodging.
• The group checked into a seaside inn and ate Wen Harbor seafood, which delighted Alice and Sylphy.
• Cui Ciyou persuaded Rujierd to drink with him while they discussed what to do about the passage tickets.
• Rujierd apologized for keeping the group from sailing, and Cui Ciyou said he had several plans and let Rujierd choose among them.

Cui Ciyou laid out four ways for the party to pay for Rujierd’s passage, and Rujierd trusted him to choose the best one. The two men bonded over drinks while Alice and Sylphy took them back to the inn.

• Cui Ciyou proposed exploring an Ancient Labyrinth, using the North God Family’s name to secure passage, finding smugglers, or completing high-paying S-rank commissions.
• Alice and Sylphy insisted they should not be excluded from a labyrinth expedition, but Rujierd rejected the dangerous option.
• Rujierd told Cui Ciyou to choose a method and said his justice meant protecting his companions, especially Alice and Sylphy.
• Cui Ciyou and Rujierd drank together, shared their histories and hopes, and drunkenly called each other big brother and little brother.
• Alice and Sylphy hauled the drunken men back to their rooms at the inn.