Chapter Summaries

Summary

This chapter is primarily an author’s note rather than a narrative installment. The author explains that a scheduling mistake caused them to prepare five updated chapters—over 17,000 words—for the wrong date. The editor then clarified that the story would appear on the top recommendation banner the following day, forcing the author to prepare and revise even more material under pressure.

Key Plot and Story Development

• William has entered the Grandmaster realm, marking the beginning of the novel’s lengthy middle stage.
• The middle stage is planned to cover three major power levels: Grandmaster, Epic, and Legend.
• The author expects this portion of the story to be much longer than the early stage, potentially adding one or two million words.
• Numerous future game patches are planned, especially because the mystery surrounding the deities has only begun to unfold.
• William’s progression will be intentionally slow: each level requires more than 800,000 experience points, while manuals and skills also demand enormous amounts of experience.
• A complete advancement for Grandmaster William would require more than two million experience points.
• The author hints that future chapters will introduce special skills, four-dimensional attributes, and health points, while noting that a complete character Status Panel would be extremely long.
• A future patch update is nearing completion, and the author teases the arrival of “the little lamb.”

Character Development

• William’s advancement into the Grandmaster realm confirms his transition into the novel’s mid-stage and establishes a much higher power scale.
• His slow leveling emphasizes that he will not rapidly overpower every opponent; instead, his growth and resource management will remain important.
• The author invites readers to help design suitable Grandmaster-level enemies, tournament champions, experts from powerful factions, dungeons, and future patches.

Character Interactions

• There are no direct in-story character interactions in this chapter.
• The main interaction is between the author and the readership. The author asks readers to contribute ideas through the comments and presents this as a way for them to feel more connected to the book.
• The author also jokes about readers’ habits, encouraging them to do more than simply read, request updates, and submit votes.

Significant Themes

• Expansive world-building: The story is entering a much longer phase involving new realms, factions, enemies, dungeons, and game-system updates.
• Slow and meaningful progression: William’s enormous experience requirements reinforce that advancement will be gradual and hard-earned.
• Reader participation: The author encourages readers to help shape the setting and future content, almost treating the novel as a collaborative project.
• Authorial humor and self-deprecation: The author jokes about being bad at naming things, running out of inspiration, and “crowd-funding” the story, while also playfully threatening readers with “reverse chapter urging.”
• Promotion and production pressures: Much of the chapter humorously documents the author’s frantic writing schedule, revision process, and requests for monthly and recommendation votes.

Chapter Summary: William’s Origins (2/3)

Key Plot Points and Events

• William, accompanied by Douglas and Doglitt, reaches Alice’s secluded tree house in King City after more than three years apart.
• He reunites with his mother and gives her the Life Fruit he obtained from the Dream Continent. He insists that she consume it immediately rather than save it for someone else.
• The Life Fruit restores Alice’s youth, unlocks the life force accumulated from years of longevity treasures, and causes her to advance into a true Legendary Life-Class Professional.
• The transformation releases a massive wave of vitality that destroys the tree house and revitalizes the surrounding land, plants, and animals.
• The event attracts many Elves, including members of the Royal Family. Some are amazed, while others react with jealousy and fear, remembering Alice’s exceptional abilities and her forbidden relationship with a human.
• Alice explains William’s origins and the circumstances surrounding his childhood. She had fallen in love with a human, become pregnant, and been imprisoned or isolated because Elven law forbade relationships with humans.
• William’s father, a powerful Legendary, repeatedly tried to enter Dark Night Royal City to rescue Alice and William. Unable to do so, he became a minor lord near the Blackleaf Forest and eventually left for the dangerous Desolation Continent to seek a way to become a Saint and save them.
• After the father’s departure, Alice’s relatives treated her more recklessly. To protect young William from hostility and discrimination in King City, Alice sent him to Border Town and gave him the Inner Armor, a blessing capable of reviving him after death.
• Alice reveals that she intends to travel to the Desolation Continent to rescue William’s father, whom she knows is still alive but in danger.
• William leaves for Dawn City, while Alice announces that she will settle there as well. Her former force of three thousand personal guards follows her.
• The Elven King allows Alice to leave and privately meets her. William recognizes that, despite opposing her relationship with a human, the King still deeply loves his daughter and had tried to preserve her life for years.
• The chapter emphasizes how extraordinarily difficult William’s acquisition of the Life Fruit was, requiring survival through the Dream Continent’s once-in-a-century war and its deadly weapons.

Character Development

• William: Demonstrates deep affection and protectiveness toward Alice. His insistence that she immediately eat the Life Fruit shows both his concern and his fear that she might sacrifice her own life or give the treasure away. He also learns more about his family and the sacrifices made for him.
• Alice: Reclaims her youth, health, strength, and true potential, becoming a Legendary powerhouse. Her reunion with William reveals her warmth and longing as a mother. After regaining her power, she acts decisively, choosing to rescue her husband rather than simply settle safely in Dawn City.
• William’s father: Although absent, he is portrayed as fiercely devoted and determined. His repeated attempts to rescue Alice and his journey to the Desolation Continent establish him as a powerful but desperate figure.
• The Elven King: His opposition to Alice’s relationship with a human is shown to stem from political responsibility and historical trauma rather than a lack of love. His efforts to prolong Alice’s life reveal his enduring affection for her.
• Alice’s siblings and relatives: Their resentment exposes their insecurity and jealousy toward Alice, whose talent, kindness, and strength made them feel inferior.

Significant Themes

• Family loyalty and sacrifice: William, Alice, and his father have all endured immense hardship because of their devotion to one another.
• Prejudice and forbidden relationships: Alice’s romance with a human is condemned because of Elven laws and painful historical memories involving Half-Elves and past betrayals.
• Power and destiny: Alice’s transformation shows that her apparent weakness was caused by the limits of her lifespan and Life Blessing, not a lack of potential.
• Parental love versus political duty: The Elven King’s conflict illustrates the tension between protecting tradition and caring for his daughter.
• Persistence and miraculous reward: William’s dangerous quest for the Life Fruit ultimately changes Alice’s fate and repairs one of the deepest wounds in his family.
• Origins and recovered identity: William’s explanation that he lost his memories allows Alice to reveal the hidden history behind his birth and childhood.

Important Character Interactions

• William and Alice: Their emotional reunion centers on William embracing his mother and giving her the Life Fruit. Alice responds with affection and later shares the truths of his childhood.
• William and Doglitt/Douglas: They accompany him to Alice’s home, demonstrating their loyalty and support.
• Alice and her Elven relatives: Their hostility reflects the Royal Family’s jealousy and condemnation of her relationship with a human.
• Alice and the Elven King: Their relationship combines old conflict with genuine love. He once opposed her choices but ultimately worked to preserve her life and accepts her departure.
• Alice and William’s father: Though separated, their mutual determination remains central; Alice now intends to cross the Desolation Continent to save him.
• Alice and her guards: Her three thousand former personal guards remain loyal and follow her to Dawn City, reinforcing her authority and the devotion she inspires.

Chapter Summary: “Version Update Ended (3/3)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Alice arrives in Dawn City but stays only three days before secretly departing for the Desolation Continent.
• During her visit, she meets nearly every woman connected to William, including Siya, Annie, Xiyan, and Moxis at the Divination Shop. Her conversation with Moxis leaves her giving William several mysterious looks.
• William gathers Burning Ash, Lotner, Diablo, and his trusted subordinates in a tavern. He reflects on Dawn City’s growing strength, its powerful defenders, and the rapid advancement expected from his followers.
• Over the next year, Dawn City expands through diplomacy, employment contracts, and private negotiations. The Red Fire Kingdom and Lion Kingdom become friendly allies, while the Sand Sea Kingdom remains hostile.
• William deliberately avoids major adventures, choosing to strengthen Dawn City, improve his skills, and wait for the Players’ return before seeking further opportunities.
• As honorary dean of Dawn’s two academies, William spends considerable time among the students. Ten promising youths with Legendary Bloodlines, including the future Legendary Archer Aliya Xiwu, become central figures in his plans.
• William works to stabilize his territory by building loyalty and dealing with the lingering aftermath of the Dark Invasion. Dark Children, Demons, Black Warlocks, Dark Witches, and corrupted civilians continue causing violent incidents.
• After two years, William gives his first lecture at Dawn Academy on Ranger combat. The students, influenced by exaggerated stories of William’s fighting style, believe Rangers should rely on their fists and endure attacks rather than use bows.
• William fails to correct this misconception, and his lesson ends humorously. Immediately afterward, the system announces that the version update has ended and the Players return to the Gods Continent.

Character Developments

• Alice acts protectively and inquisitively as William’s mother, investigating his relationships and dealings before leaving for her own mission.
• William becomes more cautious and politically mature. Rather than recklessly seeking danger, he focuses on developing Dawn City, nurturing young talent, strengthening internal loyalty, and preparing for the Players’ arrival.
• William’s influence grows so large that ordinary people misunderstand the Ranger profession by copying his famous fist-fighting style.
• William’s subordinates continue advancing rapidly thanks to Mana Revival, magical resources, and Dawn City’s support.
• Aliya Xiwu begins her formal training at Battle Aura Academy, marking the early development of a future Legendary figure.
• The academy students idolize William, while their families treat him as the ideal model of a powerful Ranger.
• The Ranger teacher is left frustrated by the students’ distorted understanding of the profession and William’s overwhelming reputation.

Significant Themes

• Preparation and long-term planning: William postpones reckless adventures to build strength, alliances, and resources before the next major stage.
• The influence of reputation: William’s fame shapes public beliefs so strongly that even his unconventional fighting habits redefine how children understand Rangers.
• Growth after catastrophe: Although the Dark Invasion has ended, its consequences continue through corruption, cult activity, and scattered dark threats.
• Leadership and nation-building: Dawn City develops from a personal domain into a major regional power through diplomacy, education, military strength, and social stability.
• The contrast between reality and legend: William knows Rangers should be fast, precise archers, but the public’s exaggerated image of him turns him into a fist-fighting myth.
• The transition to a new era: The Players’ return signals the end of the quiet preparation period and the beginning of a new phase of conflict and development.

Important Character Interactions

• Alice interviews or visits the women associated with William, then speaks privately with Moxis about him.
• William jokes and drinks with Burning Ash, Lotner, Diablo, and his other loyal subordinates while reviewing Dawn City’s defenses and future prospects.
• William maintains relationships with the surrounding kingdoms through negotiations and political dealings.
• As academy dean, William builds strong connections with the students, who become devoted admirers.
• William attempts to teach the students proper Ranger techniques, but their admiration and the public’s misconceptions make the lesson impossible.
• The chapter ends as William’s teaching failure is interrupted by the system announcement that the Players have returned.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The players return to Dawn City after a two-year version update, causing the city’s population to surge past 300,000, with potentially another 500,000 newcomers expected.
• Returning veterans are shocked by how much Dawn City has changed. The city has expanded, many former NPCs are gone, and new institutions—most notably Dawn Academy—have appeared.
• Newbie players flood into Dawn City because it has the largest player population, guild presence, and professional gaming infrastructure on the Legendary Continent.
• Major guilds begin aggressively recruiting newcomers:
  • Glory Guild advertises its connection to the Global League champions.
  • Blade Guild uses brotherhood and loyalty-themed recruitment.
  • Righteous Cuteness attracts players by emphasizing its large population of beautiful female members and willingness to help newbies level.
• Blade and other guilds begin plotting against one another, including recruitment poaching and even plans to harass rival guilds. Their recruitment campaigns quickly become tangled with old rivalries and comedic misunderstandings.
• Veteran players explore Dawn City’s new quests, factions, modes, and NPCs. Changli Jiugu learns that William is currently at Dawn Academy.
• Players are stunned to discover that Dawn City now has an academy, suggesting its growth toward the level of a powerful kingdom faction.
• News spreads that William’s mother is not merely Legendary but a Legendary-tier Grand Archmage, causing players to believe Dawn City now has an extremely powerful backer.

Character Developments

• The players collectively have become more numerous, organized, and competitive. The return of veteran players and arrival of hundreds of thousands of newcomers transforms Dawn City into a major center of player activity.
• Changli Jiugu remains closely attached to William and immediately searches for him after returning.
• Chu Liuqiu displays greater maturity and caution. While others become excited about William’s mother, he reminds them that they are still only mid-tier and should not become overconfident.
• Zhazhahui and Wang Rongyao continue their rivalry and scheming, presenting themselves as recruiters while secretly planning to steal recruits and sabotage competitors.
• William is mostly absent from the chapter, but his growing influence is evident through Dawn Academy, Dawn City’s development, and his powerful family background.
• A veteran pervert player continues harassing newcomers, treating the game’s punishment effects as an entertaining challenge rather than a deterrent.

Significant Themes

• Rapid development and the passage of time: The two-year update has transformed Dawn City so dramatically that it feels as if decades have passed.
• Player-driven society: Guilds, professional clubs, recruitment campaigns, rivalries, and player culture now significantly shape the city’s social and political life.
• Competition and commercialization: Guild recruitment resembles advertising and corporate rivalry, with prestige, appearance, status, and entertainment used to attract players.
• Power and faction growth: Dawn Academy and William’s mother’s status suggest that Dawn City has evolved from a minor settlement into a faction with serious political and military potential.
• Humor and game-world absurdity: The chapter repeatedly contrasts the grand development of Dawn City with childish player behavior, trolling, sexual jokes, and guild squabbling.
• Changing perceptions of William: Although players once viewed William as a troublesome or unreliable figure, his connections and achievements increasingly make him appear to be a powerful patron.

Character Interactions

• New players react with confusion and excitement to Dawn City’s transformation, while veterans compare the changes with their memories of earlier versions.
• The perverted veteran player repeatedly targets female and even male newcomers, provoking complaints but receiving only temporary attribute penalties.
• Zhazhahui and Wang Rongyao mock one another over Wang’s in-game wife and then cooperate to divide recruitment areas.
• The two guild leaders plan to undermine each other by stealing recruits, hiring assassins, and using influential guild members to promote their factions.
• Guild recruitment becomes a contest between Glory’s prestige, Blade’s brotherhood rhetoric, and Righteous Cuteness’s appeal to players seeking attractive female companions.
• Changli Jiugu consults the Elf guard, then informs Chu Liuqiu and others about Dawn Academy.
• The players initially dismiss William’s mother being Legendary, but their attitude changes dramatically when they learn she is a Legendary Grand Archmage. Chu Liuqiu reins in their excitement by reminding them of their own limited strength.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dawn City has undergone a dramatic transformation, surprising veteran players with its expansion and the disappearance of several familiar boss figures.
• William launches a citywide guidance quest called “Dawn City”, distributing it automatically to every player in the city.
• Players are tasked with finding 100 hidden Dawn Cards, which document Dawn City’s landmarks, factions, NPCs, and achievements.
• The rewards escalate with the number of cards collected:
  • 50 cards: High-Class Silver Gear
  • 60: High-Class Gold Gear
  • 70: High-Class Dark Gold
  • 80: High-Class Epic equipment
  • 90: High-Class Legendary equipment
  • 100: High-Class Legendary equipment plus a Legendary Secret Manual fragment
• Millions of cards are hidden in unusual places, including walls, flowerpots, trees, lamps, public areas, and even locations players exploit for comedic purposes.
• Players quickly begin searching, trading, streaming, speculating, and competing for cards. Some cards are Common, while extremely valuable Rare Cards are sold by NPCs or discovered by luck.
• Players realize that Dawn City NPCs are intentionally selling Rare Cards at high prices, leading them to accuse William of exploiting them.
• Despite their complaints, players continue searching because the rewards and potential profits are too attractive to abandon.
• Cards also contain detailed information and portraits of important Dawn City figures, including Burning Ash, Solimans, and possibly William himself.
• William’s card is considered the rarest and most valuable. Players offer huge sums for it, believing it is essential for completing the set and claiming the top rewards.
• The quest’s generosity and polish cause players to compare Dawn City favorably with other regions, whose guidance systems are poorly developed or nonexistent.
• The sudden value of cards causes fights and murders among players, forcing the Guardian Legion to deal with disputes over card ownership.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates strategic intelligence and an increasingly sophisticated understanding of player psychology. Rather than appearing personally, he uses the quest to showcase Dawn City’s growth, strengthen player loyalty, and preserve his mysterious image.
• William also reveals his opportunistic side by creating a system that appears generous while encouraging players to spend heavily on Rare Cards.
• Angry Little Fatty becomes an entertaining example of player opportunism. After accidentally discarding cards, he starts streaming his search and even knocks over another player before fleeing anonymously.
• Meichuan Neiku emerges as a clever and profit-minded player. He encourages others to search while secretly finding Rare Cards himself, planning to benefit from their high resale value.
• The players collectively shift from excitement to suspicion, then back to enthusiastic participation once they realize the quest is too rewarding to ignore.
• Players show a strong emotional attachment to Dawn City, treating its growth as a shared achievement rather than merely a game update.

Significant Themes

• Player psychology and game design: William carefully engineers curiosity, competition, loyalty, and greed through exploration-based rewards.
• The value of information and collectibles: The cards are valuable not only because of their equipment rewards but also because they reveal Dawn City’s history, factions, and notable characters.
• Commercial exploitation: The quest combines generosity with manipulation, as William gives players a chance to earn powerful equipment while also creating a lucrative market for NPC-sold cards.
• Community and shared identity: Veteran players feel pride in Dawn City’s development, while the city’s prosperity becomes a source of collective player belonging.
• Competition and greed: Rare cards create intense economic competition, hoarding, scams, and violence.
• Humor and satire: The chapter mocks player behavior, online gaming economies, rage quitting, streaming culture, and the willingness to endure absurd inconveniences for valuable rewards.

Character Interactions

• Players debate the purpose and value of the cards, exchanging duplicates and discussing ways to complete collections.
• Meichuan Neiku encourages fellow lifestyle and tourism players to keep searching, while privately taking advantage of their distraction.
• Players become angry at NPCs for competing with them by selling Rare Cards, only to realize that the NPCs are effectively acting on William’s behalf.
• A player who theatrically announces his intention to quit immediately abandons that stance after finding a valuable Rare Card, illustrating how quickly greed overrides frustration.
• Players compare the quality of Dawn City’s quest with the lack of guidance in the Blackrock and Emerald Duchies, generating envy and criticism on regional forums.
• Competition over cards escalates into violence, requiring the Guardian Legion to intervene in conflicts between players.

Chapter Summary: “Legendary Tycoons Also Bite the Dust” (3/3)

Key Plot Points and Events

• The card-collecting event creates intense frustration among ordinary players, while lucky players celebrate finding Rare Cards. The event clearly favors wealthy players, who can buy cards from NPCs and other players.
• Emperor of Luck’s Dream, captain of the Godly Tycoon Squad, publicly announces enormous purchase prices for every type of card, including up to 100,000 RMB for a William Card. His declaration causes players to sell their cards rather than attempt the difficult full collection themselves.
• A second wealthy faction, the Moon Players, represented by Mars Mighty and Adorable Little Fairy, enters the market and matches Emperor of Luck’s offers. The rivalry expands into a competition between Earth, Mars, and Moon players.
• Anonymous buyers then claim they will pay double the established prices, causing widespread confusion and destabilizing the card market. The tycoons are forced to raise their bids to avoid losing face.
• The final and rarest card—the William Card—becomes the decisive prize. Whoever obtains it can complete the 100-card collection and claim the legendary rewards, as well as the prestige of being Dawn City’s greatest tycoon.
• William watches the chaos from the City Lord’s Manor. He had intended only to make the event exciting, but the players rapidly collect nearly every card, even searching filthy or unpleasant places without hesitation.
• The William Card is finally discovered by What Can Kui Do to Me?, an old minor tycoon and former version 1.0 player. Major tycoons immediately surround him and begin bidding, with the price quickly rising to 200,000.
• Emperor of Luck’s Dream reveals a personal limit of one million, Mars Mighty offers 1.1 million, and The Moon Is Bigger Than Earth claims he has no limit because of his family’s lunar helium-3 wealth.
• Rather than selling the card, What Can Kui Do to Me? gives the William Card—and nearly all his other cards—to Glory Little Ayin, saying he admires her fighting style and her way of collecting trophies. He hopes the rewards will help her lead Glory back to first place in the world.

Character Developments

• Emperor of Luck’s Dream demonstrates both his immense wealth and his competitive pride. What began as card collecting becomes a matter of Earth’s and his own honor, especially in competition with Martian and lunar tycoons.
• Mars Mighty emerges as another formidable rich player, matching Emperor of Luck’s offers and treating the purchases as a way to build connections and status.
• The Moon Is Bigger Than Earth is revealed to be vastly wealthier than the others, casually claiming that he has no spending limit due to his family’s mining fortune.
• What Can Kui Do to Me? shifts from being mocked as an old version 1.0 “little tycoon” to becoming the luckiest and most generous player in the event. His decision proves that he values admiration and personal loyalty more than money.
• Glory Little Ayin is left stunned by the unexpected gift. Her intimidating reputation contrasts with her momentary helplessness and embarrassment.
• William recognizes that the event has escalated far beyond his original intentions. He is amused by the players’ obsession but also considers intervening if necessary to control the card’s distribution.
• Chu Liuqiu reacts with visible displeasure as What Can Kui Do to Me?’s generous gesture creates romantic speculation involving Little Ayin.

Significant Themes

• Wealth and competition: The event exposes how rich players transform gameplay into a contest of financial power and prestige.
• Status and pride: The tycoons are not merely buying cards for rewards; they are competing to represent their planet and establish themselves as the greatest player in Dawn City.
• Luck versus money: Although the tycoons can buy nearly anything, the William Card is ultimately obtained through chance by a comparatively minor player.
• Generosity and personal loyalty: What Can Kui Do to Me?’s refusal to sell shows that emotional admiration can outweigh enormous financial incentives.
• The commercialization of gaming: Players treat experience, cards, equipment, and even rarity as commodities, while the event becomes a chaotic marketplace.
• Humor and absurdity: Players search filthy locations for cards, NPCs fear their “curse,” and interplanetary tycoons compete over virtual collectibles, reinforcing the chapter’s comedic tone.

Character Interactions

• Emperor of Luck’s Dream and Mars Mighty become direct rivals while still maintaining a degree of mutual respect, negotiating their spending limits against one another.
• The Moon Is Bigger Than Earth intimidates both men with his practically unlimited wealth, establishing himself as their most dangerous financial competitor.
• The tycoons collectively pressure What Can Kui Do to Me? with escalating offers, but he ignores their wealth and chooses Little Ayin instead.
• What Can Kui Do to Me? expresses sincere admiration for Little Ayin’s combat abilities and leadership, giving her the cards without demanding anything in return.
• Little Ayin, Chu Liuqiu, and their teammates are shocked by the gift, while the surrounding players interpret it as romantic and teasingly warn Little Ayin not to accept any hidden conditions.

Chapter Summary: “Reversal! (Fourth Update)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Little Ayin, vice-captain of the Glory Club and one of the top professional players, receives an extravagant “gift” from the player What Can Kui Do to Me?: a William Card and over ninety supposedly rare cards.
• Kui boldly declares that he is not a fan but wants Little Ayin to remember his name, making a dramatic escape through the crowd.
• When Little Ayin examines the cards, she discovers that they are ordinary, low-value cards covered with removable stickers designed to resemble rare collectibles. The entire stunt is worth less than 3,000 Gold Coins.
• Kui reveals the trick on the Forum, explaining that he intends to redeem the cards for legendary equipment and a legendary secret manual. He also provides information about William’s achievements, including his fourth-place finish in a regional Magic-Martial Tournament, his suspected reincarnation as the Thunder God, and his victory over the Dark Child.
• The players are more amused by Kui’s shameless scheme than impressed by William’s accomplishments.
• Kui turns out to be the first player to collect all 100 cards. Little Ayin, furious at being deceived, vows to hunt him down and repeatedly kill him.
• Eternal Solitude, captain of the Prosperous Millennium Club, claims to have killed Kui and obtained his High-Class Legendary Longsword. He gives the weapon to Little Ayin while openly attempting to recruit her to his club.
• Chu Liuqiu, captain of the Glory Club, exposes Eternal Solitude’s recruitment attempt. The two captains argue and begin another comedic confrontation.
• The chapter concludes with William unveiling the “Chosen Son” quest. Once one million Chosen Ones reach the High-Class level, Dawn City will hold a tournament to select the true Chosen Son. The event offers enormous rewards, including a legendary suit, experience, favorability, a title, and possible membership in the Dawn Mercenary Group.

Character Developments

• Little Ayin is shown as powerful, admired, wealthy, and professionally respected, but also easily embarrassed and emotionally volatile when she realizes she has been tricked. Her anger reveals her competitive and prideful side.
• What Can Kui Do to Me? establishes himself as audacious, manipulative, and highly resourceful. His “gift” is actually a publicity stunt designed to make Little Ayin remember him while enabling him to profit from the card event.
• William remains detached and entertained by the players’ antics. He demonstrates strategic ambition by using Version 3.0’s rewards and events to strengthen Dawn City’s appeal and attract players.
• Eternal Solitude is revealed as an aggressive and shameless talent recruiter. He is willing to exploit the situation, give away valuable equipment, and even promise Little Ayin the captaincy to lure her away.
• Chu Liuqiu acts as Little Ayin’s protector and club representative, stopping her from damaging her professional reputation and confronting Eternal Solitude’s poaching.
• The players continue to function as a chaotic, comedic community, reacting enthusiastically to scams, gossip, equipment drops, and major system announcements.

Significant Themes

• Reversal and deception: The apparently generous gift is exposed as an elaborate fake, turning admiration into humiliation and anger.
• Competition and manipulation: Both individual players and professional clubs use schemes, publicity, rewards, and psychological tactics to gain advantages.
• The commercialization of power: Legendary equipment and manuals are valuable to ordinary players, but professional clubs can acquire them through guilds and Contribution Points. Their real priority is recruiting talented, disciplined players.
• Player engagement and game-world economics: William deliberately turns Dawn City into a player-friendly “paradise,” using rewards and progression incentives to attract talent and wealth.
• Public image versus private behavior: Little Ayin must control her anger to preserve her professional reputation, while the club leaders openly engage in underhanded recruitment.
• Escalation and spectacle: Version 3.0 is portrayed as a major turning point, with increasingly extravagant events and rewards designed to reshape the balance of power.

Important Character Interactions

• Kui’s fake gift and flirtatious escape leave Little Ayin embarrassed and determined to retaliate.
• Players mock Kui’s scheme while speculating about William’s newly revealed achievements.
• Little Ayin’s teammates restrain her and cover her mouth to prevent her angry threats from harming her image.
• Eternal Solitude gives Little Ayin Kui’s legendary sword and tries to recruit her, even offering her his club’s captaincy.
• Chu Liuqiu interrupts the recruitment attempt, accusing Eternal Solitude of poaching players. Their argument develops into a physical brawl.
• William observes the chaos with amusement before shifting the players’ attention toward the massive Chosen Son tournament quest.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Players receive the new S-Class [Chosen Son] quest, which offers major rewards and motivates them to advance toward High-Class and compete for rankings. Core members are especially interested in the promise of assigned NPC wives, though they joke about the possible complications of gaining their favor.
• William’s growing generosity and Dawn City’s increasingly powerful rewards—now including Legendary equipment—lead the Players to speculate that Dawn City’s position in the Southern Region has fundamentally changed.
• William appears in Central Square accompanied by an expanded force of three thousand Elven Personal Guards, immediately exciting the Players, especially the female Players who idolize him.
• He introduces an A+ Class quest: accompany the Dawn Legion into the Slaughter Plains and eliminate the remaining Dark Forces. Although the experience and contribution rewards are modest, the Players eagerly accept because they want to witness Dawn City’s military strength and participate in a major story event.
• Dawn City launches a massive military campaign against the Slaughter Plains’ thirty-three Demon Caverns and more than four hundred thousand Dark Creatures. William had intentionally allowed these enemies to survive so they could serve as a target and showcase Dawn City’s power.
• The Dawn Legion emerges in overwhelming numbers:
  • 100,000 elite soldiers, most of them at least Intermediate-Class.
  • More than 6,000 High-Class Professionals.
  • 9,000 cavalrymen, including riders on Thunder Warhorses and Black Dragon Warhorses.
  • Numerous Legendary figures, including Burning Ashes, Diablo, Xiyan, and Lotner.
  • A 3,000-member Griffin Legion.
• William leads the army, raises his sword, summons a massive arc of lightning, and orders the Dawn Legion to march on the Demon Caverns.

Character Developments

• William is portrayed as increasingly powerful, wealthy, and politically influential. He deliberately uses the military campaign as a demonstration of Dawn City’s strength and as a way to keep the Players loyal to the city.
• The Players become more invested in Dawn City after seeing its expanding army and increasingly generous rewards. Their excitement is driven not only by material benefits but also by the opportunity to influence the world’s unfolding story.
• Xiyan remains embarrassed and hostile about the Players’ continued obsession with her past proposal to William. Her sharp reaction demonstrates that the incident remains a humiliating memory.
• Changli Jiugu continues to act as the cynical, self-aware commentator, joking about William’s excessive charisma and “B-status.”
• Chu Liuqiu recognizes that William genuinely values the immortal Chosen Ones and advises Changli to maintain his shameless, easygoing attitude to remain on good terms with him.

Significant Themes

• Power and spectacle: William intentionally stages the army’s deployment as a grand display, emphasizing Dawn City’s transformation into a dominant regional force.
• The Players’ role in the world: The Players are not merely adventurers seeking rewards; they are treated as important, immortal participants whose involvement can influence the world’s history.
• Loyalty through strength and opportunity: William seeks to prevent the Players from leaving by giving them impressive quests and allowing them to witness Dawn City’s military growth firsthand.
• Humor and satire: The chapter mocks Player culture through jokes about assigned wives, celebrity-like obsession with William, fan shipping, and exaggerated admiration of powerful NPCs.
• Political and military expansion: The enormous mixed-race army—Elves, Winged Folk, Dwarves, cavalry, and Griffins—reflects Dawn City’s growing unity and imperial strength.

Character Interactions

• The Players joke about the benefits and risks of being assigned NPC wives.
• Female Players openly scream over William, while male Players pretend to criticize them before becoming equally fascinated.
• William directly addresses the Players and invites them to join the Slaughter Plains campaign, reinforcing his cooperative relationship with them.
• Players tease Xiyan about her former proposal to William, provoking an intimidating response.
• Changli Jiugu and Chu Liuqiu exchange sarcastic remarks about William’s overwhelming charisma and their strategy for staying in his favor.
• William and the Dawn Legion share a ceremonial moment as he leads them forward, with the army saluting and responding to his command to march.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Dawn City launches a decisive assault against the Dark Army on the Slaughter Plains.
• William, the Dawn City Lord, leads from the front and displays overwhelming lightning-based power, annihilating large numbers of Skeleton Soldiers, Dark Lizards, Hellhounds, and Dark Knights.
• Dawn City’s Legendary Bosses and the Dawn Legion follow William into battle, while the 3,000-member Griffin Legion provides devastating aerial support with rapid-fire elven archers.
• The Dark Army’s numerical advantage proves useless against Dawn City’s superior tiers, equipment, bloodlines, mounts, and organization.
• William personally confronts three Master Tier Demons. In his Sacred Thunder Form, he kills one of them almost instantly with Thunder Slash and a powerful punch, demonstrating his ability to dominate opponents of the same tier.
• Players attack the Dark Creatures from the flanks, using reckless human-wave tactics and repeatedly resurrecting after death.
• Legolas severely wounds a High-Class Demon, allowing the Players to overwhelm and kill him. They then enthusiastically loot and even dismember his corpse.
• Witnessing this brutality, many High-Class and Master Tier Demons lose their will to fight and retreat. Without their leadership, the remaining Dark Creatures collapse into a disorganized rout.
• Within hours, Dawn City destroys all the Dark Demon Caverns on the Slaughter Plains, preventing the Dark Army from continuing to grow.
• After the victory, Dawn City refreshes the Mercenary Group’s exchange list with hundreds of items and offers everything at a 20% discount, prompting Players to spend heavily on equipment, skills, and Gold Coins.

2. Character Developments

• William further establishes himself as an overwhelmingly powerful leader and warrior. His Sacred Thunder Form, speed, and combat talent allow him to defeat a same-tier Master Demon with ease.
• His Talent, Potential for Sainthood, is clarified as the source of his dominance over Legendary Bloodline opponents of the same tier.
• Legolas remains a highly effective battlefield supporter, decisively crippling the High-Class Demon with a single arrow.
• The Players demonstrate their characteristic fearlessness, greed, enthusiasm, and disregard for death. Their willingness to swarm powerful enemies and resurrect repeatedly makes them terrifying even to Demons.
• The Demons shift from confidence to panic. Their fear of the Players’ resurrection, reckless attacks, and corpse-looting is even greater than their fear of William.
• Dawn City’s army and military structure are shown to have matured into a force capable of defeating the Dark Army with minimal difficulty.

3. Significant Themes

• Overwhelming superiority: The battle emphasizes the importance of quality—tier, equipment, bloodline, mounts, and coordination—over raw numbers.
• The terror of immortality: The Players’ ability to resurrect makes them appear monstrous and incomprehensible to the Demons.
• Power and leadership: William’s personal strength inspires the army and symbolizes Dawn City’s dominance.
• War as spectacle and entertainment: Players treat the battle like both a game and a profitable event, celebrating kills, loot, and dramatic moments.
• Victory and commerce: Military success immediately becomes an economic opportunity, with Dawn City using discounted equipment and skills to strengthen and profit from the Players.
• Dark humor: The Players’ grotesque treatment of the High-Class Demon’s corpse contrasts comically with the Demons’ horror and reinforces the absurdity of the world.

4. Character Interactions

• William leads the Dawn Legion and directly engages the Master Tier Demons, defeating one before they can coordinate against him.
• The Players fight alongside Dawn City’s forces, attacking weakened Dark Creatures and celebrating their loyalty to William and Dawn City.
• Legolas intervenes to support the Players by crippling the High-Class Demon, enabling them to finish the kill.
• The Demons discuss retreating among themselves, admitting that being killed and dismembered by Players is more frightening than facing death in battle.
• Afterward, Players interact excitedly over loot, arguing about equipment, Demon organs, blood, and possible uses for the corpse.
• The refreshed exchange list encourages further interaction between Dawn City and the Players, turning the victory into a massive commercial opportunity.

Chapter 345 Summary: “Crimson Blood, Stirring Up Trouble”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens by explaining why ordinary people fear demons: their horrifying appearances exploit humanity’s instinctive fear of darkness and monsters.
• Demons use this fear and their soul-manipulation abilities to control civilians, force sacrifices, or create portals for their true bodies to enter the world. With the Second Dark Invasion approaching, demonic activity is increasing across the continent.
• Dawn City remains relatively safe because of William’s strict management, its many magic lamps, and its large population of powerful professionals and Players. The Players are especially difficult for demons to exploit because they are fearless and effectively immortal.
• William evaluates the two major Version 3.0 storylines:
  • Crimson Blood, a large-scale Player quest involving vampires in the Emerald and Lanyu Grand Duchies.
  • The Descent of Darkness, a broader conflict involving Demon Hunters and the Temple of Light.
• William decides that the Players should handle Crimson Blood while he investigates famous Dark Events from his previous life. By doing so, he hopes to gain influence with major human kingdoms and prepare Dawn City for future conflicts.
• He plans to use the Crimson Blood conflict to worsen tensions between the two vampire-controlled grand duchies and surrounding human nations. Dawn City and the Dawn Mercenary Group will deliberately act as warmongers, expanding the war and creating opportunities for profit and influence.
• William posts the Crimson Blood quest:
  • Players must investigate rumors of vampires fighting over a legendary treasure.
  • The treasure’s location was divided into four maps; William already possesses two.
  • Players must identify the owners of the remaining maps, expose the vampires, and plunge the two duchies into chaos.
  • The quest offers high-level, unspecified rewards and increases in completion as Players uncover more information.
• A second quest allows Players to accompany Dawn Mercenary Group forces on missions in other countries, though they are forbidden from damaging the group’s reputation. Violators face expulsion and a 100-year bounty.
• The Players enthusiastically embrace Crimson Blood because its mission to create chaos suits their usual behavior.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates increased confidence and strategic maturity. After gaining ten character levels and improving his combat, magic, and battle-aura techniques, he feels capable of confronting even top Grandmaster-level opponents.
• He increasingly thinks like a political leader rather than merely a powerful individual. Instead of personally pursuing every conflict, he delegates Crimson Blood to the Players while focusing on larger strategic goals.
• William recognizes that Dawn City has become a major military power, with roughly 200,000 troops and enough strength to rival a significant portion of the human kingdoms.
• His willingness to provoke both the human authorities and the dark world shows that he is becoming more ambitious and comfortable with calculated risk.
• The Players remain chaotic but are now more cautious because Dawn City’s influence and punitive systems have grown. They still eagerly accept opportunities to cause trouble when the rewards are attractive.

Significant Themes

• Fear and the supernatural: Demons thrive by exploiting human fear, especially fear of darkness, ugliness, and the unknown.
• Light as psychological protection: Dawn City’s magic lamps cannot stop demons directly, but they reduce fear and make ordinary people less vulnerable to supernatural influence.
• Power through manipulation: William intends to manipulate existing tensions, using the Players and the Dawn Mercenary Group to expand a conflict without openly committing Dawn City’s full forces.
• The growing importance of Dawn City: Once a small settlement, Dawn City has become a powerful neutral faction capable of influencing international wars.
• Player agency and exploitation: William treats the Players as fearless, expendable agents who can be sent into dangerous political situations while he pursues higher-level objectives.
• Chaos as a strategy: What appears to be a troublemaking quest is actually part of William’s broader plan to expose vampires, weaken rival nations, and create an opportunity for Dawn City to intervene.

Character Interactions

• William observes the Players from a balcony and decides to entrust them with the Crimson Blood operation.
• Adorable Little Fairy openly admires William’s appearance and becomes excited by his presence.
• I Have Chest Hair jokes crudely about William working as a gigolo, provoking angry responses from the surrounding female Players. He then boasts about his wealth and hidden high-quality equipment.
• A thief coincidentally breaks into I Have Chest Hair’s home, creating comic irony while the Player boasts about his possessions.
• Players speculate that William previously manipulated the Steel and Blackrock Duchies and note his grudge against vampires because of the Battle of Eastsea City.
• When one Player calls William a “grudge-bearing little sprite,” William silently stares at him, intimidating the speaker.
• The Players quickly agree that creating disorder in the two vampire territories is exactly the sort of mission they enjoy.

Chapter Summary: “Preparing to Send Them Off?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dawn City’s extensive Portal network allows players to travel easily to other kingdoms, Grand Duchies, islands, and tourist destinations. Because of this, only about 100,000 of the city’s 500,000 players remain interested in the Crimson Blood quest.
• Many players pursue other activities, including tourism, sea exploration, guild ventures, monster hunting, and attending Dawn Academy for gameplay-related benefits.
• William reflects on Dawn City’s finances and the need to manage player spending. After selling discarded equipment, he earns over five million Gold Coins, but decides to wait before raising Portal fees and exploiting the players financially again.
• William recognizes that players value freedom and may eventually change factions if Dawn City does not become influential and powerful enough. He resolves to strengthen the city and himself rather than let it remain merely a starting area.
• Angry Little Fatty and Changli Jiugu are summoned, along with several prominent players, to meet William. He offers them a dangerous hidden quest, warning that they may die.
• The players accept the S-Plus Class quest “Blood Moon Dark Witch of the Karenza Grand Duchy.” They must eliminate the witch’s followers and kill the witch if she is resurrected. The rewards include High-Class equipment, substantial experience, and increased Dawn Mercenary Group favorability.
• The ten players will prepare and depart the following morning.
• Afterward, Lotner questions William’s decision to send relatively weak players against such a powerful enemy. William explains that the players are ideal for scouting and sacrificing themselves first. Lotner nervously retreats after suspecting William may be plotting against him.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates his continuing growth as a faction leader and strategist. He balances economic exploitation of the players with long-term concerns about Dawn City’s influence, reputation, and military strength.
• He also shows his practical, ruthless side by treating players as expendable scouts while appreciating their fearlessness and enthusiasm.
• The players have become deeply immersed in their identities within the game world. They willingly imitate NPC customs, accept dangerous missions, and prioritize valuable rewards over personal safety.
• Angry Little Fatty is frustrated that William has not summoned him recently and fears being replaced, revealing his attachment to William’s attention and his competitive personality.
• Changli Jiugu remains shamelessly eager to gain William’s favor and enthusiastically accepts the dangerous mission.
• Lotner becomes increasingly suspicious and fearful of William, especially as William repeatedly calls him “Uncle,” suggesting that their relationship has grown more tense and uncertain.

Significant Themes

• Player freedom versus faction loyalty: Players are free to explore the world and pursue personal interests, but William worries that Dawn City may lose them if it cannot command enough prestige.
• Economic exploitation and resource management: William views the players as a renewable source of wealth, carefully timing sales and Portal fees to avoid pushing them too far.
• Immersion and identity: Players increasingly behave like inhabitants of the world, adopting its customs and treating quests as real political and military affairs.
• Sacrifice and pragmatic leadership: William is willing to use the players as expendable assets, while they willingly accept danger because the rewards make death worthwhile.
• Power and influence: The chapter emphasizes that Dawn City must continue expanding and strengthening to remain important as players reach higher levels.

Character Interactions

• William summons a group of high-profile players and formally presents the hidden quest, using solemn warnings to heighten its importance.
• The players compete playfully to appear brave and loyal, with Changli Jiugu, Chu Liuqiu, and Eternal Solitude eagerly volunteering despite the danger.
• The players exchange silent looks and jokes about their roles, maintaining both gamer rivalry and in-world immersion.
• Lotner challenges William’s strategy, but William’s joking suggestion that Lotner go in their place frightens him into backing down.
• William’s apparent fondness for using players as disposable agents contrasts with the players’ eagerness to serve him for rewards and recognition.

Chapter Summary: “A City Fallen into Darkness”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William leads Xiyan, Burning Ash, Old Pi, Lotner, and ten Players through a portal to Kalena Royal City, capital of the Karenza Grand Duchy.
• The city immediately appears unnatural: it is covered in thick fog, nearly devoid of greenery and Magic Lamps, and its citizens behave nervously and avoid speaking.
• The group discovers signs of the Blood Moon Dark Witch, including a half-erased symbol painted on a wall.
• A blood-covered woman fleeing from an alley is suddenly seized by black tentacles and dragged into the darkness. The area is identified as “Extremely Dangerous” through Insight.
• Patrol Guards seal the alley with Holy Light Exorcism Powder. Xiyan explains that the powder is used to block incursions from the Dark World, meaning the alley has become a passage into that realm.
• The Patrol Squad Captain reveals that the previous five Demon Hunting Squads sent to the city contained 113 people, of whom 67 died—including three Grandmasters and thirty-three High-Class Professionals. Forty-three bodies were never recovered.
• William learns that his group is the final reinforcement team and that no further help is expected.
• The Players realize that time appears frozen: the sun and fog remain unchanged. William explains that Kalena Royal City has been trapped in a separate dimension, inaccessible to those above the Grandmaster level, and that the entrance has now closed.
• The group’s mission is not merely to survive or investigate, but to pull the entire city back into the Real World before it is permanently dragged into the Dark World or Abyss.
• William reveals that the crisis is part of a game created by a Legendary Demon, whose rules must be followed. The rescuers must defeat the game and revive the city’s connection to the continent.
• As night falls, the fog-covered city becomes almost completely dark. A gigantic Blood Moon rises overhead, signaling the beginning of the true danger and the impending revival of the Blood Moon Dark Witch.

Character Developments

• William remains calm and well-informed despite the overwhelming danger. He demonstrates that he understands the dungeon’s true nature and accepts responsibility for leading the group through it.
• He reveals his willingness to risk himself for the mission, but clarifies that he is not recklessly suicidal: a Human Saint may still rescue the team before the city falls into the Abyss, provided they survive.
• Xiyan acts as a practical and knowledgeable guide regarding Holy Light Exorcism Powder and the Dark World. She also questions why the Human Empire has not intervened directly.
• Changli Jiugu initially jokes about the Blood Moon cult to ease the tension, but becomes visibly frightened after witnessing the woman’s death and learning that the alley leads to the Dark World.
• Little Ayin keeps Changli Jiugu focused and prevents him from wasting time, while also sharing his fear of the situation.
• The Players’ confidence collapses as they realize the mission is far more dangerous than expected. They begin to understand why it was classified as an S-Plus mission.
• Lotner and the other non-Player companions are shocked by William’s knowledge and by the scale of the mission, questioning why he would personally enter such a deadly situation.

Significant Themes

• The corruption of the familiar world: A human city has become a silent, fearful place filled with gateways to the Dark World, showing how darkness can gradually invade ordinary civilization.
• Isolation and helplessness: The city is cut off from the Real World, unable to receive further reinforcements, while even powerful individuals cannot freely enter or intervene.
• Games governed by higher powers: The crisis is framed as a contest governed by a Legendary Demon’s rules, suggesting that survival depends not only on strength but also on understanding the structure of the game.
• Fear versus courage: The characters’ fear is justified by the overwhelming death toll and supernatural danger, yet they must continue forward because the city’s survival depends on them.
• The limits of power: Even Grandmasters and Epic-level forces have failed, and a Human Saint cannot simply solve the crisis by force. The group must rely on strategy, timing, and cooperation.
• Impending darkness: The frozen day, approaching night, and enormous Blood Moon create a sense of an unavoidable countdown toward the Dark Witch’s revival.

Character Interactions

• Changli Jiugu jokes about the Blood Moon cult, while Little Ayin reprimands him and urges him to keep up with William.
• The group witnesses the woman’s death together, causing the Players and companions to become more cautious and fearful.
• Xiyan educates the others about the significance of the Holy Light Exorcism Powder and the Dark World passage.
• William questions the Patrol Squad Captain about the earlier rescue attempts, using his authority and intimidating presence to obtain the truth.
• William explains the city’s situation and mission to the confused group, while Xiyan challenges his motives and the Human Empire’s lack of action.
• William orders everyone to remain close to him, warning that the true operation will begin once night falls and the Blood Moon appears.
• He announces the group’s objectives: kill the reviving Blood Moon Dark Witch and search for an old friend while attempting to save the trapped city.

Chapter Summary: Dark Child’s Playground (2/3)

Key Plot Points and Events

• William reflects on the three major Dark Events predicted to occur during Version 3.0:
  1. A duchy in the Azurefrost Empire is wiped out by a plague, becoming a monster-filled forbidden zone.
  2. The Blood Moon Dark Witch causes Kalena Royal City and over two million inhabitants to fall into the Dark World.
  3. The Black Warlock Madeliku sacrifices an entire human city to strengthen his bloodline.
• Because William has already altered history by driving Madeliku into hiding, he no longer knows which city will eventually be sacrificed.
• William leads ten players and his companions through the mist-shrouded King City, now filled with monsters, screams, and lurking Dark Creatures. The players are terrified, and even Little Fatty’s livestream becomes a horror broadcast.
• To avoid being dragged into the Dark World, William keeps the group on the main streets and away from narrow alleys.
• The group reaches the Light Church, where they find powerful Dark Creatures fighting Temple Knights. William and the others join the battle.
• William rescues Lancelot and helps him and several Temple Knights break out of the monsters’ encirclement.
• William explains that the Dark Creatures are searching for pieces of the Blood Moon Dark Witch’s body. Her soul is partly hidden in the Dark World, and her body was divided and sealed after the King of Karenza defeated her centuries earlier.
• Lancelot initially assumes they should prevent the monsters from recovering her remains. William corrects him: the Witch must be revived so that she can ultimately be killed and the city’s descent into the Abyss can be stopped.
• William secretly releases a black scroll that transforms into a small black snake and coils around a powerful Dark Creature.
• The group withdraws from the Light Church, preparing for a more dangerous confrontation involving the Witch’s followers and the hidden Dark Child.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates extensive knowledge of future events, using memories from his past life to guide the group. He remains confident, ruthless, and willing to manipulate both allies and enemies to achieve his goals.
• He continues protecting the players rather than sacrificing them recklessly, valuing their limited lives as resources that must be used carefully.
• Lancelot is shown as courageous and battle-hardened. He fights through overwhelming numbers of monsters and immediately resumes combat after being rescued. His persistent, increasingly powerful nature is emphasized.
• William’s knowledge of Lancelot’s future autobiography allows him to predict Lancelot’s actions and locate him, though he disguises this knowledge with a fabricated explanation.
• The players become increasingly frightened by the Dark World’s horror and uncertainty, contrasting with William and Lancelot’s confidence and combat ability.
• Xiyan continues to admire William, visibly reassured by his presence and confidence.
• Madeliku is established as an ongoing threat whose future actions have become unpredictable because of William’s interference.

Significant Themes

• The butterfly effect and altered fate: William’s interventions have changed the future, making even events he remembers difficult to predict.
• Knowledge versus uncertainty: William possesses valuable information from his former life, but the changing timeline forces him to improvise.
• Sacrifice and moral ambiguity: Stopping the city’s destruction requires reviving the Blood Moon Dark Witch, apparently accepting temporary danger to achieve a greater objective.
• The horror of the Dark World: The mist, monstrous creatures, disappearing tunnels, and helpless players reinforce the setting’s atmosphere of terror.
• Cycles of conflict: The Blood Moon incident is revealed to be part of the larger struggle between the Dark Child and the Light Child, with the city serving as the Dark Child’s “playground.”
• Heroism and persistence: Lancelot’s refusal to be broken by defeat highlights his resilient, almost indestructible personality.

Important Character Interactions

• William and the players: William organizes the group carefully, placing the players in the center and protecting them from unnecessary danger.
• William and Lancelot: Their reunion is energetic and familiar. Lancelot is delighted to see William, while William conceals the true reason he found him and pretends he simply deduced Lancelot’s location.
• William and Lancelot’s strategic disagreement: Lancelot wants to stop the Dark Creatures from retrieving the Witch’s remains, but William insists that her revival is necessary for the city to be saved.
• William and his companions: His confident declaration that he will handle the situation reassures the group, reinforcing his role as their leader.
• The Dark Child and Lancelot: Though the Dark Child has previously manipulated events and defeated the “Light Child,” William believes the Dark Child does not yet intend to kill Lancelot, suggesting a deeper game between them.

Chapter Summary — King’s Curse

Key Plot Points and Events

• William and his group leave the church, but Changli Jiugu is immediately attacked and killed by a Night Demon, a terrifying monster known for its extreme speed and deadly nighttime abilities.
• Changli revives in soul form and explains that the creature killed him before he could even identify it. William and Lancelot recognize it as a Night Demon, while Lotner warns everyone not to separate.
• The group travels through Kalena Royal City, which is engulfed in darkness and fog. The city’s defenses are badly organized: most troops protect the Royal Palace and the nobility, while ordinary citizens are largely abandoned.
• Lancelot leads the group to a tavern secretly controlled by followers of the Blood Moon Dark Witch. The tavern’s patrons are Blood Moon Cultists who drink blood and attack the group.
• The Dark Child appears in his true form. He challenges Lancelot to a game involving the fate of the city:
  • Initially, he offers a choice between killing the Blood Moon Dark Witch or killing the cowardly King of Karenza.
  • William immediately chooses the King, frustrating the Dark Child and disrupting his intended psychological game with Lancelot.
  • The Dark Child changes the rules, declaring that he will kill the King while William’s group kills the Dark Witch. Whoever reaches their target first determines whether the city falls into darkness.
• After leaving the tavern, William reveals that the Dark Child’s “game” is meaningless because of the King’s Curse. The Dark Witch cannot truly die while Karenza has a reigning king.
• William explains that the Dark Witch was once a persecuted princess who became a powerful Dark Witch after receiving a curse from a Legendary Demon. The curse made her immortal and tied her survival to the existence of Karenza’s king.
• To end the curse, the current king must die while no successor is allowed to ascend. William orders Lancelot to protect the king from dying prematurely or being replaced, while he and the others hunt down the Blood Moon Dark Witch.

Character Developments and Interactions

• William remains decisive, irreverent, and strategically perceptive. He openly condemns the King’s cowardice and quickly identifies the flaw in the Dark Child’s proposed game.
• Lancelot continues to struggle with his sense of justice and responsibility. The Dark Child specifically targets his kindhearted nature, hoping to force him into an agonizing moral choice.
• The Dark Child is revealed to be stronger than before but still recovering from injuries caused by William’s previous use of the Forbidden Technique. He is now a powerful Grandmaster and remains obsessed with manipulating Lancelot and humiliating William.
• Changli Jiugu provides comic relief after being frightened into wetting himself during the Night Demon attack. He attempts to conceal the incident while other Players and viewers notice his strange movements.
• Lotner acts as a practical guide, explaining the dangers of Night Demons and helping clarify the stakes.
• The Blood Moon Cultists appear outwardly calm and welcoming, but their blood-red eyes and consumption of human blood reveal their allegiance. The tavern owner attempts to flirt with Prince before becoming hostile.
• William and the Dark Child engage in a battle of wills: the Dark Child tries to control the terms of the conflict, while William repeatedly disrupts his plans through blunt decisions and superior knowledge.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and false choices: The Dark Child presents a moral dilemma designed to torment Lancelot, but the choice is ultimately a deception because the city’s fate depends on a hidden condition.
• Knowledge versus power: William’s understanding of the King’s Curse allows him to see through the Dark Child’s scheme, demonstrating that information is more valuable than raw strength.
• Responsibility and leadership: The cowardly King protects himself while sacrificing commoners, contrasting with William and the Demon Hunters, who risk their lives to save the city.
• Moral ambiguity: Saving the city requires killing the king, creating a conflict between preserving a life and preventing the destruction of an entire population.
• Darkness and persecution: The Blood Moon Dark Witch’s origins highlight how cruelty and social rejection can drive someone toward monstrous power.
• Survival amid chaos: The Night Demon attack, the city’s failing defenses, and the looming Dark World emphasize the constant danger faced by both Players and inhabitants.

Important Character Interactions

• William, Lancelot, and Lotner coordinate their response to the Night Demon threat.
• The Dark Child directly confronts Lancelot and attempts to revive their old rivalry.
• William challenges the Dark Child’s rules and forces him to alter the game.
• William explains the King’s Curse to Lancelot and the others, revealing the true connection between the king and the Dark Witch.
• William and Lancelot split responsibilities: Lancelot heads toward the Royal Palace, while William’s group prepares to confront the Blood Moon Dark Witch.

Chapter Summary: “Library Battle”

Plot Points and Events

• William’s group separates from Lancelot’s, who heads toward the Royal Palace to stop the Dark Child from killing King Karenza prematurely.
• William and the players take shelter with a minor noble family. They enjoy a lavish meal, and William rejects the Baron’s Wife’s flirtatious offer despite the awkwardness of the situation.
• The group rests overnight and leaves at dawn, targeting the Karenza Grand Duchy’s Library. According to Lancelot’s biography, everyone connected to the library—from the Curator to ordinary employees—is a long-standing Blood Moon Cultist involved in resurrecting the Blood Moon Dark Witch.
• The library is heavily defended. Blood Moon Cultists emerge from inside and among the nearby civilians, while a massive tentacle attacks the group.
• The library collapses, revealing a gigantic Abyssal Monster with eighteen tentacles, two heads, four arms, and black flames. Its shriek injures or incapacitates civilians across a wide area.
• William leads the assault. He destroys the monster’s tentacles, blasts its heads with lightning, and survives being hurled through several buildings.
• Burning Ash wounds the monster with a powerful sword strike, while Diablo protects him and attacks with exploding metal spears.
• Meanwhile, Xiyan battles the Blood Moon Cultists and protects the players. After being briefly restrained by a Grand Mage’s stone magic, she manifests Holy Light wings and annihilates the surrounding enemies.
• The players mostly remain on the sidelines, realizing that charging in would interfere with Xiyan and the other powerful fighters.
• William ultimately destroys both of the Abyssal Monster’s heads with Light of Dawn, claiming the kill and gaining 320,000 experience.
• Beneath the monster, the group discovers a gigantic black cave leading toward the Dark World—the same location where Lancelot previously stopped.
• William summons Lancelot for support and prepares to confront the Blood Moon Dark Witch.
• He reasons that the King’s death would prevent the King’s Curse from activating because a successor could not be chosen quickly. He also reveals that Alec has already infiltrated the Royal Palace, meaning the operation is carefully planned regardless of the Dark Child’s intentions.

Character Developments

• William: Demonstrates his moral restraint by rejecting the Baron’s Wife, then displays overwhelming combat power and strategic foresight. He remains cautious and refuses to fight without preparation.
• Lancelot: Although absent from the main battle, his past investigation establishes the library’s importance and motivates the next stage of the mission. He is being drawn toward a direct confrontation with the Blood Moon Dark Witch.
• Xiyan: Shows why she is considered a Legendary-level fighter. After being caught by surprise, she awakens her Angel’s Wings and effortlessly devastates the cultists and their Grand Mage.
• Burning Ash: Displays aggressive courage by directly attacking the Abyssal Monster and successfully inflicting a major wound.
• Diablo: Protects Burning Ash at a critical moment and uses his metal-manipulation abilities with precision and destructive force.
• The players: Continue learning the vast difference between their strength and that of Dawn City’s elite bosses. They show discipline by observing rather than recklessly entering a battle where they would hinder their allies.
• Changli Jiugu and the other players: Provide comic relief during the lodging scene, especially through Changli Jiugu’s urgent attempt to log off.

Significant Themes

• Faith and corruption: The library represents a centuries-old institution secretly controlled by the Blood Moon Cult, showing how evil has infiltrated established society.
• Preparation and strategy: William’s actions reflect the principle that victory depends on planning, hidden allies, and controlling the timing of major events.
• Power hierarchy: The players’ cautious spectatorship emphasizes the enormous gap between ordinary adventurers and Legendary-level combatants.
• Light versus darkness: Xiyan’s Holy Light and William’s lightning oppose the Blood Moon Cult’s dark magic, black flames, and connection to the Dark World.
• Political timing and fate: The potential death of King Karenza, the King’s Curse, and the Dark Child’s assassination attempt are all interconnected, making timing as important as strength.
• Comic relief amid danger: The noble family’s awkward household and the players’ crude jokes briefly offset the chapter’s brutal battles.

Character Interactions

• William politely rejects the Baron’s Wife while the Baron stands helplessly nearby, prompting the players to mock the husband’s submissiveness.
• The players tease and question Changli Jiugu when he abruptly tries to log off.
• William coordinates the group through Mind Link, ordering them to avoid the monster’s attacks.
• Burning Ash responds to William’s command by attacking the monster, while Diablo immediately shields him and follows with a counterattack.
• Xiyan protects the players while fighting the cultists, and the players recognize that interfering would only obstruct her.
• William contacts Lancelot through a Sound Transmission Scroll, bringing their separate missions back together as they prepare to descend into the Dark World and confront the Blood Moon Dark Witch.

Chapter 356 Summary: “Resurrection Altar, Flame Demon!!!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William confirms that the Blood Moon Dark Witch’s true resurrection site lies beneath the Library. He had secretly placed Little Black Snake on a Dark Creature to track the altar’s location and prevent changes caused by the “butterfly effect.”
• To investigate the dangerous underground passage, William forces the ten Players to serve as an expendable scouting party. Chu Liuqiu organizes them into pairs, and they deliberately trigger traps while using their multiple lives to clear the way.
• The passage is filled with deadly mechanisms made from enchanted Magic Metal. Diablo enthusiastically dismantles and collects the traps, displaying Dawn City’s refusal to waste valuable materials.
• After the Players sacrifice several lives each, the group reaches a vast underground chamber containing:
  • A massive resurrection altar
  • Eight rune-covered Magic Iron Pillars
  • Thousands of kneeling Blood Moon Cultists
  • The fragmented but still-living corpse of the Blood Moon Dark Witch
• The Dark Witch activates the altar’s defenses. Tens of thousands of imprisoned civilians appear in cages above the chamber, and she begins draining their blood and souls, transforming them into mummies to fuel her resurrection.
• A Magic Barrier isolates the altar and captives from William’s group and the cultists. The cultists demand that the intruders leave, but William immediately kills their leader and launches an assault.
• William, Lancelot, Burning Ash, Diablo, Xiyan, Lotner, and the others fight through the Blood Moon Cultists. William personally cuts down numerous enemies and withstands attacks from five Grandmaster-level Professionals.
• William’s Thunder Heart ability causes his health to recover whenever he is attacked, making the cultists’ attempts to overwhelm him ineffective. Their assaults only help him maintain his health.
• Lancelot arrives and urges the group to eliminate the cultists before confronting the Blood Moon Dark Witch directly.
• In desperation, a Grand Mage attempts to summon a Flame Demon from a magma-filled fissure. Xiyan recognizes it as a terrifying Mythic-Era creature and warns that its emergence could doom everyone.
• Before the Flame Demon can fully emerge, William repeatedly smashes its fingers, forcing it to lose its grip and fall back into the magma. The summoning mage dies, leaving the cultists stunned.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates his strategic caution, willingness to exploit the Players’ extra lives, and overwhelming confidence in battle. His regenerative abilities make him nearly impossible for the cultists to defeat.
• Chu Liuqiu acts as a practical commander, organizing the Players into an effective suicide squad despite recognizing the cruelty of their role.
• The Players reveal both their usefulness and adaptability. Though repeatedly killed, they willingly activate traps and scout the passage, proving their value as expendable adventurers.
• Diablo reinforces his obsession with collecting rare materials by stripping the underground passage of its Magic Metal traps.
• Lancelot shows knowledge of the situation and takes command of the broader battle plan, recognizing that the cultists must be cleared before the Dark Witch can be confronted.
• Xiyan provides crucial knowledge about the Flame Demon and understands the catastrophic danger of its summoning.
• The Blood Moon Cultists shift from arrogant confidence to fear and desperation as William’s group overwhelms them and their final summoning attempt fails.
• The Blood Moon Dark Witch is portrayed as a terrifying, partially resurrected entity capable of using mass human sacrifice to restore herself.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and expendability: The Players’ repeated deaths emphasize how their extra lives make them useful as disposable scouts, while the captives’ deaths show the much darker meaning of sacrifice under the Blood Moon Cult.
• Power and arrogance: The cultists underestimate William and his allies, while William dismisses their centuries of preparation as insignificant compared with Dawn City’s efficiency and strength.
• The horror of the Dark World: The transformation of living civilians into mummies demonstrates the destructive nature of the Dark Witch and the forces she represents.
• Resourcefulness and pragmatism: William uses every available advantage, including the Players, tracking techniques, and enemy attacks, while Diablo salvages the dungeon’s materials rather than allowing them to go to waste.
• The contrast between life and death: The Players can return after dying, whereas the captives are permanently consumed by the resurrection ritual. This contrast highlights both the Players’ unusual nature and the cult’s cruelty.
• Threat escalation: The appearance of the resurrection altar, the Dark Witch’s awakening, and the attempted summoning of a Mythic-Era Flame Demon establish the growing danger facing the Gods Continent.

Character Interactions

• William orders the Players into the underground passage, treating them as a disposable vanguard; Chu Liuqiu translates this into an organized scouting operation.
• The Players cooperate despite complaints, with Chu Liuqiu selecting Eternal Solitude as a partner partly so he can use him as protection against traps.
• Diablo praises William’s plan while simultaneously looting the enchanted metal mechanisms.
• A Blood Moon Cultist leader threatens William and demands that the group leave. William interrupts him, kills him, and mocks the cultists’ strength.
• William and the cultists engage in a one-sided battle, with the cultists’ attacks inadvertently triggering his healing ability.
• Lancelot joins William’s side and urges everyone to focus on destroying the cultists before challenging the Dark Witch.
• Xiyan warns the group about the summoned Flame Demon, but William personally stops it by breaking its fingers before it can enter the chamber.

Chapter Summary: “Blood Moon · Super Fierce · Long-Legged · Witch!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William and his allies finish slaughtering much of the Blood Moon Cult’s forces, but the battle leaves the five heroes heavily exhausted.
• Five powerful Blood Moon Elders emerge, each a Legendary Grandmaster wielding a distinct weapon. The Players realize William’s group may be facing an overwhelming challenge.
• Lancelot arrives with the Dark Child and reports that King Karenza has been killed by the Dark Child in the Royal Palace.
• The Blood Moon Dark Witch begins her resurrection inside a blood-colored sphere protected by a Dark Barrier.
• William, Burning Ash, Diablo, Lotner, and Xiyan combine their different Battle Auras into a massive blade. The attack destroys the Blood Moon forces blocking it and shatters the Barrier, interrupting the resurrection.
• Despite the interruption, the Blood Moon Witch successfully manifests. Her emergence causes the Underground Space to tremble, while the surviving cultists become fanatically devoted and mutilate themselves in worship.
• The Witch reveals herself as Lina Karenza, the former princess of the Karenza Grand Duchy. She uses beauty, charm, and enchantment to influence those around her.
• Lina attempts to persuade William to leave and allow King City to fall into darkness. William pretends to negotiate, then suddenly grabs and impales her with the Cursed Sword.
• Lina survives by shedding the damaged body like a discarded shell and reforming from her shadow. Enraged, she commands the Blood Moon Cultists to attack, beginning another large-scale battle.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates strategic deception and ruthless pragmatism. Although he claims he does not hit women, he distinguishes between striking and killing, exploiting Lina’s confidence in her enchantment to land a surprise attack.
• Lina Karenza, the Blood Moon Dark Witch, is revealed as both extraordinarily powerful and highly charismatic. Her resurrection is disrupted but not prevented, and her ability to survive William’s lethal strike establishes her as a formidable opponent.
• The five Blood Moon Elders are introduced as elite Legendary Grandmasters loyal to Lina even before her resurrection. Their appearance raises the stakes and shows the organization’s depth.
• The Players become increasingly frightened by the gap between Legendary experts, though Little Fatty’s livestream audience is distracted by Lina’s appearance.
• Lancelot provides crucial information about King Karenza’s death and remains wary of the Dark Child, whose motives are still unclear.
• The Dark Child follows Lancelot without attacking, suggesting that he is pursuing an unknown plan.
• Xiyan and William’s allies cooperate effectively in the combination attack, showing their growing coordination despite their exhaustion.

Significant Themes

• Deception versus appearance: Lina appears gentle and approachable, while William presents himself as honorable before using her expectations against her.
• Power and fanaticism: The cultists’ worship of Lina shows how charisma and supernatural influence can transform devotion into self-destructive fanaticism.
• Resurrection and survival: Lina’s interrupted revival and ability to regenerate emphasize the difficulty of permanently defeating her.
• Humor amid danger: The narrative repeatedly contrasts the life-threatening battle with jokes about Lina’s beauty, William’s hypocrisy, and the Players’ distracted livestream audience.
• Teamwork against overwhelming odds: The heroes’ combination skill allows them to overcome defenses that none of them could likely break alone.

Character Interactions

• William and the Blood Moon Elders confront one another as opposing leaders, with the Elders attempting to protect Lina’s resurrection.
• William’s five-person team coordinates their attacks to destroy the Dark Barrier.
• Lancelot exchanges information with the group about King Karenza’s death while observing the Dark Child’s suspicious behavior.
• Lina tries to charm and manipulate William, but he resists her enchantment and deceives her in return.
• Xiyan reacts skeptically to William’s claim that he “never hits women,” recognizing the contradiction in his behavior.
• The Players and Little Fatty’s viewers provide comic commentary, focusing more on Lina’s beauty than the danger she represents.

Chapter 353 Summary: “See the Light Again”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Blood Moon Witch survives the interruption of her revival. Although she fails to become an Archmage, she remains extraordinarily powerful and can recover by absorbing blood from the battlefield.
• The remaining Blood Moon Cultists launch a desperate attack while the Witch continues gathering energy. William, Lancelot, Diablo, the Prince, the Dark Child, and others engage them.
• The ten Players initially hide, but reveal surprisingly strong equipment and combat abilities when isolated cultists attack them. They use hit-and-run tactics to defeat their enemies.
• The Prince battles the Blood Moon Grand Elder, a centuries-old dual-sword Dark Warrior whose abilities have been perfected through long experience. The Grand Elder appears evenly matched with William at first.
• William uses Soul Hand to kill a nearby cultist and absorb the victim’s soul, rapidly healing his own severe wounds. He then activates his Battle Aura Shield, Thunder Speed, and Power of Holy Soul, dramatically increasing his speed and attributes.
• William overwhelms the Grand Elder with a devastating Thunder Slash, punches, and a thrown Cursed Sword. He ultimately destroys the Grand Elder’s head and defeats him.
• Hundreds of cultists attempt to stop William, but his Soul Shockwave knocks them away and tears many of their souls from their bodies. He then confronts the Blood Moon Witch directly.
• The Witch offers William the position of her King, but he rejects her, reaffirming his intention to inherit the Elven King’s throne. She responds by attacking him.
• William and the Witch exchange devastating attacks. She bombards him with corrosive blood, nearly stripping away his hair and skin, while he counters with Thunder Rays that badly damage her.
• Both transform into monstrous, heavily injured forms and fight across a vast area at incredible speed. Their collisions destroy the battlefield and kill numerous cultists caught between them.
• William eventually overpowers the Witch, drags her from the ruins, and repeatedly beats her with Thunder God’s Left Hand until she disintegrates completely. The Players receive confirmation that their mission is complete.
• The destruction destabilizes the sealed space. Diablo protects the group inside a Magic Metal barrier, while William is buried beneath falling rubble before he can reach them.
• The surviving cultists regain consciousness but are trapped by the blocked entrance. The Dark Child abandons his fight with Lancelot and escapes through a black vortex.
• As the ruins collapse, sunlight finally breaks through the haze and illuminates King City once more.

Character Developments and Interactions

• William demonstrates a major increase in power beyond his advancement into the Grandmaster realm. His abilities, speed, healing, and destructive strength have undergone a qualitative transformation.
• William’s combat style appears increasingly brutal and dark. His ability to heal by absorbing souls unsettles the Blood Moon Grand Elder, who feels William resembles a Dark Professional more than an Elf.
• William rejects the Blood Moon Witch’s attempt to seduce and recruit him, emphasizing his loyalty to his own ambition and identity as the future Elven King.
• The Blood Moon Witch shifts from seductive confidence to desperate aggression as William matches and eventually surpasses her. Her transformation into a demonic monster reflects the loss of her human appearance and control.
• The Blood Moon Grand Elder reveals himself as a powerful but controlled servant. His centuries of training allow him to fight William temporarily, but he is ultimately crushed by William’s enhanced power.
• The Prince fights recklessly against overwhelming odds, using the surrounding fodder enemies as motivation to disregard his own safety.
• The Players prove far stronger than their ordinary appearance suggests and display coordinated, opportunistic combat tactics.
• Diablo acts protectively, using Magic Metal to shield the group from the collapsing ruins.
• The Dark Child recognizes William’s extraordinary growth and abandons his conflict with Lancelot to escape, while still ensuring Lancelot reaches safety.

Significant Themes

• Power and transformation: William’s sudden qualitative growth allows him to defeat opponents who previously would have been overwhelming.
• Identity and ambition: William refuses the Witch’s offer because he remains committed to becoming the Elven King rather than accepting power through her.
• Brutality versus survival: The battle is characterized by soul absorption, mutilation, and relentless violence, showing how extreme the struggle has become.
• The destruction of corruption: The Witch and her cult represent bloodshed and domination; her death allows the darkness covering King City to disappear.
• Hope and renewal: The chapter ends with sunlight returning, symbolizing the defeat of the Blood Moon Witch and the restoration of light after prolonged devastation.

Chapter Summary: Quest Rewards and the Scheming Empress Dowager

Key Plot Points and Events

• Kalena Royal City returns from the Dark World to its original location, ending the immediate crisis. Hidden powerhouses withdraw because the disaster is now considered a human civil conflict rather than a threat connected to the Dark World.
• William and the others emerge from the collapsed library. Although everyone assumes William was buried, he had already escaped and is casually waiting on the ruins, fully healed except for his notably shiny head.
• The group worries about proving that they defeated the Blood Moon Witch, since the battle destroyed most evidence. William reveals that he kept the witch’s two distinctive crescent-pupiled eyes, which can serve as proof of their accomplishment.
• They travel to the Karenza Kingdom to claim the promised reward. Because the old king died during the disaster, his young son—only seven or eight years old—is hurriedly placed on the throne to stabilize the country.
• William is invited to meet privately with Elena, the young Empress Dowager and former queen. She initially attempts to charm and seduce him, but William remains wary and suspects a hidden agenda.
• When William displays the Blood Moon Witch’s eyes, Elena is horrified and immediately accepts them as evidence. William refuses to destroy them until he receives his reward, wary of the kingdom breaking its promise.
• Elena pays the agreed bounty: 2,000 catties each of Mithril, Gold Essence, and Orichalcum, along with 3 million gold coins and 50,000 Mana Gemstones.
• She then asks Dawn City to send 30,000 troops to help maintain order in the Royal City and suppress possible noble rebellions. William agrees, provided the military assistance is paid for separately.
• Elena sends a beautiful woman named Xinlan to escort William to collect the reward. William realizes that Elena’s interest is not romantic; she wants to exploit Dawn City’s power to strengthen her own political position and potentially become the kingdom’s true ruler.
• The chapter ends with William leaving and checking the settlement of his S-Class quest.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates caution, confidence, and political awareness. He refuses to be manipulated by Elena’s beauty or by the kingdom’s desperate situation, insisting on concrete evidence and payment.
• He also reveals a pragmatic and somewhat ruthless side by preserving the Blood Moon Witch’s eyes as proof, treating them as valuable evidence rather than showing emotional concern for the defeated witch.
• Elena is introduced as ambitious and calculating. Her apparent seduction is revealed to be a political tactic intended to secure Dawn City’s support and expand her own authority.
• The young new king is presented as a symbolic ruler installed primarily to calm the population while the adults and nobles manage the kingdom’s crisis.
• The players and William’s companions continue to provide humorous commentary, particularly about William’s appearance, the gruesome evidence, and the possibility that Elena may be scheming around him.

Significant Themes

• Power and political manipulation: Elena seeks to use William’s influence and military strength to consolidate her own rule.
• Trust and proof: William’s insistence on preserving evidence reflects his distrust of rulers and his awareness that promised rewards may not be honored without verification.
• Appearance versus reality: Elena appears flirtatious and vulnerable, but her true motivation is ambition. Likewise, the public believes the crisis simply vanished without understanding what truly happened.
• The instability of power: The kingdom quickly installs a child king after the old king’s death, emphasizing how political institutions can become symbolic tools during emergencies.
• Pragmatism over sentiment: William and the kingdom both prioritize survival, stability, and political advantage over ceremony, morality, or mourning.

Character Interactions

• William jokes and negotiates with his companions while they search for him and discuss how to prove their victory.
• His display of the Blood Moon Witch’s eyes shocks the group and later terrifies Elena, allowing him to control the bounty negotiation.
• Elena attempts to seduce William, but he recognizes the strategy and remains formal and emotionally detached.
• William agrees to Elena’s request for military assistance only after demanding that it be treated as a separate paid arrangement, preserving Dawn City’s interests.
• Elena’s interaction with Xinlan further reveals her willingness to use attractive agents and personal charm as political tools.

Chapter Summary: Diamond Body, Blood Moon Dungeon!

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• William receives the rewards for resolving the Blood Moon Dark Witch incident: 1.2 million experience points, a Talent Upgrade Card, and a Blood Moon Dungeon Crystal.
• He uses the Talent Upgrade Card on Steel Body, upgrading it to Diamond Body.
• Diamond Body greatly increases William’s defenses and health:
  • Stamina now grants more Defense.
  • He gains an additional 300 Defense and 3,000 maximum HP.
  • Most incoming damage is reduced by 10%.
  • True damage is reduced by 30%.
  • Enemy buffs are weakened in effect and duration.
• With his existing attributes and equipment, William reaches roughly 2,800 Defense, making him nearly impervious to ordinary attacks from opponents below the Epic or Legendary level.
• His enhanced body becomes extremely durable when Battle Aura or Mana is activated, hardening his skin, flesh, bones, and hair. This also grants strong resistance to poison, paralysis, burning, and similar effects.
• The Blood Moon Dark Witch incident is recognized as a major victory for Dawn City, strengthening its reputation as an ally of humanity and the Light Faction.
• William finalizes a political and military arrangement with the Karenza Grand Duchy, where the Dawn Mercenary Group will help the Empress Dowager consolidate power and suppress rebellious nobles.
• After returning to Dawn City, William opens the Blood Moon Dungeon to Players using the dungeon crystal.
• Tens of thousands of Players enter, mostly hoping to see the Blood Moon Witch rather than earn rewards. However, they are quickly overwhelmed:
  • Players on William’s side cannot replace essential NPCs needed for the original victory.
  • Players joining the Blood Moon faction are instantly killed by William and the other powerful NPCs.
  • The dungeon proves so difficult that most Players abandon it and return to the more profitable Fire Dragon Dungeon.
• William reviews the progress of the Crimson Blood Players investigating vampires in the Emerald Grand Duchy. Though their progress is slow, some lower-level vampires have been captured and exchanged for Dawn Legion contribution points.
• He gives the Blood Moon Witch’s remaining eyeballs to Moxis, intending for Moxis to study or use her as a magical assistant.
• William prepares to investigate the next Dark Event: the Dark Curse incident in the Azurefrost Empire, while also planning to explore the Far North, visit the Snow Elf Kingdom, and potentially hunt a White Dragon.

2. Character Developments

• William becomes dramatically more powerful and durable after acquiring Diamond Body. He is now effectively immune to ordinary attacks and much harder to injure even with special abilities.
• His confidence and pride increase as he realizes how difficult he has become to defeat. He jokingly compares his body to that of an ideal tank and imagines eventually combining Diamond Body with Epic-tier body elementalization.
• William also demonstrates greater political influence, using the Blood Moon victory to strengthen Dawn City’s diplomatic position and negotiate profitable arrangements with Karenza.
• The Blood Moon Witch is reduced to a weakened remnant, possessing only her eyeballs. William cannot directly kill her after Karenza’s political transition, so he transfers her to Moxis.
• Moxis gains a potentially valuable magical subject and assistant in the Blood Moon Witch.
• The Players are portrayed as inexperienced and opportunistic. Their obsession with the Witch’s appearance leads them into a dungeon far beyond their abilities, while more practical Players return to the Fire Dragon Dungeon.
• The Crimson Blood Players continue their vampire-hunting work but make slow progress, partly because they become distracted by unrelated mercenary missions.

3. Significant Themes

• Power and defense: William’s upgrade emphasizes the importance of overwhelming durability, regeneration, and resistance in high-level combat.
• The gap between NPCs and Players: Even when Players possess similar abilities, NPCs like William benefit from superior bloodlines, attributes, and equipment, making them vastly stronger.
• Consequences of heroic victories: The Blood Moon incident is not only a battle won but also a diplomatic asset that improves Dawn City’s standing.
• Exploitation and pragmatism: William repeatedly turns dangerous enemies and captured vampires into resources, treating them as political, magical, or economic assets.
• The limits of imitation: Players attempt to recreate the original Blood Moon battle but fail because they cannot replace the specific NPCs and combination skills that made the victory possible.
• Comedy and satire of player behavior: The Players’ fixation on the Blood Moon Witch’s appearance contrasts humorously with the actual danger of the dungeon.

4. Character Interactions

• William discusses his new power informally with Burning Ash and the other companions, who sense that he has become even stronger.
• William reflects on how his Diamond Body compares with a true Shield Warrior’s build and considers its future combination with Epic-tier elementalization.
• His victory and negotiations with Karenza’s Empress Dowager establish a mutually beneficial political relationship centered on using Dawn’s forces against the duchy’s nobles.
• Players debate whether to join William’s faction or the Blood Moon faction, with some hoping to approach the Witch and others choosing to follow William.
• William’s forces defeat the Player groups with overwhelming ease, creating widespread complaints on the forums.
• William entrusts the Blood Moon Witch’s remains to Moxis, framing the arrangement as a practical form of magical “recycling” and potential apprenticeship.