Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• The group discovers a colossal golden eye inside the Dragon Palace. Its Dragon Might forces the Vampires to their knees, and a voice commands everyone to enter.
• Inside, they find the remains of many enormous dragons and the nearly skeletal but still-living Blood Dragon. His injuries are so severe that he appears close to death.
• The Blood Dragon reveals that he can control the Vampires’ souls. He swallows more than fifty of them, sacrificing them to recover a little strength.
• He recognizes William’s scent from dragons he has killed and detects that William has a Dusk Dragon companion. After questioning William about the current era and surviving dragon breeds, he learns that most dragonkind appear to be gone, though Time Dragons still exist.
• William admits he came seeking the Blood Dragon’s Essence Blood to strengthen the young Dusk Dragon. The Blood Dragon believes him and gives him his Dragon Crystal and remaining Essence Blood.
• The Blood Dragon entrusts the Dusk Dragon to William, calling him dragonkind’s hope. He orders the group to leave before he dies and the Nibelungen collapses, while forbidding them from taking the remains of the fallen dragons.
• William and the others escape as the space crumbles. Alec rejoins them, apparently having found treasure of his own.

Character developments

• William shows caution around the powerful Blood Dragon, but ultimately answers honestly about his past and his purpose. He earns the dragon’s trust and accepts responsibility for the Dusk Dragon’s future.
• The Blood Dragon is revealed as both terrifying and deeply grief-stricken. Though he once treated Vampires as food, he preserves respect for fallen dragonkind and chooses to entrust its future to the Dusk Dragon.
• The Vampires are exposed as creations—and potential prey—of the Blood Dragons. Their souls remain under their creator’s control, and they are sacrificed to sustain him.
• Alec remains outside the Palace during the encounter and returns only after the group escapes, apparently pleased with his discoveries.

Significant themes

• The decline of dragonkind: The Blood Dragon recalls dragonkind’s former dominance and its fall after a civil war, suggesting that most dragons are now extinct.
• Legacy and hope: The Dusk Dragon is entrusted with the Dragon Crystal and Essence Blood as a possible future for his kind.
• Resolve and dignity: The Blood Dragon’s refusal to surrender, even while slowly dying, earns William’s admiration. He also insists that the fallen dragons’ remains and honor be left undisturbed.
• Truth, sacrifice, and exploitation: The Blood Dragon values William’s honesty, while the Vampires’ creation as servants conceals their intended role as food. Their sacrifice underscores the cost of their dependence on their creator.

Plot points and events

• The Crimson Blood mission ends with William and the Players returning from the Spatial Rift. William earns a 130% completion rating, 1.3 million experience, and the True Eye Talent, which reveals weak points and greatly increases critical damage against them.
• The Vampires’ plot is crushed: most of the twenty thousand are captured, many high-ranking Vampires escape, and numerous Grandmasters died inside the Rift. Players exchange captured Vampires for rewards.
• Dawn City’s Players celebrate their victory, while Players from the Emerald and Lanyu factions learn that their own leaders betrayed them. A popular streamer’s forum post argues that Dawn City is the game’s central, steadily rising faction and urges Players to join William.
• William reports the outcome to the Red Fire Kingdom. With the Vampire leadership exposed and defeated, the kingdom sends forces and hires Dawn City’s legions to stabilize both Grand Duchies. New rulers will be appointed, though they will effectively be Red Fire puppets.
• The chapter closes by foreshadowing the upcoming Ten-Year Blood War, a major Main Quest that William expects to involve Dawn City’s Players.

Character developments and interactions

• William gains a powerful combat Talent and uses his victory to strengthen Dawn City’s influence. He recognizes the streamer’s praise as useful recruitment and considers helping him grow.
• Angry Little Fatty becomes a prominent advocate for Dawn City, presenting William as a unifying “protagonist” who draws powerful figures and storylines together.
• Vekru Redflame is impressed by William’s swift, effective handling of the crisis. His personal and factional regard for William rises, and the two factions cooperate to restore order.
• Players from rival factions feel betrayed and disadvantaged, while Dawn Players feel protected and increasingly loyal to William.

Significant themes

• Power and faction loyalty: Players increasingly view Dawn City as the most reliable faction and William as the person who can connect them to major events.
• Political opportunism: The Vampire purge prevents disorder but also gives the Red Fire Kingdom an opening to install puppet rulers.
• Reputation as a resource: The forum post turns William’s victories into propaganda and recruitment, showing how public perception can expand a faction’s power.
• Escalating stakes: The resolution of one mission quickly gives way to anticipation of a much larger war.

Key plot points and events

• During the month-long transition of two grand duchies to the Red Fire Kingdom, William’s Dawn Legion takes charge of security and administration. The armies and palace guards are disarmed and reorganized, giving Dawn City control of the treasuries and military depots.
• William uses the pretext of hunting Vampires to seize their estates and wealth. He takes thirteen million Gold Coins from Vampire nobles, valuable goods, and thirty thousand promising young people to Dawn City. The Emerald Palace treasury yields another twenty-five million Gold Coins plus vast stores of rare materials and gemstones. After the Red Fire Kingdom takes over, its forces find the duchies’ noble holdings and treasuries largely stripped.
• Back in Dawn City, William reviews its growing strength: seventy-five million Gold Coins, 1.8 million Mana Gemstones, 2.3 million residents, ninety Warrior Legions, a 1.3-million-member mercenary group, and 34,000 Mages.
• William tells his senior followers that Dawn City will join the Elven factions’ campaign to destroy the Orc Empire. He frames the war as a chance to prove himself as a prince, commander, and ruler. His followers pledge their loyalty, and he promises they will share in Dawn City’s rise.
• The Dawn Legion will also send fifty thousand High-Class soldiers. William intends to use battles against the Orcs to develop powerful Legion Buffs, especially the “Unbeaten in a Hundred Battles” buff.
• Remembering the Dragon Blood Legion’s “Dragon-Slaying Strike” buff, William decides to create an exceptionally powerful Dragon Blood Legion. He abruptly ends the meeting and resolves to hunt dragons within two months.

Character developments and interactions

• William’s ambition and pragmatism become clearer: he prioritizes resources and military growth, exploits the temporary occupation to enrich Dawn City, and sees the Orc war as a step toward greater political power.
• His followers are initially alarmed by the scale of the coming war, then rally behind him when they interpret his plans as a path to his possible rise as Elven King.
• Old Bander questions whether William is keeping the Dawn Legion out of danger, then realizes William is committing a major force. He remains wary of the risks.
• Lotner assists William during the treasury seizure and serves as his formal Personal Guard at the meeting. Captain Jack is absent, stationed on Fishman Island.
• The chapter also notes Doglitt’s unusual hobby of giving Players strange quests, while Alice’s three thousand elite Elven Guards remain Dawn City’s strongest defensive force.

Significant themes

• Power through resources: William values wealth, materials, population, and military capacity as foundations of rule.
• Ambition and legitimacy: He presents war as a way to prove his worth and build authority among the Elves.
• Calculated risk and military growth: William accepts casualties and danger as necessary to strengthen his forces and acquire powerful Legion Buffs.
• The cost of conquest: The chapter’s comic, triumphant tone contrasts with the coercion behind William’s seizures of property and people.

Key plot points and events

• With the Ten-Year Blood War only two months away, William keeps the next Main Quest secret from the players, while deliberately making Dawn City’s preparations conspicuous. He relies on other quests from the Dawn Mercenary Group to keep the rapidly growing player population occupied.
• William visits the slaughterhouse to see Little Broken Dragon. After making the dragon perform tricks, he feeds him Saint-Class Blood Dragon Essence. Little Broken Dragon suffers severe pain and passes out inside a huge Mana egg, beginning a major evolution. William orders the workers not to butcher him.
• William leads 30,000 Dawn Legion troops and 200,000 players to seize Dark City, which has been left in disarray since its former ruler, Osman Losa, died. The defenders surrender or flee; William declares the city will be renamed Greenlight City, a safe supply base for adventurers in the Nightmare Forest. Players receive a cleanup quest and quickly set about restoring the city.
• Searching Osman’s manor, William discovers a hidden chamber and a letter from Aldrich, Osman’s mentor. Aldrich says he foresaw Osman’s death and William’s victory, and leaves William a Space Ring. He also asks William to pass his regards to the Diviner in Dawn City.

Character developments and interactions

• William displays his usual mix of strategic secrecy and showmanship: he keeps players guessing about the coming war, uses their numbers to take Dark City with little effort, and turns city cleanup into a lucrative quest. His discovery of Aldrich’s letter leaves him startled—and indignant at the suggestion that he came to the manor for anything but treasure.
• Little Broken Dragon is revealed as vain, food-motivated, and easily bribed with Blood Dragon Essence. His obedience reflects both his growing bond with William and the Soul Control placed on him at birth. The Essence triggers a dangerous-looking but potentially transformative evolution.
• Aldrich emerges as a powerful figure connected to Osman and the God of Divination. His message suggests he has foreseen events and knows about Dawn City’s Diviner.
• The players act as both William’s army and workforce: they conquer Dark City, then eagerly accept the cleanup quest, even joking about having to do menial work despite their advancement.

Significant themes

• Power and foreknowledge: Aldrich’s predictions and William’s changed influence over events suggest that destiny can be redirected.
• Pragmatism and control: William manages information, deploys players strategically, and turns conquest into settlement-building.
• Self-interest and loyalty: Little Broken Dragon’s devotion is bound up with comfort, food, and magical control, while the slaughterhouse workers’ loyalty earns them William’s tolerance.
• Transformation and rebuilding: Little Broken Dragon’s evolution and Dark City’s conversion into Greenlight City both mark transitions from disorder toward new purpose.

Key plot points and events

• William recalls Aldrich, the mysterious reincarnation of the God of Divination. Once renowned for accurate readings and rare favors to players, Aldrich is now less sought after because William’s patronage offers players more reliable rewards.
• With Dark City captured, William plans to expand Dawn City’s territory into Nightmare Forest. Its minerals, Demon Caverns, and strategic position make it valuable, while Portals linking it to nearby cities should help it develop.
• William prepares to hunt a Black Dragon in the forest. He assembles a large, elite squad equipped with heavy crossbows, magical nets, and concealment Scrolls, intending to act quietly and avoid alerting other Legendary Dragons.
• On the way to the lair, the squad overhears Orcs revealing that Madeliku and Adolf have joined forces with the Black Dragon for a major plan—possibly connected to Greenlight City or the recent fall of Dark City.
• Concluding that the two rivals may be plotting revenge, William abandons the stealth approach. He leads the squad toward the lair, ready to confront them while they are gathered.

Character developments and interactions

• William shows his usual mix of strategic caution, confidence, and vindictiveness. He sees Nightmare Forest as both a territorial asset and a source of work and rewards for players. Though he initially prioritizes secrecy, the news about Madeliku and Adolf makes him act decisively.
• Aldrich is presented as patient and calculating, having survived for a long time by keeping his identity concealed.
• Moxis is now strongly favorable toward William after receiving a Blood Dragon Crystal, readily supplying him with Scrolls.
• William regards Madeliku as dangerous less for his personal strength than for his habit of provoking trouble and forming alliances. He also treats Adolf as part of the threat.
• The Orc patrol’s gossip inadvertently gives William crucial intelligence, undercutting the Black Dragon’s attempt to keep its plans secret.

Significant themes

• Territorial power and development: William values land for its strategic reach and the resources, people, and trade it can support.
• Pragmatism and secrecy: He balances large-scale conquest against the need to keep his plans hidden from powerful enemies.
• Information as power: Careless gossip reveals a secret meeting and changes William’s plans.
• Gaming and exploitation: William views Demon Caverns as opportunities for players to gain strength and rewards, even if they are tired of fighting.
• Rivalry and retaliation: The chapter ends with William eager to thwart Madeliku and Adolf’s apparent revenge plot.

Key plot points and events

• William and his companions infiltrate the Black Dragon’s lair using Invisibility and Aura Scrolls. They silently kill four Orc guards, disguise themselves in their equipment, and place barriers to contain the fight if discovered.
• They reach the Black Dragon’s Obsidian palace. William sends twenty-six Masters to the windows with Giant Crossbows while he and a smaller group approach the entrance.
• Inside, they find the Black Dragon Sagrita meeting with Madeliku, Adolf, and a large gathering of Vampire and other powerful allies. Madeliku urges Sagrita to attack Dark City when William and Dawn City are distracted by an Elven war. He offers the city’s population as spoils.
• Madeliku also claims William has been killing Dragons and may be using one to create a giant Magic Egg. Sagrita, wary but persuaded, considers the proposal.
• William abruptly gives the signal. Crossbow bolts strike Sagrita, triggering the Black Dragon’s furious counterattack. The assembled factions abandon negotiations and join the battle, hoping to profit from killing a Dragon.
• Madeliku realizes he has been framed and tries to escape using phantom doubles. William’s Eye of Thunder sees through the deception. He catches Madeliku, smashes him through the palace wall, kills him, and mutilates the body to prevent his return.

Character developments and interactions

• William proves patient and strategic, using stealth to reach the lair and turning Madeliku’s scheming into an opportunity to strike. He is also ruthless once he catches his enemy.
• Madeliku reveals his talent for manipulation: he tries to provoke Sagrita into attacking William’s city while presenting himself as a useful ally. His plan collapses when William’s ambush makes him look responsible for the attack.
• Sagrita is greedy but cautious about provoking Dawn City. Madeliku’s claims about William’s Dragon-killing and the giant egg persuade him to consider war—until the crossbow attack sends him into a rage.
• Adolf recognizes that Madeliku has again engineered a Dragon-slaying scenario, though Adolf is also tempted by the prospect of gaining power from the Dragon’s blood.
• The gathered Vampires, Orcs, and other professionals quickly shift from diplomacy to combat, showing that personal gain outweighs loyalty or cooperation.

Significant themes

• Deception and misdirection: Madeliku lies to steer Sagrita toward war, but William’s ambush turns the deception back on him.
• Opportunism and shifting alliances: Once negotiations erupt into violence, the factions readily attack the Dragon for the rewards they might gain.
• Preparation and tactical advantage: Stealth, disguises, barriers, and coordinated crossbow fire allow William’s group to initiate a fight against a powerful foe.
• Ruthlessness and survival: The characters act decisively in a world where hesitation can be fatal—and where even a corpse may need to be destroyed to prevent resurrection.

Key plot points and events

• The Black Dragon Sagrita suddenly reveals his true strength, transforms into an enormous adult dragon, and destroys the palace. His Dragon Breath kills many fighters, including several Epic-level combatants.
• William orders his forces to block the exits and attack the remaining enemies, aiming to eliminate everyone in the Dragon’s Nest before reinforcements can arrive.
• William fights Sagrita alone. Despite the Dragon’s dark-element domain, powerful magic, and crushing physical attacks, William endures through his exceptional defenses and healing.
• When Sagrita traps William with Dragon King’s Might and attacks with Dragon Breath, William breaks free using Holy Thunder Incarnation, rushes into the Dragon’s mouth, and unleashes devastating Thunder and Sword Qi from within. Sagrita dies, and his domain fades.
• With the Dragon defeated and escape cut off, Adolf surrenders theatrically, blaming Madeliku and the Vampires. William decides to spare him for now, seeing potential use in the former Legendary Bounty Hunter.
• The remaining Vampires refuse to surrender and charge into battle, preferring death to capture and enslavement.
• William gains substantial experience, the Dungeon Crystal, and a clue to a secret tied to the Nightmare Forest’s destruction and an Ancient Secret Realm.

Character developments

• William proves himself a formidable Dragon-slayer, combining resilience, lightning powers, and decisive tactics. His victory strengthens his authority, but he remains pragmatic: he spares Adolf because the man may be useful.
• Sagrita is revealed to have concealed his near-Epic strength and possibly inherited a connection to the Black Dragon King. His confidence and power ultimately fail against William’s resourcefulness.
• Adolf shifts from combatant to self-preserving supplicant, using flattery and excuses to secure his survival. He also secretly collects Dragon Blood while clinging to William.
• The Vampires demonstrate resolve in the face of defeat, choosing a final charge rather than surrendering to their mortal enemies.

Significant themes

• Survival and ruthlessness: Both sides act decisively in a conflict where hesitation can mean death.
• Power and resilience: William’s victory shows that endurance, adaptability, and unusual abilities can overcome even a physically superior foe.
• Pragmatism and opportunism: William treats enemies and rewards as potential assets, while Adolf’s surrender and secretive behavior reflect self-interest.
• Dignity in defeat: The Vampires’ final charge contrasts with Adolf’s surrender, emphasizing different responses to captivity and humiliation.

Character interactions

• William and Sagrita engage in a brutal duel, with each adapting to the other’s attacks until William exploits the Dragon’s open mouth.
• William coordinates with Burning Ash and the other Dawn City fighters to prevent enemies from escaping or summoning help.
• Adolf pleads with William for mercy, while William chooses to keep him alive for possible future service.
• The Vampires reject surrender and attack William’s side, turning the aftermath of the Dragon’s death into another fight.

Chapter 383 Summary: “Warning from a Legendary Gold Dragon!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William’s forces completely destroy the black dragon and the vampires associated with Dark City. Adolf, the Nightmare Warrior, is the only notable survivor.
• Over the following days, Dawn City’s dragon-slaying forces hunt dragons throughout the Nightmare Forest. They target dragons with known criminal records, whether they belong to clans or live independently.
• Seven days before the Ten-Year Blood War, William successfully gathers enough dragons to complete the Chromatic Dragon Blood Legion, which now contains 3,500 members.
• William encounters a middle-aged man in Dawn City and immediately recognizes him as a legendary gold dragon in human form.
• The gold dragon warns William to stop killing dragons. Although he acknowledges that the slain dragons were criminals, he argues that dragonkind is dwindling and that even wicked dragons may be considered immature or valuable by other dragons.
• William defends his actions by presenting himself as a champion of justice. He claims that he protects the weak, safeguards his subjects, and will not permit evil creatures to operate within his territory. He also insists that he is willing to accept punishment if the gold dragon spares Dawn City and its people.
• Impressed by William’s rhetoric, appearance, and apparent commitment to justice, the gold dragon chooses not to punish him. Instead, he agrees to remain in Dawn City and mentor William in governing justly.
• William secretly views the gold dragon’s presence as a powerful deterrent against enemy attacks. He plans to lead his army away from the city, trusting that hostile forces will be afraid to raid Dawn City while a legendary dragon is there.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates his characteristic combination of ambition, manipulation, charm, and political confidence. Although he genuinely values justice and the safety of his people, he is also motivated by the strategic benefits of dragon blood and crystals.
• William skillfully turns a potential confrontation into an opportunity. Rather than resisting the gold dragon’s warning, he flatters him and invites him to inspect and advise Dawn City.
• The legendary gold dragon is introduced as a powerful but highly curious and morally inclined figure. He acts as a mediator between dragons and humanity and dislikes dragons that prey on humans.
• The gold dragon initially intends to warn or pressure William, but William’s speech and personal charisma sway him. His curiosity about Dawn City’s peaceful multicultural society ultimately convinces him to stay.
• The gold dragon’s attitude toward elemental dragons is revealed to be complicated. Although he feels obligated to protect dragonkind as a whole, metallic and elemental dragons have historically been bitter enemies, and he may secretly be pleased that some criminal elemental dragons were eliminated.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus equality: William acknowledges that the world is inherently unequal, with different races possessing different strengths, but argues that justice comes from individuals choosing to protect the weak.
• Moral justification and self-interest: William frames his dragon hunting as righteous punishment, while the narrative makes clear that he also benefits from dragon blood, dragon crystals, and military expansion.
• Charisma as power: William’s talent, appearance, and eloquence allow him to influence even a legendary dragon. His ability to gain favor becomes as important as his military strength.
• Racial coexistence: Dawn City is presented as an unusually harmonious society where humans, elves, dwarves, winged folk, and other races live together peacefully.
• Conflicting loyalties: The gold dragon must balance his responsibility to protect dragonkind with his hatred of dragons that commit atrocities. The historic hostility between metallic and elemental dragons complicates his warning.
• Strategic manipulation: William converts a dangerous political encounter into a military advantage by persuading the gold dragon to remain in Dawn City.

Important Character Interactions

• William and the gold dragon: Their conversation begins as a confrontation over the slaughter of dragons but gradually becomes an exchange of mutual admiration and manipulation.
• William presents himself as a principled ruler, while the gold dragon challenges whether his actions are truly motivated by justice or by the desire for dragon resources.
• William then praises the gold dragon as a fellow servant of justice and persuades him to stay as an adviser.
• The gold dragon becomes fascinated by Dawn City’s peaceful racial integration and agrees to mentor William, unknowingly allowing William to use his presence as protection for the city.
• By the end of the chapter, William has transformed a warning from a legendary enemy into a potential guardian for Dawn City and a valuable political ally.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• Kalunsky, an ancient Gold Dragon who considers himself exceptionally learned, spends three days searching for flaws in Dawn City’s policies. He finds none: the city’s diverse peoples appear unusually content and live together without the prejudice or scheming he has seen elsewhere.
• Unable to explain Dawn City’s harmony, Kalunsky goes to question William, only to learn that the City Lord has already left. William’s letter—written in Gold Dragon Script—asks Kalunsky to protect the city while William leads an expedition against the Orc Empire. Kalunsky agrees, partly out of genuine admiration for the city.
• William’s army and more than 1.8 million Players arrive in the frigid Far North. The Players are thrilled by the new scenery and the prospect of an SSS-Class Main Quest, though they complain about being required to buy cold-weather coats and about the high prices of local gear.
• Online discussions focus on the war’s enormous scale, the Elven armies, and the mission’s merit-point rewards. Players debate the value and limitations of earning an NPC Personal Guard.
• At a meeting, the Three Great Elven Clans hesitate to volunteer for the dangerous Vanguard role. William takes the assignment himself, planning to use the 1.8 million intermediate-tier Players as his Vanguard.

Character developments

• Kalunsky moves from baffled scrutiny to respect and responsibility. He cannot identify what makes Dawn City work, but recognizes its genuine peace and accepts William’s request to guard it.
• William appears confident and pragmatic: he entrusts his city to Kalunsky and volunteers for the Vanguard, turning a perilous military role into a mission for the huge Player force.
• The Players are shown as excitable and irreverent, eager for adventure and rewards but quick to complain about costs. Their enthusiasm grows as they witness the assembling Elven legions.

Significant themes

• Multiracial harmony and good governance: Dawn City’s social peace challenges Kalunsky’s accumulated experience of prejudice and political intrigue.
• Duty and justice: Kalunsky sees protecting Dawn City as the right thing to do, while William presents the expedition as a campaign against an evil empire.
• War as spectacle and game: The Players treat a dangerous campaign as both a grand adventure and an opportunity to earn rewards, creating comic contrast with its real military stakes.
• Leadership and sacrifice: With the Elven clans unwilling to risk their legions, William accepts the Vanguard role, though he intends to rely on overwhelming Player numbers.

Character interactions

• Kalunsky speaks with Dawn City’s Elven guards, learns William has departed, and receives the letter requesting his help. The guards also reinforce William’s admiration for Gold Dragon Script.
• Players interact mainly through forum posts and discussions, joking about Elves, equipment, rewards, and NPC spouses while strategizing over Personal Guards.
• In the military meeting, the Elven clans’ reluctance leaves the Vanguard position open; William resolves the impasse by claiming it for himself and assigning the Players to the force.

Summary

The narrator explains that they may be absent because they woke very early to attend a wedding and then slept through the afternoon. A sudden thunderstorm woke them, followed by a power outage just as they were starting to work. Because the rain is still severe, they plan to wait before retrieving an iPad and hope to continue writing rather than formally take leave.
They reassure readers that they have already updated approximately 200,000 words that month and would not ask for time off without an unexpected disruption. The narrator jokes anxiously about not being the protagonist and potentially being killed by lightning, emphasizing their reluctance to go outside. They also warn that they dislike typing on a phone, believing chapters written that way lack quality or “soul.”

• Plot/events: Wedding attendance, oversleeping, thunderstorm, power outage, delayed writing, and possible absence.
• Character development: The narrator is shown as hardworking and committed to updating, but also tired, cautious, and self-deprecating.
• Themes: Responsibility to readers, the unpredictability of daily life, weather-related disruption, and the importance of writing quality.
• Character interactions: The narrator addresses readers directly, asking them to wait patiently and reassuring them that the interruption is temporary.

Chapter 385 Summary: Emissary of the Frost Empire

Key Plot Points and Events

• William prepares to launch the imperial war using Dawn City’s 1.8 million player troops. Because a massed player assault could provoke powerful orc experts and lead to chaos or retreat, Prince divides them into 18 legions of 100,000, humorously naming them the Death-Seeking Legions.
• Each legion is assigned to attack one of the 18 steel fortresses built by the Orc Empire along its borders with the three elven factions.
• The fortress war is intended primarily to serve as a vanguard campaign, motivating the players and establishing a ruthless, fearless opening victory rather than immediately deciding the entire war.
• Shortly before the campaign begins, Kieran Time, a grand archmage and emissary of the Frost Empire, arrives at the Snow Elf capital.
• The three elven factions hold a high-level meeting attended by Snow Elf Queen Bernice Frost, Moonlight Elf Elder Pleti Moonlight, Black Leaf Elf Elder Anderson Black Leaf, various legendary and epic figures, and William.
• Kieran first thanks William for warning the Grand Duchy of the Northern Region about the catastrophe that would otherwise have destroyed it. He also presents William with a reward from the Frost Empire.
• Kieran then announces that the Frost Empire intends to join the war against the Orc Empire. Bernice immediately challenges the empire’s motives, recognizing that it primarily wants access to the Far North’s resources rather than merely assisting the elves.
• Bernice agrees to Frost Empire participation but assigns the Grand Duchy of the Northern Region responsibility for eight of the eighteen fortresses, a much larger burden than Kieran expected.
• She further orders Kieran to remain as the liaison for the military alliance and to train elven time-attribute professionals, effectively preventing him from leaving until the war is over.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates strategic caution and political maturity. Rather than recklessly throwing all player forces into one battle, he organizes them to reduce the danger of enemy high-level attacks and player panic. He also recognizes that the Frost Empire’s participation could prevent the elves from suffering the devastating population losses seen in the original timeline.
• William becomes increasingly important politically: he is seated among the major leaders because Dawn City now represents a significant independent faction with both regular troops and millions of players.
• Bernice Frost is portrayed as forceful, sharp-tongued, and politically dominant. She refuses to let the Frost Empire disguise its resource-seeking motives and immediately turns Kieran’s proposal to her advantage.
• Kieran Time, despite being an immensely powerful time-attribute grand archmage and high-ranking Frost Empire official, is placed in an awkward position. He must defend his empire’s interests without antagonizing Bernice, ultimately accepting an unfavorable military assignment.
• Kieran develops a favorable impression of William after their exchange. William, meanwhile, immediately sees the value of keeping Kieran nearby, especially because he is the only known time-attribute saint on the continent and could potentially become a mentor to Old Pi.

Significant Themes

• Strategy over brute force: William’s handling of the player army reflects the need to control overwhelming numbers and prevent reckless attacks from becoming a political or military disaster.
• War and resource competition: The conflict is not only about defeating the Orc Empire. The elves and Frost Empire are also competing for the mineral veins, supplies, and other resources behind the fortresses.
• Political power and unequal alliances: The Frost Empire presents itself as an auxiliary ally, but Bernice forces it to accept a major share of the frontline burden, revealing how alliances often conceal competition.
• Changing fate and altered timelines: William’s intervention has changed the original course of events. The Frost Empire, which previously suffered isolation and heavy losses, now becomes involved because the elven offensive creates a new opportunity.
• The value of powerful individuals: Kieran’s status as a rare time-attribute saint makes him strategically important beyond his diplomatic role, particularly for training future experts.

Character Interactions

• Bernice and Kieran: Their exchange dominates the meeting. Bernice aggressively questions the Frost Empire’s intentions, while Kieran maintains diplomatic firmness. She ultimately outmaneuvers him by assigning the Frost Empire eight fortresses and forcing him to remain as liaison.
• William and Kieran: Kieran publicly thanks William for saving the Grand Duchy of the Northern Region, while William responds modestly. Their brief interaction establishes mutual respect and leads to Kieran developing a strong favorable impression of him.
• William and Bernice: William silently approves of Bernice’s decision to retain Kieran and recognizes her political insight, especially the opportunity to have him train time-attribute practitioners.
• The three elven factions: Their leaders cooperate against the Orc Empire but avoid direct rivalry over command. The Snow Elf Queen leads because of her superior experience in the Far North and her status as a saint, while the Moonlight and Black Leaf leadership deliberately avoid challenging her authority.

Chapter 386 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Elves, humans, and other allied forces finalize plans for a prolonged war against the Orc Empire. They discuss troop deployments, attack and retreat schedules, supplies, and intelligence exchanges.
• The Orc Empire has reinforced its eighteen northern military fortresses, each holding at least 80,000 soldiers, including elite orcs, grandmasters, trolls, magical beasts, Frost Giants, and magically controlled Behemoths.
• William’s Dawn Mercenary Group is revealed to be only a vanguard and distraction force. Its undying troops are not expected to conquer the fortresses but to drain the Orc Empire’s resources.
• The Orc Empire’s rear defenses are introduced: a 50-meter-high, 1,800-kilometer-long fortress wall known as the Black Great Wall, backed by heavily fortified orc cities and logistical bases.
• The wall was originally built by demons during the Second Era’s dark invasion and remains one of the most difficult defensive positions on the Legendary Continent. It is protected by dense troops, arrow towers, and magical artillery.
• The chapter recounts the history of the Second Era’s dark invasion. The Elves initially refused to intervene, hoping humans and the Winged Folk would weaken the demons. Their eventual intervention came too late, and ten demon saints destroyed the World Tree in a devastating suicide attack.
• The destruction of the World Tree caused the Elves’ decline and allowed humanity, aided by the Winged Folk and dwarves, to rise as the dominant power of the Third Era.
• The present alliance must capture the eighteen fortresses and breach the Black Great Wall to reach the Orc Empire’s resource-rich cities.
• At the wall, Orc King Gultai Frostbound, the only Dark Faction saint on the Legendary Continent, speaks with the demon legendary powerhouse Augre about the coming war.
• They discuss the Frost Empire’s unexpected participation and the failed attempt by dark-world forces to exploit the Northern Region’s spatial-folding phenomenon. That plan was reportedly disrupted by an Elven prince.
• Gultai vows that every inhabitant of the Orc Empire will fight to inflict heavy losses on the Elves and humans. A Demon Lord then promises that the future dark invasion will allow the orcs to rule the Gods Continent.
• When the Demon Lord flatters Gultai by calling him handsome, Gultai kills him with one punch for being insincere. He orders the Dark World to send a more honest emissary.
• Augre immediately praises Gultai as the most handsome, dashing, and powerful monarch in the Gods Continent, earning a pleased reaction.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Gultai Frostbound is established as a powerful, eccentric, and prideful Orc King. Despite his unimpressive appearance and lack of exceptional orc bloodlines, he reached sainthood through sheer strength and determination.
• Gultai’s past is emphasized: he protected the defeated orcs and demons at the end of the Second Era and has ruled from the Far North ever since.
• His vanity becomes a major comedic trait. He demands genuine recognition of his appearance and violently rejects obvious flattery.
• Augre/Augurei, a demon legendary figure, deeply respects Gultai’s strength despite privately disliking his appearance. He understands the seriousness of the coming war and responds carefully to Gultai’s temperament.
• The Demon Lord’s false praise exposes the tension between the Orc Empire and its demon allies. Although the demons need the orcs, they secretly look down on them as former servants and “low-ranking” creatures.
• The relationship between the Orcs and demons is therefore pragmatic rather than trusting: they cooperate against the surface races, but resentment and contempt remain beneath the alliance.

Significant Themes

• The cost of historical failure: The Elves’ earlier refusal to fight the dark invasion allowed the demons to advance and ultimately led to the destruction of the World Tree.
• Long-term warfare and attrition: The coming conflict is portrayed as a multiyear struggle decided by logistics, fortifications, supplies, and casualties rather than a single battle.
• Former masters and fallen powers: The demons, once superior to the orcs, now depend on their former servants and must operate under Orc rule.
• Alliance built on distrust: The Elves, humans, orcs, and demons all pursue temporary goals, while hidden grudges and competing ambitions threaten their cooperation.
• Defense versus conquest: The Black Great Wall symbolizes the immense difficulty of overcoming the Orc Empire’s entrenched power.
• Comedy amid looming darkness: Gultai’s obsession with being handsome contrasts with the chapter’s grim history and impending war, providing a humorous characterization of an otherwise terrifying ruler.

Key plot points and events

• William receives a lavish thank-you gift from the Frost Empire: enormous quantities of money and rare materials, plus blueprints for a powerful Floating Airship. He recognizes that building it would drain Dawn City’s resources and leave the vessel vulnerable without proper support, so he stores the plans away until the city can afford the project.
• William introduces Old Pi, a Time-talented Warrior, to Kieran Time and asks him to become Old Pi’s teacher. Kieran’s Time Reversal briefly rewinds Old Pi’s approach, but Old Pi’s exceptional Talent lets him break free at the cost of severe physical backlash. Impressed, Kieran agrees to let him attend his lessons and considers taking him as an apprentice if he excels.
• On the eve of war, William names the Dawn Mercenary Group—the Players—the vanguard for an assault on ten Orc fortresses. Their apparent mission is to expend a set amount of ammunition and siege weapons, and the Players eagerly accept because they are accustomed to dying and respawning.
• Player strategist Chu Liuqiu shares a plan: early waves should draw out Orc attacks and consume their ammunition, while later waves should fight seriously. A hidden quest reveals the larger purpose: once enough enemy fire has been spent, Dawn City’s regular army will charge.
• At dawn, the Orcs and Frost Empire commanders see Dawn City’s army advance across the plains. The Players rush toward ten fortresses in a chaotic mass, startling their defenders with their recklessness.

Character developments

• William shows strategic restraint by resisting the temptation to build the airship too soon. He also takes responsibility for Old Pi’s slowed progress and works to secure him a mentor.
• Old Pi demonstrates extraordinary potential and determination by resisting Kieran’s Time Reversal despite its damaging effects. He accepts the chance to prove himself through Kieran’s lessons.
• Kieran Time is impressed by Old Pi’s ability but remains cautious, offering a trial rather than immediate apprenticeship.
• Chu Liuqiu acts as a capable strategist, coordinating the Players’ behavior with Dawn City’s military objectives.

Significant themes

• Power requires resources and support: The airship is formidable, but building and protecting it would demand far more than its blueprints alone.
• Talent needs guidance: Unlike Players, NPCs such as Old Pi depend on instruction to develop rare abilities.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: The Players willingly undertake a dangerous mission, though their confidence stems partly from respawning and rewards rather than fearlessness alone.
• Strategy through apparent chaos: The Players’ reckless-looking charges are designed to exhaust the enemy and create an opening for the regular army.

Character interactions

• William and Kieran negotiate through mutual interest, then William asks him to teach Old Pi. Kieran tests Old Pi’s potential with Time Reversal before offering him a place in his classes.
• William supports Old Pi after the backlash but decides not to waste a Water of Life, since the injury is temporary.
• Chu Liuqiu guides the Players through a forum post and hidden quest, helping them understand how their staged sacrifices fit into the larger attack.

Key plot points and events

• William sends ten of Dawn City’s eighteen suicide legions—one million Players—against ten Orc military fortresses. The first wave charges without equipment, formation, or orders and is devastated by the fortresses’ artillery, catapults, and heavy crossbows. After two hours, all one million have been killed.
• William refuses to stop the assault. He has deliberately used the Players as expendable bait: the Orcs discover that killing them makes Orcs permanently stronger, and their enthusiasm for slaughter grows with each successive wave.
• The Orcs eventually leave the fortresses to fight the Players directly. They win several more battles, while the Players repeatedly respawn and return. By nightfall, the Orcs have been handed nearly four million kills and are convinced that Players are weak, easy prey.
• Meanwhile, William prepares the real attack. Under cover of darkness and magic, the Players equip themselves and adopt a disciplined, spread-out formation. Dawn City’s regular troops—including Dragonblood Warriors—blend into their ranks, and more than six hundred artillery pieces are revealed.
• The Orcs, low on ammunition and overconfident after their easy victories, charge out to meet the advancing force. This time, the battle turns against them: the Dawn army has been concealing its strength and fighting ability. The chapter ends as the Orc commanders desperately order a retreat.

Character developments

• William is revealed as a calculating strategist, willing to sacrifice the Players repeatedly to strengthen the Orcs’ confidence and exhaust their defenses before the true assault. He remains unmoved by criticism and is confident he can seize all ten fortresses.
• The Orcs shift from defenders enjoying an easy massacre to bloodthirsty fighters obsessed with gaining strength from Player kills. Their success makes them arrogant, leaving them vulnerable when the real force appears.
• Haldir questions whether the assault should continue, but recognizes that William has authority over Dawn City’s forces and cannot be overruled.
• The observers and allied forces initially doubt the Players’ usefulness and William’s judgment. The concealed equipment, formation, regular troops, and artillery begin to change their view.

Significant themes

• Deception and strategic misdirection: William makes the first attacks look like foolish, wasteful charges, concealing the real army and its capabilities.
• Sacrifice and instrumentalization: The Players’ repeated deaths are treated as a deliberate military resource, raising questions about their value and agency.
• Overconfidence and reversal: The Orcs’ victories convince them they can defeat any Player force, setting up the sudden reversal at the end.
• Appearances versus reality: The chaotic, unequipped attackers are not representative of Dawn City’s actual strength.

Character interactions

• Observers criticize the Players and question William’s leadership as the first waves are slaughtered.
• Haldir privately urges William to pause the assault; William insists the Players are there to die and sends them back in.
• The Orc commanders notice that killing Players strengthens their troops and decide to send melee forces out of the fortresses.
• At the end, Orc commanders plead for a retreat, but the battle has already turned against them.

Chapter Summary: “City Crusher”

Key plot points and events

• Dawn City’s army advances across the frozen grassland to attack ten Orc military fortresses. Better-equipped players, now much stronger than before, overwhelm the exhausted Orcs in close combat.
• Players fight recklessly to avenge their repeated deaths. Chu Liuqiu leads the charge, while Little Ayin, Changli Jiugu, and Eternal Solitude use their equipment and abilities to cut through the Orc ranks.
• The Orc commanders deploy their elite High-Class Legions, temporarily halting the player advance and killing many Chosen Ones. Players are instructed to resurrect where they fall, and most return to the battle rather than retreat.
• Dawn’s cannons bombard the fortress walls, using combustible ammunition to set them ablaze. Dawn’s own High-Class forces then reveal themselves and engage the Orc elites.
• William’s Dragon Blood Legion proves especially devastating. Its transformed warriors and coordinated Dragon Breath attacks tear through the Orc formations, while Epic-tier Elf Professionals confront the Orc commanders.
• After half an hour, each fortress has lost roughly a third of its troops. As the surviving Orcs retreat behind their gates, Dawn’s Grandmasters and High-Class fighters move in to storm the fortresses.
• William arrives at one South Gate as Orcs attempt to close it. He catches the massive falling gate with one hand, withstands attacks from numerous Orcs, then punches the gate upward through the wall and into the city. He names the blow “City Crusher.”

Character developments

• Chu Liuqiu shifts from directing the battle to fighting at the front, demonstrating practical, efficient battlefield tactics.
• Little Ayin, Changli Jiugu, and Eternal Solitude show how powerful equipment and abilities have made the players, each leading or excelling in the assault.
• The players display greater confidence and commitment: even when killed by elite Orcs, many resurrect immediately and continue fighting.
• William makes a spectacular display of his strength, shrugging off attacks and physically overpowering the fortress gate. His “City Crusher” punch marks him as a force capable of breaking the Orc defenses almost single-handedly.

Significant themes

• Revenge and resolve: The players’ willingness to return after repeated deaths reflects their desire to avenge past losses and defend Dawn City.
• Preparation and teamwork: Equipment, artillery, coordinated forces, and specialized legions turn the tide against the Orcs.
• The cost of war: The battle is brutal, with widespread deaths on both sides and the landscape filled with fire, blood, and wreckage.
• Overwhelming power: The contrast between the depleted Orcs and Dawn’s elite forces—and William’s feat at the gate—shows how decisively strength and preparation can shape a battle.

Character interactions

• Players fight alongside Chu Liuqiu, while club members follow Eternal Solitude into the Orc ranks.
• Dawn’s High-Class Legions engage the Orc High-Class Legions, and Epic-tier Elves face off against Orc commanders.
• The Orcs attempt to shut William outside the fortress, but he catches the gate and confronts them without flinching, leaving them stunned by his strength.

Key plot points and events

• William leads Dawn City’s assault on an Orc Military Fortress. Players and Dawn Legion troops force their way through fierce resistance, while fallen fighters continually return to battle.
• William cuts down several High-Class Orcs and clashes with a powerful Pale Orc Master. He overwhelms the opponent and hurls him through the fortress, then clears a path toward the North Gate.
• Orc reinforcements are racing toward the ten fortresses, giving William’s forces only about thirty minutes before the balance could shift. Elven cavalry and Dawn’s mounted forces try to intercept them.
• A renowned Orc Grandmaster, Bloodhammer’s Hand, appears, confirming that the Orcs have hidden elite fighters in the fortresses to slow the attackers.
• William has planned for the possibility that the assault will falter: Dawn City can abandon five fortresses and combine its forces against the others. He weighs military credit against the lives of his troops.

Character developments

• William is shown as both a formidable battlefield leader and a deeply responsible lord. Though ambitious and powerful, he refuses to spend his soldiers’ lives merely to claim every fortress or earn more merit.
• His past as a Player has given way to a stronger sense of belonging and duty in this world. He sees his troops as loyal people entrusted to him, not expendable units.
• The Orc defenders demonstrate discipline and resolve: even after losing the fortress, they hold their ground to buy time for evacuation and reinforcements.

Character interactions

• William fights alongside the advancing Players and Dawn Legion, while his Grandmaster allies engage the Orc Masters.
• His direct confrontation with the Pale Orc highlights the gap between William’s strength and that of ordinary defenders.
• The Dawn and Elven forces coordinate to resist the approaching Orc reinforcements, though they remain outnumbered and must consider withdrawing from some objectives.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and reciprocity: William believes a lord must repay his soldiers’ loyalty by protecting them and equipping them well.
• Duty over glory: He is willing to sacrifice military gains rather than risk needless deaths.
• The cost of war: The brutal fighting emphasizes the human—and personal—price behind battlefield victories.
• Measured leadership: Success means knowing when to press forward and when to retreat, not simply pursuing every possible conquest.

Chapter Summary: “Cavalry!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The war is still ongoing as Dawn City attempts to capture all ten fortresses. Success depends on stopping the incoming orc reinforcements.
• William confronts Bloodhammer’s Hand, a level-139 demon warrior whose extraordinary talent is gravity manipulation.
• Their duel quickly becomes brutal:
  • Bloodhammer’s gravity attacks fracture the ground, hurl debris at William, increase his weight, and amplify the force of his chained warhammers.
  • William counters with lightning attacks, his cursed sword, God’s Left Hand, and his sacred thunder transformation.
  • William’s enormous lightning sword strike nearly kills Bloodhammer’s Hand, but the demon blocks it with his bare hands.
  • Bloodhammer’s Hand eventually lands a devastating double-hammer blow, pulverizing William’s arms and flattening him.
  • William’s life-recovery ability restores more than half his injuries, leaving both fighters aware that the other is extremely difficult to defeat.
• Meanwhile, five Dawn cavalry forces meet the approaching orc reinforcements on the snowy northern plains.
• Christian commands two heavy cavalry legions and one light cavalry legion. He understands that this battle must be won: defeat could reduce Dawn City’s possible fortress gains from five to almost none.
• The elven light cavalry begins the battle with mobile bow attacks, while the orc dire-wolf cavalry continues charging without being diverted.
• Dawn’s heavy cavalry launches a massive volley of enchanted short spears, causing severe casualties and disrupting the orc formations.
• A Griffin Legion follows with another spear attack from the air, while sustained arrow fire further weakens the orcs.
• Just before the armies collide, six thousand Thunder Warhorses unleash a massive combined lightning attack. The lightning tears through the orc formation, kills or disables many riders and wolves, and causes others to lose control.
• Christian finally orders the charge, and the Dawn and orc cavalry forces collide in close combat.

Character Developments

• William recognizes Bloodhammer’s Hand as a uniquely dangerous opponent. He realizes that gravity manipulation functions almost like an advanced domain, forcing enemies to fight both the warrior and the surrounding environment.
• William is badly injured but demonstrates remarkable resilience through his defensive talents and healing ability. His willingness to endure devastating attacks shows his determination and refusal to be overwhelmed.
• Bloodhammer’s Hand is revealed to be far more formidable than a simple heavy-hammer fighter. His strength, gravity talent, speed, durability, and ability to block William’s strongest attack make him an equal-level threat.
• Christian accepts the necessity of a high-casualty cavalry battle, despite Dawn City’s usual reluctance to fight such engagements. His command reflects discipline, strategic patience, and absolute commitment to victory.
• The Dawn forces demonstrate their superior coordination and resources, combining archers, cavalry, griffins, enchanted weapons, and lightning formations.

Significant Themes

• The cost of victory: Dawn City’s campaign depends on multiple battles being won simultaneously, making every defeat strategically disastrous.
• Overwhelming force versus adaptability: Bloodhammer’s Hand relies on crushing strength and gravity, while William survives through speed, transformation, lightning, and recovery.
• Teamwork and military coordination: The cavalry battle emphasizes layered tactics—ranged harassment, spear volleys, aerial attacks, and synchronized lightning—rather than relying on a single unit.
• Power beyond conventional categories: Gravity is portrayed as an unusual talent capable of approximating an Epic-level domain, reinforcing the world’s variety of supernatural abilities.
• Determination under impossible pressure: Both William and Christian continue fighting despite overwhelming danger because retreat would jeopardize the entire campaign.

Important Character Interactions

• William vs. Bloodhammer’s Hand: Their duel is a contest between William’s agility and lightning-based abilities and the demon’s overwhelming strength, gravity control, and hammer attacks. Neither gains a decisive advantage, though William suffers severe injuries before recovering.
• Christian and the Dawn cavalry: Christian leads by example, personally initiating the charge and maintaining formation discipline.
• Dawn cavalry vs. Orc cavalry: The two armies engage in a deliberately prepared clash. Dawn uses superior coordination and expensive enchanted weapons to weaken and scatter the numerically larger orc force before close combat.
• Dawn forces and aerial support: The Griffin Legion’s intervention compounds the damage caused by the initial spear volley and highlights the cooperation between different military branches.

Chapter Summary: “I’m a Ranger!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William realizes that fighting Bloodhammer’s Hand in close combat is ineffective, so he switches tactics and reveals his Legendary-quality Lightning Bow.
• Using his Ranger abilities, including Deadly Volley and Nine-Arrows in Succession, William attacks Bloodhammer’s Hand from a distance. The Demon’s Gravity Field repeatedly distorts the arrows’ trajectories, causing many of them to strike his back and posterior despite William aiming for his head.
• Bloodhammer’s Hand eventually abandons the fight and retreats through the North Gate. William pursues him across the battlefield, continuing to fire arrows and humiliating the powerful Demon.
• Their chase crosses the battlefield of the Orc and Elven forces. Seeing Bloodhammer’s Hand retreat, the Orc wolf cavalry loses morale and withdraws. Christian orders the Elves to pursue them for ten kilometers.
• Near the Black Great Wall, Bloodhammer’s Hand stops and challenges William to kill him. William is startled by the Demon’s unexpectedly high-pitched, feminine voice.
• Orc reinforcements descend from the wall. William identifies the bald Orc leader as Gurtai, apparently an Orc king or major ruler, and immediately flees rather than risk confrontation.
• Gurtai casts a massive Ice and Snow Tornado, apparently attempting to capture or intimidate William. William prepares to use a Random Teleport Scroll, but Gurtai cancels the spell.
• Gurtai warns that if the Orcs kill William, he will retaliate by killing a hundred Orc Grandmasters. Gurtai challenges him to fight, but William escapes safely.
• Gurtai orders the Orcs to prevent Dawn’s forces from establishing a foothold and to fight them in prolonged field battles, aiming to delay their advance toward the Black Great Wall for two years.

Character Developments

• William fully embraces his original Ranger abilities and demonstrates the superiority of ranged combat against a powerful but slow opponent. His tactical awareness improves as he recognizes the limits of Bloodhammer’s 150-meter chain weapon.
• William remains confident and irreverent, using repeated gestures to provoke Bloodhammer’s Hand. However, he also shows practical caution by fleeing when confronted by Gurtai and the Orc army.
• Bloodhammer’s Hand is revealed to be extremely durable but not invincible. He can withstand dozens of lightning-infused arrows, yet his inability to close the distance forces him to retreat. His pride is damaged by William’s harassment.
• Gurtai, the Frostbound Sword Saint, is introduced as an immensely powerful Orc ruler capable of casually creating and dismissing a devastating ice spell. Despite his intimidating strength, he is portrayed humorously through his baldness, obsession with combing his few strands of hair, strange temper, and willingness to bluff.
• Christian acts decisively after the Orc cavalry retreats, ordering a limited pursuit rather than recklessly overextending.
• The Orc wolf cavalry’s morale collapses after heavy casualties and after witnessing their champion driven away.

Significant Themes

• Adaptability over brute strength: William wins the exchange by abandoning direct confrontation and exploiting distance, speed, and precision.
• The importance of class identity: William’s use of the Lightning Bow reconnects him with his original Ranger class and highlights the advantages of combining equipment and class abilities.
• Humiliation and psychological warfare: William’s taunts and relentless shooting undermine Bloodhammer’s confidence, while the Demon’s retreat damages Orc morale.
• Power balanced by restraint: Although Gurtai possesses overwhelming strength, he chooses not to kill William outright because doing so could provoke devastating retaliation from Dawn’s side.
• War as a contest of morale and strategy: The Orcs’ retreat is caused not only by casualties but also by the loss of confidence in their strongest fighter. Gurtai consequently shifts toward a strategy of prolonged attritional warfare.

Important Character Interactions

• William and Bloodhammer’s Hand: Their battle changes from close-range combat to a fast-paced ranged pursuit. William mocks and frustrates the Demon, while Bloodhammer tries unsuccessfully to force him into melee.
• William and Gurtai: William recognizes Gurtai as a dangerous figure and escapes immediately. Gurtai attempts to demonstrate his power, then issues a threat against Dawn’s Grandmasters.
• Gurtai and his subordinates: His advisers appear ready to fight but are relieved when direct conflict is avoided. Gurtai maintains an aggressive façade while ultimately ordering a cautious defensive strategy.
• The Elves and Orc cavalry: The Orcs’ heavy losses and Bloodhammer’s retreat cause the wolf cavalry to abandon the field, allowing the Elven forces to press their advantage.

Chapter Summary: “The Future Pillars of the Elven Race!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After more than twenty hours of continuous warfare, Dawn City captures five of the ten military fortresses it attacked. Dawn’s flags are raised over the conquered strongholds, while the remaining fortresses continue to burn.
• Most players log off from exhaustion, though around 100,000 hardcore players continue fighting and completing quests.
• William receives the casualty report: nearly 22,000 soldiers are dead or incapacitated, including infantry, cavalry, and Dragon Blood Legion troops. Over 8,500 are too severely injured to continue fighting.
• William orders the wounded returned to Dawn City and promises that their lost limbs will eventually be restored through advanced magic.
• Nock informs William that Norton, his older brother and one of William’s personal guards, died in battle. William responds with restrained grief and orders the fallen soldiers’ bodies returned home.
• William decides not to attack the heavily fortified Black Great Wall. Instead, he plans to continue fighting field battles around the captured fortresses, accumulating military merit and building his elite legions’ strength while avoiding a disastrous frontal assault.
• The Three-Race Alliance sends 50,000 troops to garrison the captured fortresses. Commander Chali Ruifu, a legendary snow elf warrior, personally visits William.
• William pretends to be gravely injured in order to emphasize his sacrifice and increase his political influence. Chali praises him as a hero and presents him as an example for the younger generation.
• William meets a group of exceptionally talented young elves and other allied elites, all possessing legendary bloodlines and the potential to become future saint-level figures.
• Through humility, flattery, and a celebratory banquet, William wins their goodwill. He then discovers from the resulting quest notifications that the meeting has brought him significant benefits.

Character Developments

• William: Demonstrates both strategic caution and political intelligence. He accepts heavy casualties as part of war but seeks to protect his forces from the suicidal assault on the Black Great Wall. He also manipulates appearances by feigning weakness and using calculated modesty to gain the support of powerful young elites.
• Nock: Reveals a more personal connection to the war when his brother Norton dies. His loyalty to William remains strong despite his grief.
• Norton: Though mostly seen through others’ memories, his death highlights the personal cost of William’s campaign and the sacrifices made by Dawn City’s soldiers.
• Chali Ruifu: Appears as a respected legendary commander and symbol of the elven military establishment. He recognizes William’s achievements and sees him as evidence of the elves’ future potential.
• The young elite elves: Initially proud and socially distant, they begin to respect William after witnessing his military accomplishments and receiving his courteous treatment.

Significant Themes

• The cost of victory: Dawn City wins important territory, but the triumph is accompanied by enormous casualties and physical sacrifice.
• Leadership and responsibility: William must balance military success with the survival of his troops, choosing strategic field battles instead of an almost impossible assault.
• Political maneuvering: Military achievements alone are not enough; William uses humility, performance, and hospitality to build alliances and secure influence.
• The future of the elven race: The gathering of gifted young elites suggests that the elves’ survival and resurgence depend on a new generation of powerful leaders.
• Self-interest versus heroism: William openly recognizes that protecting his own soldiers is partly selfish, but he frames this pragmatism as necessary leadership.
• Appearance and reality: William’s exaggerated display of weakness contrasts with his sharp strategic mind, showing how he controls how others perceive him.

Character Interactions

• William and Nock discuss the casualties and Norton’s death, revealing the emotional burden behind the military campaign.
• William’s order to return the wounded and dead to Dawn City reflects his concern for his soldiers and strengthens his bond with his followers.
• William deliberately avoids conflict with the legendary commander Chali Ruifu, instead presenting himself as humble and respectful. Chali responds by publicly praising him.
• William interacts with the young elites through mutual compliments and a banquet. Their initial pride gives way to admiration and cooperation as William uses diplomacy to win their favor.
• The chapter ends with William realizing that the gathering and banquet have produced major rewards through the quest system, suggesting that his political success may be as valuable as his battlefield victories.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• William completes the S-Class quest “Dawn Vanguard” with an extraordinary 300% completion rate.
• The Dawn Legion captures five Orc Empire fortresses within twenty-four hours, far exceeding the objective of capturing two fortresses or killing 200,000 orcs in twenty days.
• The victory costs millions of Chosen Ones—players capable of resurrecting—but results in approximately 650,000 orc deaths and over five million player deaths.
• William receives substantial rewards:
  • 3.5 million EXP
  • 1.32 million merit points
  • Two points of Legendary Renown on the Legendary Continent
  • Increased favorability with the Black Leaf, Moonlight, and Snow Elves
• His new reputation is titled “Dawn Executioner,” reflecting the terrifying image created by his ruthless use of the Chosen Ones.
• The exceptional quest performance unlocks information about an unactivated S+ quest, “Legendary Lord.”
• William activates the quest after realizing that the reward is a powerful lord-focused talent. The quest requires him to build a legion that is “Undefeated in a Hundred Battles” within three years.

Character Development

• William gains enormous confidence in his growing influence but also recognizes the danger of fame exceeding his actual strength. His reputation now extends beyond Dawn City, making him a significant figure across the continent.
• He becomes increasingly aware that Legendary Renown can provide political influence, faction prestige, and practical advantages in future negotiations.
• William is thrilled by the Legendary Lord talent, which is perfectly suited to his role as a ruler commanding both NPC soldiers and millions of players.
• Despite his excitement, he quickly understands the quest’s hidden danger: recognition from the Orc Empire may mean that the empire will deliberately target him and his forces.
• He also continues to view the players strategically, realizing that the talent’s buffs can make them loyal to Dawn City and discourage other factions from recruiting them.

New Talent: “Legendary Lord”

The talent grants William and his forces several powerful benefits:

• Within a massive radius, William’s attributes increase according to the number of Dawn Professionals nearby.
• His attributes are partially shared with subordinate professionals, giving them up to a 5% feedback bonus.
• His forces gain increased morale and rapid HP recovery.
• Commoners develop additional favorability toward him.
• He becomes more attractive to exceptional talents.
• Fury: When William’s HP falls below 10%, his professionals gain major attack and defense boosts while becoming more reckless and less sensitive to pain.
• Sacrifice: When William is near death, his subordinates receive dramatic increases to their attributes, attack power, defense, and movement speed for five hours.
  The talent is conditional: it exists only while the Frost Empire, Orc Empire, and the three major Elven clans continue to recognize William as a legitimate and capable lord. Overusing the Sacrifice effect could also weaken the talent because his subordinates may begin to see him as incompetent.

Character Interactions

• William’s relationship with the Chosen Ones is portrayed as both exploitative and mutually beneficial. He uses their immortality to overwhelm enemy fortresses, while the new talent gives them strong incentives to remain loyal to Dawn City.
• His actions shock NPC observers, particularly those witnessing player resurrection and repeated battlefield deaths for the first time.
• The Orc Empire’s recognition of William is revealed to be potentially threatening rather than purely positive, since it may lead to deliberate attempts to destroy his forces.
• William’s growing reputation affects his relationships with the major elven factions, whose favorability toward him rises sharply after his victory.

Significant Themes

• Reputation versus true strength: William’s fame is expanding faster than his personal power, creating the danger that stronger enemies may suppress him.
• The cost of victory: His success depends on the unprecedented sacrifice of the Chosen Ones, raising questions about ruthlessness, leadership, and the value of lives that can be restored.
• Power through followers: The chapter emphasizes that William’s greatest strength as a lord comes from empowering and retaining a large army rather than relying solely on personal combat ability.
• Recognition and legitimacy: Becoming a Legendary Lord depends not only on military success but also on being acknowledged by powerful nations and factions.
• Ambition and risk: The new quest appears to fulfill William’s long-term dream, but becoming undefeated in one hundred battles will likely provoke increasingly dangerous opposition, especially from the Orc Empire.