Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Getting Hit Means Saying ‘Hi!’”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhu returns to the Black Gate carrying the Black Box, which contains a gray-black heart pierced by a black spike. The spike is connected to the heart and fungal threads, forming both a seal and a key.
• The Pope explains that the spike must not be removed. If it leaves the heart, the seal on the Black Gate will collapse and the entity trapped behind it will escape.
• Bai Zhu realizes that the Creation Society never intended to restore the seal. Instead, they used the heart as leverage against the sealed being and sought to enter the Black Gate.
• After releasing the golden nails restraining the Black Box, Piyu examines its contents and confirms that the heart, spike, fungal threads, and box have been fused into one mechanism. Removing any part would weaken the seal.
• Bai Zhu recognizes the black spike as a broken piece of Pen Tongue, an object he considers his own, and repeatedly slaps the Pope for breaking it. The Pope protests while trying to warn him not to damage the key.
• Knov proposes using a spatial entrance to evacuate the group before Bai Zhu enters, but Bai Zhu rejects the plan because the powerful Nen field around the gate could distort or destabilize the spatial passage.
• As the entity behind the gate continues pounding against it, Bai Zhu decides to enter immediately. He presses the broken spike against the Black Gate, activating the ancient inscriptions and shutting down the Creation Society’s artificial Nen sigils.
• A narrow vortex opens in the gate. Bai Zhu gives the Black Box and the Pope’s head to Milluki, then enters alone despite Piyu’s offer to scout first.
• Inside, Bai Zhu finds only darkness. A system prompt warns that Reiatsu consumption has doubled. His map indicates that the red dot is only 0.1 meters away, directly in front of him, although nothing is visibly there.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu remains confident, impulsive, and willing to take risks. He refuses unnecessary precautions, insists on entering the gate himself, and treats the dangerous heart-key as a valuable tool despite its instability.
• The Pope becomes increasingly fearful and submissive. He reveals crucial information to avoid being struck, but his evasiveness confirms his connection to the Creation Society’s plans.
• Piyu demonstrates technical skill and caution by analyzing the heart mechanism and identifying the consequences of disturbing the fungal threads. She also shows concern for the group’s safety by volunteering to scout.
• Knov acts responsibly, attempting to isolate the danger and protect the others with his spatial abilities. Bai Zhu’s warning exposes the limitations of Knov’s technique in the distorted Nen environment.
• Milluki continues to provide comic relief, but is also forced into a practical support role when Bai Zhu entrusts him with the Black Box and the Pope’s head.
• Gela Jiang remains wary and observant, keeping his distance from the unstable gate and questioning whether the key has been positioned correctly.

Significant Themes

• Seals, keys, and dangerous knowledge: The heart and spike are simultaneously a weapon, a restraint, and a means of access, emphasizing how power can serve opposing purposes.
• Risk versus caution: The group debates whether to prepare more carefully or act before the sealed entity escapes. Bai Zhu consistently favors decisive action.
• Ownership and recognition: Bai Zhu’s anger over the broken spike reflects his attachment to Pen Tongue and his assumption that mysterious relics in the ruins are connected to him.
• Humor amid danger: The Pope’s forced “Hi!” after being slapped and Milluki’s complaints provide comic relief while the group faces a potentially catastrophic threat.
• The unknown and distorted perception: Inside the gate, the red dot is extremely close but invisible, suggesting that the entity may exist outside normal physical perception or space.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhu interrogates and intimidates the Pope, using the threat of physical punishment to extract information.
• Piyu collaborates with Bai Zhu by examining the Black Box and explaining how the heart-key mechanism works.
• Knov and Bai Zhu disagree over evacuation and spatial safety, highlighting the contrast between Knov’s caution and Bai Zhu’s decisiveness.
• Milluki serves as the unwilling caretaker of both the dangerous Black Box and the Pope’s head, complaining about Bai Zhu’s unreasonable demands.
• Piyu offers to enter first, but Bai Zhu overrides her and proceeds alone, reinforcing his protective yet domineering approach to danger.

Chapter Summary: “An Attack at Close Range”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhu investigates a red dot on the system map that appears only 0.1 meters away, despite there being nothing visible or detectable in front of him.
• An unseen creature attacks him through spatial distortions. Its first attack tears his clothing and is blocked by his Reiatsu; a second strike sends him crashing into the Black Gate and causes him to cough blood.
• Bai Zhu warns Milluki, Piyu, Knov, and Gela Jiang not to enter, realizing that the creature can attack without physical contact or warning.
• He releases Hozukimaru’s Shikai and surrounds himself with concentrated flames resembling Ryujin Jakka’s fire armor. Even the flames cannot reveal or damage the creature.
• Outside, Milluki interrogates the Pope’s head, using repeated slaps and chili oil to force it to reveal the truth:
  • The passage contains a distorted space inhabited by a sealed monster.
  • The monster can hide within spatial layers and launch attacks near its target.
  • It changes form and is drawn to anyone carrying power from outside the ruins, including Nen and Bai Zhu’s other abilities.
  • The creature moves with the Sealing Core and attacks those who lack the Black Box.
• The Pope admits that Bai Zhu was deliberately—or at least negligently—sent inside without the Black Box, making him the monster’s primary target.
• The creature briefly reveals an isolated, upside-down eye before vanishing, confirming that it has a strange, nonstandard physical form.
• Milluki and the others enter the ruins to warn Bai Zhu, but Knov argues that additional people would only create more targets. He tests his Fourth Dimensional Apartment and discovers that its spatial connection still functions despite the distortion.
• Knov sends Milluki, Piyu, and Gela Jiang back to the apartment, while keeping the Black Box and the Pope’s head with him.
• Once the Black Box is placed on the ground, the creature’s pressure on Bai Zhu temporarily disappears, and the heartbeat inside the box slows.
• Bai Zhu continues fighting alone. The creature attacks through a stone pillar and even from beneath his feet. He evades most of the strike but suffers a deep wound.
• His blood flows sideways toward the darkness rather than falling normally, leading Bai Zhu to realize that the distorted space is not completely random and may follow identifiable rules.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu demonstrates resilience and tactical awareness. Despite severe injuries, he remains focused on identifying the creature’s attack mechanism rather than recklessly attacking.
• He learns that ordinary senses, Reiatsu, fire, and physical strikes are ineffective against the creature’s spatial hiding ability.
• Milluki acts aggressively and pragmatically, forcing the Pope to reveal information that could have prevented Bai Zhu’s predicament. His concern for Bai Zhu is expressed through anger and a desire to confront the one who withheld the truth.
• Knov takes command of the situation, correctly assessing that more people would be liabilities. His knowledge of spatial techniques allows him to remain useful even inside the distorted ruins.
• The Pope is exposed as evasive and untrustworthy, having withheld crucial information about the monster, the Black Box, and the danger of carrying outside power.
• The monster is established as an intelligent, spatially elusive guardian that prioritizes powerful outsiders and may be connected directly to the Sealing Core.

Significant Themes

• The danger of incomplete information: Bai Zhu is placed in extreme danger because the Pope failed to disclose the monster’s abilities and the importance of the Black Box.
• Adaptation under uncertainty: Bai Zhu must fight an enemy he cannot see, sense, or directly reach, relying on observation and deduction instead of brute force.
• Spatial distortion and altered physical laws: The passage challenges normal ideas of distance, visibility, gravity, solidity, and bodily movement.
• Power as a liability: Bai Zhu’s strength makes him the creature’s preferred target, suggesting that extraordinary abilities can attract danger rather than guarantee safety.
• Trust and leadership: Milluki’s interrogation and Knov’s decision to divide the group show different responses to betrayal and crisis—one confrontational, the other strategic.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhu warns the others to stay outside after being attacked, prioritizing their safety.
• Milluki repeatedly questions and punishes the Pope’s head until it explains the ruins and monster.
• The Pope reveals that Bai Zhu is specifically targeted because of his outside power and that the Black Box was intentionally kept away from him.
• Milluki and the others rush in to warn Bai Zhu, but Knov persuades Milluki that additional fighters would only increase the danger.
• Milluki entrusts Knov with both the Black Box and the Pope’s head before retreating with Piyu and Gela Jiang.
• Knov’s placement of the Black Box temporarily disrupts the creature’s attack, suggesting that the box suppresses or repels it.
• Bai Zhu continues battling alone while Knov remains outside, setting up a tactical partnership based on Knov’s spatial abilities and Bai Zhu’s combat strength.

Chapter Summary: “Whispers”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Knov enters the Fourth Dimensional Apartment carrying the pope’s head and a black case, then investigates the unstable space around him using spatial measuring lines.
• He discovers that the ruins’ distortions are constantly changing and cannot be mapped normally. The space appears almost alive, shifting in response to his flashlight and spatial techniques.
• After threatening the pope with Milluki, Knov forces him to reveal that Golden Candle Envoys previously guided expeditions through the ruins. Their abilities could temporarily neutralize the distortions and create “Safe Zones.”
• Knov realizes that his own Spatial Shield can serve a similar purpose. He uses it to stabilize his spatial lines and constructs a temporary passage through the ruins by placing linked spatial nodes every ten meters.
• Elsewhere, Bai Zhu is attacked by an unseen enemy. He learns that the apparently level ground is actually made of invisible spatial slopes that can drag anyone who steps incorrectly into unknown locations.
• Bai Zhu uses Ryujin Jakka’s flames to burn away patches of mycelia. Each burned patch briefly stabilizes the surrounding space, allowing him to identify and follow a safe route.
• Knov’s constructed path leads him toward Bai Zhu, but he encounters a massive upside-down stone wall covered in countless eyes.
• The pope panics and instructs Knov not to move, speak, or open his eyes. Bai Zhu’s voice calls to Knov from behind the wall, but the pope warns him not to respond.
• Once the eyes retreat into the stone, Knov opens his eyes—only for his spatial lines to break free of his control. They twist together and create a new passage leading to a dark crimson door.
• Whispering voices emerge from the door, enticing Knov to enter. The pope realizes in terror that they have fallen into a trap.

Character Developments

• Knov demonstrates caution, analytical skill, and adaptability. When conventional spatial mapping fails, he quickly applies the pope’s information to develop his own method of stabilizing the ruins.
• His confidence grows when he successfully uses the Spatial Shield to create a safe route, but the encounter with the eye-covered wall reveals that even his abilities can be manipulated.
• The pope remains frightened and resistant at first, but Milluki’s name terrifies him into cooperating. His knowledge of the ruins proves essential, though his fear suggests he understands dangers far beyond Knov’s experience.
• Bai Zhu remains focused on survival and combat rather than rescuing or communicating with the others. He carefully studies the ruins’ mechanics and uses fire not only as an attack but also as a tool for correcting spatial distortions.
• The unseen enemy continues to exert control over the environment, attacking Bai Zhu and eventually hijacking Knov’s spatial constructs.

Significant Themes

• Unstable reality: Space itself is unreliable, shifting, breaking, and behaving like a living organism.
• Knowledge versus fear: Knov relies on observation and experimentation, while the pope’s fear preserves crucial survival knowledge that Knov lacks.
• Adaptation and resourcefulness: Both Knov and Bai Zhu find ways to use their abilities against the ruins’ changing rules.
• False safety and manipulation: The temporary safe paths and apparent disappearance of the eyes create a deceptive sense of security before the trap is revealed.
• The unknown and forbidden temptation: The crimson door and whispering voices represent an alluring but clearly dangerous gateway into deeper horror.

Character Interactions

• Knov intimidates the pope into explaining how previous expeditions survived the ruins.
• The pope provides the key insight about the Golden Candle Envoys and later acts as Knov’s fearful guide during the encounter with the eye-covered wall.
• Bai Zhu’s voice reaches Knov from behind the wall, creating confusion and tension, since the pope insists that responding could be fatal.
• The ruins themselves—or the entity controlling them—become an active opponent, turning Knov’s own spatial network against him and luring both characters toward the crimson door.

Summary: “Knov’s Final Struggle”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Knov is mysteriously compelled toward the Red Door after falling under the influence of the strange eye-like phenomenon within the ruins.
• The Pope desperately tries to stop him, urging him to close the door or release the people inside his Fourth Dimensional Apartment, but Knov initially cannot respond or use his abilities.
• As Knov approaches the door, his body becomes intangible. Bai Zhu arrives and repeatedly attempts to attack or physically restrain him with Ryujin Jakka, but every strike passes through Knov harmlessly.
• Knov briefly regains awareness when Bai Zhu calls his name. He manages to say “Bai…” and begins resisting the force pulling him inside, but red light binds his limbs and continues dragging him toward the doorway.
• Bai Zhu reminds Knov that Milluki, Piyu, and Gela Jiang are inside the Fourth Dimensional Apartment. This gives Knov enough control to act: although he cannot open the apartment, he throws the Pope’s head out and pushes the Black Box outside before the Red Door disappears with him.
• After Knov vanishes, Bai Zhu interrogates the Pope. The Pope explains that the eye phenomenon has previously taken many members of the Creation Society. Victims lose control of their bodies, become untouchable, and walk into the Red Door, from which no one has ever returned.
• The Pope distinguishes the eyes from the ruins’ known monster. The monster’s stolen power transforms living beings into fungal creatures and berserk monsters, while the eyes appear to wander aimlessly and affect victims’ minds.
• Bai Zhu realizes that the group has not even encountered the “God of Bullshit” they were seeking, yet they have already lost Knov to another unexplained threat.

Character Developments

• Knov: Initially completely controlled by the Red Door, Knov gradually demonstrates that his consciousness and willpower remain intact. His final actions—saving the Pope and preserving the Black Box—show courage and self-sacrifice, even though he cannot save himself.
• Bai Zhu: Moves from frantic physical attacks to recognizing that Knov can still resist. By appealing to Knov’s responsibility toward the people inside his apartment, Bai Zhu helps him regain enough control to act. His anger and urgency also reveal his concern for the entire team.
• The Pope: Begins terrified and helpless, but becomes a source of information after Knov disappears. His fear of Bai Zhu forces him to reveal what the Creation Society knows about the Red Door and the eyes.
• The absent team members: Milluki, Piyu, and Gela Jiang are confirmed to be inside Knov’s Fourth Dimensional Apartment, raising the stakes of Knov’s disappearance.

Significant Themes

• Loss of control versus resistance: The Red Door strips victims of bodily autonomy, but Knov proves that mental resistance is still possible.
• Sacrifice and responsibility: Even while being consumed, Knov prioritizes the safety of others by releasing the Pope and securing the Black Box.
• The unknown and helplessness: Neither the Pope nor Bai Zhu understands the Red Door, the eyes, or Knov’s transformation, emphasizing the ruins’ incomprehensible danger.
• Unstable reality and isolation: Intangibility, shifting door locations, and an inaccessible alternate dimension make ordinary attacks and abilities useless.
• Escalating danger: The group faces a threat unrelated to their original target, suggesting that the ruins contain multiple independent horrors.

Character Interactions

• The Pope repeatedly pleads with Knov to stop and activate his spatial ability, but Knov cannot respond.
• Bai Zhu attacks Knov and tries to physically restrain him, discovering that Knov has become intangible.
• Bai Zhu then reaches Knov emotionally by mentioning the teammates trapped inside the Fourth Dimensional Apartment.
• Knov answers indirectly through his final actions, throwing the Pope and Black Box out before disappearing.
• Afterward, Bai Zhu confronts and interrogates the Pope, who explains the Red Door’s history and the distinction between the eye phenomenon and the ruins’ monster.

Chapter Summary: “Take a Break First”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the red door disappears and Knov enters it, Bai Zhu stops pursuing him and rests to recover his depleted Reiatsu.
• He studies Zhang Ye’s diary, finding a brief entry about the Evolution Seal, which created a stable sealed subject capable of independent growth and granting evolution to other organisms. Bai Zhu concludes that the ruins are connected to evolutionary power, though the diary provides no detailed explanation.
• Bai Zhu interrogates the Pope’s severed head. He deduces that the Pope is likely the real body rather than a clone, since its fear of death and cowardice seem genuine.
• Bai Zhu threatens to bring the Pope to Gao Mao, whose heart is sealed inside the black box. He also questions the Pope about its “god”: whether it originated in the ruins or the Dark Continent, what its ability is, and why it exists in a Post-Mortem Nen state.
• The Pope attempts to answer, but the mycelium around its neck tightens whenever its god is mentioned, preventing it from speaking. Bai Zhu burns and weakens the mycelium with Reiatsu, confirming that the Pope is being forcibly silenced rather than refusing to cooperate.
• Bai Zhu navigates the shifting ruins by following the scorched trail and observing blood droplets, successfully avoiding spatial distortions and fungal growth.
• A system marker leads him to Gao Mao’s location. By knocking on the black box, Bai Zhu receives a matching heartbeat from behind a stone wall, confirming that Gao Mao is nearby.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu remains calm, observant, and manipulative even while injured and low on energy. His ability to analyze the ruins allows him to move through them safely, though his apparent confidence is partly bluff and luck.
• He becomes increasingly suspicious of the Pope, recognizing that its reactions reveal hidden truths about its identity and its connection to Gao Mao.
• The Pope is exposed as extremely fearful and dependent on self-preservation. Its panic over Gao Mao suggests a long history of exploitation and punishment.
• The Pope’s involuntary reactions reveal that its “god” controls or restricts it through the mycelium, indicating that it may not be freely withholding information.
• Gao Mao remains unseen, but the heartbeat from the box and the wall establishes that it is still present and responsive.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge versus incomplete records: Zhang Ye’s diary offers only fragmented information, forcing Bai Zhu to rely on observation and deduction.
• Control and exploitation: The Pope survives through power borrowed from Gao Mao, while Gao Mao’s heart is kept in a box and used as leverage.
• Fear as evidence: Bai Zhu interprets the Pope’s cowardice and panic not merely as weakness, but as clues to its true identity and history.
• Evolution and unnatural survival: The Evolution Seal, the Pope’s ability to live as only a head, and the mycelium all suggest forms of forced or artificial evolution.
• Adaptation in an unstable environment: Bai Zhu survives by identifying patterns in the shifting ruins rather than relying solely on brute force.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhu repeatedly provokes and interrogates the Pope, using threats involving Gao Mao and its “god” to pressure it into revealing information.
• The Pope responds with silence, fear, and physical resistance, but its involuntary reactions expose more than its words would have.
• Bai Zhu discovers that the Pope is magically or biologically prevented from discussing its god and temporarily disrupts that restraint with Reiatsu.
• At the end of the chapter, Bai Zhu and Gao Mao communicate indirectly through the black box and matching heartbeats, setting up their imminent confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Zhang Ye’s Murals”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhu locates the red dot on his map behind a seemingly ordinary stone wall, confirming that Gao Mao is somewhere beyond it.
• He discovers a crude mural hidden beneath layers of mycelium and burns the growth away to examine it.
• The mural reveals that Zhang Ye spent years constructing a massive sealing network around a powerful monster. Stone pillars, underground patterns, a stone platform, and a Stone Gate were used to concentrate the seal’s power.
• Later sections of the mural show Zhang Ye leaving the ruins alone. Afterward, a bodiless cluster of eyes begins appearing throughout the ruins, multiplying across walls, pillars, and spaces.
• Bai Zhu concludes that the eyes were not sealed by Zhang Ye but entered the ruins independently. He speculates that Zhang Ye may have used them as a substitute Gatekeeper.
• The final mural depicts a stone platform with a circular seal, an open hand, and a feather—apparently the mechanism for opening the wall.
• Bai Zhu theorizes that Zhang Ye built the ruins because he could not defeat Gao Mao and instead found a way to pin or contain it. Gao Mao may have entered the ruins on its own, with Zhang Ye constructing the seal afterward.
• Using the feather pen, Bai Zhu opens the wall. The corridor automatically transports him inward while shifting walls and murals rearrange around him.
• The red dot draws closer, and the heart inside the Black Box beats increasingly fast, receiving matching responses from Gao Mao beyond the sealed passage. Bai Zhu prepares for the confrontation as the route behind him closes.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu demonstrates strong deductive ability, reconstructing the history and purpose of the ruins from the murals rather than relying on incomplete records.
• He becomes increasingly cautious but remains confident and aggressive, recognizing that possession of Gao Mao’s heart and the Pen Tongue gives him leverage.
• Bai Zhu shifts from investigating the ruins to deliberately confronting Gao Mao, deciding that direct questioning is more efficient than further speculation.
• The Pope’s head remains largely ignorant of the ruins’ true history. Its nervousness and repeated claims of ignorance make it both a source of limited information and comic relief.
• The Pope also fears Bai Zhu’s reprimands, quickly silencing itself whenever Bai Zhu threatens to strike it.

Significant Themes

• Sealing versus defeating: The murals suggest that Zhang Ye could not overcome Gao Mao and instead relied on containment, emphasizing the danger and power of the creature.
• Incomplete history and unreliable records: Zhang Ye left behind murals and diaries, but the most important information—Gao Mao’s abilities and nature—is conspicuously absent.
• Control and initiative: Bai Zhu’s possession of Gao Mao’s heart allows him to control the terms of the encounter, forcing Gao Mao to either admit him or break its own seal.
• Observation and interpretation: The crude murals function as indirect historical evidence, requiring Bai Zhu to infer events from symbols, omissions, and sequence.
• Approaching danger: The synchronized heartbeats and closing passage build suspense as Bai Zhu moves toward an unknown confrontation.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhu repeatedly questions and slaps the Pope when it gives evasive or unhelpful answers, though he eventually accepts that its knowledge is limited.
• He uses the Pope to confirm that the hidden area is associated with Gao Mao, but the Pope cannot explain the murals or the ruins’ history.
• Bai Zhu discusses his theories aloud, while the Pope occasionally attempts to respond before retreating into fearful admissions of ignorance.
• The Black Box and Gao Mao’s heart create an indirect interaction: each heartbeat from the heart receives a matching response from behind the wall, signaling Gao Mao’s awareness of Bai Zhu’s approach.

Chapter Summary: “Despised by All”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhu arrives in a living room within the ruins after the system interface disappears. He finds himself alone with the Pope’s head; the God of Bullshit is initially nowhere to be seen.
• Gao Mao appears in the form of a tiny, horned child wearing a diaper. It reveals that it is the God of Bullshit and can freely control the room and its stone floor.
• Bai Zhu attempts to obtain the mysterious spike by offering the Black Box as a bargaining chip. Gao Mao refuses, hides the spike in its diaper, and reveals that the heart inside the Black Box is not valuable to it because it can produce unlimited replacements.
• Gao Mao explains that it deliberately sent out the hearts to protect visitors from Zhang Ye’s dangerous restrictions. The hostile Orc-like creatures outside were not created by Gao Mao; they are simply other beings causing destruction and seeking amusement.
• Realizing Gao Mao behaves like a bored, mischievous child, Bai Zhu changes tactics. Instead of threatening or bargaining with it, he tempts it with descriptions of video-game consoles and household appliances.
• Gao Mao agrees to help rescue Bai Zhu’s captured companions, but only in exchange for games, appliances, and a promise that Bai Zhu will continue supplying replacements.
• Gao Mao reveals that the people taken by the mysterious eyes are still alive, though they may survive only another day or two. However, it will not immediately rescue them; they must endure whatever danger they currently face.
• Gao Mao opens a crack in the floor, exposing a red glow and loud impacts from below. It confirms that Bai Zhu’s companions are beneath the room and tells him to follow.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu: Demonstrates adaptability and psychological insight. After his original plan fails, he quickly recognizes Gao Mao’s childish nature and manipulates its curiosity and desire for entertainment. He remains cautious, insisting on securing the rescue before delivering his promised goods.
• Gao Mao / God of Bullshit: Is established as extremely powerful but emotionally immature, bored, and playful rather than inherently murderous. It controls the ruins and can regenerate its heart, making conventional threats ineffective. Its willingness to help depends on amusement and appealing rewards.
• The Pope’s Head: Is shown to have unreliable information about Gao Mao’s weakness. Bai Zhu physically punishes it for misleading him, while Gao Mao reveals that the Pope’s heart was deliberately given to it.
• Bai Zhu’s Captured Friends: Though absent from the scene, they are confirmed to be alive and trapped beneath the ruins, facing an unknown threat.

Significant Themes

• Adaptation over force: Bai Zhu succeeds by abandoning intimidation and using negotiation suited to Gao Mao’s personality.
• The danger of childish power: Gao Mao’s behavior resembles that of a bored child, but its immense abilities make its games and moods potentially deadly.
• Unreliable knowledge: The Pope’s assumptions about Gao Mao prove false, emphasizing the risks of trusting incomplete or outdated information.
• Mutual exploitation and bargaining: Bai Zhu offers technology and entertainment, while Gao Mao offers access to the captives. Their agreement is practical rather than based on trust.
• Amusement amid danger: Gao Mao views the surrounding chaos as entertainment, contrasting sharply with Bai Zhu’s urgent concern for his friends.

Important Character Interactions

• Bai Zhu confronts the Pope’s head after learning that the supposed weakness—the heart—is meaningless to Gao Mao.
• Gao Mao reassures Bai Zhu that it gave the Pope a heart deliberately and did not create the creatures attacking visitors.
• Bai Zhu persuades Gao Mao with the promise of video games and modern appliances, creating a reluctant but effective alliance.
• Their negotiation remains tense: both demand that the other act first, but Bai Zhu convinces Gao Mao to reveal the captives’ location.
• The chapter ends with Gao Mao leading Bai Zhu toward the red-lit chamber beneath the room, where his friends are being held.

Summary of “Inside the Red Door”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Mao challenges Bai Zhu to enter the mysterious Red Door, and Bai Zhu reluctantly follows, suspecting that Gao Mao may be using him as a fighter to handle dangers inside.
• Once inside, the door shuts behind them. The environment becomes an endless red void filled with cold mist, eerie silence, and a soft, elastic floor that muffles their footsteps.
• Bai Zhu notices that the Pope’s severed head has become completely motionless, while Gao Mao also stops laughing and leads him silently through the space.
• Gao Mao identifies the location as a “storage room” for “toys” favored by a dog, apparently referring to the massive entity made of eyes seen earlier.
• After an apparently endless journey, the mist clears to reveal countless human figures frozen in place. They are neither alive nor ordinary corpses, but people whose bodies, movements, and consciousness appear to have been preserved at a single moment.
• Among the figures are members of the Creation Society, fungus-controlled Orcs, Hunter Association members, and people from ancient eras.
• Bai Zhu discovers Knov among the frozen figures. Knov appears poised to activate his Fourth Dimensional Apartment, but is completely unresponsive.
• When Bai Zhu attempts to touch Knov and examine him with Reiatsu, Gao Mao reacts with sudden, violent fury and commands him not to touch any of the stored figures.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu: Becomes increasingly cautious and distrustful of Gao Mao. Although frightened by the Red Door’s unnatural environment, he remains alert, arms himself with the Asauchi, and uses Reiatsu defensively. His concern for Knov overrides his hesitation, prompting him to investigate.
• Gao Mao: Reveals a darker and more serious side. Its childish behavior disappears inside the storage room, suggesting that the place holds particular significance or danger for it. Its intense reaction to Bai Zhu’s attempted contact implies that the frozen figures are subject to strict rules or that touching them could trigger a catastrophe.
• Knov: Appears as one of the preserved victims. His frozen pose suggests he was captured while attempting to escape or defend himself, emphasizing the power of the entity controlling the room.
• The Pope’s head: Becomes unnervingly inert inside the Red Door, implying that the space suppresses or neutralizes supernatural activity.

Significant Themes

• Preservation and suspended existence: The frozen people occupy a state between life and death, with their bodies and awareness seemingly trapped forever.
• The unknown and loss of control: The silent, limitless red space strips away normal senses and landmarks, creating an atmosphere of helplessness and psychological pressure.
• Predation and ownership: Gao Mao’s description of the victims as “toys” suggests that powerful beings view people as objects to collect and possess.
• Trust and hidden motives: Bai Zhu questions whether Gao Mao genuinely wants to help him or is exploiting him, while Gao Mao’s secretive behavior reinforces the uncertainty between them.
• Forbidden boundaries: Gao Mao’s warning establishes that the frozen figures cannot be touched, hinting at dangerous consequences and deeper rules governing the room.

Character Interactions

• Gao Mao pressures Bai Zhu into entering despite his fear, establishing a tense, unequal partnership.
• Bai Zhu confronts Gao Mao about the nature of the location, but receives only cryptic explanations.
• Bai Zhu’s discovery of Knov brings an emotional shift, as his caution gives way to concern and action.
• Gao Mao’s furious interruption transforms their relationship from uneasy cooperation into open tension, making clear that Bai Zhu must obey its command or risk provoking a serious threat.

Summary of “Wax Figures”

Key plot points and events

Bai Zhu nearly touches the frozen Knov, but Gao Mao urgently stops him, warning that disturbing the wax figures will attract a terrifying “big dog.” Gao Mao then smashes one of the figures, revealing that the figures are genuinely wax-like and contain no blood or living bodies. When Bai Zhu questions whether Gao Mao can eat the fragments, Gao Mao transforms him into a wax figure, immobilizing his body and suppressing his Reiatsu. Gao Mao itself changes into the appearance of the figure it destroyed, allowing both of them to blend into the collection.
A red mist filled with eyes spreads through the area, followed by the arrival of a gigantic, semi-transparent canine phantom covered in countless eyes. The creature searches the collection, apparently looking for anything that has been disturbed. It stops directly in front of Bai Zhu, creating an intense moment of danger.

Character developments

Bai Zhu remains curious, skeptical, and willing to test boundaries, but he learns that the environment is governed by lethal rules. His attempt to use Reiatsu after being transformed fails because the wax coating disperses his power. He is forced into complete stillness and dependence on Gao Mao.
Gao Mao displays increasing intelligence, authority, and protectiveness. Though abrasive and threatening, it saves Bai Zhu from exposing himself and devises a strategy to disguise both of them. Its ability to communicate directly through Bai Zhu’s mind also reveals greater power and sophistication than its childish appearance suggests.

Significant themes

• Stillness and survival: Remaining motionless is essential in a hostile supernatural environment.
• Appearance versus reality: The figures look like frozen people but are actually wax constructs, while Gao Mao’s transformation shows that identity and form can be manipulated.
• Trust and dependence: Bai Zhu must trust Gao Mao despite its secrecy and hostility.
• Curiosity and consequences: Bai Zhu’s impulse to investigate nearly exposes him to the creature guarding the collection.
• Powerlessness: Even Bai Zhu’s Reiatsu cannot overcome the wax transformation, emphasizing the overwhelming danger of the setting.

Character interactions

Bai Zhu and Gao Mao argue over its refusal to explain the danger, with Gao Mao insisting that its commands must be obeyed. Gao Mao orders Bai Zhu to break a wax figure, then punishes him for questioning its motives by turning him into one. Afterward, it reassures him telepathically that his companions are still alive and explains that the canine creature will extract something from them, with only those who endure having a chance to return. Their tense partnership becomes central as Gao Mao hides Bai Zhu among the figures while the many-eyed dog searches for the disturbance.

Chapter Summary: “Big Dog’s Collection of Eyes”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Big Dog, a terrifying canine phantom covered in eyes, investigates the wax-covered figures in the red mist. It sniffs each one carefully, drawing the mist into its nostrils and checking for anything unusual.
• Bai Zhu remains completely still inside his wax disguise, suppressing his Reiatsu so Big Dog will not detect him. Gao Mao, also disguised as a wax statue, repeatedly warns him not to move or use his power.
• Big Dog successfully identifies both Bai Zhu and Gao Mao as ordinary collectibles and moves on to Knov.
• Big Dog picks Knov up, licks him repeatedly, and drains his Nen. As Knov’s Nen is extracted, the surrounding temperature drops, the red mist thins, and Knov’s body gradually stiffens and turns gray-white like wax.
• Bai Zhu realizes that Knov’s death could endanger Milluki, Piyu, and Gela Jiang, who are trapped inside Knov’s Fourth Dimensional Apartment. If Knov dies or the ability collapses, they may be sealed away or lost between spaces.
• Bai Zhu considers breaking free to save Knov, but Gao Mao insists that Knov is still alive and can endure as long as the spatial “bubble” over his chest remains.
• When Big Dog falls asleep, Bai Zhu attempts to move by pushing Reiatsu toward his shoulder. The resulting crack alerts several of Big Dog’s eyes, forcing him to stop before the creature fully awakens.
• Bai Zhu eventually loses consciousness from the oppressive suppression affecting his mind. When he wakes, Knov’s spatial ripples have nearly disappeared.
• At the end of the chapter, the ripples finally break. Every eye around them opens, and Big Dog wakes up, leaving Knov’s fate—and the danger to Bai Zhu and Gao Mao—uncertain.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu: Displays restraint and growing strategic awareness. Although he strongly wants to save Knov, he recognizes that impulsive action would likely kill him and everyone nearby. His concern for Knov and the people inside the Fourth Dimensional Apartment reveals his loyalty and sense of responsibility.
• Gao Mao: Acts as the more cautious and experienced survivalist. He remains calm and rigidly committed to preserving their disguises, even when Bai Zhu challenges him. His statement that Knov is “tougher than the others” suggests he understands the creature and its victims better than Bai Zhu does.
• Knov: Though apparently unconscious, he remains faintly conscious and continues trying to use his ability. His Nen and spatial ripples resist Big Dog’s draining, showing his endurance, but his condition steadily worsens.
• Big Dog: Is established as a highly perceptive and methodical predator. Its many eyes and careful sniffing make it extremely dangerous, while its ability to consume Nen turns it into a direct threat to Knov and possibly anyone connected to him.

Significant Themes

• Survival through restraint: The chapter emphasizes that remaining still and suppressing one’s power can be more important than immediate action.
• Powerlessness and sacrifice: Bai Zhu must watch Knov being consumed while knowing that intervention could cause even greater destruction.
• Hidden danger: The wax disguises provide temporary safety, but even the smallest movement or Reiatsu fluctuation can expose the characters.
• Connection and responsibility: Bai Zhu’s motivation to protect Knov comes from concern for Knov’s companions, highlighting the consequences that extend beyond one person’s survival.
• Predation and helplessness: Big Dog treats living beings as collectibles or food, creating a disturbing contrast between its casual behavior and the characters’ desperate struggle.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhu and Gao Mao: Communicate mentally throughout the inspection. Their exchanges show a conflict between Bai Zhu’s urge to act and Gao Mao’s insistence on caution.
• Bai Zhu and Knov: Bai Zhu cannot directly speak to or assist Knov, but watches his condition closely and becomes determined to prevent his death.
• Big Dog and the disguised characters: Big Dog repeatedly inspects Bai Zhu and Gao Mao but is fooled by their wax disguises.
• Big Dog and Knov: The creature physically restrains Knov and drains his Nen through repeated licking, turning Knov into its latest vulnerable “collectible.”

Summary: “Rescuing Knov”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The enormous, many-eyed dog wakes and examines Knov, who has been nearly consumed by the spatial anomaly in his chest. Finding no Nen left to absorb, it drops him and begins inspecting the surrounding wax statues.
• As the dog moves through the collection, it absorbs the red mist around each statue, causing the wax figures to crack and release foul odors. Its presence intensifies the drowsiness and pressure affecting Bai Zhu.
• The dog examines Bai Zhu and Gao Mao, both disguised as wax statues. Bai Zhu suppresses his Reiatsu and remains motionless while the creature sniffs them repeatedly. It ultimately fails to identify them, then urinates on both before leaving.
• Once the dog disappears, Gao Mao’s wax disguise falls away. Bai Zhu immediately attempts to heal Knov with Kaidō, but the spatial distortion in Knov’s chest absorbs most of the healing energy.
• Gao Mao interrupts Bai Zhu and insists they escape first. Bai Zhu carries Knov while continuing to channel Kaidō, gradually stabilizing him as they flee.
• The drained wax statues collapse into red mist, refilling the collection area behind them.
• While escaping, Bai Zhu questions Gao Mao about the dog and the place’s influence. Gao Mao admits it originally brought Bai Zhu in to help kill the creature, but had underestimated how vulnerable Bai Zhu was to the area’s effects.
• Near the exit, the red mist suddenly freezes. The ground bulges, the mist surges toward them, and the oppressive drowsiness returns. Gao Mao realizes that the dog—or “that thing”—has come back and warns Bai Zhu not to make a sound.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu: Demonstrates exceptional composure by remaining completely still under the dog’s inspection, even suppressing his Reiatsu. He prioritizes Knov’s survival, risking himself to heal and carry him. His persistent questioning also shows his need to understand threats and distrust of Gao Mao’s secrecy.
• Gao Mao: Reveals that it deliberately brought Bai Zhu into the dangerous area to deal with the dog, though its plan failed because Bai Zhu could not resist the environment. Despite its selfish motives—wanting Bai Zhu’s technology and possessions—it protects both Bai Zhu and Knov and remains knowledgeable about the creature’s behavior.
• Knov: Is left in a critical condition, nearly drained of Nen and partially transformed into wax. Bai Zhu’s Kaidō begins reversing the damage, but Knov remains vulnerable as the spatial anomaly continues consuming healing energy.
• The big dog: Appears to feed on Nen or life force and possibly the red mist surrounding the wax statues. It is highly perceptive, dangerous, and capable of returning after seemingly leaving.

Significant Themes

• Survival through restraint: Bai Zhu survives by suppressing his power and enduring humiliation rather than fighting.
• The limits of strength and knowledge: Bai Zhu’s abilities are insufficient against the environment and the dog, while Gao Mao’s knowledge remains incomplete and frustratingly evasive.
• Trust and conflicting motives: Gao Mao helps Bai Zhu and Knov, but its assistance is tied to its own goals, creating tension between cooperation and suspicion.
• Predation and consumption: The dog, the spatial distortion in Knov’s chest, and the red mist all function as forces that drain, absorb, or transform living beings.
• Unstable reality: The wax statues, shifting red mist, spatial fluctuations, and sudden return of the dog establish the collection area as an unpredictable supernatural environment.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhu and Gao Mao argue repeatedly over whether to treat Knov or escape, with Gao Mao favoring immediate survival and Bai Zhu insisting on understanding the danger.
• Bai Zhu challenges Gao Mao about its motives, correctly identifying that it saved Knov partly to preserve access to his technology and appliances.
• Gao Mao criticizes Bai Zhu’s constant questions but still answers enough to reveal that the dog becomes more dangerous after feeding.
• At the end, Gao Mao physically grips Bai Zhu’s fingers and urges silence, showing a rare moment of direct cooperation and shared fear as the creature returns.

Chapter Summary: “Domain Expansion”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The red mist intensifies, greatly increasing its sleep-inducing effect and distorting Bai Zhu’s perception of distance. Although he can still see the exit, he cannot get any closer to it.
• Gao Mao detects that the enormous dog is catching up and urges Bai Zhu to run. The creature creates a powerful suction that draws in the mist and makes movement increasingly difficult.
• The huge dog overtakes them and attacks Gao Mao. Its body is covered in eyes, which open simultaneously and emit blinding red light.
• Gao Mao defends itself by spitting out spores that transform into small fungal monsters. The creatures sacrifice themselves against the dog’s fangs, covering its face in adhesive spores and briefly slowing it down.
• Using this opening, Gao Mao summons a ring of mushrooms that blocks the red mist and creates a temporary “safe zone.” This blank circular area is a domain carved out of the dog’s oppressive space.
• The huge dog attacks the domain directly, destroying part of the mushroom barrier. Gao Mao struggles to maintain its territory as the creature’s paw steadily breaks through.
• Gao Mao explains that Bai Zhu must create his own domain to resist the space’s influence. Bai Zhu realizes he can activate both Bankai simultaneously:
  • Zanka no Tachi’s Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin would create a deathly realm made from burning bones.
  • Ryūmon Hōzukimaru would help him preserve his ability to move within it.
• However, the technique would consume nearly all of Bai Zhu’s Reiatsu, while the ruins suppress his recovery. He delays because the cost could leave him helpless.
• As Gao Mao’s domain collapses and Knov begins to waxify again, Bai Zhu finally decides he can wait no longer. He unleashes a massive surge of power.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu: Shows increasing determination and tactical awareness despite the mist’s mental and physical effects. He understands that survival requires taking a severe risk and using his strongest abilities, even though doing so may exhaust him completely.
• Gao Mao: Demonstrates both courage and ingenuity. It uses its fungal powers defensively, sacrifices summoned creatures to stall the dog, and establishes a protective domain. Its increasingly desperate pleas reveal that its strength has limits.
• Knov: Remains unconscious or incapacitated, with his body beginning to waxify again, increasing the urgency of Bai Zhu’s decision.
• The huge dog: Is established as the dominant force within the storage-room-like space. It can manipulate the red mist, resist Gao Mao’s defenses, and relentlessly pursue its targets.

Significant Themes

• Territory and resistance: Power in this space depends on establishing one’s own domain rather than simply resisting the environment directly.
• Sacrifice for survival: Gao Mao’s fungal monsters destroy themselves to delay the dog, while Bai Zhu prepares to risk his life and Reiatsu for a greater attack.
• Escalating desperation: The shrinking safe zone, worsening mist, and Knov’s condition force Bai Zhu into action.
• Power versus endurance: Bai Zhu possesses overwhelming abilities but must weigh their short-term effectiveness against their devastating cost.
• Cooperation under pressure: Survival depends on Bai Zhu and Gao Mao combining their abilities, even though both are struggling to protect themselves.

Character Interactions

• Gao Mao repeatedly commands Bai Zhu to keep moving and later criticizes him for failing to help.
• Bai Zhu relies on Gao Mao’s warning and follows its lead while carrying Knov.
• Gao Mao directly asks Bai Zhu whether he understands how to resist the space, prompting him to formulate his own domain strategy.
• The huge dog focuses its attacks on Gao Mao despite Bai Zhu and Knov being nearby, forcing Gao Mao to defend itself while trying to preserve the safe zone.
• The chapter ends with Gao Mao’s domain nearly destroyed and Bai Zhu finally responding by activating his overwhelming power.

Chapter Summary: Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhu releases his Bankai, Ryūmon Hōzukimaru, transforming his weapon and clothing while flames and dragon imagery surround him.
• He then activates Zanka no Tachi, embedding the charred blade into the ground and summoning Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin—an army of burning skeletons from the Dead Realm.
• The Dead Realm is severely weakened by Gao Mao’s red mist, shrinking from its intended range to only a few meters. Bai Zhu’s Reiatsu also begins rapidly draining.
• The skeleton army attacks Big Dog, but the creature’s body is revealed to be largely a phantom. Its true power appears to come from the many eyes covering its body, which generate red-mist Spatial Blades.
• Big Dog breaks through the skeleton formation and repeatedly attacks Bai Zhu. Its tail wounds him, while its mist begins invading and consuming the Dead Realm.
• Gao Mao assists by summoning mushroom roots and fungal creatures to restrain Big Dog, but the restraints are quickly destroyed.
• As Bai Zhu prepares a decisive strike against Big Dog’s head, Gao Mao accidentally—or opportunistically—releases spores that enter Bai Zhu’s body and disorient him.
• Instead of weakening Bai Zhu, the spores cause his Reiatsu to surge dramatically. Reinvigorated, Bai Zhu charges directly through Big Dog’s Spatial Blades with Ryūmon Hōzukimaru, while the remaining skeletons attack alongside him.
• The chapter ends just before Bai Zhu’s blade reaches Big Dog’s head.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu demonstrates the overwhelming power of his Bankai and Zanka no Tachi, but also their severe cost. His Reiatsu drains so quickly that he has only seconds left to maintain the Dead Realm.
• Despite being injured, disoriented, and nearly exhausted, Bai Zhu refuses to retreat and becomes increasingly aggressive and determined.
• His fighting style shifts from cautious defense to a reckless, direct assault after Gao Mao’s spores unexpectedly restore his power.
• Gao Mao remains irreverent and cowardly on the surface, hiding behind his mushrooms while ordering Bai Zhu to fight. However, he actively supports Bai Zhu with roots, fungal creatures, and spores.
• Gao Mao’s spores unintentionally—or perhaps deliberately—alter the battle by triggering Bai Zhu’s sudden Reiatsu increase.

Significant Themes

• Power versus endurance: Bai Zhu possesses immense destructive ability, but sustaining it rapidly consumes his Reiatsu.
• Desperation and sacrifice: Both Bai Zhu and the summoned skeletons continue fighting despite their bodies and forces breaking apart.
• Unorthodox cooperation: Bai Zhu and Gao Mao work together despite their constant insults and lack of trust.
• Chaos as a source of strength: Gao Mao’s bizarre mushroom abilities, initially harmful to Bai Zhu, ultimately give him the energy needed to continue.
• Perception and illusion: Big Dog’s phantom body and the spores’ hallucinations make it difficult for Bai Zhu to distinguish reality, emphasizing the uncertainty of the battle.

Character Interactions

• Gao Mao is astonished by Bai Zhu’s transformation but quickly treats him as a weapon, ordering him to keep Big Dog away from the mushroom ring.
• Bai Zhu mocks Gao Mao for hiding behind mushrooms, while Gao Mao responds by throwing a mushroom stalk at him.
• Gao Mao repeatedly supports Bai Zhu during the fight, first by binding Big Dog with roots and fungal creatures, then by urging Bai Zhu to attack.
• Bai Zhu angrily questions Gao Mao after inhaling the spores, but Gao Mao insists that he continue fighting.
• Their antagonistic banter gradually becomes a form of battlefield coordination, culminating in both shouting “WAHHHA!” as they launch their combined assault on Big Dog.

Chapter Summary: Spore Berserker Bai Zhu

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhu engages the giant red-mist phantom known as Big Dog in close combat. Although Spatial Blades tear through his body, mycelium rapidly repairs his wounds and restores broken bones, allowing him to continue fighting without feeling pain.
• Under Gao Mao’s influence, Bai Zhu fights recklessly and refuses to retreat. He uses Ryūmon Hōzukimaru, the Dead Realm, and the Skeleton Army Formation to pressure Big Dog from multiple directions.
• Gao Mao identifies that Big Dog’s form is sustained by red mist “threads” connecting its eyes, limbs, abdomen, and head. When Bai Zhu cuts these threads, the connected body parts vanish, the corresponding eyes close, and Big Dog’s Spatial Blades disappear.
• Bai Zhu adapts quickly, targeting the threads instead of the dog’s head. With Gao Mao’s mushroom creatures blocking escape routes and the skeleton army attacking from below, he repeatedly severs Big Dog’s supports and forces the phantom to retreat.
• Bai Zhu becomes increasingly exhilarated by the battle. His regenerative abilities, rising Reiatsu, and inability to feel pain push him into a berserk state.
• His momentum abruptly collapses when a white, one-eyed owl appears in his vision. The mycelium inside his body tightens, his system malfunctions, and his Reiatsu stops increasing.
• Bai Zhu suddenly vomits and sneezes out spores. The mycelium releases his injuries, causing his wounds and broken bones to reopen. The pain returns all at once, leaving him unable to fight.
• Big Dog moves in to devour him, but a black spatial door opens beneath Bai Zhu and pulls him away. His flaming sword is left behind, the Dead Realm collapses, and Big Dog’s red mist floods the battlefield again.
• After Bai Zhu disappears, Gao Mao reacts with relief while Knov mechanically gets back to his feet.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu: Demonstrates extraordinary endurance, swordsmanship, and combat adaptation. He progresses from attacking randomly to understanding and exploiting Big Dog’s structural weakness. However, his healing and Gao Mao’s influence suppress his pain and restraint, causing him to become dangerously intoxicated by violence. The owl’s appearance exposes the instability of his spore-based condition and abruptly breaks his berserk state.
• Gao Mao: Functions as both strategist and support. He recognizes the red-thread weakness, directs Bai Zhu’s movements, and uses mushrooms to restrict Big Dog’s mobility. His influence also contributes to Bai Zhu’s reckless aggression.
• Big Dog: Initially dominates through its mist-based body and Spatial Blades, but its hidden dependence on red threads makes it vulnerable. As Bai Zhu cuts more threads, its form destabilizes and it is forced to retreat. It regains the advantage only after Bai Zhu collapses.
• Knov: Remains largely passive during the battle but survives and stands again after Bai Zhu’s escape.

Significant Themes

• Berserk power versus self-control: Bai Zhu’s strength increases as he loses awareness of pain and restraint, but that same state ultimately makes him unstable.
• Regeneration and the cost of survival: Healing allows Bai Zhu to ignore catastrophic injuries, yet the wounds return once the mycelium stops supporting him, revealing that his apparent invulnerability is temporary.
• Understanding an enemy’s structure: Victory depends not on brute force but on recognizing the red threads that hold Big Dog together.
• Loss of identity and bodily invasion: The mycelium affects Bai Zhu’s body, senses, system, and behavior, suggesting that his power may also be transforming or controlling him.
• Unpredictable intervention: The white one-eyed owl appears without explanation and disrupts Bai Zhu’s abilities, introducing a mysterious force capable of overriding both his body and system.

Character Interactions

• Gao Mao repeatedly shouts tactical instructions to Bai Zhu, correcting his initial attacks and guiding him toward the red threads.
• Bai Zhu ignores Gao Mao’s concern about retreat and continues advancing, showing how thoroughly the berserker influence has taken hold.
• Gao Mao supports the assault by growing mushroom barriers and sending small green-skinned mushroom creatures to restrain Big Dog.
• Big Dog responds to Bai Zhu and the skeleton army with Spatial Blades and shockwaves, creating a constant exchange of attack and counterattack.
• When Bai Zhu collapses, Gao Mao rushes to him and calls his name, but cannot prevent the system failure or the attack.
• The black spatial door rescues Bai Zhu at the last moment, leaving Gao Mao, Knov, and the battlefield behind.

Chapter Summary: “Go, Pikachu”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Mao reveals a gigantic green-skinned fungal monster hidden inside a mushroom and sends it to attack Big Dog.
• Big Dog repeatedly tears the creature apart, but the fungal giant regenerates each time by reassembling its scattered pieces.
• Gao Mao uses Knov’s spatial abilities to maneuver around the battlefield. Knov is revealed to be under Gao Mao’s control, moving mechanically wherever Gao Mao directs him.
• Meanwhile, Bai Zhu awakens inside the Fourth Dimensional Apartment after being severely injured. Milluki, Piyu, and Gela Jiang have treated and bandaged him.
• Before Bai Zhu can recover, Gao Mao opens a hole into the apartment, grabs Bai Zhu by the hair, and forcibly drags him back into the red-mist battlefield.
• Gao Mao explains that it has “cured” Knov by placing fungal threads inside him, but admits it is currently controlling him. It claims Knov can regenerate even if killed.
• Bai Zhu restores his own strength and heals his injuries with green energy, discovering that his Reiatsu and combat abilities have returned.
• Gao Mao orders Knov to confront Big Dog. Knov uses his spatial powers to neutralize Big Dog’s attacks and create an incorporeal spatial field that blocks the red mist.
• Gao Mao expands its mushroom field through Knov’s spatial area and tells Bai Zhu to attack Big Dog, implying that the battlefield has been prepared for him.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu awakens badly wounded but quickly regains his composure and combat ability. His healing power restores both his body and his confidence, though he remains concerned about Knov’s fate.
• Gao Mao becomes increasingly manipulative and aggressive. It treats the battle like a game, forcibly controlling others and using humor and mockery to maintain psychological dominance.
• Knov is effectively reduced to a puppet, stripped of independent movement and expression. His spatial abilities remain intact, making him valuable to Gao Mao even while raising questions about whether his identity and will can survive the fungal control.
• Milluki, Piyu, and Gela Jiang demonstrate concern for Bai Zhu, with Milluki especially protective and frustrated when Gao Mao abducts him before he has recovered.
• The green fungal giant is established as a highly regenerative combatant, capable of reforming even after being almost completely destroyed.

Significant Themes

• Control versus autonomy: Gao Mao’s manipulation of Knov raises the central question of whether a person remains themselves when their body and abilities are controlled by another.
• The value and cost of regeneration: The fungal giant and Knov can both be restored, but regeneration may come at the cost of identity, independence, or humanity.
• Exploitation of allies: Gao Mao uses Knov as both a weapon and a hostage, forcing Bai Zhu to cooperate.
• Recovery under pressure: Bai Zhu has no opportunity to rest after being badly injured; his healing powers return him directly to the conflict.
• Unusual power systems: The chapter highlights the interaction between fungal abilities, spatial manipulation, Reiatsu, and other supernatural powers.

Character Interactions

• Gao Mao taunts and directs Knov, treating him as a controllable tool while insisting that its actions are merely “helping” him.
• Bai Zhu confronts Gao Mao over Knov’s treatment and demands that Knov be returned, but Gao Mao dismisses his objections.
• Milluki tries to protect Bai Zhu, grabbing his leg and protesting when Gao Mao drags him away.
• Bai Zhu and Gao Mao exchange sarcastic, antagonistic remarks, with Gao Mao calling him “Pikachu” and Bai Zhu privately cursing its behavior.
• Gao Mao forces Knov into battle against Big Dog, while Bai Zhu is positioned to launch the next attack.

Chapter Summary: Escape from Big Dog’s Belly

Key Plot Points and Events

• Knov creates a spatial field that blocks Big Dog’s red mist and redirects its black, eye-connected attacks through Black Gates.
• Gao Mao, Knov, Bai Zhu, and the fungal giant confront Big Dog inside the monster’s body. Gao Mao is impressed by Knov’s upgraded spatial abilities but repeatedly worries that their attacks are damaging his mushroom home.
• Bai Zhu unleashes both Bankai:
  • Ryūmon Hōzukimaru, which produces overwhelming numbers of blade strikes.
  • Zanka no Tachi, whose flames burn away the red mist and inflict a powerful piercing attack.
• Working alongside the regenerating fungal giant, Bai Zhu destroys Big Dog’s black lines, eyes, limbs, and body. He believes the enemy has been defeated after using thousands of sword strikes.
• Big Dog rapidly regenerates. Gao Mao reveals that the creature they fought is only a digestive organism located inside the true Big Dog’s stomach.
• The group learns that the surrounding soft ground is living tissue and that corrosive stomach acid is beginning to rise. If they remain inside, they will be digested.
• Gao Mao explains that he originally entered Big Dog’s belly to steal something, but the stolen object has fused with him. This object appears to be connected to the horn on his forehead and is the reason Big Dog is pursuing him.
• The group races toward the Red Door, their apparent exit. Knov uses Black Gates to delay the pursuing red mist, while Bai Zhu carries Gao Mao and uses Shunpo.
• Just as they approach the door, the surrounding flesh walls begin closing around it, threatening to seal off their escape.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu demonstrates immense offensive power by combining two Bankai, but the effort exhausts him completely. He initially assumes Big Dog is defeated, showing that he underestimated the creature’s regenerative nature.
• Gao Mao acts as the group’s guide and protector, controlling Knov’s ability while directing everyone toward the exit. His irreverent humor continues, but he also reveals important secrets about Big Dog, his stolen artifact, and his long-term strategy of hiding in the ruins.
• Knov proves that his spatial ability has become much more versatile and powerful than before. He can now redirect attacks and maintain a moving defensive route while keeping pace with Bai Zhu.
• The fungal giant serves as a durable distraction and combat partner, repeatedly reconstructing itself after Big Dog tears it apart.
• Big Dog is revealed to be far more dangerous than expected. The apparent opponent is only a digestive extension of the true creature, making ordinary physical attacks insufficient for permanent victory.

Significant Themes

• False victory and hidden danger: The apparent destruction of Big Dog is temporary, emphasizing that defeating a visible form does not mean the real threat is gone.
• Escape rather than conquest: The group shifts from trying to kill the enemy to surviving and reaching an exit before the environment itself destroys them.
• Power and its consequences: Bai Zhu’s tremendous attacks damage not only Big Dog but also Gao Mao’s mushrooms, showing that overwhelming strength can endanger allies and surroundings.
• Trust and withheld information: Gao Mao has concealed crucial facts about Big Dog and the stolen object, creating tension as the others realize they entered the crisis without knowing the full situation.
• Living environments as threats: The chapter transforms the setting into an active biological danger, with the ground, mist, and stomach acid all functioning as parts of Big Dog’s body.

Character Interactions

• Gao Mao enthusiastically praises Knov’s improved abilities while simultaneously criticizing Bai Zhu for damaging the mushrooms.
• Knov and Gao Mao cooperate closely, with Gao Mao physically guiding and supporting Knov while Knov provides the group’s defense.
• Bai Zhu and the fungal giant attack Big Dog together, though Bai Zhu’s flames force Gao Mao to protect his mushrooms from collateral damage.
• Gao Mao scolds Bai Zhu after his premature declaration of victory and later drags him to safety when he is exhausted.
• Bai Zhu carries Gao Mao during the final escape, while Gao Mao rides on his head and continues giving directions.
• The chapter ends with all four characters racing together toward the Red Door, united by necessity as Big Dog’s body closes in around them.

Chapter Summary: “Take Flight”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhu, Gao Mao, and Knov race toward the Red Door as its flesh-like walls rapidly close and red mist threatens to consume them.
• Gao Mao releases the fungal growth sustaining Mushroom Circle, allowing Knov to reclaim the black spatial marks he placed earlier.
• Using those marks, Knov folds the intervening space and rapidly transports the group toward the exit. When the final mark falls short of the Red Door, the three make a desperate jump through the narrowing gap.
• They barely escape into the living room before the Red Door closes behind them.
• Gao Mao creates wooden boards, a hammer, and nails from behind its diaper and constructs a barrier over the former doorway. Though the seal initially appears unstable, the final nail causes the boards to merge into the stone wall, permanently erasing the Red Door and halting the threat.
• Knov collapses after releasing the mycelia that had been sustaining him. Bai Zhu confirms that he is unconscious but stable, with his injuries and spatial distortions gone.
• Gao Mao consumes the released mycelia and reveals that it has learned to open Four-Dimensional Space. It enters a Black Gate and glimpses a huge, mysterious creature within.
• Gao Mao says it is going to reclaim its body, implying that its current form is incomplete or artificial. It then disappears, leaving Bai Zhu behind with the unconscious Knov.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu demonstrates endurance and loyalty despite severe exhaustion and injury. He helps support Knov, risks himself during the final escape, and is visibly relieved when Knov survives. His observations also lead him to suspect that Gao Mao’s abilities operate by turning absurd or comedic actions into reality.
• Gao Mao proves far more capable and unpredictable than expected. Its strange “construction” actions produce an effective seal, and it effortlessly absorbs or learns spatial abilities through its mycelia. Its statement about recovering its body introduces a major mystery about its identity and origins.
• Knov pushes his spatial ability to its limits to save the group. After releasing the mycelia sustaining him, he collapses but is revealed to be physically restored and safe.
• Big Dog never appears directly, but remains the immediate threat driving the escape. The new seal prevents it from entering the living room.

Significant Themes

• Desperate cooperation: The characters survive only by combining Knov’s spatial power, Gao Mao’s fungal abilities, and Bai Zhu’s physical support.
• Hidden power and uncertainty: Gao Mao’s seemingly ridiculous behavior has genuine and potentially dangerous effects, emphasizing that appearances do not reveal the limits of an ability.
• Identity and transformation: Gao Mao’s claim that it must reclaim its body suggests questions about what it truly is and whether its current body is temporary.
• Escape and survival: The chapter centers on narrowly avoiding death, with the characters repeatedly improvising under extreme pressure.
• Humor amid danger: Slapstick moments—Gao Mao pulling tools from behind its diaper, flattening itself against the boards, and Bai Zhu worrying about losing his hair—contrast with the life-threatening situation.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhu and Gao Mao bicker throughout the escape, particularly over Gao Mao pulling Bai Zhu by the hair instead of his clothes.
• Gao Mao physically directs Knov and encourages him during the spatial escape, then praises him once the danger has passed.
• Bai Zhu catches and examines the unconscious Knov, showing concern for his condition.
• Gao Mao’s sudden departure leaves Bai Zhu confused and abandoned; the chapter ends with Bai Zhu humorously wondering whether Gao Mao stole his pen.

Chapter Summary: “A Bite Right Outside”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhu realizes that Gao Mao’s childlike form is only a fragment of its true power. Gao Mao’s original body is located somewhere in the Dark Continent, guarded by the enormous “Big Dog,” meaning Bai Zhu may eventually need to travel there to recover the missing components of his pen.
• Gao Mao returns through a Black Gate while being pursued by its true-body guardian. The giant dog’s jaws nearly force their way through the portal before the ruins’ protective formations crush the gate shut.
• Gao Mao confirms that it found its body but could not reclaim it because Big Dog has guarded the corpse for over ten thousand years.
• Bai Zhu finishes healing Knov’s injuries and prevents Gao Mao from using dangerous fungal threads to wake him. Gao Mao instead revives Knov safely through its horn.
• Knov awakens and learns that Gao Mao had controlled or “borrowed” his body while he was unconscious. He is disturbed by the violation, though his spatial abilities remain intact.
• Knov opens a gate to bring Milluki, Piyu, Gela Jiang, and Palm from the apartment into the ruins, confirming that the group survived.
• Gao Mao becomes fascinated with Milluki’s game console after learning that it can control movement, prompting Bai Zhu to explain their bargain.
• Milluki discovers that Bai Zhu used his game console, refrigerator, cola, and snacks as payment to Gao Mao. Furious, he grabs Bai Zhu and threatens to kill him.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu becomes increasingly suspicious and frustrated with Gao Mao, recognizing that Gao Mao manipulated the situation to obtain help recovering its body. Despite this, Bai Zhu continues protecting Knov and enforcing the terms of their deal.
• Gao Mao reveals both its desperation to reclaim its true body and its childish, erratic personality. It shifts rapidly from near-death danger and frustration to playful curiosity about games and appliances.
• Knov survives serious injuries and regains consciousness, but is unsettled after learning Gao Mao used his body. He demonstrates greater control over his spatial abilities by opening gates to locate and retrieve the others.
• Milluki is shown to be highly protective of his possessions, especially his game console. His anger at Bai Zhu’s unauthorized bargain creates a new source of comedic conflict.
• Piyu, Gela Jiang, and Palm are confirmed alive and safely reunited with the main group, though they play mostly supportive roles in the chapter.

Significant Themes

• Deals and manipulation: Bai Zhu’s bargain with Gao Mao is technically fulfilled, but both sides accuse the other of exploiting the agreement. The chapter questions whether a deal can be considered fair when one party withholds important information.
• Trust and autonomy: Knov’s anger over Gao Mao controlling his body highlights the importance of personal agency and the danger of relying on unpredictable supernatural entities.
• The unknown threat of the Dark Continent: Gao Mao’s trapped body and Big Dog’s millennia-long guardianship suggest a much larger danger ahead, expanding the story’s scope beyond the current ruins.
• Comedic tension amid danger: Violent supernatural threats are repeatedly undercut by absurd arguments about burned diapers, game consoles, and snacks, blending horror, adventure, and humor.

Important Character Interactions

• Bai Zhu and Gao Mao argue over the deal, the missing pen components, Gao Mao’s manipulation, and its reckless attempt to retrieve its body.
• Bai Zhu protects Knov from Gao Mao’s unsafe revival method, establishing that he will challenge Gao Mao despite needing its cooperation.
• Knov confronts Gao Mao about controlling him, while Gao Mao dismisses the violation as harmless “help.”
• Knov reconnects with the survivors through his gates, confirming their safety.
• Gao Mao attempts to claim Milluki’s game console, while Milluki objects to Bai Zhu using his belongings as payment and angrily confronts him.

Chapter Summary: “Packed as a Gift”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Milluki brings the injured Bai Zhu into the living room and claims the Pope’s severed, charred head as payment for the electronics he traded to Gao Mao.
• Bai Zhu releases the seal suppressing the Pope’s regeneration, allowing the head to restore itself. He then restrains it again before it can grow a new body.
• Gao Mao threatens the Pope with endless pain if it interferes with the deal. Milluki accepts the head as a gift for his Great-Great-Grandfather, who enjoys strange objects.
• Milluki gives Gao Mao a television, game consoles, a refrigerator, snacks, and portable batteries. He teaches Gao Mao how to operate the TV and play games.
• Gao Mao uses its fungal abilities and the residual Nen underground to create a biological power source for the appliances. After Milluki helps regulate the voltage, the TV and refrigerator function normally.
• Bai Zhu demands the Soul King’s Pen component from Gao Mao. Gao Mao gives it to him, and the two components combine into the Pen Tongue, bringing the collection progress to 4/5 and awarding Bai Zhu 500 Achievement Points.
• The new component increases Bai Zhu’s Kidō Analysis progress to 60%, flooding him with knowledge of spells below level 70, incantations, and spiritual-energy circulation.
• Bai Zhu and the others prepare to leave through Knov’s portal. Gao Mao asks Bai Zhu to visit it after returning from the Dark Continent, though Bai Zhu privately has no intention of going there.
• As they leave, the Pope secretly tells Bai Zhu that it has seen the location of the final missing component of the Soul King’s Pen.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu becomes closer to completing the Soul King’s Pen and gains a major increase in his Kidō knowledge. He remains cautious, choosing to study the completed section before using the pen.
• Milluki is shown to be practical, opportunistic, and fascinated by grotesque curiosities. He treats the Pope’s head as both a valuable trade item and an entertaining gift.
• Gao Mao demonstrates growing independence and intelligence by learning to use human technology and constructing a fungal generator to power it. Its attachment to games and cola gives it a playful, childlike side.
• The Pope remains fearful and resentful, but its final revelation shows that it still possesses useful information and may be attempting to regain influence over Bai Zhu.
• Knov and the others continue serving as the group’s means of escape and logistical support.

Significant Themes

• Trade and exploitation: The chapter centers on exchanges in which people, body parts, technology, and information are treated as commodities.
• Adaptation and cooperation: Gao Mao combines its supernatural fungal abilities with human technology, while Milluki provides the technical knowledge needed to make the arrangement work.
• Power and control: The Pope’s regeneration is repeatedly suppressed, and Gao Mao maintains control through threats of unbearable pain.
• The grotesque and the humorous: A severed, regenerating head is treated casually as a gift, while the bizarre situation is contrasted with games, cola, and household appliances.
• Progress toward a larger goal: The Pen Tongue’s recovery advances Bai Zhu’s long-term quest, while the identity and location of the final component create new anticipation.

Important Character Interactions

• Milluki mocks and handles the Pope, ultimately claiming it as a present for his ancestor.
• Gao Mao intimidates the Pope and forces it to remain silent, while also bargaining with Bai Zhu and Milluki.
• Milluki teaches Gao Mao how to operate the TV and game console, creating an unexpectedly cooperative and almost affectionate dynamic.
• Bai Zhu bargains directly with Gao Mao for the Pen component and promises to return after the Dark Continent expedition.
• The Pope privately warns Bai Zhu about the final Pen component just as the group departs, establishing a new mystery and potential lead.

Chapter Summary: “Leaving NGL, Fattening Up for Now”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Pope reveals that the final component of the Soul King’s Pen is located on the Dark Continent. Bai Zhu refuses to pursue it, valuing his survival over the dangerous journey.
• Outside the ruins, Bai Zhu and the others discover that Gao Mao has taken control of a massive Orc population through fungal growths and mycelium.
• Gao Mao refuses to release the Orcs, arguing that they enjoy the euphoric effects of his control and that the D1-infected villagers are also undergoing unpredictable bodily changes.
• Piyu warns that the Orcs, villagers, and underground ruins are converging into a potentially dangerous mutation zone. After negotiation, the group agrees to temporarily contain everyone in the Underground City under three conditions:
  1. The city cannot expand outward.
  2. The Orcs cannot leave.
  3. The Association must be informed of severe mutations.
• Gao Mao reorganizes the Underground City, using mycelium to repair structures, create shelters, manage water, and establish an orderly settlement. Bai Zhu realizes that Gao Mao is also using the city to accumulate power and eventually reclaim his body.
• Bai Zhu’s group leaves NGL. Knov reports to Netero that the Creation Society has been destroyed, the Pope and other leaders are dead, and the General, Zaiyilo, is missing and presumed unlikely to have survived.
• Bai Zhu is relieved that the NGL mission is over. He plans to rest, pursue regional achievements, study the Soul King’s Pen, and eventually visit Ring Island.
• Piyu gives Bai Zhu a new communicator number and warns him not to confront Creation Society members or the Kakin Royal Family alone.
• Gela Jiang buys questionable muscle-building supplements, while Milluki decides to travel with Bai Zhu after spotting an opportunity to attend a nearby carnival.
• The chapter ends with a major new threat: the remaining Creation Society members are searching for a young man with a special bloodline. Kakin’s Unma receives the same intelligence and orders her subordinate to obtain live Nen Beast samples to determine whether the young man’s blood can replace Benjamin’s Nen Beast.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhu continues to prioritize survival and practical solutions over heroism. Although he recognizes Gao Mao as a future threat, he accepts temporary containment as the least harmful option.
• Gao Mao becomes more powerful and independent, turning the Underground City into both a refuge and a growing power base. His playful attitude masks his strategic goal of recovering his real body.
• Piyu demonstrates increasing responsibility and concern for long-term consequences. She pushes for regulations, monitoring, and protection of individual free will, even when others reject her idealism.
• Knov remains cautious and reserved, but his experience under Gao Mao’s control reveals that the fungal ability produces an addictive sense of power and euphoria.
• Milluki chooses to remain with Bai Zhu rather than return home, suggesting a desire for companionship, travel, and continued involvement in Bai Zhu’s adventures.
• Unma is introduced as a calculating figure who views bloodlines and Nen Beasts as resources for strengthening Kakin’s power.

Significant Themes

• Freedom versus security: Gao Mao’s control removes danger but also strips the Orcs and villagers of autonomy. The group must decide whether enforced safety is preferable to uncontrolled freedom.
• Power and exploitation: Gao Mao presents himself as a caretaker, but his settlement also serves as a mechanism for storing power and reclaiming his body.
• Pragmatism versus idealism: Bai Zhu’s compromise with Gao Mao contrasts with Piyu’s desire to protect individual choice and uphold moral boundaries.
• The dangers of unchecked mutation: D1 and Gao Mao’s mycelium continue transforming people, creating a potentially expanding biological crisis.
• Political and scientific manipulation: The Kakin Royal Family’s interest in the young man’s blood suggests that the NGL disaster is connected to a larger effort to weaponize Nen and biological traits.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhu negotiates directly with Gao Mao, acknowledging his strength while imposing practical limits on his activities.
• Piyu challenges both Gao Mao’s methods and Bai Zhu’s willingness to compromise, creating tension between ethical responsibility and containment.
• Knov’s silent reaction confirms Bai Zhu’s suspicion that Gao Mao’s control is physically and psychologically addictive.
• Bai Zhu and Gao Mao exchange teasing threats before Bai Zhu leaves, showing their uneasy familiarity and mutual recognition of each other’s power.
• Piyu warns Bai Zhu against confronting dangerous organizations, while Bai Zhu defensively insists that he is not reckless.
• Milluki’s request to accompany Bai Zhu is accepted only after Bai Zhu notices the prospect of a carnival, turning a potential refusal into a new travel arrangement.
• The final parallel between the Creation Society’s search and Unma’s orders establishes that Bai Zhu’s next stage of travel will likely intersect with Kakin’s political schemes.