Chapter Summaries

Nia told Lance how the Adventurers' Guild planned to use Violet Academy interns as cheap labor to address mana hazards and revive Grayrock Town's economy. After training intensely, Lance gained 33 Proficiency points in archery and planned to push both archery and swordsmanship to their next levels.

• Nia explained that the Guild president wanted students to resolve forest mana hazards instead of hiring expensive mages.
• Nia said the interns would receive only a small allowance and basic lodging, while their spending could help Grayrock Town and attract merchants back.
• After a day of copying work, Lance entered the Guild's training room at night and practiced archery for an hour.
• Lance fired hundreds of arrows without tiring and raised his Levin Archery to LV2 (75/240), gaining about 33 Proficiency points.
• Lance planned to break through with swordsmanship and devote more time to archery, which he hoped to raise to level 3 within three days.

Lance trained Castro Swordsmanship until he mastered it and gained the Trench Rat's Bite Specialty. He tested the Specialty and realized its penetration bonus made his thrusts more stable, leaving him eager to develop other skills into Specialties.

• Lance practiced Castro Swordsmanship's thrust, shield bash, and retreat sequence with intense focus and quickly recovered his stamina.
• Lance adjusted his wrist during a thrust, drove the training sword deep into the wooden dummy, and raised Castro Swordsmanship to Mastery.
• Lance gained the Trench Rat's Bite Specialty, which granted his swordsmanship thrusts 5% additional physical penetration.
• Lance considered whether mastering other skills could earn more Specialties and decided to test Levin Archery next.
• Lance tested his new thrust and realized the penetration bonus improved its stability against hard targets.

Lance saw how much his thrusting technique had improved, then went to The Boar and Rose to eat and check on Amber. He avoided Hakon the Coin Counter, and Amber was interrupted before she could share her gossip.

• Lance’s specialty boost made his sword thrusts far more effective, and he finished training after damaging the practice equipment.
• Lance planned to check on his drying Blood-Clotting Moss and see whether his improved Hemostatic Ointment could become a source of income.
• Lance entered The Boar and Rose and spotted Hakon complaining about Nightingale and outsiders taking adventurers’ work.
• Amber greeted Lance, served him grilled beef brisket at cost, and prepared to share gossip before another adventurer demanded beer.
• Amber left to serve the adventurer, leaving Lance waiting at the bar.

Lance avoided a confrontation with Hakon in Amber’s tavern, then ambushed and defeated him in an alley. The victory unlocked a Compendium function, whose purpose Lance was left wondering about.

• Hakon insulted Lance and demanded that he leave his seat, so Lance moved rather than start a fight in the tavern.
• Amber poured ale over Hakon and forced him to pay for the mug before he left.
• Lance hurried out after dinner, leaving Amber disappointed and a waitress calling him a scumbag.
• Hakon went to relieve himself in a back alley, where Lance covered his head with a sack and attacked him.
• Lance disarmed Hakon, knocked him unconscious, and received a notification that he had unlocked the Compendium function.

Lance discovered that the Compendium revealed the secrets and social connections of people he defeated, then used his victory over Hakon to take his money. Back in his attic, he completed research on Blood-Clotting Moss and found that his ointment stopped bleeding far more effectively than the ordinary version.

• Lance opened Hakon's Compendium entry and learned about Hakon's secrets, attributes, and hostility toward him.
• Lance stole Hakon's money pouch and returned to his attic with more than thirty silver coins and copper coins.
• Lance finished processing Blood-Clotting Moss and received a system notification that his research was complete.
• Lance made a special hemostatic ointment and tested it against ordinary ointment on two wounds in a rabbit's leg.
• Lance saw that his ointment sealed its wound quickly while the ordinary ointment continued to seep blood.

Lance realized his low-cost hemostatic ointment could earn him a substantial profit, then showed it to Flora. She confirmed its exceptional effects and concluded that Lance's Talent worked like a Class Bonus, leaving him ready to ask about selling the ointment through her shop.

• Lance calculated that his ointment's low production cost and strong effects could bring in at least fifteen copper coins in profit per jar.
• Flora visited Lance's apartment and examined the healed wounds on the gray rabbit, marveling at how quickly the ointment had worked.
• Flora found no sign of special alchemical techniques and inferred that Lance's Talent improved the effects of finished products like a Class Bonus.
• Flora explained how professional specializations enhanced potion makers' products and why her shop held the Adventurers' Guild supply contract.
• Lance recognized that his system's Research function had simulated the world's Class Bonus mechanism and asked whether he could consign his ointment at Flora's shop.

Flora agreed to help Lance sell his special Hemostatic Ointment through her aunt’s shop and possibly secure Guild orders. Lance set out as the adventurer Raven to gather materials near the joint clearing operation’s first vanguard, but Damian stopped him outside the Guild.

• Flora judged Lance’s Hemostatic Ointment competitive with Trollblood Potion and agreed to discuss selling it with Aunt Morwenna.
• Lance packed most of his ointment for Flora, repaid her for the books, and changed into his adventurer disguise as Raven.
• Lance saw the nearly hundred-member first vanguard preparing to advance into Copper Creek Forest and attack Thornspike Hill and nearby monster settlements.
• Lance accepted a Silverflake Grass gathering commission so he could collect Blood-Clotting Moss and observe the wounded adventurers’ potion needs.
• Damian called Lance “Senior” outside the Guild, appearing battle-worn from recent fighting with Gnolls.

Damian thanked Lance for helping him become a more capable adventurer, gave him a handmade safety charm, and received a jar of Lance’s Hemostatic Ointment. After Damian joined his team, Lance set off for Copper Creek Forest and spent his Knowledge Experience on Wilderness Survival.

• Damian told Lance about learning teamwork and survival skills from his captain and thanked him for his advice.
• Lance gave Damian the alias Raven, and Damian presented him with a handmade homecoming knot for safety.
• Lance accepted the knot, warned Damian to stay alive, and gave him a jar of Hemostatic Ointment.
• Damian left with his team, and Lance set out for Copper Creek Forest half an hour after the vanguard.
• Lance viewed his expanded Knowledge tab and spent all 30 Knowledge Experience on Wilderness Survival.

Lance gathered enough Silverflake Grass and Blood-Clotting Moss to fulfill his commission and make about 150 jars of hemostatic ointment, but the forest’s instability and frequent monster encounters led him to leave early. On his way out, he encountered someone fleeing from the vanguard’s front line.

• Lance gained Wilderness Survival knowledge and noticed that Copper Creek Forest’s restless environmental state was shifting toward greater instability.
• Lance killed a Webweaver Spider with his bow, but his arrow ruined its valuable venom and silk sacs.
• Lance realized the vanguard’s clearing operation had driven monsters into the outer forest, where he had already fought a boar, slimes, goblins, and the spider.
• Lance counted his gathered materials and estimated they could produce about 150 jars of ointment, with a potential profit of roughly twenty-three silver coins.
• Lance stopped gathering and headed home, but encountered someone fleeing from the vanguard’s front line.

Lance learned that a Goblin War Chief had trapped the adventurers and that Damian had fled downstream, so he headed into the forest to find him. Damian was cornered by Goblins at a stream, exhausted and surrounded.

• A wounded adventurer told Lance that a tactical Goblin War Chief had ambushed the team and that Damian had gone downstream as a decoy.
• Lance sent the wounded adventurer toward safety, then ran southeast to search for Damian.
• Damian fought Goblin Brutes and Spearthrowers on a pebble shoal as more Goblins joined the encirclement.
• Damian's Breath Combat Technique left him drained, and he struggled to defend himself against the surrounding Goblins.

Damian collapsed after the Goblins overwhelmed him, but Lance arrived in time to rescue him and fought through the encirclement. Lance killed Goblin Scouts while holding off the Brutes, leaving him one kill away from unlocking the next stage of Biological Research.

• Damian’s Breath Combat Technique backfired, and he lost consciousness as the Goblins closed in to kill him.
• Lance shot three Goblin javelin throwers, then charged through the Scouts to reach Damian.
• Lance confirmed Damian was alive and defended him with his shield and Fine Steel shortsword.
• Lance killed several Goblin Scouts as the remaining Goblins retreated and tried to exhaust him.
• Lance killed six more Scouts and came within one kill of unlocking the next stage of Biological Research.

Lance died while protecting the unconscious Damian, but his Ouroboros Ring revived him and unlocked Goblin Weakness Insight along with the Great Deed class path Pale Sentinel. He returned to the fight healed and armed with new advantages as the surviving Goblins recoiled in fear.

• A Goblin Scout attacked Damian from behind, so Lance turned to stop it and exposed his back to the other Goblins.
• The Goblins wounded Lance and killed him, leaving fewer than ten survivors from their force.
• Lance’s Biological Research reached LV2, unlocking Weakness Insight for Goblins as he lay dead.
• Lance’s Ouroboros Ring revived him, healed his injuries, and registered the Great Deed “I Successfully Defied Death.”
• Lance saw the Goblins’ weak points marked in red and made the surviving Goblins retreat in fear.

Lance slaughtered the Goblins threatening him and Damian, then carried the unconscious boy back with a rescue party. The adventurers returned to Grayrock Town, while Gareth anticipated meeting Lance again at the dungeon.

• Lance used [Weakness Insight] to kill the Goblins’ scouts and brute, then slaughtered the remaining Goblins over ten minutes.
• A rescue party led by Gareth arrived and found Lance standing among the Goblin corpses with Damian unconscious behind him.
• Gareth offered to report Lance’s deeds to the guild and arrange a ride back to town; Lance gave his name as Raven and carried Damian away.
• After Lance left, Gareth’s ranger assessed his abilities, and Gareth said they would likely meet again at the dungeon.
• Lance rode back to town in a wagon with the wounded, while the other adventurers kept their distance from his blood-soaked, foul-smelling armor.

During the evacuation convoy, Lance learned the guild was paying for wounded adventurers’ treatment and saw an opportunity to sell his improved Hemostatic Ointment. He examined the demanding requirements for the Pale Sentinel class and recalled the legend of Alvis, whose wager with the ferryman had earned him the Great Deed “I Defied Death.”

• Lance asked an injured adventurer why so many wounded were being evacuated and learned the guild president had ordered their return and covered their treatment costs.
• Lance realized the guild’s mass treatment program could make his affordable Hemostatic Ointment a valuable procurement choice.
• Lance reviewed the Pale Sentinel class requirements and judged that its skill prerequisites were manageable, but its monster-fighting trial would be difficult.
• Lance considered how Hvergelmir’s Boiling Surge might help him endure the trial’s prolonged battle while guarding a target.
• Lance recalled Alvis’s legend, in which the aged hero wagered his soul with the ferryman by claiming there was a road with no end.

After returning from the Underworld, Lance chose the rare [Pale Sentinel] class and tried to quiet his body's craving for battle. He bought a guide to class advancement and learned the class system's tiers before finding a section on attributes and advancement restrictions.

• Lance decided to choose [Pale Sentinel] over [Swordsman] and began planning a new skill tree.
• After confirming Damian was safe, Lance returned home and realized his body was excited by the recent battle.
• Lance slapped his trembling hand and calmed himself by recalling illustrations of cute girls.
• Lance spent twenty silver coins on the Basic Guide to Class Advancement at the town bookstore.
• Lance read about the [Ascension Stairway], the level twenty cap, and the four tiers of class holders.
• Lance stopped at the guide's chapter on attributes and class advancement restrictions.

Lance learned that reaching the [Pale Sentinel]’s Constitution requirement meant breaking the human Attribute Lock, which could be overcome with rare potions or racial Talents. He planned to raise his basic attributes through training and use his [Biological Research] module to gain monster Talents, leaving him with a path toward the profession’s demanding requirements.

• Lance learned that ordinary humans’ basic attributes capped at 10, while becoming a [Pale Sentinel] required 12 Constitution, 10 Spirit, and 10 Perception.
• Lance discovered that the Troll Amber Potion could break the Constitution Attribute Lock, but its 13-gold price was far beyond his means.
• Lance recalled that reaching LV3 in [Biological Research] could let him plunder a species’ racial Talent and considered researching high-Constitution monsters.
• Lance decided to raise his basic attributes through training before seeking ways to surpass the Attribute Lock.
• Lance read that professionals of every path had to endure grueling training to reach the mortal limit and qualify for advancement.

Lance calculated that his Hemostatic Ointment could earn him as much as twenty-five silver coins in daily profit during the joint clearing mission, and planned to approach Flora about selling it. Meanwhile, the Grayrock Town Adventurers' Guild's brightly lit office contained a sand-table map of Copper Creek Forest marked with monster movements and adventurer positions.

• Lance reviewed the requirements for becoming a [Pale Sentinel] and hoped to exchange merit points for a Breath Combat Technique.
• Lance remembered he had not asked Flora about the Hemostatic Ointment and decided to visit her the next morning.
• Lance calculated that he could produce about 144 jars of ointment a day, earning a net profit of twenty-five silver coins if he sold them all.
• Lance estimated that after the joint clearing mission, selling one-third of his wartime volume could still earn him six silver coins a day.
• Lance went to bed eager to speak with Flora, while the guildmaster's office at the Grayrock Town Adventurers' Guild remained lit and its Copper Creek Forest map displayed monster and adventurer positions.

Necros, Homan, and Martha reviewed the first day of the joint clearing operation, revising their plans after unexpectedly severe casualties and supply use. Necros refused to cut support for the adventurers and ordered the guild to negotiate for affordable Troll's Blood supplies before the Violet Academy students arrived.

• Necros discovered that a Goblin stronghold had been misclassified, revised the attack route, and ordered Homan to investigate the scouting failure and double compensation for the dead adventurers.
• Martha reported that the vanguard had nearly exhausted its reserve hemostatic potions, while Homan explained that mana turbulence had made the monsters unusually aggressive and increased injuries.
• Necros rejected Martha's suggestion to reduce supplies and insisted the practice zone had to be cleared before the Violet Academy students arrived.
• Homan warned that buying supplies at the current rate could leave too little money for mission rewards, but Necros refused to lower treatment standards or risk adventurers' lives.
• Necros told Martha to renegotiate with Morwenna Potion Shop and the Silver Bottle Alchemy Firm for lower prices or a cheaper potion with most of Troll's Blood's effects.

Necros reviewed the intern list and battle reports to find a suitable mentor for Cecilia Rosenthal. He settled on Raven as a promising candidate because Raven controlled his desires, stayed rational, and had risked himself to rescue a friend.

• After arranging supply plans and personnel transfers, Necros asked Homan to bring him the vanguard's battle reports.
• Necros studied the intern list and worried most about Cecilia Rosenthal, whose internship needed to fulfill Gideon's hopes without putting her at risk.
• Necros rejected a veteran team for its rigid tactics and another team for its excessive focus on profit.
• Necros read Gareth's report about Raven and examined Raven's mission file, finding that he had chosen safe gathering commissions despite his strength.
• Necros learned that Raven had rushed into danger to save a friend, and judged him responsible and potentially suited to guide Cecilia.

Necros added Raven to Cecilia’s internship list, intending to make the apprentice do difficult gathering work. Lance planned to leave the guild if his Hemostatic Ointment business proved reliable, then visited Flora at Morwenna Potion Shop, where she remained annoyed that he had stood her up.

• Necros wrote Raven’s name beside Cecilia’s on the internship list and planned to speak with him when he next came to accept a commission.
• Lance woke from a dream, decided to check the ointment’s sales, and considered resigning from the Adventurers' Guild if the business brought in steady income.
• Lance bought limited-edition pastries before heading to Morwenna Potion Shop.
• Lance saw Flora’s notices advertising insect repellent powder and the new Hemostatic Ointment for 25 copper coins.
• Flora recognized Lance, sulked behind her book, and told him to choose potions from the shelves.