Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dickens revives after being defeated, entering a second phase by drinking blood from the Headless Angel statue. His wounds heal, crimson flames reignite around him, and he becomes even more dangerous.
• Liu Zheng immediately attacks during Dickens’s recovery, ripping the Serrated Cleaver and Boning Knife from his body and reopening his wounds.
• Dickens attempts to strike Liu Zheng, but Liu Zheng severs one of his tentacles and taunts him with “Defiled Blood,” causing Dickens to retreat.
• Liu Zheng enters the Rage Incarnate state, empowered by the Nile Doctor’s final gift: radiant Sunfire connected to the sun god Ra. His strength, stamina, and clarity increase dramatically.
• Realizing that Dickens’s power comes from the Headless Angel, Liu Zheng attacks the statue rather than Dickens. His Sunfire suppresses the blood flowing from its neck and begins melting its divine vessel.
• Liu Zheng tears the Headless Angel statue from the Main Sacrificial Altar, despite severely damaging his own body in the process.
• Dickens, horrified by this desecration, overcomes his fear of Liu Zheng and charges to protect the church’s holiest relic.
• The two clash: Dickens attacks with blood flames, while Liu Zheng uses the Headless Angel statue itself as a weapon. The statue withstands Dickens’s flames because its power originally came from the Higher Being who empowered him.
• An ethereal command urges Dickens to eliminate Liu Zheng. In response, Dickens tears open his own chest and converts his blood flames into countless arrows aimed at Liu Zheng, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng becomes more aggressive, confident, and strategically perceptive. His anger at Dickens’s revival triggers the Rage Incarnate state, but rather than making him reckless, it gives him unusually sharp focus.
• He demonstrates growing mastery of his monstrous tentacles and Sunfire, using them creatively to attack Dickens’s source of power.
• Liu Zheng’s willingness to endure immense bodily damage shows his determination and disregard for self-preservation when confronting a powerful enemy.
• Dickens is revealed to be both physically formidable and psychologically dependent on Holy Blood. Although initially frightened by Liu Zheng’s Defiled Blood, his devotion to the Headless Angel eventually overrides his fear.
• His transformation into a beast has not erased his religious instincts; instead, it has made his worship of Holy Blood more primal and extreme.

Significant Themes

• Rage as power and clarity: Liu Zheng’s anger, sparked by the unfair “second phase” of the battle, becomes a source of strength rather than merely emotional instability.
• Faith and fanaticism: Dickens’s devotion to Holy Blood drives him to sacrifice his own body and confront an enemy he fears.
• Sacred power versus corruption: Liu Zheng’s radiant Sunfire contrasts with Dickens’s sinister blood flames, presenting a symbolic conflict between solar purification and corrupt sacramental power.
• Exploiting an enemy’s weakness: Rather than continuing to fight Dickens directly, Liu Zheng identifies and attacks the Headless Angel, the source and vessel of his opponent’s strength.
• Sacrifice and endurance: Both characters damage themselves to gain an advantage, but Liu Zheng’s physical suffering is especially extreme as he tears the divine statue from its altar.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng repeatedly taunts Dickens, mocking his cowardice and challenging him to consume “real” Holy Blood.
• Dickens responds with fear, anger, and outrage, especially when Liu Zheng attacks and removes the Headless Angel statue.
• The Headless Angel functions as both the source of Dickens’s power and the object of his worship, creating a triangular conflict between Liu Zheng, Dickens, and the Higher Being’s vessel.
• The Higher Being—or the Holy Blood itself—communicates through the ethereal chorus, pressuring Dickens to destroy Liu Zheng.
• The chapter closes with Dickens launching a massive blood-arrow attack, leaving Liu Zheng’s response unresolved.

Chapter Summary: “Who Says You Can't Explode Outside the Metropolis”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng battles Dickens, a powerful Flame Beast, while enduring a barrage of corrosive blood arrows. His exceptional blood quality and experience surviving torture in the Metropolis allow him to withstand the attack.
• Using the headless angel statue as a weapon, Liu Zheng repeatedly smashes Dickens’s head and prevents the beast from unleashing another ultimate attack.
• Dickens is finally killed when both its skull and the statue shatter. A Blood Gem is revealed in its chest, but the collision between Dickens’s Bloodflame and Liu Zheng’s Sunfire creates an unstable, explosive sphere of light.
• Liu Zheng removes the Blood Gem and forces his way out of the energy sphere, suffering severe injuries in the process. He seals himself away from the explosion by kicking shut the bronze cathedral doors.
• The blast violently shakes the cathedral. Liu Zheng attempts to escape but is blocked by dangerous fog. Before he can act, he becomes dizzy and loses consciousness.
• He awakens with Amelia beside him, ringing a bronze bell that appears to have restored him and ended the Dream World’s influence. Amelia confirms that he successfully completed the hunt.
• Liu Zheng recounts the battle but deliberately omits Dickens’s true identity and final words, suspecting Amelia might kill him to preserve the secret.
• Their conversation shifts to Blood Therapy and Beastification Disease. Liu Zheng warns Amelia that the Church’s blood practices may be worsening the disease.
• Amelia explains that although Blood Therapy may contribute to the spread of Beastification Disease, the Church cannot abandon it because it saves many terminally ill people. She then reveals that the disease has another source.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates extreme endurance, brutality, and practical intelligence. He uses Dickens’s immobility to kill it before it can launch another attack and prioritizes retrieving the Blood Gem before escaping the explosion.
• His experience with suffering has made him unusually resistant to pain, while his sarcastic humor remains intact even in life-threatening situations.
• Liu Zheng becomes more cautious and politically aware. He hides what he knows about Dickens to avoid provoking Amelia and chooses cooperation over unnecessary confrontation.
• Amelia shows greater trust in Liu Zheng by revealing information about Blood Therapy and Beastification Disease. She remains patient but is visibly unsettled by Liu Zheng’s blunt, mocking manner.
• Amelia also appears to be reconsidering the origins and consequences of the Church’s medical practices, though she insists Blood Therapy remains necessary.

Significant Themes

• Survival through endurance and ruthlessness: Liu Zheng’s ability to tolerate pain and act decisively is central to his victory.
• The danger of forbidden or corrupted power: The clash between Sunfire and Bloodflame produces a catastrophic explosion, while Blood Therapy appears connected to the spread of Beastification Disease.
• Truth, secrecy, and political survival: Liu Zheng withholds crucial information, understanding that knowledge can be dangerous in the Church-controlled world.
• Moral ambiguity: Blood Therapy saves lives but may also cause widespread disease, forcing the characters to confront the costs of a supposedly benevolent practice.
• Humor amid horror: Liu Zheng’s jokes and insults contrast sharply with the gruesome violence and apocalyptic supernatural forces surrounding him.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Dickens interact almost entirely through violent combat. Liu Zheng taunts the beast, attempts to provoke a response, and ultimately destroys it before it can attack again.
• Liu Zheng and Amelia maintain an uneasy but increasingly cooperative relationship. He mocks her age and communication style, while Amelia tolerates him rather than arguing.
• Their discussion of Blood Therapy reveals a deeper disagreement: Liu Zheng condemns its unknown origins, whereas Amelia defends it as essential to Yate’s survival.
• Amelia’s final revelation—that Beastification Disease has another source—creates a major mystery and sets up the next stage of the story.

Chapter Summary: “Eat It, Then Become a God”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng questions High Pontiff Amelia about the Tomel Civilization, an ancient society that supposedly surpassed modern humanity in technology, culture, medicine, and mysticism before collapsing due to a catastrophic outbreak of Beastification Disease.
• He challenges the Bloodhealing Church and Kalkaluns Academy’s responsibility for spreading the disease, pointing out that their excavation of Tomel ruins occurred shortly before the disease began spreading through Old Yate.
• Amelia admits that the Academy’s organized excavations accelerated the spread of the disease, though she insists grave-digging traditions already existed among the Yate people.
• The conversation shifts to Liu Zheng’s delivery mission. Amelia offers him the positions of Bloodhealing Church High Pontiff and Chief Hunter, but he refuses, knowing he is a player and will soon leave both Yate and the Metropolis.
• Liu Zheng examines the Colossal Radial Blood Gem taken from Dickens. It can restore Blood Quality or provide an additional weapon effect when socketed.
• Amelia recognizes the gem’s connection to Dickens and reflects privately on the price Dickens—and perhaps she herself—paid for their power and longevity.
• A Church servant delivers three requested Holy Grails: the Central Tomel Holy Grail, Lower Tomel Holy Grail, and Weakened Rum City Holy Grail.
• Amelia reveals that the remaining Blood Gems are waiting in the Church workshop, where Master Beethoven is also present.
• Despite Amelia’s warning about the danger of God’s Child’s Umbilical Cord, Liu Zheng insists on taking it. She unveils a strange, flesh-like, shell-shaped object covered in holes.
• A mysterious voice tells Liu Zheng: “Eat it, and you will become a god.”

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng remains skeptical, irreverent, and sharply perceptive. He openly criticizes the Church’s possible role in spreading Beastification Disease and treats Amelia more like an equal acquaintance than a religious authority.
• He also demonstrates restraint by refusing Amelia’s offer of power and status, recognizing that his identity and future as a player make such positions temporary and meaningless.
• Amelia is portrayed as honest but politically imperfect. She admits the Academy’s role in the disease’s spread rather than denying it, suggesting she is less ruthless or more guilt-ridden than her institution.
• She reveals insecurity about her position as High Pontiff, explaining that she accepted the role to fulfill her mentor’s final wish.
• Amelia’s private reaction to Dickens’s Blood Gem hints at guilt, regret, or a complicated connection with Dickens. Her youthful appearance despite her age also suggests that she has benefited from the Holy Blood’s power.
• Dickens remains physically absent but becomes more significant through the Blood Gem and Amelia’s emotional reaction, implying that his transformation into a beast involved a serious personal cost.

Significant Themes

• Institutional responsibility and historical denial: The chapter questions whether the Church and Academy caused or worsened Old Yate’s crisis through their exploitation of ancient ruins.
• Power and corruption: The Bloodhealing Church’s use of disease and treatment to gain control is compared to the ruthlessness of a political dynasty.
• Knowledge as danger: Tomel relics and God’s Child’s Umbilical Cord contain immense knowledge and power, but Amelia warns that they may corrupt or consume those who seek them.
• Ambition versus restraint: The offer to become High Pontiff contrasts with Liu Zheng’s refusal, emphasizing his unwillingness to be trapped by authority or worldly power.
• Transformation and godhood: The final object introduces the possibility that physical consumption of forbidden relics can elevate someone into a god, while also implying an ominous price.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Amelia engage in a tense but familiar exchange, mixing accusations, teasing, and negotiation.
• Liu’s sarcasm repeatedly undercuts Amelia’s religious authority, while Amelia responds with calmness and occasional attempts at seduction or persuasion.
• Their discussion of Dickens reveals an unspoken emotional connection between Amelia and the deceased or transformed figure.
• The chapter ends with Amelia warning Liu about the relic’s dangers, while Liu’s willingness to proceed brings him directly into contact with a potentially godlike—and highly threatening—power.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng rejects the mysterious voice’s offer to become a god’s offspring, arguing that such beings are hunted and consumed by powerful factions. He also doubts Yate’s native god is strong enough to be worthwhile.
• At the Main Sacrificial Altar, he retrieves the God’s Child’s Umbilical Cord, a single-use, “Perfect”-quality item that can grant random occult knowledge, skills, and possibly a bloodline. However, its bloodline conflicts with Liu Zheng’s current state, making its use dangerous.
• Liu Zheng asks Amelia about clues to other items. She instructs him to visit the Church workshop and obtain the Blood Gem, promising to arrange a guide for his future search.
• Before leaving, Liu Zheng returns the hexagonal iron cage to Amelia.
• After Liu Zheng departs, a helmeted woman from the Remnants appears. She wants to kill him and offer his unusually powerful blood to the Queen.
• Amelia forbids the assassination because Liu Zheng is favored by Master Beethoven, a legendary god-hunter whose power and weapon still threaten the Remnants.
• The helmeted woman considers acting secretly, but Amelia wagers that if the assassination fails, she must help Liu Zheng obtain the Tomel Holy Grail and possibly another God’s Child’s Umbilical Cord from Dravania.
• The helmeted woman insinuates that Liu Zheng may be Amelia and Dickens’s descendant. Amelia angrily threatens to unleash the Church’s Execution Squad against Dravania’s Remnants.
• The woman apologizes by stabbing herself through the calf with her rapier, demonstrating the severity of Amelia’s authority and her own submission.
• Afterward, Amelia embraces Dickens’s skull and says that he can finally rest and that she will join him soon. Pale hair begins growing from the hand holding the skull, hinting at a disturbing transformation.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng remains skeptical, pragmatic, and resistant to temptation. He values reliable strength over vague promises of godhood and recognizes the dangers of random, incompatible items.
• Amelia reveals herself as both protective and politically formidable. She covertly assists Liu Zheng while suppressing the Remnants’ hostility toward him. Her final scene exposes deep grief and devotion toward her mentor, Dickens, along with signs that she may be undergoing a supernatural change.
• The Helmeted Woman is shown to be predatory and devoted to the Remnant Queen, valuing Liu Zheng primarily as a source of desirable blood. Despite her arrogance, she fears Amelia’s authority and Beethoven’s power.
• Beethoven gains greater significance through reputation: even ancient Remnants fear provoking him because he once hunted gods and wields the Tomel Civilization’s Moonlight Greatsword.
• Dickens remains physically present only through his skull, but his influence over Amelia and the wider power structure is substantial.

Significant Themes

• Power versus value: Becoming a god is not automatically desirable; strength, survival, and independence matter more than titles.
• Predation and exploitation: Divine bloodlines and supernatural bodies are treated as resources to be harvested, consumed, or weaponized.
• Political restraint: Amelia balances Church interests, Beethoven’s influence, and the threat of conflict with Dravania.
• Legacy and succession: The Remnants and Amelia are searching for successors, while ancient powers attempt to preserve themselves through bloodlines and inherited artifacts.
• Grief and transformation: Amelia’s attachment to Dickens suggests unresolved mourning, while the pale hair hints that grief may be connected to her own impending metamorphosis.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Amelia discuss the risks and rewards of the God’s Child’s Umbilical Cord, establishing mutual cooperation despite Liu Zheng’s skepticism.
• The helmeted woman challenges Amelia’s decision to let Liu Zheng leave and argues that his blood should be given to the Queen.
• Amelia counters by invoking Beethoven’s protection and threatening the Execution Squad, forcing the woman to submit.
• Amelia’s apparent kindness toward Liu Zheng becomes suspicious, raising the possibility of a hidden connection between him, Amelia, and Dickens—though no answer is confirmed.

Chapter Summary: “Blood Trembling”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng and Xia Kai leave after Liu Zheng completes a dangerous task involving a powerful monster—the archbishop of the Bloodhealing Church.
• Liu warns Xia Kai about Metropolis, his former dungeon world. He describes it as a vast, modern setting likely belonging to Hell Game’s highest-tier dungeon worlds.
• Liu advises Xia Kai that if he is ever assigned to Metropolis, he should abandon his human form if necessary, even though Liu’s own tentacle-monster appearance frightens Xia Kai.
• The two discover that they originated from the same Earth-like world and casually confirm this through references to Chinese brands, liquor, and Genshin Impact. However, Liu refuses to reveal personal information, maintaining secrecy for self-protection.
• At the cathedral entrance, a Holy Sword hunter escorts Liu and Xia Kai to the Church workshop, where Master Beethoven is waiting.
• Beethoven notices that Liu has recently fought someone. Liu admits that he carried out “dirty work” for Amelia, or “Old Mei,” but avoids discussing the political details.
• Liu mentions that Amelia’s guard looked at him hungrily. Beethoven smells Liu’s blood and experiences an ominous reaction: his own blood seems to warn him either to avoid Liu or kill him.
• Liu casually offers to fight Beethoven without restraint, but Beethoven refuses, emphasizing that combat should only be used for protection rather than amusement.
• Beethoven explains that Amelia’s guard is likely one of Dravania’s Remnants, introducing a potentially important connection to the Church’s larger conflict.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng remains powerful, guarded, and pragmatic. He avoids unnecessary emotional closeness with Xia Kai and refuses to expose details about his real identity or former life.
• Liu also shows restraint and obedience around Beethoven. Although he jokes about fighting, he accepts Beethoven’s moral warning without arguing.
• His blood possesses a strange, threatening quality that even Beethoven has never encountered, suggesting that Liu’s nature or abilities may be unusually dangerous.
• Xia Kai continues to admire Liu and hopes to become his subordinate, believing Liu’s protection would significantly improve his survival chances. At the same time, he is intimidated by Liu’s power and appearance.
• Beethoven displays a mixture of authority, discipline, and concern for Liu as a possible disciple. He respects strength but also values responsibility and the proper use of weapons.
• Beethoven’s reaction to Liu’s blood reveals that even he views Liu as potentially dangerous, despite becoming more confident that Liu is not inherently malicious.

Significant Themes

• Power and survival: Strength determines status in this world, but survival also requires caution, secrecy, and adaptability.
• Identity and humanity: Liu’s advice about abandoning humanity, along with his own monstrous form, raises questions about how much of one’s humanity must be sacrificed to survive.
• Trust and secrecy: Xia Kai wants a closer relationship with Liu, but Liu deliberately maintains boundaries and withholds personal information.
• Responsible use of power: Beethoven contrasts Liu’s casual attitude toward battle with his belief that weapons and strength should serve protection rather than entertainment.
• Dangerous blood and hidden nature: Liu’s blood symbolizes an unknown and instinctively threatening power, hinting that his origins or abilities may be more significant than they appear.

Character Interactions

• Liu criticizes Xia Kai’s excessive flattery while still treating him as a useful companion or potential subordinate.
• Their shared Earth background creates a brief moment of familiarity, but Liu quickly reestablishes emotional distance.
• The Holy Sword hunter treats Liu with respect because of his strength and reputation.
• Beethoven and Liu interact as potential master and disciple: Beethoven is protective and morally instructive, while Liu is outwardly respectful but remains difficult to read.
• Their blood-smelling exchange creates tension, as Beethoven’s instincts identify Liu as something that may need to be avoided or destroyed, despite their developing relationship.

Chapter Summary: “A Little Metropolis Shock for Beethoven”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Beethoven explains the existence of Dravania, a castle inhabited by the Remnants, a powerful group also known as the Blood Clan because they hunt beasts and humans for blood.
• The Remnants have historically fought the Yate people, but after the Beastification Disease outbreak, they reduced their attacks on humans and began helping hunt beasts. The Church later made an agreement with them forbidding human hunting.
• Liu Zheng learns that the Remnant guard may have targeted him because his blood, though poisonous to ordinary people, could be extremely valuable to the Remnants.
• Liu suspects the Remnants may be descendants of the ancient Tomel Civilization. He plans to capture the guard, interrogate him about Dravania, and potentially demand compensation from the Remnants.
• At the workshop storeroom, Beethoven arranges supplies for Liu. Liu receives three Large Blood Gems, ten Medium Blood Gems, and thirty Small Blood Gems, but is denied the two Super-Large Blood Gems reserved as strategic resources.
• Beethoven offers to exchange the Super-Large Blood Gems for Liu’s help curing Father John. Liu reveals that Father John can be cured by feeding him Liu’s blood.
• Liu explains that his own appearance and blood have been altered, and that his true form is far more frightening than ordinary beasts.
• When Beethoven challenges Liu’s confidence and hints at a possible confrontation, Liu reveals a severed finger. Beethoven recognizes an overwhelming, godlike terror emanating from it, suggesting that Liu possesses vastly greater power than he had previously understood.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng remains irreverent, calculating, and fearless. He treats the possible conflict with the Remnants as an opportunity to obtain information and compensation, while joking openly about stealing the workshop’s Blood Gems.
• Liu also demonstrates unusual honesty by revealing the true nature of his blood and appearance. His confidence grows into an implicit claim that he could defeat Beethoven in a life-or-death battle.
• Beethoven is shown to be morally opposed to the Remnants’ past crimes, though he accepts the Church’s compromise because of practical political and military concerns.
• Beethoven’s lifelong ambition is revealed: he wants to cure Father John. This goal is important enough for him to consider giving away invaluable Super-Large Blood Gems.
• Beethoven is both impressed and unsettled by Liu’s honesty and power. His initial confidence shifts to shock when he senses the terrifying presence within Liu’s severed finger.

Significant Themes

• Pragmatism versus justice: The Church tolerates the Remnants because it lacks the strength to fight another major enemy, even though their past crimes remain unpunished.
• Power and negotiation: Liu relies on overwhelming strength and unconventional bargaining rather than formal authority, while Beethoven must weigh scarce resources against his personal goals.
• Appearance versus reality: Both Liu and the Remnants are more complex and dangerous than they first appear. Liu’s visible form is an illusion, and his blood may possess extraordinary healing or transformative properties.
• Moral ambiguity: The Remnants are condemned for their history of violence but are also useful allies against beasts. The Church’s agreement reflects compromise rather than true forgiveness.
• Hidden identity and ancient secrets: The possible connection between the Remnants and the Tomel Civilization hints at deeper mysteries involving advanced technology, occult knowledge, and Blood Gems.

Character Interactions

• Beethoven educates Liu about the Remnants and warns him not to underestimate them.
• Liu responds to Beethoven’s warnings with humor and confidence, teasing him about stealing the workshop’s reserves.
• Their negotiation over the Super-Large Blood Gems reveals a relationship built on mutual usefulness, blunt honesty, and playful antagonism.
• Liu offers Beethoven the key to curing Father John, but only after ensuring their conversation remains private.
• Beethoven briefly tests Liu’s strength, while Liu counters by displaying the severed finger. The moment dramatically shifts the balance between them, leaving Beethoven shocked by the danger Liu represents.

Chapter Summary: “We’re All Fucking Bros”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng tells Beethoven that he settled a dispute involving a powerful being and was rewarded with one of its severed fingers, which still radiates godlike power.
• Beethoven initially assumes Liu Zheng intends to use the finger against him and prepares for battle, confident that he can kill another god. Liu Zheng clarifies that he plans to throw the finger into the Bloodhealing Church’s cathedral during a meeting of its upper ranks, potentially killing the leadership and allowing him to loot the Church’s storeroom while Beethoven handles the resulting chaos.
• Their conversation shifts to the origins and dangers of Blood Therapy. Liu Zheng warns that his blood is itself an extremely powerful “virus” and could make the Church’s treatment even more dangerous if used in research.
• Beethoven is forced to confront the possibility that Blood Therapy does not cure Beastification Disease but merely suppresses one infection with another.
• Liu Zheng proposes that the Church should hunt the higher being whose blood is used in Blood Therapy, since killing it might be the only way to eliminate the disease at its source.
• Beethoven reveals that a previous god-hunting expedition ended disastrously: the slain god cursed the surviving hunters, causing most of them to lose consciousness in sleep and become living dead.
• Despite this danger, Liu Zheng volunteers to deliver the final blow against the suspected god, reasoning that he is not afraid of the curse and could potentially claim the god’s corpse afterward.
• Liu Zheng urges Beethoven to investigate the truth with “Old Mei” and accept responsibility for Yate’s people. Beethoven then ends the discussion and prepares to summon the others.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Zheng is shown to be extremely powerful, rapidly adapting, and willing to use ruthless or underhanded tactics to survive. However, beneath his joking and opportunistic behavior, he demonstrates concern for Yate’s residents and a willingness to take personal risks to solve the Beastification crisis.
• His rapid growth is emphasized: only seven days earlier, he was an ordinary person, yet he has already reached a level that astonishes Beethoven.
• Beethoven is portrayed as a powerful but morally conflicted leader. He is initially eager to test himself against the godlike finger, but becomes unsettled when Liu Zheng challenges his faith in Blood Therapy.
• Beethoven’s fear of repeating the previous god-hunting catastrophe reveals lingering trauma and concern for the Church’s people. He also begins to recognize that his position gives him a responsibility to uncover the truth rather than passively preserve the existing system.
• Their mentor-disciple relationship becomes more informal and antagonistic, with Beethoven simultaneously admiring Liu Zheng’s ability, disapproving of his methods, and being irritated by his disrespectful humor.

3. Significant Themes

• Survival versus morality: Liu Zheng argues that extreme circumstances demand pragmatism, while Beethoven insists that people must preserve their noble character even in desperate times.
• The burden of power and responsibility: Liu Zheng reminds Beethoven that those with authority over Yate’s residents must actively protect them and seek the truth.
• Faith confronting reality: Beethoven’s belief in Blood Therapy as a genuine cure is weakened when Liu Zheng suggests it is merely one virus suppressing another.
• The cost of defeating evil: Killing a god may cure the Beastification Disease, but the curse from a previous god shows that victory can carry devastating consequences.
• Friendship through conflict: Their relationship is built on teasing, disagreement, and mutual reliance. Liu Zheng’s irreverence contrasts with Beethoven’s dignity, but both ultimately share concern for the same people.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng repeatedly provokes Beethoven with schemes involving the severed finger, including the idea of destroying the Church’s leadership and looting its storerooms.
• Beethoven criticizes Liu Zheng for lacking the noble qualities expected of a knight, while Liu Zheng insists that he is actually considered virtuous in the Metropolis and has passed most of its virtue certifications.
• Liu Zheng challenges Beethoven’s assumptions about Blood Therapy and pushes him to investigate the Church’s leadership.
• Their exchange ends with Liu Zheng calling them “fucking bros,” reducing the solemn discussion to crude camaraderie. Beethoven is annoyed but clearly accepts the growing closeness between them.

Chapter Summary: “Additional Effects of Blood Gems”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Beethoven oversees the retrieval of Blood Gems from the Church warehouse, allowing Liu Zheng to inspect their properties.
• Liu Zheng asks whether Blood Gems can be embedded into weapons and considers using one on his Boning Knife. Beethoven warns that embedding a gem into a non-hunter weapon may reduce its quality, and such a weapon can hold only one gem.
• Beethoven explains the effects associated with different Blood Gem shapes:
  • Triangular: Fire, lightning, or poison damage
  • Radial: Increased physical damage
  • Circular: Blood-related or arcane effects
  • Square: Recovery effects or bonuses against certain enemies
  • Crescent-shaped: Unpredictable and unstable effects
• Larger gems are generally more powerful. Liu Zheng compares the available Super-Large gems but postpones his decision, preferring to search for an even higher-grade gem.
• Beethoven reveals that gems beyond the Super-Large grade exist, but the Church has none. The only one he knows of belonged to his missing friend Germann, who found it in the ruins of the Tomel Civilization.
• This reinforces Liu Zheng’s belief that the Tomel ruins are important, especially because Blood Gems, the Holy Grail, and possibly God’s Child’s Umbilical Cord may all originate there.
• Beethoven explains that hunter weapons can hold up to three Blood Gems, but they require compatible blood to function. Liu Zheng’s blood would likely damage such a weapon, preventing him from obtaining one for now.
• After the warehouse business concludes, Liu Zheng leaves with Xia Kai. Beethoven remains behind, conflicted, and prays to the Holy Moonlight for guidance.
• Outside the workshop, Hunter Andrina arrives as Archbishop Amelia’s appointed guide for Liu Zheng.
• Liu Zheng asks to be called by his name or title “Deliveryman” rather than “Outsider.” Andrina accepts this, though Liu privately remains irritated that people rarely use his actual name.
• After reviewing Liu Zheng’s requested items, Andrina asks him to establish their priorities. He chooses to collect monster materials first, beginning with the nearest target: Madman’s Eyeballs.
• Andrina leads Liu Zheng and Xia Kai toward New Yate.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng: Displays caution and practical judgment by delaying the Blood Gem embedding rather than accepting an irreversible upgrade without sufficient information. His interest in the Tomel Civilization deepens, and he continues asserting his preferred identity and resisting the Church’s label of “Outsider.”
• Beethoven: Shows expertise regarding Blood Gems and hunter weapons, but his unusual deference to the Moonlight Greatsword reveals internal uncertainty or spiritual conflict. His relationship with Liu Zheng has become more familiar, even to the point that Liu’s manner of speaking influences him.
• Andrina: Is introduced as disciplined, efficient, and highly professional. She follows procedure closely but is also cooperative, immediately adopting Liu Zheng’s preferred title.
• Xia Kai: Continues accompanying Liu Zheng, though he has little direct involvement in the discussions.

Significant Themes

• Power versus risk: Blood Gems offer powerful enhancements, but embedding them is irreversible and may damage weapons, making every choice consequential.
• Knowledge and uncertainty: Liu Zheng seeks complete information before acting, while the unstable nature of crescent-shaped gems and the mystery surrounding higher-grade gems emphasize the limits of current knowledge.
• The mystery of the Tomel Civilization: The ruins emerge as a major potential source of powerful artifacts and an important future destination.
• Identity and outsider status: Liu Zheng’s discomfort with being called an “Outsider” reflects his resistance to being defined by the Church and his insistence on controlling how others perceive him.
• Faith and guidance: Beethoven’s prayer to the Holy Moonlight contrasts with Liu Zheng’s pragmatic reliance on investigation and decision-making.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Beethoven engage in increasingly casual, familiar banter, with Liu teasing Beethoven about their relationship and asking him to acquire a hunter weapon.
• Beethoven responds honestly but firmly, explaining the limitations imposed by Liu Zheng’s blood.
• Liu Zheng challenges the Church’s secrecy regarding superior Blood Gems, while Beethoven explains their scarcity and connection to Germann.
• Andrina and Liu Zheng establish their working relationship: she provides structured guidance, while he sets priorities and makes the final decisions.
• The chapter ends with Andrina leading Liu Zheng and Xia Kai toward their first collection objective in New Yate.

Chapter Summary

• Setting: New Yate was built beside Old Yate after its destruction. Though the city had improved infrastructure, its maze-like ladders and passages caused frequent accidents. Its extensive sewers, originally intended as shelters, had deteriorated into filthy dumping grounds inhabited by Beastification Disease patients and mutated creatures. During the dangerous “Pale Night,” even hunters avoided them.
• Main events: Liu Zheng, accompanied by the hunter Andrina and Xia Kai, enters the sewers to retrieve unwashed Man-Eating Boar intestines—apparently an ingredient requested by the bizarre “Pajama Bros.” Liu is disturbed by the memory of having his own intestines eaten by this figure. Andrina explains that the Church has not eliminated the boar because it considers such creatures relatively low-priority despite their danger.
• Sewer exploration: Andrina lights a powerful Lantern, despite the risk of attracting monsters. The group encounters Hand-Mice—enormous ratlike creatures with metallic fur, humanlike hands, and wart-covered tails. Liu dismisses them as insignificant and drives them away with his Boning Knife. Xia Kai is frightened, but Liu’s confidence reassures him; Xia privately admits how comfortable it is to be carried by a much stronger companion.
• Cliffhanger: As the smell of blood and decay intensifies, Liu orders Andrina to raise the Lantern. They discover a mound of corpses, beneath which several still-living, filthy people are trapped and reaching out for help.

Character developments and interactions

• Liu Zheng remains fearless, pragmatic, and casually brutal. He treats the sewer’s monsters as minor nuisances and focuses on completing his ingredient-gathering task. His skill and confidence earn Andrina’s genuine respect.
• Andrina demonstrates excellent memory and obedience, accurately recalling Liu’s shopping list and following his commands. Her formerly mechanical speech begins to show sincere admiration.
• Xia Kai is visibly frightened by the sewer’s horrors but gains confidence from Liu’s presence. His thoughts humorously compare being protected by Liu to being carried by a highly skilled teammate in a game.
• Liu and Andrina discuss the Church’s priorities, while Liu’s blunt questions expose the grim normalization of monsters eating humans in Yate.

Significant themes

• Normalization of danger: Yate’s inhabitants accept deadly beasts, hazardous infrastructure, and disease as ordinary parts of life.
• Decay beneath civilization: The modernized city hides sewers that have become breeding grounds for disease, monsters, and human suffering.
• Power and dependence: Liu’s overwhelming strength inspires respect and allows weaker companions like Xia Kai to rely on him.
• Dark comedy amid horror: Liu’s casual attitude toward grotesque creatures, the absurd ingredient list, and Xia Kai’s gaming comparison contrast with the genuinely disturbing setting.

Summary of “The Anger of a Wage Worker”

Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng, Andrina, and Xia Kai travel through a sewer while tracking a Man-Eating Boar affected by Beastification Disease.
• Liu criticizes the Bloodhealing Church for disposing carelessly of captured patients, pointing out that the Church itself created the disease. Andrina excuses the behavior by claiming the hunters are understaffed.
• The Man-Eating Boar attacks. It is far larger and more mutated than expected, with glossy armor-like fur, four tusks, and two snake-like beast claws growing from its neck. Andrina explains that Pale Night appears to have intensified its mutation.
• Liu engages the monster while Andrina and Xia Kai retreat and observe. The boar wounds Liu across the face, but Liu drives a Boning Knife through its mouth.
• When the boar tries to remove the knife, Liu attempts to decapitate it with his Cleaver. The boar blocks the strike with its tusks, cracking them and causing severe pain because the tusks are connected to its brain.
• The boar pulls out the knife, causing a pale human head to emerge from its mouth. The bizarre mutation shocks Xia Kai and unsettles even Andrina.
• Liu worries that the human head may have replaced or absorbed the boar’s internal organs, threatening his ability to harvest it as an ingredient.
• His frustration triggers his Irritability ability and activates Rage Incarnate. At the same time, the boar mutates again, its fur hardening into dense steel-like quills.
• The human head folds beneath the boar’s abdomen as the creature charges Liu. He prepares to meet the attack with his Cleaver, viewing the charge as an opportunity to avoid expending effort himself.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng is shown as practical, sarcastic, and highly concerned with efficiency. His complaints about waste and his fixation on the boar’s organs reveal his unusual combination of moral awareness, culinary pragmatism, and workmanlike frustration.
• His anger is not initially caused by danger, but by the unexpected complications disrupting his plan. This activates his combat transformation, suggesting that irritation and resentment are central to his power.
• Andrina demonstrates competence and discipline as a hunter, immediately preparing for battle. However, she is forced to defend the Church’s questionable treatment of Beastification victims despite privately occupying a higher-ranking role.
• Xia Kai acts as a more visibly shocked observer, reacting strongly to the grotesque human head emerging from the boar.
• The Man-Eating Boar evolves repeatedly during combat, becoming increasingly dangerous and grotesque rather than simply functioning as a straightforward monster.

Significant Themes

• Institutional hypocrisy and neglect: The Bloodhealing Church created Beastification Disease yet treats its victims as disposable, revealing the brutality and inefficiency of the society.
• Civilization versus savagery: Andrina’s Hunter’s Staff symbolizes “civilization lashing savagery,” but the hunters’ methods and the Church’s conduct blur that distinction.
• Mutation and loss of identity: The boar’s increasingly unstable body, especially the human head growing from its mouth, raises questions about where one creature ends and another begins.
• Laborer’s anger and exploitation: Liu’s “wage worker” mentality frames his rage through workplace frustration. An unexpected complication is more infuriating to him than the monster itself, parodying the anger of an overworked laborer whose task becomes harder than promised.
• Adaptation and escalation: Both Liu and the boar continually adjust to one another, creating a battle in which every injury produces a new tactic or mutation.

Character Interactions

• Liu challenges Andrina about the hunters’ careless disposal of Beastification patients, exposing tension between his practical ethics and the Church’s institutional behavior.
• Andrina and Xia Kai recognize Liu’s ability and deliberately leave the main battlefield to him, trusting him to handle the boar.
• Liu taunts the boar about the knife lodged in its face, treating the grotesque battle with dark humor.
• Xia Kai’s horrified reaction and Andrina’s restrained unease emphasize how abnormal the boar’s human-headed mutation is, even in their monster-filled world.
• Liu’s silent concern over the boar’s organs shifts the fight from mere survival to a personal and practical mission: he must kill the creature while preserving enough of it to complete his objective.

Chapter Summary: “Liu Zheng Came and Devoured It All”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng and the Man-Eating Boar clash in the sewers. The boar’s charge injures Liu Zheng’s tentacle but causes itself far greater damage, slicing open one side of its body and leaving it near death.
• Liu orders Xia Kai to deliver the finishing blow. Though initially frightened by the creature’s tusks and dual heads, Xia Kai brutally stabs the human head repeatedly before cutting off both heads.
• Liu Zheng butchers the corpse and successfully removes the complete set of offal required for their mission. He stores the organs in portable cold storage without washing away the sewage, believing the eventual recipient, Pajama Bros, may prefer them that way.
• Andrina explains that their remaining destinations are Old Yate, the Tomel Ruins, and the Forbidden Forest. The Forbidden Forest contains three known materials: Snakefolk heads, Giant Snake Balls, and Werewolf spinal bones.
• Liu decides to visit Old Yate before entering the Forbidden Forest. Andrina burns the mutated boar’s corpse, explaining that unrecorded mutations must be disposed of with special priority.
• After the battle and the smell of roasted fat make Liu hungry, he decides to visit the Church of Pain rather than return to the Bloodhealing Church, intending to eat all of Anke’s smoked ham.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng suffers a damaged tentacle but remains dominant and composed. He continues treating battles practically, focusing on mission objectives and resource collection.
• Xia Kai proves his usefulness and ruthlessness by killing the Man-Eating Boar despite his fear. Liu deliberately gives him combat opportunities to train him and begins considering him as the foundation of a future team.
• Andrina demonstrates professionalism and knowledge of Church procedures. She carefully controls information about the Forbidden Forest and efficiently disposes of the mutated corpse.
• Liu’s growing appetite and interest in unusual food continue to reflect his monstrous physiology and darkly comic personality.

Significant Themes

• Survival through violence and adaptability: Xia Kai’s prison experience and Liu’s combat tactics show that survival requires both skill and ruthlessness.
• Building alliances and teams: Liu begins thinking beyond immediate survival, considering Xia Kai a potential future teammate.
• The dangers of mutation: The Man-Eating Boar’s unrecorded mutation emphasizes the unpredictable threats of Beastification Disease and the Church’s strict containment policies.
• Monstrous hunger and dark humor: Liu’s appetite, the grotesque butchering of the boar, and his eagerness to eat smoked ham blend horror with absurd comedy.
• Institutional secrecy: The Forbidden Forest is closely guarded by the Church, showing the power of restricted knowledge and hidden dangers.

Character Interactions

• Liu commands Xia Kai throughout the kill and praises him afterward, establishing a mentor-and-subordinate dynamic.
• Xia Kai flatters Liu and accepts his guidance, while Liu evaluates him as a potentially valuable future ally.
• Andrina provides Liu with mission intelligence and explains Church regulations, creating a cooperative but carefully controlled relationship.
• Liu and Andrina exchange dry, humorous remarks about the corpse’s disposal and the boar’s roasted remains before departing for the Church of Pain.

Chapter Summary: “No Rewarding Yourself!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nina and Fula play together in the Church of Pain while the adults gather for warmth during the Pale Night. The peaceful, lively atmosphere briefly makes Sister Feli reflect on how long it has been since the church felt so full of life.
• Father John awakens after Liu Zheng subdued him during a Beastification Disease outbreak. He remembers little of the incident, only that he fought something horrifying.
• Fula explains that Liu Zheng cured John’s disease, but John struggles to believe this and becomes suspicious of the Church of Pain.
• When John tries to approach Fula, Anke warns him that he previously transformed into a beast and attempted to kill his own daughter. Anke points a flintlock at him, while Helmet Man prepares to restrain him with chains for everyone’s safety.
• Liu Zheng returns to the church with several companions, including Andrina, a hunter from the rival Bloodhealing Church. Sister Feli reacts angrily, but immediately submits when Liu Zheng explains that Andrina has been assigned as his guide.
• Sister Feli attempts to “punish” herself by driving a nail into her chest for questioning Liu Zheng, but he stops her, mocking the act as “rewarding yourself” rather than genuine punishment.
• The chapter ends with Liu Zheng addressing the newly awakened Father John and casually threatening to have him cremated if he becomes violent again.

Character Developments

• Father John awakens confused and physically weakened, but his instincts remain defensive and distrustful. Despite denying that he could have attacked Fula, he begins to recognize that the Beastification Disease may have caused him to lose control.
• Fula shows strong affection and trust toward both her father and Liu Zheng. She eagerly defends Liu Zheng and reassures John that the church members are good people.
• Anke acts as a practical protector, prioritizing the safety of the group even while dealing with someone he respects. His willingness to aim John’s own gun at him demonstrates his caution and resolve.
• Sister Feli appears deeply devoted to Liu Zheng and extremely hostile toward the Bloodhealing Church. However, she quickly submits to Liu Zheng’s authority and treats his decisions as unquestionable.
• Liu Zheng returns as a powerful, confident leader whose presence immediately restores order. He treats the church’s internal conflicts casually, using humor and intimidation while making clear that his decisions do not require approval.
• Andrina is introduced as a blunt representative of the Bloodhealing Church. Her hostility toward Sister Feli suggests longstanding religious and institutional conflict.
• Nina and Fula’s playful interaction provides a contrast to the adults’ suspicion and the chapter’s darker events.

Significant Themes

• Trust versus suspicion: Father John cannot trust the Church of Pain or even his own memories, while the others must decide whether to trust him after his transformation.
• Authority and obedience: Sister Feli’s immediate submission to Liu Zheng shows the church’s rigid devotion to him and his dominant position within the group.
• Rival religious factions: The arrival of a Bloodhealing Church hunter highlights the broader conflict between competing churches and suggests that cooperation may be necessary despite deep hostility.
• Protection and restraint: Chaining John and keeping Fula away from him reflect the tension between preserving individual freedom and protecting the community.
• Dark humor and distorted religious practice: Sister Feli’s self-punishment, Liu Zheng’s mockery of it, and the church’s extreme beliefs create a grotesque but comedic atmosphere.

Character Interactions

• Nina and Fula playfully tease and chase one another, creating warmth among the gathered families.
• Fula reunites emotionally with Father John, but Anke and the others prevent her from approaching him too closely.
• Anke confronts John with the truth about his transformation, while Helmet Man silently reinforces the threat of physical restraint.
• Sister Feli clashes with Andrina almost immediately because of their churches’ hostility.
• Liu Zheng asserts control over Sister Feli, dismisses her objections, and prevents her from harming herself.
• Liu Zheng then confronts Father John directly, establishing that John’s future safety—and survival—depends on remaining under control.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng explains that Father John’s Beastification Disease has not been permanently cured. The treatment only temporarily suppressed it, and John will eventually transform again unless he continues Blood Therapy and hunting beasts.
• Fula asks about her missing mother. Father John recalls that Fula’s grandfather, Henkel, took her away. Fula proposes bringing both of them to the Church for safety, and Liu Zheng agrees.
• Liu Zheng refuses to explain how he treated John, calling it a “trade secret,” and focuses instead on getting food.
• He decides that after eating, the group will travel to Old Yate, then the Forbidden Forest, and finally Kalkaluns Academy. He intends to leave the Tomel Ruins until last and will decide what to do about Dravania later.
• Helmet Man offers to accompany Liu Zheng. The old woman explains that he possesses a Minor Miracle and is nearly as strong as the Bloodhealing Church’s chief hunter.
• Liu Zheng agrees to take Helmet Man along but worries about the Church’s defenses. He orders Andrina to contact Old Bei and request additional patrols.
• Anke prepares a large meal of meat stew and vegetable soup. After eating and drinking beer, Liu Zheng prepares to depart for Old Yate.
• Father John stops him, offering information about Old Yate.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng remains blunt, confident, and practical. He accepts responsibility for planning the group’s next movements and casually commands Church personnel despite not formally belonging to them.
• Father John is grateful but wary of Liu Zheng, especially after noticing Fula’s affection for him. His concern over his family’s safety motivates him to remain at the Church and later offer useful information.
• Fula acts affectionate and trusting toward Liu Zheng, hugging his leg and asking for help bringing her mother and grandfather to safety. Her behavior reinforces her attachment to him.
• Helmet Man demonstrates loyalty by volunteering to serve as Liu Zheng’s helper. His willingness to endure pain and his powerful abilities make him a valuable potential ally.
• Andrina continues to be aggressive and prideful, nearly challenging Helmet Man to a fight before Xia Kai restrains her.
• Xia Kai reveals himself to be politically calculating. He prevents conflict not purely out of kindness, but to gain Liu Zheng’s favor and build relationships with powerful Church figures.
• The old woman remains respectful toward Liu Zheng while quietly showing disappointment when he plans to leave. She also confirms Helmet Man’s strength and helps manage the Church’s affairs.
• Anke eagerly cooks for Liu Zheng and attempts to accommodate his dislike of potatoes.

Significant Themes

• Temporary salvation and recurring transformation: John’s condition can be suppressed but not truly eliminated, emphasizing the ongoing threat of Beastification and the limits of healing.
• Power and authority: Liu Zheng’s strength and confidence allow him to command people and resources, even in unfamiliar territory.
• Family and protection: Fula’s desire to reunite her family and move them somewhere safe highlights the importance of family amid the dangers of the world.
• Pragmatism and self-interest: Characters cooperate because it benefits them. Xia Kai’s “harmony” is particularly strategic, while Liu Zheng helps others while prioritizing his own objectives.
• Building alliances in a dangerous world: Liu Zheng gathers allies, secures Church defenses, and uses powerful individuals such as Helmet Man to strengthen his expedition.

Character Interactions

• Fula clings to Liu Zheng, prompting Father John to become suspicious of Liu Zheng’s intentions toward her.
• Liu Zheng speaks bluntly to Father John, dismissing his questions and urging him to focus on his family.
• Fula persuades the group to retrieve her mother and grandfather, and Liu Zheng supports the plan.
• Andrina attempts to provoke or challenge Helmet Man, but Xia Kai repeatedly restrains her to preserve peace and improve his own standing.
• Liu Zheng tests Helmet Man’s usefulness, then accepts him as a companion after learning about his strength.
• Liu Zheng orders Andrina to arrange reinforcements for the Church, demonstrating his growing influence over the group.
• Father John’s final offer of information about Old Yate delays Liu Zheng’s departure and sets up the next stage of the journey.

Chapter Summary

Liu Zheng learns from Father John that he must avoid attacking the beasts inside Old Yate. The ruined settlement is still protected by hunters from the Gunpowder Workshop, who stayed behind after helping burn the town because they believed abandoning its residents would be an evil act. These hunters are known for their aggressive personalities and firearms, but are fundamentally kindhearted. Andrina confirms that the Church forbids hunting in Old Yate, though she had not previously known the reason.
Liu asks what materials can be gathered there and learns that Old Yate contains Giant Crow wingtips, Charred Orc hides, and Two-headed Mutant Hound organs. He decides to collect the non-resident materials first and negotiate before attacking any Charred Orcs. However, he privately considers using stealth—or force—if the Gunpowder Workshop hunters obstruct him.
Before leaving, Liu discovers that Helmet Man has retrieved his unusual weapons: two heavy, barbed, spear-like metal weapons. The man has no current name, having been stripped of the one given to him by the Church after committing a grave sin. Liu jokingly names him “Old Dou,” but the helmeted warrior reacts with overwhelming gratitude and submission, kneeling and striking his helmet. Liu accepts him as a subordinate, promising loyalty and fair treatment. Old Dou eagerly swears his allegiance.
The group leaves the Church of Pain while the families Liu helped offer them blessings. Xia Kai is deeply impressed by Liu’s strength, weapons, and charisma. Inspired by him, Xia Kai resolves to prove his own usefulness and attach himself to Liu as a powerful backer.
At Old Yate’s entrance, the group finds that every route has been sealed except a guarded drawbridge. Andrina presents authorization from Archbishop Amelia, allowing them to enter. The gate captain warns that the Pale Night has made the beasts unusually active and that they have repeatedly attempted to break through the gates. He offers an escort, hoping to build a relationship with Andrina, but she declines and claims that Liu is Master Beethoven’s disciple, making their group safe enough.
The captain, Andre, becomes highly respectful because Beethoven is an idol among hunters and has never openly accepted a disciple. Liu plays along with the false claim, explaining that Beethoven may have chosen him because an outsider can act fairly and without worldly ties. Andre admires the reasoning, but their conversation is interrupted when the bridge shakes violently and a huge roar erupts from inside Old Yate. The captain immediately abandons his formal manner, draws his weapon, and rushes toward the disturbance, suggesting that a powerful monster is once again causing trouble.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Liu Zheng demonstrates pragmatism, intimidation, and calculated ruthlessness. He agrees to respect the Gunpowder Workshop’s presence but is prepared to use deception or violence if necessary.
• Father John provides crucial information about Old Yate and the moral reasons behind the Church’s restrictions.
• Andrina acts as Liu’s official intermediary and strengthens their access by invoking Archbishop Amelia’s authority. She also fabricates or exaggerates Liu’s connection to Beethoven.
• Old Dou/Atoner becomes Liu’s devoted follower after receiving a new name and acceptance.
• Xia Kai becomes increasingly awed by Liu and resolves to prove his value.
• Hunter Captain Andre shifts from suspicion to admiration after hearing Liu is Beethoven’s disciple, but the sudden monster disturbance forces him into action.

Significant Themes

• Morality amid violence: The Gunpowder Workshop hunters remain in Old Yate because they feel responsible for its people, complicating the usual hunter-versus-beast conflict.
• Identity and belonging: Old Dou’s lost name represents his rejection by the Church, while Liu’s new name gives him purpose and loyalty.
• Reputation and authority: Liu benefits greatly from the prestige of being presented as Beethoven’s disciple, even though the claim appears deceptive.
• Admiration and ambition: Xia Kai’s reaction shows how power, style, and recognition inspire others to seek a place beside Liu.
• Foreshadowing: The violent shaking and massive roar signal that the group is about to encounter an unusually dangerous creature in Old Yate.

Chapter Summary: “More Joy in Being Abused Than Abusing Others”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng and Andrina accompany Church hunters to confront a mutated orc known as the Charred Orc, which has repeatedly attacked Old Yate.
• The orc was transformed after the Pale Night, growing enormous and gaining the ability to produce flames. Its body is burned, hairless, and covered in charred skin.
• Liu Zheng recognizes that the Charred Orc’s skin could be valuable, apparently intending to collect it for Napoleon and possibly earn a reward.
• He attempts to negotiate with the monster, offering not to attack if it gives up its skin, but the orc responds by throwing a stone. Liu Zheng declares negotiations failed and orders the attack.
• Helmet Man charges first, using his powerful gauntlets to fight the Charred Orc. Xia Kai is sent forward to observe and gain combat experience, though he remains cautious.
• Helmet Man initially damages the orc’s skin, angering Liu Zheng because the skin must remain intact. Liu Zheng orders him to target the head and kill the creature efficiently.
• During the battle, the Charred Orc releases dangerous black ash that burns through Helmet Man’s clothing and overheats his armor.
• Instead of fearing the pain, Helmet Man becomes ecstatic, enjoying the sensation and charging the orc with renewed enthusiasm.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates his practical, opportunistic nature. He treats the battle like a business transaction, prioritizing the preservation of the Charred Orc’s skin over unnecessary damage. He also takes on a commanding, almost parental role toward Helmet Man and Xia Kai.
• Helmet Man displays extraordinary strength, agility, and durability. Despite his intimidating appearance, he behaves like a child—easily scolded, eager for approval, and desperate to qualify for Liu Zheng’s promise of attending Kalkaluns Academy. His masochistic nature becomes especially clear when the Charred Orc’s attack excites rather than frightens him.
• Xia Kai is cowardly but willing to push himself. Though afraid of the stronger monster, he follows Liu Zheng’s instructions and moves forward to study the enemy, showing the beginnings of courage and combat awareness.
• Andrina remains calm and observant. She allows Liu Zheng’s group to handle the fight because she wants to assess Liu Zheng’s abilities and the capabilities of the last survivor of the Church of Pain.
• The hunter captain and Church hunters act as cautious observers. Their history with the mutated orc establishes that it is a persistent threat that has resisted previous attempts to remove it.

Significant Themes

• Pain and pleasure: The chapter humorously reverses normal expectations through Helmet Man, who finds being injured by others more pleasurable than hurting himself.
• Growth through danger: Liu Zheng encourages Xia Kai to confront a much stronger opponent, emphasizing that courage and experience are necessary for survival.
• Power versus control: Helmet Man possesses great physical power but must learn discipline and follow instructions rather than fight recklessly.
• The aftermath of catastrophe: The Charred Orc and the black ash are living remnants of the Pale Night and Old Yate’s great fire, showing how past disasters continue to shape the present.
• Pragmatism and exploitation: Liu Zheng views the monster not merely as an enemy but as a source of valuable material, blending survival with opportunism.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng questions the hunters and learns the Charred Orc’s history from the captain.
• He jokes with Andrina about the value of the orc’s enlarged charred skin.
• Liu Zheng tries—and fails—to negotiate with the Charred Orc before ordering the assault.
• He repeatedly commands and reprimands Helmet Man, treating him like an unruly child while motivating him with the promise of attending Kalkaluns Academy.
• Helmet Man seeks Liu Zheng’s approval after overpowering the orc, but becomes dejected when he accidentally damages its skin.
• Liu Zheng pushes Xia Kai into the fight, encouraging him to observe the enemy and take risks without demanding that he fight directly.
• Andrina and the hunters watch the confrontation, evaluating Liu Zheng’s group while withholding assistance.

Chapter Summary: “Even Metropolis Thinks It’s Twisted”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Helmet Man confronts the Charred Orc outside Old Yate’s city gate, but instead of immediately fighting, he chases it around the gate in circles. Their bizarre behavior confuses Liu Zheng and Xia Kai.
• Liu Zheng orders Helmet Man to stop playing and kill the orc. To activate his power, Helmet Man drives numerous thumbtacks into his own body, entering a state of intense pain and apparent pleasure.
• The Charred Orc attacks first, swinging its claw at Helmet Man’s head. Helmet Man blocks the strike with one hand, causing the orc’s claw to shatter.
• The orc spews black ash onto Helmet Man’s helmet, setting it ablaze. Despite the flames and pain, Helmet Man calmly recites a prayer to the Lord of Pain.
• Helmet Man restrains the orc with his red cape, a holy relic that prevents physical injury while inflicting pain, and repeatedly punches its covered head. After more than twenty blows, the orc becomes motionless.
• Helmet Man prepares to kill the weakened creature with a nail through its eye, intending to preserve its charred body as an ingredient.
• Two hunters from the Gunpowder Workshop arrive and fire warning shots. They demand that Helmet Man release the orc and leave Old Yate.
• Liu Zheng identifies himself as a Deliveryman from the Restaurant and explains that he has come to obtain the Charred Orc as an ingredient. The hunters angrily object, insisting that the creatures were once people. Liu Zheng coldly corrects them: “They used to be people.”

Character Developments

• Helmet Man is revealed to be both frighteningly powerful and extremely eccentric. His pursuit of pain appears to heighten his strength and bring him pleasure, reinforcing his devotion to the Pain Church.
• His faith is demonstrated through his calm prayer while being burned and injured. Rather than reacting with fear, he treats suffering as a form of religious devotion.
• Liu Zheng remains practical, sardonic, and focused on his mission. He is unfazed by Helmet Man’s disturbing behavior and treats the Charred Orc as a valuable resource rather than a living being.
• Xia Kai becomes increasingly frightened by Helmet Man’s apparent depravity, especially after realizing that Helmet Man may be sexually fixated on the male Twisted Saint.
• The Charred Orc shows more intelligence than ordinary beasts. It recognizes that Helmet Man’s upper body is difficult to damage, feels fear, and deliberately targets him with a calculated attack. Nevertheless, it is overwhelmed by Helmet Man’s strength.
• The Gunpowder Workshop hunters are introduced as aggressive but morally motivated opponents. They view the mutated beings as former humans deserving protection.

Significant Themes

• Pain as faith and power: Helmet Man’s suffering is not merely endured but embraced as a sacred source of strength and pleasure.
• Dehumanization: Liu Zheng’s description of the orc as an ingredient contrasts sharply with the hunters’ insistence that the creatures were once human.
• Morality versus practicality: The hunters act according to sympathy and principle, while Liu Zheng approaches the situation as a task involving procurement and survival.
• Distorted religion and identity: The Pain Church’s rituals, relics, and followers blur the line between worship, torture, pleasure, and madness.
• Dark humor amid brutality: The chapter presents grotesque violence through absurd situations, such as Helmet Man and the orc playing chase and Liu Zheng mocking Helmet Man’s behavior.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Xia Kai comment sarcastically on Helmet Man’s strange chase, establishing their familiarity with his absurd personality.
• Liu Zheng’s command interrupts Helmet Man’s enjoyment and forces him to focus on killing the orc.
• Helmet Man and the Charred Orc engage in a brutal battle in which the orc’s physical attack is defeated by Helmet Man’s pain-enhanced strength.
• The arriving hunters directly challenge Liu Zheng’s authority and attempt to protect the orc.
• Liu Zheng responds to the hunters’ moral outrage with detached pragmatism, setting up a conflict between the Restaurant’s interests and the Gunpowder Workshop’s beliefs.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng negotiates with the Gunpowder Workshop hunters, who initially threaten him and his companions for damaging Old Yate.
• He intimidates them by revealing that Andrina is favored by Archbishop Amelia and that he is connected to Beethoven. Any harm to them could provoke another purge of Old Yate.
• To establish cooperation, Liu Zheng asks the hunters to gather rare ingredients: Giant Crow wingtips and Two-headed Mutant Hound penises. In exchange, Andrina agrees to provide them with food and fuel from the Healing Church.
• The hunters demand the release of the unconscious Charred Orc, but Liu Zheng insists on taking its scorched hide.
• It is revealed that the Charred Orc was once a Gunpowder Workshop hunter who Beastified. The hunters have remained in Old Yate to protect Beastified residents as atonement for their past actions.
• Liu Zheng offers to treat any companions who have not yet fully Beastified. This gives the hunters hope, though he warns that the Charred Orc is likely beyond saving.
• Blunderbuss Hunter, revealed to be Rudolf, chooses to let Liu Zheng attempt treatment anyway, believing that even a slim chance of becoming human again is preferable to living as a beast.
• With Xia Kai’s Boning Knife, Liu Zheng begins cutting into the Charred Orc’s scalp to obtain its hide and presumably prepare for the treatment.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates his usual calmness, strategic thinking, and willingness to exploit his connections. However, he also shows compassion by offering to help the hunters’ Beastified companions.
• Andrina acts as Liu Zheng’s representative and confirms his claims about Amelia and Beethoven. Her authority and status help secure the deal.
• The Gunpowder Workshop hunters are shown to be aggressive but practical rather than foolish. Their hostility softens once they realize the political consequences of attacking Liu Zheng and the potential value of his medical abilities.
• Rudolf, the Blunderbuss Hunter, displays deep loyalty and responsibility toward his Beastified companion. He accepts the possibility of death in exchange for a chance at recovery.
• The machine-gun hunter is protective of Old Yate and skeptical of Liu Zheng, but his concern for the Charred Orc becomes evident when treatment is offered.
• Xia Kai assists Liu Zheng by supplying the Boning Knife.

Significant Themes

• Pragmatism and negotiation: Liu Zheng turns a potentially violent confrontation into a mutually beneficial agreement through leverage and bargaining.
• Guilt and atonement: The Gunpowder Workshop hunters remain in Old Yate to make amends for their past involvement with violence and Beastification.
• Hope versus inevitable death: Even when the Charred Orc is almost certainly beyond saving, Rudolf chooses hope over passive despair.
• Humanity and monstrosity: The Beastified hunters blur the boundary between human and beast, while Liu Zheng’s offer of treatment raises the possibility of reclaiming lost humanity.
• Political power and consequences: Liu Zheng uses his relationships with Amelia and Beethoven to demonstrate that harming him would have serious repercussions for Old Yate.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng verbally spars with the machine-gun and Blunderbuss Hunters, gradually forcing them to negotiate rather than attack.
• Andrina supports Liu Zheng’s claims and authorizes the transfer of food and fuel from the Healing Church.
• Rudolf and Liu Zheng negotiate over the Charred Orc’s release and hide, revealing the hunters’ emotional attachment to their former companion.
• Liu Zheng’s offer to cure partially Beastified hunters shifts the relationship from hostility to cautious cooperation.
• Rudolf’s decision to proceed with the treatment despite the Charred Orc’s poor odds creates a solemn, hopeful moment before Liu Zheng begins the operation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng attempts to treat the fully Beastified Charred Orc using a method he calls Bloodletting Therapy. He removes the orc’s burnt hide, cuts one of his own tentacles, and feeds his blood into the creature.
• The treatment initially restores the Charred Orc’s flesh, but the body rapidly begins to blacken, blister, and boil. Liu Zheng realizes it is about to explode and orders everyone to flee.
• Helmet Man throws the unconscious orc into the air, where it detonates violently. The explosion scatters flesh that causes further blasts, injures the hunters, and clears a large area of Old Yate.
• Liu Zheng becomes excited by the possibility of using fully Beastified creatures as living bombs. He considers capturing powerful beasts and deploying them against enemies.
• After the explosion, Xia Kai reminds Liu Zheng that they failed to recover the Blood Gem that should have formed from the Charred Orc. Liu Zheng angrily threatens punishment, but ultimately only kicks Xia Kai after making him turn around.
• Liu Zheng explains that his method is not the Blood Therapy of the Bloodhealing Church, but his own “Bloodletting Therapy.” The Gunpowder Workshop hunters question whether partially Beastified people might also explode under the treatment.
• The Blunderbuss Hunter challenges Liu Zheng’s threat to eliminate all the beasts in Old Yate. Liu Zheng demonstrates his mobility by leaping onto a ruined rooftop and argues that he could infiltrate the settlement and turn its Beastified residents into bombs.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates both medical ingenuity and alarming ruthlessness. He treats the Charred Orc experimentally, quickly recognizes the danger, and immediately begins considering how to weaponize the result.
• He also shows a more familiar, teasing relationship with Xia Kai, punishing him with a kick rather than serious violence. Xia Kai interprets this as proof that Liu Zheng now genuinely regards him as a subordinate.
• Xia Kai continues to be an eager, submissive subordinate, cooperating with Liu Zheng’s dramatic presentation and carefully avoiding punishment.
• Helmet Man proves highly reliable and decisive by throwing the Charred Orc away at the crucial moment, likely preventing further casualties.
• The Blunderbuss Hunter remains proud and defiant despite the danger, defending the Gunpowder Workshop and refusing to be intimidated.

Significant Themes

• The dangers of experimentation: Liu Zheng’s treatment is improvised and effective only in a catastrophic sense, emphasizing the risks of using untested methods.
• Weaponization of the monstrous: The chapter turns Beastification from a medical or existential threat into a potential military resource.
• Power and intimidation: Liu Zheng uses his abilities, mobility, and willingness to escalate violence to pressure the Gunpowder Workshop into taking him seriously.
• Loyalty and hierarchy: Xia Kai’s humorous punishment reflects the developing bond between master and subordinate, while Helmet Man’s obedience demonstrates the group’s dependence on Liu Zheng’s leadership.
• Moral ambiguity: Liu Zheng presents himself as peace-loving, yet casually contemplates detonating Beastified civilians and destroying Old Yate.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng directs Helmet Man during the treatment, and Helmet Man responds without hesitation when the Charred Orc begins to explode.
• Liu Zheng scolds Xia Kai for forgetting the Blood Gem, while Xia Kai offers to punish himself. Liu Zheng instead gives him a humiliating but relatively affectionate kick, strengthening their subordinate relationship.
• The Blunderbuss Hunter questions Liu Zheng’s therapy and challenges his threats, creating a tense standoff between the two leaders.
• Liu Zheng then performs a demonstration of his agility and proposes turning Old Yate’s Beastified population into explosives, leaving the Gunpowder Workshop facing a terrifying strategic threat.

Chapter Summary: “Take Him Out Before He Kills Himself”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng argues with two Gunpowder Workshop Hunters who distrust him because he is an outsider and because they doubt Beastification can be cured.
• He bluntly points out that their afflicted companions are effectively doomed already, persuading them to let him attempt a cure.
• Yura, the machine-gun hunter, accepts the deal, reasoning that failure would simply mean giving their companions a proper final resting place.
• The hunters return to their secret base to retrieve the Beastified patients while Liu Zheng waits outside. He demands furniture, tea, and snacks, provoking embarrassment and irritation because the Church previously burned all their food.
• A young hunter named Marshall is left behind to supervise Liu Zheng. Liu jokes, provokes, and attempts to extract information about powerful beasts in Old Yate, but Marshall reveals that he is clever and refuses to answer.
• Six Beastified hunters are brought in steel prison carts. Their conditions range from black fur on the face to severe physical deformation.
• Liu Zheng identifies two mildly afflicted hunters as likely curable and warns that the most severely transformed patient might “explode,” referring to the danger of losing control.
• The worst-afflicted hunter is revealed to be Lister, the Blunderbuss Hunter’s former mentor and a heroic survivor of Old Yate’s great fire.
• Treatment is about to begin with the least-afflicted patient, but the hunter suddenly escapes his cage and charges at Xia Kai.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates confidence, intimidation, irreverence, and sharp reasoning. He is willing to help, but only on his own terms, and uses humor and provocation to control the situation.
• Yura emerges as practical and emotionally restrained. Though he distrusts Liu Zheng, he accepts the risk because he recognizes that the Beastified hunters have little hope otherwise.
• The Blunderbuss Hunter is shown to be deeply loyal and compassionate toward his companions, especially Lister, but reluctantly admits that Liu Zheng’s argument is valid.
• Marshall appears young and initially frightened, yet proves intelligent and guarded by refusing to reveal sensitive information about Old Yate.
• Lister is established as a respected former leader and mentor who helped save civilians during the great fire.
• Xia Kai remains a largely passive observer, but becomes the target of the newly released Beastified hunter’s attack.

Significant Themes

• Trust versus desperation: The Gunpowder Workshop must decide whether to trust an outsider because conventional hope has already disappeared.
• The cost of survival: The hunters’ secretive behavior reflects the dangers they have endured and the lengths they will go to protect their remaining companions.
• Moral ambiguity: Liu Zheng refuses to defend the Church’s past actions, separating himself from its crimes while still cooperating with its hunters.
• Humor amid horror: Liu’s bizarre requests and provocative remarks create comic relief against the grim reality of Beastification and the ruined city.
• Redemption and second chances: The possibility of curing Beastification offers the afflicted hunters a chance to return from a condition everyone had previously treated as irreversible death.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng verbally dominates the Blunderbuss Hunter, forcing him to confront the contradiction in refusing help for companions considered beyond saving.
• Yura supports the deal despite openly distrusting Liu Zheng, creating a pragmatic alliance.
• Liu and Marshall engage in a playful but manipulative exchange, with Liu trying to extract information and Marshall resisting him.
• Liu’s comments about the Church irritate the Church Hunters and unsettle Andrina, highlighting his unwillingness to identify himself fully with their group.
• The Blunderbuss Hunter introduces Lister as his former mentor, revealing the emotional importance of the treatment.
• The chapter ends abruptly when the first patient attacks Xia Kai, turning the planned medical procedure into an immediate crisis.

Chapter Summary: “Now It Was My Turn to Set the Terms”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng tests Xia Kai’s courage by having him face a beastified hunter. Xia Kai prepares to fight despite fearing that failure will make Liu Zheng view him as useless.
• Helmet Man restrains the beastified hunter with his red sacred cloth and knocks him unconscious, repeating the method previously used on the Charred Orc.
• Liu Zheng attempts to trade for Helmet Man’s red cloak but is refused. He then focuses on treating the beastified hunters belonging to the Gunpowder Workshop.
• To reverse Beastification, Liu Zheng cuts one of his tentacles, places it down the hunter’s throat, and uses the influence of his blood. The hunter violently vomits clotted blood, sheds his black fur, and returns mostly to human form.
• Liu Zheng clarifies that he has not permanently cured the disease—he has only reversed the current Beastification. Continued hunting and Blood Therapy could cause it to return.
• He treats two additional patients. The most severely affected hunter nearly dies as his body begins to rot, but the Blunderbuss Hunter saves him with a rare healing salve.
• Liu Zheng persuades the hunters to give him some of the salve, identified as Tomel’s Secret Salve, an excellent item that heals injuries and restores stamina, with doubled effects for those possessing “Holy Blood.”
• After confirming that there are no other Beastification patients, Liu Zheng declares that he has fulfilled the Gunpowder Workshop’s terms. He now intends to impose terms of his own.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates both powerful medical abilities and his manipulative, transactional personality. He helps the hunters but constantly looks for opportunities to obtain useful items and leverage.
• Xia Kai shows growing courage and willingness to obey Liu Zheng, even when placed in danger.
• Helmet Man proves himself highly effective and obedient in combat, though his refusal to trade away the red cloak reinforces his mysterious nature and attachment to it.
• The Gunpowder Workshop hunters reveal their pragmatic, unsentimental culture. They are astonished by Liu Zheng’s ability to reverse Beastification but remain knowledgeable about its dangers.
• The Blunderbuss Hunter acts as both representative of the Workshop and a reluctant benefactor, eventually giving Liu Zheng some of the precious salve.

Significant Themes

• Pragmatism and survival: The people of Old Yate prioritize scarce supplies, combat utility, and survival over comfort or compassion.
• Transactional relationships: Liu Zheng treats assistance as a negotiation. Even when saving lives, he expects compensation and immediately shifts the balance of power once his obligation is fulfilled.
• The limits of healing: Beastification can be reversed but not necessarily cured, emphasizing the persistent dangers of Blood Therapy and monster hunting.
• Humanity versus monstrosity: The hunters’ transformation into beasts—and their partial restoration—highlights how fragile the boundary between human and monster is.
• Rivalry among unnatural beings: Liu Zheng jokes that the evil gods “despise each other,” reflecting the competitive and hostile relationships among supernatural entities.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng evaluates Xia Kai’s bravery while Helmet Man handles the physical confrontation.
• Liu Zheng attempts and fails to negotiate with Helmet Man for the red cloak.
• He treats the beastified hunters while criticizing the Workshop’s lack of hygiene and care.
• The Workshop hunters react with shock and admiration to Liu Zheng’s powers.
• Liu Zheng pressures the Blunderbuss Hunter into sharing Tomel’s Secret Salve.
• Having completed the Workshop’s requested treatment, Liu Zheng ends the chapter by preparing to negotiate from a position of power and set his own demands.