Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Xia Lun has a mysterious, rapidly worsening illness that causes suffocation and bleeding. Doctors cannot explain or treat it, and he has roughly 90 days left.
• An underwater-breathing potion temporarily eases his symptoms. Xia Lun traces it to Investigator, a banned game whose players have suffered mass deaths and mental collapse—but some survivors gained supernatural abilities or were cured of terminal diseases.
• With ordinary and unconventional treatments exhausted, Xia Lun chooses to risk the game rather than wait to die. He enters carrying a special “Voidwood Box” that can bring items into the game, stocked with medicine, a short sword, a revolver, and spare bullets.
• Investigator places him aboard a storm-tossed ship seized by pirates. Xia Lun’s assigned role is the ship’s navigator, now among the captives forced to help the pirates keep the vessel afloat. The scenario goal is to survive six days, and the game hints that supernatural dangers lurk aboard.

Character developments

• Xia Lun is practical and methodical, carefully weighing his limited time, investigating the potion’s origins, training, and packing useful equipment.
• Though he has become calm about his approaching death, he refuses passive acceptance and embraces a dangerous chance at survival.
• His in-game status is critical: he is suffering from asphyxia, while his specialty, trait, and skill remain unevaluated.

Character interactions

• Xia Lun listens to a recording of doctors admitting they cannot help him, underscoring his isolation and the failure of conventional medicine.
• On the ship, the bald female pirate captain orders the crew to steer through the storm. The Black First Mate relays her command and threatens the captives, while a scrawny pirate lashes them to force them to work.
• Xia Lun appears among the captives as the whip drives them to pull the ropes.

Significant themes

• Defiance in the face of death: Xia Lun would rather take control of his fate than quietly await the end.
• Risk versus hope: Entering a lethal game is his last plausible chance at a cure.
• Limits of science and the supernatural: Medicine fails, while a dangerous game offers unexplained powers and healing.
• Preparation and agency: Xia Lun’s careful planning contrasts with the chaos and coercion he encounters aboard the ship.

Key plot points and events

• Xia Lun wakes aboard a pirate ship in a storm, discovering that the game feels physically real. He is among captive sailors forced to hold a failing section of the ship together.
• His lung disease begins returning, and the medicine he needs is in his Wooden Box across the deck. He uses Heightened Focus to locate it, but the dangerous state strains his already fragile body.
• When ordered to help repair the cracking mast, Xia Lun bluffs that he is the ship’s carpenter. The Black overseer accepts the claim rather than take the risky job himself, giving Xia Lun an excuse to cross the deck toward his box.
• A huge tentacled monster attacks the ship, killing pirates and throwing the crew into chaos. Xia Lun grabs an axe and realizes the failing mast can be used against it. He throws the axe to bring the mast down onto the creature, injuring several of its eyes.
• The captain exploits the monster’s vulnerability and attacks it from above, while Xia Lun reaches his box, drinks his medicine, and recovers. He equips himself with a revolver, sword, and ammunition.
• The Game Panel reveals his developing skill in cold-weapon throwing, his unusually high pain tolerance, and the serious, permanent mental-health cost of using Heightened Focus. Though relieved that his health is stable, Xia Lun resolves to use the skill sparingly.
• As the fight continues, the First Mate and her allies turn on the captain. A throwing knife wounds the captain, then the First Mate shoots her in the back. Xia Lun realizes the pirates have mutinied while the monster is still alive.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Lun shifts from cautious captive to an opportunistic, resourceful combatant. He tolerates injury, lies strategically, and uses quick observation to turn the mast into a weapon. Securing his medicine and equipment gives him confidence, but the Game Panel’s warning about Heightened Focus reveals a potentially grave hidden cost.
• The Black overseer is cruel and bloodthirsty, whipping captives for his amusement, yet avoids the dangerous mast repair and readily accepts Xia Lun’s convenient lie.
• The captain is forceful and practical, issuing orders during the monster attack and personally striking at the creature. Her authority is abruptly challenged by the First Mate’s betrayal.
• The First Mate first directs the crew’s response, then seizes the moment to launch a mutiny, coordinating with a trusted follower and attacking the captain.
• The captive sailors and pirates respond to danger with panic and disorder; their infighting further undermines the captain’s command.

Significant themes

• Survival through adaptability: Xia Lun survives by observing, bluffing, and exploiting the ship’s circumstances rather than relying on strength.
• Risk and hidden costs: His use of Heightened Focus helps him act decisively, but may permanently damage his mental health; his medicine offers relief while underscoring his dependence on it.
• Power and shifting loyalties: The monster’s attack destabilizes the crew, but the mutiny shows that human ambition and conflict remain threats even amid a supernatural crisis.
• The uncanny made real: The game’s lifelike sensations and the grotesque monster blur the boundary between simulation and reality, reinforcing Xia Lun’s hope—and fear—that supernatural forces might affect his illness.

Plot and key events

• The wounded sea monster breaks free and resumes its attack, killing pirates and smashing the ship. The captain and First Mate are buried in the wreckage, their fates unknown.
• The pirate mutiny collapses into chaos. The monster is badly injured and slower, leaving Xia Lun time to assess the scene.
• Xia Lun spots a white wax book lodged among the monster’s tendrils. He suspects it is a Grimoire, which might grant the supernatural power he needs to cure his mysterious illness—though studying one may cost him his sanity.
• He decides to take the book rather than accept his likely death from illness. Instead of waiting to kill the monster, he risks sneaking behind it and using a grappling hook.
• A corpse lands in front of him, briefly startling him, but the monster has not noticed him. Xia Lun throws the hook successfully and catches the Wax Book. As he tries to pull it free, a sudden flash and boiling-like sound signal a new danger.

Character development and interactions

• Xia Lun shifts from cautious observer to determined risk-taker, weighing the danger before committing to a bold plan. His illness makes him feel he has little to lose, but he remains disciplined and strategic.
• The captain and First Mate are struck down amid the monster’s rampage; the First Mate’s earlier scornful laugh appears to draw the monster’s attention.
• The pirates are disorganized and terrified, offering no coordinated resistance. Their conflict with the monster creates an opportunity for Xia Lun, though they may threaten him if he succeeds.

Significant themes

• Risk and agency: Xia Lun chooses a dangerous chance at control over passive decline.
• Knowledge at a cost: Grimoires may offer power and insight, but are linked to madness.
• Chaos as opportunity: The monster’s attack and the failed mutiny create the opening Xia Lun exploits.

Plot points and events

• A Black overseer fires a flare at Xia Lun to draw the Abyssal Hand’s attention, then retreats while other pirates try to free the First Mate.
• The blindless monster charges Xia Lun. Using his last safe use of Heightened Focus, he shoots out its remaining compound eyes, then kills the overseer, who had betrayed him.
• Xia Lun escapes through a crack into the hold. The monster crashes into the mast above, and falling wreckage seals the opening, trapping Xia Lun below but keeping the monster out.
• Among the debris, he finds half of the Prayerbook of the Drowned. Though he initially cannot read it, the Game Panel identifies it as an incomplete grimoire and says completing it could unlock Transcendent Regeneration, a possible cure for his Lung Disease.
• The panel warns that prolonged exposure to the grimoire damages mental health. Xia Lun also learns that he has earned 630 Memory Points, which can be spent to learn abilities from memories or redeem non-sentient items after a scenario.
• Combat has given him partial memories of Reflexive Evasion and improved his Firearms Use mastery. He reloads and sets off down the hold’s corridor, intending to find a way back to the deck and recover the rest of the book.

Character developments

• Xia Lun responds to betrayal and danger with controlled, deliberate violence, but does not let his failed escape plan defeat him. He adapts and focuses on what he gained.
• The encounter reveals his strong firearm skills and tactical thinking, as well as his willingness to take significant risks for a chance to cure his illness.
• His excitement over the grimoire is tempered by caution when he learns its power may come at the cost of his sanity.

Character interactions

• The overseer treats Xia Lun as disposable bait; Xia Lun retaliates by killing him.
• Xia Lun confronts the Abyssal Hand alone, blinding it and escaping its charge, while the pirates nearby react with horror.
• The Game Panel acts as his source of guidance, explaining the grimoire, Memory Points, and the abilities his actions have begun to unlock.

Significant themes

• Risk and adaptation: Plans can fail, and survival depends on adjusting rather than giving up.
• Power and its price: The grimoire may offer a cure, but threatens cognitive and mental damage.
• Progress through danger: Combat brings valuable rewards, yet Xia Lun recognizes that a more typical path—investigation and social recognition—may be safer.
• Memory and identity: The game turns memories into a means of learning and growth, while the grimoire itself blurs knowledge with madness.

Key plot points and events

• Amid a violent storm, Xia Lun makes his way through the whaling ship’s silent, oil-smelling hold. A huge wave strikes, throwing the Abyssal Hand into the hold and nearly capsizing the ship.
• Xia Lun realizes the ship is in danger because nobody is steering it. He also sees the monster—and the other half of the Prayerbook of the Drowned still lodged in it—slide away during the wave.
• Above deck, the First Mate tells a distorted version of events, blaming Xia Lun for the captain’s disappearance and his brother’s death. He rallies the surviving pirates, assigns them tasks, and announces that he will descend into the hold to “rescue” the captain.
• Xia Lun recognizes that the First Mate is consolidating power and may intend to kill the captain. With few bullets and no safe way to face the pirates openly, Xia Lun decides the First Mate must die and starts looking for a place to ambush him.
• While exploring the hold, Xia Lun opens a cabin and discovers the wounded, blood-covered captain alive.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Lun stays composed under pressure, weighing his limited resources and recognizing the political danger as well as the physical one. He abandons a direct return to the deck and shifts to planning an ambush.
• The First Mate proves adept at manipulation: he reframes the mutiny and Xia Lun’s actions to win the crew’s support, while presenting his descent into the hold as a rescue mission.
• The Priest challenges the First Mate’s account, saying he saw Xia Lun blind the monster and the First Mate’s brother attack the captain. The First Mate threatens him indirectly, then assigns him to recruit prisoners.
• The Gunner and an older pirate accept the First Mate’s orders to guard the entrances and count supplies.
• The captain has been presumed dead by the crew, but her sudden appearance alive changes Xia Lun’s situation at the chapter’s end.

Significant themes

• Power and propaganda: The First Mate uses a convincing public narrative to turn survivors against Xia Lun and strengthen his claim to authority.
• Survival amid competing dangers: The storm, monster, scarce ammunition, and hostile crew leave Xia Lun with no easy choices.
• Appearance versus reality: The First Mate’s supposed rescue mission may conceal an effort to eliminate the captain, while the “dead” captain is actually alive.
• Nature’s overwhelming force: The wave makes even the formidable Abyssal Hand seem helpless, underscoring how little control anyone has over the storm.

Key plot points and events

• Xia Lun confronts the bald captain, who has a flintlock trained on him. He tells her the First Mate has seized the deck and will soon come to kill them both.
• The captain lowers her weapon, but Xia Lun insists on taking both her flintlocks, arguing that she is too injured to use them effectively and that he is the better shot. She reluctantly hands them over.
• With the First Mate and his men approaching, Xia Lun drags Da Lun’s corpse into the room and props it by the door. The captain warns him that the First Mate is skilled with a throwing axe.
• Xia Lun rejects using the table as a barricade, tells the captain to hide beneath it, and gives her a dagger. He plans to let the attackers enter before striking.
• As they wait, the captain grows anxious, while Xia Lun uses Meditation to steady himself and sharpen his focus. The hatch opens, and the First Mate enters carrying a Storm Lantern.

Character developments

• Xia Lun shows tactical confidence and a controlled, commanding manner. He adapts his approach to the captain’s pirate nature, using firmness rather than friendliness, while managing his own fear through meditation.
• The captain remains suspicious and self-protective, but accepts that cooperation is necessary. Her nerves before battle reveal vulnerability beneath her tough, battle-hardened exterior.
• The First Mate is established as a formidable threat: he commands loyal men, controls the deck, and is known for his skill with a throwing axe.

Character interactions

• Xia Lun and the captain shift from mutual suspicion to a tense, practical alliance. He takes charge of the plan; she challenges his demands but ultimately cooperates.
• The captain warns Xia Lun about the First Mate’s fighting ability and prepares to hide with the dagger he gives her.
• The chapter ends at the moment of imminent confrontation, with Xia Lun aiming his gun as the First Mate enters.

Significant themes

• Survival and uneasy alliances: cooperation is essential, even between distrustful people.
• Power and trust: Xia Lun must assert authority without pushing the captain into open resistance.
• Composure under pressure: the contrast between the captain’s pre-fight anxiety and Xia Lun’s disciplined focus highlights different responses to danger.

Plot points and events

• Xia Lun waits in ambush as the First Mate leads five armed pirates through the hold. They plan to kill everyone they find and capture the prisoner, Carpenter, alive so the First Mate can torture him for killing his brother.
• The group changes course after noticing blood and hearing the monster nearby. The captain calls out, apparently to draw them back toward Xia Lun and prevent him from escaping.
• When the pirates round the corner together, Xia Lun ambushes them. He empties his revolver in a rapid volley, killing three and wounding one, but the First Mate and his brother survive.
• The First Mate tricks Xia Lun into firing at a corpse, then shoots at him while the pirates charge. Xia Lun retreats behind a door with only one flintlock shot remaining and three enemies still alive.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Lun remains wary and pragmatic. He recognizes the captain’s attempt to force him to stay and fight, but bears no resentment: their alliance has always been based on mutual usefulness. He responds decisively in the ambush, then quickly recognizes the First Mate’s counter-trap.
• The captain uses her voice to draw the pirates toward Xia Lun, sacrificing his chance to slip away in order to create an opportunity for herself. Their cooperation remains self-interested rather than trusting.
• The First Mate is ruthless and focused on revenge against Carpenter. He gives tactical instructions but also demonstrates quick thinking by using a corpse as a decoy.
• The First Mate’s brother is bloodthirsty and eager to avenge their sibling, though his impatience contributes to the pirates crowding together and becoming vulnerable to Xia Lun’s first volley.
• The wounded pirate panics and pleads for help, while the First Mate tries to maintain control and rally the survivors.

Significant themes

• Survival and tactical advantage: The ambush shows how preparation, superior equipment, and timing can overcome a larger group.
• Distrust and transactional alliances: Xia Lun and the captain cooperate without relying on loyalty or goodwill.
• Revenge and brutality: The First Mate’s threats reveal how personal vengeance fuels the violence.
• Reversal and uncertainty: Xia Lun’s initial success quickly turns into a desperate standoff when the First Mate counters his attack.

Key plot points and events

• As the pirates enter the cabin, Xia Lun hides in the darkness and ambushes the First Mate’s brother, taking him hostage with a sword at his neck.
• Xia Lun holds off the First Mate and another pirate through threats and calculated bluffing, while a monster prowls outside, drawn by the earlier gunshots.
• He proposes a duel, but when the countdown begins, Xia Lun abruptly shoves the wounded hostage toward the mentally broken pirate, splashing blood into the man’s eyes.
• The female captain, hiding nearby, stabs the First Mate behind the knee and pulls him off balance. Xia Lun kills the blinded pirate, then attacks the First Mate.
• The First Mate blocks Xia Lun’s sword strike and counters with a lethal technique. Xia Lun fires his flintlock at point-blank range, killing him.
• Reinforcements retreat after hearing the fight. Xia Lun checks the bodies and gains 170 Memory Points, bringing his total to 800.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Lun shows stealth, nerve, and tactical improvisation. He uses the hostage and the monster’s approach to control the standoff, then combines swordsmanship with a concealed firearm to defeat the First Mate.
• The First Mate is formidable and confident in his swordsmanship, but his loyalty to his brother makes him hesitate. He misreads Xia Lun’s duel proposal and loses the advantage after the captain’s surprise attack.
• The female captain reveals she is still nearby and intervenes decisively, accepting a sword wound to help bring down the First Mate.
• The mentally broken pirate remains terrified of the approaching monster and is briefly blinded by the hostage’s blood before Xia Lun kills him.
• The First Mate’s brother is mortally wounded in Xia Lun’s ambush, and the First Mate’s attempt to save him ends in both brothers’ deaths.

Significant themes

• Deception and tactical thinking: Xia Lun’s threats, feigned agreement, and sudden change of plan shape the battle.
• Loyalty as vulnerability: The First Mate’s concern for his brother constrains his choices.
• The limits of strength and skill: The First Mate’s mastery cannot overcome Xia Lun’s point-blank gunshot.
• Survival amid competing dangers: The fighters must contend not only with one another but also with the monster approaching outside.

Summary

• Xia Lun defeats the First Mate and his gang in a brief, brutal fight, while the captain survives with a serious but nonfatal shoulder wound. Xia Lun reloads his revolver and notices gray mist emerging from the dead—a phenomenon the captain cannot see.
• Combat unlocks new abilities and rewards. Xia Lun improves his basic sword and firearms specializations and discovers a locked “Mass Murderer” specialty, which appears to be earned through killing and may eventually let him harm ghosts with physical attacks.
• The captain, Geliide, fears Xia Lun and tries to regain control by offering him tobacco and suggesting his visions are hallucinations. Xia Lun recognizes her attempt to influence him but assures her he will not harm her unless she gives him cause. He bluntly points out that she has lost control of the ship and remains vulnerable.
• Xia Lun proposes a practical alliance. He needs Geliide’s authority to present the First Mate’s death as the execution of a traitor; she needs his fighting ability to reclaim the ship. They agree to cooperate, though both remain guarded and treat the partnership as fragile rather than trusting.
• The sea monster appears at the door with a pirate’s head impaled on its tentacle and offers a truce. Xia Lun realizes his temporary language-comprehension ability lets him understand it. He infers that the Scenario’s intended survival route may have involved serving as a mediator between the monster and the pirates.
• Xia Lun signals Geliide not to reveal what they know, then agrees to talk. The monster proposes a bargain: carry it to Perilous Earth Island, and it will let them survive.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Lun emerges as a capable, calculating fighter who can adapt quickly, assess other people’s motives, and negotiate without mistaking politeness for trust. His unusual perception of gray mist and his ability to understand the monster hint at deeper Scenario mechanics.
• Geliide shifts from fear and attempted manipulation to a cautious alliance. Though shaken and wounded, she remains politically alert and recognizes that Xia Lun may be her best chance to regain authority.
• Xia Lun and Geliide establish a mutually beneficial but uneasy partnership, each aware of what the other can provide.
• Xia Lun and the monster begin direct negotiations, creating a new potential alliance—and a fresh danger.

Significant themes

• Survival through shifting alliances: Trust is limited; cooperation is driven by shared interests.
• Power and legitimacy: Xia Lun has force, while Geliide has the title and authority needed to justify his actions.
• Perception and hidden rules: Xia Lun’s ability to see the gray mist and understand the monster reveals that the Scenario operates according to mechanics others cannot perceive.
• Violence and its rewards: Combat brings immediate survival and increased abilities, but the system also treats killing as a path to further power.

Key plot points and events

• Low on ammunition and unable to safely use his enhanced focus again, Xia Lun bluffs that he still has the advantage. He and the monster are each wary of the other.
• The monster threatens to burn the ship’s whale oil and points out that mutineers may also ambush Xia Lun. It proposes cooperation, offering safety in exchange for food.
• Xia Lun concludes the monster was once human, but the negotiation collapses when it demands fresh human corpses. He feeds it the First Mate’s body to secure a temporary alliance and protect the remaining crew.
• Xia Lun also demands the Wax Book—the book he needs to complete the Prayerbook of the Drowned and cure his illness. The monster denies knowing it and refuses, making their conflict personal and ultimately lethal.
• The monster warns Xia Lun of ambushes and leaves. Xia Lun arms himself and prepares to move on.
• The captain objects to cooperating with a man-eating creature. Xia Lun explains that their goals align only until they near Perilous Earth Island; there, he plans to burn the monster using the whale oil and escape by lifeboat.

Character developments

• Xia Lun uses deception and negotiation to compensate for his weakness, but his flexible tactics have firm moral limits: he will not allow a human-eating monster to survive. His need for the Wax Book gives the confrontation a personal stake.
• The captain shows concern for people beyond herself, challenging Xia Lun over the danger the monster poses to those on the island. This earns her a measure of his respect.
• The monster displays human-like social and bargaining skills, confirming Xia Lun’s suspicion that it was once human. Its demand for corpses and its refusal to surrender the Wax Book reveal both its predatory nature and the source of their irreconcilable conflict.

Significant themes

• Bluffing and incomplete information: Both Xia Lun and the monster conceal their weaknesses and try to make the other yield.
• Pragmatism versus morality: Xia Lun accepts a temporary, disturbing bargain to survive, while maintaining a clear boundary against letting the monster prey on others.
• Trust and self-interest: The alliance is merely tactical; each side expects to benefit, and Xia Lun already plans to betray it.
• Survival under constraint: Scarce ammunition, few capable sailors, and the ship’s vulnerability shape every decision.

Character interactions

• Xia Lun and the monster negotiate in a tense exchange of threats and promises. Their apparent cooperation breaks down over the monster’s appetite for people and Xia Lun’s demand for the Wax Book.
• Xia Lun and the captain clash over whether to cooperate, but he ultimately shares his plan: keep the monster alive only until escape becomes possible, then kill it.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• The captain and Xia Lun argue over how to handle the monster’s threat. Xia Lun proposes exploiting fear and suspicion to identify—or eliminate—wavering crew members, while the captain insists they must reunite the survivors and fight together. Though skeptical, she agrees to hear Xia Lun’s plan.
• On deck, the Gunner, the one-eyed old sailor, and the priest debate what to do after the First Mate and many capable sailors have died. They consider rescuing the captain, recruiting prisoners, or simply drifting until something changes.
• The priest points out that the Gunner killed nearly all the prisoners to prevent a revolt, leaving only three recruits, including a doctor. The crew’s navigator—Xia Lun, posing as a carpenter—has fallen into the hold.
• The old sailor proposes a last-resort plan to destroy the monster by setting fire to the whale oil. The Gunner argues that survival matters more than protecting their possessions on Perilous Earth Island. Their disagreement nearly turns violent.
• The captain suddenly returns to the deck, accompanied by Xia Lun. The Gunner recognizes the prisoner who killed the First Mate and freezes in terror. The captain fires a warning shot and summons everyone for an announcement.

Character developments

• The captain remains committed to solidarity and direct resistance, but her decision to hear Xia Lun’s plan shows she is willing to consider his methods.
• Xia Lun is calm and strategic, treating fear as a tool and insisting he has a reliable way to judge whom to trust.
• The Gunner is revealed as ruthless toward prisoners but deeply afraid of Xia Lun. His self-preservation clashes with the old sailor’s willingness to risk death.
• The one-eyed old sailor is hard-edged and protective of what the crew has built, though his bravado briefly gives way to a fierce plan to destroy the monster.
• The priest tries to mediate and recruit help, but is frustrated by the Gunner’s violence and lack of patience.

Significant themes

• Fear: weapon and weakness: Xia Lun wants to use fear to divide opponents, while the Gunner’s fear of Xia Lun leaves him unable to act.
• Unity versus suspicion: The captain sees cooperation as the only chance of survival; Xia Lun warns that careless trust could trigger another mutiny.
• Survival versus responsibility: The Gunner prioritizes his own life, while the old sailor worries about the monster reaching the island and harming others.
• Violence and its consequences: The Gunner’s killing of prisoners has left the survivors short-handed and deepened the crew’s mistrust.

Character interactions

• The captain challenges Xia Lun’s strategy but ultimately gives him an opportunity to prove it.
• The priest reproaches the Gunner for killing potential recruits; the old sailor then demands a practical plan from both men.
• The Gunner and old sailor clash over whether to risk death fighting the monster, nearly drawing weapons.
• The captain’s return interrupts their dispute. Her presence—and Xia Lun’s—shifts the balance of power immediately, leaving the Gunner intimidated and the remaining crew awaiting her announcement.

Plot points and events

• After the storm, a monster attack, and infighting, only nineteen pirates and four captive sailors remain aboard. Captain Geliide returns to a crew that may be on the verge of another mutiny.
• Xia Lun, who has prepared a plan with Geliide, watches from the shadows, ready to act.
• Geliide first tells the survivors the rebels have been executed and assures them they will not be punished for their past actions. She then promises rich rewards if they reach Perilous Earth Island, scattering gold coins across the deck to rally them.
• Her appeal briefly restores the crew’s morale. But the gunner—an ally of the First Mate—breaks the mood by reminding everyone that the monster is still in the hold and someone must investigate it.
• He also mocks Geliide’s habit of using promises and gold to inspire the crew, citing a past expedition in which many pirates died. Geliide responds calmly, objecting to his disrespect toward the dead.

Character developments and interactions

• Geliide shows political skill: she combines reassurance, material incentives, and appeals to the crew’s shared history. When challenged, she keeps her composure rather than answering with anger.
• Xia Lun remains watchful and strategically alert. He understands Geliide’s tactics and suspects the gunner’s challenge may be part of a larger plan.
• The gunner emerges as a confident, provocative opponent who can sway the crew by focusing on the danger they still face. He directly undermines Geliide’s authority.
• The boatswain quietly speaks with the gunner before the challenge, suggesting coordination among the senior pirates.
• The crew shifts rapidly from suspicion and exhaustion to enthusiasm, then back to fear and uncertainty as the monster is mentioned.

Significant themes

• Leadership through persuasion: Geliide tries to secure loyalty with forgiveness, rewards, and a unifying destination.
• Fragile morale: Hope can be reignited, but unresolved danger quickly threatens it.
• Power and manipulation: Geliide’s public performance and Xia Lun’s behind-the-scenes planning show that control depends on anticipating others’ reactions.
• Survival and sacrifice: The reminder of past deaths exposes the cost of following a leader’s promises.

Plot points and events

• The gunner proposes sending the new captives into the cabin to face the dangerous monster, claiming this is the crew’s customary “blood price.” He singles out Xia Lun to lead them, hoping to use his past success against the creature.
• Xia Lun rejects the gunner’s authority. The crowd’s whispers reveal both his reputation for crippling the monster and their fear of his killing the First Mate and others.
• An old crewman argues that ship rules require newcomers to take the most dangerous jobs and suggests drawing lots if Xia Lun refuses. This is a calculated attempt to eliminate Xia Lun or, if the captain protects him, weaken her authority and create a shared basis for resisting her later.
• Before the captain responds, Xia Lun claims the monster can communicate and says he is the only one who can speak with it. The captain backs him up, saying their conversation helped them escape the cabin.
• The claim throws the deck into confusion. Xia Lun promises to explain the conversation the next morning, buying time to prepare his account—and to use Memory Points to strengthen himself overnight. The captain tells the crew that no one else will die and the crisis will soon end.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Lun remains composed under scrutiny and refuses to be manipulated by the gunner or old crewman. He takes control of the situation with a surprising claim and deliberately delays the full explanation.
• The gunner tries to appear fearless, but Xia Lun’s presence brings back memories of the killings, exposing his fear. He dismisses Xia Lun’s claim as a lie.
• The old crewman reveals himself as a strategic political operator: he uses ship rules and the threat of random selection to pressure the captain and undermine her power.
• The captain supports Xia Lun publicly, lending credibility to his story and reassuring the crowd, though her calm reaction initially leaves the old man uncertain.
• The crew shifts from tense anticipation of a confrontation among senior members to loud confusion and debate over the monster’s ability to speak.

Significant themes

• Power and authority: The conflict is not only about confronting the monster; it is also a struggle over who controls decisions aboard the ship.
• Words as weapons: The old man’s carefully chosen threat could have endangered Xia Lun and weakened the captain, while Xia Lun’s claim changes the crowd’s focus and disrupts the plan.
• Fear and reputation: Xia Lun’s past violence intimidates the gunner, while the monster’s supposed speech is difficult to believe but gains force through the captain’s endorsement.
• Strategic delay: Xia Lun uses the promise of a morning explanation to shape the crew’s expectations and give himself time to prepare.

Chapter Summary: “Into the Dream: Reflexive Evasion”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the whaling ship is heavily damaged by storms and monsters, the pirates use the sterncastle as their temporary living quarters. Exhausted and disturbed by the day’s slaughter, Xia Lun falls asleep in a hammock.
• He enters a lucid dream accompanied by violin music and finds himself in an unstable, flame-like space filled with glowing fruits. Each fruit contains memories, talents, or specialties gained from his experiences and killings.
• Xia Lun examines several options:
  • Nonhuman Toughness, a powerful talent associated with Captain Geliide, but it requires 2,500 Memory Points—far more than his available 800.
  • Various partially developed abilities, including firearms, first aid, pain resistance, and occult knowledge.
  • Several irrelevant or undesirable talents, such as mushroom soup addiction, kleptomania, and superstition.
• He ultimately chooses Reflexive Evasion, along with Cold Weapon Use—Swords and Comprehensive Navigation, spending 780 Memory Points. These choices are connected through their shared source and provide the greatest immediate improvement to his combat ability.
• The dream turns into a series of training scenarios:
  • Xia Lun repeatedly dodges beer bottles thrown by a drunken version of Lorne, gradually learning to react instinctively to the sound and motion of attacks.
  • He then fights multiple shadowy opponents aboard a ship, practicing evasion, sword use, distance control, and counterattacks.
  • He realizes that swordsmanship is not merely passive dodging but involves controlling distance, seizing the centerline, and maintaining initiative.
  • He successfully develops an instinctive response fast enough to evade a gunshot without consciously focusing on it.
  • The final training scenario ends with him blocking a sword strike, only to be killed by a gunshot at point-blank range, emphasizing the danger of divided attention and close combat.
• Xia Lun awakens at exactly five in the morning, drenched in sweat and still affected by the dream’s intense battle memories.
• When a loose ceiling board suddenly falls, he reflexively dodges, draws his sword, and cuts it apart in less than half a second, confirming that the talent has transferred into reality.
• The Information Panel confirms that he has acquired Reflexive Evasion, greatly advanced his swordsmanship, and improved his navigation knowledge. His Heightened Focus ability has also fully recovered, leaving him ready to begin the next stage of his plan.

Character Developments

• Xia Lun becomes more strategic and disciplined in selecting memories. Rather than choosing the strongest ability available, he prioritizes talents and specialties that complement one another and immediately enhance his survival chances.
• He develops a conditioned combat reflex, allowing him to evade attacks instinctively rather than relying entirely on conscious thought.
• His swordsmanship improves from basic competence to near-skilled proficiency, especially in mobile, one-handed sword fighting.
• He gains a deeper understanding of combat principles, recognizing that evasion must be combined with positioning, distance management, and counterattacks.
• Xia Lun also becomes more aware of his limitations. The final dream death teaches him that even superior reflexes cannot compensate for carelessness, close-range firearms, or loss of awareness.
• His growing combat confidence is balanced by caution: he recognizes how dangerous his enemies remain and prepares to use Heightened Focus for his next objective.

Significant Themes

• Memory and identity: The glowing fruits represent fragmented knowledge and abilities recovered from Xia Lun’s past experiences, killings, and forgotten identity.
• Growth through repetition: Xia Lun masters Reflexive Evasion through repeated success and failure, showing that instinct is built through sustained practice rather than instant acquisition.
• Survival and adaptation: His choices are governed by practical necessity. He cannot afford the most powerful talent, so he selects the combination that best improves his immediate survival prospects.
• Instinct versus conscious thought: The chapter explores how trained reflexes can act faster than deliberate reasoning, though the final scenario shows that instinct must still be supported by awareness.
• Combat as movement and initiative: Xia Lun learns that fighting effectively involves controlling space, maintaining the centerline, and turning defense into offense.
• The cost of power: Acquiring abilities requires Memory Points, while mastering them forces Xia Lun to relive pain, injury, and death within the dream.

Character Interactions

• Xia Lun interacts primarily with dream-created versions of figures connected to his acquired memories:
  • A drunken female representation of Lorne, the former first mate, attacks him with beer bottles and teaches him to recognize attack cues and dodge reflexively.
  • Shadowy sailors and opponents reenact shipboard combat, allowing him to practice swordsmanship, footwork, positioning, and counterattacks.
  • One final opponent demonstrates the danger of combining melee attacks with firearms by killing Xia Lun after he blocks a sword strike.
• Although these figures are not genuine conversations or living interactions, each represents a source of experience from Xia Lun’s past and contributes directly to his physical and tactical development.

Key plot points and events

• Captain Geliide reports that the damaged ship is four days from Perilous Earth Island.
• Xia Lun tells the crew that the monster is also heading there and demands at least two fresh corpses each day. It attacked them to obtain human flesh; if allowed to hunt freely on the island, its victims could number far more.
• The crew divides over whether to cooperate with the monster. The gunner argues that survival comes first and that sacrificing people is preferable to fighting. Xia Lun counters that obeying would mean eight corpses during the voyage—and would not guarantee anyone’s safety.
• Tension grows between the gunner, Priest, and one-eyed old man, hinting at a fractured alliance among the senior officers.
• With only two hours before the monster expects its corpses, Captain Geliide proposes a secret ballot. The gunner volunteers to read the votes, while the old man oversees the count.
• Xia Lun explains the choices: a check means letting the monster go to the island; a cross means refusing submission and fighting for control of their fate. He warns that cooperation gives each crew member a 38.1% chance of being chosen as food.
• While handing out ballots, Xia Lun uses Heightened Focus to memorize identifying details in the paper’s torn edges, allowing him to recognize a number of ballots later. He then votes for resistance himself.
• The crew casts its ballots. The chapter ends as Xia Lun, the gunner, and the old man prepare to count them; the result is left unrevealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Lun takes the lead in shaping the debate, using measured arguments and strategic provocation to expose divisions among the officers. He presents the ballot as a fair process while secretly preparing to identify selected votes. His use of Heightened Focus shows both his resourcefulness and its physical cost, as he suffers a nosebleed afterward.
• Captain Geliide backs Xia Lun’s plan and maintains authority, steering the crew toward a vote rather than allowing the argument to erupt into open conflict.
• The gunner openly advocates sacrificing others for survival and mocks Xia Lun. He volunteers to read the ballots, seemingly confident that the crew will support cooperation.
• The old man distrusts Xia Lun and insists on oversight, but his restraint of the Priest suggests he is trying to contain internal discord.
• The Priest grows visibly angry at the gunner’s position, though the old man repeatedly prevents him from speaking.
• The crew’s reactions—some nodding, others looking away—show that the decision is dividing them and that some suspect the officers are not united.

Significant themes

• Survival versus conscience: The crew must choose between appeasing the monster and resisting it, with human lives at stake either way.
• Agency and responsibility: Xia Lun frames resistance as a way to retain control over their fate, even if it brings greater immediate danger.
• Power, persuasion, and manipulation: Public debate and secret ballots become tools in a struggle for influence; Xia Lun’s apparent fairness conceals a tactical plan.
• Trust and fractured alliances: The officers’ guarded exchanges reveal that loyalty within the crew is uncertain, while the vote may expose those divisions further.

Plot points

• Captain Geliide watches the ballot count conclude and reflects on how accurately Xia Lun predicted the pirates’ reactions.
• Of 23 votes, 21 reject becoming the monster’s Slaves; only the gunner and a red-haired pirate vote to submit.
• Xia Lun admits he marked the ballots and can identify the two dissenters. When he names them, both attack: the gunner reaches for his pistol, while the red-haired pirate draws an axe.
• Xia Lun shoots faster than the gunner, destroying the gunner’s hand and killing the red-haired pirate with a shot to the throat.
• Xia Lun tells the old man to finish off the wounded gunner. The old man does so, then offers to move the body. Xia Lun orders him and the Priest to take it to the cargo rack.

Character developments

• Xia Lun proves both strategically perceptive and extraordinarily quick with a gun. He shifts from relying on a plan and hoping the captain will take charge to directly asserting authority himself.
• Geliide remains watchful and impressed by Xia Lun’s ability to anticipate even hostile people, but she does not step in to lead after the shooting.
• The old man reveals his fear of being framed or killed, then accepts Xia Lun’s explanation and follows his orders.
• The Priest becomes visibly nervous and avoids Xia Lun’s gaze, but obeys the order to help move the body.
• The gunner and red-haired pirate expose themselves as collaborators when they attack, confirming their willingness to resort to violence.

Significant themes

• Prediction and control: Xia Lun’s ability to anticipate others’ choices makes the chaotic crew seem to follow a prepared script.
• Loyalty and self-preservation: The vote tests whether the pirates will submit to the monster or resist, while the two dissenters’ ambush shows how quickly fear turns to violence.
• Power and leadership: Xia Lun gains authority through planning and decisive action, while Geliide’s deliberate nonintervention leaves him to command the aftermath.
• Appearance versus reality: Xia Lun presents himself as a “good man,” yet he uses calculated threats, public accusation, and lethal force to secure order.

Key plot points

• Xia Lun feeds two corpses to the intelligent monster in the hold, keeping the crowd at a distance. He warns the old man that they must not attack until they can kill it in one blow, since it could ignite the whale oil and destroy the ship.
• The monster rewards Xia Lun with information: treasure lies inside the cliffs at White Bird Beach on Perilous Earth Island. It demands two fresh bodies again the next day.
• Xia Lun tests whether the monster was once part of the ship’s original crew. Its unusually furious denial makes him suspect that it was, giving him a possible lead for defeating it.
• The monster’s appearance confirms to the crew that it can communicate, deepening their fear and uncertainty about Xia Lun’s intentions.
• The Doctor tells the priest that ancient Witch Priests formed alliances with monsters and offered sacrifices. He also questions whether Xia Lun means to surrender or is using the negotiations to eliminate rivals.
• Captain Geliide orders the crew to sail for Perilous Earth Island and calls the priest to a meeting.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Lun remains outwardly composed and negotiates with the monster, but privately studies its reactions for clues. He presents their arrangement as mutually beneficial while concealing his suspicions.
• The monster demonstrates intelligence, greed, and hostility. Its strong reaction to the suggestion that it eat the original crew raises suspicion about its identity.
• The priest grows uneasy about Xia Lun’s true motives. He questions the Doctor carefully, offering medical help to build trust, but remains unsure what to believe.
• The Doctor appears injured, confused, and possibly manipulative. His fragmented remarks about Xia Lun and Witch Priests leave the priest with more questions than answers.
• Geliide takes practical control of the ship’s next move, ending the deck-side speculation with orders to sail.

Significant themes

• Negotiation under threat: Xia Lun bargains with a dangerous creature while trying to avoid provoking it.
• Deception and uncertainty: The crew cannot tell whether Xia Lun’s cooperation is sincere, strategic, or a cover for another plan.
• Sacrifice and moral compromise: The monster demands bodies, forcing the crew to weigh survival against the cost of feeding it.
• Hidden identities and unreliable memory: The monster’s possible past and the Doctor’s confused recollections suggest that appearances—and testimony—may not be trustworthy.

• Plot and plan: As the ship approaches Perilous Earth Island, Xia Lun gathers Captain Geliide, the Priest, and the old man to plan how to kill the monster hiding in the hold. His proposal is to ignite the whale oil, force the monster onto the deck, trap it at the main companionway—the only exit large enough for it—and escape by lifeboat. The group identifies the danger that fire could spread or explode, so the old man will inspect the ship’s structure and find a weak point for an ambush. They divide the work: five people will prepare lifeboats, supplies, and a shore plan; twelve will join Xia Lun in the ambush; and four will remain in reserve.
• Character developments and interactions: Xia Lun takes charge and shows detailed knowledge of fire and ship construction, prompting the captain and old man to suspect he has unexplained experience. He denies being an arsonist and keeps secret that he wants the monster’s death to yield the rest of the Prayerbook of the Drowned. Geliide agrees to the plan but insists on safeguards against betrayal, revealing lingering distrust after the mutiny. The Priest urges her to choose the lifeboat team herself. He also explains that Geliide’s pursuit of revenge drove the crew into a storm, sinking their flagship and indirectly causing the First Mate’s sister’s death; Geliide accepts responsibility but refuses to discuss it further.
• New suspicion: Xia Lun warns that the monster may once have been a member of the whaling ship’s crew and could have an accomplice aboard. The Priest notes that it spared the whaling crew but seemed to target Xia Lun, deepening the group’s concern that Xia Lun—and the crew’s past—may be tied to the creature.
• Themes: The discussion highlights cooperation strained by mistrust, the consequences of revenge and leadership decisions, and the uneasy boundary between human and monster. It also builds suspense around the creature’s origins and its apparent personal interest in Xia Lun.

Key plot points and events

• Xia Lun rejects the old man’s suggestion to kill the three remaining whaling-ship crewmen as a precaution. He sees no reason to execute people who have not harmed him, though he remains prepared to use force if circumstances worsen.
• The group decides how to manage the monster: rather than stop feeding it and risk a fire, they will gradually reduce its food. They plan to use corpses from the storm, then slowly decrease the number and freshness of bodies over several days.
• The survivors quietly begin preparing to carry out the plan. Xia Lun says they will reveal their move in four days.
• The Doctor arrives with the priest to thank Xia Lun for saving him from being thrown overboard during the storm. He says he intends to repay the kindness.
• Before Xia Lun can leave, the Doctor reveals that he knows Xia Lun possesses half of the Evil Flesh Codex and claims he can explain how to read it.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Lun shows restraint and practical judgment: he refuses indiscriminate violence, favors a gradual strategy for controlling the monster, and tries to maintain a friendly tone with the Doctor despite his disturbing behavior.
• The old man supports Xia Lun by voicing the harsher option of killing the crewmen, apparently taking on the role of “villain” so Xia Lun does not have to. He then accepts Xia Lun’s decision.
• Geliide and the priest discuss and refine the feeding plan with Xia Lun. Their reactions also highlight his unusually dry, poorly received jokes.
• The Doctor appears mentally impaired and physically unsettling, but his gratitude seems to restore a trace of awareness. He repays Xia Lun’s help by offering knowledge about the Codex.
• The priest warns Xia Lun to be wary of the Doctor, while still bringing him to meet Xia Lun.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism versus morality: Xia Lun weighs survival against the cost of killing innocent people.
• Gradual change and manipulation: The group plans to weaken the monster’s hold by making small reductions that accumulate over time.
• Reciprocity and obligation: The Doctor insists that kindness must be repaid.
• Uncertainty and hidden knowledge: The Doctor’s revelation suggests that the Codex—and Xia Lun’s connection to it—may be central to what happens next.

Key plot points and events

• The Doctor identifies Xia Lun’s damaged Wax Book as a genuine Evil Flesh Codex—a book made from human remains that appeared during the Great Black Plague.
• The Priest opens the Prayerbook of the Drowned but sees only blank pages. Xia Lun recalls that its writing is visible only to the dead or the mad, suggesting his own death and return explain why he can read it.
• The Doctor says that copying the text would not make it visible to the Priest, who has not “seen through the Threefold Veil.” He offers to teach Xia Lun how to read the book.
• Xia Lun distrusts the offer and suspects the Doctor may be allied with the monster. The Doctor responds by revealing the book’s history: it belonged to a nervous passenger known as the Brigadier General, a disgraced nobleman fleeing a corruption scandal aboard the whaling ship.
• The Doctor teaches Xia Lun Symptom Reading: instead of interpreting written symbols, he should experience the book through his senses—sight, smell, taste, and touch. As the book’s patterns seem to pulse, Xia Lun acquires the new specialization.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Lun remains wary and pragmatic, weighing the Doctor’s claims rather than accepting his supposed kindness at face value. He allows the Priest to inspect the book but watches both men closely.
• The Doctor is unsettling and methodical, insisting that kindness must be repaid. He shifts from cryptic remarks to direct instruction, though Xia Lun remains unsure whether to trust him.
• The Priest moves from astonishment to fear when he cannot see the book’s writing. His knowledge of the monastery’s rumors helps explain what the book is, and he recognizes the Brigadier General’s connection to Geliide.
• Their exchange establishes a contrast between the Priest’s ordinary perception, Xia Lun’s unusual ability, and the Doctor’s strange expertise.

Significant themes

• Perception and knowledge: The book’s contents depend on who is looking; written language is not the only way to gain knowledge.
• Death and madness: Being dead or mad grants access to truths hidden from ordinary people.
• Trust and motive: The Doctor frames his teaching as repayment, while Xia Lun questions whether his offer is safe.
• The body as a source of knowledge: Symptom Reading treats sensation—not symbols or rational interpretation—as the path to understanding.