Chapter Summaries

Armitage warned Evan about the factions pursuing the Bone Saint Child and sent him to destroy a Ghoul King idol at a Plague Nest. Evan tested his new black-mist abilities on the way to Bolton City, where he confronted and killed the Demon guarding the mine.

• Armitage told Evan to keep the Necronomicon page inside him, gave him an address for a Plague Nest, and ordered him to kill everyone there and destroy the Ghoul King idol.
• Evan transformed his wings into black mist, discovered he could dash while immune to conventional physical attacks, and flew toward Bolton City with the cat and Crucible.
• At a secluded mine, a Demon oversaw Mages and Brass-colored zombies feeding on corpses near an idol of the Ghoul King.
• Evan approached the Demon and dodged his flaming attacks by turning into mist.
• The Demon hit Evan with a punch, but Evan blocked it and smashed the Demon's head with a black-mist elbow.

Evan raided a hidden Ghoul cult chamber and found a strange egg-like artifact that released a dangerous power into Little Orange Cat. He used a Moonlight Potion, his blood, and the Secondary Brain to stabilize her as she began transforming, leaving her fate uncertain.

• Evan controlled two Apprentice Mages, entered the chamber, and destroyed more than forty Brass Zombies.
• Evan broke open the statue, seized the egg-like artifact, and watched it escape his grasp before Little Orange Cat caught it.
• The artifact burst apart and black-and-white, maggot-like things entered Little Orange Cat, causing her body to wither and mutate.
• Evan covered Little Orange Cat with his Secondary Brain and discovered traces of his Spirituality and Magic Potions in her body.
• Evan gave Little Orange Cat part of his Moonlight Potion, eased the Secondary Brain's suppression, and fed her his life-force-rich blood as the artifact's power merged with her.
• Little Orange Cat's aura and strength increased as her fur grew back, her skin and bones toughened, and sharp bone talons emerged from her paws.

Evan used an improvised Protection Potion to raise Kitten’s capacity and complete its fusion, then discovered that fragments of the Ghoul King’s statue improved the potion. He killed the two Mages in the lair and carried every statue fragment back to Gooding Street to brew more Protection Potions.

• Kitten’s fusion stalled when it reached its capacity limit, so Evan brewed an Improved Protection Potion after statue fragments accidentally fell into the mixture.
• Evan confirmed the potion’s protective effect and realized the Ghoul King’s statue fragments were the key ingredient, then brewed another batch and fed half a tablet to Kitten.
• The potion let Kitten’s fusion resume, and Kitten finished transforming into a large orange cat that bonded faintly with Evan.
• Evan questioned the two Mages, learned that the Holy Black Goat had sent them to handle bodies of Disease patients, then killed them.
• Evan packed the statue fragments into sacks and bags, stuffed the remaining pieces into his mouth, and returned to Gooding Street with the materials.

Gust watched Evan’s rapid growth and hoped his new strength would help defend Gooding Street from an approaching disaster. After Evan hid the stolen Necronomicon page and tested the effects of his Protection Potion, he visited David and learned that Magic Potion incidents were spreading across the city.

• Gust observed Evan’s new abilities and believed his progress would soon let Gust become a Master and help protect Gooding Street.
• Evan expelled the stolen statue fragments from his body, hid the Necronomicon page inside himself, and wondered whether the energy he had taken was connected to the Bone Saint Child.
• A masked woman found the ruined Hollow, discovered that the statue and its fragments were gone, and used the Copper Corpses to form a Brass Centipede that carried her out of the mine.
• Evan checked that Little Orange Cat showed no signs of losing control and learned that reversing the Protection Potion’s side effect had increased his bone density and Physique.
• Evan brewed sixteen Protection Potion tablets, visited David, and heard that Magic Potion incidents were multiplying around the city, possibly to distract the Special Operations Team.

Evan revealed a Magic Potion that absorbed the side effects of other potions, earning the trust and leadership of his Demon Hunter brothers. After securing the tablets and arranging to move the Deity Statue fragments, he began hunting potion-tainted rats on Seatea Street, unaware that a hidden enemy was targeting him.

• Evan joined David, Richard, and Erlong on Seatea Street to deal with rats spreading diluted Magic Potion through the neighborhood.
• Evan showed the brothers his new tablets and explained that they could absorb the side effects of other Magic Potions for an hour.
• David tested a tablet with Shark Potion and confirmed that he suffered none of its usual side effects.
• Richard, David, and Erlong swore loyalty to Evan and named him leader of their Demon Hunter branch.
• Evan divided the tablets among the brothers and asked them to move his Deity Statue fragments to David's cellar.
• Evan used Demon Hunter Sight to track the Magic Potion aura on Seatea Street, while a hidden attacker vowed to make its potion attack his intestines.

Evan investigated the old woman’s home and discovered that her grandson had been transformed into a Human-Headed Rat while she carried a concealed Delayed-Action Potion. After uncovering the Burrowing Worm’s trap, Evan accidentally absorbed its clone through his rectum, leaving the creature trapped inside him and horrified by the Magic Potions and artifact in his intestines.

• Evan entered the old woman’s apartment under the pretense of catching rats, but caught her trying to stab him and realized she was being controlled.
• The old woman’s grandson emerged as a Human-Headed Rat, and Evan subdued him with Mist Brain Plague rather than killing him.
• The old woman transformed into a humanoid spider after her concealed Magic Potion took effect, while Big Orange attacked her face.
• Evan found a potion-infused potato and caught two giant rats, but a Burrowing Worm clone entered his rectum and the Panel recorded a permanent 1% gain in Star-Driller’s Maw.
• The Burrowing Worm tried to burrow deeper into Evan but was overwhelmed by the potion-rich surroundings and encountered a Book Page that filled it with terror.

Evan pursued the Burrowing Worm after its clone was absorbed, while the creature fled through the sewers and tried to escape into the sky. Evan caught it in midair and crushed it for the innocent people it had harmed.

• The Burrowing Worm's clone was absorbed by the intestinal wall, and the creature fled through a crack in the apartment as Evan seized and severed its tail.
• Evan sent the orange cat after the Burrowing Worm, then killed the dying grandmother after she reached for her transformed grandson.
• The orange cat, protected by the Secondary Brain, chased the Burrowing Worm through the sewer and tore at it despite its corrosive Magic Potion.
• The Burrowing Worm escaped through a sewage outlet, formed wings, and flew above the city, but Evan caught it with an invisible force.
• Evan carried the Burrowing Worm upward and crushed it, saying he was avenging the old woman, the child, and the innocent people it had hurt.

Evan killed the Burrowing Worm, devoured its potent body, and gained two Beyonder Characteristics that advanced Star-Driller's Maw to stage one. He returned to Seatea Street with his newly named cat Gold as Gray tried to explain away the supernatural fight to the neighbors.

• Evan used the Silver Key to extract the Burrowing Worm's memories about Magic Potions, then crushed the creature as it threatened him with the Excellence Institute.
• Evan swallowed the dying Burrowing Worm and reversed the potion's side effect, gaining Star-Driller's Maw and Flame of Excellence while advancing Star-Driller's Maw to stage one.
• Evan reunited with Big Orange, named the cat Gold, and examined the abilities of his two new Beyonder Characteristics on the way back to Seatea Street.
• Evan found police and agitated neighbors outside his damaged apartment, where Gray claimed the witnesses had hallucinated after overworking and taking too much medication.

Evan calmed the frightened residents of Seatea Street, treated their symptoms, and helped the police clear out Magic Potion-tainted rats. Meanwhile, Sapp and Kaini discussed the coming Birth Plan and decided to keep Arkham alive as a useful wild card; Evan ended the day by learning what a Familiar was from Vic.

• Evan rallied the crowd by having them shout “Bad Luck, Go Away!” and secretly drained illness-causing substances from several residents.
• Evan explained that fumes from contraband production had made the neighbors feel ill, then persuaded them to help catch the remaining criminals.
• At a secret meeting, Kaini reported the Burrowing Worm’s death, and the factions learned the Birth Plan would begin on the thirty-first.
• Sapp considered killing Arkham, but Kaini argued that keeping him alive would help them monitor Klaus and their enemies; Sapp promised to restore Kaini’s face after the plan succeeded.
• With the neighbors’ help, Evan and Gold cleared out rats carrying traces of Magic Potion and recovered potion fragments before Evan left Seatea Street.
• Evan collected four hundred U.S. Dollars from Vic, who explained how a Familiar worked, and Gold startled him by taking his Round-Headed Elderly Cat Form.

Evan learned how Familiars support their masters and revisited the transformed child before deciding he should be given a quick death. At home, Evan activated the first stage of the Star-Driller's Maw characteristic and discovered he could store and retrieve objects in a space inside his intestines.

• Vic explained that Familiars could grow alongside their masters and demonstrated how his crow, Dark, helped him during daylight.
• Vic and Allen took Evan to see the transformed child, who woke briefly, accused Evan of hurting his grandmother, and was put back to sleep by Vic.
• Evan told Vic that the creature's Magic Potion had been linked to the Excellence Institute, and Evan asked that the child be given a quick death.
• At home, Evan confirmed the Star-Driller's Maw characteristic, enduring severe pain as it created a small storage space in his intestines.
• Evan stored and retrieved his Lion Potion, Silver Cross Sword, and Crucible, then celebrated his new intestinal storage space.

Evan studied Burrowing Worm’s memories and discovered methods for fusing Monster organs with human bodies, along with the Living Potion’s destructive experiments and ties to the Doom Witch. He resolved to investigate whether those techniques could strengthen Demon Hunters and left excited by the possibility of creating powerful, mass-produced hunters.

• Evan checked his improved attributes, fed Gold, and began watching the Living Potion’s memories.
• Evan learned that Burrowing Worm had been created and trained by the Excellence Institute to absorb and reproduce potions, then used its knowledge to conduct cruel experiments.
• Evan studied Burrowing Worm’s records on fusing Monster organs with human bodies and realized that a potion buffer might help recipients control bestiality.
• Evan learned that Burrowing Worm and Aether had met Professor Byron, who planned to open the Black Sun Ruins with a potion test subject.
• Evan discovered that the Doom Witch had directed Aether to prepare the Accommodation Potion ritual and Burrowing Worm to cause chaos and distract the Judges’ Faction.
• Evan resolved to ask Hill and Richard about the Demon Hunters’ records of Monster fusion and imagined creating a stronger, mass-produced Demon Hunter lineage.

Evan discovered that the gargoyle Moro belonged to the Holy Son Salvation Faction and opposed the Bone Revival Faction’s plan to summon the Son of God. Moro explained the Ritual’s stages and urged Evan to help stop it, which was expected to begin that night and threaten civilians; he also revealed that rival organizations had arrived in Bolton City.

• Evan awoke to a fake Golden attacking him, struck the creature, and found himself in a dream landscape beside a tower surrounded by bones.
• The gargoyle introduced himself as Moro, explained his ties to Wright, and said he belonged to a faction seeking to prevent the Son of God’s blasphemous descent.
• Moro warned Evan that the Ritual would draw civilians into a dream rift as sacrifices, where their souls could die, and said the first stage could be stopped by destroying at least five of nine Sanctuaries.
• Moro described the later stages, including Sapp’s plan to seize Golden’s power and the danger of letting the Son of God awaken too early.
• Moro told Evan that rival groups, including the Green Flame Brotherhood and the Blazing Sun Knights, were in Bolton City, and that Inspector Blakes had joined the opposition.

Evan learned that powerful factions were gathering for an impending disaster and prepared himself and his allies for the Dream dungeon. He arrived at a Special Operations Team meeting, where Colt Dick of the Sleeping Order introduced himself.

• Moro warned Evan that rival factions, including the Sleeping Order, were waiting for a chance to strike and urged him to prevent a needless disaster.
• Evan woke on Gooding Street, confirmed that his intestinal storage space could carry supplies into the Dream, and stored Goldie there.
• Evan asked Gust to make sure the Gus Gang protected Gooding Street if trouble came, then went to David's villa.
• Evan gathered Richard, David, and Erlong's weapons, potions, and other supplies in his storage space as they prepared to enter the dungeon fully equipped.
• Vic summoned Evan and his allies to a meeting at the Special Operations Team, where Colt Dick introduced himself as a member of the Sleeping Order.

Evan joined a coalition preparing to enter the Dreamlands and destroy a Magic Potion stronghold, while questioning what the authorities were withholding. After the groups performed the Ritual and gathered weapons, they arrived in a cavern where the operation looked more like a brawl than a coordinated effort to save the city.

• Vic briefed Evan, Dick, the Pucks, and the other experts on the enemy strongholds, threats, rewards, and their assignments.
• Vic assigned Evan's faction to work with the Healing Church and destroy Stronghold Three and its Magic Potion traces.
• The coalition received contact emblems, learned the Ritual, and entered the Dreamlands at eight that evening.
• Evan found Lane, Father Jask's Church unit, and the drafted independent Beyonders gathered in an underground cavern.
• A shock wave incapacitated several Apprentices until Father Jask rang a copper bell, then steel-doll nuns distributed weapons and supplies.
• Evan took two copper daggers and watched the groups collect equipment, convinced the mission resembled a street brawl.

Evan and his companions entered a cavern filled with Potion Aberrations and confronted Aether, the Living Potion, while Aether prepared to kill Evan for his body and Klaus pursued his own plans. Evan struck Aether, but discovered that the monster could alter his density and viscosity, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Evan joined Father Jask’s Monks in entering the cavern, where the group split up to destroy the ritual and deal with the Magic Potion remnants.
• Aether revealed his weapons against Evan to Kaini, then discussed with Klaus how capturing Evan could help Klaus complete a sacrifice and free the Excellence Institute from the Dreamlands.
• Evan, Richard, David, and Erlong entered the chamber and faced hundreds of Potion Aberrations, while Aether recognized their resistance to poison and suspected they carried rare equipment.
• Richard sent the approaching aberrations flying with a shock wave, and Erlong released two Demon Spirits as Aether attacked the group with needle-like projectiles.
• Evan charged Aether and landed two powerful blows, but Aether absorbed the first and endured the second by changing his body’s density and viscosity.

Evan defeated Aether by exploiting his hidden resistances, then joined Richard, David, and Erlong after they destroyed the Magic Array. Mr. Puck transported Evan to help the Copper-armored Fanatic Group, whose survivors faced a lightning-wielding woman as Lane prepared to confront her.

• Aether revealed a skeletal true body and tried to kill Evan with a Sunstone, but Evan tore Aether from the Potion Shell and destroyed the shell with a Toxic Blood Bullet.
• Evan subdued Aether with Mist Brain Plague, killed him, and left the ruined Potion Shell behind because he could not safely carry or consume it.
• David destroyed the Magic Array's core, and Evan's team secured the area while Richard warned Evan to stay out of wider disputes.
• Mr. Puck reported that the Copper-armored Fanatic Group was close to being wiped out, so Evan agreed to go help Lane.
• At the cavern, a lightning-wielding woman overwhelmed Father Jask's group, and Lane transformed into a Brass Burly Man to face her.

Evan rescued Lane and the surviving Fanatics from the Black Goat Mask woman, then fled as the ritual site destabilized. He was dragged into the Dreamlands, where the Son of God was born and a battle erupted around Sapp; Evan joined the others in collecting the debris infused with the newborn’s aura.

• Evan endured the woman’s lightning, killed her with a single charge, and took her broken Black Goat Mask before the cave began collapsing.
• Father Jask ordered a retreat, and Evan escaped through the Magic Array with Richard and the others as the ritual advanced unexpectedly.
• The Doom Witch and Klaus disrupted Evan’s return to reality, but Moro’s power pulled him into the Dreamlands, where he found Dick and fed Golden fried eggs.
• Sapp’s ritual reached its climax, the Son of God was born, and Evan received a Spirit Vision increase as the shock wave swept through the bone sea.
• Augustus and another giant attacked Sapp’s tower, and Evan, Dick, Klaus, and Professor Byron gathered the fragments infused with the Son of God’s aura.

Rhys Sapp transformed the tower into a Higher One’s Body and overwhelmed the assembled Masters, while Evan escaped Klaus’s grasp with Hill’s help. Sapp killed Klaus and reunited with Kaini, restoring her face as Evan remained in danger.

• Rhys Sapp transformed the tower into a golden mechanical giant powered by the Skeleton Embryo and attacked the Knight and Inquisitor with a massive Money Sword.
• Sapp’s Higher One’s gaze and molten-steel assault devastated the battlefield, while Professor Byron tried to teleport Evan away and Klaus seized him.
• Hill broke Klaus’s skeletal claws, blessed Evan with increased movement speed, and disappeared as Evan ran through the falling molten steel.
• Sapp captured Klaus in his giant hand, rejected his pleas, and crushed him into a steel statue.
• Sapp emerged from the giant rejuvenated, embraced Kaini, and used the Son of God’s energy to restore her disfigured face while Evan continued dodging attacks.

Evan confronted Sapp, whose Class Barrier stopped Evan’s attack, as Sapp suddenly lost control of his body. Kaini and Klaus emerged from Sapp’s shoulders and revealed their connections to his past, leaving Sapp stunned by the truth about his parentage.

• Sapp killed Kaini, captured Evan with his Dollar Vortex, and began branding him with his Higher One Authority.
• Sapp’s power went out of control, and his hands opened against his will, allowing Evan to escape his grasp.
• Evan attacked Sapp but was repelled by the Capitalist’s Class Barrier, which Old Hunter Rhine explained protected Sapp from anyone with lower Status and fewer assets.
• Kaini and Klaus emerged as heads from Sapp’s shoulders, each controlling one of his arms.
• Kaini revealed that he was Sapp’s illegitimate son, born to Linda after Sapp assaulted her, and that he had survived the fire that scarred his face.
• Klaus claimed he was Sapp’s biological father and revealed that he had arranged the assault on Linda, leaving Sapp horrified.

Klaus and Kaini tried to seize Sapp’s body and use Evan’s Ghoul King’s Blessing, but Sapp disrupted them, allowing Evan to escape before a catastrophic battle left him in pieces. Evan reassembled enough of himself to help the badly wounded Dick return from the Dreamlands, and Dick revealed a secret about the Bone Saint Child that might give Evan a chance at the ultimate reward.

• Klaus and Kaini revealed that their family bloodline let them inhabit Sapp’s body and that Evan’s blessing could help them take control, while Evan tried to flee.
• The Nobility and Church Higher Ones attacked, and Sapp fought Klaus and Kaini for control, disrupting their powers and letting Evan escape.
• Klaus’s failed attempt to teleport Evan split his body apart, but Evan healed and fled as the three consciousnesses battled inside the Golden Steam Giant.
• A devastating blast leveled the Dreamlands and shattered Evan into more than a hundred pieces, so he used his tongue to recover and reassemble parts of his body.
• Evan found the gravely wounded Dick and helped him activate a silver Cross that could send him back, and Dick told Evan the Bone Saint Child did not want to descend into the world or manifest in the Material World.