Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “King of Delight”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hawkins observes a massive Dream Realm invasion at the boundary between the sea and the mist layer. Huge dark-purple tentacles emerge from a black spatial rift, spraying poisonous white mist over the Sea Settlement.
• In the group chat, Mark recalls a similar incident from his childhood in the Red Sea. His family once sheltered in an Underground Castle while the sky turned dark purple, and many relatives—including an uncle—disappeared afterward. Hawkins concludes that this was likely another Dream Realm invasion.
• Hawkins tests the tentacles with Ball Lightning, but the attack causes no damage and instead makes them release mist more rapidly.
• An elderly Curse Caster arrives riding a gigantic Turtle. After confirming that Hawkins did not cause the incident, he identifies the entity behind it as the King of Delight, a powerful Dream Realm Creature.
• The old man explains that the King of Delight is not a single being but a vast network of constantly dividing tentacles, with complex reproductive relationships and the ability to connect across dimensions.
• Its Domain of Delight increases the likelihood of negative events while reducing the likelihood of positive ones. The mist is also poisonous, making survival increasingly unlikely for anyone trapped inside.
• The old man reveals that Dream Realm Creatures require a Cursed Relic Medium to enter the Bolan World. Destroying the Medium or sending it into the Dream Realm would expel the creature.
• Hawkins realizes that locating the Medium will be extremely difficult, especially if it is within the dangerous mist domain. He considers killing the King of Delight, but the old man explains that its ancient, endlessly dividing true body is far too enormous and powerful for ordinary humans to destroy.
• Concerned about the tens of thousands of people in the Sea Settlement, including children, Hawkins resolves to find a way to end the domain as quickly as possible.

Character Developments

• Hawkins demonstrates caution, intelligence, and a strong sense of responsibility. Although he lacks information about Dream Realm invasions, he quickly analyzes the situation and prioritizes saving civilians.
• His experience inside the mist reveals that State-Zero may protect him from misfortune and Dream Realm poison, making it far more powerful than he previously understood.
• Hawkins also recognizes the limits of his abilities. He understands that the King of Delight cannot simply be defeated through brute force and that finding the Medium is likely the only practical solution.
• Mark reveals a traumatic and incomplete memory of a childhood disaster in the Red Sea, suggesting that his family may have concealed the truth about the Dream Realm.
• The old man is introduced as an experienced specialist in supernatural incidents. Though dismissive and amused by Hawkins’s questions, he provides crucial knowledge about the King of Delight, its domain, and the method for expelling it.

Significant Themes

• The danger of insufficient knowledge: Hawkins repeatedly acknowledges that intelligence alone cannot solve a problem without reliable information. The mysterious nature of the Dream Realm leaves him unable to deduce the cause or solution immediately.
• Human vulnerability before ancient forces: The King of Delight has existed for hundreds of thousands of years and possesses an endlessly expanding body, emphasizing the overwhelming scale of Dream Realm entities.
• Misfortune and distorted probability: The Domain of Delight turns bad luck into a near-certainty and suppresses positive outcomes, making reality itself hostile to those trapped inside.
• Responsibility and protection: Despite the danger, Hawkins is unwilling to abandon the Sea Settlement’s inhabitants. His decision reflects his growing moral commitment to protecting ordinary people.
• The limits of conventional power: Physical attacks fail against the tentacles, and even killing the creature is impractical. The conflict will require understanding the invasion’s mechanism rather than relying on strength.

Character Interactions

• The group-chat discussion between Hawkins, Mark, Asmodeus, Qiao Si, and Ai Miye establishes that the phenomenon resembles a Dream Realm invasion and connects it to Mark’s hidden family history.
• Hawkins and the old man exchange cautious introductions, with the old man first checking whether Hawkins caused the disaster.
• Their conversation shifts from suspicion to cooperation as the old man explains the King of Delight and its Domain of Delight.
• Hawkins challenges the old man’s assumptions by asking whether the King can be killed, while the old man responds with humor and disbelief, emphasizing the vast difference between human capability and the creature’s scale.
• Though the old man initially treats Hawkins as an inexperienced “self-taught Curse Caster,” Hawkins’s survival inside the domain and his thoughtful questions suggest that he may possess unusual abilities and potential.

Chapter Summary: “Catching the Little Tentacle”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hawkins and the old man realize that a supposedly independent tentacle of the King of Delight has been reproducing inside Bolan World.
• The old man explains that the tentacle was likely born in the Real World after the King of Delight extended part of itself there. As a result, it is now treated as a creature of the Real World and can survive without a Medium.
• This creates the possibility of a second King of Delight emerging in reality, making the situation potentially world-ending.
• Hawkins deduces that the tentacle is hiding in an underwater cave within the Domain of Delight. The King of Delight’s surrounding tentacles may be searching for it, either to destroy it or possibly to protect it.
• Hawkins and the old man split up to search. Hawkins enters the sea through Resonant Fusion and State Zero, while the old man uses his Turtle and smoke.
• Hawkins recognizes that the little tentacle was freed when it used the fate-severing scissors to cut its connection with a male tentacle. This severed “marriage” bond allowed it to reproduce independently.
• After tracking the tentacle to a bone-filled underwater cave, Hawkins attempts to capture it with Eternal Space.
• The tentacle escapes at tremendous speed. Hawkins pursues it and throws the cursed scissors at it.
• While evading the scissors, the tentacle misjudges their trajectory and is struck at the weak point of its forked body. Its speed drops, allowing Hawkins to capture it inside Eternal Space.

Character Developments

• Hawkins shifts from initially overthinking the problem to confidently analyzing the situation and taking command of the operation. His deductions about the tentacle’s origin, location, and weaknesses prove accurate.
• He also demonstrates greater combat experience and composure, remaining unfazed by the tentacle’s grotesque appearance and adapting quickly when it escapes.
• The old man is established as an expert on Dream Realm Creatures and their reproduction. Though smug and irritable, he cooperates with Hawkins and recognizes the seriousness of the threat.
• Their relationship becomes more collaborative: the old man provides specialized knowledge, while Hawkins contributes observation, deduction, and tactical action.

Significant Themes

• Consequences and causality: Hawkins reflects on how the tentacle’s freedom resulted from a chain of events involving the woman’s corpse, the scissors, and the severing of its bond with the male tentacle.
• Boundaries between worlds: The chapter explores how creatures from the Dream Realm can establish themselves in reality and how birth determines a creature’s connection to a world.
• Independence and uncontrolled growth: Once freed from its reproductive restriction, the tentacle becomes capable of multiplying and potentially developing into a second King of Delight.
• Fate and severed connections: The scissors symbolize the ability to cut bonds and alter destiny, but they also leave behind curses that ultimately help Hawkins capture the tentacle.
• Human-like laws in a supernatural setting: Hawkins compares the tentacle’s status to nationality acquired by birth, humorously framing an existential supernatural threat as an “illegal immigrant.”

Character Interactions

• The old man teases Hawkins for “showing off,” while Hawkins acknowledges the old man’s expertise.
• They debate whether the King of Delight is hunting the tentacle to destroy it or attempting to protect it, ultimately agreeing not to rely on the King’s intentions.
• The pair coordinate their search but separate underwater to cover more ground.
• Hawkins relies on the old man’s mirror and knowledge, then independently uses his own observations and reasoning to locate and capture the tentacle.

Chapter Summary: “Sea Zombies”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The old man uses the Mirror of Cause and Effect to track the escaped tentacle of the King of Delight, believing he will find it before Hawkins.
• Hawkins unexpectedly locates and destroys the tentacle first, using a pair of cursed scissors disguised as a thrown weapon. He then returns to the cave and devours the scissors with the Eternal Spirit.
• The old man is deeply surprised by Hawkins’s abilities and suspects that a hidden powerhouse may be guiding him. However, since Hawkins is not an enemy and the crisis is resolved, he chooses not to investigate further and returns to the Dream Realm.
• With the tentacle destroyed and its Medium gone, the fog around the trench disperses.
• In Eternal Space, Asmodeus submits the mission and exchanges his reward for 500 Curse Power, allowing him to use the key to visit the Real World.
• Asmodeus arrives aboard the Black Knife and explains that he wants to return to House Town, where his relatives once lived, even though the town was destroyed and they are probably dead.
• Because the ship has no lifeboat, Mark and Asmodeus construct a raft from the ship’s regenerating vines. Mark accompanies him, partly to protect him and partly to explore for pirates.
• Mark and Victor make a secret agreement: Mark will leave the Black Knife and give Victor thirty percent of his future rewards for covering for him.
• During the journey, Mark complains about a mission requiring them to snipe mysterious Highland Barbarians, while Asmodeus quietly fishes.
• At night, Asmodeus reflects peacefully on the value of being alive after his long imprisonment inside the ring.
• Their calm journey ends when they hear an eerie song coming from beneath the raft. Mark discovers numerous bloated, rotting corpses rising from the sea—sea zombies—and one nearly grabs him.

Character Developments

• Hawkins demonstrates that his abilities and resources are far greater than the old man assumed. His use of the cursed scissors reveals that he can accomplish things even an ancient powerhouse cannot easily understand.
• The old man shifts from dismissing Hawkins as a lucky, inexperienced Curse Caster to recognizing him as someone potentially backed by a hidden expert. His cautious nature is reinforced when he decides not to interfere unnecessarily.
• Asmodeus takes an important step toward reconnecting with the Real World. His desire to revisit House Town shows that, despite his past suffering and uncertainty about his relatives, he still retains emotional ties and hope.
• Mark acts protectively toward Asmodeus by accompanying him, while also displaying his opportunistic and mischievous side through the secret deal with Victor.
• Victor continues to manipulate situations for personal benefit, using Mark’s absence as an opportunity to negotiate a reward.
• Asmodeus’s quiet appreciation of life contrasts with Mark’s casual complaints and humor, highlighting their different temperaments.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and misjudgment: The old man’s mistaken assessment of Hawkins emphasizes that power and ability can be concealed, and that appearances are unreliable.
• The vastness of the unknown: The idea that “the sea always hides a bigger fish” applies both to the ocean and to the wider world of Curse Casters, suggesting that greater forces remain hidden.
• Freedom and return: Asmodeus’s journey out of Eternal Space represents a return to reality and an attempt to reclaim part of his lost past.
• The value of life: After enduring confinement and despair, Asmodeus realizes that simply being alive—even while facing suffering—is precious.
• Comradeship mixed with self-interest: Mark helps Asmodeus but also seeks profit and adventure, while Victor supports him only after negotiating compensation.
• Calm before danger: The peaceful voyage and starry night create a sharp contrast with the sudden appearance of the sea zombies, reinforcing the threatening unpredictability of the sea.

Character Interactions

• The old man indirectly compares his tracking ability with Hawkins’s, becoming unsettled when Hawkins succeeds first.
• Hawkins and the old man never speak directly, but their actions reveal mutual awareness and cautious respect.
• Asmodeus asks Mark and Victor how to leave the ship, prompting them to improvise a vine raft.
• Mark and Victor bargain over the rewards for abandoning their duties, revealing their humorous but transactional relationship.
• Mark accompanies Asmodeus out of concern for his safety, while Asmodeus remains grateful and focused on returning home.
• Their companionship is interrupted when Asmodeus notices the underwater singing and Mark investigates, leading directly to the discovery of the sea zombies.

Chapter Summary: “Fishman Legend”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mark and Asmodeus encounter undead corpses attacking their raft while fishing in the dark sea.
• Asmodeus suggests retreating into Eternal Space, but Mark insists on fighting rather than abandoning their work.
• Mark uses Silver Wolf to cut apart the corpses, but their numbers continue increasing. The corpses eventually overturn the raft, dragging both men underwater.
• Asmodeus escapes through a Spatial Passage into Eternal Space, unintentionally bringing several corpses with him. Hawkins restrains the corpses and learns that Mark and Asmodeus left without permission.
• Hawkins travels to the sea through Eternal Space and observes Mark struggling underwater. Rather than immediately intervening, he waits to assess the enemy and Mark’s ability to survive.
• As Mark’s desperation grows, he enters the Resonant Fusion state. His strength and speed increase dramatically, allowing him to destroy more than a hundred corpses.
• The true enemy finally emerges: a huge Flood Dragon Fishman controlling the corpses from the depths.
• The Fishman attacks Hawkins, but Mark intercepts it first. After being struck and thrown aside by the powerful creature, Mark leaves Hawkins to intervene.
• Hawkins expands his Electromagnetic Field, lifting and immobilizing the Fishman. The Fishman retaliates by firing blue beams from its eyes, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Mark: Initially frightened and irritated, Mark becomes increasingly determined to resist the attack. His desperation helps him enter Resonant Fusion more easily than before, demonstrating that previous experience has made the transformation more accessible. He also shows courage by attacking the Fishman to protect or assist Hawkins.
• Asmodeus: Displays greater caution than Mark and recognizes the danger of remaining underwater. Though embarrassed about retreating and bringing corpses back with him, he makes a practical decision that saves his life.
• Hawkins: Acts as both observer and supervisor. He is amused by the situation but remains calculating, studying the Fishman’s intelligence and deliberately delaying intervention to evaluate Mark. He also establishes his authority by noting Mark’s unauthorized absence and impending punishment.
• Flood Dragon Fishman: Revealed as an intelligent and powerful underwater predator capable of controlling undead corpses. Its strength greatly exceeds Mark’s despite his Resonant Fusion state.

Significant Themes

• Courage versus caution: Mark refuses to flee, while Asmodeus prioritizes survival, showing two different responses to danger.
• Growth through adversity: Mark’s repeated battles with Liquid Man and the corpses allow him to enter Resonant Fusion more efficiently, suggesting that experience gradually turns overwhelming abilities into skills.
• Authority and responsibility: Hawkins treats Mark and Asmodeus’s unauthorized expedition as a disciplinary matter, emphasizing that power does not excuse disobedience.
• Legends becoming reality: Fishmen, previously regarded as myths, are confirmed to exist, expanding the world’s supernatural dangers and mysteries.
• Predator and prey: The corpses and Fishman deliberately attempt to drown the protagonists, while Hawkins reverses the balance by trapping the hunter.

Character Interactions

• Mark and Asmodeus disagree over whether to retreat, with Mark choosing confrontation and Asmodeus favoring escape.
• Hawkins reassures Asmodeus that the failed mission was not entirely his fault but warns that Mark will be punished for leaving the Black Knife without permission.
• Hawkins observes Mark from above without revealing himself, treating the battle partly as a test of Mark’s abilities.
• Mark attacks the Flood Dragon Fishman before it can reach Hawkins, but the Fishman overpowers and throws him aside.
• Hawkins then takes control of the fight by immobilizing the Fishman, prompting the creature to attack him with eye-beams.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Flood Dragon Fishman attacks Hawkins with its ultimate Extreme Cold Beam, but Hawkins survives by rapidly using his immense Curse Power to offset most of the damage. He is temporarily frostbitten rather than frozen.
• The Fishman escapes into the ocean. Mark pursues it but loses track of it, releases Resonant Fusion, and collapses. Hawkins places Mark in Eternal Space before continuing the pursuit alone.
• Hawkins determines that the Flood Dragon Fishman was not responsible for the deaths of Huo Blackblade and the original Hawkins, but decides to capture it because it is valuable material and may possess useful information.
• Hawkins follows the Fishman to a hidden underwater city inhabited by intelligent Fishmen. He discovers that they abduct humans, using some as playthings and others as food.
• Enraged, Hawkins unleashes his maximum Curse Power through Air Compression, destroying the entire underwater city in a massive blast. The attack consumes roughly 600,000 Curse Power.
• Hawkins captures the fleeing Flood Dragon Fishman and stores it in Eternal Space, treating it as another addition to his collection.
• The next day, Mark awakens in Eternal Space and realizes Hawkins rescued him after he abandoned the pursuit. Fearing dismissal, he pretends to be asleep, but learns that Hawkins has instead punished him by withholding three months of salary and imposing a 10,000 Curse Power fine.

Character Developments

• Hawkins demonstrates the limits and advantages of his abilities. His reaction speed is extraordinarily high, but active defensive skills still require conscious activation, allowing him to be injured before Curse Power can protect him.
• He is shown to be calculating and pragmatic: although he knows the Fishman is not Huo Blackblade’s killer, he still pursues it for its potential value and information.
• Hawkins also reveals a fierce moral reaction to the Fishmen’s treatment of humans, abandoning his usual cost-consciousness to annihilate their city.
• Mark proves reckless and unreliable by abandoning his duty, but he remains dependent on Hawkins and fears losing his place in Eternal Space. His humorous anxiety highlights his subordinate position.
• The Flood Dragon Fishman changes from an aggressive hunter into a terrified fugitive after realizing Hawkins is vastly more powerful. Its shock suggests that Hawkins’s strength is unusual even among the Seven Seas’ powerful Curse Casters.

Significant Themes

• Power versus reaction time: Even exceptional speed cannot easily counter beam-based attacks that travel at the speed of light; survival depends on prediction or instant defensive abilities.
• The cost of power: Hawkins’s victory requires an enormous expenditure of Curse Power, showing that overwhelming strength comes with significant resource limitations.
• Justice and vengeance: Hawkins destroys the Fishmen’s city because of their cruelty toward humans, blending moral outrage with his practical desire to obtain the Fishman as a specimen.
• Humanity and monstrosity: The intelligent Fishmen appear civilized but commit brutal acts, while Hawkins responds with catastrophic violence, complicating the distinction between hero and monster.
• Authority and discipline: Mark’s punishment establishes Hawkins as both captain and employer, reinforcing the organization’s hierarchy.

Character Interactions

• Hawkins and the Flood Dragon Fishman clash directly, with Hawkins surviving its strongest attack and later overwhelming its entire civilization.
• Mark attempts to pursue the Fishman but is rescued by Hawkins after collapsing.
• Hawkins and Mark’s relationship is shown to be both protective and disciplinary: Hawkins saves Mark’s life but punishes him financially for neglecting his duties.
• Arthur informs Mark of his punishment, while Mark’s exaggerated fear and attempt to pretend to be asleep provide comic relief after the destructive underwater battle.

Chapter Summary: Seizing Black Market Island

Key Plot Points and Events

• Flood Dragon Fishman Hanhai—Bonas awakens imprisoned in Hawkins’s laboratory. He is restrained by strange silver rings that generate invisible chains and is unable to escape.
• Hawkins subjects Bonas to brutal experiments, including severing and analyzing one of his arms. The examination reveals that Bonas’s genetic structure resembles that of Dream Realm Creatures, possessing the same twelve-helix DNA structure.
• Hawkins theorizes that Fishmen may actually be Dream Realm Creatures that somehow entered and reproduced in the Real World. However, he cannot read Bonas’s memories, suggesting an incompatibility between their biological “operating systems.”
• Bonas threatens Hawkins with retaliation from other Fishmen and accidentally confirms that more Fishman cities exist in the Seven Seas. Hawkins questions him for information but continues the experiments when Bonas refuses to cooperate.
• Meanwhile, the Black Knife returns to Black Market Island. Most residents, including assassins and other criminals, have fled after realizing that Hawkins is too powerful to oppose.
• Dalton, the island’s ruler, waits for Death Star Pavilion to eliminate Hawkins. After a month passes without results, he realizes the assassination has failed and prepares to abandon the island.
• Before Dalton can escape, Hawkins arrives and opens a Spatial Passage above Black Market Island. A gigantic, eye-covered arm emerges, driving observers insane and causing Dalton’s body to mutate into a mass of flesh.
• Hawkins uses the arm’s immense magnetic power to lift the entire island from the sea and transport it through the Spatial Passage, effectively claiming Black Market Island.
• Afterward, Hawkins and his crew continue toward Little Will Island to search for another treasure.

Character Developments

• Hawkins remains calm, ruthless, and scientifically curious. He treats Bonas primarily as an experimental subject and shows little emotional reaction to the Fishman’s threats or suffering.
• Bonas is reduced from a defeated Fishman noble to a helpless captive. His anger and desire for revenge remain strong, but fear of death prevents him from giving up.
• Dalton becomes increasingly anxious and cautious. His confidence in his organization and Death Star Pavilion erodes, and his fear of death ultimately leads him to abandon Black Market Island—though he is destroyed before he can escape.
• Mark displays a more relaxed and comedic side around Hawkins, admitting that his formerly serious attitude was partly an act. Hawkins responds by teasing him about his declining intelligence.
• Victor remains a largely silent member of the crew, accompanying Mark during the island’s seizure.

Significant Themes

• Power and domination: Hawkins’s overwhelming strength allows him to destroy opposition and physically claim an entire island.
• Scientific cruelty and dehumanization: Bonas is treated as a specimen rather than a person, highlighting Hawkins’s willingness to sacrifice morality for knowledge.
• Fear and survival: Dalton, the assassins, and Black Market Island’s residents abandon their former loyalties once Hawkins proves impossible to defeat.
• The unknown nature of the world: The discovery that Fishmen may be related to Dream Realm Creatures expands the mystery surrounding the origins and boundaries of different worlds.
• Rebuilding versus destruction: While Dalton fears losing the prosperous city he created, Hawkins simply relocates the entire island, demonstrating a radically different scale of ambition and capability.

Character Interactions

• Bonas repeatedly curses and threatens Hawkins, but Hawkins remains composed and uses his threats to extract information about other Fishman settlements.
• Hawkins’s interrogation of Bonas is largely one-sided: Bonas refuses to cooperate, while Hawkins responds by resuming his experiments.
• Dalton’s subordinates report the Black Knife’s arrival, prompting him to flee. His uncertainty reflects the fear Hawkins inspires even among powerful underworld figures.
• Hawkins instructs Mark and Victor to close their eyes before unleashing the terrifying eye-covered arm, protecting them from its mind-breaking effects.
• After the island is transported, Mark misunderstands what happened and jokingly asks whether Hawkins ate it. Hawkins mocks him before directing the crew toward their next destination.

Chapter Summary: “Pirates”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the Blackblade Pirates conquer Black Market Island, Hawkins becomes famous across the Seven Seas.
• Public opinion gives him the title “Pirate King,” replacing his former title, “Son of Pirates.” This new name attracts admiration but also makes him a target.
• On Jade Island, the Pirate Queen explains to her daughter that titles are political tools and rumors. She suspects someone is deliberately praising Hawkins in order to destroy him through the expectations and enemies the title creates.
• The Pirate Queen decides to remain uninvolved initially, planning to kill Hawkins herself if he survives the attacks and becomes a genuine threat.
• Captain Rogers, one of the strongest pirates in the Sylvia Sea, reacts furiously to Hawkins’s title. Though he recognizes that someone may be manipulating him into attacking the Blackblade Pirates, he chooses to take the opportunity.
• Smaller pirate crews, driven by jealousy and resentment, also decide to hunt Hawkins. Captain Big Mouth is especially envious because he and Hawkins were once considered roughly equal.
• A week later, the Black Knife travels through the Vesipus Strait. Hawkins introduces a new task requiring the crew to transport seawater in exchange for Exchange Points.
• The task is intended to create lakes on Vitalia Island for raising fish from the Real World while helping the group improve their abilities.
• The crew begins transporting seawater, and Mark soon earns enough Exchange Points to obtain electricity-generating cells.
• Victor earns enough points to revive Avril but hesitates, choosing instead to purchase a physical enhancement so he can transport seawater more efficiently and earn points faster.

Character Developments

• Hawkins: Gains enormous fame but also becomes vulnerable because the “Pirate King” title provokes powerful enemies. He shows increasing strategic awareness by using seawater transport both to improve Vitalia Island and to help the group grow stronger.
• The Pirate Queen: Reveals herself to be politically perceptive and dangerous. She understands the title’s hidden purpose and is prepared to eliminate Hawkins if he survives the coming conflict.
• The Pirate Queen’s daughter: Displays youthful anger and loyalty toward her mother’s status, but begins learning to think more strategically about reputation and power.
• Rogers: Demonstrates his aggressive temperament while also showing that he is not foolish. He suspects he is being used but intends to exploit the situation.
• Big Mouth: Reveals jealousy and insecurity, allowing resentment over Hawkins’s sudden rise to drive him toward a reckless attack.
• Mark: Benefits from the new task system and gains electricity-generating cells, proudly adopting the nickname “Storm Thunder God.”
• Victor: Continues to struggle with the emotional burden of Avril’s death. Although he has enough points to revive her, he postpones it to improve his body and increase his future efficiency.

Significant Themes

• The danger of reputation: Titles can elevate someone while simultaneously making them a target.
• Political manipulation: Hawkins’s new title appears to be a deliberate scheme designed to provoke powerful pirates into attacking him.
• Power and legitimacy: Being called the Pirate King does not make Hawkins one; he must survive the challenges and expectations attached to the title.
• Jealousy and ambition: Lesser pirates attack not because of strategy, but because they resent Hawkins’s rapid rise.
• Pragmatism versus emotion: Victor’s decision to delay Avril’s resurrection shows him choosing long-term efficiency over immediate emotional relief.
• Growth through labor: The seawater task provides a practical method for the group to gain strength and resources without relying solely on dangerous battles.

Character Interactions

• The Pirate Queen calmly counsels her daughter, teaching her that titles are tools used by others and that Hawkins may be being “praised to death.”
• Rogers rallies his crew to attack Hawkins, while a thin subordinate warns him that someone may be using the Rogers Pirates as a weapon.
• Big Mouth’s envy of Hawkins motivates him to seek out and destroy the Blackblade Pirates.
• Hawkins encourages Mark and the others by creating the seawater transport task.
• Mark impresses Arthur by shooting a seabird with an arrow, while Victor struggles to match him with a newly purchased sniper rifle.
• Victor silently wrestles with whether to revive Avril or strengthen himself first, ultimately choosing enhancement over immediate reunion.

Chapter Summary: “Siege”

Key Plot Points and Events

• While hauling seawater aboard the Black Knife, Arthur spots several approaching black-sailed ships and alerts the Chat Group.
• The group realizes that multiple pirate crews are converging on them, an unusual and potentially dangerous situation.
• Hawkins orders everyone under eighteen to stay out of the battle. The younger members are disappointed, while Mark boasts about his improved abilities.
• Mark demonstrates his Ball Lightning, revealing that he exchanged for “foolproof” electricity-based abilities that activate through specially constructed biological circuits. Qiao Si reveals she has similar ambitions involving electromagnetism and greater supernatural power.
• Hawkins chooses not to participate unless a truly powerful enemy appears. Mark, Victor, Qiao Si, and Asmodeus engage the pirates instead.
• Victor uses his sniper rifle from the crow’s nest to kill enemy captains and other key targets. Qiao Si, Mark, and Asmodeus board the pirate ships and overwhelm their crews.
• The battle initially appears completely one-sided, but several pirate crews deliberately remain at a distance, waiting for the Blackblade Pirates to exhaust themselves. They are also interested in the bounty on Hawkins and his companions.
• Observers realize that Victor’s sniper rifle is a powerful Cursed Relic, though its straight-line attacks can potentially be dodged.
• Mark begins a livestream to show off his victory, but a sudden attack sends him flying despite his attempt to use Curse Power defensively.
• The attacker is revealed to be the enormous Great Pirate Peng Jiesi. He mocks Mark’s inability to avoid the attack, but immediately catches Victor’s incoming bullet, demonstrating that he is far more dangerous than the pirates defeated so far.

Character Developments

• Arthur/Yas: Shows diligence, ambition, and growing competence. He admires Hawkins and hopes to become a powerful sailor and Hawkins’s right-hand man. His interest in study and willingness to ask questions distinguish him from Mark.
• Hawkins: Acts cautiously and strategically. He protects the younger members by forbidding them from fighting and stays out of the battle unless a stronger opponent appears.
• Mark: Has become much stronger and more confident, using Ball Lightning effectively. However, his pride and desire to show off remain prominent; he starts a livestream at the worst possible moment and is caught by surprise.
• Victor: Proves himself as a highly effective long-range fighter. He is ruthless and impatient, killing enemy leaders before they can even finish speaking, and takes pride in his sniper rifle.
• Qiao Si: Displays both intellectual ambition and combat skill. She uses a Desert Sparrow pistol and greatsword while fighting aggressively, and hopes eventually to master electromagnetic force on an extraordinary scale.
• Asmodeus: Participates in the close-range assault alongside Mark and Qiao Si.
• Peng Jiesi: Is introduced as a powerful Great Pirate whose strength and reflexes immediately surpass the ordinary crews. His ability to catch a bullet establishes him as a serious threat.

Significant Themes

• Preparation versus overconfidence: The crew’s training and acquired abilities give them a decisive advantage, but Mark’s arrogance leaves him vulnerable.
• Knowledge and technological advancement: The Forum and Exchange Page allow the characters to develop abilities unavailable to ordinary people in the Seven Seas, whose progress is limited by supernatural power, social inequality, and restricted knowledge.
• Power and strategy: Victory depends not only on raw strength but also on ranged weapons, teamwork, stamina, and understanding an opponent’s weaknesses.
• Youth and responsibility: The younger characters want to prove themselves, but Hawkins prioritizes their safety and education over their desire for combat.
• The danger of hidden strength: Several pirate crews observe rather than attack immediately, suggesting that the greatest threat may come from enemies who are patient and cautious rather than openly aggressive.

Character Interactions

• Arthur’s warning brings the Chat Group together, with Victor eager to test his abilities and Qiao Si proposing a fair method for choosing fighters.
• The group teases Mark about being defeated, while Mark insists that he has grown stronger and cannot be easily humiliated.
• Qiao Si exposes the technical reason behind Mark’s Ball Lightning, prompting him to wonder whether she possesses similar powers.
• Victor’s early kills irritate Mark, who accuses him of stealing the group’s targets; Victor responds that there is no need to talk with enemies before killing them.
• Qiao Si and Mark coordinate their attacks while fighting across the pirate ships, with Victor supporting them from above.
• The chapter ends with the group facing a new and much more formidable opponent: Peng Jiesi catches Victor’s bullet after effortlessly knocking Mark away, creating a cliffhanger for the next confrontation.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Victor fires at Peng Jiesi, but Peng effortlessly deforms the bullet with his bare hand.
• Enraged, Peng attacks Victor’s crow’s nest, destroying it and forcing Victor to flee.
• Peng notices Mark emerging alive after apparently being killed by an earlier punch. Impressed by Mark’s endurance, he offers him a place on his ship in exchange for submission.
• Mark refuses, angrily blaming Peng for ruining his livestream and declaring that he would rather kill Peng and seize his Cursed Relics.
• Peng discovers that Mark is a Curse Caster because of the Silver Wolf curse spirit accompanying him. He reveals that he has previously killed a Curse Caster and again offers Mark a chance to surrender.
• Mark and Peng engage in a fierce close-quarters battle. Mark repeatedly avoids direct attacks, using the sea, ropes, and acrobatics to compensate for the enormous difference in physical strength.
• Mark eventually manages to slash Peng with the Silver Wolf, becoming one of the few people ever to injure him.
• Instead of being discouraged, Peng becomes exhilarated. His pain addiction is revealed: injury gives him pleasure and stimulates his fighting spirit.
• Peng’s body heats up and his speed increases dramatically. He seizes Mark by the throat, smashes through a ship’s cabin, and plunges into the water with him.
• Meanwhile, Qiao Si searches for a way to assist Mark and discovers that Rogers and the Rogers Pirates are also present. Rogers is one of the “Jies Twin Fiends,” a pirate captain considered Peng’s equal.
• Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Qiao Si asks Captain Hawkins through the Chat Group whether he will intervene. She admits that she has become stronger but is still completely outmatched by the Twin Fiends.

2. Character Developments

• Peng Jiesi: His overwhelming physical strength, speed, durability, and combat experience are emphasized. He is revealed to be a latent Pain Addict who enjoys the sensation of being injured. Mark’s successful attack excites rather than frightens him, causing him to become even more dangerous.
• Mark: Demonstrates exceptional endurance, tactical awareness, and agility. He recognizes that he cannot withstand Peng’s strength directly, so he relies on evasive maneuvers, the Silver Wolf, and the environment. His greed and confidence remain intact despite the overwhelming danger.
• Victor: Quickly realizes that Peng is far beyond his level and abandons the crow’s nest to survive. His fear highlights the enormous gap between ordinary fighters and Peng.
• Qiao Si: Shows strategic thinking by searching for Peng’s ship and considering ways to distract him. She honestly acknowledges her own limitations despite her increased strength.
• Asmodeus and Jennie: Their concern for Mark and reaction to the appearance of Rogers reinforce how dangerous the current confrontation is.
• Hawkins: Though absent from the immediate fight, his potential intervention becomes important as Qiao Si questions whether he will finally act.

3. Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power versus strategy: Mark cannot compete with Peng physically, so survival depends on timing, mobility, and clever use of the environment.
• Pain and combat addiction: Peng’s reaction to injury reveals how pain can become a source of pleasure and power, turning wounds into psychological stimulation rather than weakness.
• Defiance and pride: Mark refuses Peng’s offer of submission, choosing confrontation even when the odds are extremely unfavorable.
• Escalating danger: The arrival of Rogers transforms the battle from a duel into a crisis involving multiple top-tier pirates.
• Limits and self-awareness: Qiao Si’s recognition that she cannot defeat the Twin Fiends contrasts with Mark’s reckless confidence and underscores the importance of understanding one’s place in a power hierarchy.
• Cursed power versus physical strength: Mark relies on Curse Power and the Silver Wolf, while Peng achieves comparable or greater destructive force through raw physical ability alone.

4. Character Interactions

• Victor and Peng: Victor attacks from a distance, but Peng instantly overwhelms him, establishing Peng’s superiority.
• Mark and Peng: Their exchange shifts from potential recruitment to hostility. Peng offers Mark a chance to submit, while Mark rejects him and openly threatens to kill him for his Cursed Relics.
• Silver Wolf and Peng: The curse spirit initially fails to catch Peng, but eventually lands a claw strike and wounds him.
• Qiao Si and the others: Qiao Si watches Mark’s battle with Asmodeus and recognizes how dangerous Peng is. She then communicates with Jennie and Hawkins through the Chat Group after discovering Rogers’ presence.
• Peng and Rogers: Though they do not directly fight in this chapter, their history and reputations establish them as evenly matched rivals whose simultaneous presence greatly raises the stakes.

Chapter Summary: “Anger Resonance—Thunder Wolf”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In Eternal Space, Hawkins watches Mark’s battle through the livestream while casually eating cookies and sunflower seeds. Although others imagine him constantly working, Hawkins spends much of his time observing natural phenomena and life, reflecting his immense age and long-established role as an impartial observer.
• Hawkins recognizes Mark’s rapid growth through repeated defeats. He believes Mark may soon be able to enter Resonant Fusion and defeat Peng Jiesi, though Mark remains inexperienced and immature compared with Hawkins’s vast knowledge.
• Peng Jiesi nearly kills Mark by repeatedly throwing him into the sea and choking him underwater. Mark inhales seawater and approaches unconsciousness for the third time.
• Mark’s accumulated rage triggers a new transformation. His Electricity-Generating Cells discharge, Greedy Wolf’s Claw becomes wrapped in silver lightning, and Silver Wolf merges with him through anger rather than a simple desire to survive.
• Mark transforms into a lightning-wreathed Werewolf, escaping Peng Jiesi’s grip and launching himself from the water with tremendous force. His electricity also appears to grant him limited magnetic manipulation, allowing him to alter his movement in midair.
• Peng Jiesi attempts to redirect Mark toward Rogers’s ship, hoping to use Rogers and the other pirates as distractions or shields. Rogers realizes the plan and prepares to confront Peng Jiesi, but Mark catches up before Peng Jiesi reaches him.
• Mark attacks with lightning and Ball Lightning. Peng Jiesi avoids the attacks through his exceptional speed and danger sense, while discovering that even striking Mark’s electrified hair can burn him.
• Unable to fight Mark safely with his bare hands, Peng Jiesi tears off a ship’s mast and uses it as a platform to maneuver between pirate ships. His evasive movements appear almost effortless, frustrating Mark’s attacks.
• Qiao Si realizes that Peng Jiesi is actually targeting Victor and warns him through the Chat Group. Victor decides to lure Peng Jiesi close, then retreat instantly to Eternal Space, allowing Mark to attack Peng Jiesi without restraint.

Character Developments

• Mark: Reaches a major breakthrough by transforming into a lightning-powered Werewolf through overwhelming fury. His abilities expand beyond physical strength and electricity to include possible electromagnetic or magnetic manipulation. He becomes much more dangerous, though he still lacks experience and tactical refinement.
• Peng Jiesi: Reveals both his ruthlessness and tactical intelligence. Although he respects Mark’s loyalty and capability, he is willing to kill him after Mark refuses to serve him. He adapts quickly to Mark’s new abilities, relying on speed, evasion, improvised weapons, and battlefield positioning rather than direct confrontation.
• Hawkins: Is further characterized as ancient, detached, and intellectually curious. He views Mark almost like a developing specimen or potential future subordinate, patiently observing his growth rather than intervening directly.
• Rogers: Shows hostility toward Peng Jiesi and resents the “Jies Twin Fiends” label. He welcomes the possibility of confronting Peng Jiesi and settling their previous conflict.
• Qiao Si and Victor: Demonstrate cooperation and tactical awareness. Qiao Si identifies Peng Jiesi’s true target, while Victor uses his ability to return to Eternal Space to devise a strategy against him.

Significant Themes

• Growth through adversity: Mark’s repeated defeats and near-death experiences become the catalyst for his evolution.
• Anger as power: His transformation is driven not by fear or the instinct to survive, but by accumulated fury and refusal to accept death.
• Observation versus participation: Hawkins’s detached perspective contrasts with Mark’s emotional, direct involvement in battle. Hawkins studies development, while Mark experiences it through struggle.
• Loyalty and coercion: Peng Jiesi admires Mark’s loyalty but cannot accept his refusal to submit, revealing the conflict between genuine respect and possessive control.
• Adaptation and strategy: Both fighters continually adjust to each other’s abilities, making positioning, deception, and environmental use as important as raw strength.

Important Character Interactions

• Hawkins evaluates Mark’s progress while watching his near-death struggle, treating the battle as both entertainment and a test of Mark’s potential.
• Peng Jiesi attempts to kill Mark despite admiring his qualities, then uses pirates, ships, and debris to evade Mark’s lightning attacks.
• Mark’s new electrified form forces Peng Jiesi to abandon straightforward hand-to-hand combat.
• Rogers prepares to confront Peng Jiesi, but Peng Jiesi tries to use the surrounding ships and pirates to avoid him.
• Qiao Si warns Victor that Peng Jiesi is targeting him, leading Victor to prepare a trap involving Eternal Space and Mark’s unrestricted attacks.

Chapter Summary:

Anna and the Fear Mirror

Key Plot Points and Events

• Several pirate ships become trapped between the Black Knife and Rogers’s ships, leaving them unable to retreat. Most pirates abandon the fight by fleeing to other vessels or jumping into the sea.
• Peng Jiesi pursues Victor, believing his superior speed makes escape impossible. He dodges Mark’s Ball Lightning attacks and breaks into Victor’s ship.
• Inside the cabin, Peng Jiesi discovers Anna, a beautiful young captive. His predatory interest in her is interrupted when Mark, engulfed in flames and lightning, attacks him.
• Peng Jiesi escapes the cabin and uses the moment to seize Victor by the throat. He threatens to kill Victor if Mark continues attacking, forcing Mark to stop despite his anger.
• The chapter then reveals Anna’s history. The pirates captured her because she was both exceptionally beautiful and a virgin—requirements for activating a supernatural treasure called the Fear Mirror.
• The pirates force Anna before the mirror, which manifests her deepest fear: a monstrous Giant Spider whose head bears her mother’s face.
• A pirate uses Anna as a sacrifice to summon the spider, hoping to gain a powerful monster that will obey the first person it sees and help him rise to fame or even become Pirate King.
• The Giant Spider begins emerging from the mirror as Anna desperately pleads for mercy.

Character Developments

• Mark demonstrates both overwhelming power and restraint. His fire-covered body is largely unharmed due to Curse Power, and although he becomes furious when Victor is captured, he remains rational enough to recognize Victor as an ally and stop attacking.
• Peng Jiesi is shown to be fast, opportunistic, and cruel. He abandons his attempt to seize Anna only when Mark threatens him, then immediately uses Victor as a hostage. His interest in Anna is driven by lust and possessiveness rather than concern.
• Victor is revealed to be vulnerable and still inexperienced compared with seasoned fighters. He nearly escapes but relaxes his guard and is caught before he can return to Eternal Space.
• Anna is portrayed as frightened and traumatized but not passive. Despite her terror, she attempts to escape and resists being forced to confront the mirror.
• The knife-wielding pirate is ambitious and ruthless. He views Anna purely as a resource and sacrifices her in pursuit of power, fame, and possibly the title of Pirate King.

Significant Themes

• Power and survival: The pirates act according to shifting advantages, abandoning one another when survival seems impossible.
• Exploitation and dehumanization: Anna is treated as an object or ritual ingredient rather than a person, emphasizing the cruelty of the pirates.
• Fear as a weapon: The mirror weaponizes Anna’s deepest trauma, while the summoned monster represents fear made physically real.
• Conflict between instinct and reason: Mark’s rage is restrained by his awareness of Victor’s danger, whereas Peng Jiesi and the other pirates are driven by lust, ambition, or self-preservation.
• Ambition and corruption: The pirate’s desire for power blinds him to Anna’s suffering and leads him to unleash a potentially uncontrollable monster.

Character Interactions

• Mark and Peng Jiesi: Their pursuit develops into a tense power struggle. Mark’s physical resilience and aggressive attack force Peng Jiesi to retreat, but Peng Jiesi’s speed allows him to gain the upper hand temporarily.
• Peng Jiesi and Anna: Peng Jiesi views Anna as an object of desire, while Anna sees him as another immediate threat.
• Mark and Victor: Mark’s willingness to stop attacking when Victor is taken hostage shows loyalty and awareness, even amid intense anger.
• Anna and the knife-wielding pirate: Their interaction highlights the pirate’s cruelty and Anna’s helpless resistance as he forces her toward the Fear Mirror.
• The pirate and the Giant Spider: The pirate believes the monster will obey him and fulfill his ambitions, but the mirror’s rule—that the creature obeys the first person it sees—creates uncertainty about who will ultimately control it.

Chapter Summary: “The Game Is Over”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hawkins arrives aboard the ship and finds Anna threatened by a knife-wielding pirate while a Giant Spider attacks her.
• The spider kills and devours the pirate. Hawkins reveals that he had actually come to save Victor, though he intervenes because he senses the monster and Anna’s danger.
• A mirror causes golden chains to appear, binding Anna’s hands and feet. Hawkins identifies it as the Fear Mirror, a powerful Cursed Relic capable of manifesting a person’s deepest fear.
• Although the mirror’s spider should have eaten Anna, it stops attacking her after consuming the pirate. Hawkins suspects that Anna’s survival and connection to the relic conceal unknown dangers.
• Anna begs Hawkins to send her home. He promises to help eventually, provided it does not interfere with his current destination, and asks her to cooperate so he can investigate the curse.
• When Anna asks whether the spider can be made to disappear, it suddenly shrinks and returns to the mirror. This confirms that the creature is linked to her fear and the relic.
• Hawkins sends Anna through a Spatial Passage to a safer location, then transforms into “State-Zero” and returns to the confrontation outside the cabin.
• Peng Jiesi is still holding Victor hostage while Mark refuses to retreat. Victor urges Peng Jiesi to kill him, knowing he can revive and hoping Mark will survive.
• Hawkins ends the stalemate by declaring, “The game is over,” and immobilizing Peng Jiesi.

Character Developments

• Hawkins remains calm, analytical, and pragmatic. He shows compassion by preventing Victor’s death and helping Anna, but his primary motivation is investigation and control rather than emotion.
• Anna begins terrified and helpless, but gradually regains composure and cooperates with Hawkins. She displays awareness that the mirror and spider are connected to her, despite not understanding the curse.
• Victor demonstrates courage and responsibility. Though frightened by the prospect of being killed, he willingly offers himself to protect Mark, accepting blame for being captured.
• Mark remains consumed by rage and unable to negotiate, prolonging the standoff.
• Peng Jiesi becomes increasingly frustrated and desperate as neither Victor nor Mark responds to his threats.

Significant Themes

• Fear and its manifestations: The Fear Mirror turns Anna’s deepest terror into a physical monster, blurring the line between psychological fear and reality.
• Sacrifice and responsibility: Victor is willing to die to save Mark, accepting that his own mistake caused the crisis.
• Control versus helplessness: Anna is trapped by the mirror, Victor by Peng Jiesi, and Mark by his rage; Hawkins is the only character able to decisively alter each situation.
• The unknown nature of curses: Hawkins understands several categories of curses but recognizes that the Fear Mirror may operate by rules he has not encountered.
• Pragmatic morality: Hawkins helps others, but he does so according to his own priorities and strategic calculations rather than pure altruism.

Character Interactions

• Hawkins reassures and questions Anna while examining her cursed shackles, creating a tense but gradually trusting relationship.
• Anna relies on Hawkins as her only possible protector, though she remains suspicious of his promises.
• The knife-wielding pirate’s aggression toward Anna leads directly to his death at the spider’s jaws.
• Victor taunts Peng Jiesi into killing him, while Peng Jiesi responds with anger and violence.
• Mark refuses Peng Jiesi’s demands, and their deadlock is finally broken when Hawkins intervenes and paralyzes Peng Jiesi, ending the confrontation on a cliffhanger.

Chapter Summary: “Pirate Lord”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hawkins appears beside Peng Jiesi in an elegant, noble-like outfit, shocking the assembled pirates and overturning their assumptions about him.
• He confronts the surrounding pirate fleet and asks why they are attacking the Blackblade Pirates.
• Rogers explains that the pirates came to test Hawkins after hearing of his ambition to become Pirate King. Hawkins rejects the title as too limited and declares that he would rather be known as the “Pirate Lord.”
• The pirates mock and threaten him, uniting against him. Hawkins responds by activating his power: ripples spread across the sea, causing every pirate ship to sink into a Spatial Passage leading to Eternal Space.
• Rogers attempts to kill Hawkins first, but he is overwhelmed when he approaches within thirty meters and is dragged into the water.
• In Eternal Space, Hawkins reveals that he intends to turn the captured pirates into useful manpower. He creates an Enslavement Contract, using Eternal Space to forcibly impose it even on stronger opponents.
• Peng Jiesi is the first victim. After signing the contract involuntarily, he is compelled to call Hawkins “Great Pirate Lord,” kneel before him, apologize, and obey humiliating commands such as cleaning the toilets ten thousand times.
• More than a thousand pirates are enslaved in the same way and become tools under Hawkins’s control. Their abilities, movements, and lives can be controlled or terminated through the contract.
• Hawkins distributes management of the enslaved pirates among Victor, Asmodeus, Qiao Si, and Mark.
• The pirates surrender their Cursed Relics, which Hawkins stores in his laboratory rather than immediately feeding them to the Eternal Sea Chart, since consuming too many would burden Mother with additional curses.
• Hawkins also remembers Xiao Yaojin, a murderous prisoner already held in the laboratory, and decides to enslave him as well.

Character Developments

• Hawkins becomes far more commanding and ruthless. He formally adopts the identity of “Pirate Lord” and demonstrates that his goal is not merely survival but domination and the construction of a controlled force.
• His contract ability has advanced significantly: he can now forcibly enslave powerful enemies, proving that Eternal Space greatly amplifies his authority.
• Rogers is defeated almost instantly before he can display his full strength, emphasizing the overwhelming gap between him and Hawkins.
• Peng Jiesi, previously proud and defiant, is reduced to an obedient slave. His forced submission shows the absolute effectiveness of Hawkins’s contract.
• Victor, Asmodeus, Qiao Si, and Mark gain greater responsibility by being assigned command over groups of enslaved pirates.
• Xiao Yaojin is reclassified from a prisoner and research subject into a potential enslaved subordinate.

Significant Themes

• Power and domination: Hawkins moves from defending himself against pirates to controlling them completely.
• The transformation of identity: His rejection of “Pirate King” in favor of “Pirate Lord” reflects his growing ambition and desire for authority.
• Morality and punishment: Hawkins justifies enslavement by arguing that the pirates are irredeemably evil and deserve punishment rather than freedom.
• Free will versus control: The Enslavement Contract eliminates the pirates’ autonomy, raising the question of whether Hawkins’s methods make him resemble the tyrants he opposes.
• Strategic growth: Hawkins carefully balances the usefulness of captured pirates, the risks of Cursed Relics, and Mother’s ability to absorb curses, showing increasingly calculated leadership.

Character Interactions

• Hawkins and Rogers verbally spar over the “Pirate King” title before Hawkins redefines his ambition as becoming “Pirate Lord.”
• Rogers attempts a direct attack, but Hawkins defeats him without a conventional battle.
• Hawkins humiliates Peng Jiesi by forcing him to submit, apologize, and carry out degrading labor.
• The enslaved pirates react with despair as they watch Peng Jiesi lose his freedom and realize they will suffer the same fate.
• Hawkins entrusts Victor, Asmodeus, Qiao Si, and Mark with authority over different groups, strengthening the internal hierarchy of the Blackblade Pirates.

Chapter Summary: Treasure Hunt on Little Will Island

Key Plot Points and Events

• Three days after the battle at Vesipus Strait, the Black Knife sails through Sylvia Sea accompanied by dozens of pirate ships that have surrendered to the Blackblade Pirates.
• The Blackblade Pirates’ victory has established Hawkins as the true Pirate King, although his self-proclaimed title of “Lord of Pirates” has not gained public acceptance.
• Mark enjoys his newfound authority, especially over the defeated pirates, while Victor and Arthur relax after the recent battle.
• In the Eternal Space, Hawkins examines a strange mirror that reflects only Anna, even when she stands with her back to it. The mirror cannot be damaged and follows Anna wherever she goes.
• Anna remains wary and nervous around Hawkins. After several attempts, she finally forms a contract like Ai Miye and the others, and Hawkins leaves her in Ai Miye’s care.
• The Black Knife reaches Little Will Island, the first destination indicated by the Magic Sea Chart. Hawkins believes the island contains hidden treasure.
• The villagers panic at the sight of the pirate fleet and hide in the forest. When some villagers confront Hawkins, he initially tries to reassure them, but orders Mark to detain them after they refuse to cooperate.
• Hawkins and his crew search the southern part of the island. After an unsuccessful initial search, pirates discover a concealed passage behind vines along a dangerous cliff.
• Hawkins and the group enter the centuries-old passage, fight off poisonous insects, and reach a sealed treasure chamber.
• Mark complains that the treasure hunt has been too easy and uneventful. However, when the chamber door is opened, black mist pours out, causing the ordinary pirates to collapse.

Character Developments

• Hawkins is increasingly portrayed as a powerful and confident leader. He enjoys commanding a large pirate force but remains practical and cautious, especially regarding Anna’s mysterious mirror and the uncertain nature of the Magic Sea Chart’s treasures.
• Mark embraces his role as a subordinate and enjoys the excitement of treasure hunting, though he is disappointed by the lack of dramatic challenges. His willingness to enforce Hawkins’s orders shows his growing loyalty.
• Victor and Arthur continue pursuing strength but take a short rest after the battle. Arthur’s willingness to follow Mark’s decision shows his integration into the group.
• Anna remains deeply guarded and uncomfortable with others, reflecting years of isolation. Her eventual contract with Hawkins marks a small but meaningful step toward trust and connection.
• The surrendered pirates have become Hawkins’s workforce and military force, demonstrating the extent of the Blackblade Pirates’ growing influence.

Significant Themes

• Power and authority: Hawkins’s victory has made him the dominant pirate of the Seven Seas, while his control over defeated crews illustrates how power reshapes social relationships.
• Trust and vulnerability: Anna’s reluctance to form a contract and her fear of the strange mirror highlight the difficulty of trusting others after prolonged isolation.
• Adventure versus reality: Mark expects a dramatic, dangerous treasure hunt, but Hawkins views treasure seeking as largely practical and routine—until the mysterious black mist introduces genuine danger.
• Freedom and hierarchy: The pirates’ surrender gives Hawkins greater freedom and convenience, but it also places them in a strict hierarchy where former elites perform humiliating labor.
• The unknown and supernatural danger: The indestructible mirror and the black mist suggest that the chapter’s supernatural mysteries may be more dangerous than ordinary pirate battles.

Character Interactions

• Mark, Victor, and Arthur relax together and discuss their decision to postpone training.
• Hawkins gently questions Anna about the mirror and her condition, trying to reassure her and persuade her to accept the contract.
• Hawkins leaves Anna under Ai Miye’s supervision, linking Anna more closely to the group.
• Hawkins gives Mark direct orders throughout the island expedition, and Mark responds enthusiastically.
• Hawkins attempts to calm the frightened villagers, but their hostility leads him to detain them.
• Mark voices his disappointment to Hawkins about the uneventful treasure hunt immediately before the chamber releases the black mist.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Rogers, Peng Jiesi, Hawkins, and Mark discover a secret chamber filled with poisonous black fog. Inside is a living treasure chest—a Mimic—that releases the gas through its mouth.
• The Mimic’s ability is revealed: it can grant wishes, but every gain requires an equivalent loss. If the values are unequal, the wisher loses their life.
• Hawkins tests the Mimic by wishing for Dragon Balls and eternal life. The first wish produces only vaguely related beads, showing that the Mimic can sense general thoughts but not precise details.
• The eternal-life wish creates a scarlet potion. When Hawkins touches it, the potion drains his Curse Power and rapidly ages him. He repeatedly restores his youth through Mother, sacrificing enormous amounts of Curse Power and consuming Mother’s stored energy.
• Realizing that eternal life is too costly to pursue immediately, Hawkins abandons the wish for the time being and brings the Mimic to his laboratory for further study.
• Hawkins then wishes to learn the history of the world. The Mimic grants him an immense amount of information, but the overwhelming data causes his body to explode. He receives only fragments, though enough to reconstruct major events from the Seven Seas’ past.
• He learns that the Seven Seas once possessed a highly advanced Curse Caster civilization, with research academies, Ninth-Rank Curse Casters, and even “Divine Curse Casters.”
• A disaster began when Curse Casters opened a passage to the Dream Realm. This led to a division between Conservative and Liberal factions over how knowledge should be taught.
• Their conflict escalated into a devastating war that shattered the Seven Seas into seven regions. Dream Realm monsters were unleashed, and the Curse Caster civilization was nearly destroyed.
• Survivors gradually rebuilt civilization. Later rulers gained power through discovered Cursed Relics, while powerful surviving Curse Casters concealed themselves and forced exceptionally strong new Curse Casters to withdraw from public life.

Character Developments

• Hawkins becomes increasingly fascinated by the Mimic and its ability to exchange wishes for an equivalent price. Rather than fearing its dangers, he treats it as an opportunity for experimentation.
• His failed attempt to obtain eternal life demonstrates both his vast resources and his willingness to endure severe physical consequences. However, he eventually recognizes that immortality is unnecessary because of his existence within Eternal Space.
• Hawkins’s wish for history shows his curiosity and ambition, but also his overconfidence: he underestimates the sheer scale of the information he is requesting.
• After receiving the historical fragments, Hawkins gains a deeper understanding of the Seven Seas, the old man he previously encountered, and the hidden power structure governing Curse Casters.
• Mother remains largely passive but serves as Hawkins’s means of restoring his body. Its energy and Real World particles are repeatedly consumed by his experiments.
• Mark, Rogers, and Peng Jiesi function mainly as cautious observers. Their reluctance to approach the poisonous Mimic contrasts with Hawkins’s eagerness to investigate it.

Significant Themes

• The cost of desire: Every wish carries a price, emphasizing that gains without sacrifice are impossible.
• Immortality and mortality: Eternal life is shown not as a simple blessing but as something prohibitively expensive and potentially beyond ordinary beings’ ability to sustain.
• Knowledge as danger: Seeking complete knowledge can be destructive. Hawkins’s attempt to obtain all history overwhelms him physically and mentally.
• The limits of control: Even Hawkins, with immense power and preparation, cannot precisely command the Mimic or safely process the information it provides.
• Suppression and divided knowledge: The ancient conflict between Conservative and Liberal Curse Casters highlights the tension between restricting dangerous knowledge and making it freely available.
• Buried history: The apparently simple Seven Seas conceal a much older civilization, catastrophic war, powerful survivors, and secrets deliberately hidden from the modern world.

Character Interactions

• Rogers, Peng Jiesi, Hawkins, and Mark cooperate uneasily while entering the secret chamber, with Rogers and Peng Jiesi’s unusual bodies taking the lead because Hawkins and Mark rely on Curse Power for protection.
• Mark questions whether the Mimic is the treasure they sought, while Hawkins identifies and studies it.
• Mark is alarmed when Hawkins rapidly ages, but Hawkins dismisses the concern and orders the others to return to the Black Knife while he experiments alone.
• Hawkins relies on Mother to restore his youth after each test, creating a repeated relationship of experimentation and recovery.
• The Mimic acts as both an object of study and an unpredictable force, granting Hawkins what he asks for while imposing devastating costs.
• The chapter also reveals the existence of hidden, powerful Curse Casters who observe the world and intervene when new practitioners become too influential.

Chapter Summary: “Three Parties”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In Pimpus City on Vitalia Island, Long-Haired Demons massacre civilians. A middle-aged man resembling Jabus arrives and destroys the demons by crushing them with his mysterious downward-compression ability.
• The man confronts Jabus, who has regenerated after his original body was destroyed. Jabus attacks, but the man easily suppresses him and uses the Needle of the Old Days to reset his mental state.
• Jabus awakens with his memories restored to an earlier point and realizes that the man is his supposedly deceased father, Jodeli.
• Jodeli explains the truth about the Curse Caster War, the existence of the powerful Watchers, and his own forced disappearance. He reveals that he has used the Needle every year to preserve Jabus’s condition and reverse severe mental damage.
• Jodeli warns that Jabus’s repeated revivals and destruction of Vitalia Island have angered the Watchers. Jabus has, at most, one year before they intervene and must either investigate his enemy or eventually enter seclusion.
• Jabus suspects that someone in the Dream Realm—possibly Aldrich, Mallory, or Conrad—caused his mental collapse. He vows revenge and returns toward Flatwave Fortress to search for clues.
• On Jade Island, the Pirate Queen learns that Hawkins, despite being targeted by numerous pirate crews, has defeated or subjugated them and become the Seven Seas’ second-largest pirate force. Alarmed by his growing influence, she considers whether he possesses a mind-controlling Cursed Relic and threatens him.
• Hawkins’s fleet leaves Little Will Island for the Xipuwili Sea, following the Eternal Sea Chart’s next treasure location. The route also allows them to pass near Anna’s home and eventually take her back.

Character Developments

• Jabus is restored from a destructive, mentally damaged state to his former self. He learns that his actions have devastated Vitalia Island and cost the lives of many relatives, yet he remains focused on identifying and punishing whoever harmed him.
• Jodeli is revealed to be alive, powerful, and deeply protective of Jabus. Though saddened by Jabus’s destruction and the deaths of his descendants, he prioritizes saving his son and urges him to recognize the overwhelming threat posed by the Watchers.
• The Pirate Queen shifts from confidence to suspicion and alarm as Hawkins rapidly consolidates pirate power. Her jealousy and fear of being overshadowed by a rival “Pirate King” provoke an aggressive response.
• Hawkins continues expanding his influence, transforming from a hunted pirate into one of the most powerful leaders in the Seven Seas.
• Anna remains connected to the crew’s next journey, as their route is planned to pass by her home.

Significant Themes

• Parental love and sacrifice: Jodeli repeatedly saves Jabus despite the suffering Jabus causes, showing a complicated devotion that places his child above wider consequences.
• Power and accountability: Jabus possesses immense destructive ability, but his repeated revivals have harmed his own territory and provoked the Watchers.
• Memory and identity: The Needle of the Old Days restores Jabus’s mental state, raising questions about whether a person remains the same after memories, trauma, and psychological damage are erased.
• Hidden powers and manipulation: The Watchers operate on a scale beyond Jabus’s understanding, while the unknown attack against him may involve Dream Realm abilities or mental interference.
• Rivalry and political ambition: Hawkins’s sudden rise threatens the Pirate Queen’s position, demonstrating how titles and influence generate fear, hostility, and competition.
• The limits of resistance: Jodeli encourages Jabus to investigate and seek revenge but warns him not to challenge forces so powerful that resistance may be futile.

Important Character Interactions

• Jodeli and Jabus: Their central reunion combines tenderness, distrust, and confrontation. Jodeli treats Jabus as his child, while Jabus questions him before accepting the truth and discussing his situation.
• Jodeli and the civilians: Jodeli apologizes to the victims of the island’s destruction and protects them from the demons, presenting him as compassionate despite his association with Jabus.
• Jabus and his unknown enemy: Though the enemy never appears, Jabus’s anger toward the suspected attackers drives his decision to investigate Flatwave Fortress.
• The Pirate Queen and Hawkins: They do not meet directly, but Hawkins’s success provokes the Pirate Queen’s fear and hostility, setting up a likely future conflict.
• Hawkins and his fleet: By leading the fleet toward the Xipuwili Sea and the next treasure, Hawkins continues acting as an ambitious explorer and rising pirate power.

Chapter Summary: “Witch’s Blood”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Seven days after the previous events, the Blackblade Pirates discover a tiny, uncharted island that is Anna’s homeland.
• Mark senses something supernatural above the island: a massive black vortex invisible to ordinary people. The forest also radiates an ominous presence.
• Through the chat group, the crew compares what they see. Only Mark, as a Curse Caster, can perceive the vortex and other supernatural phenomena.
• Hawkins orders the fleet to remain at a distance while he and several companions—including Anna, Ai Miye, Arthur, Victor, and Mark—investigate the island.
• Anna is overwhelmed with emotion upon returning home, having believed she might never see it again after being captured by pirates.
• Anna leads the group through the forest, gathering mushrooms, wild vegetables, and other food. Her knowledge of the island’s plants reveals her deep familiarity with nature.
• The group reaches Anna’s extremely primitive home, made of branches, vines, thatch, and stones.
• Anna explains that a locked chest was left by her mother and could supposedly be opened only when Anna became an adult.
• At Hawkins’s suggestion, Anna tries again and successfully opens it. Green light emerges and forms the image of her mother.
• The recorded message reveals that Anna’s family are not ordinary humans: ancestral power flows through their blood and grows with age. At sixty, members of their lineage gain extraordinary power, causing outsiders to label them “witches.”

Character Developments

• Anna experiences a major emotional homecoming, shifting from a timid, captive-like figure into a lively and confident guide within her own environment. She also learns that her identity and family history are far more extraordinary than she believed.
• Mark demonstrates increased supernatural awareness through his Curse Caster abilities. His unease about the island and suspicion regarding Anna’s true nature are validated by the revelation about her bloodline.
• Hawkins remains cautious and analytical, investigating the island while quietly questioning whether Anna is truly an ordinary person. His observations emphasize her unnatural beauty and possibly supernatural origins.
• Ai Miye acts as Anna’s supportive companion, comforting her and sharing in her excitement. Her reactions also highlight the cultural differences between her upbringing and Anna’s isolated life.
• Anna’s mother appears through a magical recording or projection, establishing the existence of the witch lineage and warning Anna about her inherited powers.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identity and inheritance: Anna discovers that her family carries supernatural blood and that her true nature has been concealed from her.
• Home and belonging: Anna’s return to her island restores her happiness and sense of self after her abduction and time among the pirates.
• The difference between ordinary and supernatural perception: Mark’s ability to see the vortex underscores how people at different levels of power experience entirely different realities.
• Nature and adaptation: Anna’s knowledge of plants, along with the explanation of the Bluegrid Greens’ survival strategy, reinforces the chapter’s focus on natural intelligence and evolution.
• Fear and prejudice toward the unknown: The term “witch” is presented as a label imposed by outsiders who fear the power of Anna’s people.

Character Interactions

• Mark and Anna discuss the ominous vortex, with Mark warning her that the island is dangerous or cursed.
• The chat group debates the island’s nature, while Hawkins takes command and organizes the investigation.
• Ai Miye comforts Anna when she cries upon seeing the beach and later shares a cheerful foraging trip with her.
• Hawkins questions Anna about the chest, prompting her to test whether it can now be opened.
• Anna’s reunion with her mother’s message changes the group’s understanding of her, especially Mark, who reacts with shock when he hears that she is descended from “witches.”

Chapter Summary: “Take Me Away!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Green Light reveals that Anna is a witch and warns her never to leave the island before turning sixty. Witches are hunted because their bloodline and powers attract greedy and dangerous people.
• She explains that witches grow stronger with age: although their beauty fades every ten years, a witch who reaches one hundred could possess power comparable to a Ninth-Rank Curse Caster.
• Green Light tells Anna that, in an emergency, she can use a potion to awaken her bloodline for one hour. She also claims to have left protective measures on the island and urges Anna to kill anyone who threatens her.
• After delivering her final warnings, Green Light dissolves into powder and disappears.
• Anna reflects on how her mother’s frightening stories shaped her fear of the outside world. Meeting Hawkins and the others, however, has shown her kindness, companionship, and a sense of belonging.
• Anna tries to prepare a meal for the group, but after becoming accustomed to Eternal Space’s comfortable tools and food, she struggles with her island’s primitive conditions. Everyone finds the meal noticeably inferior to what they are used to.
• Hawkins prepares to leave with the group. Anna initially says goodbye, but once alone, she realizes how much she misses them and becomes deeply upset.
• Ai Miye notices that Anna lacks basic necessities such as blankets, clothing, utensils, and a proper bed. Hawkins agrees to give her supplies, so the fleet turns back toward the island.
• Meanwhile, Anna runs to the beach, crying out for them not to leave her. Just as she believes they are gone forever, she sees the ships returning and reacts with overwhelming relief and happiness.

Character Developments

• Anna: Learns the truth about her witch heritage and the dangers surrounding it. More importantly, she recognizes that she has emotionally attached herself to Hawkins’s group and no longer feels content living alone on the island.
• Green Light: Revealed as an extremely protective but paranoid mother whose warnings were shaped by past violence against witches. Her final message emphasizes both her love for Anna and her fear of the outside world.
• Hawkins: Takes a practical, measured interest in Anna’s abilities but is not overly concerned by her identity. He responds generously when Ai Miye points out Anna’s poor living conditions.
• Ai Miye: Shows compassion and emotional sensitivity toward Anna, reassuring her that being a witch is not frightening and taking the initiative to provide her with supplies.
• The group: Their acceptance demonstrates that Anna has found a community where she is valued rather than feared or exploited.

Significant Themes

• Fear versus trust: Anna’s lifelong fear of outsiders is challenged by her positive experiences with Hawkins’s group.
• The importance of companionship: Anna discovers that comfort, friendship, and belonging matter more to her than the solitary freedom she once accepted.
• Perspective and comparison: The discussion of food and beauty shows how people’s judgments depend on what they have experienced; exposure to better conditions changes Anna’s understanding of her former life.
• Inheritance and danger: Anna’s witch bloodline grants future potential but also places her at risk, forcing her to balance her identity with the need for secrecy and survival.
• Found family: The group becomes a substitute family for Anna, offering warmth and care that her isolated upbringing could not provide.

Character Interactions

• Green Light speaks intensely to Anna, repeatedly warning her against leaving the island and explaining the nature of witches.
• Hawkins and Mark exchange information about witches through the Chat Group, with Mark describing their aging, beauty, strength, and inherited abilities.
• Ai Miye reassures Anna that she has nothing to fear and treats her witch identity as a positive discovery.
• Anna and the group share a meal, highlighting the contrast between her former isolated life and their more comfortable existence in Eternal Space.
• Ai Miye advocates for Anna’s welfare, persuading Hawkins to return with supplies.
• Anna’s desperate attempt to stop their departure, followed by the group’s return, confirms the strength of their emotional bond.

Chapter Summary: Potion Witch

Key Plot Points and Events

• The day after joining Hawkins’s crew, Anna undergoes an experiment at the Isolated Island Laboratory. Hawkins wants to understand what a Witch is, though he assures her the research will not harm her and offers 50,000 Exchange Points for her cooperation.
• Anna drinks the potion left by her mother. The potion activates her Witch bloodline and triggers a flood of inherited knowledge and instincts.
• Her personality temporarily changes, becoming more seductive, confident, and rational. She attempts to kiss Hawkins, explaining that Witches can transmit knowledge through kissing. Hawkins allows a brief contact so he can receive the information directly.
• Hawkins learns that Anna possesses the Witch ability known as the Spirit of Potions, which allows her to alter the properties of plants and create extraordinary potions.
• Anna’s inherited memories contain numerous potion formulas, including one that accelerates Curse Power recovery. Hawkins realizes the ability could benefit him personally and provide valuable new products for the Exchange Page.
• Hawkins conducts an extensive physical examination while the potion remains active. Anna’s physical abilities double, and her mental activity increases dramatically, but she becomes dizzy and intoxicated after Hawkins injects Curse Power into her body.
• Laboratory tests reveal that Anna’s DNA has transformed into a branching, plant-like structure and contains a mysterious energy distinct from both Positive and Negative Curse Power.
• Hawkins suspects that this energy replaces normal purines in a Witch’s body, giving Witches their abilities but potentially causing physical deterioration with age.
• After roughly one hour, the potion’s effects fade. Anna’s DNA mostly returns to normal, though traces of the Witch-related changes remain. Hawkins records all findings and gains a detailed understanding of her condition.

Character Developments

• Anna: Despite her fear and discomfort, Anna cooperates because she wants Exchange Points to buy a gift for Ai Miye. Activating her bloodline reveals a powerful inherited ability, though the temporary awakening also affects her personality and instincts. She is embarrassed after regaining her normal self, showing that she remains emotionally inexperienced and self-conscious.
• Hawkins: He remains detached, methodical, and scientifically curious. He treats Anna as both a crewmate and a research subject, carefully balancing his promise not to harm her with his desire to exploit the discovery. He immediately recognizes the potential value of her potion-making ability and begins planning how to reproduce or commercialize it.
• Ai Miye: Though absent from the experiment, she motivates Anna’s decision to participate, since Anna wants to use the reward to give her a present.

Significant Themes

• Science versus personal boundaries: Anna does not truly want to be experimented on, but financial incentives and her trust in Hawkins lead her to cooperate.
• Inherited knowledge and evolution: The Witch bloodline preserves generations of research, allowing Anna to access knowledge and abilities accumulated by her ancestors.
• The body as a source of power: Witch abilities are tied to profound biological changes, suggesting that supernatural power comes with physical costs and limitations.
• Knowledge as power and currency: Anna’s inherited formulas could strengthen Hawkins, expand the Exchange Page, and transform her ability into an economic resource.
• Identity and instinct: Anna’s temporary personality shift raises questions about how much of her behavior comes from her true self and how much comes from inherited Witch instincts.

Character Interactions

• Anna and Hawkins’s relationship combines crew loyalty, scientific detachment, and awkward personal tension. Anna’s instinctive attempt to kiss him contrasts with Hawkins’s calm refusal and analytical response.
• Their interaction also demonstrates the Witch knowledge-transfer ability: Hawkins receives Anna’s inherited memories through physical contact, while Anna becomes embarrassed once the instinctive state passes.
• Hawkins’s treatment of Anna is clinical but not openly cruel; he protects her from harm while using every available resource—including Mother’s full computational capacity—to study her.

Chapter Summary: Sea Ape Treasure

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hawkins records his findings on witches: their appearance is unrelated to ability, their bloodline awakens gradually after age sixty, and their powers originate from a substance he calls Witch Substance, which produces Witch Power. He and Mother begin trying to synthesize it so Anna—or potentially others—can gain witch abilities early.
• Anna awakens in her room with no memory of what happened after drinking the potion. She discovers through the chat group that the others are fishing during an enormous migration of White-Spotted Fish.
• Anna joins Ai Miye on the ship. While fishing, Ai Miye hooks an enormous creature. The force drags both women overboard despite Anna’s attempt to save her.
• Underwater, Anna and Ai Miye struggle through the dense school of fish. Ai Miye shoots a shark-like predator, and the blood attracts a legendary Sea Ape.
• The Sea Ape grabs the women with its hairy arm and drags them downward. Anna’s Fear Mirror summons the Giant Spider, which attacks the Sea Ape and forces it to release them.
• The Sea Ape and Giant Spider engage in a fierce underwater battle. The women escape to the surface with the help of Arthur, Mark, and Victor.
• After learning that Sea Apes supposedly hoard treasures from shipwrecks, Victor and Mark become interested in exploring its nest. They exchange for Underwater Breathers, which allow humans to breathe underwater for twenty-four hours before their Gall Cores need replacement.

Character Developments

• Hawkins continues his scientific investigation into witch biology and plans experiments that may grant Anna or others supernatural abilities.
• Anna remains frightened by the Fear Mirror but demonstrates quick thinking and courage underwater. She helps Ai Miye escape, confirms the Sea Ape’s existence, and relies on the mirror’s Giant Spider for protection.
• Ai Miye shows confidence and familiarity with the sea but becomes endangered by her eagerness while fishing. Her knowledge of local legends helps identify the Sea Ape.
• Arthur, Mark, and Victor react protectively when Anna and Ai Miye fall overboard, immediately diving into the sea to rescue them.
• Mark and Victor reveal their adventurous and opportunistic sides when they hear about the possible treasure in the Sea Ape’s nest, despite the danger.
• The chat-group members continue their informal, teasing relationships, particularly joking about Mark’s behavior and his supposed interest in medical examinations.

Significant Themes

• Scientific exploration and experimentation: Hawkins treats witch powers as biological phenomena, attempting to classify and reproduce them.
• The contrast between legend and reality: The Sea Ape, once merely a coastal superstition, is proven to exist.
• Danger beneath ordinary activities: A peaceful fishing trip quickly becomes a life-threatening encounter with a legendary monster.
• Cooperation and rescue: The group survives through mutual assistance, especially Anna’s intervention and the others’ willingness to risk themselves.
• Curiosity versus caution: Ai Miye’s enthusiasm and Mark and Victor’s desire for treasure repeatedly bring the characters into danger.
• The limits of human knowledge: The ocean, the Fear Mirror’s creatures, witch biology, and the Sea Ape all remain only partially understood.

Character Interactions

• The chat group exchanges playful jokes about Anna’s absence and Mark’s supposed interest in examining people.
• Ai Miye warmly invites Anna to fish and tries to share her knowledge of White-Spotted Fish.
• Anna saves Ai Miye from being pulled overboard and later reminds her to release the fishing rod underwater.
• Ai Miye attempts to defend them by shooting the attacking predator and the Sea Ape.
• The Giant Spider protects Anna and Ai Miye by fighting the Sea Ape, while Arthur, Mark, and Victor rescue them after the underwater battle.
• Victor and Mark persuade one another to investigate the Sea Ape’s possible treasure, while Ai Miye warns them that doing so could get them killed.