Chapter Summaries

Arthur and Malinda arranged a burial for Mrs. Andor at Anthony Cemetery, where Arthur offered her flowers, incense, candles, and food. As he blessed her, Arthur noticed the incense and candles were burning unusually fast.

• Malinda accused Arthur of using Garcia to infiltrate the Cloak Society, and Arthur agreed before saying she owed him a favor.
• Malinda demanded to know what Arthur wanted, and he asked for a coffin, a burial plot, and offerings.
• Arthur and Malinda brought Mrs. Andor’s cypress coffin to the best available plot at Anthony Cemetery, while the frightened gravekeeper kept his distance.
• Arthur laid offerings before Mrs. Andor’s burial chamber and prayed that she and Cotton would find happiness in the Land of Eternal Rest.
• Arthur noticed that the incense and candles were burning too quickly and sensed that something was wrong.

Arthur noticed the incense and candle smoke vanish into an unseen point above him, then returned to 2 Kirk Street to take the [Glory Potion (Perfect)] in the hidden safe room. As Arthur prepared to drink it, Pendragon guarded the basement entrance.

• Arthur saw the incense and candle smoke disappear one meter above his head and suspected the ritual had reached the dead, but avoided investigating the unseen presence.
• Malinda believed Arthur had performed Communing with the Netherworld as part of his plan for the Swordsmanship Tournament, then reminded him that registration was three days away before leaving.
• Arthur watched six people monitoring 2 Kirk Street and ordered Kuliqi and Pendragon to guard the house while he waited for Fuginn to return.
• After Fuginn returned from watching Garcia and Langbain, Arthur entered the third-basement safe room and retrieved the [Glory Potion (Perfect)] from the [Athos Box].
• Pendragon became alert at the stairway entrance as Arthur prepared to take the potion.

Arthur drank the Perfect Glory Potion and experienced a vision of a giant snake growing through the ages before it was consumed after approaching a one-eyed man. He woke with his dark snake bloodline advanced into an incomplete, diluted death serpent and discovered the change had brought him unexpected power.

• Arthur drank the Perfect Glory Potion and saw a giant snake grow from a forest predator into a hundred-meter serpent drawn toward a powerful bloodline resonance.
• The serpent found a colossal scale in a glacier, then descended into the land of the dead in pursuit of another resonance.
• The serpent reached a sleeping lady and was reborn in a vision as it approached a one-eyed man, but the awakened man and his animals startled it into unconsciousness.
• Arthur awoke from the vision and read that his dark snake bloodline had advanced into a diluted, incomplete serpent of the mortal world.
• Arthur's breath of death resonated with the new bloodline and mutated it into a diluted, incomplete death serpent, leaving him surprised by the result.

After his bloodline transformed into the Death Serpent, Arthur considered how to complete it, realized he needed specially fitted clothes to use his new body, and replaced the Balanced Blood Ring with the Rat King's Crown. The rats of Kirk Street then submitted to him in terror.

• Arthur studied the Death Serpent's new abilities and wondered whether another Glory Potion (Perfect) could complete his bloodline.
• Arthur considered seeking the potion through someone other than the Count of South Los and gained confidence that his Serpent Body might withstand one of her attacks.
• Arthur worried that transforming would leave him naked and wondered whether a tailor or alchemist could make adjustable underwear.
• Arthur thanked the Balanced Blood Ring, placed it in the Athos Box, and put the Rat King's Crown on his left index finger.
• The rats on Kirk Street saw Arthur's orange cat and serpent shadow, became terrified, and prostrated themselves in submission.

Arthur discovered the Rat King's Crown had gained new effects involving Cat Cave, the Cat Faction, and the Snake Sect, then learned Cat's Claw and tested its newly enhanced strikes. He ended the chapter satisfied with his strength and dubbed his technique “Snake-Style Claw Hand.”

• Arthur read the Rat King's Crown's revised notes and Natural Enemy attribute, then tested his commands on the rats of Kirk Street.
• Arthur reflected on Master Herke's inventions and planned to learn Cat's Claw using his accumulated XP.
• Arthur learned Cat's Claw, enduring a process that strengthened and sharpened the muscles and bones of his hands and feet.
• Arthur tested his new strikes and used the Black Cat Boots to mark the stone ceiling with his feet.
• Arthur named his technique “Snake-Style Claw Hand” and looked over the remaining mystic arts.

Arthur spent his remaining XP upgrading Wand Combat Art and Ringing Art, then tested their improved abilities and examined his housewarming gifts. He opened Cook’s final gift and froze at what he saw, leaving its contents unrevealed.

• Arthur used 80 XP to raise Wand Combat Art to Lv3 and 40 XP to raise Ringing Art to Lv4.
• Arthur tested Wand Combat Art and watched his cat-headed walking stick fight with the skill of a proficient fighter.
• Arthur discovered that Lv4 Ringing Art could create loud noises or varied rustling sounds, including the sound of explosive diarrhea.
• Arthur sorted through gifts from Malinda, Maltz, Scott, Wiggins, Haywood, and Linda, and wound up Linda’s kitten toy to watch it walk.
• Arthur picked up the book Cook had brought as his gift, then froze when he saw it.

Arthur studied Cook’s gift of forgotten formulas for exorcism salt and evil-warding brick powder, and deduced that Cook’s father had deep connections to the Mystical Side and resources that could protect him. As Arthur headed above ground, he considered combining the formulas with the Hunter’s Sword to create a Hunter identity and thought of someone who could answer his questions about using corpses and souls.

• Arthur read the recipes for exorcism salt and evil-warding brick powder and recognized them as lost techniques from the Sacred Empire era.
• Arthur deduced that Cook’s father had explored Church ruins, understood the Mystical Side’s ranks, and possessed a means of protecting himself from powerful opponents.
• Arthur reasoned that Cook connected him to Cook’s father and that his own Step-Entry status would make the apparent contract with Cook seem credible.
• Arthur considered using [Corpse Control], the Hunter’s Sword, and the two powders to create a Hunter identity, while wondering whether souls could power [Evil-Breaking Slash].
• Arthur paused when he thought of an exceptionally suitable person to ask about his corpse-and-soul idea.

William transformed himself into a Half-Corpse Lich and spoke with Arthur, who asked him how to use souls as fuel for Evil-Breaking Slash. After Arthur learned the required death techniques, he began considering a plan of his own while William resumed his transformation.

• William tattooed and reshaped his face to conceal his identity as he began transforming into a Half-Corpse Lich.
• Arthur contacted William through their soul contract and asked about using other souls to fuel Evil-Breaking Slash.
• William explained Soul Extraction, Soul Control, Soul Siphoning, and Corpse Transmutation to Arthur.
• Arthur learned the techniques and inferred that the Sunk Family had planned to interrogate old Sunk's soul to obtain the Book of Death.
• Arthur encouraged William to return to his side, restoring William's depleted power of the soul, then rose to act on his own plan.

Arthur warmed the Safe House while unseen watchers monitored the street outside. A bandaged swordsman killed Finley the Cripple and headed toward the site of the Sunk Family massacre, leaving three Mystical Side watchers terrified.

• Arthur returned upstairs, cuddled Pendragon, then lit the kitchen boiler to warm 2 Kirk Street.
• Giorgio left his post to escape the cold, but an unseen force dragged him into an alley and covered his mouth.
• Finley the Cripple recalled his work for Lord Lissop and went to check on the watchers he had hired.
• A bandaged swordsman appeared at Finley’s door and cut off his head despite Finley’s plea.
• Three Mystical Side watchers saw the killing and sent messages as the swordsman headed toward the site of the Sunk Family massacre in the Dort District.

The Bandaged Swordsman returned to the Backstreet Ruins and unleashed an Evil-Breaking Slash that revealed his face as a dead man. After killing two Scouts, he spared Eli and wrote that Eli had been betrayed too, leaving Eli to wonder what the Swordsman meant.

• The Bandaged Swordsman wandered through the Backstreet Ruins while three Scouts secretly followed him.
• At the site of The Sunk Family's former front door, the Swordsman staggered as strange, inhuman sounds filled the ruins.
• The Swordsman struck at the Azure Flame with an Evil-Breaking Slash, and the blast tore away his bandages to reveal a dead man's face.
• The three Scouts tried to flee, but the Swordsman killed two of them with his longsword.
• The Swordsman spared Eli and wrote, “You were betrayed too,” prompting Eli to reconsider what he had seen.

Eli recognized a possible connection between the Bandaged Swordsman and the Medium, but chose to sell the information rather than take risks. Arthur used Eli’s caution and reputation to help spread a false account of what happened, then prepared to carry out one final part of his plan.

• Eli suspected the Bandaged Swordsman was connected to the Medium and the Sunk Family massacre, but stayed silent and planned to sell the information to Count Bette, the Cloak Society, and nobles in South Los.
• Eli revealed that he had faked his injury and carefully checked the ruins twice before leaving, while Arthur watched from the shadows and decided Eli’s reputation would help his plan.
• Arthur regretted that Evil-Breaking Slash had burned the Bandaged Swordsman’s palm, blamed [Corpse Transmutation], and returned to 2 Kirk Street.
• News spread that Arthur Credos could guide souls to the Land of Eternal Rest, had been injured doing so, and had released an evil ghost.
• Arthur, who had Muninn watching Garcia, stroked Pendragon and concluded that only one last thing remained.

Arthur used the Bandaged Swordsman to strengthen rumors about his injury, plant a lead in South Los, and try to draw out Old Sunk or learn about the Book of Death. Meanwhile, Lord Lissop received news of the incident and activated a hidden Communication Stone, prompting a manservant in South Los to realize his trap had worked.

• Arthur considered how the Bandaged Swordsman could help him create a tripwire in South Los and lure Old Sunk or Gilbert out for information about the Book of Death.
• Arthur fell asleep after the [Cat's Orange] ritual and his [Death Serpent. Thin. Fragmentary] bloodline took effect.
• Lord Lissop received an urgent report that Arthur had been injured and an evil spirit had killed Finley, then ordered Finley's family cared for.
• The old steward told Lord Lissop that Cotton and Andor were connected to the undead Arthur had guided, and Lord Lissop dismissed Baron Kemail as a Dud.
• Lord Lissop planned to wait for Young Lissop's knighthood before pursuing a greater title for the family, then sent a message using a hidden Communication Stone.
• A manservant at 6 Whitebird Street woke and realized Lord Lissop had taken the bait.

Arthur spent his newly gained XP upgrading Ringing Art and Stone Pellet Art, then planted the Banyan Heart in the courtyard of 2 Kirk Street. The seed unexpectedly reacted as he buried it.

• Arthur gained XP from news spreading about his work guiding souls and the Bandaged Swordsman, then upgraded Ringing Art to its maximum level and gained the ability to imitate voices.
• Arthur upgraded Stone Pellet Art to Lv2, letting him control and launch up to one hundred stones, and discovered Lv3 would cost 100,000 XP.
• Arthur smeared blood on the Banyan Heart and buried it beneath a paving brick in the courtyard of 2 Kirk Street.
• Something unexpected happened as Arthur buried the seed.

Arthur’s blood transformed the Banyan Heart into a powerful Death Snake Banyan, and Malinda’s guards concealed the event from the neighbors with mist and altered memories. Watching them do so made Arthur question whether his memories—and even his transmigration—were real.

• Arthur’s blood mutated the newly planted Banyan Heart into a War Tree-stage Death Snake Banyan with deadly vines, roots, and the ability to burrow underground.
• Arthur considered the tree’s potential as a weapon and decided how he would use it later.
• Malinda arrived, reprimanded Arthur for failing to warn her, and had mist spread across the neighborhood.
• The Countess of South Los’s guards made the unconscious neighbors believe the tree had stood there for twenty years, then left.
• After the neighbors awoke, Arthur wondered whether his own memories and supposed transmigration had been fabricated.

Arthur concealed his suspicions about his memories and the world, then welcomed a former Death Squad captain who thanked him for helping Cotton and Nicole. The captain reported for duty and opened a box whose contents alarmed Arthur.

• Arthur decided to bury his suspicions about his memories and investigate only after he had gained more strength.
• Malinda praised her honey-fruit-wine tobacco, shared a pouch with Arthur, and left through the Death Snake Banyan.
• Arthur hired Merlin to deliver his newspaper and food, but noticed the boy feared the Death Snake Banyan and sent Fuginn to follow him.
• A drunken vagrant arrived at 2 Kirk Street, exchanged cryptic remarks with Arthur, and thanked him for helping Cotton and Nicole.
• The vagrant identified himself as Bob, captain of the Death Squad's First Team, reported for duty, and opened a box that made Arthur narrow his eyes.

Arthur learned the cost, risks, and lifespan effects of Bob’s optimized Death Warrior Potion, then decided to build a force of loyal Death Warriors for Miss Qiu Security Company. With his initial funding secured, he prepared to choose the first recruits from Rat Street.

• Arthur examined Bob’s optimized Death Warrior Potion and learned that Bob had gained Spirituality and inherited a potion-maker’s legacy.
• Bob explained that each successful dose cost about one thousand gold coins to produce, and that a healthy recipient had roughly a one-in-two to one-in-three chance of surviving it.
• Bob told Arthur that the optimized potion let survivors live at least twenty-five more years, unlike the unoptimized potion’s severe lifespan cost.
• Arthur decided to begin with thirty Death Warriors, using Harris’s illicit gold and recruiting suitable people from Rat Street through Wiggins.
• Before Wiggins arrived, Arthur prepared to summon his Bandaged Swordsman.

The Bandaged Swordsman reached 2 Kirk Street and dodged attacks from the hidden [Death Snake Banyan] as Arthur watched the gathered spectators. When the banyan unleashed more than a hundred vines, the attack crushed many watchers while the survivors fled beyond its reach.

• The Bandaged Swordsman walked through Kirk Street toward 2 Kirk Street as Eli and other watchers observed.
• The Bandaged Swordsman dodged several unseen attacks that shattered the paving stones, while Eli cautiously retreated.
• Arthur watched the spectators through Fuginn's eyes and directed the [Death Snake Banyan] to attack after warning the Bandaged Swordsman.
• More than a hundred vines appeared overhead and lashed down, crushing the watchers closest to 2 Kirk Street.
• The surviving watchers escaped the [Snake Vines]' range, looked back, and froze.

The Bandaged Swordsman revealed his undead nature while fighting the banyan tree, then followed a mysterious discovery into an alley as Arthur dealt with the aftermath. Arthur met Julie, the Count’s swordmaster, who asked him about the Bandaged Swordsman.

• The banyan tree gathered its vines to strike the Bandaged Swordsman while the watchers prepared to loot the scene and turned on one another.
• The Bandaged Swordsman unleashed a brilliant slash, exposing his scorched, bone-blackened hand and revealing that he was undead.
• After Arthur spotted Eli among the watchers, the Bandaged Swordsman abruptly charged into an alley, drawing the other watchers after him while Eli ran to sell information.
• Arthur directed the [Death Snake Banyan] to collect the bodies and loot, then turned his attention to the towering woman who had arrived with the Count’s guards.
• Julie introduced herself as the Count’s swordmaster, joked that Arthur would not have to pay for the damage, and asked what had happened with the Bandaged Swordsman.

Julie warned Arthur against trying to resurrect the dead, and he let the Countess of South Los believe that obsession explained his growing interest in death. After arranging security recruitment, Arthur turned his attention to the nobles preparing for the Swordsmanship Tournament and planned to kill half their people before it began.

• Julie warned Arthur that attempts to reverse death were taboo and urged him to be cautious.
• Arthur assured Julie that he would not meddle with death, then decided to let the Countess's misunderstanding stand as leverage over him.
• Bob told Arthur that selecting and training thirty Death Warriors would take at least three months, and Arthur approved the plan.
• Arthur told Bob to put rejected candidates into the regular security teams and coordinate with Maltz and Cook.
• Arthur gave Wiggins a meaningful look, prompting Wiggins to believe he had been assigned to watch Bob and protect Rat Street.
• Arthur identified the nobles preparing to register for the Swordsmanship Tournament and planned to kill half their people before it began.

Byrne registered for the South Los Swordsmanship Tournament and found its competitors far stronger than he had expected, while the arrival of noble attendants disrupted his plans. From the Clock Tower, Malinda identified the eastern and western competitors as Major Arcana powerhouses recruited by two barons, then turned her attention to the groups at the northern and southern corners.

• Byrne registered himself and two Jorjok Swordsmanship Club students, then worried that the formidable competitors would make their chances slim.
• Todd Gilly abandoned his plan to repeat his previous tournament success and worked the crowd, while Byrne left with his students to revise their battle plans.
• Malinda identified the eastern competitor as Kang Si'ang, the Whale-Slaying Sword, and the western competitor as De'erqiao, the Gale Sword, both representing noble families as attendants.
• Malinda judged that Baron Coroll and Baron Hausmann had lured the Major Arcana competitors with partial core inheritances, then looked toward the northern and southern corners with a darkened gaze.