Chapter Summaries

After meeting the other heroes, Chuan Wenwu returned to Raphtalia and Bruce, explained that the heroes supported abolishing slavery, and took his party to the Dragon Hourglass to synchronize their status. He learned that the next Calamity Wave would arrive in six days, leaving him time to strengthen his team.

• Chuan Wenwu returned to Raphtalia and Bruce and told Raphtalia that the other heroes opposed slavery and would not blindly follow Melromarc's rulers.
• Chuan Wenwu told Raphtalia they would visit the clock tower to update their status and prepare for the Calamity Wave.
• Chuan Wenwu, Raphtalia, and Bruce entered the church and followed the nun receptionist to the Dragon Hourglass.
• Chuan Wenwu's shield synchronized with the Dragon Hourglass, displaying a countdown that showed six days remained before the Calamity Wave.

With the next calamity wave approaching, Chuan Wenwu trained with Bruce and Raphtalia, improved their equipment, and prepared for battle. When the wave arrived, the heroes were transported to a grassy wasteland.

• Chuan Wenwu took Bruce and Raphtalia into the forest to hunt new magic beasts and unlock more shields.
• Bruce practiced Flame Enchantment while Raphtalia rapidly gained levels and learned light and dark spells.
• Chuan Wenwu and his companions returned to town, sold supplies, unlocked shield abilities, and repaired their equipment.
• Chuan Wenwu showed off the Refined Light Metal Cross Shield Inlaid with Tungsten Steel as he and his companions waited for the wave.
• The sky turned wine-red, a rift split the heavens, and the calamity wave began.
• Chuan Wenwu was transported from town to a grassy wasteland.

Chuan Wenwu and the other heroes confronted a Calamity Wave near Rude Village, where magical beasts threatened unaware villagers. The heroes split up, with Motoyasu Kitamura, Ren Amaki, and Itsuki Kawasumi heading to fight the Wave’s boss while Chuan Wenwu stayed to protect and evacuate the villagers.

• Raphtalia recognized the area as Rude Village, and Chuan Wenwu saw that a horde of magical beasts was advancing toward it.
• Chuan Wenwu gathered Motoyasu Kitamura, Ren Amaki, and Itsuki Kawasumi and asked how they could stop the Wave.
• Itsuki Kawasumi fired an illumination arrow to summon the Knights Order and adventurers, while Chuan Wenwu urged the heroes to protect the villagers immediately.
• Ren Amaki proposed that he go alone to fight the Wave’s boss, but Chuan Wenwu warned that their companions were needed both for support and to defend the villagers.
• Motoyasu Kitamura declared that he, Ren Amaki, and Itsuki Kawasumi would fight the boss, and Chuan Wenwu agreed to stay behind with Bruce and the others to protect the villagers.

Chuan Wenwu, Bruce, and Raphtalia fought to evacuate Rude Village’s residents as the monster wave overwhelmed the village. After directing everyone toward the mine, Chuan Wenwu rescued the innkeeper, who had returned for his belongings, and drove him toward safety.

• Chuan Wenwu and Bruce held back the monsters while Raphtalia boosted the villagers’ speed and directed them toward the mine.
• The villagers recognized Chuan Wenwu as a hero, and he ordered them to follow Raphtalia’s instructions and evacuate.
• Raphtalia used Holy Light Bullet to repel monsters that got past Chuan Wenwu and threatened the fleeing villagers.
• As the villagers retreated, Chuan Wenwu spotted the innkeeper surrounded by monsters after he had gone back to collect his belongings.
• Chuan Wenwu shielded the innkeeper with Earth Shield, blasted nearby monsters with its spikes, then used the Rope Shield to pull him away and kick him toward safety.

The Wave destroyed Rude Village, but Chuan Wenwu and his companions rescued the villagers and led them into the mine. Raphtalia comforted and treated the survivors, then promised they would be protected while the other heroes fought the monster leader at the Wave’s core.

• The monster horde overwhelmed Rude Village, and Chuan Wenwu drew most of the monsters away while villagers escaped to the mine.
• Raphtalia urged the grieving survivors not to lose hope and guided them deeper into the mine, where miners blocked the entrance with boulders.
• Raphtalia cast a Lighting Spell and used healing magic to treat the villagers’ injuries.
• The village chief recognized Raphtalia, thanked her, and learned that Chuan Wenwu was the legendary Shield Hero.
• Raphtalia explained that the other three heroes were fighting the monster leader at the Wave’s core and promised to keep the villagers safe until the Wave ended.

Chuan Wenwu and Bruce fought a vast horde of magic beasts near Rude Village, then tried to head toward the center of the Wave after the villagers escaped. The Knights Order bombarded them with fire for fifteen minutes, so Chuan Wenwu dragged their captain into the flames.

• Chuan Wenwu killed nearly a thousand dimensional magic beasts but gained almost no experience from them.
• After confirming the villagers had evacuated safely, Chuan Wenwu called for Bruce to help him break away from the horde and reach the center of the Wave.
• Bruce cleared a path with a fiery sword attack, and Chuan Wenwu used Shield Bash to drive back the beasts surrounding them.
• The Knights Order arrived and kept raining fire on Chuan Wenwu, Bruce, and the magic beasts even after the beasts in the area were dead.
• Chuan Wenwu used the Rope Shield to trip the Knights Order's captain and drag him into the fire while he and Bruce remained protected by Aura Shield.

Chuan Wenwu fought back against the Knights Order captain after the knights attacked him, then left the soldiers surrounded by magic beasts. He rode away on Bruce to find out why the Wave was still raging and what had happened to Motoyasu.

• The Knights Order captain survived Chuan Wenwu’s fire rain but was badly burned, then tried to attack him after receiving treatment.
• Bruce knocked the captain’s sword aside, and Chuan Wenwu slapped him for threatening to enslave Bruce.
• The captain ordered the Knights Order to attack Chuan Wenwu, but the soldiers hesitated when he challenged them and the magic beasts closed in.
• Chuan Wenwu punched the captain to the ground and told the knights to deal with the magic beasts before troubling him again.
• Bruce transformed into a giant tawny dog, carried Chuan Wenwu out of the encirclement, and left the knights to face the beasts.
• Chuan Wenwu headed toward the heart of the Wave to investigate its continuing rifts and find out what had happened on Motoyasu’s side.

Chuan Wenwu reached the battlefield and joined Motoyasu Kitamura, Ren Amaki, and Itsuki Kawasumi in fighting the regenerating Chimera Beast. He drew the boss’s attention and prepared to use his newly unlocked Taunt skill to force it to attack him alone.

• Chuan Wenwu arrived with Bruce and told Itsuki Kawasumi that he had evacuated the villagers of Rude Village.
• Itsuki Kawasumi explained that the Chimera Beast had immense defense and could regenerate by devouring other magic beasts.
• Chuan Wenwu blocked the Chimera Beast’s venomous stingers with his shield and urged the others to attack without holding back.
• Chuan Wenwu took over the Chimera Beast’s aggro, blocking its strikes and landing an enhanced Shield Bash.
• Chuan Wenwu unlocked the Dimensional Ghoul Shield, which granted him the Taunt ability to force nearby hostile creatures to attack him alone.

Chuan Wenwu drew the Chimera Beast’s attacks while the Heroes and their allies overwhelmed it, ending the first Calamity Wave. After the rift began closing, Ren Amaki and Chuan Wenwu found that the Wave’s monsters offered almost no experience or rewards, so the group turned to dividing the boss’s materials.

• Chuan Wenwu used Taunt and his shield to hold off the Chimera Beast, while Bruce wounded it from the flank.
• Motoyasu Kitamura, Ren Amaki, Itsuki Kawasumi, and the other fighters unleashed their strongest attacks while Chuan Wenwu kept the boss focused on him.
• The group’s relentless assault reduced the Chimera Beast to its wild-boar-like core, and Ren Amaki killed it by severing its head.
• The crimson Wave rift began to close after the Chimera Beast died, and the fighters celebrated surviving their first Calamity Wave.
• Ren Amaki found no experience or drops, and Chuan Wenwu explained that Wave monsters had yielded almost no experience before suggesting they divide the boss’s materials.

After the Wave ended, Chuan Wenwu unlocked several Chimera Beast shields and returned to the ruined Rude Village with the other heroes. He revealed that he had evacuated the villagers to safety, while the surviving Knights Order soldiers left after the heroes condemned their attack on him.

• Chuan Wenwu used Chimera Beast materials to unlock five shields, including the Chimera Beast Viper Shield, and took additional materials in exchange for the beast’s heads.
• Chuan Wenwu and the other heroes walked back toward Rude Village because the Wave’s transport had only brought them one way.
• The heroes found magic beasts attacking the surviving Knights Order soldiers in the village ruins and rescued them.
• Chuan Wenwu told the other heroes that the Knights Order had attacked him and threatened to enslave Bruce, prompting the heroes to rebuke the captain and his soldiers.
• Chuan Wenwu told the heroes that he had evacuated Rude Village’s residents to safety and led them toward the villagers.

After the Wave ended, Raphtalia led the unharmed villagers out of Mine Cave and reunited with Chuan Wenwu. The heroes gathered with them, and Raphtalia introduced herself as Chuan Wenwu’s companion.

• Chuan Wenwu broke open Mine Cave’s entrance and told the villagers the Wave was over.
• Raphtalia announced that the villagers were safe and guided them outside, where she reported that no one had died.
• Raphtalia thanked Chuan Wenwu for protecting the village, and he credited her, the villagers, and the other heroes for their survival.
• Motoyasu Kitamura praised Chuan Wenwu for defending the village and helping defeat the chimera, then flirted with Raphtalia until Chuan Wenwu kicked him aside.
• Itsuki Kawasumi and Ren Amaki introduced themselves to Raphtalia, who explained her past and said she followed Chuan Wenwu to protect others.

After the Wave destroyed Rude Village, Chuan Wenwu and the other heroes helped the villagers face rebuilding and donated money to support them. Chuan Wenwu urged the Old Village Chief to organize temporary shelters before sunset.

• The Old Village Chief accepted that Rude Village had been destroyed but vowed that its surviving villagers could rebuild it.
• The Innkeeper offered Chuan Wenwu his savings in gratitude for saving his life, but Chuan Wenwu told him to use the money for the village.
• Chuan Wenwu donated a hundred silver coins, while Motoyasu Kitamura and Ren Amaki each gave three hundred and Itsuki Kawasumi gave five hundred.
• Motoyasu Kitamura explained that the heroes earned money through Adventurers' Association commissions and special quests, reminding Chuan Wenwu of the guild's past refusal to help him.
• Chuan Wenwu urged the Old Village Chief to organize rebuilding and arrange temporary shelters before nightfall.

After helping the survivors of Rude Village begin rebuilding, Chuan Wenwu received a summons from the Kingdom to attend a victory banquet in the Royal City. Suspecting a trap, he set out with Bruce and Raphtalia, leaving the villagers to rebuild with renewed hope.

• The villagers rebuilt makeshift shelters and cooked their remaining grain after the Magic Beast attack.
• Knights of the Kingdom's Knights Order arrived and ordered Chuan Wenwu to attend the king's victory banquet.
• Chuan Wenwu decided to go, suspecting the king had an ulterior motive, and Raphtalia insisted on joining him.
• Chuan Wenwu, Bruce, and Raphtalia departed in a Filolial-drawn carriage as the villagers thanked them and waved goodbye.

Chuan Wenwu attended a royal victory banquet with Raphtalia and Bruce, where the king suddenly ordered soldiers to seize him. King Aultcray accused Chuan Wenwu of colluding with Magic Beasts and killing over a hundred citizens.

• Chuan Wenwu arrived at the Royal City and entered the banquet hall with Raphtalia and Bruce.
• Raphtalia and Bruce feasted while Chuan Wenwu watched the nobles, heroes, and king from a quiet corner.
• A guard reported something to King Aultcray, who then ordered soldiers to seize Chuan Wenwu as the Shield Demon.
• The soldiers surrounded Chuan Wenwu, Raphtalia, and Bruce as the other heroes noticed the commotion.
• King Aultcray told the guests that Chuan Wenwu had colluded with Magic Beasts and slaughtered over a hundred innocent citizens.

At the victory banquet, King Aultcray accused Chuan Wenwu of colluding with monsters and slaughtering civilians, then ordered soldiers to seize him. Chuan Wenwu and the other Heroes resisted the attack, and the chapter ended with the king facing their demands for an explanation.

• King Aultcray accused Chuan Wenwu of killing civilians and ordered the soldiers to arrest him.
• Chuan Wenwu advanced unharmed through the soldiers, while Bruce struck back with his enchanted Greatsword.
• Chuan Wenwu raised Rock Shields around himself, Bruce, and Raphtalia, then wounded the attacking soldiers with reflected damage and stone spikes.
• King Aultcray asked Motoyasu Kitamura, Ren Amaki, and Itsuki Kawasumi to help capture Chuan Wenwu, but all three rejected his request and defended Chuan Wenwu.
• King Aultcray found that the Three Heroes Church Pope had disappeared, while Motoyasu Kitamura demanded that he explain himself.

Aultcray accused Chuan Wenwu of causing the destruction of Rude Village, but the three other heroes exposed the king’s witness as a liar. Aultcray then presented a recording of Rude Village burning, and Chuan Wenwu recognized the flames as coming from the shelter he had built.

• Aultcray accused Chuan Wenwu of letting magic beasts kill Rude Village’s residents and obstructing the Knights Order during the Wave.
• The captain of the Knights Order testified that Chuan Wenwu had prevented his men from rescuing the villagers.
• Motoyasu Kitamura kicked the captain into a wall, while Ren Amaki and Itsuki Kawasumi challenged his testimony and confirmed that the villagers had survived.
• Aultcray activated a recording crystal ball showing Rude Village’s ruins, burned bodies, and a figure carrying a shield.
• Chuan Wenwu recognized the burning structure as the shelter he had built in Rude Village and furiously cursed Aultcray.

King Aultcray showed a crystal-ball recording that appeared to depict Chuan Wenwu slaughtering Rude Village's surviving villagers, prompting Chuan Wenwu to attack the king and rush to the village. Motoyasu Kitamura, Ren Amaki, and Itsuki Kawasumi followed after concluding the footage might have been altered, while guards stayed behind to save Aultcray.

• Aultcray presented a recording that showed Chuan Wenwu attacking villagers in Rude Village, and Chuan Wenwu seized the crystal ball and grabbed the king by the throat.
• Motoyasu Kitamura questioned whether the footage was real, while Raphtalia and Bruce defended Chuan Wenwu and Ren Amaki accused him of attacking the villagers.
• Chuan Wenwu insisted he had never harmed anyone in Rude Village, struck Aultcray with his shield, and threw him from the dais.
• Chuan Wenwu called Raphtalia and Bruce to go to Rude Village, and they fought through the guards trying to stop them.
• Itsuki Kawasumi reasoned that the recording could have been altered, and Motoyasu Kitamura led the other heroes after Chuan Wenwu while the soldiers tended to Aultcray.

Chuan Wenwu found Rude Village’s villagers massacred and followed evidence to a collapsed mine, hoping survivors had escaped inside. Meanwhile, the Pope and Malty S. Melromarc persuaded the restored King Aultcray to publicize charges against the Shield Hero and mobilize the kingdom against him.

• Chuan Wenwu, Raphtalia, and Bruce arrived at Rude Village and found its villagers dead, while Bruce detected tracks leading toward the mine.
• Chuan Wenwu reasoned that some villagers might have fled into the mine before attackers collapsed its entrance, then began trying to reopen it.
• The Pope healed King Aultcray after the Shield Hero’s escape, and Malty S. Melromarc explained her absence by claiming she had been studying fire magic with the Pope.
• Malty urged Aultcray to expose the Shield Hero’s alleged crimes, put him on the wanted list, and punish anyone who helped him.
• The Pope promised to keep the other three heroes from contacting the Shield Hero, and Aultcray agreed to mobilize the army against him.

Chuan Wenwu and his companions found fourteen survivors from Rude Village hiding in the Mine Cave after rescuing them from the dark. The villagers described a massacre by black-robed attackers, and Chuan Wenwu began investigating who had killed them.

• Chuan Wenwu used the Mole Claw Shield to break through the collapsed mine entrance, then followed Bruce into the cave maze.
• Chuan Wenwu, Raphtalia, and Bruce found the villagers beside the Underground River, but the frightened survivors tried to flee until Chuan Wenwu identified himself and Raphtalia lit the cave.
• The villagers told Chuan Wenwu that black-robed attackers had slaughtered Rude Village shortly after he left and used explosive magic to collapse the cave.
• A miner said only fourteen people had survived, including a baby, and pleaded with Chuan Wenwu to bring the attackers to justice.
• Chuan Wenwu asked the survivors whether they had noticed distinguishing marks on the attackers, but they could not identify any.

Chuan Wenwu showed the surviving villagers evidence implicating the king in the massacre and invited them to join his effort to build a world free of oppression. The chapter left the villagers facing a choice between remaining vulnerable and becoming his companions, before the author announced an indefinite hiatus.

• Chuan Wenwu activated the Crystal Ball and told the villagers that the king had received it in an attempt to frame him for the massacre.
• Chuan Wenwu compared the attack on Rude Village to the destruction of Raphtalia’s village and explained that Melromarc’s rulers used human supremacy to control and divide people.
• A young villager blamed Chuan Wenwu for the massacre, but another villager slapped him and he admitted that he was grieving and afraid.
• Raphtalia silently asked Chuan Wenwu to help the survivors, and he invited them to join him in opposing oppression and building a better world.
• The author apologized for struggling to write the uprising and announced that updates would be suspended indefinitely.