Chapter Summaries

Greg tried to prevent Victoria and Chloe from clashing, but their earlier hostility flared up when they met in his shop. When Greg stepped in to stop the confrontation, Chloe recognized him and rushed toward him, calling him “Big Brother.”

• Sylvia told Greg that Chloe had harassed her and Victoria after rumors of Greg's disappearance spread.
• Victoria and Chloe traded insults and prepared to escalate their confrontation inside the shop.
• Greg entered the shop to intervene, despite expecting Chloe to turn her hostility on him.
• Chloe recognized Greg, rushed at him, and called him “Big Brother,” leaving Victoria, Sylvia, and Greg stunned.

Greg recovered memories of how he had rescued Chloe Ivy as a child and brought her to the Duke Sass’s Mansion, where she later became a gifted alchemist and came to regard him as her dearest brother. Back in the present, he realized her hostility toward Victoria stemmed from her attachment to him, just as Sylvia arrived with an unsettlingly cool demeanor.

• Chloe Ivy clung to Greg and affectionately called him her dearest brother, leaving him stunned and prompting Victoria to demand an explanation.
• Greg remembered how, years earlier, he had ordered Ellie to rescue young Chloe from a minor lord trying to seize her over a false tax debt.
• Chloe grew up safely at the Duke Sass’s Mansion, discovered alchemy, and later became the Alchemy Department’s Top Student at Glory Kail Academy.
• Greg realized Chloe’s hostility toward Victoria was connected to her devotion to him and wondered why the original game had omitted their relationship.
• Sylvia entered and addressed Greg, her gentle smile accompanied by a chill that unsettled him.

Greg calmed the confrontation between Chloe, Victoria, and Sylvia by explaining that Chloe had misunderstood his relationship with them, then accepted Chloe’s paralysis venom for free. He left with Victoria and Sylvia to explore the Dungeon’s Second Floor, while Chloe vowed to help him more in the future.

• Chloe accused Victoria and Sylvia of kidnapping Greg, and Greg stopped the argument by claiming he had arranged their meeting to clear up a misunderstanding.
• Greg explained to Chloe that he had pretended to have a conflict with Victoria and Sylvia to escape his family, and asked the three girls to get along.
• Chloe offered Greg the potent paralysis venom gland she had made, and he accepted it without paying after thanking her.
• Greg left the shop with Victoria and Sylvia and headed toward the Academy Dungeon to explore its Second Floor.
• Chloe watched Greg leave and promised herself she would help him instead of watching from afar.

Greg took Victoria and Sylvia through the Academy Dungeon, where Victoria’s Hero blessings and Sylvia’s support helped them clear monsters and level up. After reaching the Second Floor entrance, Greg revealed a hidden passage, and the three became the first student party in Glory Kail Academy’s recorded history to descend there.

• Nightmare admitted she had fallen asleep in Greg’s shadow and wondered about a mysterious trace of her power within it.
• Greg directed Victoria to strike a Rock-Shelled Lizard’s weak point while Sylvia strengthened her attack, and Victoria killed it with one enhanced Flame Spear.
• Victoria discovered she had reached level 22 and eagerly asked Greg to take her to tougher monsters.
• Greg led Victoria and Sylvia through the web-filled Second Floor boss chamber and burned open a concealed passage.
• Greg descended into the passage first, and Victoria and Sylvia followed, realizing they were the first Academy students to enter the Dungeon’s Second Floor.

Lilith hid in her room after Greg Sass publicly revealed that he understood her feelings for Vivian and confessed his own admiration for her sister. Her maids worried over her, while Lilith stubbornly insisted to herself that she only respected Vivian.

• Lena tried to lure Lilith out with a card duel, but Lilith refused and told her to leave her alone.
• Renee worried that Lilith had spent nearly a day shut in her room without eating or drinking, and Laila recalled Greg Sass’s unexpected change in reputation and public confession.
• Lena innocently said that everyone already knew Lilith secretly admired Vivian, prompting Lilith to shout from inside that she did not admire her sister.
• Laila and Renee covered Lena’s mouth to stop her from upsetting Lilith further.
• Under her blanket, Lilith repeatedly told herself that she only respected Vivian as her sister, the First Princess, and the Academy’s Top Student.

Lilith struggled to interpret Greg’s attention and decided to question him after resting, while Victoria, Sylvia, and Greg explored the undocumented Second Floor of the Academy Dungeon. The markings there resembled those on Professor Audrey’s tablet but represented faith in the Broken Mother.

• Lilith considered whether Greg liked her or was using her to approach Princess Vivian, then decided to wait until she had rested before confronting him.
• Lilith left her room and asked Renee to arrange a generous meal, Laila to prepare a bath, and Lena to stay away from her.
• Victoria and Sylvia followed Greg onto the unexplored Second Floor of the Glory Kail Academy Dungeon, where they found ancient stonework among the caves.
• Sylvia recognized the carved markings as familiar, and Greg realized they resembled Professor Audrey’s tablet markings but signified faith in the Broken Mother.

Greg led Victoria and Sylvia through the Second Floor of the Dungeon, where Victoria’s confidence faltered against a Phantom Stalker and Greg defeated it with his Dark Erosion Armor. Afterward, he used his help as grounds to demand half of Victoria’s gem earnings, and she paid up.

• Greg set aside his curiosity about the Dungeon’s ancient pillar and led Victoria and Sylvia into the Second Floor.
• Victoria and Sylvia helped Greg clear monsters, and Victoria collected several low-grade magic gems while boasting about their progress.
• A Phantom Stalker resisted Victoria’s attacks and disrupted her with psychic screeches, so Greg used Dark Erosion Armor to destroy it and gained Mental Attack Resistance Level 1.
• Victoria thanked Greg for saving her, and he demanded half of her gems as payment for his help.
• Greg called Victoria his sister and insisted that sisters had to keep their accounts straight, leaving her to pay him.

Greg led Victoria and Sylvia through the prerequisites for triggering the Hidden Mini-Boss, stopping at a dusty altar that he planned to revisit. As they continued, Sylvia secretly held Greg’s hand and replenished his mana before Victoria turned around, leaving the three to carry on toward their next encounters.

• Greg guided Victoria and Sylvia through the Hidden Mini-Boss prerequisites and showed them a dusty altar where a troublesome presence lingered.
• Sylvia followed Greg closely and secretly took his hand, using Glimmer Healing to replenish his mana.
• Greg accepted Sylvia’s touch and held her hand more securely while Nightmare teased him in his mind.
• When Victoria turned around, Sylvia quickly let go and claimed she and Greg had been discussing Swiftclaw Hunters’ attack patterns.
• Victoria agreed they should be careful but said she hoped to encounter more Swiftclaw Hunters for their drops.

Greg and Victoria defeated their opponents, and Greg reunited three Shattered Eye Shards into a complete artifact. The group reached a ledge overlooking the Temple Ruins, fulfilling the final condition for triggering the Hidden Boss Battle.

• Victoria killed a Monster with a spell that kept its body from falling off the cliff, while Greg bound and shattered a Rock-Splitting Colossus.
• Greg found a third Shattered Eye Shard on Victoria's Monster and joined it with his other two shards to form a complete, closed eye.
• Greg led Victoria and Sylvia up a newly cleared path toward a natural ledge.
• The group saw the Temple Ruins from afar, fulfilling the final condition for the Hidden Boss Battle.

Greg used the Closed Eye and a bronze mirror to guide Victoria and Sylvia backward out of the altar room, escaping its supernatural darkness. The dead end then opened into a shadowy corridor, which the three prepared to explore.

• Greg warned Victoria and Sylvia that the Shattered Temple's lord, the Throat of Longing, was too dangerous to fight without preparation.
• Greg returned with Victoria and Sylvia to the altar and placed the Closed Eye into its matching recess.
• Greg instructed Victoria and Sylvia to watch their reflections in the bronze mirror as they walked backward out of the room.
• The Closed Eye opened, a woman's voice spoke, and the bronze mirror cracked as darkness engulfed the room.
• Greg led Victoria and Sylvia through one final backward step, dispersing the darkness and revealing a corridor where the dead end had been.

Greg, Victoria, and Sylvia prepared to face the Silent Penitent in a chamber where sound was completely erased. The Silent Penitent appeared as they entered, leaving the three to fight without being able to communicate.

• Greg learned that Sylvia and Victoria had not heard the mysterious voice from the shattered mirror, and Nightmare denied speaking to him.
• At the corridor’s end, Greg told Sylvia to shield them and Victoria to prepare [Flame Storm] for a coordinated attack.
• Greg warned the girls that a rule-based silence inside the room would prevent them from speaking, and they entered together.
• The chamber stripped away every sound while leaving their other senses intact.
• The Silent Penitent materialized in the center of the chamber, carrying a broken ceremonial scepter.

Greg, Sylvia, and Victoria defeated the Silent Penitent in the stone chamber, using paralysis venom and coordinated spells to overcome its teleporting attacks. Greg claimed the Silent Covenant and gained Shattered Shadow Step, leaving the group better prepared to fight the lord boss.

• The Silent Penitent attacked Sylvia and then Victoria, while Greg and Sylvia intervened to protect them.
• Greg used spells to disrupt the Silent Penitent until he dodged its lethal strike with Intangibility and splashed it with paralysis venom.
• Sylvia trapped the slowed enemy with Light Shields, Greg bound it with tentacles, and Victoria defeated it with Flame Storm.
• Sylvia healed Greg, and Greg picked up the Silent Covenant, which could silence nearby units for 15 seconds.
• Greg received Shattered Shadow Step, a skill that enhanced a short movement and left a misleading afterimage.

Catherine considered why Greg had asked her to assist Victoria and planned how to approach Victoria and Sylvia despite the risks of their ties to the Church of Light. Her morning run brought her face-to-face with the two exhausted girls as they emerged from the Dungeon, giving her a chance to make contact.

• Catherine reflected on Victoria’s possible connection to the Church of Light and Sylvia’s skill with light magic.
• Catherine questioned why Greg had given up a chance to claim 1,000 gold coins in exchange for asking her to help Victoria.
• Catherine finished her run near the Dungeon entrance and saw Victoria Cecil and Sylvia Lorraine emerge, battered and exhausted.
• Catherine realized the girls had likely spent the night in the Dungeon and considered greeting them.

Catherine overheard Victoria and Sylvia discuss Greg and realized they had grown close to him, with Sylvia harboring feelings for him. Greg’s apparent willingness to help without seeking personal gain unsettled Catherine and sparked her curiosity, so she decided to approach Victoria and Sylvia to learn more about him.

• Catherine hid behind the hero statue and overheard Victoria complain about Greg’s harsh training and double standards.
• Sylvia defended Greg, explaining that he had helped them succeed in the Dungeon, and Victoria wondered whether Sylvia had grown close to him.
• Sylvia denied that anything was between her and Greg, and Victoria accepted her explanation before they left for the Dormitory District.
• Catherine inferred that Sylvia had feelings for Greg and questioned why Greg had arranged help for Victoria through her when he could have helped directly.
• Catherine reconsidered whether Greg might act without seeking personal gain and decided to approach Victoria and Sylvia to investigate him.

Greg tested his strengthened abilities in camp, then learned that Ellie’s work in the city was rapidly restoring Nightmare’s power of faith. He worried Ellie might be coercing people to convert and resolved to check on her and protect her if necessary.

• Greg killed a Horned Rabbit with several abilities and gained Boohoohoo proficiency.
• Nightmare told Greg that faith in her was growing rapidly in the city and might eventually let her grant him a basic blessing.
• Greg wondered whether Ellie was responsible for the increase, and Nightmare said the growth began after Greg parted ways with her.
• Greg feared Ellie might be forcing people to follow Nightmare and decided he needed to visit her.
• Greg resolved to protect Ellie, even if he had to seek the Academy Head’s help and get her into the Academy Dungeon.

Greg prepared to recover before the upcoming Return of the Dead, deciding he would intervene to help Victoria, then caught a hooded intruder searching his camp. He tackled the intruder and discovered she was Lilith, who had come to confront him about his remarks concerning her sister.

• Greg declined Nightmare’s offer to take her catgirl form, choosing to receive her blessing sooner and return to camp to rest.
• Greg recalled that Victoria’s original success in the Return of the Dead relied on Lilith and Sylvia’s support, and decided to intervene because Victoria and Lilith were now estranged.
• Greg spotted a hooded figure searching his camp and silently tackled her, believing she was a thief.
• The intruder cried out that Greg was at fault, and Greg recognized her as Lilith when her hood slipped off.
• Greg realized Lilith had come to demand an explanation about his public remarks on the Academy’s Tree-Lined Avenue.

Greg felt guilty for publicly humiliating Lilith, so he let her keep her disguise as Lily and welcomed her to his camp with a meal. As Lilith enjoyed the peace there, she wondered whether Greg had changed for Vivian and finally asked him if he liked the princess.

• Greg apologized to Lilith for handling her roughly, and she admitted that sneaking into camp without warning had been her fault.
• Greg offered Lilith some new dishes, and her excitement helped ease the awkwardness between them.
• Greg cooked meat, mushrooms, shellfish, and eggs while Lilith watched and wondered what had caused his change.
• Lilith tried to get Nightmare's attention, but the cat ignored her, and Lilith found comfort in being treated as an ordinary girl in the Dungeon.
• Lilith worried that Greg had changed because he admired Vivian and asked him whether he really liked Princess Vivian.

Greg explained to Lilith that Vivian admired her, revealing signs that Vivian had quietly watched and respected her achievements. As Lilith realized her sister had been paying attention to her, Greg said he wanted to watch over both princesses, leaving Lilith flustered and newly captivated by him.

• Greg clarified that his feelings for Vivian were admiration and respect, and said he had wanted the sisters to face their feelings honestly.
• Greg told Lilith that Vivian looked up to her and cited Vivian watching her competitions and keeping notes on her spellcasting.
• Lilith realized Vivian had been paying attention to her and felt her long-held insecurity ease.
• Lilith asked Greg why he had helped the sisters, and he said he wanted to watch over two girls he held in high regard.
• Lilith found herself unable to taste her food as she watched Greg and thought he looked even more handsome.

Greg returned to Glory Kail Academy with visible injuries, prompting rumors and an unexpected contest between Chloe Ivy and Yelina Forst to care for him. He spent his breaks being fussed over by both girls, while Victoria briefly visited and left with Sylvia after seeing the scene.

• A laboratory mishap, surprise botany quizzes, and a long astrology paper resumed the Academy’s everyday troubles after the day off.
• Students noticed Greg Sass’s injuries and speculated that he had been attacked by old enemies or had gotten into trouble off campus.
• Chloe Ivy and Yelina Forst began bringing Greg potions, food, and medicine, each insisting that she was best suited to care for him.
• Chloe revealed an alarming, highly detailed plan involving a calming potion and her private laboratory, leaving Greg sweating at her side.
• Victoria visited Greg, judged the scene with disdain, and dragged Sylvia away before she could join the girls.

After learning that the Academy’s Undead Subjugation Mission had been moved up, Greg left to prepare for it despite his injuries. Chloe vowed to stand by him, and Greg accepted her support before setting out.

• Yelina told Greg that the Student Council needed to help manage registration for the newly scheduled Undead Subjugation Mission, then hurried to the Mission Dispatch Hall.
• Greg decided to leave the cafeteria and prepare for the mission, while Chloe reluctantly let him go.
• Chloe promised Greg she would always support him, and Greg thanked her before leaving.
• After Greg had gone, Chloe blushed and hid her face, leaving the watching students astonished by her bashful side.