Chapter Summaries

Ji Luo read about the Black Forest Branch’s two Calamity Tokens and realized players could earn hidden classes by serving the Abyss faction. The revelation revived his determination to get stronger before the coming conflict, and he rushed online to play.

• Give Me Your Phone posted that the Black Forest Branch held Devouring and Silence Calamity Tokens and that he might be allowed to choose one after reaching the second tier.
• Ji Luo recognized Devouring as the authority behind Lu Ziye’s hidden class and considered the tokens valuable class-change items.
• Players on the Ninth Art forum reacted excitedly to Give Me Your Phone’s post and asked about joining the cultists or entering the next beta.
• Ji Luo recalled the Parasitism Authority in Feather Town and worried that players were too weak to seize any of the three class-change items.
• Ji Luo decided he could no longer slack off and rushed to his bedroom to get online, while Ji Li watched in disbelief.

Ji Li found Ji Luo’s phone and impersonated him in his gaming group chat, sending a cutesy message that alarmed his friends. She left him to discover their reactions after he finished playing.

• Ji Li picked up Ji Luo’s phone and opened his group chat after a flood of messages urged him to return to the game.
• Ji Li sent the group a message pretending to be Ji Luo, saying he was already online in a cutesy tone and attaching a wink image.
• Lu Ziye and Wang read the message and panicked, convinced that something had gone terribly wrong with Ji Luo.
• Lu Ziye accused Ji Luo of being kidnapped or infected by pale mites, but Ji Luo did not reply.
• Ji Li laughed at the group’s horrified reactions, returned Ji Luo’s phone to the couch, and went back to her room.

Ji Luo returned to Fog Town and found Lu Ziye and Bossy Guy convinced he had a secret girlish side after Lu Ziye asked him to meow. He redirected their attention by revealing forum intel about two Calamity Tokens hidden in a Black Forest cultist headquarters.

• Ji Luo logged into Fog Town and urged Lu Ziye and Bossy Guy to party up and level in the Black Forest.
• Lu Ziye asked Ji Luo to meow, and Bossy Guy suggested Ji Luo had a girlish heart; Ji Luo mistook their reactions for teasing him about logging off earlier.
• Ji Luo insisted he had logged off to think about strategy and announced that he had found important forum intel about Hidden Class Class Change Items.
• Ji Luo told Lu Ziye and Bossy Guy that Give Me Your Phone's forum post reported at least two intact Calamity Tokens in the Black Forest cultist headquarters: one with devouring authority and one with an unfamiliar silence authority.

Ji Luo, Lu Ziye, and Bossy Guy set out to grind levels so they could compete for the Silence Authority, while Ma Lou and Jiahao’s delegation traveled toward Winterhold and suffered a casualty on the way. As the four survivors neared Graycliff Town, Ma Lou agreed to tell the new players about the First Closed Beta veterans’ battle against Flesh Fusion.

• Ji Luo explained that the Silence Authority could give the team another Hidden Class and urged Lu Ziye and Bossy Guy to reach the second tier before the coming conflict.
• Lu Ziye and Bossy Guy agreed to grind monsters with Ji Luo and headed for the Black Forest.
• Ma Lou and Jiahao led their delegation through the Wasteland, where a flock of Blood Vultures attacked and killed one of the three new players.
• The four survivors continued through the night toward Graycliff Town, using Ash Coins from Ma Lou and Jiahao to buy the Lord of Ashes’ Blessing.
• Don't Dream of the Day and Mosquitoes Faint at the Sight of Blood asked Ma Lou to recount the First Closed Beta veterans’ fight against Flesh Fusion, and he began the story.

[I'm Not Jiahao], Ma Lou, [Don't Dream of the Day], and [Mosquitoes Faint at the Sight of Blood] reached Graycliff Town to deliver news while posing as refugees from Fog Town. After entering the town’s Deity Barrier, they were challenged by a suspicious voice at the entrance.

• Ma Lou entertained [Don't Dream of the Day] and [Mosquitoes Faint at the Sight of Blood] with an increasingly exaggerated tale of the battle against Flesh Fusion while [I'm Not Jiahao] grew tired of hearing it.
• [I'm Not Jiahao] spotted Graycliff Town through the black mist and announced that the group had reached their destination.
• Ma Lou told the group to switch off the Lord of Ashes' Blessing and avoid causing trouble, while [I'm Not Jiahao] reminded them to pose as refugees carrying news from Fog Town.
• The four turned off their blessing and hurried through Graycliff Town’s Deity Barrier before the black mist could sharply erode their sanity.
• Ma Lou admired Graycliff Town’s intact appearance, but a suspicious voice demanded to know what the four were doing at the entrance.

[Even Monkeys Have Dignity], [I'm Not Jiahao], and two newcomers reached Graycliff Town and pretended to be battered refugees to gain entry. After revealing that they had come from Fog Town, they left the guards urgently questioning them about the town’s fate and Winterhold’s reinforcements.

• [Even Monkeys Have Dignity] feigned distress at Graycliff Town’s gate, while [I'm Not Jiahao] and the two newcomers joined the act.
• The older guard decided the four were harmless survivors and allowed them into Graycliff Town for the night.
• When the guards asked why they were traveling to Winterhold, [Even Monkeys Have Dignity] said they had come from Fog Town.
• The guards reacted with shock and asked whether the Cultists had overrun Fog Town and whether Winterhold’s knights had arrived in time.

Ma Lou spun a dramatic tale for Graycliff Town’s guards and residents, claiming Winterhold’s knights died heroically defending Fog Town from the Cultists. A townsman who had met the scar-faced captain questioned the story because the knights had acted cruelly and arrogantly in Graycliff Town.

• [I'm Not Jiahao] signaled Ma Lou to begin while the other players tried not to laugh.
• Ma Lou described Winterhold’s knights as heroes who fought valiantly to save Fog Town.
• Ma Lou claimed all six knights had died protecting the town, shocking the Graycliff residents and guards.
• A Graycliff townsman asked whether the scar-faced Knight Captain had truly sacrificed himself for ordinary people.
• Ma Lou doubled down on his story, but the townsman and other residents remembered the captain assaulting a tavern boy and the knights insulting them.

Ma Lou and the other players convinced Graycliff Town’s guards that Winterhold Knights had died defending Fog Town, then persuaded the old guard to take them to Lord Kairils. On the way, the guard warned them that the barriers protecting settlements from the black fog would eventually fail.

• The old guard and townspeople imagined that the dead Winterhold Knights had been noble heroes, while Jiahao silently approved of how their story had fooled them.
• Ma Lou tearfully demanded justice for the Knights and asked Winterhold to send troops to avenge them.
• The old guard revealed that Lord Kairils, an important man from Winterhold, was staying in Graycliff Town and offered to take the players to him.
• Ma Lou and Jiahao worried that Lord Kairils might be there to attack Fog Town, but agreed to meet him and assess the situation.
• As the old guard led them through town, Ma Lou scolded the others for admiring the scenery and made them keep up their ragged act.
• The old guard reflected on the towns swallowed by the black fog and warned that the protective divine barriers would eventually go out like candles.

Ma Lou wrestled with guilt over deceiving the old guard, but resolved to keep Fog Town’s secret to protect its people from Winterhold. The guard then reassured the four young men about their upcoming meeting with Lord Kairils, unaware of the truth they were hiding.

• The old guard recounted losing his granddaughter to a Blood Vulture and urged Ma Lou to see survival itself as a reason to keep going.
• Ma Lou felt guilty when the guard comforted him, but decided that revealing Fog Town’s role in killing a Winterhold Knight would endanger its residents.
• Ma Lou promised the guard that he and his companions would not throw their lives away, while the four declined his offer to settle in Graycliff Town.
• The old guard tried to cheer them up by describing Lord Kairils as a humble and kind Winterhold Knight who would hear them out.
• Ma Lou grew more uncomfortable as the old guard shared his confidence that their meeting with Lord Kairils would go well.

Ma Lou and his companions reached the courtyard where Lord Kairils was staying, but Winterhold Knights barred their way and threatened to execute them. Ma Lou erupted in fury after watching the Knights intimidate the old guard who had helped them.

• The old guard led Ma Lou, [I'm Not Jiahao], [Don't Dream of the Day], and [Mosquitoes Faint at the Sight of Blood] to the courtyard where Lord Kairils was staying.
• Jiahao noted that Kairils had no guards at the gate because Winterhold looked down on the Wasteland's natives and Mutants.
• Four heavily armed second-tier Winterhold Knights opened the gate, and Jiahao recognized their formidable strength.
• The old guard humbly tried to report that the group had important information from Fog Town, but the lead Knight insulted him and threatened to execute them as Heretics.
• Ma Lou grew furious when the Knights humiliated the old guard and shouted an angry curse at them.

Kairils froze four Second-Tier Knights for threatening Ma Lou's group, then agreed to hear the supposed Fog Town survivors' information. The players entered his courtyard, where Jiahao secretly photographed the silver-haired knight, and Kairils demanded they explain what they knew.

• Ma Lou prepared to attack the four Second-Tier Knights, but Jiahao stopped him and warned that fighting would endanger their plan.
• Kairils's cold voice froze the knights in place, then he released them and invited the Fog Town survivors inside.
• Ma Lou urged Jiahao and the two newbies to keep up their act as they entered the courtyard.
• Kairils appeared as a silver-haired young knight with peak second-tier divine power, while Jiahao secretly took photos of him.
• Kairils asked why the four players were silent and reminded them they had information about Fog Town to report.

Ma Lou flattered Kairils, then spun a tragic account of Fog Town’s fall and Winterhold’s failed support. Kairils weighed the story against his doubts about his fellow Knights, leaving the truth unresolved.

• Ma Lou praised Kairils, who sternly rebuked him for comparing mortals to a deity.
• Kairils asked Ma Lou what had happened in Fog Town and whether Winterhold had sent help.
• Ma Lou fabricated a tearful account in which Cultists besieged Fog Town and killed the last Knight trying to report back.
• The four Knights at the courtyard entrance privately looked down on the refugees and dismissed the idea that Winterhold Knights would die for commoners.
• Kairils considered the refugees’ lack of motive to lie but doubted that his colleagues would have sacrificed themselves to protect Fog Town.

Kairils believed the refugees’ account that Winterhold’s knights had died fighting the Abyss in Fog Town, then announced he would go there with them the next morning. When Ma Lou’s alarm raised Kairils’s suspicions, Ma Lou dramatically knelt and began an unexpected confession.

• Kairils weighed the refugees’ story against the possibility that Fog Town had joined the Abyss Faction and decided he needed to investigate personally.
• Kairils praised the dead Winterhold knights as worthy heroes and declared that their sacrifice would be remembered.
• Kairils ordered Ma Lou and the other refugees to guide him and a squad to Fog Town the next morning so he could recover the knights’ remains.
• Ma Lou and Jiahao reacted with alarm, and Kairils demanded to know whether Ma Lou had a problem with the plan.
• Ma Lou dropped to one knee, apologized to Kairils and Winterhold, and began explaining what the people of Fog Town had thought of them.

Ma Lou convinced Kairils that the refugees’ behavior came from gratitude and remorse, not suspicious ties to the Cultists. Kairils decided to take them to Fog Town the next morning, leaving Viel furious and the two players insulted by his treatment.

• Ma Lou tearfully praised the Winterhold knights and apologized to Kairils for doubting their intentions.
• Kairils dismissed Ma Lou’s self-blame, then ordered Viel to give the refugees food and water and prepare to leave for Fog Town at dawn.
• Viel protested that changing their route and delaying their report to Winterhold violated their mission, but Kairils ignored him and shut the door.
• Viel angrily threw bread and a flask at Ma Lou’s feet, ordered the group to meet at the town entrance at daybreak, and threatened to break their legs if they delayed the departure.
• [Don't Dream of the Day] and [Mosquitoes Faint at the Sight of Blood] bristled at Viel’s insults but held back to complete their quest.

Ma Lou, Jiahao, and two newbies deceived Kairils into investigating Fog Town, then kept pretending to be grateful refugees in case Winterhold's knights were listening. After confirming they had no tails, Jiahao led them to an abandoned courtyard, where he warned them to stay in character around the intelligent NPCs.

• Ma Lou and Jiahao left Kairils's courtyard with the two newbies after convincing him to go to Fog Town and investigate.
• The newbies celebrated, but Jiahao made them bow and loudly praise Kairils and Winterhold in case someone was eavesdropping.
• Ma Lou joined Jiahao in wailing about Fog Town's salvation and threatened to shame the newbies on the forums if they did not cry along.
• The four continued their performance through Graycliff Town until Jiahao confirmed they had no tails and led them to an abandoned courtyard.
• Jiahao explained that players had to treat Awakening of the Old Gods' NPCs as intelligent and stay in character even in safe areas.

Ma Lou and his companions hurried to revise their plan after Kairils ordered them to return to Fog Town the next morning, leaving little time to arrange a Cultist ambush. They organized overnight shifts and urgent messages, while Ma Lou prepared to leave the room for a stroll around the courtyard.

• Ma Lou explained that Kairils's plan to reach Fog Town by the following afternoon threatened their ambush strategy.
• Jiahao calculated how quickly the knights could reach Fog Town, and Ma Lou insisted that Phone Bro be warned to lure the Cultists to the outskirts.
• Ma Lou asked who could stay awake to keep their cover intact, and the group agreed to take shifts.
• Ma Lou sent the two newbies to log out for food, then assigned Jiahao to coordinate with the other players and alert Phone Bro.
• Ma Lou told Jiahao to pretend to sleep and listen for anyone outside, then announced he would stroll around the courtyard.

Ma Lou secretly acted out his grief over Fog Town, and Jiahao photographed him for forum posts. After a knight reported the performance to Kairils, Kairils believed the refugees’ story and ordered a trip to Fog Town to verify it and recover the fallen knights’ remains.

• Ma Lou slipped into the courtyard to dramatize his sorrow beside the dry well while Jiahao watched and took screenshots.
• A Second-Tier Knight returned from secretly following the refugees and reported their journey and Ma Lou’s nighttime behavior to Kairils.
• Kairils took the report as confirmation that the refugees had told the truth about the Novice Knights who died protecting Fog Town.
• Kairils ordered one squad to return to Winterhold with the retrieved items and report the change of itinerary, while he and the others would go to Fog Town with the refugees.

Kairils punished a knight who dismissed the deaths of Novice Knights and ordered his squad to honor them as heroes. After the knights obeyed, Viel revealed his resentment of Kairils and struck a subordinate who dared criticize the captain’s decision.

• A knight argued that Kairils should skip Fog Town and return to the Archbishop with the secret-realm spoils, dismissing the dead Novice Knights as expendable.
• Kairils kicked the knight through a door and ordered the squad to follow his rules and respect the Novice Knights who died fighting the Abyss.
• Kairils warned the knights that he would freeze anyone who disgraced Winterhold’s knights, then ordered them to heal the injured subordinate.
• The kneeling knights obeyed, while three Second-Tier Knights privately resented Kairils and his authority.
• Viel slapped a young First-Tier Knight for questioning Kairils and raged that Kairils acted like a king because the deity favored him.

Viel vented his anger at Kairils by berating and striking a first-tier knight, then returned to his room. On Blue Star, players discussed the Pale Mite’s parasitism and celebrated three new second-tier players before Jiahao interrupted the group chat with urgent intel.

• Viel struck a first-tier knight and shouted at him while staring at Kairils’s room, then went back to his own room.
• Players on the Ninth Art forum discussed how the Pale Mite had possessed characters during the Feather Town Battle and considered Weeping Priests its counter.
• Ji Luo and Kindergarten Boss advanced to second-tier Ash Apostles, completing the First Closed Beta Five-Person Group’s advancement.
• Immortal Star Crazy Young Master also reached the second tier, posted a boastful guide, and celebrated with his guild and the closed beta players.
• I'm Not Jiahao interrupted the Green Bubbles Group Chat and announced that he had urgent intel.

Jiahao revealed that Kairils and a squad of Second-Tier Knights would reach Fog Town the next afternoon, forcing the players to hasten their plan to frame the Cultists. Lin Shen promised to draw the Cultists out, but Ji Luo warned that his small, inexperienced force would be slaughtered and expose Fog Town.

• Jiahao recounted how he and his companions met Kairils in Graycliff Town and learned that Kairils would bring his knights to Fog Town the next morning.
• The players panicked when they realized the Winterhold squad would arrive before their forces were ready.
• Ji Luo tagged Lin Shen and another undercover agent, asking them to lure Cultists near Fog Town before the knights arrived.
• Lin Shen replied that he would stage a show of force by bringing Cultists near Fog Town.
• Ji Luo warned that a dozen newly baptized first-tier Cultists could not defeat Kairils and four Second-Tier Knights, and that their defeat could lead the knights to uncover Fog Town's secrets.