Chapter Summaries

Roland explored the Dungeon with Aestus Estus to locate an unknown Contract Spirit and test how the labyrinth responded to his power. The Dungeon offered him a powerful place within itself, but he destroyed its Magic Stone and rejected the invitation.

• Roland entered Babel with Aestus Estus and descended through the upper floors, killing monsters and using fire to speed his progress.
• The Key of All Spirits failed to identify the Contract Spirit, and Roland suspected it lay in the deep floors or beyond the known frontier.
• Roland entered the thirteenth floor and tested whether the Dungeon would retaliate when he damaged its walls with his own power.
• The Dungeon reshaped the remains into a huge Magic Stone and invited Roland to join it as its strongest child.
• Roland recognized the Magic Stone's hidden consciousness, breathed flames on it, and reduced it to ashes.

Roland rejected the Dungeon’s meager offer and fought through the monsters it spawned, then encountered Ais and Riveria while annihilating an army of Hellhounds on the thirteenth floor. He showed them how quickly he was mastering his power and effortlessly caught a Hellhound’s fireball in his bare hand.

• Roland refused the Dungeon’s offer, so it lifted its restraint on nearby monsters and sent them crawling out in unusually large numbers.
• Ais and Riveria reached the thirteenth floor and followed the sound of fighting to a cavern filled with more than a hundred Hellhounds.
• Roland danced through the Hellhounds and killed hundreds of them with a single sword strike that also dispelled their magic.
• Ais watched Roland’s swordsmanship in fascination, while Riveria recognized him as the hero Ais had described.
• Roland greeted Ais and Riveria and explained that he had been born with his power and learned unusually quickly.
• A Hellhound attacked Roland from behind, but he caught its fireball in his bare hand and killed it with his sword.

Roland learned from Riveria that monsters from the deep floors were migrating upward, then returned to Hestia and discovered that he could transfer Falna experience into his recovering Talismans. After seeing his astonishing status gains, he considered using other Adventurers’ experience to speed the Talismans’ recovery, while planning to establish his own Familia.

• Riveria told Roland that monsters were moving upward from the fifty-eighth floor in unusually large numbers, and said the Loki Familia planned another expedition to investigate.
• Roland left the Dungeon and returned to Hestia, who offered to update his status.
• Roland extracted the experience from his previous status update and poured it into his recovering Talismans as Hestia updated his Falna.
• Hestia was stunned by Roland’s near-maxed level 1 stats and embraced him, delighted by his growth.
• Roland realized that Falna experience could restore the Talismans and wondered whether he could use other people’s experience, but first planned to establish his own Familia.

Roland tested using All the World's Evil to convert an Adventurer into the [Shendu] Familia and steal Falna-based power and experience, then considered how to expand his operation. As he headed back, he spotted a vicious-looking Adventurer berating a small girl and thought he had found a promising opportunity.

• Roland woke beside Aestus Estus, stopped her from escalating their teasing, and left with her after getting ready.
• On the fifteenth floor, Roland attacked an Adventurer who had been watching Aestus Estus and exposed his hidden strength and locked stats.
• Roland forcibly converted the Adventurer into the [Shendu] Familia, suppressed his Falna, and killed him after testing the Black Mud's effects.
• Roland concluded he could parasitize Adventurers to collect unregistered experience and souls, and considered taking over an established Familia.
• Roland saw a vicious-looking male Adventurer berating a small girl in a white robe and carrying an oversized backpack.

Roland recruited Liliruca Arde to help him take over the Soma Familia’s divine liquor business, promising to secure her departure and conversion to another Familia. He brought her to the Soma Familia’s base and blew apart its gates and front buildings with blazing power to announce his takeover.

• Roland dismissed Lili’s adventuring companion and revealed that he knew about her Cinder Ella magic.
• Lili refused to work with Roland until he offered to help her leave the Soma Familia and complete a conversion.
• Roland promised that her request would be easy to fulfill and set out with her for the Soma Familia’s base.
• Lili guided Roland to the Familia’s closed, unremarkable base and explained that its members were usually drunk inside.
• Roland declared himself the Soma Familia’s new owner and blasted apart its gates and front buildings with brilliant flames.

Roland destroyed the Soma Familia’s stronghold, transformed its members into obedient servants, and took control of its God Wine production. He then offered Lili a place in his new [Shendu] Familia, which she accepted by drinking the altered wine.

• Roland unleashed flames on the Soma Familia’s stronghold and confronted its captain, Zanis Lustra.
• Roland subdued Zanis and transformed him and the other Soma Familia members into servants who obeyed his commands.
• Roland visited Soma, drank genuine God Wine, and ordered Zanis to expand its distribution by diluting it for wider consumption.
• Roland offered Lili a place in the [Shendu] Familia and told her that joining meant belonging to him.
• Lili drank the altered God Wine and welcomed Roland’s [Shendu] Familia.

After Roland's Status exceeded the known limit for a Level 1 adventurer, he sought a great feat so he could level up. He joined the Loki Familia's expedition and asked to face a floor boss alone, leaving the group stunned.

• Hestia saw that Roland's abilities had surpassed S rank, congratulated him, and explained how great feats could qualify him to level up.
• Roland decided to earn fame by defeating a floor boss and encountered the Loki Familia preparing to depart on an early expedition.
• Ais greeted Roland warmly, and Riveria introduced him to Finn, Gareth, Tiona, Tione, and Bete as the hero who had obtained a Xianjing's Contract and defeated Ais before receiving Falna.
• Roland told the Loki Familia that he had reached the limit of Lv.1 and asked to fight a floor boss; Bete doubted him, while Ais said she believed in him.
• Roland insisted on facing the floor boss alone, declaring that it would be no harder than sweeping away a speck of dust.

Roland summoned Aestus Estus and swiftly destroyed a mutated Goliath, whose purple crystals remained after its body vanished. When the crystals turned to dust, the Horse Talisman's divine power activated to repel an ominous force.

• Roland entered Goliath's chamber alone as the Loki Familia noticed purple crystals on the floor boss and suspected it had mutated.
• Finn held the Loki Familia back while Riveria prepared True Magic, and Roland summoned Aestus Estus to face Goliath.
• Roland severed Goliath's arm and then cut the giant into pieces with the Sacred Sword, stunning the watching Adventurers.
• Roland examined the purple crystals left behind after Goliath's body turned to ash, but they dispersed into dust before he could study them.
• The Horse Talisman's mark shone in Roland's eyes and drove out an ominous external force as the crystal dust touched him.

Roland and the Loki Familia discovered that the purple crystals were infectious and headed to the eighteenth floor, where Ais asked him how to become stronger. The chapter ended with Ais revealing that her growth had stalled and asking Roland to guide her.

• Roland used the Horse Talisman and Aestus Estus to destroy the poisonous purple dust, then discussed the crystals with Finn and learned similar growths had appeared on an injured Adventurer.
• Roland stored the Goliath's Magic Stone and joined the Loki Familia on their way to the eighteenth floor.
• Roland admired the crystal-lit safe floor, and Ais impulsively led him away from Tiona to a secluded alley.
• Ais asked to see Roland's Status, then asked how she could become as strong as him.
• Roland advised Ais to find an aspiration and pursue leveling up, and Ais revealed her attributes had stagnated before asking him to guide her.

Roland and Ais investigated a murder in the Stronghold, where Ais uncovered a conspiracy involving an embryo orb, Man-Eating Flowers, and the red-haired Revis. Roland arrived to confront Revis, who revealed a soul-made weapon called Void.

• After Roland helped Ais with her sword techniques, they found the streets deserted and went to the square, where Tiona told them a level 4 Adventurer had been murdered.
• Ais chased a fleeing Beastman girl and obtained a green embryo orb, but Revis attacked her and summoned Man-Eating Flowers to distract the other Adventurers.
• Ais recognized Revis as the killer and activated her True Magic, but Revis called her Aria and offered to recruit her before preparing to escape.
• Roland arrived with his Sacred Sword, forced Revis back, and asked to examine her soul; Revis drew a weapon formed from the light of the soul, and Roland named it Void.

Roland confronted Revis, who revealed her devotion to a being behind the Book of Revelation and unleashed the Bead Infant as a monster. After Roland killed it and helped Ais regain her composure, Revis absorbed its Magic Stone to strengthen her Void, and Roland prepared to fight her.

• Revis recognized Roland’s knowledge of the Void and transformed her weapon with Magic Stones, declaring that the Book of Revelation’s descent was inevitable.
• Revis awakened the Bead Infant by fusing it with Man-Eating Flowers, creating a giant monster that attacked Roland and Ais.
• Roland destroyed the Bead Infant with a single sword strike, and its final cry left Ais overwhelmed until Roland comforted her.
• Revis absorbed the Bead Infant’s Magic Stone into her Void, which grew into a massive sword and empowered her body.
• Roland welcomed Revis’s challenge and ordered Aestus Estus to kill.

Roland defeated Revis after she fused with her Void and transformed into a living blade, then searched her memories for the Contract Spirit. He found the Spirit sleeping inside a crystal on the Dungeon’s fifty-ninth floor, and she opened her eyes.

• Roland overwhelmed Revis with his sword and flames, shattering the Magic Stones and vines supporting her Void.
• Revis stabbed her Void into her own Magic Stone and transformed into a powerful living blade.
• Roland revealed his dragon form, seized Revis, and used the Sheep Talisman to strip away her consciousness.
• Roland searched Revis’s memories and discovered the Contract Spirit on the fifty-ninth floor, inside a vast purple crystal chamber.
• The sleeping Contract Spirit, a pink-haired girl with crimson eyes, sensed Roland and opened her eyes.

Roland recognized the attacker’s power as the Apocalypse Virus and concluded that its threat had spread beyond Orario, while resolving to investigate the 59th Floor. After reaching level 2, he chose the mysterious Development Ability {World}, whose expanded perception let him sense the world around him.

• Roland identified the Contract Spirit as the Apocalypse Virus and the Virus Queen, then considered whether its power could complete his own nature as a Beast of Revelation.
• Roland told Finn that the infection had likely spread across the world, and Finn asked him to report to the Guild while the Familia continued preparing to defeat the floor boss.
• Hestia updated Roland’s Status, confirming that he had reached level 2 and gained the Development Ability {World}.
• Roland explained that leveling up had increased his capacity and brought him closer to merging with the essence of his power.
• Roland realized {World} gave him an expanding awareness of magical energy, underground veins, and changes in his surroundings, then greeted the world.

As Orario braced for monsters migrating upward through the Dungeon, Roland told Eina he had reached level 2 after only six days and argued that the Guild would present him as a hero. At Denatus, Freya stopped the gods from probing his abnormal growth, and they gave him the title Sword Hero.

• Eina worried about Riveria and the Loki Familia’s investigation as adventurers crowded the Guild over reports of monsters migrating upward.
• Roland visited Eina and revealed he had leveled up after six days in Orario; he said Hestia had agreed and that his reputation could reassure the city.
• Hestia attended Denatus and grew anxious as the gods assigned titles to adventurers, while Hephaestus said her support would not determine the result.
• Loki questioned Hestia about Roland defeating the seventeenth-floor boss and reaching level 2 in six days, prompting the gods to scrutinize his rapid growth.
• Freya persuaded the gods not to pressure Roland, noting that the Guild wanted him to become a symbol of hope for Orario.
• The gods chose Sword Hero as Roland’s title.

Hestia feared Freya would try to claim Roland, but he reassured her that he would stay with the Hestia Familia. After reaching S-rank abilities, Roland met Finn, who revealed the Guild had officially given him the title Sword Hero and brought troubling news about the Dungeon.

• Hestia told Roland that Freya had openly asked her to give him up, and she admitted she feared he might leave for another Familia.
• Roland reassured Hestia that he would not betray their bond and had no intention of joining another Familia.
• The next morning, Hestia updated Roland's Status and discovered that all his abilities had reached S rank and his development ability had reached A rank.
• Roland met Finn at the Hostess of Fertility, where Finn told him the Guild had officially bestowed the title Sword Hero on him.
• Roland asked Finn about the Dungeon's unusual developments, and Finn said the Guild had dismissed concerns by claiming Orario was thriving.

Finn told Roland that the Guild was preparing a Great Expedition to find the source of the purple-crystal disaster and asked him to hunt the mysterious Shendu Familia, whose members stole Adventurers’ experience points. Roland accepted for a fee, while the chapter ended with a monster being infected with purple crystals during preparations for Monsterphilia.

• Finn told Roland that the Guild planned to screen and isolate infected people, then launch a Great Expedition after Monsterphilia to investigate the disaster’s source.
• Finn revealed that the Shendu Familia had been attacking Adventurers, stealing their experience points, and leaving them unconscious; one captured attacker had looked like an intelligent monster and bore a coiled-dragon emblem.
• Finn asked Roland to hunt the Shendu Familia, and Roland agreed after confirming the Guild’s payment.
• After Finn left, Roland considered the spread of Soma’s God Wine, the progress in unsealing the Talismans, and the Virus Queen’s plans for Monsterphilia.
• A Ganesha Familia beast tamer inspected a monster for purple crystals, but the monster was infected with them while being transported in its cage.

Roland spent Monsterphilia’s festival with Hestia and Aestus Estus while remaining wary of the spreading Apocalypse Virus. At the Hostess of Fertility, Syr gave him a Mage Book, and reading it revealed a path tied to the world itself.

• Roland explored the crowded festival with Hestia and Aestus Estus, and Hestia encouraged him not to shoulder humanity’s safety alone.
• A Ganesha Familia Tamer was injured by a restless monster and failed to notice purple crystals spreading from his wound.
• Syr apologized to Roland and presented him with a Mage Book she had kept for years.
• Roland opened the Mage Book and saw countless paths of power, including one that came from the world itself.

As monsters escaped during Monsterphilia, Roland used the grimoire’s vision of the world’s rules to reach beyond the powers he had gained from Contract Spirits. He returned to the present having apparently stopped time through his own power, just as danger reached the others.

• A Ganesha Familia messenger told Ganesha and Shakti that crystal-covered guards had turned against them and released the monsters, prompting them to evacuate the arena and prepare for the attack.
• Roland examined his abilities in the grimoire’s Mind World and chose to seek command over the world’s underlying rules rather than pursue the other powers within reach.
• Roland unleashed his magical power and burned away the Mind World, returning to Syr, who asked whether the grimoire had taught him magic.
• Roland touched the mysterious gears he sensed and froze the room, then moved freely and returned a falling fork to the table.
• Lyu shouted that something had happened at the entrance, and Roland realized he had commanded time without relying on his Stand or Contract Spirit powers.

Roland awakened the ability to stop time and used it to kill a crystal-covered monster, then discovered that the Apocalypse Virus had turned Adventurers and civilians into zombie-like infected throughout Orario. He led Syr, Lyu, and the Hostess of Fertility staff toward the Guild to rescue Hestia and the other gods, leaving them to drive their carriage through the infected hordes.

• Roland stopped time for longer than five seconds, summoned Killer Queen, and punched through a charging monster’s chest before time resumed and it crumbled to ash.
• Lyu warned Roland that the crisis was a catastrophe, and Roland saw infected Adventurers attack a resident and spread the purple crystals and mindless infection.
• Roland concluded that Orario was falling and ordered Syr, Lyu, and the Hostess of Fertility staff to come with him to the Guild, where Hestia and other gods were likely trapped.
• Roland cut through a shop and nearby zombies to reveal a horse and carriage, then led the group onto a main thoroughfare filled with infected.
• When Lyu said the horde blocked the carriage, Roland told them to drive along the sidewalk while he cleared the way.

Roland led Lyu and the Hostess of Fertility women through Orario’s infected dead, explaining that a virus from the Dungeon was spreading across the world. After reaching the Guild, he entered alone to protect the gods inside and unleashed his power against the zombies.

• Roland cut through the zombie horde while Lyu and the tavern women rode toward the Guild, and Syr watched him with excitement.
• Roland told Lyu and Mama Mia that Dungeon monsters had spread a virus that turned infected people into attackers, and that the gods’ safety was the immediate priority.
• The group reached the Guild, where infected Adventurers crowded the building, and Roland told Mama Mia to guard the entrance while he went inside alone.
• Roland slaughtered the zombies in the Guild hall with Aestus Estus, then called on his malevolent power and swept the area with sword light and flames.