Recaps

Dunn arranged for Eileen and the others to meet Christina’s fleet while he and Annie prepared to teleport into the Old World. After leaving their resources to Annie and setting the fleet on its way, Dunn and Annie began their own journey through the Teleportation Array.

• Dunn confirmed Christina’s fleet and left Eileen to coordinate with it, while Valentin and the Wizard Order prepared a single-use Teleportation Array for Dunn and Annie.
• Annie offered Dunn the resources worth over a million gold coins that Galen had given her, but Dunn refused and told her to use them to advance her strength.
• Dunn explained that Annie’s progress was vital to developing their new sea route, which would support his future nation and bring great wealth.
• Valentin reported that the Teleportation Array was ready, and Dunn instructed him to take the Wizard Order aboard the fleet.
• After the fleet sailed, Annie activated the array with her magic power, and she and Dunn vanished in a flash of blue light.

Dunn and Annie crossed the Golden Desert in disguise, but Annie’s mistaken route nearly led them into its hidden central danger. They continued toward safety with Dunn wondering why the Storm Sea had seemed even more powerful despite their ship surviving it.

• Dunn and Annie traveled through the Golden Desert disguised as an eloped noble couple using [Oliver's Makeup Box].
• Annie complained about the sand and admitted that, as a [Weather Master], she knew little about the desert’s climate.
• Dunn blamed Annie for leading them toward the desert’s central region, where [Future Sight] warned him they were about to die.
• Dunn tested the seemingly calm area, lost his hand to its concealed force, and needed two days to restore his arm.
• Dunn wondered why the Storm Sea’s most dangerous collision zone had seemed more powerful than the Golden Desert’s central region, despite their ship surviving the former.

Dunn and Annie reached a costly oasis in the Golden Desert, where they washed up and went to eat after more than ten days of travel. A young man approached them at the restaurant, recognizing them as newcomers.

• Annie noticed the windblown sand change direction and told Dunn they were nearing an oasis.
• Dunn and Annie reached the oasis, paid two gold coins to enter, and walked through its forest-like grounds to the market.
• They checked into the oasis hotel, paying four gold coins for a day’s lodging, then washed and went to the restaurant.
• Annie complained that the desert had damaged her skin, and Dunn teased her about becoming legendary.
• A young man approached Dunn and Annie and asked if they were new to the oasis.

Dunn and Annie met Maddy, who invited them to join an expedition in the Golden Desert. After Annie explained how Old World expeditions worked, Dunn agreed to rest at the oasis and consider joining, leaving Annie eager for the adventure.

• Maddy introduced himself to Dunn and Annie and invited them to join his expedition.
• Dunn said he wanted to avoid trouble, and Annie explained that Old World expeditions usually relied on contracts and that Maddy might be recruiting because travelers were rare in the Golden Desert.
• Annie explained that the oasis's High-Tier Classholders could not leave their posts because its survival depended on them.
• Dunn agreed to rest for a couple of days and then consider the expedition, which excited Annie.

Dunn and Annie agreed to join Maddy’s expedition and met Sarna, Maxim, and the fourth-tier powerhouse Colt. At the strategy meeting, Maddy revealed that their destination was a volcano in the Golden Desert, where eruptions could expose valuable mineral deposits.

• Two days after resting, Dunn and Annie agreed to join Maddy’s expedition.
• Maddy introduced them to Sarna and Maxim at the inn, where they also met Colt, a fourth-tier powerhouse.
• Dunn introduced himself and Annie under the names Donald and Anna.
• Maddy began the expedition strategy meeting and announced that the group’s destination was a volcano.

Dunn learned why Maddy’s party was recruiting despite already having four members: Sarna was a rare [Healer] who could not fight, and only Maddy and Maxim could join the adventure. After briefly considering abducting Sarna for his faction, Dunn decided the risk of provoking her powerful backers was too great and agreed to sign the contract.

• Maddy laid out an Adventure Contract and proposed dividing the loot according to each member’s contribution.
• Dunn asked why the group needed recruits when it already had four members and a fourth-tier guard.
• Maddy explained that Colt guarded Sarna, while Sarna’s [Healer] class kept her out of combat, leaving only Maddy and Maxim able to fight.
• Dunn recognized Sarna as a valuable strategic resource and briefly considered abducting her to strengthen his faction.
• Dunn abandoned the idea because Sarna’s faction likely had a Legendary who would pursue him, then he and Annie signed the contract using aliases.

Dunn and Annie joined Maddy, Sarna, Colt, and Maxim to travel across the desert toward a volcano, where they hoped to find precious ore but would face dangerous creatures. Sarna’s powerful support abilities impressed Dunn and Annie, who restrained their desire to take her with them, and Sarna then turned toward them in puzzlement.

• Dunn and Annie met the others in the inn lobby, and Sarna eagerly led the party out.
• The six companions raced across the desert toward a volcano several hundred kilometers away, while Maddy withheld details about how they would manage the journey.
• Sarna cast a recovery buff on the party, and Dunn recognized its usefulness during their harsh desert trek.
• Sarna strengthened Annie’s mental power with another buff, prompting Annie to believe she could defeat Colt.
• Dunn and Annie suppressed their thoughts of taking Sarna away, and Sarna suddenly looked puzzled and turned toward them.

Dunn and Annie reached the volcano with their adventuring party, where Annie sensed an opportunity to advance. Dunn urged caution and agreed to help Sarna if they could do so safely, while Maxim mocked them and Sarna silenced him; the party continued toward the volcano.

• Sarna used group acceleration spells during the journey, and the party reached the volcano in less than a day.
• Near the volcano, Annie sensed that the area held an opportunity for her advancement, surprising Dunn because he believed she lacked the necessary accumulation.
• Dunn warned Annie to be ready to retreat and agreed they could help Sarna if it was safe, since Sarna might be able to protect herself.
• Maxim mocked Dunn and Annie for acting wary, claiming the party could handle the creatures under Mr. Colt's leadership.
• Sarna reprimanded Maxim, and the party continued toward the volcano.

Dunn and Annie negotiated with Maddy over his search for red phosphorus gold as the group climbed into the volcano. Dunn sensed an eruption beginning, and the chapter ended as crimson energy filled his vision.

• Maxim killed a fire elemental creature and collected a piece of red gold ore.
• Maddy revealed that he had come seeking red phosphorus gold and agreed to compensate Dunn and Annie if they found any.
• Annie explained the value of red phosphorus gold to Dunn, and they accepted Maddy’s proposed compensation arrangement.
• The group reached the crater and entered the volcano, where they encountered only low-tier fire elemental creatures.
• Dunn sensed the volcano was about to erupt, and Colt hurried away with Sarna as the ground began to shake and crimson energy surged upward.

Dunn and the others survived a brief volcanic eruption, and Colt grew suspicious of Dunn’s warning and reactions. A Flame Serpent carrying red phosphorus gold then emerged from the magma, and Colt asked Dunn and Annie to help defeat it.

• Dunn used Future Sight to avoid the falling magma, while Maddy and Maxim suffered burns and Colt protected Sarna.
• After the eruption ended, Sarna healed Maddy and Maxim, and Colt’s movement led Dunn to suspect he was an Agility Classholder.
• A Flame Serpent carrying red phosphorus gold burst from the magma, and Maddy rushed toward it before Colt stopped him.
• Colt warned that the Flame Serpent was likely fourth tier and asked Dunn and Annie to help kill it quickly; Dunn agreed.

Annie agreed to intercept the Flame Serpent after Maddy promised her compensation equal to the value of the red phosphorus gold. She overwhelmed the creature and forced it toward the ground, giving Colt and Maddy a chance to attack.

• Colt demanded that Annie intercept the Flame Serpent, but she refused after he threatened her.
• Maddy offered Annie compensation equal to the value of the red phosphorus gold, and Annie accepted.
• Annie used wind and ice magic to knock the Flame Serpent out of the sky.
• Colt told Maddy to engage the falling Flame Serpent while he waited for an opening to deliver a decisive blow.
• Maddy called Dunn forward, and Dunn joined him in preparing to hold off the creature.

Dunn, Annie, Maddy, and Colt brought down the Flame Serpent after noticing that it seemed more intent on escaping than fighting. Dunn crippled its wing, allowing Colt to finish it and catch the red phosphorus gold it dropped.

• Maddy struck the falling Flame Serpent with Storm Thrust, knocking it into the lava, but the creature emerged almost unharmed.
• Colt wounded the Flame Serpent with a surprise slash, while Dunn and Annie suspected that it had been trying to flee rather than attack them.
• The Flame Serpent tried to escape, but Annie trapped it with two tornadoes and Dunn grabbed it in midair.
• Dunn tore halfway through one of the Flame Serpent's wings, leaving it unable to resist the tornadoes.
• Colt beheaded the falling Flame Serpent and caught the red phosphorus gold it dropped.

An adult Red Dragon erupted from the lava, and the group fled as it attacked. Colt tried to escape with Sarna but was caught in the dragon's breath and burned to ash, leaving the others scrambling to survive.

• Colt gave Maddy the red phosphorus gold, and Annie noted that the mineral was associated with a certain creature.
• An adult Red Dragon burst from the lava, and Maddy, Colt, and the others recognized the danger and began fleeing.
• Colt raced toward Sarna, hoping to escape with her while the others distracted the dragon.
• The Red Dragon flew after Colt and engulfed him in its breath, killing him and leaving only ash.
• Maxim urged Sarna to run, while Annie warned Dunn that they should flee before the dragon noticed them.

Dunn chose to fight the Red Dragon Sarayes, hoping to kill it and reach the pinnacle below Legendary, while Annie fled the volcano. Sarayes caught Dunn off guard with a blast of dragon breath, engulfing him in flames.

• Dunn refused Annie's suggestion to retreat and declared that he wanted to become a Dragonslayer.
• Annie flew away from the volcano, leaving Dunn to face Sarayes.
• Sarayes recalled fleeing a Legendary in the Old World and settling in the volcano, where it had grown bored and angry at the newcomers.
• Sarayes spotted Dunn staring at it as if it were prey and dove toward him in a rage.
• Dunn prepared to meet Sarayes head-on, but the dragon unleashed its breath before he could dodge, engulfing him in flames.

Dunn survived Sarayes’s dragon breath and charge, then used the Dark-Dark Fruit to trap the Red Dragon’s claw and punch him in the nose. After discovering that his blood manipulation barely affected Sarayes, Dunn charged into another head-on clash with him.

• Sarayes breathed fire on Dunn and slammed into him, but Dunn’s body regenerated through the damage.
• Dunn used the Dark-Dark Fruit to hold Sarayes’s claw in place, then escaped the rock wall and punched him in the nose.
• Dunn recovered and decided Sarayes could not kill him, while Sarayes got back up and threatened to slaughter him.
• Dunn tried to manipulate Sarayes’s blood but found that the dragon’s magical blood resisted his control.
• Dunn and Sarayes charged at each other and collided, shaking the volcano and sending ash and rocks flying.

Sarna and Maxim fled the volcano, then realized someone was fighting the Red Dragon Sarayes and were interrupted by Miss Anna as the mountain began to erupt. Dunn transformed into a vampire and overpowered Sarayes, but the dragon unleashed Draconic Magic that drew on the volcano’s power, leaving Dunn facing a far greater eruption.

• Sarna and Maxim heard fighting inside the volcano and debated whether Colt or someone else from their group was battling the dragon.
• The volcano shook and vented ash, and Miss Anna appeared overhead and asked why Sarna and Maxim were still standing there.
• Dunn pinned Sarayes down and battered him, while Future Sight let him evade the dragon’s attempts to escape.
• Sarayes unleashed dragon breath, burning his own body as Dunn moved clear, then flew into the sky with many scales charred and cracked.
• Sarayes chanted Draconic Magic that linked with the volcano’s pulses, and Dunn realized the dragon was drawing on the volcano’s power to trigger an eruption.

Dunn tried to stop Sarayes’s Draconic Magic, but the volcano continued building toward an eruption even after he silenced the dragon. Trapped in the crater when the eruption began, Dunn sheltered himself with Dark Hole as the fire engulfed him and Sarayes.

• Dunn flew at Sarayes and battered his face, then used Bloodline strands formed from the dragon’s blood to clamp his jaws shut and interrupt his chant.
• Dunn realized the volcano would erupt anyway and tried to escape the crater, but Sarayes melted the binding with dragon breath and blocked his path.
• Sarayes grappled with Dunn until the volcano’s shaking stopped and its eruption began.
• Dunn used Dark Hole to form a black sphere around himself just before a pillar of fire engulfed him and Sarayes.

After surviving the volcano’s full eruption, Dunn pursued Sarayes as the wounded Red Dragon fled with part of his hoard. Dunn dragged him back with Black Vortex and stopped him from casting another eruption.

• Annie assured Sarna and Maxim that Dunn would survive the powerful volcanic eruption.
• Sarayes grabbed golden ore from the crater and fled, abandoning part of his hoard when he saw Dunn had survived.
• Dunn restored his head, realized Sarayes had used the eruption to uncover his treasure and escape, and pursued him with Dark Hole.
• Dunn used Black Vortex to catch Sarayes in midair and drag him back toward the crater.
• Sarayes tried to chant Draconic Magic for another eruption, but Dunn doubled the suction and bound him, sealing his mouth.

Dunn killed the Red Dragon Sarayes by repeatedly stabbing its reverse scale, then absorbed its blood and gained substantial strength. He examined his new abilities and stored the dragon’s corpse, intending to save some blood for Annie and find a professional to dismantle the body.

• Dunn restrained Sarayes with black arms and stabbed repeatedly at the dragon’s reverse scale until he pierced it.
• Sarayes died, and Dunn absorbed the dragon’s blood without letting any fall to the ground.
• Dunn saved some Dragon Blood for Annie and stored Sarayes’s corpse in his Spatial Ring.
• Dunn checked his Career Card and found that his attributes had increased and he had gained the Higher Being talent and Higher Lifeform feat.
• Dunn reviewed his new Transcendent Feats, including the useful Strength Balance and the less useful Wall-Crawling.

Annie completed her advancement to [Traveler] after witnessing Dunn slay the Red Dragon, and Dunn returned with Maddy alive. He gave Annie Dragon Blood Essence, and she demonstrated her newly strengthened power by transporting the group to their former oasis.

• Annie completed her advancement to [Traveler], and Maxim and Sarna congratulated her.
• Dunn arrived carrying Maddy, whom he had found alive at the foot of Volcano.
• Dunn gave Annie filtered Dragon Blood Essence, and she absorbed it, revealing that he had killed the Red Dragon.
• Annie used her new ability to move the group from the desert to the oasis where they had met before.

Annie explained her new [Traveler] abilities and returned to Oasis with Dunn and the others after their expedition. She asked Dunn about the rewards from slaying the dragon and learned that the haul was worth only about ten million gold coins because he had taken all its blood.

• Annie's [Traveler] class gave her three kinds of teleportation and the Dragon Breath Spell, making her powerful enough to kill opponents like Colt instantly.
• Annie explained that she had teleported the group outside Oasis because its spatial defenses prevented teleporting directly inside.
• The group returned to Oasis after losing one of their six members, then went to wash and rest.
• Annie visited Dunn's room and asked what he had gained from slaying the dragon.
• Dunn said the ores and dragon's body were worth about twenty million gold coins, but he corrected the estimate to around ten million after accounting for the dragon blood he had taken.

Dunn and Annie sought Sarna’s help finding professionals to process the dragon’s corpse, agreeing to pay them ten percent of the materials. Sarna arranged the work and, with her family’s approval, prepared to travel with Dunn and Annie the next morning.

• Annie asked how Dunn and she would handle the dragon’s corpse, and they realized they lacked anyone who could process it safely.
• Annie suggested asking Sarna for help, and Dunn agreed that Sarna’s powerful family could arrange processing while lowering the risk of losing the corpse.
• Sarna agreed to find processors who would take ten percent of the materials as their fee, and Dunn let them choose which parts to keep.
• Sarna warned Dunn to protect the dragon’s blood, and Annie explained that the blood had already been used up.
• Dunn and Annie said they would accompany Sarna, and she gladly dismissed the escort her family had sent for her.
• Sarna obtained her family’s approval, and the three agreed to set out the next morning.

Dunn and his companions detoured through the Gold Panning Plains so Sarna could see its nonhuman inhabitants, then encountered a pack of powerful, unfamiliar creatures attacking them. The chapter ended as Dunn recognized that the attackers were not native to the plains.

• Sarna asked to visit the Gold Panning Plains, and Annie and Dunn agreed to the detour.
• Sarna questioned Maxim and Maddy about the strange nonhuman races and creatures they encountered.
• Dunn noticed the inhabitants’ fear and hatred of humans, while a sludge-like creature warned the group that monsters were coming.
• A pack of pitch-black, many-limbed creatures charged through the plains, killing everything in their path.
• Annie cried out in alarm, and Dunn concluded that the attackers were too powerful to be native to the Gold Panning Plains.

Dunn watched a disciplined nonhuman army led by Gnolls defeat the monsters in the Gold Panning Plains and suspected the Gnolls were involved in something significant. As Dunn questioned a Gnoll officer, a High-Tier Gnoll arrived to invite the group to meet their king.

• Dunn noticed that the nonhuman army fought with unusual coordination and discovered that most of its commanders were Gnolls.
• Annie said there should be no Gnolls in the Gold Panning Plains, while Maddy explained that a sizable Gnoll tribe lived in the Withered Stone Wilderness.
• After the army defeated the monsters, Dunn chose to speak with the approaching Gnoll officers to learn what was happening.
• A Gnoll officer refused to answer Dunn's questions and insisted that Dunn answer his own first.
• A High-Tier Gnoll arrived and told Dunn's group that their king requested their presence.

Dunn and his companions met the Legendary Gnoll King, who introduced himself as Yeenoghu and asked for their help. He offered to explain the task and its reward before they decided whether to accept.

• A high-ranking Gnoll told Dunn that their leader was a king, and Dunn agreed to follow him.
• Dunn and his companions reached the Gnoll settlement and were escorted to the palace.
• Dunn and the others entered the palace, felt the Gnoll King's Legendary pressure, and bowed to him.
• The Gnoll King welcomed the group and said he wanted their help, promising to let them choose after hearing the task and reward.
• The Gnoll King introduced himself as Yeenoghu.