Chapter Summaries

Headmistress Mary explained the Path to Godhood, demigods, and Dick’s potential, while Dick considered how to grow strong enough to protect Xiya. After upgrading his abilities, he weighed possible routes to Noldor Forest and considered asking Mary to create a portal.

• Headmistress Mary told Dick that his potential had brought him to the Path to Godhood, though he had not yet learned how to master it, and described demigods as transcendents who wielded divine authority.
• Dick recalled Medusa and his Divinity Fragments, and reasoned that collecting more might help him become a demigod and protect Xiya.
• Mary invited Dick to call her by her name and offered to help him with further questions.
• Dick spent Energy Points to upgrade Protection Sign, Fire Signs, Giant Transformation, and Extreme Leap.
• Dick considered several routes from Ravenstern to Noldor Forest, weighing the hazards of the Mist Swamp and Jatu Plains, and thought about asking Mary to make a portal.

Dick joined a council conference where the kings debated whether to sanction Xiya under Article 11 of the Covenant of Kings. King Vinese agreed to withdraw his troops but revealed that Straw Hat and his men had entered Ravenstern, while Emperor Marius insisted the convention required the nations to eliminate Xiya.

• Xiao Ai summoned Dick to the council chamber, where Queen Meve was defending Xiya against the proposed sanction.
• Dick sat beside Xiya and reassured her as King Vinese offered to withdraw his troops in exchange for Monster’s release within a week.
• King Vinese warned that Straw Hat, Steel Fang, and Lame One had entered Ravenstern without bringing soldiers.
• Khan K’Juda and the Knights of the Eventide ended their projections, citing the distance to Ravenstern and other problems in their lands.
• Emperor Marius invoked Article 11 and demanded that the nations eliminate Xiya, while Queen Meve and Headmistress Mary opposed him.

Emperor Marius and King Ulric pressured Queen Meve to let Dick and Xiya face a pursuit without outside help. Meve and Headmistress Mary resisted, but Dick agreed to a two-person escape game with Xiya beginning at noon.

• Emperor Marius demanded that Ravenstern admit Knight Grandmaster Tatum and the Shadow Knights, while forbidding anyone from helping Xiya escape.
• Dick rejected the demand, and Marius warned Queen Meve that the Northern Kingdoms could fall into chaos after her death.
• Headmistress Mary injured the projections of Marius's four imperial sorcerers, prompting Marius to offer one further concession: Dick and Xiya would face the pursuit together.
• Dick accepted Marius's two-person escape game, which would begin when the bells struck noon.
• King Ulric agreed to withdraw his border troops but revealed that adventuring parties marked with red silk had already entered the Northern Kingdoms.
• Marius and Ulric ended their projections, leaving Queen Meve, Dick, and the three sorceresses in the conference room.

Dick and Xiya left the Magic Academy for Noldor Forest to seek Lady Diana and a cure for Xiya’s illness, while Headmistress Mary told Queen Meve that she had only one day left to live. Mary gave Meve an experimental potion that might extend an ordinary person’s lifespan, leaving Meve to decide what to do with it.

• Dick refused to flee the continent and chose to take Xiya through the Northern Kingdoms and Mist Swamp to Noldor Forest to find Lady Diana.
• Barbara gave Dick supplies, and Headmistress Mary lent Xiya a miasma-clearing amulet that would last for one hour and warned them about Straw Hat’s modified warriors.
• The Magic Academy’s sorcerers and apprentices wished Dick and Xiya well as they departed by portal in a carriage.
• Headmistress Mary told Queen Meve that her life essence was exhausted and she had only one day left to live.
• Meve discussed her concerns about Luca’s future, and Mary gave her an experimental potion that might extend an ordinary person’s lifespan.

Dick and Xiya traveled toward Hot Spring Village while fleeing pursuit, and Dick killed the spies who ambushed them on the road. When they reached the village, Dick discovered the Hound Mercenary Company had occupied it and murdered villagers.

• Dick chose a remote route along the foot of the Misty Mountains and drove past the ruins of the Crossroads Inn.
• Dick used a decoy carriage to draw in the spies following them, then killed them with his Mind Shockwave, sword, and crossbow.
• Dick and Xiya continued to Hot Spring Village, where Dick insisted Xiya rest despite her wish to keep traveling.
• Dick entered the strangely empty village and used his Witcher Senses to locate more than twenty people in Village Chief Green's courtyard.
• Dick overheard Village Chief Green speaking with members of the Hound Mercenary Company and saw five villagers' bodies hanging in the courtyard.

Dick rescued the villagers of Hot Spring Village from mercenaries hunting Xiya, then spent the night caring for her before they resumed their journey. The village chief, Green, saw them off, and Dick promised to return once their troubles were settled.

• Dick ambushed and killed the mercenaries who had come to capture Xiya, then asked the villagers to keep their visit secret.
• Green organized the villagers to hide the bodies and divide the mercenaries' coin, warning them not to reveal what happened.
• Dick brought Xiya hot spring water, washed and warmed her feet, and stayed nearby as she fell asleep.
• Dick and Xiya woke, ate, and prepared to leave while Green readied their carriage.
• Dick and Xiya thanked Green and departed from Hot Spring Village.

Dick and Xiya reached Snow Village near the Mist Swamp, where mercenaries disguised as guards ambushed Dick and threatened Xiya. Dick killed their leader, Bangtena, then hurried back to find three figures standing before the carriage.

• Dick noticed Xiya's fire-element symptoms worsening as they traveled toward the Misty Mountains.
• Dick recognized Gordon at Snow Village and cast a Protection Sign over the carriage before entering the compound.
• Dick realized the nobles and guards were mercenaries when they watched him suspiciously, then smashed a poisoned bowl and attacked them.
• Dick defeated the guards and faced their leader, Bangtena, who claimed his companions had captured Xiya and forced Dick to kneel.
• Dick killed Bangtena with a bronze-colored hand and urged Gordon and his workers to leave Snow Village.
• Dick returned to the carriage and found its Protection Sign gone and three figures standing before it.

Dick confronted Straw Hat, Steel Fang, and Lame One, who revealed their monstrous modifications and threatened Xiya in the carriage. Dick gained the upper hand against Steel Fang, but Lame One launched a powerful attack as the fight continued.

• Straw Hat, Steel Fang, and Lame One challenged Dick and threatened to kill Xiya, who confirmed she was safe inside the carriage.
• Dick confronted Straw Hat over the druid Vigo, and Straw Hat explained that he grew stronger by eating powerful beings.
• Steel Fang revealed his four arms and swords, then attacked Dick while Straw Hat ordered him to test Dick's strength.
• Dick activated [Panther Zither Jade] and overpowered Steel Fang in their clash, forcing him to stagger backward.
• Lame One leaped into the air, transformed his frost-giant-powered leg, and brought his enormous foot down toward Dick.

Dick fought off three demonized mercenaries who targeted Xiya’s carriage, killing all of them and earning 240 Energy Points. After checking that Xiya was safe, he left the points unused and continued toward the Mist Swamp with his Witcher Senses active.

• Dick activated Blood of Madness, severed Lame One’s leg, and blocked the attacks aimed at Xiya’s carriage.
• Straw Hat and Steel Fang focused their attacks on the carriage, while Dick defended himself despite sustaining wounds.
• Dick shattered Steel Fang’s swords, killed him with a thrown blade, and smashed Straw Hat’s turtle shell before beheading him.
• Dick received 240 Energy Points for killing Straw Hat, Steel Fang, and Lame One, but chose not to spend them.
• Dick reassured Xiya, resumed the journey, and kept his Witcher Senses active as they neared the Mist Swamp.

Dick and Xiya were ambushed by Church of the Eternal Fire forces seeking to arrest Xiya as the World-Destroying Witch. After Dick defeated the attackers and helped Xiya regain control of her power, they left the bloodied battlefield together.

• Dick detected more than a hundred ambushers in the forest, protected the carriage, and warned Xiya to stay inside.
• A bishop accused Xiya of being the World-Destroying Witch and said the Church intended to take her to Free City for Archbishop Duncan.
• The Church's forces attacked, and Dick pulled Xiya from the carriage moments before it exploded in flames.
• At Xiya's urging, Dick charged the attackers, killed the bishops, and slaughtered the Witch Hunters and mercenaries despite being wounded.
• Xiya unleashed her fiery power and left twelve attackers charred, but Dick embraced her until she returned to normal.
• Dick and Xiya walked hand in hand through the woods.

Dick and Xiya reached the edge of the Mist Swamp, where Kebi and Tatum confronted them. Dick fought Tatum in a swordsmanship duel as pursuing mercenaries closed in, and ended the fight by accepting a potentially fatal wound to threaten Tatum.

• Dick and Xiya fought through mercenary and Church of the Eternal Fire ambushes and traps on their way to the Mist Swamp.
• Dick encountered Kebi, who said Queen Meve had died and King Luca had ordered his arrest, alongside Tatum and the Shadow Centurions.
• Tatum challenged Dick to a swordsmanship contest, promising to let him pass if he won, and Dick accepted despite his exhaustion.
• Tatum injured Dick repeatedly and began anticipating his moves as pursuers approached the swamp.
• Dick let Tatum's sword pierce his heart, then grabbed the rapier and pressed his own sword to Tatum's neck, prompting Tatum to concede.

Dick and Xiya entered the Mist Swamp to escape their pursuers, but the Lord of the Mist Swamp confronted them and demanded that Dick surrender Xiya. Dick refused and faced the monster in single combat as a horde of hidden Cyclopes watched.

• Tatum let Dick and Xiya pass, and Dick led her into the Mist Swamp while the mercenaries abandoned their pursuit.
• Tatum rode away with Kebi and Fisher, saying he would stay in Odinburg and that his shadow centurions would not harass the commoners.
• Dick and Xiya hurried west through the miasma, relying on Xiya's amulet to protect them for about an hour.
• Dick recognized the clearing where he and Kayn had killed Warwick and encountered the Lord of the Mist Swamp, who demanded that he surrender Xiya and submit.
• The Lord of the Mist Swamp revealed concealed Foglets and Cyclopes, then challenged Dick to single combat; Dick parried his claw strike.

Dick battled the Lord of the Mist Swamp, which repeatedly devoured Foglets to heal and grow stronger. After midnight, Dick activated Blood of Madness and charged at the enlarged monster, while Xiya prepared to defend herself from the creatures rushing toward her.

• Dick wounded the Lord of the Mist Swamp and scattered its poisonous green mist with Mind Shockwave.
• The Lord of the Mist Swamp devoured nearby Foglets whenever Dick injured it, growing larger after consuming six.
• The Lord of the Mist Swamp taunted Dick and demanded that he kneel, but Dick waited until midnight so he could activate Blood of Madness again.
• Dick’s eyes turned blood-red, and he charged the Lord of the Mist Swamp with two swords as Panther Zither Jade activated.
• The Lord of the Mist Swamp ordered the Cyclopes to attack Dick and sent other monsters toward Xiya, who conjured fireballs and readied herself to fight.

Dick and Xiya fought the Lord of the Mist Swamp, which exploded after Dick nearly killed it, sending them plunging into a deep underground pool. Dick survived the fall and began treating Xiya’s injuries in the darkness below.

• Dick killed the surrounding Cyclopes while Xiya burned several monsters with fireballs.
• The Lord of the Mist Swamp transformed, burrowed through the ground, and swallowed the Cyclops corpses to grow stronger.
• Dick leaped onto the monster’s back and attacked it until its body began swelling again.
• Dick pulled Xiya close, shielded her with a Protection Sign, and the Lord of the Mist Swamp exploded, blasting them into an underground pit.
• Dick awoke beside a deep pool with unconscious Xiya in his arms, splinted her broken arm, and heard rocks crashing down around them.

Dick tried to comfort the gravely injured Xiya as she confessed that she believed herself to be a harbinger of disaster and urged him to leave her behind. Yuejiqi appeared in the pit, admitted he had engineered their fall, and agreed to a bet with Dick whose prize would be their safe passage near Noldor Forest and Yuejiqi's departure from the world.

• Xiya refused to drink until Dick shared the water, then confessed that she blamed herself for deaths and disasters and begged him to go on without her.
• Xiya collapsed from her injuries and distress, and Dick searched for a way to escape the pit.
• Dick called out Yuejiqi, who appeared and admitted he had loosened rocks beneath the Mist Swamp to make Dick fall into the pit.
• Dick proposed a bet, and Yuejiqi offered to fulfill one condition if Dick solved his riddle and found him.
• Dick demanded safe passage for himself and Xiya near Noldor Forest and that Yuejiqi leave the world, and Yuejiqi accepted while promising not to exploit the contract's wording.

After signing a soul contract with Yuejiqi, Dick was trapped in a timed riddle and a demon-filled illusion. He discovered the answer was a mirror, used his reflection in a basin of urine to win the wager, and banished Yuejiqi from the mortal world, though Yuejiqi vowed they would meet again.

• Dick agreed to Yuejiqi's soul contract and was transported to a blood-red mental world, where Yuejiqi gave him three minutes to solve a riddle.
• Dick evaded lava demons and ignored an illusion of Ruiwen accusing him of getting her and her family killed.
• Dick identified the riddle's answer as a mirror, but Yuejiqi destroyed the mirrors throughout a nearby residence.
• Dick found a bronze basin, filled it with urine, and used its reflective surface to draw Yuejiqi into the mortal world.
• Dick won the wager, causing the world's rules to banish Yuejiqi, who threatened to meet him again.

Dick and Xiya escaped the collapsing mental space and reached the edge of Noldor Forest, where Dick rescued a captive dryad from mercenaries. The dryad fled into the forest, and Dick followed her straight into a deadly arrow trap.

• Dick woke beside Xiya near Noldor Forest after the mental space collapsed, and Xiya regained consciousness.
• Dick and Xiya encountered mercenaries dragging and whipping a dryad, and Xiya urged Dick to save her.
• Dick killed the four mercenaries, freed the dryad, and asked her to guide him to Noldor Forest.
• The dryad ran into the forest, and Dick chased after her despite her attempts to escape.
• Dick entered the forest and was struck by four poisoned arrows, then shouted that he was dead.

Dick and Xiya entered Noldor Forest seeking Lady Diana’s help with Xiya’s condition, after Dick survived the dryads’ arrows and proved his healing ability. Diana recognized the aura of the Nine Hells in Xiya, but her attempt to trace its source made her spit golden blood.

• The dryads mistook Dick for a threat and shot him, but he pulled out the arrows and healed his wounds before asking them for directions.
• Filia explained why she had fled, and the dryads invited Dick and Xiya to meet Lady Diana; Dick gained Energy Points and upgraded his Giant Transformation and Fighting skills along the way.
• Dick learned that mercenaries from Free City had been targeting Noldor maidens, then followed the dryads through the forest to Lady Diana’s residence.
• Lady Diana greeted Dick, revealed that Headmistress Mary had told her about Xiya, and examined Xiya’s condition.
• Lady Diana sensed an immense aura from the Nine Hells within Xiya and tried to trace its source, but she abruptly spat golden blood.

Diana explained that only one drop of divine water remained in the Moonwell and could be used to lift Xiya’s curse the next day. While Dick, Xiya, and Filia shared a meal and talked, Filia later approached Dick at night to keep him warm, and he misunderstood her intentions.

• Diana said Xiya’s curse could only be addressed with the Moonwell’s final drop of divine water, which they would retrieve the next day.
• Diana explained that she had used much of the Moonwell’s water healing Noldor Elves targeted by human adventurers.
• Dick asked permission to roast venison, and Filia led him and Xiya to a tree bed arranged for their stay.
• Filia initially claimed dryads lived on berries, but she eagerly ate Dick’s roast venison and drank his juice.
• Dick and Xiya discussed Filia’s work settling disputes among forest animals before they went to sleep.
• Filia hugged Dick because she thought he might be cold, and Dick pushed her away after mistaking her gesture for a romantic advance.

Dick and Xiya learned that the Fire of the Nine Hells curse could not be removed, and Xiya asked him to marry her. The chapter left them embracing as the people around them watched in silence.

• Filia told Dick that she had been a human girl from a village in the Bacchus Empire before Lady Diana turned her into a dryad, and that she wanted to see her home again.
• Lady Diana brought Dick and Xiya to a sacred well and used its divine water to try to remove Xiya's curse.
• The divine water failed, and Lady Diana said Xiya had been cursed by a high-ranking deity of the Nine Hells.
• Dick asked how long Xiya had, but Xiya comforted him and told him she had no regrets about her life.
• Xiya asked Dick to marry her, and he promised to grant her wish.