Chapter Summaries

Dick arrived in the first level of Hell and learned from Virgil how to cross the Styx and proceed to the next level while searching for Xiya. After Dick left, Virgil transformed into a winged figure and revealed that she had met him before and intended to report his whereabouts to her master.

• Dick fell into Edge Hell, survived the impact, and discovered that King Lioke's Blessing made him immune to Hell's miasma.
• Dick confronted Virgil, who identified herself as an inspector and chronicler of the Nine Hells and explained that she had a physical body bestowed by her master.
• Dick told Virgil he was searching for his wife Xiya, and Virgil explained that he would need to cross the Styx by Kari's boat and pass Minos's judgment to reach the second level.
• Virgil told Dick she would appear again when she wished, then vanished with the white dove as Dick headed into the sulfurous mist.
• After Dick departed, Virgil reappeared, transformed into a black-winged figure, recalled a scar left by Dick's black sword at the Crown Festival, and decided to report his whereabouts to her master.

Dick crossed the Styx after fighting the Demon Cavalry and paying Charon a soul coin, then reached Judge Minos’s palace. Minos judged Jinlianna guilty of adultery and poisoning her husband and shattered her soul as punishment.

• Dick discovered that Hell’s gravity weakened his movements and found Charon demanding a soul coin to ferry him across the Styx.
• Dick transformed into a giant, killed four Demon Cavalry soldiers, and condensed a soul coin from their deaths.
• Dick gave Charon the coin and crossed the Styx, then shot the ferry god with his crossbow after Charon retreated and taunted him.
• Dick reached Minos’s palace and watched Minos judge Jinlianna for poisoning her husband after an affair with a wealthy merchant.
• Minos rejected Jinlianna’s plea for leniency and shattered her soul into pale-blue motes.

Minos judged the newly arrived souls, condemned Dick to a thousand years at the rotating millstone for his killings, then offered to pardon him if he completed a task. Dick agreed to accompany Minos, hoping to reach the second level of Hell and find Xiya.

• Minos told the souls that Xiya was not in Hell’s outskirts and warned Dick that he would need to pass judgment to travel to another level.
• Minos sentenced Sefu to survive three days at the rotating millstone before entering reincarnation, then sent him there.
• Minos accused Dick of killing at least five thousand beings and sentenced him to a thousand years at the rotating millstone.
• Dick activated Blood of Madness and Giant Transformation to escape, but Minos suppressed both talents and subdued him.
• Minos released Dick and offered to pardon his sins and send him to the second level of Hell if he completed a task.

Minos brought Dick into a hidden tavern inside his palace and explained that he wanted Dick to join an adventuring party clearing demonic creatures from dangerous spaces in Hell. Dick learned the mission’s risks and rules, then asked how many missions he would need to complete to reach Hell’s second level.

• Dick followed Minos into the palace and entered a concealed world containing a bustling tavern.
• Minos took human form and explained that the tavern’s patrons were adventurers from secondary worlds who had come to Hell.
• Minos told Dick that demonic creatures from the Abyss had opened rifts in his level, and he wanted Dick to join a team to clear them.
• Dick saw the adventurers’ distress, including Sułdrzo’s trauma after witnessing three teammates die, and asked why Minos would not fight the creatures himself.
• Minos explained that Lucifer was testing his ability to coordinate others and that only four people below demigod strength could enter each space.
• Minos described what would happen if the adventurers died or became irrecoverably mad, and Dick asked how many missions he had to complete before reaching Hell’s second level.

Dick signed Minos's contract to complete three missions and joined a team tasked with exploring a corrupted section of the Darkest Dungeon. After meeting his teammates and hearing their strengths and weaknesses, the group prepared to set out on its first mission.

• Minos offered Dick a contract requiring him to complete three missions, and Dick checked its terms before signing it.
• Minos gathered Gedslif, Glen, and Vandoorn and assigned the four of them to explore the overrun Darkest Dungeon and record the paths at every fork.
• Minos introduced Glen as a spear-wielding Shieldbreaker troubled by nightmares, Gedslif as a deadly performer whose lute eased stress, and Vandoorn as a houndmaster who feared light.
• Minos warned the team to bring supplies, antidotes, bandages, torches, and fuel, while Glen insisted they were already prepared and challenged Dick to prove himself.

Dick entered the Darkest Dungeon with Glen the Shieldbreaker, Gadslif the Jester, and the houndmaster, where they cautiously explored a gloomy, dangerous path. The party found useful supplies and cleared an obstruction, while Dick avoided using his Signs in case they attracted monsters.

• Minos sent Dick and the other adventurers through a dark doorway into the Darkest Dungeon, where Glen warned Dick about traps and tried to intimidate him.
• The houndmaster led the party through the misty woods, explaining that the gloomy surroundings increased stress and that resin powder could brighten their torch and reduce it.
• Dick found a torch with unused resin powder, which the houndmaster stored, and the group discussed the fate of earlier adventuring parties.
• The houndmaster's dog checked a battered sack and found it safe, allowing the houndmaster to collect bloodstained gold coins.
• Gadslif and the others cleared broken brush blocking the path, and Dick decided not to use a Sign that might attract monsters.

Dick helped the party clear a path through the corrupted space and recognized that their minds had been affected when they could no longer see the torch dimming. After he prompted the houndmaster to replenish the torch with soul resin powder, the group recovered, ate, and continued with Dick sharing his preserved food.

• Dick joined the houndmaster, Gedslif, and Glen in clearing shrubs, then followed them past a grave they chose not to disturb.
• Dick noticed dark red sap on the cut shrubs and saw that the torch was nearly out while his companions seemed unaware.
• Dick warned the houndmaster that the torch needed resin powder, prompting him to distribute soul resin powder and restore its light.
• The houndmaster thanked Dick and described how the darkness had frozen his thoughts; Gedslif and Glen also showed signs of having been affected.
• The party stopped to eat, and Dick shared seasoned chicken legs from his spatial badge with the others.

Dick and his companions encountered three fungal monsters in the jungle and fought them. After Dick shielded Glen the Shieldbreaker from the Fungal Turret’s venomous explosion, he emerged unharmed, leaving Glen baffled.

• Dick and his companions found a fresh beast carcass and advanced cautiously through the misty jungle.
• The group encountered two Fungal Rippers and a Fungal Turret, and Gedslif warned them to kill the turret first.
• Glen charged the Fungal Turret while Dick and the others fought the Fungal Rippers.
• Dick killed one Fungal Ripper as the houndmaster, his hound, and Gedslif subdued the other.
• Glen struck the Fungal Turret, which swelled and exploded, and Dick used Blink to shield her from its venom.
• Glen offered Dick an antidote, but Dick wiped away the venom and showed no harm, surprising her.

Dick and his companions encountered a swarm of Twisted Maggots, and he used his sword skills and upgraded Protection Sign to protect the group as they fought. The maggots remained outside the barrier while the adventurers attacked from within.

• The group continued through the ruins, and Dick sensed movement underground before the houndmaster’s dog detected any danger.
• Countless Twisted Maggots erupted from the ground and surrounded Dick and his companions.
• Dick transformed into a three-headed, six-armed giant and swept through the maggots with Panther Zither Jade, earning 800 Energy Points from killing 200 of them.
• Dick spent 1,000 Energy Points to upgrade his Protection Sign to Grandmaster level.
• Dick cast a barrier around the group, and Gadslif the Jester played music that strengthened and sped up their attacks as they fought the maggots from inside.

Dick and his companions survived a battle with twisted maggots, and Dick used the Energy Points he gained to awaken new abilities. During their campfire rest, he said he was searching for his wife, while Vandoorn began telling them how his investigation into missing women exposed a city’s nobles as cultists.

• Dick and his companions fought off the twisted maggots until his Signs barrier shattered, then Dick's Fire Sign devastated the monsters and the team finished the battle.
• After the fight, Dick spent 3,000 Energy Points to gain Grandmaster Lava, Magic Trap, and Hypnosis abilities.
• The adventurers rested around a campfire, and Dick told them he had entered hell to find his wife.
• Vandoorn recounted how he and his spotted hound tracked missing women to a ritual involving his superior and colleagues, whom he killed.
• Vandoorn said he exposed the city’s noble cultists in a public square, then asked the others to guess what happened.

The group continued through the rift space after sharing parts of their pasts, then Gadslif the Jester triggered a trap that brought a Starry Sky Monster before them. Dick protected his companions and attacked, but the monster repelled his mental assault, leaving the battle underway.

• The Houndmaster told Dick that he had come to Hell after the people he protected branded him a terrorist and explained that he stayed to defend souls from monsters emerging through rifts.
• Glen the Shieldbreaker refused to discuss her parents’ deaths, and the group resumed its journey after resting.
• Gadslif the Jester grabbed a jade stone from a web-covered tree trunk, triggering a trap as a fiend approached.
• A Starry Sky Monster appeared, and the Houndmaster told the group that they had to defeat it to escape the sealed space.
• Dick cast Protection Signs on his companions, attacked the monster with his sword, and failed to pierce its defense with his mental domain.

Dick fought the Starry Sky Monster while it overwhelmed the rest of the adventuring party. He ultimately severed its legs and shattered its neck, killing it as the houndmaster lay badly wounded.

• Vandoorn Vanzorn, Glen the Shieldbreaker, and Gadslif the Jester attacked the Starry Sky Monster, but its lightning, strength, and mental cry left them incapacitated or badly injured.
• Dick used his speed and partial gigantification to keep fighting the Starry Sky Monster, while Vandoorn tried to rejoin the battle and was impaled and thrown aside.
• Dick severed the monster's leg and then Blinked behind it to cut off its other leg.
• Dick climbed onto the monster and repeatedly struck its neck until he shattered it, and the Starry Sky Monster's head fell as its eyes went dark.

Dick and his teammates defeated the Starry Sky Monster and returned from the mission, but Glen the Shieldbreaker had been mentally corrupted and descended into madness. Minos sent Glen away for treatment, leaving Dick and the others back in the tavern.

• Dick gained 2,000 Energy Points and upgraded Bow and Crossbow Shooting, Super Extreme Leap, and Blink before tending to Vandoorn and Gadslif the Jester.
• Dick and Vandoorn found Glen the Shieldbreaker raving from mental corruption, bound and bandaged her, and used Dick's flame to keep her calm until the portal appeared.
• The team carried Glen through Minos's portal and returned to the tavern, where the other adventurers reacted indifferently to her condition.
• Minos told Dick that Glen might recover, released her from the ropes, and had nurses carry her away on a stretcher.

After completing the Darkest Dungeon mission, Dick and his teammates rested over a feast at the tavern. The jester revealed his tragic past, and the group began eating together.

• Minos praised Dick and his teammates for scouting the Darkest Dungeon and killing a starspawn, then offered them time to rest and divided the reward.
• Dick agreed to treat the jester and houndmaster to a feast, and the Hell Judge left the tavern.
• The jester asked when Glen might recover, then admitted he had seen the circus friends he lost in a fire and was afraid to seek revenge.
• Dick and Vandoorn encouraged the jester to focus on surviving and strengthening his abilities before deciding whether to return for revenge.
• Waitresses brought the feast, and Dick, the jester, and the houndmaster ate while the houndmaster fed his Dalmatian.

Dick rested in the tavern while Minos awakened the spirit of the Dawn Blade, which gained the name Elizabeth and became stronger. Minos then offered Dick a choice of new teammates and introduced the barbarian Berengar.

• Dick woke after sleeping for a day and met Minos, who asked about his adventure and offered him a gift.
• Minos drew twelve soul crystals from a river of souls, and the Dawn Blade absorbed them as the Mark of Judgment appeared on Dick’s hand.
• Dick met the Dawn Blade’s awakened spirit, named her Elizabeth, and formed a blood bond with the sword, doubling its sharpness and durability.
• Minos explained that Dick could awaken his other swords with Soul Coins and offered him a choice of three new teammates.
• Minos introduced Berengar, a powerful berserker who could heal herself, and warned Dick that some adventurers betrayed their teammates.

The Judge of Hell introduced several adventurers to Dick and described their abilities. Dick chose Teresa, Gangduo, and the berserker as his teammates, then announced his selection to the Judge.

• The Judge of Hell introduced Teresa, a nun who fought with a hammer and used her faith book for healing and magic.
• The Judge described Wade's martial arts and protective magic, then introduced Gangduo, a bounty hunter armed with an axe and grappling hook.
• The Judge introduced Caitlyn, a musketeer whose enchanted Fire Hawk Gun could shoot enemies, flares, and smoke bombs.
• Dick chose Teresa for her healing and Gangduo for his grappling hook, deciding that their abilities complemented his own.
• Dick told the Judge of Hell that he would take the two women and the white-haired man.

Dick joined a team led by the Judge of Hell to enter the Witch’s Domain and hunt the old witch. After learning about the domain’s monsters and discovering signs that cultists had allied with bloodkin, the team encountered elite cultists, a cult witch, and the Wicked Woman of the Woods.

• The Judge of Hell recruited Dick, a nun, a berserker, and a bounty hunter for a mission to kill the witch in the Witch’s Domain.
• The nun warned Dick about Swift Hungry Wolves, cultists, cult witches, the Wicked Woman of the Woods, and vampires before the team entered the domain.
• Dick led the group through the dark ruins while the others explained their positions and watched for danger.
• The bounty hunter found severed hands drained of blood beneath sacrificial trees and warned that the cultists had allied with bloodkin.
• Dick sensed movement beyond an iron door, and the team prepared as elite cultists and a cult witch appeared.
• The Wicked Woman of the Woods emerged from the darkness, and the berserker warned the others that she was the cult’s killing machine.

Dick and his companions defeated a cult ambush and a pack of undead dire wolves, then rested and continued through the dungeon. They emerged into a glowing mushroom forest, where a bandage-wrapped mummy lay in their path.

• Dick killed the cult witch and several cult fighters while his companions fought off the dire wolves attacking from behind.
• Dick used a cold shockwave and the Dawn Sword to help the party slaughter the remaining wolves.
• Berengar healed the wounded berserker with her sacred tome, and the party discussed the power and risks of wondrous items.
• The party rested, then continued through a rusted iron door and reached a mushroom forest.
• The bounty hunter spotted a mummy lying quietly in the path as the party's torch dimmed and their resin powder ran low.

Dick and his companions fought Bloodsuckers after the bounty hunter succumbed to the whispers in the forest, then rested for the night. Theresa approached Dick seeking comfort, but he refused because he already had a partner he had come to Hell to find.

• A bounty hunter broke open a monstrous egg, releasing two Bloodsuckers and a Sycophant, while the whispers drove him to despair.
• Dick killed the Sycophant and the Bloodsuckers Servant, while his companions defeated the Bloodsuckers Manservant.
• Dick conjured a magical flame, and the nun explained that ordinary fire would not ease their fear and could attract more monsters.
• The exhausted group made camp at midnight, and the bounty hunter placed protective objects around them.
• Theresa embraced Dick as he lay down and proposed that they comfort each other, but Dick said he already had a partner and had come to Hell to find her.

Dick and his teammates defeated the old witch and returned to the tavern, where the Judge of Hell arranged a celebration with companions from earlier missions. The jester hinted that Dick would soon enter a new space, but the chapter ended before anyone explained what that meant.

• Dick and his teammates fought the old witch, who trapped the bounty hunter and Dick inside her great vat, but Dick endured the corrosive broth and helped his companions attack her.
• The bounty hunter and the priest wounded the witch, and Dick killed her with the Dawn Sword after she fell.
• Dick spent 1,000 Energy Points to improve Sword Oil Making to Grandmaster, while his teammates preserved the witch's head as a possible trade item.
• The witch's head opened a portal, and the group carried it through to a tavern where Minos, the Judge of Hell, welcomed them to a celebration.
• Glen the Shieldbreaker thanked Dick and said she had recovered but remained too weak for the next mission; the jester said Dick would enter a new space, and Dick asked what that meant.